Contemplations

Website Objective

Herein are contained contemplations for Christians (and even non-Christians) who are feeling that there must be something more to Christianity than what they have heard in church and experienced in their lives.

This website is designed to be frequented by you who, as much as you know how, love the Lord with your whole heart, soul, mind and strength–or least want to, but may have found it difficult to love the concept of God you’ve been taught.

You may have been brought up in orthodox Christianity by people who genuinely love you. You know you are on a spiritual journey. But you are not totally satisfied with where you are and are sincerely asking if there might be something more. You may feel that those closest to you are not feeling the same dissatisfaction or asking the same questions that you are. You may even feel guilty about your questions. But you have a hunger for knowing God that is yet unfulfilled.

This website is not for you who wish to debate theology. The goal of this website is not correct theology, but rather to come to know who and where God is and who and where we are in relation to God. We are all on the same spiritual journey, and none of us have arrived. I can present to you only what I believe has been revealed to me. I have put off writing for many years, waiting to have the complete package, uncontaminated. Now I know that will never be. You and I will both continue to partake of “the unsearchable riches of Christ” {Eph 3:8} and not pretend to be where we are not.

So don’t come here to be convinced of anything. Come here to hear God speak through these words. That means that you must be open to hear. If you are at the place where you are totally satisfied with what you believe, then this website is not for you. You must come with a hunger for more and with a willingness to let the Holy Spirit guide you into truth, even if that truth should go against what you have been taught to believe is the truth.

This can be a bit frightening if your security is in doctrine and not in God. You must be willing to trust the Holy Spirit in you to keep you from error. If you have this trust as a little child trusts its parent, you will not be afraid to contemplate anything you find written here. You will know that the Holy Spirit will cause your heart to begin to sing when truth is presented to it–even though your head finds it difficult to accept, and even when those within your circle cannot embrace that truth. And you will equally trust that same Holy Spirit to say to you, “This is not the way; don’t go this way” when what is presented to you is not truth. I would never ask you to accept anything that, in scriptural language, does not “bear witness” with the Spirit inside. But I would ask you to remain open to the Spirit’s guidance.

It is not my intent to “bash” orthodox (or mainstream) Christians. I was raised by fundamental Christians, and to this day most of the people who are nearest and dearest to me would certainly consider themselves in that category. I know that they very sincerely believe that the orthodox interpretation of Scripture is correct and that they are attempting to live their lives according to that interpretation. And that is all anyone can do; we certainly cannot live according to what we don’t believe.

Design of the Website

I have deliberately kept each contemplation relatively brief so that you can chew on it for awhile–and so that you aren’t bewildered and befuddled by too much to think on at once.

I have given you the choice of reading or listening to each contemplation; or you may even do both at once. You may do this directly on the website, but you also have the option to print and/or download each contemplation for use when you are not connected to the internet.

So that you won’t have to necessarily read this with Bible in hand or always referring to footnotes, I have included my Scriptural references in the text. But I know that can be a bit distracting when you just want to get the feel of what is being said. Except in cases where they must be read to get the sense of the text, I have put them in a lighter color so that you can readily skip over them if you wish.

I am giving particular attention to the life and sayings of Jesus and have therefore kept His words in red. All these contemplations are based on the premise that because mankind was in such gross darkness, God descended and came into the world in which we live in the form of Jesus to bring to us the truth about Himself and about us and the nature of our relationship.

There are many other wonderful teachers of truth; but Jesus is the only one who conquered death–the only one who said that He could lay His earthly  life (body) down and take it up again [John 2:19 (KJVS) Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? 21 But he spake of the temple of his body. John 10:18 (KJVS) No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.], the only one who took his bones with Him and also brought them back again {Luke 24:39 (KJVS) Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have}. Jesus, therefore, has the last word on any subject.

Colossians 1:18 (KJVS) And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

Cutting Through the Gordian Knot of Orthodox Christianity

Orthodox Christianity has so departed from “the simplicity that is in Christ” that one must be some sort of mental gymnast to actually believe what we have been taught in the Christian religion. It has indeed presented us with a “Gordian knot”–a term which is explained by this quotation taken from “answers.com/topic/gardius” which is, in turn, taken from the Columbia Encyclopedia.

“Gordius (gôr’dēəs), in Greek mythology, king of Phrygia. An oracle had told the Phrygians that the king who would put an end to their troubles was approaching in an oxcart, and, thus, when Gordius, a peasant, appeared in his wagon, he was hailed king. In gratitude, Gordius dedicated his wagon to Zeus and attached the pole to the yoke with a knot that defied efforts to untie it. This was the Gordian knot. An oracle declared that he who untied it would become leader of all Asia. A later legend states that when Alexander the Great came to Phrygia, he severed the knot with one blow of his sword. Hence the saying, ‘to cut the Gordian knot,’ meaning to solve a perplexing problem with a single bold action.”

In these contemplations I wish to begin cutting through that “Gordian knot” by freeing our minds from the corruption planted by religion so that we can return to “the simplicity that is in Christ.”

2Corinthians 11:3 (KJVS) But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

This website, therefore, consists of contemplations for those of us who are feeling that Christianity has become far too complex. We have been told by Jesus that we must receive the kingdom of God as a little child {Mk 10:15} or we cannot enter it at all. But we have been told by the church that we must do this and not do that to enter–and no one seems to even agree as to what this or that is which we must do (or not do)–or even as to what the kingdom of God is.

Jesus said that He came that we might have abundant life, while the church keeps telling us all the reasons that our lives are not abundant. Jesus said that His burden is easy and that He will give us rest if we are heavy laden {Matthew 11:28 (KJVS) Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.}; but all our years in church have failed to give us the righteousness, peace and joy which Paul says the kingdom consists of. {Romans 14:17 (KJVS) For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.}

These contemplations are for those of us who have become weary and/or disillusioned with all that which promised Life but has left us just waiting for death to release us into the present tense Life that Jesus said is already ours. {John 5:24 (KJVS) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but IS PASSED from death unto life.}

If you dislike waiting for death to release you into Life but are still dubious about this website, I would ask you to read the contemplation entitled “Encouragement to Continue.”

If you are encouraged, I strongly recommend that you begin by reading or listening to the contemplation “The Simplicity That Is in Christ.” By the time you finish that, I trust you will have heard God’s invitation to you to join the ongoing party as we continue to plunge into “the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God” {Rom 11:33}.