I strive, in all I do in this life, to think and act as I believe my Lord would if He were living physically in the flesh today. I have worked long and hard to renew my mind to the Word of God so I can think as it instructs me to think and not be governed by emotions, the past or what the world tells me to think. Somehow this is construed as wrong by many people.

I have been called stupid, brainwashed, ignorant, stubborn, weird, dangerous, a heretic, a wimp, a recluse, a fanatic, narrow-minded, brain dead, misinformed, wrongly taught, of the devil, possessed, “marked and avoid”, worthless and countless other things I cannot write. Long ago I made up my mind that I do not care what people call me for unless they love Jesus Christ as I do; there is no way they could understand me.

I have chosen to travel the road less traveled even if it means spending most of my life alone. I do not need the applause of men to feel good about myself. I do not need the accolades of men to feel I have accomplished anything worthwhile in this life. I do not need my name plastered on book covers and on billboards to call attention to anything I produce. I do not need to stick a man-made two or three letter prefix in front of my name demanding respect for who I am.

I prefer to stay anonymous and for the most part unknown. I prefer to have few, if any friends and precious few acquaintances. I do not feel it is necessary to build a temple and fill it with warm bodies once a week to feel I have fulfilled the Lord’s commission. I do not believe it makes me any less important to labor in the background and be the “wind beneath someone else’s wings”. I have no problem being a faceless member of the crowd. It does not bother me to not be on a thousand people’s personal e-mail lists.

Ego is something that thankfully I do not have to feed. I pity those who cannot live without someone daily telling them how great they are. I feel badly for those who cannot live without the applause of crowds ringing in their ears and awards lining the walls of their plush offices. It is disgusting to me to see so many of my peers vying for photo ops and squeezing their way into any publicity they can get for themselves, their “ministry” or church.

Those who have given their lives to serving small congregations hold by utmost respect. Those who care not to be called anything but “pastor” win my regard far more than the “Rev.” or “Dr.” so and so. Anyone hiding behind those titles needs to be stripped of them for a season and learn to be respected for what you do and not the title you go by. Respect is to be earned not automatically given because of one’s schooling or the degrees one holds.

Over the past few months I have had to frequent, unfortunately, many physicians’ offices. Once again I have had to deal with some of the most arrogant people who walk on this earth. I have sat in the presence of the great “Dr. So and So” and been offered NO HELP and then charged upwards of $850 for the privilege of sitting in his office for 10 minutes. I am so weary of dealing with people who supposedly took an oath that demands they help people and all they want is to look down their nose and write a prescription and then move on to the next victim of Doctor abuse.

I believe fees for services should be determined by the results produced. If you go to a Doctor and they cannot help you, why do they still receive as much or more in compensation than the one who ends up really providing any help? Why does a specialist insist on charging a king’s ransom to do nothing but the family Dr. gets next to nothing to do all the “dirty work”? Like everything else in life, it is not fair.

As for me, I vow anew to say what I am to say, and do what I am to do without one ounce of credit or glory for doing it. Pride comes before a fall and the arrogance of people who want the whole world to know how smart, wise, talented and beautiful they are leads these people over the cliff of oblivion. What happens when the mind goes mad and the body grows old? What happens when people finally realize all the great wisdom spewed out of the mouths of all the “experts” was just so much worthless junk? What happens is that the mighty fall and they end up dead just like everyone else.

“Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;

And the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,

That no flesh should glory in His presence.

But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—

That, as it is written, “He who glories, let him glory in the Lord”.

I Corinthians 1:25-31 NKJV

Heaven holds no special place for those who SAY they are smarter. Heaven’s gate is not extra wide for those who THINK they are better. Heaven is not a place reserved for the high and mighty. No, heaven is the hope for the humble and the meek. Heaven is waiting for those who are weak.

The reason I bring up how horrible I feel is to prove a point. I believe I have been doing the Lord’s will in my life. I believe I have listened to His voice and have written and spoken His Word to the best of my ability recently. I have prayed as I always do and looked into God’s Word as I love to do. I have provided assistance to those in need and just yesterday “tithed” 70% of my paltry income. Why then, after doing and being such a “good boy” do I feel as I do?

Did God go on Spring Break somewhere? Did prayer suddenly go out of style? Am I harboring secret sin and receiving due recompense for it? Is God punishing me for things I have written recently? Has the devil himself shown up unawares and laced my juice with “feel bad pills”? If all other explanations fail, it must be global warming.

I am not the first, nor will I be the last believer to feel as I do today and ask the questions above. I can assure you that every person who has ever lived, including our savior Jesus Christ had to endure pain and suffer through times when the human body reacts to the poisons and toxins it is bombarded with daily in our water, food and air. How any of us feel good any day is a mystery known only to God.

I spent many a year with a group that would come and knock on my door on a day like today and proceed to jump all over me laying hands on me and screaming prayers for God to deliver me. If I didn’t respond immediately they would condemn me as an infidel and move on to the next sick person. Of course I am exaggerating, but you get the idea. It is difficult for me to accept that there are going to be days when for whatever reason, we don’t feel good. But, as long as we have this human tabernacle, we will suffer periods of sickness and ultimately death.

On this date ten years ago I died. Yes, I was deliberately killed on an operating table so I could be “fixed” and live again. Surgeons deliberated slowed down and stopped my heart in order to do open heart surgery (bypass). For the duration of time they were operating on me, I was kept “alive” by a heart/lung machine. My physical heart was under ice with the “hope” it would start again when warmed and stimulated. Obviously it worked, for to the best of my knowledge I have been alive the past ten years; but I must confess, I wonder at times what the long term ramifications were to my body resulting from that ordeal.

There are times when we don’t feel well because of some of the reasons mentioned above and there are times we don’t feel well because of genetics, disease in our body, food poisoning, flu, and a whole host of things daily knocking at our doors trying to bring us down. For years and years I have been ridiculed by family and friends for taking my truckload of vitamins and supplements every day. I know beyond any doubt these vitamins and supplements have kept me alive the past ten years.

A few years ago someone showed me an article by Linus Pauling proving how to never suffer heart disease or heart attack again. I started on his recommendations in 2003 and my cardiac condition has improved dramatically ever since. In fact, my cardiologist told me last month, that my heart and arteries are much better now than they ever were. He expressed no desire to see me for a couple of years. Amazing, I used to see him every couple of months not too long ago.

Last week a book was finally released documenting Mr. Pauling’s simple therapy to prevent heart problems. As difficult as it is to believe, the main two keys are high doses of vitamin C and L Lysine. Here is a link to this new book: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2008/02/prweb726684.htm. Please keep in mind I have not read this book, but I could easily write a success story for the therapy.

What is my point here? Very simply that there are many physical problems God expects us to handle through the means He put on this earth with Adam. Vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other supplements can heal the human body far better than any witchcraft concoction a pharmaceutical company could ever develop. In fact, a major chunk of our ailments are brought on by pouring all the prescription and over the counter drugs into our body on a daily basis. We do so because we are told they will make us feel better and “heal” us.

One of the reasons I feel so badly now is a new drug I was forced to take for a kidney problem. Much like chemo therapy makes a person feel horrible for a season, so any powerful chemical dumped into the body will cause it to respond in certain ways. I thank God for the chemicals developed to treat cancer and other diseases. I do not thank God for many of the snake oil potions peddled by drug salespeople.

I will feel better in a day or two, but even if I don’t; how I feel physically is not any indication of how I am doing spiritually. There are just times when the body has to slow down and almost shut down so it can heal itself. I learned long ago that God designed the human body to heal itself (think of a splinter) but at times for it to do so demands the body be allowed to rest and spend its energy where the need is.

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

The word translated “substance” is the Greek word “hupostasis”. The word basically means “essence, substance, reality; that which is the basis of something; hence, guarantee or confidence.” In other words, the word means “documentable proof, thus providing a guarantee”. I believe it was James Moulton who first started using the term “title deed” as the appropriate translation of this word.

A title deed provides proof of ownership. If you can produce the title deed to a property, then you can prove you own that property. When making the dreaded trip to the DMV to get tags for a new vehicle; you must have the title for the vehicle or it will never become yours. A title is the legal proof you own something, even if it is a thousand miles away. If you have the title, the property is yours.

When a person buys a car and finances it through a bank or other facility; the title goes to the bank and stays there until the car is paid off. Although you have the car, drive the car, pay taxes on the car, etc; you do not own the car until there is no longer a lien against it. As long as money is owed on the car, it never really is yours. The same thing happens with mortgages on homes. Until the home is paid off, the mortgage holder is the real owner of the house.

Hebrews 11:1 states that faith is the title deed of things “hoped for”. This hope is really nothing more than what we are praying for. When we pray, we have faith that what we are praying about comes to pass. That faith is our title deed to what we are praying for. It is also the “evidence” of things not seen. The word translated “evidence” is an obscure Greek word only used one other place in the New Testament. The word literally means “to convict, or conviction”. It is a legal word that is used as a figure of speech here in Hebrews. It would be better translated “certain persuasion” although many versions translate it “conviction”.

Faith, that mysterious word with a truckload of different meanings, is the title deed and certain persuasion of things prayed for and not yet seen. Every great person of faith who ever lived knew by experience what this verse was talking about. In fact, the entire eleventh chapter of Hebrews is devoted to those who from God’s perspective were men and women of faith. Everyone mentioned or mentioned by name in Hebrews 11 practiced verse 1 and that is what enabled them to make into the “Faith Hall of Fame”.

Think of dearly beloved Peter. Out in their boat at night, the disciples think they see a ghost standing on the water. Peter thinks it might be Jesus, but isn’t quite sure. He calls out to this ghost and demands that if he is really Jesus, then tell him to walk on the water to him. Ah, Peter knew that only Jesus would really tell him to do it. I am quite sure Peter was not expecting any reply. Much to his surprise, the Master told him ONE WORD; “COME”. The word of God doesn’t always have to be 2000 words. Sometimes it is only ONE word.

Once Peter had the Word Of God, he either needed to believe it or reject it. Without so much as even thinking about the consequences, Peter climbed out of the boat and started walking on the water to Jesus. Even as he was climbing out, the voices of the other disciples were ringing through his mind. “Don’t do it Pete”, “You are going to sink”, “Think of your Mom, Peter”; everywhere and from all directions he was being bombarded with all the good reasons NOT to walk out on faith to Jesus.

Once you receive the Word of God in your life, start walking. Don’t wait around for detailed instructions as to how to get out of the boat and how to handle walking on waves. Just DO IT!! Peter got out of the boat and immediately started walking on the water. When he took that first step of faith, he literally believed what Jesus had said to him was true. In his case, Peter did not need a title deed, but rather a plank, and he got one. Peter’s faith in the word of God given to him by Jesus was the guarantee he would not sink when he tried to walk on the water.

Peter did begin to sink only when he “lost the faith” by getting distracted and looking at the waves instead of the Lord Jesus. When we glue our eyes upon the Lord and fasten ourselves to the word He gives us; we can walk on water. We can do whatever it is that God sets before us to do if we have complete faith it came from God and is directed to us.

Nowhere is faith more completely taught, than by Jesus after he has cursed the fig tree and it died overnight. In Mark 11:22 it says:

“And Jesus answering said unto them, Have faith in God.”

Some manuscripts omit this verse, some have it as it is recorded in the KJV and still others would have it read; “Have the faith of God”. Wow, what a concept that is! To have the faith of God is certainly beyond our mortal mind’s ability to comprehend. How much faith does God have? Hebrews 11:3 says:

“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed (prepared) by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”

God had to literally create everything as He prepared the ages and fashioned the universe. God spoke, and things that were not there came into being. That is faith! As Genesis 1 repeatedly says; “and God said…” and it came to pass. God spoke His Word and it came to pass because of His faith. Oh how glorious life would be for us all if we could “have the faith of God”! If we could, then back in Mark 11 it goes on to say in verses 23 and 24:

“For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he says shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he says.

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive and you shall have them.”

Faith is powerful. Prayer without faith is like a boat without an oar. When we pray, we need to manifest the “faith of God” in order to see the mountains moved and the things prayed for come to pass. I think we all know that faith is vital to seeing results when we pray. But, did you ever notice what the next two verses in Mark say, immediately after these verses on prayer? Look at verses 25 and 26 squarely in the context of having the faith of God:

“And when you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against any; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.

But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses.”

Holy something or other; it takes the “faith of God” to forgive others for those things they have done against you and to believe the Father has forgiven you. Do we need to forgive others? We do if we want our Father to forgive us. Honestly, it takes just as much faith to conquer bitterness and resentment and forgive as it does to move a mountain or expect results in prayer.

All these things are humanly impossible, but with God, they are possible. It takes faith to forgive for it goes against our very nature. It takes faith to believe, for the senses say it is impossible. It takes faith to conquer the doubts that keep us from seeing God’s Word come to pass in our lives for they gnaw away at us like gnats in the summer. Have the faith of God!

In honor of the day, here are the words to my second favorite hymn; “The Love Of God”:

THE LOVE OF GOD
Words & music: F. M. Lehmen, 1917; public domain

The love of God is greater far
Than tongue or pen can ever tell;
It goes beyond the highest star,
And reaches to the lowest hell;
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled,
And pardoned from his sin.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints' and angels' song.

When years of time shall pass away,
And earthly thrones and kingdoms fall,
When men, who here refuse to pray,
On rocks and hills and mountains call,
God's love so sure, shall still endure,
All measureless and strong;
Redeeming grace to Adam's race;
The saints' and angels' song.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints' and angels' song.

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
And were the skies of parchment made,
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
And every man a scribe by trade,
To write the love of God above,
Would drain the ocean dry.
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
Though stretched from sky to sky.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure
The saints' and angels' song.

Perhaps no more beautiful words have ever been written than those of the final verse to this hymn. The love of God is truly far too vast and awesome to ever be written without draining the ocean dry. The love of God is truly so big the entire sky is not large enough to write it on. If you ever get the chance to hear Dallas Holm’s version of this hymn, it is well worth it.

May you bask in God’s tender mercies and embrace His boundless love this day and every day.

Every evening directly before going to bed I listen to anywhere from 10-30 minutes of violin music by Ruth Fazal. Again, I settled upon this music about a year ago and it continues to allow me time to reflect on the day and give it to God before going to bed. I feel that it is absolutely essential to spend the first and last waking minutes of each day in prayer and meditation with God. I cannot imagine not doing this, for it is so engrained in me.

In October of 2006 I arranged my schedule to be in Seattle, Washington for a concert. This was no ordinary concert for it was the first and only time my top two living Christian musicians ever did a concert together. The two artists were Steve Green and Dallas Holm. Looking back, I am so very thankful to God for allowing me to be there and to enjoy an evening of pure musical bliss.

So many believers who are under the age of 30 have no idea who Steve Green and Dallas Holm are. These two great Christians artists were among the pioneers of what is now called Contemporary Christian music. Although their styles are as different as night and day, they have both endured years of great turmoil in the Christian music recording industry and remain faithful to their callings. For any Christian who has never heard the music of these two men; I would urge you to do so.

Dallas Holm has a country/blues type of style while Steve Green, especially his newer material, is more of a “Tony Bennett” style. One must remember these two guys are in their 50’s so they are not going to have styles appealing to teenagers.

I was in Texas a couple of years ago at the headquarters of Praise Ministries (Dallas Holm’s ministry) talking to the man who handles his concert bookings. He expressed to me how with each passing year, it is getting harder and harder to find any churches willing to book a Dallas Holm concert due to lack of name recognition among younger people. It would truly be a shame if the musical, comical and evangelical genius of Dallas Holm ever were allowed to fade away.

A Dallas Holm concert comes complete with Dallas Holm, a couple of guitars and, as he calls it, “his band in a box”. He is a one man show and he has an amazing way of pulling an audience into his living room and then ministering to their hearts. He is not just a musician, he is an excellent “preacher” and evangelist. At the end of the Seattle concert, I was ready to get born again again.

Steve Green is a more “polished” performer whose concerts are a much bigger production. He travels with his wife, piano player and violin player. They too have a “band (or more appropriately an orchestra) in a box” and produce a multi-media presentation complete with videos in the background and special lighting. His concerts are usually huge events and very well attended.

I have had the joy of attending five Steve Green concerts during the past few years. If you love Steve’s music, you really should go to one of his concerts. The audience is older and more “laid back” and the atmosphere is somewhat like being in church, but not “stuffy”. By the time the evening is done, your heart is tenderized and re-energized in a quiet but forceful way.

Another great Christian musician I greatly admire and respect is John Michael Talbot. Whereas Dallas Holm and Steve Green are 100% Protestant performers; John Michael Talbot is a Protestant who converted to Catholicism and has produced 50 albums of “cross-over” music that is a blend of Contemporary Christian and Catholic music. He is the head of a hermitage in Arkansas and he along with those who live there has taken the vow of poverty. His entire wardrobe is made up of robes.

John Michael Talbot has to be one of the greatest acoustic guitar players in the world. Most of his earlier music was strictly him playing his guitar and singing with perhaps a small orchestra in the background. The reason I have always loved his music is because he predominantly writes his own songs and they are most of the time taken directly from the Bible. It is indeed an art to be able to take the words of a Psalm and turn it into a beautiful song, yet he has done this many times over.

I have been to my fair share of John Michael Talbot concerts and they are usually just him and his guitar in a hushed church. Although I do not share his Catholic faith, I stand in awe at how the vast majority of his songs can be totally enjoyed by Catholics as well as Protestants. I think that is an amazing accomplishment in our time. By the way, John Michael is also in his 50’s.

I present this article to you for the sole purpose of introducing you to some of my oldest friends. Although I have met all these men, what is important is how well they know my heart. Over the years, they have succeeded in ministering to me countless times. Their music has comforted me in my sorrow, exhorted me to keep moving ahead, soothed me when I’m stressed out and inspired me to do more for my Lord each day. To this day, when I take a long trip, I will simply take these men along as my personal ministering angels. I will never tire of their music and more importantly, their incredible heart as presented in their songs.

Long ago I quit keeping up with the current batch of Contemporary Christian musicians. Far too expensive and takes too long. I will keep listening to and being ministered to by Dallas, Steve, John Michael, Terry along with Ray Boltz, Michael Card and Keith Green as long as I have ears to hear. I pray that whoever blesses you musically and ministers to your heart spiritually you fight to make time for in your busy lives. God forbid the day ever comes “the music dies”.

Personally, I fail to see why there is a problem in allowing the Bible to speak for itself. Call me “old fashioned”, fundamentalist or whatever; but I happen to believe that the Word of God is the will of God. I believe that if humans quit trying to read into the Word of God their personal preferences, desires and fears; then the beauty of the simplicity of God’s wonderful Word can shine as a beacon of light and dispel the darkness of ignorance and error.

Man’s basic spiritual problem is the integrity of God’s Word. Does God really say what He means and mean what He says. The happiest, most fulfilled and peaceful people I have ever met in this life have been those who, with great humility, simply read the Word of God and believe it. I have met people who have so much training in Greek and Hebrew that it is impossible for them to simply read the Word of God and do what it says. They feel compelled to tear apart every word, phrase and verse looking at every nuance of meaning from every book in their library.

I love reading the Word of God and I also love Biblical research. When I have some extra time, instead of wasting it watching television or playing a worthless game, I like to pull out my books and “work” a verse or a small section of God’s Word. This to me is pure bliss. I can think of nothing I enjoy more than doing a simple word study from the Bible. Because I love God, I want to know and understand His Word. This is my motivation to read, study and work the Word of God.

When I was growing up, there were not many other kids in the neighborhood. Television was something I was rarely allowed to watch. There were no computers or video games. I was forced to find my own forms of entertainment. I played basketball pretending to be both teams for hours on end. I dug holes in our back yard and made a golf course complete with flags in the holes. I played with my dog Taffy every day for at least an hour. In the winter and evenings I made up dice baseball games and kept statistics on the players and teams. When it snowed, I would make an Olympiad out of the yard and pretended to do Olympic events. I was never bored for I made up new things to keep me amused.

Some might say I had an overactive imagination, perhaps I did, but at least I used my mind to do things instead of sitting around being entertained by someone else. As I got older and more mature, the ability to find personal entertainment in DOING things instead of being entertained helped me develop my love for Biblical research. It also helped me develop my love for having a big garden, mowing grass, trimming trees and “chores”. I honestly feel badly for so many youth (and adults) I see today who have no idea how to entertain themselves or how to enjoy simple things like working outside.

I question the wisdom of urging people to only learn through receiving teachings. This type of passive learning breeds laziness and hinders the ability of people to think for themselves. When the apostle Paul went to Berea in Acts 17:11 the Bible says:

“These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.”

Sitting in Church listening to someone teach and preach the Bible is an essential part of spiritual growth. But, personal time in the scriptures is just as necessary as structured teachings. In some ways it is needed more. I believe God wants His people to not just sit back and listen to His Word being taught, but to actively read, study and meditate upon it day and night.

Who did David have to “teach” him during those awful times when he lived in caves hiding from Saul? It was during some of those darkest hours that David was inspired to write many of the Psalms we can enjoy today. Not only do we need time to receive the Word through teachings and personal study; we need time to retain the Word of God through “meditating upon it day and night” as David speaks of. I love to work outside and think about the Word of God I had read or studied earlier. We all need time to think, and that is an extremely difficult thing to find in our hectic day and time.

If more people spent more time reading and thinking about the Word of God, I believe we would have far fewer denominations and more unity of the faith. People tend to become conditioned to go to church and simply hear what they are taught to believe. This, I believe, is a dangerous path to go down. It leads to the “I’m right, you’re wrong” attitude that has prevailed in denominational Christianity for centuries. Unity is impossible to attain if one is always telling the other; “you’re wrong”.

I believe when our Lord Jesus looks down from heaven and sees His body splintered into 39,000 different denominations, sects and factions; he just bows his head and cries. This IS NOT why He gave His life. God made Jesus Christ the head of His body. If the individual members of the body would simply yield to the HEAD, then the body could work together instead of against itself.

Can you imagine if every member of your body decided to do whatever it felt like doing, irrespective of what the brain commanded it to do? Your body would be as worthless as a bag of flour. Nothing constructive could ever be done, for individual members would be too busy fighting each other. For the human body to function correctly, it must be coordinated. Certain horrible diseases render people totally uncoordinated. These unfortunate people cannot live without constant assistance.

The early Church saw incredible things due in large part to the fact that they operated with unity of purpose and of one accord. The apostle Paul was attempting to get the Philippi believers to understand this when he wrote much of the epistle of Philippians. Specifically, in chapter 2, please allow me to quote from the Williams translation Philippians 2:1-4:

“So, if there is any appeal in our union with Christ, if there is any persuasive power in love, if we have any common share in the Spirit, if you have any tenderheartedness and sympathy,

Fill up my cup of joy by living in love, your hearts beating in unison, your minds set on one purpose.

Stop acting from motives of selfish strife or petty ambition, but in humility practice treating one another as your superiors.

Stop looking after your own interests only but practice looking out for the interests of others too.”

What a beautiful vision; “your hearts beating in unison and your minds set on one purpose”! But, to ever get there entails setting aside ambition and with great humility treating others as your superiors. That is one tall order in our current culture. Yet, if we could all somehow swallow that watermelon of pride we are choking on, then we could humbly treat each other as our superior.

Unity of purpose ultimately becomes available when people stop thinking only of themselves and start looking out for the interests of others also. The starting point for this kind of humility is to accept the fact that the sun does not revolve around us, but we are to put God’s Son in the middle of our lives and let our lives revolve around Him. Amen.

1. A religion. Christianity is a faith, and contrary to Webster and other language specialists, there is a profound difference between faith and religion. Christianity is based upon the relationship built between the believer and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. Church. The church is the Body of Christ, which is made up of those who are born again and who have fulfilled the requirements of Romans 10:9 and 10. Once born again, a person is now a Christian and the collective body of Christians is known as The Church but not Christianity.

3. Traditions and rituals. Religion is made up of traditions done “religiously” so as to become rituals. These things may be fine in a religious service, but have nothing to do with the term “Christianity”.

4. A generic term used to describe religious people. Too many times the words “religious” and “Christian” are used interchangeably. Too many times, religious people are automatically tagged as followers of Christianity. Religion and Christianity have NOTHING to do with each other. Christianity IS NOT just another religion along with all the other ones in the world.

5. A set of rules and ordinances. This is the Old Testament Law. Christianity is a faith and is intensely personal in nature. It is not something spelled out in minute detail to be memorized and recited at a certain age.

6. A catch-all term to describe right wing religious wackos. Critics of the true Christian faith lump anyone who is “religious” as part of that evil religion called “Christianity”. Christianity is a term used to describe the faith of Christians. It is that simple.

7. A fraternal order or other secret group one can “join” or pay dues to “belong to”. One cannot “join” Christianity. It is not a group. One can join the local church, but one cannot join Christianity by showing up at a meeting and making a donation.

8. A secret religion. Once again, Christianity IS NOT a religion. It is a faith. It is not secret, nor does it include any “secret” rituals, handshakes or orders.

Isn’t it interesting how most of the major religions in the world end in “ism”; Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Catholicism, etc? Isn’t it also very interesting how one cannot put an ism on either Christian or Islam? If Christianity was a religion, why is it not called “Christianism”? On the other side of the coin, why isn’t Hinduism called “Hindianity”? Perhaps language enters the picture here, but it is certainly food for thought.

Here is a very pertinent point. The religion known as Islam is the religion of the Muslims as set forth in the Koran. Islam is the whole body of Muslim believers. Muslim, the currently used word as opposed to Moslem, describes an adherent of Islam. It also means, when used as an adjective; “of or pertaining to the religion, law or civilization of Islam.” An adherent to the Islam faith believes Allah is the Almighty and Supreme God and that Muhammad is His prophet.

The use of Muhammadanism in reference to Islam or its adherents is rejected by Muslims themselves. There is no such term used by Muslims do describe their faith or their collective body of adherents.

Perhaps Christians need to take a cue from the Muslims. Perhaps the term “Christianity” should be relegated to file thirteen. Let me show you the various definitions given in the Webster College Dictionary for “Christianity”:

1. The Christian religion, including the Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Orthodox churches.

2. Christian beliefs or practices; Christian quality or character

3. The state of being a Christian.

Obviously there is a confusion of terms here. To understand the confusion, we must look at the Dictionary’s definition of “Christian”:

1. Of, pertaining to, or derived from Jesus Christ or his teachings

2. Of, pertaining to, or adhering to the religion based on the teachings of Jesus Christ

O.K., hold the horses right here. What on earth is the RELIGION based on the teachings of Jesus Christ? The answer sums up the whole problem. When we look at the dictionary definition of “Christianity” again, the number one definition pinpoints the problem: “The Christian religion.” Of course we must look up the word “religion” to complete this study:

1. A set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, esp. when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies; usu, involving devotional and ritual observances and often containing a moral code for the conduct of human affairs.

2. A specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of 10persons or sects: The Christian Religion.

Here is the crux of the whole matter. The dictionary says that the so-called “Christian Religion” is nothing more than a set of beliefs and practices agreed upon by a bunch of people and groups. Thus, according to the dictionary; who invented the “Christian Religion?” People did, that is who. Religion is a MAN MADE set of beliefs that then turn into rituals and other practices. The question then becomes, is Christianity a set of beliefs man agreed upon or is it something else?

If Christianity is indeed a religion, then the churches which gather every Sunday morning and whose services are liturgical in nature are correct. The churches whose form of public worship is “ritual based” are practicing a religion. A church that practices a collection of formularies for public worship is practicing a religion. A liturgical church is a church which offers religious services as its form of public worship. If Christianity is a religion, then this is what should be practiced. If it is not, then perhaps there is another alternative.

I adamantly hold to the belief that Christianity is a personal issue between the individual believer and his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I believe the New Testament must be used as the basis for understanding proper Christian worship as well as understanding “Christianity.” Nowhere in the New Testament is any kind of liturgical worship service laid out. In fact, nowhere in the New Testament are there any instructions for a “worship service.” As much as people don’t like to admit it; the entire liturgical worship service is tradition based and not founded upon scriptures.

The seeds for the current misconception of what Christianity involves were planted by the Gnostics way back in the First Century. Both the apostles John and Paul had to confront the issue of turning the new Christian Faith into a religion. The book of Colossians provides much insight into this matter, especially in chapter two. In a study far too complicated and involved to delve into at the moment; suffice it to say that the religious side of Christianity was being confronted mightily in the second chapter of Colossians.

Everywhere Paul went, the Jews would follow behind him and immediately attempt to corrupt his gospel. Basically what they were trying to do was turn this new faith Paul taught into a set of practices, rituals and traditions which is what they had already succeeded in doing to Judaism.

Religion is very adept at issuing rules and putting its adherents into a little box where they can be easily controlled. If Christianity is a religion, then all the various rules and regulations promoted by certain ultra-fundamentalist groups are correct. A close friend of mine grew up in a church which prohibited everything from dancing, to jeans, to cowboy boots, to red ties, to eating various kinds of foods and listening to most music. Some of these things represent sound wisdom, but to impose them on people as rules and regulations with the penalty for disobedience being hellfire and brimstone; is nothing more than a very sick and legalistic religion.

Religion dictates what a person is to eat, drink, speak, think and do. Religion regulates how a person is to worship and places far too much importance on hierarchy. Religion imposes regulations on people so as to keep them subdued so they have very little “freedom of choice”. Fear is a great motivator and when religion uses fear of eternal torment as the reason to do as they are told; most people shake in their boots and do not question what they are taught.

Whereas religion is full of “DON’Ts”, true Christianity is full of “DOs”. Of course there are many things mentioned in the New Testament to avoid and NOT DO. But, by and large, true Christianity is made up of promises representing all that is available in Christ. If you don’t believe me; then read the upcoming study of the phrase “In Christ” or “In Christ Jesus” especially in Paul’s writings. You will be absolutely astounded at the number of things that are available to us “In Christ” or “in Christ Jesus”.

Everything made available to us in Christ Jesus represents Christianity. Christianity is what is “in Christ”, not a set of ritualistic practices performed once per week. Christianity represents everything Jesus Christ gave his life to gain for us. It is not a new set of regulations prohibiting various works of the flesh. Christianity simply refers to everything we have “IN CHRIST” which we can receive once we get “Christ in us”. Always remember that the term “Christian” was first coined in Antioch and came about because the believers were always speaking about “Christ in them”. Christian simply means “Christ In”.

As we explore this subject more, please keep in mind that the word “religion” is, in and of itself, a man-made word. It is not used in the Bible, with the exception of the use in James, as anything other than a description of what the Jews practiced. When God gave the law to Moses, He was not giving Moses a new religion. Yet, the Pharisees and the Scribes took the law and turned it into one of the most oppressive and damaging religions ever known to man. That religion which was practiced by the Jews during Jesus ministry was not ordained by God and was in fact, MAN MADE.

If you want to understand what true Christianity is all about; I invite you to look at the upcoming posts on this subject. Until my last breath, I will do all I can to keep showing the difference between the dead works of religion vs. the living faith found in true Christianity. For those who crave religion, and there are billions upon billions of people in the world who do; there are many huge religions available from which to choose. For those who want a personal relationship with their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and who want to really be Christians; there is only way available and that is through the understanding of true Christianity.

As hard as it is to believe, there is one thing available to us as God’s children that will enable us to look our enemy in the eye and tell him where to go. There is one thing, which if we learn and understand it, will allow us to repel his incessant attacks and cause his fiery darts to fall harmlessly to the ground. There is, indeed, one great element of truth that provides us with both defensive protection as well as a lethal offensive weapon to use against the devil.

If I have not managed to spark your curiosity by now, I suppose you should move on to another blog. What I am going to share with you, and it will take more than one post to do it, will give you the ammunition to not only effectually deal with our adversary, but also more effectively help others. I assume that is what we want to do, or we wouldn’t waste our time writing and reading these things.

If I were to give a title to this series of posts, it would simply be: “True Christianity is the Key to Everything”. The great secret I want to share with you that fulfills all the wild claims made at the beginning of this post deals with the understanding of what “True Christianity” is all about. In the process of looking at this subject, very important truths will come up. These truths are what the enemy does everything he can do to prevent a believer from learning.

In I Corinthians 2:5-12 the Word of God states:

“That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect; yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:

But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:

Which none of the princes of this world knew; for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

But it is written, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him.”

But God has revealed them unto us by His spirit: for the Spirit searches all things, yea the deep things of God.

For what man knows the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God, knows no man, but the Spirit of God.

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.”

Obviously there is something quite profound being alluded to in these verses. Whatever this hidden and mysterious wisdom of God is, it is huge and it is reserved for those able to handle the strong meat of God’s Word. This wisdom of God is revealed by way of the Spirit so that we may ultimately know the things which are freely given to us by God.

If the devil had known about this deep and hidden wisdom; he would not have had Jesus crucified. Considering that the single event the devil took the greatest pride in was the crucifixion, whatever this mysterious deep wisdom of God amounts to, must be profound for the devil to regret having Jesus crucified. This hidden wisdom of God cannot be strictly limited to the resurrection, for it had been prophesied about in the Old Testament. No, it had to be something that cannot be found in the Bible. It had to something the devil was in no ways prepared to handle and never saw coming.

The devil is a lot of things, but he is NOT stupid. He knows how to read and he knows the scriptures better than most believers do. When he was tempting Jesus, he quoted scripture at him. The devil has regular training classes for his minions and part of the curriculum is scripture memorization. Demons know what the written Word says, but they do not have the ability to UNDERSTAND what it means.

God inspired the prophet Isaiah to write the moving prophecy of the Messiah’s suffering in Isaiah 53. The account of what Jesus would have to go through, the extent of his physical injury and mental humiliation was plainly laid out in those painful to read verses. Because these verses were in the written Word, the devil and his princes were able to blind the eyes of the people Jesus came to redeem. They rejected him as being their Messiah mainly because he did not immediately become their king and lead Israel to glory.

Because they did not believe Jesus was the Messiah, they listened to and allowed the princes of the world to inspire them to do all the things prophesied in Isaiah. Even as they were literally fulfilling things spoken about hundreds of years earlier; it meant nothing to them since they didn’t believe this Jesus fellow was anything but a deceiver and troublemaker. Since, in their minds, he was not the Messiah; their actions could not be interpreted as fulfilling the Isaiah prophecy.

For three days and nights the entire universe waited after the death of Jesus to see who was right and who was wrong. There was no way the devil believed Jesus would be raised from the dead. Even if he was, as Lazarus was raised by Jesus earlier, he would still be a man who could be killed again. The devil truly believed he did the right thing in having Jesus crucified. It not only eliminated a thorn in his side, in his mind it would prove he was smarter, better and bigger than God.

That Saturday evening in hell, the gang was sitting around playing cards and celebrating their victory over God. The booze was flowing and every demon in the place was enjoying the party. In their heart of hearts they truly believed they had won the eternal battle against God. Unlike the first time,there would be no fall for Lucifer this time around. He was flaunting his arrogance is such a disgusting way, even some of the demons were getting agitated.

SUDDENLY, in a moment of time, in the twinkling of the eye, there in the midst of hell’s grand party stood the resurrected Christ Jesus. Talk about stupefied silence. For a moment in time, hell’s fury was vanquished. For a moment in time, the nemesis of God and His people was dumbfounded. What could he say? The last thing he expected was for Christ Jesus to show up in his living room in hell witnessing the power of God.

The devil knew what was going on. He knew it was over. Without knowing the details of HOW God did it, he knew that for Christ Jesus to be there in his spirit domain; God had done something totally unexpected and unbeatable when he raised Jesus from the dead. Christ never had to say a word, his mere presence spoke volumes. The devil had bet everything on God’s inability to do anything more than physically raise Jesus from the dead. Never in a million eternities could the devil know that God had all along been planning to raise Jesus Christ with ETERNAL LIFE SPIRIT.

That’s it folks. That was what the devil did not and could not know. This was God’s secret known only to Him for ages upon ages. God knew that 72 hours after His son died, He would raise him from the dead with eternal life spirit and make His son an ETERNAL LIFE SPIRITUAL BEING just as He is. The moment God raised Jesus; death had no more dominion over him. The moment he was raised from the dead, the devil was eternally beaten in his age-old competition with the Only True God.

Hallelujah and Praise be to God. Thank God He knew how to keep a secret! Thank God that He knew all along how He was going to render the devil the loser with a capital L forever. I so look forward to our time in the future when God will pull out of the archives the DVD of that moment in time when Jesus appeared in hell witnessing the undeniable and eternal power of God. I so long to see the expression on his hideous face when he saw before him the LORD CHRIST JESUS. I so want to hear those words come out of his filthy mouth when he had to bow before the risen Christ and acknowledge that HE WAS LORD.

The beginning point in understanding what this incredible power and wisdom of God that I Corinthians 2 speaks of is all about rests in the understanding of what transpired when God raised Jesus from the dead. The princes of this world inspired the religious leaders of Jesus’ time to apprehend him, beat him, humiliate him and crucify him. As Isaiah says, he was so beaten up physically, he could not be recognized as being a man. The devil took out thousands of years of anger on Jesus. All the pent up rage and wrath at having been tossed out of heaven boiled to the surface as he inspired various guards to relentlessly whip, beat and torture Jesus.

Even when he was literally beaten to a pulp; it was not enough for the devil. He worked in the leaders to persuade Pilate to crucify Jesus. Oh how the devil enjoyed every gruesome moment as this thoroughly beaten man made his way to Golgotha. Oh how the devil and his legions of demons sat back and smiled as Jesus hung for hours on the cross; his very physical life slowly being drained from his body. Oh how the entire realm of the devil let out a collective cry of triumph when Jesus finally said: “It is finished” and died. Oh how the devil rejoiced in eliminating he who claimed to be superior to him.

Of all the events that have taken place in eternity; nothing was any more profound than the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. It was unprecedented, unexpected, undeniable and unbelievable. No one on earth and no one in hell knew what God was going to do. God did not raise Jesus with PHYSICAL life, for that would have accomplished nothing. Many before had been raised physically from the dead. No, when God raised Jesus from the dead, He did it with ETERNAL LIFE. The life Jesus now had was incorruptible and eternal. Nothing the devil does will ever be able to triumph over eternal life.

I am truly sorry I do not have words in my vocabulary to adequately describe the immensity of this event. NOTHING in eternal history was any more dramatic and profound than the resurrection of Christ from the dead. As Peter said on the Day of Pentecost: “God has made that same Jesus, whom you have crucified, both LORD and CHRIST.” When God raised Jesus from the dead, He immediately made him both LORD and CHRIST. The full impact of what that means will unfold in future posts; but suffice it to say, IT IS HUGE!!

“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.”

There is nothing in the Bible to indicate if a very young “Saul” could have witnessed the altercation between Jesus and the religious mob who were ready to stone the woman taken in adultery, but certainly this verse corresponds with what Jesus said to the mob which in turned saved the woman’s life. Of course what Jesus said was; “he who is without sin, let him cast the first stone”. What Paul is saying here in Galatians is basically the same thing.

At some point in each one of our lives, we will be overtaken in a fault. Some of the other versions translate “overtaken in a fault” as follows; caught in a trespass, caught in a sin, overtaken in misconduct and caught doing something wrong. To be overtaken in a fault is a very simple concept to understand. In a race, a person can be cruising along apparently heading to a first place finish. If such a person, whether running a race, driving a race car or riding a horse gets complacent; he will probably end up losing the race. Why? Because someone will “overtake” him and cross the line first.

Sin at various times in our lives “overtakes” or “catches” us. None of us are perfect; in fact, none of us even come close to perfection. We all get tired of the fight, let our guard down, get complacent, and get crushed by pressure or tempted by pleasures. We all, without exception, at various points in our lives find ourselves “overtaken in misconduct or sin of any sort” (Amplified Bible). The beginning point of being able to help others deal with their “faults” is to recognize and be fully aware of your own. The minute one “holier than thou” believer starts “preaching” at another for all their horrible sins, is the moment that believer is WRONG and disqualifies himself from being able to help.

The key to understanding Galatians 6:1 lies in one little phrase; “ye which are spiritual”. It is the responsibility of those who are “spiritual” to step in and honestly help those who have gotten “caught up in sin”. It is NOT the responsibility of those who are carnal, weak, immature, or also caught up in sin to try and help another. How many times have we heard of situations where a person with no experience or with obvious disabilities himself attempts to jump in the water and go save a person who is drowning. Almost without exception, what usually happens is a double drowning.

When a person is drowning they are out of control. They have lost all sense of reality. There is only one thing left in their thinking and that is “how to stay alive”. Their best friend in life, parent, child, sibling, pastor or Jesus himself could attempt to save them; but they would not realize WHO was out there, only THAT there was someone upon which they could climb up on to keep their head above water. In the process of doing this, due to the rush of adrenaline, most drowning victims muster unbelievable strength and succeed in pulling down their would-be rescuer and they both drown.

When a believer is “overtaken in a fault”, they are usually out of control in one sense or another. Many times they are in complete denial and fail to realize there is even a problem. I promise to share with you sometime soon an incredible record out of the Old Testament that lays out what happens when a person gets overtaken in a fault, and how they think and react to hearing the truth. Suffice it to say, a person in denial is NOT easy to deal with or help.

Whether denial, angry rationalization or the depression of hopelessness; those in the state of having been “overtaken” by their sins are people who are usually very defensive and can become quite abusive. People do not like being told they are wrong. In fact, the vast majority of people will belligerently hold on to error, just to avoid having to say the second hardest words in any language; “I was wrong” or “You were right”. Other than having to say “I forgive you”, there are no words harder to utter than to admit you are wrong on something.

Those “overtaken” in a fault usually do not think they are, the fault is not that big of deal or they can deal with it themselves. They are wrong on all three counts. The minute a person is OVERTAKEN they need help to get the situation resolved. They CANNOT do it themselves. They, like David in the Old Testament, need someone to look them square in the eye and say; “YOU ARE THE MAN”. They need someone spiritual enough to listen to God like Nathan did so they can help the one “overtaken” instead of making matters worse.

We who claim to be “spiritual” within the body of Christ have a huge responsibility to others. It is up to us to step in and lovingly help those who succumb to various sins get restored. This has nothing to do with titles or positions or professions. God did not intend for only “counselors” to be able to help believers who have been “overtaken”. God intended for those who are “spiritual”, those who are mature in the faith, those who have “been around the block” a few times, those who are the spiritual elders and those who have themselves been overtaken and been restored to be the ones to help.

That’s right, it is the responsibility of those of us who have “survived” failure to step in and help those currently failing. Someone needs to help those who have failed get “restored” to the family of faith, and the best ones are those with personal experience. The family of faith is made up of those who are born again and walking in fellowship with the author and finisher of our faith—Jesus Christ. The family of faith is also known in Galatians 6:10 as the “household of faith”.

This household is reserved for those NOT overtaken in faults and for those who have NOT drifted away from the true faith. Those in the household, are those who love God, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Word of God and fellow believers with all their heart. They are those who are “sold out” to being “in Christ Jesus” and have devoted their lives to serve the Master. Those who are spiritual are the very stewards of Christ’s household of faith. Those who are spiritual have the privilege as well as responsibility of restoring others back into the household.

This restoring MUST be done in the spirit of meekness. It is very interesting how the word used here that is translated “meekness” really means “gentleness”. This fascinating word is built on the understanding that one is not perfect and is fully aware of their shortcomings. I once heard someone define this word as; “there for the grace of God am I”. In other words, it is the humility of mind that comes from knowing one’s limitations and failures. Of knowing that one is no better than the one you are trying to help. Of knowing that you have failed also, and that you will not, and CANNOT judge the other for their sin because of your own.

This is the only way to help another person. You CANNOT help others if you think you are perfect, better than them, holier than them or are some spiritual hotshot who has all the answers. No, to help another entails meekness, gentleness and forbearance. It takes these qualities for the other to accept your help but also to keep you from being drug under the water and drowning with them. There is NO room for PRIDE when it comes to helping a brother or sister who has been overtaken in a fault. There is NO room for ego or vain glory and there is absolutely no room for MONEY.

I was going to take a class a couple of years ago on becoming better equipped to counsel fellow ministers who had been overtaken in faults. I never did because a pre-requisite was to go though “counseling” myself first at the recommended donation of $1,000. Forget that buddy. How on earth do Christians live with themselves? Since when do we charge people to help them? Oh my, we dare not veer off on this subject today or I will still be writing ten hours from now. Let me simply say to all who somehow justify charging rates far higher than the world to offer spiritual help to believers; You are WRONG.

Galatians 6:1 is an amazingly simple verse that if believed and applied within the body of Christ would provide immense help for countless souls who have allowed themselves to be “overtaken” in a fault. The reason I share so openly in my posts about my own mistakes and failures is to make absolutely sure that anyone and everyone knows I am not some arrogant, holier than thou creep who thinks I can help others because I am so good and perfect and righteous. Oh I can’t stand that kind of attitude. It makes my blood boil and my spiritual hair stand on end.

Brothers and sisters, we MUST do all we do for each other with the utmost of meekness and humility. We must constantly “do a checkup from the neck up” to make sure we are reaching out in the spirit of meekness and not the spirit of pride. We must never, ever lose sight of the stunning reality when helping another who has been “overtaken” that; “there for the grace of God am I”.

It has been said by many criminals, that the only reason they are in jail and the rest of us are not, is because they got caught. How true that is. We have all sinned. We have all done things at some point in our lives which God frowned upon and even despises. We have all committed treacherous acts of spiritual treason and been guilty of looking out for number one instead of reaching out to numbers two through a million. Every single one of us has sinned and thus, NO ONE has the right to cast a stone at another sinner.

As hard as it is to resist the temptation of condemning others for what they allow in their lives, we must, or we will also be tempted. Maybe not with their sin, but with one that is just as bad—Pride. God does not allow one believer to look at another and think, “I’m better than he is”. That is as bad of sin as murder or adultery. Please remember these things the next time you are confronted with having to deal with someone who has been “overtaken” in a fault. NEVER forget what Jesus told the woman after all her accusers left. After forgiving her, he simply urged her to go and sin no more.

I leave you with a thought. Can you imagine what would happen among Christians if instead of condemning them to hell when they fail, loving brothers and sisters restored such an one in the spirit of meekness and took the attitude of “go and sin no more”. We would actually have a much stronger family/household because of the love and meekness manifested. Food for thought.

I continued working on the topic for many years with the hope of contributing to a journal or helping the other man write a book about the subject. He too lost interest because no one else was interested. In the twenty five years since, I have periodically picked up the work and continued researching the material. Every time I have, I receive the same jolt of excitement I felt the first time. Every time I try to share it though, it is met with the same lack of interest as found in the original research team.

I saw the founder of the team a little over a year ago. He is retired but still researches his Greek everyday and has a few pet projects. This wonderful man knows Greek far better than I know English. He is a true scholar yet a truer gentleman. I asked him if he still ever works on our “in Christ Jesus” work. He said, sadly not, for there just was no one besides me who ever was the least bit interested. When I asked him why, he had no clue.

I have posted so many things in the short time I have been on Christian Blog I don’t even know for sure how many. I have written on mundane events that happened in the course of a day, on simple topics, on controversial topics and my favorite; the Bible. I find it very interesting how I can open my heart and share about problems I had with girlfriends almost 40 years ago and it be viewed 125 times with many wonderful comments. At the same time, I write daily installments on the “in Christ Jesus” series and get perhaps 25 views and maybe one comment.

I understand the vast majority of Christians have no clue as to the beauty and wonder of Biblical research. That is why I attempt to write things that are in that category. But, if they are never read, they can’t help anyone. I have tried putting things in different categories to see if it makes a difference, and it does. If a post is put in “Christian Life”, it will get two to three times more views than the same post would get in “Biblical Studies”. What, of course, this indicates is that people want practical short testimonies far more than lengthy teachings on the Bible.

Years ago, I used to teach various classes and seminars on different Bible subjects in the course of each year. Many times they were new or reflected things I was told to present or that I was working on at the time. There were two seminars I taught every year without fail. One was on the subject of Sonship rights, privileges and responsibilities and the other was on “in Christ/in Christ Jesus/in the Lord”. I always taught the Sonship Rights Seminar on or near Easter weekend and the other in the fall of the year.

People flocked to the Sonship Seminar and the material really blessed and helped many people. The other seminar was usually attended by only a handful of devoted believers who loved “working” the Word of God more than any other activity in life. As you might guess, I personally loved the smaller seminar far more than the big one because the people there were only there because of their love for the Word of God.

The last time I ever held a seminar on this topic, one person showed up. The two of us spent hours looking at verses and talking about the significance of them. That was the extent of the seminar and I have never done one again. It is almost as if the subject is just too deep, or too something for people to want to learn it. This saddens my heart as few things do, but it is not anything new.

What we have “in Christ Jesus” represents true Christianity. That which is performed in buildings on Sunday mornings might be Christian religion, but it is not true Christianity. It is impossible to grasp the meaning and the HEART of what Jesus came to do and what God did in the resurrection and the ascension without a thorough knowledge of what is “in Christ Jesus”. The full purpose and reason for everything God did in Christ is now OURS “in Christ Jesus”.

What religious Christians get excited about most of the time is extremely unexciting to me. Sacraments, readings, lengthy prayers boring sermons and solemn songs are not what my Savior Jesus Christ gave his life to accomplish. Jesus Christ did not come to this earth; give his life and God raise him from the dead to introduce a new dead religion to this earth. I am sorry, but most of so-called Christianity is nothing but tradition and does little to help anyone.

Paul tried, to the best of his ability, to show the believers in his time the unbelievable mystery God showed him and that he attempted to reveal in Ephesians. For the most part, that which Paul was so excited about, went totally over the heads of most of the believers. They just never “got it”. They understood parts of what he taught, but they were not big enough spiritually to comprehend the fullness of it all.

Look at Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian believers as recorded in Ephesians 1:17 and 18:

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him;

The eyes of your understanding (heart) being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.”

Paul prayed to God that He would give the people the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the very knowledge of him. I believe the “him” is referring to our Lord Jesus Christ instead of God the Father. God is the only one who can give revelation and knowledge concerning the fullness of all He did in Christ Jesus.

Paul goes on to pray that God would allow the eyes of their heart to be flooded with light. That they may see with their heart the hope we have been called to and what are the riches of the glory of the inheritance in us who are set apart for Him. Ephesians is so deep. A new believer cannot possibly understand much of anything in Ephesians. Verses such as the ones we just looked at are far beyond the reach of 98% of Christians to have a clue as to their meaning.

Ephesians is addressed to a particular group of people. In Ephesians 1:1 it says:

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, AND TO THE FAITHFUL IN CHRIST JESUS.”

The unbelievable greatness of that which is written in Ephesians is for those who are Faithful “in Christ Jesus”. We are not just talking about those “in Christ Jesus”. Philippians is addressed to the saints “in Christ Jesus”, but Ephesians is directed to those few believers who have chosen to reject this world and have fully devoted themselves to everything “in Christ Jesus”. There were not many who ever reach this stage of maturity, but there are always a few.

Ephesians is a nice epistle to read by any believer, but only those who are faithful “in Christ Jesus” ever comprehend why it is the greatest book in the Bible. Ephesians stands as the pinnacle of the “all truth” promised by Jesus. Ephesians is the only book in the Bible specifically directed towards and written to those who willingly want nothing else in this life but to be as Christ Jesus; live as He would, think as He would and do as He would.

Jesus said; “he who has seen me has seen the Father”. Jesus perfectly manifested the Father’s light, love, grace and truth. Jesus was “in the Father”. When we are “in Christ Jesus”, we can boldly say; “he who has seen me, has seen Christ Jesus”. For when we are faithful “in Christ Jesus” we perfectly manifest Christ Jesus’ light, love, grace and truth.

My heart cries out to want to be everything Christ Jesus was and is today. I want people to see Christ Jesus when they look at me. I want to not only be an ambassador for Christ, I want to perfectly represent Christ Jesus to this world. I want, with all my heart, soul and strength, to be FAITHFUL IN CHRIST JESUS. Nothing else will do, and nothing else matters.

What else is there to live for? What else could we have possibly been called to be and do in this life? Did God want us to get born again so that we could go back to being just like we were before? That makes no sense. Obviously God called us to something BIG. That which He called us to was to become like and live the life found “in Christ Jesus”.

I wish I could go on but it would be a waste of time at the moment. There are so many great and wonderful things in Ephesians alone dealing with the subject of “in Christ Jesus” that it would take days to lay it out. In addition, the phrase “in Christ” is equally as powerful as “in Christ Jesus” and if all the places it is used are added, the project becomes one twelve people were going to work on weekly for a year back 28 years ago.