BoldGrace

A friend once asked me why it would benefit someone to believe in the gospel of Grace and Peace… and that why I think the story of God’s grace upon the world through His Son which brought an unheard-of peace to all humanity…. is true? The conversation went something like this;

Friend: If this gospel is true, and "sets people free", won’t it free people from the motivation to do good works?

Me: Motivation to do good works through fear? That’s a good thing?

Friend: Yes, whatever motivates people to good works is good, even if it’s "fear".

Me: Fear only motivates people to self protection. When "self" is the motivating factor, the works are tainted with our own filthy (Paul’s description) agendas.

Friend: What’s wrong with self-protection, especially if it motivates people to do good for others?

Me: It is "self"ish. Doing good for others because of selfishness is really only doing good for ourselves. Fear only motivates us to protect ourselves, even if it "looks" like we’re doing good for others. Until we can remove fear from our hearts, and live free to experience the best of self and others, will we truly do good for others.

Friend: I think I see what you mean.

Me: I’m not sure you really can. Until one has experienced that incredible freedom, even for a moment, it is probably impossible to comprehend.

Friend: How can you experience that freedom?

Me: It’s simple, really. Just let yourself believe that the Work of the Cross of Christ brought redemption, in one short instant, to all the world. Let yourself imagine that God, through the Cross of Christ, released His mercy and love to all the world, once and for all, whether you believe it or not! Let yourself soak in the wonder of His righteousness, which He placed on all humanity, including you… whether you believe it or not! Let yourself float in the assurance of God’s message of Forgiveness, that it is un-earnable, no matter what you do, but has been freely given to all, including you, whether you believe it or not!

Friend: I thought the Bible says that you must believe?

Me: You will never know what you truly believe until you give yourself permission to not believe. The problem is, you believe that God is generally displeased with you, and only through your actions (believing what you’ve been told you have to do to please God), can you "get right with God". Well, I say that’s a bunch of crap! It’s not up to you to get right with God… just give yourself permission to understand that God… got right with you! That’s what the Cross was all about, and that’s what will set your mind free!

Friend: But, if I am free from fearing God, won’t I do all kinds of bad stuff?

Me: Why would you even imagine that to be true? The gospel of grace and peace frees us from our fears, doubts, guilt, shame, and worry… so that we can truly be who we were meant to be! God didn’t create you to be "bad", but the pain that you let creep into you life causes you to dwell on hopelessness, suffering, and hurting are pushing you, manipulating you, and controlling you. It’s those things you are fighting against, and every time you are defeated in that fight, it adds to your pain. It’s those things that cause you to want to do "bad" things. When we are set free from our pain, we enter a Life of peace, and in that place, there is no need to hurt ourselves and others (do bad stuff). Love spills out of you into a world that responds to love, and in that exchange, good things happen!

Friend: So, pain causes us to do bad things?

Me: Not necessarily. But pain, along with worry, sorrow, hopelessness, and despair, certainly add to the "burdens" that rob us of life. And I’m not talking about physical pain, I’m speaking of the spiritual pain that runs deep in our souls… that longing for peace with God that seems so impossible, and so unreachable. Our culture has taught us that righteousness is a gift from God, but we need to do something to take possession of that gift… CRAP! NO WAY! In the spiritual sense, there is nothing we can do to receive the gift. It is in us, right now, and there is nothing you can do to get it, or to lose it. If you will allow yourself to think this way, it will change your life, whether you believe it or not!

Friend: I’m not sure I can think that way. I’ve been told all my life that I’m a sinner, and I need to get right with God. It seems like that will always plague me, and hold me in fear.

Me: Well so be it! You can live in fear all your life and miss out on some of its most spectacular aspects… but you’ll still be OK. Don’t worry about it. Maybe a fullness of Peace isn’t in the cards for you. Maybe you don’t really need it. Maybe you can suffer through with the nagging fear that God will, at some point, judge you "unworthy" of relationship. Maybe you will drive yourself crazy trying to gain God’s acceptance, and finally give up. That, my friend, is the best thing that will ever happen to you. Maybe then, you can finally realize His unconditional love for you, and begin to enter the Heavenlies and experience that "abundance" of life that you hear about.

Friend: But, I feel like I have an abundance of life now. Things are pretty good between God and me. Why should I change the way I think about God?

Me: Good point! If what you have is working for you… super! I’m not concerned about your etermal destiny, because I know you are included in God’s reconcilation of the world, whether you believe it or not, and whether you want it or not. I’m not worried for your future, but compassion drives me to be concerned about your "present". My heart’s desire is to see you wildly happy, and content beyond understanding.

I was sitting here reading comments, and started thinking about all the wonderful people I’ve met through the Internet, and more specifically, through blogging. And I find myself wondering… "how’s everybody doing"? Are you doing OK? Health good? Are you happy? Are your needs being met? Do you have enough to eat… clothes to wear? Don’t be shy, this is a safe place. Or, if you are more comfortable sharing privately, please write any of the BoldGrace team (on the contact page). I invite you to share your life with us all… catch us up… let us know how you’re doing.

To all my cherished old friends, and to all our beloved new friends, and to all the visitors who stop by to read, but haven’t yet spoken… let us hear from you! We are so thankful for you, and look forward to knowing you better.

Love to all.

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."

Hello friends! I haven’t written for a while, so I thought I’d let you know what’s on my mind. I was flipping through the channels this morning, relaxing a little bit before having to head out to a meeting. I landed on one of those televised church services, and heard a preacher say something like, "it is your responsibility to get your flesh in order so you will be found acceptable on that final day. And, glory to God… you’re in the right place to do that!"

Huh?

Now I’m sure this preacher is a highly trained religious scholar, and cares deeply for the people who support him in his ministry of reconciliation. But, what in the world is he talking about?

It seems to me that one of the main problems with modern Christianity is that they are hell-bent (excuse the pun) on perfecting themselves, and everyone around them… no matter what. The way I see it, God built this illusion called "the universe" and put us into it for some reason. All that is physical, is temporary. The only thing real in all this is the Spirit… our spirit, and God’s spirit (which is probably the same thing). The physical will be destroyed by the physical. There is no way to avoid it. We are all here for a time, and during that time, we will all learn the things we were put here to learn. There is no way to avoid it.

Some of the things we will learn will bring us great joy, and wonderful peace. Other things will cause us incredible grief and terrible pain. No matter what. Most of that pain will come from Christians — sorry, just kidding. But, the point is, we will experience all the things that our spirit needs to experience before this earth will bring our physical flesh to destruction. Don’t worry about it, it must happen. It cannot be avoided. But look forward to all those experiences, as they bring us closer to the place we need to be. The flesh will return to the dust it came from, and the spirit will soar into newness… maybe one step closer, or immediately to, the One who created us.

You can worry. You can panic. You can work hard to try to avoid all those experiences, both good and bad… but you will only be kidding yourself. You can”t avoid them. You just can’t. No amount of panic or worry will make any difference. Lessons will be learned. Life will be experienced.

To me, that’s what the story of Christ is all about…. that we must realize that we live in two different worlds. One is a illusion, and one is real. The problem is, we strive to perfect the illusion, forsaking the real. We want to make the physical "right", not seeming to understand that it never can be. It was designed that way. Jesus kept talking about the Kingdom of Heaven, and how it was "so close". And He talked about putting our trust in the "unseen" and opening our minds to the realization of the illusion of the flesh. If we can only understand how close heaven really is, we would find our spirits slipping into its peace, and placing less and less importance on the physical world.

It’s not to say that the decisions we make in the physical world won’t affect our physical lives… we will prosper from our correct decisions, and we will suffer for our incorrect decisions. But not everything that happens to us will be in our control. Sometimes (as Geo says), its just life on earth! This brings me back to the lessons we must learn. Even the worst decision… the decision that will bring an end to our physical world, can’t harm us. Leaving this world will be the best thing that ever happened to us. It will free us to finally experience life in the spirit, free from the illusion… free from the training ground of life-experiences we were here to have.

For those of you squirming in your chairs, no… I’m not about to kill myself. I don’t need to. Now that life is in proper perspective, I relish every moment. I do look forward to the end, and the great separation of spirit from flesh… I think it will be the most amazing part of my life. But, understanding how temporary, and how much of an illusion this earth-life truly is, I can look forward to all experiences - good and bad, great and insignificant. They all bring me a step closer to freedom. And truly, just knowing that… is freedom! 

Let the world bring on what it will! I am at peace, trusting in the Creator who will return me to himself… uniting me with the Source of my spirit… making me one with His Life! That is something to shout about, and it is something to quietly savor. It is the essence of the Gospel of Christ. And it is the message so overlooked by the church that claims to be His.

Our friend Bob from Alaska has a new website. Go here stsak.wordpress.com/

and check him out. We will also add him to our Blogroll Links over on the left.

Please go by and welcome Bob to the Blog World.

Peace

The Bold Grace Team

I was reading some of the “talking points” Jesus spoke through the bible, and it keeps occurring to me that much of what he said wasn’t a “hope” for the future or some "command" for faithfulness, as scholars teach, but in actuality… near-term prophecy! Prophecy that manifested in the Cross of Christ!

Examples:

“that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee….”

Religious scholars will tell you that this is the hope for the future… when Jesus returns. But, I say this was a prophetic word of what would soon be (and did happen). We keep looking to the future for deliverance when we should be living in the present “of what is”. The Cross of Christ was God’s revelation to all mankind regarding our condition - here and now! It is not “what will be” but “what is!”

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he does not have the power to see the Kingdom of God.”

This wasn’t a command, or some sort of requirement, or even proof of proper belief (as the religious leaders would have you think), it is prophecy. Jesus was pointing to what was about to happen on the Cross! The entire world was “born again” all in one amazing, bold act of kind mercy on the the Cross of Christ! Believing it, or not, doesn’t make it so… having faith, or not, doesn’t change the fact… striving for it, or not doesn’t bring it about… nothing can change what happened. Nothing can change what was revealed through that incredible demonstration of God’s love. Nothing can undo what the Father has done!

The church keeps missing the mark, and will continue to be powerless and ineffective. They will continue to build their earthly kingdoms instead of choosing to see the kingdom they already own!

You are invited by Bold Grace Radio to join a live Community Call-In.

Host: boldgrace
Episode: EPISODE2 - BoldGrace.Com 

  
On the episode we will be talking about The Gospel of Grace & Peace.A Gospel so BOLD that even evangelical Christianity does not believe it!
Call ID: 14375

Scheduled Time:

Date: Wed, February 13, 2008   
Time: 06:30 PM EST   

How to participate:

Call in:
Dial: (724) 444-7444
Enter: 14375 # (Call ID)
Enter: 1 # or your PIN

Join from your computer:
Click here to join the call or just listen along

(Optional) Become a TalkShoe member CLICK HERE

Listen to the Recording:
If you missed this event or want to hear previous recorded episodes click here.   

Hello Everyone!

You are all invited to take part in a BOLD Experiment tonight @ 6:15pm Eastern US to join a live Community Call.

Host: boldgrace
Episode: EPISODE1 - BoldGrace.Com - Test of System   

Scheduled Time: TONIGHT

Date: Thu, February 7, 2008   
Time: 06:15 PM EST   

How to participate:

Call in:
Dial: (724) 444-7444
Enter: 14375 # (Call ID)
Enter: 1 # or your PIN

Join from your computer:
Click here to join the call or just listen along

OR here to become a member
(Optional) Become a TalkShoe member

Listen to the Recording:
If you missed this event or want to hear previous recorded episodes click here.   

Hope to hear from you live tonight

Peace

Geo

P.S. Remember this is a TEST of the Talk Show system so if you get dropped or lost on the call please call back in

Coming soon to the internet will be Bold Grace Radio a call in internet show that you will be able to listen to live and participate or download and listen to at a later date. The following link is just a quick trial I ran this morning to test it. I think this could be very interesting and give those here at Bold Grace a way to communicate live. Here is the link www.blogtalkradio.com/BoldGrace

We will let everyone know when the first offical call in show will be after we work out the details. And we will post a link here along with the shows call in numbers.

Peace

I saw on a message board that somebody was selling their tickets to the Joel Osteen "lecture" (coming up in Pittsburgh at the Mellon Arena in March). First of all, are people really that desperate for some encouragement that they’ll pay $20 a seat to see the Osteen Show? I was curious as to how the show was being promoted, so I snooped around the internet a little bit and discovered that the thing is actually SOLD OUT! But never fear, you can still get tickets online at RazorGator for $45 to $250! Better hurry!