. A few years ago a man in Chicago bought a framed picture at a pawn store for $500. The picture of Renaissance genre was beautiful. Every detail was clear and the colors were indeed lovely to behold. Since the price was reasonable there was no reason to think that the painting was anything but genuine. However, after the man got back home and began to examine the painting more closely there emerged a totally different picture. One that would rock his world. While the painting he purchased for only $500 was indeed a masterpiece in itself, what was really the true art was something no one would have imagined.
It was noticed that under the surface paint of the visible picture lay 'another' painting of much greater value. Much greater detail. Much greater quality. What was hidden by a very good picture was a actually a Rembrandt painting worth millions. The original painting was the real deal. The real thing. Now revealed and now not covered up by a painting that looked nice, looked of quality, but was not the real deal. Not the actual true painting the original was meant to be.
The beauty of the false painting obscured the real painting that lay behind it for centuries.
Modern Christianity is much like this painting scenario I have just described. There was an original picture of truth Jesus taught, the early Church leaders taught , such as John, Polycarp, Ireneaus, Athanasius, and all of the early church leaders.
In time with the coming of Augustine of Hippo, the true understanding of the love of God, the Adoption of humanity and the Inclusion of all of humanity into the life of God was "painted" over with a new and different theology. The original painting , the "Rembrandt", if you will, was completely obscured from the view of mankind. ( Except by a few.)
Dualism came into the picture. Separation from the loving Father came into the picture. A retributive God came into the picture to punish and torture men who would not like and love him back. ie, Hell fire and torment. The Gospel became anything but the 'Good News'. It became really bad news for many people.
But the truth of God is that God loves the world. He is not mad at us at all. Jesus takes upon himself in the incarnation all of the sins of the whole of mankind and reconciles all of humanity and saves all of humanity in Himself. We just have to know it and believe it.
Grace is a Gift. No rules to live by. No things to do or not do. Just a gift to be received and accepted and believed.
God is a Father who loves all of us with a love that can not be put into human words.
So, I won't try. But God the Father loves YOU. Yes YOU. And Jesus has made all the arrangements to have you live with Him and the Father Forever in His Eternal Kingdom. You can be there and enjoy it if you will believe it.
Blessings,
Pastor Paul
www.newlifewcg.org
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Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
THE ANSWER WHEN WE SEE NO ANSWER!
When there is NO answer. We pray. We beg. We importune. God hears obviously. But He does not answer the way we wish. Illnesses goes unhealed. Death is snatched from the living of those we love and who are much too young to die. Where is God in all of this misery and suffering??
Answer, He is in the middle of it all. No name escapes His eternal plan in Jesus, Orchestrated from before the foundation of the world. ( Eph.1:3-14).
All humans have lived out their lives in the fallenness of father Adam. Sin has wreaked untold misery and suffering on humanity. But thanks be to God, that through Jesus Christ , Jesus has 'trumpted' everything in Adam and healed it and made it whole and healthy and healed. We could stop right there, but we won't.
We see a child suffering from an incurable illeness. We see a child in the depths of drug addiction. We see a child in the throws of child prostitution with all the attendant suffering and misery and we ask, "God, where are you, don't you hear and dont you care.?"
Well, YES he does. He hears and He cares. He cares so much so that THE ONLY SON HE EVER HAD was allowed to live out His life and so perfectly that He paid the price for ALL human sin and suffering. So that we all could live eternally with the Father in His Glory and FUN forever.
Now we see through a glass darkly, fuzzy. But one day we shall see it all clearly and then we shall understand. God is Good . and He is always Good and will be forever.
What we see and suffering and misery one day will be forgotten and only the glory of the Triune God will display His eternal redemption and reconciliation and blessing in Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit, I will have more, please.
Paul
Answer, He is in the middle of it all. No name escapes His eternal plan in Jesus, Orchestrated from before the foundation of the world. ( Eph.1:3-14).
All humans have lived out their lives in the fallenness of father Adam. Sin has wreaked untold misery and suffering on humanity. But thanks be to God, that through Jesus Christ , Jesus has 'trumpted' everything in Adam and healed it and made it whole and healthy and healed. We could stop right there, but we won't.
We see a child suffering from an incurable illeness. We see a child in the depths of drug addiction. We see a child in the throws of child prostitution with all the attendant suffering and misery and we ask, "God, where are you, don't you hear and dont you care.?"
Well, YES he does. He hears and He cares. He cares so much so that THE ONLY SON HE EVER HAD was allowed to live out His life and so perfectly that He paid the price for ALL human sin and suffering. So that we all could live eternally with the Father in His Glory and FUN forever.
Now we see through a glass darkly, fuzzy. But one day we shall see it all clearly and then we shall understand. God is Good . and He is always Good and will be forever.
What we see and suffering and misery one day will be forgotten and only the glory of the Triune God will display His eternal redemption and reconciliation and blessing in Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit, I will have more, please.
Paul
Sunday, November 15, 2009
JESUS REVEALS THE FATHER
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What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving Season? I am thankful that Jesus came to, among other things, reveal the Father to all of us. The Hebrew world had many false gods as well as the God of Israel. But the God of Israel was viewed as somewhat austere and stern demanding obedience from His followers. Curses would ensue if strict adherence were not followed. ( Lev.26 and Deut. 28). Jesus came to reveal the Father He had always known. Jesus said, if you have seen me, you have seen the father. OK, then what did or do we see in Jesus?
Jesus reveals the sweetness and tenderness of a loving, kind, gentle, and patient Father who loves all of us. The Father wants and desires very much to have a family. One made possible in Jesus. The Father wants everyone. Jesus describes the "least of these MY Brethren" when he gets down into the dirt with the blind man and makes clay from spit and heals his eyes. He describes the least of these when he goes into the Leper camp and gets down in the dirt and heals the lepers. He lifts children up into his arms whether they can WALK OR NOT. TALK OR NOT. Jesus goes into the rescue missions and tells the inhabitants that, " I love all of you and have since before the foundation of the world. I knew you and your NAME".
Jesus goes under countless bridges and tells those that the Father loves them and that they matter and have since before the foundation of the world and at the Cross.
Jesus tells all that what He does, the Father does. If you have seen me you have seen the Father, Jesus said.
Jesus reveals a Father who is Love. Love for all. Not a retributive god, but a Father. A loving Father , not a vengeful God. Jesus reveals a Father who cuddles his children, comforts them, walks with them, encourages them, lifts them up to His very throne in Heaven and wants to live with us all forever. Jesus reveals a Father who made it all happen in Jesus. No stone was left unturned. All nails were nailed into the coffin. It is Done. It is finished as Jesus said in, John 19:30.
Jesus goes to the crack addicts, the heroine addicts, the alcoholics, the unwed mothers, ( and fathers) , the homeless, the down and out, the ill, the diseased, the weak of the world, victims of our fallen nature. Everyone. And, Jesus says, "you, the least of my brethren, I love you. I died for you. I knew you before the foundation of the world and I want to live with you forever. Can you believe this?"
Yes , the least of these my brethren are all around. And Jesus AND the Father get down on their knees and love us all.
Thank you Jesus,
Paul
www.newlifewcg.org
www.pastorpaulsinteractiveblog.blogspot.com
.
What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving Season? I am thankful that Jesus came to, among other things, reveal the Father to all of us. The Hebrew world had many false gods as well as the God of Israel. But the God of Israel was viewed as somewhat austere and stern demanding obedience from His followers. Curses would ensue if strict adherence were not followed. ( Lev.26 and Deut. 28). Jesus came to reveal the Father He had always known. Jesus said, if you have seen me, you have seen the father. OK, then what did or do we see in Jesus?
Jesus reveals the sweetness and tenderness of a loving, kind, gentle, and patient Father who loves all of us. The Father wants and desires very much to have a family. One made possible in Jesus. The Father wants everyone. Jesus describes the "least of these MY Brethren" when he gets down into the dirt with the blind man and makes clay from spit and heals his eyes. He describes the least of these when he goes into the Leper camp and gets down in the dirt and heals the lepers. He lifts children up into his arms whether they can WALK OR NOT. TALK OR NOT. Jesus goes into the rescue missions and tells the inhabitants that, " I love all of you and have since before the foundation of the world. I knew you and your NAME".
Jesus goes under countless bridges and tells those that the Father loves them and that they matter and have since before the foundation of the world and at the Cross.
Jesus tells all that what He does, the Father does. If you have seen me you have seen the Father, Jesus said.
Jesus reveals a Father who is Love. Love for all. Not a retributive god, but a Father. A loving Father , not a vengeful God. Jesus reveals a Father who cuddles his children, comforts them, walks with them, encourages them, lifts them up to His very throne in Heaven and wants to live with us all forever. Jesus reveals a Father who made it all happen in Jesus. No stone was left unturned. All nails were nailed into the coffin. It is Done. It is finished as Jesus said in, John 19:30.
Jesus goes to the crack addicts, the heroine addicts, the alcoholics, the unwed mothers, ( and fathers) , the homeless, the down and out, the ill, the diseased, the weak of the world, victims of our fallen nature. Everyone. And, Jesus says, "you, the least of my brethren, I love you. I died for you. I knew you before the foundation of the world and I want to live with you forever. Can you believe this?"
Yes , the least of these my brethren are all around. And Jesus AND the Father get down on their knees and love us all.
Thank you Jesus,
Paul
www.newlifewcg.org
www.pastorpaulsinteractiveblog.blogspot.com
.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
WHO IS THE LEAST OF THESE MY BRETHREN?
"As you have done it to these the least of these MY brethren, you have done unto me."
Do you realize the importance and implication of this statement of Jesus? All of us, all of humanity, are the brethren of Jesus. There are no throw backs. Now let's take stock.
Look at the down and out. The drug addicts. The alcoholics, the mentally ill, the chronic abusers of any and everything. The street people , the homeless, the rejected by society and all too often that means the ones who fought valiantly in Viet Nam, and other wars and conflicts.
What about fatherless mothers, innocent children of conceptions which should never have taken place? Where is Jesus in all of these peoples lives?
Well the GOOD NEWS IS, that ALL of these individuals were chosen and adopted into the very life of God before the foundation of the world. ( Eph. 1:3-14.) They are not cast offs as our world would look at them ..they are the children of God. And He loves all of them just as He loves you.
Now frankly some of them stink. Some of them are not fun to be around. Some of them I would not want to chill with. But.................They are God's children and HE loves them.
John 3:16-17, is ALL inclusive as are so many other verses. I John 2:2. And others.
So what do we all self righteous persons make of all of this. Well , for one, we need to drop our self-righteousness, accept all humans as brothers in the Lord, the children of God, never make comparisons, never denigrate or disparage those in all of these less fortunate situations as we and love everyone. Not discriminating.
We are ALL brothers and sisters in The Lord. No room for comparisons. No room for disrespect. Only room for acceptance and love. Can you deal with it? Then do.
Do you realize the importance and implication of this statement of Jesus? All of us, all of humanity, are the brethren of Jesus. There are no throw backs. Now let's take stock.
Look at the down and out. The drug addicts. The alcoholics, the mentally ill, the chronic abusers of any and everything. The street people , the homeless, the rejected by society and all too often that means the ones who fought valiantly in Viet Nam, and other wars and conflicts.
What about fatherless mothers, innocent children of conceptions which should never have taken place? Where is Jesus in all of these peoples lives?
Well the GOOD NEWS IS, that ALL of these individuals were chosen and adopted into the very life of God before the foundation of the world. ( Eph. 1:3-14.) They are not cast offs as our world would look at them ..they are the children of God. And He loves all of them just as He loves you.
Now frankly some of them stink. Some of them are not fun to be around. Some of them I would not want to chill with. But.................They are God's children and HE loves them.
John 3:16-17, is ALL inclusive as are so many other verses. I John 2:2. And others.
So what do we all self righteous persons make of all of this. Well , for one, we need to drop our self-righteousness, accept all humans as brothers in the Lord, the children of God, never make comparisons, never denigrate or disparage those in all of these less fortunate situations as we and love everyone. Not discriminating.
We are ALL brothers and sisters in The Lord. No room for comparisons. No room for disrespect. Only room for acceptance and love. Can you deal with it? Then do.
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