 Foundation Freedom Activate Fellowship Freedom "It is for freedom that Christ
has set us free...if the son sets you free, you will be free
indeed."
Born Free You were born free. Before you were born you were free. Before you were in the womb, you were free. Free is what you were made and designed to be. Since your birth, your freedom has gradually been encroached upon. Sometimes out of necessity, other times out of ignorance, yet nevertheless you are as free as you choose to be. Chaos is freedom gone wild. It is reckless and destructive. It is freedom without a master, causing the freed to become prisoners of their own demise. Chaos is a fool's freedom, a deception that is really no freedom at all for there is no control. You have been given self-control which is freedom. Freedom to control you. The only freedom you can control is your own. Efforts to control the freedom of others will only frustrate your freedom. You may influence others with your freedom, but they are ultimately free, just as free as you, to choose the path they will take with their mind, body and soul. Utilizing control of your freedom is setting your freedom along the pathway. It is connecting with rather than destroying the freedom around you because doing so would only destroy yourself. If you sing a note that is at odds with the notes of freedom, it will only cause discord and ultimately drain you of all energy. But, to sing a note that is in harmony with the notes of freedom, brings healing, reward and ultimately a greater return than what you invested. You are free to choose the note you sing, but will it ring in harmony or at odds with the freedom pathway? The answer to that question will determine whether life brings you joy or pain, freedom or slavery. Being Freedom to Be It's cute to hear a young child express with exuberance what they want to BE someday. “I want to BE a fireman.” “I want to BE a ballerina.” "I
want to BE a doctor.”
What's important to realize along the way as we mature in our perspective is that YOU already ARE. You don't need to BE or BECOME because you already ARE. You already exist. You already matter, just as you are. You may pursue your interests and become proficient at various tasks and in various fields. But, those proficiencies do not define you. YOU define them. Som eone is not a doctor, but rather someone who pursues exceptional proficiency and excellence in the field of medicine. Not only does this perspective set us apart from what we want to BE to BE who we ARE, but it calls us higher as we express these pursuits as what we are pursuing rather than what we have attained. For we have never truly attained to become anything other than who and what we already are. We have only experienced in greater ways while remaining completely ourselves. Freedom from being to be, because we already are. Freedom Entitled (Freedom to Be – Part 2) “I have a BA, an MBA, a PhD and a bag of chips!” “I'm a Doctor, Lawyer, CPA, Pastor, Priest, Manager, Colonel, Professor, Sheriff, Judge, Master, Maestro, Coach, Scout Master, CEO, Celebrity, I'm an Honorable so-and-so and such-and-such, and the list goes on...” We
LOVE titles. We love to give them, we love to get them and we LOVE
to idolize them. But, what IS a title? It's something someone else
typically bestows upon YOU that, whether you like it or not, begins
to DEFINE you. You become prisoner to a title that has now infringed
on your freedom. Yet, the truth is, underneath all of that, you are
still YOU. You are not ANY of those things. You are you and those
titles are simply reflections of your life pursuits but DO NOT and
will NEVER genuinely define you. You are you apart from all of those
titles and, if anything, those titles can often do more damage than
good. It's understandable for ease to apply titles in business and
the functions of an organization, but as roles NOT as titles. The
minute the title of a role becomes your title, look out. You are no
longer free. And, those who “bow down” to your title have also
relinquished their freedom. Together you are living and operating in
a “world” of falsehood. You are YOU and that is wonderful, but
to pretend you are something more or less by adopting a title to
define you is always dangerous and reaps consequences. Remember that
the title does not define you but rather the role you may be filling
or the activities you are pursuing. Do this and you will remain free
from titles and thereby be entitled to be completely you.
Freedom Unnamed (Freedom to Be – Part 3) What's in a name? Your parents or those who named you seemed to think there was something in YOUR name. But, is there? Most of us spend our whole lives living by a name that someone else gave us. In the case of our last or family names, we don't even KNOW the people who originated the name. Often these names are funny and even embarrassing, yet we CONTINUE to use them! Why?! Perhaps it is out of respect of those who have gone before us, respect for our parents. Perhaps we're just too lazy to change it after all these years. Perhaps we have become attached to it, with all of its “warts”, for better or for worse. Perhaps we have allowed this name to define us. There are those who have gone to great lengths to change their names. Even adopting symbols, numbers and other unusual name replacements. But, ultimately it is still a name. For everyday life and social interaction it is practical and arguably advantageous to have a name. But, when one is truly free, is a name even necessary? Are we defined by our names? Will we carry our names into eternity? Will our earthly name be our eternal name? When Moses famously asks God His name in the burning bush, even God doesn't give him a name but simply replies I AM WHO I AM. YOU ARE WHO YOU ARE. You do not need a name to define you. You are free from your name. You are you apart from names and are completely free. Definition:
a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person
or ideal.
As you can see, the definition of a cult applies to virtually ANY group. Society is a cult. Government is a cult. Church, military, fraternal orders, book clubs, fan clubs, you name it. Cult, cult, cult. Hmmm. So, when we get up in arms about cults, what's the real issue? Freedom. If you want to worship trees, bugs or the latest pop star, you're free to do so, but are you free NOT to? It's the lack of FREEDOM that brings certain "cults" under scrutiny. Are you free? Examine the groups you are in and apply "freedom" to that group...does it apply? Fully? If so, great! But, if not, beware. That is a "cult" you may not want to be a part of or that may need to change its policy on freedom in order for you to remain a part of it. Religion "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." That's it. Beyond orphans, widows and world pollution, religion is basically bunk. It generally does more damage than good. Look at the wars of the world. Look at churches and pastors getting rich off religion. Even "Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light". God does NOT desire religion, he desires people, plain and simple, always has and always will. Even in the time of Moses and all the temple rituals it was about capturing the heart of the people. You think he really wants dead birds and sheep? He could care less about ritual and relics - He wants your heart. That's it. Nothing else. So, if you're caught up in religion, set yourself free and connect with a real God for real. The rest is fluff, at best and deception at its worst. Church "Believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem...when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." -Jesus Church is another word for "body". Christ is the "head" and those who follow him are the "body". There is only one body or church: God's. Originally, believers met together to encourage one another, pray to God and spur one another on in the faith, so they began to call these gatherings, that typically met in the home of one of the group members, the body or group, i.e. church that meets at John's house or Peter's, etc. They were merely support groups, helping the faithful stay faithful. If you have chosen the way of freedom, then you are already part of God's church. You do not need to attend ANY group or congregation to be part of God's church. You are free! That said, you may find it beneficial to find a gathering, both here online and locally ("in the flesh") of fellow believers who can help encourage you in your faith. But, you should never feel compelled to attend a church gathering by anyone other than you or the Holy Spirit of God. You are free. Since the inception of God's one true spiritual church, most churches have ceased to be simple gatherings of fellow believers and have grown into "corporations". This does not necessarily mean they are less beneficial, but one must be wary of a church that appears more driven by how much money you give them than they are about your spiritual needs. Understandably, churches, including our's need money to function, but it is doubtful that early believers interrupted their worship to pass the plate. This was something, as observed by Jesus, that most likely took place outside the actual room and worship meeting time on the way into or out of the service, so as not to interrupt or interfere with the Spirit of worship. As Jesus states, one cannot serve God and the world. Jesus tossed the moneychangers out of the temple demanding that His Father's house is a house of prayer as money is a root of all kinds of evil. So, even when nobly intentioned, to ask for money in the midst of what should be a time of prayer, is seen by the Spirit as worldly opportunism at best and unchecked greed at its worst. If the "church" you attend or are associated with appears money hungry, be wary. Churches need money to function and are practicing the principle of "ask and you shall receive" but there is a time for everything. What if Jesus charged halfway through his healings? Changes the entire experience, right? Suddenly, the savior of the world is reduced to a peddling scheister. Had he done so, would he not cease to be the Christ and only be remembered as someone who shamed God with greed? Let us imitate Christ, not infomercials. Evolution\
For
since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal
power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from
what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
Look
at your hand. Stare at it for about 30 seconds. While you look at it,
move it around. Wave your fingers. Turn it around. Shape it like a claw
and open and close your fingers against your opposable thumb. Grab
something and pick it up. Watch closely. Ask yourself honestly - was
this not designed? The evidence for design is all around us if we're
willing to open our eyes and look. The hand is amazing enough, yet
there are certainly far more complex and amazing things to consider
right in front of our eyes every day that SCREAM design, i.e. creation.
The theory of evolution is exactly that - a theory. Like the theory once held that the earth was flat, it doesn't make it fact. For centuries people believed the earth was the center of the universe around which even the sun revolved. Galileo challenged this and was threatened with death, even though he was right. The more we study the world around us, the more we are faced with the fact that there MUST be a creator, a designer. Simple logic leads us to this and yet some work so hard to go against what is self evident in an effort to avoid the obvious. One must ask why. If you dig deeper you will most certainly uncover other issues motivating such a clear avoidance of the elephant in the room. People hurt by religion. People hurt by religious people. People who can't bear the idea of a Creator bigger than themselves having the final say, etc. But, if one simply opens their eyes and accepts what is in front of them they cannot help but see magnificent design greater than the greatest designs man has ever made. So, be free from those who would impose evolution upon you. Who set evolution in motion? Who designed evolution to take place? Don't you see? It's still a program. It's still a fomula. The theory of evolution doesn't escape a Creator. A Creator is inescapable. Man and ape - the same animal? No. The same Creator? Obviously. The fact that we and the animal kingdom share so much in common does not mean we all had to "evolve" from the same single-cell organism or on the back of crystals, but it clearly implies we shared the same designer who was working with the same set of tools and materials, like a painter using colors from the same palette. So, be free to believe what cannot be denied and remain in the image of your Creator. Buddhism /
Christianity
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