I have just completed reading a book I mentioned a long time ago to others, which I had not had the chance to read as of yet at that time but I had read a short review on it somewhere. The book is a wonderful examination of the AnaBaptist as they are today. This book examines all the "Old Order" as it is known.
A complete description of the Hutterites, the Mennonites, the Amish and the German Brethern or aka the Brethern.
This book will give you insight to a wonderful group of people who have managed in many ways to hold onto the early Christian "church" practices. One must remember the AnaBaptist were the Radical Reformationist, as they were the ones, that in the Reformation took steps to restore the Ekklesia to the practices and way of life of the Early Ekklesia before the Church Fathers (The Paternalistic Age). Their practices really did everything they could to hold onto the biblical precept of the Priesthood of All Believers with Sitters Rights, Communal living, non- resistance, separation from the world and worship not being just something you do on Sunday in a building but something that involves every aspect of life daily, work and play and the way in which one lives their life, a life lived unto the Lord.
They were highly persecuted, hated and killed by the Reformationist, Luther and Calvin hated them, because they stood in great contradiction to the One Leader, Temple worship that even the Reformationist held on to. They held onto the Agape Feast, true Communion ( the meal and community), separation from the world and it's temptations in a life style that we "civilized folks" think odd.
Even today, many look at them oddly, no more than we are looked at oddly by them.
This book will bring you to an understanding of their ways, their dress codes, their dislike for technology and more. You will learn how it has sustained them for 100's of years in their way of life. They have very little crime in their communities, very little government and live simple lives unto God.
Though not perfect, in my opinion each group of them hold something very special that dates back to the times of the Apostles and the true teaching of Christ. It is very unlike American and Catholic-Protestant Christianity that has been Westernized and has thousands of years of pagan cultural pollution.
These are a simple and humble people who have found community and relationship more important than individualism. The group is more important than the individual and the teachings of Christ encompass more than just a once a week thing or a building exercise. These people make Christ their way of life in all they say and do. They reject the Kingdom of Men for the Kingdom of God, and have made great strides to keep it that way.
I would highly recommend this study of the AnaBaptist as they are today, to any serious student of the Bible and Church History. It is written by Donald B. Kraybill and Carl F. Bowman. Donald is a professor of Sociology and AnaBaptist Studies at Messiah College. Carl is professor and chair of the department of Sociology at Bridgewater College. Written from a Sociological examination and not a theological or ecclesiastical study of church history, it will provide you greater understanding and enlightment to these dear brothers and sisters in Christ, that in my opinion hold forth the traditions of Paul and the Apostles and the teachings of Christ greater than any other Christian groups known. We as the Ekklesia of Christ can learn much from their way of life and their teachings. Though they have had some crucial things to deal with as the world about them is constantly changing, they manage in their exclusiveness of some of the ways of this world to hold onto community and interpersonal relationships with like minded believers in a tremendous way.
Much of what is missing in Western denominations, because of the procedures and traditions of the institutional church which consist of much which can be proved as a carryover from Catholicism, and pagansim and the writings of Ignatius, Gregory, Constantine and others (the so called "church" fathers) is why so many Christians wonder from building to building hoping to find that real life of Christ in them. They never will through the traditions and practices of the institutional church. There are none of the surviving aspects of the Early Church left in it, as led by the Apostles and as taught by Jesus.You can barely even realize what it was like to be a Christian in the times of the Apostles in any of the institutional denominational "churches".
The greatest thing that these people have held onto is community and love for their enemy and love for one another. Their deep respect for each other, their humbleness, their lack of pride, and their consistent love for one another, preferring others over self is to be admired. It makes me stand in awe, to see these groups and their variation in which they have managed to survive it all- the constant onslaught of the world upon us.
Ekklesia is defined within their community as the real body of Christ, the "Congregation", the individual as a whole represented by the entire community is the dwelling place of the most high and not a building made by hands.
In the brethern who probably hold to the closest example when it comes to matters of the sinner and the saint and worship and to the way the early Ekklesia governed themselves by the leading of the Holy Spirit. In my opinion they most closely resemble the time of the Apostles and what we read of in the Book of Acts. Every man and woman has a voice in the decisions of the whole. Though there are Elders (a multiplicty), they are not selected by their intelligence, their ability to preach, their scholarly achievements, their degrees or ordinations, but by their older age, and exemplary lives they have lived and their humbleness. The average today AnaBaptist has an 8th grade education, but in my opinion their love and servitude of the Lord far exceeds that of most of our Doctorates and PHd's in the opposing denominations. No seminary can prepare a man to leadership of life example. No education can do this for a man, only a life lived in Christ.
For as it was said of Peter and some of the others, these men were recognized not to have been educated men, but men that had walked with the Lord Jesus. When the sermon goes, the building goes, the one man show- the Pastor goes, and the tradition goes, then Christ can resume his throne of Lordship as High Priest for all the priesthood of all believers and life will return to the Ekklesia. The world will be turned upside down for Jesus.
For there won't be a place to go and worship, for worship will encompass all of what a man does and says. There won't be one special super spiritual mediator to Christ - the Pastor or Priest anymore and each member of the body will exercise their gifts as the Holy Spirit provides the gifting. There will be no more temples or special buildings in which God dwell, but the purpose of Jesus in disposing of all these Judaic and pagan practices will have ceased and God will be found where he always wanted to dwell, in the heart of each and every believer, individually and as a whole. When the educated professors of Theology and Homiletics, and Church Life are all gone, the Holy Spirit will be able to do all the teaching as he intended to.
No man, will say Know the Lord, for all will have been taught of the Lord. There will be no more sermons, no more evangelizing, no more emotional ferris wheels of pleasure, there will be only the Lord, the resurrected Lord living and breathing through the congregation of His people, encouraging, judging and praying for us as a whole. The Ekklesia can change when it steps back to the years of 30 AD to 100 AD and throws out all the garbage and traditions of men that has held us back from being God's own people - the called out one's- a strange and peculiar people, strangers and aliens to this world.
I pray for the Radical Reformation of the "church". I pray that we could take the best of what the AnaBaptist taught and believe today from across all the 4 groups and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ out the rest of our days, hastening the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I pray for a revelation of these truths to every believer, to every man that stands in as a Pastor or office holder in the institutional church, and that they would lay down their titles before the feet of the Lamb, and say- I am giving it all up for Jesus, "let the Lord reign". "I sacrifice my title to be a function of the body and not the head of the body", so Christ can take the Head once more, and we can as Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, when she questioned Jesus who was right, them or the Jews in where they worshipped. Jesus response was to the point "Those that worship God will worship in Spirit and in Truth.
May God bless us with a REAL REVIVAL AND REFORMATION- that will lead us into the very heart of Christ. May the Ekklesia of Christ lay all their tradition that is not based on scripture but men, and turn to the way of the Lord and we will see a real outbreak of not emotionalism, as many so called revivals have been- but true worship in Spirit and in truth by His people the Ekklesia. That Yeshua can be declared LORD of LORDS and KING OF KINGS! It can happen. It almost happened to the fullest extent in the Reformation, and there are those like the AnaBaptist that are clinging to keeping it alive.
Dr. J.
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Showing posts with label buildings. Show all posts
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Saturday, May 19, 2007
Friday, April 6, 2007
Excavating Jesus
Recently the news was splattered by a story that there was to be an archaelogical documentary on television presented by the "The Discovery Channel " on March 4th, which was to prove they had found the bones of Jesus. As anyone knows this would be impossible to prove and scientifically alone it stands as pure cow manure that anyone could tell whether any bones were from Jesus. First, you would have to subscribe to the Da Vinci Code myth and lies, to find a surviving member from his lineage and this would require the impossibility of tracing, Mary the Mother of Jesus forward to a surviving genetic inheritance that was alive today or worse you would have to find a relative of the direct lineage of Jesus from him and a marriage to some woman. It amazes me how "Jews" like James Cameron could even produce such garbage. I always thought him to be somewhat intelligent yet he proved to me he is ignorant beyond belief to even want to put his name behind this production of mythology.
Second - This is the second time "The Discovery Channel" has been involved in a disputed claim about an ancient tomb, CBS News Correspondent Mark Phillips reports. The man at the center of the previous case is now facing trial for forgery.
I do want to mention an excellent book on archaeology and the times of Jesus. This book is called, "Excavating Jesus". The teachings and times of Yeshua ( Jesus) revealed through the most important discoveries of biblical research and archaeological research. This book is authored by John Dominic Crossan and Jonathan L.Reed. John is professor emeritus of Religious Studies at DePaul University, Chicago, John L. Reed is a a professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at the University of La Verne, in California.
I absolutely love how they show what the real Kingdom of God meant for early believers and what it''s nature was. It is a far cry from the Kingdom of this world, and they explain both archaelogocally and biblically how, that even in arguing the miracles and all the things we know to be true, back in the times right after Jesus resurrection would had little affect upon the hearers of these proclamations, though true, the hearers of that time, had plenty of their gods doing fantastic things as well, Jupiter rising up from the dead, and creating the Sons of Jupiter, the Caesars of Rome were also often claimed to be seen rising up from the ashes and ascending to the heavenlies, etc. These things are not explained to take from Jesus and Christians but to explain that when Paul and Peter and others debated with the pagans, and the Jews, these things unlike today, were not the grounds from which they won converts.
Though intellectual exercise was a part ot the debate, the thing that set Paul and Peter and all the Apostles apart, was their community of love, and understanding, their love of peace and love expressed to all men in Christ. This alone set the world upside down for Jesus in their times. It also goes to show how scripturally Jesus avoided leaving a place, a home, or a residence that could be exclaimed as the place of the Kingdom of God, and how Constantine thwarted Jesus purposes through the building of the Holy Sepulchre and his insistence on building Temples and buildings for worship in the style of the Romans and the Greeks for their gods for the new state-religion subjects to worship in.
In the chapter entitled "How to Bury A King", I quote,
"We do not ask whether Constantine constructed the Holy Sepulcher on the right spot. Yes, probably. We ask whether his construction was appropriate to Jesus Kingdom of God, to that Jewish ideal of a covental Kingdom on earth as in heaven. No, probably. Above all, we ask and question not so much how Constantine celebrated the sepulcher of Jesus, but how Christianity celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. "
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The truth to be told, Jesus never wanted any place on earth to be called, a holy place, what Jesus sought was to present a holy place, that had no geographical boundaries, no buildings, but a people that would promulgate through their living, their community with one another, outside of buildings, and geographical boundaries the love of God for men and women alike.
Jesus as it is written in the New Testament, went out from Peter's home or his mother in laws home, he did not bid the people "come to me where I am", he went to where they were, the byways, the alleys, the streets, the woods, the gardens, their homes, and told his Disciples the same, GO FORTH, never did he say "come to my house", but he went and made His house "where ever two or more are gathered in his name" without the elaborate ornate buildings that were later created by Constantine, without the authoritarian attitude these buildings contributed to. He went out and was a Servant not a Master. The Apostles did the same. They could have remained at home, went to the Temple and said come here if you want to hear about Jesus. No, we find even Paul seeking a place of prayer alongside a river stream, where there might be others as well seeking the solitude of nature for meditation on the Lord and to be in prayer, and Lydia, was found there. God had already set her heart apart for salvation, and Paul explained the communal - Kingdom of God to her, and not long afterward, we don't find Lydia going to the Temple, but rather prayer beginning in her household at home, and others were reached for Jesus as well. She went forth I imagine just as Paul and Peter and all of the Apostles did, not finding a welcome in the Temples often that men had built, they sought people whereever they were, at work, at play, at debate, at roadside or river side. They found people, whose hearts God had been prepared for the lesson of the Kingdom of God. I imagine she returned many times on the Sabbath day to the river and shared the Good News and then would bring them to her house to explain Our Savior, his love, his sacrifice, his resurrection by lifestyle and community of love one for another. They each came to understand, that God did not dwell in some building, not even Lydias house, but in her heart and the hearts of others like her.
The Apostles knew that a debate over just the miracles of Jesus, or even the resurrection ( though the most important tenant of our belief) would not lead a person to Jesus, they had their own gods who as well, had risen from the grave, they had their miracles and the great heroes of old. The Apostles approached others rather with the community of life that was changed for them, from hater to lover, from killer to a man of peace. Paul was a changed man, and the Kingdom of God was real in his heart, and this heart, not the argument brought people into "the Way".
It was the very reality of Christ alive in his people, their changed lives, their deeds, the actions, their love for one another, that gave precedence and reality over the pagan gods and their stories of their resurrection.
It was life changing - it had to be true this Jesus who went about doing good was really resurrected, for the people could see it in the hearts and lives of the believers. They didn't find it in a building, and I imagine, the seekers by the river side like Lydia had come to some conclusion of that or why else would they not been in their perspective temples worshipping and praying to their gods. Especially Jews on a Sabbath.
We stand in our Sepulchres, and say "come", while Jesus said "Go"!
When will the institutional church so set by Constantine and his followers through the ages, awake to the fact that what they present is nothing more than the same kingdoms the Caesars and Greek gods, and all pagan beliefs present.
The same temples, the same gods, the same priestly grab and authoritarianism.
Jesus wanted us to pray, "Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is heaven". In heaven there is no Temple for his people are his Temple, and his Son is the High Priest, and He is the Light, the Eternal Light that no man will ever see darkeness in. There is no need for sunlight there. He alone provides all the light needed. There is no need for sacrifice there for his compassion is provided instead. There is no need of tithe there, for He is the giver of all things and what could we ever return to Him that is already His in the first place. There are only His people, His priesthood of believers of all races, all nations, all that declare Jesus is Lord.
We live in a period of thought influenced by the Enlighment, these people lived in pre-enlightment times.
Their argument for Jesus was never a place to go, a person to see, or hear, but the very life of the resurrected Jesus within them, this is what brought sinners to grace, this is what saved the worse of pagans and gave them eternal life. This was the Kingdom of God come down to earth.
Not the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem that Constantine built, not any supposed home that Jesus lived in, and surely not found in a building on this earth made by the hands of men. Even Jesus had them all confused and upset when he clarified that the only building he was talking about tearing down was his body to be raised again in 3 days. The Pharisees were so carnal in thinking like the institutional church, they couldnt see beyond the place, the building that Herod built, as anything else being referred to as a temple.
Paul clarified this when he said, the body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Paul was not referring to a local, tax deductible, incorporated, entity of some people, under the State, meeting in a certain building anywhere. God has no other house, but His people and their heart, and the lie has stolen this for so long from His people, they have lost touch with "Christ in you, the hope of the glory".
Acts: 7:47-50 Stephen preaching to those then who still sought a place or a building as the place where God was to dwell. He states with all clarity that cannot be misunderstood. He quotes directly from scripture from the Prophets.
47- But it was Solomon who built a house for Him *(referring to the Creator Yahweh)
48- However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says:
HEAVEN IS MY THRONE, AND EARTH IS THE FOOTSTOOL OF MY FEET;
WHAT KIND OF HOUSE WILL YOU BUILD FOR ME? says the LORD:
Or what place is their now for my repose?
WAS IT NOT MY HANDS THAT MADE ALL THESE THINGS?
You men are stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just what your fathers did.
It was very short after this, that they stoned Stephen for speaking the truth of the Kingdom of God. These promulgators of Temple worship with their high priest lifted up rocks and just as they killed Jesus and the prophets and all those who came to bring Israels' heart to the Father, they murdered him. They gnashed at their teeth at him, as so often clergymen do that at me, when I tell them in love the truth of the Gospel and how far they have wondered away from this truth.
Constantine in my opinion did the same thing. He commited murder of the truth of what the definition of what the EKKLESIA OF GOD is, but just as Christ would not remain in the grave, the EKKLESIA has been coming out, greater in numbers these days since before the time of the early (KIRKE) church fathers begin to whittle away at the truth of the Gospel and the foundation of Christ and the Apostles. These promulgaters that God lives in a building, have done exactly what the Pharisees did, they replaced the Word of God with the traditions of men.
They gnash their teeth at me, they want me stoned for telling the truth, less they lose their place of power and money, and their very substanance for groceries, debt, fine cars, nice homes, and paid for trips. They would hate the most to lose their title, Pastor, Priest, Bishop, etc. for these things are holy and precious to them and without them, they become mere men, no longer holier or more learned then their subjects.
"The Kingdom of God is within you".
The residence of God is not in some building down the street with a sign outside that says church. God lives in the hearts of His people, and this is the excavating of Jesus, that will never reveal bones, but a living and vibrant resurrected Savour.
Let Easter (the pagan celebration be gone) and let the Resurrection Day of Jesus be alive- come this week as we remember and reflect what Jesus really was all about. Let us repent from our works of darkness we have lived in for too long, and turn to the life of Jesus and the Apostles, and instead of saying come here or there, let's get up and GO to the people as Jesus did. Only love conquers all.
If you want to read about real biblical archaelogical work on excavating Jesus, then I highly recommend reading the book I mentioned earlier.
Now let us excavate the "resurrected Lord and King in our hearts, in our families and in our everyday lives. For HE LIVES!
So Go forth, and take the Gospel unto all nations in Yeshua's name. Don't sit on a pew this week, share Jesus with someone by your life in word and deed, and let it be the resurrected Jesus "excavated from the dead of the building" made alive in your heart, that speaks and acts.
I serve a risen Savour, He is in the world today, you ask me how I know this, for He is in my HEART TO STAY!
Dr. J.
Second - This is the second time "The Discovery Channel" has been involved in a disputed claim about an ancient tomb, CBS News Correspondent Mark Phillips reports. The man at the center of the previous case is now facing trial for forgery.
I do want to mention an excellent book on archaeology and the times of Jesus. This book is called, "Excavating Jesus". The teachings and times of Yeshua ( Jesus) revealed through the most important discoveries of biblical research and archaeological research. This book is authored by John Dominic Crossan and Jonathan L.Reed. John is professor emeritus of Religious Studies at DePaul University, Chicago, John L. Reed is a a professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at the University of La Verne, in California.
I absolutely love how they show what the real Kingdom of God meant for early believers and what it''s nature was. It is a far cry from the Kingdom of this world, and they explain both archaelogocally and biblically how, that even in arguing the miracles and all the things we know to be true, back in the times right after Jesus resurrection would had little affect upon the hearers of these proclamations, though true, the hearers of that time, had plenty of their gods doing fantastic things as well, Jupiter rising up from the dead, and creating the Sons of Jupiter, the Caesars of Rome were also often claimed to be seen rising up from the ashes and ascending to the heavenlies, etc. These things are not explained to take from Jesus and Christians but to explain that when Paul and Peter and others debated with the pagans, and the Jews, these things unlike today, were not the grounds from which they won converts.
Though intellectual exercise was a part ot the debate, the thing that set Paul and Peter and all the Apostles apart, was their community of love, and understanding, their love of peace and love expressed to all men in Christ. This alone set the world upside down for Jesus in their times. It also goes to show how scripturally Jesus avoided leaving a place, a home, or a residence that could be exclaimed as the place of the Kingdom of God, and how Constantine thwarted Jesus purposes through the building of the Holy Sepulchre and his insistence on building Temples and buildings for worship in the style of the Romans and the Greeks for their gods for the new state-religion subjects to worship in.
In the chapter entitled "How to Bury A King", I quote,
"We do not ask whether Constantine constructed the Holy Sepulcher on the right spot. Yes, probably. We ask whether his construction was appropriate to Jesus Kingdom of God, to that Jewish ideal of a covental Kingdom on earth as in heaven. No, probably. Above all, we ask and question not so much how Constantine celebrated the sepulcher of Jesus, but how Christianity celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. "
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The truth to be told, Jesus never wanted any place on earth to be called, a holy place, what Jesus sought was to present a holy place, that had no geographical boundaries, no buildings, but a people that would promulgate through their living, their community with one another, outside of buildings, and geographical boundaries the love of God for men and women alike.
Jesus as it is written in the New Testament, went out from Peter's home or his mother in laws home, he did not bid the people "come to me where I am", he went to where they were, the byways, the alleys, the streets, the woods, the gardens, their homes, and told his Disciples the same, GO FORTH, never did he say "come to my house", but he went and made His house "where ever two or more are gathered in his name" without the elaborate ornate buildings that were later created by Constantine, without the authoritarian attitude these buildings contributed to. He went out and was a Servant not a Master. The Apostles did the same. They could have remained at home, went to the Temple and said come here if you want to hear about Jesus. No, we find even Paul seeking a place of prayer alongside a river stream, where there might be others as well seeking the solitude of nature for meditation on the Lord and to be in prayer, and Lydia, was found there. God had already set her heart apart for salvation, and Paul explained the communal - Kingdom of God to her, and not long afterward, we don't find Lydia going to the Temple, but rather prayer beginning in her household at home, and others were reached for Jesus as well. She went forth I imagine just as Paul and Peter and all of the Apostles did, not finding a welcome in the Temples often that men had built, they sought people whereever they were, at work, at play, at debate, at roadside or river side. They found people, whose hearts God had been prepared for the lesson of the Kingdom of God. I imagine she returned many times on the Sabbath day to the river and shared the Good News and then would bring them to her house to explain Our Savior, his love, his sacrifice, his resurrection by lifestyle and community of love one for another. They each came to understand, that God did not dwell in some building, not even Lydias house, but in her heart and the hearts of others like her.
The Apostles knew that a debate over just the miracles of Jesus, or even the resurrection ( though the most important tenant of our belief) would not lead a person to Jesus, they had their own gods who as well, had risen from the grave, they had their miracles and the great heroes of old. The Apostles approached others rather with the community of life that was changed for them, from hater to lover, from killer to a man of peace. Paul was a changed man, and the Kingdom of God was real in his heart, and this heart, not the argument brought people into "the Way".
It was the very reality of Christ alive in his people, their changed lives, their deeds, the actions, their love for one another, that gave precedence and reality over the pagan gods and their stories of their resurrection.
It was life changing - it had to be true this Jesus who went about doing good was really resurrected, for the people could see it in the hearts and lives of the believers. They didn't find it in a building, and I imagine, the seekers by the river side like Lydia had come to some conclusion of that or why else would they not been in their perspective temples worshipping and praying to their gods. Especially Jews on a Sabbath.
We stand in our Sepulchres, and say "come", while Jesus said "Go"!
When will the institutional church so set by Constantine and his followers through the ages, awake to the fact that what they present is nothing more than the same kingdoms the Caesars and Greek gods, and all pagan beliefs present.
The same temples, the same gods, the same priestly grab and authoritarianism.
Jesus wanted us to pray, "Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is heaven". In heaven there is no Temple for his people are his Temple, and his Son is the High Priest, and He is the Light, the Eternal Light that no man will ever see darkeness in. There is no need for sunlight there. He alone provides all the light needed. There is no need for sacrifice there for his compassion is provided instead. There is no need of tithe there, for He is the giver of all things and what could we ever return to Him that is already His in the first place. There are only His people, His priesthood of believers of all races, all nations, all that declare Jesus is Lord.
We live in a period of thought influenced by the Enlighment, these people lived in pre-enlightment times.
Their argument for Jesus was never a place to go, a person to see, or hear, but the very life of the resurrected Jesus within them, this is what brought sinners to grace, this is what saved the worse of pagans and gave them eternal life. This was the Kingdom of God come down to earth.
Not the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem that Constantine built, not any supposed home that Jesus lived in, and surely not found in a building on this earth made by the hands of men. Even Jesus had them all confused and upset when he clarified that the only building he was talking about tearing down was his body to be raised again in 3 days. The Pharisees were so carnal in thinking like the institutional church, they couldnt see beyond the place, the building that Herod built, as anything else being referred to as a temple.
Paul clarified this when he said, the body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit. Paul was not referring to a local, tax deductible, incorporated, entity of some people, under the State, meeting in a certain building anywhere. God has no other house, but His people and their heart, and the lie has stolen this for so long from His people, they have lost touch with "Christ in you, the hope of the glory".
Acts: 7:47-50 Stephen preaching to those then who still sought a place or a building as the place where God was to dwell. He states with all clarity that cannot be misunderstood. He quotes directly from scripture from the Prophets.
47- But it was Solomon who built a house for Him *(referring to the Creator Yahweh)
48- However, the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says:
HEAVEN IS MY THRONE, AND EARTH IS THE FOOTSTOOL OF MY FEET;
WHAT KIND OF HOUSE WILL YOU BUILD FOR ME? says the LORD:
Or what place is their now for my repose?
WAS IT NOT MY HANDS THAT MADE ALL THESE THINGS?
You men are stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just what your fathers did.
It was very short after this, that they stoned Stephen for speaking the truth of the Kingdom of God. These promulgators of Temple worship with their high priest lifted up rocks and just as they killed Jesus and the prophets and all those who came to bring Israels' heart to the Father, they murdered him. They gnashed at their teeth at him, as so often clergymen do that at me, when I tell them in love the truth of the Gospel and how far they have wondered away from this truth.
Constantine in my opinion did the same thing. He commited murder of the truth of what the definition of what the EKKLESIA OF GOD is, but just as Christ would not remain in the grave, the EKKLESIA has been coming out, greater in numbers these days since before the time of the early (KIRKE) church fathers begin to whittle away at the truth of the Gospel and the foundation of Christ and the Apostles. These promulgaters that God lives in a building, have done exactly what the Pharisees did, they replaced the Word of God with the traditions of men.
They gnash their teeth at me, they want me stoned for telling the truth, less they lose their place of power and money, and their very substanance for groceries, debt, fine cars, nice homes, and paid for trips. They would hate the most to lose their title, Pastor, Priest, Bishop, etc. for these things are holy and precious to them and without them, they become mere men, no longer holier or more learned then their subjects.
"The Kingdom of God is within you".
The residence of God is not in some building down the street with a sign outside that says church. God lives in the hearts of His people, and this is the excavating of Jesus, that will never reveal bones, but a living and vibrant resurrected Savour.
Let Easter (the pagan celebration be gone) and let the Resurrection Day of Jesus be alive- come this week as we remember and reflect what Jesus really was all about. Let us repent from our works of darkness we have lived in for too long, and turn to the life of Jesus and the Apostles, and instead of saying come here or there, let's get up and GO to the people as Jesus did. Only love conquers all.
If you want to read about real biblical archaelogical work on excavating Jesus, then I highly recommend reading the book I mentioned earlier.
Now let us excavate the "resurrected Lord and King in our hearts, in our families and in our everyday lives. For HE LIVES!
So Go forth, and take the Gospel unto all nations in Yeshua's name. Don't sit on a pew this week, share Jesus with someone by your life in word and deed, and let it be the resurrected Jesus "excavated from the dead of the building" made alive in your heart, that speaks and acts.
I serve a risen Savour, He is in the world today, you ask me how I know this, for He is in my HEART TO STAY!
Dr. J.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Pastoring America
I recently ran across some news on the Zondervan website, I have to share, because this further confirms the problem I have with the institutional church. We have strayed far from what Christ had in mind. Origen started it with his lifting the Bishop to being equal with Christ, and Constantine building the temples. Catholicism to Protestantism, the game is the same, these two are on the same stick, just opposite ends. This has existed since the church no longer was the make up of all beleivers,(the EKKLESIA, called out ones) and the multiplicity of elders among each body and each operating in the gifts of the Spirit as given. It has become a place to go to and a man to hear. Sunday entertainment. Ask most folks within a day of Sunday service what the sermon was about and they can't tell you. We may have restored the Bible to the common people, but Luther never strayed from the concept of the one man show and the temple being a building. The church has remained in this darkness for over 1800 years. The article quoted below clearly shows how seriously we are off the track, and the purpose of Christ. To go into all the world and preach the Gospel. This was not a command for just those that are "called to preach" a misnomer from day one. All believers are called to the ministry of reconciliation and they are priest of the Almighty. We have left what Christ established to return to Judaism with the building of our temples and the creation of our high priest. Read these recent statistics.
Survey: Pastors Would Use Surprise Income to Build and Evangelize
(ER 5.11.06) - A new survey shows what pastors nationwide would do if their church received an unexpected financial windfall.
The research was conducted for Facts & Trends magazine and sought to clarify the overall budget and spending priorities of clergy and lay people. According to a survey conducted by Ellison Research, 31% of the more than 500 Protestant pastors surveyed said they'd build, expand, or update their church's buildings and facilities. That preference is even more pronounced among Southern Baptist pastors, 43% of whom say they'd spend the unexpected financial boon on facilities.
Sixteen percent of all pastors say they'd use the windfall to increase community evangelism activities. Paying off debt (12%) and adding staff (10%) are also among the priorities expressed. Only 1 percent indicate they'd use the windfall to increase the salaries or benefits for staff members.
In a companion survey of almost 1,200 Protestant lay people, the top 3 priorities for spending a windfall would be paying off debt (18%), increasing social programs (18%), and building, expanding, or updating church facilities (17%).
Dr. Thom Rainer, author of Breakout Churches and The Unchurched Next Door, says the surveys show the need for a balanced perspective on what it means to be a church.
"It seems as if the research confirms that we can lose our focus when we start focusing on that which matters but which should be more peripheral than the main things, such as evangelism," Rainer notes.
Ron Sellers, president of Ellison Research, says the findings may make it appear that evangelism, missions, and outreach are a higher priority for clergy than for their congregations. "[But] in reality, both put a fairly high priority on evangelism," he says. "They just have different priorities for where the evangelism should take place."
Rainer offers a different perspective. "More than half of all members of churches in America will meet their Savior face to face without ever having shared Christ with anyone," he says. "On the leadership issue, 53% of pastors have not shared Christ, by their own admission, in the last 6 months."
Rainer admits he may be oversimplifying things, but offers this observation: "It seems to me, when someone [asks]: 'What's wrong with the evangelistic health of our churches?' — I can give a simple response: We're not doing it." (Source: Ellison Research, www.ellisonresearch.com)
What this clearly shows, is a total error on the part of Pastors, and in my opinion much of the congregation as well. Being segregated into our own little shelters and thinking God dwells there, and that all there is to worship is going to the building.
Worship encompasses all that we are, if we are believers. Every part of our life, everyday. We have hidden ourselves in our selfish agendas to build bigger and better than the next guy- whatever denomination or other church there is in our community. Athens, Texas has over 47 (give or take a few) different churches, yet evangelism, feeding the poor, and missionary work is very low within this community. Not, that there aren't some programs out there to do these things, but the question must be asked, what impact has it had on this community of some of the highest known drug arrest for methamphetamines and more.
Very, very little. Lets look at some more facts.
91% of all Christian outreach/evangelism does not target non-Christians, but rather those who have already heard the gospel and have a number of churches in their area. while 67% of the people in the world still have not heard the name of Jesus and 200 million Christians live und some form of persecution for their faith.
Christianity in the West flourishes as a multi-billion dollar enterprise. Statistics like these confirm that the Body of Christ has, for the most part committed it's rich supply of resources to itself. Pickup any Christian magazine (you'll find a vast selection) and see for yourself. They are loaded with ads for all sorts of conferences and seminars, Christian entertainment, books of every kind, T-Shirts, CD's almost anything you could imagine. In addition to T-Shirts and music, you can find a deluge of Christianized pop-psychology and the latest Christian romance novels. Everything from Christian debt consolidation to Christian singles clubs are all prevalent particulary in America. Just consider all the ministries that pop-up in our Christian world. Have you ever wondered about all the new approaches and solutions. There all kinds of seminars available. Seminars on divorce, addiction, and demon deliverance. There is someone new everyay proclaiming a solution or enhancement for everthing you can think of.
The truth is we are loaded with dollars. Higher wages are paid for the best entertainers. Larger the congregation the bigger the salary is for the Pastor- the one man show- minus the musicians and singers- who in most cases are unpaid.
We may say we don't have money enough for evangelism but the truth is someone is paying for all this.
With our position of wealth in this country it surely can be concluded: Love requires us to take seriously the responsiblity of helping the poor of this world so they might have enough food to eat. Along with this comes the responsibility to share the Gospel.
Wasn't this the first of only two creeds added by the Elders and Apostles at Jerusalem- "Remember the poor".
Yet, we go on building bigger and better!
The next time your church wants to vote on a building fund, you might consider these statistics as well.
* 854 million people across the world are hungry, up from 852 million a year ago.
* Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes--one child every five seconds.
In essence, hunger is the most extreme form of poverty, where individuals or families cannot afford to meet their most basic need for food.
Hunger manifests itself in many ways other than starvation and famine. Most poor people who battle hunger deal with chronic undernourishment and vitamin or mineral deficiencies, which result in stunted growth, weakness and heightened susceptibility to illness.
Countries in which a large portion of the population battles hunger daily are usually poor and often lack the social safety nets we enjoy, such as soup kitchens, food stamps, and job training programs. When a family that lives in a poor country cannot grow enough food or earn enough money to buy food, there is nowhere to turn for help.
Facts and Figures on Population
* Today our world houses 6.55 billion people.
* The United States is a part of the developed or industrialized world, which consists of about 57 countries with a combined population of about 1 billion, less than one sixth of the world’s population.
In contrast, approximately 5.1 billion people live in the developing world. This world is made up of about 125 low and middle-income countries in which people generally have a lower standard of living with access to fewer goods and services than people in high-income countries.
The remaining 0.4 billion live in countries in transition, which include the Baltic states, eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Facts and Figures on Hunger and Poverty
* Worldwide, more than 1 billion people currently live below the international poverty line, earning less than $1 per day.
Among this group of poor people, many have problems obtaining adequate, nutritious food for themselves and their families. As a result, 820 million people in the developing world are undernourished. They consume less than the minimum amount of calories essential for sound health and growth.
Undernourishment negatively affects people’s health, productivity, sense of hope and overall well-being. A lack of food can stunt growth, slow thinking, sap energy, hinder fetal development and contribute to mental retardation.
Economically, the constant securing of food consumes valuable time and energy of poor people, allowing less time for work and earning income.
Socially, the lack of food erodes relationships and feeds shame so that those most in need of support are often least able to call on it.
Facts and Figures on Health
Poor nutrition and calorie deficiencies cause nearly one in three people to die prematurely or have disabilities.
Pregnant women, new mothers who breastfeed infants, and children are among the most at risk of undernourishment.
In 2005, about 10.1 million children died before they reached their fifth birthday. Almost all of these deaths occured in developing countries, 3/4 of them in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, the two regions that also suffer from the highest rates of hunger and malnutrition.
Most of these deaths are attributed, not to outright starvation, but to diseases that move in on vulnerable children whose bodies have been weakened by hunger.
Every year, more than 20 million low-birth weight babies are born in developing countries. These babies risk dying in infancy, while those who survive often suffer lifelong physical and cognitive disabilities.
The four most common childhood illnesses are diarrhea, acute respiratory illness, malaria and measles. Each of these illnesses is both preventable and treatable. Yet, again, poverty interferes in parents’ ability to access immunizations and medicines. Chronic undernourishment on top of insufficient treatment greatly increases a child’s risk of death.
In the developing world, 27 percent of children under 5 are moderately to severely underweight. 10 percent are severely underweight. 10 percent of children under 5 are moderately to severely wasted, or seriously below weight for one’s height, and an overwhelming 31 percent are moderately to severely stunted, or seriously below normal height for one’s age.
That is enough statistics for now. You should by now stand firmly convicted and if not let me add this:
Revelations 3:14-22
And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write:These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God: 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot:I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art the wretched one and miserable and poor and blind and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold refined by fire, that thou mayest become rich; and white garments, that thou mayest clothe thyself, and that the shame of thy nakedness be not made manifest; and eyesalve to anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I reprove and chasten:be zealous therefore, and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock:if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21 He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father in his throne. 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.
I end with this thought, truly if what we have is what Christ intended, then why is it so ineffective in turning the "world upside down" as it did in the days of early Christianity?
It's time Pastors and Congregations to see the harvest is plenty the laborers few.
Dr. J.
Survey: Pastors Would Use Surprise Income to Build and Evangelize
(ER 5.11.06) - A new survey shows what pastors nationwide would do if their church received an unexpected financial windfall.
The research was conducted for Facts & Trends magazine and sought to clarify the overall budget and spending priorities of clergy and lay people. According to a survey conducted by Ellison Research, 31% of the more than 500 Protestant pastors surveyed said they'd build, expand, or update their church's buildings and facilities. That preference is even more pronounced among Southern Baptist pastors, 43% of whom say they'd spend the unexpected financial boon on facilities.
Sixteen percent of all pastors say they'd use the windfall to increase community evangelism activities. Paying off debt (12%) and adding staff (10%) are also among the priorities expressed. Only 1 percent indicate they'd use the windfall to increase the salaries or benefits for staff members.
In a companion survey of almost 1,200 Protestant lay people, the top 3 priorities for spending a windfall would be paying off debt (18%), increasing social programs (18%), and building, expanding, or updating church facilities (17%).
Dr. Thom Rainer, author of Breakout Churches and The Unchurched Next Door, says the surveys show the need for a balanced perspective on what it means to be a church.
"It seems as if the research confirms that we can lose our focus when we start focusing on that which matters but which should be more peripheral than the main things, such as evangelism," Rainer notes.
Ron Sellers, president of Ellison Research, says the findings may make it appear that evangelism, missions, and outreach are a higher priority for clergy than for their congregations. "[But] in reality, both put a fairly high priority on evangelism," he says. "They just have different priorities for where the evangelism should take place."
Rainer offers a different perspective. "More than half of all members of churches in America will meet their Savior face to face without ever having shared Christ with anyone," he says. "On the leadership issue, 53% of pastors have not shared Christ, by their own admission, in the last 6 months."
Rainer admits he may be oversimplifying things, but offers this observation: "It seems to me, when someone [asks]: 'What's wrong with the evangelistic health of our churches?' — I can give a simple response: We're not doing it." (Source: Ellison Research, www.ellisonresearch.com)
What this clearly shows, is a total error on the part of Pastors, and in my opinion much of the congregation as well. Being segregated into our own little shelters and thinking God dwells there, and that all there is to worship is going to the building.
Worship encompasses all that we are, if we are believers. Every part of our life, everyday. We have hidden ourselves in our selfish agendas to build bigger and better than the next guy- whatever denomination or other church there is in our community. Athens, Texas has over 47 (give or take a few) different churches, yet evangelism, feeding the poor, and missionary work is very low within this community. Not, that there aren't some programs out there to do these things, but the question must be asked, what impact has it had on this community of some of the highest known drug arrest for methamphetamines and more.
Very, very little. Lets look at some more facts.
91% of all Christian outreach/evangelism does not target non-Christians, but rather those who have already heard the gospel and have a number of churches in their area. while 67% of the people in the world still have not heard the name of Jesus and 200 million Christians live und some form of persecution for their faith.
Christianity in the West flourishes as a multi-billion dollar enterprise. Statistics like these confirm that the Body of Christ has, for the most part committed it's rich supply of resources to itself. Pickup any Christian magazine (you'll find a vast selection) and see for yourself. They are loaded with ads for all sorts of conferences and seminars, Christian entertainment, books of every kind, T-Shirts, CD's almost anything you could imagine. In addition to T-Shirts and music, you can find a deluge of Christianized pop-psychology and the latest Christian romance novels. Everything from Christian debt consolidation to Christian singles clubs are all prevalent particulary in America. Just consider all the ministries that pop-up in our Christian world. Have you ever wondered about all the new approaches and solutions. There all kinds of seminars available. Seminars on divorce, addiction, and demon deliverance. There is someone new everyay proclaiming a solution or enhancement for everthing you can think of.
The truth is we are loaded with dollars. Higher wages are paid for the best entertainers. Larger the congregation the bigger the salary is for the Pastor- the one man show- minus the musicians and singers- who in most cases are unpaid.
We may say we don't have money enough for evangelism but the truth is someone is paying for all this.
With our position of wealth in this country it surely can be concluded: Love requires us to take seriously the responsiblity of helping the poor of this world so they might have enough food to eat. Along with this comes the responsibility to share the Gospel.
Wasn't this the first of only two creeds added by the Elders and Apostles at Jerusalem- "Remember the poor".
Yet, we go on building bigger and better!
The next time your church wants to vote on a building fund, you might consider these statistics as well.
* 854 million people across the world are hungry, up from 852 million a year ago.
* Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes--one child every five seconds.
In essence, hunger is the most extreme form of poverty, where individuals or families cannot afford to meet their most basic need for food.
Hunger manifests itself in many ways other than starvation and famine. Most poor people who battle hunger deal with chronic undernourishment and vitamin or mineral deficiencies, which result in stunted growth, weakness and heightened susceptibility to illness.
Countries in which a large portion of the population battles hunger daily are usually poor and often lack the social safety nets we enjoy, such as soup kitchens, food stamps, and job training programs. When a family that lives in a poor country cannot grow enough food or earn enough money to buy food, there is nowhere to turn for help.
Facts and Figures on Population
* Today our world houses 6.55 billion people.
* The United States is a part of the developed or industrialized world, which consists of about 57 countries with a combined population of about 1 billion, less than one sixth of the world’s population.
In contrast, approximately 5.1 billion people live in the developing world. This world is made up of about 125 low and middle-income countries in which people generally have a lower standard of living with access to fewer goods and services than people in high-income countries.
The remaining 0.4 billion live in countries in transition, which include the Baltic states, eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Facts and Figures on Hunger and Poverty
* Worldwide, more than 1 billion people currently live below the international poverty line, earning less than $1 per day.
Among this group of poor people, many have problems obtaining adequate, nutritious food for themselves and their families. As a result, 820 million people in the developing world are undernourished. They consume less than the minimum amount of calories essential for sound health and growth.
Undernourishment negatively affects people’s health, productivity, sense of hope and overall well-being. A lack of food can stunt growth, slow thinking, sap energy, hinder fetal development and contribute to mental retardation.
Economically, the constant securing of food consumes valuable time and energy of poor people, allowing less time for work and earning income.
Socially, the lack of food erodes relationships and feeds shame so that those most in need of support are often least able to call on it.
Facts and Figures on Health
Poor nutrition and calorie deficiencies cause nearly one in three people to die prematurely or have disabilities.
Pregnant women, new mothers who breastfeed infants, and children are among the most at risk of undernourishment.
In 2005, about 10.1 million children died before they reached their fifth birthday. Almost all of these deaths occured in developing countries, 3/4 of them in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, the two regions that also suffer from the highest rates of hunger and malnutrition.
Most of these deaths are attributed, not to outright starvation, but to diseases that move in on vulnerable children whose bodies have been weakened by hunger.
Every year, more than 20 million low-birth weight babies are born in developing countries. These babies risk dying in infancy, while those who survive often suffer lifelong physical and cognitive disabilities.
The four most common childhood illnesses are diarrhea, acute respiratory illness, malaria and measles. Each of these illnesses is both preventable and treatable. Yet, again, poverty interferes in parents’ ability to access immunizations and medicines. Chronic undernourishment on top of insufficient treatment greatly increases a child’s risk of death.
In the developing world, 27 percent of children under 5 are moderately to severely underweight. 10 percent are severely underweight. 10 percent of children under 5 are moderately to severely wasted, or seriously below weight for one’s height, and an overwhelming 31 percent are moderately to severely stunted, or seriously below normal height for one’s age.
That is enough statistics for now. You should by now stand firmly convicted and if not let me add this:
Revelations 3:14-22
And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write:These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God: 15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot:I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So because thou art lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spew thee out of my mouth. 17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art the wretched one and miserable and poor and blind and naked: 18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold refined by fire, that thou mayest become rich; and white garments, that thou mayest clothe thyself, and that the shame of thy nakedness be not made manifest; and eyesalve to anoint thine eyes, that thou mayest see. 19 As many as I love, I reprove and chasten:be zealous therefore, and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock:if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. 21 He that overcometh, I will give to him to sit down with me in my throne, as I also overcame, and sat down with my Father in his throne. 22 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.
I end with this thought, truly if what we have is what Christ intended, then why is it so ineffective in turning the "world upside down" as it did in the days of early Christianity?
It's time Pastors and Congregations to see the harvest is plenty the laborers few.
Dr. J.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Patch Adams and a Cheerful Heart
The other night after work I was flipping through the channels and I happen to run across a movie I saw sometime back. "Patch Adams" starring Robin Williams. I forgot about this movie. In all the seriousness of life, I had forgot how delightful this based on a real person, film was. Just to find someone who in medicine, who discovered the truth to Proverbs 17:22, is a joy in itself. To know medicine isn't totally loss to the greed that often we read about in the news.
The verse in proverbs reads like this: "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." Patch Adams went and still is going up against traditional medicince that in most cases has created a very cold professional, whose work has come to more the philosphy of making money and carrying a title, than the original Oath of Hippocrates.
Patch is a wonderful individual, who reminds us that a positive attitude and laughter can heal or at least make life have more value. I want to place in copy here a description of Patch and his dream.
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Extraordinary! One man I can look up to and respect, Incredibly, mind blowing and memorable, and Incredibly inspiring, amazing human being, invaluable to hear him first hand …are among the words heard from participants’ after experiencing Patch Adams, the real person behind the hit movie Patch Adams, starring Robin Williams.
Patch is both a medical doctor and a clown…but he is also a social activist who has devoted 30 years to changing America's healthcare system, a system which he describes as expensive and elitist.
He believes that laughter, joy and creativity are an integral part of the healing process and therefore true health care must incorporate such life. Doctors and patients in his model relate to each other on the basis of mutual trust, and patients receive plenty of time from their doctors. Allopathic doctors and practitioners of alternative medicine will work side by side. If you think that all sounds like a utopian impossibility, it isn't. Patch and his colleagues practiced medicine at the Gesundheit Institute together in West Virgina that way for 12 years in what he calls their pilot project. They saw 15,000 patients. Patch Adams has devoted his life to the study of what makes people happy.
Through the success of this program at the Arlington, Virginia location, a model health care facility is being planned on 310 acres purchased in Pocahontas County, WV. The Institute will include a 40-bed hospital, a theater, arts and crafts shops, horticulture and vocational therapy. Over five years ago, Dr. Adams and staff temporarily stopped seeing patients so that they could coordinate plans for raising $5 Million needed for the Institute's permanent and expanded home, a model health care community. Currently planned is an immediate phase of this dream, a $400,000 WV facility so that their medical service to patients can resume within the next two years.
The Institute addresses, by action, four major issues in health care delivery: the rising cost of care, dehumanization of medicine, malpractice suits, and abuses of third-party insurance system.
Dr. Adams adds to his training as a physician, his experience as a street clown. In working with health and mental health professionals, he explores the relationship between humor and therapy using his unique blend of knowledge, showmanship and hands on teaching techniques. Says Dr. Adams, I interpret my experience in life as being happy. I want, as a doctor, to say it does matter to your health to be happy. It may be the most important health factor in your life.
Patch Adams, M.D., is a nationally known speaker on wellness, laughter, and humor as well as on health care and health care systems. He approaches the issues of personal, community, and global health with zestful exuberance, according to Time Magazine. Dr. Adams believes that the most revolutionary act one can commit in our world is to be happy.
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Patch is so right. While America looks for alternatives for Healthcare, Patch has founded an Institute that will not charge patients for their care. He has used the generosity of thousands who have donated to his cause. I have always held that if American's put their actions into taking care of the poor, the widow and the orphan which is a very large substance of a Christlike life, we wouldn't be looking for solutions to the healthcare problem in the United States. We have an organization called the "church", that devotes millions to building programs, and real estate accrual and other wasteful projects. Oh! yes ,there is money that goes to the poor, the widow and the orphan but in honesty the percentage taken in by churches and given to these things are very very small in relation to pastoral staff salaries and larger facilities and the cost involved. Do we think for a minute this is what the Lord came to give us, the same as Israel had in it's time. I don't. That system came to an end when the curtain veil was torn into. I have spent the larger portion of my life as a believer and a Spirit abiding Christian, fighting this deceitful system on the grounds of scripture and early Christian history. Teaching others who they are in Christ, and where the real church is.
I co-pastored home church for near 2 years with no salary or intake of funds. We gave, we didnt take. We helped people in the community with money, food or whatever they came to us and needed out of our own pockets, without a committee meeting or vote taken. Why don't we still meet, simple we discipled others and they have gone on to disciple others or dropped out. The idea was never to build an institution but to do as a number of individuals rather than one, to build Christians into maturity and then let them go. They are gone or are discipled and growing through and in Christ, so we don't meet anymore. Should the Lord open the opportunity again, I am willing. I am not against the assembly of believers, I am not against people meeting in buildings, I am against a system that has propped up Pastors to the position of High Priest and the building of Temples as where God dwells. It is wrong and is one of the greatest lies to steal truth from the believer in Christ. God no more dwells in anyone building in Athens, Texas or any other place in this world. God has come to indwell His people. I grow discouraged at times, when I constantly here someone say, aren't you glad you are in "the house of the Lord". Regardless of what their intention is, it creates and teaches a wrong view of the "ekklesia" of Christ. Peter as an individual was a little rock that Jesus would build his Big Rock on the church. Peter was not the first Pope. Peter as an individual who proclaimed Christ as the Messiah, became the beginning of many who would do the same. These are the EKKLESIA- the called out one's. They remain the dwelling place of God, once they are born again, by repentance, proclamation of Jesus as Lord, and baptism in His name. These being the work of God, not the work of men. He gives His Spirit unto them, to dwell in them, to live through them, to teach them and to sanctify and glorify them. The restoration of God not just with men, but "in men". Through Christ, eternal life is born in the believer then and there. They are the ekklesia and the many like them are, but any one building in the world with a sign outside is not the EKKLESIA, it is simply a building in which they gather with one another. They could meet in the parking lot, it wouldn't matter. Jesus told the Samaritan woman, His people would worship in Spirit and in Truth. Worship is what you do with your life, not an exercise on Sunday. It is an exercise done Monday through Sunday, week after week, year after year, and moment by moment in the life you life. Jesus said, where there are two or more gathered in my name, there I am. You can join with your wife in prayer, your child in worship on the playground and have "church". I don't mean to sound sarcastic, but I feel very strongly about these things.
When Paul faced the first questions of legalism trying to sneak back into the belief system of early Christians, the one thing, that the early eldership of Apostles agreed on was that the church was to "remember the poor".
We have got so busy with our lives and our organizations that we have forgotten this admonition and earliest and part of the only creed set by the Apostles themselves in Jerusalem. I promise you, if it was practiced, healthcare wouldn't be a great issue, nursing homes wouldnt be a great issue, and many people would be healed by the mere generosity of Christians and their genuine care and cheerfulness to give to them, whether it is time, a home or money they offer. The problems may not cease altogether but they would be minimized by the action of Christ in the believer.
We have lost the joy of the Lord to bureaucacy and institutions that so often, are based on what they can get rather than what they can give. Truth is truth, and often I make people mad when I state my opinion about these things. I could go on for hours on the failing "institution" and the glory that is awaiting beleivers if they would only return to the things the Lord taught and early Christians did.
Yes, the organization and institution can fail, there are many churches closed now, and pastors no longer pastoring, but the real "EKKLESIA (church-the called out one's)" of Christ, his people, the Universal church, Hell will not be able to prevail against it.
We have for over 1800 years propped up a system, that the Lord never intended, one of great cathedrals, great temples, and great ownership title and position.
We must never forget the words of Stephen that so angered the Pharisees.
Acts 7:48
..however, the Most High does not live in houses made by men. As the prophet says, Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? Or will be my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things?
This along with a few other things Stephen had to say so angered the Jews who wanted to keep God in a building and themselves as the guardians of truth as high priest, it resulted in the stoning death of Stephen.
The greatest awakening needed in the church today, is that those proclaiming the name of Jesus as individual beleivers realize they are the "Temple of God" now. Jesus changed all the old Judaic principles, yet it only took less than 200 years for Christians and the traditions of men to replace truth for lies. Origen, one of the so called early church fathers did it for the person of the Bishop being elevated to the level of Christ himself and Constantine did it for the building of fancy and ornamental temples, full of pagan and Christian alike. Life for Christians in community has been pretty messed up since. Thus individuals hop from one building to another, hoping to find relationship with others and Christ, not membership in a club or religious activity.
Today, most American individuals will go to the "temple" often at least once a week, do they really realize the risen Christ in the person of the Holy Spirit is alive "in them" and is making them into a permanent dwelling place for God. Paul, put it this way, "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Is this life being lived out through you, are you abiding in this hope? Is this the truth for you daily?
The body of Christ could through very minimal efforts of "giving" turn the world upside down on issues of healthcare, if they would lose the idea of building temples that God will never dwell in and that they are there only for the people to assemble in. The purpose of the Pastor is to bring others to maturity in Christ, not keep them as babies, drinking milk instead of eating meat. This pastoralship is a multiple eldership of leaders not a single one man show. This protects the believer from wolves in sheep clothing. God knows, we have enough of them out there.
Would God's people only learn to smile again, to laugh again, and to share that laughter and joy with others and take outdoors what they claim they are getting indoors, we could as it was said about the early Christians, "turn the world upside down." Lest we forget the Lord's prayer, "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
Do we think for a moment that Christians in heaven are divided over their purpose and worship, and other things already settled by Christ himself.
I say no, they are laying their crowns at the feet of Jesus. When will we lay down our crowns, and have a cheerful heart, and be a cheerful giver to things that are eternal?
The healing of lives, broken in pain of body, mind and spirit is a great calling, and that calling is ours, each of us, as Christ is the Great Physician. It is He who lives in each believer.
We are the walking, talking "temple of the Lord", we need the return of joy to our lives, that brings healing to others.
Thank God for the Patch Adams of this world who have learned and practice - "A cheerful heart is good medicine." I don't know if Patch is a Christian or not, but He is living a principle, that is Christian and is the heart of the Gospel, to love your neighbor as you love yourself. Have you ever been in need of medical care and can't afford it. Wouldn't it be nice if we could start free healthcare, right here in Athens, Texas?
You may not agree with much I have said here, but honestly don't you desire that God's Kingdom became more of a reality now and that man's just a little less?
May God Bless you and keep you, Patch.
Dr. J.
The verse in proverbs reads like this: "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones." Patch Adams went and still is going up against traditional medicince that in most cases has created a very cold professional, whose work has come to more the philosphy of making money and carrying a title, than the original Oath of Hippocrates.
Patch is a wonderful individual, who reminds us that a positive attitude and laughter can heal or at least make life have more value. I want to place in copy here a description of Patch and his dream.
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Extraordinary! One man I can look up to and respect, Incredibly, mind blowing and memorable, and Incredibly inspiring, amazing human being, invaluable to hear him first hand …are among the words heard from participants’ after experiencing Patch Adams, the real person behind the hit movie Patch Adams, starring Robin Williams.
Patch is both a medical doctor and a clown…but he is also a social activist who has devoted 30 years to changing America's healthcare system, a system which he describes as expensive and elitist.
He believes that laughter, joy and creativity are an integral part of the healing process and therefore true health care must incorporate such life. Doctors and patients in his model relate to each other on the basis of mutual trust, and patients receive plenty of time from their doctors. Allopathic doctors and practitioners of alternative medicine will work side by side. If you think that all sounds like a utopian impossibility, it isn't. Patch and his colleagues practiced medicine at the Gesundheit Institute together in West Virgina that way for 12 years in what he calls their pilot project. They saw 15,000 patients. Patch Adams has devoted his life to the study of what makes people happy.
Through the success of this program at the Arlington, Virginia location, a model health care facility is being planned on 310 acres purchased in Pocahontas County, WV. The Institute will include a 40-bed hospital, a theater, arts and crafts shops, horticulture and vocational therapy. Over five years ago, Dr. Adams and staff temporarily stopped seeing patients so that they could coordinate plans for raising $5 Million needed for the Institute's permanent and expanded home, a model health care community. Currently planned is an immediate phase of this dream, a $400,000 WV facility so that their medical service to patients can resume within the next two years.
The Institute addresses, by action, four major issues in health care delivery: the rising cost of care, dehumanization of medicine, malpractice suits, and abuses of third-party insurance system.
Dr. Adams adds to his training as a physician, his experience as a street clown. In working with health and mental health professionals, he explores the relationship between humor and therapy using his unique blend of knowledge, showmanship and hands on teaching techniques. Says Dr. Adams, I interpret my experience in life as being happy. I want, as a doctor, to say it does matter to your health to be happy. It may be the most important health factor in your life.
Patch Adams, M.D., is a nationally known speaker on wellness, laughter, and humor as well as on health care and health care systems. He approaches the issues of personal, community, and global health with zestful exuberance, according to Time Magazine. Dr. Adams believes that the most revolutionary act one can commit in our world is to be happy.
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Patch is so right. While America looks for alternatives for Healthcare, Patch has founded an Institute that will not charge patients for their care. He has used the generosity of thousands who have donated to his cause. I have always held that if American's put their actions into taking care of the poor, the widow and the orphan which is a very large substance of a Christlike life, we wouldn't be looking for solutions to the healthcare problem in the United States. We have an organization called the "church", that devotes millions to building programs, and real estate accrual and other wasteful projects. Oh! yes ,there is money that goes to the poor, the widow and the orphan but in honesty the percentage taken in by churches and given to these things are very very small in relation to pastoral staff salaries and larger facilities and the cost involved. Do we think for a minute this is what the Lord came to give us, the same as Israel had in it's time. I don't. That system came to an end when the curtain veil was torn into. I have spent the larger portion of my life as a believer and a Spirit abiding Christian, fighting this deceitful system on the grounds of scripture and early Christian history. Teaching others who they are in Christ, and where the real church is.
I co-pastored home church for near 2 years with no salary or intake of funds. We gave, we didnt take. We helped people in the community with money, food or whatever they came to us and needed out of our own pockets, without a committee meeting or vote taken. Why don't we still meet, simple we discipled others and they have gone on to disciple others or dropped out. The idea was never to build an institution but to do as a number of individuals rather than one, to build Christians into maturity and then let them go. They are gone or are discipled and growing through and in Christ, so we don't meet anymore. Should the Lord open the opportunity again, I am willing. I am not against the assembly of believers, I am not against people meeting in buildings, I am against a system that has propped up Pastors to the position of High Priest and the building of Temples as where God dwells. It is wrong and is one of the greatest lies to steal truth from the believer in Christ. God no more dwells in anyone building in Athens, Texas or any other place in this world. God has come to indwell His people. I grow discouraged at times, when I constantly here someone say, aren't you glad you are in "the house of the Lord". Regardless of what their intention is, it creates and teaches a wrong view of the "ekklesia" of Christ. Peter as an individual was a little rock that Jesus would build his Big Rock on the church. Peter was not the first Pope. Peter as an individual who proclaimed Christ as the Messiah, became the beginning of many who would do the same. These are the EKKLESIA- the called out one's. They remain the dwelling place of God, once they are born again, by repentance, proclamation of Jesus as Lord, and baptism in His name. These being the work of God, not the work of men. He gives His Spirit unto them, to dwell in them, to live through them, to teach them and to sanctify and glorify them. The restoration of God not just with men, but "in men". Through Christ, eternal life is born in the believer then and there. They are the ekklesia and the many like them are, but any one building in the world with a sign outside is not the EKKLESIA, it is simply a building in which they gather with one another. They could meet in the parking lot, it wouldn't matter. Jesus told the Samaritan woman, His people would worship in Spirit and in Truth. Worship is what you do with your life, not an exercise on Sunday. It is an exercise done Monday through Sunday, week after week, year after year, and moment by moment in the life you life. Jesus said, where there are two or more gathered in my name, there I am. You can join with your wife in prayer, your child in worship on the playground and have "church". I don't mean to sound sarcastic, but I feel very strongly about these things.
When Paul faced the first questions of legalism trying to sneak back into the belief system of early Christians, the one thing, that the early eldership of Apostles agreed on was that the church was to "remember the poor".
We have got so busy with our lives and our organizations that we have forgotten this admonition and earliest and part of the only creed set by the Apostles themselves in Jerusalem. I promise you, if it was practiced, healthcare wouldn't be a great issue, nursing homes wouldnt be a great issue, and many people would be healed by the mere generosity of Christians and their genuine care and cheerfulness to give to them, whether it is time, a home or money they offer. The problems may not cease altogether but they would be minimized by the action of Christ in the believer.
We have lost the joy of the Lord to bureaucacy and institutions that so often, are based on what they can get rather than what they can give. Truth is truth, and often I make people mad when I state my opinion about these things. I could go on for hours on the failing "institution" and the glory that is awaiting beleivers if they would only return to the things the Lord taught and early Christians did.
Yes, the organization and institution can fail, there are many churches closed now, and pastors no longer pastoring, but the real "EKKLESIA (church-the called out one's)" of Christ, his people, the Universal church, Hell will not be able to prevail against it.
We have for over 1800 years propped up a system, that the Lord never intended, one of great cathedrals, great temples, and great ownership title and position.
We must never forget the words of Stephen that so angered the Pharisees.
Acts 7:48
..however, the Most High does not live in houses made by men. As the prophet says, Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. What kind of house will you build for me? Or will be my resting place be? Has not my hand made all these things?
This along with a few other things Stephen had to say so angered the Jews who wanted to keep God in a building and themselves as the guardians of truth as high priest, it resulted in the stoning death of Stephen.
The greatest awakening needed in the church today, is that those proclaiming the name of Jesus as individual beleivers realize they are the "Temple of God" now. Jesus changed all the old Judaic principles, yet it only took less than 200 years for Christians and the traditions of men to replace truth for lies. Origen, one of the so called early church fathers did it for the person of the Bishop being elevated to the level of Christ himself and Constantine did it for the building of fancy and ornamental temples, full of pagan and Christian alike. Life for Christians in community has been pretty messed up since. Thus individuals hop from one building to another, hoping to find relationship with others and Christ, not membership in a club or religious activity.
Today, most American individuals will go to the "temple" often at least once a week, do they really realize the risen Christ in the person of the Holy Spirit is alive "in them" and is making them into a permanent dwelling place for God. Paul, put it this way, "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Is this life being lived out through you, are you abiding in this hope? Is this the truth for you daily?
The body of Christ could through very minimal efforts of "giving" turn the world upside down on issues of healthcare, if they would lose the idea of building temples that God will never dwell in and that they are there only for the people to assemble in. The purpose of the Pastor is to bring others to maturity in Christ, not keep them as babies, drinking milk instead of eating meat. This pastoralship is a multiple eldership of leaders not a single one man show. This protects the believer from wolves in sheep clothing. God knows, we have enough of them out there.
Would God's people only learn to smile again, to laugh again, and to share that laughter and joy with others and take outdoors what they claim they are getting indoors, we could as it was said about the early Christians, "turn the world upside down." Lest we forget the Lord's prayer, "Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."
Do we think for a moment that Christians in heaven are divided over their purpose and worship, and other things already settled by Christ himself.
I say no, they are laying their crowns at the feet of Jesus. When will we lay down our crowns, and have a cheerful heart, and be a cheerful giver to things that are eternal?
The healing of lives, broken in pain of body, mind and spirit is a great calling, and that calling is ours, each of us, as Christ is the Great Physician. It is He who lives in each believer.
We are the walking, talking "temple of the Lord", we need the return of joy to our lives, that brings healing to others.
Thank God for the Patch Adams of this world who have learned and practice - "A cheerful heart is good medicine." I don't know if Patch is a Christian or not, but He is living a principle, that is Christian and is the heart of the Gospel, to love your neighbor as you love yourself. Have you ever been in need of medical care and can't afford it. Wouldn't it be nice if we could start free healthcare, right here in Athens, Texas?
You may not agree with much I have said here, but honestly don't you desire that God's Kingdom became more of a reality now and that man's just a little less?
May God Bless you and keep you, Patch.
Dr. J.
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