Good God, Martin. I have no words since the first reading of this essay was literally all I could do.
Now I have to go rest, pray and print this so I can read and reread again and again. The Holy Spirit is doing a mighty work with you on every level and your insights and inspiration are essential and a gift beyond expression. Goodnight and Godspeed!
Who..knew? It’s loaded, a lot but I’m pretty sure I got the jest of it. Probably, when I have to read a lot with complicated points, lately my brain goes numb. I even had to force myself to watch a short film. Being as old as I am. I guess the only place is supportive. I am praying that this works. Because today nothing else seems to. Occasionally, I’ll hear of a good relationship but so rare. And it troubles me. We’ll see Mr. Martin.
Thank you… that was amazingly written. I feel like I need a bit more to learn the intimate process as I’ve never been a church goer. I am spiritually so ready to participate and learn it, live it and love it!!!
Prayer and meditation are not for reaching God somewhere. Where is God? The Kingdom of God is within you. Peace Be Still and know that all things are made possible through God within you. Thanks Martin for reminding us the Infinite Way is within us.
Hi Martin, and thanks so much for this most thoughtful piece!
There are an abundance of indictments here. Some rightly pronounced, yet some seemingly pronounced in absentia. Perhaps your negative experience with the Jehova’s Witness cult has poisoned what could be a clearer, more compassionate vision of the body of Christ.
The condemnation hurled at churches for neglecting the children is especially repugnant based on my experience of being a church member for 50+ years. I was brought up in Sunday School from age 5 where Scripture was studied each week, and much discussion ensued regarding how to interpret it as Christians in an unbelieving world. This is where I learned what the Christian faith was, and where I learned what it meant to become a believer. The Church “service” followed Sunday School with songs of praise and worship and a biblically based sermon which was relevant to our day and time. This tradition continued with my own children, who are now grown and followers of Jesus Christ, raising their own children in this same tradition.
One other matter of interest is your difficulty with writing/speaking the name of God. I understand God to be a person, not some impersonal, unaddressable spirit of righteousness that hopes for recognition. Without being mean spirited, I must say that unlike you, Martin, I am “unashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:16) because “the name of Jesus Christ is the only name under heaven by which any of us can be saved.” (Acts4:12). God has become a very personal offering of himself in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Not knowing, not recognizing, not boldly speaking out His name and not putting personal faith in Him is to never know God at all.
However, your criticisms of “mega churches” and their propensity to operate more like godless corporates is spot on, and the pressurized tithing atmosphere there, the “name it by faith and claim it” teachings are repulsive. And I wholeheartedly agree that churches should be organized from homes, not imposing edifices.
I appreciate your view that righteousness is the only answer to worldly problems. But you fail to point to the source of righteousness. I ask you, where is righteousness defined and illustrated more than in Scriptures? Scripture is our supreme guide for righteous living.
Thank you for your offering of such great thought and hard work. Indeed, your work is profound always. I treasure and keep each edition, and look forward all those to come.
A mighty and holy message that I too, have been trying to send in any way that I can! I am almost 80, and have been in and out of churches since I was allowed to. (Our Dad was an Atheist who turned to God on his deathbed, after I was grown) He didn’t like churches and threatened to take the rest of the kids to Disneyland if we went! Turned out he was kind of right, depending on the church. I wrote his eulogy and discovered the Bible says in both testaments “IF YOU KNOW LOVE, YOU KNOW GOD” . And if you don’t know Love you don’t Know God. He Loved, he knew God. I am Spiritually lifted by your passionate truth! God bless you! Nothing can destroy God’s Spirit within us, we are the blessed, favored and we have won with the help of your warriors’ great talent and Spirit! Thank you!
Have followed you for some time. Always appreciate your posts, and your honesty. I would add that the New Covenant must begin with a personal covenant of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, as Savior and Lord. He is "the Way" (Joh.14:6), and without Him "Christianity" is powerless. Thank you.
Having been the dau. of a Baptist Minister & then having been married to an abusive religious conman for 18 years, I have a unique perspective on all things "Biblical". At age 78 I am now able to look back over many experiences & many observations of those within the Christian Community to form what my opinions now are. It has taken me a lifetime to figure out what the heck was wrong with the Belief System I was raised in that caused such pain & suffering in so many lives???
A Big Lightbulb Moment for me was realizing that the "God" of the O.T. is NOT the Creator of All!! My big confirmation in that area came from Anglican Priest, Paul A. Wallis & Vat. Translator, Mauro Biglino.
Turns out we have not even received a correct translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, which means that we have been worshipping a Montrous God of our own creation.
We were created in the "image of the elohim"(a plural word, not signular) a little lower than the elohim...NOT the angels; another incorrect translation!! ;-) We never bothered to ask where this Bible came from or why we accept it as THE Word of God???
Bottom line seems to be that a race of Higher Beings terraformed this planet & then various ones of them interacted with various groups at various times in the past. Let's say The Star of Bethlehem was a UFO & Jesus birth was another in a long line of "interventions". The Roman hierarchy took over the movement of Christianity & turned it into a means of controlling the masses; & it worked!! ;-)
In his book, "Ceasar's Messiah", Joseph Atwill contends that Jesus was never crucified. The author of "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" found in some Roman records that Jesus was alive in 45 A.D. & had bought a plot of land outside Alexandria. "That Jesus that was tried & acquitted by Pontus Pilot".
Then we have Paul A. Wallis contending that Jesus was taken down from the cross after 6 hours & spent the rest of his life in India & there are even accounts of him having been in Japan! So, how are we to know, at this point in time, what is the real truth about anything in our past???
I have found it much more comforting to see each of us as a Spark off the Eternal Flame....The Universe experiencing itself through each of us! The System that has been in play for centuries cannot be "fixed"; individual sovereignty seems to be the only answer to the mess we have created here on this planet. Since our "creators", the 'elohim' fought amongst themselves, we seem to have carried on the Family Tradition with great flourish!!
We each come to the table with our own unique set of experiences which allows us each to see things through a different set of eyes. By pooling our information we can surely help each other make it through this maze!! A Blessed Christmas to all!! Hugs all around!!
Your mentioning marriage and children was spot on. I looked up while my former husband strayed. He ended up at a mega church in TX and later in NYC where he fathered a child with a woman out of wedlock. I am currently a church musician at a Catholic church in Vermont, USA. Quite honestly, I don’t know if I’d be going to church if I didn’t have a paid church gig; certainly not this one. The priest is young and full of himself. And I was harassed for not masking and getting jabbed. Children are generally welcome during the Mass, but the younger ones are often undisciplined/disruptive.
So exactly right! I'm 62 years old and just recently understood what the marriage covenant really is. I grew up in religion which leads to rebellion. Now I follow Christ. And knowing you and this group is a real cherry on top!
Good God, Martin. I have no words since the first reading of this essay was literally all I could do.
Now I have to go rest, pray and print this so I can read and reread again and again. The Holy Spirit is doing a mighty work with you on every level and your insights and inspiration are essential and a gift beyond expression. Goodnight and Godspeed!
Inspirational. Everyone in the world should read this. God is working through you Martin. I'm totally blessed to have found you and your work. ♥️
Who..knew? It’s loaded, a lot but I’m pretty sure I got the jest of it. Probably, when I have to read a lot with complicated points, lately my brain goes numb. I even had to force myself to watch a short film. Being as old as I am. I guess the only place is supportive. I am praying that this works. Because today nothing else seems to. Occasionally, I’ll hear of a good relationship but so rare. And it troubles me. We’ll see Mr. Martin.
I’m going to have to read this more than once.
Thank you… that was amazingly written. I feel like I need a bit more to learn the intimate process as I’ve never been a church goer. I am spiritually so ready to participate and learn it, live it and love it!!!
Prayer and meditation are not for reaching God somewhere. Where is God? The Kingdom of God is within you. Peace Be Still and know that all things are made possible through God within you. Thanks Martin for reminding us the Infinite Way is within us.
You totally nailed it. This is a keeper.
From Robert Johnson:
Hi Martin, and thanks so much for this most thoughtful piece!
There are an abundance of indictments here. Some rightly pronounced, yet some seemingly pronounced in absentia. Perhaps your negative experience with the Jehova’s Witness cult has poisoned what could be a clearer, more compassionate vision of the body of Christ.
The condemnation hurled at churches for neglecting the children is especially repugnant based on my experience of being a church member for 50+ years. I was brought up in Sunday School from age 5 where Scripture was studied each week, and much discussion ensued regarding how to interpret it as Christians in an unbelieving world. This is where I learned what the Christian faith was, and where I learned what it meant to become a believer. The Church “service” followed Sunday School with songs of praise and worship and a biblically based sermon which was relevant to our day and time. This tradition continued with my own children, who are now grown and followers of Jesus Christ, raising their own children in this same tradition.
One other matter of interest is your difficulty with writing/speaking the name of God. I understand God to be a person, not some impersonal, unaddressable spirit of righteousness that hopes for recognition. Without being mean spirited, I must say that unlike you, Martin, I am “unashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ” (Romans 1:16) because “the name of Jesus Christ is the only name under heaven by which any of us can be saved.” (Acts4:12). God has become a very personal offering of himself in His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Not knowing, not recognizing, not boldly speaking out His name and not putting personal faith in Him is to never know God at all.
However, your criticisms of “mega churches” and their propensity to operate more like godless corporates is spot on, and the pressurized tithing atmosphere there, the “name it by faith and claim it” teachings are repulsive. And I wholeheartedly agree that churches should be organized from homes, not imposing edifices.
I appreciate your view that righteousness is the only answer to worldly problems. But you fail to point to the source of righteousness. I ask you, where is righteousness defined and illustrated more than in Scriptures? Scripture is our supreme guide for righteous living.
Thank you for your offering of such great thought and hard work. Indeed, your work is profound always. I treasure and keep each edition, and look forward all those to come.
A mighty and holy message that I too, have been trying to send in any way that I can! I am almost 80, and have been in and out of churches since I was allowed to. (Our Dad was an Atheist who turned to God on his deathbed, after I was grown) He didn’t like churches and threatened to take the rest of the kids to Disneyland if we went! Turned out he was kind of right, depending on the church. I wrote his eulogy and discovered the Bible says in both testaments “IF YOU KNOW LOVE, YOU KNOW GOD” . And if you don’t know Love you don’t Know God. He Loved, he knew God. I am Spiritually lifted by your passionate truth! God bless you! Nothing can destroy God’s Spirit within us, we are the blessed, favored and we have won with the help of your warriors’ great talent and Spirit! Thank you!
Wow…….🧡🧡🧡
Mr. Gedde
Have followed you for some time. Always appreciate your posts, and your honesty. I would add that the New Covenant must begin with a personal covenant of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, as Savior and Lord. He is "the Way" (Joh.14:6), and without Him "Christianity" is powerless. Thank you.
Having been the dau. of a Baptist Minister & then having been married to an abusive religious conman for 18 years, I have a unique perspective on all things "Biblical". At age 78 I am now able to look back over many experiences & many observations of those within the Christian Community to form what my opinions now are. It has taken me a lifetime to figure out what the heck was wrong with the Belief System I was raised in that caused such pain & suffering in so many lives???
A Big Lightbulb Moment for me was realizing that the "God" of the O.T. is NOT the Creator of All!! My big confirmation in that area came from Anglican Priest, Paul A. Wallis & Vat. Translator, Mauro Biglino.
Turns out we have not even received a correct translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, which means that we have been worshipping a Montrous God of our own creation.
We were created in the "image of the elohim"(a plural word, not signular) a little lower than the elohim...NOT the angels; another incorrect translation!! ;-) We never bothered to ask where this Bible came from or why we accept it as THE Word of God???
Bottom line seems to be that a race of Higher Beings terraformed this planet & then various ones of them interacted with various groups at various times in the past. Let's say The Star of Bethlehem was a UFO & Jesus birth was another in a long line of "interventions". The Roman hierarchy took over the movement of Christianity & turned it into a means of controlling the masses; & it worked!! ;-)
In his book, "Ceasar's Messiah", Joseph Atwill contends that Jesus was never crucified. The author of "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" found in some Roman records that Jesus was alive in 45 A.D. & had bought a plot of land outside Alexandria. "That Jesus that was tried & acquitted by Pontus Pilot".
Then we have Paul A. Wallis contending that Jesus was taken down from the cross after 6 hours & spent the rest of his life in India & there are even accounts of him having been in Japan! So, how are we to know, at this point in time, what is the real truth about anything in our past???
I have found it much more comforting to see each of us as a Spark off the Eternal Flame....The Universe experiencing itself through each of us! The System that has been in play for centuries cannot be "fixed"; individual sovereignty seems to be the only answer to the mess we have created here on this planet. Since our "creators", the 'elohim' fought amongst themselves, we seem to have carried on the Family Tradition with great flourish!!
We each come to the table with our own unique set of experiences which allows us each to see things through a different set of eyes. By pooling our information we can surely help each other make it through this maze!! A Blessed Christmas to all!! Hugs all around!!
Your mentioning marriage and children was spot on. I looked up while my former husband strayed. He ended up at a mega church in TX and later in NYC where he fathered a child with a woman out of wedlock. I am currently a church musician at a Catholic church in Vermont, USA. Quite honestly, I don’t know if I’d be going to church if I didn’t have a paid church gig; certainly not this one. The priest is young and full of himself. And I was harassed for not masking and getting jabbed. Children are generally welcome during the Mass, but the younger ones are often undisciplined/disruptive.
So exactly right! I'm 62 years old and just recently understood what the marriage covenant really is. I grew up in religion which leads to rebellion. Now I follow Christ. And knowing you and this group is a real cherry on top!
Yep, lots of excuses but it’s the wisest book ever and as, He says,” everything else will pass away except my Word.”