- Jun 2, 2024
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Might be interesting to discuss some of the notions or falsehoods of Jesus' leaving and returning.
For years I studied "end time" matters, absorbing every work and comment I could get my hands on, primarily because there is a notion of Jesus' imminent return.
Upon closer scriptural examinations such notions have a difficult time holding water. I'd suggest today that Jesus really is, at least to some degree, within His believers:
Romans 8:9
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
As with most scripture it's never a one or the other deal. In the above for example, if we are honest, we'd say that both positions can be true for any of us at any time for various reasons, and trying to force it to one side or the other is "truthfully" impossible.
Yes, the light really does shine from the darkness. It's God's Own Command, from the beginning. And this is true for love in the face of resistance/evil present in all of us.
So, where then is Jesus in all this? Many just can't accept this fact from John, and must attach all their notions of what/who Jesus is by their various scriptural formulas, "such as" the 4 step accept Jesus in your heart program, and if not, too bad, so sad. Having spent decades in the sales business I understand the principles of convincing people very well. But do we really need to "sell Jesus?" I rejected those kinds of notions as only self subscribed nonsense.
God really doesn't need me to sell Him to anyone. IF He is God I'm quite certain God is entirely capable of selling Himself, were it really needed. Such attempts only devolved into the factitious mess of sect segmentation we have to deal with today.
Maybe it's time to just simplify our beliefs to this, and be gracious to all people, and just leave it at that:
"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God."
Why not measure your neighbors in this way? Maybe Jesus will surprise you and actually show up within them? Personally, I have experienced Jesus in this way countless times at this point, by simply and actually "trying" to love my neighbors, with the caveat that both I and my neighbors still have that same evil present within us, the darkness we have all been prescribed to "shine from."
We only have a slice of the Heavenly. Savor what you can from it
I looked in the mirror 40 plus years ago, and knew then, as I know now, that this body is soon to be just so much dust in the wind. And have seen it happen to many many of my loved ones. Death is on the horizon for all of us, but this is not all that we are. We have a gift. It's internal. It's JESUS, the Spirit of God, which is LOVE. And yes, it's really true when you do it to others, you really are doing it to Jesus:
2 Timothy 4:8
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
This is not a future appearing. He's in the here and now, as we speak. Jesus sent His Spirit into us. Prove it to yourself
Oh, and please try to at least be honest about the other side of the ledger. Yes, we all do have a resistor to these matters, an adversary who does not want you to love your neighbors. And even more interesting, your neighbors also have the same issue.
I have no issues with "watching" and "waiting." But there is a present reward available in the here and now.
What we are actually "watching and waiting" for is the elimination of our ADVERSARY, not our neighbors
And you, yes, YOU are playing a role in that matter by bearing Him to others, and looking for Him in THEM
For years I studied "end time" matters, absorbing every work and comment I could get my hands on, primarily because there is a notion of Jesus' imminent return.
Upon closer scriptural examinations such notions have a difficult time holding water. I'd suggest today that Jesus really is, at least to some degree, within His believers:
Romans 8:9
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
As with most scripture it's never a one or the other deal. In the above for example, if we are honest, we'd say that both positions can be true for any of us at any time for various reasons, and trying to force it to one side or the other is "truthfully" impossible.
Yes, the light really does shine from the darkness. It's God's Own Command, from the beginning. And this is true for love in the face of resistance/evil present in all of us.
So, where then is Jesus in all this? Many just can't accept this fact from John, and must attach all their notions of what/who Jesus is by their various scriptural formulas, "such as" the 4 step accept Jesus in your heart program, and if not, too bad, so sad. Having spent decades in the sales business I understand the principles of convincing people very well. But do we really need to "sell Jesus?" I rejected those kinds of notions as only self subscribed nonsense.
God really doesn't need me to sell Him to anyone. IF He is God I'm quite certain God is entirely capable of selling Himself, were it really needed. Such attempts only devolved into the factitious mess of sect segmentation we have to deal with today.
Maybe it's time to just simplify our beliefs to this, and be gracious to all people, and just leave it at that:
"Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God."
Why not measure your neighbors in this way? Maybe Jesus will surprise you and actually show up within them? Personally, I have experienced Jesus in this way countless times at this point, by simply and actually "trying" to love my neighbors, with the caveat that both I and my neighbors still have that same evil present within us, the darkness we have all been prescribed to "shine from."
We only have a slice of the Heavenly. Savor what you can from it
I looked in the mirror 40 plus years ago, and knew then, as I know now, that this body is soon to be just so much dust in the wind. And have seen it happen to many many of my loved ones. Death is on the horizon for all of us, but this is not all that we are. We have a gift. It's internal. It's JESUS, the Spirit of God, which is LOVE. And yes, it's really true when you do it to others, you really are doing it to Jesus:
2 Timothy 4:8
Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
This is not a future appearing. He's in the here and now, as we speak. Jesus sent His Spirit into us. Prove it to yourself
Oh, and please try to at least be honest about the other side of the ledger. Yes, we all do have a resistor to these matters, an adversary who does not want you to love your neighbors. And even more interesting, your neighbors also have the same issue.
I have no issues with "watching" and "waiting." But there is a present reward available in the here and now.
What we are actually "watching and waiting" for is the elimination of our ADVERSARY, not our neighbors
And you, yes, YOU are playing a role in that matter by bearing Him to others, and looking for Him in THEM
