Post by Gerard Mendes on Apr 12, 2011 21:36:29 GMT -5
The Bible is a book that explains the covenant relationship God has planned for us through the person of Jesus Christ.We with our western influence have turned it into a instruction booklet about contracts.The difference between the two words are vast.A covenant is a relationship where one inters into concidering the other individual.Marriage is the most common example.For marriage to work right each spouse must have as a concern the condition of the other.In marriage its about what we give not receive.If we give love expecting something in return then we are not loving but loaning or investing.In contract relations, one enters into with self protection on mind.We see prenup agreements on the rise.And also many---as Ive heard---will ingage in premarriage sexual activities because 'no one buys a pair of shoes without trying them on first'.The reason for this confusion runs deep.We are in the west an atheistic society.We may have converted to christianity but our core perspectives are atheistic.We see,think,reason and problem solve systematicly like any good atheistic scientist.We read our bibles this way----what is the right way to do things to get the desired effect.Then when we get what we want through munipulation we teach others of our successes and use christian language.The most successful lead many of our churches.Now today we gloss over this and call it servanthood.We get worked and worked being told its for God but in many instances its to advance the church corperation.We are denyed intimacy which is substituted with emotional satisfaction.
The real tradgity is that many go to their graves working for God all their lives but never having experienced His presence.As a chaplin in portervilles hospital I have seen this first hand too too often.Freedom comes when we realize our true calling-----bridehood.Love is a greater motivater then duty.Even Jesus said that we could not love two masters cause we will despise one.If we love ourselves and use the bible to escape hell,I dont care how hard we work we will never realize pure love for Him.As Jesus said the greatest command is to love Him with the totality of our being.We focus on His second command.Our western thinks is something like this----O-K I love you God now what?But If we put just one percent of our effort into the second command then we are violating the first.In effect we cant fullfill these commands in the natch.We will in effect love others in the same manner we already love God.Even priests of the OT had as their first duty working the utincels in the holy place.Their first works were ministering to the presence of the lord.We as a generation of priests must also have as our first duty---ministering to His presence.We must--in order to experience true freedom, realize our true destiny.We are BRIDES.Our total devotion is to be on Him and Him alone.We are called to a blind passionate love of Him---the only true lover our souls will ever know.The work stuff then will be a RESULT of this love not our duty.When we read the bible we read it from the condition of our soul.If we have a servant mentality then all we will see is commands for servants.If we read as brides then revelations of His true love will come daily.We will relearn the book with elation.It all starts in geneses and is the main theme through the whole book.Its overt and covert--literal and prophetic.Part 2 of this series has the biblical basis for this teaching starting in gen 2.
The real tradgity is that many go to their graves working for God all their lives but never having experienced His presence.As a chaplin in portervilles hospital I have seen this first hand too too often.Freedom comes when we realize our true calling-----bridehood.Love is a greater motivater then duty.Even Jesus said that we could not love two masters cause we will despise one.If we love ourselves and use the bible to escape hell,I dont care how hard we work we will never realize pure love for Him.As Jesus said the greatest command is to love Him with the totality of our being.We focus on His second command.Our western thinks is something like this----O-K I love you God now what?But If we put just one percent of our effort into the second command then we are violating the first.In effect we cant fullfill these commands in the natch.We will in effect love others in the same manner we already love God.Even priests of the OT had as their first duty working the utincels in the holy place.Their first works were ministering to the presence of the lord.We as a generation of priests must also have as our first duty---ministering to His presence.We must--in order to experience true freedom, realize our true destiny.We are BRIDES.Our total devotion is to be on Him and Him alone.We are called to a blind passionate love of Him---the only true lover our souls will ever know.The work stuff then will be a RESULT of this love not our duty.When we read the bible we read it from the condition of our soul.If we have a servant mentality then all we will see is commands for servants.If we read as brides then revelations of His true love will come daily.We will relearn the book with elation.It all starts in geneses and is the main theme through the whole book.Its overt and covert--literal and prophetic.Part 2 of this series has the biblical basis for this teaching starting in gen 2.