FREEDOM

The word FREE is used about 250 times in the 66 writings of our Bible.   The word Freedom is mentioned about 33 times, 27 in the New Testament.

With this note, I am assuming that you, like me, are also on a quest for more Freedom ?????

Jesus Taught,   That the Truth Will Make us Free.  John 8:31-32,   “So Jesus was saying to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you abide in My word [continually obeying My teachings and living in accordance with them, then] you are truly My disciples. 32 And you will know the truth [regarding salvation], and the truth will set you free [from the penalty of sin].”

But the World tells us that following what God teaches through HIS prophets in the Bible will only cause us to loose our  freedom.   And then provides a very extensive menu of Good Looking Foods at a very low cost that we know may not be good for us.   So in my 90 years of experience I am finding out that this world is full of lies, even in the so called churches which have guaranteed  that they only teach and preach God’s Truth for our freedom.   And then through their vain traditions have locked us up.  Yes, there were good things, but then also dumb things where I felt boxed in and limited and bored so bad that a church service became a good place for a nap.   Even in the choir way up front of about 1,400 people.   I would have bruises on both sides of my rib cage from my good brothers trying to keep me awake during the services that I already had memorized.   I think the minister has a file with 52 sermons in it with one for each week of the year.  And I would ask him about the Book of Acts and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and stuff like that and get some really unreasonable answers or a postponement for a better time to talk about it, which in 7 years, never happened.  I gave my life to Jesus as LORD in 1955 but only started to experience a bit of HIS freedom in 1968.   So now at 90, I really love my freedom in Christ Jesus and only go to the Bible, in Context for my questions and search for more freedom in the Truth of Christ Jesus.

So hope with this note, if you are interested, to pass a little of what I have found to be HIS Truth in giving more freedom.

1.    As I now see things, top of my list, is to try to come to an end of myself in being concerned about, “What about me.”  As long as I am the center of my thoughts about myself;  I am full of myself and thus, no room for the Holy Spirit to fill me and teach me about the Kingdom of God and the Word of God.  If I really want to grow spiritually in God’s Grace (power), I must first vacate some of my self centered, comfort zone space..  Most of my Bad sowing and Reaping and pain in my past life has come from centering upon myself in: “What about Me!!!”  The decisions that I have made under that selfish delusion have been very painful.

2.    Next on the list, is what is my bottom line source of Truth?   My feelings, experiences, emotions, history, feelings of others, sources of truth?  If Truth is going to set me free it must really be the Truth.   I have learned the hard way that I can not trust most in the world for their understanding of what the Truth is as it has no objective basis.  It is only their feeling about it.  Even with some who say the “The LORD, The LORD” to verify their understanding of the Truth, it still,  is not really GOD’s TRUTH.  So for me, I have learned, that the Truth of God is like  mining for gem stones in a mine.  You have to move a lot of dirt at times to find a good gem stone but there is no doubt about it as it is exactly like all of the other, same kind of,  gem stones.   So I use Bible Gateway and go between the Amplified Bible and the King James Bible for my tools of finding God’s Truth in Context with all of the prophetical writings on the same Truth so I can take it to the bank.  And it is amazing as to how much difference there is in Biblical Truth and what is being taught today.  Not that all is poison or we have to start all over.  But we are going to have to learn to remove the poison from the milk and meat of the Word of God if it is going to become effective for us in HIS Power.   Our Creator will only confirm HIS Truth with HIS power.    And If we are going to experience the Church that Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to build in Truth and Power we have some filtering to do.  When the Church of Christ Jesus is removed from earth it will be in the exact image of Christ Jesus in Glory and Power.  It will be a perfect match for the KING of Kings, LORD of Lords.  Take a look at 1 Cor. 14:26-33 for what a Holy Spirit Church looks like with the results of Acts 5:14-16.  The Early Church was a forum not a theater, it was interactive, a people work, never knew what was going to happen in the Holy Spirit’s guiding presence.  It was sometimes embarrassing and crude and in a deliverance the demons could make a lot of racket in leaving.   It was HIS Church, not ours…..

3.    Today we have a doctrine floating around that God’s Love is UNCONDITIONAL?  While it is true that our Creator does have the same love for each of us, yet when I read my Bible love is not the only side of HIS nature.  Like in Jude 5-7, “Now I want to remind you, although you are fully informed once for all, that [e] the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe [who refused to trust and obey and rely on Him]. 6 And angels who did not keep their own designated place of power, but abandoned their proper dwelling place, [these] He has kept in eternal chains under [the thick gloom of utter] darkness for the judgment of the great day, 7 just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the adjacent cities, since they in the same way as these angels indulged in gross immoral freedom and unnatural vice and sensual perversity. They are exhibited [in plain sight] as an example in undergoing the punishment of everlasting fire.”   Jonathan Edwards use to preach on Hebrews 10:30-31, “For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine [retribution and the deliverance of justice  rest with Me], I will repay [the wrongdoer].” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” 31  It is a fearful and terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God [incurring His judgment and wrath].  So Best to really digest the book of Jude before thinking you know what ‘Unconditional Love” really means.   It means Isa. 53 because of Jesus as our LORD.  And in us submitting to HIM in all things as LORD.   So please do not rationalize the Word of God to make it mean what you would like it to mean.  Rom. 8:12-13   (Try to get back to this again later…. need more space….)

Praying for a Christian housekeeper and a gardener to help me with this ½ acres in Kealia, HI  
 Yours in His great Love and wonderful grace & mercy,   Ken<><    www.OhanaChurch.Life