For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day. 2 Timothy 1:12 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7-8
INDEED!
It is interesting, how, in our era, we CAN see clearer and clearer . . . how many will kill Believers . . . thinking they do God a favor.
Truly, it seems far too often . . . the flesh doesn't learn.
The letter of the law is brutality, death, horror.
The SPIRIT brings LIFE, LIBERTY, FREEDOM IN OBEDIENCE, LOVE, INTIMACY, HOPE, FAITH, JOY . . . PROVISION, SAFETY . . . ALL things good and lasting.
Which word is hard to understand? . . .
Hereby know you the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of anti-christ, whereof you have heard that it should come; and even now already is in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world. I John 4:1-4
NOT some lock-step, idolatrous, slavish, Pied-Piper marching to ANY magicsterical group's edicts and ponfitications.
Dear Sister in Christ . . . I have probably gone overboard in my grieving for souls in our era . . . so much mindless blindness on every hand in and out of The Church Universal.
There are not a lot of options.
And Churchianity, Churchiolatry, IDOLIZING--SUBMITTING TO--REVERING beyond honor to whom honor is due--all such are serious hazards to anyone's walk with God in any Christian group or club.
This Control Freaque Doctrine of Christianity AND RELIGION was not popular with Jesus 2000 years ago and it's likely less popular with Him, now. AUTHORITY IN THE FLESH will ALWAYS demand submission, compliance, kowtowing to ITS EDICTS, ENCYCLICALS, PONTIFICATIONS . . . STATUS, ROLE, POSITION, TITLES . . . constructions on reality.
And the Truth of Christ and The Gospel and of God's Word will eternally slice straight through, straight across all such deceptive deadliness.
WHY?
Because God The Father has been calling for a FACE TO FACE RELATIONSHIP WITH EVERY INDIVIDUAL from the TENT OF MEETING on, if not before. And CHRIST RESTORED such an option and carried it higher, more accessibly to all WHO WOULD COME.
But NOOOOooooooooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooo!
There's this hoop and that hoop and then a dozen hoops in this category and a dozen hoops in that category . . . and another three dozen hoops over there . . .
And Brother Snot says then that these hoops are absolute requirements but Sister Silly disagrees. And Brother Contentious has a long list that only he believes in. Then there's the dozen or so hoops from the Vice Pontificator's office. And another dozen from the Jr Vice Pontificator's office. And another dozen from the Jr Vice Pontificator's Son-in-Law's cubicle . . .
God have mercy on us.
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. James 1:26, 27
The Biblical DADDY standard is:
HAVE NO OTHER GODS BEFORE ME.
But humans won't have it God's way. They refused to meet with Him at the tent of meeting out of fear. And they refuse to be accountable to Him in direct ongoing Spirit-led dialogue now--preferring to buffer themselves with hired RELIGIOUS EXPERTS . . . to do the "God-thing" for them.
Doesn't work that way. The veil has been torn asunder. And all the magicstericals in the world cannot put it back together.
We all stand daily before Daddy naked . . . whether we think so, or not. He searches the toughts and intents of our hearts far better and more meticulously than any MRI or PET scan.
No ritual; No governing magicsterical; NO !!!!TRADITIONS!!!!; No yesterday's righteousness; No customs; No mindless habits; NO IDOLATRIES; No rationalizations; . . . NOTHING BUT THE BLOOD OF JESUS will suffice to clothe our nakedness.
We can't buy it with money nor slavish compliance with man's enless rules and ammendments to rules.
Christ already bought the intimacy, the freedom and us . . . FOR DADDY. We are His. NO ONE ELSE'S.
We are not of Paul or Appolos . . . nor this magicsterical's nor that magicsterical's.
We are CHRIST'S ALONE; GOD'S ALONE.
OR WE ARE NOT.
And those who are truly HIS know one another by a very precious wireless connection. Sometimes it is subtle, sometimes intense. It is always online and available to the sensitive hearing hearts and spirits of authentic believers in every remotely Biblical group, denomination, club . . . as well as . . . a surprising number of 'pygmies in the jungle' without the plaguing 'benefit' of seminaries/cemetaries.
God will be doing some new things in coming months and years in our era. But they will be keyed to and based on old priorities as outlined and touched on above.
Worshipping and following Him must be in SPIRIT vs the letter of the law.
Worshipping and following HIM must be focused ON HIM ALONE.
When the confusions and convolutions multiply like flies . . . the magicstericals will, at best, be far too late with anything useful . . . and usually will be about as messed up on truth and reality as the world.
We must be able to hear in our inner man the still small voice of DADDY saying . . . THIS IS THE WAY, WALK IN IT--NOW!
Of course, for those too timid to relate to Daddy DIRECTLY in Jesus' Blood--there will always be 'buffering' magicstericals happy to take one's submission, one's coin, one's worship . . . as they knowingly or unwittingly escort one to hell.
Sadly, the desire of man to distance himself from the glory of God is ancient:
And [till] Moses had done speaking with them, he put a vail on his face. But when Moses went in before the LORD to speak with him, he took the vail off, until he came out. And he came out, and spake unto the children of Israel [that] which he was commanded. And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him. Exodus 34:29-35
In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not. John 1:4-5
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. John 3:18-21
Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Matthew 5:14-16
For ye were sometimes darkness, but now [are ye] light in the Lord: walk as children of light: - Ephesians 5:8
The LORD [is] my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD [is] the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? - Psalms 27:1
Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. John 8:12
Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. I Thessalonians 5:5
Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth. He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now. He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him. 1 John 2:8-10
If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. I Corinthians 3:15
For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 2 Peter 3:5-7
See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more [shall not] we [escape], if we turn away from him that [speaketh] from heaven: Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And this [word], Yet once more, signifieth the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that those things which cannot be shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God [is] a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:25-29