Pushing Peanuts

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Did Jesus die for a free ticket to heaven? Is that why He died? Is that the only reason? In my opinion, "NO."

The bible says, we go from glory to glory and faith to faith. These describe a maturation process. The word salvation means "to make whole." In 1 Thess. 5:23, Paul says, "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." During the course of salvation we are sanctified. In this process of sanctification, we grow in our wholeness in Him. We become more whole and complete. At salvation our spirit is immediately made whole and quickened by grace through the Holy Spirit. The revelation of this quickening affects the soul or person of an individual. In turn, the quickening affects the body. Healing, deliverance, radical change in personality/lifestyle, redemption, and numerous other things occur because of the death of His cross for us.

Romans 5:17 says,
"For if by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)"

Paul calls Christ the Last Adam. Christ says He is the First and the Last.

So, salvation is not just a ticket, but an adventure of growing whole in Him more so everyday. We are saved over and over and over again unto fullness in Him.

2 Corinthians 4:16 says,
"Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day."

Also, creation longs for the revealing of the sons of God. It longs for redemption.

Romans 8:19,
"For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God."

So, He died to REDEEM ALL CREATION. ALL CREATION. Not just earth. Every planet, star, galaxy, universe, and molecule everywhere. That every knee should bow and declare Him LORD of LORDS and KING of all KINGS!


Ephesians 1:10,
"that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth--in Him."

A brother in Christ told me once, "I would serve Jesus even if I were going to hell." When he told me that my thought was, "Huh? I don't get it." That is the point. We serve Christ because we have an exceedingly strong desire to do so not because of a free ticket to heaven. The bible speaks of inheritance. The bible also speaks of those escaping by the skin of their teeth or as one who escapes the flames. Not much inheritance there, but that is not the reason to serve Him either. Service unto Him is because of who He is. That is more than enough reason. Even the reason to serve Him is not of ourselves, but it is the faith of Him in us to serve Him, Gal. 2:20.

There is a contrast between preaching Christ and the ministry of the Word. Both are seen in the book of Acts. The free, gracious, heavenly ticket is preaching Christ and the need for Him to save you from hell and really you. Note, hell is a place prepared for the enemy not man, Matt. 25:41. The ministry of the Word is infusing the Word of Christ into the believer into discipleship.

The root word, "manthano", for disciple means the following:

1. to learn, be apprised
• to increase one's knowledge, to be increased in knowledge
• to hear, be informed
• to learn by use and practice
2. to be in the habit of, accustomed to

Click here for the physics of a bouncing ball.

Excerpt:
"The ball stores this work/energy as a deformation of its elastic surface and a compression of the air inside the ball. The ball then rebounds from the table as this stored energy reemerges as kinetic energy in the ball."

So, I was bouncing a ball today and this popped in my head. How? I thought about it and dug around a little on the internet.

The ball absorbs and converts the energy applied to it. Hopefully I am saying this correctly. The ball is a medium so to speak of the energy applied to it. My energy (me throwing the ball) acts as the catalyst and initiates the process. I bet if I were in space and I bounced the ball in zero gravity (or no resistance/friction) the ball would move indefinitely. The harder I bounced the ball or more energy applied to the force of my throw I believe would increase acceleration. The distance would not change which is infinite. I picture a space craft traveling through space and at different stages a booster will fire off and increase the acceleration. Einstein said that time slows down as an object approaches the speed of light. This starts to go into the theory of relativity which is where I'm going.

Isaiah 28:10 says,
"For precept [must be] upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, [and] there a little:"

John 1:16-17 says,
"And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, [but] grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."

Colossians 2:9 says,
"For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."

I've noticed as I've grown in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ that revelation reaffirms and intertwines with other revelation on a micro- to macroscopic scope of cognizance. This reminds me of the Isaiah scripture. The revelation of Him compounds itself and its growth is eternally exponential. Hence, grace for grace unto infinite fullness in Him by Him in us.

In Ephesians 3:8, Paul speaks of the "unsearchable riches of Christ." I interpret this as no bounds, limitations, or finite end to what Christ has done for us and His creation.

This revelatory knowledge of Him enters our inner man with it's purpose and does not return void. The knowledge of Him could be energy, His energy. In Colossians 1:29 Paul says, " Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily." This supernatural knowledge of Christ deposited into Paul and worked in him like a dynamo which is where the word "power" comes from in the Greek. "And you shall receive power after the Holy Ghost has come upon you", Acts 1:8. A dynamo is power reproducing power. A reoccurring pattern in nature I see of this power is the nuclear power of the sun. Nuclear power is created because of the nature of a star over and over again. There is an exceeding power towards those who believe, Eph. 1:19. This power that is created by the knowledge of Him. This power gives ability to bear His fruit, say no to p0rn/perversion, quit smoking, quit cocaine, no to desire to participate in foul language even, raise the dead, grow new limbs, change personality and not modify it, cast out demons, see the future, experience pure joy, run with all endurance, authority over all death, and the list goes on.

There seems to be a lot happening when a ball is bounced.

To right is an artificial palm tree. Things are not always what they seem to appear at first glance.

Col. 2:18 "Let no man beguile (umpire) you of your reward in a voluntary humility (self-abasement) and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind..." Appearance of godliness, 2 Tim. 3:5. Menpleasers, eyeservice, Eph. 6:6; Col. 3:22.

Beguile also means "to be an umpire towards". Voluntary humility is very different from the humility of Christ.
Phil. 2:5-8
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."
The mind of Christ, 1 Cor. 2:16.
Col. 3:10, renewed in the knowledge of the Creator according to the original pattern.
Gal. 1:12, the revelation of Christ in us. The revealing of Him and of His "mind" in us.
2 Pet. 3:18, growing and maturing in this knowledge and grace of Him.

"Voluntary humility" in other scripture translations is also called false humility, self-denial (performed by self and not Christ), asceticism, self-abasement, and "doing his own will in humility".

Galatians 2:13 gives a great example of this "voluntary humility". Personally, I call it dead religion, works, another gospel (Gal. 1:16), non-inspiring, lifeless, Pseudo-Christianity, deception, and absolutely undesirable. For the longest time, I thought this was true Christianity. I would try and try and try...I and fall, and fall, and fall...I would become more and more frustrated and hopeless trying to fulfill this walk by voluntary humility, self-denial, and so on hoping Jesus would look down because I thought He or the Father didn't notice me unless I was tap dancing or hopping one foot for Jesus with my W.W.J.D. hat (I never wore a W.W.J.D. hat and pray to God I never will.) W.W.J.D. hat's mean "What would Jesus do?" This is based on human presumption and intellect possibly mixed with Truth at best. In turn, the results of decisions based on W.W.J.D. are similar to Las Vegas casinos because God is a gambler you know (just a joke.) If one is wearing such a hat though that is what I am led to believe that God is part of the mob and watches C.S.I. Las Vegas. That His will is arbitrary. This leads to what doctrine the individual is basing their walk on?

Paul says in Romans 6:17, "but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you." The form (or pattern/blueprint) of doctrine is sound doctrine. Sound doctrine firmly establishes, roots, and grounds the believer to be immovable IN Christ because you are more convinced of the revelation of Him than you are of the air you breathe. This sound doctrine germinates the humility of Christ. Otherwise, it is something else as previously described. So, true, authentic, sincere, real humility is Christ in you. Jesus did Phil. 2:5-8 on the basis of God's love. Paul says, "the love of God compels us." The revelation of Him is His love. John says in 1 John 4:19, "We love him, because he first loved us." I started this journey of knowing Him and His love on a Capital Metro bus 20 years ago. On the bus, I asked Him, "If you are who people say you are show me?" I began to cry uncontrollably and knew I was different and never to be the same. This was the germination of Him in me. Peter, Paul, and elsewhere throughout the Word He is spoken of as the incorruptible seed. The seed must be watered with sound doctrine. From the incorruptible seed will grow a real tree.

Psalms 1:3
"And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."

At times in my walk I have perceived what I could only describe as a spiritual current or undertow.
See rip current or undertow.

Ezekiel 47
Ezekiel 47:5
"Afterward he measured a thousand; [and it was] a river that I could not pass over: for the waters were risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be passed over."

There a 7 baptisms. Three that are pertinent are the baptism into Christ when you are saved, baptism by water, and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

Ezekiel saw a river which depth was ankle, knee, waist deep and then it was a river that could not be passed. Romans 6 says we are baptized or immersed into Christ's death. Immersion or baptism here means "to be drowned." I have been drowned in Him, Gal. 2:20.

The other day my family and I went down a "lazy river." What I noticed was it was very difficult to go against the current and would become tiresome and eventually wear me out. The river constantly moved. It was alive. It did not stop. When I sat in the tube the river took the tube and me along with it. I am not saying to sit in a tube and let the river take you listlessly. In the context of Romans 6, the river drowns you and you die. The power of the river takes over and afterwards you arise from the river a new creature. Jesus says, "Rivers of living water will flow from your belly." Revelation speaks of a river in the New Kingdom.

Isaiah talks about mounting up with wings as eagles. Ephesians talks about being filled with the Spirit. These are external forces. The wind creating lift for the eagle. Negative pressure created from an airfoil enables the sailboat to move. The overpowering current of the river is an external force. Gravity is an external force. The power of the sun is an external force. Ephesians 1:19 speaks of "the exceeding greatness of His power towards those who believe." There is an inexhaustible, unlimited resource of power by faith through grace towards those who believe in Christ Jesus.

His will is good, well-pleasing and perfect (Rom. 12:1-). It is not arbitrary.
His will is that all men be saved (or be made whole spirit, soul, body). (1 Tim. 2:4)

–adjective

1. subject to individual will or judgment without restriction; contingent solely upon one's discretion: an arbitrary decision.

2. decided by a judge or arbiter rather than by a law or statute.

3. having unlimited power; uncontrolled or unrestricted by law; despotic; tyrannical: an arbitrary government.

4. capricious; unreasonable; unsupported: an arbitrary demand for payment.

5. Mathematics. undetermined; not assigned a specific value: an arbitrary constant.


It is His will. His will is Truth.

On the other hand, I have a free-will to decide who will I serve.

As I grow IN Him, my will becomes His will by the revelation Him through faith by grace.

His decisions are always good, well-pleasing and perfect.

He cannot lie and does not change His mind (ever).

His decisions cannot be malicious, chaotic, inadequate, or indecisive because it is not in His nature. (1 Cor. 13)

His will for Truth, goodness, well-pleasing (by faith), and perfection(maturity and fullness in Him) is in me.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence/proof of things not yet seen.

Jesus is the only begotten Son in whom the Father is well pleased.

When the Father spoke this He did not change His mind and will not. He can only speak that which is True.

His will is in those who have been immersed or baptized INTO Him. His will grows in the "immersed" by faith through grace.

His will is His will.