By Grace.. By Faith.. The Gift of God.

Today I want to address a subject which is perhaps a little touchy, and likely hard to articulate. I openly admit that I will likely offend many people in this message, and probably won't even manage to build my musings into a solid platform of truth, but perhaps instead an assortment of ramshackle huts wherein truth may once have been. I have never claimed to be good at this, and indeed just the opposite. Hopefully through time, experience and faithful perseverance in this endeavor, the spirit will manage to get a coherent and legitimate message out of me at some point in the future. Till then...

THIS IS A MESSAGE ON HOW FAITH, BEING A GIFT OF GOD, CAN ONLY BE REALIZED IN US BY HIS GRACE. WE CAN NOT EVEN BELIEVE IN HIS SOVEREIGNTY ON OUR OWN, NOR CAN WE HUMBLE OURSELVES TO ACCEPT THAT WHICH IS FREELY GIVEN, UNLESS HE STRENGTHENS US TO DO SO. OUR HUMAN COMPREHENSION IS INCAPABLE OF GRASPING THE DIVINE NATURE OF OUR LORD, THE UNALTERABLE ATTRIBUTES OF HIS UNFAILING LOVE AND ABUNDANT MERCY, THE INEXORABLE INTOLERANCE HE HAS FOR SIN AND THE UNRIGHTEOUS WAYS OF MANKIND, THE AMAZING INTERWEAVING OF BOTH SEEMINGLY EXCLUSIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF YWHW TO THE END RESULT OF THE BESTOWAL UPON EARTH OF HIS OWN SON YAHSHUA, AN EXTENSION OF HIS UNFAILING LOVE AND ABUNDANT MERCY, AND A WAY TO BRIDGE THE GAP WHICH SEPARATED THE SINFULNESS OF MANKIND FROM THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF YHWH. THE HUMAN MIND IS INCAPABLE OF GRASPING THAT MANY DEMENSIONS, LET ALONE ACCEPTING THEM AS FACT AND THEN BELIEVING THEM IN THEIR HEART!
NO, FAITH ESPECIALLY IS THE GIFT OF GOD.

LOOK AT JOHN 8:3-12

HERE WE SEE A WOMAN (MARY MAGDALENE) WHO IS CAUGHT IN THE VERY ACT OF HER SIN, IS BROUGHT SWIFTLY BEFORE THE AUTHORITIES THAT SHE MIGHT BE JUDGED AND STONED (I AM MAKING THE ASSUMPTION HERE THAT HER CAPTORS DIDN'T BOTHER LETTING HER KNOW THEY WERE GOING TO USE HER TO TRY AND LAY A SNARE FOR YAHSHUA, SO IN THAT CIRCUMSTANCE SHE WAS LIKELY UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT SHE WAS SOON TO BE CONDEMNED AND STONED TO DEATH), AND AT THE MOMENT WHEN THE JUDGMENT SHOULD BE MADE AND STONES SHOULD BEGIN PELTING HER, SHE SEES A BEAUTIFUL MAN IN A SIMPLE ROBE KNEEL DOWN AND BEGIN WRITING OBSCURE THINGS IN THE SAND AT HIS FEET.

SURELY, SHE MIGHT HAVE THOUGHT, THIS MAN WAS NOT IN HIS RIGHT MIND, TO BE DRAWING IN THE DIRT AT A TIME WHEN HER LIFE WAS HANGING IN THE BALANCE, OR ELSE MAYBE HE WAS TWISTED AND SADISTIC, ENJOYING THE ADDED MOMENTS OF TERROR SHE HAD TO ENDURE BEFORE HER HORRIBLE END. (THIS IS NOT AT ALL SCRIPTURAL! I AM JUST TAKING CREATIVE LICENSE TO TRY AND GIVE SOME INSIGHT INTO HOW THIS LOOKED TO THE WOMAN).
SO IMAGINE HER SURPRISE WHEN HE THEN DREW A LINE AND SAID SIMPLY YET BOLDLY, "HE THAT IS WITHOUT SIN AMONG YOU, LET HIM CAST A STONE AT HER," BEFORE RETURNING TO HIS DOODLING, HAPPY AS YOU PLEASE. YET SHE SEES THE MEN BEGIN TO DISPERSE, ALL HAVING BEEN CONVICTED BY THEIR OWN GUILT, AND HAVING TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THEY WERE NO BETTER THAN SHE. BUT HERE'S THE REAL DOOZY. HE STOOD AND SAID, "WOMAN, WHERE ARE THOSE THINE ACCUSERS? HATH NO MAN CONDEMNED THEE?"
AND REMEMBER THAT SHE IS STILL REELING FROM THE FACT THAT SHE HAD BEEN CAUGHT RED-HANDED IN SIN, AND NO MAN HAD STEPPED FORWARD TO CONDEMN HER, THIS IMMENSE RELIEF AND CONFUSION ONLY SCANT MOMENTS AFTER HAVING BEEN CERTAIN SHE WAS ABOUT TO DIE. HER SHOCK AND CONFUSION FADE INTO A DESPAIR, PERHAPS, AS SHE REALIZES THAT THOUGH SHE WAS SPARED THIS TIME, HERS WAS STILL A LIFE OF SIN, AND SHE LIKELY WOULDN'T HAVE THIS SIMPLE YET BOLD STRANGER AROUND TO SAVE HER NECK THE NEXT TIME. AS ALL THIS SANK IN SHE RESPONDED SIMPLY, "NO MAN, LORD."
HER MIND WAS ALREADY IN MOTION TRYING TO DETERMINE HOW THE MEN HAD KNOWN OF HER WHEREABOUTS AND THE NATURE OF HER AFFAIRS TO SEIZE HER, AND WHAT SHE COULD DO TO SECURE MORE SAFEGUARDS AGAINST ANY SUCH SCENARIOS CROPPING UP IN THE FUTURE. SHE COULD TALK HER WAY OUT OF MOST THINGS, BUT BEING CAUGHT AS SHE'D BEEN TONIGHT, WELL THAT WAS NOT SOMETHING YOU COULD TRY TO DENY, AND SHE WOULD LIKELY BE STONED TO DEATH BEFORE SHE HAD A CHANCE TO TRY IF THEY CAUGHT HER AGAIN.

"NEITHER DO I CONDEMN THEE; GO, AND SIN NO MORE."

(My Own musings on the possible thoughts of Mary after this statement by Yahshua)



"SURELY I MUST HAVE MISHEARD. THIS MAN SPOKE TO ME WITH AUTHORITY, AS THOUGH HE HAD THE POSITION TO WITHHOLD OR ALLOW CONDEMNATION! HE SCATTERED THE ANGRY MOB WITH ONE SIMPLE STATEMENT, AND WASN'T EVEN TROUBLED AT ALL BY THE WHOLE ORDEAL. NOW HE TELLS ME HE DOES NOT CONDEMN ME. AND THEN HE LOOKED AT ME RIGHT IN THE EYES, AND I FELT THE POWER OF HIS AUTHORITY TAKE HOLD OF MY SOUL, THAT HE SHOULD SO SIMPLY SPEAK SUCH WORDS, ONES WHICH ARE SO FAR BEYOND MY ABILITY TO FULFILL! THIS IS ALL I KNOW, THIS IS MY LIVELIHOOD, AND I AM FAR TOO FAR GONE INTO SIN TO BE ABLE TO CLIMB BACK OUT OF IT, AND YET.. THOSE EYES.. I SAW A VASTNESS WITHIN HIS EYES, A VASTNESS OF WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING, LIKE THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE FARTHEST REACHES OF THE HEAVENS AND ALL THE INTRICACIES OF EVERY SINGLE DETAIL FROM HERE TO THERE. BUT MORE THAN THAT, I SAW A VASTNESS OF FEELING, A LOVE SO FIERCE AND LOYAL, SO ALL-ENCOMPASSING AND SELFLESS THAT THE MOST FEROCIOUS OF HURRICANES WOULD BE QUICKLY OVERWHELMED BY THE FORCE OF HIS AMAZING LOVE, AND THE WOMAN I'VE ALWAYS BEEN WAS SWEPT AWAY--LIKE A GNAT CAUGHT UP IN A TORNADO--BY THE SHEER MAGNITUDE OF FEELING ALL THAT DEVOTION DIRECTED AT ME, KNOWING THAT EVERY LAST BIT OF IT WAS ALL FELT ENTIRELY FOR ME, BUT THAT IT WAS NOT JUST FOR ME. THIS WAS THE MESSIAH. THIS WAS THE PROMISED ONE COME FROM YHWH TO REDEEM HIS CHOSEN PEOPLE. THIS WAS THE SON OF MAN; A SIMPLE, HONEST AND BOLD MAN. THIS WAS A FRIEND WHO REALLY CARED. THIS MAN WAS THE DEATH OF MY SERVITUDE TO THE SINFUL WAYS OF THE FLESH, AND A NEW LIFE IN OBEDIENCE TO THE WILL OF YHWH AS REVEALED TO ME BY HIS SON. I DON'T THINK I'VE EVER FELT SO STRONGLY CONVINCED OF SOMETHING IN MY LIFE, THAT THIS MAN IS THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS IN LIFE ANYMORE. HE IS MY LORD, AND MY SAVIOR, HE IS MY GUIDE THROUGH THE DARKNESS OF THE WILDERNESS, MY BRIGHT SUNLIGHT ILLUMINATING THE LAND OF MILK AND HONEY. THIS MORNING I WAS A SELFISH MISERABLE EXCUSE FOR A HUMAN BEING, AND NOW I AM UNEQUIVOCALLY DEVOTED TO SERVING MY PRECIOUS LORD.
THIS CHANGE OF HEART IS NOT SOMETHING THAT AROSE FROM WITHIN MYSELF, BUT WAS GIVEN TO ME BE YHWH, THAT HIS STRENGTH WOULD SWELL TO OVERSHADOW EVERY SINGLE WEAKNESS, AND BY HIS GRACE IN DEALING WITH ME, IN DEALING WITH THOSE MEN, IN RESOLVING THE ISSUE WITH SIMPLE TRUTH SPOKEN STRAIGHTLY, IN FORBEARING TO ACT ON HIS AUTHORITY EVEN IN THE FACE OF SUCH BRAZEN INSOLENCE, I HAVE COME TO A POSITION OF RESOLUTE BELIEF IN HIM AND HIS EL, YHWH THE FATHER, AND I'VE BEEN INELUCTABLY CONVICTED THAT MY SIN AND MY WILL ARE OPPOSITE OF THE FATHER'S RIGHTEOUSNESS AND HIS WILL, AND THAT I OUGHT TO WALK AS THE FATHER CALLS ME TO WALK, AS HE CREATED ME TO WALK, WHICH IS POSSIBLE ONLY BY THE GRACE OF YHWH, THROUGH YAHSHUA MESSIAH. AND WHO KNOWS, MAYBE SOMETIME IN THE NEAR FUTURE, AFTER HIS WORK ON EARTH HAS BEEN FINISHED, AFTER HE'S LED CAPTIVITY CAPTIVE AND ASCENDED TO HIS RIGHTFUL PLACE OF GLORY AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER, HAVING ALL AUTHORITY TO EXECUTE ALL JUDGMENT, AS GIVEN HIM BY THE FATHER, MAYBE ONCE ALL THAT'S DONE AND OVER WITH, HE'LL SEND HIS HOLY SPIRIT TO LIVE WITHIN ME, SO THAT I WILL ALWAYS HAVE ACCESS TO HIS GRACE WHICH STRENGTHENS!"

(-MARY MAGDALENE- "POETIC INTERPRETATION")


Ephesians 2:4-10 (KJV)

"(4) But Elohim, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,(5)Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Messiah, (by grace ye are saved;) (6)And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Yahshua Messiah: (7)That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Yahshua Messiah. (8)For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of Yahweh: (9) Not of works, lest any man should boast. (10) For we are his workmanship, created in Yahshua Messiah unto good works, which Yahweh hath before ordained that we should walk in them."


Ephesians 2:13 (KJV)

"But now in Yahshua Messiah ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Messiah"
-

KEY TERMS WHICH DIFFER FROM KJV
~>*<*>*<*>*<*>*<~
"EL & ELOHIM" are common Hebrew words for GOD & GODS.
~>*<*>*<*>*<*>*<~
YAHWEH is the phonetic pronunciation of the true name of the God of Israel (YHWH), and has been replaced time and again throughout scripture by the capitalized word "LORD", or "GOD". If I'm not mistaken, the reason for this was that many of the Jewish nation opposed the use of our God's proper name (perhaps feeling unworthy to utter or even look upon his sovereign name), choosing instead to implement an impressive assortment of stand-ins like Elohim or Adonai, LORD or GOD.
~>*<*>*<*>*<*>*<~
YAHSHUA is the proper Hebrew name of our Lord and saviour, whom we as a church body have taken to calling JESUS.
MESSIAH is the Hebrew word for that which we in English call the CHRIST, ergo "Jesus was the Christ of the Father", or "Yahshua was the Messiah of Yahweh".
YAH can be used sans "weh" or "shua", and is basically an abbreviated form of "YHWH". It is often used poetically, for the sake of syllabic agreement, e.g., "How great is our Yah.. Sing with me how great is our Yah.. and all will see how great, how great is our Yah.."

That's all. I am just learning these things so almost certainly failed to do justice to the explanations of translations, nor do I by any means fully comprehend the extent to which the mainstream translations of the Word of YHWH fail to completely portray the sentiments which were resounding truths within the Hebrew language. And since the perspectives, insights and preconceptions of the Hebrew culture are in effect lost to us in the translation, do we then have a basis for perhaps in part understanding the ineffectuality of the body of Christ in our country? Why Modern Christianity in America is such a paltry entity, an inconsistent congregation of lip-service saints. Seemingly sincere, we express our heartfelt desires that all would come to know Yahshua as Lord and to accept him as their personal saviour, yet we disengage from the guiding of the Spirit when the call comes to labor toward that end. We succumb to the temptations of the world (even as James warns against in chapter 1 v 12-15 of his epistle), and are drawn away by our fleshly desires, paying no mind to the things of the spirit when the things of the flesh are near. But we DO come prepared to witness to people, and we ARE professing Christ to some, giving explanation for the hope that lies within us. Yet somehow we fail to convince anyone of their need for Him, and reluctantly look in the mirror to realize why. Our hope has been decommissioned, and we can not succeed in bringing others to a place of conviction of their need for the Son, and the concomitant drive to get to truly know him. How can we convince others of their need for redemption in the person of Yahshua, speak to them of the peace of God and the Grace he imparts to overcome the trials of this life, when we ourselves are not walking in that hope, have mental anxiety the quintessential opposite of Peace, and are witnessing to them mechanically by articulating Cliche Christian axioms, committed to memory and recited by rote, fundamental and abiding truths which fall dead to the earth when expressed without deep-rooted conviction and lacking the backing of the Holy spirit of God. We fail. Because we aren't ourselves interested in (nor, out of pride, willing to accept His help in reaching) victory. But the victory is already won, He is risen, we are redeemed, and "the love of Yah is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which was given to us."

(Romans 5:5b -KJV=)

WOW, I TOTALLY WENT EVERYWHERE IN THIS MESSAGE, AND I'M NOT SURE I BUILT A SOLID FOUNDATION OF TRUTH, BUT I DEFINITELY DID SOME EXPLORATION OF SCRIPTURE WHICH I FOR ONE THOROUGHLY ENJOYED.

NOT GREAT, I KNOW, BUT UPON RE-READING IT, I THINK PERHAPS NOT AWFUL. HOWEVER, ARTICULATING A MESSAGE SUCH AS THIS --WHICH FOCUSES UPON SUCH A POTENTIALLY EXPANSIVE CONCEPT, ONE BOTH DEEPLY INVOLVED, AND EMOTIONALLY DEMANDING) WITH ALL OF THE INTRICATE YET ESSENTIAL TRUTHS, AND THE OPEN-ENDEDNESS OF MY MUSINGS.... I GUESS I SHOULD SAY THE SPIRIT'S MUSINGS, AS THAT DEFINITELY WAS NOT THE PRODUCT OF THIS MAN, AND IT NEVER WOULD HAVE MADE ITS WAY FROM MY MIND TO THIS BLOG TEMPLATE, BUT FOR THE GRACE OF GOD.


MAY THE LORD (YHWH) BLESS YOU AND KEEP YOU,

~Codaniel Von Johnson~

Well isn't that curious?...

I'm at a loss to explain how it should be that, within 24 hours of my very first post of this blog, I already have something like 5 times as many views as the ENTIRETY of my last blog combined. ~* Perhaps it is merely an affirmation that truth and encouragement are better received than are maudlin musings on the shortcomings of humanity. Especially when such expositions are peppered with arbitrarily crafted contradictions and pseudo-insightful vagaries, all wrapped up in obscene amounts of unnecessary verbiage as a cavalier display of the extent of my proficiency with language.

Even as I finished writing that last sentence, the revelation was given to me of how my former blog proves an uncanny illustration of the inefficacy of human comprehension, and the need for full submission to the guidance of the spirit. In 1 Corinthians 2:3-7 Paul says, "And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect, yet not the wisdom of this world (...), that come(s) to nought: But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory."

I feel at this point in my life that I can completely relate to the truth that Paul is voicing in this passage. For Paul, far from feeble-minded, was a man of great insight and discernment, A man educated in all the things of import in those days, and a man thoroughly familiar with God's word and the application thereof. His mental faculties were sharp, his comprehension of the scriptures truly deep and abiding, yet he "determined not to know anything among you, save Christ, and Him crucified". And that determination to operate in faith cleared the way for the Spirit to speak true wisdom both to Him and through Him, and served the purpose toward which every action of every saint in Christ should be building: Glorifying the Lord. In crucifying his old man with Christ, he gave up the manner of man he used to be, so drew not on his own resources when ministering to others, but spoke from the heart the simple truth of the hope of the gospel, and his own testimony of the power of reconciliation, and the transformation whereby his entire life had flipped around, and those to whom he ministered were filled with the conviction of the holy ghost. How do I know this? Because through his epistles he is still preaching today, and I myself have been repeatedly convicted by the words the spirit spoke through that man.

Yet those words would never have found their way out of his mouth, But for the Grace of God.

~~%@

~Codaniel Von Johnson~

Embracing "A New Creature".

It is perhaps no secret to anyone that I have written many things throughout my life, and prior to this point the majority of them were almost invariably dark and dismal, or at their best far from encouraging. I have decided that the time has come for me to change that, as it's not glorifying to the Lord to operate in such a manner, nor does it do justice to the true magnificence that is life. It also doesn't make for much of a legacy (unless you're Edgar Allen Poe, and HE married his 13 year old cousin, so...)

I think perhaps the reason I have, for so long, expressed myself through such means is the simple fact that doom and gloom and all the negative things in life are so much easier to get a hold on, easier to relate to, and as such less trying than my soon-to-be-attempts at capturing the sheer brilliance of living. A brilliance I've come to realize encompasses both the joyous stages of life, as well as the hardships.

Am I equipped to handle such a massive undertaking, to effectively execute an "about face" in my utilization of the art of language? To leave behind the dross of my previous reasoning and reassert myself and the thoughts which filter ceaselessly through my mind as potential harbingers of gladness and encouragement?

I am no doubt far beyond my abilities in this tectonic shift of perception, but as luck would have it, my weakness and inability to redefine my thought-patterns is merely on opportunity for the perfection of His strength in me, for an abundant outpouring of His grace, and an internal relegation of control to the indwelling spirit of the Almighty!

This is not a proper blog in and of itself, I'm simply taking the enterprise out for a spin, as it were. The real test will soon follow, as I attempt to maintain a regular schedule of updating this thing, and trusting that the Lord will give me the words to say in each subsequent installment of these refined and revitalized observations.

And I know that I would fail miserably, But for the Grace of God...

~Codaniel Von Johnson~