A PLAIN BROWN PAPER BAG
If Jesus were compared to the beautiful packaging of current Christianity, he would appear to be a plain brown paper bag. The average person finds the plain brown paper bag unattractive. But Christianity is more beautiful and innovative today than ever before and people are flocking to the glitz and glamor of this modern day presentation.
I do not have a church building or organization to promote, nor do I accept money for the understanding that God has provided. I do not stand with those who capture the souls of men and milk them for the rest of their lives. I work for a living so I am not a religious professional... although I was once among them. I’ve been in this godly but noninstitutional mode for over thirty years and I am thriving spiritually. I have been given something valuable to share with those who have open eyes and ears. That is what I’m writings about.
If you are searching for the true and balanced walk with God, seeking will facilitate the finding; understanding what I have written will help you on your way. That is my reward.
Religion is the natural worlds way of relating to God. They call religion a discipline. In true perspective, religions use the things that seem to pertain to God to validate and maintain their religious status quo. These are the things we can see and touch, starting with buildings, and rituals performed in those buildings. This is universal for all the world’s major religions. Jesus, on the other hand, spoke of a "true worship" when he talked to a Samaritan woman drawing water from a well. When Jesus told her about the existence of true worship, it was an indication that some types of worship did not measure up to his standards. Those types of worship are traditional and ritualistic and are wealth based. In the end they will get paid, they are, after all... professionals.
What I teach is to search for and find the standards of Jesus. Jesus is not a professional! What he advocates is strength in your heart; what this means is that it’s on the inside not the outside! In contrast, the religious are all about their roadside cathedrals, which they call the house of God. When in the eyes of God, people are the house of god and their meeting (with as little as two persons) is the church. The things that you read here can assist you in YOUR search but YOU must persevere and fight your way into it. This is the true nature of godliness! If you are willing to fight, God has a place for you at His table! Godliness is put on like a rubber suit; it becomes a part of us and we wear it all the time. It dose not necessarily make us perfect human beings but it definitely gives us a different focus than those worshipers who know only the church building and it’s rituals and functions. God promised the children of Israel a nation of their own and Moses led them to it but they had to fight for it. God does not change! This means that we must not be deterred from walking in the freedom that is in the true worship that Jesus revealed to the woman at the well. Read about this in St. John 4:23.
It is not enough to be sincere, we must also understand the difference between the world of men and that which is truly holy and this is not obvious. There are many sincere Christians in the world but most lack a true spiritual balance as far as their understanding goes and to this they have been led by blind leaders. This has nothing to do with knowing the Bible. The fault is with "religious" orientation. For Bible scholars, it’s an inherited tendency to confuse Bible knowledge with spiritual balance. A good example of this would be Enoch. Enoch was the seventh first born son of the descendants of Adam and Eve. Nevertheless, very little is recorded concerning Enoch. The point is that Enoch pleased God. The greatest thing about Enoch is what he did not have. He had no church or temple to worship in, and no Bible or religious reference book. Jesus had not yet died for his sins, yet he pleased the Lord in a way that satisfied God to the point that Enoch was removed from among mankind to a spiritual plane. That scenario presents an allegory representing true spirituality brought on by faith and pure simple godliness. It is about as simple as it gets and it was not religious by human standards. That is the principle of the plain brown paper bag! It’s on the inside not the outside!
What we have now in Christianity is a lot different, in that Christianity has become religious. This is not good! Christianity was good in it’s infancy but over time ( just as Jesus predicted ) the Devil sowed weeds among the wheat. The weeds took over, tradition developed and religious dogma arose. Factions and diversity spread all over the world. Nevertheless, when we observe what the religious do without listening to what they say, we see that what they are doing is identical. This would not be a bad thing, if they were building God’s kingdom instead of their own.
Some of us know something is wrong within Christian institutions; we can feel it and often see it. Sometimes it is so obvious to those with their eyes open that you would think that there would be a huge revolt. But alas, so many eyes are shut and most have their fingers in their ears. It is hard for those who do see dimly and those who have great suspicions to know what to do about it. This is where folks like me come pointing to the real living water. Nevertheless, do listen to those negative feelings, they are of God and not your imagination.
The average Christian can hardly move for the great fear that falls upon them for thinking of seeking something other than what they are familiar with. This is actually a portion of religious bondage. So what is one to do? Move to a void; get away from the confusing winds of religion. There you can build a small fire and get close to it. You will find warmth and light. This is similar to Moses leading Israel out of Egypt to worship God in the void of the wilderness. Clarity will be obtained, along with great conviction, once you are on the outside. So if you are a true seeker of the truth, this is the path to true worship. This takes some serious effort and time. Be willing to suffer emotional distress for what you are endeavoring to accomplish. This can come in many forms and from any direction.
Male or female, it makes no difference; nevertheless, it will require determination. In the Spirit, women are no different than men. So women are not excluded. If you are a sincere seeker of the truth, read the things that I have written and start your journey from there. I am a stepping stone. It is not a wise thing to plunge headlong into water that you are not familiar with. Reading these things will show you where the rocks and deep holes are. However, If you hold on to that which is polluted by traditional religious practices, it will bring you back to the same spiritual situation that you left in the first place. We must leave behind what we think we know and learn Jesus fresh and new, like being born again... again!
I know this sounds strange but the truth always sounds strange when compared to what is not true. As for the plain brown paper bag, it has no beauty about it that would make the ordinary person choose it over the glitz and glamor of the mega-churches or on a smaller scale, the little churches who lust to be mega-churches. Being big and powerful institutions in the world is not the will of God but the will of men. The broad way is not the highway of the sinner ( as we have been led to believe) but the highway of the religious and that highway leads to destruction.
Jesus said that if the blind lead the blind they would all fall in the ditch. Matthew 15:14 Also, we read that a whore is a deep ditch. Proverbs 23:27 These metaphors link to the whore of Babylon, referred to in the book of Revelation and in the prophets of the Old Testament. These symbolic references show how God sees Christianity. This is the ditch where the wolves (in sheep clothing) have led the children of God. Nevertheless... the truth is a voice that can save those in the ditch who will listen and believe. To be one with truth is freedom.
Jaytee Bee ‘08
If Jesus were compared to the beautiful packaging of current Christianity, he would appear to be a plain brown paper bag. The average person finds the plain brown paper bag unattractive. But Christianity is more beautiful and innovative today than ever before and people are flocking to the glitz and glamor of this modern day presentation.
I do not have a church building or organization to promote, nor do I accept money for the understanding that God has provided. I do not stand with those who capture the souls of men and milk them for the rest of their lives. I work for a living so I am not a religious professional... although I was once among them. I’ve been in this godly but noninstitutional mode for over thirty years and I am thriving spiritually. I have been given something valuable to share with those who have open eyes and ears. That is what I’m writings about.
If you are searching for the true and balanced walk with God, seeking will facilitate the finding; understanding what I have written will help you on your way. That is my reward.
Religion is the natural worlds way of relating to God. They call religion a discipline. In true perspective, religions use the things that seem to pertain to God to validate and maintain their religious status quo. These are the things we can see and touch, starting with buildings, and rituals performed in those buildings. This is universal for all the world’s major religions. Jesus, on the other hand, spoke of a "true worship" when he talked to a Samaritan woman drawing water from a well. When Jesus told her about the existence of true worship, it was an indication that some types of worship did not measure up to his standards. Those types of worship are traditional and ritualistic and are wealth based. In the end they will get paid, they are, after all... professionals.
What I teach is to search for and find the standards of Jesus. Jesus is not a professional! What he advocates is strength in your heart; what this means is that it’s on the inside not the outside! In contrast, the religious are all about their roadside cathedrals, which they call the house of God. When in the eyes of God, people are the house of god and their meeting (with as little as two persons) is the church. The things that you read here can assist you in YOUR search but YOU must persevere and fight your way into it. This is the true nature of godliness! If you are willing to fight, God has a place for you at His table! Godliness is put on like a rubber suit; it becomes a part of us and we wear it all the time. It dose not necessarily make us perfect human beings but it definitely gives us a different focus than those worshipers who know only the church building and it’s rituals and functions. God promised the children of Israel a nation of their own and Moses led them to it but they had to fight for it. God does not change! This means that we must not be deterred from walking in the freedom that is in the true worship that Jesus revealed to the woman at the well. Read about this in St. John 4:23.
It is not enough to be sincere, we must also understand the difference between the world of men and that which is truly holy and this is not obvious. There are many sincere Christians in the world but most lack a true spiritual balance as far as their understanding goes and to this they have been led by blind leaders. This has nothing to do with knowing the Bible. The fault is with "religious" orientation. For Bible scholars, it’s an inherited tendency to confuse Bible knowledge with spiritual balance. A good example of this would be Enoch. Enoch was the seventh first born son of the descendants of Adam and Eve. Nevertheless, very little is recorded concerning Enoch. The point is that Enoch pleased God. The greatest thing about Enoch is what he did not have. He had no church or temple to worship in, and no Bible or religious reference book. Jesus had not yet died for his sins, yet he pleased the Lord in a way that satisfied God to the point that Enoch was removed from among mankind to a spiritual plane. That scenario presents an allegory representing true spirituality brought on by faith and pure simple godliness. It is about as simple as it gets and it was not religious by human standards. That is the principle of the plain brown paper bag! It’s on the inside not the outside!
What we have now in Christianity is a lot different, in that Christianity has become religious. This is not good! Christianity was good in it’s infancy but over time ( just as Jesus predicted ) the Devil sowed weeds among the wheat. The weeds took over, tradition developed and religious dogma arose. Factions and diversity spread all over the world. Nevertheless, when we observe what the religious do without listening to what they say, we see that what they are doing is identical. This would not be a bad thing, if they were building God’s kingdom instead of their own.
Some of us know something is wrong within Christian institutions; we can feel it and often see it. Sometimes it is so obvious to those with their eyes open that you would think that there would be a huge revolt. But alas, so many eyes are shut and most have their fingers in their ears. It is hard for those who do see dimly and those who have great suspicions to know what to do about it. This is where folks like me come pointing to the real living water. Nevertheless, do listen to those negative feelings, they are of God and not your imagination.
The average Christian can hardly move for the great fear that falls upon them for thinking of seeking something other than what they are familiar with. This is actually a portion of religious bondage. So what is one to do? Move to a void; get away from the confusing winds of religion. There you can build a small fire and get close to it. You will find warmth and light. This is similar to Moses leading Israel out of Egypt to worship God in the void of the wilderness. Clarity will be obtained, along with great conviction, once you are on the outside. So if you are a true seeker of the truth, this is the path to true worship. This takes some serious effort and time. Be willing to suffer emotional distress for what you are endeavoring to accomplish. This can come in many forms and from any direction.
Male or female, it makes no difference; nevertheless, it will require determination. In the Spirit, women are no different than men. So women are not excluded. If you are a sincere seeker of the truth, read the things that I have written and start your journey from there. I am a stepping stone. It is not a wise thing to plunge headlong into water that you are not familiar with. Reading these things will show you where the rocks and deep holes are. However, If you hold on to that which is polluted by traditional religious practices, it will bring you back to the same spiritual situation that you left in the first place. We must leave behind what we think we know and learn Jesus fresh and new, like being born again... again!
I know this sounds strange but the truth always sounds strange when compared to what is not true. As for the plain brown paper bag, it has no beauty about it that would make the ordinary person choose it over the glitz and glamor of the mega-churches or on a smaller scale, the little churches who lust to be mega-churches. Being big and powerful institutions in the world is not the will of God but the will of men. The broad way is not the highway of the sinner ( as we have been led to believe) but the highway of the religious and that highway leads to destruction.
Jesus said that if the blind lead the blind they would all fall in the ditch. Matthew 15:14 Also, we read that a whore is a deep ditch. Proverbs 23:27 These metaphors link to the whore of Babylon, referred to in the book of Revelation and in the prophets of the Old Testament. These symbolic references show how God sees Christianity. This is the ditch where the wolves (in sheep clothing) have led the children of God. Nevertheless... the truth is a voice that can save those in the ditch who will listen and believe. To be one with truth is freedom.
Jaytee Bee ‘08
