Conviction about Hoax

After reading a small piece of an allegory yesterday out of an email about the true nature of the money system, this morning it began to soak into my slow brain the immensity of the implications that this truth has to effect every aspect and detail of our lives, both socially and spiritually. Then when I opened the devotional reading for today and saw that the text talked about Laodicea's illusion that it is rich and prosperous when in fact in heaven's view it is exactly the opposite, I begin to sense that maybe God wants me to be more informed about this matter.

I do not want to follow the example of many others clamoring about these issues and use education of this problem to promote a sense of fear or advocate violence in any way. I believe that would play directly into the hands of Lord Mammon from which this whole system came from originally. But on the other hand, to have conviction to take an opportunity to be aware of a system of slavery that has subtly deceived the whole world and is tightening its noose around our necks; to reject the chance to enlighten ourselves about the truth of the matter because it makes us uncomfortable, well, I believe that is at the very least highly irresponsible. It would be a choice to leave ourselves in the dark because the light of truth is so radically different than what we have always believed and we assume that it will be too painful and embarrassing. To choose that path is to willingly stay in darkness when we have been offered light and that to me would be a clear choice to sin against light.

But just because we become aware of the enormous hoax that we live under and how it is working to destroy us does not also mean that we know the way to respond to it. I believe that it is entirely two different issues that need to be addressed separately. I believe I am morally responsible today to investigate and clarify to the best of my ability the true nature of the trap that I find myself in, but just as I feel prompted by the Spirit to become more aware of this I also must remember that only the Spirit has the right answers and guidance for each individual to know what to do in response to this knowledge. In my experience it is nearly always true that the first thing that comes to our mind in reaction to bad experiences is the wrong thing to do. That is most likely because it springs from a root of fear and fear is the opposite of the most important element of God's system. So at this point I want to explore further clarification under the guidance of the Spirit and then listen carefully and peacefully to what I am instructed by God to do about it.

First I am going to look up the reference and find the allegory that appeared to me to greatly simplify the complexity of the financial hoax that we live under. That is like tapping into the big picture which has always been a great asset in helping me understand the details in any situation. Then I will listen and pray as to where to go from that point.

Several thoughts come to my mind regarding this situation from what I already know about it and from what is stirring my mind this morning. Part of the outcry about the fallacy of our current money system is that it is not backed by anything valuable like gold or silver anymore. While that is a very valid and critical point of truth, the question always comes to my mind, “What is inherently valuable about gold and silver?”

It almost seems to be a question that many people dismiss as trite and irrelevant. But I think an open-minded person will not dismiss it so easily. When it comes right down to the essentials that we need for living as humans on this earth how much does gold or silver contribute to making our life better or how does it make us thrive? It seems to me that the value placed on these metals in people's minds are always overblown and out of proportion to the real, actual usefulness of these elements.

This is actually part of the deceptive nature of the discussion about the monetary system that makes it so confusing. The arguments usually center around demanding that our currency should be backed by something substantial like gold and silver instead of just the assumptions of millions of people willing to accept pieces of paper stamped with unique lines and colors. There is a certain amount of truth in that argument, but my question goes even further. How life-giving is gold and silver in the first place? What is it about gold or silver that makes people so obsessed to value them so much?

Gold and silver are just metals. They have been found to be useful for decoration, for conducting electricity efficiently and for various other practical applications. But that does not explain the enormous obsession that people have had with these metals for thousands of years. I think a careful observer will have to sooner or later come to the conclusion that there is a supernatural spirit of some kind that infects people thus obsessed that is beyond normal reason and explanation. Careful study of the Bible and the history of money will reveal that, in fact it is a very specific spirit that is demonic in nature and extremely deceptive in its workings that has a specific name from very long ago. It was known to the ancients as the god Mammon.

This was the god believed to be in charge of wealth and everything associated with it. As such, it was worshiped, placated, prayed to and manipulated in man's ever-present desire to obtain more for himself. This is the god who encourages the selfishness inherent in our sinful nature and actually operates at the foundational level that drives the other two legs of the false systems that make up civilization: social position or kingship and law.

As I opened my Bible this morning to restart my study in Romans I read the following verses that again reinforce God's viewpoint of all of this. "Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?" For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. (Romans 11:34-36 NIV)

These verses clearly draw our attention to the true Source of the supply for everything we need for life. And it also makes it very clear that it is completely impossible for anyone anywhere in all of creation to get into a position as a creditor toward God. No one has anything that they could loan to God expecting a repayment because God is the originator of everything to start with so it would be silly at best to think that God could become a debtor. This applies to everyone in this world as well as the rest of the universe. This principle applies in economics just as it does in salvation. We cannot obligate God to us in any way with anything we do or have or attempt.

At first one may wonder what this has to do with our current system of economics. That is generally consigned by most people to the arena of religion and economics is a completely different arena that seldom involves anything about God in most people's minds. But that is part of the massive deception that we have been duped into assuming by Lord Mammon. Economics is not only amazingly deceptive and enslaving as it is currently configured, and far more so than most people realize, but the whole concept of economics itself at its most basic concepts is in defiance of the true system of heaven of which it is a counterfeit.

The prophecies in the book of Revelation make it clear that God's true and loyal children in the last days of earth's history are going to find themselves pushed out of the world's economic arrangements. ...no one can buy or sell who does not have the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. (Revelation 13:17 NRSV) We have usually viewed this as a terrible calamity that we must endure if we are to be God's loyal followers, but I think we need to view it quite differently. The more I realize the interference that the three false systems that make up civilization cause in our perceptions of reality and our proper relationships with God and His children, the more I believe that this time of separation from the world will actually be a great blessing in disguise.

Religious people all over the world, especially Christians, usually believe that to have harmony and unity among believers that we should live more like the early believers as described in the early chapters of Acts. There are many attempts to approximate or even force people to form groups or communes to look as much like that description as we can. It appears to be an ideal toward which we are supposed to strive. But the reality is that those people described in Acts did not come up with the right formula and achieve that kind of unity because they got the formula right or they set up the perfect set of rules that made everything synchronize perfectly. That had absolutely nothing to do with the “success” of the early church. In fact, they were so different and were becoming so foreign to the counterfeit systems of the world that they were being slowly cut off from access to those systems, both economically, socially and spiritually. They were being ostracized from the synagogues where they had spend their whole life worshiping together. They were being marginalized socially by those who refused to accept or appreciate their new, radical notions about God, and they were also being squeezed more and more out of the mainstream of commerce because their value systems were so at odds with each other.

The reality of the situation at that time was in fact just the opposite of what we often view as “success”. Those people were beginning to experience freedom from the systems of the world – economics, kingship and law – by the liberation of their hearts and minds through the light filling them from the Holy Spirit and they began to live under a radically different set of paradigms that were almost totally obscure to most people of their day as well as people today. They were living lives guided and motivated by the unselfish promptings awakened in each person by the unifying Spirit of Jesus. They became charged and empowered as they began to catch glimpses of the real world of the Kingdom of God that the counterfeit system had kept hidden from them for all of their lives. They lived lives of humble, self-forgetful service to others that was not forced or imposed on them in the slightest. In essence, they were being transformed quickly into the likeness of Jesus and were consequently repulsed by the world around them just as Jesus had been.

These two systems of thinking, living and motivation are so diametrically opposed and mutually exclusive that any attempts to mingle the two systems resulted in instant death to anyone daring to try to remain grounded while attempting to connect with this high voltage of God's presence. That is what happened to Ananias and Sapphira and that truth was very clear to all of those who heard about what happened. They were not killed by an offended, angry God as some would assume, they were killed by their own choice of trying to touch a high voltage, pure and transparent atmosphere of love and open hearts while trying to remain grounded by retaining a part of the spirit of Mammon in their own hearts.

Likewise, in the end times when the true body of Christ once again coalesces into a similar purity, it would be fatal for those in such a pure atmosphere from heaven in their spirits to mingle any more with the earthly spirit of Mammon inherent in the whole system of worldly economics. Thus it will really prove to be a great blessing and will even be for their protection to be completely disconnected and cut off from buying and selling, because to remain attached to that counterfeit system would prove to be a fatal choice for anyone trying to cling to the world when God is preparing them for transition to heaven.

The real question arises then today, “At what point do we disconnect from the counterfeit systems and start living life in heaven's systems?” I do not claim to have any insight on this right now except to say that we need to listen much more carefully to the guidance of the Spirit and be willing to be educated as to the real issues involved so that we will hear the Spirit better. That is what I am feeling called to do right now and I choose to move even further in that direction. I believe there is coming a crisis very soon, very possibly in the next few months, that is going to shatter the relative peace of this world that will never be restored. We cannot imagine how frightening or intimidating it is going to be and we don't really need to dwell on that, for our greatest danger is in allowing fear itself to overwhelm us instead of clinging more tightly to the only real Source of life. Perfect love casts out fear. (1 John 4:18) I want to deepen my dependence on Him now so that I can be better prepared mentally and emotionally to trust Him even more when all hell breaks loose.

Corporate Body

I just received a question in the comments for a recent post that I think is very good and needs careful consideration. This arises from my series of posts about my visit to a community of the 12 Tribes a number of days ago. I am not setting myself up as an authority here in answering this question but I feel a need to stimulate genuine thinking on the part of everyone including myself to pursue a clearer understanding of reality and what is true and healthy for us as well as what may be enslaving our minds and hearts while leading us to think we are God's chosen people.

First I would like to repeat the question here and my short answer that I left in the comments and then explore further what I feel impressed is some of the important issues raised here. The question from an anonymous reader was:

Do you think God will find a people willing to do His will? Not just scattered individuals, but a corporate body at His beck and call?

This is my posted answer:

I really appreciate your question and I think I would like to take a whole post to address it. In brief here is my belief about this. The biggest problem I have seen in every attempt to duplicate what is described about the church early in the book of Acts is the human interference and manipulation to achieve what only the Holy Spirit has the right and ability to do. I looked up the word "corporate" in dictionary.com just now and here are two definitions. 3. done by or characteristic of individuals acting together; "a joint identity"; "the collective mind"; "the corporate good" 4. organized and maintained as a legal corporation; "a special agency set up in corporate form"; "an incorporated town" Unfortunately the last definition is always closer to what churches and organizations designed by humans always end up being in an attempt to achieve the first definition. Will God find a people willing to do His will as a corporate body? My answer to that is completely conditional on the assumptions buried in the word corporate. Thank-you so much for helping me think about this more and I would love to dialog further about this with you if you are willing. I will write a post on this maybe even today.

Do I think God will find a people willing to do His will? Absolutely. But I will also preface that by insisting that in reality He will not find them – like as in discovering them or running across them somewhere – but will find them because His own Spirit drew them individually to Himself and they were willing to be drawn. The underlying assumptions are vastly different between thinking it is up to us to get ourselves ready and organize a special group so that God can accept us or believing that we are completely helpless to change or do anything as sinful humans unless God supplies all the desire and ability.

If God did not keep us artificially alive we could not even exist to even make any choices. Because we are born into a sinful human race we are disqualified technically from even deserving life at all. But because God is not as interested in technical pre-qualifications as He is in harmonious, love-bonded direct relationships with His children, He has demonstrated His mercy and grace and provided time for us to exercise the only thing we really own – our power of choice. Dependent on the ultimate settled choice that we make, we will either be transformed back into His image as we were originally created in Adam and Eve or we will be deformed into the image of God's enemy and suffer the tragic consequences that will be suffered in the end by Satan.

I think the danger always lies in thinking that somehow we have to perform what God has clearly indicated is only possible in Him. We artificially set up preconditions to salvation that were never God's idea or plan. We fail to realize that there is nothing we can ever do or say to get God to love us or to save us in heaven. Not understanding the real definition of the word salvation we inadvertently believe we have to establish our own righteousness (or at least a certain amount) before God is willing to save us. But an honest study of Paul's writings and the teachings of the Son of God will reveal that God is the one who only can transform us and eliminate sin from our lives. The only real thing we can do to facilitate that process of cleansing and renewal (which is what salvation really means) is to keep giving God permission to live in and motivate us from within our spirit.

One of the most misused texts in the Bible about this subject is misunderstood precisely because it is not viewed in the context of the even more important verse immediately following it. So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12-13)

The second part of the question is something that I also want to carefully consider with an open mind as I hope each person thinking about this will also be willing to do. Will there be a corporate body of people willing to do His will?

As noted in my first response to this question, there is more than one definition of the word corporate and in that lies the real problem. Depending on which definition is assumed by the person making the statement, the answer could be a resounding yes or also a resounding no. I notice more and more that in trying to dialog with others about matters of importance that too much of our disagreements come about because the two parties are utilizing quite different definitions for the common words they are using in the discussion and that disparity creates a great deal of confusion, heated debate and sometimes even animosity. I find it necessary to sometimes make certain that it is understood what my words mean before I even make a statement so that an honest listener will have a better chance of knowing what I am really trying to convey.

Ultimately however, a common understanding or at least mutual respect, will only come about if the spirit of the people involved is of the right source. There can appear to be wonderful unity and agreement among a group of people who all subscribe to the same ideas or follow a common leader but the spirit that motivates them may not necessarily be of God. Conversely there may also be much disagreement between parties who are coming from different directions on some subject who strive to be understood or influence each other's opinions, but if they are willing to keep their own spirit within the sweet influence of God's true Spirit and pursue diligently an attitude of humility and love toward the other, the world will be astounded at the revelation of God that will emerge as the Holy Spirit brings about reconciliation and progressive harmony. The condition of our spirit is far more important and critical to true unity and fellowship than the correctness of our doctrines.

I wanted to visit all of that as a prerequisite for addressing this question about a corporate body because it has so much potential for controversy and alienation if not related to in the right spirit. What I want to say about this may appear to be wrong or antagonistic to some people but I believe that God will guide each of us who are willing to listen with a priority of staying in tune with His attitude.

Our beliefs about religion are always reflective of our preconceived pictures of God. If a person believes that God is one who is sitting up in heaven waiting for humans or some group of humans to get their act together before He can act, then it would be easy to see how we might believe that it is up to us to get the world prepared (whatever that happens to mean depending on which religious brand you subscribe to) so that He can return to earth. I understand that kind of mentality for I grew up in that kind of belief system, but I no longer feel confident in that kind of man-centered religion. One thing I have noticed is that all religions tend to focus attention on man and his performance more than on God and the real truth about His character. As a result we have all the millions of multiplied ideas and formulas about how to be saved as seen in the world today, most of which claim to be the exclusive truth and denying the rightness of all others.

Because of the egocentric nature of most religion it is only natural to follow that it is up to men to accomplish God's purposes here on earth. As a result we look at the words of God or the prophecies in the Bible and come to believe that to a great extent we are going to have to make them happen. Or we might take the stance that God forces His prophecies to take place even if He has to personally interfere with the natural flow of human history and activities to accomplish that. We have such a difficult time trusting that God could simply be relaying to humans through prophecy what He can see more plainly than we can predict what happened in our lives yesterday. God does not need to force into reality what He already knows will happen without His intervention. Our perceptions of God are amazingly puny.

But that is a little off the main point here. Will there be an actual group of people on earth that could be described as a corporate body acceptable to God? Again I would say a resounding yes given that we make this statement with the right underlying assumptions. Let me first be very explicit about what I believe is the real truth and then address my concerns about what I believe are false assumptions or misguided applications of this idea.

I firmly believe based on what I find in the Word of God and other inspired sources including the impressions of the Holy Spirit, that God is going to personally oversee the assembly of a corporate body of believers who have allowed the sweet Spirit of Jesus to so infiltrate their hearts and transform their minds that they will individually be directed and orchestrated by the Spirit of God to act in harmony and unity with all others who are also thus led. But most importantly I want to point out that this assembly of true disciples (those mentored directly by the Spirit of God) will not be following any human intermediaries claiming to speak for God. When we look to a human as our source for truth it is a direct assault on the freedom of conscience so fiercely protected and valued by our Creator. Anyone claiming to be an authority and a source of truth that others must conform to or be lost is attempting to usurp the place of the Holy Spirit and is really taking on the spirit of anti-Christ. No matter how convincing or appealing, persuasive or emotionally comforting they may be, no human has the right or authority to intimidate others or speak as God to the conscience of any other human being. To do so is to set one's self up as a false god. The first commandment clearly forbids having any other gods in our lives as a priority or influence other than Yahweh, the supreme God – no exceptions.

When I use the word corporate in relating to the body of Christ, I only use it as relating to the meaning as in: done by or characteristic of individuals acting together; "a joint identity"; "the collective mind"; "the corporate good". I even qualify this to add that all of this emanates from purely the coordination of the work of God's Spirit and not by any human devices, teachings or programs.

The counterfeit and the characteristics most widely seen in demonstrations of this is the other definition noted above: organized and maintained as a legal corporation; "a special agency set up in corporate form". This is the artificial human model of organization utilized by governments and societies for human-oriented purposes. Do you realize that in our country a corporation is also considered officially as a person? It is really only a fiction on paper but in the fictional world created by governments of men it holds great importance.

Since this man-controlled model is pretty much the only one seen on earth except on rare occasions, it is easy to see why we settle for this model mixed with the previous one and believe that this is what God intended for His body. But this is not God's design for His people and anything that has the fingerprints of humans in its construction is not going to be the true corporate body that God is going to demonstrate before all the universe at the close of this earth's history. To believe that we must assist God in patching together a body of like-minded people imitating the outward symptoms seen in the early Christian church is to play God with the hearts of innocent people and will ultimately lead to disaster sooner or later. To subscribe to this way of thinking means that the God we believe in is simply not big enough to handle the job and He needs our help to bring to pass the final events of the Great Controversy.

God does not need us – not really. But He is intensely desirous of our fellowship with Him and as such chooses to offer us the privilege of participating with His work in the wrapping up of His trial before the universe. For if one takes a look at the much bigger picture of what is really going on in the Great Universal Controversy it is God who is being accused, who is on trial and who is calling everyone forward as witnesses to state what they think about Him. Everyone is a witness whether they claim to be religious or not. He offers to transform the lives of anyone (religious or not) willing to cooperate with His plan of salvation (restoration) and in doing so transform their testimony about Him to be more truthful. We are not the focus of the trial – God is!!! When we get this into our selfish, egocentric minds and realize our true role in this universe we will be much more likely to cooperate with God's desire for us to be conformed into His image and be released from the bondage of fear and the slavery of sin. Anything other than this is a cheap imitation that will collapse in the light of the glorious truth about our loving Father.

Anytime there are counterfeits it means that somewhere there will soon be found the genuine that is extremely superior to all counterfeit imitations. So far all I have seen is counterfeit “bodies” claiming to be the body of Christ. I am eager to see the real body emerge from the fog with the clear trademark glowing from their lives of the perfect humility and sweetness of the Holy Spirit and the likeness of Jesus. It will not be manipulated or designed by any human being or be under the domination or control of any human being. It will be an amazement to all the world in its ability to perfectly function and coordinate without any visible control system and will by its very presence expose all other counterfeits for what they really are. Then everyone will be faced with a final choice as to whether to cling to the comfortable systems they have enjoyed for so long or to be out of step with everyone around them and become part of the radical Christianity spontaneously motivated by the Spirit of God and His Spirit alone.

I want to refer at this point to stories that come from the old Soviet Union and the dark, oppressive days of communism when Christians were in danger of their lives for worshiping together. There were times when the spies and secret police were so effective that true believers did not even dare to share with each other the place and time when they could meet for worship. Obviously this would normally prevent them from doing so at all except for one very amazing secret that the spies could never penetrate. The believers learned that if they listened individually to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, that still small voice that Elijah was reminded to listen to, that miraculously they could all come together at the same place and time and then worship in perfect peace knowing that no one among them might be a dissenter since it was not any human directive that had brought them together. Since only those who were in tune and harmony with the Spirit of God could hear that Spirit and respond to it, all those who thus worshiped together were assured that each person there was safe to trust and they could fellowship together without inhibition or fear. That is the very same Spirit that is going to operate in a similar manner to assemble the true body of Christ in the final days of this world's tragic history.

When this true body is seen “corporately”, it will be very similar to that seen in the early days of the Christian movement. But there will be absolutely no force or fear or control to motivate them just as there was none in the early days of the Christian believers. The early church did not have a rule that new believers must give up all their possessions to join the body, they did so only because they were motivated by the liberating Spirit of Jesus and their heart priorities were so radically turned upside down that they felt no more attachments to what they previously had clung to so strongly. Jesus became the overwhelming and overriding passion of their lives. The disciples did not have to create and enforce rules to hold the early believers together because the power of the love of Jesus was so intense in each heart that all they could think of doing was to press together in sweet, unselfish fellowship and look out for the need of those with whom they were bonded in perfect love.

Some may claim that the story of Ananias and Sapphira proves that the apostles had a rule about giving up everything to join the church and that they employed fear and intimidation to hold the believers together. But after a careful study of this chapter and with consideration of the context I have come to the conclusion that we have dreadfully misinterpreted this story to support our mistaken notions and our desires to control the church of God. It is very clear in the story that they did not have to do what they volunteered to do. The problem was not that they did not bring all the money but the real problem was in the deception and pride that they harbored in their heart. The reason they died was not because God was mad at them but was because evil hidden in the heart when brought into proximity to the pure and holy passion ever present where God is produces such intense inner conflict that death is the inevitable result. They were trying to introduce a human-based, corrupt spirit of pride into a pure atmosphere still charged with the electric presence of the pure sweetness, humility and unselfishness of God and the two are always a fatal mix.

Likewise, when the true body of real believers begins to coalesce in these last days, there will likely be scenes similar to this story that will easily be misconstrued to slander the truth about God and His people. As the pure passion of God becomes more evident in the purified lives of His true followers, that rarefied atmosphere will became dangerous and even lethal to anyone trying to bring their selfish heart into fellowship with those who are completely devoted and swallowed up in the love and kindness of God's true Spirit. The final polarization will take place as everyone is compelled by default to either surrender fully to the sweet influence of the Spirit of Jesus in personal, direct communion with Him or they will embrace some brand of counterfeit that claims to unify the religious and moral agendas set forth by their human leaders.

When this true glory of God fills the whole earth with the real light of God as prophesied in Revelation 18, the darkness of all counterfeits will be exposed and the myriad false systems of beliefs about God represented in Revelation as Babylon will collapse. No humans will orchestrate this event just as no humans can put together the body of Christ. Only the true Creator can create His body and when it becomes evident I want to be a small part of that body. In the meantime I want to be part of the pre-assembly process of learning to fellowship with small parts of the body and learn to be moved and guided by the Spirit that promises to accomplish this work in the true power that God uses – the power of unadulterated love and love alone.

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV)

Back to Music

We had a very enjoyable evening today that went better than I expected. Both my wife and I sang with the Coles County Barbershoppers for a Lenten concert in a nearby town. This was not only the first time I have sung with them for any kind of program or performance since I joined but even more interesting it is the first time ever for my wife to sing with a choir at all. The reason I was a bit nervous about how it might turn out was because I missed the last three weeks of practice because I was out of town doing some work on my sister's house in Virginia and realized that I was not very good at trying to learn a part by just staring at the papers and trying to learn a part all alone. So I gave up and just hoped for the best when I returned.

To add to the pressure I was also scheduled to sing one verse of a song with a quartet in the middle of the group song and I definitely needed to have that memorized. We had a little time before the program to practice and fortunately I was able to handle it pretty well. For the rest of the concert I just made sure I did not sing too loud or too confidently so that I wouldn't find myself singing when everyone else might be quiet suddenly. Basically I winged it through the whole concert and was surprised even myself and how much I remembered from previous practices. When I wasn't sure what to sing I would either sing quite softly and listen carefully to what the others around me were doing or would just move my mouth for awhile until I knew where I was again. Better than not participating at all.

They brought all the finery and get-up for me to wear and I would have felt rather conspicuous if it hadn't been that everyone else was wearing the same thing. For this concert they included a good number of women to sing with us for a few songs at the end of the concert. It all went very well and we had a very nice time together.

As we stood in the hallway with about 50-60 other participants greeting the people as they left I remembered that the last time I was at this church was last Christmas season when I first met this group. We attended their Christmas concert that a coworker of my wife told her about and were delighted with the music. Since I have been part of a quartet many years ago and have collected a good bit of music for that purpose this was a real treat. After that concert I inquired about joining the group and they eagerly told me to show up at a practice and they would be very glad to try me out. Now I found myself just a few months later singing with them in that same church and being the greeter instead of the greeted.

I have always enjoyed good quartet music and I hope to sing with this group for some time to come. In addition I hope that maybe I could be included in a quartet from this group at times and maybe introduce them to some of the music that I have. Whatever happens I am just glad to be refreshed by being able to be involved once again musically with others. There has been very little music in my life over the past few years and I have really missed it. I enjoy being involved in various ways with good worship music, quartet music, instrumental music and other opportunities to make music with others. This is one way to not only satisfy my hunger for music but to also make more friend in the community. We know very few people around here and I hope that this will open opportunities to get to widen our sphere of friends in this area.

Disappointing Discovery

Well, my dying hope has now gone even further and turned into a deeper sense of sadness. Today I decided to check around on the internet and see what other information I could find about the 12 Tribes communities. I realized that not everything I would find would necessarily be correct or unbiased and I viewed much of what I found with a healthy skepticism, but at the same time I found a great deal of credible information which confirmed what I had already come to suspect. Some of what I read of course was tinged with an agenda and was skewed to deliberately make them look bad. But I also found some sources of legitimate information from former members that gave me a much clearer picture of life inside the communities.

But what made me the most sad was when I came across some records of inside discussions among the top leaders of the organization about one of the midwives that delivered our own baby many years ago who later died of cancer. The things they said about her and her husband made me literally sick to my stomach. The top leader who maintains an absolute and unquestioned control over the minds and wills of every person in all the communities made it very clear to his top people that he believed her death was a direct punishment of God against her for daring to say a few words that aroused questions about his own leadership.

Because she had entertained thoughts of leaving the communities a couple of times and had at one time mentioned to her daughter that the top man had an anger problem, he emphatically insisted that her cancer was brought upon herself and that the Holy Spirit prevented the elders from praying over her in faith for her healing. Basically he demanded that everyone who had survived her had to believe that it was not only her sin that had brought on her death but also the sins of those around her and her husband who had not been strong enough in rebuking her spirit of rebellion.

The spirit of this man as evidenced by many of the things I read about him from various sources is apparently quite self-serving and exploitive of those who come under his domination. He demands unquestioned obedience from all of his followers and stands in the place of God in the lives of all of the members of the communities. While many of the lower echelon people are required to live a life like slaves getting by on almost nothing and working long hard hours, the leader moves around secretly living in luxury homes and lavishing favors on the upper leaders. Anyone daring to every question anything he says or decides is met with stern discipline or immediate excommunication if he deems them a threat to his absolute authority.

Evidently our midwife friend dared to think slightly outside the box and attempted to think for herself a few times and for this she was labeled as something of a heretic who came under the judgment of a severe God very much like the leader of the 12 Tribes himself. This makes me very sick to think of all these people under the total mind control of such a diabolical, deceptive, power-hungry man. He is evidently using this whole network of blind believers to support his growing empire and attract even more hungry souls into his spell. How very opposite of the real truth about the God of heaven.

Learning all of these things has put me back into the cloud of dark emotions for awhile and I once again need a fresh infusion of truth, grace and the sweet presence of Jesus. What I desire is the Jesus that this man has labeled a demonic spirit. They declare in the writings and teachings of their leader (the only teachings allowed to be used throughout their whole network of communities) that Christianity is all full of demonic influences so much so that none of their members are ever allowed to even enter a Christian church on a worship day. According to reports from former members their children are severely disciplined on a very regular basis and all outside information is completely cutoff so that the mind-control enforced by the inside leadership can be more effective.

I did not realize that the insiders of this group felt this way about this midwife. Now I wonder what was really going on in the minds of the people I have talked to about her. I met two of her sons last weekend but had no idea that this kind of judgment hung over their lives from the opinion of the leadership about their mother. I am really hoping I can get in touch with two of her children who are not part of the communities so that I can find out more about the real story.

We have very fond memories of our brief encounter with this lady and I am quite sure that she was a victim of the severe repression and was trying to look out for her children with a mother's heart that is natural and God-given. When this natural affection crossed the self-serving dictatorial grip of the leader in charge she was severely censored and judged even as she was losing her life to cancer without any medical treatment. What a tragedy.

I am sure that if the things I have written about them find their way into the hands of people in these communities then I may well be added to their black list of people not welcome anymore. I would hope that is not going to happen but according to the dictates of their rules that I read that is all that I could expect. They believe that anyone who says anything at all negative about them is persecuting them and is to be cut off from all contact with anyone in the communities. They do not tolerate any openness or dissension of any kind to spoil the complete domination of their leader over the consciences of the members. About the best I can hope for I suppose is that they will not read this post and add me to their black list.

I still enjoy the positive externals that I enjoyed in their worship services though it is seriously diluted by the knowledge of what is going on behind the scenes in the lives of those involved. This knowledge makes me even more hungry for God to bring about the real deal under the guidance and compulsion of His true Spirit of love and selflessness. The empty counterfeits only leave me feeling a more intense desire for the genuine. I hope it comes soon. Maranatha, even so come Lord Jesus.

The Subtle Deception of Force

After a full week since I first arrived for a weekend visit at the 12 Tribes community I am starting to get a much better grasp of my feelings experienced since then. I realize that what I have been going through is a grieving process required to disconnect or let go of a hope that has died. To lose something that promised so much is like losing a very good friend and that always produces grief. But if the grief is embraced and processed and accepted then a new hope can take its place which will always be much better than the first. I feel that I am finally reaching closure for this week of uneasiness.

The only real foundation of hope is the God of all hope. I turn to Him to receive a better hope that will not disappoint my heart. I realize that as I let my own hopes and dreams die it makes room in my heart for much better hopes and dreams to take their place. I do not know the details of this new hope but I know that this new hope when realized will be far more pure and powerful and fulfilling than any imitation that tries to approximate it because it comes from the One who designed my heart and knows how to really satisfy its needs and desires.

What has become more and more clear to me throughout this week as I have repeatedly mulled over my experience and analyzed it from many angles is that one of the key elements in the apparent success that I saw last weekend is the indulgence in the employment of coercion of conscience. I believe that it does not matter how much force is employed or how subtle or blatant it may be, that the resorting to force, intimidation, threat, fear or anything else along those lines that interferes with a person's soul and conscience connection directly with God is a violation of the most foundational principle of God's true kingdom – freedom.

Just because all religions employ this method to some degree or another does not in the least justify it or make it right. Just because it produces what appears to be fruits of righteousness also does not justify it or make it Godly. Just because it has been used so successfully for thousands of years and is deeply entrenched in our belief systems, child-raising techniques and religious domination over others does not make it any more legitimate. Just because it produces unity and apparent harmony within a fellowship of believers also does not justify it or make it righteous. Force in the area of conscience is always dangerous and diabolical not only because it violates the freedom of will that God values so intensely but because it is so deceptive in making us think that because it produces results we are looking for that it makes us think it must be of God.

The “results” that force and fear produce can be very tangible, very quick and very effective, but it will always be at odds with the true spirit of the Kingdom of Jesus. Fear is one of the most basic foundation stones of Satan's counterfeit system and anything that points toward fear as our ultimate motivation for righteous living is infected with the spirit of the enemy of God. No matter how religious or spiritual or positive or powerful it may appear to be on the surface, if a belief system or an outside person or group dares to enter into the sacred arena of the intimacy of the heart directly with God and tries to meddle with the control system of the soul, then it is no different than an intruder violating the sacred intimacy of a married couple in their sexual privacy.

Marriage is a symbol and practice area of life given to us by God to illustrate for us and teach us about the much deeper intimacy that He desires to have with each one of us. As our ideas of marriage have become more muddled and confused and we lose the concept of covenant that it was built on, we also lose sight of the immense importance and exclusivity of the relation of the soul to its Creator. Just like society is experimenting with all sorts of alternatives to the original design of marriage, religion is experimenting with all sorts of variations of heart-bonding that drift farther and farther from Gods plan for us. And the farther we get from what we are designed for the more dissatisfied we become and the more restless we feel. There is only one object of affection that can ever possibly perfectly fit the emptiness of our hearts and every imitation will only leave us ultimately frustrated in the end.

Those who acknowledge more quickly the failure of a counterfeit to satisfy the soul and turn to their Designer to seek a more perfect solution/relationship will be found to be in the process sometimes referred to as “sanctification”. It may not be apparent to others and that person may even not appear to be religious at all by the world's standards, but if they are responding to the unrest in their soul by continually seeking a better solution closer to their source of creation then I believe they will be led by the Spirit of truth sent by Jesus to guide them ultimately to Himself and their true Father in Heaven.

What makes me very sad about my recent experience is that what I see taking place in the live of these people perfectly parallels what is also taking place in our country politically. We as a people have bought into the faulty formula of thinking that security can be purchased with the loss of freedom, that somehow if we are willing to relinquish personal freedoms one by one that in exchange we will be given more safety and peace and protection. But this formula is another basic tenet and lie of the enemy of our souls and is ultimately a trap into which we will be enslaved. But we will not realize this until it is too late to escape.

It is impossible to purchase security by relinquishing freedom. It is an illusion of the highest order but it seems very attractive and convincing on the surface. But at its core it is a terrible lie and we are selling our very souls along with the blood of millions who have given their lives to secure our freedoms since the beginnings of this country. By selling the very thing that our forefathers died to purchase for us, we have sold the very soul of our country and the lamb has been morphed into a dragon.

This has been demonstrated repeatedly throughout history in the story of nation after nation, but we have cast off wisdom and knowledge in favor of pleasure and ease. We have blinded our minds to the lessons of the past, distorted and rewrote history to fit our desired beliefs and goals and will live to suffer the tragic consequences of living out the lie yet again. By suppressing the knowledge of the past experiments with this formula we are doomed to repeat the results, but this time because of the interconnectedness of the whole world it will be in proportions far greater than ever before seen in history. Hitler used this very same path quite successfully but we only view his experiment from this side of the story. If we realized the mindset of the people in his country before all the tragedies came to the light and learned about the incremental steps toward tyranny subtly encouraged throughout the early days of his most promising career we would be shaken to the core with horror at the striking similarity to what we are doing as a country today.

The common denominator in all of these experiments gone bad is the belief that unity and success necessarily requires the increasing sacrifice of freedom for the sake of the good of all. Hitler was extremely popular in the early days, not only within Germany but throughout the world. Even America viewed him in mostly a positive light because he appeared to be restoring hope and health to a debilitated and discouraged people. He was producing wonderful progress and was achieving great accomplishments that were very promising for prosperity and peace. He initiated the building of great highways, started a very successful automobile company, set up manufacturing, created thousands of jobs and stimulated a wonderful revival in the economy. In short he produced all the results that our politicians clamor for in our own country today.

But he accomplished most of these achievements at the price of incremental sacrifices of freedom. And the same is taking place right before our eyes today while we blindly stumble deeper into the trap. We have once again bought into the alluring fantasy that security and prosperity are more valuable than freedom. In fact, we mistakenly believe that once we achieve security – which is a total illusion – that we will be able to restore our freedoms. But once sold into slavery and tyranny the bodies and souls of people are no longer able to return to what they gave away. Tyranny is never satisfied and will never release its desperate grip on those under its control. But it does remain very camouflaged until its iron fist is firmly in control and domination and then its true colors began to be revealed.

This is the doom of our country and I am afraid it is already too late to reverse the accelerating slide down the slippery slope to slavery. We have bought into the lies as a public and we are doomed to reap the whirlwind.

But what is sad is when we follow the same path in the name of religion and paint God with the same colors of deception and control. To establish “unity” we believe that it can only be achieved at the price of freedom. Oh, we don't dare state it in so many words. We loudly proclaim that we are still free, but we simply reinterpret what the word free really means. I heard this reinterpretation during my discussions with those last weekend explaining to me their beliefs and I heard it again from a pastor of my own church a few days later. We define freedom as the ability to chose whether you will submit to our control of your conscience or whether you will leave our group/church. But clearly implied in that statement is that if you choose to remain that you must give up your freedom for the unity of the group.

That, my friends, is not the kind of freedom that Jesus died to secure for the universe. That is not the freedom that the forefathers of our country died to secure for their posterity. That is the counterfeit freedom that was offered to Germans before it became clear what the end results of Nazism would produce. It is the tragic and similar philosophy that produced the results that have been experienced repeatedly throughout history after similar attempts to form unification in all sorts of ways. It is the consistent result of adopting the faulty formula invented by the father of lies that appears so appealing that it is believed to be of God.

Freedom of personal conscience and accountability to God is at the core of the whole Great Controversy of the universe. If we fail to respect anyones freedom and accountability directly to God and attempt to insinuate ourselves into that most sacred place of the heart and soul, we are considered by God to be adulterers and rapists. It matters not how spiritual and religious and positive the outcome of these experiments may be, we have violated the sacred place that is reserved for only God and that soul in intimate communion and love. Every such violation contaminates the soul's image of God and inhibits their ability to respond to His love and the drawing of their heart towards His heart. This is considered in the heavenly realms to be a crime of the highest order of treason. God forgive us!

Tragically all of us have been caught up in this kind of thinking to some extent or another because it is inherent in the very presence of sin itself. But God's plan and desire is to remove from our minds this kind of faulty reasoning and restore the perfect image of His true character into all who are willing to be restored to their original design and function. That is what is meant by the word “salvation”. That is what I desire to experience and I pray that God will continue to reveal and guide me toward the more pure exposition of His perfect ways.

God's ways never resort to force and never values “obedience” that is motivated by fear. Fear, shame and blame along with force and deception are the ingredients of the counterfeit system introduced into this world at the fall in Eden. God's plan is to cleanse us of all these things that heaven considers to be unrighteousness. If any of our hopes and plans include the employment of any of these ingredients then they will have to be dashed to pieces and replaced with hopes that are intensely exclusive of any of the counterfeit ingredients that poison the soul and perpetuate the great lie.

It matters not what label is found on the surface of a group or a religion, what denomination it is or how insistent their claims of the divine approval of God; if they value the importance of their organization above protecting the sacred freedom of the conscience before God in a personal pursuit of real truth, then that group is destined to failure in the sight of heaven. This is impossible to believe by those who have invested more of their hope in their organization than they have directly in God, but it is true nevertheless.

As I have processed the natural grief of the loss of my hope that I would see genuine joy and community based on united hearts intimately connected with heaven individually, I turn to trusting that God is somehow going to produce what my heart is really yearning for but that I have never yet seen or experienced. I will not settle for a lesser imitation when my heart was designed for the real deal. And while I appreciate the many positive things that I can learn from what I observed and experienced and that I value, maybe the greatest and most valuable benefit that I have received from this experience is the intensified awareness of my own hunger for true community that will only happen under the unifying influence of the Spirit of Truth and Freedom. Where is Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom – always. Whenever it is believed that freedom of soul must be sacrificed to some extent for achievement of unity, to that extent I realize that there is still a lack of the genuine Spirit of God. For God will never, ever violate the freedom of the creatures He created to love Him freely.

Love apart from freedom loses its very identity as real love and becomes morphed into something far inferior. God will never settle for anything less than absolute freedom, unforced, spontaneous love and complete loyalty based on appreciation for His true character of love and respect for every one of us. When we come closer to relating to each other like He really relates to all of us in this way we will begin to experience the genuine bonding of heart-based community the way we were designed to live and thrive. We will become intensely aware of our value in God's eyes and will cherish the value and freedoms of all around us.

By contrast the counterfeit systems will become exposed for the cheap imitations that they are. Because the true is not yet revealed the counterfeits still look very convincing, but once the true glory of God fills the whole earth the counterfeits will all be exposed as naked and incompetent and inferior. At that point the rage of man will know no bounds and the polarization between the true and the false will become complete and permanent. Both sides of the controversy will become perfect in their beliefs and will act out the natural results of the beliefs that they have chosen; those who indulge in force will become perpetrators and victims of force and those who believe in pure love will become cleansed and purified in that love. They will then be no other options. The controversy will be ready to be wrapped up forever and God will be able to share His heart of infinite love for eternity with those who have chosen to believe in the superiority of love over force and fear.

God, you have been showing me that most, if not all of my problems stem from a continued faulty view of who You really are. To the extent that my heart believes that You use force and intimidation to induce me to love You, to that same extent I experience pain and confusion and dysfunctional relationships with others. Please help me to perceive Your face and Your true character more clearly. Show me Your face and Your glory for Your name's sake and for my heart's sake.