Tuesday, June 12, 2012

What is truth?

   What is truth? said Pilate to Christ. Christ said it was for this purpose he was sent forth......"To bear witness to the truth.Everyone that is on the side of the truth listens to my voice."John 18:37

   Some are boldly stating," Brother John sounds like you think you know everything, and you should just concentrate on love, as this in the final judgement is what will get you salvation."

  Two things are both wrong with that statement, well three, actually.
   1. I don't know everything....but seek to repeat Christ's words on all subjects under consideration, and not my own so called "Wisdom"
   2. "We should just focus on love, that is what will get us salvation"
      A big WRONG for that statement. many in Christian churches are loving( as also Many JW's are too) to family, friends, and even perform good works, but Matt. 7 Jesus said the DOING of God's will was even more important.
     Love, is, of course God's will, but there is much more involved, as love and KNOWLEDGE go together like plants and water. Plants need water, sunlight, and good soil, all to grow. Bible knowledge, knowledge of God, and his commands, his Son, and their program of everlasting life, including faith and knowledge about sin, the ransom, redemption, and accurate knowledge of truth ALONG with LOVE, are all requirements. These are clear statements from Christ as "water" for Christian growth and everlasting life. They are requirements that we must obey, or we are setting ourselves at odds with our Christian King, Christ.
     Now we can make up our own version of what is important to God for pleasing him, or we can listen to Christ's words, obediently, and receive his blessing. There is no way to do both.
     As Witnesses, we were known as truth -lovers. , although we had limited knowledge about Christ and his real teachings. Some of us are busy pressing forward toward learning from him, along with trying to become more loving, granted. This doesn't mean we are UN-loving.....just because we emphasize accurate knowledge. It is a scriptural command to follow Christ's teachings....all of them, and obey them.
    3.  The Bible does not specify LOVE as the way to get into the kingdom. It does say a Christian who is hating his "Brother" cannot be loving God, for we would not love God if we hate our Christian Brothers. Jesus also specified his brothers , sisters, mothers, etc. were only those who heard God's word and kept the commands therein for Christians. This is in 1 John 3.

    Here are a few of the requirements for eternal life. John 17:3.....John3:36.....John 4:23,24....John 17:17...........John 3:3-5   These all emphasize the knowledge and commandments, of which love is certainly the 'greatest',..... but not the only one by itself. I hope you readers will understand more about why I emphasize the gospel truth, according to Christ's commands, and not just the "Gospel of love" that is being put forward on some sites as the most-important thing.....and "truth can take a back seat". As I stated before, I only want to follow my Lord's clear instructions....set out in the New Testament primarily. 

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Who Is Christ...and Jehovah?

The reason I choose to comment on this subject is because after having been to many churches over the years, and also being a Witness for 36 years, I can say from Bible truth...neither one has it completely nailed down, in the main. Of course many do understand this correctly, more or less....if they are careful Bible readers.

   And I will say this; we are all babes as to understanding the nature of God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, I believe. There is so much to learn. But I will share my thoughts on this, and you can see what you think.


   "In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God.

  God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.

   The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought life to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it."  John 1:1-5 New Living Translation


  I love this passage. It is not strange to me anymore, as I take it at face value; Jesus is a God also, by way of what he is, and what he did. You may choose to call him God, if you want, as scripture does. He created all the universe. Only a god could do that....or God.

   I believe Almighty God is YHWH, Jehovah , the Father, who sent his God-Son to explain Him, and his will, as well as his (the Son's) will and role in the universe, and our existence.

 John 1:18;  "No one has ever seen God. But the unique One*, who is himself God, is near to the Father's heart. He has revealed God to us.

  * Some manuscripts read, But the one and only Son.

  I think that's clear enough.

 " And this is the way to have eternal life, - to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ , the one you sent to earth.

  I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do." John 17:3,4

  Jesus, who is the one people in churches are mistakenly worshiping as Almighty God much of the time, said it:

  " ...the Only true God..." , sent him. So...a distinction is made here, from the horse's mouth.

Notice  an illustration Jesus uses, defining his and Almighty God's status, and what we are now capable of achieving;

   John 15

 "I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn't produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit....If you remain in me, and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted. When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

  ....I have loved you, even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love.

   "When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father's commandments and remain in his love.

   You are my friends if you do what I command....


   Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.


... I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name.

  This is my command: Love each other."



   There are many such scriptures through the NT that define this Father/ Son relationship of God and Christ. Time doesn't allow me to say more now.

  Col. 1:15-20 is another good one;

  "Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created, and is supreme over all creation*, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth.

  He made the things we can see and the things we can't see- such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.

  Everything was created through him and for him.

  He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.

  Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body.

   He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead.*

  So he is first in everything.

  For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ, and through him God reconciled everything to himself.

  He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross."

 *1:15  Or He is the firstborn of all creation.

 *1:18  Or The firstborn from the dead.


   Some have said Christ was an archangel.

   Do these scriptures equate with that thought? I think not, as scripture says he is God.

   Is Christ Almighty God? No, he is the Son of God, and is with YHWH, Jehovah; not Jehovah.

  "I am the Son of God." John 10:36   notice, 'THE' Son of God. ...as in there is only one.



   I hope you enjoy these scriptures as I have. I welcome any comments you may give!
   

 
 

  

   

  

Saturday, May 5, 2012

The Anointing Process

Hello to all interested in receiving the rebirth Christ promised in John 3:1-5. Many are very concerned about the instructions given there, as it is something that is taught by Christ as required for discipleship.It may be intimidating to be informed about heavenly life. After all, it means leaving others behind, even our earthly home , family and friends. It will not be that you wouldn't see them again, for the Bible explains , the anointed disciples are going to be working in a government that comes back down from heaven, to help mankind reach their full free condition from sin and death during a 1000 year initial program of growth for a New Earth. There , no doubt, we will see our loved ones again, and personally assist them and others to attain perfect health and spirituality.(Rev.22:1-3)
    Well, how does the process work? According to the Lord's instructions from the book of John,...like this;

                                        Born of the 'Water', and the 'Spirit'  John 3:1-5
    The first part, born of the 'water', Jesus goes in to explain, as John beautifully records the experience of the Samaritan woman at the well. There the subject is 'Living Water'. This water, according to Christ, comes , first...from Christ, and then to the hearer as he preaches it or as he describes later on, the provision of his body as a living sacrifice for the sins of the world. Much must be explained to young Christian hopefuls, and will be in days ahead. For our purposes now, though we will just state this truth. Christ was sent down as a High Priest from heaven, to offer his body, blood and flesh...all of it, as a sacrifice to God . This purchased the human race out of the death sentence placed upon it by Adam and Eve eating the fruit. Those who believe this act of love, and who desire to live forever, can show by their obedience to obey Christ's commands  and follow them, repent of former badness (sin), be baptized,(1 Pet. 3:21) by other Christians ...showing they seek discipleship. These then, are granted  a perfect standing before the Father Jehovah. He , the Judge of the earth, gives them total forgiveness of sins, a perfect standing before him. He views their lives now as sinless. But what if out of weakness, they sin again? Then they must ask forgiveness, and on the basis of the powerful blood of Christ, their sins are forgiven. This is how great the love of God is, it conquers sin and death, with mercy, love and forgiveness.  Father Jah knows you are trying, best you can, so he still puts an 'A' on our report card...called the 'Book of Life' All this process is contained in being 'Born of water.'
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    Now, then what about the 'Spirit' ?  Being born of the Spirit is the most wonderful thing that can happen to a person. Here's how this works, in the short explanation. Once a person has accomplished the above, time is allowed usually, for he or she to show their love and devotion. This is how we do that, by being obedient to Christ's commandments, particularly love. How much time? This is God's determination,and I don't know. But in my case it was some time, months, actually after I had re-read the New Testament and Book of John several times, and other related passages on anointing. The total knowledge had to be absorbed and understood, in my case, as I had been fed lies from Jehovah's Witnesses for all my life about this subject, and I had not received the anointing. I had already been baptized, over 30 years before, as a Christian with faith in the sacrifice, and understood the upward call. When God's time is right, he will call you, or draw you to him through the Holy Spirit, his power which enlightens your mind to the awareness that you are being summoned to become a new spirit being in heaven. He invites you to the heavenly Kingdom. You become aware of this, as he will plant this invitation into your mind. You  then become aware you are being called. It will be a wonderful feeling, awakening to this summons. You may be expecting it, or may not. I wasn't , but when it happened, I gladly accepted the invitation. Next thing, when you accept, the spirit will flow to you, over your body, through your deepest soul, in my case, an energy force, gentle but powerful flowed from above through me. It was warm, and loving, merciful and forgiving, and it had messages in it, as I felt how God and his son felt for me, an appreciation for my efforts, and what I had done in  my life as a person, who was TRYING, even though I had failed many times. This was my spirit, rebirth, and my witness, is all I have to explain the feeling. At this time, Jesus explains in the book of John, both God and Christ, by means of the Holy Spirit, will come to live inside your body, mind and heart, and you will feel their presence.You will be able to communicate in prayer with them, receive instructions and enlightenment on scriptural subjects, and other divine gifts, unique to yourself among all other Christians. This is what is described as the 'Oneness' with God and Christ. It is not just a mental agreeing with the Biblical message, but a physical and spiritual reality of being a son of God, soon to be transferred to your new heavenly family above at your passing. ( these are resurrected to heaven, and not a paradise, it is explained but this comes at the time for the resurrection, not immediately at death).See Romans 8:14-17  and also the reading of Gospel of John is recommended .
         After this, I have never been the same. I have worked as hard as I can, knowing I an heaven-bound for the Kingdom, and the hope of being a part of the salvation of the human race and restoration of the planet. It was all important to realize, that we who are anointed and adopted as future heavenly sons (we're all  called 'sons' in heaven, as there apparently is no male/female in this new condition) must work and may suffer as Christians, and spend the rest of our lives witnessing to this hope so others may become sons also. We must also stay faithful until we die of natural causes. Some may be persecuted as Christians, and even pour out their souls to the death as Christ did. But, what a way to show our love , faith , and devotion for others, and God! We join millions of Christians through the ages, who have done just that, given a sacrifice of their bodies, just as Christ did, and won their victory over Satan and this world.
   
    All of this may be hard for the beginner, but never fear, God is patient, and it may take a while to figuire it all out. Most all of it comes from you doing your part, and then God will jump in with his spirit, and do the rest. We also have faithful brothers and sisters on earth right here, who will assist you new ones with instruction and encouragement. We sincerely hope you, too will join the brotherhood of Christians, who eagerly await the return of their big Brother, Christ , when he comes, so soon now to harvest the eath and reward those doing good. Of course again, the reader must take the initial steps to read the Christian message from the New Testament, starting the process of absorbing and being 'born of the water', and be baptized as Christ requires, following him and his way, ever after.
      Do not hesitate to ask other anointed Christians for assistance in any way. They will assuredly help you in your new hope. I hope many , in time, will come share their unique experiences so we may see the many ways God bears witness with our spirit that we have received the adoption to become children of God in heaven.                                  

                                                                                     Hoping the best for all in this , the awakened Gospel Message,  and the adoption and assignment to Chritian servitude and sacrifice.   John S
  



Sunday, April 29, 2012

I Attend The God's Name Sanctified Circuit Assembly

   Yesterday my neighbor ,who is a Jehovah's Witness, was early out, so I asked where he was off to. The Assembly ,he replied. As I hadn't been to a JW meeting for 5 years, I thought it would be good to go see what was what.
     I attended the morning session, and aside from the calm, and orderly families, well dressed and mannerly, I was poorly impressed. Why would hard-working people put so much effort into such a meaningless religion? How had I stayed in it fo 52 years? This is what continues to baffle me. The total lack of Christian teaching is immediately obvious. Christ's teachings are completely avoided, as are nearly any reference to him or his purpose or role on Jehovah's plans. And the name Jehovah, everywhere, and gobs of it. It is used as a magic potion or a constant charm , as if speaking his name over and again will ward off the troubles and any demons like a cross around the neck a vampire. Each talk and comment  not just sprinkled but fully doused with 'Jehovah's'. Now, I love Jehovah, too, but there is a matter of overkill that has gone over the top here and it stands out like a Mexican Sombrero at a ballroom event.
    Additionally, no weighty themes, or deep worshipful substance was given at all, as if there is an intentional reason for being there that isn't worship, but some other agenda altogether. If someone had said the real meeting of the elders or scholars or the child-sacrifice was going on behind that curtain over there, now that would explain it! It was the most washed-out pitiful excuse for a Bible meeting I never want to go through again. Think of all I could have learned in 50 years, reading my Bible and preaching it the proper way, what a shame.I feel like I have been pick-pocketed of a very large amount of cash- my life's savings, or even my whole life, practically was stolen by this religion.
   

Saturday, April 28, 2012

where I have been

   I will aplogize for not posting here for 5 or 6 months. I have been writing on the site JWStruggle . It is a good site for forum discussion of doctrine. The last couple months I have been introducing the Gospel or Book of John, a chapter at a time. You may wish to read some of the comments. I will see if I can build this site up, my knowledge of the blog design and function are next to nil. Check me out in a couple weeks, to see if I have figured this out, or view me on JWStrugglle:'Forum'