If indeed, Jesus is our example to follow then why do so many passively sit in churches across the world week after week calling themselves "Christians" (literally "little Christs")? Jesus did not sit in a Synagogue (church), submitted to a Rabbi (pastor) for his three years of public ministry,  rather, he traveled.  He went wherever the Holy Spirit led him - he would have never met his twelve apostles otherwise.  He would have never fulfilled his Father's will either, performing so many amazing miracles,  and bringing truth to so many, if he had sat in a church the whole time under a pastor.

He also did not tell his disciples to "stay here, in this Synagogue,  submitted to this Rabbi. I'm moving on, but you stay here". No! He said "come, follow me". In other words, i'm moving on, follow me wherever i go. Some of those who heard him speak and saw him minister in those synagogues,  chose to leave their church and follow him - others simply marveled at him, and said to each other "what an amazing minister! He teaches as one having authority!" They were astonished at him because up till then, the Pharisees and Rabbis had maintained an iron grip on authority  - and no one not approved by them was allowed to have any. To see and hear someone so obviously anointed and sent by God who was unfamiliar to them - and more importantly for this discussion  - not a part of them (not a member of their church or denomination,  not a Sadducee or a Pharisee) astonished them! Who is this guy? Surely God is with him or he couldn't do all these miracles,  signs and wonders! 

No, on the contrary,  Jesus rescued his disciples from all of that religious bondage so many were (and are) stuck in. He firmly said - Come. Follow.  Me. Why? Why should anyone follow Jesus? Because he had just been baptized in the Holy Spirit.  He never told anyone to follow him until he was following the Holy Spirit (indeed, he was "full of the Spirit without measure") for the Spirit is always perfectly expressing the Father's will! So Paul makes it clear - follow me (as long) as i follow Christ  - for Christ (therefore I too) is following the Holy Spirit  - who leads us and guides us and equips us to perfectly obey the Father's will.  This it what it means to "be perfect as i am perfect" - obey my Father as i do - in all things remain submitted to His will. Jesus went into synagogues (churches) but was not a card-carrying member of one - no, he went into them for this reason alone -

           "TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR, TO HEAL THE BROKEN HEARTED, TO PREACH DELIVERANCE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERING OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET AT LIBERTY THEM THAT ARE BRUISED"  (captive, blinded, and bruised by religion)

Why did he desire to do these things? Because "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me", because he has anointed me to do all these things. He has has instructed me to do them  - compelled me to, sent me to do them. And today, anyone who has "the Spirit upon them, (and in them), is also anointed and called to do these things. He went into churches for the people's sake, for in them, in the churches, was found the poor, the broken hearted,  the captives and the blind - all made that way by the religious leadership they were forced to submit to - basically  - then and now - you could not be considered to be one of God's own people if you didn't submit to and join your local synagogue (church). It was inconceivable that anyone could be personally called by God and be told by God to follow HIM and not their local rabbi (pastor). No, anyone who felt the call of God on their life had to jump through the same hoops, go through the same process, the rabbis had gone through.  They had to learn all doctrine from them - speak and believe only what they spoke and believed and any new thought or revelation was frowned upon.  And only if and when THEY APPROVED OF YOU - could you be recognized and accepted as a man of God. 

Part two coming soon

Apostle Chris

Ode to Gampo Bay

 

The curtain billows gently

 in the salty sea breeze

The fishermen cast their 

 lines quite hopefully 

Waves crash against the 

 rocks of their demise 

This sleepy fishing village 

 slowly opens it's eyes

Birds are usually heard

 before their seen

The storm clouds refuse 

 to cease their marching 

The lighthouse stands at attention, 

 saluting each passing ship -

 he takes his job seriously, 

 never wavers, never quits -

 an eternal witness 

 of potential hardships 

 and a guide to safe harbor, 

 like the Holy Spirit, 

 always guiding us to safety,

 always warning us of danger, 

 always lighting the Way

 by pointing us to the One

          born   in  a manger.......

 

 It's as lovely a morning 

 as there's ever been

 in the history of the world.

 My senses are sharp enough 

 to taste infinity...

 Every sight, sound, smell, 

 the feel of the breeze on my skin -

 almost surreal,

 like it's a fantasy i'm walkin' in.

 For this moment 

 the joy of simply being 

 overwhelms me

    completely submerges me

    in a tidal wave of sensations, 

    of knowledge,  of gratitude, 

        for being alive.

Thank you! O source and susr.tainer

 of all that was, is, and ever shall be!

Like You, i behold Your handiwork 

 and declare with all that is within me  -

       IT IS GOOD!

Pristine,  clean, untainted by man

and his penchant to pervert  and

 corrupt - thinking he can improve 

   what God made perfect. 

We can't improve perfection, 

 yet their arrogance 

 compels them to try...

We can't invent or find a better God,

  yet, their hearts lifted high,

      full of pride,

                                                  try.

Oh foolish man that i am!

accept my apology  -

          Oh Perfect One,

           in all Your thoughts and deeds,

 Oh my God  - please,

           excuse me,    accept me,

            improve me,   inspect me,

straighten any crooked path,

   in my heart,   in my soul,

         NEVER LET ME GO!

 Solomon asked not

 for riches that will rot,

 for wealth that can be lost

 or stolen. 

 Nor did he ask

 for length of days

 to be spent on pleasures 

 and fleshly ways.

 He did not seek

 the death's of his enemies

 that he might be

 in perfect safety. 

 No, he asked for true wealth  -

 wisdom and knowledge 

 to correctly discern 

 between good and evil  -

 He wanted to be a wise ruler of God's people. 

 He recognized God is our source of wisdom 

 and knowledge (not Bible college).

 He knew wisdom as an anointing  - as a Spirit, 

 that comes from God, not men -

It can be taught as knowledge to the mind

 but it cannot be lived and implemented

 without the Spirit of the Living God 

 dwelling on us and within us - guiding us, instructing us,

 daily - how to be - His sons and daughters, 

 how to live in a manner worthy of Him

 and pleasing to Him

 

  and there came a time

      for us to mind

  the things of Christ,      not men

 and we drank the wine

 and we ate the bread

 and we gave our lives to be spent

 when Christ called

 we rose and we followed 

 we left all behind and we went

 wherever He led

 whenever He said

 whoever He chose     and   sent

 our hearts laid bare before Him

     like soil trodden underfoot  of

 those who are rude to us

            and subject us to abuse 

 never complaining 

  always sustaining/retaining

   the supernatural love

   with which He is training 

 us to be

        His ambassadors 

                  lovely

 and glistening with the dew

    of the Morning Star  -

           risen in our hearts

 conquering the hate

             the sea of distress and godlessness

 we're called to sail in  -

        offering ourselves 

                        as vessels of purity

              and sanity

 in the midst of

    a raging, stormy sea

     saying  "Peace,   be still  -

  if you will    

     choose to continue 

               your journey with Me"

 instead of denying 

   The One who created them to be

  His people,    His children,    His source 

      of love for eternity   -

We rise above 

       The flesh

 with our love

    we defeat death

  for it's power is rooted

    in sin and hate

- only those who refuse to wait

   upon the Lord Most High 

   will, in death, forever abide

but we

 will shine

   forever like the stars in the Heavens  -

       steadfast,   assured,   pure,

   satisfying        our Father's 

           desires and dreams          for He

and we             to forever be

 His offspring,      His Son's bride,     

      pleasing          and pleased

                         to be forever at His side

Like trees planted by the River

       The Mightiest River

            that forever flows

     from beneath His Throne 

always sustained and cared for and loved

by the God who made Himself known

and weak

that all who seek

His face

could become one with Him

by the glory of His grace...

If you have ears to hear what I'm sayin'

open your heart and your tongue will start prayin'

Confess with your lips

 that your will is to start obeyin'

   The will of your Father

      which art in Heaven 

    patiently waitin'

For the cry of your heart 

   in humility        breakin'

because of the sin that's been weighin'

 so heavily upon you soul

till you cry out with all your strength 

  with gusto

    you turn to Him

not away

  You really listen to what He has to say

     as your fig leaf

           falls,   finally, 

You expose yourself to The One

who sees your nakedness,      anyway 

And in your shame

 you approach Him

to find Him gently covering you

in a robe of purest white

softer than any cloth you've ever known

He says     "Rise My child  - let's go home,

                      you're innocent,    and beautiful 

                          in My sight - no more  will  you  roam"

We are as lights reflected 

  on the water of His Word

     Flowing through us  -

We are as stones

  found in that river (of His Spirit)

 used by our God

  to slay our Goliath's

We are as Stars

   lights in the darkness 

     of men's souls - 

    So prevalent all around us  - 

Giving hope,  open displays of the truth

 of Jesus,  Christ  -

 testimonies to His love and 

integrity, 

Undeniable,    and steadfast, 

   Faithful,    honorable, 

A man can build his life

 on the foundation of

   God's Word  - forever assured -

This is why -

  God is not a man

   that He should lie.....

 There is a river,

 the streams whereof

 shall make glad the city of God,

 the Holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High.

 We are the "Tabernacles of the Most High".

 We are the pleasure for which He died.

 He is the reason ww live,

 there is no one and nothing else 

 to whom we should give

 our hearts, our lives to

 O God, than You.

Because You dwell in the midst of us,

 we shall not be moved -

 You shall help us, and that right early.

We shall be still, that we may know You.

You make war to cease,  in me.

 You give me prace,  joyfully. 

 You destroy all my enemies  - 

 Death, Hell and the Grave.

 Your hand is not too short that it cannot save.

 You crush my resistance 

  to all that is righteous and holy.

 O my God -;defeat my heart, my soul, 

   defeat me!

May I be the spoil

 of the war that rages        in my home -

   so much resistance  to the love

                You've shown -

 

I've defined myself 

   by my earthly,  fleshly, daddy

  full of lust and adultery. 

Now I want to model myself 

 after my God -  my Heavenly daddy. 

O God,  have Your way with me,

 in every moment of every day

 for the rest of my life

 till I cease to breathe.

O the redemption of my soul is precious!

O God, You will redeem my soul

 from the power of the grave -

I have not fallen so far that You cannot save

       Blow

                 the power of sin and death 

far away

 by the power of Your blood and breath.

O Lord - all the fowls of the mountains 

 and the wild beasts of the field,  are Thine.

I will call on You in the day of trouble 

You will deliver me

You will rescue me

 and I in turn

       will glorify Thee - 

And Your glory shall shine

 brightly for all the heathen to see

  and they shall fear

 and they shall tremble before Thee.

Now consider this  -  you who forget God,

 lest He tear you in pieces 

 and there be none to deliver  -

 Heed these words, grow wise and consider  - 

   offer sincere, heartfelt praise to Him

 perhaps He will yet turn and deliver you.

Set your conversation sprightly 

 Salvation will be yours -

   when you cry out by day, and nightly -

 To the Most High, 

  The lover of your soul -

 Believe on Him

 that you may be made whole...

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the year, is actually a love story. It's the day we are to afflict our souls - to reflect on our sins and it is a wonderful day. Let's keep in mind the impact those sins had on God who "was crushed by our adulterous heart which has departed from him" (Eze:6:9)  He has given us great instructions which we counted as worthless (Hos: 8:12). We strayed far from His love by doing things that broke His heart. Yet His love for us is so deep that after all of the pain He felt by our betrayal,  He then became flesh and died a humiliating death on a Cross to buy us back. Yom Kippur is a love story of how much our King loves us despite our infidelity.  Think about the cost of our pardon during this Yom Kippur. 

This year, 2025, Yom Kippur begins at sundown on October 1st and ends at sundown on the following evening. Fast and pray and afflict your soul before God during this 24 hour period. Cry out in repentance for every sin committed during the last year - both sins of commission and ommission.  Selah.

Written with assistance from Douglas Hamp, by apostle Chris

 People can only see through the lens of the spirit they are walking in.  For people bound by the spirit of religion  - they cannot see nor understand the revelations of the Holy Spirit.  To them it's like a foreign language.  You can try and try to bring understanding to them - the revelation of The Spirit God has revealed to you - but they simply can't see it, nor understand it, till they get free of the spirit they are convinced is God's,  but it's not. 

So guard who you choose to discuss the deep things of God with. They'll hurt you. They'll call you crazy. They'll disallow fellowship with you - cast you out. They call themselves "Christian" just like you do but what makes each of us truly "Christian" isn't His Word (Satan kniws His Word) or His Name (The lost can speak His name. They can memorize His Word for that matter and not be saved), no, what makes us TRULY Christian is that we walk in the same Spirit Christ did, shed abroad in our hearts, quite literally leading us and guiding us into all truth. You can't know Jesus  - the living embodiment of Truth - without His Spirit! You may know facts - knowledge- of truths - but you cannot know TRUTH - the source of all wisdom and knowledge  - The person of Jesus, Christ. 

What spirit we are of determines our true identity.  If we deny and resist Him - His Holy Spirit,  at every opportunity,  yet go to church each week, sing songs to Him, and speak His Name, we are deceived,  and are not of Him. Conversely,  there are those who have never set foot inside a church,  never spoken his name nor opened a Bible, yet they obey His Spirit at every turn - and claims them as His own.

Jesus pointed His disciples to The Father and the Father's Holy Spirit  - they are inseparable  -we cannot serve one without serving the others. We cannot know one without having that one lead us into relationship with the others. Churches that fixate on Jesus but ignore or openly resist and rebuke the Holy Spirit  - are not of Him. MANY will say in that day "lord, lord, did we not have countless services in your name? Did we not honour and worship you our whole lives?" And He will answer - "Depart from me, I never knew you". How does he know us? By our spirits! By our hearts! Not our minds! A mere mental assent in his direction a few times a day or week will never do. Our hearts must belong to Him - we must allow him to dwell in us, by His Spirit.  Truthfully,  once we invite Christ to dwell in us, he will do so by His Spirit. His Spirit,  indwelling within us is essential to our identity as "Christians", yet many who claim to be His deny him entrance.  Jesus is ok but not the Holy Spirit.  

So my brother,  my sister, guard your hearts, don't accept at first blush someone's claim to be "Christian", rather, test the Spirit they walk in. Their fruit will reveal their Spirit. Do they bear the Holy Spirit's fruit? If they are of Christ,  born of His Spirit  - their heart and yours will rejoice upon meeting each other - your spirits within one another will leap for joy! Those who are His are free - free to love openly and passionately  - with childlike abandon.  Those in religious bondage have chains on their love, chains on their hearts, on their ability to love and embrace others, even strangers.  Upon meeting a fellow member of the True Body of Christ on earth today, your heart will feel the warmth of the love of Christ emanating from them. When you speak of spiritual things - they will display a like mind and heart.  You're kin! You're kindred spirits! You have the same Father! They will welcome and receive the Christ in you - recognizing you're in Christ.  But if they're walking in the anti-Christ's spirit, no matter how much they claim to be of Christ  - they will argue with you and despise anything of the Holy Spirit  in you - whether gifts or revelation or.......love.  Indeed, they will be unable to love you or remain in fellowship with you or return the love you show. Over time, they wil, find a reason to excuse themselves from fellowship with you, from befriending you. They will reason away their lack of love for you (it's your fault). They mask their hate in religious garb, so they look pristine  - all the while maintaining a heart that hates. But they'll smile as they do it, going to church,  joining with others who walk in the same spirit they do to justify their attitudes and anti-love hearts. 

So, value and treasure those you meet who are truly following Christ with their hearts - imperfect though they may be - they're embracing him on the inside,  not merely giving lip service  outwardly.  They are more rare than you can possibly imagine. 

 Shine,      Shine,       Shine!

 He wants his children

 to shine like a city     on a hill

Shine,         Shine,       Shine!

 He wants his commission 

 in you           to be fulfilled!

Hey now brother!

 Why don't you let his

 light shine     out of you!

Hey there sister!

 There's nothing more that

 He'd rather do!

Than shine through you!

Oh if he has your mind

 and if he has your heart

 then all of de time

 his light should depart 

 from you  - yes you!

Wherever you be

 to whoever you meet

Wherever you are

 with every heartbeat 

SHINE,    SHINE,   SHINE,   SHINR,   SHINE,

all of de time, time,

 time, time, time!

He wants his children 

to shine like a city on a hill 

The more of Him

They can see

Then I'll shine

like a city

on a hill,

full of his glory

fulfilling 

his will  -

When I shine,   shine,   shine,

       like a city on a hill  -

The world will end

yet I'LL be shining still -

       Shining still.......

 Oh how oft

 do we construct 

 self-imposed dungeons 

 dark and corrupt 

We lock ourselves away

 in darkness we've embraced 

 doing our level best

 to avoid His face

We throw away the key

 to freedom from our disgrace 

We are the architects 

 of our own demise  -

We construct our own prisons 

 full of lies

in which we chain our souls 

 with heavy binds

- trapped within the prison of our minds

We are both jailor and prisoner, 

 yet all the while  -

There is One able to free us

 from our self-imposed exile

Shaking us till all that remains 

 of that awful place 

 is the light and the air

 emanating from His face.

He can smash our prison to pieces 

 then gently lift us

  and release us

 into the glorious destiny

 that was always meant to be  -

The one we were born to live in -

The Heaven of a Paradise 

 where we're eternally loved

                                           and forgiven.