BoldGrace

Kevin at Transmillenial had written another excellent article revealing the awesome reach and power of God’s work of redemption. Check it out here. May his influence increase exponentially.

If someone were to ask me “Just what is at the root of your happiness?”, I would have to say “The realization that the power of sin is no longer a consideration in my life.”  Unfortunately the organized church is still preaching a message of sin and it’s power but the reality is that sin and it’s power has been defeated.  Paul said:

Well, the church is going to have to make its mind up weather we should be under law or under grace.  It really is that simple.  For me sin is no longer an issue because my mind has been saved from the illusion of sin.  I think that’s what John was talking about in the following scriptures.

When John said: “Whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him”, I believe he was talking about people who are still living in the illusion that sin has some sort of power over us, but the reality is that he defeated sin and all it’s power at the cross making us all ONE NEW MAN in Christ.  We are PERFECT and the sooner we realize that the sooner we can enjoy a peace even in this life that is indescribable.

Did you get that?  The law made NOTHING perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope DID.  WOW!  The better hope DID bring perfection and that’s a power we can all live by.

And even if I understand something in my mind that is less then perfect GOD SHALL REVEAL EVEN THIS TO ME.  

Life without sin is not only possible it is truly the ONLY reality. 

What does man need saved from? 

Answer:  From any message that teaches the Power of Sin over the Power of Grace. 

For me and my house, we trust in God’s PERFECT LOVE FOR ALL.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most.
We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?’
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won’t feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in all of us.
And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

A Return to Love - Marianne Williamson

I know nothing about Marianne Williamson but I just ran across her words and they resonate within my heart.

I still believe in the concept of ONE BIG CHURCH that has room for ALL even though I no longer attend a local organized congregation. I base my continued belief because of the following verses.

Matt 16:13-18
13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Verse 16 clearly shows the foundation on which the church is built because Jesus laid that thought out in verse 17. But let’s examine just what this foundation is like.

He says the foundation is about a confession that a common human being would make that was not revealed from any flesh and blood source, but rather it was revealed from the Father.

Now I ask you, was Peter’s faith something that was of himself or was it from God the Father? If it was from God the Father then doesn’t this verse teach that God will reveal His glory to ALL and that’s why the foundation is so strong that the gates of HELL shall NOT prevail against it?

Yet today there are many who teach the gates of HELL will prevail. They teach most are going to HELL because they don’t have faith, but how can they have faith if God the Father doesn’t reveal it to them?

You may say, “Well once God reveals it then we must believe it like Peter did”. But we know that Peter’s faith failed more then once. It failed three times the very night of Christ greatest sacrifice, and it would later fail even after he had seen the risen Christ. At one point Paul had to rebuke Peter to his face for falling back under the system of law.

Now as I have often said in the past, our faith can be of great benefit in this life on earth but our faith counts for nothing when it comes to who will actually end up being a believer. Paul said quoting from Isaiah, “Every knee will bow, and every tongue will give praise to God.”

The bowing and the praising will always be a result of our Father revealing His glory to us, but what is behind the bowing and the praising is when a common human being sees the TRUTH that GOD HIMSELF HAS REDEEMED US ALL FROM OUR IGNORANCE, OUR UNBELIEF, OUR SINFULNESS, AND OUR SELF RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Yes, there will be only ONE BIG CHURCH and ALL of us will be apart of it, and it will be built on a foundation that God himself laid by the sacrifice of JESUS CHRIST, SAVIOR OF THE WORLD.

The last thing I would like to add is a question for Christians who are under the bondage of their religion:

Are you really a believer?

I hope the answer is yes, but my experience within the organized church is that it is FULL of unbelievers.

The following dialog is from Shawshank Redemption The Movie. Sometimes I feel just like Red as it relates to dealing with those who still think they hold the keys to The Kingdom. See if you can relate…. 1967 Parole Hearings Man: Ellis Boyd Redding, your files say you’ve served 40 years of a life sentence. Do you feel you’ve been rehabilitated? Red: Rehabilitated? Red: [sighs] Well now, let’s see. Red: [pauses] You know, I don’t have any idea what that word means. 1967 Parole Hearings Man: Well, it means you are ready to rejoin society… Red: [interrupting] I know what you think it means sonny. Red: To me it’s just a made-up word Red: A politician’s word; so, young fellows like yourself wear a suit and a tie… and have a job Red: What do you really want to know? Red: Am I sorry for what I did? 1967 Parole Hearings Man: Well, are you? Red: There’s not a day goes by I don’t feel regret., Red: Not because I’m in here and because you think I should. Red: I look back on the way I was then… a stupid, young kid who committed that terrible crime. Red: I want to talk to him. Red: I want to try and talk some sense to him. Red: Tell him the way things are, but I can’t. Red: That kid’s long gone, and this old man is all that’s left. Red: I gotta live with that. Red: Rehabilitated? Red: It’s just a bullshit word. Red: So you go on and stamp your form, sonny, and stop wasting my time. Red: Because to tell you the truth, I don’t give a shit. Peace Geo

I received an E-mail this week with the following questions from a sincere seeker of truth. Below is how I answered.

I do have a question or 2….or 3. If our sins were covered on the cross, hence, redeeming all men, how are we held accountable for the actions we do earth? (Murder, adultery etc etc) Is there no longer a moral right and wrong? If there is, in our limited understanding, what does it matter then what I do? I am not justifying the notion that we can or should do what we want, but how are we held accountable for stuff that goes against the goodness of God? Does sin still exist? Is there temporal punishment?
I could think of a million more but I am on journey right now with 2 broken legs slowly dragging myself.

________________________________________
Concerning your questions about being held accountable for our sins. I firmly believe that no human being escapes the consequences of their choices, but what has really helped me be OK with that notion is knowing that God is not only able but willing to take every choice we make and turn it into good. I believe He has set up a perfect process by which each of us will learn what we need to learn while on this earth. I have also come to believe that even his so called wrath is really his perfect love and I welcome it. We don’t have to fret about anyone getting away with anything because the system He has us in is quite capable of giving us exactly what we need in LOVE. Let me share with you a post I did that explains this in more detail.

I WELCOME THE WRATH OF GOD!

The following verse has been used by many a preacher to condemn and put fear in the hearts of their followers, but I would like for us to take a new look at this verse.

Romans 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,

Now we know that God was revealing something from heaven that would stand against all the godlessness and wickedness of men but what was it? Was he going to bring down fire and brimstone? Was he going to turn all the wicked people into pillars of salt?
You see we have the advantage of knowing exactly what God was revealing from heaven that would be able to destroy all godlessness and wickedness of men. Paul had already given the answer in the previous two verses.

16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

As he says: “In the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed”. The righteousness from God that was revealed in the gospel is Jesus Christ himself. Jesus came to overpower godlessness and wickedness of men by forgiving all their sins. Where sin has gone grace has gone all the more. The LOVE of God and the WRATH of God are absolutely the very same thing. Yes, God loves us enough to destroy all the godlessness and wickedness that is in our lives but the way he accomplishes all of that is through the beauty of his glorious nature which is seen in the life of Jesus Christ. HE LOVES IT OUT OF US.

Abraham Lincoln once said: “The best way to destroy an enemy is to make them your friend.” That’s exactly what God has done with all of us and he demonstrates his plan in the gospel.

This is why the apostle John said the following:

1 John 4:18-20 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 19We love because he first loved us.

God knew he could never bring us back to perfection through threat of punishment and yet so many preachers today are teaching the very opposite of what was revealed from heaven in the Gospel message. The gospel message is the only answer to our godlessness and wickedness and the answer is GRACE. There is a day for all of us when we will recognize this awesome love and on that day of awakening we will fall down on our knees in complete and total praise of this God of Love.
For Paul the apostle it happened when he was on the road to Damscus and he describes what God did for him and will do for all.

1 Tim 1:12-17
12 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Paul was a blasphemer, persecutor, violent man, and yet God destroyed all of that darkness within him and turned him into the beautiful man that we all know as the apostle Paul. Yes, that was the Wrath of God that was revealed from heaven to Paul and yet we see through the gospel message that the wrath of God is something that we should all welcome because it really is God’s Love in the purest form.

God will not leave anyone out. The wrath of God is revealed against ALL—-Now that’s something to be grateful for.

My young friend PJ is writing some great stuff and I hope many will check out a recent post of his. You can check it out Here.

The comments by Cliff and Nancy’s Kids on the last post deserve to be FRONT PAGE!
So here they are…….

From Mindy:
Dad,
I am so proud of you. I keep thinking to myself that if it hadn’t been for you being true to yourself I might not have had the strength to be true to my heart. Thank you for doing what you did yesterday. Thank you for always giving others this freedom. Thank you for your wisom, your knowledge and your tender heart.
I have never felt more connected to you and Mom and you both seem more connected then ever before. Your courage and strength is light to my life. What I witnessed yesterday was a man of God stand up for what he knows is right. Dad, you planted a seed. You have always been planting seeds in the hearts of all of those who are lucky enough to encounter your heart. It will be awesome to watch others grow. Your story is one that will be shared forever. I have always said to you that this is your last life here on earth because you got it right. You got your wings Dad. I am such a lucky person and I don’t think I will ever really understand just how lucky I am.

From Cliff III
Dad,
You will remember this poem. You have truely found your true Identity and this poem reminds of that. This poem has always been special for me, because i can remember standing up in front of the family and saying for my grandparents.

The Man in the Mirror

When you get all you want and you struggle for self,
and the world makes you king for a day,
then go to the mirror and look at yourself
and see what that man has to say.
For it isn’t your mother, your father or wife
whose judgment upon you must pass,
but the man, whose verdict counts most in your life
is the one staring back from the glass.
He’s the fellow to please,
never mind all the rest.
For he’s with you right to the end,
and you’ve passed your most difficult test
if the man in the glass is your friend.
You may be like Jack Horner and “chisel” a plum,
And think you’re a wonderful guy,
But the man in the glass says you’re only a bum
If you can’t look him straight in the eye.
You can fool the whole world,
down the highway of years,
and take pats on the back as you pass.
But your final reward will be heartache and tears
if you’ve cheated the man in the glass.

From Amy:
Hey Daddy! You know I’m not sad! I am one of the few that has heard the message of love ALL my life. It was the most important thing you and mom gave to us kids. What amazes me is how many people need to believe in the hatred and sickness of religion. My girlfriend asked me where we were going to go to church now that you have resigned and I said we are going to spend more time together as a family. What I didn’t tell her is that when I said family I didn’t just mean you and mom and us kids. Every one you and mom encounter are accepted as OUR family. Even when we were little and you were imprisioned by the church……I remember a home that was always OPEN and WELCOMED everyone who wanted to be loved. We keep talking about the seed being planted but you have been planting the seed for as long as I can remember! You know how much I look up to you but yesterday I felt so much PRIDE in my heart because when I watched you giving the most powerful message I have ever heard I didn’t just see my DAD…..I saw a part of God and now I can tell people “I HAVE SEEN GOD AND HE IS GREAT!” When I talked to Grandma and she told me her concern for you because you have always loved going to church…….I said “Grandma…in my whole life I have never seen my Dad so happy to be a part of BOLD GRACE because it has been a way for you to connect with so many people who “GET IT!” I get it Dad and it is because you and mom kept searching! Thank you for searching and I love you!!!!!!

LOVE IS MY RELIGION!
Amy

Geo Here:
What more can I say?

WE LOVE YOU Cliff & Nancy!

Peace
Geo

Today I resigned as the pastor of the Straughn Community Chapel. I left with only love in my heart for a people who have been good to me and to my family for many years. When I came back to them three years ago I had told them I was going to preach the message of my heart that all men and women are redeemed and I stayed true to my word and to my heart. They did their very best to try and understand this message of God’s unconditional love and some of them did get it, but unfortunately there were just too many doubts.

When all of christendom is preaching a message of Hell for the damned the message that refutes that is overpowered by the fear of the masses, but the message of the damned will never win. It just does not matter what man decides in his mind, because God is greater then the strongest wills of men.

When they (the moral elite) hung Jesus on the cross they were sure they had kept in tact their religion of self righteousness, and in fact God had given them the victory, but it wasn’t the one they thought they had won. Paul would later realize this when Jesus showed him the real victory with all of its glory. He would fall down on his knees with praise for a God who had always loved him in spite of his self righteous ways. He would later call his own righteousness dung (that’s poop).

I can say with a clear conscience that my message for the last thirty-three years of preaching has been one of love and acceptance and the more I understood it the greater my love and peace with all men grew. I had always hoped that the church would hear this message but I say with great sadness that for the most part the church universal loves only in part. It loves only in part because it has been blinded by it’s own ideas of good and evil.

To love like God does we must give up all of our ideas of good and evil and align ourselves with the only righteousness that we have ever had. It is a righteousness that can not be gained by our belief or by our actions. It is the righteousness that came by faith, God’s faith in us.

Rom 5:17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. 18 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.

What will be my future?

I will reign in life with God’s abundant provision of grace and righteousness.
I will wake up with the dawning of each new day filled with the awe of a loving Father.
I will live with the peace that is beyond description.
I will judge no one.
I will condemn no one.
I will see through the eyes of the one who looked at the moral elite who had hung him on the cross and said “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
And I will continue to preach this message to anyone who will listen as long as I have breath.

I also want to say a special thank-you to my family who have stood by me, and to my grace buddies whose prayers and thoughts gave me strength when I most needed it.

And now allow me to end with a prayer:

May God bless the Straughn Community Chapel for allowing me the opportunity to preach the greatest message in all the world. May God grant them wisdom in choosing their next pastor. May they be a loving and accepting church of all who walk through their doors, and may all their doubts and fears be turned into complete and total trust of the Father who will never let them down.
Amen

There’s a fresh wind a blowing, Do you feel it?

Little Halea Belle & Monti the WV bear….ready for the game. Go Mountaineers. Beat Marshall.