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.

Christ – life greetings to all

Here is our Knowing Jesus December 2022 Newsletter.

Stories include:

What is your evangel?

My Story in book form – how to get my new book, Knowing Jesus, Discovering how Jesus lives as Me

Learn all the ways you can follow Knowing Jesus on social media.

Christmas greetings from the SW Men’s Breakfast.

May His light shine brightly from your heart this season.    

              

JAU Videos moved to Rumble

Our Sunday morning Jesus as Us conversations have moved from You Tube to Rumble.

Go Here for our channel

Book release

My book, Knowing Jesus, My journey in discovering Jesus lives as me, is now available as a PDF for free. E-book and printed version soon to come.
Email KnowingJesus22@outlook.com for updated information or questions.

Clink Here for the PDF download

It’s time for the real you!

Spring is the time to exchange the old drab clothes of winter for something bright and cool. It’s time for the shorts and polos that have been hidden in the closet and drawers for months to again be worn in the sun and warmth.

It is also time for me to discard those winter clothes that are worn out and not me anymore. But since I am a keeper, this is hard. Thankfully, my wife pushes me to thin out my old clothes, because I have some I have not worn for years. She says, when I get something new, “Now what are you getting rid of?”

For all of us, now is the time to let go of the old garments of our tired self-story and put on the new Jesus story as our life. It is time to let go of the false image you have been trying to portray for years. It’s time to let go of the fears, the private lies you have held onto since a child, and the envy of not getting to be who you wanted to be. You can let all these things and others go because you do not need them anymore. They are false and are not the true you.

Paul teaches us in his Evangel that who we really are is Jesus. Before Jesus came, humanity lived with a false image of itself. Jesus corrected that by becoming our failed humanity, dying to the falsehood, and then raising us together with Him to live in the new humanity, as Him. Paul said…put off from you as regards your former behavior, the old humanity, which is corrupted…and to put on the new humanity which, in accord with God, is being created in righteousness and benignity of the truth. (Eph.4.22-24 CLNT). The new humanity is Christ. He is the new creation that Paul says we have become in Him (2 Cor.5.17).

This new set of clothes, our new humanity, is not strange or unrealistic to us. They are who we have been all along, we just did not know it. Many of us have not realized that we are created to be someone different than who we thought. Hidden under the falsehood of our pretending is the real us, waiting for us to discover in Jesus. Paul said it is as simple as putting off and putting on. Notice again the order. We first put off something that is not true. We realize what we thought was the real us is false. But modern Christianity has taught us the other way around, put on so we can put off. It has taught us to try to be like Jesus, as an exchange for our old life. But we cannot become someone we are not already. We can only be who God created us to be, a son of God in Jesus. This is why we have said in this ministry, be who you already are. Be Jesus because that is the best you there is.

The springtime of your life is here. It is time to shed the drab clothes of falsehood. It is time to always think and speak of yourself as living, walking, and seated with Jesus. See life through His eyes and heart, without any thought or concern for the things of this world. Likewise, realize He lives in you, just as you are with all the frailties of your humanity. You do not have to change a thing. Let Him be your life and transform you as He sees fit.  This is true, authentic life.

Be the real you, be Jesus

Dennis

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

February News

News from our Knowing Jesus community

february-2022Download

“You will get through this!”

Listen or watch as Dennis interviews his friends and new JAU (Jesus as Us) community members Andy and Chrissy Koontz. Hear them talk about their journey of recovery from Andy’s brain cancer and their own spiritual quest to know Jesus. With their new revelation of Jesus living in them, a whole new outreach is unfolding, not only to other cancer survivors, but also friends across the globe searching for authentic knowledge of Jesus. 

Video – https://youtu.be/pilg_Mb-rfk

Podcast – https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-cxs9q-1188ed6

Check out their website www.andykoontz.com, and especially the song Andy wrote during his recovery called “You will get through this”. 

Andy and Chrissy can also be reached through email akoontz2003@hotmail.com

By His Grace

Listen to Dennis as he interviews his long-time friend Drifter in this podcast, S2 E7 “By His Grace”.

For copies of the material or links to the videos mentioned, email Dennis at dennis.deardorff@gmail.com

Father level knowing

I am writing to you, fathers, seeing that you know Him Who is from the beginning (1 Jn. 2:13 CLNT).

In John’s first epistle, he addresses three levels of spiritual revelation in the believers to whom he is writing. First, there are those who know they are forgiven for their sins through the cross of Jesus. Like children, they have an elemental understanding of their place in God’s love.  Second, there are those who are characterized by their confidence in the victory of the cross.  These sons of God understand the Word of God, Jesus, lives in them and conquer all accusations. Third, John says he writes to those who have a knowing of God that goes beyond all earthly knowledge. He calls these believers “fathers” not because they are biological men with children, or even spiritual leaders (although they may be), but because they are people who have come to know God deeply.

The word know in the original Greek has more than one meaning. One type of knowing is achieving knowledge through belief in basic ideas or facts. The other meaning is a knowing derived through sexual intimacy. For example, the Bible says Joseph knew her not, in other words, he refrained from having sexual intercourse with Mary after learning she was pregnant (Matt.1:25). This type of knowing is what John refers to when he says fathers know God who is from the beginning. It is a heart knowledge, not of the mind. He used the same word and meaning in his larger gospel to distinguish how Jesus knew the heavenly Father. As Jesus spoke to the Jewish leaders, He said, You know Him not, but I know Him (Jn. 8:55 NKJV). The Jews had extensive head knowledge of God, but few knew Him from the heart as Jesus did. 

This level of knowing God is not something you strive for or work at achieving. It comes when our hearts are open and accepting of all God says. Like the marriage union, it is the result of two people joining their lives in “one flesh”. With God, however, it is the result of being joined in one spirit with Him. It is a heart knowing born of the spirit. John calls it father level knowing because it is so profoundly deep and intimate. He describes it as knowing Father God as the One who is the source and progenitor of all things that exist. As Paul says, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all (Eph. 4:6). This is how God wants to be known. He is the One from whom every kindred in heaven and earth is named (Eph. 3:15 CLNT). 

Knowing God in this way is the awareness that you are not simply a child, dependent on Him for the things in life, or a son, able to win life’s battles, you are His partner in bringing life to every circumstance. As the heavenly Father speaks and brings things into being from nothing, you are His agent, speaking hope, life, and encouragement into all things. You are acting like a father, imparting the word of faith as the Seed (Jesus) into the empty spaces to produce life and light. This is the role the Father desires to share with you if you know Him and yourself in this way. 

As we grow up in Jesus, we begin with knowing that we are God’s children. His spirit connects with our spirits, and instinctively we call Him “daddy” (Rom. 8:16). As we continue to grow in our knowing of Jesus, we soon understand we are actually living as Him. We move from being spiritual dependents to being overcomers through His Word that lives in our hearts. Ultimately, our knowing of Jesus brings us to a place where we know the Father, just as Jesus does. We come to know that Jesus lives in the Father, and we live in Jesus, and He in us (Jn. 14:20). Believing we are living as one with Jesus and the Father is father level knowing and age abiding life (Jn. 17:3,21). 

Dennis D 61821

CLNT – Concordant Literal New Testament