Why the name Written N Red?

Posted on January 3, 1997 by Denise

I’ve had several ask me how it was that I came up with the name “Written N Red” … and its simple really.  It was something that God shared with me early on that was so profound to me, that had been right there in front of me, (and everyone else as well) in the pages of the bible.  So I simply removed the “I” from the middle …and that’s how the name came about.

Now I’m sure you’re asking what was it that had been there right in front of me from the pages of the bible the whole time… well here it is…

1.  The words/commandments of Jesus Christ, those that are said to have been spoken by him, and what it is that He did are the only words in the entire bible written in red (in most bibles) leaping from its pages so as not to be missed or ignored.

2.  Jesus’ words/commandments and what it is that He did are the only ones within the whole bible we have today that come to us on the mouth of “two or more” which was the criteria given by God, according to Moses that was to establish a matter of life and death.

3.  Jesus is the ONLY one in the entire collection of writings in the pages of the bible to have been identified by GOD Himself, as being His only begotten Son, in whom God was well pleased, and to whom GOD commanded man, (again upon the mouth of two or more) to “HEAR HIM”.

4.  Jesus’ words/commandments, in the bible are the only ones that are shown to have been known to have been both Spirit and Life, the Way, the Truth and the Life, and telling us that “no man comes to the Father except by me”….

5.  Jesus’ words/commandments are the only one that His Sheep are to HEAR and follow.  That those that love Him will keep His commandments, and another they will not follow.

6.  Jesus’ words/commandments are the only ones that are shown to result in having the Father and Christ come make their abode with the one that keeps them.

7.  Jesus’ words/commandments are the only ones that are shown in the pages of the bible when kept will give the right to the tree of life to those that keep them.

8.  Jesus’ word/commandments are what Jesus said were given to Him from God, to speak and that those that keep them will know whether or not they come from God.

9.  Jesus’ words/commandments are also the only words in the pages of the bible that are shown to be “eternal life” and those that follow them are given “eternal life” as a result of keeping them.  (Knowing the one true God and Christ whom He sent)

10.  Jesus is the only one in the entire bible that is recorded that if one believes in Him, that they would not perish, but would have eternal life…

The words and commandments of none other in the pages of the bible promise these things… in fact, the bible records Jesus Himself saying that those that LOVE HIM will keep HIS commandments…. and will not follow another!

So when all of this was shown to me from the pages of the bible… I had to either consider rejecting it all, not considering any of it to be something to be trusted in, rip those pages from my own bible, and follow the words of others….. or I had to come to realize that as the bible had been telling us all for a very, very long time… that if one truly does believe the bible, and God sent Jesus, and He is the Son of God, the only one whom God is recorded to have identified upon the mouth of two or more to be HIS SON in whom GOD was well pleased…. then “if YOU LOVE ME, KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS” was the only option?

So it was pretty difficult after all of this to consider for a moment the idea that I believed what the bible stated, or what it said about Jesus…. when not doing what it said and not having His words/commandments be focus of my own living, having it “disciplined” by the KEEPING OF HIS COMMANDMENTS!  When that is precisely what the bible states Jesus said would be done by those that LOVE HIM and KNOW HIM….♥♥

 

 

 

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The Bible-What is it?

Posted on January 2, 1997 by Denise

So many today have become so accustomed to what we call the “bible” as the one bound volume of God’s word that we are apt to forget that its different books were written by many different people, in many periods of ancient history which spans over 1500 years, and that the books were first circulated independent of each other. It was only gradually that the independent books were gathered together and put into collections which later were selectively assembled to what we call the ‘bible” today.

The “bible” is also one book, it arose out of the religious experience of one people (Israel) and with their God (Yahweh). The bible explains the origin of this people, the character of their history, the nature of their institutions, the purpose of their existence, and their ultimate destiny as the people of God. The Christian Church regards itself as the true Israel of God, and the events of it’s founding as the fulfillment of the purpose of God as expressed in the holy writings, however as the holy writings so clearly dictate, God’s true Israel is all nations… not just one select group.

The books that appear in our bible are thus only a part of a larger group of literary works of both Judeo-Christian religion. Our biblical books come to the fore and maintained their prestige not only because of their assumed connection with people believed to have been God-inspired but because of their value for worship, instruction, guidance of life in the communities for which they were written. For the most part, they became “approved” books in their communities long before they were included by official action in the closed collection.

As is clearly detailed in the bible.. it is.. and remains the word of God spoken to a group of people for which God had intimate fellowship with, and was created to meet the needs of the ancient communities in which they first appeared. The proper interpretation of them requires that we see them primarily as written for the circumstances of the author’s own time, and not for posterity… or for all generations… past, present and future. The prophets were declarers of divine will for the people of their age, they were not the predictors of the future for our benefit, and to equate them as such is to make void the very essence and value of the bible as the “word of God”. We see that the letters of all the Apostles as well, are practical directives for the “church” of their day. They did not write with the idea of posterity in mind to proceed beyond their own years… but for their time.. and to the people of their times and their day. The book of Revelation, which some claim to be so futuristic and having been incomprehensible until now by anyone but ourselves, was written for those who lived in the time of the final fulfillment of prophecy, and was actually “tailored” for the church which was in Asia Minor at the end of the first century A.D. It’s readers then certainly understood it far better than we do today, and seen it for what it was, and remains today… the final fulfillment of prophecy for them. It is for that reason that we are able to live in the benefits of the final fulfillment today, without need to repeat it or wait for it to come to pass.

Yet when we look at this.. it’s clear to see that it is a book of the words of God spoken to the people of God, during the time of God in their lives, and in their own time and has been preserved so that we can read them and understand not so much the individual words but the theme of the “bible” as the history of God’s people and their relationship with Him, and the nature of God Himself. The bible remains a strangely modern book often reflecting clearly the lives that we live today, and this is because the human situation in every age remains fundamentally the same. We are born, grow up in families, marry, beget children, and work for a living in a natural order often hostile to our best efforts. We struggle against human enemies and cringe before the face of death. In every age, people are tempted to worship the creation more than the Creator and to seek self-gratification rather than the well being of all people. Though culturally the setting of human life varies from age to age, its basic situation remains the same, and therefore the “bible” is relevant to our lives… as the basic situation of human life.

One must come to the realization that to believe that the “bible” is the conclusive word of God.. is to believe that God stopped talking with the writings of those that have been “approved” and compiled into the “bible” we know today… which is obsurd. It’s the very essence of the bible that clearly shows us that God has.. and continues today to have an intimate and personal relationship with HIS CREATION.. .and speaks to them today as He has in times past and will continue to for all of eternity. It only takes a moment to step back from the teachings of men that have for years taught that the “bible” that we know is the conclusive word of God to see clearly that the theme of the “bible” is that God has done what was necessary to redeem HIS creation… to deem them righteous in HIS own eyes.. and to speak to them.. and to insist that they HEAR HIM… and not hearken to the voice of another. It’s clear throughout the “bible” that God always directed hearing from HIM… listening to HIM.. and living by what He spoke. People were told that they were not to live by bread alone but by EVERY word that proceeds from the mouth of God. No where is it stated in the writing of God to the author’s of the books of the “bible” that we are to read about him.. and come to know Him by reading about Him, or for that matter having someone else tell us about Him. It’s very clear to see.. and the following examples will help you to see God’s will and plan from the beginning of time… for us to HEAR HIM… and Listen only to Him.

In this example.. we’re going to look at the relationship of Father and Son. As God is our Creator, Father, and God, we are HIS children. We have been created in His Image and after His likeness… and in that, we have the same nature and characteristics of Him. As a son is born to a father, the son has to do nothing to be the child of the Father, other than to live. That’s the same situation with each of us. We have nothing more to do than to live knowing God’s is our Father to have the relationship established with God. Secondly, a son doesn’t come to know his Father by “accepting him”, “asking him to come into his heart” , or any of the other things that so many today try to tell us that’s required to establish a relationship with God as our Father. But the simple fact of the matter is that a son comes to know his father by spending time with his father, and having his father love him and care for him. Spending time sharing heart to heart is how any of us have come to know our father… or even in the case as is so prominent in our society today, one comes to know his father through DNA testing.. or through the words of another, it’s likewise the same with God. You can come to know him as Father by testing him and listening to what the writers of the “bible” tell all of mankind. It’s clear… your Father is God, you are His, and you come to know Him and be known by HIM by simply living with His breath of life in you.. and spending time with Him… asking Him questions, and learning from Him. Directly and personally, without the influence or interpretation of another.

As for the interpretation and influence of another… let’s look at this example.. to help understand the relationship between a Father and a child. First, any loving and just father, wanting to share with his child his wisdom, or instruction, doesn’t go to the next door neighbor’s house… and tell the man living there what it is that he wants to share with his child.. then instruct the neighbor to go tell his child. It simply doesn’t happen that way.. nor does it happen that way with God. He doesn’t tell someone else what He wants you to know.. He speaks to you… directly and personally… and all one has to do is simply ask Him to receive wisdom from Him. The “bible” makes clear that “if you lack wisdom, ask God”. There is not a situation where God directs his word to one person and tells them to go tell his children … other than in the situations that are clearly defined in the “bible” as the times when the children aren’t listening to what He has said, and He’s trying to get their attention before the mandated discipline for not listening occurs. So many today have been and are still being taught that they must be under the subjection of teachers , preachers, pastors, and such to learn the will of God.. and to know HIM.. but that clearly is contrary to what the “bible” states even in times of old.. and knowing that God doesn’t change… it’s relevant and still very much the will of God today… after all, the very reason for the creation of all mankind was to fellowship with GOD.. not with each other… but GOD first! Hear Him, and talk to Him, it’s His will for all mankind. As He spoke to those of long ago, He still speaks today… we’ve just become a society of people influenced by the teachings of men and the traditions of men that we’ve come to believe that God has changed.. and have likewise subjected ourselves to damnation for being a rebellious nation as the rebellious nation of years past were. God told them clearly… “woe to the rebellious children who take counsel but not of God”. It’s rebellious to take counsel or direction, or instruction from anyone other than the very mouth of your Father.

With that.. let’s look at this. Let’s go back to the time that we were all children, and we were living with our father. Now if your father told you that your curfew was 10 PM, and your friends father told him that his curfew as 9 PM, would you be in trouble with your father if you came home at 10 PM? Would your friend be in trouble with YOUR father if he came in at 10PM? No! You would be in trouble with your father if you came in after 10PM and your friend likewise with his father if he didn’t obey what his father told him. One curfew for one child doesn’t ever constitute a curfew for all, and neither does the words of God recorded in the “bible” relate to all mankind. It’s so clear to see, you are responsible for what you know.. and hear directly, and are not in anyway subject to the consequences of not doing what your father hasn’t instructed, taught, or guided you to do. The same is true with God, and is recorded in the bible also. Jesus said, I do what my Father tells me to do… and say only what my Father tells me to say. Paul says, “that which you know to do and do not, to YOU it’s a sin”. The bible clearly says that no longer will the fathers eat grapes and set the children’s teeth on edge… meaning that no longer will anyone be under the consequences of sin, death, hell, or the grave based on the actions of another… even Adam. No longer are we subject to sin, and death because Adam sinned against God.. nor are we subjected to it because the Romans “all sinned and fell short of the glory of God’… nor by the words of others that said, “if you (speaking to the group of people in front of him.. and not for all people of all times) say you have no sin, then you are a liar and the truth is not in you”. God mandates that we are to hear Him, obey what He tells each of us individually, and to follow what He has said to us…. not the instruction that He gave to men of years gone by, nor of men to come, but of each of us today.

In summary, we can clearly see that the “bible” is a valuable book in the life of any child of God, as we enjoy hearing and reading about the things that our earthly father has said and done before we were born, or before we were able to remember, likewise we want to hear what God has said and done in the lives of those that were before us. It never has been the intention of God for the bible to replace Him and hearing HIS voice, nor would it be for your father to want to be replaced in your lives by books, photo albums, or the witnessing of others to you. It’s great to hear others speak of your father, and to read about all the wonderful things that he did in the past, and that he continues to do in the present, but it’s hearing HIM tell you HIMSELF that’s important to HIM and to YOU and will establish a relationship between the two of you that will last throughout all of eternity… just as it does with GOD… so as a child of the living God, Creator of all the universe, HEAR HIM, talk to HIM, and spend time with HIM, and read the bible with the understanding of what it is.. and why it’s been preserved even until today, and what the essence of the bible is… God speaks to HIS own.. and always has… and has never one time stopped, nor has He insisted on being replaced in the lives of His children by a book we know as the “bible”.

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Are you a Christian?

Posted on January 2, 1997 by Denise

There are a lot of people in the world today that have taken the title of “Christian”, call themselves by that name, and judge others based on whether they make the claim for themselves or not. It’s clear to see that most that are claiming to be Christian simply aren’t, and don’t even understand what the title meant in the days it was used first.. nor what it means today. Those of you that call yourself “christian” ask yourself the question…Am I a Christian? Hear God, and what God has to say on the matter. Ask God! He is sure to let you know!

Before you can ask yourself , “Am I a Christian”, you have to have an understanding of what “christian” means. So let’s look at the definition of the word “christian”, which was only used in the bible three times! If it was so important for men and women to be known as “christian” sure would seem that God would have put it in His written word more times that just three, and it wouldn’t have been a name of mockery either.. but let’s look at the meaning…

Christian (5546) Follower of Christ.
(Taken from The Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance)

Chris tian (kris n, -ty n) 1 a masculine name: dim. Chris; fem. Christina, Christine 2 Christian X (born Carl Frederick Albert Alexander Vilhelm ) 1870-1947; king of Denmark (1912-47) n. [[ME & OE cristen < LL(Ec) Christianus < Gr christianos , a Christian < christos (see CHRIST); mod. sp. < L]] 1 a person professing belief in Jesus as the Christ, or in the religion based on the teachings of Jesus 2 [Colloq.] a decent, respectable person adj. 1 of Jesus Christ or his teachings 2 of or professing the religion based on these teachings 3 having the qualities demonstrated and taught by Jesus Christ, as love, kindness, humility, etc. 4 of or representing Christians or Christianity 5 [Colloq.] humane, decent, etc. Chris tian ly adj. , adv.
(Taken from The Compact Bible Dictionary published by Zondervan)

Christian- (adj) 1. of Jesus Christ or his teachings. 2. Of or professing the religion based on these teachings. 3. Having the qualities demonstrated and taught by Jesus Christ, as love, kindness, humility, etc. 4. Of or representing Christians or Christianity 5. (informal) humane, decent, etc.
( Taken from the Webster’s New World Dictionary)

In each definition we see the consistency in meaning to be, one that is of Jesus Christ, a follower of his teachings, and having a profession based on his teachings, and having the qualities demonstrated and taught by Jesus. So now we have an understanding of the definition of “christian” let’s look at where and when it was used in the bible. For after all, that’s the place of honor given to the title, and part of the reason that so many identify themselves with the title!

Acts 11: 26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

Why was it that the “disciples” were called “Christian” first in Antioch? Why didn’t Jesus call them Christians, or the church call them “Christian”?

Acts 26: 24 And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.25 But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. 26 For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner. 27 King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. 28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.

Now here we see the word being used as a mockery from a mad man? King Agrippa tells Paul he’s gone mad, and almost persuaded the King to be a “christian” (mad man) along with Paul? Sounds like a title of honor there doesn’t it? If it was such a title of honor, depicting such worthiness, why would the King reject being called a “christian”?

I Peter 3: 16 Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. 17 For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? 18 And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? 19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.

So with this we see Peter speaking of suffering as a “Christian”, but how was it that the “Christians” referenced only three times in the bible suffered? Wasn’t the suffering the mockery of men and the calling of names of dishonor by men the suffering that they endured? Wasn’t the reason for the people of Antioch to call the disciples “Christian” simply that they were mocking men that would come into their town to tell them of the teachings of Jesus Christ who they knew had been crucified as a criminal?

The time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God, and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of GOD? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear? These are two very important questions that those professing to be “christian” must ask, What shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of GOD.. (the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God)… and if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and sinner appear?

The bible where the name “christian” appears, tells us plainly the answers to both of these questions! First the bible admonishes each of us to “judge ye yourselves that ye shall not be judged”.. and that is just what needs to happen right now.. as Peter states in the scripture above.. It is time that judgement must begin at the house of GOD, where is the House of God, the temple of God…YOU!

If you are going to take the name as “christian” a name that Jesus never referred to His disciples by, nor does God, then you need to ASK GOD what He considers a “christian” to be and if taking the name or title to yourself is only the traditions and teachings of men, and not the will of God? ASK HIM… Hear Him! If you call yourself a “christian” and it’s not what God has said you are, isn’t that taking the name in vain? Isn’t that following the traditions and teachings of men instead of HEARING GOD? ASK HIM!

To determine if you are a “christian” you first must know what Christ taught! What really is the Gospel of Jesus Christ… His Doctrine… His WAY! You must be willing to base that doctrine on what’s covered in the bible, the book that clearly stays that it’s limited to only part of what Jesus taught, and did. So to go back to the book of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and what the bible says is the teachings of Jesus Christ… and what Jesus did. Once you see, (it’s written in red in most bibles) what Jesus taught, even in the limited portions that are there, you can see if what you live is based on those teachings, or on the teachings of men other than Christ! It will be clear to you to see, most so readily called themselves “Christian”, go out to try to tell others if you’re not a “Christian” that you’re some how not acceptable to God, when they don’t really follow the teachings of Christ, but have only taken the name in Vain!

There are very few Christians in the world today, and many that have taken the name in vain!! Exalting themselves over others, in the face of being hypocrites themselves!

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Filled with the Holy Spirit-Biblical Perspective

Posted on January 2, 1997 by Denise

What does is mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit? What does the bible tell us about those that were filled with the Holy Spirit of God and how we are to be able to tell who it is that is filled with the Holy Spirit and who is not!

Act 2:1-4 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilaeans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.

So in this discourse we see that it was the disciples of Jesus Christ who had forsaken all and were following His instructions to them, and were there in the room just as Jesus had instructed them, and were in one accord there when they were all filled! So the first point is that it is the discples of Jesus Christ, those that had forsaken all and were following Him that were the ones that were in ONE ACCORD before they were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Next we see that there is no one there to lay hands on them or touch them for them to receive the “baptism of the Holy Spirit”.. it appeared unto them, as cloven tongues of fire, and sat upon each of them, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Next we see that they spoke to those of all nations under the sun… in the languages of those people.. telling them the wonderful works of God. So the ability of the Holy Spirit was not only that they could speak in other tongues but that they spoke of the wonderful works of God to all the nations… just as Jesus has directed them to go therefore unto all the nations… and it was a message to all nations… that could be spoken by these that received the Holy Spirit so that each person regardless of his nation could understand it!

Acts 4:8-13: Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, [even] by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.

This discourse shows us one that is filled with the Holy Spirit speaking to rulers of people, and elders of Israel, and to all the people of Israel, who had crucified Jesus, that God had raised him from the dead, and that there is no salvation in any other!

But what does it say that those that are filled with the Holy Spirit of God are considered by the rulers of people, the elders of Israel, and all the people of Israel? Those that are not filled with the Holy Spirit see those that are, and speak boldly, to be “unlearned and ignorant” and marvel at them, and took “knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus”.

Act 4:31-37: And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any [of them] that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid [them] down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, [and] of the country of Cyprus, Having land, sold [it], and brought the money, and laid [it] at the apostles’ feet.

In this discourse, we see that they prayed, and the place was shaken where they were assembled together, (still no one laying on hands or having to have someone else pray for you to receive it)… and ALL were filled with the Holy Ghost, and SPAKE THE WORD OF GOD WITH BOLDNESS!

Then we see that they that BELIEVED where of ONE HEART and ONE SOUL, and NEITHER said any of them that ought of the things that he possessed be HIS own, but they had all things common. There was none among them that lacked! Those that had possessions of lands, or houses, sold them and brought the prices of the things that were sold and laid it them down at the apostle’s feet, and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. Even a Levite who believed, having land sold it and brought the money and laid it at the feet of the apostles!

So let’s see in summary what the bible says about those that are filled with the Holy Spirit!

1. First of all they all believed in the teachings of Jesus Christ and were followers of His teachings prior to being filled with the Holy Spirit.

2. They were all in one accord, of one heart and one soul and were gathered together when they were filled with the Holy Spirit.

3. They were able to communicate in other languages of many nations so that all men would understand the wonderful works of God in Jesus Christ.

4. Their actions in doing that was so obvious that the ones that heard it knew it was outside their abilities.

5. They were speaking to rulers of people, the people of Israel, and elders of Israel, giving them the words of God with boldness.

6. Those that are not filled with the Holy Spirit will see those that are as “ignorant, and unlearned” and will marvel at them.

7. Those that are filled with the Holy Spirit will not have any lack.

8. They will not consider anything that they have in their possessions to be their own.

9. Those that believe that have land and houses will sell it and bring the proceeds to those that are discipled by Jesus so that the needs of others are met.

Now that is what is found in the bible as the evidence of the actions of those that the bible says were “filled with the Holy Spirit of God”…. so from the biblical perspective …. do we have any today that are filled with the Holy Spirit of God?

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What is a Disciple? Biblical Perspective

Posted on January 2, 1997 by Denise

What does the bible say about being a disciple of Jesus Christ?? We know that it was only the disciples that were called Christians according to the bible.. but what does the bible show us about being a disciple??

1. To be a disciple of Jesus Christ one must be called of God… chosen of God or Jesus Christ. One does not get to choose to be a disciple… nor does one that has not heard from God, learned of God, or drawn by God come to Jesus to be a disciple.

Jhn 6:44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

Jhn 6:45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

Mat 12:18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.

Jhn 15:16 Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and [that] your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

2. To be a disciple of Jesus Christ, one must sell all that one has. One is to forsake it all before one can be a disciple… that includes lands, houses, even one’s own life, and way of life before you can be a disciple.

Luk 14:26 If any [man] come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.

Luk 14:27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.

Luk 14:33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

3. To be a disciple of Jesus Christ, one must then keep the commandments and teachings of Jesus Christ. He must not pray other than where designated by Jesus… He must not do almsgiving other than as prescribed by Jesus’ teachings, he must not resist evil, must bless those that despitefully use him, and all the other things that Jesus taught in the bible…

Jhn 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments.

Jhn 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

Jhn 15:10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.

1Cr 7:19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but the keeping of the commandments of God.

1Jo 2:3 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.

1Jo 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

1Jo 3:22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.

1Jo 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.

Rev 22:14 Blessed [are] they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

Jhn 14:23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

4. Once a person has done the above things, just as the bible shows.. then Jesus will give them power over unclean spirits and to heal the sick and they will be sent out to do that and only that.. so that they themselves will see the evidence of the power of God being in the flesh of men.

Mat 10:1 And when he had called unto [him] his twelve disciples, he gave them power [against] unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

Mar 6:7 And he called [unto him] the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;

Luk 9:1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases.

Jhn 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name:

5. Those commandments are followed, in detail, until the Holy Spirit of God comes upon them, through their obedience to the commandments of God given by Jesus Christ, and then and only then is it that those disciples are sent out to TEACH others to observe whatsoever Jesus commanded His disciples to observe.

Luk 24:49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.

Luk 12:12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say.

Jhn 14:26 But the Comforter, [which is] the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Jhn 20:22 And when he had said this, he breathed on [them], and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:

Act 1:8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

6. Those that follow the discipline of Jesus, will then be seen in the communities and nations around doing what Jesus did… and greater things, and the people will see the power of God with them, and they will be called Christians by others… never something that they call themselves… always what others call them.

Act 11:26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

7. Then will they hear the voice of God, be lead of God just as Jesus was.. and be as Christ hearing from God as Jesus did and speaking what it is that God gives them to speak!

Mat 10:27 What I tell you in darkness, [that] speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, [that] preach ye upon the housetops.

8. Those that are filled with the Holy Spirit and believe will evidence the fruits of that by always being in one accord, and of one heart and one soul… and if they have lands and houses, they will sell them and lay the proceeds at the feet of the disciples… and only disciples.. who have first themselves been disciplined by the teachings and are following them…. and that will be so that none will suffer lack!

Act 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Act 4:31-35: And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any [of them] that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, And laid [them] down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

Those are the words of the Bible regarding what is a disciple… and who it is that is one! Do not be deceived by those that are not disciples… that have not been chosen of God in Christ as disciples… and are not following the bible’s clear evidence of what a disciple is…. or be beguiled by them to go out teaching others another way.

Also note that the ones that are filled with the Holy Spirit of God and believe that have land and houses will sell them and lay the proceeds at the feet of the apostles… which were disciples, who had forsaken all they had… was disciplined by the teachings of Jesus and then were later after receiving the Holy Spirit of God sent out… and were still following the commandments of Jesus Christ, to the degree that when they were seen by others they were called Christians.

Most are trying to make disciples/converts… are teaching others about God and Jesus but are not themselves disciplined by His teachings, so they are simply out to deceive the people.. and make the bible and the words of God of none effect with their doctrines and traditions of men. Be not deceived! The bible makes it clear what a disciple is….. and so you need nothing more than the bible to know what a disciple is… to know what the foundation for being a Christian is from the biblical perspective.

Remember also, if you are not a disciple yourself… then according to the bible… no one that is not first disciplined himself was ever sent out by God or Jesus Christ… for it was ONLY those that were disciples of Jesus, following His teachings, and doing what He commanded to be done.. that were given the great commission….

Matthew 28:19-20: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen.

The bible is clear on this matter… so either we accept what the bible says… and know from it’s words what a disciple is… or we call it all a lie and accept what someone else tries to tell us that has been traditions of men for years, or that has been accepted by millions that have simply gone against the very bible that they say is the word of God.

Col 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Posted in Bible, Jesus | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

What is the Gospel?

Posted on January 2, 1997 by Denise

The word gospel has been defined as “good news” yet one must take a closer look at what some people claim to be the “gospel”. What is it and why would anyone consider it “good news”, much less be willing to lay down one’s life to promote it and share it with others.

The “gospel” that the church seems to be promoting is not good news at all. They want us to believe that God the Almighty Creator of all things, the one in total control and power of all things created a man in His own image, turned him into a sinner, through the actions of one man, ADAM, then, He (God) sent another ADAM (CHRIST) to redeem mankind from the sinful condition. That God, allowed HIS SON, perfect and sinless, to be crucified on a cross as the sacrificial lamb to cover once and for all the sin of mankind, resurrected him from the dead, and yet left mankind in the same sinful condition as they were in before God sent Christ. What good news is that?

Seems that it would take a person out of their mind to accept such an idea as “good news” much less be willing to believe that a man would give his life to share that with others, as the disciples of Christ did.

So why is it that no one is thinking about what the church is calling the “gospel” and what they are trying to promote, which denies the very attributes of the one TRUE GOD that they claim is in control.

How could anyone believing in a God in the first place, want to believe and serve a God that is supposed to be in total control of all things, and created all things, yet is subject to the thoughts and beliefs of that which He created?

How can one believe in a God that has to create a man in His image and then change that image or allow it to be changed into an image that would result in having to kill or destroy it?

Why would a God, who knows all things, not know that if He put a serpent, the craftiest of all He created, in the garden where He put the man, that the man would listen to the serpent, or to the other person that God also created and put in the garden with him? If you believe that God is all knowing, then you have to believe that He knew Adam would listen to the serpent, so why would He have allowed that? So that He could destroy Adam, and put Him out of the Garden? So that Adam would fail, making all of God’s creation corrupted sinners so that He could send another “son” sinless to the world to redeem those like Adam that listened to someone else? Why would that happen, and why would that be any part of “good news”?

Why would God, a loving creator of all things, create a man and subject him to failure and not be able to keep him from falling from grace, so to speak? Wouldn’t that reduce God to a powerless creator who can create but not maintain what He creates? If God could create a sinless man, could He not keep a man from sinning in the first place? Does God only have the power to creator, but not sustain? Is man subject to change based on something other than God, and the power of God only? How is that “good news”??

What benefit would it be to God to have what He created turn into a sinner? How could it be good news to have God change all men into sinners because of what one did and then need to do something else to get them back into a “right” relationship with God? How is it good news that God sent a “sinless” son to die on a cross, a horrific death, resurrect him, and have that person who died years prior to the coming of that son, believe in him to get back into the righteousness that the man had when God created him? How is any of that good news? How is it that any of this could be considered good news that a man would give up his life to share with another, or die on a cross as a result of making it known to others? Where is the good news?

It’s time to “come reason” on this matter and understand what the “gospel” was in the days of those that were commissioned to preach the gospel and why their lives were the cost for preaching such good news.

Most of you that are reading this might feel that you already know what the gospel is. Are you sure? With the meanings of our words changing from generation to generation, are you sure that you know what the “gospel” was in the days that the good news was given. Or do you just accept what men have taught and have come to believe as a result of the influence of other men and their understanding and propaganda. Are you so sure that you really know the good news? Could what you’ve come to believe, as being the gospel, ever been defined as good news? Are you willing to read on and see if good news really was good news to many as it is today?

The gospel is good news! God had not changed, nor had He changed that which He created into something other than what He created. God had not seen man in a sinful nature and state, but that man himself had seen himself in that fashion as a result of doing what God told him not to do. “As a man believes in his heart so shall he be”. That statement doesn’t say “as a man believes in his heart, God changes him into being”. What good news would that have been? God had to bring to the attention of man the fact that just because a man believes it doesn’t make it so with God, so that mankind could live without the influences of the knowledge of good and evil. For it was the knowledge of good and evil that Adam partook of in the garden. He didn’t partake of good and evil, only the knowledge of it. Knowing good from evil. That there was a difference, which meant that judgement would result in utilizing that knowledge for himself and against others. Adam was not to surely die for partaking of the knowledge, only in not listening to God, but another voice other than God. If you refer to the children of the children of Israel referenced in the bible, you’ll see that they were the only ones that were to enter the promised land because they had not come to the “knowledge of good and evil”. To them it wasn’t an influence. So what is the good news?

If one believes the bible is the word of God, then one must look to the bible for what it records about the “fall of man”. Is it not the bible that says that God told Adam the curse and expulsion from the garden was because “he hearkened to the voice of another”? Was it Adam that had taken the word of another? Wasn’t it Adam that listened to what God had put in the garden with him? Nevertheless, it was Adam and Eve that listened to someone else tell them something other than what God had told them. He went against what was within him, placed there by God and the words of God. So again, where is the good news?

Wasn’t the very thing that changed Adam’s mind and had him hiding out from God in the first place his own realization that he was naked and was ashamed? Doesn’t the bible state that Adam was naked and not ashamed before partaking of the knowledge of good and evil? Wasn’t it God that said to Adam, “who has told you this”… rather than saying to Adam… “you sinner, you”.

See God didn’t see Adam as a sinner, Adam seen himself as a “sinner” and hid himself. He fashioned coverings for himself and felt shame and guilt. God knew that Adam seen himself condemned and as a result of that Adam hid from God. He seen himself separate and apart from God. Was he? Did God turn from Adam and not look on him again, or did God come looking for Adam in the garden? It only takes a little reading of the bible to see that even in the face of Adam’s condemnation and hiding, that it was GOD who came looking for and calling out to Adam. It was that very thing that God seen and knew would happen as a result of Adam going against what God had told him that God himself wanted Adam to see and realized. How else could there ever be a concept of unconditional love from God and good news, if it wasn’t possible for Adam to see it himself not as he seen himself, but as GOD SEEN HIM. Was that good news for Adam and Eve? Did they see that as good news?

We see them coming to that realization when Eve states that God has given her another son when Abel was killed, and that after the birth of Seth, men again began to call on the name of the Lord. Adam’s vision of himself as a sinner, going against what God said to him, took a different perspective. They realized that God had not seen them as sinners, but that they had seen themselves in that fashion and caused them to be separated from God in their own thinking. God wasn’t the one that changed them, nor did He have to change them back, or redeem them, they had to have a “change of mind, and change of heart” which is the definition of “repentance” so they could see themselves as God had always seen them. Was this good news? Was seeing that they had brought themselves to this place as a result of listening to another, and yet that even though they had, that God had not changed them, or seen them differently? Could that have been and would that have been good news? Sure it was? Was it the same good news that Adam and Eve came to realize that so many others since then have been sent to preach? Was it really good news?

As a result of “buying” into someone telling you that “you’re a are sinners”, and need to be redeemed, men and woman for years have been burden with guilt and condemnation and have as a result of that believed that they were separated from God and were unacceptable to God. They have been told that in the state of sinfulness it is impossilbe to have a relationship or understanding of God. Yet it is the bible that shows that God went looking for and calling out to Adam even in the face of his “sin”.

The serpents placed here in the garden of God have continued since the beginning of time to try to convince those that God created that they are lacking, and that there is something more that is needed to be “like God”. That there is more that they have to do or believe to be worthy of God. It was the same with Eve.

The serpent didn’t lie to Eve, he told her the truth. She wouldn’t surely die if she ate of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, she would be as God. That was all actually truth, and we see God himself, saying that the very reason for expelling them from the garden was that they had become as He was, knowing good from evil, and that they couldn’t continue in that state and life forever.

See it was never God’s plan for His creation to have the knowledge of good and evil, that’s the reason he told Adam not to partake of it. For having the knowledge of good and evil, would let them believe that there was something that God had created that was not “good” or was “evil” and that knowledge would affect them, and their relationship to the people around them. God didn’t want mankind in the mindset that there is something separate and apart from Him. That’s why God told Adam not to partake, and why it would kill Adam to partake of it. That was the very reason that it was a provision of God for Adam in giving him the command not to partake, yet it was good news for Adam that even when he did

The serpent told Eve that she was lacking something. That she needed more to be like God, and that’s what she wanted. Her heart was not evil and it wasn’t that she was trying to rebell against God, she wanted to be like God, and didn’t realize that she already was. She was more in the image of God than she ever could have imagined, and hadn’t seen that. So as many of us, we look to others to tell us what it is that we’re lacking, or that we are lacking something that is required for us to be more like God would want us, and we seek to partake of that, and in doing so, we hearken to the voice of another, and in most cases it’s the serpent that God himself has put in our garden, and yet when we listen to even that which God has allowed to be in our lives, we doom ourselves to guilt and condemnation, and separate ourselves from God.

So what was it that Jesus came here to say that was so disruptive to the Pharisees that they wanted him killed rather than take a chance for the “good news” to get out and disrupt what they had been taught, and were still teaching and living by themselves. It was just that, that God had not ever seen mankind as a “sinner” but that it was man himself that had accepted what someone else had told them and believed that they were “sinners” and therefore needed a Savior to redeem them. Isaiah had prophesied that a redeemer would come to “redeem his people from their sin”. Notice that it doesn’t say that he would redeem them from sinning against God. What was their sin? Simple.. the same sin that Adam experienced, that God clearly denotes, “hearkening to the voice of another”… even the one that God sends into your life. Think about it… isn’t that the good news? Isn’t it good news to know that God has not looked on you as a sinner and never did. That you just simply have listened to others judge you by your actions and what you “believe” and have determined you to be a sinner, yet it is those same people that will quickly tell you that it is God that judges the heart of a man, and so why is it that if God is the one that judges, and it’s the heart, why is it that all these “serpents” are in the garden telling you something other than what God has spoken into your heart? Could it be that God has allowed the serpents in your garden as He put the serpent in the garden where He placed Adam so that you would be able to see GOD… and not the serpent and what the serpent is saying to you. How would Adam have been had he refused to listen to what Eve and the serpent had said? Would guilt and condemnation, and shame been the result, or would have things been so differently? Ask yourself this question. Would you have the guilt and condemnation and shame that you’ve lived with all your life if you hadn’t listened to someone else tell you that you were a sinner, and that you were not acceptable to God as He created you? What decisions and actions would you have taken if you had not believed what someone claiming to be of God had told you? So now, ask yourself who is the “serpent in your garden”? Who is it that’s trying to convince you that you’re not worthy? That you need to change and do something different, or stop doing what you’re doing? Who is it that’s trying to convince you to go against what God has put in your heart???

The gospel, “good news” that was hidden from the beginning of time, is that God created you, put in you all that He intends for you to be, and that the only thing that is going to ever separate you from the love of God is YOU! You listening to someone or something other than what’s inside of you… the perfect person that God created, and if you’re one of those that don’t believe that God created you, well isn’t it also good news to know that you’re not a sinner then either!

People spend their entire lives trying to achieve and be what someone else has told them that they should be, and what they needed to do to get “ahead in life” and has formulated a “cookie cutter” concept that everyone in life should fit into so that you’re “worthy”. But when you step back and look at it, who is it that you’re being worthy to? Who are you doing it for? Surely not God, cause you don’t need the acceptance of the one that created you… HE CREATED YOU… why wouldn’t he be happy with what He created? So the acceptance you’re trying to live up to is other men… and how can you be honest and true to your own self if you’re not living based on what’s inside of YOU!

For centuries now men have seemed to become more evil and hateful, yet are they really? We have to examine the “serpent” again and realize that most of the reason that people are evil and hateful is because they are fighting not against God but against what others claim they have to be, have to look like, or have to do. They are not rebelling against God and trying to stop God, they are trying to stop the affects of other men on themselves. They are struggling to be honest to themselves and are being distracted by the words and the judgements of others. We find out children fighting against going to school, not because they don’t like their friends or the teachers, but they fight against the attempts to pigeon hole them into groups of successors or failures, based on the grades and the guidelines that men have created to judge them by. We find men and women fighting employers, not because they don’t want to work, or they hate their employers, but because they are fighting against being pigeon holed into a group or category based on production, or numbers or stats prepared or assembled by others that judge success or failure. We find our marriages in turmoil not because husbands hate their wives, or wives hate their husbands, but because the marriage partners are fighting against the pigeon holes of those that say what a “good husband” or a “good wife” should be and what defines a husband or wives role. Most that are seeming to be “rebellious” and “evil” and “sinners” aren’t that at all, they are simply not fitting the “cookie cutter” mold that people have developed to group us all into. Those that don’t fit, won’t fit, and shouldn’t be trying to fit, and those that do fit should just fit and embrace the uniqueness of us all. A student drops out of school because he can’t make the grade, and hates the attempts at trying only to fail, and have someone else tell him with report cards and test results that he’s a failure. An employee quits his job and refuses to work, when he can’t seem to get ahead no matter what he does. He is told he can’t succeed because of the color of his skin, the environment that he grew up in, or that he doesn’t qualify based on the standards someone else has set. A husband divorces his wife when he can’t seem, no matter how much he tries to be what she wants him to be, and he isn’t happy that she isn’t what he wants her to be. Wouldn’t it be good news to know that you can be honestly yourself, enjoy what you enjoy, love those that are different than you, and just let the good news be the message of all time! You are perfect as you are, and it’s time to stop listening to the “serpents” in your garden, and remember that just because they are there, doesn’t mean that you have to take their word for who YOU are! Be uniquely you, appreciate the gospel as it is, and embrace the differences in us all, for it’s in those differences and having them that we are complete!

Think about it! Consider giving this some thought, and see this not for some theological definition of the “gospel” but as a means to see from a different perspective what opens the door for us all to have and enjoy life and those that are part of life with us!

Posted in The "Gospel" | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

From the Beginning…..

Posted on January 1, 1997 by Denise

Where to begin might be the real question….

I’d like to welcome you to Written N Red, where I’ll be sharing with you my personal journey from Christianity to Christ, through a focus on the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Born in the piedmont area of North Carolina, I lived the majority of my life in the surrounding areas attending several churches, for many years.

I struggled, like many have, with so many things I was taught, and what I seen being done by those saying they were Christian, until one Sunday morning in 1997, when I knew without question that I was to leave the church, and be taught of God directly.

I didn’t realize at the time, what this would mean but I knew it was what I was to do without question. No matter what anyone else thought, or how many would try to talk me out of it… I knew what I was to do.

So many times in my life, from my earliest remembrance of childhood, there was a “knowing” that I had about things…. even when I struggled against them, or let others convince me that they were wrong, or shouldn’t be done, there was still the “knowing”. As I sat there on the church pew that Sunday morning, the “knowing” once again was there.

As I began thinking of how I was going to explain this to my pastor and family, I was reminded of the scriptures in the bible where Zacharias was given a word from God, yet didn’t believe it, and was struck mute until the event happened.

Having been hit by a train years earlier, unable to speak for a while, I knew what that was like! I knew without a doubt what I had to do, and I knew I never wanted to find myself unable to speak again, so despite the doctrines of the church against woman, and being submissive to ones own husband, and what my family or friends would think….I knew what I had to do. I left the church that Sunday, forsaking all, to be taught of God, and began to discipline my life, by the commandments of God given by Jesus Christ, in the pages of the bible.

I had made a personal profession of faith in God and Jesus most of my life, and yet I never realized the extent to which Christianity had actually convinced me to live against the teachings of Jesus found in the pages of my own bible. Many times I had seen passages in the bible where Jesus taught his followers to do things, that the church and Christianity for the most part, totally ignored and actually taught people to go against, but at the time I left the church, I had no idea the extent of it all.

It would be the most horrific and yet amazing journey of my life, yet at that moment, I didn’t have a clue as to what it would mean, or where it would lead me, all I knew was that I had to do this, and I had to trust God to lead me, guide me and take me where ever it was that I was to go.

Shortly afterwards, I began, Written N Red to share my journey with others, and what I was learning and being taught of God. I began directing the focus of my own life, and this website to the commandments of God, given through Jesus Christ! I began to see for myself that the “kingdom of God was within” and where so many of my own struggles originated. It was an amazing journey, and still is even to this day.

Many of the articles that you will find here are what I’ve been taught, and what I’ve come to understand from a careful examination of the bible, through eyes that were not blinded or overshadowed with trying to fit the verses into what Christianity had taught me as so many of us have been a part of trying to do.

I began seeing how the writers of the bible made it clear that Jesus said that no one comes to him, to know him, or who he is through flesh and blood, that it is God himself that draws a person and reveals Christ to that person.

Flesh and blood was not to do this, and yet the only thing that I could honestly say at this point in my life that I knew of God, Jesus or the bible was what I had been taught of flesh and blood, or read from the pages of the bible.  The experience I had from my childhood had not been the result of man, or flesh and blood, and yet it was through flesh and blood teachings I had found myself “identifying” those experiences through.

I also began to see from the writings in the bible that Jesus and the prophets said that all were to be taught of God. That people would show their love for God, by keeping the commandments that God gave to them, what was written in their own hearts and on their own minds, and how they interacted with those in the world with them.

It was through a disciplined life of hearing from the mouth of God, following what one was told to do or not to do, as the writers of the bible wrote of doing themselves and by which Jesus is shown to have done and said all men were to live by. That had been my way of living from my childhood, had been changed and now would once again become my “way” of living once again.

To be obedient to God, one must be hearing from God and being taught of God…. and no one else… and knowing that this was what I was personally being drawn to for myself…without question… I closed down the consulting business that I owned for years, and followed the direction that was coming from “within me”…..

Originally, my husband Rob, was opposed to the idea of my leaving the church, but I knew that it would be up to God himself to resolve that issue and make Rob aware of what it was that I was being drawn to do, and that is just what happened. Within a short time, Rob left his career, we sold our home, and possessions, and began the most wonderful journey toward knowing God, knowing Jesus Christ, and living in total obedience to what we knew from within.

We were determined to know the truth, the truth that would make us free! It didn’t take very long for me to start seeing that so many times in my life I had a knowing about things, that I could not explain. I began reading the bible and studying it carefully, examining every word and researching what the original words were that had been translated into the English versions that we have today. I began asking questions of God, no one else.. and letting whatever understanding or knowing come to me, without resisting it and without dismissing it as not being from “God” because it wasn’t found in the pages of the bible.

As I did, I began seeing how clear and concise Jesus was. There was a confidence in what he is recorded to have said, and an “authority” that was recognized by those that heard him. The other writers of the bible, also recording what they had heard from the mouth of God was as well. I read that Jesus told his followers, that if they loved him they would keep his commandments and those that kept his commandments were the ones that would be given the right to the tree of life and have eternal life. I had professed my loved of Jesus and God all those years but now I was seeing, for what seemed to be the first time, what it was that Jesus himself said that those that love him would do…..if they loved him.

Like a person on a journey to find a pearl of great value, I began careful examination of what the bible said was the commandments of Jesus Christ. I began disciplining my own life in accordance with each one of them. As I did, it was amazing to see, not only how far away from following them I was personally, but how far Christianity had taught against Jesus. I also began realizing that I too had been a part of teaching others to go against them as well, without realizing it myself.

I began to see the differences in what we call “Christianity” today and what Jesus actually is recorded to have taught and commanded those that loved him to follow, in the pages of our bibles. It was such an amazing thing to see. I began to understand how it was that Jesus had made the blinded eyes to see, in his own day…. and why it was that after his own disciples had spent three years being themselves disciplined followers of his teachings themselves, he had directed them, and only them to go into the nations, teaching them to observe whatsoever Jesus had commanded them.

For it was in keeping those commandments, that they showed their love for Jesus and the God who sent Him, but it was also in doing so that they came to know and understand what eternal life was, and to have it. It was about “knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he sent”.

So as you visit the site, I will be sharing with you, my own journey, what it was that I began to see, and how things worked in my own life, this amazing journey from Christianity to Christ… and why it was that Jesus commanded those that were disciplined by his teachings, to teach others to follow them as well.

Doing so is how one understands what Jesus meant by “ye shall know the truth and the truth shall MAKE you free”..

So join me, in reading and studying the words of Jesus Christ, and what I know I’m to share here. Remembering always… “if ye lack wisdom, ask God who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not”….

Denise

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