Galatians 5.1 (yes, I quote from the Bible!) says, “For freedom Christ has freed us. Stand then, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
I have no trouble affirming Church and the task it has played in society over the centuries. It is not an accident that Church was established those many years ago. But there are those who find Church to be quite limiting. I believe this occurs most in people earnestly seeking God and his Spirit.
For myself, I feel I have grown to the place where I really do not need Church anymore. I continue to associate with Church for reasons other than Spiritual growth. I do not believe this puts me into any sort of danger, as some would assume from reading these words. In fact, on the contrary: I would be in graver Spiritual danger if I returned to earlier and more limiting beliefs than I hold now. I feel so free in the place I find myself I am filled with nothing but the most profound gratitude to God for where he has taken me. I am more sure and certain of my spiritual state than I have ever been in my entire life.
Some would think me deluded. I would encourage those ones to consider the biblical example. When Jesus appeared on the scene, his most vigorous opposition came from those who appealed to the Bible as their authority. And since Jesus did not match the scriptural record, he must be of the devil. (For a more in-depth discussion of some of these issues, see my chapter on “Trust” in “Out of Winkler.”)
Those today who appeal to the Bible as ultimate authority are the ones from whom I receive the most vigorous resistance to my beliefs. Therefore I consider myself in very good company indeed!!!
Over and over again I am hearing how much of a restriction to freedom organized religion is. I hear this from those who have gone beyond (as in NDE’s), received profound wisdom, and returned to share with us what they learned. I hear this from those who have devoted the greatest energy in seeking God and his truth. I hear this from those most acutely attuned to the Spirit dimension who hear messages from beyond.
I believe what we are experiencing in society in the present day is more and more freedom to seek truth in ways hitherto not embraced by Organized Religion. I believe God is moving in today’s world in new and exciting ways. Not “new” ways in the sense that we haven’t seen this before. After all, as I referred to above, Jesus came revealing truth outside of Organized Religion. I think what is “new” is the degree to which this is happening. There is almost an exponential growth in people seeking truth outside of Organized Religion. This growth is both numerical–more people than ever before are on this spiritual quest–but also in spiritual depth. The truths about God, heaven, the universe, the Source, Spirit, are accumulating and growing deeper all the time.
I have absolutely no idea where this will lead! Where does all this end up? The passage I quoted above from Galatians, in the Bible, goes on to say that our freedom is to be used to love one another (verses 13,14). Once again, the overwhelming message from heaven is love. We are to establish God’s presence on earth through the medium of love. It is in loving that we experience God. It is by loving that we show God to those around us.
While Church anticipates some sort of divine interruption to our existence on this planet, we are to be bringing about God’s authority through love. There is definitely the feeling in the world that a shift is occurring. There is no consensus of how this shift might ultimately happen. It could very well be that there will be some catastrophic events which bring about this shift. But I think it could also occur very quietly as each of us who are being enlightened continue to live faithfully in the freedom to which we have been called. Stand then, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
You shouldn’t have stopped at verse 1 of Galatians 1.
“I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.”
(Gal 1:6-9 ESV)
You spoke of the importance of love, which is absolutely true, but love and theological accuracy are by no means mutually exclusive. The profound importance of theology, doctrine, and right teaching are emphasized over and over again in the New Testament, as is the importance of love. The reason why we cling to these right teachings is because Jesus established himself with profound evidence for his authority on these matters. No religious leader before or after has given so many “convincing proofs” (Acts 1:3) though many have tried, and many more continue to try.
And Jesus did not come to get people away from Organized Religion, he came to fulfill it. Mat 5:17.
You are welcome to chose whatever you want to believe, by all means, but you need to be careful how you reference the Bible in support of your new beliefs. Your use of Gal 1:1 and then skipping right over to verse 13 and 14 might lead people to think that you are quote-mining by ignoring the parts of the Bible that don’t suit you well, like all those verses in between.
“Quote mining”, eh?!!! I do not think I am doing that anymore than I ever have, or anymore than any Church Christian ever does. When Spirit brings certain scriptures to mind and not others, those are things He wants me to hear in that moment. Any Christian who has any sort of devotional life at all will say the same.
I have not in any extent abandoned scripture. I will say that scripture is no longer my primary source of authority. God is. Jesus bids us follow him, and that is exactly what I try to do as closely as I am able. And Jesus’ primary authority came not from his study of scriptures (although I am sure he did study them) but from his time spent with God.
My beliefs have gone beyond what Church teaches, true. I do not think they are in any way contrary to the true teachings of scripture. Jesus was murdered for counteracting the teachings of the Religion of his day and following Spirit. Please do not afford me the same treatment!!!!
Another thought on what you say, Paul: you acknowledge love is important. For me love is everything, absolutely everything. There is nothing else. If a thought or an act or a belief does not arise out of love it is not of God. For God is love above and beyond anything we can even begin to imagine. It is ours to experience, and live in, and pass on.
And in that love there is freedom! I pray desperately for any reader of these words to move in that love and experience the freedom!! There is nothing like it!!
And it is that push of God, that invitation to freedom, which is drawing more and more people in. And very many of those people are finding Church (or any Organized Religion) too confining for the freedom they are experiencing. Church has fulfilled a powerful role in society over the years. Today God is moving above and beyond Church. He has not abandoned it and continues to use it. But there is so much movement of God’s Spirit in the world today which Church is unable to contain.
Galatians 1.1 (yes, I quote from the Bible!) says, “For freedom Christ has freed us. Stand then, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
I have no trouble affirming Church and the task it has played in society over the centuries. It is not an accident that Church was established those many years ago. But there are those who find Church to be quite limiting. I believe this occurs most in people earnestly seeking God and his Spirit.
For myself, I feel I have grown to the place where I really do not need Church anymore. I continue to associate with Church for reasons other than Spiritual growth. I do not believe this puts me into any sort of danger, as some would assume from reading these words. In fact, on the contrary: I would be in graver Spiritual danger if I returned to earlier and more limiting beliefs than I hold now. I feel so free in the place I find myself I am filled with nothing but the most profound gratitude to God for where he has taken me. I am more sure and certain of my spiritual state than I have ever been in my entire life.
Some would think me deluded. I would encourage those ones to consider the biblical example. When Jesus appeared on the scene, his most vigorous opposition came from those who appealed to the Bible as their authority. And since Jesus did not match the scriptural authority, he must be of the devil. (For a more in-depth discussion of some of these issues, see my chapter on “Trust” in “Out of Winkler.”)
Those today who appeal to the Bible as ultimate authority are the ones from whom I receive the most vigorous resistance to my beliefs. Therefore I consider myself in very good company indeed!!!
Over and over again I am hearing how much of a restriction to freedom organized religion is. I hear this from those who have gone beyond (as in NDE’s), received profound wisdom, and returned to share with us what they learned. I hear this from those who have devoted the greatest energy in seeking God and his truth. I hear this from those most acutely attuned to the Spirit dimension who hear messages from beyond.
I believe what we are experiencing in society in the present day is more and more freedom to seek truth in ways hitherto not embraced by Organized Religion. I believe God is moving in today’s world in new and exciting ways. Not “new” ways in the sense that we haven’t seen this before. After all, as I referred to above, Jesus came revealing truth outside of Organized Religion. I think what is “new” is the degree to which this is happening. There is almost an exponential growth in people seeking truth outside of Organized Religion. This growth is both numerical–more people than ever before are on this spiritual quest–but also in spiritual depth. The truths about God, heaven, the universe, the Source, Spirit, are accumulating and growing deeper all the time.
I have absolutely no idea where this will lead! Where does all this end up? The passage I quoted above from Galatians, in the Bible, goes on to say that our freedom is to be used to love one another (verses 13,14). Once again, the overwhelming message from heaven is love. We are to establish God’s presence on earth through the medium of love. It is in loving that we experience God. It is by loving that we show God to those around us.
While Church anticipates some sort of divine interruption to our existence on this planet, we are to be bringing about God’s authority through love. There is definitely the feeling in the world that a shift is occurring. There is no consensus of how this shift might ultimately happen. It could very well be that there will be some catastrophic events which bring about this shift. But I think it could also occur very quietly as each of us who are being enlightened continue to live faithfully in the freedom to which we have been called. Stand then, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
Quote mining”, eh?!!! I do not think I am doing that anymore than I ever have, or anymore than any Church Christian ever does. When Spirit brings certain scriptures to mind and not others, those are things He wants me to hear in that moment. Any Christian who has any sort of devotional life at all will say the same.
I have not in any extent abandoned scripture. I will say that scripture is no longer my primary source of authority. God is. Jesus bids us follow him, and that is exactly what I try to do as closely as I am able. And Jesus’ primary authority came not from his study of scriptures (although I am sure he did study them) but from his time spent with God.
My beliefs have gone beyond what Church teaches, true. I do not think they are in any way contrary to the true teachings of scripture. Jesus was murdered for counteracting the teachings of the Religion of his day and following Spirit. Please do not afford me the same treatment!!!!
Another thought on what you say, Paul: you acknowledge love is important. For me love is everything, absolutely everything. There is nothing else. If a thought or an act or a belief does not arise out of love it is not of God. For God is love above and beyond anything we can even begin to imagine. It is ours to experience, and live in, and pass on.
And in that love there is freedom! I pray desperately for any reader of these words to move in that love and experience the freedom!! There is nothing like it!!
And it is that push of God, that invitation to freedom, which is drawing more and more people in. And very many of those people are finding Church (or any Organized Religion) too confining for the freedom they are experiencing. Church has fulfilled a powerful role in society over the years. Today God is moving above and beyond Church. He has not abandoned it and continues to use it. But there is so much movement of God’s Spirit in the world today which Church is unable to contain.
“When Spirit brings certain scriptures to mind and not others…” The problem with that idea is that one can (and many do) quote mine. I can find support for just about any theological concept I might want to create for myself, or some “angel from heaven” (spirit guide, perhaps), might want to create for me, if I just snip a little of scripture from here and a little from there, ignore the parts I don’t like (or “the spirit” doesn’t like) and, viola, I get exactly the kind of religion that my itching ears want to hear.
This approach, however, does not do justice to what the Bible actually says. The verses I quoted are merely 5 verses after that verse that was “brought to mind.” Those verses provide a context that helps to make sense of what Paul was talking about in verse 1. This is basic language skills, nothing spiritual. Imagine if I snipped parts of your words, rearranged them and then pasted them together as it suited me and then declared “Urban Monk says…” For instance, Urban Monk says…
“I have no trouble affirming Church. I continue to associate with Church. We are to establish God’s presence on earth. I feel so free in the place I find myself I am filled with nothing but the most profound gratitude to God.
There is almost an exponential growth in people seeking truth and very many of those people are finding Church. I hear this from those most acutely attuned to the Spirit. Church has fulfilled a powerful role in society over the years. Stand then, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
Would such a deliberate misrepresentation of your words be a very “loving” thing to do? I think not. How then, for somebody who is so interested in emulating the love of God, can you turn around and distort God’s own word to us by doing precisely what I have just done to your words? If you wish to take the message of Galatians 1:1 seriously then you must consider the context of the rest of Galatians, including that part about false gospels coming from “angels” (or spirit guides) from Heaven. Indeed, the Bible in its entirety is a package deal.
Oops, sorry, I messed up my previous comment. I copied the text into another document so I could manipulate it and then I accidentally copied and pasted it all back into the comment box instead of the just the part that was actually my comment. Terribly sorry! It’s been a long day…
By the way, it’s Galatians 5:1, not Galatians 1:1. I didn’t catch that either.