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Temple Thinking #3

Posted on December 12, 2011 by admin

Lots of Little Temples – What Does it Mean?

I’ve been talking about the reality of Christ in us, the hope of glory. What does it mean that God moved out of a temple building and into human beings, and what should our actions be as a result?

Let us build upon the foundation we all know. First, man is created in God’s image & likeness. Second, each person is a unique, free-willed being. Third, there is no one exactly like you in the whole world, nor has there ever been, nor will there ever be. We know this because we stand 1 to 1 before the Lord to give account of our lives. There is no body double we can pass blame to – we are unique, individual, free willed, accountable. Continue reading →

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Temple Thinking #2

Posted on December 5, 2011 by admin

In #1 of this series (2 weeks ago, before my Thanksgiving message) I shared how the writers of the New Testament were consumed with the reality that Christ lives in people, making us walking, talking, temples of God, each of us a priest to God. (I Cor 3:16, 6:19, Col 1:27)

The temple building has therefore been rendered obsolete. The reason for church in the home goes far beyond that God invented the first home and met with Adam & Eve there, or that on the other end of the scale Jesus prepared a place for us in our Father’s house where we’ll spend eternity, or that He’s always been focused on the home in between Adam and future heaven throughout the Bible.

The main reason for meeting in homes instead of a temple building, is that we have each become a temple of God. Therefore we meet in homes since God invented the home, with other living temples. In the first of this series I made comparisons between the way the New Testament teaches versus the temple mentality of the institutional church. Continue reading →

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2011 Thanksgiving Message

Posted on November 22, 2011 by admin

The United States sets aside the last Thursday of each November as a day of Thanksgiving to God for all He has given. However, as the years have passed, the original giving of thanks to God has been replaced with a general ‘I’m thankful for all I have’ in the media and popular culture.

I know this message goes to thousands of others outside the USA, but allow me this liberty as what I am sharing goes way beyond a holiday message, for I’d like to share the true meaning of the word ‘thanksgiving’.

In I Corinthians 11:24, Paul says of the Lord at the Last Supper: “And when He had given thanks, He broke the bread saying this is my body, broken for you…” Continue reading →

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Temple Thinking #1

Posted on November 21, 2011 by admin

Old Testament Temple, or New Testament Thinking?

I’ve been sharing how we’ve learned the Lord out of context: We’ve learned God in a temple system even though He has moved out of the building and into people, so that we are walking, talking, temples of God. (I Corinthians 3:16, 6:19)

Last week…

The NT writers were consumed with the amazing reality of “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Col 1:27) Christ lives in our spirit man, so He is as close as the intentions of our hearts, as close as our most fleeting thought – not out in some Nebula in space where we have to fight through demons to get his ear.

The truth of Christ in us reveals praying for an open portal or open heaven, or going to the 3rd heaven, or fighting to take the kingdom of heaven, as obsolete Old Testament thinking. We have Christ in us. We have the kingdom of heaven, we have been given all spiritual blessings in Christ. (Ephesians 1:3) Continue reading →

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Are You Truman? #3 – Sacred Cow BBQ

Posted on November 11, 2011 by admin

A Far Larger Truth than Being Truman

I’ve been talking about the fact we’ve learned the Lord out of context – The whole of the NT was written by people who practiced church in the home, wrote to people who did church in the home, and therefore can best be understood by practicing church as they did, as they taught in their writings, and in the close relationships resulting from church in the home.

The larger truth is Christ in you. You see, all the writers of our New Testament had at one time worshipped in a temple – a building built for God – and God lived there too! Continue reading →

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Are you Truman #2

Posted on November 4, 2011 by admin

Are you Truman?
Last week I shared that we have learned the Lord and the New Testament in a different context than the writers lived and wrote about. I likened us to Truman Burbank, the subject of the movie The Truman Show, which starred Jim Carrey.

Truman grew up in a town that was built entirely on a giant studio sound stage, and all the people in his life were merely actors, with his whole life broadcast 24 hours a day around the world to fans of The Truman Show. Truman had no idea his reality was man-made. He accepted the reality of what he saw because that was the reality presented to him. Continue reading →

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Are You Truman?

Posted on October 28, 2011 by admin

I’m changing topics this week, but allow a little transition. The past few weeks I’ve been talking about why so many get ‘off balance’ in their walk with the Lord, offering the explanation that we’ve strayed from our Mission Statement: “Make disciples…teaching them to observe and to do all that I’ve commanded you.”

Within that Mission Statement we can see the Vision of how it is to be accomplished; through relationships which are close enough that others are able to ‘observe and do all I’ve commanded you’. If a person allows, those close relationships balance us out and knock off teachings and habits that are off-balance or sinful.

Today I offer another explanation: We’ve learned Christ out of context. Continue reading →

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Mission and Vision

Posted on October 23, 2011 by admin

I’ve been talking about how individuals and churches get off-balance, and asking questions about our core church culture. I explained our Mission Statement given by our Founder as: “Go into all the world…teaching them to observe and to do all things I commanded you.

I explained that a mission statement is the core of what a company, or in this case the church, is all about. In business, all things a company does should be traceable back to that Mission Statement.

A mission statement is then followed by a Vision Statement, which is how the founder (Founder) sees the mission fulfilled. The Vision can be found within the Mission Statement. Let me explain… Continue reading →

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How to Stay Balanced

Posted on October 14, 2011 by admin

How to Stay Balanced

I’ve been sharing how it seems today that many people lack the understanding that the Word and Spirit agree, and that if a teaching or experience isn’t in agreement with both, at the least it needs to be set aside in a ‘wait and see’ response, and in most cases should be rejected outright.

How can we avoid trusting teachings or experiences that are not God? How can we avoid getting side tracked into ‘pet’ doctrines, manipulated by others for emotions or money, and other errors?

And the Answer Is… Continue reading →

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Spiritually Off-Balance #1

Posted on October 7, 2011 by admin

Many Voices

A young man became fascinated by casting out demons. Soon, the reason for anything that went wrong, or anything that wasn’t according to what he thought should happen, was a demon, which allowed him not to take personal responsibility for his life – the devil made him do it.

A young lady was an intercessor and sensitive to the Holy Spirit. Soon she felt such a burden to pray she stopped eating regularly, wasting away to skin and bones, for her whole life was caught up in fasting and prayer and the conviction that if she didn’t, people would suffer a tragedy and it would be her fault. Continue reading →

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