Is it getting darker or lighter?

No doubt you have had the question come to mind lately, is the world being overcome with spiritual darkness? Is the end of the world finally here? The erosion of moral values, corruption in our government, rise of violence and crime, and the collapse of organized Christianity seem to point to a dark time in our world. Are these events and movements a sign that evil is taking over the world? Not if we know what God has said.

God says the light is appearing in the darkness and the darkness grasped it not (Jn 1.5 CLNT). The NKJV says has not overcome it. The light is Jesus, and no darkness can withstand Him. His light is spreading across the world, giving life and light to people everywhere. That is the reality, and nothing man says or does will change His impact on the world.

But why does it seem to be getting darker in the world? Why does it appear evil is taking over? First, the appearance of these things is not the reality. Man has a way of always announcing what seems real, but is actually false. We are too prone to live by appearances, not the truth. Jesus said, if your eye is bad, you will see only darkness (Matt 6:23). We need to have a different set of eyes to see the reality of what is true.

Secondly, it always seems darker just before dawn. Science tells us the darkest point of the physical night is just before daylight appears. The darker it seems means dawn is just around the corner. The light will break out. The spiritual darkness will be overcome, just like switching on a light in a room or the sun rising over the horizon. Satan is unleashing everything he has, because he knows the light of Jesus is about to break out through us – his brothers and sisters.

God intends that the forces of darkness be overthrown. They will be no match for the light that will come from our lives as we live by Jesus’s life. It will not come from our trying to imitate Jesus or following His teaching, but through His living in us, as us. The powers of darkness are no match for the revelation of Jesus that comes from our confession of His life here and now, and not just in heaven someday. That revelation of Jesus in us God says will someday set all of creation free (Rom.8:19,20).

Are you ready to cast out the darkness and let the light of Jesus shine? Throw off the “bushel” of believing that you are to wait for Jesus to return before the night can be turned to day. That day is now. Jesus is here, living now in us, and shining His light through us, dispelling the darkness. Walk in the light and overcome the darkness around you.

By the way – Welcome more daylight through DST this weekend.

Resurrected together

Many Christians believe, as do most Jews, that there will be a resurrection in the last days. Martha stated this belief in her dialogue with Jesus after the death of Lazarus. But Jesus responded to her, I am the Resurrection and the Life. He who is believing in Me, even if he should be dying, shall be living (Jn.11:24-26 CLNT). Jesus changed the focus from resurrection being an event in history to Himself as the embodiment of resurrected life. In Him, we are dying yet living.

Like the first man Adam, whatever Jesus did as the second Man affected all humanity after Him. Adam’s actions brought death to all, but Jesus brought Life. When He died, God says He did not die alone, we died together in Him. When He arose from the grave, we arose with Him. We have been “vivified”, “roused” from death to life together in Him for the ages (Eph. 1:5,6; Col.2:13; 3:1).

This is the wonderful truth the original Greek calls the “evangel”. God gave it to Paul by revelation and charged him to dispense it to the world. Sadly, this evangel has disappeared through the years of theological revisions since the days of Constantine. Now Christian teachers tell us to await this life in Jesus. They tell us to be faithful until we die, so that we can obtain this age abiding life. But God says we have it now. Even while living in these decaying bodies, we have the power and exceeding abundance of resurrected life in Jesus. We just do not realize it!

But don’t we still die? Yes, even resurrected Lazarus did not live forever. Even while being raised together with Christ, we are still dying. But this death is not the end, but simply leaving our earthly bodies, the temporary tent for our earthly existence. We still live on, existing always in Jesus. Our real life goes on, never ceasing. One day Jesus will give us a new body that will never decay or perish. I am looking forward to that new “super body”.

Roused together in Jesus should be the clarion message of Easter. I do not want to hear that I need to wait for life for the ages. I do not need a message of hope in a coming resurrection. I have it now! I have the Life of Jesus in me now by faith in Him. He is my life forever. Even in this temporary house I live in, I realize more everyday His life in me, as me. I live raised together with Him.

Live on together in Him

Is eternal life what we need?

Most of us believed that the reward for our trust and faithfulness in following Jesus is everlasting life in heaven. To eventually live free from all the problems of this life in the endless bliss of the next has been the goal for believers for centuries. Knowing we have this reward “someday soon” is supposed to help us endure the trials of today. 

You might be surprised to learn that Jesus never promised us “eternal life”, rather, life eonion. He said, He who is believing in the Son has life eonion..and he who is hearing My word and believing Him who sends Me, has life eonion and is not coming into judging, but has proceeded out of death into life. (John 3:36; 5:24 CLNT*) The word eonion in the original Greek has been poorly translated as eternal life in our English Bibles. It comes from the word eon, meaning an indefinite period or an age. And because there is no direct English equivalent for this adjective form of the word, the best definitions are life that spans ages, life of the ages, or age abiding life. 

Jesus was not promising a better, everlasting life someday in heaven. He was talking about knowing and living inside of heaven and eternity NOW! He said heaven was now and spoke about living in the reality of God’s eternal presence in this present age. Eonion life has all the qualities of eternal God in finite bodies. He said, I came that they may have life eonion, and have it superabundantly (John 10:10 CLNT). Looking forward to a better day “beyond the sunset” doesn’t help us now. The world we live in is full of turmoil, Covid 19, economic uncertainty, suffering, pain, and death. We don’t need everlasting life someday, but life that sustains us now. That is exactly what Jesus was talking about. 

Jesus spoke about knowing who you are as God’s child forever (Jn 17:3, Rom. 8:15,16). It is exactly for these times when we are prone to fear our future. God is not waiting for us to come to heaven and then enjoy life without hassle. He is in us now as Jesus, overcoming the world we live in. All of God lives in all of us. It is knowing that we live in complete unity with Him through Jesus (John 14:20,23;17:21). There is no safer, more peaceful existence.

Jesus is eonion LIFE. He is the LIFE for this age and the ones to come. I pray you know His LIFE in you now as you face the uncertainty of this age. 

(*CLNT = Concordant Literal New Testament, Concordant Publishing Concern, 1983.) 

My Friend Luis

This is one of the most profound stories I have ever listened to. I promise, you will be inspired as you listen to this podcast series.

My Friend Luis – with Wayne Jacobsen

What did Jesus die for?

Most of us know that Easter is a time to feel grateful and humble as we remember the great sacrifice of Jesus for our sins. We are told that unless Jesus died we would have had no means of forgiveness from God. The teaching is Jesus died to satisfy the wrath of God against us as horrible sinners. 

But the truth of the gospel is Jesus did not die to appease God for our sins. As ludicrous as it may sound, God could have forgiven us just by saying, “I forgive you” because nothing is impossible for Him. The real reason Jesus died was for us. We were the ones that needed to die, not Jesus. We were the ones that needed to be rescued from the tyranny of a false self- story, the lie of accusation, the sin of thinking we could live separate from God. God loves us so much that He determined to reconcile us, to rescue us from the “hell” of living in the lie that we could never measure up to His expectation. This is the reason the Bible says we died with Christ, we were crucified, we were put to death with Him (Rom.6:6). We died in Jesus to the entrapment of our own self-centeredness, that we can make it if we try hard enough. Those chains have been broken! In Christ, we have arisen to the freedom of His self story, His story of freedom to be who we were intended to be. 

Jesus did not just die for our sins to make us acceptable to God. He died for us, as us, so that we could be free from the condemnation of the lie. God is not our judge. He is our rescuer. “You are now free to move about (your life)” *

*thank you to SouthWest Airlines

Also refer to “Was Jesus just a ‘saver’?”

Our mission hymn

This is the song that fueled our passion to know Jesus.

Knowing You, Jesus, Graham Kendrick and Marantha Singers.

First heard at a Promise Keepers rally nearly 20 years ago.

Jesus Conversations

S1E8 “The Lying Conscience”

In this episode Dennis is joined once again with his friend Scott through a Zoom conference. Scott’s recent posting on his blog about the issue of sin lead to a very deep discussion on what really is sin and how it effects the human conscience. Be ready for a rather different view from Romans 6 than what you may have heard before. 

Scott’s Blog is at https://myscottpage.blogspot.com/

Drop us a line at dennis.deardorff@gmail.com

Jesus Conversations

#6 Is God Shaping Me?

In this episode Dennis and Scott discuss a statement Dennis heard on a recent television broadcast, “God is shaping us through this current crisis”. The recording starts during their earlier discussion on different theological paradigms but quickly focuses on the question of what God is really doing with our lives in these challenging days. 

Here are the links to the blog posts referred to: 
Who is a “Real” Man?
Man Down
You’ll Be A Man

Book reference: John Eldredge, Wild At Heart
Article by Dennis, same title “Is God Shaping Me?”

Jesus Conversations

“Dennis Interview”

In this edition of Knowing Jesus Conversations Scott Wakefield interviews Dennis Deardorff on how he has come to understand that Jesus is his life. You will hear Dennis talk about how his religious heritage kept him confused as to what is salvation, how the sin issue was resolved, and how he came to know that Jesus lives in Him. We hope that you listen to the whole conversation even if it may be contrary to what you have always been taught by your church. We hope this brief summary of Dennis’ journey will encourage your own pursuit of knowing Jesus lives as you.  

Listen HERE

Scotts blog: https://myscottpage.blogspot.com/

Contact Scott: scot-wak@hotmail.com

Contact Dennis: dennis.deardorff@gmail.com

Knowing Jesus Conversations

“Living as Jesus”

Dennis and Scott Wakefield discuss Scott’s latest blog post “Fingerprints upon an Failed System” and why Christianity has not helped us understand the truth of Christ living as us. What is hindering us from actually believing and living out the truth of Gal. 2:20 and Jn. 14:20?

Click on the podcast title above.

Contact us at
scot-wak@hotmail.com
dennis.deardorff@gmail.com