BoldGrace

It has been said that the Internet, with its open exchange of information and ideas, caused the demise of the Soviet Union. When a people, closed off to the outside world, living in unrealized bondage to a system (a system they thought brought them security), are able to escape for a moment (even if just electronically), they might begin to glimpse a freedom to which they have had no access previously, and start to yearn for more. The contrast between "what is", and "what could be", ignites a passion that becomes an unstoppable force. And that force has the power to change the world.

I wonder if the Internet will also become the demise of organized religion?

Ben Franklin said, "Anyone who trades liberty for security deserves neither liberty nor security."

It use to be really hard searching for myself and then accepting myself. Actually, it had been exhausting. I felt like I was constantly peeling away layers of myself only to find that there was another layer to work through.

You see, I was raised in religion. I was taught by a few different organized religions to ask for forgiveness and that in order to be accepted by Jesus I had to accept him by getting baptized or get saved. I was taught to accept the people in Church and be fearful of everyone else. I was taught that it was inappropriate to dance in Church. I was taught to only sing accapella. I was taught that it was wrong to get up and sing accapella with my sisters in front of the congregation. I was taught that as a woman I had no voice amongst men. I was taught that God is good, but that I was just a sinner and didn’t deserve God’s unconditional love. I was taught fear and as a child these teachings are and were very devastating.

So, like many of you I have to peel away layer after layer in order to find the person that God meant for me to be. I am still peeling away layers, BUT NOW instead of feeling guilty and exhausted over peeling away layers or searching for myself and my truths I am flying. I am soaring high. I am stronger. Now each time I peel away a layer I realize that I have the tools. I have what it takes to understand each layer. No one else has to understand them.

I don’t get so panicked about my experiences or what and who I might find along my journey. I am not concerned as much about this world or my life. My earthly burdens are just that…earthly, but they are mine. I will have tribulations and joy but those tribulations and joys are just more opportunities for me to fly. I don’t have to even talk to God to be close to him. He is in me. I hear him when my daughter laughs. I hear him when I kiss my husband.

Now, I praise and worship the sun without fear of persecution. I praise the blue skies. I praise the wind and the rain. My eyes are more open then they have ever been and my mind isn’t closed anymore. I see the real illusions now. I see people who are clueless to the beauty and perfection behind “mistakes” or “sins”. I see opportunity for growth in what others considered mistakes. I see ME! I see a 33 year old “little girl” dancing under a disco ball. Her hands are up high and she is swaying back and forth looking up at the beautiful colors then gently closing her eyes so that she can absorb all of the wonderful feelings and then she sings with the band like there is no tomorrow.

I can’t wait to peel away another layer.

Many years ago I heard a wonderful sermon about ten very powerful words.

IF IT IS TO BE IT IS UP TO ME!

Now at the time of that sermon I was much more in to self righteous behavior because most sermons that I heard surrounded the idea of how we could please God.  The funny thing is that even though now that I understand Bold Grace and realize that I don’t have to do anything to please God I still find these ten words to carry great power.

The reason is because I fully realize that God has given me complete freedom to create the world in which I want to live on this earth.  I know he won’t reject me regardless of what I choose to say or do.  I know His love is not based on me but rather on who He is.  Knowing this makes me feel incredible.  To know that God is willing to let me choose my way, good or bad, and that at the end of the journey He will still be standing by me side.

So, for me these ten words help me focus on what kind of a person I really want to be. 

My beautiful southern cousin Connie quoted the following:

“Oh, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with the breath of kindness, blow the rest away.” (George Elliot)

I want to be a person that others feel safe with and IF IT IS TO BE IT IS UP TO ME.

My beautiful daughter Mindy quoted the following:

“”The greatest sweetener of human life is Friendship. To raise this to the highest pitch of enjoyment, is a secret which but few discover.”
–Joseph Addison

I want to be this kind of friend to all.  I want to understand the secret that few discover and IF IT IS TO BE IT IS UP TO ME.

Kevin Beck wrote the following:

What’s stopping us? Fear. Anxiety. Ego. Pride. Selfishness. Desire for power and control. Our false selves.  We can (will and do) experience true community and hospitality when we awaken to our interconnectedness and oneness.

God has given me complete freedom to choose my life hear on earth.  At 56 years old I am very clear that the things that Kevin mentions above are the very things that will block me from being all that I want to be.  I can no longer use the excuse of being young and dumb.  I can not longer use the excuse of feeling guilt and shame because I don’t.  I have great peace with God and because of that peace I feel a sense of awe for the image that lives within me.  I no longer want to live in lies and illusions.  I want to allow this image in which I was created to come fully to the surface of all that I do and say and IF IT IS TO BE IT IS UP TO ME.

I thank each and every person who comes here in the name of true friendship.  Let us put our false selves away and focus on the reality of who we really are.

I no longer believe I have any power at all to reject God.  I do believe God is all powerful and it is His will for me to find my way in the understanding of His perfection.  I also believe He has give us great freedom to see for ourselves, experience for ourselves, and choose our own way on this earth.  One thing He will not let me choose is to stay in a state of illusion.  Sooner or later He will reveal the Glory of our creation to each and every one of us.  Until that time I want to use my freedom wisely and so I will get up each morning with these ten little words always in my mind……IF IT IS TO BE IT IS UP TO ME!  Godspeed to  ALL.

On this past Saturday my wife, daughter Mindy, & I traveled 5 hours one way to be at Geo & Bonnie’s all day lamb & chicken roast.  I went because it is seldom I get the chance to be with all the contributors at Boldgrace.  We were all there plus a lot of people I have never met. John T and his wife traveled from Canada just to be with us and enjoy this great day.  We had some great food and great discussions about life.  Some of the discussions centered around the freedom that those of us at Boldgrace are experiencing as a result of believing God is perfect as well as his plan.  Needless to say some of the Christians who attended who are still heavily involved in the organized church took issue with our beliefs and yet we were able to eat and drink together with a spirit of joy and acceptance, (at least I felt that way). 

I have only one question to ask our readers and I truly want people to respond.  Here is the question:

What’s stopping us from being the community of God’s children?  And when I say "US" I’m talking about the entire human race.

At this gathering there were beer drinkers, smokers, couples who lived together, some who cussed, some who judged harshly, some who ate to much, some who talked to much, some who were full of love, and others who were bitter………..and the list goes on & on because this gathering simply represented the human race.  And yet, we all got along. 

I personally think we all got along, even though there were great differences because Geo & Bonnie had provided an environment where everyone felt welcomed and accepted just the way they were and they knew it.  Show me a church that will allow that kind of a community and I will join. 

The organized church has utterly failed at true community.  Most of the time people who attend church can never really let their hair down and truly be themselves with out fear of judgment.  I can say that I really loved being with those people this past Saturday (and there were a number of conservative christians present, but I was able to enjoy them because I was completely and fully myself……and that could never happen in church.

Well, anyway, that’s just my take on it.  I would love to hear how others feel about what TRUE COMMUNITY IS?

To Geo & Bonnie,   THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING WHO YOU ARE…….NOTHING MORE & NOTHING LESS, JUST CHILDREN OF GOD WHO UNDERSTAND THEY ARE PERFECT.

I chose for the greater part of my life to attend church.  I also chose to be very involved in every aspect of church life.  I can say during all those years I was devoted to being the most loving person I could be.  From the beginning I did not believe in the concept of HELL and that’s probably why I concentrated so much on preaching and teaching about love.  I wanted more then anything to help people see the perfect God of love that I worshiped in my heart.  I was also convinced that the message of pure love would get through but now as I look back I think it was more my stubborn pride that didn’t want to believe I failed.

When I finally left the church it was because I had been humbled so much by the message of a bold grace that reaches every single human being.  I was forced to come to grips with the limited nature of church life.  I say limited because that’s exactly what the organized church message is….LIMITED.  The strings that are attached to it are so binding that true freedom is an impossibility.

The reason I don’t attend now has nothing to do with whether I would enjoy it or not.  I always loved going to church.  I loved singing the hymns and being a part of a group.  I loved teaching and preaching and I always gave my very best every time I stood in the pulpit.  Unfortunately the more the message of bold grace gets into your heart the more you fully realize your connection to all mankind.  At least for me, to go to church now would make me feel disconnected.  Bold grace enables me to walk into a jail and sit with the most hardened of criminals and feel at one with them because I know our oneness is not something I or they created.  Of course the sad thing is I am not allowed to go to our county jail because I’m not sanctioned by a church.  The message of God’s pure love pounding in my heart is not enough.  

In my earlier years in the churches of Christ I was denied being an "ELDER" (that’s a big deal) because I wouldn’t say that unless your baptized God has no power to save you.  All I would have had to do is comply with the basic idea that you have to do something to be OK with God.  Well, I wouldn’t do it then, and I won’t do it now.  I also won’t set myself up as superior to ANYONE because of what I believe or do.  I have and will always teach that GOD’S PLAN DOES NOT REST IN THE HANDS OF MEN.

Where ever I go or whom ever I am with I feel connected because I know who connected us.  Whether someone agrees with me or even likes me will not change this connection.  I now truly feel like I am worshiping God without the constraints of time or place.  It is an eternal worship that has always been and always will be. 

Let me finish by saying that I have no need or  desire to get people to leave the church.  I had to take my own journey just as everyone else does.  I had to find out for myself just as everyone else does, but for those who are at a place in their spiritual journey that the organized church is not giving them peace then I want to be that voice of one crying in the wilderness.  A voice that says there is a straight path that one can not fall off of.  A voice that never points to myself but rather only points to the God that has provided us with a grace so bold that most christians still can’t believe it.

I have been condemned by many.  I have been called a false prophet who leads people to HELL.  I am feared by some ministers as an agent of Satan himself.  All of this is because of one thing……..I CLAIM THAT GOD IS PERFECT, AS IS HIS PLAN.  I claim that God will not fail anyone.  I claim that the life of Jesus is more powerful than the life of Adam.  Because of Adam death came upon all men, but because of Jesus LIFE has come to ALL MEN. 

I would like to close this post with my favorite quote that has affected me in all I do and say:

NOTHING REAL CAN BE THREATENED, NOTHING UNREAL EXISTS, AND THEREIN LIES THE PEACE OF GOD.

Peace to All!

In the front of my house is a large blue spruce that Nancy & I planted over 30 years ago.  This spring on one of the lower branches at eye level a Robin built her nest.  I would walk out each morning and watch her as she built it and then one day four beautiful blue eggs arrived.  It didn’t seem long before three of the eggs hatched.  It was such a joy to watch the glory of God’s creation transform this wondrous vision right before my eyes.  I was amazed at how quickly they would grow.  Sometimes I would lightly push down on the branch and they thought momma was there with breakfast.  Immediately they would pop up with their little mouths wide open hoping to be the first to get fed.  This past week they left the nest for the first time.  One of them stayed very close to the nest and I would walk right up within inches and talk to it.  Of course it didn’t move (I’m sure momma taught it well) but I felt a profound connection to this miracle of creation.  I know I’m getting old because I find myself crying over the silliest of things, and yes I cried.  I cried because I knew this little baby bird had so much ahead of it to do.  It seemed afraid.  Maybe that’s why it didn’t want to leave the nest like the others did?  But I also felt great peace because I knew that God had provided every thing that little bird would need to be a beautiful Robin.  I also knew this peace I felt was not just for the Robin but also for me.  I know now better then I have ever know that God has provided me everything I need to be his child. 

In the last post there was great passion that came out of the hearts all that wrote in.  Some agreed with the post and others didn’t, but let me say with all the passion I can say it with that I NEVER feel superior to those who disagree with me.  I know there is a very good reason in our glorious creation that God allows us to see things from different perspectives and sometimes even complete disagreement.  I also know that just as God provides for my little friend who lives in the blue spruce, He also provides us with everything we need to accomplish our journey on earth.  THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT I ALWAYS WANT TO PROJECT ON THIS SITE IS FREEDOM AND RESPECT. 

Freedom to be where you are in your spiritual journey and know that you will always be accepted here at boldgrace.   The freedom we have is not something we give, it’s something we have become aware of, and true freedom applies to ALL.  Christ died to set us FREE and the last thing we ever want to do here at Boldgrace is stifle anyones freedom.

Respect does not mean agreement.  True respect means you can vehemently disagree with someone but you still honor and love them because you realize you are connected by the glory of God’s creation.   You realize that when you demean or attack them you are demeaning and attacking yourself.

This site is about FREEDOM & RESPECT going together hand in hand.  We must always have the freedom to express where we are in our spiritual journey.  I never felt that when I was involved in the organized church and that’s why it is so important to me to allow everyone to express themselves.  At the same time we must continually remind ourselves in this expression that each of us are at different places in our journey, but being in different places does not mean we can’t respect each other.  Freedom & Respect are two words that I try to keep at the forefront of every post and every comment that I make. 

Like my friends, the Robins, God is watching us grow, leave the nest, find our way, and be his children.  I want this site to be a place that He is proud of.  Where he could say: " Look at my children, how they are talking, debating, sharing, disagreeing, and yet they love each other so much." 

All of you who come here have my promise that I will always do my best to honor your freedom and respect you regardless of where you are in relation to where I am. 

I feel a great connection to my friends the Robins, but I feel that same connection to every human being that I meet in life or on this site.

Bold Grace is a grace that can overcome every barrier, every wall, and every disagreement, and God has provided us with the Boldest Grace we could ever imagine.

As my friend Steve would say, "Come and sit at our table, enjoy the feast, and feel the love that overwhelms us all."

Sometimes we at Boldgrace get accused of being too hard on the organized church and yet we say time and time again that our comments are not intended toward the people who attend.  In fact, we fully accept each and everyone of them just as Christ does.  We do speak out of years of experience within the organized church and we offer that experience to be accepted or rejected without any demands or tests of fellowship.  On the other hand, the organized church does not accept us.  Oh, I know that individuals within do but I’m not talking about those, I’m talking about the leadership who continues to preach a gospel that is grace mixed with law, which is NO gospel at all. 

I would like to propose a challenge to those church goers who have doubts about what we stand for at Boldgrace. 

I challenge anyone who is brave enough to try it to STOP attending any organized church for just 90 days. 

During that time I propose the following:

• Have only one prayer during the 90 day period.  The prayer should simply be "THANK YOU".  Thank you for being a Perfect God with a Perfect plan that can be trusted despite how we humans mis-understand it.
• Look at every single person you encounter during the 90 day period as completely redeemed and precious in the sight of God.  NO JUDGEMENTS about their position with God.  Jesus came to reveal to us our true IMAGE and our believing that doesn’t cause it to be true it only brings us peace in the here and now.
• Practice seeing yourself as perfect.  Don’t look at the weakness of your flesh but rather look within to the precious creation He intended for you to see.
• If you begin to feel guilt ask yourself where it’s coming from?  Remind yourself that your perfection is not based on your performance.  Your perfection is a fact, just like gravity.  You don’t have to believe in it but it is still true.
• Last, be honest with how you FEEL.  If you follow the above suggestions I am confident that you will begin to feel a peace that is nothing short of amazing.  If you don’t feel this peace then take another look at why and I suspect it’s because you are feeling the pressure of the organized church’s gospel of grace + law.

If you respond to this by saying NOWAY, then ask yourself why?  Is it based on your true conviction of your heart or is it a nagging FEAR that has been training you for bondage all of your life?

BREAK FREE FOR JUST 90 DAYS AND ENJOY AMAZING BOLD GRACE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YOUR LIFE.  If you do you will encounter the meaning of the true gospel that Jesus died for.

This post is a FIRST here at Bold Grace. We have never had someone who is not part of the Bold Grace Administration Team post before. But our friend and frequent commenter John T. has asked that we allow him to post some of his thoughts. After discussing it through emails with the team we have agreed to have John T. post the following. As always please remember we at Bold Grace may or may not agree with his writings but we do hope they will cause us all to explore life. With that disclaimer we give you JOHN T…………………………….

Thanks for considering my request. I will try to make this relatively short. I have many ideas to share but I will limit them to my "belief" in our creator and how that relates to my "view" of our existence. I will take a Christian Scriptural viewpoint, but by no means do I think the Bible is the only authority on how we connect and remain aware of the Spirit of God. So here goes

Firstly, I find it fascinating that we as Christians actually feel the need for a SAVIOUR. In fact, doesnt that automatically make us feel like there is something inherently wrong with us? I mean, like really, God created us in his image yet were so messed up that we need to be bailed out. I think when we come from this original viewpoint, there is only one way to go…….DOWN. So with that said I think the early writers of Scripture were trying there best to explain the existence of, as we see it, Good and Evil. How accurate are they? Well we’ll leave that one alone. Maybe another post lol. Personally, I feel that God is Love and that I’m actually OK in the grand scheme of things. Do I have doubts…you bet. Do I sometimes have fears…. you bet. But overall I  intuitively know that I’m OK in the universe."I will put my laws on their mind and write them on their hearts. I will be their god and they will be my people" Hebrews 8:10

So where do I go from here? I have been reading  about Christianity and scripture and there is much that I find not only enlightening but also soothing to my spirit. Many of its words feed my soul and calm me. Does it sometimes confuse the Heck out of me……..lol ain’t that the truth. But overall I see how people through the ages have and still try to connect to their essence. That in itself is wonderful. Many of the  tenets of the Bible help to form great communities. Also many of them can be a divider. I guess it depends on your perspective. Now I know in previous posts I have made mention of repenting and other aspects that the Church espouses. Does the Church really get what they mean, I’m not so sure that they do. My take on many of the practices of the Bible  is that they are actually for training our mind and our spirit to maintaining its connection to the Divine Energy. Repenting and Prayer are just some of those practices. Their purpose is not for creating Guilt and Fear but reverence to the Love energy that God is.(Oh and by the way, I do believe we are an intrinsic part of that energy). The challenge with this world is that of "duality" and some may not see it in quite as positive of a way, hence the idea of Evil.

From my viewpoint, I believe that in this period of my eternal happening, I am here to learn things. Why is that? Well your guess is as good as mine. I just sense that is the truth. Now with that said, it seems the Creator or God has set up a system that seems to have some truths or absolutes to it. Jump off a bridge and gravity takes over. Drink too much alcohol and get a hangover. Regardless of how good it feels before, there are consequences to our actions. Now maybe Sin is not so much the action but more the outcome of that action. I believe in the process of teaching ourselves and our fellow travelers on this ride called Life,  we need to understand better the outcomes of what we do. I believe God said go ahead do whatever you want, but remember the system will give you an outcome, some desirable, some not. The outcomes have nothing to do with the overall Love, but they definitely have something to do with how you experience your Life. Will that experience be Loving or something not so Loving.

As far as my brain understands this existence, it seems very temporary. Yet there is this sense that there is a continuation beyond what I see, touch, taste and experience presently. So with that said I believe that what and how I work this part of my existence will definitely have an effect on the rest of it. What I mean by that is, its important to at least attempt to work the system for outcomes of Love. If I don’t try, it wont sway Gods Love for me overall, but it will get me some outcomes that don’t necessarily make me feel Good or Loving.

I believe the purpose or intent of Jesus was one of showing us how to have community better. Remembering that we are all OK, but also remembering to strive to be more Loving.

So when Cliff made reference to doing things wrong or hurtful and being OK because he’s knows he’s Loved, in my mind, kind of misses the point. I believe the point is about community and understanding that what we do will affect others and Jesus was trying to show us how to limit or change(repent) our beliefs so we don’t continue those behaviors. He cuts us some slack(Grace), yet he still wants us to strive to do actions that have better outcomes.

Love and Best wishes

John Tattersall

PS…To enter the kingdom of the father you must become as a child…………………I got giddy being able to share my viewpoints with you guys…….Thanks again

I have been lurking the past few weeks and have not responded or posted any thoughts here on Bold Grace. But after reading the conversation and comments on Cliff’s post titled “ Blessed Are The Pure In Heart” I decided to make this a post of it’s own and not a comment on that post. So here goes………………

John T. writes:
 Kevin
What happens to your mind and spirit when you’ve drifted from God and how do you get it back? Do you repent? Which I believe means to change your mind

GEO Responds:

John T. there in reality is nothing to “get back” as you term it. But if you want to repent or “change your mind” then go ahead. The problem comes in when we try and make others do the same in order to “feel clean” before God.

John T. writes:
      I notice one thing about BOLD GRACE the site. I think you guys are terrific and you try your best to share the love of God amongst us. But very definitely there is still huge resentment towards the Church as you see it.

GEO Responds:

John T. statements such as this… 
“But very definitely there is still huge resentment towards the Church as you see it”.
Are your opinion and we respect it as such. The same way what we say here are our opinions and they are not to bind anyone to believe as we do. Nor are they meant to silence any thought or speech. As far as judgment of the church goes why should we not judge the church? The judgment talked about in the New Testament writings was, we are not to Judge another persons Redemption, Salvation or Acceptance before God. But we are encouraged in the New Testament writings to Judge when a wrong is done to another. And the Church has PLENTY to be judged for in that area. But while we at Bold Grace may Judge the actions & deeds of Institutions and People NEVER ONCE have we nor will we judge anyone’s Righteousness, Holiness, Redemption, Salvation or Acceptance by God! We believe those in the Church who are doing GREAT damage to others are Righteous, Holy and Redeemed! Do they believe the same of us? My experience has been NO! In fact most people still in that system, at least the majority of the ones that I have encountered since leaving it (organized religion) have said just the opposite and view us here at Bold Grace as unbelieving heretics who will burn in hell, while we believe they are Righteous, Holy, Acceptable and without spot before God! Do you really think they believe the same of us?

John T. writes:
After all that does seem to me to be quite self-centered, don’t ya think?

GEO Responds:

John T.,
Do you believe that we are in Christ and He is in us, which I do? If so then self-centeredness would be Christ centeredness would it not?

GEO Responds:

John T.,
When your wife said this:
 “If the people on this site were truly immersed in their understanding of the love of God, they wouldn’t waste their time judging the Church and how it creates Fear in everyone”.
She as you previously did was stating her opinion. And again the church is indeed in need of judging! (My opinion!) Again please never think that we here at Bold Grace are judging anyone’s Righteousness, Holiness, Redemption, Salvation or Acceptance by God. Again I say that in the NT writings it says we are to judge when another has been wronged. As a matter of fact Paul says we should be able to do just that! And the world is full of people who have been wronged by that system. And we here at Bold Grace will always speak against what we see as wrong in religious systems while NEVER once judging another’s Righteousness, Holiness, Redemption, Salvation or Acceptance by God.

GEO Responds:

John T.,
You wife was curious about this:
 Why are you are centered so much on Fear itself as a topic?

I cannot speak for others that are a part of Bold Grace but for me as I see it the topic of fear is the one most used by those so-called leaders in organized religion today. It is used to extort and extract money, time & labor from those under the so-called care of pastors, and leaders. That is why I speak of it and against it. Speaking against it sets the captives free.

John T. writes:
Anyways I like reading what you guys have to say and just enjoy bantering, it helps me grow in my faith.

GEO Responds:

If the bantering helps you grow in your faith John T. then our writings here at Bold Grace are a complete and utter failure for you! Because our whole focus here at Bold Grace is NOT to help you or anyone else grow in your faith! But to assist you and all who come to Bold Grace in coming to the complete and utter end of your personal faith & belief in God and Jesus Christ! Then and only then can you embrace the Faith of God that is IN Jesus the Christ. And when a person leaves behind the doctrines of Christ as Paul said and then embraces the Faith Of God that is in Jesus the world for that person takes on a new order and EVERYTHING changes!

But then again I very well could be full of crap! Hahaha!

John T., if I were a praying person (which I am not, because ALL of my prayers were fulfilled at The Cross) I would pray that you and others who visit here and indeed in the whole world for that matter would lose ALL of your and it’s personal Faith and Belief in God and Jesus! And that you would discover The Faith of God that is in Christ! A Faith that makes ALL People Righteous, Holy, Redeemed & Accepted by God regardless of their acceptance of Him or belief in Him!

Thanks Again John T. for adding a different viewpoint and helping us examine what we believe about God. But the most important belief is what God believes about us not what we believe about Him. And what He believes about us is that we are ALL Righteous, Holy and without spot or blemish regardless of our words actions or deeds. Because He sees Jesus His Son when He looks at His Creation! Now that is THE GOOD NEWS! News so Good even Christians for the most part do not believe it.

Matt 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

From this statement made by Jesus it is clear that only the pure in heart will ever see God.  If you look at this from the traditional view point of the organized church you are doomed to a life of confessing, repenting, trying harder, then confessing again, and repenting some more and the cycle will go on and on.  In other words you are certain to NEVER see God.

Then there are those who would say, "The Blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin making our hearts pure and then we can see God."  But if that’s true then why do people keep confessing, repenting, confessing, repenting, on and on and on?  If they truly believe His blood cleansed us of all sin then why do so many christians have bad consciences?

Now I’m going to make a statement that can not be proven and yet I know it is true.  Here it is:

When I do or think things that are wrong or even terribly wrong my conscience is still clear and I am still at peace with God every second of every day.

You say, how is that possible?  It’s possible because when you truly believe the Gospel (good news) you know deep in your heart that your relationship with God is not based on anything you do or think period.  It is based solely on GOD.  Our relationship with Him has never been in jeopardy from our creation and never will be.  We all made this journey to earth from God and we will all return to Him when we are finished with what we needed to learn.

The very purpose of Jesus Christ was not to make us into something different, but rather to reveal to us what we really are and that is PURE IN HEART.  When we see what He came to reveal that’s when we see God.  We see God in every molecule of the creation and we see Him even in that which is unseen.

Does this mean those who believe this think they can just go into some kind of wild, crazy lifestyle without any consequences?  God forbid as Paul would say.  In fact, the very opposite is what I have found to be true.  I see myself with this pure heart that has always been mine and it feels so wonderful to know that the one who created it also lives in it.  For God to destroy me he would have to destroy himself.  Now that I see the real me I also see the real God.

If you tie your own performance to this pure heart you are destined for failure when it comes to seeing God.  The organized church will never preach the true Gospel because they know the money would dry up and their jobs would no longer be needed. 

Brennan Manning said the following of which I completely agree:

My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it.

Why doesn’t the church preach the Gospel of Grace?  They preach the gospel of grace plus HELL if you fail and that’s not the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It is my hearts desire to see this Gospel of Grace preached and believed and I will spend the rest of my life preaching it even if the organized church won’t listen.  Thank God Jesus is not bound by the walls of religion!