In a Nut Shell II

There are some who have asked me that age old religious question. When did you get saved?

My reply would be, “I was born saved”.  (I was always kidding) Ever since I can remember, I have always loved God and had a hunger for Him.  My passion for knowing more of God and how I may live for him has never waned over the years.  I am even more passionate now than ever.

It has been religious systems and teachings that have complicated my spiritual growth in God.  I would be taught one thing, yet I would see something else in the Word of God.  I would ask questions, but only silenced or put aside for asking.  I have found that religious leaders and systems do not want to be questioned about anything they teach or do. Yet my hunger for God would not let me stop at what others called the norm.  You see if you will let it, religion will get a hold of you and shape the way you think and mess you up.

For years I fought that battle with my mind and how religion shaped me. I grew up in church and learned what I call the Sunday school version of God, Jesus, Bible, and the gospel message.  I found myself judging others and expecting them to live up to my standards.  I was being pious toward those who did not follow God with passion.  My testimony of life was that of purity and passion.  I never fell for worldly vices or lived a life of rebellion.  Yet; in the hidden places of my heart, I was a complete failure and needed to be rescued.  I needed God to humble me and open my heart for me to see who I was and for God to do a new work in me.

As a young man, at lest once a week I traveled across town in Lincoln, NE on a bus to sit at the feet of a wonderful man of God and just learn the Bible.  He did not teach me much doctrine, but just an understanding of God’s word and how to glean God’s truths and information from it.  It was during that time, I fully came to understand God’s calling on my life and my roll to my generation, in God’s church.  I preached my first sermon at the age of eleven, and was told that it was a prophetic word in nature.   

It was all the many struggles in life and choices I made that have brought me to the place I am today.  I have learned to forgive, and not worry about those who reject me.  I don’t worry about what others are doing, and I don’t have time to judge them.  I have been given the love and light of God and need to just let it shine.  I don’t have to be a pastor of a large group, or become a household name to make a difference in the lives of others.  It is what I do with the lives of those God have given me opportunity to share His message with that matter.  Even then, I am not responsible for what they do with it or if they change or not.  God never called me to change anyone, the only one who I need to change is me and I work on that daily.

Over the years I have found myself reading more than ever the Bible and many other books.  That is saying a lot about a person that grew up not liking to read.  God is taking me on a life journey and with new passion I am discovering Him over and over again.  His word is filled with truth and one only needs to look at it from a heart of pure passion (casting off religious thoughts) to find truth.  It has made me ask more questions and find many more answers.  I just now have to fight off the urge to get angry at religious church systems for leading us astray.

God’s gospel message about Jesus and His coming kingdom is not hidden in the Bible.  It is plain and easy to see if one is willing to take it for what it says, plain and simple. It has been religious leaders and systems that have told us that it is hard, a mystery and we need them to make it understandable.  They have laid out a system of rules, boundaries and rewards that are not truly in scriptures to keep us in line according to them.

A few years ago I was asked by a pastor to speak at his church’s men’s prayer breakfast.  Little did I know I was being setup to be questioned on doctrines by this pastor.  I spoke first then sat at the head table next to the pastor to eat my breakfast.  He began to tell me that he was offended by statements a friend of mine made in our church. He wanted to know if I agreed with my friend and let me know how wrong I was.  He presented his scriptures and I would counter.  After a time in frustration he waved at the group of men (none of whom knew what was going on) and said “you know as well as I do that they can’t live this on their own they need rules to keep them in order”.  My response to him was “that is what is wrong with the church today, man is making the rules, and that is what we call religion”

So, here is my simple message wrapped up in a nut shell.  To some I will not have gone far enough and made it to simple.  Then there will still be those who will say “I have lost my way and faith”.  Still there will be those who will not believe it no matter how simple.

God created the earth and all that is in it and he alone did so by just His word.  Then by the works of His hands he alone created man, giving all dominion and power over the earth to that man.  Life was perfect and peaceful for man and the woman God gave him.

The Devil came along and deceived them both with half truths and getting them to question God.  Satan, promised them something he could not give and by this he tricked them into giving up all authority over to him.  This is why he is called the prince of the air and ruler of this age. Sin has now entered the world of man along with suffering and pain.  Death began to take hold and by this all men are dieing.  We are all born in sin and we will all die, there is no life after death in this.

God, from the beginning had a plan to redeem man and the earth.  To restore all that was lost and return man back to his given purpose to posses the earth and rule over it.  His plan was reveled in the beginning and all through the Hebrew text called the Old Testament, that plan is reveled in every story. It is all about God’s commitment to that plan and to His promise to man.  He did this through such men as Abraham, Moses, David, and many more.  He spoke to those in that time by prophets and spiritual leaders, and now speaks to us by those written words.  God’s plan was simple and plain, there was nothing hidden other than the birth of the coming church of Jesus.  Man chose to be blinded and refused to follow God’s plan, but God did not give up on his plan.

Then in what we call the gospels God’s plan is reveled in flesh.  He begot a son through a virgin whose name was Mary.  Jesus is the name given him and he was to be called the Christ, the one who was going to be the instrument of God’s plan.  This Jesus was a man begotten of God, a Jew of the lineage of David.  He was the one to sit on the throne of David and rule God’s coming kingdom.

This Jesus lived on this earth for about 33 ½ years.  Thirty of those years he grew up in the Word of God, learning who he was through the Hebrew Scriptures.  The next three and a half years he went about preaching the gospel message “the Kingdom of God is at hand” with signs following.  He chose 12 followers to impart his message to for them to carry it on later.  Jesus then suffered a cruel death on the cross bearing all of men’s sins, shame, sickness, and death, trusting in his father to raise him from death.  God did raise Jesus from the dead three days later to become the first born of many brethren.  Jesus spent about 50 days with his followers teaching them about the coming kingdom.  He then was taken up to be at the right side of his father to wait for the appointed time of his return. Until then he intercedes for us to the Father as our high priest.

On the day of Pentecost, Jesus, kept his promise and gave the spirit of God to all believers (the manifest presence of God in us).  This birthed what we call the church of Jesus and empowered the believer to carry out the work of God.  The church was given the gospel message of Jesus to take to the whole world.  The message is the coming kingdom and its King, Jesus the Christ.  Until he comes, we are to share this message with all those we can. His Word gives life and hope to all those that believe.  They are born again by the Word and through His spirit, given power to overcome in this life.  That spirit is preparing us for the coming kingdom of God that we will experience on the day of resurrection.  Until then, we are to follow the teachings of Jesus and obey God’s Word to us.  We are to love the Lord God with all our heart, soul and strength, follow the example of His son Jesus, living a life pleasing to the Father. 

In all this I know I could have shared much more, but time and space there is not enough of.  My view of religion’s God, laws, heaven and hell has been removed.  I have seen that all men are going to die, but those who have believed and followed Jesus will rise again, take on immortality and rule with him in the coming kingdom.  I believe in the one God of the Hebrew Scriptures and His son Jesus, and that they have given us the spirit as a deposit of things yet to come.  I am a child of God reborn of His spirit through His word.  I have been made righteous, justified through Jesus, holy without blame or shame.  I am passionately pursuing Him, with a made up mind to serve Him, with all that I am.  Each and every day I am learning more about Him and still growing.  One day I will see Jesus and I will know him because I will be just like him.  One day death may take this life I now live, if Jesus does not come back soon, but I have a hope that I will rise again to live and rule with him in the coming kingdom.  That is it in a nut shell.

In a Nut Shell

I am not sure if everyone who reads this will know what the term “in a nut shell means”.  Simply put, it is everything condensed completely to fit in a nut shell, like all the goodness of a nut is within. 

As I have been thinking about the subject of keeping it simple, I have found that is not always easy.  Christianity today has become so complex.  There is so much diversity in doctrines and faith, how can one know the truth in today’s Christian world.  Christians make up 1/3 of today’s population and within that there are hundreds of different beliefs and doctrines. They all claim to have the truth and often willing to fight to protect what they perceive to be truth. 

Like I asked in my last blog, how has this helped us grow, or how has today’s messages helped us through life.  We have everything from strict legalism to quick positive feel good messages.  Yet so called Christians still struggle with life.  They are still divorcing at a higher rate than the rest of the world; they commit murders, steal, lie, struggling with addictions, and are sitting in church pews under the influence of prescribed drugs to keep them from going crazy.  Is this what Jesus’ message, life, death, and resurrection was meant to produce, or is there something better?

Today we have more Bibles produced and in homes than ever.  There are more books written for Christians, than any other group of people.  Books are written on about every subject one can imagine. Yet there is less unity and victory in today’s Christians than ever in history, statistics prove this out.  We are told there are certain things God does not do anymore because we have a complete Bible, yet there is less today that believe in what it says.

Let’s look at one fact here.  The church in the first several centuries did not have a Bible.  Many of the gentile groups most likely did not even have any written Hebrew scrolls.  The churches that Paul wrote to had only the letter that was written to them, and did not have any of the others to compare what Paul was saying. Yet in all this there was growth and strong adherence to the gospel message of Jesus the Christ and his coming kingdom.  It has been the growth of religious minds and writings that have complicated the message of Jesus.

I do believe the Bible we have today is complete and the spoken word of God in written word.  In it we can find truth and get to know Him who is our God, and His son Jesus.  We have to be willing to read it on a regular basis with a passion to find God, Jesus and their message to us.  We have to be willing to cast off traditions that cloud the message and ask those questions of scriptures that seem to go against what we have believed, or been handed down to us.  Most of all we need to continually seek the Father in prayer for His spirit to work within us and for Him to speak to us.  There has to be a balance of both.

I had a mother who I know was a praying woman.  As a child, I remember many a late night seeing her on her knees praying at the sofa.  Yet there were many of things that she missed in the word of God.  Some of the main ones I knew about were such as forgiveness and grace. I know she read her Bible on a regular basis but, she also lived strongly by the emotional spiritual part. This was out of balance.  She judged others that did not live up to her standards of what she believed the Bible to say.  I have been asked many a time about how I was raised and I would joke and say “if it was fun it was sin”. 

The Bible is what the Psalmist says in (Psa 119:105 NKJV) Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. Then there must be a spirit filled life that gives understanding to what God is saying.  That comes through a relationship with the Father and His son Jesus.  That is a life of prayer and submission to His leading.  I take to heart the words in Romans eight that through the spirit I can call him Abba.  Today when I pray I like to just call him Dad or Daddy, and I feel this is relational not disrespectful.  You can use your religious terms if you want, but to me it is personal, He is my Daddy.  

(2 Cor 3:4-8 NIV)  Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. {5} Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. {6} He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant--not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. {7} Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, {8} will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?

I realize I am nobody in this big world.  I have not been educated in any Christian Schools.  I am not a Bible scholar or have any degree.  I did not find this faith I now have following the traditions of men. As a young man I fell madly in love with the gospel message and started out on a journey to find who I was according to God.  I did not find my answers in men or just by reading the Bible.  Because of how I was raised the scriptures were skewed to me, so for a long time I never read it completely.  Yet my heart hungered for God and to know Him more.  I had to be willing to change, biblically this is called repentance.  For a long time I was lead by emotion and that would often fail me. It was when I began to balance my life with prayer and Bible reading with new hunger, being lead by the spirit and allowing God to speak to me.  I began to see truths that was there all along, but obscured by religious teachings.  So let me share some thought and scripture and try to sum up a Readers Digest form of what I have come to believe.

First, I truly feel we need to know the Father, and His son Jesus, to know who we are and how to live a life for him.  It has been my passion for God that has been my victory in this life.  Looking back it has been the very factor that helped me make choices that kept me from disasters in my life.  Religion has taught us that it is the church we need to live in victory, but history can show that has been a complete failure.  We have thousands of churches today; still they are filled with people who cannot live in victory.  Religion has produced thousands of writings telling us what the Bible says and how we should live yet we are still struggling.  We need to turn back to God and with passion follow His teachings and His son Jesus.

(Phil 2:12-16 NKJV)  Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; {13} for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. {14} Do all things without complaining and disputing, {15} that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, {16} holding fast the word of life,(this was not the Bible) so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.

We need to workout our own relationship with Him and follow the message of Jesus.  What did Jesus say and how did he live before his father?  There are many who have miss read the first part of this scripture but let’s read what it says.

(Phil 2:5-11 NKJV)  Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, {6} who, being in the form (image) of God, did not(would not consider equality with God)consider it robbery to be equal with God, {7} but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. {8} And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. {9} Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, {10} that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, {11} and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (emphasis mine)

Jesus was a man, (1 Tim 2:5 NIV) For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,) God has exalted him to a higher position and He will return to rule as king.  This is the man we need to follow and this is exactly what Paul was telling us.  So we need to be like Jesus in our thinking and lifestyle walking in a way that serves God and pleases Him.  You do this and you will need no one to judge you in life.

The kingdom of God is yet to come and it will arrive at the appearing of Jesus to rule.  Until then God is at work in us to produce His will in us to bring us to His desired completion.  (Phil 1:6 NIV)  being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Through the spirit (the manifest power of God in us) we have what it takes to follow Jesus and live a life of victory knowing who we are and to whom we belong.

(Col 4:12 b NIV) that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.  You see God wants you to be confident in truth, knowing who you are and that you can live a life of freedom. The Gospel message can set you free and give hope that will not disappoint. Religion and a wrong understanding of God’s word only produce bondage. When you put you trust solely in man and man made systems you can never grow past the limits they put on you.  If you completely cast your life on Jesus and the work of the new covenant, he will equip you with the ability to live it.  (Heb 13:20-21 NIV)  May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, {21} equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

God does have a purpose for us in this life and the Kingdom to come.  We have to develop a passion for Him and for His desire to be done in us.  Jesus laid this out in the model prayer for the disciples.  Then Paul tells the churches he writes to that they can have confidence in knowing who they are and what God’s purpose for them is. That in this life we do have struggles and pains.  There are defeats and failures, we do make mistakes and wrong choices, but God does not throw us out because we do.  We are His sons (this is not a gender statement) through Jesus and grace is at work in us.  We must have a made up mind to serve God with all that is in us. Make it our life plan to follow Jesus, refusing to give up until we see the kingdom of God fulfilled in or life time or in the resurrection. 

(James 1:2-4 NASB)  Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, {3} knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. {4} And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

(Rom 8:28-31 NASB)  And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. {29} For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren; {30} and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. {31} What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?

(Eph 3:11-21 NASB)  This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, {12} in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him. {13} Therefore I ask you not to lose heart at my tribulations on your behalf, for they are your glory. {14} For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, {15} from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, {16} that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man; {17} so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, {18} may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, {19} and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God. {20} Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, {21} to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

(2 Tim 1:9-10 NASB)  who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, {10} but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

I will have to continue this next time.  I will sum up this topic with the simple message of Jesus and the coming Kingdom of God in a nut shell.  Over the years we have made the Christian life so complicated, yet Jesus said it was simple so anyone could do it.  God does want us to know him and His son Jesus.  In Jesus we have life and it more abundant (John 10.10).  Taking the words of Jesus let’s find balance in our walk with Dad, let’s not over analyze it or complicate it. 

 (John 14:23-24 NIV)  Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. {24} He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

Do You Love Him?

Keeping it Simple

Have you ever heard the Word of God preached and wondered how it would apply to you or even help you in the situation you are currently in?   To be honest with you I have many of times.  In churches, fellowships, conferences, there often seems to be the need to over explain things or speak things that really does not help us achieve the spiritual growth we need.  Then in today’s trending church truth seems to be lost and when everything is settled nothing really was said.  The good news message has been reduced to a few sound bites, and messages are feel good instructions in life.  We’re all OK by God’s grace kind of thing.  I often wonder what these churches may look like in another ten years or so.

On the other hand there are still those stringent legalistic groups that make serving God so hard that often many struggle to live it.  There are messages and teachings that may in all rights be truth but fail in love and grace.  I have heard teaching that was full of wisdom and knowledge, but lacked passion, and emotion.  I have been around ministers that know the Word of God inside and out, quote it better than most.  They understand Greek and Hebrew yet; do not know how to relate it to the normal person who just needs answers for life’s problems, and to know that God does care about them.

This is my thought this week and has been a part my continued journey in truth.  Balance is the word I guess I am looking for.  Maybe another word can be moderation.  Like a road with a ditch on either side one must navigate down that road to keep out of the ditch.  It may not be the focus when one drives down that road, but is a reality if one does not maintain control.  Then, when one loses control and starts heading for one ditch they over compensate and end up in the ditch on the other side.

I grew up in church and have been active in ministry for thirty five plus years.  I have experienced a lot and hopefully learned a lot.  I grew up in one form or another of Pentecost and seen a lot in my time.  Over the years I have come to the place of knowing that I was wrong on some things and right on others.  I have found some truths by just taking the Bible and believing in what I had read.  Other times I have had some great people impart truth to me.  In all I have had to be willing to change and allow God to do a work in me.

If I have learned anything, it is that God did not call me to change anyone.  I have not been given a mandate from God to move people to my way of thinking.  There is only one person I can change and that is me.  I am a lot freer now than ever since I have learned that.  The other thing after years of being a pastor was my preaching in a service changed very little, if it did not speak to the hearer and their need.  I knew I was called by God to ministry, but like those who I came up under I knew little of grace, compassion and how to relate to those in need.    

I knew how to conduct a service, lead worship, prepare a message, even knew how to emotionally motivate the congregation.  I have seen God at work in the lives of others, and seen the manifestations of God’s spirit.  I have seen it abused and used for man’s gain, and seen the results that one sided spiritual movements produced. Yet, in all that I am not ready to throw all that I have seen and known out just because of some misuses.  For I have seen the power of God at work in me as well as others.

History has been a good teacher in letting us know that when man takes control it usually gets messed up.  Christianity has taken a simple message of truth and messed it up so much that most people can’t understand it.  It has become a truth and message that only a few are capable to understand and the rest have to rely on them to be able to serve God and get truth.  Churches are filled with people who are depending on a man to present truth to them never seeking God or His Word for themselves. Now, there are still some great teachers that will teach to our hearts with love.

(Eph 4:14-15 NIV)  Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. {15} Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.

I am not a Bible scholar, and claim no special wisdom or teaching.  What I have has come through experience, Bible reading, prayer, and a passion for Father, God.  So I guess what I am trying to say that no matter what camp you are in and come from if we are not careful you can over analyze, and complicate the simple message of God through Jesus His son.  While we debate over certain truths thousands of people have no clue who God truly is and how His message can bring peace to their troubled lives.  

Today, there are so many who need answers and help in living in this world.  We have made the Word of God strangling, and hard.  There are those who because of abuses reject the manifestations of God’s power.  There are teachers who have in depth understanding of God’s Word, yet reject emotions, manifestations, or any such things.  So, let’s see what we can find in the Word.

 (1 Cor 2:4-5 NIV)  My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, {5} so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power. (1 Cor 2:13 NIV)  This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

I feel here Paul is making it very clear he was not relying on his own knowledge, (which we know by his own words Paul was well educated) but the power and manifestations of God.  Today there seems to be this ideal since we have a completed Bible there is no longer a need for a demonstration of God’s power.  Where do we find that in the Bible?  Didn’t Jesus himself tell us   “And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; {18} they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." (Mark 16:17-18 NIV)

Now I am not saying let’s start handling snakes, but like Paul when shipwrecked was bitten when handling fire wood was protected by God.  When he did not die, opportunity was given to share the gospel.  I do still believe God has not stopped working in those who will believe.  Just because we have the Bible, God has not stopped talking to us, if we will listen.  He now is working through us by His son Jesus (Heb.1.2).   I know I have had God speak to me many a time and work his power through me.  To some that may be crazy, but I know it was Him and it could always be confirmed by His Word.   God is still God and just because we have the Bible, that does not mean He has stopped speaking and working mightily through His people.

(Rom 1:16-17 NIV)  I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. {17} For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: "The righteous will live by faith."

(Rom 15:19 NIV)  by the power of signs and miracles, through the power of the Spirit. So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ.

(1 Th 1:5 NIV)  because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.

Paul’s proclamation of the simple Gospel message was able touch the lives of those who not only heard but experienced God’s power.  I feel the full message of Jesus, the coming kingdom and taking of the seed of God’s word, really can speak to us in simple terms and to help us wherever we are in life.  

(2 Cor 4:1-7 NIV)  Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. {2} Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. {3} And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. {4} The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. {5} For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. {6} For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. {7} But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

God does want all to come to the knowledge of truth.  Maybe more can be done through demonstrations of fruitful godly lives than just educated teachings alone.  People need to see how God can work through plain ordinary lives, which struggle as well as any other person, but are able to be fruitful and live holy before God.  We do have the treasure at work in us to live a life onto God and before others

(1 Tim 2:1-7 NIV)  I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-- {2} for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. {3} This is good, and pleases God our Savior, {4} who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. {5} For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, {6} who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time. {7} And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle--I am telling the truth, I am not lying--and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles.

In a wrap up for this week, but not an end of thought let us seek God with all that is in us.  Take the time to search your own heart.  Are you willing to let God make some changes in you?  Are you hiding behind your own doctrines?  How has God been talking to you?  Is your life a demonstration of God’s power and love?  Have we made the gospel, and grace too complicated for many?  Give me your feed back on this subject.