Let me ask you this question: Who is God?

Many people struggle to answer this question. In fact, it might make your brain feel like it’s going to explode. This is the way I feel when I think about the concept of infinity or try to comprehend the vastness of the universe. I get a brain freeze.

As mind boggling as it may be to understand who God is, fortunately He has revealed Himself to us and has chosen various people to record this message in what we know today as the Bible. In comes down to this: God cares for us and wants us to know Him. He wants us to know who He is and to have a personal relationship with Him.

Over the next few weeks I’m going to throw out some questions to make us think about God and His nature. We are going to examine what makes the God who has revealed Himself in Scripture different than the God that our culture has created. We will learn what the New Age movement teaches about God and how this view of our loving Father has been distorted and twisted. And lastly, as Christians, we will find out what it means to have a relationship with the true God that is our Father.

So, for next week, think about this…. Is God someone who created us and just stepped away, leaving us to our own devices? Would you describe Him as just being “out there?” Or perhaps you think he dwells inside every one of us? Is it one or the other?

As Mother’s day approaches, I not only think of my amazing mother who brought me into this world, but also think of the wonderful women that I consider spiritual mothers. These great women have come alongside me throughout various stages in my walk with the Lord and struggles in life. They’ve given me biblical wisdom, encouragement, and have always pointed me to the Father above. For this, I am eternally thankful.

God commands older women to teach and train the younger women in the church. This is a woman’s spiritual responsibility and should be one of great joy. Paul says this in Titus 2:4-5, “they [the older women] can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.” It is our task to raise up women of God who keep themselves pure, who are loving to others, and who know the Word of God.

I believe that it doesn’t matter what age or stage of life you are in; there are always opportunities to mentor women who are younger than you. Women in their 20’s and 30’s have the opportunity to come alongside children and teens. Women who are already mothers and grandmothers can come alongside new mothers. The cycle goes on and on. Take a minute today to thank God for all of the spiritual mothers in your life. Don’t forget to ask the Lord to bring someone into your life that you can train and mentor as well.

Blessings!

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.”

–Matthew 13:45-46

Jesus speaking

Jesus, did I heard you right? A merchant sold all he had for one pearl? Only one pearl?

As long as I have been a Christian, I have only heard one explanation for this parable. The merchant is us and the pearl is eternal life through Christ Jesus. Only when we give our lives over to Jesus do we get to experience a wonderful relationship with God and inherit eternal life.

That sounds right doesn’t it? Well, a couple months ago I heard a different explanation. The merchant is Jesus and he found us. Even if one pearl was separated from Him, He would have given up all he had to buy this pearl. And that’s exactly what Jesus did for us. Jesus came to die as a sacrifice so that He could have a relationship with us and reconcile us to Himself. He loves us. We are His daily delight.

What an eye opener! What a different, but wonderful, new perspective. It’s true! Even if there was just one person, Jesus would have given his life for her anyways.

Use this day to thank the Lord for His wonderful sacrifice and love for you. If it were only you who needed reconciliation, He still would have died on that cross and risen again.

Thank you Jesus for your love, mercy, and grace.

How many of you were paid an allowance for doing chores when you were young and living with your parents? Were you paid to clean up your room, clean the bathroom, or do your laundry? What about chores that weren’t necessarily just your mess like mowing the lawn, cleaning the guest bathroom toilet, or sweeping the floors? It seems to me that there are many schools of thought between parents and children regarding what duties and responsibilities a child should do to earn an allowance. However, I have found that most parents will not pay their children to clean up their bedroom or mess around the house. It is a child’s responsibility to do so.

This illustration of allowances and children cleaning their room came to me yesterday when I read the following passage in Luke 17:7-10:

 

“Which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down to eat’?

“But will he not say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink’?

“He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he?

“So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’ ”

Jesus tells the disciples that a slave should not expect a pat on the back for doing his job. It is what he is commanded to do. In the same way, a person submitted to an authority should humble himself and do what is required of him or her.

The point of this passage is that as Christians we have spiritual responsibilities. These responsibilities include spending time reading God’s word, showing obedience to Christ and his teachings, and bearing good fruit so we may bless other’s and bring them into God’s kingdom. Should we expect a pat on the back for doing what is required of us? No. It is a requirement and responsibility of living the Christian life and submitting ourselves to the authority of Christ.

How are you doing with your God-given responsibilities? Have you picked up your spiritual bedroom lately without any incentive or instruction? What areas can you improve on today?

I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas with family and friends! I prepared Christmas dinner for the first time and it was quite an experience. I love to cook, but preparing so many dishes at once takes much coordination. However, sitting down and eating with family I love was such a great reward!

My last blog post left off with a case study of a woman named Helen Schucman. Schucman believed that she had a new revelation from Jesus. Her revelation is known today as A Course in Miracles, and has been further propagated through an author and speaker known as Marianne Williamson.

What is the problem with Schucman’s “new” revelation about Jesus? The problem is that it’s NEW! Scripture indicates that new revelation and knowledge of Jesus is impossible. The case is closed! All the knowledge we need to know about God, Jesus, and the basics of Christianity is given to us in the Bible. Read the following verse from Jude 3:

 

“Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.”

Jude indicates that the faith has been handed down “once for all.” It is finished. The Greek word that is used for “once for all” indicates that something has been done and finished. It doesn’t need to be repeated. Therefore, the basics of Christianity such as the nature of God, Jesus, and method of salvation does not need to be revisited. It has already been revealed to us.

The apostle Paul tells us the following in Galatians 1:8:

 

But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!

 

Again, any revelation or teaching that is contrary to Scripture is false.

Now a few of you might be saying or thinking the following things:

• What about a dream that I or someone else might have where God spoke something to that person?
• What about a prophetic message that was given at my church or from someone I might know?
• What about those who claim to hear God speak to them in some manner?

My answer is this: If it does not agree with what the Bible teaches, then it is false. As Christians we should be talking to God all the time through prayer. It shouldn’t be surprising to hear back from Him through the Holy Spirit, in dreams and visions, or even hear His voice. There are plenty of people in the Bible that heard God speak to them in this manner. However, if you hear back a response that goes against the very nature of God or the personhood of Jesus Christ, then you can be sure it is false and is from the enemy and not from God.

Stay tuned for the next blog post that will introduce you to different methods that New Agers use to gain supposed new revelation about Jesus.

Ron Rhodes’ book, New Age Movement, was used as a reference for this blog post.

Today I am going to present a case study of a person who believes and claims that God does give new revelation about himself today. This person is Helen Schucman. Have you heard of her? If not, you’ve probably been exposed to her teachings through an author and speaker named Marianne Williamson.

Marianne Williamson is the author of many New Age books such as Illuminata: A Return to Prayer, The Age of Miracles: Embracing the New Midlife, and the most widely known, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles.” Marianne currently has her own daily radio show on the Oprah channel for XM Satellite radio. On the show she shares her insights from A Course in Miracles and helps listeners apply these spiritual teachings to their everyday lives.[i] Moreover, Williamson writes articles and blogs for Oprah.com.

What is important to know is that Williamson’s book, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles”, is a revamp of teachings from 1965 by Columbia University professor of Medical Psychology Helen Schucman.[ii] Schucman has said to have heard an “inner voice”, claiming to be Jesus Christ, say to her: “This is a course in miracles. Please take notes.”[iii] After seven years of writing down what the inner voice told her, Schucman created A Course in Miracles. The course teaches that God’s love is in everyone and everything, that we can be divine because Christ is within us, and that sin is an illusion.[iv] Read the following statements from A Course in Miracles:

• “God is in everything I see.”[v]
• “God is still everywhere and in everything forever. And we are a part of Him.”[vi]
• “The recognition of God is the recognition of yourself. There is no separation of God and His creation.”[vii]

These statements clearly show that A Course in Miracles is pantheistic.

Warren Smith, who was once a New Ager but is now a Christian, writes about Schucman in his book Reinventing Jesus Christ: The New Gospel:

 

In the seven and a half years of cumulative dictation that became A Course in Miracles, Schucman’s “Jesus” presents a whole new way of looking at the world. Using Christian terminology, sophisticated psychology, and convincing authority, Schucman’s “Jesus” teaches a completely different gospel than the one found in the Bible. His “new gospel” wholly contradicts the Bible’s Gospel of Jesus Christ. Schucman’s “inner voice,” while claiming to be Jesus, actually opposes everything for which the Bible’s Jesus stands.[viii]

What a perfect example of Matthew 24:5 which says, ” For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” In 1975, Schucman’s A Course in Miracles was published and had a small following through the 1980′s. However, it wasn’t until Marianne Williamson embraced Schucman’s teaching and wrote A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles” that it really took off. In 1992, Marianne was featured and endorsed on the Oprah Winfrey Show, thus spreading Schucman’s false teaching of Jesus Christ across the world.[ix]

Paul writes in his letter to the Galatians:

 

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned! As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let him be eternally condemned! (Galatians 1:6-9, NIV)

Helen Schucman is teaching another gospel different than what is taught in the Bible. Paul clearly demonstrates in this passage that people will try to pervert the gospel of Christ. If what is taught is different than what the Bible teachings about Christ, then it is false. We clearly see that this is the case with Schucman and Williamson’s teachings. For instance, Christ did not teach that sin is an illusion. If He did, then why did He die on the cross to free us from sin?

What do you think? Please leave comments! Stay tuned in for the next few blog posts where I will continue this discussion …

[ii] Smith, Warren. Reinventing Jesus Christ: The New Gospel. (Ravenna:Conscience Press, 2002), 9.

[iii] Skutch, Robert. Journey without Distance: The Story behind “A Course in Miracles” (Berkeley: Celestial Arts, 1984), 54.

[iv] Smith, 10.

[v] A Course in Miracles. Vol. 2, Workbook for Students. (Tiburon: Foundation for Inner peace, 1975), 45.

[vi] Ibid, 92.

[vii] A Course in Miracles. Vol. 1, Text. (Tiburon: Foundation for Inner peace, 1975), 136.

[viii] Smith, 10.

[ix] Smith, 10-11.

I posted a series of blogs over the past few weeks that gave short descriptions of different religious belief systems to show they do not all teach the same core truth. After examining these different religions, we came to the conclusion that it’s impossible for all religions to teach the same core truth. Many of these belief systems completely oppose each other. However, still New Age teachers make the claim that all belief systems teach the same core truth.

Well now I am going to take this one step further and show how New Age teachers use this claim to teach that new revelation is given today about God. By “revelation” I mean new knowledge or ideas about God that are different than what is given in Scripture.

The New Age thinking process goes something like this:

 

New Age reasoning #1: If all religions teach the same core truth, then revelation about God doesn’t just come from the Bible or Jesus Christ. Spiritual revelation about God also comes from Krishna, Buddha, and many others. Therefore, we should all consider and practice what these “spiritual gurus” teach and say.

 

New Age reasoning #2: If all spiritual teachers of the past (Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, etc.) have given us revelation about God, then it may be very well possible to receive knowledge of a spiritual kind through others today. New Agers believe that these new revelations should be considered and put into practice.

Over the next few days and blog posts, I am going to tell you why I think these two reasoning’s are false. You will learn how these reasoning’s logically do not make sense and how as Christian’s we are to approach and respond to new revelation.

To end this post today, I want to give you two questions to ponder, chew on, and think about before I address this topic again in the next blog post: Is new revelation about God still being given today? If so, do you think it is supported by Scripture?

Feel free to leave a comment!

 

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,

Nor stand in the path of sinners,

Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

And in His law he meditates day and night.

He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water,

Which yields its fruit in its season

And its leaf does not wither;

And in whatever he does, he prospers.

(Psalm 1:1-3, NASB, bold added)

The righteous ponder …

The righteous repeat …

The righteous utter in a low sound …

The righteous meditate on the Word of God!

Psalm 1:1-3 gives a picture of a righteous person who meditates on God’s law. Verse 1:2 says that a righteous person “meditates day and night.”

Holman’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary defines the word meditate as,

 

The act of calling to mind some supposition, pondering upon it, and correlating it to one’s own life. Meditation by God’s people is a reverent act of worship. Meditation is the repetitious going over of a matter in one’s mind because it is the chief concern of life. In Hebrew, it means to be “to utter in a low sound” and to “be occupied with,” or “concerned about.”

I purposely highlighted in bold all of the action verbs in this definition of Meditation to show what meditating is … calling to mind, pondering, correlating, repeating, worshiping, uttering, occupation, and concern.

What might this look like when meditating on a passage of Scripture?

• Bring your chosen passage to mind and ponder it during the day. Think about it.
• Write your passage on an index card and carry it in your pocket so that you can pull it out while you are at work, exercising, or taking a walk. Repeat this throughout the day and week.
• Think about your passage. What does it mean and how does it apply or correlate to your life? Think of one way you can put it into practice.
• Utter your passage! Say it out loud. It doesn’t have to be loud for everyone to hear, but just loud enough for your ears to hear.
• Occupy yourself with the passage. Take 30 minutes out of your day to be concerned about the passage. Journal about it and record any ideas or insight the Holy Spirit gives to you.

This is how Christian’s are to meditate on Scripture and the things of God. The world see’s meditation as the emptying of the mind. However, Scripture teaches that meditation is actually the filling of the mind! Fill your mind with God’s word today! Store it in your heart so the Holy Spirit can bring it up to you when needed.

God bless and have a great weekend!

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God Bless you during this Christmas season!

Raise your hand if you’ve memorized Romans 12:1-2? This passage is one that is always on the memorization list. I had to memorize it a couple years ago for a discipleship group I attended.

Scripture memorization is important. However, if you are like me, many times I memorize Scripture and I store it in my short term memory opposed to my long term memory. Luckily, Romans 12:1-2 stuck and is stored in my long term cabinet:

 

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (NIV)

 Notice the “therefore.” What is “therefore” there for? It is referring to something in the previous paragraph or chapter. In Romans 11:30-32, Paul illustrates to the Roman church the value and importance of God’s mercy:

 

Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their [the Israelites] disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all. (NIV)

Romans 11:30-32 and 12:1-2 are linked together by the word “mercy.” God’s mercy, what a fantastic gift! He has mercy on us! According to this verse, because of the disobedience of the Gentiles, God had mercy on the Israelites and offered them his compassion. But now (referring to the time that Paul is writing this letter), because of Israel’s disobedience, God has extended his compassion to the Gentiles. What does this mean for us today? It means that He has extended his compassion and love to everyone through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

He didn’t have to do this. God didn’t have to include everyone, but He did. Our thankful response should be to set ourselves apart; to be separate and holy, because of God’s mercy shown to us. By doing this, we sacrifice our old nature and make ourselves pleasing to God. This is one way we worship! Wow! Understanding this concept gives so much more depth and meaning to Romans 12:1-2.

So how is it that we make ourselves holy? Paul tells us in 12:2: “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Our minds are full of sinful stuff … junk, garbage. Start taking out the garbage and replacing it with spiritual wealth! Fill your mind with Scripture! Memorize and store it in your heart! Eventually, your mind will be so full with the things of God that you won’t have room for the junk anymore. All of this will give you the strength to no longer conform to the pattern of this world. Instead, you will conform to God’s pattern. Then, you will be able to discern what are God’s desires and purposes!

I hope today’s teaching has given you new insight into this passage. Sometimes I need to stop, slow down, and take in familiar passages. I have a tendency to glance over them because I “know” them. I encourage you this week to go back to your favorite verse or most familiar passage and soak in it! Read what comes before and after it. What is the subtitle of the chapter? Notice these things. If there is a “therefore”, ask yourself what it may be referring to that was previously written by the author. What impact might it have upon your understanding of your familiar passage? All of these things will give you more insight into Scripture and Bible study.

-God Bless