“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” Isaiah 1:18 ESV

We had a fellowship meeting at our house on my birthday. It was amazing how the Lord set up the night. We ate, we talked, we hung out, and then gathered in the living room to worship through song and sharing of Scripture and ended by praying for each other.

One of my favorite songs I had chosen was a Vineyard song, Be the the Center. I had misspelled it “Bee the Center” on the sheet of paper hung for all to see. Why did I do that? I wondered. I even drew and colored a few bees on the paper.

(Listen and worship to this song as you read the rest of this):

Later someone asked me about the bees. I told them that I had actually been thinking about the difference between bees and wasps/hornets. Though they look very similar, they are as different as night and day.

Bees are a vital and beloved part of our ecosystem. It cannot be stressed about how invaluable they are. Not only do they promulgate all sorts of flora (most of our vegetables!), they also provide honey to boot.

Wasps and Hornets, however, invade the bees territory and killing and displacing bee populations. Though they may bear some resemblance to bees they are their enemies.

What am I getting at? Well, Jesus told a story about the kingdom of God having the wheat and the tares. The tares are like hornets. They resemble the wheat yet are enemies to the wheat. They encroach and displace and weaken the wheat.

Matthew 13:24-30 (NKJV)

The Parable of the Wheat and the Tares
24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. 26 But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared. 27 So the servants of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28 He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The servants said to him, ‘Do you want us then to go and gather them up?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest, and at the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather together the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them, but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

Notice that the angels know who is who. They want to remove the tares and ask God for permission to. They are told not to. Let them grow together lest you uproot a single wheat. God is not willing to lose a single one.

Now here’s the beauty part: The miracle of salvation is that Jesus is in the business of changing tares into wheat! The hornets can jump ship and become a valuable part of the ecosystem of the kingdom of God and start to make some sweet honey out of their lives! ISIS soldiers can become gentle warriors of Love and be the first to offer their lives to protect the rest of the hive of the body of Christ.

The Saul’s who hounded Christians to the death can become the Paul’s who risk their life daily to add to the growing number of those finding salvation and joining God’s family! The Ishmael’s (the self-righteous religious strivers) among us who have always persecuted the Isaac’s (the children of promise) of the kingdom of God can become the Isaac’s!

As Jesus said,

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.” (Matthew 12:33 ESV)

What I see hear is that this is what Jesus does and came to do. Transform the forest of humanity which was dry and brittle and a haunt of demons into good trees once again that flourish with good fruit.

I am reminded of this Scripture from Isaiah. Listen to this:

“In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.

2In that day,
“A pleasant vineyard,a sing of it!
3 I, the LORD, am its keeper;
every moment I water it.
Lest anyone punish it,
I keep it night and day;
4 I have no wrath.
Would that I had thorns and briers to battle!
I would march against them,
I would burn them up together.
5Or let them lay hold of my protection,
let them make peace with me,
let them make peace with me.” (Isaiah 27:1-5 ESV)

Ezekiel says this:

“Do you think that I like to see wicked people die? says the Sovereign LORD. Of course not! I want them to turn from their wicked ways and live.” Ezekiel 18:23 NLT

So, how will we respond? As the Scriptures say,

“Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin.” Romans 2:4 

“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.” Isaiah 1:18 NLT

Christ is the end all be all of true spirituality. True spirituality never moves beyond him. He is the way the truth and the life and if someone comes with any message that diminishes Christ from the role as God, the Creator, the Savior of all mankind, Lord of all of both heaven and earth, than that is the deception from the enemy. Let’s keep Christ as the Head and the center of all our spiritual pursuits!

The following is a thought provoking talk by John Crowder. I can imagine what some people think about me by the fact that I’m sharing his talk. Some people avoid him because he is supposedly controversial. (Although I have no idea why people would think this! =) I am sharing this for the actual content of the talk. Give it a listen and let me know what you think:

What do I think? Well, I think he seems to lack compassion for the person he brings up and has deemed as schizophrenic and into sorcery. But, has said person moved away from a Christ centered message? It certainly seems that way on the surface. However, the truth is always stranger than fiction. I don’t judge someone based on hearsay… in fact, I try not to judge anyone ever!!

I don’t have all the facts. I don’t know all there is to know about everything to be in a place of judgement of another. I have always extended this courtesy toward John Crowder even when I don’t understand some of the ways he experiences God. I don’t judge him, yet here he seems to be passing judgement on another brother. (Judge with righteous judgement Jesus says). Is it warranted? Could be… and probably. Didn’t Elijah mock those in opposition to God? Yes. Paul also mocked the Judaizers and said that he wishes they would wack off their weiners (and keep from procreating and spreading their lies).

So, our message must stay centered on Christ. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! That’s the message. Just like John Crowder and others have said all along. The enemy wants to move us past our simple pure devotion to Jesus.

“But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.” 1 Corinthians 11:3 NLT

On a certain day in February 2014 I had some time in between concerts and so I went to a park and sat in my car and prayed, “Lord, It would be amazing if you would take me time traveling to observe something.” (This idea wasn’t out of my realm of experience as one of the first things I had experienced after I came back to Christ at eighteen was a “time travel trip”. And I had just watched a Near Death Experience video of a woman who met Jesus and was taken back in time to observe certain things. Her story made me think of “A Christmas Carol” in which Scrooge was shown himself in the past, the present, and a possible future. I now think that perhaps the author, or someone he knew or had heard about, had experienced exactly what he wrote about… well, it could be!)

I laid back in my car seat at a park and waited for something cool to happen…

Nothing.

I continued to spend some time praying for others and went to my concert at the Nursing Home.

During my concert I just so happened to pick up a song out of my guitar case that I had just picked up recently after shelving it for ten years, “To Him Who Sits on the Throne”. I began to say, “I really love this song because ten years ago I had a very vivid dream in which I was observing myself play this song and thought, wow, those are some interesting chords. I tried to pay attention as best I could and that is how I came to learn how to play this song.”

Then it hit me.

Wow!

Our Papa has an amazing way of answering our prayers!

I came home telling my wife, “I’m a time traveller! Isn’t that awesome?”

What’s next Papa?

Romans 8:15-17
The Message (MSG)

15-17 This resurrection life you received from God is not a timid, grave-tending life. It’s adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike “What’s next, Papa?” God’s Spirit touches our spirits and confirms who we really are. We know who he is, and we know who we are: Father and children. And we know we are going to get what’s coming to us—an unbelievable inheritance! We go through exactly what Christ goes through. If we go through the hard times with him, then we’re certainly going to go through the good times with him!

I was reading this from John 16 recently about how the Holy Spirit shows us the future and I thought today about the times I have dreamed my future. As a child I was horrified by a dream where I visited my future and I was smoking. “NO!! How could this be? I will never smoke!” I thought… and then, later, it happened. For a while I did smoke until I was 18 and came back to Jesus.

I think we visit our future all the time in dreams. I think that is what Deja Vu is. We have seen it before.

We are human being created in the image of God. The truth of reality and our situation in this matrix, the true nature of time and space are all a profound and wonderful mystery that only can be understood by the Spirit of God.  1 Corinthians 2 says this:

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
and no mind has imagined
what God has prepared
for those who love him.”
10 But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God’s deep secrets. 11 No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit. 12 And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.

13 When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. 14 But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.

So then, God is willing and desires to share some deep secrets with you! If, you are willing to be spiritual. Scripture tells us God is no respecter of persons. That means you are not disqualified. He will share deep secrets and profound mysteries and experiences with you. Once he does, please use wisdom and discretion about who you share your pearls with. Jesus said not to throw your pearls to swine who will trample what is precious to you and turn and attack you. I share these things because God has given me thick skin and I want you to seek out and experience the supernatural relationship with Jesus you can have for yourself. Don’t let anyone steal your crown.

Here is the Scripture the song is based on:

“Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”” Revelation 5:13

“To Him Who Sits On The Throne”
F#m11    E     Badd11
F#m11                            E
To him who sits on the throne
Badd11
And unto the lamb
[repeat]

G6
Be blessing and glory
Aadd9                           Badd11
Honor and power Forever
[repeat]

F#m11=244200, E=022100, Badd11=799800, G6=355400, Aadd9=577600 Music by Don Moen

Have you had any story about a time travel experience you’d like to share? Join the conversation and leave a comment. No iron being sharpened here if you don’t.