The Gospel for Today Luke 17 20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. Todays Gospel is very short but extremely powerful. In fact, this teaching forms the core of what it means to be Born Again and to have victory in our lives as Christians. Why? Because we want to be what Christ Jesus created us to be in this world and in the next. If we are serious about that this means we have to start making some hard decisions right now. WHAT WE NEED TO DO We must stop thinking of ourselves the way the world, our own flesh and the devil thinks of us. WE NEED TO THINK THE WAY JESUS COMMANDED US TO THINK We must grow beyond our limitations, fears and confusion. WE MUST REALIZE THAT FEAR, CONFUSION AND LIMITATIONS ARE CONTROLLED BY WHAT WE SAY, THINK AND DO We must stop ignoring and belittling what Jesus says as impractical, foolish, impossible or complicated WE MUST ADMIT THAT WE OFTEN HAVE NO IDEA WHAT JESUS HAD TO SAY ABOUT MOST OF THE IMPORTANT THINGS IN OUR LIVES We think we do, but we dont! Not really. Try this: What is your favorite song? Just pick one. Write down the first lines of that song right below this sentence:
When you hear that song, can you sing along with it? How about one poem from your childhood? Write down one line from a song or poem you learned in childhood.
Now, write down something that Jesus said. Dont use the Gospel for today. Write down something-anything-that He taught or said. It can be about sex. It can be about money. Pick something we said about love or parents. Did you know that Jesus taught about all of those things? Pick one from memory and write it down.
Now check out what you wrote in the Bible. Maybe you got it right. Yaaay! Maybe you misquoted. Maybe you couldnt remember ANY thing Jesus said at all. Dont feel bad. Most of the people who call themselves Christians know more about the Old Covenant of the Jews than the New Covenant of the Lord. And many of the Christians today can quote you a lot from what Paul wrote but almost next to nothing about what Jesus taught. Paul, Peter, John-all of them wrote commentaries about Jesus and His teachings. But they always pointed back to the Source. Unfortunately, most preachers focus on the commentary and ignore the primary Source-Jesus Christ. Thats why many Christians are Gospel illiterate. They have NO idea what Jesus had to say about anything. Lets face it. We say we have bad memories or what we cant understand or memorize Scriptures. But we can recall Mary Had A Little Lamb or the words of our favorite songs. Why? Its not because we dont love God. Thats not it. We recall songs we like or stories that we enjoy because THEY MAKE MORE SENSE TO US THAN THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. I know how that sounds but I think its true. Many people criticize the Bible as out of date, stupid, useless or distorted by people. There are entire churches and religions, like Islam, that teach that you need another book or set of scriptures to understand the Bible because it is so hard to understand on its own. But the reality is that the people who say that havent even read the Bible! I can say that because when I ask them to quote something that Jesus said-they dont know! I dont agree with Freud but I can quote some of his ideas and explain them correctly. Thats how I passed my psychology classes. I am taking a class right now that I dont agree with on Neuroeconomics. I think the teacher and the class is a bunch of convoluted nonsense. But I am passing this course with As because God has me studying diligently so I get all I can from the materials and while I might not agree with what the professor is saying, I do know what I am disagreeing with. Most of the time thats not true about critics of the Bible. They will come up to me and say, Jesus never taught anything about sex. When I say, Yes, He did and then show them, many people are shocked. In fact, IF MOST PEOPLE EVER READ WHAT JESUS SAID IN THE BIBLE THEY WOULD FALL OUT OF THEIR CHAIRS WITH THEIR MOUTHS OPEN. That includes Christians too. We must accept the Truth of Who we are because the Truth will set us free from fear, worry, doubt, confusion and hesitation. All of that stuff is from the Enemy. Satan hates us. But even more than that-satan FEARS us. Or at least he does when we start thinking, speaking and acting like Jesus. As long as we are in the dark about who we are and why we are here, the devil will kick us around like a soccer ball. His goal is to steal our dreams, kill our bodies and destroy our spirits. But let one Christian discover the truth of what Jesus really did for us and what He really said and everything changes. But first, we must know the Truth. Then we can be set free.
FIRST, A PARABLE Jesus used stories to teach people the Truth about God. Todays parables come in bright images and sounds called movies. Heres the parable for today:
The X Men-Days of Future Past 1. The ultimate X-Men ensemble fights a war for the survival of the species across two time periods in X-Men: Days of Future Past. The characters from the original X-Men film trilogy join forces with their younger selves from X-Men: First Class in an epic battle that must change the past - to save our future. The X-Men send Wolverine to the past in a desperate effort to change history and prevent an event that results in doom for both humans and mutants. Basically, this movie is about forgiveness, second chances and how the decisions you and I make, often in anger, can change who we are and how we see the world. If you follow these movies, you know that Mystique is the shape changing friend of Charles Xavier, the head of the mutants who want to live in peace with humans. Because of the persecution of human beings, she ends up with Magneto, the leader of the mutants who want to eliminate or control the regular human race. In the end all of the mutants end up being targeted by Sentinels, the multi-adapting robots who are created to destroy any and all mutants. To prevent their destruction, one of them goes back in time via mind travel, to fix the mistake of revenge that Mystique made out of rage and fear that eventually kills her mutant brothers and sisters in the future. The question is whether Mystique, Xavier, Magneto and Wolverine can re-write the future by undoing the past. Can they let go of what they did and make a new and better future for everyone? The answer depends on whether they are willing to let go of what they think they know about themselves and each other and risk being something new. THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGING YOUR THINKING When I was still in college, I was taught and shown that the key to change comes from three components: 1) A core of power 2) A focus of intent 3) A release of that power to and through the focus These are the principles behind prayer, what some call magic, sex, healing, education-just about everything in life. Even gardening works that way. You have a core of power-the earth or a medium that feeds, grounds and grows. You need a seed, the focus of a plant which is intent on becoming a plant itself. It has all it needs to be what it already is. To make this happen, you need to release what it already inside. Humans are the same way. We come here as seeds with potential. But unlike plants or even animals, we get to choose whether we will be released or not. The Enemy tries to make us believe that we have no choices by getting other people around us to hurt us when we are young so that hurt directs who we are what we will become. When we are hurt or abused we are tempted to believe that this hurt defines our lives. That rape, that abuse, that bullying, that cruelty, that neglect is directed against us to make us believe that we are now marked, warped and twisted beyond true repair. We will limp along sick, messed up, unhappy survivors of what we could have been, forever condemned to be wanna be-s catching up to the Normal people. The survivor is on the outside, looking in, never as good, never as free. Excluded forever. Thats what satan wants us to believe. Thats why it runs around trying to get people to hurt us. He lost his body when he was thrown down from Heaven, which is perfection. Satan and his cronies are locked in their sickness due to their hatred of human beings. Humans and angels are two different species, as the Bible points out. Angels were created to serve the Creation God made. Humans are made to be heirs of salvation. They are the jewels of the Jewel Planet called earth. But angels are our servants. Someday, they will be judged by human beings. Why? Because we are vessels for God. Humans are the vessels of salvation. As powerful and smart as the angels are, they are not the ones who carry God. We are. 20 And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: 21 Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
Jesus said: The Kingdom of God is within you. THE SECRET OF THE AGES IS CHRIST WITHIN There is an old story that my Aunt Louise showed me in a book she gave me. It said that the old folks believed that the spirits wanted to make human beings powerful but they feared that we might do harm to each other and reality itself if we realized this power before we were ready to receive it. So they argued about where to put this Gift of Power until we were ready. Some said, Put it on the highest mountain. But they realized what humanity would climb that height and find it. Some said, Place it in the deepest ocean But then they realized that humanity would simply build a ship that could go deep enough to uncover the Power and use it. Then a clever spirit said, Put it where they will NEVER seek it. Place the Power inside of them> They will never look there. And behold, the spirit was right.
When the First Man and the First Woman walked this earth they understood that they were made in the image and likeness of God. God lived inside of them. The glory of Gods Presence and Power flowed through them and covered them with the Shekinah-the Glory of God abiding within. That is why the First Humans were naked. They had the Glory of God on them and it was enough to give them dignity, power and courage. They were not afraid of God and they were not afraid of each other. The Man was in the image of the Father. The Woman was in the image of the Spirit, Lady Wisdom. They were put together to act as vessels and create the Child. Together Father, Mother and Child made the family on earth after the image of the Eternal Family we know as the Trinity. When the First Humans were tempted to kick out God from their lives, they decided to remake right and wrong as they saw fit. They separated themselves from God in their choices and so they drove God out from their hearts. They were lost, naked and alone-vulnerable to the power and presence of satan. But that empty space where Gods Presence was meant to be remained. And it will remain empty is every human being until he or she turns to the Trinity and lets God inside of our spirits. The Bible says that the spirit of humanity is the candle of the Lord. That spirit in each one of us is there to be lit on fire by the Holy Spirit. Once we come to God and ask for that cleansing by the Blood of Jesus, the waters of Baptism wash away the sins as a sign of that blood and we are filled with the Presence of the Holy Spirit. Everything changes from there. Or it should. But most of the time, it doesnt. CHRIST LIVES INSIDE OF US Remember the story I just shared with you about the Power being hidden? Jesus said: THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN YOU. One way of saying this is The Rule of God is inside of you. In other words, God runs things from inside of you. Where is this Ruler? Is God inside of your mind and emotions? NO! That is the mountain in the story. You do not have to explore your mind or program your mind to find God. God is not in your head where your psyche is. The Bible says we are BODY, SOUL AND SPIRIT. The soul is the psyche. That is what the world psyche means-soul. That is your personality-your thoughts and feelings. Thats what God means when you read the word, flesh. He isnt talking about the body. He is talking about your psyche which are your thought patterns and the emotions that your soul makes which then influences your body. So many people think that the way to God is to program your mind or get your emotions stirred up. They chant Scriptures. They sing songs that move them to tears. If your encounter with God is coming from within, you might cry or have lofty thoughts. But to mistake tears over something as the object itself it like thinking that gas in your belly is the same as eating a meal. One might result from the other but it doesnt cause it. Dont ever mistake the result for the cause. The Presence of God might make me cry but the tears are not Gods Presence. A study of the Bible might make me think deep thoughts about the Lord, but the thoughts are not God. God is not inside of your body. Many people teach that if you stretch your body a certain way or learn secret hand signals that God will burst out of your bodys hormone centers called chakras. Thats the depths of the ocean in the story. Whole religions believe that and do all they can to churn that ocean of the body to get that energy going as God. Yes, there is energy in the body. But that is the result of the body interacting with the rest of the physical world. That is not God. There are times when my body might get warmer when I am praying. That warmth is not God. That can be a sign of the Presence but it is NOT the Presence itself. Dont be a head Christian that thinks God is a good thought/emotion, a theology degree, a Bible study or nice thoughts and tears. Dont be a body Christian and look for goose bumps, heat or shudders. Be a spirit Christian. God is a Spirit to be worshipped in spirit and in truth. THE SPIRIT COMES FIRST Thats why you come into the Lord through the Blood, the Water and the Spirit. You came into this world by the breaking of your mothers water, the shedding of your mothers blood and your intake of the breath. You come into the Lord through the flow of the water, the Power of the Blood of Jesus and the intake of the Holy Spirit, which in Hebrew is Ruah Ha Kodesh-the Breath of God. THE TRUTH FOLLOWS Once we do what Jesus said and are baptized in water and the Holy Spirit as He commanded, God lives inside of us and we are Born Again. Those are the first steps of recovery: Repent, Believe and Be Baptized: Now what? This is where most Christians get lost. Most Christians are like the people in that story. They have the Power but they dont know it. They go the Bible studies trying to get close to God and all they end up with is a lot of knowledge but no understanding of Who God is or who they are. They go to prayer meetings, sing songs that make them cry or feel warm inside but they still dont know the reality of God and their Power in God. We want to know God. We want to love God. We want to serve God. These are the primary drives behind being a Christian. But we have little understanding of what that means. Notice that the Lord Jesus and His disciples used to bring people to God by showing them their need for God first. As one priest said to me, Make people thirsty and they will seek water. Your job is to help them realize their thirst and then show them where to drink. But once that Fountain of Life is there inside, Christians live a life of hit and miss. Is that how it is for you? Sometimes you FEEL very close to God and then it goes away. Sometimes you THINK very deep thoughts about God and then it goes away. Sometimes your body brushes up against something unseen and you SENSE the Presence and Power of God, but then it goes away. So you spend days, months, even years trying to recapture those moments when your psyche or body felt close to God. You play certain music, read certain books, or even pray certain ways waiting for those goose bumps, thoughts or feelings. Do you know that most Christians do that all their lives, thinking that they are coming closer to God and all we are doing is building up our senses or psyches. The spirit is left behind, unnoticed and forgotten. We can see this when we are not consistent in our prayer lives, our Scripture reading, our kindness to other people and our delight in Gods Presence. So many times we read the Bible because we should or to be more spiritual. We pray because were scared or desperate, not because we have a friendship with God. And it isnt a two way conversation either. Gods voice to us is faint, confusing and hard to hear. As a result we dont have the fruit of the Holy Spirit operating consistently in our lives. One moment were nice and kind, the next minute we are foaming at the mouth over some slight we think someone did to us. We are easily irritated, usually upset, worried, frantic, bored, restless, and while wed like to be spiritual, whatever THAT means, we arent. The good news is that bad because of this. Were not in trouble with God because of this. In fact, the idea that we FEEL that way or THINK that way doesnt mean we are losers, it just means that WE NEED UNDERSTANDING FOR WHAT WE ALREADY HAVE. We dont need another seminar, another class, another meditation, another teacher. NO. Saint John said: 1 John 2: 27 But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him. The ANOINTING IS CHRIST Jesuss whole name on earth was Yeshua ben Yosef et Miriam-Jesus, the Son of Joseph and Mary. Christ is NOT Jesus last name. Christ is His title. It means ANOINTED ONE. To anoint someone is to pour out oil on them as a symbol of being filled with the Presence and Power of God. Kings, Priests and Prophets were anointed. Thats why when you are confirmed you are anointed with oil to release the Presence and Power of God in your life as an adult. But the Truth is that the true anointing is Christ living inside of you. You are that Vessel of Christs Anointing because Jesus Christ now lives in you through the infilling of the Holy Spirit. And this is not on again and off again. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, When something abides in you, it means that it lives IN you. All the time. Every day. Every moment. Not when you FEEL it, now when you THINK it, not when you SENSE it. God is there inside of your spirit like a Flame burning inside a candle. But most Christians live their lives terrified, defeated, angry, confused and scared. Were scared of the devil being able to hurt or control us or the people around us. We are scared of other people being able to do the same thing. We are terrified of God being mad at us or doing mean things to us for good reasons. These are lies. But we believe them. I dare you to stand in front of the mirror naked tomorrow and say the following:
I AM A CHILD OF GOD I AM IN THE IMAGE AND LIKENESS OF GOD I DO NOT FEAR THE DEVIL I DO NOT FEAR OTHER PEOPLE I DO NOT FEAR MYSELF I AM WHOLE, PERFECT AND LOVED IN GODS EYES I HAVE ALL THAT I NEED BECAUSE GOD LOVES ME I LOVE GOD GOD LOVES ME JUST AS I AM I LOVE ME JUST AS I AM I LOVE EVERYONE THE SAME WAY BECAUSE I CHOOSE TO LOVE THAT WAY I AM NOT AFRAID TO GIVE MONEY TO HELP OTHERS BECAUSE GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER AND I WILL GGET IT BACK TEN FOLD I AM NOT AFRAID TO GIVE MY TIME TO OTHERS BECAUSE I WILL GET IT BACK TEN FOLD I AM NOT AFRAID TO GIVE MY TIME TO OTHERS BECAUSE I WILL GET IT BACK TEN FOLD I AM NOT AFRAID OF GOD BECAUSE GOD IS GOOD GOD THE FATHER IS GOOD GOD THE SON IS GOOD GOD THE HOLY SPIRIT IS GOOD THEY DO NOT REJECT ME THEY LOVE ME I LOVE THEM I WALK IN GODS WAY AND I DONT SCREW UP I AM NOT A SCREW UP BECAUSE I AM A CHILD OF GOD IN JESUS NAME WHO LIVES IN ME IN POWER, PRESENCE AND TRUTH. AMEN! AMEN! AMEN! Do this in the morning and in the evening and see what parts make you feel good and what parts make you feel uncomfortable and why. THE TRUTH IS THAT CHRIST LIVES IN YOU-RIGHT NOW How do we get to the point where we KNOW where God is, we LOVE where God is and we SERVE the True God? By accepting the truth that Christ is NOT some guy in the sky far away. He lives in your spirit right now. Doesnt matter if your emotions feel Him. Hes in you right now in your spirit. Doesnt matter if you think Him. Hes in your spirit right now. Doesnt matter if your body has goose bumps or hot flashes. Hes in your spirit right now like the center of the solar system, a sun of righteousness with healing in his wings. The trick is letting that Presence and Power flow out into your body and soul from your spirit. To do that you have to believe that what you just read is true. WHERE DOES JESUS LIVE? Jesus is Divinity made Flesh He can be everywhere. He is as much in you as He is in me. He is as much in that Tabernacle as Consecrated Bread as He is in Dale. JESUS IS EVERY PLACE HE IS INVITED TO BE! Revelation 2: Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Jesus didnt say that to unsaved people who were not Born Again. He said this to Christians. He stands at the door of our souls. He knocks from within the spirit and asks for us to let Him come in and fill our emotions and minds as much as He fills our spirits and bodies. Thats why we are called tmeples of the Holy Spirit: Now, do you understand why satan can fear us? If we are temples of the Holy Spirit of God then how can the devil do anything to us? But here is something even more powerful? IF WE ARE WALKING VESSELS OF GOD HIMSELF, THEN THAT MEANS WE HAVE THE POWER ON THIS EARTH TO CHANGE EVERYTHING. Think about that. IF WE ARE WALKING VESSELS FOR GOD HIMSELF THAT MEANS THAT NOTHING WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR US. NOW, do you see what Jesus was talking about? SO HOW DO WE ACCESS THE PRESENCE AND POWER OF GOD INSIDE OF US? First of all, BELIEVE what Jesus said. Do you believe that Jesus Christ came to this earth in the flesh as the Son of God and the Son of Mary? Do you believe that He died and rose from the dead and has gone to sit at the right hand of God the Father? Do you NOW believe that since He sent the Holy Spirit of Wisdom that He lives in your spirit right now as powerful, holy and strong as He was on earth, even more so? Make that decision to believe that right now. I AM A CHRISTIAN THAT MEANS I BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST HAS COME IN THE FLESH THE ANTICHRIST DOES NOT BELIEVE THAT. BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT JESUS CHRIST HAS COME IN THE FLESH AS THE SON OF GOD AND THE SON OF MARY. I BELIEVE THAT JESUS CAME ONCE AND DIED TO CLEANSE US ALL FROM SIN AND SEPARATION FROM THE TRINITY. I BELIEVE THAT HE ROSE BODY, SOUL AND SPIRIT FROM THE DEAD BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT OF WISDOM I BELIEVE THAT HE WILL RETURN TO A PEOPLE WHO ARE FILLED WITH HIS SPIRIT I BELIEVE THAT THIS SAME HOLY SPIRIT OF WISDOM LIVES IN ME RIGHT NOW Close your eyes, touch your chest and repeat after me: YOU LIVE IN ME JESUS WHEN I AM SICK YOU LIVE IN ME TO HEAL ME WHEN I AM BROKE YOU LIVE IN ME TO BRING ME WHAT I NEED AND PROSPER ME YOU WILL BRING ME OUT OF BEING SICK AND BROKE BECAUSE YOU LIVE IN ME I WILL HAVE HEALTH AND PROPSERITY BECAUSE JESUS LIVES IN ME WHEN I DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO, I WILL GO INSIDE MY SPIRIT AND ASK THE ANOINTING IN ME WHAT TO DO AND JESUS WILL ANSWER. I WILL HEAR CLEARLY BECAUSE JESUS SAID YOU WILL HEAR MY VOICE CLEARLY AND I BELIEVE YOU. WHEN I AM BROKE OR IN TROUBLE I WILL CALL ON YOUR PRESENCE AND YOU WILL DELIVER AND PROSPER ME WHEN I AM SICK OR IN PAIN, I WILL CALL ON YOUR PRESENCE AND YOU WILL HEAL ME. NO MATTER WHAT MY PROBLEM IS, YOU ARE INSIDE OF ME TO FIX IT. NO MATTER HOW MESSED UP THE DEVIL THE WORLD OR MY OWN FLESH TELLS ME I AM, YOU LIVE IN ME AND SHOW ME THE WAY, THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE. I AM ABOVE BEING IRRITATED I AM ABOVE BEING SCARED I AM SEATED ABOVE EVERY PROBLEM BECAUSE YOU ARE SEATED IN MY SPIRIT AND YOU GIVE ME THE VICTORY. THANK YOU! IN THE PRESENCE OF THE FATHER, THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, BY THE POWER OF THE NAME OF JESUS, I CHOOSE TO BELIEVE THIS. Amen. Homework Take the Gospel of Saint Matthew, Chapter 5 and use it as a mediation on Christ in you as the Hope of Glory: Read: 5 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: 2 And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, 3 Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. 10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. 12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
NOW READ IT OUT LOUD LIKE THIS: Jesus sees the multitude of worries and fears that concern my mind and emotions. So right now He goes up to my thinking and feelings inside of me to say:
(Put your name where the lines are) __________ I bless you in the spirit because I am the kingdom of God inside of you _____________I bless you in anything that upsets you, because I comfort you from the inside out right now _______________I bless you in your fears because I live in you and you have everything you need ________________ I bless you in your anger over unfairness because I am here inside of you to make things right ________________I bless you with kindness towards others because I am Mercy and Kindness inside of you __________________I bless you with purity and you can see, hear and understand Me because I am Purity inside of you _______________I bless you with making peace with because I am Peace inside of you _____________I bless you beyond irritation over what people say because I am inside of you and we are beyond that. ______________I bless you in the middle of persecution because I was hurt that way too and I am inside of you to give you strength. Jesus lives inside of me. I am His vessel and He makes all things whole and right in His Name. Amen.