HisStory Is ALL of HisStory Called The Gospel of Jesus Christ

Open Bible Study Page HERE

You will recognize that I call Jesus’ Gospel, simply HisStory.

I often summarize it in 5 Practice Pillars for quick reference here at Pokyra.

I emphasize that I often summarize it because His Gospel is obviously ALL of HisStory referenced in parts and pieces inside the epic “mystery which for ages has been hidden in God” called “the mystery of Christ” throughout the entire Bible (Genesis 3:22-24; Ephesians 2:11-3:21; Revelation 2:7).

It’s still explained by God in First Person by His Spirit “by a revelation of Jesus Christ” sent to lead us into all truth … including “the rest of the story” of any part of HisStory (Matthew 11:25-30; 13:10-36; John 15:26-16:15; 1 John 2:26-27; Galatians 1:12).

But when I speak of HisStory summarized in 5 Practice Pillars, I mean those foundational things one needs to learn and receive that are necessary to “walk in the same manner as He walked” with the Father in Heaven (1 John 2:3-6).

For example, if you are not willing to develop your own literal Personal relationship with the Father in Heaven like Jesus did it … by His Spirit and to literally RECEIVE “the will of My Father who is in heaven” by His Spirit … then Christianity will NOT work (Matthew 7:21-23).

I mean no matter what other “Christians” are trying to sell you or convince you of otherwise that contradicts Jesus’ own teachings and example for us all (1 John 4:1; 2:18-3:24). Jesus as our Primary Model for a Christian is just one of the 5 foundational Practice Pillars you will learn about here at Pokyra.

So, what’s the obvious problem with NOT learning and receiving at least the foundations of the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

If you don’t receive His Gospel and HisStory, you may just completely miss out on God’s BEST for you and yours!

That is a tragic “story” rather than the God-designed HisStory Driving YourStory we are supposed to be receiving “on earth as it is in heaven” for a relatively brief amount of earth-years.

I like to refer to our brief time here on earth with Jesus as the “Warm Up Band” just before the “Main Event” when we finally arrive in Heaven for eternity lived with our King Jesus “face to face”!

But let’s focus briefly here on our brief life lived here on earth.

Many sincere “Christians” being sold a wrong or even false Gospel of Jesus have simply given up on their Christian Faith for lack of “the rest of the story” received about their life with Jesus.

I am talking about giving up on their own faith in the way life should be lived just as Jesus gave us His best example of what that could look like at the beginning, in the middle and at the END of your life lived here briefly on Earth:

“Father … I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do” …

You will come to know this same LIFE GOAL reframed here at Pokyra as “HisStory Driving YourStory”. It’s the same message that God has “works” prepared FOR YOU to live out for Your Life In 3D (Ephesians 2:10). It’s the same wonderful expectations in the middle of your life lived as well as at the END as your Master Jesus expected from His Father in Heaven (Luke 6:40).

This literally means learning to ultimately RECEIVE our own individual God-given Story God has specifically planned for each of us to discover, believe, remember and ultimately RECEIVE (live) according to “the will of My Father who is in heaven” and in our own “part” and in our own unique to us circumstances of our life here on earth (John 17:1-5; Matthew 7:21-27).

You will notice that I repeat myself over and over again as your virtual Life Coach In 3D in regards to the most important foundational teachings of Jesus just as I learned them and practice them for myself. I repeat myself without apologies just as Paul practiced this same teaching method for the benefit of the people in Philippians 3:1. I do it knowing full well that Jesus has already taught us what anything GENERALLY means in both word and deed/practice in parts and pieces for us to learn from in the Bible. I have learned that maintaining a good solid FOUNDATION of what Jesus uses regularly in teaching His Disciples has always helped me to understand even the DEEPEST mysteries found elsewhere in the Bible much easier.

We are to consume this same knowlege of the ONE and the same FOUNDATION Gospel of our Master Jesus just as His faithful Disciples consumed it day in and day out from Him and then wrote the Father’sStory Driving HisStory down for us to learn from in their important contributions to the Bible.

King Jesus of Heaven explained it PERFECTLY during His brief 3 year “ministry” in both earthly and spiritual words and practices.

He showed us how it is to be received each day “abundantly” here on earth by all His Disciples who are also no longer “of this world” but “of Heaven”. What “spirit” or “anointing” you live by becomes your Teacher (1 John 2:3-6; Luke 6:40; John 16:7-15).

What about eternal life?

Jesus of Heaven also explained and is still explaining much of how it works eternally in Heaven when this brief life is over (John 10:1-10; see the book of Revelation too at the end of the Bible – it’s AWESOME!!!).

But know that Pokyra will mostly be helping you LIVE in all 3D’s “on earth as it is in heaven” until we too eventually lose our earth-suits leaving only our ETERNAL spirit-body lives forever enjoying our King “face to face” and no longer “in a mirror dimly” (1 Corinthians 13:12; 1 John 3:1-3; Revelation 21:1-22:21).

 

 

How Would Jesus View Your View of HisStory?

Open Bible Study Page HERE

Who really cares what Kehrt Chestnut views or thinks of anyone, let alone Jesus and His Gospel?

Who cares what anyone views or thinks of anyone except God and His own Personal examination of where anyone is at with God (1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Romans 14:4)?

Isn’t Christianity “first place in everything” about an individual and God (1 Corinthians 3:7; Colossians 1:18)?

Yes. Thank God that you won’t be answering to Kehrt Chestnut or anyone else but Jesus the King of Heaven FOR YOURSELF (Revelation 20:10-15).

So, how does Jesus view your own view of HisStory … His Gospel?

That’s what is most important, right?

I encourage you to right away ask Jesus for His “revelation of Christ” to show you what His view of your own view of HisStory really is today (Ephesians 1:1-23; Galatians 1:12).

Maybe you have received some of the important parts but still lack “the rest of the Story” about the rest of HisStory? Always start with the foundations of our Faith in Jesus and move out from there (1 Corinthians 3:11; 1 John 2:3-6). How have you learned Jesus so far?

What else do you “lack in your faith” as Jesus’ Disciples often asked Christians they were serving in their day?

God knows right where you are at TODAY and that is what is really important in a Faith based on His own GRACIOUS GIFT that cannot be earned, only RECEIVED (1 Corinthians 4:1-5).

 

Here’s how Jesus explained the “gospel of God” (HisStory) to His original Disciples:

“And immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness.

And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.

And after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying,

‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mark 1:12-14)

 

Some of you American Christians might just read that part of the Gospel of Jesus and say to its writer, “Whoa…… Mark! You are going too far for me!”

What do I mean by this response? Later in this presentation I will explain how it may just be accurate that over HALF of American “Christians” would, after reading just those few words of Jesus’ Gospel recorded by His Disciples, in this case Mark, likely shut their Bible in “unbelief” and go do something else with their life. Why is that type of response to the Gospel of Jesus so prevalent even today?

This is because they really don’t take Jesus literally.

If something is no longer “relevant” then why even pursue it, right?

At least they would not pursue it seriously. They instead choose to pursue it just like anything else in their life lived here on earth. Maybe some even treat it purely as fictional “entertainment” or something to take or leave just like shopping for their “god” on the “shelves” of the world religions all promising their own “way” to God and their own unique versions of Heaven? God sees each pursuit and their heart motivations too (John 9:35-10:30; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5).

I argue that this continued DISCONNECT in unbelief and lack of “experiential knowledge” of Jesus in a literal back-and-forth (meaning prayer communication goes two-ways not one way), literal Holy Spirit Personal relationship, etc., is just as serious as Jesus declared it to be in Matthew 7:21-27.

Using my Pokyra language to help explain it all, this means that too many self-identifying “Christians” today are still relating to “Jesus” at their homes or at their churches, in “1D” or “earthly” dimensional only.

A 1D life is “of the world” according to the Gospel of Jesus with all of its “spirits” at work in “the world” categorized all together as “the spirit of the world” (1 Corinthians 2:12-16). It’s a completely different category of “spirit” than “the Spirit who is from God” that Jesus taught us from His Kingdom of Heaven.

How do I, Kehrt, “do” “Christianity”?

I teach Jesus and relate to Jesus in 3D, just as His original disciples, like Mark, LITERALLY related to Jesus. This is not a definitive explanation of all the possible spiritual “dimensions” but simply my way of generally categorizing the BIG THREE that Jesus modelled for us to imitate as His Disciples. D1 and D2 helps explain the spiritual part of Jesus’ Gospel.

But what about the “earthly” culture dimension I call D3?

My “Christian” “earthly” culture is much more practical than religious-traditional. You will soon learn this as you visit my Pokyra Guest Website. I teach people how to NEUTRALIZE all human cultures because no matter what you have been taught otherwise, there is no “worldly” vs. “godly” CULTURE from God’s perspective. Christians have played this ascribing “spirit” attributes to human culture for centuries.

I have learned that from God’s perspective there is just HUMAN CULTURE operating by either “the spirit of the world” or “the Spirit who is from God” (1 Corinthians 2:12). This means the same “spirit of the world” is driving too much of the “Christian” cultures just as Jesus explained the Pharisees chosen “spirit” operating behind their very religious practices and cultures.

Someone might say, “What about the Jewish culture? God gave that to them, right?” Those amazing parts of human culture are “types” and “shadows” of the REAL THING in Heaven and were never meant to be more than they were or somehow equal with the REAL THING in Heaven. When anything became/becomes more than it should, God normally viewed it as an “idol” and had to discipline His people or correct them back to THE REAL THING in Heaven!

I teach you what this all means here at Pokyra. Suddenly, human culture can become one of the best parts of life on earth when you are actively pursuing spiritual freedom just as your King Jesus walked free in this world to choose it … or not choose it. The choice is now yours now that your connection to THE REAL PERSON OF GOD in Heaven is established by His Spirit!

My spiritual life is all quite literally like my Master Jesus taught it and His original Disciples received it (1 John 2:3-6). We don’t get to create HisStory or His Gospel. There is ONE only … HisStory.

It’s up to us to ask for His “revelation” of what this HisStory all means (Matthew 11:25-30; 1 John 2:26-27).

As I have received it so far, this means multi-dimensionally living life where D1 represents Jesus’ literal Kingdom of Heaven reality (not of this world, but received “on earth as it is in heaven” by the Spirit of God just as Jesus modelled it for His Disciples), D2 represents Jesus’ literal Gift and His literal Holy Spirit reality, and D3 represents ALL the literal Earthly parts of reality. This last D3 dimension is where, I argue, over half of American Christians are likely still trying to (unsuccessfully, I might add) “know” Jesus with their earthly minds ONLY and NOT with their “heart” or “spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:12).

I have experienced for myself that ALL the promises of Jesus, such as “the promise of My Father” in Luke 24:49, are still just as relevant for His Disciples TODAY as they were hundreds of years ago.

So, let’s return back to the above written out Bible passage from Mark 1:12-14.

Mark records Jesus sharing what is called, “the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel’”.

What if you actually heard those “gospel” words of “the kingdom” of Heaven direct from Jesus’ mouth, just like many walking the streets of Galilee heard it as He was literally “preaching the gospel of God,” and, let’s say, you DID NOT (yet?) view Him as the King of Heaven. You don’t yet honor Him who rules “first place in everything” in every dimension including having “All authority … in heaven and on earth” (Colossians 1:13-18; Matthew 28:18-20)?

You may believe or you may not believe Him to whatever degree you had or did not have faith.

But assume you did not have faith and you might just say to Jesus, or anyone else who could hear you standing next to you on the streets of Galilee,

“What an interesting Fantasy Sci-Fi Story? I may just follow Jesus around for the entertainment value since we don’t have Television yet, or maybe I will just call Him crazy and get it over with and go my separate way.”

But what if you DID believe and DID view Jesus as the King of EVERYTHING seen and unseen? I mean you believed even if you understandably still did not yet understand everything He was saying from His often-mysterious Kingdom of Heaven. If it was not yet “revealed” to you by the Father or Jesus by His Spirit you may still be in that “faith” only “place” with Jesus’ Gospel of His Kingdom (Matthew 11:25-30).

If you truly believed, then you would no doubt be HONORING JESUS by saying something like, “I do believe You, my King! What now” (John 18:36-37)?

This sounds a lot like the reaction those new believers in Acts 2:37 were having just after the Spirit of God came and Peter shared his now famous version of the one and the same, “Repent!,” Gospel of Jesus Christ in Acts 2:38-39.

At least you would react to Jesus’ version of HisStory as the original BELIEVER Disciples reacted and declared to Him their undying loyalty after most of the others apparently declared, “Who can listen to You, Jesus?” and then immediately left Him in John chapter 6.

You will hear much about John 6 throughout Pokyra teaching because it, I believe, represents so clearly a SPIRITUAL DIMENSION TEST given to all of us regularly the rest of our entire spiritual lives here on earth. This TEST from the Father and King of Heaven will have almost everyone at some “time” saying, “What did He just say?”

The John 6 TEST results will regularly show that among those not knowing exactly what He was saying in any “earthly” sense (like you and I too as we read certain parts of the Bible for the first time) will have one of two responses:  either LEAVING Jesus in sudden “unbelief” or staying with Jesus in continued “belief”.

I believe that those maintaining a “belief” were also those no doubt believing they would eventually be able to ask their Master Jesus what this mysterious “kingdom of heaven” stuff all really meant (see Matthew 13:1-58).

If it is anything like the John 6 TESTS I experience in my own life (and I believe they are), it’s likely they had a strong “faith” that their questions would at some point in time be answered by their Master Jesus. This is because they have already come to “know” Him on a level they couldn’t even explain using earthly words.

Welcome to a “spiritual” life that must be rightly “appraised” spiritually just as all spiritual people and all Disciples of Jesus Christ and our Father who is in Heaven must practice on a daily basis (1 Corinthians 2:4-16; 1 John 2:26-27).

The John 6 TEST explains how even many of those listening to Jesus suddenly left Him (failing the TEST) after Jesus shared a bit of “bread from heaven” from HisStory. It was a message clearly coming from the mysterious dimension of His Kingdom not of this world (John 17:1-26).

The rest of this Pokyra presentation is about Jesus explaining to His Disciples many of the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven (D1 here at Pokyra). In some ways, it’s no different than how Peter honored HisStory in Acts 2:14-41 when “the promise of My Father” Spirit Gift (the Foundational part of D2 here at Pokyra) finally arrived right on time. Check that out on your own! It’s AWESOME!

But let’s just assume you too, right now, are taking your own “John 6 TEST” as you are “hearing” the Gospel of Jesus on the streets of Galilee just as Mark (the “believer” Disciple of Jesus) heard them too.

This means, try jumping back and forth to the Mark 1:12-14 “scene” and the John 6 “scene” in your mind to follow where I am trying to take you right now in HisStory (His Gospel).

In the John 6 scene, you will notice that even those who were previously believer “disciples” after seeing one miracle after another, they suddenly became unbeliever ex-“disciples” after hearing the same Gospel of Jesus that “believers” heard too. These believer “disciples” were not of the original 12 chosen by Jesus but they were apparently considered serious enough by John to be labeled “disciples” or followers of Jesus nonetheless.

For some reason they were suddenly LEAVING both Him and His Gospel in droves. Jesus explains some of the reasons in John 6:60-66.

Then, of course, there were those who stuck around and continued “following” Jesus.

Quick side-note here: Did you know that Jesus regularly, even today, gives us these John 6 TESTS on purpose knowing the same separation result will likely happen among some of the “followers” of Jesus?

I believe the John 6 TEST lesson to be one of the most important lessons I have ever learned as a Disciple of Jesus Christ. I say that having been a devoted Disciple of Jesus who has eventually passed all of my own John 6 TESTS since the early 1980’s.

I’ve seen my own share of John 6 TESTS in those 3 decades plus. But I eventually learned not to be surprised by them when they came back then and still come today and tomorow. I have learned that maturing as a Disciple of Jesus is often about having right expectations. I can’t say that I have always been prepared for a given TEST, but at least I was not surprised when they came. Jesus teaches us from His own example how to more rightly expect what He is doing SPIRITUALLY in 3D inside our daily spiritual life which is very often … too often … totally unexpected by unspiritual 1D people (1D “Christians” – 1 Corinthians 2:12-16).

Back to John 6 “scene” in the Bible:  The 12 Disciples Jesus chose out of the world to follow Him, along with any other “believers” and “disciples” still following Him in the crowd, were no doubt still scratching their earthly “D3” dimension heads. They were still not yet fully understanding what Jesus just said about His Kingdom of Heaven reality.

But here is what set them apart from the rest of the “crowd”:

Their “spirit” or “heart” inside them was already CONVINCED of who Jesus was.

They were already convinced even as they knew they would still need a Personal “revelation of Christ” to help them “get” what they just heard coming out of His mouth. This is often how it worked as Disciples of Jesus during their 3 years with Him during what are called His “ministry” years.

Check it out for yourself. You will hopefully find out for yourself that this is still how it all works today too “even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer“.  We now know Him by His Spirit “anointing” from the RECEIVED “promise of My Father” that you will learn more about later in this presentation too (1 John 2:26-27).

So, this is what Jesus’ “believing” Disciples ACTUALLY DID declare to Jesus in John 6:

“Lord, to where shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. And we have believed and have come to know that You are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69)

How did they exactly “come to know” who Jesus really is?

Good question.

Chances are it happened EXACTLY like Jesus said it happened in Matthew 13:11:

“To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.”

Or let’s also assume it happened EXACTLY like Jesus said it happened with Peter in Matthew 16:13-17:

Jesus said, “‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah or one of the Prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ And Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’

And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.’”

Read Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:25-30 or 13:1-53 to get an even deeper understanding of how “revelation in the knowledge of Him” happens to any of us who are suddenly OPEN and not closed to Jesus in 3D (Galatians 1:11-12; Ephesians 1:15-23).

Check out both John 3:3-12 and John 6:60-71 to see how Jesus shared His own version of HisStory and the different reactions of mostly UNBELIEF to His Gospel/HisStory.

Then, when you have time, just read all of Jesus’ 3-year ministry versions of His Gospel titled Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the New Testament part of the Bible. These represent four eye-witness written accounts of the SAME ONE “Gospel” of Jesus just as they heard it and experienced it in First-Person from and with Jesus. Explore that they and the other original Disciples were honored to “know” and experience during those awesome three years with the King of Heaven having “all authority in heaven and on earth”!

Imagine living and sharing 3D life with God in the flesh!

Imagine living 3 years with Jesus the Christ, “the Son of Man” who is also “the Son of God” having no earthly father but ONE Father who is God! These are BOTH paradoxically true at the same time.

What was it really like to live “in the same manner as He walked” here “on earth as it is in heaven” with the Father (1 John 2:3-6; Matthew 6:8-15)?

Jesus promised that His Spirit will teach and bring to remembrance anything that He said and did with His own devoted Disciples during His brief time here on earth (John 14:23-26). This could potentially mean using some of the amazing “spiritual gifts” Paul explained were now part of our spiritual practice “tool box” such as prophecy and word of knowledge (1 Corinthians 12:1-11).

Having trouble imagining it? Picture it sort of like the Spirit of God replaying any of the old “home movies” of Jesus and His original disciples.

Don’t believe me? Paul said the Spirit of God contains literally EVERYTHING “which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him. For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God” (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

This literally means His Spirit contains all what He said and did back then when He walked the earth and what He is still speaking and still doing “on earth as it is in heaven” today. This is all available to us if we have “ears to hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:1-3:22).

Are you open to believe and receive from His Spirit today?

How else do you think Paul came to “know” and “understand” so much of the First-Person Gospel of Jesus Christ? It all came from “a revelation of Jesus Christ” in First-Person from God who is Spirit (John 4:21-26). He explains this in Galatians 1:11-12. King Jesus was already back in Heaven sitting on His throne when Paul started His “training” as a Disciple and later Apostle of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles (Acts 9:1-16; Galatians 1:1-21; Revelation 1:9-20; 4:1-11).

I know for myself, the parts of Jesus’ Gospel that He has spoken to me in First-Person INSTIGATED by Him TO ME, remain the MOST PROFOUND parts of the HisStory of God even as I certainly enjoy the “normal,” also First-Person Holy Spirit “revelation of Jesus Christ,” as I read the Bible too. That may seem like a funny statement but it is my best attempt at putting something hard to explain (or possibly impossible to explain) in all 3D’s at the same time in some “earthly” D3 words.

Does He lead me to Conversations without my conscious understanding of His leading/guiding where it appears to me that I am starting the Conversation? No doubt.

But I also know without a doubt that I am NOT a “robot” but someone created by God with a “free-will” to initiate my own Conversations with God too.

So, I view this second type of Conversation with God about His Gospel as being when I consciously instigate the Conversation by reading the Bible, or when I talk with Him about something I simply heard about anything. For example, anything Paul talked about in 1 Corinthians 2:5-16 and then asking for His “Helper” help to “reveal it” to me just as He promised in John 16:12-15; 15:26-27; and 1 John 2:26-27.

I call what He reveals to me about anything that we are talking about “the rest of the story of HisStory”. This is how I see the Spirit of God through Jesus completing, for example, the rest of HisStory during His temptation by the Devil in Matthew 4:1-11.

Revelation from the Spirit normally comes in parts and pieces like Paul explains in 1 Corinthians 13:9-12.

But I also know from personal experience that it sometimes comes like a WATERFALL of information I did not “know” just seconds or minutes before DOWNLOADED by His Spirit in some large amounts that I cannot even fully earthly comprehend all at once. Again, there’s a great related example from Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:1-10.

Both First-Person spiritual dimension Conversations with God instigated by Him or me respectfully, work for me!

It’s just that those instigated by Him and not me are normally the most PROFOUND and memorable for me for some obvious reasons!

How does Jesus view your own view of HisStory … His Gospel?

I encourage you to read those above references from your Bible or the accompanying Bible Study links here at Pokyra. I believe you too will learn for yourself that whenever Jesus shared HisStory or His Gospel of His Kingdom of Heaven with those who were NOT His devoted Disciples, it often did NOT go well.

It could have gone well, but it didn’t due to the unbelief in most people hearing His words. John 3:3-21 has more of Jesus’ reasons why it did not always go well.

I help Believers become better RECEIVERS of the Promises of Jesus here at Pokyra!

Pokyra helps to equip you with a solid Gospel of Jesus as your STARTING place so you too can learn from Him how to “walk in the same manner as He walked”. In doing so, everything else you build on top of that spiritual foundation will stand and not fall (1 John 2:3-6; Matthew 7:24-27; 1 Corinthians 3:11-4:5).

What I am offering here at Pokyra helps remove many of the obstacles to RECEIVING anything offered by God in 3D. This suddenly makes what God is offering us more practically received or “easier DONE” too.

Welcome to The Epic Mystery of Christ!

Open Bible Study Page HERE

The “mystery of Christ” and His Gospel is that He came to His human creation already living on earth APART from God in their “lawlessness” in regards to His Kingdom of Heaven.

He came into the world from outside the world by the Spirit of God to offer Himself as the Gift (D2) that will lead those still “of the truth” living here to a rescued (“saved” John 3:3-21; Luke 9:55-56; John 9:35-10:10) eternal life in His Kingdom of Heaven (D1).

He came to Provide the prophesied “new creation” “children of God” His Gift (D2) and to explain how that Gift of “life” can be received “in the same manner as He walked” with the Father “on earth as it is in heaven.” He explained how it ideally should “work” during our own brief Earthly life (D3) and forever more in the eternal dimensions of His Kingdom (D1) (Genesis 22:10-18; Jehovah Jireh).

Put that all together and you have what Pokyra calls “Your Life In 3D”.

Jesus had no earthly father because His Father in Heaven, who is Spirit, “dwells in unapproachable light” in the dimension of the Kingdom of Heaven (hence the well-known, “Our Father who is in heaven” foundations of His Gospel – Matthew 6:8-15; 1 Timothy 6:13-16).

The apostle Paul said it this way about how the Spirit of God is now supposed to be driving our lives each day all day:

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God …” (1 Corinthians 2:12).

Those two spirits represent two choices or spiritual dimension options.

From God’s perspective there are only TWO options in a reality that has Jesus the King ruling “first place in everything” (Colossians 1:13-18). The only other option must be in Rebellion to the ONE who has “first place in everything”. This is the Gospel of “the kingdom” as Jesus taught it in a nutshell (Mark 1:14-15).

Said another way, you and I are either FOR Him or we are AGAINST Him (Matthew 12:30; 12:22-37). We all have to make that choice at all times during our normal daily and seasonal routines of life.

His Gospel is all about a King and His Kingdom and how anyone relates to that King and His highest authority words and actions. Again, two choices. This is the Gospel from Genesis to Revelation in the Bible!

Jesus invites us to receive the Spirit of God from Him Personally. This means no mere human can “give” you the Spirit of God but God Himself:  the Father and the Son who by nature are ONE “Spirit” and not earthly (John 4:20-24).

When you do RECEIVE His Spirit in Personal relationship (“the promise of My Father” – Luke 24:49; Ephesians 1:13-21), it’s like suddenly having a NEW way to live after only having one “spirit of the world” option before Jesus made His Way of His Kingdom available by His Spirit.

The Jews did their best, and many maintained a “faith” in the COMING Spirit of God PATH that Jesus would fulfill while others only had “faith” for the OTHER “covenant” of the Law (John 4:20-26; Galatians 4:21-5:18; Romans 8:1-39; Hebrews 10:36-12:29).

But many Jews still managed to have faith in what was coming through “the Christ” HisStory of God (John 4:1-26)! There is even a Bible passage that makes a prophecy that “all Israel will be saved” (Romans 11:26). I hope they ALL do! But that is not for me to decide but the King of Heaven Himself (1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Romans 14:4).

HisStory with His people the Jews was incomplete until Jesus came to “fulfill all righteousness” for ALL of us … both Jews and Gentiles (Matthew 19:16-26; Ephesians 2:11-22; Acts 22:21-22).

Now we who live in the world have Two Paths to choose to “walk” where only ONE path represents the Spirit of God spiritual dimension Kingdom of Heaven foot-steps of our Master Jesus every day. How can you interpret Paul’s message in 1 Corinthians 2:12 any other way?

Therefore, the goal is to simply “walk” or “do it” like our Master Jesus “did it” just as John explains clearly,

“And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him, ’ and does not keep His commandments, IS A LIAR, and the truth is not in him; but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know we are in Him:  the one who says he abides in Him OUGHT HIMSELF TO WALK IN THE SAME MANNER AS HE WALKED “(1 John 2:3-6).

There is one Path that regularly receives “those things freely given to us by God” and it is the Path Jesus taught us to “walk”.

No doubt this has something important to do with how and why Jesus described Himself as “the way …,” in John 14:4-7, and why people identifying with Jesus used to be identified as “those belonging to the Way, both men and women,” in Acts 9:2.

It’s what “CHRISTian” was supposed to mean when followers of Jesus were also followers of “the mystery of Christ” part of the Gospel of God. It’s what Disciples like Paul received and the Prophets of old received by “the revelation of Jesus Christ” from “the Spirit of Christ within them” (1 Peter 1:10-13; Galatians 1:11-12; 1:15-16).

It’s what “CHRISTian” was supposed to mean when followers were identifying with Jesus Christ “first place in everything” including Jesus as, “the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on, you know Him and have seen Him” (John 14:6-7). Do you experientially “know” Him?

Jesus requires “first place in everything” in our Faith and if we are not willing to honor Him as King of Heaven, like a citizen of Heaven no longer “of this world” even as Jesus is “not of this world”, we should stop identifying with Him (Colossians 1:13-18; John 17:1-26). Plain and simple.

However you choose to “label” yourself as a “first place in everything” follower of Jesus (originally called a “Disciple” by Jesus their Master), know that Jesus Himself clearly distinguished and continues to distinguish His Path or “way” from all other paths “not seeking the interests of God, but man’s” (Matthew 16:21-28; Luke 9:55-56; Philippians 2:5-21; 3:1-21; John 16:33-17:26).

He warned us that the spiritual imposter Path (a.k.a. the “is a liar” Path as John just explained in the above 1 John 2:3-6 passage) both clearly and deceptively represents all other “walks of life” led by “the spirit of the world”.

Do you remember that there were “two trees in the garden” in Genesis 2:1-3:24?

Are you aware that the tree that caused the separation from God (spiritual death, sin, lawlessness) contained both “the knowledge of good and evil”?

If so, you also know or have learned from your Master Jesus that God does not play the “good and evil” game like those who live in the world play it (Matthew 19:16-26).

Why?

One has to start to view reality as the King of Heaven, Jesus, views the two trees in the garden like this:

1. the FORBIDDEN Tree = Rebellion in His Kingdom (the purpose or cause of “the serpent” or Devil).

2. the Tree of Life = eternal life living “right” with God with no rebellion (no separation or “death”) (Revelation 2:7).

The interpretation of Genesis where God kicks the now Rebel Humans out of the garden was for their PROTECTION. God did not want them eating of the “Tree of Life” in a Rebellious state which my guess from Jesus’ Gospel is all about what the Final Judgment will be about called eternal spiritual death or “the second death” which is eternal. The “second death” must be OVERCOME so Jesus can allow us to “eat of the tree of life which is in the paradise of God” and live with God forever (the promise of eternal life through Jesus’ Gift – Revelation 2:7; 20:14).

That helps explain a bit about the Rebellion part of Jesus’ Gospel.

But what about the topics of “good and evil” still being taught to all humans living in the Rebel “domain of darkness”? What are the differences of the topics of “good” and “evil” when compared to what is being taught about them from “the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13)?

Each “tree” in the garden has its own “nature” and Jesus taught that what naturally bears fruit from each tree is to be discerned distinctly different from each other, either fruit called “lawlessness” or fruit called “righteousness”.

The Law given to Moses was given by God to explain this difference but had NO ETERNAL SOLUTION to the Problem of “lawlessness” other than to “obey” the Law and what was called “the righteousness that is found in the Law”. Paul and other Jews were “blameless” in regards to this “righteousness” living but they could NOT OVERCOME what only Jesus could provide from His Gift or “the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith” (Philippians 3:1-9; Matthew 19:16-26).

Jesus came to not only explain the difference about the Law of God given to Moses but to FULFILL the “righteousness” part of His Gospel for us and to GIVE His ETERNAL SOLUTION as a free Gift to those open to RECEIVE it.

Learn the Gospel of Jesus in the New Testament and suddenly the two different versions of “truth” we were taught by Jesus to discern surrounding the topics of “good and evil” makes more sense.

It turns out, the same “father of lies” Jesus knows all too well is the SAME spiritual dimension leader of the Rebellion and demon-being “strongman” that “enslaved” the whole world to the spiritual NATURE of “sin” (“lawlessness”; John 8:31-36; Isaiah 14:12-17; Romans 3:23; 5:8; 5:12-19). Read Jesus’ explanation of the source of “lies” in John 8:31-45 and Matthew 4:1-11; still brainwashing the world by his “spirit of the world”.

Much like the totalitarian Chinese Communist Party ATHEIST government attempts to take over the role of God in people’s lives living in China, while outlawing the Bible version of truth and officially declaring God to be illegal by penalty of imprisonment or even death, the “spirit of the world” taught all humans now living in his “domain of darkness” what to believe and what not to believe about “good” and “evil”.

The “domain of darkness” means there is a spiritual “darkness” covering the WHOLE WORLD after joining the Rebellion (Genesis 1:3-13; 2 Corinthians 11:2-4).

What’s that like? Think George Orwell’s classic totalitarian story titled, “1984”. It’s a fictional story book where the mysterious “Big Brother” rules behind the scenes everything in society. This is analogous to what is spiritually going on from Jesus’ worldview in 3D … at least within “the domain of darkness” (Colossians 1:13-18; Matthew 4:1-11).

I am not saying that people in the world do not walk in “truth” that God would agree with too. I am just saying that I am just as surprised as King Jesus is when I see it (Matthew 8:10). I guess you would say I have come to share God’s mistrust of humans that too often lack “the rest of the story” of “all truth” that only God’s version can bring to the idea of REALITY (Jeremiah 17:5-8; 17:9-10).

Like Paul, I don’t even trust myself about “truth” issues regarding the motivations of my own “heart” and anyone else’s “heart” (1 Corinthians 4:1-5). I ask God to “examine” my own heart, and He does. Then He faithfully leads me “into all truth” by His Spirit! You can too!

A friend of mine calls life lived separated from God “insinity” which is obviously a play on a couple of words you likely already know about.

My point here is simple:  Jesus had to correct the Devil after EVERY use of the Scriptures in the famous “temptation” in the wilderness in Matthew 4:1-11.

Yes, the Devil used what was in essence “the Bible” of the day to try and DECEIVE. This meant the use of “half-truths” were common in his deceiving strategy. All of Jesus’ devoted Disciples are to learn from Jesus how NOT to be fooled or deceived just as Paul said the same thing in 2 Corinthians 2:11.

It’s just like the Serpent/Devil/Satan deceived Eve, and later attempt to deceive (unsuccessfully) Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). The Devil and his “spirit of the world” puts just enough of the real truth into most of his “temptation” arguments to hook someone and then STOPS before offering the WHOLE TRUTH for his wicked or biased reporting of what ends up as the LIE.

How does anyone counter this strategy?

One needs a “simplicity of devotion to Christ” and a commitment to seeking “the whole truth” (a.k.a. “all truth”) to help overcome the strategy that has served the Devil well for thousands of earth years. The Devil knows that “simplicity of devotion to Christ” connected to the literal Holy Spirit of Truth SOURCE leading them into “all truth” (a.k.a. the rest of the story of half-truths), is EXACTLY why he still uses the SAME strategy today.

He uses it to deceive us every day if we are not equipped to defeat it like our Master Jesus defeated the Devil’s strategy in Matthew 4:1-11 and Paul taught us too in 2 Corinthians 11:2-4.

Let’s take this discussion briefly to our own experience here on earth of pursuing “truth” that you might know about.

In America, we have a well-known oath that all must give before presenting a “testimony” by a witness in an American court-room:  “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help you God”? And if the people say, “No,” they are not allowed to give their testimony.

Of course, like in life, EVERYONE believes their version of “truth” is THE WHOLE TRUTH, even when it clearly is not. Some wise people designing the American Justice System way back when knew well the same discussion we are having here about the pursuit of truth … “So help me God.”

They knew quite well that people who wanted to get away with murder would employ the Devil’s version of “truth” which is by his “nature” a LIE (John 8:42-47). Lawyers being trained in Law School today would likely never acknowledge there is a link to “the Devil” and the Rebellion within the Kingdom of Heaven. They don’t even acknowledge God even as “So help me God” is used at the end of the oath, implying the Judeo-Christian God of the founding fathers of the United States.

Just look at the Main Stream Media today and their often-conscious biased pursuit of half-truth or incomplete truth “reporting”. Anyone who doesn’t think they “know” exactly what they are doing in trying to get people to “their side” of the “story”, their “narrative”, has already been duped.

Not surprisingly, their strategy of deception is too often exactly as their “father the devil” (Jesus’ words … not mine – John 8:44-45) used it in his failed attempt to get the King of Heaven to join his own version of truth. Yes, there is a “narrative” that the Devil pushes just like a corrupt News station CEO pushing propaganda “guidelines” for how to report a given story. The problem is that “in the world” “the spirit of the world” has a very POWERFUL following (John 3:19-21).

It’s actually the only spirit they get to live by each day “without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:11-12).

The Good News of His Gospel is that Jesus sent us all some “Help” if we are open to receive it by His Spirit sent to the whole world with a specific mission explained by Jesus in John 16:17-15.

Too many are promoting and even celebrating the guilty while at the same time yell, “crucify them,” to the innocent. Sound familiar (John 19:6-16)?

I believe that “gross darkness will cover the earth” just as God prophesied through the Prophet Isaiah in Isaiah 60:2. I also believe that the “light” of Jesus will increase for those who love God just as God promised it would (Isaiah 60:1-3).

What does this mean? It means that in the spiritual dimensions of life two opposing “domains” or “kingdoms” represented by “darkness” and “light” are in constant conflict with each other until the Final Judgment Day brings the “father of lies” and the entire Rebellion in the Kingdom of Heaven to an end (Revelation 20:10:-15). That’s all part of HisStory in the Bible.

I also believe that “truth” containing the WHOLE STORY will be harder to find within the lives of those who “loved the darkness more than the light” (John 3:19).  By “whole story” I mean much like the kind ideally sought after or pursued in an American court room where BOTH the Prosecutor and Defense get their “fair” chance to offer “the rest of the story” that one side is withholding for their own biased reasons. It’s much like Jesus “fairly” and successfully presented the rest of the “Story” of HisStory to counter the Devil’s incomplete “truth” and biased, crafty “lie” version in Matthew 4:1-11.

I believe “truth” with the rest of the story that God likes will be found less often throughout the entire world as the “domain of darkness” steps up its spiritual war plans for these prophesied Last Days.

I believe “the whole truth” will be found most often only among God’s children who love “the light” and live by the Spirit of truth leading them into “all truth” with God’s Help.

This is my point about “good and evil” as it is understood through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

To assume that Satan’s view of “good and evil” is somehow the same as God’s view of “good and evil” is to believe arguably the same first big lie that Eve came to believe too in Genesis 1:3-13.

Paul explains this first big lie too in 2 Corinthians 11:2-4. It’s simple, yet crafty enough to work when empowered by “the spirit of the world”.

By the way, this is the same confusion and deception at work behind the scenes spiritually when non-Christians begin to “argue” against believing in Jesus to begin with. Their common “argument” against not believing in God goes something like this:

“How could I believe in a God that IS THE CAUSE for famines, wars, pain and destruction …?” The list goes on and on because they believe no other source or spirit but God is the CAUSE of all “evil”.

Let’s take a brief analogy here in 2022. How many times have you heard that the “Pandemic” occurring around the world is a “Pandemic of the unvaccinated”? It’s the same argument that tries to paint these innocent unvaccinated citizens of the world as THE SOURCE of what appears to be a human created monster virus escaping (or being unleashed on purpose depending on your view) from a virology lab in Wuhan, China.

The strategy is not new. It’s a smoke-screen sent out to confuse people as to the REAL SOURCE of something behind the blinding smoke. The more people are willing to accept and accuse the innocent as being the SOURCE of the Problem the easier it is to manipulate the “truth” they are following regarding the Problem too.

As far as the “evil” part of HisStory, the Devil is simply using the easiest lie “blame game” in his arsenal to blame God for what was actually his own doing in the “first” place regarding the Rebellion in the Kingdom of Heaven (Revelation 20:11).

These people who are still believing God is the SOURCE of “evil” may have never heard Jesus share His own Gospel about some OTHER cause … the REAL cause … “the evil one” Jesus always wanted us to be protected from (John 17:15; Matthew 6:13) … according to God’s view of clearly “evil” things going on in the world: starting with the REBELLION in His Kingdom of Heaven.

Point being, if anyone is NOT prepared to “repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”, as Jesus and John the Baptist declared THE REAL CAUSE of “evil” in the world being the Rebellion and “lawlessness” in God’s Kingdom, then they have chosen their “side” in a reality Jesus said had two opposing “sides” throughout His version of HisStory (Mark 1:14-15; Matthew 3:2; 4:1-17).

The people living in the world who “loved the darkness rather than the light” certainly disagree with Jesus about their own individual role to play in the Rebellion still going on today as well as the very real consequences of the Rebellion in the “hearts” of humankind (Jeremiah 17:9-10; John 3:18-21).

Jesus would say to these people, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:14-15).

Jesus shares some more clear details of His “kingdom of God” Gospel and His view of HisStory, by declaring,

“the thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)

THAT is what is missing in the Gospel of Jesus Christ for these people still blaming God for all the “evil” in the world today!

TIP FOR BLAMERS OF GOD:  It obviously would be important to read Jesus’ Gospel in the Bible before making up your mind that God is GUILTY and those of the Rebellion in the Kingdom of Heaven (Rebel Angels and Rebel Humans) are INNOCENT of “evil”.

So, according to Jesus, each “tree” that He taught us about in Matthew 7:15 represents a completely different spiritual system where each “system” has its own version of the way to live, its own version of truth to receive and certainly its own version of life and eternal life.

Take a moment to consider this:  If there are “false prophets” then there must be true prophets too (1 John 4:1).

Both false and true have different “fruit” coming out of each of them that both claim to be “good fruit” but one of the two is obviously lying while the other is telling the REAL or WHOLE truth.

Are you following Jesus’ Gospel here?

What’s the main differences pointed out in Jesus’ Gospel? Well, for starters there is a different …

 

• Spirit (“spirit of the world” vs. “the Spirit who is from God” – 1 Corinthians 2:12)

 

• Way where ‘good’ is hijacked by the Devil’s Rebellion and is therefore separated from “the tree of life” “good fruit” that Jesus said is the TRUE “good fruit”
  • • • • It’s just like Jesus’ analogy of the two trees in Matthew 7:15-20. It’s His own version of “good and bad fruit” based on two very difference Spirit SOURCES (John 15:1-8; Micah 7:1-21; Jeremiah 17:5-8) with clearly different spiritual “fruit” for us to discern. See the two spirit examples above from 1 Corinthians 2:12 from His Kingdom perspective called “unrighteousness vs. righteousness.” See also the way “leading to destruction” vs. “the way leading to life” – “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you” – Matthew 6:33.

• Truth where one father’s truth is actually LIES vs. the Real Father’s Truth tells “the rest of the story” of HisStory of “all truth” (John 8:31-38; 1 Corinthians 2:5-16).

 

• Life (much like the “Way”, one “life” is a way of a relatively brief human earthly life. It’s “brief” because the eternal, spiritual life has been stolen, killed and destroyed by the same “thief” Jesus explained to us in John 10:10. Both the spiritual life and earthly life are STOLEN from Jesus’ perspective leading to a “door” separating God and His beloved Human creations (John 10:1-10).
  • • • • • According to Jesus’ Gospel, it’s like the difference between eternal death or separation from God (kept OUT of Heaven – Matthew 7:21-23) vs. eternal Life with “life … abundantly” provided by God Himself but in Heaven as it is in Heaven and “in the same manner as He walked” with the Father “on earth as it is in heaven”
          • Jesus continues, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hireling, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, beholds the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees, and the wolf snatches them, and scatters them, He flees because he is a hireling, and is not concerned about the sheep …” (read the entire message of Jesus in John 10:1-30)

John 10 is where Jesus explains how He approaches all people in the world as “the good shepherd” and NOT like “the wolf.” This is especially true for those willing to become His own sheep who “follow Him because they know his voice” living on His Path clearly different from the path of “the wolf.” The “wolf” is led by a “stranger” or “thief” and THAT “stranger/thief” path is clearly not God’s Path.

Jesus never promises to protect those NOT choosing His Path and who are “not My sheep” but “from the evil one” path (John 17:6-26).

Jesus’ Gospel regarding this topic is all in Red and White (at least in my Bible) in John 3:3-21.

God does “so love the world” but most don’t love Him back!

Jesus explains how He can and does help those who love Him and the “light” of His Kingdom. These are those asking for His Help vs. “those who loved the darkness more than the light” which He said are like “blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit” (Matthew 15:14).

For example, to Jesus, the differences about the foundational reality we call “truth” is SO DIFFERENT from God’s perspective of “truth” … as different as “light” and “darkness” … He said it was also like the difference between these:

two SEPARATE “gates” to eternity in Matthew 7:13-14,

two SEPARATE “trees” in Matthew 7:15-20,

two SEPARATE “kingdoms” and SEPARATE “Father” in Matthew 7:21,

two SEPARATE followers (including the “hireling” false shepherds from John 10:1-30) calling Him “Lord, Lord” in Matthew 7:22-23

and two SEPARATE “foundations” of their spiritual life in Matthew 7:24-27.

Do you see a pattern here?

The topic of “truth” is just one example but you can take anything of everything as a potential example too. In fact, this analysis of the DIFFERENCES must eventually become a “normal” Conversation Starter analysis done by all of Jesus’ devoted Disciples regarding literally EVERYTHING they come in contact with in their now multi-dimensional Life In 3D.

I call this analysis Conversation Starter practice GOOD HABIT #3 at Chestnutland found here at Pokyra. Visit my analysis but do your own analysis of EVERYTHING now viewed from Jesus’ 3D Worldview (Colossians 1:13-18)!

Did you “get it” that this “two trees” Gospel of Jesus Christ in Matthew 7 looks EXACTLY like the “two trees” Gospel in Genesis that so many have trouble BELIEVING and RECEIVING even today (Genesis ; John 7.28-29; Revelation 2:7)?

 

Why Do So Many NOT Believe The Gospel of Genesis In The Bible?

Open Bible Study Page HERE

The Genesis account of God and Human HisStory is where the Bible HisStory of God BEGINS.

But it remains in many respects just as “unbelievable” to too many Christians and almost all non-Christians as another famous “unbelievable” Gospel of Jesus taught directly by Jesus Himself in John chapter 6.

What is that SAME TEST presented by God in both parts of His Gospel, HisStory?

I believe too many are failing the belief test because both Genesis 1:1-3:4 and John 6:1-71 are to be spiritually discerned in 3D and not naturally discerned in 1D only (see my 3D teaching here at Pokyra).

A person living in all 3D’s means exactly what Jesus meant to say when He explained,

“… the words that I have spoken to you are SPIRIT and are life. But there are some of you who do not believe” (John 6:63).

It literally has everything to do with Jesus’ declaration in John 4:23-24, “But an hour is coming, and NOW IS, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.

God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.“

So much of the “mystery of Christ” is revealed here!

Are you aware that the Father in Heaven is actively seeking a special type of “worshiper” out of all the potential “worshipers” in the world?

But here’s something that will disappoint the “spiritual” who falsely believe there is only ONE potential SPIRIT for ALL “good” and “evil” going on in the world today:

The truth is …

POINT #1:  … there is God’s ONE Spirit

POINT #2:  … and then there is the “spirit of the world” where all the OTHER spirits who do practice all kinds of “evil”  outside of God’s Kingdom (welcome to Thraldom prison!) these are lumped into one category of those spirits who are NOT of the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:12; 1 John 3:24-4:1; 2:26-27; 2:3-6).

That is the simple spiritual dimension truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Do you get what I mean here?

I mean that too many falsely believe that to be “spiritual” means that EVERY SPIRIT influencing life on earth is from God. Just read those Bible references under POINT #2 and you will get what I mean. I mean what Paul and John meant to say in those Bible passages.

At the same time, I also get it that many people don’t want to be a “downer” toward others (possibly a friend or a neighbor wanting to be “spiritual”) with this “inconvenient truth” that you are NOT experiencing the SAME Spirit. People can get defensive about themselves, right?

But please, for God’s sake, let’s start making this all about God first and not about ourselves or other people first!

What does King Jesus of Heaven truly care about first and not what “feelings” of others will we likely “hurt” or offend when we (or they) find out what He truly cares about … like His ONE Holy Spirit (Matthew 15:1-14; 16:21-28; Luke 9:51-56; 1 John 2:26-27; 3:24-4:1)?

The truth is not every one cares too much about “the interests” of Christ (Philippians 2:21). They would rather we care about offending “the interests” of those who are “offended” by Jesus Christ.

Why is this discussion even important?

This is ABSOLUTELY IMPORTANT when one begins to learn about and believe and receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Who is Jesus? Why is “the gospel of the kingdom” so important? Yes, the answers Jesus gave almost always immediately START with His Kingdom of Heaven (I call it “D1” here at Pokyra). Jesus declares,

“seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.” (Matthew 6:33)

Do that and you will do well! Care more about seeking the interests of others first and it won’t go well!

It’s as if God is spiritually testing us all to find a people opening or already open to live by His ONE Spirit and not by the so-called “wisdom of men” or any other “spirit” NOT from God (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).

It’s as if the King of Heaven “knows” and sees who these “spirit people” truly are and He is seeking them out for Himself and for the Father to live with Him NOW “on earth as it is in heaven” and eventually without our earthly bodies (our “spirit” only) in Heaven as it is in Heaven (John 18:33-37).

I would go so far as to say the “John 6 TEST” is all about this pursuit of God pursuing us living in the world who the Father thinks are the “worshipers” He would like to have around His throne:  “for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers” (John 6:60-65).

Do you see what I am seeing here in Jesus’ Gospel?

Both the Genesis 1:1-3:4 and John 6:1-71 accounts quickly separate the unbelievers from the believers in the same exact way. The literal “spirit” truth behind the earthly words (see 1 Corinthians 2:12-16) appears hidden to the unspiritual! Jesus explained this all in Matthew 13:1-43 in quite some detail. Check it out!

Consider the following Gospel message of Jesus as He explains the great honor for His own Disciples of being able to “see” and “hear” the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus declared to them,

“I will open My mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.” (Matthew 13:35)

Jesus continues in Luke:

“And the seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.’

And He said to them, ‘I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.

Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you.

Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.’ (no doubt a reference to Revelation 20:15 and their names being written in the Book of Life)

At that very time he rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said,

‘I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth (Jesus has this same authority as He declared in Matthew 28:18-20 when He then gave it to His Disciples too in the Great Commission)

that You did hide these things from the wise and the intelligent and did reveal them to babes (see Jesus’ same message in Matthew 11:25-30).

Yes, Father, for thus it was well-pleasing in Your sight.

All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.’

And turning to the disciples, He said privately, ‘Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see,

for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them” (Luke 10:17-24).

Do you see what I see in His Gospel?

Jesus is explaining how it all works if we will simply “listen to Him” (Matthew 17:5; 3:17)!

Can the Gospel of Jesus be interpreted any other way than a big Spirit of God TEST to see who will “hear” and “see” (and obey) and who will close their eyes and ears from His Spirit words (and disobey)?

It’s amazing to experience the same reactions in people today who hear Jesus’ “words” in Genesis just as they heard Jesus’ words in John 6.

Of course, one has to have already come to the conclusion that Jesus is the same God who was walking the earth with the original 12 human Disciples as well as the same God that declared, “Let there be light!” in Genesis 1:3. He is the same ONE who shared about “the glory which I had with You before the world was” in prayer with the Father in John 17:5.

This means that not only was Jesus there at work in HisStory before, during and after Abraham was born as He explains in John 8:54-59, Jesus was also there with the Father (who is Spirit) during the part of HisStory that included the initial Rebellion.

Yes, this certainly means the initial Rebellion of Adam and Eve on behalf of the human race (explained in Genesis 3:1-24), but it also means the initial Rebellion that saw Lucifer, the evidently once beautiful Archangel created by God, suddenly become the JUDGED and SENTENCED “Satan or the Devil ruler of the prison of “the domain of darkness” (Colossians 1:13-18). This all happened at some point in HisStory outside of “time” as we know it here on earth today.

This HisStoric Rebellion of the once top Angel in the Kingdom of God apparently attracted what some Bible interpretors say was about 1/3 of the once glorious Angels falling to what has become “demon” status within “the domain of darkness” (2 Peter 2:4; Colossians 1:13; Revelation 12:1-17 – especially vs 17 – plus Matthew 4:1-11; Revelation 20:7-10).

The presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ that I just shared with you using the Bible puts Jesus THERE with the Father at ALL the points in HisStory!

You have to be OPEN to Jesus being intimately involved in all of HisStory to truly “get” the “mystery of God” that one day will be “finished” (Revelation 10:7). If it has a “finished” date, it had to have had a “beginning” too.

I believe the Genesis parts of HisStory as “the origin or mode of formation” of what’s going on in today’s HisStory of God in 3D.

It’s what was, is now and what will be HisStory of “the mystery of Christ” and “His Church” called OUT of the World to be “saved” from eternal Judgment.

It’s HisStory … His Gospel of the Kingdom … “the mystery of God is finished” in due time (Revelation 10:7).

For example, here are a few key words of what I personally believe to be referring to Jesus and the Father in Genesis:

“Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, lest he stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever’ -“ (Genesis 3:22)

These words include the famous “Us” description of God.

What does “Us” mean here? We will get to the actual content of what “the Lord God said” in just a moment.

Maybe the “Us” usage meant the ONE God as Spirit (there is ONE Spirit of God, not two or more) PLUS all His Angels and heavenly creatures around His throne explained throughout Revelation 4:1-11. They certainly knew about “good and evil” in many ways like God knew it. They watched Angels turn to Demons because of it.

Maybe the “Us” has to do with Jesus’ “baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” command in Matthew 28:18-20. I have my belief about this “mystery”, but “the Lord God” knows for certain and I will certainly ask Him for His own “rest of the story” explanation of this mystery when I see Him “face to face” (1 Corinthians 13:12-13). Or maybe He may just catch me up to Heaven and show me what He sees from this topic like He showed John in Revelation? That would be AWESOME! God knows ALL about that too (2 Corinthians 12:1-10).

So, you can see that I’m obviously a believer and RECEIVER of these words in Genesis.

I’m also a believer in that mysterious reason God kicked Adam and Eve out of “the paradise of God”.

The “paradise of God” is how my Master Jesus described the location of “the tree of life” in Revelation 2:7.

The reason for kicking out Adam and Eve from the spiritual dimension of the Garden of Eden was just shared by “the Lord God” in Genesis 3:22. The “tree of life” appears to be “eternal” in nature and if anyone eats of “the tree of life” in a Rebellious state, they may NEVER “be saved” from the eternal consequences of what they just joined. God said, “and now, lest he strech out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”.

What’s left after hearing this explanation from God about the eternal danger we all face and the obstacle that must be “overcome” that is keeping us from safely eating of the literal “tree of life” as Jesus explained it in Revelation 2:7? Shouldn’t there be some manifestation of a deep fear of imminent eternal judgment?

This is the “gospel of the kingdom” that Jesus was declaring in Mark 1:12-15 already typed out above.

We should ALL be just as deeply concerned about HisStory as “the Lord God” was in Genesis 3:22!

Jesus was and still is just as concerned about something He called “sin, and righteousness and judgment” in John 15:26-16:15!

But what’s up with those mysterious “words” of God that seem to leave so many leaving God in unbelief?

It turns out that the Spirit behind His “words” are here in Genesis, as always, the dividing issue as Jesus explains in the John 6 TEST given to all those in “ear-shot” of Him listening to the Gospel of Jesus when He walked the earth.

Here’s how King Jesus of Heaven explained it to them back then and still to us today who are listening in “ear-shot” of Him by faith:

“Does this cause you to stumble? What then if you should behold the Son of Man ascending where He was before (literally beheld by all those watching it happen in Acts 1:9-11)? It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not believe” (John 6:61-64).

The mystery as I have learned it is that Jesus “knows” what is “in” humankind, called “lawlessness” or “sin”.

What Jesus saw and still sees “in” us is what was also seen by Him in Genesis 3:22-24. It’s the same obstacle to “overcome” that Jesus described in Revelation 2:7. It’s the same obstacle keeping any of us far away from God who are in any way still like the “rich young ruler” in Matthew 19:16-26. God shared the same obstacle message from His Gospel to Jeremiah the Prophet in Jeremiah 17:5-8 and 17:9-10.

So, after reading those Bible passages, I hope you are now “seeing” for yourself what was “in” us that God was seeing in the Genesis account of the spread of the Rebellion part of HisStory to arguably God’s favorite creation, humanity.

We must immediately be prepared to RECEIVE this part of HisStory too because He sees the same obstacle in us today!

Why Does The Devil Hate Us So Much?

He Hates God’s Love For Us!

Open Bible Study Page HERE

Allow me to share the BEST answer to this question that I ever heard Jesus share because I trust His answer better than my own or anyone else’s answer:

“The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly.

I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.

He who is a hireling, and NOT THE OWNER OF THE SHEEP, beholds the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep, and flees, and the wolf snatches them, and scatters them.

He flees because he is a hireling, and IS NOT CONCERNED ABOUT THE SHEEP.

I am the good shepherd; and I know My own, and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.” (John 10:10-15)

Said another way, the Devil and those still NOT on Jesus’ SIDE of the Rebellion but still on the Devil’s side, is “NOT THE OWNER OF THE SHEEP”.

He could care less if we die or live, right? Actually, that is not completely accurate. I believe he would rather we “die” eternally “the second death” (Revelation 20:10-15) WITH him that is separated from an honoring “first place in everything” Personal Relationship with God and His Kingdom of His beloved Son. So, in this sense he does care about the eternal aspects of our life and his nature is to “steal, kill and destroy” our lives if given the chance (Matthew 4:1-11; 13:1-23; Colossians 1:13-18).

So, why did “the serpent” or “the Devil” even target this human creation to begin with? I again reference Jesus’ temptation by the Devil in Matthew 4:1-11 to give likely the most accurate answer to that mysterious question. Study Jesus’ interaction with the Devil while here on earth and you will learn lots of mysteries that you too will experience whether you believe Him or acknowledge them or not (John 6:60-64).

I also believe the Devil’s hatred for us has something very intimate and important to do with the Devil’s HATRED of the “Father” heart of God toward His Human creation.

He knew God has always had a great LOVE for His own Human creations made “in His image” having an eternal calling and destiny through the “mystery of Christ” to become the “new creation” “children of God” (1 John 2:3-5:21).

The Devil hates the reasons God loves us!

There are certainly many more reasons God loves us humans than His Fatherly love for His own children, but I can’t think of a more important reason. I am a father of 4 and I can’t imagine there being a stronger LOVE other than maybe our love for God or our Spouse.

Not convinced? Just try comparing the intense hatred God receives from people all over the world throughout HisStory. Do you know how Jesus responded to these God haters?

Jesus said, “You are of your father the devil …” and “If God were your Father, you would love Me; for I proceeded forth and have come from God …” – in John 8:31-55.

Did you just hear what I heard Jesus say about God’s Human creation? It’s as if the Rebellion has transformed them into a “new creation” that HATES their Father, Creator God SOOOOOOOO MUCH that the “devil” has convinced them to stay in their “adopted” abusive relationship over the opportunity to RETURN to their Parent who formed them in their Mother’s womb!

Truly amazing!

It’s much like the well-known STOCKHOM SYNDROME identified throughout the world where abusive kidnappers somehow succeed in convincing the kidnapped abused kids (as kids or possibly over some amount of time in captivity as grown up adults) all kinds of lies about their REAL Parent. The “captives” develop a “bond” with their “captors”.

Read again Jesus’ conversation with the Jews in John 8:19-55 and see for yourself if there is not an OBVIOUS “Stockholm Syndrome” between God’s beloved creations and their “captor” the “devil”.  See how they are literally brain-washed AGAINST the Father they think they “know” according to their Jewish heritage. Jesus gave them a wake-up call and told them directly that they were now bonding more with the one who “enslaved” them than the Father who is God (verse 31-36).

It is one of the most HEART-BREAKING conversations, I believe, in the entire Bible!

Can you imagine God’s heart breaking for their own children who now love their captors INSTEAD of their REAL Parent after the “fall”? It’s no doubt been breaking since that first moment Adam and Eve chose that “liar” and in essence got in his “car” and “drove” away from Father God! Paul references this same “Eve” temptation in 2 Corinthians 11:2-4.

No doubt God has LOTS of Humans He truly loves. He arguably loves ALL Humans if you believe Jesus in John 3:16-21 (and I do). But it turns out most Humans HATE Him and love the same “father” and “darkness” that Jesus explained is the Story of anyone who has left God for another “father”. This wicked step-father, of course, isn’t really equal with God, but they think so.

This is like the Lost Son Parable of Jesus without the RETURN to the Father who loves them “happy ending” (Luke 15:11-32).

I believe John’s explanation of the the “new creation” mystery of the “children of God” in 1 John 2:3-5:21 has to be right there at the top of the best reasons God loves us who love Him back throughout HisStory!

We can also be certain the Devil hates us for each and every reason God loves us Humans (in general) and ESPECIALLY anyone who has returned back to Him through Jesus’ Gift (D1) leading to eternal life in His Kingdom of Heaven (D1). That’s the eternal HOME for those of us who are now “the children of God” differentiated from the “children of the devil” (1 John 2:28-3:16)!

Now you have a good idea “why?” the Devil would target us humans with such deception masking his own deep hatred for God.

Now you have a good idea “why?” the Devil would even attempt to tempt all of us (even Jesus too – Matthew 4:1-11) to disobey God’s Kingly commands if possible. I mean why would he do it if it wasn’t specifically to lead us to the same eternal rebellion consequences that he was experiencing with King Jesus described as “lawlessness” (you may know it as “sin” – 1 John 3:4) in His Kingdom according to His Gospel?

Now you have a good idea “why?” the “serpent” would even today “tempt” these Humans with a different way of life that clearly disobeys life lived in all 3D’s “on earth as it is in heaven” according to the “will of My Father who is in heaven”.

Now you have a good idea “why?” tries to get us to disobey the inherent absolute commands inside God’s “will”.

Now you have a good idea “why?” the Devil still tries to create doubts and unbelief toward God’s own version of HisStory, including countering His Spirit of “truth” with some “anti-christ” spirit (1 John 2:18-27).

Again, as you hear these strategies of the Devil toward destroying our relationship with God you need to remind yourself as often as you need to that Jesus can always and at all times “see” spiritually what you and I almost always certainly need “help” from His Spirit to “see” by “revelation”.

He is all-knowing or “omniscient”.

God knows that what is most often hidden from any of us living in “the domain of darkness” is that GREAT LOVE God has for us that must now be “revealed” to us by His Part to Play and then ultimately RECEIVED by Our Part to Play in the Personal relationship with God (Matthew 11:25-30).

God knows we need “help” to even realize His awesome love for us in a world where lies are more prevalent than the truth of God. The Good News of Jesus’ Gospel is that His love can still be FOUND by seeking hearts! He is offering us His Help to do so.

Jesus explained how He would be sending this “Helper” to do just THAT and a WHOLE LOT more!

God explained the title for the Holy Spirit as “the Helper” in John 15:26-16:15.

It was always God’s plan to send us this help from His Spirit “Helper” so we could know more and receive more about what God is literally still “doing” with and among us who are living here on earth. That includes the greatest love relationship the world has ever known! This great love story is all part of HisStory.

According to Jesus’ Gospel in the Bible, Jesus ALONE was “the only begotten Son of God” dwelling with the “unseen” Father God “before the world was” who truly KNOWS ALL OF HISSTORY (John 17:5).

We also must regularly remind ourselves that it is the Spirit of God who knows ALL of HisStory of all of His creations, not just our “human” HisStory with God (1 Corinthians 2:6-16; Revelation 12:7-17).

Without the Holy Spirit Help to “see” His Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven you will NOT “see” what God sees about us in 3D (John 15:26.7:15;  Matthew 11:25-30).

So, what are some of the things Jesus “sees” that likely you and I did not “see” before He revealed the very real differences in reality from “the father of lies” vs. His Father and His Kingdom of Heaven?

I think I speak for ALL Jesus believing and RECEIVING Disciples of Jesus when I say,

“If Jesus believed it, I believe it. I receive whatever ‘Truth’ is to be received too.”

In one word:  EVERYTHING.

I put this into a song I wrote a long time ago:

Song #17  Jesus Said It I Believe It (The Band in 1998)

“Jesus said it I believe it

I believe His word is true

There’s no other one to hope in

Jesus said, therefore I do

The world listens to someone else

That’s why they have to die

They’ll never get to Heaven following the “father of lies”!

Some will rise and meet Jesus in the sky

But those who fall will join the “father of lies”

Some will hear, Jesus will wipe away their tears

But those who fall will cry with the “father of lies”

… And their tears will never dry”

Sort of a “downer” for those who choose the wrong Father and who are also missing out on what Jesus described as “the will of My Father who is in heaven” that mysteriously PROVES to God we “know” Him and He “knows” us too. He teaches that we can Personally “know” Him and the Father by the Spirit as His children walking rightly and not wrongly (lawlessness) with the King of Heaven (Matthew 7:21-23).

Paul warned followers of Jesus about NOT receiving “the will” of God:

“But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.

For this reason it say, ‘Awake, sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you (same Gospel promises of Christ from HisStory told in Isaiah 26:19).’

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise,

making the most of your time, because the days are evil (one of the BEST reasons for serving your life here at Pokyra with a Time Manager tool!).

So, then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is“ (Ephesians 5:13-17).

 

Let’s Put The Gospel of Jesus Christ Into Some REAL Practice and Fruit Expectations

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Let me explain this a bit from my own Story driven by HisStory.

Long ago, I personally left a lifestyle of being a mere “believer” in Jesus (from the early 1970’s to the early 1980’s) to become a devoted “disciple” in about 1984 until the present. This transition from believer to RECEIVER was mostly seen in my Practice and spiritual Fruit expectations.

As a “believer” I did not expect much in Practice or Fruit because I never really accepted I had anything “to do” as a “believer” other than go learn something about God at a “church” or read about God in the Bible. That was my “believer” expectation.

When I became a devoted Disciple in the mid-1980’s ALL of my expectations changed regarding Practice and Fruit expectation as a Disciple of Jesus. I became more of a practicing RECEIVER than a mere hearing believer. I believe Jesus will teach you the same difference when you read His important Gospel in Matthew 7:24-27 and John 15:1-8.

The difference is all about the Practice of RECEIVING “the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:12).

We are learning to ultimately RECEIVE what Jesus is offering which always STARTS with His commands.

His first command was arguably for His Disciples to simply “obey all that I commanded you”.

The number one Commandment God gave to Moses was always to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your mind”. This makes sense and fits well with Jesus’ “first place in everything” Gospel of always honoring and loving His Father in Heaven for our example of a faithful citizen of “the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13-18). God is always “first” and never second or worse.

What else did Jesus command us? It could literally be any of His commands in the Bible or anything He is speaking to you right now by His Spirit in command form.

When it comes to Jesus’ commands I think He would likely say something like, “Just do what I already told you to do in Matthew 28:18-20. Then ask Me for more!”

Then, after finding all the commands you can think of, the next logical question comes up for us all:

“How do I do it?”

Then our Master lovingly yet directly says, “Just do what I do the way I do it.”

The Disciple John explained the same thing this way: “walk in the same manner as He walked” (Matthew 28:18-20; 1 John 2:3-6).

This brings us to what Jesus claimed was the MOST IMPORTANT part of “knowing” Him:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21). Read all of Matthew 7:21-27 in context to get the true gravity of why I say this is the most important part of “knowing” Him in Jesus’ Gospel. Everything depends on it!

But the truth is you are NOT going to get far without first RECEIVING what Jesus called “the promise of My Father” or “power from on high” which is none other than the Spirit of God (Luke 24:49). More on this later in the presentation. But just know this is what makes anyone’s SPIRITUAL CONNECTION with the Father and “the will of My Father who is in heaven” even possible.

The Good News of Jesus’ Gospel is that He taught us in both word and practice (deed) and expected “good fruit” of what that Personal relationship with His Father in Heaven would look like “on earth as it is in heaven”. Most of you are aware of the famous “Lord’s Prayer” in Matthew 6:8-15 which gives a great outline of the basics or basic training for a young Disciple of Jesus.

Look at it as Jesus’ quickest explanation of how to RECEIVE what is the MOST IMPORTANT part of “knowing” Him.

This one “prayer” has all 3D’s taught at the same time and is my model for teaching prayer as a lifestyle here at Pokyra.

If you can get to THAT “place” with the Father in Heaven through Jesus Christ, you are off to a great STARTSTORY and off to a great CONTINUEDSTORY too. It is a CONTINUEDSTORY that will serve you well the rest of your days lived here “on earth as it is in heaven” and how to “walk in the same manner as He walked” (1 John 2:3-6).

Getting our expectations to THAT foundational “place” with the Father in Heaven and as a Citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven, was always King Jesus’ goal.

It’s what we lost when we humans left God and His Kingdom to begin with according to the Biblical account of HisStory.

Jesus explained its foundational importance to our life lived “on earth as it is in heaven” when teaching about “acting” on His words and not just believing His words in Matthew 7:24-27.

This transfer from “believer” to “RECEIVER” is where Jesus helps us leave the childish pursuit of a “God is watching us from a distance” type of Faith to the mature pursuit of if we do NOT “act” on His words “in the same manner as He walked” then our spiritual foundations are more like “sand”. Every step you take will be insecure instead of secure whenever your Master Jesus or your Father in Heaven asked you to “do” or “act” on something He did too.

The distant and impersonal God model is NOT Jesus’ Gospel or Model for His own Disciples. It may have been that “way” in the Old Testament times for His people the Jews when their expectation was just to learn and obey the “Law” given by God to Moses.

Even as Jesus declared that the Law of Moses will never disappear, it is no longer “the way, and the truth, and the life” to live with the Father now practiced “through” Jesus Christ (John 14:6-7). Jesus FULFILLED the Law of Moses PERFECTLY and therefore made a way, truth and life to live that He always desired with His Human creation “in spirit and truth” (John 4:19-26).

The practice of “acting” on Jesus’ words and example shows both you and King Jesus that you are actually “equipped” to “walk in the same manner as He walked” as a citizen of His Kingdom and not what James refers to as being a “double minded man, unstable in all his ways” message in James 1:1-8.

What else does this transfer from “believer” to “RECEIVER” mean?

It means I personally have already ABSOLUTELY 100% by Faith RECEIVED who He is.

It’s just like Jesus’ believer/RECEIVER Disciples that chose to STAY with Him and not leave Him in John 6:60-71.

It’s ALL settled by faith.

Nobody could change my Faith in Jesus when I finally made that transition from “believer” to RECEIVER devoted “Disciple” having just ONE Master taking hold of my heart and mind (Matthew 6:24; 2 Corinthians 11:2-4).

So, for me, the process of believing anything Jesus is offering me in 3D is more of an exciting adventure rather than a struggle to always have to sort of question everything with my earthly, empirical mind before I could believe in something I cannot see with my earthly eyes.

I say that, even as I obviously must daily do the hardest part in the Christian Faith which is to practically RECEIVE anything in real-time with my top 5 Priority Area relationships. These are those relationships we all spend most if not all of our real-time with during our life on earth.

This means every time I am challenged by God to receive something to “do” by “acting” on His words in some “way” and at some “place” and at some Scheduled REAL TIME I must make that REAL with someone I know personally, just like anyone else must do too.

As I have matured, I find this spiritual and earthly life Practice has become a relatively quick and often immediate process that better matches my ever-increasing unshakeable faith in Jesus.

I can clearly discern for myself that it became a relatively QUICK process of both faith and action when I transferred from being a mere “believer” to a devoted “serious Disciple” RECEIVER. Check it out for yourself.

Can you see the difference in Practice and expectations of “good fruit” between certain “believers” (let alone unbelievers) who have not yet settled their commitment to who Jesus is by faith in the same manner as, say Paul in Galatians 2:20? Paul shares the most obvious difference using these words to describe His own devotion to Jesus:

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20).

I guarantee you, when I was a mere “believer” I NEVER would have said THAT type of statement with any real conviction of the heart. I might even be impressed with Paul’s amazing level of devotion to Jesus, but I certainly would never think I could or even should have that level of faith and devotion too.

When I gave myself to Jesus 100% and RECEIVED His Spirit Gift from Heaven, I learned to “walk in the same manner as He walked” and … step-by-step … I am still well on my way to a not yet attained life goal to “grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, cause the GROWTH of the body for the building up of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:15-16).

Make that same transition from ?% “believer” to absolutely 100% “RECEIVER” and you too will realize the same devotion to Christ that Paul realized for himself in Galatians 2:20.

I challenge anyone sincerely seeking the interests of Jesus first to examine their own devotion to Jesus using Paul’s words above in Galatians 2:20.

Examine yourself (2 Corinthians 13:5-6)!

Then, simply read Jesus’ own command (requirement) of that exact type of devotion from you and me and “anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me …” (read all of Matthew 16:21-28 for context).

For some Christians today, who were like me during the 1970’s going around life unfulfilled as a mere “believer”, it was the simple Gospel of Jesus Christ presented to me IN FULL (i.e. Matthew 16:21-28; Luke 9:57-62) that made me WAKE UP to my calling from my King to give my life to Him 100%.

Here is a related mystery, if you can hear it:  unless we get to a 100% for Jesus “place” like Jesus required in Matthew 16:21-28 and Paul RECEIVED in Galatians 2:20, there remains a large or small percentage of our life still belonging to “the Devil” or “ruler of the world” as Jesus called Him. Jesus called it a life of “lawlessness” as it relates to His Kingdom of Heaven Gospel.

Paul explained the Gift of Jesus part of His Gospel to be of “benefit” to those who lived by the Spirit of God. It’s a GIFT of God that works by “forgiveness” of our sins as a LIFESTYLE of faith in the power of God to do what was “impossible with men is possible with God” (Matthew 19:25-26; 6:14-15; Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:1-10).

Paul warned the Galatians desiring to return to something else other than Jesus’ Gift (D2) Gospel:

“It was for freedom that Christ set us free;

therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of SLAVERY.

Behold, I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision,

Christ will be of no benefit to you.

And I testify again to ever man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law.

You have been severed from Christ,

you who are seeking to be justified by the law;

you have fallen from grace.

For we through the Spirit, by faith,

are waiting for the hope of righteousness.

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.

You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?

This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you.

A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough.

 

I have confidence in your in the Lord, that you will adopt no other view; but the one who is disturbing you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is.

But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted?

Then the stumbling block of the cross has been abolished.

Would that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves.

For you were called to freedom …” (Galatians 5:1-13)

 

There is much to unpack here from Galatians 5. But that is for another day.

Let me share a few lessons to take away with you today.

This statement by Paul, “he is under obligation to keep the whole Law“, is actually a trick statement. It’s likely given as an “ironic” statement from what we already know Paul knows about the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:1-12).

By this time, Paul certainly knows what Jesus already knows about just how impossible with men the real requirement of “entering the kingdom of heaven” actually was from the King of Heaven’s perspective in Matthew 19:16-26 and John 3:3-11.

Paul was challenging them about their foolish attempt to try and attain God’s favor by rejecting God’s Gift through Jesus Christ and replacing it with something else they believed to be more important than His Gift. Paul was trying to expose the BIGGEST LIE still told falsely within false Gospels of Jesus all over the world today.

What people choose to replace Jesus’ Gift (D2) with today can be anything of everything. You name it and it can potentially become a game changer according to the ONE Gospel of Jesus Christ that Paul taught too.

The “anti-christ” spirit that operates in the world focuses arguably upon “religious” people more than those who don’t claim to have anything to do with Jesus already (John 3:16-21; 1 John 2:18-29).

For example, Jesus’ greatest foes or enemies were arguably the extremely religious Pharisees whose teachings and practices were SO DIFFERENT from what Jesus taught and practiced that His teachings of “beware the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees” (Matthew 16:5-12) was also used here by Paul to the Galatian Jews who were once following Jesus rightly and not wrongly.

Hijacking of the Gospel of Jesus can take many forms. But here Paul was exposing the form of “the Law” that was attempting to KICK OUT Jesus and His Gift from His Church!

Read for yourself the debate of putting “the Law” given to Moses requirements, such as circumcision, onto the “necks” of new Gentile believers in Jesus, much like a “yoke of slavery” around their neck, as if God required it (Acts 15:1-29). He doesn’t. He never will.

What’s that like?

Picture some traditional “Christian” “church” attempting some religious requirement upon you that was NOT REQUIRED by Jesus Himself. Can you imagine this? If not, then Paul offers you a few examples in his letter to Timothy (1 Timothy 1:3-8; 4:1-8; 4:18; 6:3-5). In doing so you are starting to understand a similar dispute going on here that Paul is addressing with the Jewish community of believers in Galatia.

Paul, himself a Jew with arguably the best Jewish resume one could imagine (read Philippians 3:1-11), he was selected by God and sent as an Apostle to the Gentiles by Jesus Himself to fulfill God’s Gospel mission of bringing the Gospel of Jesus to those outside the Jewish world.

If anyone knew of the mystery of how Gentiles could now be allowed into the awesome HisStory of God already under way with His people the Jews, it would be this guy, Paul!

Paul fulfilled his mission from God right on time in HisStory in perfect fulfillment of God’s ancient “Jehovah Jireh” promise to Abraham in Genesis 22:16-18. I encourage you to read Paul’s testimony of this HisStoric mission to the Gentiles in Acts as well.

Don’t appreciate what Paul did yet? Well, consider that until Paul did what he was called to do for you and I as a Gentile believer and RECEIVER of the promises of Christ, the Jews were basically the only people honored by God to be His representatives on the earth.

The Jews were the only ones with the Story of Rebellion and “sin” (lawlessness in the Kingdom of Heaven – 1 Samuel 8:7-8) that is so important to the HisStory of God and King Jesus’ own undercover Mission to earth too (John 18:33-39).

Now, back to the Galatians story where Paul the Jew was challenging the once Jesus following Jews in Galatia to repent and return back to both Jesus by His Spirit and His Gospel of the Kingdom too.

The bottom line of Paul’s letter is that he was challenging these “Christians” (Jews for Jesus, if you will) who appeared to be in the last phases of leaving Jesus’ Gospel of His Gift (D2). It’s not clear if they had already left Jesus completely, but the “fruit” Paul was discerning was easy to discern and they were in great danger nonetheless.

They were leaving Jesus and His Gospel to create a “false circumcision” doctrine and therefore a DANGEROUS false gospel of Jesus.  I remember reading this as a Gentile Disciple of Jesus for the first time and it was like, “I don’t get it. What’s going on that is so serious?”

I later learned what was really going on in the spiritual dimension and that it wasn’t just about cutting off the foreskin of a little baby’s penis. Most of us born in the United States were circumcised during the 20th century births in a modern Hospital, mostly for empirical scientific “health” reasons rather than Religious reasons.

So what’s the problem going on here with the Galatians?

There was a SPIRITUAL DIMENSION REALITY that was MUCH BIGGER than the earthly dimension going on here that was all about what Paul now described as “the true circumcision” … which was a spiritual circumcision going on in the heart (Philippians 3:1-4).

It became a way to explain the great DIFFERENCE of what the Jews were doing with the Law that was SEPARATE from what Jesus came to connect us to (the REAL THING) in Heaven by His Spirit (Galatians 4:21-5:18).

The “gospel” of the Galatians was going radically off track!

These Jews were in denial of the most important foundation of Jesus’ Gospel:  His Spirit (where His Gift D2 comes from too).

Their increasingly corrupted gospel was in danger of having nothing to do with Jesus’ Gospel of the literal SPIRITUAL Kingdom of Heaven where, for example, the REAL ETERNAL TEMPLE of God “not made with hands” was even NOW to be RECEIVED through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 8:1-2).

I share this example of the Temple on purpose. You see, the Temple that God instructed the Jews to build was … well … earthly and made with human hands. Jesus knew this full well when responding mysteriously to a question some Jews were asking Him (mysterious to us Gentiles who don’t know Jewish HisStory),

“The Jews therefore answered and said to Him, ‘What sign do You show to us, seeing that You do these things?’

Jesus answered and said to the, ‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.’

The Jews therefore said, ‘It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?’

But He was speaking of the temple of His body.

(Kehrt NOTE:  Welcome to the beginnings of the mystery of His Church called “the body of Christ”!)

When therefore He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture, and the word which Jesus had spoken.

Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, beholding His signs which He was doing” (John 2:18-25).

 

Do you get it?

Just keep following Jesus and you will with the Help of His Spirit “anointing” teaching you about “all truth” (1 John 2:26-27).

The REAL THING “Temple”, Jesus Himself, was super-naturally by the power of His Spirit creating a “way” to literally CONNECT with the REAL THING in Heaven in just 3 short days!

This was HISSTORIC!

This was EPIC!

Jesus knew He was literally fulfilling something AWESOME according to HisStory where His people no longer needed to rely on the “shadow” Temple made with human hands ever again.

Check out all of God’s HisStory in the Old Testament part of the Bible.

Let’s never forget the important role of God’s people the Jews throughout HisStory! Jesus won’t let us forget!

God’s people the Jews were in charge of “doing” here on earth many of the “types” and “shadows” of the REAL THINGS that God allowed John to see with his own eyes. John is the Jew turned Disciple of Jesus. He realized Jesus was always “the king of the Jews” (John 18:33-37). John realized that Jesus is the King of the REAL THINGS up in Heaven (Revelation 21:1-22:21).

The SPIRITUAL Temple mystery is also explained further by Paul in places like Ephesians 2:10-22 and 1 Corinthians 3:16-23.

The Apostle Paul was warning the Galatians about creating a “different gospel” or false version of HisStory than Jesus’ always best/perfect Gospel version (John 17:1-5; Matthew 13:35; Luke 10:17-24).

Said another way, by returning to the “types” and “shadows” of the Jewish Faith they were REALLY rejecting THE REAL THING of literally EVERYTHING in Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:13-18)!

God always had the REAL THING prepared for His People the Jews but they had to wait until the Messiah, Jesus the Christ, would deliver it right on time in HisStory (Galatians 4:21-5:18).

The increasingly corrupted Gospel of the Galatians was, from Jesus’ perspective, a return to “a yoke of slavery” according to the Law of Moses. This means Jewish life lived as it was for centuries without the FULFILLMENT of the Messiah/Christ’s own Gift from Heaven.

Jesus’ Gospel was all about “freedom” from “a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1).

“Paul called it the “false circumcision” vs. a “true circumcision” according to Jesus’ Gift of His Spirit (Philippians 3:1-21; Galatians 4:21-5:18).

What’s the point of this whole thing?

I get it, reading the Bible HisStory can be a bit confusing at first.

But let’s get straight to the point of what Paul was getting to regarding the Galatians.

Paul said it best, “… Christ will be of no benefit to you … You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by the law; you have fallen from grace“ (Galatians 5:2 and 5:4).

Again, what’s the BIG DEAL? What’s the BIG PROBLEM (BP)?

ANSWER:  “… Christ will be of no benefit to you …”

If there is a BP with God then you have to assume it means there is a BIG PROBLEM with their relationship with the King of Heaven (D1) and His “first place in everything” rule Gospel established as a Gift (D2) by the King Himself through His forgiveness of the Problem.

You mess with the Gift from the King and the Spirit of Grace from Heaven and your Problem remains a Problem … a BIG PROBLEM! It’s a Problem between you and the King just as it always has been throughout HisStory.

But, hey, aren’t those living by the Law of God given to Moses FULLY COVERED by the Law?

Jesus said, “No.”

Jesus declared that anyone who is “blameless” in fulfilling the Law is still “lacking” something.

God would NEVER be unfaithful to any of His Promises and Covenants already made with His people the Jews. He even said so clearly to His own Jewish Disciples.

But a New Covenant that had always been prophesied about through the Prophets throughout HisStory and this FULFILLMENT of HisStory was finally here IN PERSON … God with us! This unique PERSON’S own blood would make it brand NEW!

What Jesus was bringing with Him from heaven contained “better promises” that if RECEIVED would be … well … not to compare with the promises made by God previously. Literally a “better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6).

Jesus was certainly aware that not all Jews actually successfully pulled off this “blameless” before God according to the Law form of “righteousness”. Some, like the Pharisees, had turned HisStory into such a corrupt form of Judaism that Jesus often warned His own about “the leaven of the Pharisees” (or the teachings and practices of the Pharisees that God HATED – Matthew 16:5-12).

But, evidently, some number of Jews really did fulfill “the righteousness which is found in the law”, like Saul did before becoming Paul (Philippians 3:6). Many had been “blamelessly” living it since childhood, but even these were “lacking” something Jesus could see perfectly but they often couldn’t see it at all (Matthew 19:16-26).

Jesus explained to these Law fulfilling Jews that they are still lacking the rest of HisStory!

They only had to look into the words of their own Prophets of the ancient past to “know” of the ONE and the SAME HisStory Jesus was talking about too. John the Baptist was the last Old Testament Prophet to prepare the world to RECEIVE Jesus and His FULFILLMENT o f HisStory!

Let me blow your earthly mind.

God, the Author of HisStory would suddenly appear in the HisStory of His Human creation “to fulfill all righteousness” Himself (Matthew 3:13-17).

The Angels were apparently blown away (Luke 2:8-20) that God would humble Himself to be conceived in the womb of a virgin human Mother. Jesus was conceived by the Spirit of the Father into an earth-suit body to “play” His own MOST IMPORTANT PART to play in all of HisStory: “the Son of Man” who was paradoxically “the Son of God” at the same time!

It is truly the GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD! HisStory!

Jesus’ part to play was to COMPLETE the 100% requirement (a.k.a. “the offering for sin” requirement) PERFECTLY “once and for all”. He would do it first on behalf of His people the Jews. he would then do it for the rest of the whole world a bit later when He was largely rejected by His own People …  clearly broken-hearted … in Luke 13:31-35.

He chose to give His own great invitation (Matthew 11:25-30) to those dwelling along “the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled” (Luke 14:15-24). Jesus called them and still calls us out of the world from the Gentiles (Gentiles are all of us who are not Jews).

Jesus’ PART TO PLAY could not be played by some “other” actor in HisStory. This “first place in everything” role required the King of Heaven to come “play it” Himself LIVE AND IN PERSON (John 18:34-37).

Read it for yourself in the Bible. Most of the time Jesus played it all undercover or hidden as to His real identity being King of Heaven. He was actually telling people NOT to tell others who He really was. That seemed counter-intuitive to many, but to Him it was all part of His Excellent Plan of HisStory!

His was a PERFORMANCE to be Personally given by Him and received by those spiritually OPEN to RECEIVE both Him, then His Performance becoming His own Disciple’s new Model for life lived in 3D, and of course His Gift that only He could give anyone.

Can you receive a Gift? It’s not as easy as it appears for many of us!

One would think that to receive a Gift from God would be a very easy thing to do. Just look at how they treated Jesus and His Gift in the Bible and how His Gift has been treated throughout HisStory to see for yourself this was certainly not and still isn’t always the case!

But, of course, it is EASY for those OPEN to RECEIVE Him!

It was relatively easy for His original 12 Disciples (o.k. 11 of the 12 – John 6:70-71) He Himself chose for Himself out of all the rest of the Jewish population just as He explained it in John 17:1-26.

It turns out that even today, most people are not open to receive this Gift from God’s Son, the “Christ” and Messiah of the Jews (Matthew 19:16-26).

Some have been convinced that they can “get to” where God wants them to be without receiving His Gift.

OOPS!!!

This is arguably the GREATEST LIE spread throughout the world that contradicts Jesus’ ONE Gospel.

If you could somehow “get to” that 100% perfect offering for lawlessness or sin apart from Jesus’ Gift, then you wouldn’t need Jesus and His Gift, right?

The strategy of the Rebellion is to keep as many people that God “so loved” in this world far away from His Gift if possible.

This is the same “antichrist” strategy of the Devil to deceive people as far AWAY from Jesus and His Gift (D2) as possible throughout His entire HisStory.

Why is the Devil so afraid of Jesus’ Gift (D2)?

Here is the simple answer:  Jesus’ Gift means the end of the rule of darkness and the end of the Devil’s rule too!

Jesus’ Gift immediately creates a LIGHT is GREATER than “darkness” equation that the Devil does NOT like at all!

Jesus’ Gift (D2) activated by the Spirit of God living “in you” suddenly and immediately takes away ALL of the power of the Devil. Check it out in real practice in Luke 10:17-24!

Jesus’ own devoted Disciples literally were EMPOWERED by God’s Spirit to “walk in the same manner as He walked” (1 John 2:3-6).  Literally, the Devil and his “spirit of the world” that has been ruling “the domain of darkness” has no more power over those having the “light” of the Kingdom of Heaven living inside them!

Jesus said it this way, “While you have the light, believe in the light, in order that you may become sons of light” (John 12:36).

Do you get the strategy of the Devil and his rebellion?

He wants Jesus to become “no benefit” to you so you will never “become sons of light”!

Allow me to make it even clearer:  If you no longer are open to RECEIVE Jesus’ Gift and His Spirit, then His Gift and His Spirit are no longer of “benefit” to you. You are on your own trying to reach the 100% for King Jesus and His Kingdom part of His Gospel which Jesus said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

The “with God” part is directly related to the same BIG PROBLEM (I call it the BP here at Pokyra) it always has been in the Gospel HisStory of Jesus Christ found throughout the entire Bible.

Whatever tries to get you to NOT join “with God” is trying to separate you.

This is the eternal separation from God called “the second death”. It remains the BIGGEST eternal consequence of the same “lawlessness” Rebellion in His Kingdom (Revelation 20:14-15; ).

It goes back to the 100% POWER of Jesus’ Gift to cover all our lawlessness or sin Problems with God.

Jesus COMPLETED the “impossible for men” best attempts of humans to get to that 100% requirement in His Kingdom Gospel. Jesus explains that nobody can get to it SOME OTHER WAY, including the Jewish Law (John 10:1-42). Getting to the required 100% for King Jesus equation required for life lived in the Kingdom of Heaven is impossible without Jesus’ forgiveness and that comes from His Gift (D2).

If Jesus is EVERYTHING TO YOU (100%) this is GOOD NEWS!

Why?

First it means you are the most OPEN you can be to RECEIVE His Gift (Matthew 16:24-28; Galatians 2:20; Philippians 3:1-21).

It also means you are OPEN to RECEIVE who Jesus really is! You will RECEIVE the benefit of EVERYTHING He can be to you and wants to be to you!

For example, did you know that Jesus is both your faithful Defense Lawyer who has NEVER lost a case before the King of Heaven? Oh, yah, He is also the King and your Final Judge too! You RECEIVE this truth according to your willingness or openness to RECEIVE His Gift and your maintaining of it according to Matthew 6:14-15 and 7:21-27; as well as Galatians 4:21-5:18.

You know how I know it is only revealed to those who are OPEN to RECEIVE it all from Jesus’ Gift? Because so many DON’T even know that Jesus is both the Savior/Defense Lawyer and Final Judge too.

If they did, they would say to themselves, “What? Are you kidding me? I cannot lose when Jesus is my Gift!”

That’s sort of the point. Right?

Let THAT sink in a bit. Take as long as you like because this is what you are too often NOT HEARING from the Gospel of Jesus Christ from too many Christians today!

Again, it comes from a “revelation of Christ” by Jesus’ Spirit or the simplicity and profound absoluteness of His Gift will likely not quite be believable as you read it in the Bible.

You have the same Bible I do. But we might not have the same “revelation of Christ” because only God can give this to anyone (Matthew 11:25-30).

Seek Him until you are truly OPEN to RECEIVE!

Were you even aware that too many Christians don’t truly “know” WHO Jesus really is?

If they did, they would certainly honor Him “first place in everything” instead of making Christianity about themselves or some other distraction under Heaven.

Receive the part of Jesus’ Gospel that declares Christianity will NOT work with any other equation than 100% for Jesus and His Kingdom = 0% for the Devil and the “domain of darkness” Rebellion in the Kingdom of Heaven (Colossians 1:13-18).

That is the point of Jesus’ “Kingdom” Gospel and Paul’s example in Galatians 2:20.

Jesus showed us how to RECEIVE this Kingdom of Heaven reality when He declared, “for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me“ (John 14:30). This “ruler of the world” is also the ruler of the Rebellion (Matthew 4:1-11). The Romans may have had the earthly titles of power and the earthly swords and soldiers that arrested Jesus, but never lose sight that King Jesus of Heaven always had His “eye” on the spiritual dimension realities of life and not just the earthly (John 18:36-37).

That, my friends, is the Gospel of Jesus in the smallest “nut-shell” version I can think of.

It’s also the GOAL of His Gift (D2) that makes living in Heaven 100% for Jesus and 0% for the Rebellion even possible.

View Jesus’ Gospel like the Governor (Jesus in this analogy) calling those in charge of the “death row” execution “chair”, like say in Texas, saying, “I have forgiven Inmate #????????????? … (your #, somewhere in that long list of “death row” inmates throughout HisStory being judged for their lawlessness). Stop the execution and let them go FREE immediately!”

You get that, right?

According to Jesus’ Gospel part of the analogy, the “death row” inmates are all “reserved by for judgment” (2 Peter 2:1-9). These are those still living inside the spiritual dimension called “the domain of darkness” … much like a “death row” Prison … for their HIGHEST CRIMES of Rebellion against King Jesus and the Father of us all (Colossians 1:13-18).

They are, according to the King’s Gospel, already Judged and sentenced long ago (Genesis 3:22-24). But although the “first death” is already at work “in” God’s beloved rebellious creation, there is still yet to be carried out a Final Judgment of the King of Heaven called “the second death” (Revelation 20:10-15). See the section of this presentation titled, “Do You See What Jesus ‘Sees’ In All Humans?” below.

Those who are RECEIVERS of the Gospel of Jesus Christ START by RECEIVING His Gift (D2) that forgives their Problems with the King of the Kingdom of Heaven.

It then continues with IMMEDIATELY learning and RECEIVING the commands and example of King Jesus and His Kingdom of Heaven.

I cover both of these STARTSTORY and CONTINUEDSTORY parts of Jesus’ Gospel here at Pokyra. See Chestnutland and Freedom Missions for Thraldom Portals 2 and 3 respectively.

Everyone who does not do BOTH (what I call the STARTSTORY and CONTINUEDSTORY) of these required parts of Jesus’ Gospel, is either an unbeliever or a “believer” who still needs to become a RECEIVER of the 100% to 0% equation of a devoted “Disciple”.

Don’t let anyone fool you!

Nobody is getting to that “place” of 100% without Jesus the King’s own HELP to get “there” (D2 His Gift).

That’s His Gospel.

I like to call it His “3D” Gospel. But you don’t have to call it what I call it.

You just need to have the SAME ONE Gospel of Jesus Christ that should lead us all to the SAME 100% for Jesus or “first place in everything” “place” Paul explained in Colossians 1:13-18.

At Pokyra I help people who are still struggling with believing and especially RECEIVING anything Jesus and His disciples wrote about in the Bible.

I serve what I like to call Our Part to Play in a very conscious, practical strategy to discover more, believe more, RECEIVE more and remember more of His Part to Play in 3D.

It is a Practice and expected “good fruit” strategy that is, not surprisingly, constantly challenging our unbelief just like our Master regularly challenged all of His original 12 Disciples and still does with us today by His Spirit.

This is also the famous “message of the cross” part of Jesus’ Gospel that Paul said was “my example” and “the pattern you have in us” to keep anyone from the dangerous warning Paul still gives us today:

“For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ,

whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame,

who set their minds on earthly things.

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;

who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory,

by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself” (Philippians 3:17-21).

Here is a WARNING from Paul’s teaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ:

Those who are “enemies of the cross of Christ” part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ will NOT enter into the Ephesians 4 promises of “grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ” (Ephesians 4:13-16).

The Ephesians 4:13-16 “promised land” is what King Jesus revealed as the PURPOSE or GOAL of God for ALL individual Christians to fulfill here on earth.

I like to call it God’s “Excellent Plan” or “mystery of Christ” PURPOSE for His Church.  This is all of us together living under Jesus’ rule. Read all of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians to discover for yourself some of the AWESOME parts and pieces of “the mystery of Christ” Gospel of Jesus!

The “key” that unlocks the “mystery of Christ” is found in “the cross of Christ” command of Jesus’ Gospel in Matthew 16:21-28 and Luke 9:57-62. Allow Jesus’ words to wake you up like it woke me up from my unspiritual “believer” lifestyle to becoming a regular 100% for Jesus, Holy Spirit RECEIVER.

I once was a young Disciple who had to learn for the first time to “act” on His words and Primary Example for a “Christian” by faith, and you can too!

What’s that like?

I truly believe the result should be just like Jesus said it would be in Matthew 7:21-27.

If your life and Practice of your Faith is just like mine was during the 1970’s, a “mere believer”, and is NOT like Jesus taught His devoted “disciples” to “act” on by first laying a spiritual “rock” foundation of Christ (as Jesus put it), then what you are building your life upon is likely still spiritual “sand” like Jesus warned us all about in Matthew 7:21-27.

You will know if this is you by the “fruit” coming out of your life.

Jesus explained that the discernible DIFFERENCE was CRYSTAL CLEAR to know because it would be like the difference of a FOUNDATION of “sand” and “rock”. Said another way that we can better understand as something coming directly out of our life, it’s like the difference between insecurity/fearfulness and the much to be desired fruits of SECURITY/FEARLESSNESS!

Look for evidence of those very different types of “fruits” in your own life to know where you are truly at with Jesus and His Gospel of 1.) “the cross of Christ,” 2.) “that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God,” and His Gospel of 3.) “walk in the same manner as He walked” (1 Corinthians 2:1-5; 1 John 2:3-6).

Getting to a SECURE solid “rock” SPIRITUAL FOUNDATION was what Paul’s Galatians 2:20 lifestyle of “the cross of Christ” was all about. It’s what every servant of Jesus Christ should be serving in the “members” of His ONE Church that Jesus is still leading today in First-Person direct from His throne in His Kingdom of Heaven.

I help you with that important transition of faith and practice from possibly a sincere but mere “believer” to serious devoted Disciple RECEIVER. It comes with its own NEW expectations of discernible “good fruit” and that is what I am serving here at Pokyra (John 15:1-8; Colossians 1:13-18)!

 

Do You “See” What Jesus Sees In All Humans?

Open Bible Study Page HERE

I touched on this topic already, but let’s dive a bit deeper because it first of all is VERY DEEP and secondly because it is very important in our daily lives.

Here’s one important thing Jesus sees that I now see and I hope you do/will too:  Jesus knows that BOTH “good and evil” people still living “without God in the world” are still eating from the same rebellious “tree” that Paul called “the spirit of the world” (1 Corinthians 2:12). I mean what John meant to say about the same “thing” from what He could “see” of it too:

“But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to bear witness concerning man for He Himself knew what was in man“ (John 2:24-25).

What exactly did Jesus see that made Him NOT trust humans?

Obviously, it is something spiritual because it is “in man”. As a disciple of Jesus, all that should really matter is that our Master Jesus “saw” it then and still sees it today “in man”. It’s really there in all of us.

If you are interested in taking this a bit further you can see what Jesus and the Father can see about us spiritually within the Jeremiah 17:5-8 and 17:9-10 prophesies.

Let’s bring this same spiritual analysis back to your own HOME.

Do you see what God sees about what is inside your own spirit or “heart”?

Here it is:

“The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it? I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds” (Jeremiah 17:9-10).

Paul made essentially the same statement in 1 Corinthians 4:1-5.

From God’s perspective we are all sick in the heart.

This is true even when paradoxically by faith our minds and spirit (“heart”) are hopefully getting stronger and healthier as we “grow up in all aspects into Him” (the healthy image of Jesus) as our Master. My informed guess is that you can expect your “heart” to become more healed or healthy the more you “grow up” in at least some of “all aspects into Him”.

This clearly means there is an ongoing healing process for each and every one of us until His mission to become “first place in everything” “in us” is complete.

First place in EVERYTHING?

You heard that right.

Jesus certainly covers all our “first place in everything” disagreements and Problems in our minds and our spirit life by His forgiveness of our sins. These are the Biggest Problems related to His Kingdom and “lawlessness” in His Kingdom.

God knows just how much of our “sick” heart was healed immediately when first giving our lives to Jesus!

But the truth is, He is NOT done yet!

As I just said, some of our “healing” happens immediately by His power, while other healings happen over some longer process and requires more time. Jesus gives us His Promised Land to receive by faith that ALL of our heart-sick problems will eventually be “healed” or “delivered” someday. That is truly Good News!

But it is enough to know that He knows that you and I as His beloved creations will only be “healthy” when He is finally restored “first place” in whatever is still second place or worse. It’s a simple response on our part to His Way Out of our Problems that are often much more complex to comprehend with our earthly minds. But putting Him “first” truly is always the first step in getting healed from our Creator. His greater power does all the rest.

I cannot stress just how important the simple practice of AGREEING with God is to the healing process!

We all need to agree with what Jesus sees which is way more in 3D than we can see in 1D. He sees that we ALL are inside a world living our spiritual lives under the influence of “the spirit of the world”. Jesus gives His own Holy Spirit PATH to “walk” in “at all times in the Spirit” that is FREE from “the spirit of the world”.

This is what we are learning to practice every day.

But we are also aware that the other path that we all walked our whole lives (knowingly or unknowingly) remains “in power” in the world affecting anyone around you and even you too if you allow it to.

The Bible explains that the “spirit of the world” is also called “the domain of darkness” and, of course, you and I are still living life in “the world.” It’s a domain or spiritual realm living spiritually separated from God’ Spirit.

Until Jesus taught us this REALITY from His perspective of HisStory, we are all literally spiritually “in the dark” about it. Check out Jesus’ AWESOME view of the spiritual dimension REALITY we are talking about here in John 17:6-20.

We could NOT SEE it unless He “reveals” it to us (Matthew 11:25-30).

This is where Jesus’ Gospel challenge to His own Disciples to be “in the world but not of the world” comes from that is so important to the concept of Jesus’ “Church” explained later in this Gospel presentation (John 17:14-20).

Jesus did something for us that nobody else could have pulled off but Him!

He made “a way” that was not made available to humankind BEFORE. He did what He did for us and now He offers it back to us as a Gift. I call it D2 here at Pokyra and it is further explained in Romans 5 in a great short Bible study.

I like John’s explanation of it in 1 John 4:4-6:

“You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.

We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.”

Jesus’ explanation in John 17:1-26 is arguably the best version carrying the most authority.

What Jesus actually “did” for us was to make a “way” to LIVE FREE from the “spirit of the world” now living by “way” of the “greater is He who is in you” Spirit of God instead. What He made or created for us is what Pokyra calls the “Gift” (D2) just as Jesus’ Gospel in Romans 5:5-21 and 6:23 explains it as His Gift too.

This is the same Gospel of Jesus that John was declaring in 1 John 1:5-7 that was also being declared by Jesus saying:

“With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:25-26).

This practically means that because Jesus did for us what was impossible for us to do, we can now successfully live “in the same manner as He (Jesus) walked” with THE POWER TURNED ON inside us DIRECT from His Gift (D2) of His Spirit. This is a power Gift provided clearly from the dimension of God’s Kingdom of Heaven which is NOT OF THIS WORLD!

It’s one of the most important parts or promises of Jesus’ Gospel to IMMEDIATELY RECEIVE when hearing His Gospel for the first time.

It’s what Jesus Personally told me in a spiritual dream (Acts 2:17-21) to tell people as a FIRST THINGS FIRST presentation of His Gospel. 

He commanded that I was to share it right away as a first-things-first promise to RECEIVE immediately when non-believers turn into “believers” and when “believers” are asking the inevitable question, “I believe You Jesus, now what?”

John used the following words in 1 John 4:4 to describe the same thing I was learning about in my spiritual dream:

“You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

How does one “know” they are suddenly “from God, little, children …” and that the SPIRIT within them is suddenly “GREATER IS HE WHO IS IN YOU than He who is in the world”?

Jesus’ first answer to that question we all start out with, “I believe You, now what?”, should always be first and foremost in our Gospel presentation for our self and for anyone God brings to us to serve in His Great Commission to the earth (Matthew 28:18-20).

His answer/response is to simply challenge you to immediately give your life to Jesus 100% and to “RECEIVE MY GIFT” that is found within “the promise of My Father” (Matthew 16:24-28; Galatians 2:20; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:1-2:47).

It’s the same foundational message Paul explained using these words with the required RECEIVING practice included:

“Now we have RECEIVED, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God that we might know the things freely given to us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:12).

This new “way” to LIVE that Jesus prepared for us to live FREE and no longer “enslaved to sin” in this world is like creating a brand-new way for humans who have only know “the domain of darkness” to SUDDENLY, by a Gift from God’s Spirit, TURN ON THE LIGHT to live “on earth as it is in heaven”.

All who live in Heaven live by “the Spirit of God” even as “the children of God” mystery Jesus has created IN US takes that to a new and unprecedented level. In fact, God takes us to a “new creation” level (2 Corinthians 14-6:2; 7:1; Romans 8:1-39; 14:16-17). It is all part of the great “mystery of Christ” plan of God that only Jesus “the first born among many brethren” knows for certain about, along with, of course, the Father in Heaven (1 John 2:27-3:3; Matthew 7:21-27).

Did you know that life as it is in heaven has NO darkness at all? Are you aware of the Gospel of Jesus that we get the greatest honor of living WITH GOD’S LIGHT ON during our life here on Earth (D3)? Just as Jesus was able to spiritually live “on earth as it is in heaven” we get to “walk in the same manner as He walked” in His light (1 John 1:5-2:6)!

This sheds new light on the whole “on earth as it is in heaven” part of Jesus’ famous “Lord’s Prayer” in Matthew 6:8-15. That is our WONDERFUL NEW LIFE connected with our Father “in Heaven” (I call it D1 here at Pokyra).

This is to be RECEIVED by practically RECEIVING His Gift (D2) “on earth as it is in heaven” each and every day of our new life in Christ!

This Promise of the Father is AWESOME!

There are literally no earthly words to do it justice! It must be “revealed” by His Spirit to you through your own “revelation of Christ” Personal experience (Galatians 1:12; Ephesians 1:13-23).

This is just one important story of many to learn from HisStory regarding what Jesus “sees” that we did not “see” before He shared His Gospel with us.

With the Spirit of God RECEIVED “in us”, we SUDDENLY have His Gift (D2) COVERING ALL OUR PROBLEM AREAS that go along with our “sick” “heart” condition Jeremiah prophesied about in Jeremiah 17:5-10.

Have you RECEIVED this Promise of the Father already?

So, you see, He NOW sees His own Gift (D2) and His own Spirit living “in us” where before He only saw “sin”, “lawlessness,” “death” and “the spirit of the world” called “the domain of darkness”.

We make that “transfer” of “domains” from “darkness” to “the kingdom of His beloved Son” and suddenly ALL IS MADE RIGHT AGAIN between us and the King of Heaven. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

How many other things did Jesus “do for us” that we could not do for ourselves apart from His Gift (D2)?

Too many to count!

So, you better get started in discovering them all … one after the next … right away!

There are many more mysteries and prophetic FULFILLING strategic “events” Jesus took part in while here on earth that are just waiting for you to discover, believe, remember and RECEIVE for yourself.

Jesus was literally fulfilling one ancient Prophesy and Promise of the Father after another, and another … etc. …

John observed that there were too many to put in all the books that could fit inside the world (John 21:24-25).

Let’s just say its A LOT!

We have a Bible that actually only has a few “parts” and pieces of what Jesus actually did while here on earth, let alone ALL of HisStory.

When you make time to study HisStory in the Bible, it is like unlocking a mysterious Conversation Starter that you can take AS DEEP as you want in personal prayer and seeking for more of “the rest of the story” that His Spirit can provide you when you ask Him.

This is what Paul meant to say in 1 Corinthians 13:9-12 and 2:1-16 and what John meant to say in 1 John 3:1-3 too. We arguably won’t “know” it ALL until we no longer “see” as “mere men” see the world “in a mirror dimly,”.

But expect to receive His complete version when we will see things “then face to face; now I know in part, but then I shall know fully just as I also have been fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Bible Study TIP:  I have found the following treasure from Paul in 1 Corinthians 13:12 to be understood more completely reading 1 John 3:1-3 at the same time. Enjoy the Gospel of Jesus Christ as you start to “see” more by His Spirit!

What Does Over Half of American Christians Believe (or Not Believe) Today?

Open Bible Study Page HERE

What does over half of American Christians actually believe regarding the Biblical Gospel HisStory of Jesus Christ? The answer explored here helps explain why so few Christians are “literally” RECEIVERS of Jesus today.

Now, let’s quickly return to that short passage from Mark 1:12-15 written out above but here it is again for your convenience:

“And immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness.

And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.

And after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying,

‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mark 1:12-14)

Fast-forward to 2009 and then up to the present day in 2022.

Did you know that according to a Barna Group Study of American Christians in 2009, OVER HALF of those “Christians” polled did NOT “literally” believe in almost everything Mark claimed to have heard directly from the mouth of Jesus and personally experienced with Jesus for about 3 years as one of the original 12 Disciples?

What does this mean exactly?

This means the Barna Group Study found that over half of American Christians believe (or don’t believe, however you want to frame it) in:

No literal Holy Spirit

No literal Satan

… which means … whether they acknowledge it or not:

No literal Jesus.

I mean at least not the literal Jesus of the Bible but possibly “another Jesus” they have created. Perhaps they created their Jesus non-literally? Possibly figuratively only? Why did they choose to create a make-believe or non-literal Jesus?

Bear with me in a little foolishness.

Are they acting somehow in their own “power” and image as “god’s” to themselves?

I mean little “g” “gods” who tend to think a bit too much of themselves (you think?) and too little of God who is ONE Spirit yet mysteriously revealed as the Father and King Jesus of Heaven (Matthew 23:1-39; 28:19).

Lucifer the God-created Angel wanted to be a big “G” God to attempt to create his own “world” apart from God. The Problem is that this only works when the REAL big “G” God is somehow dethroned and rebelled against leading to “lawlessness” in God’s Kingdom called “sin” (Isaiah 14:14; Genesis 3:1-5; 2 Corinthians 11:3; Matthew 4:1-11; 1 John 4:1; 2:26-27).

Those who foolishly choose to in effect (although impossible, of course) kick the ONE literal Jesus out of His own Church (heard much about the “anti-christ” spirit before? – 1 John 2:18-29?) they have become the “masters” of their own Religions built around Jesus’ Name.

They claim, “I have come to know Him,” (1 John 2:4), even as Jesus looks at them and just shakes His head knowing the rest of the story about them which is literally “lawlessness” in His Kingdom of Heaven (1 John 2:3-6; 2 Corinthians 11:2-4; Matthew 7:21-27; 15:1-3; 23:15; John 18:33-38). God knows their lives are still part of HisStory whether they acknowledge it or not. But that doesn’t stop them from trying to re-write their own “parts” without the Author’s permission.

Let me explain a bit of my own personal experience with the foolishness that too often takes place among Christians. Even as a new Disciple of Jesus in the early 1980’s, who, again, was already experiencing what Paul wrote about as “the power of God” in 1 Corinthians 2:1-16, I remember thinking to myself regarding unbeliever Christians who said the “power of God” and the Spirit of God Paul was talking about in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 was no longer relevant to Christianity:

“They (unbeliever Christians) may be able to ‘get away with’ not believing in a ‘literal’ Satan,” (but for spiritual warfare reasons and many other reasons I would never advise that at all),

“but to NOT believe or receive a ‘literal’ Holy Spirit is to REJECT THE GRACIOUS GIFT OF GOD who is Spirit” (see the “promise of My Father” in Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:1-2:39).

Didn’t Jesus give us this same WARNING surrounding the Holy Spirit?

If you believe and receive “the promise of My Father” to be the literal (not figurative) Holy Spirit given to us who receive Jesus as THE GIFT OF GOD received through Jesus’ own Provision (Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:1-2:39), then this UNBELIEF in the Holy Spirit is a BIG PROBLEM to Jesus!

It’s likely THE BIGGEST (Matthew 12:28-33)!

His own fulfillment of His own Provision (Jehovah Jireh – Genesis 22:1-18) is what we could never do for ourselves without His Gift (Matthew 19:16-26).

Absolutely SERIOUS STUFF!

I also learned from Jesus that people “doing” “spiritual” things, but using the wrong spirit (not the Spirit of God) could still be considered “lawless” in His Kingdom and NOT allowed into His Kingdom because of the outstanding BIG PROBLEM of “lawlessness” (a.k.a. “sin” – Matthew 7:21-23; 1 John 3:4; 3:24-4:1; 2:26-27).

I realized early on in my Gospel journey with Jesus that unbelief in and lack of practical daily receiving from the ONE Spirit of God was the FIRST obstacle to help all “Christians” with … let alone non-Christians … for all of those Gospel of Jesus reasons He already warned us about in the Bible. Then add to those reasons any other reasons His Spirit is STILL warning us about today (John 16:7-15).

Just start with what I like to call the “John 6 TEST” that Jesus regularly tests all of us with on a regular basis throughout our spiritual life regarding His Gospel or HisStory from Heaven.

You too will quickly learn from Jesus that it was, is and will always be absolutely TRUE what He declared about the nature of His Words and His Spirit being NOT of “the spirit of the world” but of the very DIFFERENT “Spirit who is from God that we might know the things freely given to us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:12) when He said:

“the words that I have spoken to you are Spirit and are life. But there are some of you who do not believe” (John 6:63-64).

How many American Christians have to start to “believe” in a literal Holy Spirit before they can even RECEIVE “the things freely given to us by God”? How can Christianity even “work” without RECEIVING “those things freely given to us by God” by His Spirit?

Learn to “believe” and most importantly “receive” His Spirit and you will do well!

Continue unbelieving and not receiving and you will NOT do well.

That is likely the most important foundational teaching you will hear in your Christian Faith and it has been the DIVIDING ISSUE of the King and His Kingdom of Heaven and the “domain of darkness” and “lawlessness” throughout HisStory.

Given what we know of the 1D history of Christianity (the stuff we are NOT too proud of to say the least), it may even be that their unbelief led at least some of the unbelievers in Jesus who still wanted something to do with some form of “God” they can create in their own image to go off to start their own Religions without Jesus.

They like to be “spiritual” but don’t like to be ruled by the ONE Spirit of God who is a Father and ABSOLUTE King from the Kingdom of Heaven (John 4:19-24).

Sound familiar?

No doubt some even chose or still choose to use His Name for their religious “branding” purposes. God knows (Matthew 7:21-23; John 10:1-10).

Read the 2009 Barna Group Study (click this link) for yourself, if you are interested to discover for yourself the results found empirically regarding the spiritual dimension foundations of the Gospel of God told by Jesus and written down by His original Disciples in the Bible.

I’m a Social Scientist too, so I generally understand the methods they used to do their Study even as I have not spoken with anyone from Barna or those who actually did the Study.

Allow me to repeat something from an earlier part of this presentation about HisStory.

Who really cares what Barna Group thinks of anyone?

Who really cares what Kehrt Chestnut thinks of anyone?

Who cares what anyone thinks of anyone except God and His own Personal examination of where anyone is at with God?

Isn’t Christianity “first place in everything” about an individual and God?

Yes. Thank God that you won’t be answering to Kehrt Chestnut, or Barna Group or anyone else but Jesus the King of Heaven FOR YOURSELF (Romans 14:4; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Revelation 20:10-15).

So, how does Jesus view your own view of HisStory … His Gospel? That’s what is most important, right?

I encourage you to right away ask Jesus for His “revelation of Christ” to show you what His view of your own view of HisStory really is today (Ephesians 1:1-23).

Maybe you have received some of the important parts but still lack “the rest of the Story” about the rest of HisStory? What else do you “lack in your faith” as Jesus’ Disciples often asked Christians they were serving in their day? God knows right where you are at TODAY and that is what is really important in a Faith based on His own GRACIOUS GIFT that cannot be earned, only RECEIVED (1 Corinthians 4:1-5).

I just established with Romans 14:4 and 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 (and don’t forget Revelation 20:10-15) that YOUR FAITH is something between YOU AND JESUS. It’s hard to have that same level of “assurance” about somebody else’s Faith or heart motivation with God.

You can certainly have His Personal “witness” or “assurance” of being “His sheep” from His Holy Spirit “anointing” and His “voice” living inside you. This is His promise to you! Still, it’s often very hard if not impossible to absolutely “know” the same assurance for other people – John 10:1-30; 1 John 2:3-6; 2:26-27; Romans 14:22-23).

This is what I mean that nobody really knows where we ALL are truly at but Jesus the King of everything.

Just like He proved to “know” both those who were loyal to Him and His Kingdom and those who were not loyal to Him and His Spirit in the John 6 TEST (read that on your own if you have not already), He alone knows where you and I stand or fall with Him in our own Personal relationship with Him.

But for arguments sake, let’s continue with the empirical “best guess” analysis of where most American Christians are at in their Personal relationship to Jesus Christ based on the Barna Study. At least as it relates to His Gospel presented in the Bible.

It appears that right off the START of “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” according to Mark (Mark 1:1-15), one could argue that over half of American Christians in 2009 at least would likely treat Jesus like those who were LEAVING JESUS in John 6. They arguably would respond to Jesus’ Gospel in the following unbeliever way:

“What an interesting Fantasy Sci-Fi Story, Jesus!”

Or possibly, “I don’t like Your version of HisStory, I like my own. No thanks Jesus!”

Like Jesus commanded me in Matthew 7:1-5, I don’t and won’t be “judging” anyone for their clearly wise or unwise decisions with Jesus. It’s just not my “place” to act as Final Judge of anyone. That’s His “Place” alone on the Last Day for us all (Revelation 20:11-20).

Like my Master Jesus, until that Last Day, I am in this to “save” people’s lives and “not destroy” them (Luke 9:55-56; John 3:3-21; 17:18).

People are destroying their own lives just fine without my help!

You know what I mean. I mean what Jesus meant to say in John 10:10 about a “thief” trying to “steal, kill and destroy” your life if you allow him to. It’s sort of like that line from that old Jackson Browne song, “These Days”: “Don’t confront me with my failures I had not forgotten them.”

I get that “grace” part of Jesus’ Gospel and I hope you do too (Ephesians 2:1-8; John 8:1-11; Matthew 6:14-15). 

We don’t always need to be “piling on” the “guilt” that God is better at “convicting” any of us about anyway (John 16:7-15) and in any circumstances of our life here on earth. We get the great honor of intimately sharing a life with His life and times “on earth as it is in heaven”. Jesus is helping us and helping other people by His Spirit who may or may not already know their failures personally with Him and also with His Gospel (Luke 9:51-56; John 8:1-59).

But I also know that God has given me His love for both “lost,” “lied to” and misinformed people … at least enough … to “share the truth in love” just as Jesus shared the TRUTH of His Gospel of His Kingdom with ALL OF US.

He loved us enough to come from His throne in Heaven to tell us His version of Truth we call His Gospel or HisStory. He shared His Gospel Truth with us regardless of hurting our feelings or being worried about somehow offending us with the WARNINGS. He loved us enough to reveal His truth about what’s coming for us all regarding eternal realities we can’t see without His Help regarding His eternal Kingdom of Heaven (Revelation 20:10-15; John 16:7-15).

So, know that like my Master Jesus, I am choosing to lovingly remind anyone open to hear anything of what Jesus said were the obvious consequences or Big Problems (BP’s) of disagreeing with or not believing Him and His Gospel. It’s much like Paul did too with the Galatians.

Read that entire letter in light of Paul’s love for the Galatians when you get some time. I believe you will see what I see in the heart of Paul.

What is arguably a direct CONFRONTATION with the Truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in clear correction tone in the writing of Paul, could also be seen as a “love letter” RESCUE INTERVENTION from a true and faithful friend and servant of the King of Heaven. Paul truly wants the Galatians to have a happy and joyful meeting with the King of Heaven and not a sad and tragic meeting on the other side of this brief life here on earth (Matthew 7:21-23).

As I continue to daily take the “log and specks out of my own eye,” hopefully I can help serve your own removal of a few “specks” or “logs” blinding your own vision of HisStory too (John 9:39-41; 1 John 1:1-2:6).

Bible believing, Holy Spirit filled Christians who have lived with Jesus as our MASTER and Primary Example for a Christian, we were and still are understandably frustrated with the level of unbelief within “non-literal Jesus” “Christians”. I’m talking based on the Gospel Jesus taught and still teaches today by His Spirit

We have been literally (not figuratively) experiencing many of the same Holy Spirit experiential knowledge spiritual dimension encounters of what Jesus and His Disciples went through and personally experienced in the Bible.

Granted, these Holy Spirit experiences were all new to me too in the early-mid 1980’s.

But clearly and without a doubt it was all found in the Bible.

I quickly learned that other Christians living in my small community on the Central Coast of California did NOT even believe the Holy Spirit was really “doing” anything anymore. They were teaching other Christians that those spiritual things that went on with Jesus and His disciples no longer were relevant to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. At least no longer relevant in their “churches” they were confusing with the ONE Church Jesus is still leading “first place in everything” (Colossians 1:13-18; Ephesians 4:4-16).

I was at the time already a solid “believer” in Jesus who was in the process of becoming a devoted “Disciple” (student) of My Master and therefore a more fruitful RECEIVER of Jesus too.  My own Personal relationship was developing and growing with Jesus in private prayer (Matthew 6:3-15; Luke 6:40).

I attended various public (not private) home meetings called “Kinship Groups” that were practically serving my Personal Relationship with Jesus by His Spirit. Worshiping Jesus and expecting His Spirit and His Gifts of His Spirit to be ACTIVATED was all part of practicing the “one another” Scriptures found in the Bible (like pray for one another, love one another, etc.).

I also attended seminars and church meetings from the Vineyard Movement in California. I learned that interacting with the Spirit of God and His “power” was just as Paul described it in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5. I learned that the difference of a “faith” merely put in “the wisdom of men” in some Bible Study was NOTHING to compare with “faith” that would personally experience “the demonstration of the Spirit and of power” as well as “that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, BUT ON THE POWER OF GOD” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5).

The more I personally experienced with the Spirit of God and the Gifts of the Spirit, the more I was regularly upset and frustrated with “unbeliever” Christians. I don’t think I was being “judgmental” for the sake of “judging” them, I was literally PISSED OFF that they were REJECTING Jesus’ Gift and God who is Spirit!

By the way, I later learned that Jesus was and still is just as upset and frustrated (if not more!) with unbelievers and unreceiver “believers” too (John 6:60-71; 14:1-31). His original disciples frustrated Jesus regularly with their unbelief!

Here I was, living by the “power of God,” praying for and regularly receiving God’s provisions of all sorts of things we all spiritually and physically need in life, including casting demons out of my tormented and violent roommate (just one of many spiritual experiences coming from the example of Jesus in the Bible), while other Christians I knew were living some disconnected non-literal spiritual life, powerless, unfulfilled and too often fearful of many things Jesus was NOT fearful about at all (Matthew 6:24-34).

What I was experiencing was what Jesus and His disciples said was our GREAT POTENTIAL when our faith was no longer attempting to “rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God” (1 John 3:24-4:17; 1 Corinthians 2:4-5)!

I cannot stress enough the GREAT DIFFERENCE in the practice of one’s Faith in Jesus with and without His Spirit received. It truly is like night and day. It’s like a lamp actually working with REAL POWER as it was designed to function rather than being just some religious symbol sitting in a corner telling a no longer relevant “story” of times gone by when “power” companies once existed in the Bible times.

The Religious only unreceivers keep the “story” of the lamp as part of their own version of History but it is nothing to compare to the “power” experienced today in HisStory!

The Religious imposter Christian’s lamp is now “lit” with some artificial “light” like some earthly candle or something NOT of the Spirit of God. Jesus sees us on the inside as if what’s in our “heart” and spirit means much more than the outward performances or cultural appearances of our Religions (Matthew 23:24-28). This pathetic unspiritual attempt at spiritual life (not Spirit of God filled at all) is expected by certain Religious “leaders” to “satisfy” the longing God put in us all for His REAL POWER direct from the Kingdom of Heaven by His Spirit. But it never does fulfill them.

I used to never really notice or even care what Christians were doing or not doing before I RECEIVED the Spirit of God.

But after I received His Spirit is when I too started suddenly “seeing” that too many “Christians” were only believing “God was watching us from a DISTANCE”. That was clearly NOT the Gospel or HisStory of Jesus I was reading about in the Bible and experiencing first-hand for myself.

At this time in my life I was blessed to be part of an amazing Holy Spirit spiritual “revival” in the early to late 1980’s. My Pastor at the time (Pastor Joseph Goodwin – his Los Osos Vineyard church was the 6th “planted” in the Vineyard Movement) took Ephesians 4 “unity” among other Christians quite literally.

He was always attempting to get other Christians together for “fellowship” as if God wanted this “unity” among all Christians no matter what their traditional denominations because, after all, Christianity should be lived like what was in the Bible, right?

Paul described this unity ideal for His Church like this:

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord (Jesus, of course), one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6; but read all of Ephesians 4:1-5:1).

There appeared to us to only be ONE Gospel of Jesus Christ and not two, three … etc., etc. … just ONE.

Just like God never changes but stays the same forever, His Gospel never changes even as “Christians” often change and even pick and choose what they want to be “true” from what Jesus said and did with His original disciples in the Bible.

Let’s pray for more Christian “believers” to RECEIVE more and put more “Christ” in “Christian” (1 John 2:3-6; Ephesians 4:15).

Jesus Is All About His ONE Church Made Up Of All His Own Called Out From The World

Open Bible Study Page HERE

As I mentioned earlier in this presentation, I was blessed to become a devoted Disciple of Jesus at a time when there was a sovereign revival of the Spirit of God in His Church in California (the 1980’s).

Even though I don’t regularly attend traditional “church” services today, I did back then. The Spirit of God revival was happening everywhere and had nothing specifically to do with the structured “church” environment at all. It was going on in people’s Homes, out in the streets (we prayed for people everywhere), at the Beaches, etc., wherever people gathered there was the Spirit moving during this time.

Today I am a Hotel owner and Life Coach in 3D (among various other titles you can check out in the “Me” link at the top of the page). Back then in the ’80s and early 90’s, I was a Youth Pastor and later an Associate Pastor in the Vineyard Movement during the 1980’s and early 1990’s.

The Vineyard was big on Worship and the Spirit moved often during these intimate times singing and pouring out our hearts to God using modern instruments and simple songs. A full “band” with a amplified sound system experience was normal for any larger gathering. This approach to Worship Music with a band was a cultural contrast to the more traditional Hymns and ways to worship God found in more traditional churches.

Worship in a Home Group (called Kinship Groups in the Vineyard) usually consisted of a person with a guitar leading worship songs and prayers. But for most of us it really didn’t matter how well the person could actually “play” the guitar because we were more interested in the experience of one-on-ONE interaction in prayer with Jesus and the Father by His Holy Spirit. The intimacy achieved in prayer at some of these Home Groups made some people uncomfortable at first, but most stopped being so inhibited by the second or third visit due to the most-often very LOVING and ACCEPTING hosts.

Some of my best experiences with Christians were with simply “untrained” and unprofessional “normal” Christians simply opening up their hearts and their own homes to often complete strangers for the sake of practicing the various “one another” scriptures from the Bible. I learned that all one really needed was a LOVE for others and a willingness to pray for another the way Jesus our Master prayed for others to show us how it all worked.

Every meeting would be an opportunity to “pray for one another” and to expect the Spirit of God to “move” in any number of “effects” just as Paul taught us in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 and all of chapter 12. Interaction with a “living God” in Personal relationship was for us a “normal” activity both in our private prayer lives as well as any time we gathered together too.

Again, I am thankful that such a “Christian” environment was so open to the Spirit of God since I was just opening up to Jesus as a serious Disciple and opening up to “doing” what He expected of His own Disciples too (i.e. obeying His Matthew 28:18-20 command to “make disciples”).

My Vineyard Church Pastor, Joseph Goodwin, who was also my most important earthly Disciple-Maker “servant” of King Jesus helping me in 3D become a devoted Disciple of Jesus (Matthew 28:18-20; 23:8-11; Ephesians 4:7-15), he made sure we “Vineyard Christians” were in regular contact with ANYONE open to relate to us from various old and newer Christian traditions in the community.

We primarily identified ourselves as just “Christians” and not as “Vineyardites” and certainly NOT as “denominational” “Christians”. We were very happy NOT to be too caught up into the sectarian divisions that has divided Christians from each other for centuries. Afterall, we were “just a Movement” and NOT a “denomination” like all the rest of “churches” in our community.

Some people called what the Spirit was doing at the time “the Vineyard revival” but Jesus did not view it that way. He taught our Pastor (also a regional leader in the Vineyard Movement too) that this was His Spirit and it was a blessing for His WHOLE Church and not just our “church”.

Again, I am so thankful for Joseph’s strong leadership and “stand” for Jesus and His WHOLE Church at this time!

This means we all became bound and determined to “preserve the unity of the spirit” among “Christians” all throughout our Christian community of Los Osos and the Central Coast of California even as many of these more traditional Christians were no longer personally experiencing for themselves what Jesus and His disciples experienced in the Bible (Ephesians 4:1-3).

Joseph was and still is (see Ravens Keep for his continuation of his ministry today) a true “ambassador for Christ” “the king of the Jews” and Gentiles too, in the Paul sense of 2 Corinthians 5:16-20. He was constantly defending a literal Jesus, a literal Holy Spirit and a literal “unity of the Spirit” and Ephesians 4 vision of ONE Church called out of the world without any reference to some other “Christian” tradition identification first (Colossians 1:13-18).

I learned that anyone could call themselves anything they wanted to call themselves … like “Vineyard” or even “Bob’s Church of Surfers” or “Catholic” or “Presbyterian” etc. … but if you were NOT calling yourself a “member” of Jesus’ ONE Church He is still leading today “first place in everything” then you were NOT part of His Church but just a “member” of your “church” (Colossians 1:13-18).

Jesus gives us a parable of BOTH “wheat” and “tares” growing up together in the world in Matthew 13:24-43. 

The “tares” are NOT from God while the “wheat” represents those who belong to God.

What is interesting is that most “tares” represent people CLEARLY wanting NOTHING to do with Jesus. These are those neighbors or co-workers or friends you know and share life with who are NOT Religious at all. They are easy to “see” as “tares”.

But Jesus sees “tares” that we don’t always “see” who call Him, “Lord, Lord,” and that He says don’t actually belong to “the Father who is in heaven” or “know” Him on His terms first (Matthew 7:21-23; 7:24-27). This is obviously where those “tares” happen to also be “Religious” and often dwell among “churches” where even real “wheat” are worshipping God (see Jude 1-25).

This is very tricky, to say the least. But no worries!

God Himself will be sorting us all out in due time at what He calls “the Harvest” at the “end of the age”.

If you are a “wheat” then you should certainly not be fooled by them or ally yourself with them if they claim to be Jesus’ “wheat” but they are lying “tares”.

But what about our relationship with the “tares” who don’t claim to be Jesus’ “wheat”?

I personally have LOTS of friends, co-workers and neighbors that are clearly “tares” and our relationship is honestly GOOD. I know who they are and they know who I am but we are normally honest about the differences and love or accept each other for the sake of “peace” and even joy of relating to each other. Of course, spiritual persecution can happen any time just as it happened with our Master Jesus, but that too is “normal” and expected, right?

Other than the most important practice of “do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world,” I think any relationship with “wheat” and “tares” all has to do with the LYING part of the Religious “tares” that is the REAL problem just like it would normally be in ANY relationship. Whether it be a “false prophet” or a “false friend”, Lying is not a relationship helper as most people know without me having to remind them.

But let’s focus for a bit on God’s GREAT LOVE of EVERYONE (both “wheat” and “tares”) that Jesus said was His primary motivation for coming to Earth to begin with (John 3:16-21).

Not surprisingly, I know without a doubt that God truly loves “His own” who love Him and whom He calls “those who are of the truth” (John 18:36-37; 10:1-30). He loves all of “His own” that are in EVERY “Christian” tradition and culture. These are those who still maintain a literal Personal relationship with Jesus and the Father by His ONE Holy Spirit!

For example, this includes anyone who truly believes and receives God’s HisStory or Gospel in the Bible, like Paul’s teachings of Jesus’ Gospel in 1 Corinthians 2:1-16. They are SUCCEEDING and GROWING up into the Ephesians 4 vision of “the body of Christ” mystery called His Church.

I also believe God truly loves all His human creations in this world including those still failing (not succeeding and not growing) in their own Personal relationship with Jesus and the Spirit of God according to His Gospel (John 3:16-21).

This means I know He loves YOU because you too are either succeeding or failing in your Personal Relationship with Jesus!

I hope you know this too!

If not, you know it now.

God’s GREAT love truly “covers” a multitude of sins and sinners like me and you (Ephesians 2:1-3:21)!

In addition to what He said in John 3:16-21, directed at all of His human creations both men and women, I also know this great love of God is FOR US because Jesus called all sorts of imperfect and IMMATURE people “the churches” in Revelation 1:17-3:22. These “churches” or people “called out of the world” all had problems except for arguably the Philadephia “church” that only had positive words and praise from King Jesus.

By the way, did you know that the phrase “called OUT of the world” from the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the very definition of the word “church”?

The official invitation from God to anyone living in the world to become this “called out” UNIFIED IN CHRIST or under the rule of KING JESUS “church” could arguably be Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:25-30. Read that on your own.

But I consider literally EVERYTHING Jesus said and did in His Gospel to be an important part of His invitation and “calling” of God to “repent” and “come out of the world”.

The goal is, of course, to RECEIVE Jesus’ Gift (D2) and because of His Gift we are granted access to Jesus’ Promised Lands. These include the eternal life promise to “enter the kingdom of heaven” (D1) that is currently guarded and locked by “the door” to Heaven … Jesus Himself (Genesis 3:22-24; John 10:1-30; 14:1-7; Revelation 2:7).

Jesus was and still is challenging imperfect people like you and me, invited to be “saved by grace” through Himself as the only “door” to “the Father who is in heaven” (Ephesians 1:1-2:10). This PATH of faith eventually leads us to recognize Him and Personally “know” Him as Lord, Master and King of our life. It’s a PATH of faith where we learn what it practically means to be a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven and what it means to honor Jesus “first place in everything” after putting Him second or worse our whole life.

Were you aware that 6 out of the 7 “churches” in Jesus’ famous post-resurrection and ascension to His throne in Heaven Personal conversation with His Church in Revelation 1:17-3:22, needed some form of a “rebuke” or corrective word from the Head of His Church?

I am talking about requiring some degree of “repent” back to the commands and “will of My Father who is in heaven” and to the “will” of King Jesus the undisputed Head of His Church.

Christians were, and still are, always individually responsible to answer to Jesus Personally for their own words and their own deeds (Matthew 16:23-28; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Romans 14:4; Jeremiah 17:9-10). We all must answer to Him at some point in HisStory but I would strongly recommend answering to Him TODAY while “salvation” is still on the proverbial “table” (2 Corinthians 6:1-2; Hebrews 3:6-4:16).

The sooner the better!

The sooner we can all start to answer for ourselves to the King who rules “first place in EVERYTHING” the sooner His ONE Church around the world can start to show signs of “grow up in all aspects into Him” which remains the most important “upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:7-21; Ephesians 4:15).

Here is my approach to all humans in light of all those Ephesians 4 ideals for His Church:  pursue love, acceptance and forgiveness and take responsibility for our own life with God and all the rest of our Priority Area relationships.

These are not just good ideas but commands from our King:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

This means with starting to love God first, your Spouse second, your kids and Family third, those at work fourth, those in your Neighborhood 5th … and whoever else is in your Priority Area relationship “orbit” of life lived here on earth.

This command of Jesus to “love … even as I have loved you” and especially His “forgive” others command, are certainly quite often easier said than done for most of us. But since we are commanded by our Master to love and forgive all humans “even as I have”, we eventually choose it and “do it” even when we don’t want to (Matthew 6:14-15)!

If anyone truly wants a great introduction to Jesus’ view of His ONE Church He is still leading today by His Spirit, I personally recommend reading Jesus’ awesome explanation of His Church in John 17. It explains so many mysteries in just one Chapter of the Bible!

 Ask King Jesus For His “Open Book” TEST Help From His Spirit

Open Bible Study Page HERE

What if you could literally have VIP “child of God” ACCESS to “the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things given to us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:12)?

What if “God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God … For who has known the mind of the Lord that he should instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:10; 2:16).

It’s precisely this “mind of Christ” Teacher within the “Spirit who is from God” that John was referring to in 1 John 2:26-27 saying, “And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and YOU HAVE NO NEED FOR ANYONE TO TEACH YOU; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.”

Paul even said, “Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood;

for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; …” (1 Corinthians 2:6-8).

Did you just hear what I heard from Paul’s Gospel of Jesus?

Said another way, “if they had understood it” means understanding what the Spirit of God wants to give us in His Gospel. So, “if they had understood it” like God wanted them to understand it, they would NOT HAVE FAILED THE TESTS God gave to them through Jesus Christ!

Were you even aware King Jesus has LOTS of TESTS for His Disciples to eventually pass? What Teacher or Master would never TEST His Students? Expect these TESTS throughout your entire lifetime as a Disciple of Jesus Christ.

Jesus and God’s Spirit called “the Spirit of Christ” is the Teacher of “God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom” where “things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9).

This presentation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ from 1 Corinthians 2 makes clear that if you are one “of those who love Him” that you can have His Help to pass all your Spirit TESTS from our Master Jesus regarding His Kingdom of Heaven and spiritual life in general as God views it all IN FULL.

You will find out for yourself when you study any part of Jesus’ Gospel for yourself in the Bible that Jesus is well aware of anyone who has failed in the past, is failing right now or will fail sometime in the future, their own “John 6 TEST”. Jesus knows full well who is currently “passing” and who is “failing” any of His TESTS from His Gospel.

Again, the John 6 TEST is representative of any of the Holy Spirit tests from God that are common in the New Testament part of the Bible (2 Corinthians 13:3-6).

Anyone passes or fails for their own reasons that Jesus can “see” but we often need His Help and His “examination” of our hearts to “see” them too (1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Romans 14:4).

The Holy Spirit TEST is arguably the most important test that Jesus has for His Church while on the earth.

Almost all of His OTHER TESTS depend on us first passing His Spirit TEST (1 John 4:1; 1 Corinthians 2:5; 2:12; 12:11-13; Romans 8:1-39).

For example, how about some of the other TESTS like the “seeing” tests that challenge our ability to spiritually “see” or “hear” what “the Spirit is saying to the churches” still today (Revelation 2:7)?

Check them all out for yourself throughout the Bible.

There are some “tricks of the trade” (so to speak) that any Disciple of Jesus can learn from their Master Jesus to more quickly and more easily PASS and not FAIL any of His TESTS.

I personally received 5 Foundational Helps from Jesus that I like to call “The Five Practice Pillars” of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

You will learn all five here at Pokyra.

I also call them “Direction Wells” because they not only give helpful general “direction” at all times but are like bottom-less “wells” that are so DEEP I have been digging them with God and His Spirit for close to 40 years and they show no signs of “bottoming out”.

Such is a Disciple of Jesus lifestyle lived regularly with the Spirit of God revealing “the mystery of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:5-16; Ephesians 3:1-12)!

The first Practice Pillar He revealed to me is that Jesus has “first place in everything” … where “everything” literally means EVERYTHING (confirmed by Colossians 1:13-18).

If you can learn this lesson first, then ALL of Jesus’ TESTS get much easier to Pass almost immediately.

But the problem is we are all, understandably, EVERYTHING-CHALLENGED.

I mean we may believe it, but putting it into real practice of one thing after another thing that comes up in our life is how it becomes REAL for us. I help you more often and more practically do this here at Pokyra.

For example, all of the TESTS the Devil gave to Jesus in the famous “temptation” in the wilderness in Matthew 4:1-11, were QUICKLY and EASILY discerned and PASSED by Jesus using this “first place in everything” Practice Pillar in God’s Kingdom.

Whenever anyone hijacks the “first place in everything” RULE of Jesus in His Kingdom, you know RIGHT AWAY what “spirit” is behind it (Colossians 1:13-18; 1 Corinthians 2:12; 1 John 3:24-4:1; 2:26-27; 2:20). It’s not the Spirit of God and that’s enough to know or discern to be able to respond as our Master responded to the temptation.

Seriously, I am not kidding. This Practice Pillar #1 makes QUICK WORK of almost any TEST we may encounter in this world.

But it requires anyone to seriously PRACTICE “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you” on a regular basis as Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:8-33.

I help you with this disciplined practice using my “tools” at Pokyra until it becomes a more “normal” Good Habit.

The tricky part to spiritually discern is that not everyone who claims to be “called out” by God actually honors Jesus “first place in everything” as is required in His Kingdom and proclaimed by Jesus in His Gospel (Matthew 7:21-23; Mark 1:1-15; Philippians 2:20-21; 3:1-21).

Only He alone knows when that hijacking (called “lawlessness” or “sin” in His Kingdom – 1 John 3:4-10) is actually a serious Problem regarding entrance to His Kingdom (1 John 5:14-21; again, read Revelation 2:1-3:22 and Matthew 7:13-27).

We don’t even have to know anyone’s eternal destination. That’s just NOT our call (1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Romans 14:4; Matthew 7:1-2; 6:14-15; Romans 12:9-21).

What truly is our “call” or responsibility every day is what Paul taught us where “from now on, we recognize no man according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if any man is in christ, he is a new creature; the old things past away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:16-17).

Yes, that clearly speaks of our new Holy Spirit led life Jesus taught us to learn from His own best example of how it all works.

I use a wonderful statement in some of my Video Trailers here at Pokyra that you are likely well aware of because the statement is such a well-known cliche’ type of overly dramatic Movie Trailer that goes something like this,

“Everything is about to change. You will never be the same again!”

Sound familiar from a Movie Trailer?

But when that same statement is applied to what Jesus is doing in our life by His Holy Spirit, it suddenly becomes an understatement rather than an overstatement.

Part of our own mysterious “YOU WILL NEVER BE THE SAME” life led by the Holy Spirit Gift of Jesus is to suddenly “know” everyone by the spiritual “fruit” coming out of both Christians and non-Christians and then to appropriately relate to them based on that “fruit” (2 Corinthians 5:16; 1 John 2:26-27; 4:1; Matthew 7:15-20; 16:21-28; John 15:1-8; Micah 7:1-6; 7:7-20).

Who can know the deep things of the heart of anyone?

Not me!

Yet God certainly does (Jeremiah 17:9-10).

The mysteries of the “heart” is NOT what we have to “know” about each other. We would likely be disappointed in what we found much of the time anyway (Jeremiah 17:5-6). Our job is to discern “the fruit” or what is discernible coming out of their lives. They are, by the way, doing the same with us.

We are required by Jesus to TRUST GOD and not people (Jeremiah 17:5:7-8) and to “know” or spiritually and naturally discern the “fruit” coming out of our self and others (like Paul did in 1 Corinthians 2:12; John 15:1-8; Matthew 7:15-20). That’s it.

All the rest is up to King Jesus to deal with “first place in everything” as King of His own Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 7:21-27; Revelation 20:11-15; Matthew 16:24-28).

Manage your own heart and let everyone else manage their own heart with God (John 21:22; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Romans 14:4). Sounds easy enough, right?

My Pokyra helps serve your life with Good Habit building practical tools you can use the rest of your life on a more regular or routine “daily” Practice of our Faith whenever you need the help. Then, hopefully we will still be on the “right” side of HisStory at the end of our relatively brief time here on earth as opposed to being on the “wrong” side (Matthew 7:21-23; Romans 14:22; Hebrews 10:35-39).

Take courage in the promise of God that He wants to EXAMINE your heart TODAY so you can be on the “right” side of HisStory as much as possible this side of Heaven!

God makes this faithful promise to us all:

“I the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds” (Jeremiah 17:9-10).

Try looking at your life in this way: Try to become just like Jesus was with the Father (a.k.a. “walk in the same manner as He walked” – 1 John 2:3-6) during the MIDDLE OF LIFE so at the end of His/our brief time on the earth we will have a similarly WONDERFUL “report card” of having PASSED and not failed at least our MOST IMPORTANT TESTS from God (John 17:4; Matthew 6:18-21).

Jesus said, “A pupil is not above his teacher; but everyone, after he has been fully trained, will be like his teacher.” (Luke 6:40)

Let’s Go Back In Time With HisStory Driving Kehrt’sStory

Open Bible Study Page HERE

When I return in my memory back to the mid-1980’s, when I was just starting out learning and “doing” His Gospel “in the same manner as He walked,” I also remember my own frustration with unbelievers and unreceivers of Jesus and His Gospel. I was frustrated with myself too because I felt I was NOT RECEIVING enough or growing up spiritually FAST ENOUGH! So, life has lots of frustrations to manage but there are some frustrations that are based in foolishness and some based in our own immaturity.

The immaturity frustrations are to be expected as “baby” Christians (1 Corinthians 3:1-16; Hebrews 5:11-6:9) even as we should ALL work on getting rid of as many “foolishness” frustrations (1 John 1:1-2:6) as possible as soon as possible!

Let me briefly explain a bit of what I mean from dealing with the “foolishness” of “unbelievers” as I was interacting with them during my early Disciple of Jesus years.

I remember praying to Jesus at my home in Morro Bay, California.

I was a young disciple of Jesus who didn’t yet have a very deep understanding of the Bible … yet!

Still, I knew enough to know that what I was involved with spiritually at the time was all spiritually experienced and explained in the Bible.

 I was devouring everything I could get my hands on in my own personal study of the Bible and Bible teaching found at the local Christian Book Store. I was seeking anything to help explain more of what I was ALREADY EXPERIENCING with the Holy Spirit and my Master Jesus. My big question at the time was, “Who has studied Jesus our Master in the Bible to help explain what I was experiencing spiritually?”

In one of the books I was reading, I had just learned of a “theological” word many Christians use to help explain/share the Gospel of Jesus. This word was called “apologetics”. I didn’t even understand what it meant fully at the time, but all I heard from that word in my immature but sincere mind was “you must APOLOGIZE” to others about the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Instead of having some “mature” theological response of, “I must intellectually argue and convince the world of why this is true,” I instead had the purely “spirit” inside me reaction of it making me PISSED OFF MAD!

I later realized this was a frustration shared by Jesus and His Spirit too. I also later learned that Paul was sharing his own experience with the same thing I was experiencing spiritually in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 and 3:1-7.

Right away, I proceeded to pray to Jesus out loud in my living room frustrated and upset at unbeliever Christians, “Jesus, I don’t ever want to APOLOGIZE for what I am experiencing with You! But how do I convince these unbeliever Christians that Your Spirit is real and that You already said it was real in the Bible?”

You know what?

He told me!

He told me, “If I did it, you can do it.”

It wasn’t until much later that I found THIS message of Jesus from one of His beloved original Disciples written out in his own words in 1 John 2:3-6. AWESOME!

I believe Jesus wants to “tell you” Personally in First-Person what He revealed to me in my living room as a young disciple of Jesus, just as He spoke to John and all receptive multitudes of His own Disciples throughout HisStory, too!

Kehrt’s Own Journey From “Believer to RECEIVER” Disciple of Jesus

Open Bible Study Page HERE

I mentioned a bit of this part of MyStory earlier above.

But let me explain a few more details to better understand my own journey with Jesus and His Gospel so far.

So, my own Story with Jesus started much earlier as a mere “believer” in Sunday school in the early 1970’s. I received my first Bible at a Methodist Church in San Luis Obispo, California, where my family attended off and on until I was 6 years old. I liked the creative artwork or pictures from the Bible I now so proudly owned as a 6-year -old, but I never read the Bible until much later in my “teen” life.

So, from 6 years old to my mid-teens I was a “believer” and periodic “talker” with Jesus even as I was certainly NOT a “disciple” of Jesus.

It was in the 1980’s that I was first experiencing a whole bunch of weird-to-me never experienced spiritual experiences as a devoted disciple open to RECEIVE the Holy Spirit. Like most people experiencing NEW THINGS for the first time, I had many questions about what I was experiencing.

I had questions like, “Why did I just start shaking and falling over on the ground? What was that POWER I just experienced?”

I later learned Paul’s explanation from his own spiritual experiential knowledge and Gospel of Jesus Christ in 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 regarding the SAME “power of God” I was experiencing too. Paul even claimed to prioritize the experience with the Spirit or “power of God” over “the wisdom of men”.

I absolutely do too! This is the basis of my “Who really cares what Kehrt thinks compared to what God thinks about anything or anyone?” prioritizing statement. Of course, I hope some people care about what I have to say … but certainly somewhere further down the priority scale from God who rules “first place in everything” (Colossians 1:13-18). You think?

But back then the obvious question we all had as new experiencers of His Spirit, “I am aware that Jesus did this for Himself and with people in the Bible, but why is this Holy Spirit so important to my Faith as a devoted Disciple of Jesus in the 1980’s?”

Again, I found myself being directed by the invisible hand of God’s Spirit to what the apostle Paul already had answered in his own journey with Jesus hundreds of years before my own journey in the 80’s. Paul had some solid, sound Gospel of Jesus answers for me in 1 Corinthians 2:1-16 (not to mention ALL of the New Testament too).

I also learned that Paul’s letter to the Galatians and John’s letter of 1 John make it clear that we have to “… do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).

So, it was certainly possible that I too could be “false” or “wrong” in what spirit I was involved with making it a real challenge to “grow up in all aspects into Christ” and not just do what many Christians apparently do when they learn about the “dark side” of the spiritual world and not just the “light side” with God: 

they just STOP believing in a literal Spirit of God and a literal Satan and demons influencing our lives.

It seems like the “easy” path to no longer “walk in the same manner as He walked.” Of course, Jesus lived “not of this world” in a spiritual reality where BOTH a “domain of darkness” and “kingdom of His beloved Son” or “light” were and still are in literal spiritual war with one another. Most people who are not fully invested in a given “cause” of conflict tend to avoid it. This is the story of “Christians” who are NOT 100% “invested” in the Kingdom of Heaven spiritual WAR and Rebellion HisStory Jesus came to earth to share with us all.

It also seems like the “right” and “easy” path to take for people overwhelmed by the thought of having to “work out your salvation with fear and trembling” which is real spiritual “work” for all of Jesus’ devoted Disciples (Philippians 2:12-16). Again, if one is not “invested” in the “work” or vision of the “work” humans tend to not do it. Hence, the Practice and Fruit Problem currently plaguing His Church that Pokyra is designed to serve wherever possible in hopes of removing most of the Our Part to Play excuses to NOT doing what we even know we should be doing but it just doesn’t get done.

I don’t have to tell spiritually discerning Christians that the fateful choice to take the apparent “easy” PATH that has close to nothing to do with the STANDARD, “walk in the same manner as He walked,” Model of Jesus for a Christian has caused much of the Problems we see today among “Christians”. It helps to explain much of (certainly not all, but much) of the “fruitless” lives of anyone identifying themselves as “Christian”.

Their lack of a “literal” Jesus to “invest” in FULLY (like Paul in Galatians 2:20) has caused Christians to literally be spiritually powerless, vulnerable to the “thief” Jesus said wanted to “steal, kill and destroy” our life if possible (John 10:10). And finally their gospel or HisStory of Jesus is dangerously LACKING and INCOMPLETE in both foundational and non-foundational Truth.

By the way, for those of you who have not experienced what Jesus our Master and His disciples experienced with the Holy Spirit in the Bible, or what more modern Christians like John Wimber (a leader in the Vineyard Movement of the 1980’s) called “Power Encounters” in His 1988 book with that same title written with Kevin Springer, it is important to know that there is NOT just one potential “effect” or “manifestation” of the Holy Spirit.

But there are “varieties” or unlimited effects and manifestations “but the same Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:4; Ephesians 4:4-6).

The ONE and the SAME Spirit of God does it all!

This includes all of those spiritual things Jesus did that we as His Disciples would literally “do” “in the same manner as He walked” (1 John 2:3-6). Yes, you heard that right: 

If Jesus did it you can do it too!

Start studying Jesus right away because this is A LOT to do in 3D! I help you with some of this here at Pokyra. I call it Practice Pillar #2 from my 5 Practice Pillars of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

A Christian wanting to “walk in the same manner as He walked” spiritually just has to JUMP RIGHT INTO this new reality and start LEARNING from our Master Jesus right away!

It will not always be a “clean” spiritual experience even as Paul desired “all things be done properly and in in an orderly manner” (1 Corinthians 15:40). The truth is that at times it is messy when we make mistakes (Matthew 16:21-28; Luke 9:51-56)! Expect this as part of the “normal” learning experience of the Spirit just as Jesus’ original 12 Disciples had to learn it from Jesus too!

Why Do So Many “churches” Lose Their Way, Truth and Their Life?

Open Bible Study Page HERE

I have found John’s brief message in 1 John 2:3-6 to be the best quick answer to that question:

“And by this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.

The one who says, ‘I have come to know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;

but whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected.

By this we know that we are in Him:

the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” (1 John 2:3-6)

I reference this best quick answer to that question often throughout Pokyra because it represents one of the 5 Practice Pillars that I use to Summarize the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Apply that to your own “walk” with Jesus and you too will receive for yourself what I personally have found to be the most PROFOUND statement of what it truly means to “abide” rightly with the Person of Jesus and how to STAY and not leave the Path of Jesus Christ.

I believe it’s why so many “churches” lose their Way, Truth and their Life in Jesus even today (Galatians 1:6; 1 Timothy 4:1-5; 1 John 2:26-27).

But why is it so difficult for “Christian” “churches” to STAY on that path described so eloquently and simply by John above (or Paul too in 2 Corinthians 11:2-5; John 15:1-8)?

I believe the Bible Gospel of Jesus Christ (presented by those who wrote it down on paper) is at its SPIRITUAL CORE a Faith ALL ABOUT the Spirit one lives by. It was either “the Spirit who is from God” or “the spirit of the world” (1 Corinthians 2:12). That’s it!

There’s only TWO options from God’s Gospel in the Bible.

In light of this simple yet profound discovery, I encourage you to study “church history” to discover for yourself how many “Christians” now given the label “traditional” “Christian” denominations surprisingly started out by the Spirit of God.

You might be surprised to learn that many “church” organizations that today want nothing to do with the Holy Spirit parts of Jesus’ Gospel actually started out with a Holy Spirit “power encounter,” “revival” or some “manifestation” of the Spirit of God.

Said another way, they once were clearly choosing the RIGHT OPTION of the two “spirit” options available. At some point they unwisely chose the only other available option from God’s perspective of their life that did NOT include the Holy Spirit (Matthew 7:23; Ephesians 5:13-17).

Some Christian “traditions” or “denominations” have even gone so far as to claim the Father and the Son are NOT the Spirit of God and create false doctrines contradicting what Jesus says, for example, in John 4:20-24. Creating false teachings and false doctrines is nothing new to Christianity. Just read Paul’s letters including 1 and 2 Timothy.

It’s as if the “false” is always following the “truth” around just waiting for an opportune time to hijack it, pervert it or replace it entirely. The “spirit of the world” we all live with in the world is therefore always challenging the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I would like to say it is NOT “normal”, but it is a “normal” and regular CHALLENGE for all Christians throughout the whole world. God is fully aware of it and views it like a John 6 TEST as I have already explained in this presentation.

Christianity is ALL ABOUT what Paul described as the “unity of the Spirit” where those who are on God’s side with King Jesus and the Father all UNIFY together with the ONE Jesus, the ONE Spirit of God and the ONE Gospel of HisStory (Ephesians 4:3-16).

They “do” that “unity of the Spirit” or “fellowship” with the Head of the Church and each other too, while all the other “Christians” are practicing some OTHER RELIGIOUS activities having often absolutely nothing to do with the pursuit of “the Father” and “the King” (Head of the “body”, His Church) and His Kingdom of Heaven. They may have even heard or read about God seeking “worshipers” who will know God “in spirit and in truth” but in their hearts and actions they choose to LEAVE THE SPIRIT OF GOD in Rebellion (2 Corinthians 11:2-4).

It is a familiar story found throughout the entire Gospel HisStory in the Bible.

I believe it is the basis for the SCARIEST message I have ever heard in the entire Bible in Matthew 7:21-23.

I’ll let you search that out for yourself in your Bible. But be prepared to hear Jesus the King and only “Door” into the Kingdom of Heaven make the statement that ALL Christians should take absolutely serious for themselves first, and then for the sake of His Church and all who still call Him, “Lord Lord”. But somethings VERY WRONG!

It’s also where, for example, we get the famous statement throughout HisStory that Jesus confirmed in His sharing of His Gospel, “Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord!” and NOT two or more (Mark 12:29).

There is ONE Spirit of God the Father and God the Son just as Jesus prayed in John 17:1-26.

Paul explains the same truth quite well in 1 Corinthians 2:9-16.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out the Bible testimonies of the ONE TRUE God who Jesus said “is Spirit” and why “it is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. But there are some of you who do not believe” (John 6:63-64).

They might even believe in a “Father” and some believe in “Jesus” but without “the Spirit” of God they are without God “who is Spirit” and they apparently can be in serious danger of losing the Father and the Son in the process of losing God’s Spirit (1 John 2:20-23; 2 Corinthians 11:2-4).

Yes, our Christian Faith is ALL ABOUT the Spirit one is living by and the spiritual “fruit” is easy to discern if you RECEIVE the Spirit of God and almost impossible if you reject the Spirit of God in your life.

Why?

It’s more simple than you might think.

You NEED the REAL to even “test” the false. Just ask any forgery expert.

It’s the same basic understanding when talking about the REAL Spirit of God and a false spirit.

Jesus’ declaration, “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth,” should END any further debate on the topic.

Paul’s teachings found in 1 Corinthians 2:1-16 should just be the “cherry” on top of Jesus’ most authoritative version of who God really is.

Consider that Jesus said He was physically leaving earth to send what He called “the promise of My Father” which was a BETTER way of relating to ALL people living here on earth at the same time rather than the limits of one human in an earthly body. Jesus was still the King who rules “first place in everything”, but He was clearly self-limited throughout His life and times on earth.

He always spoke of or prophesied about that awesome time in HisStory when He would eventually leave this earth, return to His Kingdom of Heaven and SEND the Holy Spirit “Helper” (a.k.a. “the promise of My Father”) to us.

He declared that His Holy Spirit would would have no limits to “do” on a much larger scale (did I mention the Spirit of God has NO limits?) what Jesus was limited to “doing” in say, Galilee or Jerusalem, during His three year ministry in the so-called Holy Lands of the Bible (John 15:26-16:15).

What Jesus and the Father always had planned was the SENDING and RECEIVING of the literal Spirit of God who could and would NOW and forever teach us individually “in the same manner as He walked” how to “worship in spirit and in truth” just as the Father ALWAYS wanted His own worshipers to become as Jesus explained this GREATEST MYSTERY in John 4:19-26.

Check it out for yourself. Jesus was just not that “protective” or “defensive” about what people would say or do about Him Personally. But He was absolutely defensive and SERIOUS about how anyone treated the Spirit of God (Matthew 12:30-37)! It’s very revealing what He says in that awesome Matthew 12:30-37 passage!

There is certainly a HisStory of God’s Spirit to observe with these people who throughout “church” HisStory at least identified “first place in everything” with Jesus the King of Heaven in at least some Personal relationship “in spirit and truth” but sometime later the “fruit” evidence shows they left Jesus and His Way, His Truth and His Life.

Some Church scholars have observed a pattern of “falling away from the faith” in a Personal relationship with the Spirit of God, normally by the third generation after a spiritual “revival” first awoke the “spirits” of mankind to open their hearts to the Spirit of God. I reference again the John 6 TEST that I believe to be a regular TEST of a persons “spirit” and the “Spirit of God” relationship.

Scholars observed that what normally began as a small Holy Spirit birthed “revival” … and then eventually growing in larger numbers into a larger “Movement” … at some point the Holy Spirit “encounters” were no longer experienced by most of these “Christians” in any discernible “manifestation”.

The proof is that many of them created “doctrines” that no longer took the Holy Spirit as “literal” or relevant to their daily lives as Christians. The standard model to compare the practices and “fruit” with was how Jesus “did it” with His original 12 Disciples.

From the time of the book of Acts the “church” was just starting to receive the Spirit of God as the Father intended His Gift to be RECEIVED and not REJECTED.

Just check out how the Spirit was experienced throughout the New Testament part of the Bible and early Church HisStory for a solid basic understanding of a spiritual life lived with God in a Personal relationship. But if you are willing to accept Paul’s teachings in Ephesians 4, you must also be open to the idea that Jesus’ Church is in a “growing up” process where obstacles to “growth” come in different forms.

Neglect of or rejection of the Holy Spirit in His Church is the most obvious obstacle just as Jesus explained the “abiding” in Him requirement and the consequences of NOT “abiding” in Him in John 15:1-8. Without the Spirit of God providing the spiritual LIFE, one dies. It’s like those branches dying on a dead tree. The “fruit” is the first to die (Micah 7:1-6). It’s that simple.

I have received 5 Practice Pillars of the Gospel of Jesus Christ from Jesus Personally that help to explain most of the other obstacles to “growth”. You will learn those during the basic training here at Pokyra.

Hear me clearly.

I am not saying they (any Christians) have to have the exact same manifestations of the Spirit of God (which Paul said are many in 1 Corinthians 12:4-7). But they are required to have at least some manifestation and effect of the ONE and the SAME Spirit at work in their lives every day.

This is required by all of us who follow the same “head” as “members” of “the body of Christ” “in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:19-22). We need to practically fulfill Jesus’ “abiding” Gospel (John 15:1-8) and His SPIRITUAL PRACTICE requirement of “your kingdom come and your will be done” just as He taught/commanded us in Matthew 6:8-7:27.

I vaguely remember being a 6-year-old attender of church with my family in the early 1970’s. They all wanted me to go to Sunday School for the kids, but I guess I rebelled. I ended up spending most of my visits to church buildings in the “big-people church” service drawing pictures on the donation envelopes stashed in the pew in front of me.

I did sometimes listen. I was listening to how people in the Methodist Church taught and practiced the famous Matthew 6 “Lord’s Prayer”. I couldn’t memorize it (or never thought I had to) and I was amazed that my Parents could say the WHOLE prayer along with everyone else in the building.

Still, I don’t remember my parents or any other big people really being “equipped” to literally live like Jesus lived the prayer.

I mean as I now look back as a devoted Disciple of Jesus knowing what I know now to be the “standard” teaching of the entire New Testament Disciples of Jesus, I am now recognizing that nobody I saw in the “big people” church even expected God to speak back to them from Heaven in any response to their prayers (Ephesians 4:1-5:18).

Why is that?

Are you familiar with Paul’s teaching about “equipping the saints” in Ephesians 4?

Saints (as I interpret the term) are considered to be anyone who is now made “holy” or spiritually “set apart” from the world by the power and Gift (D2) of Jesus and are now “abiding” in Him by His Spirit living different from those “of the world”. They are now living “on earth as it is in heaven” yet not taken out of the world (still living life with family, friends and neighbors still of the world) but protected from “the evil one” as Jesus prayed for us in John 17:1-26. The key understanding being living “in the world” but “not of the world” like our Master Jesus.

The word “equipping” simply meant to train someone with the “power” (the Spirit of God and Gifts of the Spirit – 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; 12:1-14:40) and the apparent “skills” and “knowledge” of the Gospel of Jesus so we too could “walk in the same manner as He walked”.

That makes sense, since Ephesians 4 teaches we are to “grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ,” … (Ephesians 4:15).

I cannot imagine Christians trying to “do” Christianity without being “equipped” to “do it” just like Jesus “did it”.

But it turns out, lots of “Christians” obviously do imagine “doing it” in a manner that looks NOTHING like how Jesus did it with His Father “on earth as it is in heaven” by His Spirit.

Something happened to Christianity to get to that point of essentially STOPPING to make Christianity what it was supposed to be.

Yes, there is an “equipping the saints” problem.

But there is a Practice and Fruit Problem to address as well in both the Gospel RECEIVED and the literal Spirit CONNECTION required for a real “abiding” that creates real “fruit” Jesus was talking about in John 15:1-15.

It’s like an ancient Car that obviously originally “worked” as a Car because the basic HisStorical knowledge of the Car was when it “worked”. This is how I view the Church.

It’s supposed to “work” as a Car.

How?

Like the original “owner” of the Car.

Oh … you mean Jesus?

Yes, “in the same manner as He walked” is how the Car was supposed to “work” too.

I believe the people in my parents church (I guess my church too) most often were taught to repeat Jesus’ “prayer” with literally NO EXPECTATIONS of actually having a “two-way” conversation (prayer) with God … with His Spirit and our spirit back and forth like Jesus did it.

What do I mean? I literally mean “in the same manner as He walked” with the Father in Heaven (1 John 2:3-6).

I gues one either believes it or they don’t.

I believe many “believers” would practice a Prayer life “in the same manner as He walked” if someone helped “equip” them to do it like Jesus did it from their own person “experiential knowledge” of how “it works”.

Aha! There is part of the Problem. Our Christian “leaders” are NOT personally experiencing it for themselves so it follows they are NOT “equipped” themselves to “equip” someone else. That’s at least logical.

They certainly had a 1D and one-way declaration of this famous prayer from Matthew 6 memorized just like anyone else who were “members” of this “church”.

But the obvious benefits of a two-way Personal communication relationship clearly was missing.

The distinction I am making here and throughout Pokyra teaching of the Bible is to ask ourselves, “Is this how Jesus REALLY did it?”

Just take anything Jesus did that we are supposed to be doing too. If it’s not practiced like our Master Jesus, then we have a practice problem. It’s a problem with its often wrong expectations of what good spiritual dimension “fruit” should truly look like in 3D as opposed to 1D only (John 15:1-8;  Matthew 7:21-23).

I still believe there are truly people in these mostly 1D and “one way” prayer “church” gatherings on Sunday mornings around the world who truly “know” Jesus in a spiritual “two-way” or “back-and-forth” communication in His Spirit. God knows who they are, not me. God sees spiritual “fruit” that He likes much better than I do (1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Romans 14:4).

I am just sharing what I remember from my relatively few church Sundays as a young child.

I too was one of those with literally NO EXPECTATIONS of actually having a “two-way” conversation with God.

Nobody in my family was saying after praying to Jesus giving thanks for the meal, “I believe God is speaking to me by His Spirit.” Maybe that was your experience with Prayer as well.

I call these my own “believer” yet “un-receiver” days in the 1970’s.

It wasn’t until later in my life that I even understood that I personally wasn’t receiving the most important “benefits” of Christ and His Gospel.

I mean I couldn’t really discern if anyone actually heard “what the Spirit says to the churches” in any of these traditional “church” meetings (Revelation 2:7). Again, God knows, not me.

The Apostle Paul taught in 1 Timothy 4:1-6 that some “Christians” who would “fall away from the faith”. They even went so far as to create new “doctrines” that Paul said were “paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons“. The “doctrines of demons” statement is the same “spirit of the world” that I use from Paul’s 1 Corinthians 2:12 statement.

I later learned how these “Christians” would often handle these inconvenient Bible verses.

It’s how Barna Group says most “Christians” practice their unbelief in the Gospel: 

They simply don’t take it “literally” or choose to say, “Oh, that doesn’t happen anymore. It’s no longer relevant to our lives today.”

You, no doubt, have experienced this on whatever level in your own dealings with “Christians” too.

Church history has lots of examples of “Christians” who “fall away from the faith” and who have failed their own John 6 Spirit of God TEST. Some of them who apparently still wanted a “god” made in their own image chose to Personally (spiritually) leave Jesus to create entire 1D unspiritual “cultural” Religions. They also created so-called “Christian” teachings around the idea that the Holy Spirit was NO LONGER RELEVANT TO TODAY’s “church” (meaning their own church) but what THEY SAID about God was what was truly relevant.

For example, if Jesus said (and He did in Revelation 2:7; 2:11; 2:17; 2:29; 3:6; 3:13 and 3:22),

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches …”

… then these 1D “Christians” falling away from the 3D Faith Jesus taught and practiced with His own Disciples in the Bible, they NO LONGER HAVE or possibly NEVER HAD the required spiritual “ears to hear what the Spirit says” to His Church. They cannot or will not “hear what the Spirit says” about anything of everything, let alone the Gospel of Jesus Christ that Jesus taught to His original Disciples, including Paul after He was sitting on His throne in Heaven.

The way Paul was “discipled” “first place in everything” by Jesus by His Spirit is how it’s supposed to “work” for us too today. I believe that is why Paul has so much of a contribution to the New Testament part of the Bible. He was a “fruitful” devoted Disciple of Jesus Christ who defended a literal ONE Jesus, a literal ONE Spirit of God and a literal ONE Gospel of HisStory (2 Corinthians 11:2-4).

People losing their own “simplicity of devotion to Christ” too often “Lose Their Way, Truth and Their Life” too.

To help understand it with your earthly mind, consider the analogy of connecting with the Spirit of God much like a Radio RECEIVER you have in your car connects to an invisible Radio signal you cannot see. You can’t see it with your natural eyes but the audio wave signal is CERTAINLY THERE to be received if having the RECEIVER turned on and tuned into and not off and out of tune.

These UNRECEIVERS of the literal Spirit of God have often become HIJACKERS of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Galatians 5:7-12).

For example, Paul’s mission for Timothy and “the church at Ephesus” was directly related to the Hijackers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ:

“… that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.

But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion …” (1 Timothy 1:3-6)

Do you think King Jesus, who already said He requires a Spirit of God “abiding” relationship with discernible “good fruit” from His Kingdom, like obeying His commands, practicing His Primary Example for a Christian, etc., would He be happy with the “fruitless discussion” going on in Christianity today (John 15:1-8)?

Read Paul’s letter called 1 Timothy to find out more about the important practice of defending the Gospel of Jesus Christ from those who would at least pervert it or distort it or at worst HIJACK IT completely for their own selfish reasons. Check out also Philippians 2:19-21 and 3:1-21 for the same defense of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

His Gospel and HisStory are constantly under ATTACK even today!

Read in your Bible the story of the Galatians from start to finish for a good example of how a group of people (in this case Jewish Christians in Galatia) “having begun by the Spirit”, can at some point seek to leave Jesus for another Gospel (“doctrines” – 1 Timothy 1:1-6; 4:1-11; 6:3-5), even another Jesus and another Spirit (2 Corinthians 11:2-4).

The Galatians story is more common than you may know or think throughout Church History. It’s one case study you can read from the Bible to help answer the question, “Why Do So Many “churches” Lose Their Way, Truth and Their Life?“

 

Paul let the Galatians have it with the Gospel of Jesus Christ without pulling any punches when writing,

“You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the truth?

This persuasion did not come from Him who calls you.

A little leaven leavens the whole lump of dough (as Jesus warned in Matthew 16:5-12).

I have confidence in you in the Lord, that you will adopt no other view; but the one who is disturbing you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is … would that those who are troubling you would even mutilate themselves” (Galatians 5:7-12).

The same “leaven” Jesus warned us about in Matthew 16:5-12 can happen to any of us!

That is why Jesus warned us in the first place and why Paul was making the same warning to the Galatians.

Read Galatians and study it for yourself and you too can be better prepared to stay “abiding” in Jesus all the days of your brief times here on earth (John 15:1-8; 1 John 2:3-6).

My Personal Experience With Christians From All Sorts of Different Traditions/Cultures of Christianity

Open Bible Study Page HERE

During the mid and late 1990’s into the early 2000’s I was travelling around to all sorts of “traditional” Christian churches as the Holy Spirit led me. The reality was I was building personal relationships with a “person” who God put into my path according to His “will” which was the Pastor or leader of the church.

Each of these Pastors had a given “measure of faith” and openness to the Holy Spirit. Some were more open than others according to their faith, but each that I decided was “the will of the Lord” to work with or “ally” myself with for this particular season of my life had a real relationship with Jesus by His Spirit.

I cannot say that of every Pastor in the traditions they were part of but God knows for sure. I know what I was part of at least.

I also travelled around to more modern Christian cultures and developed personal relationships with their leaders too.

But when I say “traditional” know that I am focusing on the much older “traditions” that have long histories and often many off-shoots/branches (splits) that most Christians are aware of too. For example, like Presbyterian (part of the reformed tradition of Protestantism that traces its roots to the very old Church of Scotland) or Lutheran (founded by Martin Luther who helped launch the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century).

I personally found more openness to Holy Spirit spiritual life (the Kingdom of Heaven Spirit we are supposed to receive in the Lord’s Prayer) in the modern Christian cultures even as I believe the cultures in and of themselves have little to nothing to do with a persons individual spiritual Faith and spiritual Practice at HOME. It’s more of a “doctrine” and Gospel reason for being open or closed to the Spirit. For example, during the 1970’s and 1980’s the Charismatic Renewal movement among largely Catholic culture Christians was a time of great openness to the Holy Spirit by individuals regardless of their cultures.

I truly believe Christianity is all about the “Spirit” one is operating under and I believe the Home life to be where REAL LIFE is lived in our “natural habitat” human cultures of life.

Church cultures are, to me at least, more like an “unnatural” ZOO-type habitat that one might “visit” periodically (traditional church cultures meet once a week and some 2 or more times) to experience some fellowship or cultural or spiritual “event”.

I make that observation of “unnatural” when compared to the more “natural” habitat of what goes on at Home and Work during anyone’s weekly Routines of life.

Just in case you think I am being “judgy” know that I also see what I am offering here at Pokyra as “unnatural” even as I am clearly serving any Christians “natural” habitat or Home life and top five Priority Area relationships in order of priority. Check out my teaching on these Priority Area relationships throughout this Guest Website.

Some Church organization doctrines are clearly HORRIFICLY false. Some are clearly even “doctrines of demons” as Paul explained in 1 Timothy 4:1-10; and 6:3-16.

But rather than simply throwing out the individual people with the bad or false doctrines of the larger organization that they may or may not even be strictly adhering to themselves, I choose to allow King Jesus the Head of His Church to sort out all of these “individuals” just like Paul does too in 1 Corinthians 4:1-5 and Romans 14:4.

God knows for certain the motives of any individual heart who may truly be sincerely CONNECTED by Faith and by His Spirit. God knows and nobody can sort of slip past Him unnoticed as Jesus explained in Matthew 7:21-23; and 22:1-14.

Believe it or not, Jesus still has problems with so-called “modern” Christian organization doctrines that are just as much “doctrines of demons” as some of the old-timer “traditions” of Christianity.

The last section of this presentation shared a few revelations from our Master Jesus about why and how His Church can go astray or stay “abiding” in Him spiritually. Check that out if you have not already for context here.

This is why I have a holy fear of judging or making judgments about entire GROUPS of people in some generalization with specific accusations toward individuals who might not be “buying” into the false “doctrine” or strange “spirit” other than the Holy Spirit.

Don’t get me wrong, I still have my Jesus and John the Baptist-type ministry of “repentance” that goes hand in hand with Jesus’ Gospel of His Kingdom. Every Christian should have this too, but mine is a specific “calling” from King Jesus to be His “ambassador” for “repentance”.

If you are German, you may or may not notice that my weird spelling of my first name, Kehrt, actually means “repent” when adding “um” after it (“kehrt um”). Yes, my name is what both Jesus and John the Baptist used for “repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand” in the German Bibles.

Hmm … now I live in Germany since 2005 with a German wife and 4 dual citizen German and American kids. What’s up with that? I know and God knows.

Without my knowledge at birth (obviously), my parents named me, Kehrt Alan.

So, before I learned of my name’s meaning during a trip to Germany in 1991, I was receiving various prophesies from certain prophetic voices in His Church about my future “calling” that would be like John the Baptist’s anointing and calling to “prepare the way of the Lord”. That’s one way to view Pokyra. It’s THAT.

So, I later learned that “Kehrt” means “repent” and that my Scottish roots middle name of “Alan” meant “rock”. My last name Chestnut is English.

I know that God planned that I would have a ministry of Christ where I would be helping people “repent” to the “rock” who is Christ with just as much serious passion of John and especially my Master Jesus in Matthew 7:21-27.

So, know I don’t hold anything back when it comes to the Gospel of Jesus Christ being EQUALLY APPLIED to ALL who call upon the Lord today!

I just believe King Jesus has “first place in everything” responsibility for His Church and NOT me (Colossians 1:13-18). I don’t feel responsible for what He alone is responsible for (John 21:22; 1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Romans 14:4; Revelation 20:11-15).

You will find that I am an “equal opportunity” offender and challenger of any Religious “Pharisees” still bound and determined to protect their “leaven of the Pharisees” spirit and practices from every part of Christianity (Matthew 16:1-12; 23:1-39)!

I believe Jesus is still sorting out “individuals” like He is sorting out the 7 Churches made up of “individuals” in the book of Revelations 1:8-3:22.

So, back to my time travelling around all sorts of Christian cultures in the 1990’s and early 2000’s. What exactly was the “will” of the Lord for me during this season of my life?

I was learning from Jesus about His Church as He views it made up of individuals who belong to Him that He “knows” and they “know” Him too (Matthew 7:21-23; John 10:1-30; 1 John 2:3-6; 2:18-3:10).

I was also learning to appreciate certain aspects of Christian culture while always attempting to separate what humans built around God from what God by His Spirit is building “not made with human hands” deep inside the hearts and spirits of His Church.

In all of these “churches” my eyes were opened wide to see the spiritual (or lack of spiritual) “fruit” of too many Christians who truly loved their Religions they had created in His name rather than the God who is Spirit.

The “first place in everything” role of King Jesus in His Church was not normally a topic of teaching in these traditional settings as well as the topic of “equipping” Christians in the Ephesians 4 “equipping the saints” sense of the word. In contrast, John Wimber of the Vineyard Movement devoted an entire Magazine for teaching about the ministries of Ephesians 4 titled, “Equipping the Saints” during the time I was involved with the Vineyar.

In fact, that Ephesians 4 ideal that I have covered already in different sections of this presentation, was often replaced with some “Pastor” only role (again, I love these guys!) trying to do or be EVERYTHING to the people.

Of course, this expectation is impossible and completely unfair to put on anyone!

These Pastors might truly be an effective Pastor/Teacher to some of those who were sincerely open to this service, to be sure, but what about the other “ministries” Jesus gave His Church like the Apostles, Prophets, and Evangelists?

More importantly, where exactly was the Colossians 1:13-18 teachings of Jesus having “first place in everything” in ALL those roles in His Church and especially as “Head” of His Church?

I found the “unnatural” cultural Religious environments to be extremely limiting to a more “mature” expression of the Christian Faith, to say the least.

What do I view as “mature”?

Jesus’ own full example of the Practices and expected Fruit of a “Christian” (1 John 2:3-6) as well as Paul’s Ephesians 4:3-16 come immediately to my mind. Actually, ALL of the entire book of Ephesians contains many of the “mystery of Christ” “equipping” ideals that I view as being the “mature” ideal or “grown up” expression of “Christ-like” Practice and Fruit for His Church.

Even so, I almost always saw at least some REAL “good fruit” among some of the people I came to relate to.

What did THIS period of my life with traditional Christian cultures teach me the most?

It taught me that God is NOT so much concerned with where you live your life in the world, but He is absolutely concerned with the Spirit you choose to live by!

Paul said the same thing this way to the Corinthians, “You are not restrained by us, but you are restrained in your own affections.” (2 Corinthians 6:12)

Jesus said it this way, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth … but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven … for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

If you want to know where you or anyone else really is with King Jesus who is supposed to be leading His Church “first place in everything” when “done” correctly, just look at where the “heart” is.

If you want to know where anyone’s heart is look no further than the “treasures” anyone allows their attention and focus.

If you want to know where anyone’s treasures are, you look at the “fruit” coming out of their spiritual and natural life just as Jesus taught us in Matthew 7:15-27 and John 15:1-8.

Said even simpler, just hear the pure Gospel of Jesus about this most important topic:

“The woman said to Him, ‘Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.’

Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall you worship the Father.

You worship that which you do not know; we worship that which we know, for salvation is from the Jews.

But an hour is coming, AND NOW IS, when true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth;

for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.

God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.'” (John 4:19-26)

I believe Jesus views many of the cultural attempts of Christians to be much like the ancient practices of, say, “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship,” but they replace the “mountain” or “Jerusalem” with their Church Services and organizations.

When someone asks them why they teach in their particular Gospel of Jesus that meeting at their “church” service or becoming “members” of their “church” organization should be taken so seriously, as if Jesus the King of Heaven is COMMANDING it be done (He didn’t), many still give the same, “Our fathers worshiped in this ________ (you name the church)”.

Jesus would answer you and them with the same above clear and unambiguous statement of His own view of His Church called out of the world and COMMANDED just as He commanded them in John 4:19-26.

If we are to actually RECEIVE Jesus’ Gospel in practice and in real expected “fruit” too then, again, what I have learned from Jesus about “worshiping” God is what I already said:  God is NOT so much concerned with where you live your life in the world, but He is absolutely concerned with the Spirit you choose to live by!

This part of the Gospel of Jesus is part of the reasons I don’t spend too much time at the often limiting cultures of traditional or modern “church services”. God just doesn’t lead me there anymore.

I have learned how to spend more quality and “fruitful” time at Home and in small intimate worship groups with strategic people God puts into my life.

To live this lifestyle I have to learn to be just as confident that our Father in Heaven is watching each and everything I do (with its rewards and corrections too) as our Master Jesus was living that “food to eat that you don’t know about” “secret” life with God (Matthew 4:4; 6:1-4; 6:8-15; John 4:34).

I personally like the FREEDOM to practice ALL of the Model of Jesus Christ without the limitations Paul even put on his gatherings in 1 Corinthians 14:26-40. The larger the gathering the more emphasis has to be on “order” for obvious administrative “order” reasons. I understand authority and responsibility at these larger meetings of Christians. There is certainly a “place” for those larger gatherings!

But I have found the more “natural” habitat setting of “normal life” to be more practical in many ways. Not the least of these ways is that when the Spirit of God begins to impact people’s lives it can be quite “chaotic” or at least appear out of the “control” of what would be “acceptable” in a larger gathering of possibly less familiar attendees or even strangers.

Smaller groups tend to be more intimate and where one at least knows those in attendance and the chance for “peace” can replace the “confusion” Paul was referring to as the goal for any gathering in 1 Corinthians 14:33.

I guess what I am really saying is that I believe in more “natural” habitat settings Jesus’ FULL Model for a Christian can be practiced with less or even without limitations.

That is a huge reason for my Pokyra focus on helping people plan and manage MORE OPTIONS for living life in 3D in their daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal “normal” routines of life lived with their Priority Area relationships. See my “More OPTIONS” message at this Guest Website using THIS LINK. The cultures are more “natural” and “diverse” and therefore life is less restricted and more fulfilling too.

But I certainly can appreciate why God had me visiting and working with “traditional” Christians and their cultures to learn the benefits of what they were doing too.

My cultural role in most of these “seasons” with traditional churches during the mid-1990’s to the early 2000’s was to help them start a separate “modern” “church-service”.

The church Pastor of say, the Presbyterian or the Lutheran tradition, was asking me for some assistance to attract more young people culturally to give more options for gathering together than the only option currently available. Of course, I mean the mostly grey-haired older “tradition” loving people option singing hundred year plus old Hymns and Songs.

I personally am a unique “animal” in that I enjoy human cultures of all sorts.

To me, its like going to a given “Land” at Disneyland or to some foreign Nation to experience an often completely human-made culture with its own unique characteristics. Cross-cultural studies was my chosen concentration in my Social Sciences University degree. It’s one of my passions!

For example, you will notice I love Multi-media culture in my Creative Arts presented here at Pokyra.

But did you know that whenever anyone enters, say, a Catholic church building as old as some of those where I live with my Family in Southern Germany or in neighboring Italy, they were clearly the MASTERS of Multi-media Creative Arts for their times? As a non-Catholic who has never officially joined a church organization for my own reasons, I noticed this cultural Multi-media connection to their Religious culture right away.

By the way, I allowed my kids to be part of the Catholic “club” (as I view all organizations with membership) here in Southern Germany more for the cultural appreciation than their Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Like I said above at me and my family don’t regularly attend any organized religious services of any tradition or non-tradition organization, but we could. More about that when talking about my 5 Practice Pillars Gospel of Jesus teaching that must take priority over what any “Christian” organization is teaching in their official statements of faith.

Back to the cultural parts of Christianity. Even if you don’t agree with a person’s creative interpretations of Kingdom of Heaven scenes (unless you have been to Heaven like John or Paul, it’s just anyone’s best guess anyway), one can at least appreciate the artists Artwork and attempt to communicate some part of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Remember, they were communicating the Gospel as it was available to them at the time to a people who were likely illiterate (not able to read a Bible if it was even available) hundreds and thousands of years ago!

Try to imagine how it is in many parts of modern China or North Korea where Bibles are still illegal. The creativity of Christians to communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ can be appreciated in those often “underground” and intolerant environments.

Back to my time in the 1990’s and early 2000’s.

It was a wonderful time in my life because, in addition to learning to appreciate the cultures and the AWESOME WORDS in those “old hymns” (often written by clearly DEEPLY SPIRITUAL people who “knew” God), God was teaching me who and what His Church was actually made up of: the people!

Sorry Creative Artists! You too have to accept God is more interested in His people and their individual “spirits” and their SPIRITUAL CONNECTION to Him as their spiritual “Head” than in what you have created around His Name in your cultures. I have to accept it too with my chosen Creative Arts and my chosen Pokyra culture too!

Jesus’ Church He is still leading “first place in everything” as their Head, is made up of real “individual” PEOPLE called “members of Him” He called to Himself by His Spirit. Read for yourself Paul’s “body of Christ” teaching in 1 Corinthians 12:27; Romans 12:5 and in Ephesians too.

I quickly learned from Jesus that what I myself was “creating” in my own Culture with my “modern” “church-service” or what they were spending their time with in their “traditional” “church-service” was NOT His Church.

I learned that His Church is not at all FIRST PLACE about the trappings of Religion (man-made stuff built around God) but FIRST PLACE ALL ABOUT HIS SPIRIT Personally interacting with REAL PEOPLE and these real people learning from their Master Jesus and the Father how to Personally interact with Him by His Spirit.

I learned that human Culture could and should be first of all PRACTICAL in its usefulness, relevant in its “style” or “taste” and … above all … NEUTRALIZED or “sanctified by the means of the word of God and prayer”.

Why is this important? This NEUTRALIZING practice of prayer is making one like Paul who was “convinced in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself; but to him who thinks anything to be unclean, to him it is unclean” … “Therefore, do not let what is for you a good thing to be spoken of as evil; for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:14, 16-17 or “nothing is unclean in itself” even human created culture; 1 Timothy 4:4-5 – and anything “created by God”).

Human Culture should be used as a “good” thing as opposed to a “bad” thing like an “idol” (1 John 5:21). Any Christian can successfully pull this off when they finally make Christianity ALL ABOUT Jesus “first place in everything” just like Jesus modeled and just as the Apostle Paul taught and modeled too.

This means enjoying something when the Spirit of God OPTION is believed and RECEIVED and NOT what people have allowed to “take His place” of His Spirit instead with any “spirit” from “the spirit of the world”.

Remember there is only TWO SPIRIT OPTIONS from the Gospel of Jesus Christ, right? There is either “the Spirit who is from God” option or “the spirit of the world” option (1 Corinthians 2:12).

Almost anything we make culturally can certainly be used as “part” of what “takes His place”.

This is the “idol” warning that John warned us about in 1 John 5:21, “Little children, guard yourselves from idols,” also found throughout the Bible. This is also what I mean by hijacking His “first place in everything” from Colossians 1:13-18.

But no matter what culture we choose to either copy (usually we just copy what we like or identify with) or create or customize in life, that potential “spirit” hijacking of Jesus’ “first place in everything” is always followed by “another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receivea different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel” which is WHERE EVERYTHING FALLS APART in a bad way.

What fills the vacuum of what should be the Holy Spirit leading and guiding His Christians, becomes some “spirit” OTHER than the Holy Spirit at work behind that culture.

Again, no matter what “spirit” takes the Holy Spirit’s “place” (Matthew 16:21-27; Philippians 3:17-21; 2 Corinthians 11:2-4), it’s simply that only other “bad” SPIRITUAL option given to anyone here on earth:  “the spirit of the world” (1 Corinthians 2:12; 1 John 2:18-27).

Let me conclude this section by repeating what I have discovered in my journeys throughout Christianity so far. If we are to actually RECEIVE Jesus’ Gospel in practice and in real expected “fruit” too then, again, what I have learned from Jesus about “worshiping” God is what I already said:

God is NOT so much concerned with where you live your life in the world, but He is absolutely concerned with the Spirit you choose to live by!

Pokyra Contains My Most Important Foundational Lessons Learned So Far From HisStory Driving MyStory

Open Bible Study Page HERE

That brings my Story up to the early 2000’s.

Long story shorter, I got married to a German lady in 2005, moved to Germany, finished the last of my University degrees and started a family. This has been without a doubt the “most fulfilling” times of my life lived here on earth so far precisely because of my Wife and Family finally being fulfilled!

In 2009, I received a word (“word of knowledge” and a series of prophetic messages) from the Lord to start putting everything He has showed me up to this point about serving His Church for these Last Days into something I can easily pass on to others for training and equipping in preparation for His promised Revivals in California, South East Bavaria, and around the world.

In 2010, me and my family lived for half a year in California where I began developing what has developed over a decade into Pokyra (formerly Revival Services).

I am ready to serve My King Jesus and His Church with all that He has taught me so far since the early 1980’s. It’s been quite a “ride” to say the least! But I am more excited about what’s COMING than what has happened in the past.

What did I learn from my Past 55 years living on the earth and the last 38 years as a devoted Disciple of Jesus Christ?

You have to check out Pokyra to see it in its more polished format. It’s A LOT! But let me briefly explain a few of the most important lessons learned that I believe will serve you well too.

When you notice that at Pokyra I have a clear and certain LACK of promotion of what Christians build around God called “Cultural Christian Religion” as it has been promoted and “done” in the past, know that it is not because I don’t like what God has done with His Church in the past by His Spirit.

I am fascinated by what God has “built” by His Spirit in His Church and how the Gospel of Jesus has made its way to me even today through their word! I celebrate every success Jesus’ Christians have had since His time here on earth and subsequent return to His throne in Heaven to lead His Church by the “power” of “the promise of My Father” (His Spirit).

I just don’t like how “Christians” have Personally treated and related to the King of Heaven and His Kingdom that is “Spirit” as if He and His Kingdom were somehow “earthly”.

Let me explain as succinctly and briefly as I know how.

I see TWO CHOICES we get to choose from every day:

• Receive the King of Heaven and His Kingdom (D1) “first place in everything” by way of His Gift (D2)

Or

• Reject the King of Heaven by disobeying His commands and rejecting His Gift which puts Him second place or worse and leaves you with your own “righteousness” (lawlessness from King Jesus’ Kingdom perspective) that never could honor Him “first place in everything” apart from His Gift.

 

What I have learned so far with my Master Jesus is that according to His own Gospel HisStory, we Humans still have only two basic choices we can possibly make every day since Jesus came to fulfill “all righteousness” and make His Way for both Jews and Gentiles in HisStory through His Gift (D2).

You will find these two choices also in the Old Testament part of the HisStory of God starting with Adam and Eve in Genesis and then later with His People the Jews (Israel), but in many ways how we get the honor of “knowing” the King of Heaven in Person by His Spirit since Jesus came to “do” what He came to “do” (meaning His D2 Gift), these TWO CHOICES are quite different in both Practice and in spiritual Fruit from the Old Testament times to the New Testament times.

But, yes, you can certainly see these TWO CHOICES throughout Genesis to Malachi as they were available to be made by God’s People the Jews before Jesus fulfilled His most important role in HisStory for both Jews and Gentiles.

What I am trying to say here in the following part of this section can be found in Jesus’ faithful teachings in Matthew 6:19-34.

Follow along in your Bible or use the Pokyra Bible Study reference link if you want for context.

One of those two choices has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with what we can “build” for God here on earth as it is on earth.

Just as Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:19-21, we learn He certainly wants to and will provide ALL we need to RECEIVE from our Jehovah Jireh God and His “on earth as it is in heaven” unlimited resources as Jesus taught us in Matthew 6:25-32.

Jesus even proved Himself supernaturally in multiplying the earthly “bread” or “the food that perishes” and the “bread that comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world” which is “the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man shall give to you, for on Him the Fatherm even God, has set His seal”.

This was all given by Jesus as a “sign” in John 6:1-71. I already explained how I view John 6 as a TEST in previous sections of this presentation.

Then jump back again to Matthew 6.

Jesus tells us a mystery of how it all works in 3D and not merely 1D when He finishes His teaching:

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things (everything in 3D and not just 1D) will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself (God is caring for you in all 3D’s, don’t worry!). Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:33-34)

Do you see what I see in Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6:19-34?

Again, I see TWO CHOICES we get to choose from every day:

• Receive the King of Heaven and His Kingdom (D1) “first place in everything” by way of His Gift (D2)

Or

• Reject the King of Heaven by disobeying His commands and rejecting His Gift which puts Him second place or worse and leaves you with your own “righteousness” (lawlessness from King Jesus’ Kingdom perspective) that never could honor Him “first place in everything” apart from His Gift.

 

Look at it this way:

Jesus declares,

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.” (Mark 1:15)

When Jesus’ opening statement of His Gospel is clearly ALL about His Kingdom and there being a Problem Humans have with His Kingdom and the need to “repent”, shouldn’t we simply START there too?

I have learned that if you start anywhere else, you are MISSING the most important part of His Gospel that I like to call D1 here at Pokyra!

It is, was and always be a Gospel and HisStory of a King and His Kingdom (D1) and those who obey the King and those who disobey the King.

The D1 Practice and Fruit Jesus always cared about the most always stems directly from those two basic Practices of “obey” the King or “disobey” the King and the Fruits of either “abiding” in the King of Heaven or NOT “abiding” in the King of Heaven but the Rebellion and “domain of darkness”. That’s it.

Paul described the receive or “deny” (obey or disobey) two options toward Jesus and His Gospel this way:

“For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.

It is a trustworthy statement:

For if we died with Him, we shall also live with Him;

If we endure, we shall also reign with Him;

If we deny Him, He also will deny us;

If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Timothy 2:10-13)

Those are D1 or “Kingdom” realities that we better make our highest form of reality or we will miss out completely on the Gospel of Jesus and His Mission here to us living here on Earth!

Sure, there are many very important themes in D3 directly related to His “Kingdom” provision of earthly life inside His Gospel. But they too are intimately related to D1 and D2 which is the only way He made for us to even “enter the kingdom of heaven” and to receive “the Spirit who is from God that we might know the things freely given to us by God” (John 3:3-11; John 10:1-30; 1 Corinthians 2:12).

But the fact that Jesus STARTED His ministry with these famous words just mentioned above should speak for itself:

“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel.”

Those simple words speaks VOLUMES to those who have “ears to hear what the Spirit is saying …” to His Church called out of the world back to His Kingdom!

Would you like God to CONFIRM the greatest importance of this Gospel of Jesus being all about a King and a Kingdom? Well, He did through John the Baptist who said the SAME message of the Gospel,

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2)

So, I have learned that His Kingdom part of His Gospel IS the main mission of the King of Heaven and the Father who sent Him on this mission to Earth.

It remains His greatest Mission even as the other “themes” of the Good News about Jesus saving us from the eternal heavenly and temporary earthly CONSEQUENCES of disobeying the King’s commands our whole life lived so far, by sincerely “repenting” from going the wrong way to finally following on His PATH obeying His commands of His Kingdom (D1) … specifically by RECEIVING His Gift (D2) … these other “themes” of Jesus Gospel have great affect on our entire Life In 3D and the multitudes of Promised Lands to “enter” for BOTH our eternal life in Heaven and our temporary Earthly life (D3) too.

That’s a mouthfull! But I left that paragraph as it is in one sentence because it really tells a mystery about Jesus’ Mission to earth.

Yes, its starts with His Kingdom for good reason!

All of those Promised Lands of God start with His Kingdom Gospel to “overcome” the obstacle Jesus explained in Revelation 2:7:

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.”

Jesus already taught us what was “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible” that needed to be “overcome”. It’s the “second death” consequence of “lawlessness” or “sin” in His Kingdom. His ressurrection from the dead proved He could literally do it. His promise of forgiveness of our “sins” and the consequences too is His FAITHFUL Word that He can “do it” for us. His message of “the cross” teaches us how to RECEIVE what He can do as His Gift (D2) so we too can “know Him and the power of His resurrection” to “overcome” “the second death” obstacle (Revelation 20:14-15; Philippians 3:7-21)

What I have also learned is that Jesus chose to come to earth for the most part strictly “undercover” (hiding His Kingly identity of Who He really is – including often – not always – His Deity too) for the reasons Jesus explained by saying,

“I am among you as one who serves,”

and NOT what He could have said, “I Am your King! Bow down and worship Me.”

That time will come for that message on the famous “last day” Judgment.

But Jesus’ Mission to Earth didn’t do this because He wanted to be among us “as one who serves” (Luke 9:51-56).

Why was that?

I won’t even get into the mystery of the VALUE of going “undercover” to avoid unnecessary “persecution”. This is an important example of Jesus that He is still preparing His own Disciples to be “equipped” for during these Last Days. Here at Pokyra I help you with that as Jesus has taught me to prepare His Church to live “underground” much like the Chinese Christians and Christians living in strict Islamic lands have been doing already for a long time.

But the need to be trained in 3D how to live free “in the same manner as He walked” free when “freedom” is gone is already here in the Western World that used to be known for protecting the once considered basic “human right” of Religious Freedom. That time is almost gone for the whole world as a “sign of the times”. But that is a topic for another time.

Jesus mysteriously came to Earth to show anyone who would become His Disciples how He wanted them to “live” as “servants” joining His Mission from the Father to “save” lives and NOT judge or “destroy men’s lives”.

King Jesus came not to create a “Heaven on Earth” Kingdom that humans get to “rule” here but a “Church” of “ambassadors” and spiritual “soldiers” carrying out “the will of My Father who is in heaven” “on earth as it is in heaven”.

His Kingdom will come and make everything His again!

But that is NOT the Mission we are still part of here on the earth.

We are still part of the Mission of our King Jesus which is “undercover” to “save” a people still “of the truth” (John 18:36-37).

Again, how are we supposed to “do” this? Look no further than King Jesus’ “undercover” Mission Primary Example of how it all worked for Him and now works for us too.

The Apostle Paul is my personal favorite example of this “servant” lifestyle of our Master and King Jesus. Paul described joining Jesus’ Mission of salvation of mankind’s lives and not destroying those lives in 2 Timothy 2:7-10:

“Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel,

for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal;

but the word of God is not imprisoned.

For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen,

that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus

and with it eternal glory.”

Paul was a great man who truly “got” Jesus’ Mission to Earth to “save” lives and “not destroy men’s lives”.

We too are to become “servants” (even “bond-servants”) of our King who, of course, has always lived “not of this world” but from Heaven (John 17:1-26).

 

But we are not to live as “Lords” and “rulers” HERE ON EARTH but to “walk in the same manner as He walked” while here on Earth.

One day the whole “1000 year reign” where Jesus’ example of how He wants His Disciples to live NOW “on earth as it is in heaven” will likely be irrelevant. I look forward to any good news in Jesus’ Gospel!

But trying to “equip” the Church of Jesus Christ for THAT does NOT help “equip” His Church for NOW or these Last Days that NEED His Example of how to live in a World that is just as “dark” (“the domain of darkness” – Colossians 1:13) if not darker than when Jesus showed us in 3D on earth in a human suit.

In the Earthly dimensions we are just as our King Jesus “did it”: we are “ambassadors” for PEACE with Humans.

In the D1 Kingdom and D2 Gift of Jesus Spiritual Dimensions we are just as much “soldiers” for His Kingdom fighting in the ongoing spiritual WAR with the “domain of darkness” as Jesus was a “soldier” wielding “the sword” (“word of God” and power of God) just as God’s Angels are “soldiers” too!

We are BOTH earthly “ambassdors” for peace and “soldiers” for spiritual war (not earthly war – John 18:36; Luke 9:51-56) just like our Master was BOTH.

We need Discipleship training in D1 and D2 “soldier” for King Jesus spiritual warfare readiness “at all times in the Spirit”.

We need Discipleship in D3 “ambassador” for King Jesus peaceful practice to “save” lives which is the Mission Jesus is still “doing” on the Earth until He suddenly is done with it.

We are NOT done with Jesus’ Mission He started for us to continue so please don’t get DISTRACTED by Christians trying to confuse you about YOUR MISSION as being something else. You won’t miss anything in Bible Prophecy if you are already “doing” what your Master is still doing on the earth and seeking daily “the will of My Father who is in heaven” on a “daily bread” basis. Don’t worry! Don’t get distracted!

Jesus came to show us exactly how He wanted His own to “live” in all 3D’s paradoxically (mysteriously) at the same time. He knew we all would need His example of how it all worked in 3D’s when He left back to His Kingdom to sit on His throne.

Just before He left to return back to His “first place in everything” Kingly throne in Heaven, He gave us His famous Matthew 28:18-20 Great Commission command which said to do everything He commanded us to do, just as He did His Mission to Earth perfectly given to Him by His Father in Heaven (John 17:6-26).

King Jesus would, of course, never even think of giving up His “first place in everything” Kingship and Headship of His Church to anyone. I mean even as He certainly “gave gifts to men” when He left to “do” Apostle ministry, Prophet ministry, Pastor ministry and Evangelism ministry as “servant” leaders honoring Jesus’ “first place in everything” (Ephesians 4:7-16).

This may not mean anything to you, but it does to Christian “leaders” who have forgotten or never received this part of Jesus’ Gospel.

Jesus Himself gives His “gifts” to everyone who He called out of the world and who also He believes has truly “repented” back to His Kingdom through His Gift. He knows where everyone is at in His Church.

Afterall, it’s His Church and not your “church”.

Can you imagine Jesus having anything less than “first place in heaven”?

Why would anyone dream of thinking He would have anything less than “first place in everything” in His Church still called by the Father to live just like the Son lived “on earth as it is in heaven”?

One would think that would be quite obvious.

But that hasn’t stopped the temptation and wicked actions by certain Christian “leaders” who never accepted or never understood Jesus’ commands and Model for His own Disciples. I mean in places like Matthew 23:6-15 and Colossians 1:13-18. Too many continue to this day to hijack or attempt to take that “first place” position for their own “interests” and purposes of “Lording it over” His Church .

They must “repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

That still means something that all who dishonor King Jesus should rightly “fear” and not take lightly.

Jesus always was, is and will always be the ONLY “door” to the Kingdom of Heaven.

But when hijackers have their own way, they are no longer going through the Person of Jesus themselves (they created their own “way” that’ NOT His “way” out of all their Problems with “lawlessness” and Judgment) and by doing so keep others from entering the Kingdom of Heaven too (Matthew 23:13-15)!

So, it is enough to know that King Jesus always planned He would lead His Church “members” He approves Personally “first place in everything” as their “Head” (Matthew 7:21-23; Colossians 1:13-18).

This has never changed even as too many have made that fateful mistake of REJECTING Him as their King just as Israel had done throughout HisStory too.

The practice of REJECTING King Jesus’ rule of “first place in everything” over His People is actually not a new tragedy in HisStory.

It’s not just a tragedy reserved for “Christians” of the New Testament but it is the ONE and the same HisStory of Israel rejecting “the King of the Jews” throughout ALL of HisStory with His Human creation.

They didn’t understand yet the mystery of the REAL Kingdom in Heaven until the King of the Kingdom of Heaven came to reveal it to open hearts and minds using “these words are spirit” to reveal it (John 6:63).

They didn’t even know the mystery of the Father and Jesus ruling Israel as ONE Spirit just as Jesus revealed the mystery of it in John 17:1-26.

Read for yourself the same tragedy of rejecting the eternal King of Heaven, Jesus Christ and His Church. But at this time in HisStory it was just Israel who was considered His “Church” because as Jesus put it to the non-Jew “Woman at the Well”, “You worship that which you do not know; we worship that which we know, for salvation is from the Jews” (John 4:22).

You will find the same tragedy of Israel’s HisStory played out and recorded in 1 Samuel 8:1-7. Israel was rejecting the rule of the King over the Jewish Households.

This was the way He ruled His People through the Prophets (like Samuel) to the Households just as the Passover reveals was how it all worked. Check out this rejection of Jesus “the king of the Jews” and of everything in every dimension (Colossians 1:13-18):

“And the Lord said to Samuel, ‘… for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.

Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day – in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods – so they are doing to you also.” (1 Samuel 8:7-8)

We know through the Old Testament HisStory of God and the Jews how they rejected Jesus (1 Samuel 8:1-7), which was like wanting to be like “all the nations” of the world instead of the Kingdom of Heaven:

“Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5).

King Jesus spoke directly to this when saying,

“The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them; and those who have authority over them are called ‘Benefactors.’

But not so with you, but let him who is greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as the servant.

For who is greater, the one who reclines at the table, or the one who serves?

Is it not the one who reclines at the table?

But I am among you as the one who serves.

And you are those who have stood by Me in My trials;

And just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Luke 22:25-30)

What a gracious King!

He went from an experience where His People Israel rejected Him as King in 1 Samuel 8:7 to being RECEIVED as King by twelve special Disciples. These were Jews finally becoming the unthinkable, the unbelievable … until NOW!

What am I saying?

I am saying Jesus explained to these honored Jews that finally RECEIVED Him as He always intended to lead His People the Kingdom of Heaven FUTURE they would have in Heaven!

The King of everything is going to give (or has already given) Peter, James and John and all the rest a special place of Authority in His Kingdom of Heaven to rule “the twelve tribes of Israel” (whatever THAT means … Jesus knows!).

I just know it is AWESOME! But it’s all part of HisStory that He is still revealing to those who honor Him “first place in everything” as King.

Now, let’s quickly summarize “Christian” “Church” HisStory since Jesus’ original 12 Disciples and others like Paul too (all Jews) took the Gospel of Jesus Christ to “the nations” of the Gentiles.

Here is a challenge.

Assess anything and any time of the HisStory of “Christians”  (both Jew and Gentile Christians) to see for yourself how many instances of the SAME statement and practice of, “Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5).

Go ahead. It’s not too hard to find a bunch off of the top of your head if you know anything about the HisStory of “Christians” throughout the Middle East, then Europe and around the world.

Let me take an educated guess (actually I am not guessing but it sounds less aggressive). I am guessing every one of these HisStorical scenarios would have King Jesus answering them much the same way

King Jesus allowed many things because of the hardness of the hearts of His people throughout HisStory.

But I believe we are entering into a prophesied period of “time” where King Jesus of Heaven is no longer tolerating any hijacking of His “first place in everything” in His Church!

My job as His servant is to “prepare the way of the Lord” for His great VISITATION to His Church known as the prophesied “Revival” or “Harvest” at “the end of the age”. It’s AWESOME!

Said simply:  Repent to the King 100% “first place in everything” because the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! He wants His Church BACK!

Anyone standing in His ways, His truth and His life will likely not make it to the Father and His Kingdom of Heaven (John 14:5-7; Matthew 7:21-23).

I am not saying the power of His Gift (D2) to forgive will be any different at all. His Gift stays the same. His forgiveness of our lawlessness in regards to His commands of His Kingdom remain the same as they have been since He first offered His Gift and “the promise of My Father” Holy Spirit too.

I just believe His Kingdom (D1) will INCREASE in authority and power in these Last Days on the Earth and that means a HIGHER ACCOUNTABILITY to the Truth of His Words and Commands.

Again, His Gift and “grace” is still what we live by according to the same Gospel of Salvation preached by Jesus and His Disciples throughout the HisStory of His Church.

It’s just that we are going to CLEARLY experience MORE TRUTH of His Kingdom as His Church returns to “press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” and increases the GROWING and MATURING practice of “speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ” (Ephesians 4:15; Philippians 3:14).

 

When the King of Heaven leads and guides you “first place in everything”, you quickly find out He doesn’t tolerate “other gods” as well as joyfully recognize His great power that can literally deliver anyone out of their slaveries to the Devil … just as powerfully as He once delivered His people the Israelites out of their slavery in Egypt.

Do you think that was powerful? Just wait until these Last Days get really under way with our King Jesus taking back His Church “first place in everything”!

I know we don’t know what literally “everything” means. But let’s say we don’t know, but He does know! That works for me!

When the King of Heaven is rejected, even by His Church today both Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 2:11-22; 3:1-21; 4:1-15), He can no longer lead and guide THOSE WHO REJECT HIM as He ALWAYS WANTED TO LEAD AND GUIDE US because of the Rebellion in His Kingdom (Matthew 7:21-23)!

This is where it will get messy! The greatest threat to the Church led “first place in everything” by King Jesus will experience the same persecution from those who are in “spirit” actually “anti-christ” as Jesus experienced while here on earth during His 3 year ministry.

I am not kidding, Jesus’ life is a literal Prophesy of what His Church will be going through during these Last Days!

Check it out! Start by reading the Revelation 19:10 purpose or HisStory of His Church and then get a Bible to read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John with the Spirit of God. This is what you will find out for yourself:

“the testimony of Christ is the spirit of prophecy.” (Revelation 19:10) 

Still, you can expect that many of these “Pharisee” type “Christians” who are all part of the prophesy Paul gave to Timothy, “But the Spirit explicitly says that in the later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1-2) … will on the outward appearance still have their Jesus bumper-stickers on their cars and still claim to be “Christian” on the signs of their churches.

I don’t say that to make you afraid. Just the opposite (1 John 4:4)! I say it just to prepare you for it when you see it. It doesn’t surprise Jesus either and it should not surprise His Church He is still leading “first place in everything”.

These “Christians” in name only are the ones Jesus the King of Heaven still has a Big Problem with called “lawlessness”. As you hopefully already know, “sin” is not someone smoking a cigarette or watching a “worldly movie” at all. Sin is “lawlessness” in regard to the commands and Kingdom of Jesus which, not surprisingly, has everything to do with His Kingdom part of His Gospel that these folks have clearly abandoned for the sake of something else (Matthew 7:21-23).

That, my friends, is the Gospel of Jesus that I want you to learn and “get” simply and right away!

There is much more to learn about His Gospel at my Chestnutland Virtual Theme Park. But I will mostly just be giving you the “foundations” or the most important stuff anyone needs to simply “walk in the same manner as He walked” as John wanted us to receive in 1 John 2:3-6.

Just go to “ONE’s HisStory Land” to get a wonderful introduction level teaching of the Epic HisStory of God and His Church from Beginning to End. Enjoy also a bit of insight from Jesus’ own “kingdom” Parables and the Prophets of the Bible (including John’s Revelation) to get glimpses of our eternal life in the Kingdom of Heaven with Jesus FOREVER!

 

Again, back to the title of this section and

I personally choose to take all that I learned so far (all the good with the bad too) in my own experiences from my own 55 years here on the earth since my birth in 1967, including the so-called Vineyard Revival Movement of the 1980’s and early 1990’s, and later including travelling around to all sorts of traditional Christian “churches” (old Movements of the Spirit of God) in the mid 1990’s to early 2000’s … and I take them ALL as something to REMEMBER

I certainly choose to remember what I have learned so far while at the same time trying not to make them more of them than I should.

I mean we all have to MOVE ON with our lives toward what Paul described as the “upward call of God in Christ Jesus,” right?

This means let’s all FOCUS on the Good News Promises of Jesus’ Gospel together!

Let’s all move “upward” in HisStory together!

I truly believe that the kind of “Christianity” we will come to know in the coming Last Day’s Revival of His Church (called “the harvest” or “the end of the age” – Matthew 13:39) will in many ways look NOTHING like the “Christianity” of the past.

I mean that in a good way that finally sees the “upward call of God in Christ” RECEIVED by some relatively large amount of His Church according to the Ephesians 4, “grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ,” vision of His Church that has not yet been fulfilled … but it will in these coming Last Days!

Read the following three passages that have some awesome Promises of Jesus to wrap your Faith around and to get excited about! Apply them to what is NOW and what is COMING for you as a “member” of His Church He is still leading “first place in everything” as King of the Kingdom of Heaven:

Ephesians 2:11-5:17;

Isaiah 6:1-3;

Micah 7:7-20!

What THAT looks like in those Prophetic Promised Lands for His Church, I believe, is NOT and will NOT look anything like, say, your “church” organization or “church” organizations from throughout the last centuries as they have been the “face” of “Christianity” in the past years.

You won’t recognize what’s coming by looking to the Past because it is an “upward call of Christ” that hasn’t even come close to being fulfilled … yet!

This is because His Church is not some building or “church” program to attend but simply SPIRITUALLY GROWING individual “members” of King Jesus like you living your own Your Life In 3D.

It’s certainly EXTRAORDINARY in 3D because it is literally lived “on earth as it is in heaven” and just like our Master Jesus lived His Personal relationship with the Father in Heaven where we too will “walk in the same manner as He walked” (including the two-way and not merely one-way conversation Jesus walked in).

Still, it is an ORDINARY Life In 3D at the same time.

It’s an EXTRAORDINARY 3D Life yet lived primarily in your Home’s highest authority structure on the face of the earth just as it always was lived with the King of Heaven throughout HisStory.

It’s an EXTRAORDINARY Life In 3D lived daily and seasonally with your Priority Area relationships.

What I am saying is expect this EXTRAORDINARY life to be lived in the often “normal” “ordinary” “natural habitat” of where you live your Routines of life every day.

Receiving His vision for your life will hopefully mean receiving more of the daily “will of My Father who is in heaven” like Jesus requires of all who live rightly and not wrong (lawlessness) in His Kingdom (Matthew 7:21-23; 7:24-27).

I believe there won’t be too much of your extra time spent reminiscing or worrying about the sufferings, mistakes or even old successes of the PAST. This is because what the “upward call” that Jesus will be leading you into each and every day will keep you fulfilled and even overflowing in His Spirit.

His AWESOME “harvest” here at “the end of the age” will keep you “laying hold” of what is REALLY IMPORTANT in life!

I mean it like Paul famously explained it in Philippians 3:13-14:

“That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;

in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.

Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do:

forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,

I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:10-14).

I believe this “upward call” Paul is describing here to be the SAME EXACT goal that Paul declared using other words:

“speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ.” (Ephesians 4:15)

This “grow up” is clearly one of the most important Promised Lands, if not THE MOST IMPORTANT Promised Land to enter, that Jesus the Christ has still to fulfill for His Church in these Last Days.

His goal for us is actually quite simple in Practice and expected Fruit too.

It’s practiced simply and received simply, yet the unseen parts we can’t always “see” of it are profoundly DEEP. The DEEP parts are also where the deep spiritual “fruit” comes from like the roots of a tree that extend to a never ending stream of water (Jeremiah 17:7-8).

It’s a lifestyle of faith as DEEP as your faith to RECEIVE it for you and yours. It’s thankfully as simple to practice as your next Meaningful Mission for Him and His Kingdom.

What is a Meaningful Mission? Read more about it by clicking THIS LINK taking you to an explanation of it at the First Time Visitors TOUR.

His “upward call” for us all is a great “mystery of Christ” and is the same Ephesians 4 purpose of His Church … linked mysteriously to the Revelation 19:10 purpose or HisStory of His Church:

“the testimony of Christ is the spirit of prophecy.”

If you have “the mystery of Christ” then you have all of the Last Days’ or “end times” Prophecy you need!

The awesome “mystery of Christ” being played out through you and I His Church is like a Screenplay or Script whose Author is God Himself who lives outside “time” as we know it on earth. This is how, for example, any Prophet could literally “see” what was going to happen in the FUTURE when taken out of the dimension of “time” either in visions or dreams (Acts 2:16-21).

The actual earthly real-timing of what goes on in, let’s say the book of Revelation that John saw, took place during a “vision” or spirit “out-of-body” experience while on the island of Patmos.

So, it was received by John, some Bible scholars believe, around A.D. 95 or 96 but it still must be discerned with the help of the Holy Spirit even today. Most of it appears to clearly be in the future.

But some of it, like the vision John had in Revelation 12:7-17, where “there was a war in heaven” leading to “the devil and Satan” falling to earth along with “his angels” (now demons) then “when the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman” (Israel), this all appears to refer to the battle Satan and the now Demons lost to get kicked out of Heaven.

Clearly these are scenes that have already taken place in earth “time” (which is outside of earthly “time”) and HisStory because Jesus interacted with these unseen realm beings in our earthly dimension “time” even as He said to His Disciples in this conversation:

“And the seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.’ And He said to them,

‘I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.

Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you.

Nevertheless do not rejoice in this; that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven” (Luke 10:17-20).

By the way, Jesus Personally revealed to me (Kehrt) in a spiritual dream that I had to tell new “believers” in Jesus who are just becoming “receiver” Disciples of Jesus and His Spirit this SAME EXACT MESSAGE that these new Disciples had received from Jesus.

This message of GREATER POWER living inside of us that is also taught by John in 1 John 4:4:

“You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.”  Satan power or Demon “enemy” power..

Even so, this recommendation for all of us from our Master Jesus, “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this; that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven,” is even BETTER NEWS from His Good News Gospel of HisStory!

So, whether we are talking past, present or future events in “time” here on earth or outside “time” in the Kingdom of Heaven dimension, HisStory, is just as ABSOLUTELY TRUE as it always has been to those of us who “believe” and RECEIVE it as so.

HisStory will get you just as excited as “the seventy” were excited about it in real Practice and Fruit in Luke 10!

But the nature of HisStory is that it is kept “hidden in God“ on purpose like a “mystery“ as Jesus explained it in Matthew 13:10-35.

Because of God’s intended strategy to keep it “hidden” “from the wise and intelligent and did reveal them to babes. Yes, Father, for thus it was well-pleasing in Your sight,” it still tragically remains too unbelievable like some Hollywood Fantasy Sci-fi Story to those who don’t or won’t believe and receive it (Matthew 11:25-26).

I mean literally as the Author intended it to be RECEIVED.

Jesus continued, “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son, except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” (Matthew 11:27)

The Apostle James once said in James 4:2, “You do not have because you do not ask,” and Jesus Himself said that we should, “Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened to him” (Matthew 7:7-8).

This all reveals an import part to play that I like to call here at Pokyra, “Our Part to Play” in ultimately RECEIVING “His Part to Play”. Expect to learn this basic Practice skill in the context of being a Disciple of Jesus seeking His “revelation in the knowledge of Him” Gospel/HisStory here at Pokyra (Ephesians 1:15-23).

But Jesus concludes His teaching in Matthew 11 with this great invitation to believers and RECEIVERS still living here in this world:

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

Take My yoke upon you (I believe Jesus means His “Spirit who is from God” “yoke” compared to the “yoke” of “the spirit of the world”),

for I am gentle and humble in heart;

and you shall find rest for your souls.

For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

(Matthew 11:25-30)

 

But remember this about Jesus’ above Personal invitation to “Come to Me …”: 

You won’t find Jesus in a “book” (the Bible or any other book).

You will learn something “about” Jesus in the Bible but like any human-made cultural artifact, God is NOT “in” that cultural artifact! As you will find out from Jesus’ words written out below, you could read it a thousand times and still NOT “know” God or “find” Jesus Personally.

The Bible or “Scriptures” certainly “bear witness” of Jesus the Person and that is the great benefit of our wonderful Bibles full of “Scripture” containing faithful testimonies of God written down by humans (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

But the only way you or anyone else will truly “find” Jesus is in a LITERAL Personal PRAYER and “spirit” to “Spirit” relationship. It’s a our “spirit” CONNECTION with God’s “Spirit” or “experiential knowledge” that Jesus explains in Matthew 7:21-23.

Jesus also explains it in the following way to those who were still searching “the Scriptures” but still clearly NOT finding God in Person by His Spirit:

“And the Father who sent Me, He has borne witness of Me.

You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.

And you do not have His word abiding in you (Kehrt note: they just had His “word” written in a scroll called “Scriptures), for you do not believe in Him who He sent.

You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life;

and it is these that bear witness of Me;

and you are unwilling to come to Me, that you may have life.” (John 5:37-40) 

You and I have to understand what Jesus just said here in the context of ALL of His Gospel teachings in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to confirm what appears to be clearly stated here just by itself. This is not figurative but literal.

A Bible helps us learn HisStory on an intellectual or empirical level and that is why I, for example, smuggled Bibles into China to help serve that important function of a Bible.

But the Good News of Jesus’ Gospel is that every individual Chinese “believer” in Jesus can also become a Holy Spirit of God RECEIVER and “knower” of Jesus by His Spirit even without a Bible!

I know it because I met them in person while there! In many ways they were stronger spiritually than I was because of their “knowing” of Jesus and the Father “in spirit and in truth” having received what Paul described as “the Spirit who is from God that we might know the things freely given to us by God” (1 Corinthians 2:12).

Do you get this? These Chinese Christians living by the “Spirit who is from God” are much more “equipped” spiritually to live or “walk in the same manner as He walked” (1 John 2:3-6) without a Bible as those American Christians I referenced in the Section above. This is where the Barna Group Study exposed over half of American Christians had no “literal” faith for or experience with the Holy Spirit of God even though they might own two or three Bibles gathering dust on their shelves at home.

You see the contrast. You get my point here. It is the same point Jesus was making too in the above John 5:37-40 passage.

I believe what Jesus said here is clearly backed up by all His other teachings about the need to experientially “know” Him “in spirit and in truth” by His Spirit “promise of the Father” given to those who literally believe and RECEIVE Him. The most important message of Jesus on this “knowing” topic being, arguably, Matthew 7:21-23. (“ginosko” in the Greek language)

I hope you too are a literal believer and literal RECEIVER of HisStory Driving YourStory today!

How wonderful it is to have a small, but nonetheless important, part to play in this GREATEST STORY OF ALL TIME!

HisStory!

 

 

So, Answer The Question:  How Would Jesus View Your View of HisStory?

Open Bible Study Page HERE

As you might have guessed after reading just some (a little bit) of my view of HisStory, there appears to be an inherent question behind the question of “How Would Jesus View Your View of HisStory?”

Here’s the question behind that question:

“How much of HisStory have you HIJACKED for the sake of YourStory?

Your answer will reveal this:

Your answer reveals just how much you are,

1.) POSITIVELY speaking, allowing HisStory to be DRIVING YourStory and,

2.) NEGATIVELY speaking, just how much you are allowing YourStory to attempt to foolishly DRIVE HisStory.

Read Jesus’ words in Matthew 7:21-23 to find His version of both the POSITIVE followers and the NEGATIVE followers of HisStory.

The KEY SEPARATOR word dividing the two Paths of the POSITIVE vs. the NEGATIVE is Jesus’ use of the term “lawlessness”.

Jesus always referred to “sin” in regards to His Kingdom of Heaven “first place in everything” rule which suddenly uses “lawful” to represent someone living “right-eous” without a Problem with the King and “lawless” to represent someone living “wrong” or “un-righteous” with a Problem with the King (Matthew 7:21-23; 1 John 3:4; Colossians 1:13-18).

Read a few verses following that passage of Matthew 7:21-23 (7:24-27) to discover the spiritual “foundation” of the POSITIVE vs. the spiritual “foundation” of the NEGATIVE from Jesus’ perspective.

Jesus views the POSITIVE Path as the life EXAMPLE He gave us (His words, His commands and His Practices with discernible “good fruit”) that is truly lived in all 3D’s “on earth as it is in heaven” and not 1D only.

His life example and His testimony of the Gospel is just as the Creator/Writer of ALL HisStory intended it to be lived:

“I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do.”

(Revelation 19:10; Matthew 17:5; 3:17)

Whenever we hijack HisStory or His Spirit then the only other “spirit” option is something from the general category of “the spirit of the world.”

Whenever the Holy Spirit PATH is rejected in favor of something from the “spirit of the world” PATH, we need to realize that from King Jesus’ perspective of our life we are first hurting ourselves and secondly hurting others who truly need more LIGHT and less darkness in their life.

If you won’t do it POSITIVELY for yourself, then do it POSITIVELY for the sake of Your Spouse, your Family and your Neighborhood of relationships who need your “A-Game” or BEST representation of Jesus’ Primary Model for a “Christian” coming out of your life.

That is your challenge and your responsibility regarding the Gospel of Jesus Christ (1 John 2:3-6).

Here at Pokyra, I help Believers who are freely choosing to be on that POSITIVE track or PATH of allowing HisStory to Drive TheirStory to become better RECEIVERS of the Promises of Jesus Christ!

None of us are perfect people. But His Gift (D2) makes us 100% perfect by His grace. His “grace is sufficient” to daily, weekly, monthly and seasonally pursue the Person of Truth as if BOTH “grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ” and not just one or the other (John 1:16-17).

I pray this is the generation that finally fulfills the ancient prophesies He has given for His Church and that means we can finally “grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ” and finally fulfill the PURPOSE of His Church and “the mystery of Christ” here on the earth (Ephesians 4:15; 3:1-21; Philippians 3:1-21).

Pokyra helps to equip you with a solid Gospel of Jesus as your STARTING place so you too can learn from Him how to “walk in the same manner as He walked” and so everything else you build on top of that foundation will stand and not fall (1 John 2:3-6; Matthew 7:24-27; 1 Corinthians 3:11-4:5).

I help you at Pokyra learn how Jesus taught His disciples to do their limited part to play even as the Father in heaven was (and still is) always faithful to do His unlimited part to play (Matthew 19:26).

I mean how any serious Disciple of Jesus must learn how He Himself discovered anything, believed anything, remembered anything and RECEIVED anything from the Kingdom of Heaven during His own life.

I don’t know for certain if Jesus “needed” everything we need given Who He literally is … the “sinless” “Son of God” … because He obviously already “knew” the Father on an eternal level we cannot even fathom and will likely not experience this side of Heaven (1 Corinthians 13:9-12; 1 John 3:1-3).

But I DO KNOW He was here on Earth showing us all how to be a “child of God” and how it all works Personally and “daily” in 3D relating to “the will of My Father who is in heaven”!

As I mentioned in the last section, my most important practical “help” to actually “do” anything more often without excuses is my Meaningful Mission strategy. Use it Daily but you can also use it to help plan to “do” something in any point in your Seasonal, Monthly Weekly and Daily Routines of life.

What is a Meaningful Mission?

Read more about it by clicking THIS LINK taking you to an explanation of it at the First Time Visitors TOUR.

But I have included it here in a quick “nut-shell” version:

1. Meaningful “thing to do” (anything!)
2. In some Meaningful “way” to do it
3. At some Meaningful “place” to do it and finally
4. At some Meaningful “time” to do it successfully Scheduled into your Daily Routine of “normal” life.

You just learned the basics of a Meaningful Mission that you will learn more about here at Pokyra!

At Pokyra I teach you how to “do” this Meaningful Mission as a skill so you will never again have any excuses to accomplishing anything meaningful in Your Life In 3D as long as you live here on earth.

If Your Life In 3D too often seems easier “said” than “done” (if you are like most of us 😊), then learning this simple to learn practical skill will help make “doing” what you likely even know you should be doing (but for whatever reason you simply don’t seem to get it done), just as easy “done” as “said”.

I help you with that using my Life Planner System titled, “Your Life In 3D”.

It’s all integrated with your spiritual D1 and D2 lifestyle making Your Life In 3D more useful and “practical” than useless and “religious”.

I help you get a STARTSTORY going with Jesus and His Spirit and then Your Life In 3D based on Jesus’ outline of a Personal relationship with the Father in His famous Lord’s Prayer in what I call simply your CONTINUEDSTORY.

It’s the foundations of how to start and continue your own Personal relationship with God (GOOD HABIT #1), how to become a seeker and RECEIVER of “the will of My Father who is in heaven” (GOOD HABIT #2), and how to develop all sorts of Conversation Starters (GOOD HABIT #3) about Your Life In 3D in the context of your Priority Area relationships you spend most of your real-time with here on Earth.

In doing so, you will learn to daily practice what your Master Jesus practiced and to expect back and forth Holy Spirit filled communication with the Father in Heaven. I mean if Jesus did it, you can do it too “in the same manner as He walked” with the Father each day.

So, we can all agree that Jesus obviously lived “the will of My Father who is in heaven” (His spiritual “meal” from Heaven – John 4:31-34; Matthew 6:11; 4:4) while at the same time filling His earthly body with earthly food provided by the same “Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 4:4; John 6:1-71).

Your Life In 3D is teaching the same spiritual dimension and earthly dimension reality that Jesus lived in where D1 and D2 represent the spiritual dimension “food” and the D3 represents the earthly dimension “food”.

Together you have Your Life In 3D!

Look for the foundational Gospel of Jesus inside your Above See Level (ASL) REAL YOU STARTSTORY journey.

Then, choose to go deeper inside your Below See Level (BSL) REAL YOU CONTINUEDSTORY … never ending … Story of HisStory Driving YourStory in 3D!

Discover it in ever-increasing depth every time you choose to visit Chestnutland Virtual Theme Park.

It’s the most meaningful yet FUNNEST way to learn His Gospel that I could creatively think of in my own quest to obey Jesus’ Great Commission command to “make disciples” for Him in Matthew 28:18-20.

Then, why not go “Back and Forth” from REAL YOU to PARABLE YOU as you play the digital and table-top versions of the Board Game. I mean having some more PARABLE YOU fun in a purely Fictitious Fantasy Parable learning environment while playing the Freedom Missions for Thraldom Virtual Role Playing Game mirrored on the REAL YOU visits to Chestnutland.

Visit my Life In 3D as you develop and build your own Your Life In 3D (a.k.a. YourNameLand).

It’s all creatively experienced here at Pokyra!

Jesus’ own brief life and times here in this world were 100% successful in 3D and His 3D example still helps those who truly are of His Church “doing” their own life and times here in this world and He still leads us “first place in everything” (John 16:31-17:26; Colossians 1:13-18).

Pokyra is all about inviting people into my Life In 3D and helping people “do it” as I have learned it from Jesus.

Visit mine but develop your own with Jesus!