New Aging
In exploring and researching various methods of defining the world around us ( what some can loosely call religion and / or philosophy ), I have noticed some similarities in what is called “mysticism” to be in fact the residual evidence of faith in Christ ( or the teaching of Christ dressed as something else ). Mysticism appeared shortly after Christ ( looking at the definition of that word and where it is derived ). This perception includes many tenets of what Yeshua taught without the attached notions of organized religion that beguiles a negative connotation.
One could strongly argue that religion is a man made organization and administration of something that can only be personally experienced and personally lived out... so... would you call what you learned from your parents a 'religion' if they simply taught you to be honest, be good to others and to do to others what you would have them to to you? Yet this is incorrectly termed 'religious' when one pursues what Christ taught: a lifestyle / a way of life / a path to peace with others and the way to find peace in oneself ( the former being the aim and the latter being a byproduct of that aim ).
I liken the development of mysticism to someone taking an original idea ( or in this case what was revealed in / by Yeshua ) and calling it their own, or something else, like ‘spirituality’ or any other term or newly contrived view. To me, it is plagiarism and the use of different words and manners of speech to describe the Teaching in a different way. Looking at several origins of organizations, it seems that quite a few schools of thought / religion / philosophy have been conceived and contrived out of what Yeshua exemplified and taught and, to avoid being called ‘religious’ or a believer in Christ, perhaps new words have been invented to make these ‘discoveries’ seem more palatable for others to accept and pursue instead of paying honor to their actual Source. I don't think God is too offended, for His purpose still finds its way into people's hearts and into society. God forbid someone realize they are actually Christians / disciples of Christ / followers of the Way as they pursue their new age mystical trappings! ( sarcasm )
Look at some parts of what has become the religion of Christianity. We hear bad examples of some so-called Christians who today blindly support a tyrannical and corrupt government by their votes, continue the repeating of platitudes and pledges of allegiance to despotic empire, continue the making of oaths to offices or other manifestations of men, support the military power and advocate the financing of more backward religion ( hiding pedophilia, promoting homosexuality, hiding financial misdeeds, ignoring what the Word instructs to instead teach their own method and brand of spirituality, etc. ). These attempts at spirituality without actually contemplating their true nature and their true origin simply reflects the pattern of mankind throughout the ages, does it not? The pattern of pride, arrogance, denial and other typical departures. We can read at the time Christ was revealed to Israel the Israeli people rejected Him and instead desired to continue in their religious nonsense absent any true form of goodness and adherence to God's conscience. They desired their own brand of truth and what fit them comfortably without applying faith.
What else is evident of today's 'modern' Christianity so many adhere to?
You hear preaching from the mainstream pulpit how a particular state needs to be supported at all costs in order to gain some real estate ( that nation committing bloodshed and asking for financial and heart-felt support in their aim to wipe out a people much like themselves ). Where in the message of Christ is bloodshed called and justified? Where in the message of Christ is Yeshua political and calling for political identity or political ideals alongside following God?
You hear preaching from the mainstream pulpit to support governments which send young people to die for a cause that has nothing to do with righteousness, but more to do with nation building, resources, commercial interests, empire spreading and political indoctrination. Where in the message of Christ is the call to die for anything other than one's faith in God ( being given the choice to live by denouncing Christ or being martyred by keeping the faith )?
You hear preaching from the mainstream pulpit how you should not only believe in your bible, but also believe in your government, your political discourse and your weapon of choice in fending off the ‘enemy’ near and afar while at the same time believe you are correct in using weapons of war against anyone you deem to be stealing from you or threatening your way of life. Where in the message of Christ does it teach to put government's directive ahead of what is right before God? Where in the message of Christ is the call to war for armed offense or armed defense?
You hear preaching from the mainstream pulpit about focusing on yourself and pursuing the material wealth that is worshiped the world over and people are taught to believe that the increase of your possessions and income is God’s obvious increase of blessings upon you and His applauding your efforts. Where in the message of Christ does it teach wealth being a byproduct of spirituality? Where in the message of Christ is the blessing of joy derived from secular and worldly achievements?
You also hear preaching from the mainstream pulpit to ‘turn the other cheek’ and to ‘give them your cloak as well’ and to ‘love your enemy’ and to ‘love your neighbor as yourself’... but these sometimes include a justification or caveat in the further words men use and the use of man's feeble explanations to decipher what is really being said by Yeshua. Where in the message of Christ are such caveats, justifications and clarifications found outside the basis of what those teachings really teach? How many ways can "love your enemy" or "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" be interpreted? Some argue against the literal interpretation of scripture, but sometimes one must simply begin with the literal to see what is truly being expressed!
Search the scriptures for yourself to see if much of the popular mainstream message is based on the Word of God or is actually man's modernly manipulated manufacture! If you must look to books of men, writings of men and opinions of men to support things not found in the gospel and the Spirit-led writings of the early disciples to the faithful... then here is where your faith and worship is: man.
It must be noted: to simply blame as a whole those who believe in Christ for the wickedness of those who raise that Christian banner to further their selfish aims is not correct. Doing so is like calling ‘blood’ everything you see having the color red. Not everything colored red is blood, so you see my point. And although not everyone who calls themselves a Christian is Christ-like at any given moment in their life, but is in all actuality a work in progress, one needs to understand the grace factor. What is even more amazing is how some who may not consider themselves a Christian ( for the negative attachment hypocrites give to the term ) can in all actuality be living more like Christ than they may realize, regardless of how they would define themselves or what society will define them. And many of these who don't consciously identify with what is termed a Christian may be more Christ-like than those who push their religious sayings onto others instead of expressing their righteous deeds among others.
Yes, God’s bountiful grace may very well envelope the confused Christian who ignorantly supports war and who cannot tell their government and media is one big propaganda push. And I believe this grace is extended to those who, according to their heart and when a moment of testing arises, will not fire a weapon at another human being nor participate in activities which directly bother their conscience. It is in a time of testing which defines who we really are and what we really believe in, right? So although you may have plenty of people listening to ill-conceived messages from their government or their well-fed preacher man, it would be the test that will determine their heart and their heart's desire. God's grace understands our limited understanding and our often times overbearing ignorance. God’s grace is there to salvage the faith He has planted into the heart of the believer / believer to be. I believe this same bountiful grace envelopes the person who resembles Christ yet does not consider themselves likened to that definition.
To truly love your enemy ( what many who call themselves Christians fail to do ) takes faith beyond what your mind may tell you. To believe in the peaceful, peace-filled, loving-all-others, forgiving-those-who-don’t-deserve-to-be or don't-ask-for-forgiveness message of Christ takes faith. And it is only in the paradigm of this faith which these things make sense... not by logical conclusion but by the peace which tells you that although you may lose your job, your spouse, your position in life, your wealth or even your very self / life for your faith... it doesn't matter.... in losing you have actually gained. This faith isn’t easily explained through logic… this faith is truly not of this world.
Yeshua said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
- John 18:36
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Yeshua.
- Philippians 4:7
One could strongly argue that religion is a man made organization and administration of something that can only be personally experienced and personally lived out... so... would you call what you learned from your parents a 'religion' if they simply taught you to be honest, be good to others and to do to others what you would have them to to you? Yet this is incorrectly termed 'religious' when one pursues what Christ taught: a lifestyle / a way of life / a path to peace with others and the way to find peace in oneself ( the former being the aim and the latter being a byproduct of that aim ).
I liken the development of mysticism to someone taking an original idea ( or in this case what was revealed in / by Yeshua ) and calling it their own, or something else, like ‘spirituality’ or any other term or newly contrived view. To me, it is plagiarism and the use of different words and manners of speech to describe the Teaching in a different way. Looking at several origins of organizations, it seems that quite a few schools of thought / religion / philosophy have been conceived and contrived out of what Yeshua exemplified and taught and, to avoid being called ‘religious’ or a believer in Christ, perhaps new words have been invented to make these ‘discoveries’ seem more palatable for others to accept and pursue instead of paying honor to their actual Source. I don't think God is too offended, for His purpose still finds its way into people's hearts and into society. God forbid someone realize they are actually Christians / disciples of Christ / followers of the Way as they pursue their new age mystical trappings! ( sarcasm )
Look at some parts of what has become the religion of Christianity. We hear bad examples of some so-called Christians who today blindly support a tyrannical and corrupt government by their votes, continue the repeating of platitudes and pledges of allegiance to despotic empire, continue the making of oaths to offices or other manifestations of men, support the military power and advocate the financing of more backward religion ( hiding pedophilia, promoting homosexuality, hiding financial misdeeds, ignoring what the Word instructs to instead teach their own method and brand of spirituality, etc. ). These attempts at spirituality without actually contemplating their true nature and their true origin simply reflects the pattern of mankind throughout the ages, does it not? The pattern of pride, arrogance, denial and other typical departures. We can read at the time Christ was revealed to Israel the Israeli people rejected Him and instead desired to continue in their religious nonsense absent any true form of goodness and adherence to God's conscience. They desired their own brand of truth and what fit them comfortably without applying faith.
What else is evident of today's 'modern' Christianity so many adhere to?
You hear preaching from the mainstream pulpit how a particular state needs to be supported at all costs in order to gain some real estate ( that nation committing bloodshed and asking for financial and heart-felt support in their aim to wipe out a people much like themselves ). Where in the message of Christ is bloodshed called and justified? Where in the message of Christ is Yeshua political and calling for political identity or political ideals alongside following God?
You hear preaching from the mainstream pulpit to support governments which send young people to die for a cause that has nothing to do with righteousness, but more to do with nation building, resources, commercial interests, empire spreading and political indoctrination. Where in the message of Christ is the call to die for anything other than one's faith in God ( being given the choice to live by denouncing Christ or being martyred by keeping the faith )?
You hear preaching from the mainstream pulpit how you should not only believe in your bible, but also believe in your government, your political discourse and your weapon of choice in fending off the ‘enemy’ near and afar while at the same time believe you are correct in using weapons of war against anyone you deem to be stealing from you or threatening your way of life. Where in the message of Christ does it teach to put government's directive ahead of what is right before God? Where in the message of Christ is the call to war for armed offense or armed defense?
You hear preaching from the mainstream pulpit about focusing on yourself and pursuing the material wealth that is worshiped the world over and people are taught to believe that the increase of your possessions and income is God’s obvious increase of blessings upon you and His applauding your efforts. Where in the message of Christ does it teach wealth being a byproduct of spirituality? Where in the message of Christ is the blessing of joy derived from secular and worldly achievements?
You also hear preaching from the mainstream pulpit to ‘turn the other cheek’ and to ‘give them your cloak as well’ and to ‘love your enemy’ and to ‘love your neighbor as yourself’... but these sometimes include a justification or caveat in the further words men use and the use of man's feeble explanations to decipher what is really being said by Yeshua. Where in the message of Christ are such caveats, justifications and clarifications found outside the basis of what those teachings really teach? How many ways can "love your enemy" or "do unto others as you would have them do unto you" be interpreted? Some argue against the literal interpretation of scripture, but sometimes one must simply begin with the literal to see what is truly being expressed!
Search the scriptures for yourself to see if much of the popular mainstream message is based on the Word of God or is actually man's modernly manipulated manufacture! If you must look to books of men, writings of men and opinions of men to support things not found in the gospel and the Spirit-led writings of the early disciples to the faithful... then here is where your faith and worship is: man.
It must be noted: to simply blame as a whole those who believe in Christ for the wickedness of those who raise that Christian banner to further their selfish aims is not correct. Doing so is like calling ‘blood’ everything you see having the color red. Not everything colored red is blood, so you see my point. And although not everyone who calls themselves a Christian is Christ-like at any given moment in their life, but is in all actuality a work in progress, one needs to understand the grace factor. What is even more amazing is how some who may not consider themselves a Christian ( for the negative attachment hypocrites give to the term ) can in all actuality be living more like Christ than they may realize, regardless of how they would define themselves or what society will define them. And many of these who don't consciously identify with what is termed a Christian may be more Christ-like than those who push their religious sayings onto others instead of expressing their righteous deeds among others.
Yes, God’s bountiful grace may very well envelope the confused Christian who ignorantly supports war and who cannot tell their government and media is one big propaganda push. And I believe this grace is extended to those who, according to their heart and when a moment of testing arises, will not fire a weapon at another human being nor participate in activities which directly bother their conscience. It is in a time of testing which defines who we really are and what we really believe in, right? So although you may have plenty of people listening to ill-conceived messages from their government or their well-fed preacher man, it would be the test that will determine their heart and their heart's desire. God's grace understands our limited understanding and our often times overbearing ignorance. God’s grace is there to salvage the faith He has planted into the heart of the believer / believer to be. I believe this same bountiful grace envelopes the person who resembles Christ yet does not consider themselves likened to that definition.
To truly love your enemy ( what many who call themselves Christians fail to do ) takes faith beyond what your mind may tell you. To believe in the peaceful, peace-filled, loving-all-others, forgiving-those-who-don’t-deserve-to-be or don't-ask-for-forgiveness message of Christ takes faith. And it is only in the paradigm of this faith which these things make sense... not by logical conclusion but by the peace which tells you that although you may lose your job, your spouse, your position in life, your wealth or even your very self / life for your faith... it doesn't matter.... in losing you have actually gained. This faith isn’t easily explained through logic… this faith is truly not of this world.
Yeshua said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders. But now my kingdom is from another place.”
- John 18:36
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Yeshua.
- Philippians 4:7
Comments