BoldGrace

God is not "ticked off" with you. He never has been. He never will be. He is not judging your activities or your attitudes. He has already judged them 2000 years ago on Jesus. And Jesus took all of the Father’s judgment once and for all.

Attention K-Mart Shoppers (and everyone else) God has not only made available the all-time deal, redemption and salvation, but He has already paid for all of it for you and checked you out! You’ve been approved. Enjoy

This just in……Jesus doesn’t go to church. The church is not a building on the corner (or anywhere else). Jesus and you are the church. And Jesus is in you. And you’re in Jesus. So, guess what? You’re always in church. Have a nice day. Isn’t it good to know the Truth?

This just in…..Don’t worry. Be Happy. When you die, you’ll go to Heaven. Why? Because you’re cool with God. Why? Because Jesus paid the price and vouches for your coolness with the Father. Good news, huh?!

News SO GOOD even christians DO NOT believe it!

Peace

Geo

I had a discussion this weekend about right and wrong choices or decisions. I told my wife that I no longer make decisions based on right or wrong but that my decisions are based on what is beneficial for me, or my loved ones based on my current knowledge of the subject at the time. Right or Wrong based decisions can cause us to delay or postpone decisions that need to be made. Not only that but when a decision is made based on “right or wrong” and that decision turns out to be ”WRONG” it causes us to become fearful and doubtful of our next decision. Then if that next decision over time proves to be the “wrong” one we lose more confidence and a downward spiral begins to develop until we have no confidence at all in our decisions and choices. But if we base our decisions on what is beneficial or not to us, then if that decision turns out to not be beneficial to us we can change our decision to one that is beneficial based on the gained current knowledge. My wife insist that it is just semantics but I think it is so much more than that. Basing decisions on what is Right or Wrong is a product of eating from the Tree of The Knowledge of Good and Evil. And it paralyzes the mind and spirit of mankind. My hope for you is that you would begin to base your decisions in life on what is beneficial and no longer on Right or Wrong. I leave you with the words of the Apostle Paul, “Everything is permissible for me —but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything”

Selah

Geo

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!

As I was driving to work this morning I was thinking about a question that was asked here on Bold Grace. Here is that question: “Just curious, do you need Jesus to have the Kingdom of God or will other ways suffice?”

Cliff answered, “yes”. Now I am not sure what Cliff was answering yes to but here is my take.

According to the writers of the gospels Jesus said this, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”.
Also the writer of Acts wrote: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
I BELIEVE BOTH! Does that shock you? To many who read here at Bold Grace that may come as a SURPRISE! Let me explain.

Back to my ride to work this morning. As I was driving along the thought came to me that the road I was driving on is the same one I drove on out in San Francisco, California back in October of last year (2007). But how could that be the road I was driving on this morning was in White Oak, Pennsylvania! Here is how……… ALL ROADS are connected! It may be by another road but in reality it is the same road! Men may call the roads by different names but the road is the SAME ROAD! It also occurred to me that ALL ROADS lead to the SAME PLACE! How you may ask do all roads lead to the same place? Because ALL roads take us to our destination. Then it came to me that there are many modes of transportation on these roads. Some trucks, some cars, some motorcycles, some bicycles, some walkers, some skate boarders, and some even ride scooters.  So how does all of this relate to the question of is Jesus the only way? Well here goes my feeble attempt to explain.

The ONE ROAD that mankind travels is Jesus Christ. Now how many of you have ever traveled a road and did not know the name of that road? All of us right?
You see the Old Testament Prophets spoke of a Redeemer coming that would make a straight road to God. One who would “stand in the gap” as a bridge, i.e. road. I travel over roads and bridges daily that take me to my destination without ever knowing the name of that bridge or road. But yet it still gets me to my destination.

So if Jesus is the ONE ROAD then what are the vehicles that travel that road? What are those different modes of transportation? They are the self and spiritual ways that mankind travels. Some are Atheist, some are Christian, some are Muslim, some are Hindu, and some are (fill in the blank). Now my question is this…” does a mode of transportation say a car or truck know the name of the road it travels?  No! Does that car or truck not knowing the name of the road stop it from getting to its final destination? No! So what is the final destination of mankind? Home with the Creator of the Universe.  You see just because I drive on the Jesus Road in a vehicle called Christianity in order to get to my destination it does not mean my brother who drives on the Jesus Road in a Muslim vehicle will not get to his/her destination! ALL are driving on the same road! It is called JESUS! He is THE WAY! He is The Path in the wilderness. He is The Light that Lights EVERY MAN that comes into this world.

He is THE ONLY ROAD Available! There are no others! But there are many modes of transportation on that road. So when you see your Muslim brother on the road say hello and wish him peace. When you see your Christian sister say hello and wish them peace. When you see the Hindu child wish them peace. When you see the Atheist wish them peace. Because they are all traveling the same road as you only in different vehicles. That ROAD is JESUS!

Peace to you my Fellow Traveler
Geo

As I was reading tonight I was once again reminded by King David concerning the nature of God.  Understanding our Creator is a task that will never be accomplished (at least by me) but I can understand the most basic things that are needed for feeling good about my journey here on earth.  Allow me to quote David:

Ps 130  Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.  If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?  But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

David makes it clear that if God were to keep a record of our sins no one would be left standing, but he doesn’t stop with that, he also makes it clear that we can not only count on His love but that His love will never fail us.  And then he tells us why that love won’t fail——HE HIMSELF WILL REDEEM US FROM ALL OUR SINS. 

You see, the only possible way that any of us could ever rest our head at night in peace is to know that God is NOT counting on us to accomplish His unfailing LOVE.  Sometimes I really get tired at those who attack me for giving God all the credit due him.  Why do so many christians fight so hard against this idea that God is the Potter and we are the clay?  Does the clay have any say whatsoever concerning how the Potter will fashion it? 

I don’t suppose I will ever understand why we humans make so many stupid choices as we journey along.  I am 56 and still find myself saying and doing things I know to be wrong and hurtful to others.  I am always sorry about it and yet at the end of each new day the only thing I’m sure about is how grateful I am that God doesn’t keep a record of my wrongs, always loves me, and my redemption is never in question.  Those three simple things are what allows me to get up each new day with a great desire to be all that I can be.  

So, as I lay my head down tonight I will utter some silent words into the darkness——"Thank you Lord for loving me in spite of my poor performance, and teach me Lord to love others the way you have loved me."

Talking to a friend the other day, he said to me, "I want to love people like Jesus loved people."

I said, "no you don’t."

He said, "why do you say that?"

I said, "because I know you, and I know you aren’t willing to lay down your life for your friends. That is the ultimate act of love – especially when you think that Jesus did it for no other reason than love. He wasn’t saving a drowning victim of a shipwreck, He wasn’t saving a child standing on the tracks of a speeding train… He did it to save all of Creation. That is a love that none of us can ever measure up to. But it doesn’t matter. He knows we can’t measure up to His mission, yet He demonstrated His love us in the most remarkable way. He was willing to give up His life for His friends (all of Creation), even in the midst of their failures."

We chatted about the idea some more, and he said, "knowing that Jesus’ love was that great opens my heart to love others more. It’s not about loving like He loved, but awakening to the depths of His love for us. Just thinking about it is changing me."

I said, "there you go. Love isn’t something we have to do because we want to be like Jesus. But it is what we do when we understand the heart of Jesus. If we truly know what happened those 2000 years ago, our hearts will melt, and our minds will change."

That’s what repentance (the changing of our minds) is all about. It’s not something we do to be found acceptable, or to feel like we’re somehow complying to an unimaginable requirement, it’s something that happens when we realize the enormity of Christ’s love for us. If we believe Christ’s love is that great, our minds will change. Maybe the writers of the NT should not have said, "repent and believe", but "believe and repent"… if you believe the Gospel, your mind will repent (change) about the way you think about life, love, and unity.

If you believe it, nothing else will matter. If you don’t, nothing else will make any difference. Repent all you want, it won’t change you a bit. It is only a work of desperation to find salvation… a work of your own. And nothing you do will change anything. Repenting won’t bring "belief", but believing will bring repentance. If you believe that the work of the Cross of Christ was the final revelation of God to prove His heart of peace toward His creation, your heart will be filled with His love, and your mind will see the completeness of His work, and will be saved.

All glory to the Creator, who has made peace with us through the Work of His Cross!

Happy Holidays to One and ALL!

This one is for ALL of my Grace Buddies!

I hope you all got what you did NOT deserve! And that you did NOT get what you DID deserve!

Because I DID!

Peace

Geo

P.S. Here is one more place you can find me  grogee.multiply.com/

You can add video or audio comments there as well as written ones

When the snow falls, it covers all the ground, not just that which "accepts" it.

And not just that which "believes" in it.

And not just that which "wants" it.

And not just that which "deserves" it.

And not just that which is "obedient" to it’s demands.

The snow does not discriminate, or make requirement, or demand reciprocation.

The snow covers all equally.

The snow has fallen.

Paul said this about God:

For God shut up all into disobedience, that He may show mercy to all.

(He saw all Creation as unworthy, so He snowed His love down on all).

This morning as I was getting ready for work this was over heard from the TV Preacher. He said,

"The world has NOT seen the Wrath of God! We have NO idea what the WRATH of God will be or look like!"

WOW! I guess that what happened on the Cross was just a prelude!? WHAT A CROCK OF UNBELIEF! That this so called minister of the so called gospel was preaching! He was in my estimation one of the reasons that the world cannot believe in Jesus. Not only that, this message that he and the great majority of modern day christianity teaches in in truth ANTI-CHRIST! Tha’s right I said ANTI-CHRIST! How is is anti-Christ? Because they DENY the power of the Cross by including man’s decision in the Redemption Story. Thank God I am no longer a believer in my own faith having anything to do with the wonderful lavish Grace of Redemption. I am a believer though in the faith of Jesus Christ! And even that belief does not Redeem me. But it does save my soul i.e. my mind, will and emotions. So I say to you mister TV Preacher of unbelief in the FAITH OF CHRIST, Repent! and come to a knowledge of the completeness of the Cross of Christ. Repent of your degrading of that same Cross by your insistance that man accept it. You see mister TV Preacher, if one must make Jeus Lord then that would make the one who made Him their personal Lord and Savior GOD!

And GOD mister TV Preacher you ain’t!

Peace

Geo

My belief is that the truth is a truth until you organize it, and then becomes a lie. I don’t think that Jesus was teaching Christianity, Jesus was teaching kindness, love, concern, and peace. What I tell people is don’t be Christian be Christ like. Don’t be Buddhist be Buddha like. As soon as you get into the Orthodoxies you get into power plays, right or wrong, some people get into heaven and some people don’t, my God is better than your God. No spiritual master who has ever walked among us has wanted that. To imagine Jesus, Buddha, and Mohammed all sitting at the table trying to come up with a solution for the world’s problems, building tanks and making somebody wrong and somebody right just wouldn’t be their way. They were all about love, unconditional love for all things and all people. That is my religious belief. I don’t put down other people’s religions. — Wayne Dyer

Peace

Geo