Author: Trinity Living Missionaries

God spoke to man and said, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day you eat thereof you shall surely die.” (Gen. 2: 16,17).  God himself proclaimed the penalty of death as the consequence of the crime he described.  This was His law.

 

Sin is the opposite of God, an exact 180 of his essence and character. Sin is repulsive to God.  There is no gray area with God.  With God, there is only right and wrong.  You either did wrong or you didn’t do wrong.  You are with God, or you are without God.  Mankind, unfortunately, crossed the line God drew in the sand.  With that crossing, the sentence of death was required.

 

Almighty God is sovereign with nothing or no one greater or having higher authority than He.  He is supreme.  He does not lie.  If Almighty God said death would be the penalty of sin, then death would surely be the penalty.

 

God is life (John 1:4a), satan is death (John 10:10).  Satan is the exact opposite of God.  In fact, the name satan means the opposer.

 

In the book of John chapter 10 verse 18, Jesus says, no man takes my life!  “I have the power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again”.  In fact, Jesus laid down his life; he died by choice (John 10:15).

 

Arising from death indicated God is ALL POWERFUL and there is nothing or no one greater than He.  This proves God to be True and Faithful.  God did not just Tell us who he is, He Showed us who he is. He is Almighty God!

When Jesus gave us the “Lord’s prayer, he expected us to pray it thoughtfully, sincerely, and with conviction.  In other words, he expected us to mean it from our heart’s desire.

On the surface, when we pray, “Thy will be done” it sounds good and easy since we assume we will only reap blessings and gain treasure, but if we thoughtfully consider what we are asking, we may have second thoughts.  Jesus, prior to being betrayed and led off to trial to be sentenced to death prayed to the Father “if thou be willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless, not my will, but, thine be done”.  With that prayer to the Father, Jesus suffered and died on the cross (Luke 22: 41-43).

If we thought praying to the Father for His will to be done meant pain, suffering, and death like Jesus received after praying for God’s will to be done, we would be more hesitant.

Does this mean God, the Father is bad and may have evil intentions and a desire to see us suffer for our sins?  Absolutely NOT!  God is all-knowing and full of wisdom way beyond our comprehension.  He sees from an eternal perspective while we see from a temporal perspective.  God also tells us “My thoughts are not your thoughts, and My ways are not your ways” Isaiah 55:8.  Keep in mind that Jesus did die on the cross BUT, He arose from death by the Father’s power to an eternal life of glory and praise.  As you can see there was MORE, much MORE.  Jesus’ suffering was temporal BUT his glory and kingdom is ETERNAL.  This is God’s perspective.

When we are told by Jesus to pray to the Father “Thy will be done”, we need to be comforted that yes, there may be pain and suffering, But the outcome will cause us to forget the suffering that may have come our way. 

I don’t want to be negative or cause anyone to question Almighty God, our Father.  He is good and He does care for you and Remember,  He knows what we are able to bare.

Too often we try to “know God” instead of getting to “know God”.  This is a problem with the English language; some words are spelled alike but have different meaning or connotation.

 

With the statement “to know God” there are some who study to understand God’s existence, purpose, nature, character, thoughts, motives, plans, goals, and behavior.  There are schools and seminaries that are expert in breaking down the bible verse by verse and word by word for the express purpose of understanding the above “topics” as they relate to God.

 

Knowing the “topics” of God is not what God wants from us.  He wants us to know him emotionally in the spirit not in the mind.  He wants the emotional feeling of agape love to flow reciprocally from our being to his being.  He wants a relationship with us through simple faith where he is our father and we, his children.

 

Scientificating God is when we attempt to comprehend eternity and how it is possible God has no beginning and no end.  We scientificate God by trying to understand and be able to explain creation and our existence.  We scientificate God when we try to understand why God allows death, sickness, suffering, and evil.  We scientificate God when we try to explain unanswered prayer.  We scientificate God when we attempt to interpret the bible to explain God’s timeline and the end times.

 

God never asked us or commissioned us to get to know him so we could explain him.  He has always wanted us to know him the same way Adam and Eve knew him before the fall following the temptation to live our lives without him.

 

God is very clear.  “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord.” Is. 55:8.

 

God wants us to have Simple Faith in him as creator, provider, and sustainer, AND after our sinning, our savior.  God is the great I AM!

 

Learning to understand and know God and his existence, purpose, nature, character, thoughts, motives, plans, goals, and behavior is not evil or sinful.  Knowing God in these ways however leads to head knowledge but it does not lead to peace and contentment.

 

Debating evolution or creation doesn’t matter.  Believing the flood or Jonah doesn’t matter.  Baptismal sprinkling or immersion doesn’t matter.  A relationship with God DOES MATTER!  Childlike Faith DOES MATTER, and REPENTANCE DOES MATTER!

 

We need to get to know God.

Following Adam and Eve partaking of the fruit of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the first thing that happened was they recognized they were naked (Gen. 3:7).

When the serpent tempted Eve, he told her that God knew if they ate of the fruit, they would gain KNOWLEDGE.  The knowledge they would gain would be knowledge to know how to live independently without a need for God, his provision and protection.  There would be no need for God’s sustaining power to give them a peaceful and satisfying life.

Some have misinterpreted the knowledge of good and evil as man gaining knowledge of what is good and what is bad; this is not the case.  The knowledge they would gain is learning how to use the mysteries of God’s created world to create technology that would help them build a world that would meet all their physical needs independent of God.

Lucifer and a third of the angels were cast out of God’s heavenly kingdom after they attempted to overthrow Almighty God.  Lucifer was the intended ruler of this overthrown heavenly kingdom.  Almighty God was more powerful than those rogue angels.  He is All Powerful not simply stronger.

When lucifer and a third of the angels were cast out of the kingdom of heaven, where did they go?  Is it possible, this is the time in eternity Almighty God created the physical heaven and earth?  God’s heavenly kingdom is a spiritual world.  At this point in time only God and the angels know for sure.

It is possible lucifer and the fallen angels, upon being exiled, took residence in the new created physical heaven and earth.  Some religious scholars would disagree since they believe the physical heaven and earth were created in seven days and Adam and Eve were the first inhabitants of our physical earth.  This belief however may not be true.

If we take a closer look at the biblical record of creation, we learn God planted a garden on earth eastward of Eden (Gen. 2:8).  This garden was the garden of Eden located in the land of Eden.  This means Eden was a territory on the earth.  What other territories could have existed?

This idea sounds anti-god and anti-creation but if one reads further, they will learn that after sinning, Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden.  If the whole earth was the garden of Eden as many believe, and Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden, what land or territory were they now inhabiting?

If one continues reading the book of Genesis they learn after Cain killed his brother Abel, God exiled him from the land where he and his family were residing into another territory.  Was their residence in the territory of Eden, however outside the garden God planted?

Cain’s greatest fear was being murdered by others if they found him.  Who were these others who lived in territories outside the territory of Eden?  Were they also created by God or were they lucifer and the fallen angels or were they a combination of the two.  Were they the “giants” known as Nephilim mentioned in Genesis 6?

At this point in time and history, Adam and Eve had gained knowledge to farm and raise livestock.  Their son Cain was a farmer while their son Abel raised livestock.  They had gained knowledge to provide for themselves having food to eat, clothes to wear and housing.  There was no need for God in their new life, so they thought.

If we read further in Genesis, we learn there were others living on the earth, some of which were rogue, posing threats of murder, looting, rape, slavery.

The conclusion is that upon partaking of the fruit of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, the first thing Adam and Eve realized was that they were naked, having nothing apart from God! 

We all need to draw the conclusion and recognize we are naked without God.

The gospel of Luke tells of Messiah being kicked out of His own synagogue. He went outside; He left. They went on with their services, rituals, routines, and their social lives, but everything was dead, empty and lost. God’s presence moved on. His miracles went on, outside the synagogue, rituals and routines. The healing and the good news went on outside. The release of the captives went on, freedom to the prisoners, sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, all the miracles that His own synagogue couldn’t contain. His own religion could not contain Him, and neither can ours. You want miracles, blessings, the presence of God? Then you have to step outside of your routine, your rut, even the rituals in your life. You have to break out beyond the walls that contain your faith. The walls of Messiah’s religion couldn’t contain Him. He had to go outside for the miracles to keep going. We too need to step outside our narrow walls and walk with the King in the excitement of the newness and adventure of Him. The blessings He has for you are so big, they cannot be contained indoors.

*The above is from Sapphires@hopeoftheworld.org

Jesus is the most controversial person in history.  He is the most loved and the most hated.  He is loved by his followers and hated by his opposers.  He is the most embraced and the most rejected.  Frankly, this long-standing controversy makes it more likely that He in fact is God in the Flesh.

Most religions acknowledge Jesus was at least a teacher, prophet, or good person but the controversy is mostly with acknowledging he is God.

I am not all-knowing, but I have embraced Jesus as God, but I have also been trying to understand exactly how he should be viewed.  I have made the following observations and have drawn a conclusion I am satisfied with, but I am open to God’s revealing to me the best way for my simple brain to comprehend it.  What I have concluded to date is below.

I believe there is One Almighty God who is creator, sustainer, and provider of all that exists.  I have been taught that God is a trinity, that being God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. I believe this to be true, but I don’t fully understand it.  I say that because I want you, the reader, to know that I am willing to admit I do not understand everything about God. 

What is good is that God has NEVER expected me to know Him in a “Scientific” way or the history of His existence.  God has NEVER expected me to understand His substance or His mind and motives.  What He has expected of me is that I Trust Him, Believe Him, and Have Faith in Him; that I have done to the best of my human capacity.  By saying my human capacity, I am admitting weakness and imperfection BUT thankful for my Heavenly Father’s understanding of my weakness and need for Him AND His Love for me.  Amen and Thank You Almighty God.

What I have learned about Jesus is that, from a scientific and human perspective, he could not be God.  Why? Because even though his Father was God, his mother was Mary, a human and a sinner, so how could he be perfect and sinless if his father was God but Mary, a sinner, his mother?  I now know!  God is God and He has the power to do whatever He wants and has the full and complete right to be pleased with anything He, Almighty God chooses.  Because God is Holy, if He says Jesus is Righteous and Holy and Worthy to be the Sacrificial Lamb to satisfy the death penalty for sins I have committed and die in my place, I believe God and Accept His will and provision.  Why?  Because He is God!

God also has the power over death AND He manifested this power when He gave power to Jesus to arise from death.  I don’t completely understand it BUT I believe it and have FAITH God can Do It!  Why?  Because He is God!

I don’t fully understand how to view Jesus, but I know he is referred to as the New Adam, the Second Adam or Last Adam.  Why?  I may not have the full correct answer But remember the First Adam was sinless as his wife Eve was sinless before the fall when they decided to attempt to live life without God by learning secrets from Satan that would give them some understanding of God’s mysteries of nature, creation, and science so they could use that knowledge to provide their every need without God.

An interesting side note is that Adam and Eve and even Lucifer (satan) had to use God’s stuff (creation, matter, dirt, elements, water, air, etc.) to help them live life without God.  Why didn’t they simply create something from nothing like God did?  Answer: They didn’t have the power God has!  AND neither do we.

Jesus is the New Adam.  He is the First Fruits of a world to come where, once again Heaven and Earth will be united as One as it was before sin entered civilization.  When sin entered (man deciding to attain knowledge to live life without God), Heaven and Earth separated.  Jesus became the sacrificial lamb to die and arise (overcoming the curse through God’s own power) to become the bridge that will once again reunite Heaven and Earth as One as it was before sin’s devastating power.

When God finally reveals (meaning of apocalypse) Himself Again to the world and destroys the evil satan has planned, we will live with Him in Heaven and Earth again forever and ever.

Remember, Jesus Never called attention to himself.  He ALWAYS pointed to God the Father.  It was God who pointed to Jesus and said “This is my son in whom I am well pleased”.  It was God who lifted Jesus and told us to “hear him”.  Jesus is the son of man (the new Adam) BUT he is also the son of God.  I don’t understand it But Thank God for Jesus, the Lamb of God.

Why does Jesus tell us we should pray “Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be Done on earth as it is in Heaven”?

The answer has to do with the fall of mankind, sin.  Before man heeded the temptation of the serpent, satan in disguise, to be given knowledge and be taught how to live independently of God, mankind was living in a place where Heaven and Earth were united and the same.  Heaven was God’s throne with Earth being a Suburb of God’s throne.  When God stepped off His throne He walked and fellowshipped with man.  It was only after mankind (Adam and Eve) decided that they could live their lives independent of God and His presence that Heaven separated from Earth.  Heaven was again God’s domain only and mankind was NOT permitted entry.  Earth became mankind’s domain with the curse from God to “Go Ahead, Let’s see if you can live without Me” territory.

I must say mankind has been able to succeed somewhat without God by working with satan to build civilization and an economy BUT many heartaches and hardships accompany this life without God.  Thankfully, we have God’s mercy and grace allowing us to bear and deal with our feeble attempt to live life without Him.  God is Merciful and Gracious.

Currently we are seeing Lucifer rear his ugly head as he is attempting to destroy and kill civilization.  I believe he is making his move now.  We are approaching apocalypse (the uncovering).  God is about to uncover and reveal Himself to the World.  We will see how long we have been deceived.  Evil is more pervasive and evident than ever.  Evil is no longer occult, hidden.  It is out in the open.

Why is he doing this?  Because all creation is God’s, and he hates God and anything that is God’s.  Lucifer said he wanted to rise-up above God and rule all His creation.  In the process, he is killing mankind.  He is a liar and deceiver.  God warned us of this.

The goal of satan and his minions is a one world government, depopulation, artificial intelligence, total dictatorial rule, and death and destruction of all that is God’s.  The good news is It ain’t going to happen.  God is in control.  If Lucifer was so powerful, why was he able to be cast out of heaven?  Obviously one who is stronger than him cast him out.  That One is none other than Almighty God.

The bad part is we are walking through the “valley of the shadow of death”.  It isn’t real death but only a shadow of death, But I must admit the shadow of death sometimes feels like death.  That is why I continue to pray for strength, stamina, hope and peace from the God I know who loves me.  That is why Jesus told us to pray for His “Kingdom to come and His will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven”. 

I am looking forward to when Almighty God steps up to end satan’s maniacal attempt to overtake Him.  God will finally restore His Kingdom where Heaven and Earth are again united in Perfect Peace and Harmony forever and ever. This is God’s will. Amen.

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!