I'm Still Here

Hello!  I'm still here.  Well, where else would I go?  There is no where I can go where God is not.  My journey has continued and it's been an adventure.  I know this will continue the rest of my life.  I am amazed at where I am now, spiritually speaking.
I want to recall to the best of my ability, my journey.  I have always gone to church, at least for the majority of my life.  I am happy for the people who go and receive help.  In my case, I know the "church" is not the best place for me.
My sister just related to me yesterday a recent event in her life.  My father was preaching at the church he attends.  He asked my sister to come and hear him preach.  She and her husband drove about 5 hours to go to see him and hear him preach.  She told me that my father worked it into his sermon about how some people don't go to church.  He went on to state that he could not understand how any Christian would not go to church.
My father has two daughters that do not go to church.  My sister's journey is different than mine.  It was a period of time during which I was understanding the "church" is no longer Christ's church.  In some instances it is barely "Christian".  As one person put it, "the world has gotten so churchy and the church so worldly, you can't tell them apart."  That was stated a couple decades ago.
I am not sure when I first started realizing that I needed to leave the church.  I will relate one of the first times, I felt convicted about something that happened in church was not of God.  The pastor at the church I attended was doing a sermon series on prayer.  Not just prayer really, but "circle maker" prayer.  He told the story of Honi, the circle maker and his prayer for rain.  Something about it all did not sit quite right, but I trusted the church, so put those squirmy feelings aside.  At the end of the sermon, we were told to write on a small piece of paper that we were given.  We were then instructed to line up and put them on these bulletin boards that were to the sides of the platform.  I felt like I should not do this.  I did not know why.  Just felt really yukky about it all.  Unfortunately, I did not listen to my gut feelings, but lined up like the rest of the sheeple and did as I was instructed.  After all, what's wrong with saying you will pray 10 minutes a day.  I prayed far more than that a day, so what was the big deal?
Every week following, during that series, I would want to go up to the platform and yank off my paper piece.  I didn't want to have to answer why, if anyone confronted me, so I never did.  But every week I was convicted, and every week was miserable because I knew I had disobeyed God.  I obeyed a man instead of God.
It was quite a few years, before I found out what the big deal was.  It was defilement.  You may think that is a strong word to use, but it is accurate.  The pastor was using a sermon series from the book called the "Circlemaker".  Here's an excerpt from the webpage of Mark Batterson:  " “Drawing prayer circles around our dreams isn’t just a mechanism whereby we accomplish great things for God. It’s a mechanism whereby God accomplishes great things in us.” Do you ever sense that there’s far more to prayer, and to God’s vision for your life, than what you’re experiencing? It’s time you learned from the legend of Honi the Circle Maker—a man bold enough to draw a circle in the sand and not budge from inside it until God answered his prayers for his people. What impossibly big dream is God calling you to draw a prayer circle around? Sharing inspiring stories from his own experiences as a circle maker, Mark Batterson will help you uncover your heart’s deepest desires and God-given dreams and unleash them through the kind of audacious prayer that God delights to answer."
Sounds innocent enough doesn't it?  But, where did the story of the Circlemaker come from?  It came from an old legend from the Talmud.  It has nothing to do with Christianity.  It does, however, have much in common with paganism.  (Oh, there's a big shock, as so much of what happens in churches these days has common roots in paganism)  To be brief, the Talmud is the oral traditions.  We have the written word of God.  The Talmud does not have authority in the Christian's life.  Or shouldn't have as we can go to the written word of God for our questions.  There is a lot of information on the Talmud online, if you want more information.
But why is in wrong to draw a circle around yourself to pray?  There is so many reason, but let's begin with the Words of Jesus.  Jesus' disciples came to Him and asked Him to teach them to pray.  If drawing a circle was important, Jesus surely would have said to do so.  No, He said to pray "Our Father, who are in heaven, hallowed be thy name..."  You surely know the rest.  We have an accurate history of Jesus' life on earth.  Some of His prayers are recorded for us.  Yet it is not recorded that He ever drew a circle.  When Lazarus died and he had been dead for 3 days, Jesus came on the scene.  He merely said "Come forth".  No circles, no threats to stay in the circle until God answered His prayers.
Did you know that in witchcraft and wicca they use magick circles?  It's an occult way to pray.  Mark Batterson, in the Circlemaker, is teaching Christians an occult way to pray.  Yikes!  That's serious stuff, isn't it?  A few years ago, many churches were teaching this.  Church can be a scary place.  This is just one of many examples that I will be giving as I try to recount my journey out of churchianity and into Biblical life.   If Jesus didn't do it, I want no part of it.  However, I do want to be conformed into the image of Christ.  He is my example, and my shepherd.  I follow Him. 
I do want to offer a prayer for anyone who has been defiled by the "Circlemaker" prayer.  Perhaps you read the book, or were in a service where you were encouraged to pray this new way.
You can pray this:  Dear Heavenly Father, please forgive me for praying a  'circlemaker' prayer.  Forgive me for listening to the lies of the enemy.  Forgive me for taking part in pagan ways of praying.  Forgive me for trying to manipulate You into doing what I wanted.  Please help me to learn your ways, and to follow the ways your son, Jesus, taught when He was on the earth.  Thank you for all the good examples that are set forth in your Holy Word, the Bible.  Help me to read it and learn from it.   I ask you to take any and all authority that I gave the enemy by participating in the "Circlemaker" prayer teachings and any other pagan teachings, and put that authority back under the authority of Jesus Christ.  Help me to have only one Father, you, and help me to stay under the shadow of your wings.  Amen  

Christian Witchcraft

I am increasingly disturbed by what I call "Christian Witchcraft".  I believe this stems from the "cookie cutter Christian Syndrome".  I talked about that in another blog post.  Briefly, by this I mean, the idea that we all have to be the same.  There is no room for individual beliefs, even if it is not a doctrinal issue.  Christians do need to agree on anything that someone could lose their soul if their belief is not the same as the other Christians.  However, most of the things Christians disagree about, are not that serious.
When a Christian does not agree with his/her fellow Christians, often, the disagreeing Christian is often manipulated, shunned, shamed or worse.  This idea that there is no new ideas, no new ways of doing things in a different way is not allowable.
If the Wright Brothers did not do something different, they would never have built an airplane.  I believe that the problem for Christians is often is that the other Christians wish they had thought of it first.  Christians are prime targets to get into a rut.   Even those who have changed recently can get into a rut of not wanting to make the next change.
What is disturbing to me is how other Christians are often used to tell their fellow Christians how they should run their life.  Most of the time these Christians can't keep their own lives straight but are ready to tell others what they would do, if they were them.  Let's use what day to go to church as an example.  Some worship on Saturdays, some on Sundays, some Sunday and Wednesdays and some every day of the week.  What does the Apostle Paul say about this?  Romans 14:5 says "One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind."  This is a principle that applies to everything that is not a doctrinal issue that could cost someone their soul.
So you go to church 3 times a week every week.  I go to church 2 times a week.  Is this a problem?  Not if each person is convinced this is what God requires of us.
However, tell the average Christian this and you will get some "shoulds" thrown at you.  The enemy of our souls uses well-meaning Christians to abuse other Christians.  The "should" syndrome has been used in churches for many years.   And I might add in many Christian homes.  I lived with the should syndrome for many years.
It is my opinion that it really is a matter of the heart.   In the scripture above, Paul states that one should be fully convinced in their mind.   If a persons belief is not contrary to scripture, then it really is a matter of what God requires of you.   God very well could require one person to go to church weekly and another to go one time a month.  
The reason I call this Christian witchcraft is because of what witchcraft is.  Boiled all the way down to the basics, witchcraft is control or manipulation of another person.  When Christians manipulate other people it is witchcraft as well, regardless of the first person's intentions.  As Jesus said in Matthew 7:5, "
You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."  In other words, don't try to get another person to do what you think is right for them, until you are complete/perfect.
One final note:  Hitler used manipulation to gain power over the people.  I have been reading a very interesting book called When a Nation Forgets God by Erwin W. Lutzer.  I believe that we can learn from the past.   One of the things Hitler accomplished is to make the church powerless.  This is happening today in the USA.  One of the ways to make this happen is to turn people against each other.  A house divided cannot stand.  The USA is becoming more and more divided, both inside and outside the church.

2 Corinthians 6:14

"Don't team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?"  2 Corinthians 6:14 New Living Translation
I'm deeply disturbed by something that is happening in the church today.   It's the idea of using wicked things to draw people into church to preach the gospel to said people.  I am hopeful that this idea has not permeated the church, but I do see it in quite a few churches.  
Here is an example:  A church is doing a sermon series entitled "50 Shades of Grey".   Now in the church's defense, the pastor told the people from the "stage" that he does NOT recommend anyone go to see the movie or read the book.   He then proceeded to preach a very good message on sex and boundaries.  I want to be clear that I believe the church should talk about sex.  We should stand up for the Biblical viewpoint on sex and marriage.  The pastor did do that.   I think that sermon series can be used to help Christians delve deeper into the Bible principles.
My problem comes into place because the church is using a title of a book/movie that is totally unbiblical.  One might say that it is wicked.   So how can a church say it is ok to draw people into the church using something that is totally against what the Bible teaches about sexuality and marriage.   Do the ends justify the means?   I don't think so.
Does the church not know that friendship with the world is enmity against God?  We are at war with the darkness that is growing in our world.   We are to be a light to the world.  How can we have light in one hand and darkness in the other and say:  "God is on board with this."
What happened and when did it happen that God said it is okay to use the things of the world to bring people to Him?  Then they can preach the gospel.  It is justified by saying that our church is growing and prospering.  I wonder what would happen if they had nothing to do with unrighteousness, and preached the gospel?  What then?  Perhaps, God would have added twice or three times as many people to the church?   What if they are settling for good when they could have had what is best?
Is it possible that "God will bless places He will not dwell?"  (Rick Joyner).   I believe that is a key truth for pastors everywhere.   I want to be a dwelling place for God.  I want to go to a church where God dwells.    If God is dwelling in a people, it is hard to imagine how much they could do for God.  If God said of the people at the tower of Babel, "
^"6 And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do."  Genesis 11:6
What could be accomplished through a group of believers who refused to have anything to do with wicked things and came together to see God's will established in the earth?
For any pastor reading this that thinks that the above way is the way to bring in people to their church, I ask you to do research.  Here is one to start on:  Dr. David Berman of  New Hampshire.  His church's website is http://clfchurch.com/

Day 7: Sinner? or Saint?

Forgetting:  I am a sinner.

Remembering:  i WAS a sinner, now I am a saint.   I am now dead to the law.  The law served a purpose, to show me my need for Jesus.

Just as Jesus died I died with Him.  I know am not to worry about the law of sin.  Now I am to live as Jesus lived.  He will help me so that I can bring about Gods will for my life.

Jesus changed my spiritual DNA.  Now I look like Christ.  It's not always easy but worth it.

Update 11/11/17
While the above is true.  It is also true that I do sin, everyday.  It's important to remember that when we sin, we confess our sins in order to be set free. I John 1:8 -10
⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
¹⁰ If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

The Beginning

I was reading Kris Valloten's book Spirit Wars this morning.  This one sentence jumped out at me:  "What I did not realize until that night was that I had been educated right out of my solution."  That hit me hard.  This thought came to me, "what if I could forget what I thought I knew about God and start fresh and learn again"  It sounds crazy.  That is the purpose of this blog, a reset, a new beginning.  Starting without preconceived ideas about God.  Doing what new Christians do.
My plan:  to write what I am forgetting and what I am learning.

Afterward:  Coincidentally?  Tonight I watched "God's Not Dead".  It is about a student who chooses to accept a challenge to try to prove that God is not dead.

Update:  2/16/15
This has been a much different journey than I had expected.  But just as a plant is pruned to help it grow and produce more, so have I been pruned.  This winter has been long and cold.  In many ways it has been hard but joyful.  It won't be long until I hear the words, "Lo, the winter is past....."

Update 11/11/17
How far this journey has taken me.  I believe that if I had not left the Standard American "Church", I would be a dead and cold Christian.  I am shocked to see where I am now.  But there is the "life" of God stirring in my heart and I believe that I am closer to being like Christ.  Is that not what we are meant to be?  Formed in the image of Christ.  I am planning to update my blogs first and there continue on, by relating how I have gotten from where I was to where God has brought me.  I have a glimpse of my future.  I believe that many Christians all over the world are escaping "church" in order to become the body of Christ, His church, also called the "remnant".