Grace as a Living Reality

I have been reflecting recently that while there is a place for preaching the gospel of our inclusion in Christ, there is perhaps a greater importance and significance of living out the gospel in real life. When we make others feel appreciated and welcomed, regardless of their race or belief system or background, etc, we are actually indirectly proclaiming the gospel and telling them that they are precious and valuable, without necessarily using gospel language or bible words like Jesus or salvation. I will continue to meditate and munch on this food for thought as I also realise that for grace to be grace, it needs to be inclusive and a living reality.

"Always preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and IF NECESSARY USE WORDS." - St Francis of Assisi

I AM in the Now

There's a reason they call God a Presence - because God is right here, right now. In the present is the only place to find Him, and NOW is the only time. 

~ from "Eat Pray Love" book

Yes, God's presence is in the present for I Am is in the present and His words are always pleasant.

Proverbs 16 says "Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and health to
the bones."

Another verse came to mind: "Behold, now is the day of salvation, now is the time of favour."

Every moment is the now, and every moment is the time to experience salvation (freedom from religious lies that bring guilt and condemnation) and now is the time to receive favour because we have been reconciled to God knowing we are made in His image and we are one with Him.

We can enjoy the kingdom of God within us - righteousness, innocence, peace and joy in the present moment. Yes, no challenge is too great for us, for His grace IS sufficient for us, and His strength IS made perfect in our weakness. We can rest in His goodness and grace, for whom He calls, He also equips. Heaven is our present reality, right here, right now.

The Unrelenting Pursuit of God's Overflowing Love

"In Gen 9:6 and numerous other references, God confirms that man is still His image and likeness. The image and likeness that man was created in, is immutable – it cannot be destroyed. Darkness might have dimmed it, the father of lies might have obscured it, wickedness might have twisted man out of his true pattern, but the essence of man has never been completely destroyed.

In Luke 15 Jesus tells us of the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son.

The sheep remained a sheep although lost; the coin retained its value, although lost; the son remained a son, although lost. In all three cases the owner remained the owner and committed to that which was lost. The sheep and the coin contributed nothing towards being found. In the case of the son, his situation changed ‘when he came to himself’ (verse 17)

Even the word lost has the most beautiful promise in it, for you cannot be lost unless you belong!

God still saw enough value in us, to pursue us and save us at the greatest cost. 

Mankind was not corrupted beyond the possibility of restoration. Mankind was not lost beyond the possibility of salvation."

- Francois du Toit

This post reminds me of the unrelenting pursuit of love of our divine Lover who constantly reinvents Himself to woo us because His love is constantly overflowing. Whether as a shepherd finding his lost sheep that is his duty and livelihood, or a woman recovering her lost coin that is her prized possession, or a father reclaiming his lost son who bears his own image and likeness as well as his lineage, his salvation and redemption of our souls affirms and assures us of our intrinsic value and worth. He would not rest until we are all redeemed. And even after He has bought us with a price, He continues to pursue us with love and blessings, reminding us always of our blessedness. Yes, surely goodness and love (Christ) shall chase us down all the days of our life, and we will dwell in the house of the Lord (Christ consciousness) forever.

Ripples of Love Bring Unity and Peace

No acts or words of love--or thoughts--or any kindness is ever wasted. In fact, every such act or word or thought flows and ripples, as Living Water, into the universe to expand, include and transform every appearance that calls for love.

So, the sandwich you give to a homeless person; the help you give to the one who needs it; the word of uplifting wisdom you offer; or the ray of light you shine into the silent darkness could be the thing that snowballs as the OMnipresence and helps to find a missing child in the rubble of an earthquake or give hope to the hopeless or bring comfort to those who mourn.

I AM-WE ARE Light and we are Love in our true being. Let's all do what we do so well and let who we are ripple out in ever-increasing circles of Blessing, Love, and Light. Hand to hand and heart to heart we share the Living Water of the LOVE in which we live and move and have our Being.

Be still and know that I AM LOVE. REST! It is in the stillness and silence, listening and receiving from the ONE, that we are resurrected AS Love. When we share this Love-Self (Christ-Self) in any way, however small, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is withered at its root.

- Loving Unity

Yes, as we share this love-self (Christ-self), in any way, whether online or offline, the tree of knowledge of good and evil - the system of duality and separation - is withered at its root. We are witnessing the transition of global awakening to our true self and common humanity indeed.

Occupy Self with Christ

"I don't care if you are a liberalist or conservative nationalist/republican. No political transformation has ever produced any sustainable profit to society. Neither has any form of religious movement brought any profound changes. It has only caused a deep rooted division between groups. An intrinsic change of heart is therefore necessary; a spiritual awareness, knowing that we are all connected to the Cosmic Christ, called in the ancients world as YEHESHUA, the Logos, manifested in flesh and enlightening every human being that comes into this world. John 1:4, 9.

I don't believe for a moment that the world, especially the Arab world, is now a better place without Khadafi. This world will only become a better place when a corporate Christ consciousness will be awakened within the soul of every individual."
- Jath van der Westhuizen 

Yes, when people awaken to the divinity within them, knowing they are Christ manifested, there would be no problem of greed or injustice in the long run because wherever the awakening happens - whether in a system of capitalism or communism or fascism or anarchism - the awakening would have caused people to remember who they really are and relate to one another as fellow human beings sharing a common divinity, knowing that we are one.

So in a sense, while there is a global revolution for outward changes, I believe there is a greater revolution taking place within the people. Both are necessary and both should take place concurrently. The inner reality will manifest in the outer reality.

Someone wrote: "Popes, Prime Ministers, Presidents, Preachers, Pontificators, these things aren't so necessary in a world where We have realized who We are. A world, where we all live, where we know Gnosis and then actualize this realization."

Yes, popes, prime ministers, presidents, preachers and so on are merely roles, which if not established on the truth of our original identity in Christ, will only result in discrimination. Perhaps the best  solution to create a world of equality and freedom is to occupy these worldly minds with the gnosis of our true identity as new creations. I think occupying self with Christ is the best and most life-transforming occupation we all can ever have.  May we continue to occupy America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa and Middle East with Christ consciousness even as we share the gospel of grace and peace in our own ways.

What the hell is the preacher talking about?

A preacher recently said that heaven and hell are real places, not metaphors. He claimed that Jesus described "hell" as having fires not quenched and worms not dying. He added that if heaven is a metaphor, then where is Jesus' present physical resurrected body today?

Then again, is not Jesus a Master of using parables and metaphors to bring His messages across, especially in the Jewish context? So, what makes one think that one parable is metaphorical and another parable literal?

For example, how can we claim that Jesus' speech about plucking out our eye if it offends us is metaphorical, and at the same time claim that when Jesus' speech about fire that is not quenched and worms that do not die is literal?

So what is my take on the above passage? Well, simply this: Jesus was using metaphors to describe the "condemnation of gehenna" experienced in the conscience of the unbelieving Jews during the destruction of the Jerusalem in AD70. And nope, Jesus' resurrected body isn't in a place called heaven - He is living in each of us. It is called "Christ in you, the hope of glory". We are all already seated together with Christ in the heavenly places, right here right now.

Those who preach the doctrines of hell continue to terrorize the minds of little children on a daily basis, and tragically, these preachers will continue to get away with abusing the minds and lives of impressionable little children until we stop the abusers. ~ Michael W. Jones

Resource links:
Jesus' teaching on hell (Tentmaker)
Bible Threatenings Explained (Tentmaker)
Are heaven and hell real places? Where is Jesus’ body today?

Luke 12:5 Perfect love that casts out fear

Someone asked, "How do you get a message of unconditional love from a figure who repeatedly said things like, "But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you in hell?" (Luke 12:5)

Has it occurred to us that Jesus wasn't referring to God or our heavenly Father in the above speech? Jesus Himself spoke of the "thief" who came to steal, kill and destroy. He spoke about Satan, who is a murderer from the beginning. Who is the murderer? Who is the thief? Who is the one who kills?

I believe Jesus was referring to Satan, who is not actually the personal devil, but that part of our conscience that accuses or condemns us. In the old testament, the devil actually was the manifestation of Yahweh, who is a figment of imagination of those who had a separation mindset.


So what was Jesus saying in the above context? I believe He was exhorting His disciples not to fear the Pharisees who might seek to kill them for spreading the good news of how good and loving our Father in heaven is. He told them to fear the enemy instead - the evil conscience who sought to kill by condemning them if they don't believe they are righteous and blameless - that took place in AD70 when the "condemnation of hell (gehenna)" was in the minds of those who had not believed the good news that they were already one with God.


Jesus went on to reassure the disciples that our heavenly Father - the true God - takes care of the sparrows, and we are of more value than the sparrows. Therefore, He can protect us from the murderer (Satan) as well as from the Pharisees. That, to me, speaks more sense about God's unconditional love - love keeps no records of wrongs, and love does not kill anyone! Love heals! Love protects!

In a nutshell, Satan kills but Jesus saves, heals, protects, and gives life. Satan (accuser of the brethren) is a life-taker and condemner, but our heavenly Father is a life-giver and justifier.


Jesus is the perfect manifestation of God. Jesus always tells people not to be afraid of Him. His love is the perfect love that casts out fear.

Hell under fire

Someone wrote:

"Many theologians & church leaders are getting nervous these days. I can sense it. They're trying desperately every last ditch effort to protect their precious doctrine of hell. There's one book in the religion section of this bookstore I went to earlier this week titled "Hell Under Fire". The cover shows flames on it. Anyway the authors were saying that the teaching of universal salvation is gaining ground and "infecting" the church as they put it. These are authors that are getting nervous about that.

They are nervous because they don't know how to answer the tough questions such as Why God would bother creating souls if He knew that the majority of them would be lost in hell forever? How is 70 years of sins worth infinite punishment in the afterlife? That's not justice." 

 He also wrote: 

"Am I the only one who notices that universal salvation is the most hated doctrine among just about all Christian denominations? A lot of denominations will fight and argue over doctrine but they have a common hatred for universalist doctrine. Why is that? Even among grace believers who don't believe in the salvation of all they would rather fellowship with legalists than universalists. I remember someone admitting they thought universalism was more dangerous than the legalists doctrine. Why is the doctrine of salvation of all hated by all of Christianity?

It is one thing to not agree with the doctrine but why does it seem like all denominations in Christianity can come together and join forces to gang up on universalists?"

I think some 'grace' believers are against universalism because the false doctrine of hell controls them with fear. They might think "what if I believe there is no hell and it turns out I am wrong and god decides to send me there?" Or "what if I believe everyone is saved and don't share the gospel and it turns out that not everyone is saved and I will have failed in evangelism?"

I think these fears are unfounded and are caused by erroneous teachings on salvation that misrepresent God. For one, we know salvation is not about saving people from hell. Two, they have an image of the small-minded, petty god who throws tantrums if people thinks he is too good and loving to throw people in hell. Three, it's all about 'me' at the end of the day. They want to hear "well done, good and faithful servants" after they die. They don't want to lose their "rewards" for "serving god" in church buildings and telling people about "turn or burn", which is actually not good news for everyone. They are afraid to lose god's favour.

So, this reveals their heart on what people really believe about grace. If they think grace is limited and exclusive, then their version of grace is not really grace, and their gospel is not really good news, but a sick, twisted, perverted doctrine that subtly controls people with fear, guilt and condemnation. 

To believe in grace and hell at the same time is kinda oxymoronic, like the term 'grace-hell believers'. I used to come from that kind of evangelistic christian background too, so I roughly know where they are coming from if they claim to believe in grace and yet refuse to let go of the hell doctrine.

To be sure, the idea of inclusivity sounds wonderful to them, but there is perhaps a legalistic or vengeful trait in their mindset if they are hell-bent on seeing certain people end up in a physical place called hell.

One of my care group friends recently asked me "What about the murderers, adulterers, etc?" when I told her there is no physical place called hell. My answer to her question is that we are all murderers and adulterers. I think these make up the old Adamic identity based on our performance, and the gospel is about our new identity based on our co-identification with Christ.

I also need to remind myself that I can't expect them to change their mindset overnight after many years of being indoctrinated about the hell doctrine by the institutional church. It can be disappointing and frustrating to face incredulous opposition from others when we explain to them there is no physical hell. So if they think I'm a heretic and I'm misled to believe in something outside of mainstream church teachings, then so be it.  

Grace versus Death Penalty

Someone recently wrote in a post in Facebook: "How can someone claim to be a grace preacher and still be in favor of the death penalty? It's a total contradiction. I believe it's time to make this very clear. If we preach grace, then we need to be consistent. Grace & death are poles apart. Grace and love will always protect, even if it means to distance oneself from the perpetrator or protect what is precious to us. Yes, there will be natural consequences to be accountable. South Africa is currently battling with violent crime. Whenever I hear about another rape or farm murder, it is human to be angry and upset. But there is grace for the criminals, even when they have to serve sentence as part of the consequences for their deeds. But there is no grace in an eye for an eye. I have especially targeted my statement to the so-called grace preaching pastors while simultaneously out of the same mouth they speak death. It does not make any sense."

I agree. Grace is not 'an eye for an eye'. Grace is forgiveness. Grace and love keeps no records of wrongs.

Grace and justice are perfectly compatible because justice is not law or legalism, nor is it about punishment or eternal torture. Justice is setting people free from the law and from condemnation. That's true justice.

Grace changes people from the inside out. Judgment or condemnation doesn't change anyone. It only inflicts guilt and creates more trouble in the society.

There are natural consequences for every action. People can learn from their own mistakes. No one will grow up if they are placed under do's and don'ts, or live under threats of punishment, such as the death penalty.

Grace teaches people to learn to take responsibility for their actions and not depend on outward laws. Under grace, all things are permissible but not all things are beneficial. People will learn to love their neighbour and do things that are beneficial because love does no harm to a neighbour.

Grace is also wisdom. Grace means taking measures to keep a distance from those who are abusive, so as to ensure one's own safety. Grace rules, not death penalty.

Those who receive ABUNDANCE of grace and gift of righteousness (or innocence) will reign in life over sin (or ignorance of God's love and of our true identity in Christ) and death (or condemnation).  

Thoughts on Troy Davis' case

I also agree with Troy Davis' view that true justice is about setting the innocent free from an unfair system. Even if a person has been guilty of a crime, the death penalty is not appropriate since it is equivalent to murder. At the most, imprisonment would prevent the person from carrying out further harm, and at the same time the person will have time to reflect and meditate on one's actions. Everyone deserves a second chance. Law and punishment never transform anyone, but only inflicts guilt and shame, which perpetuate problems in the society. I believe grace is the answer, for unconditional love transforms the heart. Hopefully, with the awareness of Troy Davis' case and his supporters' efforts, the death penalty can be removed from the judicial system one day.

Thoughts on commentary by Kevin Powell - "Troy Davis did not die"

I just read a heart-felt commentary by Kevin Powell, a fellow black man who is an activist, writer and public speaker based in New York. His writing resounded with me, especially the final part of his article, as he is also against death penalty. Like him, as much as I am aghast by the failure of justice in Georgia, I too believe Troy's death is not in vain but has created awareness in the world about the urgent need for reform in America's judicial system and change in people's mindset to overlook differences in skin colour. Love and justice shall prevail as we participate together in the movement with his supporters to end death penalty.

The issue of human dignity

It is about the value of human life, therefore death penalty in any form, whether lethal injection or other methods, can never be justified. I remember reading a news article recently which said that just by causing the person to wait for the lethal injection to be ministered would likely to have caused some psychological trauma. I once watched a movie "Dead Man Walking", which shows the actor Sean Penn who played the role of the condemned experiencing great fear and stress at the thought of dying before the execution. Death penalty is cruel and should be abolished for the sake of human dignity.

Update (24 October 2012)

I've been through my own seasons of disillusionment and cynicism about the lack of action and responsibility by the authorities to do something about the state of the world, and I am finding my own way to see what can be done. It is not easy to find hope, though I do see some small progress, such as the recent move by the local government to revise laws on death penalty, for example. It's thanks to my best friend's sharing with me about Troy Davis' case last year that I was eventually inspired to write to the national newspaper forum to abolish death penalty, and I believe this, together with other collective efforts by other activists, have helped make some positive changes in the laws.

[Book Review] "Jehovah Unmasked" by Nathaniel J. Merritt

I read someone's comments in Facebook mentioning about a book called "Jehovah Unmasked". I googled about it and managed to find an abridged version in PDF format. After printing it out last night, I went to sleep as I was tired. I woke up early in the morning about 5 am plus, still thinking about the topic, and decided to read the PDF book - found that it was quite interesting. The author was involved in Jehovah's witness and mainstream christianity for a number of years, before turning to buddhism for 12 years, and then began to study on christian gnosticism. He concluded the Old Testament god is not the true God, and there was no need for penal substitution, nor is there any eternal torment - and that Jesus came to reveal the true God, our heavenly Father, God of Love to us.

Here's sharing some interesting excerpts from the book:

"There are many such commands to fear Jehovah. I ask again, why would a supposedly omnipotent god be so insecure and egotistical as to command mere humans to fear it? The truth is, the real God makes no such commands. The Supreme Being utterly lacks Jehovah’s monumental ego, insecurity, and barbarism. Jehovah is manifestly a phony. He is the liar and the Father of lies! SATAN! The True God is Perfect Love (1 John 4:8, 1 Corinthians 13), hence no one has anything to fear from the Divine because “There is no fear in Love, because Perfect Love casteth out all fear.” (1 John 4:18) Actually, the entire verse reads: “There is no fear in Love; but Perfect Love casteth out all fear because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” That is crystal clarity. There is no torment or fear in the God who is Perfect Love.

Religious institutions are all about power and control and money. Your fear of God is what gives them power over you. If there is no fear of God, there is no power over you, no control, and no money. It's as simple as that. "Know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free!" (John 8:32). The True God judges or torments no one."

Yes, I believe the truth sets us free from illusion and ignorance, to know God as Love.

Christ came to set us free of the elohim: “And having disarmed the Archons and authorities, Christ disgraced them publicly, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Colossians 2:15 NJMV) Jesus Christ also imparted Gnosis (personal experiential Knowing) of the True God of Love, the Most High God, who dwells within us all, yet is covered over by our own ignorance and delusions. Christ did not come with any nonsense about original sin, “divine” wrath, hellfire or any of the other dark and negative lies attributed to him by the Catholic church under the power of Satan/Jehovah. Jesus did not “die for our sins” for the True God does not hold us responsible for the wretched state in which we were created and born, and is not a rageaholic demanding some sort of sadistic “satisfaction” via the agony and torture of blood sacrifice. All such teachings are the doctrines of devils, of the elohim, of Satan/Jehovah. The True God is unconditional Love. The books of the Nag Hammadi Library discuss these matters in greater detail, so I refer the reader to them. http://www.gnosis.org/naghamm/nhl.html

Yes, I believe Jesus came to set us free from the false god and his lies, and imparts personal experiential knowledge of the true God of Love, the Most High God, who dwells within all of us. I remember Jesus said that eternal life is knowing the one true God (our heavenly Father, not the Old Testament god), and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.

The word "enemy" occurs 96 times, "enemies" 251 times, "wrath" 139 times, "anger" 229 times, "rage" 18 times, "destroy" 230 times, and "kill" 82 times in connection with Jehovah in the Old Testament. I ask you; why would an  all-powerful, all wise, all good Loving God have enemies?

That's true, if the true God who is all powerful, all wise and all good and loving has enemies, why would Jesus pray "Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing"? Instead, Jesus might as well have prayed "O Lord of hosts, may you smite these Roman soldiers who nailed me to the cross and these Pharisees for mocking me". But yea, the fact that Jesus prayed to the Father for forgiveness shows that our heavenly Father is definitely different from the petty and vengeful god of the old testament - our heavenly Father is Love, and Love keeps no records of wrongs. Jesus understood that the Romans and the Jews crucified him out of their ignorance and blindness by the religious Old Testament god.

Hopelessness Leads to New Hope

I think hopelessness is part of the journey when we realise that the past religious notions about God that we have been fed by the institutional church systems are no longer valid or true. I agree with the view that by removing God (which would refer to the religious kind of God that is controlling and petty) gives us the ability to live life, and there is a lot of hope found in life. The analogy of death and resurrection came to mind - for every death, there will be a resurrection. In this case, I think hopelessness is a form of death when people realise that the popular view of God of the Bible turns out to be false or unable to be proven. But through that death, people will then be free from religion, and experience a resurrection of hope, when they realise that the illusionary kind of god with its mythical threats of hell and wrath can no longer bind them with fear and condemnation, and they can live their life freely, lightly and boldly, enjoying friendship, intelligence, rationality, nature, physics, beauty, even things like suffering and tears, which make up the richness and diversity of all that life is.

Similarly, I remember learning about the story of the two disciples who were walking to Emmaus and they met Jesus after His resurrection. Initially, they didn't recognise Him - they were dejected when news spread about Jesus who died like any other man, and it seems like "God" has failed to prove himself. Like them, we experience that hopelessness, when we don't know what to believe anymore, when nothing seems to prove that God exists. It can be a difficult thing to accept. But as the story goes, when the disciples' eyes were later open (spiritually), they realised who Jesus was, and He disappeared. In the same way, I believe through that hopelessness and removal of the religious god concept from our consciousness, we are ripe for understanding God in a new way - one that is not known literally or by the senses, but is known intuitively, subjectively, esoterically.

The author of the book "Conscious Love - Insights from Mystical Christianity" wrote in the Introduction:

"According to esoteric teaching, many of the ideas expressed in Christianity are not and were never meant to be taken as literal truths but refer to states of consciousness 'further in' ourselves. Even the story of Christ is not to be taken at face value; rather it symbolises our own predicament and destiny as humans. The God-man is born on earth; he lives and works and plays his part on the stage of history. He is crucified in wretchness and humiliation on a cross known as time and space. Ultimately, however, it does not matter. He is resurrected in a higher, purer form because what is truly real in him can never die; it can only be transformed.

This is the story of Christ. It is our story as well. Intuitively we know it to be so, and it is a fact, rather than the endless proselytising and self-aggrandisement of the faith's innumerable sects and denominations, that I believe most truly accounts for the enormous success of Christianity around the world. If we have some more conscious glimpse of this truth - and probably we will never have more than glimpses - we will not only know ourselves better but be able to love better. This is the central idea that I hope to explore in this work."

Yea, I think any worthy fruit of any spiritual study, whether of books or people's views, or at least from our own experiences, would be unconditional love. At the end of the day, I think it doesn't really matter whether we have all the right answers about God, because there are also people who are illiterate or have never read a sacred book, being born in a village, for example, and who can demonstrate love, kindness and acceptance. If any teaching about God results in a more loving community, in which people live loved and loving others, then I would say well and good - that teaching would sit well with me.

If there is a God, surely He is big enough to handle all our misgivings and doubts, and continue to love us immensely and infinitely

"A man of peace" - Osho

"A man of peace is not a pacifist; a man of peace is simply a pool of silence. He pulsates a new kind of energy into the world, he sings a new song. He lives in a totally new way, his very way of life is that of grace, that of prayer, that of compassion. Whomsoever he touches, he creates more loving energy. The man of peace is creative." - OSHO 

I agree with the power and purpose of a man (or woman) of peace in being creative and sending positive energy of grace and compassion. As a saying goes, "Still water runs deep." A man or woman of peace is usually one who spends time meditating and contemplating, and in the process is able to process information and come to a better understanding of how things are - "Be still and know I am". We are love, we are grace, we are the infinite. Peace gives us the stability to withstand any storm from the outside. We also see our own reflection (of our true godly nature) the clearest on still, tranquil water.