Author: Trinity Living Missionaries

Congregation, Family of God is not a Religion.  We are family.  Religion is preventing God’s children from being a family.  We at Congregation, Family of God are trying to create a movement where God’s children unite and set aside issues that are important to man but NOT as important to God.

God never created or ordained Religion.  Religion was created by man to “define” God and to “prescribe” proper ways to approach God.  In a previous blog we described “What is Sin”.  We presented the concept that “sin” was man’s desire and acceptance to live life Independent of God.  Sin was the colluding with Satan to learn and gain knowledge of the mysteries of God so man could “create”, “sustain”, and “provide” all his needs without God.  In other words, man wanted to be Self Sufficient.  Mankind, when tempted, was inclined to acquire God’s knowledge and wisdom so he (mankind) could live by his own strength, power, knowledge, and wisdom.  God, on the other hand, wanted to meet ALL mankind’s needs.

Before sin entered the scene, there were no rules on how to approach Almighty God.  In fact, man walked with God in Perfect Fellowship and Harmony.  Man was completely dependent upon God AND enjoyed fellowshipping with God.  God was COMPLETELY pleased providing for mankind.  He did not feel abused or taken advantage of.  Why? Because He loved His Children and they Loved Him and were grateful and thankful for His Provision AND enjoyed the Fellowship with Him.

Rules did not come to play until sin entered the scene.  There were only ten (rules) AND everyone of them was to direct mankind back to Loving God and Trusting Him for everything.  Worshiping was not the focus because when one truly loves someone they worship willingly.  To worship God is to Acknowledge God as Creator, Sustainer, and Provider AND Sing out in Joy for the Love bestowed by God.  Amen!

Remember, Jesus summarized the ten commandments into two commands, 1) Love God and Him only AND 2) Love your neighbor as yourself.  Your neighbor is loved by God so you should desire to love what God loves.

Rules to approach and please God is NOT what God desires.  He desires a True Loving Relationship.  Jesus said in Matthew “I desire mercy, not sacrifice”.  Sacrifice is Religious Ritual.  Mercy is a Heart Attitude.  Mercy is what God Himself extended to mankind AFTER mankind sinned.

I grew up believing card games were evil, bowling allies were evil, alcoholic beverages were evil, certain clothing was evil, and certain words were evil.  But what I now know is that the HEART’S INTENTION is what is evil.  Let me be so bold as to explain.  Please try to understand and not become offended.  Think about what I am about to say.

Words have meanings AND connotations.  The word “damn” sounds bad and that is because it means to “condemn”.  The word “damn” in and of itself is not bad BUT when it is used by someone whose heart is set on “Condemning someone to hell” it is EVIL.  Why? Because only God has the Authority to condemn someone.  No one is greater than God!  No one has the authority to condemn another to hell.  You see it is the heart’s intention that makes the word evil.

Cards can be evil if played by someone with a heart’s desire to “Take Advantage” of another player who would be severely harmed financially if they lost to a more skillful opponent.

Alcohol in and of itself is Not sinful.  Alcohol is a disinfectant and kills bacteria that causes infection.  Before anesthesia, alcohol was used to numb pain.  Is that bad?  Of course not.  But when alcohol is consumed sufficiently to make a person lose control and commit Bad behavior, alcohol’s use has led to evil that could have been prevented. 

I am NOT approving sinful behavior.  God knows that when sin entered, selfishness of mankind’s heart was revealed.  Sin grieves God.  Sin is mankind living life for himself without God AND mankind’s behavior is influenced by their heart’s desire.

Our goal should be to Worship God, Seek God, Praise God, Thank God, and the behavior that follows will reflect our pursuit of God.  Rules for good behavior will not be needed.  

We previously, in our post “How to Pray”, explained why we call ourselves Congregation Family of God by showing how Jesus in the Lord’s prayer begins by addressing God as Our Father.  Immediately following addressing God as our father, Jesus further identifies God as the one who resides in heaven.  By declaring God as the one who resides in heaven, Jesus lets us know who the one and only God is.  Mankind worships many gods, but there is only One Almighty God, and His residence/throne is Heaven.  This leaves no question who Almighty God is!  Remember, Jesus (whose name means God Saves) ALWAYS pointed to God the Father as being the One He, Jesus, gave glory to.

The King James version of the bible says, “Hallowed be thy Name”.  Hallowed means Holy, consecrated, which means Set Apart, Nothing to be compared to.  This best describes Almighty God.  There is nothing or no one greater than Almighty God.  He is not energy, He is the Source of Energy, the Source of ALL that exists.  He and He alone is ALL Authority and ALL Powerful.  Once we embrace that fact, we know what God wants us to know about Him.

What is Sin? This is a great question. Most of us have been told what is “sinful” and what is not. The ten commandments is what most monotheistic religions teach to be the basics of what God has declared to be sinful and these same ten commandments have become the benchmark for defining sin.

Unfortunately, many religions have taken it upon themselves to logically and “spiritually” expound upon the ten commandments to further define, describe and elaborate on what sin is.

This elaboration has done nothing but lead to confusion, guilt, shame and legalism. Was this God’s intention? The answer is a resounding “NO”.

The original “sin” of Adam and Eve which caused the broken relationship between God and Mankind was the partaking of the forbidden fruit of “Knowledge of Good and Evil”. The story goes, Eve was tempted by the serpent to partake the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil. She succumbed then shared it with her husband Adam who also succumbed and they both partook of the forbidden fruit.

The first thing they realized after gaining “Knowledge of Good and Evil” was that they were naked. That sounds terrible! Wow they were naked, but they were husband and wife. What’s the problem?

Also, What’s the big deal? Why is knowing right from wrong such a bad thing? If we knew what is wrong wouldn’t it be easier to avoid committing a sin unknowingly out of ignorance? The serpent’s temptation was only rational, Right? Wrong!! Let me explain.

First, the serpent was Satan in disguise. Satan is known as Lucifer, the highest ranking angel BUT a fallen angel. He was one of the third of the angels that rebelled against God while they were residing in Heaven, God’s residence, and subsequently cast out of heaven.

After being cast out of heaven, where did those angels go? Their being cast out of heaven is believed to be before the creation of mankind, but nobody knows for sure.

Angels are also believed to be “created” by God, however, unlike mankind, they resided in heaven with God. While in heaven, they witnessed God’s power directly. They were firsthand witnesses of many of God’s mysteries and powers, yet one third of them rebelled against Almighty God.

I tell you this so you can now better understand what the Sin of mankind really was. It was Not knowing right from wrong. The Sin was gaining Knowledge of the Mystery of Nature and how God created our universe.

The fall of the third of the angels and their being cast out of heaven was because they rose up against Almighty God and followed Lucifer as their new leader and god. As you may recall, Lucifer cried out, proclaiming that he would overcome Almighty God to become the supreme ruler of all that was God’s. That obviously did not work or go well! He underestimated the power of Almighty God and was cast from the presence of God.

Somewhere in God’s realm of time, He created Mankind (humans), the universe as we know it, earth, animals, plants and all that exists. After creation, He chose to commune and have fellowship with mankind on earth in a “perfect life” where He met ALL the needs of His creation.

Lucifer and the third of the angels saw an opportunity. They needed to recruit more members to support their coup against Almighty God. The temptation was to lure mankind by telling Eve, the first to be approached, that if she and Adam agreed to collaborate with Lucifer and his fellow fallen angels, she and Adam would be taught the “Mystery of Nature” and learn and gain knowledge to live their life “without God”. They would be able to meet all their needs without depending on God. THIS WAS THE SIN OF PARTAKING OF THE FRUIT OF THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL. Good is allowing Almighty God to meet all our needs and guide and direct us while Evil is “living life without a need for Almighty God”.

Both Adam and Eve believed if they had knowledge to “be like God”, knowing and understanding the mystery of His power, they could live and direct their own lives. They believed by having this knowledge they could do as good of a job as God to meet ALL their needs. In fact, they thought maybe they could even do a better job. This was the SIN.

My above explanation is validated because God cast Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden, where ALL their needs were met to a life where “By the sweat of their brow”, the curse, they would work and toil, using their new-found knowledge to live. No longer were their needs met by a loving, caring God who strongly desired to love and care for mankind, whom He created.

Adam and Eve never realized how good they had it allowing Almighty God meet ALL their needs!

MIDWEEK THOUGHT

Mercy brings us to Heaven’s door. Grace opens the door to let us in.

Jesus is one of the most controversial figures in history.  He is recognized by Christians as being the Messiah, but a “good” person or prophet by Judaism and Islam believers.  Jesus, nevertheless, is recognized as being “special” by all three religions, but whose characterization accurately describes Almighty God’s perspective of Jesus?

As an elder of the family, I would like to share my current understanding of Jesus.  My perception is based on a lifetime of trusting Almighty God.  The basis of my belief is based on understanding Almighty God is far greater in power and ability than anyone could imagine.

I believe Jesus is the Messiah who was born of a virgin mother of flesh, whose father was Almighty God, lived in the flesh, died on the cross, and arose from the dead.  I believe Jesus, in the flesh, was both God and Man.

First, we must understand that before the fall of Adam and Eve, heaven and earth were in perfect harmony where God and mankind were united in a perfect relationship. God met every need of mankind and mankind glorified and enjoyed God and His presence.  It was only after the fall (sin) of mankind that heaven and God’s presence separated from earth.  Heaven is God’s dwelling place while earth is mankind’s dwelling place.  They were united prior to sin but separated after sin.

Second, we must understand God never told us to learn about Him to know Him better.  He told us to TRUST HIM AND BELIEVE HIM; This is FAITH!  Genesis 15:6 tells us that Abraham’s faith and believing God is what made him righteous in the eyes of God.  Abraham was “saved” (redeemed) because of his faith in believing God.  Abraham was not “saved” because he believed in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus BUT he believed God would provide a way because He was Almighty God, all- knowing and all-powerful to do what He said He would do.

Because of Abraham’s faith, he was righteous and “saved”.  Jesus whose name means “God Saves” is, in my belief, the “Method” which God used to fulfill the death penalty for mankind’s sinning.  The death penalty was God’s own requirement for redemption.  This makes Jesus a MIRACLE!  Jesus in First Corinthians is referred to as the “Last Adam”.  The “First Adam” was the one who lived in the garden of Eden communing with God in a Perfect relationship before sin entered and broke the perfect relationship.  The “Last Adam” is the one who Re-unites the perfect union of Heaven and Earth.

The Miracle of Jesus is twofold.  First, Jesus not only died to fulfill the death penalty requirement BUT He arose from the dead thereby overcoming death.  How was Jesus able to do this?  The answer is the Second miracle; He was both God and Man/flesh.  God loved mankind, His creation so much, He, being Almighty and All-Capable was able to Himself die in our place while simultaneously being human flesh/mankind.  This was His method, JESUS.

Why was this Method important? Answer: Jesus was sinless, NOT deserving to die for sin, BUT HE died the penalty so we, who deserve to die would not need to die.  How was He able to be sinless?  He was the son of God and the son of Man (the Virgin Mary). 

My point is this; I don’t fully understand the details and science of how this is possible AND God NEVER told me I needed to “Have Knowledge” of God’s mysteries and abilities BUT to TRUST Him and that He is Able.  God wants FAITH.  Faith that “God Saves” (another name for Jesus).  Faith is what saves.

To further prove my belief Revelation chapter 21 refers to the new Heaven and New Earth.  The first heaven and first earth pass away because of the First Adam.  The bible lets us know that God’s tabernacle will once again be reunited with earth.  The uniting will be new because of the miracle of Jesus, the Second Adam who paid the penalty.

God is simple; He simply wants to restore the relationship where He meets all our needs, we glorify Him and Enjoy His presence.  Jesus always pointed to Almighty God, the Father, giving glory to Him and Him alone. 

Jesus during his life on earth was a good man, a prophet, and God/Man BUT I Do NOT fully comprehend and know how God did it BUT I Trust and Believe Him.

To enjoy life, we must enjoy HIM.  God bless.  Amen.

The bible tells us in first Peter to be sober and vigilant because our adversary the devil is prowling…seeking to devour.  This pretty much describes the world today but, do not believe for one moment satan has not been on the prowl since the beginning; he has, you just may not have been aware.  This is why we are exhorted to be vigilant.

Being vigilant means being “on the lookout”, attentive to your surroundings and what is happening.  Being sober is having a “clear mind” so you can be “attentive”.

Many think of “satan” as Lucifer, the fallen angel, but if one studies the word “satan” it means adversary, opposer.  The English translation in some cases should have been translated to “The Satan” instead of just satan because in early manuscripts context indicated “that which opposes God” is really what satan means.

Ephesians chapter 6 tells us our fight is not flesh and blood BUT Principalities and Powers.  If one researches the terms principalities and powers, they will find that those terms mean rulers, authorities AND cosmic powers; so, what does that mean?  It means that heavenly powers (fallen angels) have joined forces with Mankind, who is flesh and blood to create RULERS (elected and non-elected leaders, presidents and leaders of corporations) and AUTHORITIES (corrupt law enforcement, corrupt judicial systems, regulatory agencies (corrupt FDA, CDC, WHO) who use positions of authority and the powers that accompany those positions to attain Personal Wealth and Power.

What we are seeing today is that the OCCULT is no longer occult meaning Evil is NO LONGER being hidden or disguised.  Evil is on display open and transparent.  We as children of God need to see the evil for what it is.

There are world organizations promoting “depopulation” (Killing off PEOPLE).

We need to open our eyes to see there are leaders who are worshiping and giving allegiance to Lucifer and the fallen angels to use their power and “KNOWLEDGE” of God’s mysteries of heaven and nature to overtake God’s kingdom and people.  Rest assured their strength and power are NO match for Almighty God; that is the good news.

The bad news is we are at war with Evil.  War is no fun, but God is victorious.  We need to support all the children of God, those who love, honor, and respect the one and only Almighty God, creator, sustainer, and provider.  We need to set aside details of our personal beliefs and unite in the fight against evil.

Abraham believed God AND it was accounted to him as being righteous before God.  God is the ONE who Saves.  God Saves!  Seek Him and Him only.

Almighty God, Save us and Protect Us by your strength and your power.  Amen  

Everyone believes in God, and I will prove it.  Even “the demons believe and tremble” (James 2:19).  satan also believes.  Lucifer, the “son of the morning angel” has been quoted as saying “I will rise up” (Isaiah 14:12-23).  Who is he rising-up to overcome?

Names and language are important.  For English speaking friends, God is referred to as God.  For Spanish speaking friends, Dios is His name.  For Islamic friends, Allah is His name.  For peace-loving nature lovers His name is Mother Nature, and for some His name is Nirvana. (I’m not being sacrilegious; I’m explaining my belief that everyone believes in God).   Who is He?  He is the Creator, Sustainer, and Provider of ALL that exists.

So, what is the difference between those mentioned?  All the above-mentioned names represent someone or something that is the greatest of all that exists or the “highest energy” that exists.  No matter what, all the names characterize a power that creates and sustains.

Names are important.  Again, lets offer names of God and their meanings: Elohim=Creator, El Deah=God of Knowledge, El Roi= God Who Sees, El Shaddai=God Almighty, Jehovah Rapha=Healer, Jehovah Sabbaoth= Lord of Hosts, Jehovah Rapha= Healer.  These are Names that Describe God’s character so mankind can know who and what God is all about.  Bottom line, He is Creator, Sustainer, and Provider.  He is Alpha and Omega, the Beginning of all that exists and the End of all that exists BUT most importantly, SAVIOR!

The truth is Almighty God is so great He can never adequately be described.

Now, back to the question, what is the difference between the names of God mentioned above?  Again, all those names characterize a Creator and Sustainer, A “Higher (highest) Energy”, the greatest level anyone could expect or imagine.  The Answer: Of all that use those names, they either, 1) Acknowledge the one and only true God, Creator, Sustainer, and Provider, or 2) They deny and/or oppose Him, the Almighty God.

It is ok to want to achieve Nirvana described as the highest level of consciousness.  That sounds like being in heaven with God, doesn’t it?  But who created such a thing as a consciousness?  I submit to you Almighty God.  He called it a “living soul” breathing Life into that soul (read Genesis) when HE, Almighty God created us!  The problem is that many who seek to achieve Nirvana, deny it was Almighty God who created The Highest Level of Consciousness some call Nirvana.  So, I ask them, Who created Nirvana?? Answer: Almighty God. 

What makes Nirvana controversial is that it acknowledges a perfect condition BUT denies the One who Created it.  The same holds true for “mother nature”, a vague way of denying that Almighty God is the Creator of nature.  Again, we see that what these believers say is true BUT deny the source of its existence, Almighty God!  

Most people believe in satan, that he exists, or they at least believe there is evil.  Let’s look at names.  The name satan means “opposer”, adversary or the one who resists.  Question; Who is he (satan) resisting?  Answer, God.

We see plenty of evil in the world today.  Most will acknowledge that both good and evil exist AND are opposites.  What is Good?  Answer: Truth, Love, Life, Peace and more.  What is Evil?  Answer:  Deception, Hate, Death, War and more.  Of course, these definitions are relative based on one’s perspective, so, God Help Us and Save Us from those people.  It is hard to believe that there are those who believe Deception, Hate, Death and War are “good and ok”.  I submit to you that view is perverse!  God Help Us!  Unfortunately, they are practicing this perverseness today in our governments and institutions (These are the Principalities and Powers the bible speaks of).  They have joined and worship satan as their provider and sustainer.  Just take a look at the conditions of our world today.  We are in a spiritual war.

Finally, another thought to close.  Evolution believes in the “big bang”.  The big bang suggests there was a void and gases happened to somehow chemically react, explode and dust was formed coming together to create our universe.  Question; Where did those gases come from?  Who created the gases?

Christians believe Jesus was born of a virgin mother, Mary, lived, died, and arose from death to life.  Christians believe, upon His arising from the dead, He revealed Himself to select witnesses then, ascended into heaven to be with His Father, Almighty God.

Names have meaning.  What does the name Jesus mean?  If you research the meaning of the name Jesus, it means “salvation” or “God Saves”.  It was a common name at the time the New Testament Jesus of the Christian faith who was believed to be the Messiah.  Another name, Joshua, an Old Testament name had the same meaning as Jesus.  The name Joshua means “God Saves”.

In the early days of the Old Testament, Almighty God was worshiped, and He was referred to by a few names.  I will list a few along with their meanings:  Abba=Father, Elohim=Creator, Jehovah=The Self-Existent One.  Another name Almighty God was referred to was Yesua meaning “God Saves”.  There are variations of this name along with various meanings such as “Yahweh” meaning “a saving cry calling out for help” or Yeshua which through generations of translations ended up as Joshua and later Jesus, meaning “God Saves”.

The New Testament has a passage (Phil. 2:10-11) which reads “at the NAME of Jesus every knee should bow…every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ (Christ meaning Anointed) is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

To translate, God only and God alone can Save Mankind period!

To call upon the NAME Jesus, one is literally calling upon Almighty God to Save.  When Christians put their trust in the NAME Jesus, they are effectively trusting that God Saves Them.

I am saying this because Christians are so caught up on the name Jesus, they forget or overlook Jesus is another name for “God Saves”.  They believe if someone Does Not say the NAME Jesus, the person is not “saved” and Will Not go to heaven.  Not True!  Salvation comes by calling on “God to Save Them” no matter the name that is EQUAL to that phrase! 

To Simplify, when one calls upon Jesus, they are equivocally calling upon God to Save them.  It is the failure of Christians to recognize Calling on Jesus is the same as Calling on Almighty God.

There are many languages on earth today and many languages that have come and gone or are no longer or rarely spoken.  Aramaic, at the time of Jesus and Latin, at the time of the early church (first century) is rarely spoken today. 

So, we must consider the heart’s intent of anyone who calls upon God to Save them and believe that is Equivalent to calling upon Jesus which means, God Save!

This brings to question then, Who was and Who is Jesus?  Jesus was the method God used to restore mankind to a Perfect Relationship with Himself.  Too often mankind tries to Know and have Knowledge of ALL God’s undertaking.  I confess to you; I DO NOT have a full understanding of everything God does or exactly how what He does works.  The birth of Jesus, His Life, Death, and Resurrection and ALL its inner workings and implications I DO NOT Fully understand.  I am the created, Almighty God is the Creator!  God is under No obligation to explain to me the details!  He ONLY asks that I Trust Him, Believe in Him, and Have Faith in Him and That is what I do!

When we try to explain or foolishly believe we DO understand salvation, we only cause fighting and division among anyone who calls upon Almighty God to save them AND that is exactly what the enemy satan wants is fighting and division to take our attention away from Almighty God, Creator, Sustainer, and Provider.

God is NOT interested in us understanding the mechanism or details of Salvation.  He ONLY tells us to trust Him, call upon Him, and believe He will save period!

Remember, before Adam and Eve sinned, Almighty God Himself walked and talked with Adam and Eve.  They, being flesh and blood, just as we are, was able to touch the hand of God literally before they sinned.  That means flesh and blood at one time was perfect enough to live with Almighty God personally!

This brings me back to the person Jesus of the bible.  He was flesh born of Mary, a virgin BUT Almighty God was His Father.  How can that be??  I personally Do Not Know AND it Does NOT Matter if I do!  If that is how God brought me salvation, Great, but I Only Trust HIM the Almighty God and yes I have called upon God to Save Me whether you want to call him Yahweh, Joshua, or Jesus, I believe God Saves!  His method to save me is immaterial.

The coming of Jesus in the flesh makes sense.  Jesus was both God and man but I’m only guessing, Jesus somehow, someway came to earth, was born of a virgin to become flesh as Adam and Eve were Before their sin.  Remember, before their fall, they were perfect.  Don’t ask me the mechanics of Jesus being perfect in the flesh because I Don’t know but I Do know the One who does know, Almighty God who ONLY asked me to Trust and Believe.

We need to focus on Almighty God and Him only and Not get entangled in proving the details which causes fighting, arguing, and Division.  satan (notice small “s”) does not deserve my attention to distract me and take me away from following, trusting, and believing my savior, Almighty God, the One who Saves Me!

The story of Adam and Eve is believed by some but scoffed by others, nevertheless, there is a principal theme in the story of who God is.  His character is revealed whether you believe the story of Adam and Eve as real or not real.

There are two things that motivates and drives mankind, needs, and wants.  Before the fall of mankind, Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden where God met all their needs and because He met all their needs, they had no wants!

Some may argue that God only meets our needs but not our wants because they believe wants are selfish and being selfish is sinful.  I would argue otherwise and will explain later.

The principal theme of the story is that God loves those He created, so much so, He walked with them, talked to them, and provided for them.  In summary, He, God, did what He wanted and enjoyed the most, and that was to Fellowship and Commune with them.  He, God, felt pleasure when He did so. Because of that relationship, Adam and Eve felt Safe, Healthy, and Satisfied, the three things we, as humans, strive for every day.

Feeling Safe, Healthy, and Satisfied are the motivators for all our behaviors and actions.  We work mostly to secure a means, Money, to acquire (purchase) Safety, Health, and Satisfaction.  If one of those elements is not acquired in sufficiency, we resort to lying, cheating, and/or stealing to acquire them. 

Isn’t that interesting; Lying, Cheating, and Stealing are all mentioned in the Ten Commandments!  They are the last half of the commandments.  Those commandments deal with our relationships with our fellow mankind while the first half deals with our relationship with God.  The Ten Commandments tell us what needs to be done if we want to be Safe, Healthy, and Satisfied, and live the “Perfect Life”.  

God tells us, if we follow the Ten Commandments AND never break them, we will have a perfect life and live forever.

God met all Adam and Eve’s needs.  God, who created Adam and Eve, recognized the “Need” for them to feel valued (important) was just as important of a need as their need to feel Safe (secure) and Healthy (strong enough to function without pain, hunger, or suffering).  Feeling “Valued” brings “pleasure”.  When we feel pleasure, we feel Satisfied.  The fulfillment of these three elements gives us a “Perfect Life”.

After creating mankind, God both desired and chose to fellowship and commune with those He created.  He not only is our Creator, but He is also our Sustainer and Provider.  We can have NO NEEDS!  When ALL our NEEDS are met, we have NO WANTS. He is our Everything.  He is our Father; we are His Children. 

So, what went wrong?  That will be the topic of our next post.