 
Unmasking

a church

in Denial
copyright 2014 Ross Shultz - all rights reserved.

This publication can be reprinted, reproduced, transformed and/or transmitted in any form and by means; electronic or mechanical including photocopy, and recording, including any other information and or storage retrieval system, as long as the material is not used in any way for the gain of money. Permission will be granted.

This publication cannot be sold, with the exception of a nominal fee of $1.50 to any book store, for the purpose of handling.

Anyone who would like a free copy of this book may obtain one by contacting the Author at:

Website: www.themanwithin1.com

Email: themanwithin1@gmail.com

You-tube: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGkEM0lKqVA>

Printed in the U.S.A. Copy Editor Andrea Westby

Library of Congress Cataloged control # 2014904328

ISBN-978-1-4951-0459-6 ISBN-E-book 978-1-4951-0460-2

## Table of Contents

Where do I begin?

Politics, in the church?

What is sin?

Rituals

Law and then Grace

Established Forums

Holidays

Idolatry and High Places

Adam, his wife and that slippery thing

Sodom and Egypt

Ministers & Ministry

Manipulations

Denial

Love

It's about Time

About the Author

A Famine of the Truth

The two Trees

Love, Truth, and Grace

Author's Note

## Forward

This writing is an attempt to expose the misguided information that man, in his fleshly quest, and wanting to build 'a church', a structure of his hands, but not of God, and to show that human nature cannot be mixed with the Spirit of Truth; God. When Jesus said that He was to build His Church upon this rock, speaking to Peter, He wasn't speaking of Peter himself, but the revelation that was given to him. God is Spirit, therefore must be worshipped in spirit, and since oil and water can't mix, neither can spirit and flesh; but man, many times, has lifted up his own agendas as a counterfeit and called it 'church', and this book is an attempt to expose just that.

To some degree we all have failed, and that's not necessarily bad, but this pretense of pleasing God with our carnal flesh will someday end as babylon falls.

## Where do I begin?

First let me state that I'm not a complete nut, although some might disagree, but I see the necessity to reveal to others what God has opened my eyes to see. What's happening through religion is breaking the heart of those that seek the Truth.

This world is vastly different today than it was a mere fifty years ago, and as I stated in an earlier book; what is now called a high school graduate, was then, those few years back, called a fifth grade education. We have evolved, and yes I believe in evolution, but not the kind that believes that we came from monkeys, but that our nature is evolving into them. The disintegration of man and his morals, and his inability to find true north, and that is, his true place in life, has turned almost completely to his own knowledge and strength, leaning upon his own understanding, leaving our first Love for something that seems right, but certainly is a far cry from it. God has become a mere symbol and the true fact of His being is now almost totally dismissed. God is REAL, ALIVE, and well ESTABLISHED on planet Earth, and despite our lack of love and understanding of Him, He is our never ceasing, always Loving God, the True God that loves us in spite of ourselves. As you continue reading it will become more evident that man, in himself, is totally incapable of building any standard of worthiness that can, or will, meet Gods' approval. It is not our efforts, nor our finesse, not even today's technology that can impress our God with favor; that comes but from faith; and our efforts, if anything, can only hinder Him.

Man and his "religion" has chased this man-made symbol of God for centuries, and with few exceptions, has spiraled down the food chain until we are nearing the group of primates called monkeys. We have lost, or at least losing, as it seems to me, the reality and closeness, and that special offered relationship with our God, the Creator of all, and went fumbling, if not whoring after our own little gods made after our own image of the imagination.

Today, there are few that teach that our God of Love, with His unending Mercy and Grace is available to all, and yes I mean all, if we could but look through these many so-called doctrines that are preached differently on every street corner, and find the hidden, (although it is not really hidden), TRUTH that is ordained for all. HE, that is God, is willing, able, and ready to reveal Himself to all that want eyes to see, and ears to hear; He alone is God.

As a ship plows forward through water, it leaves a wake, a wake announcing its footprint across the path from which it came. This thing that many call 'church' has also left a wake, be it through our history books, or thru the effects of the shrapnel that we can now see in its' wake, has left a trail of destruction, or at best, a track of confused lives; and what I'm seeing saddens me. If those that preach from these man-built pulpits were offering a life that Jesus heralded was available, then, I suppose that these boxed-in buildings that sit on nearly every street corner, would be overflowing. But in fact, their numbers are dwindling every year because of their ineffective habits of the understanding our God of Love, Mercy and Grace, and it seems to me, that a wake-up message is going out from every corner of the earth to call His people out of 'her' and into His bosom. The messages being preached and taught from these structured 'churches' are a far-cry from that which Jesus gave us, for the God of Love is always loving; He truly is. There is no separation, nor is there any condemnation among the 'good' or 'bad', He is continually about His business of loving us.

We will, in the chapters ahead, take a strong, and some may call harsh look at these counterfeits and monuments that man has built unto himself and then, called it godliness. I will, at times, come strongly against the established institutions, doctrines, and structures that man has built through the centuries, and then called it "church". Those of you that make your living in the clergy of "this thing called church", we be especially offended. My intension is not to come against the people that are involved in these structures, but the carnal use of their hands, thoughts and imaginations.

Since Constantine assigned himself pope, in those early days, and conquered all who wouldn't follow his declarations, the religious fables have run amuck, and since, virtually, there was no written Word until the early 1600'S, it was easy to preach any misled or self-serving doctrine; for who could dispute it? The same rhetoric has been preached and taught for so long, and by so many, that we as a people, have fallen into that category of followers, for many also believe that the junk taught (for the most part it is junk) is true, therefore worthy of following a path that has thus far gone nowhere.

Think about this; if we as a people didn't have access to the written word until 1610 when King James translated the first writings, then all was completely dependent on whoever stood in the highest platform and taught the people below. This was power. The kind of power that man, in his own strength, is not capable of resisting, therefore it subtly, sometimes drastically, changed the ego of man to fit whatever doctrine any particular person wanted to present. Power corrupts, and this kind of absolute power, completely corrupted many because of the inability of the common man to dispute any doctrine for lack of evidence because the written Word was not available. Therefore those that were in charge taught, many times, the interpretation that stroked their own empowered egos, without any confrontations.

By the time the written Word was available, and then only a few could afford it, many false doctrines had already been deeply ingrained. They were, at times, challenged, but unless the one protesting was in high places, little was ever achieved. It was for the most part, deeply embedded into the established religions, written in stone, so to speak, and too much was at stake for any other understanding of the Word to take root; or so they thought. God has always kept a remnant, hidden behind the trees and under the rocks, in the shadows, that sought and understood a purer Truth of the Word of God. Men and women that could see thru the hype or misinterpretations of those that presented themselves as 'in the know'. God has throughout every generation, revealed Himself more thoroughly, to more than a few, about the deeper mysteries of His Kingdom.

Example: cleanliness is next to godliness......... Can you imagine how many still today believe this to be true? Yes, God wants to clean the inside of man, and to fill him with something besides dead-mans'-bones, but our scriptures have not mentioned, even once, of Jesus washing His hands before He ate. This cleanliness saying, along with many others, is just silly, and represents some egotistical so-called leader's evaluation; it's not what God is concerned about. Or how about this one; God helps them that helps themselves? Our God of mercy and love seems to help those of us because we can't help our self. Without bothering you with the many well established fables, let's take a closer look at what God wants from those that are called by His name.

_2 nd Chronicles 7:14 says; "If my people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves, and pray, and will seek my face, and turn from their wickedness; then I will hear from Heaven, and forgive their sins and heal their land."_ Our land is our life, and what's around it. If you want to take this to mean country, that's ok, but it's more personal than that. Yes it's true that God is the God of all, but He is also the God of one; me, and since your reading this; you. God is very personal, and His relationships are not really with countries, but individuals, therefore the land that He speaks of is you and me; our life. Sometimes the scriptures use the word 'house' to mean the same thing, but in this instance He is telling each of us as individuals, and especially those that are called by His name, to eliminate our pride, pray, and seek His face, (which is that desire to have a personal relationship with Him), and turn from our wickedness. Wickedness is anything of the flesh, for God is Spirit, and we must worship Him in Spirit. Therefore anything the hands can do, or the mind can invent, or any place our carnal feet can take us, our fleshly eyes and ears can give us, and so-on, falls under the category of wickedness; at least from a spiritual level.

Let's talk about the word 'sin' for just a brief moment, in an upcoming chapter we'll explain much more about it, but right now we'll just scan over the word 'sin'. Sin means to miss the mark, or to have a debt, it is virtually the same meaning as 'wickedness. Sin occurs when our eyes, our life, our heart, are not fixed upon God. We all sin, _and all have fallen short_ , this is a fact, _our carnal flesh wars against the spirit, and the Spirit also against the flesh_ , but to have that aforementioned healing, we have to shed the flesh; and if it weren't for Grace no flesh would be rescued.

Now, I said all that to say this; when man adds to, or takes away from anything that God has put together, such as the institutions built by the flesh of man, 'this thing called church', then we have fallen from the purpose of His creation of a relationship between Himself and man; we have sinned, or rather missed the mark, or still owe Him a debt.

_What God has put together, let no man put asunder._ Generally this is taken as speaking of the marriage of husband and wife, but the truer esoteric meaning is our undivided relationship with the Father. What God desired and created us for, was a relationship with Him, not the relationship of the structured institution that man has imagined, and then created from his mind; but a united fellowship with Him; a marriage. He wants that union between the spirit of man and Himself, that, as was with Adam, we would walk with Him.

Adam also took his eyes off his Creator, and placed them upon the fruit of His creation, and his senses got the best of him, his soul won-out, and he partook of the flesh; mankind fell. And that also is what we are doing, with our money-making schemes to make a living by selling Jesus.

God seeks with man an intimate closeness with him; that is his spirit, and by His Grace will heal our 'land' and forgive us of our 'debt'.

Now I ask; why are we, the children of God, so complacent, so compromising, to allow these centuries old religious confusions to continue? In reality, God deals with us men and women on a one-on-one basis, and seldom by the masses; therefore the time is ripe, with all the obvious signs set in order for man to come to himself, present his humble heart, to change the way he thinks, and turn from our ways, our wicked ways, and allow Him His discernible rein in each of our lives. Man is not in charge, but I do believe that when our thinking changes from the works of our hands to the spiritual foundations of our Father, it will have to change.

Man as a whole is so proud of his achievements, his technologies, the monuments that he's built, that the 'tree of knowledge of good and evil' is daily fertilized, watered and nurtured to the point that man is losing, if not lost himself in this realm of unreality. Jesus came to heal the blind, deaf, and mute, and it's ever-so true today, that if we could stop long enough to consider Jesus, and understand that He's already considered us; that His children would wake-up, for we are the blind, deaf and mute. A call is being sent out by God through His remnant, all over the world, a trumpet is sounding to wake up, and turn around a people that will trust and seek his face; which is beautiful from any angle you that look at Him from, and to follow the Christ of God in a relationship that is not based on our deeds, nor from the strict set of standards that man continues to burden us with; our land will be healed.

## Politics, in the church?

What in the world is politics doing in this thing structured and called church? And they call it a community service, even allowing people to vote in their halls; not a single opportunity is lost in the gimmick of gathering the masses. But, in fact, what's made by man is also maintained by him.

The Church of our God is not a place, not even a mass gathering; it is you and me; it's a people, an attitude, a servitude of His people as they drift thru life and fellowship with one another. " _Where two or three are gathered in myname, there I will be in the midst of them_." The Church as it's mentioned in scriptures is Ekklesia, 'the called out ones'. Yes, that means called out from the world, but the way I see it; what's the difference between the world and this thing called church? What is it that the 'church' has that the world doesn't? I've searched for that answer for decades, and have found nothing; they are one and the same.

Let's draw a picture that everybody has witnessed.

A new preacher comes to our Sunday weekly gathering, and the full time pastor introduces him with flowery words of praise and achievements. He then gets a second to that motion with a few "amens" from those sitting in the front few rows of pews. So it ends up that ten or fifteen minutes of their so-called worship service is dedicated to the praise of men, while those few hungry souls that came in to feed from God, starve to death. But what does it matter? The egos of the deacons and the other highly-placed men and women are stroked. It matters. We've lost sight of what we're here for, and it's not to build bridges between men of like-minded attitudes; that's what the folks from Babel did when constructing their united tower, we are here to be fed the Word of God as it was given to us, all praise, honor, and glory is reserved for God and Him alone.

Are the folks in these assemblies going to own-up to this praising of men, and admit to that that they are doing? No. They're in denial. The most that we get from them is; "oh yeah, there are many 'churches' doing such, but not us, we're here to worship God." I wish this to be true, but it's not; all these structures are pretty much built the same way. These traditions are so deeply embedded, and have been done for so many years that it's ascertained by them as normal.

How did we get that the 'structured church' is led by God to encourage or nudge people into voting? And all the while preaching their slant on those who they think we should vote for, even opening their building as a precinct for the whole world. Should not there be a difference between the gathering of God's people and those that put all their stock into the world? Of course there should be. The fact is they're both the same. You heard me right, the 'church' and the carnal world is the same Babylon, there is no distinction amongst either.

I can remember back in the 70's that the announcement was made on the news that 52 % of American couple were now divorced. Not but a few weeks later was it announced that 52% of the folks that regularly go to 'church' are now divorced. If you were at a bar, sipping your drink, listening to the music, maybe swaying back and forth to the rhythm while clapping your hands as some would be star sang his/her songs, we'd not think anything of it; but when the exact same things happen in the weekly services at the corner 'church'; wouldn't you think it strange? The world elects their leaders. So does the 'church'. The world thrives on entertainment; so does the 'church'. People make their living by working in this world; so do many in the 'church'. This world is run by the people in high positions putting their best foot forward, with their custom fitted clothes, their shiny shoes, and their proper language, and maybe that's not so bad; but when those that claim that they are called by His name do it, it kind of sets us back.

There should be more than subtle differences between God's chosen and this world that we live. Through the years I have talked with many people about what's going on inside and out of these institutions, and most will agree that this happens often; but not in their 'church'. Take a look around, it's happening in virtually all on them. If we are to be a peculiar people, a chosen generation, and a royal priesthood, then why doesn't it show? Do we want to fit-in so badly that we've compromised everything that God stands for just to be a so-called equal to those that pretend that they run their own life? I hope not; but I'm afraid we are doing just that.

Politics is one of those words that have a stretched out definition, but generally speaking we think of it as compromise, and presenting yourself as what you want people to see, not really who you are, but a presentation of an outward form. You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours, and even holding firm on ideas whether they truly embrace them or not, is not unusual. In politics, the people that are kept close around them, are those that not necessarily those that think like them, but will voice their words to correlate with the politicians', expressing no thoughts of their own, but agreeing one with the other. Anyway, I could go on and on with what these political people are or what they do, but you get the picture, and does it sound like the same rhetoric that goes on every Sunday morning down at the corner assembly?

God is the 'All' of the universe, He is filled with Mercy and Grace, and all true Love emanates from His very being. God has many wonderful aspects, He is real, alive and well, and although His Grace seems to be never-ending, He does not compromise; there is no politician in Him.

Political ambitions might have a place in this world, with their people-pleasing platforms, but God, and His son Jesus, have pleasantly changed many folk's lives, but not at the cost of compromise. The world invented political agendas, with their styles and pretty lies, so let's let them keep them, but not in the Church. We are a 'called-out people', set aside from this world; an example, a paradigm, and a standard to reflect the demeanor and character of our God.

## What is Sin?

Do you sin? Are you a sinner? Are you a sinner if you sin? Will God strike anger toward me if I sin? What is this word that we call sin, and how does it affect our lives?

Jesus, as He walked with His disciples on the Sabbath, reached over and plucked ears of corn and did eat. This was, with the Sanhedrin, an unlawful sin, and to the eyes of religion, it was sin; but the fact, then and now, it was not. Jesus even spoke of David, the anointed, that when he was hungry, him and his men went into the temple and did eat the 'show bread'. Many still don't understand that man was not made for the Sabbath, but that the Sabbath was made for man; Jesus is the Sabbath, He is King of all kings, Lord of all lords, President of all presidents. This is and was not sin, speaking of what the religious leaders said was wrong. For He that could do no sin, didn't, but He was accused of it, and in spite of being sinless, became our sin and it was nailed to the cross.

In our Lord's prayer, Jesus said; _" forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors"_. Matthew. And in Luke it says; " _and forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone that is indebted to us. "_ We can clearly see that the definition of sin is a debt. Now in the ancient days of archery the word sin was used when an arrow missed its mark.

Through those years of the average common man not having access to the written Word of God, the word 'sin' began to take on this wrathful meaning, this inexcusable action that took man from the Graces of God. If you were an archer back then and had not as yet developed your skills, you were labeled as a sinner. This was not a bad thing, and was not looked down upon, but was viewed as a person that is still in the process of growing, a novice. Today, after all these years of implanted ideologies, and misled concepts, to sin or be a sinner is now some great malfunction to be looked down upon.

_" The scripture says: But your iniquities have separated you from God, and your sins have hidden His face from you."_ Notice that we have, because of our sins, and the guilt that many times comes from it, been drawn from God because of that sin. Now, again through the centuries, we have been taught that God withdraws from us because one has missed the mark of the ideal situation; but, in fact, this is not the case. It's our feeling of guilt, and the teaching that's been drummed into man, that has brought this principle to fruition. It is man, with his guilt and guilty conscience that has persuaded himself of his unworthiness, for God will never step back from man. _Romans: 8; "For I am persuaded that neither death or life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come...shall be able to separate us from the love of God..."_ And I wonder how many power-hungry, so-called leaders of our modern day Sanhedrin, have used this tactic on their underlings so they will toe-the-line, and keep intact that false dividing line between them and their parishioners? I know that many do this in ignorance, but many know full-well that no sin can separate us from the Love of God, nor can any of the principalities or powers in the dark and high places separate us. So why do so many create that great dividing line between those that do this so-called 'good', from those that do this so-called 'bad'? God loves us all equally.

Now, I'm not saying that to sin or be a sinner is something good, God forbid, but I am saying that all of us has, and still does owe a debt, continue to miss the mark. And to label someone with this misguided word, with its misguided meaning, brings us therefore into a debt to them, and we have certainly missed the mark. In other words; we have all sinned, not any are righteous, at least in their flesh, for none of us have perfected the qualities of God as of yet. But this word from the beginning of its injudicious values has been used by those standing in the pulpits, as a weapon to extort a great gulf between those in the assembly and those that stand outside. It was used to give them, those so-called leaders, a sense of superiority, in hopes of driving a few into their congregation; but instead, have driven many away from it. Sin is an action, or inaction, a debt owed, or a mark missed, not a tool to hold over those that don't meet our criterion. People seem, especially religious leaders, to have to have their egos stroked and hold fast to their ideology, making sure there are levels of people; some in the upper seats, some in the lower. As long as they feel superior, and can make us feel inferior, a divided line is established, then their own agenda has been met; they hit their mark, but missed Gods'. Do these that use this controlling method, are they any worse than the rest of us? No. But the position that they are placed in, whether by the people, themselves, or God, has placed them into a situation they might be somewhat more accountable, for I wonder how many have been led into bondage because of their antics.

We have all sinned, and continually do, and I'm not saying it's ok, but I am asking; by what right do we have to judge others, by our owns faults? What purpose does it serve to look down on others? Even if we have moved past our immature archery level, or have paid all our debts, we still owe a debt to God, and His precious Son Jesus; a debt that can't be paid; but by faith. That's what Jesus did on our behalf, the debt of all of us has been compensated for by Jesus; by His life, and what was done on the cross; There is no other debt that is held to our charge.

Through the years God has been painted by man, and we've bought into it, that He is some evil monster in wait of revenge on someone's sin; of course He is not. God has been portrayed as the 'the big man', 'the man upstairs', or even pictured as a man, much like a large shepherd with a shepherd's cane with its crooked neck, ready to yank in a would-be sinner by the neck, and set him straight. Missing the mark is what it is, we all miss it; owing a debt to our fellow brothers or sisters, is still a debt; we owe each other. But if once and for all, our sins were redeemed, paid for, we are then no longer slave to them. If God so loved the world, then it seems to me that no one's left out; He loves us all; and these statements are true, then why do we, as humans, try to keep those that flaunt their sins pushed down to a dirty level; is it so we can elevate ourselves?

The hierarchy of religion has to have different levels of parishioners, some on the bottom and still maintaining those few on the top, or so they have been manipulated to believe, but this is not so. When Jesus chose His disciples, He chose those of low character, not to speak badly against them, but men and women of the shady side of man. Some were men that reeked of fish, one a thug, and more than one of His followers were prostitutes, think about it, folks just like you and myself; there was no level of hierarchy in his mind, he only saw what the Father saw; people.

Sin is what it is, and I don't want to overstate it, and I sure don't want to understate it, but if Jesus didn't judge those around Him by their popularity or ability, then why do we? The main reason that we seek Christ and a relationship with the Father; is that when He looked at us, He saw the same as when looking for disciples, Jesus just saw the person, not the deeds. We like to think of our self as special, and in God's eyes we are, His people made in His similitude. But ain't it nice he didn't hold you and me to this perverted level that religion wants to hold others' too, and you have to join their club to be treated as equals?

So think about this; the main sin that we all sin with, is when we judge others, and that is usually done by our own inabilities. It only takes a little insight to see the perversion that we have place upon sin, and I'm not saying it doesn't exist, none but Jesus has resisted it, but it is what it is; a missed mark, a debt owed, a stepping stone to stand on, and then jump to the next stone until we get across that river, but still always in His arms, by faith.

Paul said; _" oh wretched man that I_ _am "_, even calling himself _the chief among all sinners;_ he was required by God for much labor in the forwarding of Gods' Kingdom, and all of this because he asked God for it. Was Paul being humble when he made this statement, and was it to bring a point, or did he falsely accuse himself in the sin category? I think not. For the life and dedication that Paul took on, and for the things he needed to do, and didn't do; or the things he shouldn't have done, but yet did, and in an honest answer, Paul admitted that he'd missed the mark more than all others, and continued to owe that promised debt. Was he punished for his sins, the mistakes? Did he live outside the Graces of God? Of course he did not.

Society; that is individuals, groups, schools and governments are all run by the 'reward and punishment' rule, a standard that they think is essential to keep us out of chaos. But does God use this same program? In no way is that a standard for God. It rains on the just and the unjust, or is equally withheld. This is one of those ideas that man made up, becoming our orthodox belief, and then again, pawned it off on God. It's not that God rewards our beauty, and slams our ugly; His grace is sufficient for all, and His Love remains stable. God wants a relationship with all, His love is already there, but society says if we sin, then we're separated from him. And if we are, it was our choice through guilt that separated us; not God. These are myths that man has attempted to place on his underlings, to keep us where they want us, that is beholden to them for truth; but this platform is now failing, as God is revealing Himself to many that has ears to hear.

We all fall short, no more or less than others. But God chose to Love us in spite of ourselves. The Grace of God has no boundaries for those that are made in His similitude, for when He said that He loved the whole world, He meant it.

## Rituals

We, as individuals, each have our own procedures that we go through each day, our own set of measures that we routinely do, starting as we awaken most every morning. This is mostly human habit, and have, through time, figured out it works for us. Man seems to be programmed to do certain things at certain times, in a certain way, and we become predictable; but God is not that way. He said; _" My ways are not your ways, and My thoughts are not your thoughts."_ But man falls into this category of being ritualistic very easily

I've always thought of God as a backdoor God. Let me explain. When I'd pray, expecting an answer, looking for Him to show His answer through a means that I expected, He'd always seem to show up at the opposite place I was looking toward. After years of this, I became 'wise', so-to-speak, and began looking for Him through the back door, what I thought was the opposite direction. But lo-and-behold, He'd reveal Himself through a window, or at the front door, or any other place that I wasn't peculiarly looking; meaning, the mystery of God cannot be apprehended, nor comprehended by the mind of man. We are flesh, full of ourselves, carnal, and like definite things our way, but God is Spirit, and His ways are seldom ours, and how, or when he reveals himself, or His answer, has always been a mystery; this IS the way it ought to be, but we haven't, as yet, understood it.

In Luke 12 Jesus said; _" I came to send fire on earth...",_ and it continues; _" Do you suppose that I came to bring peace on earth, not at all, but rather division."_ Now the term earth is used to mean the carnal fleshly ways of man. It is liken to the scripture in the same chapter, _" that the father shall be against son, the son against the father..."_ He is pointing out that His ways, His Spirit, will always be at odds with the fleshly earthly man, and his self-serving ways of thinking.

Again Jesus said; _" Think not that I came to bring peace, but rather a sword."_ The sword brings a division between mans' flesh, and Gods' Spirit, for _" He is Spirit, and we must worship Him in Spirit"_. Therefore our religious ways, which were invented out of the flesh, continually get in the way of our intimate relationship with the Father and His son Jesus, and if it weren't for the Father's Love for us we might have lost it completely; but God endures to Love us, in spite of ourselves. So it seems that if the Spirit were to bring peace on this earth, then the Spirit would have to compromise with the flesh, and that will never happen; therefore all true peace will only come from God through the spirit, and the spirit doesn't abide on earth, but in the heart.

Even though man resists Him in just about every way, God's mercy and Love remains, for He is Faithful and Just; He is the God of mystery, our God, and we are His children. But a deeper and more intimate relationship is being missed by man because of our own inventions, our religious ways, our rituals that man created more to please himself than to please God; and I'm not talking about our morning routines. The way we carry-on with these foolish rites on Sunday mornings; singing a song, then go to prayer, make all the announcements, sing another song, take up that coveted money, sing another song, and then engage in what's mislabeled as the worship service; it not hard to understanding why God is unmasking this man-made institution.

The event of doing, or not doing, does not deter us from Gods' Love, He just simply Loves us; for God is Love, but it does deter from an intimate relationship with Him. Not that He gives up on us, God forbid, but our doings does nothing, and many become frustrated and then give up on Him. God's Love for us is always enduring, and never fails.

Now, let me stop a few moments and explain myself. All of us, to some degree, have a relationship with our Creator, many say that they believe in Him, many speak of His existence in a kind way, many even study His word and actively proclaim His message as they understand Him; but what I'm speaking of is far deeper than that. We can walk with God in His presence, and understand Him as our real and permanent Father, we can participate with Him by the act of 'being'.

We no longer have to perform for our Father's Love; when we fall short, He is always merciful and full of Love. In 1 John: 3, John is writing to them as a people with many failures, as little children. These folks were already stuck on what they thought was 'pleasing God', but needed this understanding by Him. _" Now we are the children of God, and it is not revealed what we shall be...",_ and this is not necessarily speaking of the life beyond, but the Life now. Now let me paraphrase; But when He is revealed, when we see Him, then our life will be changed, and the change will come by that Light of His illumination, we will then be like Him; that is like his character, demeanor, and so-on, for it will be God changing us from within, rather than we attempting to change our own life. We will then be transformed, not reformed. This is standing and believing that God is able, and at this time, if we are willing; then we become in the state of 'being'. When we allow Him to do with us, and to do for us, as He sees fit; this is now the beginning of a relationship that God too longs for; intimacy. He spoke that if we as parents know how to give good gifts to our children, how much greater can our Heavenly Father give to us; this statement is true, and when we believe it, only then can we position our self, and get out of His way and let God have his way; and that is an intercoursing, intimate relationship with Him and His creation of man, for we all came from the same family.

Why is this 'getting out of God's way' so difficult? Religion. Religion has taught us, and our fore-parents, that we must act, or do something, and show our selves approved before Him, do our weekly rituals, and therefore the place of 'being' His child, already with His approval, is no longer making sense to the fleshly mind, and we know nothing else but to follow their lead. Is this not the blind of their fore fathers leading the blind of ours', and we accept it? We already are the children of God, and there is nothing that we need to do to accept that, but if we don't know it to be true, we won't. It is no less true that we are His children, but our lack of acknowledgement of it does.

If we do all that is required of us from the 'structured church', and then hope our deeds, (which are their deeds), will win God's approval by these works; we will then imitate them, by believing this is also our standard for Godly living; but it is not. Either we earn our way to His graces, or, (and this is a big 'or'), we allow His Grace to sustain us; but we can't have both. Our works of the flesh, our rituals, our deeds, our way of thinking has been what has kept us from the relationship he has already made available for us, but most are too blind to see. Too many rites and rituals, these old habits, have gotten in our way, and since God doesn't push Himself on people, we have stolen from Him His desire for Creation; a relationship with each of us is sometimes lost.

In the times that Jesus walked on this earth, and still prevalent today, the Pharisees and elders enforced the ritual of the washing of hands before eating. Strictly imposed upon all their people, a rule that wasn't from God, but their belief said it was. Have you ever noticed that Jesus never did wash His hands?

When I was a teen, and that was many years ago, when thinking of joining a 'church', I chose one that had tens of millions of members. My thought was that there was so many of them, whether they are right or wrong, that surely God would honor their religion, therefore with all that unity, I would be safe. How silly, but many today have thought that same thought, and have joined themselves with the masses, that already established institution, and ride that bus that takes them wherever it takes them. Now if Jesus came to bring division, and we are to follow Him, then why can't we stand up, buck the orthodox system, and please our Father with the unorthodox but true 'stand'?

Understanding that in scripture, many of the old terms are now being used in a somewhat different way. The word synagogue also represents our structured 'church' of today; not the Church, but the institution of 'church'. Also Israel is, of course, still a country, but the word is used as God's chosen people; which reinvents itself as 'us', those that are called by His name. And to the Israelites, which are also us, Jerusalem is that point of contact, also known as, along with several other meanings, the place of assembly, the place of ritual sacrifice. Can we, with this not-so-well defined terminology, see that we also are Israel coming together at Jerusalem? If so then this passage will make sense to us in these contemporary times.

Matt.: 23: _" O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wing, but you are not willing. See! Your house is left to you desolate."_ Why? Understanding this, why do we continue to play church? This Life that He has given us is far more than a play thing, it's forever, and it doesn't start after we die, it starts now. This Life is not a toy, nor should it been toyed with, but man, with his ego, seems to have to put his hand on everything, including the things of God.

Why do we seem to think that God needs our help? I know that most won't admit to enhancing His word, or reaching our hand out to help someone before God tells us too, and it's always the other guy that does it; but God is able, even without our help. If fact, He moved on Saul on his way to Damascus, as Saul, later surnamed Paul, didn't ask, nor want, nor was he looking for the hand of God, but in spite of all that, God had a plan. Saul's life was changed, along with his identifying name, and God was able to use him in many and in mighty ways, in the forwarding of His Kingdom. When asked by God; do it. But when we just want God to move on them; wait. We, as a people, have toyed and pretended with the things of God long enough, and, to some degree, have lost our compass of direction when it comes to knowing Him personally; mostly because of the many perversions. Our rituals have never in the past, nor will they in the future bring us to a closer contact with the Lord; they were set in place from men that didn't have an intimate relationship with the Father, but wanted to pretend they did. It was their formulas, their rituals, sometimes call it chants, their inventions, that helped them feel powerful when others would follow their lead; but none of it worked, and it still doesn't.

When a people, be it christians, or muslims, or any other religious sect, invents a program to call upon God because some in the past have done it, then it begins to take on a normalcy, but it still doesn't make it right. To prove my point: Look at other religions from anywhere in the world, watch what and how they do it, some shaking their heads back and forth, some bent over in a knot when praying, some with their wild ritual dancing, and some not really knowing which god to pray to at that particular moment; and then tell me you don't sort of snicker inside. Well, that's probably what they do when they're watching christians. It's all formulas, programs, rituals and such that man invented because he doesn't know what to do, but feels he must do something, even if it's wrong. It's all for image. The old silly saying says; if you can't get it right, make it look good; and now all that's falling apart. Centuries of wrong practice doesn't make perfect, it just make it seem right.

Paul wrote to Timothy; _"...having a form of godliness but denying its power, and from such people turn away. For of this sort are those that who creep into households and make captives... loaded down with sins, and led away by various lusts, always learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of Truth."_ There is a way that seems right, but they deny the power therein. God knew man, and what was to come, and that is the perversions that the flesh of man would do to the revelations that His Church was to be built upon. Of course this was happening even in the days of writing these epistles, but has, through these many generations, taken a life of-its-own, and has grown continually with their non-scripture rituals and doctrines. Be it that we were warned, should be enough to open the eyes of many, but I'm afraid that is not the case, but God has kept a remnant through every generation that has held to the Truth; and now it's our turn to hold fast.

If you know what you're doing; you do it. If you don't; they make a leader out of you. Even in this funny statement, there still is a hidden truth. Rituals, programs, man-made doctrines, and sometimes a circus act is what many have turned too to capture an audience, which helps make their leaders get their weekly dose of ego-boost.

If God, during a worship service, wanted to skip the music of a particular week, would we be receptive to that? If He wanted to go straight into prayer, would we be willing to forego with the spoken message? Since none has the complete Ways, nor the thoughts of our living God, and not knowing what He has stored for us that day, couldn't we keep silent until God's Spirit began moving? This works, if one wants to seek God's lead, but if we want to seek the masses, and entertain a crowd of would-be believers; it won't work at all.

Again, it is written: _" If my people that are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I shall hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sins and heal their land."_ How long is our God of Grace and mercy going to continue watching man pervert, destroy, and consume His people with their unadulterated antics of silliness before His intervention?

Sit down and try to remember any, and all, of the rituals that Jesus abided by, and what form or pattern He took in His daily walk with the Father, and then compare what you see, or that matter don't see, with the patterns that man uses in these 'things' and then has the audacity to call it a worship service.

A person doesn't go to Church, we are the Church. The word Church is not a noun, it's a pronoun; it is a people, not a place. Ministry is not an occupation; it is a privileged opportunity to reveal Christ. Rituals were shown to us by the old stories that they didn't work, for if they could have, they would've, but now that we accept Grace, all works are dead, for Love covers a multitude of failures.

## Law and then Grace

In the beginning Adam walked with God, but was later seduced into exchanging his relationship with God for the knowledge of 'good and evil'. When the Lord God called out to him saying; _" where are you?"_ It was proclaimed throughout the universe that Adam had set out on his own. Adam began to have to rely on his own judgments, and was then expelled from the Garden of his intimacy with God, not by his Creator, but by his specific choice. And although it was the faith of Abraham that was counted unto righteousness, not so many centuries later was the law given by Moses to keep a contrary people in line from their own perversions. This scenario was not the first choice in God's plan, and since nothing can defeat our Lord, He had another plan: Mercy and Grace. The man Adam that scriptures speak of is mankind; us. We too can eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, or choose an intimate walk with God; but not both.

Galatians 3; _" He who supplies the Spirit to you, and works miracles among you, is it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Just as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness, therefore know that those that are of faith are the sons of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing, that God would justify us by faith. So then those, who of faith, are blessed with the belief of Abraham; believing him."_ Verse 10; _" For as many as are of the works of the law, are under the curse; for it is written 'cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them. But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident... Yet the law is not of faith, but the man that does them shall live by them. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us."_

Why do we, God's chosen, that call our self by His name, continue to think that works will bring a greater appreciation from our Father? Is Christ, being born under the law, and later baptized into the Spirit, therefore out from beneath the law, is His life thus in vain because we think that our works will show us honor? Think not that God is looking for men and women to honor Him with the works of their hands; but instead by His indwelling Spirit, by faith. Our degrees, our beautiful voice, our ability to capture an audience, our choir robes, our craftily done pews, or anything else the mind and hands can think of and do, will not impress our Father of all Creation; it comes only by faith. Our belief in His Son Jesus brings us to Him, but our faith is what sustains our relationship with Him. For our faith, also, is what accounts us into His righteousness. _" The law made nothing perfect,"_ but the man of Christ that hung on that tree, two thousand years ago did, and our acceptance of His full action, sets us free from the bondage of the law, and now only Grace abounds.

Now, when I speak of the law, I speak concerning the actions that man involves himself into. I'm trying to articulate the stuff we do in hopes of pleasing God, such as the committees that are put together for certain projects, or if our choir robes are of the finest quality, or if the bulletins issued each week are witty enough and all the information is addressed, but, for the most part, I speak of the religious things we do in hopes of pleasing God. How many folks did we 'witness' too? Or did we make sure that in each conversation, that there was enough halleluiah's, and are we representing our 'church' correctly?

I am not saying that we shouldn't present ourselves in a Godly way, or that we shouldn't use His name in our conversations, but, are they coming from the heart of Christ that lives in us? Is this a planned practice, or a rehearsed platform; or are the words of our speech coming from the genuine rock within, in which Christ lives, or the carnal nature of man? The law is using dead works in lieu of a genuine relationship with the indwelling Christ, or, is it our abilities, our best foot forward, or our intelligent knowledge; is the main presentation of our eloquence foremost, rather than being Spirit led?

Grace is the Gift that God gives, whether we deserve it or not, whether our abilities warrant it or not, for the Grace from God is given, with no other substitute available to all; but those, that won't accept it, try to earn it; and that can't happen. For grace is unmerited, free, and is built on the tolerance and love of God, which is never ending. Thinking otherwise will bring each into the bondage of the law, which Christ set us entirely free from. We are no longer under the laws of oppression and burdens; for His yoke is easy, and His labor is light.

Let's go back a chapter, still in Galatians. 2:16: _" Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ... that we might be justified by faith and not by the works of the law_, (nor by the flesh). _For by the works of the law, no flesh shall be justified... For I, through the law died to the law that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the Grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain."_

Oh foolish people that we are, us that have been bewitched, that we would not obey the Truth, even though we were clearly portrayed amid the eyes of Jesus, as crucified. This matter of the law, and the works of our carnal flesh, is no small matter, it has been handed down by the early misled forefathers, to our forefathers, and now to us, and has yielded Grace to no effect. But that's what God does best, even in our misled antics, His Grace prevails; for of a truth, Gods' mercy and grace maintains us, even in spite of ourselves. At least to me, this is not comprehended, but still it is believed. Oh what manner of Love the Father has given unto us.

Again, when speaking of the law, I approach anything done by the hands and mind of man that is done without the consent of God. Not only are we no longer under the laws of Moses, but also are we not under the many, many laws that man has invented since then, including those of recent times. Let us read in _Romans: 4: While Abraham was still uncircumcised, God spoke to him, and Abraham 's faith increased. For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if those who are of the law are heirs, then faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, because the law brings about wrath...therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace... 6: For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law, but under Grace_.

Now many admit that we are not under the law, even believing it to be transformed; but with their attitudes and service, they continue to live under the law: I guess to persuade themselves and others of being an honorable candidate to God. By looking closely; when with their mouth they say that we live under the unmerited favor, Grace, but still want our money thru the tithes of Moses. God said not with the sacrifices do you please me, but through obedience. So as long as man's greed sticks around, so will tithes. The only thing Jesus taught that we were to give unto God, was our life, our whole life, and nothing but our life, and if I'm counting right, that's not 10% but a 100%; ain't it nice that the Grace of God prevails in every matter. For if it weren't for Grace, not only would I be doomed, but the whole world.

Do we therefore sin, or live contrary to the Lord, because Grace abounds? God forbid. But when our lives are given unto Him, even with our many defects, faults, and deficits, in a relationship, then the very desire of relating with Him will transform our lives. We don't need to earn His Love, He's already given it to us, but the years and years of persuasive preaching from these pulpits have manipulated most into believing their self-indulgent, money-making schemes to keep us in their bondage.

After saying that, I want to say this: The purpose of this author is not to humiliate anyone, but to bring many into the Truth of His Knowledge and Word. We are all His children, even those that humiliate, and those who manipulate; we were all made in the similitude of God. We have virtually all left our first Love, the Love that was given to us from the foundations of the world; and gone astray, pimping our own agendas for our self-centered motives.

In case someone is asking; what is this author's agenda, and what does he want out of this? The books that are offered come with no charge, and I don't take gifts, but I want your heavenly Father, which is my Heavenly Father, honored and sought. While sitting quietly many years ago, the Lord spoke to me, and His voice was clear and distinct: Ross, you can make your living elsewhere, but there'll be no monetary profit in me. I require your life, and if you lay down your life for me, all your other needs will be met. **This was simple, and sufficient for me to understand.**

Not all the laws that we live by are from the mouth of Moses, and neither was it this way at the times prior to Christ's Truth, for then, as it is now, many of the religious leaders made their own standards that were not Spirit led. Customs, such as what day of the week we meet, the dress guidelines, the times that we can worship, how much of our payroll is required, and in some cases, how many 'Hail Mary's' are assigned, the list goes on-and-on, and then, just like now, it is times to overturn the tables of the money-changers.

This fad that began a couple of decades ago called for a 'seed of faith', and at the expense of many of the poor, the already rich well-heeled preachers, got richer. The rich, in many cases are feeding the poor, and I'm thinking it ought to be the other way around. In Malachi it says; _will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me! But you say, in what way have we robbed you Lord? In your tithes and the offerings._ This passage was speaking directly to the priest. The people below them weren't the culprits, but those that called themselves priest, and taking the money from those that they were supposed to feed, and then feeding themselves. This small set of scriptures has been used for centuries to beguile many-a parishioner into handing over their money to those that called themselves a leader from God. Shame on us for such antics, and them that are using a scripture that was directed at priesthood, and turning it around on those that were just there to seek God. These Words of God was not to make folks pay tithes, but to rebuke the priest for taking from those that they were supposed to be feeding. Read the whole short book of Malachi, with the understanding that it was written to the priest.

What else could Jesus do, but to overturn the tables at the Temple of those that exchanged material things for that coveted money? In the same way, we pay our preachers to sell their words, their sermons, to those that will pay the price, and that is exactly what we do; pay the price. _" If my people that are call by my name, will humble themselves... then I will heal..."_ These folks, back in Jesus' time, were selling sacrifices, or just about anything else that they could make a living off of. How ridiculous! Now as we take a look at the modern-day temple; are we doing any different?

As much effort and time as the scriptures, including Christ Himself, have given to teaching us of the free Gift of Grace, then why are we so dead-set on living by our efforts for God's approval? Is it, maybe, that the truth of grace has not been revealed?

Roman 5:18 _" Therefore as through one man's offense judgment came to all, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man's righteous act, the free Gift came to all, resulting in justification of Life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man's obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover the law entered that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, Grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so Grace might reign through righteous..."_ So it was asked; do we continue in sin that Grace may abound? Absolutely not. Can we? I think maybe we can for nothing will separate us from the Love, Grace, and Mercy of our Lord, but when Grace is understood and accepted, then our hearts are poured into His bosom, and then sin can't abound. The clearer the face of Jesus becomes, the more incapable we become of going against Him. Remember He told us to seek His face to be healed, but no matter, at this point, we can separate our self from a relationship with God, but not the Love that is so freely given.

I will speak of this again in an impending chapter, but as of now, we can clearly see that we are no longer under the law, whether it be the law of Moses, and especially not under the man-made laws of religion, or even call them regulations; but the laws established by governments will are truly to abide by. For by them we are stayed from anarchy.

## Established Forums

Because it's been done for decades, even centuries, and well established in our rituals, and made to look as if they were from God, doesn't make them from God, or even right. For when anything is instituted, meaning it's been corroborated, and done for a period of time, it is taken as normal and therefore determined proven, but it's not necessarily right. And many, if not all, of our instituted programs are exactly that.

Let's just look at our beloved 'Sunday School'. Someone invented it many years ago, but not centuries, and I'm sure it sounded godly and good, but not a scripture, nor first century writings, can establish it as from God. It was probably conceived from a sincere man that wanted to show himself approved, and in his fleshly mind thought it a righteous judgment. Can God move on someone to begin a teaching lesson; of course, but to institute it, and make it a weekly practice, and then it being done for a long period, establishes a false belief. But, as the practice goes, if we can train 'em while they're young, there is a less chance in them leaving in later years because it's 'authenticated' by time and effort. So, we naive sheep just follow where we're led, believing it's from God because were told it's from God, it ain't. Now, of course, many good lessons have been learned in 'Sunday School', but many false teachings had been taught.

Can God move upon someone to help our youth? Yes He can and He does. But to structure a youth program that meets regularly, can lead us into a territory of great responsibility that only a few are equipped for, and then I'm not sure that we can format it. What a dangerous position to place someone in, or to be in, when we have taken the responsibility of the Holy Spirit and the parents, and focused their attention, the children, where we want it to be, and it's the same in adults also. It looks good, sounds good, and even leaves a good taste in the mouth, but it's not ordained by God. So what is it? It's a man-made established program, for man to build an empire unto himself, and there are many well-intentioned, sincere people, following their fore father's foot-steps thinking that they are on the right path. But that freight train has been on this down-hill path, with so much speed, and so many miles behind her, that I doubt that train ever stops.

I'm not attacking the people that do these rituals and programs, for most come about them honestly, but I do come against the institution of anything that we don't have scripture to back it up. When we call ourselves 'christians', we are all sort-of grouped in the same pile, claiming that we all have the same Dad, God; and that offends me to the point that being called a 'christian' is no different than any other religious organization world-wide; and we're called to be different; set aside. And the true Bible scholars and leaders know these facts about 'christianity', but seem to play along with all the traditional games we play. They probably care, I'm sure many do, but they won't rock that boat that barely been floating for all these centuries, so most keep silent.

I think it honorable for women to wear skirts and dresses, but so many of these corner gathering galleries make them wear them or don't enter their doors; whose doors are they? If we'd each just stop a minute and think of a few of the by-laws that are instituted on us, I'm sure we'll come up with several that are not locked in the scriptures for us. I guess it's just inside of flesh man, and him wanting to feel important, that makes many want to establish such forums, but to align ourselves with the Love of God out-ranks anything else the mind can fathom.

Let's look at 'altar-calls', and attempt to see what they are. To look in scripture, and no matter how far you look, one cannot find anything in resemblance to the modern day 'altar-call'.

Now an altar is found many times in scripture, and from the beginning it was ordained by God, it was to be made of stone, and no stone could be hewed by the hand of man, stacked in a certain way, but not symmetrical; a place of sacrifice. For all its' purposes, this tangible creation was to point us to the prophesied Christ; For He alone is the Altar.

Reading in Hebrews 7 we can begin to see. _" Therefore if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law); what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron? For the priesthood being changed of necessity, there is also a change of the law. For He of whom these things are spoken,"_ (The He is Christ) _" belongs to another tribe, from which no man has officiated at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood... there arises another priest who has come, not according to the law of a fleshly commandment, but according to the power of an endless life...For on one hand there is no annulling of the former commandment because of its weakness and unprofitableness, for the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better Hope, through which we draw nearer to God."_ It is evident to see that Gods' altar changed, and Christ Himself became our Altar. It's not a place, nor can we call it a noun, speaking of the altar, It is a person that goes by the name Son-of-God, the Christ, in which we are also partakers. But to see these 'things' sitting below the pulpit, made of wood, engraved by mans' hands, sculpted in every detail, and then we are led to believe that this is all Godly; and again, it is not. To inscribe 'in remembrance of me', and to show-off the skills of a carpenter, won't cut it. These might be 'altars'', and they might even serve some kind of purpose, but they are not of God, and neither is their purpose. This is done so man can feel good about man.

Mankind is somehow hard-wired to strut-his-stuff, whether it's his strengths, intelligence, his power, his skills, or any other perceived ability, and he feels the need to make his mark, even if it's at the expense of the growth of those he supposed to lead. It's not just some people are this way, but all of us that live in the flesh follow the same set of unwritten rules of self-centeredness. When Jesus came to set us free, and be free indeed, it was to be freed from the bondage of these man-made, unwritten rules that only draw men into themselves. And they can claim to have a relationship with the Father, but with their strengths, abilities and so-on, they (we) serve God with their lips only, and not through the heart.

Let us now look for the word 'choir' and see where it's found in scripture, or even the word 'pulpit', or the word 'pews', or the 'baptismal', not a trace will be found, except in Nehemiah the scribe Ezra was standing at a wooden platform that might be associated with a pulpit.

It you look like a duck, walk like a duck, and quack like a duck; what are you? One day, in my time of silence, while in prayer, I asked just that of the Lord; and the answer I received was, it might be an animal that is duck-like, but is not; a coot, for a coot is a bird, somewhat like a duck, but technically is not. The old adage that says if you can't make it right; make it look good, is silly when seeing it in print, but many go by it, and I'm afraid many are missing a wonderful relationship with the Father because of it.

Let me stop and tell you a story that a young man, whom I love very much, was telling to me, not so long ago. A friend of his asked him to go to 'church' with him, and had asked several times before, and this young man accepted. For the days and weeks prior to this conversation, God had been opening up his heart and had filled this young man to capacity with the Love of God, and he wanted to share what the Lord had been doing in his life. God had been teaching him thru the book of Galatians that there was no returning to the law, and understood, thru his friend, that this was the very subject being taught. So he also, wanting all that could be had, went to 'Sunday school', for it was the preacher that was teaching the class; what an opportunity! Much was said about chapter two, but when it came to explaining the law and the works of the flesh, the preacher, somehow, just didn't get to it, too many other obstructions of importance were in the way.

When entering the 'church', his attitude was that he was glad to be there, and looked forward to hearing a message from God, especially being there with a close friend added to the charm. But the air, to his surprise, was filled with coldness, as the preacher, standing at his pulpit, began telling about the wonderful time that each had last Thursday in their halloween festivities. Also singing the praises of how God had delivered them from a rain that was forecast to fall on their parade of festivities. This, along with a few more entertaining forums, continued for most of 'the service', and seemed more polluting than it did edifying. The young man said that if not for his friend he would have walked out, and in his mind, he already did, but willing to persevere, he stayed, still wanting to hear from God.

There was an elderly man in the next pew, some ten feet away that seemed to have a demeanor that one would always like to have, and illuminated a glow of Godliness, and at the end of the sermon was asked to give the closing prayer. As the elderly gentleman began praying, this young man began to have a vision. The older mans' prayer was as if he too knew that more should be worshipped than the fleshly stuff being talked about, and eloquently was asking for Gods' help. And as he looked to his right, glancing at the elderly man, and finally hearing words of Godliness, he saw a bubble begin to form out of the mouth of this man praying. The man's prayer was beautiful, and the contents of the words were in worship, but suddenly the bubble began growing. It was smooth, clear, completely round, and as pure as the air that was around it, it was silver with an oily sheen. After growing to a large diameter, it broke loose from the gentleman's mouth and began floating thru the air in the direction of the pulpit. The bubble had risen and centered toward the platform of the preacher, when it suddenly burst, splattering a messy goo, not only on, but all around the pulpit in which that Sunday mornings' sermon came. It was a sickening mess.

The young man went in wanting a message from the Lord, at one point thought it wasn't going to happen, but God showed him an answer to a long time prayer that will not have to be doubted again.

Now I think that each one of us can interpret this story, and the vision, the way God leads, but it seems plausible that God was showing this young man the Truth of what was going on in these things that claim to be 'church'. The bubble had a message, and I think the message is essential to share, as many as are still wandering in the wilderness as of what to do. Oil and water don't mix, and neither does Spirit and flesh. The pureness of the sphere of prayer was of the Spirit, and still fell on the ears of God, but had no choice but to disintegrate when it drifted to the ears of the flesh.

Most of the forums in this 'thing called church' were established many years ago, even in the nineteenth century was the growing popularity of forums used to gather in as big of a mass of folks as possible. The covered-dished picnic was one of several of them, but, in these contemporary times the escalation of inventions to draw in the crowds, has spiraled in the same parallel spiral as did the imagination of the carnal man, and it wasn't directed toward God.

As I travel, I can see the cute little notations, and clever sayings that are hung weekly on most any 'church' marquee as they compete for any would-be passer-by to enter their door and empty their pockets. Well, I guess I don't have to make fun of them, but it is represented as my Father's House, and not a den of thieves. If they're talking about their dad, I guess it wouldn't bother me so, but they characterize themselves as speaking about my Dad. Now that bothers me, and I hope it begins to upset others. I've seen car shows, carnivals with their bouncy houses, chili suppers and cook-offs, car washes, turkey shoots, and much more including placing a float in some parade for advertisement; they might as well have a hog-wash. No wonder Jesus went in to overturn the money-changers tables, and run the sellers out of the Temple. There might be a place for this type of commerce in the world, but it doesn't belong in a representation of a Godly place of worship. There's more than me that sees this travesty, and I want to hope that more than a few will stand up and put a stop to this discrepancy, or quit calling that corner building, a place of worship.

Scripturally speaking, there are several outward acts that we can do to show an inward work of our Lord, but to do them as a 'show' is not what He intended.

Whether we celebrate the Lords' supper, humble our self to wash the feet of our neighbor, or being baptized as an expression of His cleansing our inward man, these rites are to serve our spiritual growth, and are not necessarily needed to be shared on a stage, or a performance, for others to watch. Peter, when standing on the mountain during the transfiguration, wanted to build three tabernacles to honor the miracle he just witnessed, but Jesus rebuked him and took Peter back off the mountain. This downhill trip signifies that Peter was, as yet, not mature enough to be in that high place, therefore had to descend back to the place his spiritual level was keeping him. To build monuments, or even a ritual show of what God is doing, is designed for the man doing it, and certainly not for our Father, which is in Heaven, that lives internally in each.

When you want to pray, go in a closet; when you want to sing, sing in your heart, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Now there are more than a few exceptions, but for the most part, what we do is between us and God, and to the benefit of our relationship with Him, and not to be strutted abroad. But man seems not to be built this way, for unless he flaunts it, he sees but little purpose; but God knows His own, and those that do in secret, are rewarded, those that are last, are made first.

Jesus came to a dark world to reveal the Light of the Kingdom.

## Holidays

We use the word holiday to represent a Holy-day, a day that we deemed as time to celebrate God. The word holiday does not appear in scripture, for each of the six days of creation, plus the seventh day of His rest, are all called holy-days, for Life is Holy, for it comes from no other source than from God.

Let us take that dreadful look at christmas, a subject that very few 'christians' really want to talk about.

Although it was not called christmas, this twelve day celebration was, with it yule-tide logs, and the mistletoe, well established in the pagans almost two thousand years before Christ was born. It was a festival of the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year, with what resembled more of an orgy, with its' continuous drunken binge where most anything was allowed. But when Constantine wanted to conquer the world for his benefit, and could do so with compromise instead of war, he made a treaty with the pagans to allow them to keep their festive days in exchange for pretense of being his subjects. This wouldn't fly very well, so he reformed it to look as if it were a celebration of the birth of Christ by moving the day of His birth, just a small trivial compromise, to December twenty-fifth; but it was the same event as before, only called different; Christ's mass. The mass, the gathering of folks in the assembly hall, was important to Constantine, as it is today, for his ego was stroked each time the gathering met. It made him think that he was significant in the eyes of the common man, even though they gathered by the order of the soldiers, he could pretend that it was for him; a mass of people that wanted what he wanted.

The celebration, that many call christmas, was not birthed in Truth, but through the self-righteous egos of the mind of man, and I hate to say it so bluntly, but God's not a participant.

Constantine was converted to christianity by those that were zealous to their religion, but back then, as it is now, was a far-cry from what God wanted His people called into, or maybe I better say; called out of. The pronoun christian should be a wonderful way of identifying ourselves, and would be if man hadn't of interfered with his regulations that went against the Grace of God. But man, thinking he had to help God out, regulated it, (that is denominational living) and the people surrounding it, with all their rules, and rites, and ceremonies, that it no longer resembled the Rock of Revelation that the Church was built on. And Constantine too, fell into this category. So after these compromises were made with the pagans, and those that worshiped other gods, the acceleration of the downfall became more rampant.

Does it take a scientist to figure out who invented the character of santa claus? The world, the pagans, invented what we know as christmas, and I think they have a right to their ways, but it doesn't belong to God or His Christ; so let them have it back.

The resurrection of Christ is one of our main focuses in our walk with Him, and should be adhered too with the most solemn of our belief. Christ was not only resurrected, He is the Resurrection, our only hope of True-Life. But this 'thing called easter', falls into the same category that everything that man put his hands too, did; a far cry from what God wanted His people to be called into.

Here we go with the paganism again; almost two thousand years before Christ was born, they again celebrated the holiday feast of Ishtar, (pronounced _es-tar) and_ for those thousands of years preceding the 'great compromise' of Constantine, the festival was again about sex; i.e.; the bunny rabbit and egg. Ishtar was a prophet who sent her first-mate out to the mountains to receive from their goddess, a prophetic word. Somehow thru the week-long event in the forest, at the crack of dawn, was eaten by a wild boar, which is why they rose early to watch the sun rise in remembrance of him, and then ate their ham at dinner for revenge. This too was tweaked to fit in with the 'christain' standards that his man-made governmental church was establishing. And is a far-cry from what God wanted His people to be called into.

I won't go far into the halloween festivities, but will say this; It doesn't, in any form or way belong, in any stretch of the imagination, even in these 'things called church', and is strictly a thing of the world. I don't care if it's called a fall festival, or a hallelujah party, or a 'holy ghost weenie roast', it all the same practice of high spirits.

The one holiday that I enjoyed and felt good about was thanksgiving. For many years man hadn't polluted it with the pretense of worldly values. It was about family sharing and fellowshipping one with the other, and for the most part had remained pure, at least in appearances. But man with his techniques, took a non-commercialized day of thanks, and has turned it into a great sales event, and why they call it 'black Friday, I'll probably never know, but now they have black Thursday so many can get a head-start on the deals of the decade. One of the great events of Thanksgiving is college football, so it's not hard to see that this holiday too is not far from being something that barely resembles what it began as. I was talking with a lady the other day, and asked about her Thanksgiving plans, and was a big meal planned with family. Her response was that this year their family wasn't getting together; the temptation of the great prices was the culprit, since now the sales are moved up to a day earlier.

What are we? A people made in the similitude of God, given His Spirit, and called by His name, having nowhere to go, but still yet we're in a hurry to get there, because we have left our first Love, for the love of the world and self. Therefore, we have places to go, but it's time for the world and their 'church' to quit dictating where it is. Should we gather together? YES--and I think it's wonderful to have family together, even show our appreciation toward them, enjoy each other, enjoy activities with them, and share a meal, but when we make the compromise to call it an event with Gods' name attached, and canonized by the 'church' as being sacred, simply means that we have downwardly evolved into what the world wants, because their lack of a relationship with God, but a need to fit in.

## Idolatry, & High Places

What is an idol, and how is it that we're indicted as worshipping idols in the same method that the Israelites were caught in, when Aaron made them a golden calf?

An idol is anything, anyone, any place; whether it's ideas, thoughts, imaginations, or anything else that the flesh man will succumb too, and placed in the stead of God and His Christ. Idols benefit us to no effect in true life, but still man is drawn to them as were Adam and his wife to the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil.

When we empower anything with our worship and praise, and our bowing down to, by paying homage to the monuments of man's mind; we are then worshipping idols. And as we bow to them, they in return are empowered with our strengths and abilities, and take on a seemingly life of their own.

Most anything can be an idol, and then worshipped, even the things of God, such as salvation. It's not the salvation that God calls us to worship, but Him that gives it. It's not the Bible that God calls us to worship, but Him that wrote it; not the angels, but God message thru them; not the inspirations of man, but the God that inspires us. The list can go on-and-on, but no other but God, and His Christ, is worthy of worship. Does anyone think that these great, or small, cathedrals, and all their beauty, will entice or become pleasing to our God? The answer is no. Just like God wasn't pleased with the gift that Cain presented to Him, because it was created by the mind and hands, the works of Cain, neither is our Father impressed today with what man can conjure up. These monuments are built for man, whether they are small or gigantic makes no difference, for the ego of the carnal mind completely misinterprets the character of God.

In the beginning of the first century, God's people were going from house-to-house, and tree-to-tree, to meet and spread the News that the Holy Spirit gave utterance too, and it was usually two or three that met, but the Kingdom was forwarded, and quite effectively. But now, especially in the last millennium, great cathedrals have been built by those that didn't understand, but wanted to look as if they did; they completely missed the boat. God gave us abilities to build, but not for the use of building these monuments, with their finery of craft, and their bells and whistles, but a relationship with Him. It's not these 'churches' that man is to bow too, but the Head of the Church, which belongs to the Christ of God, Jesus. For He, and He alone is worthy of our praise, worship, and thanksgivings, but man continues to sing the praises, and pay homage, to these great master pieces of his hand and mind.

_If my people that are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I shall hear from Heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land._ This scripture was not written for those of the past alone, and since it's the living Word and in no-wise done away with, it still speaks to those of us today; and He's speaking to us right now.

It says in Scripture that Jesus spoke not a word, except in parables, and if observed closely, our whole world, and all that it contains is also a parable. Now Babylon was, in the old days, a city in Mesopotamia, and was it was not written about to give us a history lesson of a people that once lived, but to speak Truth to those of us that seek His way, Truth, and Life. So as we read, the many times that Babylon is mentioned, we can obliviously see that Babylon has been spiritualized into an allegoric symbol; the works of man. When we don't have the ability to discern that which lies on the surface, from that which lies beneath it, as in parables, then we only see the thirty-fold return; but to have the sixty-fold return, we must see that which grows from the root; to have the hundred-fold return, we must become one with the root.

When passages speak of Zion, they speak of the ways of God, as He is Spirit and must be worshipped in Spirit, and so contrary to the true worship of the Father, is Babylon. Both are representations of the spiritual condition of man, and where our attention is drawn too. Babylon is carnal man that travels on his feet, works with his hands, and thinks with his earthly mind. And so Scripture draws a distinct line between the two, that is between Babylon the mother of all harlots, and the city and conditions of Zion; one processes outwardly thru the outer flesh of our thinking, and the other by our inner being that is in relationship with God. Zion is that place, usually in the heart, that nothing else matters but the things of God, and of course God Himself.,

Because Babylon is sitting on the seven mountains, as mentioned in Revelations, some call her that 'great church', others think Babylon to be the whole world system, and still others think her to be one of several of the big cities, places and people that seem not to care about the Way of the Father; but I see it as all of the above and much more. It is the total condition of man that continues with what he has gotten from the Tree of knowledge of good and evil; that which is not of faith, is of the flesh. The high thoughts and imaginations of carnal man is the 'high priest' of babylon, and is what keeps us bound to this way of thinking, which was created by man when he began this earthly system from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The flesh was created as a seed, and liken unto an acorn, to sprout into an oak tree, and the true oak tree is in tune with the Way, Truth, and lives in the Life of our Creator; this same tree can produce fruit that will remain, as from the Tree of Life, or bear as a fig tree with no figs. Now I realize that we all fall short of the glory of God, and at least to some degree, and have missed the mark of our created Life, and to use that as an excuse is not living by faith. For God knows our weaknesses, and understands that man is fallible, but what He wants is not our works or deeds, but a relationship with Him. So why do we continue to worship the 'good works' of man, when our attention can be on the Father and our fellowship with Him? Because man, societies, and institutions that didn't have that fellowship pretended they did, and made all these images, these 'great cathedrals', these intellectual ideas and values, to collectively hope that they are 'good enough' for Him to find us worthy; but that will never happen. We are already worthy, and do not have to do anything to deserve Gods' fellowship, but to believe and have faith; it's already our free Gift from Him. But the system, the babylonian way that our forefathers have given us, and for such a long time, that many have bought into it as the way it should be; but it is not. Since God is Spirit, and the only way to worship Him is through spirit, then our worship will be in a way that is hid in our closet, and probably not see by man. Repetition of silly practices only gives us a false sense of perfect, striving further to get-it-right; but this practice doesn't make perfect, it makes us silly when anything is done, unless done with alliance, and with faith in Him

So babylon, in the sense of the spiritual representation is the three six's, the 666, and it was precisely those three marks of man that was hung on the cross at Calvary. _" He that knew no sin became sin."_ Jesus took our babylonian attitudes, our sins, and burdened Himself with them in our stead, as a sacrifice for us to the Father, becoming sin Himself, that we might live unto the purity of the Life that was given to us in the beginning. Jesus was nailed through both feet, His Hands, and a crown of despicable thorns smashed upon His head, representing the ways of flesh man, the places we walk, the things done by our hands, and our way of thinking, the three six's; man, man, and man. And thru all this, and done with purpose, He was resurrected unto Life, and Life everlasting; and all that for it was the Fathers' Gift to us from His Son Jesus. We are now His clean children, His son, for we have been given joint ownership with Him to the Father of all creation. Jesus came to earth to reveal to us that we are blind and deaf, thus delivering man from darkness, and showing each that the Kingdom of God lies within each of us; the Kingdom is not a state yet to come, but it is alive and well within all. We all have possession of the Kingdom now, and will embrace it if we'll put away that old way of thinking, the systems conjured by the failures of man, and begin seeing that what God said is absolutely true; the Kingdom of God lies within the heart of each.

So babylon is all of the above in the aforementioned paragraph; thus the Spirit led life of believers no longer exist, or at least not when our thoughts are in control, for babylon is contained in man's thought system.

But somehow man won't let this take hold within him, still thinking that he has to earn his way to God, but Jesus is our only earnest, and the debt has been fully paid, we are now free from the bondage of sin; but then again, man says that he has accepted that, but won't let go of his inert need to earn his own freedom. We ought to walk during this life, knowing that we can no longer be placed under that bondage again; for once, and for all, Jesus set us free. And to earn ourselves approved, is to crucify Him afresh, voiding within our own mind the great privilege, the Gift, and sacrifice that Christ gave to all, for on that hill of the skull, He paid all the prices of man's inabilities, the way of our thinking, and therefore bought, (with the price He paid), mankind back into the bosom of our Father. Jesus did not give up His life for naught, but for all, not some of us, but for all; we are all partakers of the Kingdom that can see with our inward eyes. This notion of being rewarded for our deeds is pure nonsense; it's either man doing them, or God. And when man aligns himself with God, then it's God doing the work, and not man; you can't mix oil and water.

Now 'high places' is what man creates when he doesn't see what Christ is doing, therefore making to no effect His gift, or at least in that individuals' mind, but the sacrifice for us remains the same, but not accepted by all. An idol is anything that man imagines and bows his inner knees to, in hopes that this image can bring him prosperity, such as in the security of money, home, health, and maybe even a uprising leader to show them the way, instead of trusting our only true Deliverer to pull through for us. High places are developed in the mind of man that is looking outward for the answers that lie within.

Peter, when on the mount of transfiguration, after seeing Jesus, Moses, and Elijah transformed, wanted, in the 'high place' of his mind, to build three temples, they would have been three places of worship, and made into shrines of man's hand, but, not understanding, had to be taken off that mountain, back to that place his mind was leveled at; the plains. And those that are dead-set on the devil that is positioned to attack at any time, have also placed, in their mind of high places, a belief that is not true. For if Jesus made every enemy His footstool; then either satan doesn't exist, or is of no threat; either way, can cause no harm, but our mind, unsubstantiated, thinks he can; therefore our mind becomes our source of belief and is called a 'high place'.

A 'high place' can be anything that we accept as true, or is mighty, but doesn't exist except in our mind; the devil can't make you do, or not do anything, all he is, is a footstool; there is no power, but the power of God thru His Christ; now that is total freedom.

So as we explore 'high places' and babylon, we can see that the mind and works of the carnal flesh are the roots of our beliefs. Jesus said to not only hew the tree down, referring to the tree of good and evil, thus the tree of knowledge, but to place an ax to its root, for He totally destroyed that tree, that we who remain, no longer fall under its bondage.

So, at least the way I see it, babylon is the worship of self, where we have made an extension of ourselves, altars of the 'high places' of the mind, and serve and exalt that idol of man. Anything that is not of God that man will pay his allegiances too, and will bend his spiritual knee too, or sing the praises of, or pursue for happiness, (and the list could go on and on), is the 'high places' of the mind of the babylonian empire that man has built within himself; it is anything that exalts the works of man.

I'm not sure, and nobody is, what God has stored for us in the future, but the babylonian empire will fall. Who knows the thoughts of God, or His ways, but according to Revelations, chapter eighteen, babylon will fall. _" Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become the dwelling place of demons, a prison for every fowl spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all nations have drunk of the wine of her wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury. I heard another voice from Heaven saying; come out of her My people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues."_

Birds seem to be representations of messengers, sometimes a good message, but in this incident are called unclean and hated birds of foul spirit, and their dwelling place is of demons, and they live in the cage of the mind. This is about imaginations and thoughts that have run rampant in the mind of man, and the cage is the carnal brain. These are represented by the structures and empires, and of the imagination of carnal man for to create a temple, after Jesus said that he would tear it down and rebuild it thru the resurrection, was a pretty-good sign that 'self-man', (the self-centered outward man), cannot be held in trust with the things of God. And for all nations to have drunk of her wrath, (not God's wrath), of her fornication of playing with 'other gods' of the institutions, structures, empires, or anything else that man has placed in front of God, therefore fornicating with them, bring to reality that man has strayed from his first Love, Christ. This thought system is not localized by any means, for the kings of the earth have also commissioned it and have been led by that unclean example. So what symbol could be world-wide and referred to as the word 'her'? Sometimes countries and nations are called 'her', but that has already been addressed in the above verse as they included all nations; leaving only one of man's structures that is established in every nation, with one common goal, and is always referred to as 'her'; 'this thing called church'. It takes but little understanding to see what's being signified when God, in the eighteenth chapter, is telling His people to come out of her, and not be partakers of her sins. Now if we're still having a problem understanding that this is the 'church' that is being described, then let's look a little farther in the verse.

It says, continuing in the same paragraph of Revelations, _the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury._ When one looks into the vastness of the money made, and the money spent on these structures called 'church', and then quickly jot down on paper just the surface of the spending, we will rapidly see that more money is exchanged in these institutions in a year than most of the giant box stores will ever make; collectively speaking. It takes many people just to build and sell the pews being used, or the electricity used, or the paper for bulletins and song books, and that when counting the materials for the building, the cost becomes staggering. It's no wonder that the merchants of the world begin to lament over her destruction, for great salaries from within and from the many others is tremendous. And I've only touched the surface of how the world makes its living selling and buying the wares of the 'church'. So when God says that not coming out of 'her' we also will reap of 'her' plagues. This structure, and occasionally a cathedral, looks more like a whore house than it does the House of God, and that's part of the reason he said, in the same verse, that many in the world has committed fornication with 'her', and not excluding even our leaders. When this presentation of the organized 'church', and the longevity that's it's been going on, that has been established this deeply, we, as a people, have been indoctrinated into believing it is of God; and it certainly is not.

Could the 'church' had been set up by people with a sincere heart, and still turned out to be what it has become? Certainly, and I'm quite sure that many God fearing, God loving folks set out to share their 'good news' with as many as possible, but were ill-equipped, and at least somewhat disillusioned. When God gives us, generally speaking, a revelation of a Truth, then somehow many think that they have to build a shrine around it, and sometimes that shrine last for many years, trying to continue to feed off of yesterdays' manna. Sharing a new insight is one thing, but trying to institutionalize it is quite different, and I would guess that most of the time this new perception was for the individual who received it; but so many times, man has to strut-his-stuff instead of growing inwardly.

Anyway, like I'd said earlier, the things in the Spirit seem to parallel those of the earth, or is it, the things of the earth seem to parallel the things of the Spirit? An emotionally broken heart is probable there because it's a reminder that a heart-felt need in someone else, is close at hand. A headache might be a reminder that our head is just too full of this flesh stuff, and is there to bring us back to the things of God. Maybe an earthquake is to wake-up, or shake-up a world full of 'out of touch' sleeping people. The sun is His warmth and light; the stars show His infinity; hunger is to feed our inner man; a personal tragedy is maybe, so we can rely on Him. These are just a few of the silly, or inaccurate ways that things of the earth, are paralleling the things of the Spirit, and as each would look closely at this thought, perhaps could see the depth of this understanding.

Let's read a little more in this same book. _Revelations 18;11; And the merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her, for no one,_ (in babylon) _buys their merchandise any more: merchandise of gold and silver, precious stones and pearls, fine linen and purple, silk and scarlet, every kind of citron wood, every kind of object of ivory...and wood, bronze, iron and marble. The fruit that your soul has longed for has gone from you, and all things which are rich and splendid are gone from you, and you shall find them no more at all. The merchants of these things, who became rich by her, (babylon), will stand at a distance for fear of her torment, weeping and wailing... (But then God spoke); 'Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you holy apostles and prophets, for God has avenged._

Who is it that is presented in such luxury, of gold, silver, ivory, linen of scarlet and purple, and all such as was mentioned above? But those of these great cathedrals, whether they be of the mind, or sitting on just about every street corner in our cities and towns, these are they that say that they sit as queen and cannot be touched. These great structures, whether they be of the mind or paralleled in the structure of these things called 'church', it is obvious what has been done to those that are called by His name.

Whether we're reading 'old' or 'new' testament scriptures, whether they are the stories of old or a parable taught by Jesus, or reading into the book of Revelations, we can see that there are several layers of hidden allegoric values amongst them. I said that to say this; babylon is any, and all, of our earthly values, and what man can do on his own, but the deepest of all esoteric meanings is, it's really all about selfish me; babylon lives in each of us that look to this life outwardly. So whatever our hearts adore, follow, pay homage to, and we bow our spiritual knee to, is our idol, our high place, and at least for that moment, our god; thus babylon. God shall not be defeated, nor can man always have his way, for that city of babylon that lives in each of us shall fall.

Babylon, and her personified harlot is inside of every man; yes, you and me, she is the soul of man not married to the Spirit, (the husband), that lives within each. She sits in opposition and is the contradiction of the Bride of Christ, an unreasonable facsimile. She is the self-centered thoughts, deeds, and actions of every man. She makes her bed with the lust of the flesh, and idolizes herself in all who sleep with her. She puffs herself up and takes her rewards while she is faceted to any unaware partaker; she is the counterfeit of the Bride. She wants to be seen, and when she is done with her dance, takes a bow, and yet still wants more. Although she pretends to restrain herself, she will flaunt, at every opportunity, the selfish wares of her trade. She is the other side of man, his outward flesh side that wants recognition for every so-called 'good' deed that he's done, and will counterfeit everything of our Lord to look as if she sits as queen; in the flesh she does, but in true Life; she does not.

It is no wonder why we are sitting on the same dung hill as did Job, whining about our problems, scratching our boils, and trying to figure out what went wrong, or for that matter, why the world is caving in on us. We have left our first Love, and went whoring after every god of self that each can invent, we have turned our backs to the Truth, and sought others thing that appeal to the flesh. Jesus was sent as the final answer to mankind's' 'dung hill' problems, and we need not to look any further than Him.

We'll stop here for a moment, and will take a little time to figure out why man, that walked with God, and lived in that perfect harmony, forsook Him for this so-called better life.

## Adam, wife, and that seducing thing

In the beginning of man being made in the image of God, we have been given an allegoric picture from Genesis about how man fell from his perfect union with the Father of creation. We can see that Adam walked with God, and their harmony was as if the two were connected as one. Adam and his wife had free reign over the world that was call 'The Garden of Eden', and he was to tend it, and that harmony enabled him to have dominion over all of God's creation. There was but one rule: Do not pick or eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of 'good and evil'', for in the day that you do, you will surely die.

This tree was filled with the knowledge that man can behold, but should not, it would teach us 'good', therefore showing us evil in that same process. Jesus said; can a tree produce both good and evil fruit? Although the answer was not given by Him, it was also very obvious that the same tree couldn't produce both good and corrupt fruit. And since there is none Good but our Father in Heaven, any knowledge that could be had from this forbidden tree had to be far from 'good'; they, both fruit, were mingled into the same thing.

When the Eve of Adam, that is his soul, his wife, was seduced by the serpent of the tree of knowledge, she also gave to her husband, and he did also eat. They then realized they were naked, exposed at every level, and thus thought they were to hide from God; they now felt the first emotions of guilt and shame, and they were afraid. Through their now new knowledge, their first act was to be crafty and hid from God; that didn't work. The shame of their disobedience drove them to cover their nakedness; that didn't work. Now that their eyes were open, and the vastness of their new knowledge, they both began to see the darkness of their lost relationship; for both were driven from the Garden, thus left to their own skills; for their united relationship had been broken because of the hunger for knowledge, and believing the lie that the serpent had spoken. It was a trade-off. They traded their relationship with God, for the 'supposing of knowledge' that this world could offer. Man was now on his own, he now had to till the ground, make his own living the best he knew, by what this earth had to offer, and by the new found knowledge that he was seduced into by this cleaver so-called serpent.

Now we could dig deep into the truer meaning of the story and parable of Adam, his wife, and that seducing, crafty serpent, but what I wanted us to see is that Adam, (mankind), traded, thru his desire for independence, a relationship with the Father of creation where at all times he would walk with God; and even at the beginning he realized what his independence cost him. What a tremendous trade-off. For when Adam chose to eat of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, he then chose his independence; his desire to make it on his own. And that is exactly what each of us does today, we either choose to walk within our own knowledge, and by the works of our hands, or, we can choose to walk in a complete relationship with the Father. His Love will never be taken from us, this we are assured, but to walk with Him, and depending on Him, is quite a different matter, for God is Spirit, and the carnal man must lay down his flesh before he can be reunited.

_Many are called, but few are chosen._ For God has called many into a relationship with Himself, and the Life that is available to all; but only a few are chosen to have their life from the beginning, laid out by God; and from their beginning, without their personal acceptance to be used by God for an ordained purpose. Such as John the Baptist, He didn't choose the 'way of his life'; it was chosen for him by God. Neither did Moses hear a call, his life was picked for him before birth, and the apostle Paul also, so was King David; but many, such as Peter heard the call from Christ, and followed Him. Yes we are a chosen generation, a peculiar people, and a royal priesthood, and some are chosen, but many are called into this wonderful and fulfilling relationship with the Father. So do we walk in the footsteps of our fathers, or come walking with Christ as the Spirit leads? Traditions are for the world, a beautiful thing, but Christ came to break those traditions of men; will we follow those same man-made regulations of an institutionalized structure that has brought but few to the Kingdom, or can we stand, not against, but for the unregulated outpouring of God's Spirit?

So was Adam called or chosen? We know this; that Adam chose to walk in his own independence, when he already had an established relationship and walk with God. And the story of Adam, his wife, and the cunning serpent of the mind, was given to us ; not as a history lesson, but to show that each of us today are still making that choice. The Garden of Eden was most likely a real place in that special place of man, but this I'm assured; that same garden is alive and well inside of each and every person living today, and we also are given that choice of living independently with our self-taught skills and knowledge, or we can choose a life of dependency on the only God that truly knows what True Life is.

The first Adam tried to hide the shame of his nakedness because of their guilt by their cunning skills under the trees of the Garden, but the second Adam, which is Christ Jesus, exposed his nakedness on the cross to show that there is no guilt, nor is there shame for those who believe in what he was doing; exchanging His life for ours. For when man hung (so to speak) Jesus on the cross to shame Him, there was no shame in Him. The resurrection gave us the Life that the tree of knowledge, by the selfish act of our earth man, gave away; Jesus now holds the keys to the Kingdom of God, and since we're joint heirs with Him, we also hold those same keys; it's all in our heart.

The story of the first man, his wife, and the seducing spirit of knowledge, is far more in-depth than the few words that I have written, but we can see that many-a-volumes could be explained in our life today through this same story; it was written about us.

## Sodom and Egypt

We all, at least to some degree, are wanting to run; for we are either running to, or running away from something, and sometimes we are doing both. Our life on this earth is like an addiction, a drawing back to the familiar places of our past. Many times this yearning to go back far exceeds our ability to resist; and within our own strength, we will fail. Man is self-centered, self-occupied, and conditioned to his very core to be consumed by his own thoughts and familiar territory of what this earth-life has given us. We can talk about wanting greener pastures, or a fulfilling life, but our past is like an anchor, that is holding each back to the traditions of our accustomed lifestyles. The repetitious order of our life, that is, the ingrained persistence of the life that we are being called out from, whether it was abusive, thrill seeking, or just plain common, takes a hold upon us, that man within himself is not able to break that stronghold; but God within us is, by faith. We just don't want to change, nor do we want unfamiliar; for if in truth we did, we would shed the old-man of our past; thus looking forward to the Life that is ours to behold.

Moses, born of the house of Levi, chosen by God before birth, and thru a set of circumstances, was raised by the Egyptians to be an Egyptian from shortly after birth, until he was fully grown. It was the only life he knew. But far before the Egyptians nurtured him, God had a purpose for him, but at this time Moses didn't know that he knew God; but God had a plan for him. After the set-up of seeing his native countryman (an Egyptian) abusing a Hebrew, and then killing the abuser, he had, at this time, no other choice but to flee into the wilderness, Midian. After an encounter with the burning bush, Moses now had purpose that was immediately realized. God spoke; _" I have surely seen the oppression of my people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have chosen to come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey... Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt."_

Before we take a look at the above scriptures, let's look at some of the allegoric terminologies. Egypt represents this world and all that man has built; and Pharaoh as the mind that built it. Now in the allegoric and esoteric layers of meanings, we are to look at this time, mainly, at but one of them. Israel and the Israelites are God's chosen people, and represents us today, and can be associated with this assembly called 'church', and those that attend it that are called by His name. The land of milk and honey is exemplified by the teachings of Christ on the Kingdom of God.

So as we read the above text in Exodus chapter 3, that after Moses ran into the wilderness of Midian, a foreign land, that the Lord God spoke to him from the burning bush about His people being enslaved in the land of Egypt, by the every conniving thought of Pharaoh; they were suppressed and oppressed in every way possible by that system of thought and being. God came to Moses to talk with him about deliverance, a total calling away from that state that His people were placed in. Moses was told, by God, to go to Pharaoh and demand _' to let My people go'_.

Joseph, the eleventh son of Jacob, the first born of his wife Rachel, which was 'the love of his life', brought his whole family to Egypt to escape the world wide famine, because he found favor with Pharaoh and was made Governor of the whole land. So it was this set of circumstances that took Jacob and all his family, his twelve sons, there to begin with. The story of Joseph is also a wonderful message from God that he is giving to us, but for right now, we'll stick to the story of Egypt, Moses, and the Promised Land. I just wanted to touch on how the Israelites got there to the land of Egypt.

After a series of catastrophic plagues the chosen ones gathered what they could of the past, what they thought valuable, and left heading east. The Israelites, led by Moses, wandered in the desert, the wilderness, for forty years as God was proving Himself and showing them a way to a completely different life. And it was not long before the people started murmuring about everything that was now different, and wanted to go back to the Egypt from whence they came. They whined about being thirsty, and God gave them water to drink from the Rock; they were hungry, and God gave them a new food called manna; griped about not having meat to eat, and God gave them quail. It appears that these folks, being rescued from Egypt, belly-ached about every provision that God gave them that didn't fall into the familiar territory of their past life in the land of Pharaoh. They had lived there for so long, and even though it was a life of oppression, and they knew of no other life, the addiction to that accustomed life in the past kept drawing them back to it, and retaining their familiar valuables wasn't helping. So they murmured about going back to their life left behind, unsatisfied with anything God was providing; so do we.

Let's read what they said from Exodus 16: _" Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said unto them: Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat, when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out unto this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger."_ As all this began, God was with His people, but the people weren't with God; for Jehovah, the I AM that I AM, was looking out to rescue and help His people, but the Israelites, couldn't go anyplace that they couldn't see with their eyes, only wanting that which their sensual faculties could absorb, which was the known life they had in Egypt. Even to be brought into the Kingdom of God, the Promised Land, a place of unfamiliar territory, was not in the hearts of those traveling across that 'dry place', the wilderness; and so we do the same.

This story is very typical to that which is going on today. We have somehow deadened our spiritual sense, our relationship with the Father, and at the same time heightened our lustful senses of the flesh, so that the carnal man can be appeased. The masses that meet on the first day of every week, have conjured up just about every scheme and invention to pull in as many would-be's into their standard of what they want us to think is the ordination of the things of God; and it certainly is not. If these organizations that we call 'church' were going to work, wouldn't you think that we'd have some sign of that happening in the last century or so? Jesus said, more than a few times, that the Kingdom is in your heart, and will not come by observation; so why do we, as a people, continue to attempt to feed the masses with a carnal version of the image of man?

God kept these many folks in the wilderness for forty years, just long enough for the 'old man' to die off, before He'd let them enter into Canaan, for their unbelief and carnal thinking kept them out. Moses was not to enter, for the law could not settle into the same place as the 'Ark of our covenant', therefore this burning-off of the 'old man' had to first take place, and even then the complete reality of His Promised Land was still not obtained.

The Israelites, and those of today that are called by His name, are the same people. And the exact same situation is going on today, as it was during these earlier times; therefore these scriptures were written for us, the history may be interesting, but the impact of this should be heeded in our time also. In the birthing of Christ's Church, the early days of the apostles, a revelation of His Holiness, and the justification of us saints, and the faith to live by, was soon outwardly polluted as carnal man began to organized the True Church into an institution that is now called 'church'. This process, the religious aspect, didn't take all that long before it was soon unrecognizable as the Rock that the foundation was built upon; thus evolving into the 'thing' that we now call 'church'. This downward spiraling process is not what God called His people into.

Abram's nephew Lot, after living in Canaan, chose to go to the plains of Jordan, and pitched his tent near Sodom, while Abram stayed in the land of promise. After many years of mingling among the inhabitants and growing accustom to the life style of the folks of Sodom, three men of the Lord came to him and ask Lot to move his family to the mountains, but Lot wanted to go no farther than a little city near the plains. His whole family was told to escape the pending disaster, and while running for their lives, not to look back. During his escape, the two cities of Gomorrah and Sodom were destroyed. After being told to face toward the mountains, and to escape with your life, they were not to look back in the direction of their past life. And, of course, we know the rest of the story.

Both of the stories mentioned above, have several layers of an allegoric parable value, and depending on where one is at in their walk, will be able to identify with one of them. But for now, I just wanted to show that when God wants His people to move to a higher level of living, the mountains, it is man's carnal nature to want to go no farther than a little city, and looking back to the place from which we came from, has consequences. To know and understand what the Israelites, and Lot and his family did, may be interesting, and have some historical value; but to see no more than this, leaves us with very little growth.

Jesus told us that when placing our hands to the plow that we are not to look back. The idea is exactly the same, once God begins to move in our life, it's then time to look toward the Land of Promise, the Mountains, or the untilled ground, having faith that God is able to sustain us in every step; and to not allow our minds to anchor us to the place we've been stifled, for then our forward growth has no other alternative, but to stop. Moving forward, and by God's direction, is the new birth of our growth.

I said all that to say this. God is not calling His people away from His Way, Truth, and Life; of course not, but He is calling His people to come out of her. It is our time, in the plan of this earth, to ready ourselves for the movement of God's Spirit. As I am convinced that, at least to some, babylon is falling, and the great harlot is being revealed; _" watch ye therefore and be prepared for you know not what hour the thief may enter."_

## Ministers & Ministry

God, thru His son Jesus has called all His children to minister the good news that His teachings have given us. Paul wrote in 2nd Corinthians; _" You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men."_ All those that seek the Truth of Christ Jesus are His epistles, and all are ministering the fabulous teachings of His resurrected Life. To some we are pastors, to some we are teachers, to some prophets etc.; and all for the equipping of His saints, which is all of us. To make a full "ministry" out of one of these functions is to stifle the effectiveness and the fullness of the forwarding of God's Kingdom. For none is called into one without the others attached, for a person needing to be taught, is not necessarily ready to be healed, nor is one that needs an explanation of scripture, necessarily needing a pastor; but we are to be ready to give account to whosoever needs us from wherever they are.

To build a structure just because God has given one a revelation, will choke the fullness of His Body, the true Church. God speaks to all, therefore all are needed. The Body of Christ, His true Church, is living stones, fitly joined together, with Christ as the Chief corner Stone; a body of believers, not necessarily meeting in the same group, or even the same country for that matter, equipping His saints with Truth. We may till, we may sow, we may water and fertilize, but only God can give the increase, and many times this takes years or decades, for only the Spirit knows the heart. So why do so many make a brick shrine, or a corner market, an immovable building, call it 'church', and try to sell their wares to whosoever will enter their doors and empty their pockets? This is not what was intended when Jesus was teaching, for we too, as did He, are to celebrate with Christ to whoever the Spirit leads us to as we walk this Life from village to village.

Folks in 'the ministry' seem to want to collect around them people that have abilities to articulate fluently and can capture an audience, or can sing very well, maybe some that can come up with ideas and promotions, such as stage plays or committees to expand their horizons, so that the success of their 'ministry' can be flaunted, thus proving their worthiness as a minister thru a phony mask of godliness. People in 'the ministry' appear to be more honorable than those that they teach, and hold a higher piety with higher standards than those of their underlings. Many in 'the ministry' have chosen this as their profession of business, therefore making it a career, and hold themselves to a higher standard of righteousness with their false sense of honor. I could go on-and-on about the gimmicks and toys that many use to show off talents, and disguise their inabilities of spirituality, and hide behind, what is called a facade of tricks and promotions to bluff their way thru this un-Christ-like act on the stage.

All of us are the sheep of His pasture, for there is but one Shepherd, and we all are His flock, and whosoever lays down his life and follows Jesus, and for that matter, even those that don't, will be watched over as the Good Shepherd knows what to do with His own. For if we lead others by our skills and talents, is it not therefore the blind leading the blind? Maybe that's why both have fallen into a ditch. God is not looking for men and women with such skills and abilities, or their pious way of life, but wanting those that have a heart that is seeking Him. Remember, God and His Christ both, which are one in union, seemed to have chosen the outcast, the poor, the maimed, the prostitutes, the underlings of this world to raise up their message to all; and today, He's doing the same. Can God use a rich person, or one in authority? Of course he can, and does, but it seems that the lowly of heart, and those that want no attention is who He's using to change the world.

We are all ministers of the forwarding of Gods' Kingdom, but seems only a few will not turn away from the Holy Spirit that moves within. _" You are His chosen generation, His royal Priesthood, a Holy nation, and a peculiar people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."_ We don't need more earthly examples of how we are to live, nor do we need to seek greater morals, Christ that lives within, is the only standard of which man shall live by, and while following Him, how could better morals improve us? When the Spirit of God is moving within each individual, our efforts at this point are not needed, for God, who is able, can make those necessary changes within each without our approval; therefore our own 'good morals' are no longer needed, for it is God, and not man, that is doing the work.

For the last so many centuries, we've been fed a bill-of-goods, the Church is not a thing, it's a people; ministers are not some high position, but a lowly servant to feed God's people; ministry is not a show or act, it's a servitude to the Father for His people. Is it hard to see how man got so mixed up and turned around, knowing that our hand was not supposed to be attached to the true Church of our living God? Yes, God uses us where we are, and at what level we seem to travel at, and those that seek Him will find that simple, submissive, and not complicated Life that He has stored for each. This world is offering a life that it says will bring you great opportunities, wealth, notoriety, and great knowledge with its high-tech advances, but none of that can change a single life; but one man hung on the cross two thousand years ago can, when He lives within.

Once a person begins to receive a salary, or wants to build a name for himself, or goes out and get some education at a seminary school, he has then crossed the line from one that ministers for Christ, to a person in self-indulgence. One that is in 'the ministry', develops programs, and committees, and keeps a record of the doings of those that he supposedly leads, and will address himself with the higher-case M, as in 'Minister'. Usually they give 'it' a name, maybe even charter 'it', and will, somehow, bring attention to 'it'. Like I said before, the ministers of the forwarding of Gods' Kingdom will direct all the attention to our Christ, as he that ministers will fade into the background. Therefore, these that lift up self, are trying to create nothing more than idols, an extension of self, they're just another whore looking for more 'Johns'.

To some that may sound like strong language, but it's the exact words use in the book of Revelations; maybe I could have used the word harlot, either way these 'ministers' of notoriety of a 'thing' or 'self' are those that have helped perpetuate this non-sense of the 'worlds' organized 'church'. Remember; the Church of our God is a person, one that has been called out from among her, separated, Spirit led, and probably hides in the background but is willing to be used, for to do less, takes from the Christ that put one there.

Those that minister the Spirit led Word of God are placed there to feed His sheep; those that are in 'the Ministry' are usually feeding off them. Have you ever noticed the high-back fancy chairs that most preacher/pastors sit in, with their elevated platform that's far above the level of their parishioners, while those that sit below them sit in pews that are far inferior to the high office of 'Ministry' that they think themselves to be in? And to most of these 'things', the deacons also have some-what smaller, but still a superior chair than their subjects. Why has this method escaped us and our attention, and why is this allowed to carry on? A true minister of the Gospel, allows the attention, and places the praise, on the Master that they serve, and wants no consideration or responsiveness towards themselves, for they are there in servitude, not notoriety, nor power.

The true ministry is to reveal Christ and that's done by the Spirit of God, we are just earthen vessels, a tool that He sometimes uses to waken His people; it certainly is not an occupation to make money from.

_" If my people that are called by my name shall humble themselves, and seek my face, and pray, and turn from their wickedness, then I shall hear from Heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land."_ God didn't speak to us in second Chronicles in this fashion because we are doing it right, but just the opposite. This wasn't spoken for the men and women of old only, because if that were so, it wouldn't be the eternal living Word of God; it was given to us today that are called by His name. It's time to take heed.

## Manipulations

Manipulation is a strong source and force of witchcraft, a weapon used to get folks to do things that they aren't necessarily inclined to do otherwise. It has been used throughout the ages, from the beginning of mankind that broke away from the Tree of Life and partook of the tree of Knowledge of good and evil, therefore leaving our walk with God in the Garden of our hearts to follow our own devices, and to recruit as many to follow our misguided doctrines as can be ascertained.

Manipulation has been in mankind's repertoire since we have left our undistorted walk with God, and has been used for so many millennium that we now take it as normal. This form of witchcraft is so familiar with us, that it is no longer considered unhealthy, and is therefore accepted as normal behavior; it is not normal, nor did we learn this performance from Gods' Word as some say He would use. Even the 'reward and punishment system' was not created from the Grace of God, but thru the law, and its legalistic harshness, and was corralled into our existence, and thus, virtually, used as a tool or weapon by everyone as being normal. The apostle Paul wrote many times that the letter of the law kills, and is now brought to its' death through the forwarding of Grace; for the law is unto death, but Grace into life. And even though there are many today that teach the law, even while proclaiming Grace; this has propitiated its' acceptance of the 'reward and punishment system', and so also are many other forms of manipulations that we use in our everyday life. We may begin with our young child, and while they eat, are offered a reward if they do, but a penalty, if they don't. We may have a wife, or a husband, even an acquaintance that we may speak words of nurturing to, if the conditions are right; but roughly if they're not. Our demeanor and our behavior are really not supposed to be effected by our emotions, but because of the great acceptance of this form of manipulation, it is. We, as humans, are perfectly able to express ourselves without this up-and-down emotional behavior, and can present ourselves without the antics that are so commonly used and accepted as normal. In other words; most of us know how to talk straight whether we like the situation or not, but due to the longevity of this now customary language, that has been allowed, we find ourselves fitting in to the so-called normal behavior of man, therefore continue doing that which has been done for so long. Say what you mean, and mean what you say. Through all this our societies have cultured in many norms that fifty years ago were corrupt, but consistent practice of these detrimental attitudes have adjusted us to accept the unacceptable.

Can you imagine Jesus talking down to anyone that called Him a heretic or a blasphemer? Of course we can't. Yes He called the pharisees and scribes vipers or hypocrites, but that's because they were. But what I speaking on is the way we may talk to someone that we don't like, verses someone that we do; there really shouldn't be a difference in our attitude, and Jesus didn't use this form of manipulation on anyone. Whether they were prostitutes, lepers, a thief on the cross, or a noble man wanting to have lunch with Him, all were treated the same; with the character of God, kindly.

We look at this world and try to figure out what in the world is going on, when all we really need to do is, look at ourselves. For all of us has perpetuated this form of witchcraft, in the hopes that it might change someone's attitude of behavior, but it might be us that need changing. We can't, as children of God, look at folks the way that other people do, nor are we able to make a customary judgment on them because that's the way we were taught; for who knows, maybe the situation was created by God, just for us, and this could be the opportunity given to us by Him to allow His change in us. The world is not going to change, it is set too deep in them, but we are called out of the world to proclaim the Love and Grace of God; we are all teachers and evangelist. Manipulation has crept into the lives of all of us, it's been seeded, watered, grown to acceptance by virtually all of us, and we are losing our direction because of it.

"John, if you will do this favor for me, I'll make it worth your while." Another example: "Jane, I wouldn't ask you to do this if it weren't for me feeling so bad, so pretty-please, will you do it just this once." Or how about this one: "Lord if you'll do this for me and get me out of this situation, I'll dedicate my life to you forever." These are all just mild and silly examples of the manipulations that we use regularly, but can we see that each is designed to consume something on our flesh, and I really didn't want to speak much on these mild versions, but to how this has escalated into 'ministers' as they deploy their skills to get so many to come to their form of belief.

How many times have we seen a preacher or lay-person try to talk another into coming to Christ by scare tactics? Such as; would you rather spend your life in the pits of hell where no relief is found and the tongue is never quenched; or to spend it in eternity with the God of all things beautiful? To manipulate this tactic to an adult is one thing, and still it is wrong, but to deploy this method on a child, and scare the pants off them, is entirely a situation that God would never use. But yet it happens over and over so much that it also has become a norm in our churchy society that it is accepted. When Christ abounds within any, He is then able to present Himself by the Love of God; and when that Love is shared, those that see will flock unto our God of hope.

Using guilt to manipulate folks to come to Christ, or even their own 'church', is a device, a trick, to try to make people do something, that, maybe at the time is not to be deployed as a weapon used against them; but is. God has His own timing, and very rarely do we understand it, but to guilt someone into coming to Him is never an approach that God uses. Yes, many may feel guilty, and many have come honestly to Him because of it, but it's not a maneuver that the Holy Spirit uses. I've always, personally, seen God as a complete gentleman, so to speak, and with a kindness that surpasses anything man can dream of; and He loves each for 'what', they are, (His children), and puts no expectations on any, for expectations are also a form of manipulation.

You may ask. Is this not what this author is trying to do to those that is reading this? No! Only God's Spirit can reach you, and I believe he has ask me to unmask the conditions of what this engineered influence that has, at least to some part, effected our walk with God, or even, to come to Him for the first time. I desire no honor, nor do I want to be known. I am perfectly content to stay in the background, and not even know the result of my obedience. God's Truth is simple, and His way of Life is not a burdened Life, but the procreation of life, and not this non-sense that's been taught from many pulpits that are bringing death instead of Life, and many can't walk an unhindered Life with Christ, until we come out of denial.

To say that God is wanting our 'church' to start a new program, or to buy advertisement in the yellow pages, or to portray our name in large letters on the 'church' van, or have one of these cleaver marquees, lit-up and announcing pride; are all about the impressive image, and not about the forwarding of the Kingdom of God; but we aren't supposed to know that. It's all about self, and the bragging rights that we think we can accomplish by making ourselves, or 'our church' look better and be more attended. Do you think when you see and hear a political candidate that you're hearing who this man or woman really is? No! All we get is what they want us to get, it's a performance. And so is the strutting that goes on with these man-made structures with a steeple. If in truth, these 'churches' were following the lead of the Holy Spirit, what purpose is the advertisement for? Has the Power of God been diminished, or is His hand shortened; or His ear deafened?

God's Grace has been more than sufficient thus far, and Him not moving mightily upon babylon is not a sign of His approval of this that's been going on all these centuries. Is it not time to humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from the wicked ways of man, and allow God to reign upon His own Throne for a change?

I spent the first eighteen or twenty years of my walk with Christ inside the doors of several 'churches' and without regret, as a new-born believer, I read as often as possible and had many questions, but as I'd ask them, compared to the Scriptures, I would get many different interpretations that would not align with what I'd read. The first thing the denominational leaders would do is explain how this stuff is no longer valid, it was meant for those that were apostles and such of the early years. And I thought; if this were true, then why did God preserve His Word for all these millenniums just to give me a history lesson? I then had to fall back on my walk with Him to find out that His Word is eternal, alive, well, and as sound today as it was then.

There was one time and place in my life that confusion was about to overtake me in this matter, so one night, while in quietness, I prayed. I told God that if this is what it is to be a 'christian', then I was going back to the world. For even in these early years of my walk, I could see and hear the hypocrisy, and feel the manipulations of them trying to mold me into their image. But after my prayer, I was expecting to be knocked down by God, but what I got instead was, His understanding and gentleness. God words to me then were: 'This is not my Life, nor the Life that I have stored for you; allow Me to teach you, for the Holy Spirit that knows all things, teaches all things.' And that was the beginning of God calling me out of 'this thing called church', but it was still many years later before I would completely leave. The feelings of guilt from the manipulations were strong in me, and as I would slowly stand up and protest what was being taught that didn't measure-up to scripture, the process of me coming out of 'her' began to happen. For God continued teaching from His truth, and I began to understand the transparency and motive of those caught up in this system; it still took many years. And I didn't go back to the world.

The walk that God is calling us into is, again, to have a relationship with Him from where each is at, we do not have to adhere to some strict set of rules, for God Loves us for 'what' we are, not 'who' we are; we are His children. All preach that God's Grace is sufficient, but in the same breath preach that we have to observe the so-many rules to get there; that's bologna. There is nothing we have to do, nor are we able to do, that will win God's affection; we already have it.

Through the years of being also caught up in this system, I could see that many of the 'church' leaders would come up with a program, or event, that might just lasso a few more converts into their assembly. One of these being 'vacation bible school', or maybe a pageant play towards the end of the year, or could even start a youth basketball team, or one of the many famous bazaars, and the list could go on-and-on, and although they may have a hint of innocence, they are placed there to indoctrinate the kids, and maybe snatch a few of the parents in the process. These formulas of bringing the coveted enrollment status up has been tried and tested through many years, and then passed along to their neighboring 'churches', and is well-founded to work; therefore the same formulas are passed around until virtually all use them. There is no scriptural evidence found, nor are we to use these entrapments and manipulations to bring sheep into the fold; for this is the Holy Spirit's job, since it's His assembly and not ours.

So what are these manipulations used for, if not as a gimmick to bring more in, and increase their bottom line? The tactics aren't necessarily used by insincere people, but the usage of them has been so founded on the results, and the competition is so great, and the fact that they have worked for so long, that we now count them as a normal process of being 'churchy', even by the sincere leaders. God is able, and we are unable, or one could say unqualified, to do those things that the Holy Spirit is equipped for, and the results of our doings has brought us to this 'church', with this mask that is covering her face. People today are not coming to our Lord and Christ by the droves, nor are God's people growing in the wisdom, freedom, and an unhindered relationship with Him in vast numbers; but on the contrary, His people are perishing from lack of Knowledge. Most are drawn to the 'church' as a replacement of Christ. Somewhere, somehow, we have got to become embarrassed for the ways that our Fathers House has been treated and neglected, and has now turned It again into a den of thieves.

Where did we come up with the idea of an altar-call? There are no scriptures, old or new, that I'm aware of, that a call is made from an altar for the folks to repent and come up too. If we are to pray in a closet, then, would not we also repent in the closet also? But, if someone can coax an individual with their skilled tactics, and their years of proven speech, and fill the 'so called altar' with the emotional display of their words, then a worldly 'church' will use them; but not by the authority of God.

Whether it's passing around a collection plate, or spending big-bucks for choir robes, or engraving the windows with stained glass, or having the convenient baptismal, or sending the preacher to school to learn all the proper etiquette of a sermon; when we realize that this is not God's House of prayer, but some man-made invention to try to make these guys look good, at the expense of the growth of His children, then, we can see why His children are being called out of 'her'. If God's call is for His people to humble themselves, seek, pray, and turn, then how did so many get caught up in this ritualistic, meaningless image of man's ideas of what God wants, and then be so blinded by the centuries of its approval, that we haven't figured it out yet? We've all been tricked into believing that this system is what we are all supposed to adhere to; let's take the mask off our own faces, take a long honest look in the mirror, then turn our face from that looking glass and seek God. God said; _today is the day, and now is the time_.

God, give me your salvation to save me from myself.

## Denial

To be in denial is to know something, know it to be true, but will not allow 'that something' to move forward in your mind. It probably is an extension of when we were kids and would play games of make-believe. It is sometimes an extension of trauma, and sometimes from fear, but it's always a tool used to keep from facing the truth. Once in a while we might love someone, or just want to, but will not allow that act of love to prevail, thus believing it to be anything but what it is; love. Denial can come in most any form, and manifest itself to anyone who is unaware, or on those to who just can't face the simple truth. It's a tool, and sometimes a weapon, used by many to navigate their way through life, and on rare occasion, seems to work for those that are extremely challenged by what this questioned life can dish-out. But this is not what I want to speak on, and by now you probably have a pretty good idea of where we're going with this.

If these habits and traditions established by this 'thing called church', that have been carried-on, and the deep rooted effects of their repetitious impacts, have scared the human 'super ego' with an impression of truth; when in fact, it is far from it, why do we then embellish it as sacred?

As an example, let's just rehash this worldly festivity of christmas. I have talked with more than a few preachers/pastors that know that christmas is not from God, nor is its roots from the Spirit of Christ, and will speak plainly that it is a practice from the world's view of what they think is right; thus justifying themselves with such festivities. As I said earlier, that my opinion is, that if the world invented, then let them keep it with delight, but why do we, as children of God procreate it. One of those above mentioned preachers agreed, but understood that it was an event so deeply embedded in the sociology of man, that it cannot be changed; if you can't whip-'em, then you just have to join 'em, he said. That's nonsense. What would it be like if Jesus went along with the long term practice of using the Temple for the platform of folks selling their wares and exchanging their money? Let them, the world, sell and trade all they want to, but keep it from any attachment of God. We try to justify ourselves with a 'play' or 'nativity pageant', and then on the same night give the 'well deserved' pastor his 'bigger than most' and sometimes lavish christmas present, and do it all in the name of Jesus who gave His life for us so we can seemingly get away with it. Besides that, it not the birth of Jesus that we are to celebrate, but His sacrifice on the cross, thru death, that gives us Life, and Life eternal; but at the same time, I'm thankful for His returned presence on earth in the form a His birth.

Another question: How do so many folks associate the true Church of our living God, and the worship of Him with this coordinated controlled system, and then call their services 'worship service'? _For God is Spirit and must be worshipped in Spirit_. This outward practice of the flesh, in my opinion, and the appealing to the masses, is a far cry from what God is wanting from the hearts of His people. It is written in the Bible _that in the latter days that the people will have a form of godliness, but deny the Power thereof, and they will form a way that seems right, but whose end is destruction_. But every week, week after week, year after year, those that are called by His name continue the same-o rhetoric, doing the same formal rituals, and at the same time, are expecting a different result. Only when our hearts change (repent) and we turn away from this worldly procedure, will it turn our sight, and our ears toward God and His Christ; then the foolishness of these traditions will be forgiven; for then our prayers will be heard, and our inward man changed.

Please, stop and take a look around you, look toward your own heart; is this, what we're doing in these systems, bringing the satisfaction for those that desire an intimate relationship with our God, or are we foundering in denial hoping something will break thru, and in a moment, a twinkling of an eye, all will be changed? It certainly will, but when the trumpet sounds, it will be in the individual heart of the one seeking, not necessarily in the masses. Like I said, this method of playing 'church' has stood for centuries, and until God destroys babylon, it won't change. Only those that hear the call _to come out of her my people_ , or when God's servant is heard when he screams _to let my people go_ , that some within this 'organization' will walk away.

When all that's being done during these 'worship' services, with their singing the same songs outwardly, praying to be heard by each other, collecting their monetary rewards, and receiving and giving their praises to each other, with their postured performances, and then come out of this complete denial that God is pleased with these enactments; will God hear from Heaven and our individual land be healed.

What do these fine tailor-made suits, and the shiny shoes, neckties, beautiful dresses and high-heel shoes, have to do with loving our Creator? Again it seems God was drawn to those that many are drawn away from, such as the prostitutes, the halt, the maimed, those of shady backgrounds, instead of the upper-class of pharisees, scribes, and priest. It doesn't matter to Him, not in the least bit, whether we're rich or poor, pretty or ugly, weak or strong, God wants those that desire Him with an opened heart; those that have a thirst and a hunger for His fellowship, those that seek His face and have ears to hear, then they will find that His arms are open, and will see that bountiful relationship that has been available from the beginning, but was smothered behind the pretense of this man-made religious order. Gods' arms have not been shortened, and neither does he refuse anyone, no matter what their condition is, or even if they don't meet the criteria or demands of this thing called 'church'.

Those that profit from the many that attend 'church', and bind them that want a true fellowship with God, create an atmosphere that perpetuates that 'they' are the only source from which it came, causing many to believe that the 'established organization' is built around righteousness; but it is not. Jesus had no religious inclinations during His walk on earth, although he did use several of the synagogues as a platform, He walked in the Ways of the Father, and not that of religion. The only things that Jesus perpetuated was the Way, Truth, and Life, and the Love, Mercy, and Grace of our living God, not the atmosphere of condemnation, nor of separation, but the gentleness of a caring Father without prejudice.

It was not intended, from the beginning, to have a physical place to go, a center of refuge built by bricks and mortar, or stick or stones, that we could be fed from or find sanctuary from the world; that place can only be where God lives, in your heart. But the denial and proclamation of these churches has claimed that they are that place that we're looking for; but that can never happen, for if it could, God would have sanctioned it, but He didn't. The Kingdom of God is already in your heart. In fact His Word told us that if one said to go to the inner room or even the desert, to find Him; that we were not to go. _" For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect_, which is us. _See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they say to you, 'look, He is in the desert, do not go out, or look, He is in the inner room, do not believe_... Matt. 24: 24-26. So we now see that Gods' Word teaches us that this place where he is available, is not someplace else, nor can it be captured by our three dimensional world, but lives in our secret place of the heart.

God, in scripture, gave us the story of the people building a tower to the heavens. These folks were united as one, with one goal, and that was to build a monument to reach the high level of God, and to make a name for themselves. They made their bricks by hand, and for mortar, they used slime. Without going very deep into this subject, we can already see that the hand and mind of man can't engineer enough to build an empire that is pleasing to God. So instead of using natural stone, and regular mortar, the story tells us, with an exclamation, that this tower just wasn't going to make it; it was destroyed by God, their language scrambled, and then they were dispersed in many different directions. If we look honestly at this 'system', it's not hard to see that this same united mind-set is going on today.

The man-made religions wants us to believe that there is no other place we should go, but to them; they, or we, whichever the case may be, are in complete denial. There is a place we can go where there's REST to be found in you Lord. There is a place we can go where we find SAFETY in you Lord. That PLACE, both of the above mentioned, can only be the Heart that God gave us in the Garden of Eden, His dwelling Place, which now abides in us. So why do we go searching, and sometimes following, every little entity, whether it be a person or a place, thinking that we might find God, when he was never lost from our heart, only covered up with these silly beliefs? Can God be found in these things called 'church'? Of course he can, for God is not confined from any, but the ritual foolishness hides Him beyond the insight of many folks. For many are still looking for the living among the dead, as in what he told the women at the grave of Jesus' tomb, but in truth the living is already among us. Jesus came to give Life, and give it abundantly, that we could live an undefeated Life, a Life here and now, but many are dead-set on the Life after we die, ignoring the here and now, and it kind of reminds me of a funeral.

This world has a lot of hurting people, and it seems that the numbers grow each year that think that there is no other place we can go, to find relief from the pain, except to go to the 'church', but to the contrary, we can go to Him. The 'church', with all the hype of her beauty and godliness, has, through many generations, sold herself as the only place of refuge or sanctuary for all to go to that want to find truth; and I am also in contradiction to that. This place to go, the place to be, to find God and His unyielding Truth is in the same place Jesus said it was, and still is; in your heart, for God is Spirit. It makes sense that a naive world, that knows little about the things of God, would opt to go to a 'church, with what they claim to offer, but when they get there, find that the answers are someplace else; but not where can they go? The pomp that is advertised by 'her' leaves no other choice; but the Truth of God's Word has never failed; we are to go to that secret chamber of our heart, the inner most part of our being, and there we can find refuge.

Have you ever noticed how many folks, after newly coming to Christ, and joining a community assembly, drop out after only a few short years? Yes, they're hungry for Truth, and go there in sincerity, but cannot find the answer that they're looking for; because it's not there. And the denial of the 'church' with their belief that they have it, keep many from coming into a full relationship with our Christ and His Father. For but seldom do they endorse one to be led by the Holy Spirit. It's one of those bird-in-the-hand things, as long as they got ya', they want to keep ya', it's more of a money thing than it is about the forwarding of the Kingdom. Are we more concerned about people coming to the knowledge and relationship with God through His Son, or that coveted number that goes on the bulletin board?

Manipulation has been used in various ways, and also in frequency, and is not only a tool, but a weapon. It is, by all definitions, witchcraft, and should have no place in the minds of those that are called by His name. If God's people, that call themselves His', will come out of denial, and seek His Truth, many-of our lands will be healed; It's all about a relationship with Him, not the 'church'.

God has equipped all His people with all that is needed, and with the exception of two or three at a time meeting together, has provided all that is needed within the heart of His Kingdom, which is within all of us.

## Love

Love is one of those beautiful actions that frequently expresses itself through feelings, but is, by definition, an action. There are three different words used in the scriptures to express the same word in most translations, and cause an injustice when each definition is used as the same word; love. So, to read an English translation, with the same word 'love' used to describe the three different meanings is totally inaccurate; therefore, in our everyday usage of the word love, we somehow have lost the deeper, or upper meaning, and now think that 'love' is the two lower meanings.

The first of the three that we will look at is; _phileo_ , which means to be fond of, to have affection for, and is the deliberate assent of the will, as in the matter of principle or duty. This is the kind of affection that one might have for their brother or sister, or their pet, or how much they like a certain food.

The scribes and pharisees loved, ( _phileo)_ , to pray standing in the streets or in a crowd, they also loved, ( _phileo)_ , the upper most rooms at a feast, or greetings in the market; but is still translated as love. But is not related to the Love that the Father has for us, nor should it be the Love that we have toward Him, for God desires that we Love Him with the same Love that He gives.

Another word of the Greek language that was commonly used, but still translated as 'love', was _agapao_. This word is used in a social or moral sense, a deeper action of love, such as to love, _(agapao)_ , your neighbor, or to love, _(agapao)_ , your enemies. The deeper value illustrates not only a profound affection, but also a multilayered meaning.

Another way of comparing the two above mentioned words is; that those in Christ are to 'love their fellow man, their spouse, even their enemy, with a far more reaching action of affection than we are to 'love to be served, seen, or heard'. Even to love in a way that is a further grasp of devotion than the normal sibling love.

But the word used most frequently, and with the deepest of all value is Agape. Agape has a meaning that is as complicated, but yet simple, and even the definition its self has layered significance that is many times beyond our understanding. It is a Love with benevolence, a Love of melting into that in which it is directed at, or coming from. It is, in a deep sense, to give a feast, or to give that which is far greater than just a 'good meal', a touching action that binds us together. Agape is to feed from or to feed another, an interaction of oneness. Such as to Love, _(Agape)_ , your friend with a Love that no action is greater, that he would lay down his life or soul for, not for principles, nor from a moral sense, but from a generosity that can come from no-other than the Spirit that lives inside of us. Not an action or feeling of 'love' that we can muster up, but from the flow of our God that lives in all; Agape. Jesus said that not only does he give abundant Life, but from the same abundant Agape Love.

Many translations use the word 'charity' instead of 'love', but the two, in the Greek, are one and the same; Agape.

In Corinthians thirteen we read: _Though I speak with the tongues of men and angels, but have not Love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not Love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not Love, it profits me nothing_. This is speaking of Agape.

It is clear, that in reading the above scripture that two different types of love are used, one to describe far reaching examples of dedicated action, and One that goes much beyond the reach of human ability, the Agape Love that the Apostle Paul is speaking of is a deeper and wider source of love than man, with his own ability, could ever bring to fruition.

So can we move mountains, or prophesy, or feed the poor, or even give our life to be burned, and still have not this Agape Love? Yes. For this 'beyond human strength' Love comes only from the Father, and can pass through us to others, but not be manufactured by us. So it's not hard to tell that this is a special, most elevated, type of Love; Agape.

Let us continue in the same chapter, starting with verse four.

_Love suffers long and is kind, Love does not envy; Love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the Truth; bears all things, believes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will fail; where there are tongues, they will cease; where there is knowledge, it will vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a mirror, dimly, but then face to face...And now abide faith, hope, and Love, these three, but the greatest of these is Love_.

These verses start with what Love is, and then continues into what it is not, and then, again, returns to what Love is. If we compare what we were taught is love, to that which these verses express as Love, then one may see that there is a vast difference between the two, and we are speaking about Agape Love. Can the lower two levels of love betray its' self as rude, selfish, envious, parading, or be puffed up? The answer might be yes. But with the kind of Love that God Loves us with, Agape, this hasn't, doesn't, nor will it ever happen, for His Love is superior to the manufactured love that man has fallen too. These verses also denote that man has stayed himself on the lower level of immaturity when speaking about what we do as youthful in the things of God, but also expresses what happens when these childish levels; are overcome. The difference between the two levels is as if a dark colored glass was held between us and the Life we could see, but when that which is Perfect comes, the true Agape love, then that same glass becomes clear, and only then, and not until then, shall we see Life as it really is. WOW!!

It's not that some have missed this enlightenment, but virtually all of us has; we all see through that glass dimly, but the perfection of God is when Love prevails over all things, therefore all knowledge, prophesy, and tongues will have no further use, and be done away with, individually, leaving only the Love of God in us. For only Love alone can conquer all things.

In fact, Jesus, more or less, did away with all ten of the commandments, by condensing all that God wants into the two that he left us with; _to Love the Lord your God with all your..., and to Love your neighbor as yourself_. For it is impossible to Love your neighbor, much less God, more than you can love yourself, and I'm not talking about that lower level selfish love, for the level that love has developed within us is the only kind of love that is beheld, therefore the definition, from what we've been taught of love is far inferior to the true Love that we can Love ourselves in, as God also Loves us with. So if we truly love ourselves with the Love that God Loves us with, then, and only then, is loving yourself not selfish, therefore leaving us with the true ability to Love God, and our neighbor.

We already have been offered true faith, hope and Love, but most likely it is still unrealized, for all three already abide; but the greatest of these is Agape love, that covers a multitude of sin, and can never fail. For if there were a way to express what God is, or what He desires for us, the sum total of it all will be LOVE. Love in its entirety consumes everything that is below it, which happens to be everything.

True Agape Love cannot conceive disappointment, ill-feelings, resentment, bitterness, strife, or envy; for this same Love overrides all selfish motives; IT IS PURE.

When Jesus asked us to lay down our life, a purposed act, and follow Him, and this being done, only then can we grasp that perfect Love that has always been offered by our Lord.

Love, and how it's been proposed, and especially by those of the high seats of the 'church', is completely misleading all that buy-into-it. God is Spirit, and those that abide in Him are known through the Spirit and commune one with the other, for there is no trying, in the Spirit of God, it is our unnatural, natural ability. For what else can come thru us, if not by Love? At least for those that have laid down the 'old man', and followed Him.

Again, Love is not a feeling, although it may manifest itself, once in a while that way, for love branches itself in many different directions, but always with one Truth. If we say we love, but hate our neighbor, or if we say we love, but have not tender Mercy, or, if we proclaim our love, and yet show no humility to those that the world thinks doesn't deserve it; then we are yet liars and speak as children. The Love of God, whether it forwards from Him or through us, is always kind, caring, gentle, and consistently thoughtful, it never struts itself, nor is it ever overbearing, for Love is longsuffering and endures without limits from a pure heart.

So let us look at ourselves, and we all need to inventory this true being of Spirit that lives within, and the outward man also, and see that generations of men who didn't have this Agape love, pretended they did, but through cleaning out our own skeletons, can determine if we too have been duped. Now I ask this question. Are we also passing that same example of love one to another? Therefore continuing this false belief that Love sometimes fails, for in truth Love never fails, nor does Love need to be propped-up; it stands on its own; or can we move to the next level where every sin is covered by Love?

In the first few chapters of Revelations is the last that we hear of the word Love used, and it leaves us with: _" Nevertheless I have this against you, you have left your first Love."_ And only a few verses later does He leave us with these words: _" As many as I Love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent."_ And remember that repent means to change the way we think, it's a whole new way of thinking, and comes only thru _the mind of Christ_.

In this case, I'm asking that we unmask ourselves, and come out of this denial that came from the repetitive behaviors of many of our forefathers. Look within, the place that the Kingdom lives as told to us by Christ, and find the true REST, and comfort that He has already given to us, but hidden under all those many habits of the past. The Love is there, it is within each person, but hidden under many masks that we have placed, one on top of the other, until the true being of man is lost through this shuffle of life. Not really lost; but, it just hasn't been found yet.

The scripture in Matthew twenty-one says: _" And whosoever falls upon this Rock,"_ (the Truth of Christ), _" will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."_ These words are not speaking bad about anything that the 'whosoever' is, or will be done to them; but contrary, is speaking of an awakening, a growth, a change in the way they, or we, view things from a Godly perspective. We have a choice. We, as an individual, can choose to fall upon Christ, the Rock, abide in His chastisements, the learning curve of His Truth and Love, or we can live in this denial, which will grind our flesh, thoughts, and ideas to powder. If one would call this action from God, wrath, then this wrath becomes a blessing that will bring the one falling, into an intimate relationship with the Father thru His Christ. It can happen now. _" For every knee shall bow, and every tongue shall confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord."_ It's either now or then.

Love can never be used up, for the more we give it away, the more we possess of its gift. Although the recipient of Love gains in every way, the giver gains even more.

## It's about Time

God is timeless, for He is eternal with no beginning, nor is there any end, and God's Ways and Thoughts are not our ways and thoughts, for he alone is Creator, and we are His creation. Time is a period with limits, and is fundamentally linked to change and movement, it is a dimension, and is not hard to understand that God is not limited to, nor is His presence bound to its parameters. So, the way I see it, is that God gave us a division between day and night, measures of distance in speed, thus giving us on earth a relative term of comparison. It is quite obvious that Gods' presence is also in a dimension other than ours on earth, and He is not infused to only that in which we have on this planet, and since God is not subject to the containment of the boundaries of our time, then it is conceivable that all time is relative; but not to our Creator. Just like the Sabbath was made for man, a time in the space of man, the seventh day, so time is also given to us by Him. It is a tool that we use to divide things on this earth to a relative point; time. So, although God needs not our time, nor is He constrained to it; we in the flesh, depend on it for perspective.

Whether one read a thousand years ago, or reading the same verse today, the timeless statement is; _" today is the day, and now is the time..."_

The time that is given to us is used in construction or destruction of the growth of mankind. We can partake in the tree of knowledge of good and evil, or we can cling thru faith to the Tree of Life; God has given us this day in time to choose. The whole of mankind has already chosen the tree of knowledge, but I'm now speaking about our individual rights; we can now seek, even cling, to the Tree of Life. Since God is referred to as the Great I AM, then it is also obvious that He does not operate in the 'I was', nor in the 'I will be', for He is the Holiest of all presence; God is today, the present, and will continue in this day no matter how many days are yet to come.

We look upon, and count time, and rely on it, as an 'everyday' normal part of our lives, and as flesh men it is, but God counts this day as the only day, for His presence is always here and now, today is His "time of Promise." And though this time may be of suffering, or even rejoicing, both or either, it is there for the fulfillment of his promise to us, to bring us to the comfort of His relationship with us. _For the apostle Paul wrote in Romans: "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us, for the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God."_ Which we now are, and the time also is now, for the earnest has been paid by Christ, therefore, although many do wait, we no longer have to wait, we are the sons of God, and for those that can accept this, there is no more waiting; it is now. The world, expecting a sign, waiting for that acceptance, no longer has to wait, for the gift of the adoption as sons, has already been made, and those that see this can stand up and be counted among them. It's not that this will happen some day in the future, or beyond the blue, nor the 'hereafter, but is available now. For time demands that that time can never be amended, now that God gave us this gift of being His sons, for that which has been done is now unchangeable; (First John:3), _" now we are the children of God,"_ we are sons.

If we could but see ourselves with just a miniscule piece of the sight God uses, then we know that this Life that He has given us starts now, and no one has to wait for the 'here-after' to enter. Waiting was a strategy given by our forefathers of 'religion' to keep many in control with their reins, or so they thought. Christ has already set and made us free, and it's about time that His voice is heard. If, " _we perish from lack of knowledge ",_ and we are perishing, then this simple Truth will set us free from these many years of bondage that all of us have to wait for our next life for the fulfillment of His Gift; it is already ours.

It is about time to break away from this rhetoric of religion, and quit depending on these so-called men of the cloth to tell how, or what to think. The Scriptures will open themselves up to anyone that will knock, will ask, or seeks His Truth, we are all a royal priesthood, and need not to depend on me, or anyone else that claim they hold the only truth, for God alone is TRUTH, and we need no other but Him.

In Revelations it says that babylon will fall, and it will, and if not in the entire world, it can fall within each and every person that wants their blinders taken off, and to my way of observing, it's about time for it to crumble. We have claimed to be His people, and we are, so is it now time to tear down the 'strong holds' of the misinformation that has come from these manufactured pulpits, and allow God to change the way we think? Remember, repentance means to change the way of our thinking. Many of us are called by His name, so why wouldn't we think that it's about time to allow for our land to be healed thru faith and humility? All one has to do is turn from our ways, which God calls wicked, and seek His face praying, humble ourselves, and turn to Him instead of our own devices.

It's about time to lay down our own life and follow Him, and turn from these ways that seems right, but in fact, is contrary to the written Word. It's about time to give up on this 'form of godliness', and cease from denying God's power, and to be transformed by Him from within, _to be that chosen generation, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation_ of the cooperate sons of God.

God has never turned away from His people, not even those that have gone astray, nor has He ever denied them second or third chances, for His Grace is immeasurable; but it's about time to put away our toys and expect this whore, 'the mother of all harlots' to fall; and if not world-wide, fall within our individual hearts. We are already his children, already been given the full package from Him, not that we will be, but we already are the sons of the living God; eternity starts now.

In Isaiah 29 it sums what I speaking on very fluently, so as we read, let's see if it's about time to turn this message loose on a large group of people that are called by His name. _" Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths, and honor Me with their lips, but have remove their heart far from Me, and their fear for Me is taught by the commandments of men. Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, a marvelous work and wonder; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent shall be hidden. Woe to those that seek deep to hide their council far from the Lord...They say, who sees us, and who knows us. Surely you have things turned around"._

These people that are spoken about, and spoken to, are the same folks that are called by His name, and don't let this text be taken as Gods' eternal Word to the people of old, for it is for our generation, and now is the time to hear, for those that have ears to hear. These verses speaks of the outward service, and outward words of men in the pretext of speaking for God, or on His behave; as has been tolerated in these man-made structures that we call 'church'. It is being done on a world-wide scale, and done for so long, that we, as were scribes and pharisees, have fallen into the same trance, and accepted these conjured-up rituals, invented by the minds of men, and passed on as pleasing to God, but in truth, are a far cry from the will of our Father. These so-called worship services are not pleasing to God, and never will be, for many make clean the outside of our vessel, while the inside is still filled with dead men's' bones; this carnal service of our flesh has no value to the Spirit of God. They are no more than the commandments of men, and are not hidden from our Father who sees the heart.

Again, it is clear to see that it's about time for many to rise up, and take a stand, turning from the accepted wickedness of the flesh, and see with eyes that can see, and hear with ears that can hear what the Spirit is saying among this generation. God cannot be contained in a box, nor within the walls of these boxes with a steeple, nor in the box of time; and although God works occasionally within these confines, His presence is far broader than the trivialness of these institutionalized strongholds, or even the allotted time that we give Him. For eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the hearts of flesh man, what God has in store for each of us today. But mankind, being mankind, that is to say fleshly, has been predators to capture as many parishioners as can be had to satisfy their own agendas of the ego.

## About the Author

Maybe this would be a good time to stop and tell of a little of the history of myself. Although I may have been accused of being nuts, the few that know me, know different, for God began a work in me many years before I understood His presence.

Only by looking back to my youth can I now see and understand that the cradle of Gods' awareness was with me from the beginning, but little was I aware of it then. I remember, as a young teenager, that an inner voice continued to tell me that I was to be set apart from the main stream of society, and be a voice as one crying from the wilderness; John the Baptist was frequently on my mind.

I spent several years in the world, being a part of it, engrossed and fascinated with all that it could offer. There was very little that I could have done, that I didn't do; I tried most everything that was stupid, at least once. I remember saying that the only things I didn't do, were those that I just didn't think of; for back then, I had but few limits.

As a young child, and up through my teenage years, I was dropped off at Sunday school, and the service that followed. The only times that I enjoyed 'vacation Bible school' was when they fed us ice-cream afterwards. Out of all the kids in my age group, and with all the years of the leaders teaching us, I could see no difference in anybody's behavior, no matter how many 'stars of approval' we were given; none of it ever took hold. My parents lived a life that seemed Godly, and strict were their rules, but little mention of God, good or bad, was ever heard; but they were good parents and raised us to have morals. Back in the fifties and sixties, life was a lot less complicated, for even the 'big wheels' and skate boards were unheard of; but we still managed to make life as complicated as possible.

At the age of twenty-five, after being married for about three years, and having our first child, I came to have a personal relationship with God thru His Christ, and this was the first realized beginning of how God could put so many matters together, without my knowing he was doing so, and the seed planted earlier by Him now began to come, just barely, together; but it came and my growth had begun.

I'm sure that most of us can look back and see things of our past that were thought of then as insignificant, but instead now view them as 'I wouldn't want to tackle this world without that experience', a great blessing. I had many of these experiences, and most of them came from my foolishness, but are now viewed as platforms, or stages, from which much growth has been had, and hopefully much more to come, as I remember those yesteryears. Several years ago I wrote an autobiography with many of the knuckleheaded adventures, and mishaps of the strain of growing up called "The Man Within" that spoke about how they, the silly antics of a stupid child, provoked me into eventual adulthood, and how they had come together to position me to an observance of the transparency of these silly games people play, and call it 'church'.

In the late seventies, fully involved in 'church', excited about the things God was doing in my life, I occasionally took to the pulpit to preach and testify of the sights and sounds that God was giving me; it was a wonderful experience. One of the messages, that on more than several occasions, were shared, but was felt and received by me of the Lord was; 'the 'church' is the only institution or organization on earth that kills their wounded'. Now at the time that this was spoken, I had but little understanding of what it meant, but knew, even then, that this message was to be proclaimed, but it still took many years before it was transformed within me into a truth that was easily seen.

Even in my early years I had a zeal for the Lord, and wanted to know as much as I could about Him. Being young and independent, all that I knew to do was group myself with a body of 'believers', and like a sponge, absorb all I could about this potential Life with the Lord and His son Jesus; I was very much excited, but still a little confused. Preachers and teachers loved having a student like me around and took it as an opportunity to give me all the great wisdoms that they themselves possessed, and I was under the wing of many folks. I guess this was when I learned that there is no consensus among any, even in the same body of 'believer', which only added to my misperception; but God was speaking to me also, but as a man in his twenties, I was to learn from my elders.

Now I'm not saying that any of these folks didn't believe, for I'm sure they did, but after several years of this tutoring, I came to the understanding that they were as misguided as the stuff that was going on in my head, for they each gave me what they had, but it was still the blind leading the blind. With the way that people understood the things of God, it wasn't hard to see that the harmony among them was as elusive to them as it was for those that didn't care about the things of God. When trying to explain something to me, no two could come together, and it was as if they felt like something had to be said for an answer, even if they didn't really believe it, but was passing on what was taught to them; it come out as rhetoric and many times contrary to scriptures. Flags were beginning to go up in my head, signals of warning, so I spent the next years in prayer, still involved in the 'church', but focused on God's Word for understanding instead of the learned men of 'cemetery school'. (I know how to spell it, but it now makes better sense this way.) The Holy Spirit that knows all things teaches all things; these were the words that were given to me.

One day, while in communion with the Lord, sitting on my front porch, and as my mind began being silent, the Lord came to me in a gentle softness that overtook my thoughts.

He said in a quiet voice of a caring gentleman; Ross, I want you to forget everything that you've been taught.

My first thought was a reaction; "but Lord, all that has been taught to me cannot all be wrong. I was even taught that Jesus is Lord."

"Ross, it isn't; not all that was taught is necessarily wrong, it's just that I want to teach you."

And that was the end of this conversation, and really, it took several years of being quiet and listening before it was understood, and only then did I begin to realize what God had in store for me.

Many years did I spent in the 'church', some teaching, some preaching, but all of them was spent learning in the same ratio that I would allow myself to listen as the Lord continued to reach me thru all the rhetoric that I was willing to give up.

Scripture was beginning to be revealed, as each day was started with; Lord, you said that if any lacked wisdom, you would freely give to those that ask; I'm asking.

I had no idea where all this was going, and I had no agenda, for all I wanted, was to know His Way and Truth, His Life; and it started coming, sometimes in spurts, and sometimes in waves; and every time it was revealing a new and complete surprise. I began to see early that the formats and programs that the 'mainstream church' were using to bring in the masses with their appeal to the flesh. People, in those years, were joining in droves, and many of the 'mega-churches' were being born, but even the small and country 'churches' were seeing a great incline of folks added to their charted membership. Through trial and error, a platform was established, a program of success, a method that many seemed to have accepted, and thus fallen into; it had then been elevated to a 'show'. It was then that the 'full gospel' took off as they seemed to have a deeper meaning to the fullness of Gods' Word; so it seemed. It is probably true that the 'full gospel' leaders had found a deeper value about the Life that God was sharing with us, but still stopped short of the meaningful, uninhabited relationship, that God had provided for us thru His son Jesus.

It was about this time, in the seventies, that many broke away from the traditionalist and began flocking to what was then untraditional; thus many home groups were born. These home groups knew that the 'church' couldn't provide them with this newly accepted offered life and relationship, but they too were seduced to the same formats under a different disguise; for they continued in the same ritualistic systems; and with a leader at the head, and the same formalities of praying, singing, praying again, taking up offerings, singing another song, then praying once more, began their service under the same fashion and bondage that really never did work with all those that preceded them, but what else could they do, according to the flesh, that's all that they had ever been taught in these past centuries. And I too fell into these systems for a while, but soon learned that they too, at best, could only appeal to the flesh; for they too wore thin on releasing people to have an intimate individual relationship with the King of all kings.

I don't fault anyone in this process, nor do I fault myself, for each of us seems to have to do it wrong, to find out what doesn't work; and it wasn't working. This same captivity was portrayed in the movie "Shawshank Redemption", based on a book by Stephen King. Brooks, a man that had been in prison for fifty years, was finally freed on probation and sent into a world that he'd not conceived had existed; and he couldn't make-it, and not having the mentality to survive, he took his own life. Some years later his friend Red was also released into this same world that he knew little about. Red also came close to taking his own life, or maybe committing a crime that would place him back into the only life that he had ever known, but thru a set of circumstances by his friend Andy, took a leap of faith and pulled thru. These were institutionalized people that lived inside a set of bars, and rules, that dictated their lives from the time they awoke in the morning until they awoke again the next day. When they first arrived at the prison, the bars and rules were hated, but after some years, they began to get use to them, and as the years lingered on, they each began to depend on that, which a few decades earlier, were so hated; they were institutionalized. The gates and bars that held them captive had little hold on them in comparison to the institutionalization of doing the same things day after day. The narrowed life that they were placed in, with its repeated behaviors, and limited views, held them hostage to a lifestyle that is extremely hard to break.

Andy had to crawl through hundreds of yards of human excrement for his freedom; Red, after accepting that he was cursed by the stupid act of his youth, was released. Though it took endurance and perseverance, the two men found their freedom by a hope that life was bigger than the walls of humanity that were built around them; WE CAN BE FREE. WE HAVE BEEN EMANCIPATED, not by president Lincoln, BUT BY GOD.

I think that most of us could inventory our own lives, and look honestly at the walls that were either built before us, or by us, and see that these same walls, these prisons of whatever sort, are just a façade, a thin harassing veneer of superficial containments that keep us from living in the freedom that God has provided thru His son Jesus. It's not just that we can be free, we already are; but the institutionalization of our way of thinking has limited us to only that which we allow our eyes to see, we have limited ourselves to the five senses.

Can you see the parable in the above story?

The Kingdom of God is within each, and Jesus was specific to teach us just that, but if our vision is confined to that which was taught by the leaders of this so-called 'church', then those same bars that kept us so bound to their rules and regulations, can be destroyed by the simple touch of faith; we are already free. Jesus came once, and He came for all; the price has already been paid, and no other debt is owed, and if we can get through this rhetoric of working by our hands and mind, and understand that none can earn this great Gift, then all that's left is Christ freed from the cross, and sits at the right hand of the Father, which is in your heart.

I too was trapped in the accepted system of religion, but only for a short while; it was then that God began to answer the prayers of this knuckle headed guy that just wanted the plain truth. Revelation after revelation began to flow as I had a long lists of questions; each one just didn't seem to add up to the explanations that the leaders were giving, but God was faithful. In fact, several times, the enlightenments were coming faster than this immature being could handle.

I wanted to know what was meant by dying daily; what did it mean that we are healed by His stripes? What was that mill-stone that was thrown into the sea? Why did Jesus wash the feet of His disciples, or why Moses had to take his sandals off on that mountain? Who was the sower, and what were the seeds? How could God proclaim a great Love for every person, but according to doctrine, had great wrath upon them? Who is this church of the Laodiceans', that we were all taught was such a bad group, but is quite evident that Christ cherished them with hope and promises? The list goes on and on, and the answers began to come at a rate that the mind had no opportunity to grasp; it was a wonderful experience.

It seemed that the more that I settled into the teaching of Gods' Word, the more I was separated from those 'in the know'. Some of this, by their choice, some by mine, but the two couldn't be contained in the same jar, so-to-speak. Virtually no one was going to let some 'pip-squeak' mess up their 'sand-box', and the separation began; but at the time, I didn't know it; I was too busy just loving the Love that flowed thru Him.

There was a time, after some persecution, that I was feeling unworthy and inadequate, but was then, shown by God, that He chose for His disciples, the low-life's, the thugs, the dirty, all of those that were unacceptable by the 'mainstream', to give the inner secrets of His Kingdom to.

Sometime in the mid-nineties, still starving in the Sunday meetings, the call came to me from God to come out of this fleshly, man-made structure, and follow His Christ only. I was to completely change the way I thought (repent) and to open my life to the Spirit, and allow Him to show me Gods' Way, Truth, and Life. The burden of the inadequate and traditional ways of our forefathers' misunderstandings had been lifted. There were still times of wanting, like the Israelites, to run back to the addictions of the past, and twice I did just that, but each instance that I did go back, was reminded that these people shut God out of their services with their preplanned formulas of worshipping with the flesh. After that second time of wavering, I understood clearly that God wanted His people to be let go.

It was then that a light bulb, so to speak, was turned on, and again, the daily manna fell from heaven to feed me with its fresh revelations. I was still in the wilderness, but now I was being led by a Cloud by day, and a Glow by night, and my walk was purging me from the 'old man'within.

I wrote a book called "The Man Within" that can be seen on the web that is the complete autobiography of this same author. It is a little funny, or could say strange, but it tells about how I found the man that lived within this odd being.

## A Famine of the Truth

God said that his people are perishing from lack of knowledge, and the many that proclaim that they're in charge, and us buying-into-it, with all their formulas and intelligence, makes His statement true; many are literally starving to death. The masses are being told that the great stronghold of satan will send them to hell, producing a group of folks running to escape instead of running to the Love of God. And when they continuously preach about the dark side, and its guts and gore; aren't they spreading a form of worship in the wrong direction? I've always heard all of my life that one will become that in which they hate, or at least dwell on. And if Jesus has already made every enemy His footstool, and He has, then can someone really have the ability to name my enemy? I think not. Are we to come to Christ, and His Truth, by the vehicle of fear? Or is it the Love that's shed and spread throughout every molecule of space that draws us into His bosom? Of a truth, fear is a motivator, but it's Love that holds us steady and on course.

For more than several decades the 'church' leaders have known that their attendance was going down, and therefore their coveted tithes, and many-a-conclaves and round-table meeting has been held to combat it, and instead of preaching the Truth, they have developed scores of programs and schematics to capture the attention of those that are still young in Christ, therefore leaving many hungry for the void in their heart to be filled. Not all wakes are destructive, but the wake of these man-made schemes, and the egotistical thoughts of the mind are; and at a price that no-one with the mind of Christ wants. We can forward our own inventions, or the Kingdom, but not both from the same source.

When someone forms a committee, has an idea and presents a program to those under him or her, and then using techniques to make sure that their egos are not let down, and they think that they can sell a drowning man a cup of water, stir up a people into believing that this is from God, and will please Him, but all it really is, is their fear of failing, thus overriding the righteousness of God. All these silly plays and programs might have worked for a while, but people will always be people, they want the Truth, and they want the void within each and every man to be filled with the Peace of God; and these formulas haven't, and will never work, for that void can only be filled with the presence of our Christ. And I'm not speaking about knowing about Him, but actually having an intimate relationship with Him.

Consistent patterns and formulas of false teachings, and the years it took for the masses to buy into it, has brought about a diversity of inconsistencies that have most folks confused; some of the disorders are called denominations. With our freedom of religion, which I endorse, means that anyone with any formula has the right to lay down a foundation of their choice, and find as many would-be follows as possible, and promote their form of godliness; and that is exactly what has happened. Those that had the biggest stick, the greater power of influence and muscle, and willingness to use it against any who oppose them are now one of the denominations that rank at the top; we all know who they are. In the past, many lives were lost and taken by those that opened the womb at the birth of this man-made creation; it certainly wasn't of or from God, it was all man, but, as a whole, we bought into it.

Can you imagine a man, wanting heaven, thinking he'll get there on the back-bone of being a catholic, or a baptist, or methodist, or presbyterian, or any other main-stream, or non-main-stream religion? Thinking about it, no one would answer yes; but in fact, millions think that way, or they're not thinking at all, for these vehicles of religion have been ridden for centuries for just that purpose; that my friends, is exactly what this consistent and long-term indoctrinations have done to Gods' people. So, I hope, it now begins to be understood why God is calling His people to pray, seek His face, and turn from this wickedness, that a people would be healed, forgiven, thus enlightened into the arms of a forgiving and loving God.

There are tens of thousands of 'preachers' out there that have observed what has worked in the past, or so it seems, and followed the same patterns of the congregations of those that proceeded them have already tried and tested. What I'm speaking on is the attempt to involve and capture as many parishioners as possibly with their schemes and programs of appealing to the flesh. This, the tactics, are not something new, nor is it uncommon among preachers, and although many are sincere, the normalcy and acceptability these acts of the carnal flesh are so customary, that most think them to be recognized as a godly way of entertainment, and pleasing to God; but they are not. Just because it seems that many have gotten away with these ploys of trickery, others do the same things, believing it will also build their own self-centered status among their peers. If a youth group is started so the 'church' can continue their growth far into the future, and do it by capturing these young folks with fun and games, how is God served? If we make a big-deal out of mothers' day, or fathers' day, with the flowers of praises, and the acknowledgements of appreciation, how can we justify that God is being worshipped instead of the abilities of man in his flesh? We can't, these are all methods to build up man with praises and honor at the expense of true worship to the only God that all thanksgivings belong. The true Church, the called-out-ones of God, might make mistakes, and we probably make them often, but when understood that that which we're doing is not pleasing to the Father, will lay down our own thoughts and ways to follow He that is worthy, for each will readily confess our mistakes, grow from it, and then move closer to the Lord.

It shames me to see that our deserving God has been brought to a human level of foolishness. It was not by accident that the Lord left us with the scriptures of chastisements, which are really blessings for our benefit if heeded. This process of the recklessness of our behavior, and the selfishness of men in leadership have created an acceptance among their own peers, but have polluted the throne of God, at least in their world, and it is now time that 'the called-out-ones', those that love God more than self, come out from among 'her'. The people, world-wide, are starving for the Truth of the Lord, for this famine is the creation of man. What does; 'if My people that are called by My name' mean? Are we not called by His name, or is this verse only talking about the other guy? I know that human nature wants to imitate and live up to the examples of those in their chosen vocation, but the misled vocations of the 'leaders of the church' are but small fragments and are not what Jesus was building upon His Rock. His Church, the called out ones, are built in faith, not works; we are built with Love, not strife and envy; we are built in hope, not wishing for the advancements of the flesh and the power and prestige that has been so coveted.

Jesus' true Church is the Rock of stability and Love, not tossed by every wave of contention, for it, His Church, seeks to be founded in Truth. When a flood comes pushing against His Rock, it will not move, nor does it attack the waters that try to dislodge it, but instead, prays for its' enmities, those that are hostile to her, that speak contrary to it, and when evil arrives, prepares a supper in the midst of it; for Gods' people are established on this unwavering Truth.

The body of Christ, which is us that follow, is a many membered body, fitly joined together, with a diversity of gifts that work in harmony one with the other. Some are fed with milk, and others can eat meat, but all work together as one with Christ as the Head. There is no contention, and nobody starves, for each of us feed on the Truth from where each is at, and there are no big people, nor little people in the true Church. When a brother or sister strays from the truth, we are there to place our arms around them, to maybe show them a better way, to teach them with love the better things of God; but will not, because they are wounded, destroy any part of their growing relationship with the Lord.

Let me tell you a true story that happened in a western state during the early seventies. There was a couple that had been married for more than a few years, they loved each other, but were seemingly growing apart to some degree, maybe call it a mid-life crisis. The husband was having trouble finding himself, and didn't quite know who he was, struggled to find himself. One night he robbed a store, and some days later, was caught, and placed in jail; he began to ponder. During his routine of life, working, managing the affairs of the home, being a husband, somehow lost himself in the shuffle of life. But being in jail gave this man the opportunity to stop and take a deeper look; he didn't like what he saw, but was glad he saw it. His priorities were mixed up, and did not feel he was recognized by any in this fast moving life that was supposed to be on his side, and rebelled against it.

Later, the man's trial was held, he was found guilty, which he was, and sentenced to five years in prison. At this same time he was reevaluating his own life, so was the wife. She too saw that this world offered something it couldn't give, and had spent most of her life chasing it, and finally saw that the world didn't have the answer that it claimed it did; she was coming to herself in this same quite time.

Both of them were hungry and thirsty for the rich things of life, but hadn't a clue as to what it was, and hadn't even recognized that something was missing until all the noise of the world was gone; for they both were sitting quietly by themselves, him there and her at home.

Years earlier they both went to church looking for that 'something', but not, as yet, knowing that the 'something' that was missing, was even missing; but they both silently knew things weren't exactly right. They had lived to the standards that were customary for clean living, except for this desperate act of the husband, and although their values were mostly in order, they still yet knew something was missing, and until this time without the clatter of life, did they both come to the understanding that their life wasn't full.

So as the wife sat lonely and with much time on her hands, she continued to evaluate her marriage, her home, and her husband that had done this foolish act, in fact her whole life. And after more than a few weeks of pondering decided that the above mentioned was worth every effort to salvage, so she made a plan.

What she had done, was to chain herself to a metal light pole in front of the jail where her husband was incarcerated, and was to stay there until he was set free, for she now knew that her marriage, home, and life was meaningless without this man beside her. Determined, the wife was bound by the chains of her past, for the hope of opportunity that they again could start all over with these changed attitudes. Night and day she was bound to the cold metal pole without provisions of comfort, not to mention food and drink.

At first the passers-by would gawk, laugh, and humiliate the determined wife, and thought her to be totally out of her mind to pull such a stunt; but she persevered. Every morning and each evening, when the pedestrian traffic was the busiest, she was there still fastened to that hunk of cold steel, tolerating the jeers of the many folks that would shout their slurs of indignations, but at night it was a little more bearable.

After several weeks of the side-walk traffic, and the insensitive verbal stones that were being thrown, the wife stood her ground and the disgraces and tones seemed to have eased-off. It was mostly the same people that walked that same path each day, either going to work or coming back, plus the regular folks that did their daily shopping, that witnessed this lady's prolonged agenda against the correction system. But as of now the affronts from these witnesses were slowing in decibels and the rage, that at first were almost intolerable, but now, in spite of the cold nights, were easing off, but not much.

As the weeks passed, the wife still tied to that metal light pole, and still in her turmoil of the issue of a missing husband, noticed that every day the taunts were getting less and less, in fact, a few would occasionally stop and talk with her. The same people that thought her completely insane, would now sympathize slightly with her, but still thought she was nuts, and were ever-so-slightly looking at her life thru empathy; for at least they could now visualize from where this woman was coming from. The more the weeks passed, the more that people would stop and talk with her, and the situation that at first was critical, was now called a dilemma, and even a few seemed to hurt for her. But this circumstance appeared to have no real effect on the judicial system at which it was aimed; she just wanted to have her man freed and brought back to the arms of a changed wife.

It's now obvious to the reader that this state of affairs was slowly changing, for as time passed, the thoughts of the daily side-walk crowd was also evolving into a compassion for her, instead of the cruel remarks of those of many weeks ago, she began to make friends, and by-in-by, she did make many friends. At times someone would sit with her thru the night, and several would gather in the day, they were there as a support to a woman that had seemed to have lost everything, or at least, all that was now important to her; even the newspapers began a daily diary on her struggles. It was not long after this that a petition was put in place to have the husband of this woman freed, for at this time many believed that both he and she were sincere and rehabilitated, not just hundreds, but thousands signed the petition and was then presented to the mayor's office.

It didn't take long after the mayor had gotten this strong response that he was moved with compassion, and took action to set this woman's husband free.

Now, if you can imagine that just this one single person could have this much effect on a whole community of folks, and her doing it virtually by herself, and through persistence and longevity, completely changed the way the town was thinking; then is it hard to understand how centuries of teaching of the wrong so-called gospel, (the teaching that does not align with the Word of God), could influence our whole world? And if one person had this much power, then how much more so did the 'great church leaders' have over those in times pass; and why so many bought into it? Repetition is like brainwashing, it becomes familiar after a while, and, we have all been fed a dose of a man-made religion that started in the early part of the first millennium.

Yes, it was started by men that had but little knowledge of the character of Christ, and certainly not being led by the Holy Spirit, but enough knowledge that, with their authority, could force their self-agenda on the many that wanted a relationship with the King of kings. Of course I'm not speaking of the apostles or any of those that really did have a close encounter with Jesus, but those that came afterwards envying for the same power of authority.

What this lady, from the story told, could do, was an established understanding of the men of old; if you can say it long enough, institute it as truth through the unity of those around them, and have a fleshly power group to back it up; eventually, it will be authenticated as truth, therefore accepted as truth; and that is exactly what began in the early years. Jesus Christ is building His Church upon the Rock, which is the foundation of Love; loving God, and loving our neighbor, and by faith we can put Him in charge, even when the circumstances dictate that it's not reasonable. God is Good, and He's Good all the time, even when we can't, as yet, see the end results; therefore it is our faith in God when the understanding is not there that establishes the intimacy of our walk with Him.

We live in a world that's starving to have the inner being of each of us fed with something other than that of this world, or for that matter, other than the misguided truths of the 'church'. All of us want that inner void fulfilled with what it was meant to receive, and that is the Love of God and our dependency upon Him. Without the fulfillment of Christ taking His throne in the designed place of our heart, we will always feel empty. This emptiness has been attempted to be satisfied, through the centuries, with the replacements of what this world has to offer, and also, with what the fleshly 'church' says it's offering; but it doesn't work, nor will it ever work, for only when Christ can take His rightful throne in our heart will the void disappear.

The above story can give us an insight of how tradition and long term observance of a wrong act will slowly and subtly condition us to accept something as normal, when in fact it is completely out of place, but we know of nothing else than that of which we're accustomed too. If the Truth was being preached, would the famine be world-wide? Of course it wouldn't. If the 'church' had what it says it has, then why does so many hunger and then try to replace, in the heart, where the voids sits, with the things, people, hobbies, jobs, relationships, and a vast number of other stuff, all of which are counterfeits, with that which is TRUE and tested? It's because we weren't really taught the Truth with the power of the Holy Spirit that will truly affect our lives with substance. Jesus said that His Kingdom and His residence is in our heart, and that place has been reserved for Him, and Him alone, and no counterfeit will ever take His place; it's been tried too many times, and for too many years, for that to ever happen, for Jesus is the sole owner of our heart. So the famine continues, and until many will stand up and preach the gospel of the Kingdom, will it ever happen that He can take His rightful place in the sons of the living God; us?

## The Two Trees

I'd like to stop and take a look at both trees that were planted in the Garden of Eden, and what each represents to us today. This same author wrote a book titled "The Two Trees Within" and went into a deeper depth of their meanings, but for right now I'd like to just touch on this subject.

God, after planting the garden, and placing man, whom He had formed, into it, was showing us, and every generation, that to live in triumph or defeat was a choice, at least at the beginning; so let's look at Genesis two and see what was said, and remember this was all taking place after the seventh day that God rested.

Verse 7: _And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathe into his nostrils the breath of Life; and manbecame a living being, (some translations say soul). The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food. The tree of Life was also planted in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil... Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden you may eat freely; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. And the Lord God said, it is not good that man should be alone, I will make him a helper comparable to him... She shall be called woman... And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed._

This scripture was not just preserved and given to us as a history of what took place in the beginning of time, but what is actually taking place inside of every man today. The Bible is written with far more significance and value than the literal meaning that lies on the surface; it is about us. It is the passage and evolution of every man that either walks with God, or tries to walk without Him, and is covered in this story of the garden; it's not only our history, but our present day journey of each that live today.

It was told to us that Adam walked with God, and their fellowship and relationship was as one with each other, and since we know that God is spirit, we can therefore derive that Adam also represents the spirit of man, the part that belongs to God, is God, and will never be taken from us, nor can it be taken. It's what makes every man in the similitude of God, and in His image, and all are in the similitude of God; none is left out, for we all are derived from this one man; Adam, which literally means man-kind.

Even though Adam was formed from the dust of the ground, which means carnal, God breathe into his being, life, which can be none other than eternal life; making him in the similitude of God, which is very much, like God. Now when I say like God, I don't mean equal to Him, but we were given parts of everything God possesses, for we were reminded in Romans eight that we are joint heirs with Christ. Adam, he was the personification of Christ, and referred to in scripture as the first Christ, but failed. Having been given by God all the elements of Himself, Adam was able to walk with God with complete union, even their thoughts and actions were united into one. The only restraint given to Adam (man-kind) was to not eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for in the day that he would eat, he shall surely die; all else he was free to partake in.

Adam, the spirit of man, was placed into the garden, and the fellowship that God and Adam had, could not be divided, they lived in perfect union with absolutely no barriers between them. But in time, how much time nobody knows, maybe years, maybe millenniums, God saw the man was lonely, and made him a helper, a woman that was compatible with him, his wife Eve.

Now if Adam is represented as our spirit, then Eve, his wife, is represented as the soul of man, and at the beginning they both walked in union with each other as one flesh, and together they both walked with God. There was no controversy or division between them; the soul followed the spirit, and our spirit was in harmony with the soul, they were truly one being walking with God in a land, the garden that was meticulously engineered by God, for both to dwell in; the Garden of Eden.

This series of scriptures were not given to us as just a history of what went on in the beginning, but what is also going on with each individual walking today. God designed our spirit and soul to walk together in agreement with each other, with no barriers amid the two; they were to truly be one, at least in the beginning, and also today. It was not two people that were walking on earth that were merely working together, but one flesh in complete harmony with one-another, and with God. This was the perfect set-up for man and God, and for-ever how long it lasted, it wasn't mentioned, but, then again, it could have been for millenniums, but we all know the end results. The union and oneness of their relationship, Adam and his wife, was fused tightly together as one, and also one with God; and there was no shame.

When scripture mentions that they were both naked, it wasn't to draw a picture of a scene in the garden, but to show us that there were no vices; and they were, and we still are, completely exposed without shame to the Father of creation. Being naked, in the symbolic way, is always a good position to accept, and without our nakedness, intimate relationships cannot exist, for the truth exposing us and is what keeps the openness, one with the other; being naked represents this.

Now let us continue in Genesis and see what else happened, chapter three. _Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, 'has God indeed said: you shall not eat of every tree in the garden?' And the woman said to the serpent, we may eat the fruit of every tree in the garden, but the fruit which is in the tree in the midst of the garden, God has said, you shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die. Then the serpent said to the woman, you will not surely die, for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked, and sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings._

Now if the woman represents the soul of man, and I believe it does, we can tell by the aforementioned verses that the soul is subject to the cunning practices of the world, in which the serpent is governor of, or at the least, the worldly wisdom of which it falsely believes and then embraces. The knowledge of good and evil is, therefore, not to belong to God and His Ways, but has been separated, and has to stand on its own. For the so-called truth that the serpent is trying to incorporate would not have to be sold through the devices of being cunning, for the wares that it sells has to be promoted and embellished before they can be believed; but for a fact, they were believed, and still are. The serpent is, allegorically, is the carnal mind of man, his thoughts and his reasoning.

I know that we have been taught differently, but the soul of man is our personality, character, demeanor, and temperament; it is what makes us a living soul. For an example, if we want a soulmate; aren't we wanting someone that meshes with the way our emotions have been set up? If a person is soulish, aren't we seeing them as selfish, or one that wants what feels good? Jesus didn't say that he commended His soul to the Father, on the cross, but He commended His Spirit. Our soul is what has been developed on this earth, and it is meant to be one with the spirit, but when acting in separation from the spirit, is where the trouble begins; which is exactly what happened with Eve in the garden, and us today.

Now the woman, without the understanding of good and evil, tries to have a conversation with the serpent, (the wisdom of good and evil), and is doomed at this point with the entity of vast knowledge. When asked a question, she responses. In fact, she said that they shall not eat of the tree of good and evil, which was spoken to her by God, but also said that they should not even look upon it, which God never said to them. I don't really know, but it sounds like she was trying to usurp a bit of intelligence, or maybe, wanting to be legalistic about the command from God, anyway, the last part of her answer wasn't given to her by the Lord. When the Lord was giving them all this freedom, and this one rule, He was speaking to them in a spiritual sense, in the Spirit, but Eve, being the soul, and probably not having the same relationship with God as Adam did, heard it in the flesh. So the serpent speaks back to her in the flesh, without lying, and appealing to her carnal mind, and says that you shall not surely die, which I guess in the flesh, makes some-sort of sense. And the serpent continues and says, still speaking to the flesh, that God doesn't want this to happen because it will open up your eyes, and you'll become then equal to him. But the emotions of mankind, being what they are, were tempted beyond their capabilities, and since the fruit looked so good, and she wanted to be wise; she ate of it, and gave also to her husband.

Even today we put great stock on the technology, education, and cunningness of man, to scratch out a living, and to show ourselves approved among our peers. The Apostle Paul told us to rightly divide the Word of Truth, and what was done then, and what we're doing today, which is the same thing, is not separating the flesh from the spirit, and that oil and water cannot mix; but we continue, unsuccessfully, to mix the two together.

Did they both surely die? Yes. They lost their relationship with the Creator, and struck out in their own independence, and now had to find their own way through life; so they sewed together fig leaves to hide their nakedness, and hid in the woods; of which neither worked; they were ashamed. For the spirit within them didn't die, but was then, by their choice, separated to some degree, but their flesh had now become mortal; which is far less devastating than losing their intimate relationship with God; which truly spells death; but in all practicality, when the soul was separated from the spirit of man, and also separated from the intimate relationship with God, they had surely died.

_Verse nine inchapter three: And they heard the sound of the Lord walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, where are you? So he said; I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked: so I hid myself. And God said; who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree which I commanded that you should not eat. Then the man said; the woman, whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate. And the Lord God said to the woman, what is this that you have done? The woman said, the serpent deceived me, and I ate...Then to Adam He said, because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree which I have commanded you, saying, you shall not eat of it. Cursed is the ground for your sake, in toil you shall eat of it..._

Even though Adam and his wife ate of the forbidden fruit, God did not leave, nor forsake them; but with their new found knowledge, and the shame that came upon them, they hid themselves among the trees, and the knowledge of the 'good' that they had now acquired, forced them to sew fig leaves together in hopes of hiding the shame of their nakedness; literally, they ran from the Lord God. I'm sure that God knew all along what had been happening, and in asking Adam questions, and wanting answers, it was not for His sake, but Adams'. The man in answering began again to use his new-found reasoning and knowledge to make excuses for what had happened. _The woman that you have given to me, she gave to me..._Blaming it on her. And the woman also, blamed it on the serpent. And this knowledge of good and evil was the consequences of trading-off their relationship, their very intimate relationship, with the Lord God; this was the beginning of the high price that was paid to be emancipated, but they did have their independence, but look at the cost.

Now today, each and every one of us are doing the same thing; we too have been seduced by the same mind of the serpent, clinging to the intelligence of man, and all his many tactics, in an effort to have both worlds; which cannot really happen. We will either _love one and hate the other, or else cling to one and despise the other_ , Our independence is a far-cry and inferiority to what we can have with an unobstructed relationship with the Father. All Adam, or we, have to do is; go back to the Tree of Life, which is also in our garden.

Then God said to the man, because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of good and evil, you will always toil in the flesh, which is represented as the ground. Now remember that the deeper meaning of the wife is the soul of man. Every man has the inner woman within him, and every woman has the inner man within her; the man is the part of us that knows God, and is one with Him, and the woman is the part that knows the thought of the spirit, but not the spirit itself, and embraces the emotions. Now when the two come together, as spoken about in Ephesians chapter five, then the marriage is complete, for they have become one being. Jesus also, when He was being tempted, had to place His soul, the emotional side of Him in order, before he could overcome the seductions of the devil (the mind). I know this is not what we've been taught thru the centuries of this man-made spectacle we call religion, for they want us to work for our approval towards God, but when His Word is rightly divided, and we can see with eyes that can see, and then we can understand what we're doing to ourselves.

Verse twenty one: _Also for Adam and his wife, the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them. Then the Lord God said, behold the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the Tree of Life, and eat, and live forever --therefore the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken..._

The covering of which was made for Adam and his wife Eve that will truly cover their shame and guilt, had to be by the sacrifice of blood from which the skin came from; blood had to be shed. Their own ideas of what it took to cover their shame couldn't suffice, for it was made by their hands,

Then the next sentence is a little hard to swallow, but it is from the Word of God. Then God said that the man had become like one of Us, knowing now good and evil. So were our eyes opened? Yes, to an extent, for the Lord God had sheltered us from the adverse effects of knowing what good and evil is, and He knew the magnitude of its' effects. But God also gave us an alternative to having to live a life without the intimacy of having a relationship with Him; we can put forth our hand and take from the fruit of the Tree of Life, and return, at any time, to the Life from whence we came; being one with the Father, and without need of knowing the knowledge of which this world produces. Adam didn't partake in the Tree of Life, and neither have we, therefore, even today, we have to till the fleshly carnal mind of man, being at least somewhat separated from that complete oneness of marriage with Him, unless we give up this life for the Life He is now handing to us.

Let us stop once again and ponder. Who created the tree of knowledge? Who placed the serpent into the tree to begin with? Of course we know that God is almighty, which means that all strengths and actions are from Him, therefore the serpent couldn't just climb into that tree without His might, so it is obvious that God placed the serpent there, in the tree that He'd hoped wouldn't be considered; but it was, and still is. The tree of knowledge means that we have to work with our hands and mind, and that is exactly what religion does, a very imperfect substitute, or counterfeit, of what God is truly offering to those that have ears to hear. Religion is nothing more than the works of man trying to get back to the place from whence we came, but religion can never work. It is always about performing rituals such as meeting on the same days every week, saying the same prayers on cue, make sure we use the word brother or sister, say a few halleluiahs, sing our songs at the right time, and of course, pay our money (tithes); to get to have all these privileges. This all involves effort on our part, and the Gift of Grace is free, therefore these efforts have to be called idols.

Jesus once asked the question; can a tree produce both good and corrupt fruit? The answer is no. Can we get both sweet water and soured water from the same fountain? So if we look closely at the tree of good and evil, we can see that both, the good fruit and the evil fruit, are the same fruit. The goodness of man has never, and will never, impress God and stir Him to moving upon us; it is only our relationship with Him that He desires, and that comes by Love and faith.

The tree of knowledge of good and evil, is the tree from which we have to work, and can also say that the laws of Moses came about from this same tree, it is all about the works that man does to justify himself. So, is it hard to understand that religions are all about performing, and our intentions, by works, to become 'good enough' to deserve Gods' Grace? Of course it's not. The tree of knowledge will bind us to those same works, but the Tree of Life will bind us to the cross, where all the works have already been done, leaving only Love and Grace. IT'S FREE, and therefore free from any works.

## Love, Truth, and Grace

At the expense of being repetitious, let us look at the differences between these 'main-stream churches' and the true Church that God has aligned, even though they may now be called His Remnant, His Church, the called out ones, are alive and well, and are stirring this earth with His Truth. The remnant of Gods' called out ones seem to hide in the brushes, so-to-speak, behind trees, and sometimes under rocks, for they appear to want little notoriety, and could care-less of what others think of them, but enjoy their relationship, unhindered, with the Father.

Grace is the Gift that is not earned, nor is it strutted, and we cannot ever perform well enough to deserve it, and for those that accept Grace in its fullness, and seeks the desire of the Father, can see, that without it, life would be a laborious and dreadful experience; but Grace is free of any charge and is given to all. Now most have preached that to have Grace you have to join one of the many groups, and then you go through this ritualistic formula, with all the 'hand-shakes and howdys', show up at least twice a week, and make sure, by-all-means, to pay your dues so some educated preacher, and his empire, so they can stay in business. We have been led by this conglomerate to believe that their fleshly ways of worship are right, and those that stay away are lost sheep, and therefore, should be looked down upon; this is ridiculous. Nobody has the total answers for what it should be, I certainly don't, but I have enough God-sense to know what it shouldn't be; and this man-made invention called 'church' is not, nor has it been, the answer to what ails man.

There are more than a few stories in the Bible about sheep, and the association of them is usually about us, so let me ponder a thought that is being revealed. If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them is lost, does he now leave the ninety and nine and look for the one that's missing? And when he finds it, rejoices over his found sheep, and even sometimes makes a feast?

So if this shepherd possessed a hundred sheep, aren't every one of them his, or is just the ninety nine that stayed put, his? The answer is that all of them are the shepherd's, and the one lost is also, and has always been, that is, in the custody and ownership of the shepherd. That being so, why is the lost one counted as a downcast? Why do we, as the human religious race, look at those that don't belong to their organization, or one of their sister-organizations, labeled as being a malefactor? This ought not to be so. Just because the shepherd had sheep that strayed, doesn't he still own the whole herd, even the ones that's not under his guidance? Then we also, those of us that don't meet the criteria of these flesh-made worship centers, are still His, thus, we have not strayed farther than the eyes of God can reach; we still belong to the Father just as much as those that stayed. For nothing, not principalities, nor rulers of dark places, nor powers now, or to come, can pluck one of His out of the hand of Jesus; but this is not what we were taught.

If Grace is unmerited favor, and the delicate art of Love, and I believe it is, then why do so many think that they have a hold on God that others just wished they had? It's about time to be ashamed of ourselves; we are all Gods' children, we might run away, go to foreign lands, so to speak, but we have never left so far as to lose the wonderful Grace and Love that God bestows upon all; and I really did mean to say ALL. For God so loved the whole world, all the people, that He gave...

The Love, Truth, and Grace of God has been taught wrongly for so long, and because of the longevity of its teachings, and having just the remnant teaching otherwise, most people have bought into this gospel of the separation and condemnation, that many are left believing that God is an angry God; and of course He is not. If God had to separate the 'good' from the 'bad', where would that leave any of us? We'd all be doomed. Since our Lord is not a respecter of persons, then He sees the 'good' folks with as much Love as He does the ones we call 'bad'. A person can condemn themselves, and I think that's what these 'churches' want us to do, but God condemns no one. For how is it possible to condemn someone you Love dearly?

If I separate myself from all the so-called 'trash' of this world, then, have I not separated myself into my own trash pile? To feel superior is one of those 'church' things, and the many levels of their hierarchy is well established, but, God sees not the sin, just the child created in His image, that was paid for by the Christ, our Lord Jesus. So why do so many promote that God is bias, and only loves the beautiful, when in fact we all belong to the same category? We are His people, and some call themselves by His name, and most have gone along with the established program, but God loves not those that attend these weekly meetings less than those that don't; we are all His, and today is the day to accept that fact. This 'thing called church' has many times, in past and present, called those that don't attend their weekly 'service' by many inferior names, such as peasants, or even heathens, or just plain lost folks, and I think this is done that there self-righteousness can be strutted among their many peers, thinking they have something that others might want, and then joining others to their club, and therefore giving them what they think they've got. This whole system is out-of-whack, and the audacity to preach this word of separation and condemnation will one day be defeated. The system itself will never change, it can't; it is far too involved into that same tradition, and has been relayed from one generation to the next, that now the blind are truly leading others into the same blindness.

I've asked myself, many times, how long can our so-called leaders continue to preach this same ineffective message of the bias of God before they search deeper into themselves to see that our God is the God of reconciliation and Love? And He does have a very effective message for those that have ears to hear, for His Love cannot be dished out to some here or some there, but is sent to all, and expressed thru His Son Jesus, which is then expressed thru many that are also sons. So the answer to this question is; again, it will not change, not as a whole, but many are seeing this old Truth, as if it were a new Truth, and it is being revealed by the few. So when babylon falls, and is revealed, it will probably be in each individual, and the whole will probably not see it. The crumbling of babylon happens as each begins to see thru the façade of this carnal-made religion, and its many self-inflected wounds, and then comes out of her. Moses said to pharaoh; _" Let my people go,"_ and the emancipation of His people had to suffer many years before the 'old man' could be purged from them. The addictions from these 'things' are strong, and the breaking away can seem dreadful, and painful, but the results could bring a revelation of hope for a dying people.

Prejudice comes in many forms, for we all see thru eyes that have been taught (darkened by man's ideas), but the separation that many think should be adhered to, is not from our Lord. Now the prejudice that I speak of is not only about races, but also about the pride of those that think themselves in 'high positions', those that believe that their time-honored tradition is founded on a trail of truth, but were misled from the beginning of man putting his hand into something that was Gods'; His Church. No wonder God wants us to pray, and seek Him, and turn from this wickedness, that He can heal and forgive us all through that great Love and Grace, for His ears aren't deaf, and His eyes aren't blind. So when our ears are unstopped, and the blinders of our eyes are removed, we are then positioned to accept this great Gift that has already been ours in the first place.

Is it possible that times have changed so much since the time of Christ, that it is the ninety and nine that are lost to this Truth, and only the one remains? We are all guilty, and I also can say; the things I should do, I don't; but the things that I shouldn't do, those things I do; shame on me, but we're all still under construction. God didn't lose any of us, but many have strayed looking for new grounds, being seduced by the same serpent of the mind, thinking we know best, but He truly is willing to leave all just to recover that one that will accept the Truth thru His Love. If we can't find Him, then those same traditional blinders still remain; for we were never lost from the Love of God, we just thought we were. Like the lost sheep, every one of us are still under His care, some may not have found their way clearly yet, but His eye, and His Love have never left us, no matter what we may have done; or not done. The cost of Grace is nothing but the acceptance of it. The cost of this flesh-made religion, as it stands today, and was also in the days of our Lord, is at a cost too high to pay for those that want truth again for the first time. It's the natural being, the one that clings to the tree of knowledge that desires to build himself, and the cronies around him, by their abilities and seductive forms, and their many programs, to build a self-serving empire to either look good to others, or satisfy his fleshly mind with the accomplishments of his thoughts. Shame on us for turning to ourselves to find a replacement of God, and it's all justified on the backs of our forefathers who began this mess.

None of us has a handle on the complete Truth of our Lord, but those that make their living, or even profit from preaching, singing, writing books, or anything else, have a vested interest in pleasing their audience, and therefore have polluted the Gospel for their own benefit; whether they realize it or not. There are stories in scripture about folks that try to buy their way into the graces of God, and there are many that try to sell their own denominational truth for a profit. It saddens me to see so-many so-called preachers stand up and promote their wares, and their compromised gospel, and at the same time have more than a few outrageous luxury cars in the garage of their mansion that was built on the backs of many that are much less wealthy. Decades, even centuries ago, all this was done and accepted until it became part of societies' mind-set, and many that saw it happening, joined to get in on the 'gold-mine'. It cost quit-a-bit to get on the radio or television, and some even own the stations, so is it hard to understand how much money is being made?

More than a few are now coming out of the wood-work to expose these charlatans and their exploits, and I'm glad, and for the true sake of the true Gospel my hope is that things will be shaken up.

To take a cruise on a luxury ship and to go to some 'holy place', led by some famous leader, has not changed a single life; only Christ can do that. To go the river Jordan to be baptized by a well-known evangelist wearing his patent leather shoes and Rolex watch, while his body guards are standing watch over him, has not changed a single life; only the Spirit of God within can do that.

Jonah was told to go to Nineveh to proclaim the Word of God, but he wanted to go to Tarsus where he thought it would be accepted, and after three days and nights in the belly of a great fish, and then being vomited on the beach not all that far from Nineveh, he walked three and a half days thru the city that was a seven day journey to cross it, and did what God told him to do. Now you talk about an unbelievable cruise, Jonah had one. God can work in ways that man can't fathom, and this selling of Jesus will one day be brought to a halt. I know it is human nature to want to promote ones' self, but these promotions of man making these big-bucks, or even a small amount of money, trying to sell the Gospel at the expense of those less fortunate is ridiculous. I've always thought that to do a work through Christ would cost a laid-down life, not a vocation. If the Gospel message is all that important, and it is, then why would not that same proclaimer be willing to send forth that message at any expense, and not want to make money from it? The Grace of God covers us all, and I like that, but maybe it's time to begin depending on God for organization instead of our own brains.

When the internal man, the man within, receives by acceptance, the Love of God and His Truth, then the external man will begin to dwindle away. This process of dwindling doesn't involve mans' effort, it is as natural to the inner man, and as simple as breathing; God does all the work, we just sit back and watch it happen. Love, Truth, and Grace belongs to God, and when we receive them, they also belong to us; and when this happens we have no other choice but to go along with the ride, so-to-speak. But when we try to manufacture this process, we only get what so many claim they have; but don't.

Loving God, the God of all Love, is a privilege that leads to His Way; that leads to His Truth; that leads to His Life. For when Christ said that He is the Way, Truth, and Life, and His statement is very true, then there is no other alternative but Jesus. Those that have it; live it, but those that don't, seem to fake it; and that's where the problems began. Knowing about God and His crucified Son Jesus is one thing, but knowing Him intimately is quite different. Again: _If my people that are called by my name, will humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I shall hear from Heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their land;_ (the land within us all).

In earlier chapters, and on several occasions, I said that the Love, Truth, and Grace of God cannot be bought, and it can't; and when I use the term bought, I mean that it cannot be manufactured, nor can these great gifts be earned; for they are, at least their acceptance, simply received by Him thru faith. Gods' gifts will not come about because we have prayed right, or sang unto Him well, or preached about Him with eloquence, or swayed our arms to gospel music, or attended services at their regular intervals, but they will come in acceptance by faith. In other words, His gifts are already available to us, and the power of them comes by believing that they are free, and given freely to all. It's like reaching up to take something off the shelf that is already yours; but you have to reach up and take hold before you can possess it. Therefore, we can see that these gifts are ours, and already has been ours, but to little effect until we, by faith, take hold of this free offering. So, even though we have been taught differently by those that want to keep their congregations, and continually teach that we have to be there among them to show themselves approved, let us understand that we don't; for this beauty of God is given to all that draw breath, whether we think we deserve it or not; these great Gifts are ours for the taking. For if God so loved the world, and He certainly does, then this true statement by Him, leaves nobody out. _Where sin abounds, Grace does more abound;_ spoken by the Apostle Paul, now comes to a reality to those of us that were taught differently; and this is the beginning of the true Life of His promise.

## Author's Note

My hopes was to not single out an individual, but a group of sincere folks, that blindly leads, or is blindly led by those, that tradition has required to follow these certain rules and regulations, and to expose a hidden Truth, that is not hidden, that God and His Christ lives within each, and is therefore given to all that will look beyond this structured hype. None has to go somewhere to find God, and there is no performance that has to take place to be Loved by Him, but we do, by faith, have to realize that God lives within each, and accept it, before we can walk in that Love. The Love is always there, but the only hindrance is, if we don't know, then we want bask in it.

If I have offended any, through my lack of eloquence in words, or my lack of articulation, I apologize. And when God shouted to 'let My people go', and to 'come out of her My people', I am in complete agreement, therefore the call continues to go out for God's people to come out of bondage. We are to live an unhindered, by the world, Life, and not be stifled by the counterfeit of this 'thing called church', and to be set free, and to have an unmasked relationship with our Father in Heaven. We are already His chosen people; royal, set-a-side, peculiar, and different from the world, but all of us have to look within to see it. Faith is NOT believing in the mind; it's the inner knowledge of the Spirit that brings faith to fruition.

Until we are delivered from our earthen blind eyes and ears, until we put off the old man of the flesh, will the man within reach his full potential. Today, because of immature Love, we look through a darkened glass; but when that which is perfect has come within our heart, will our heart be completely changed, the way of the thinking will also completely change, then and only then, will the Kingdom of God be revealed. Our old way of thinking has never worked, nor will it today.

## Other books by this author

## www.themanwithin1.com

## The Two Trees Within

This is a vision, that as I sat on my porch, one summers day, God came to me in a manner completely different than my mind would have thought.

As the tower of Babel was destroyed by God, so too will this 'thing called church' fall. It again reveals the monuments that man has built unto himself, and attempts to expose the nature of flesh man, and show that what is built by the toil of the earth, will also crumble.

It also reveals the unprecedented Love of God, not as many of us have been shown, but in Truth. His unlimited Love bears all, forgives all, and is unequal to anything man can achieve in himself.

## Hornswoggled in His Love

This is a historical novel; written with all the facts that this author could find, but must be called a fiction, as would a movie that betrays any historic facts.

As a young man, Simeon was raised on the northern part of the Sea of Galilee; following his dad's career, he fished for a living. But shortly after becoming married, a strange, but very powerful man, who spoke with the authority of God, touched something in his heart that was so powerful that he was willing to lay down this known life, and follow this Authority that could envelope such fullness that Simeon could feel within. So Simeon, and his true life, had begun on that day, and was to be filled with this new message of hope that he so desperately desired, and eventually found.

Struggles, we will always have, and this story shows many, but it also shows that these same struggles aren't there to bring us down, but to take us to an appreciation of a greater life than this world, and its circumstances, are offering. Learning through adversity, and still prospering, is a situation that all of us have, but have somewhat neglected.

Peter had to learn, and his learning process took many years, but at the end, all was conquered.

## The Man Within

This is the historic autobiography of a knuckle-head growing up in the fifties and sixties. The story starts with a devastating disease, moves into the foolishness of my teenage years, and then to the immaturity of being a young adult.

The author, in these struggles of life would continue to do so, for it was his own hands and mind that kept him from growing, and more than a few mistakes were made, before he could hear the things that God was giving to him from the beginning. About any wrong, maybe call them mistakes, that a knuckle-headed boy could make--he made them. Insecurity was his best friend, for he carried it wherever he went; but God, be it unknown at the time, had another chapter in storage for his life.

Check out my web-site, watch the 'You-Tube' video, listen to the Gospel music that you will find different from the mainstream, as God is revealing Himself from many diverse angles, and then e-mail me to let me know what you think.

www.themanwithin1.com Web site

themanwithin1@gmail.com e-mail
