Impossible to Sin

There must be some valuable reasons why God did not create us such that it is impossible for us to sin. Surely, he could have done that. So please, why did he not do that? It CANNOT be because he does not want us to be robots, without free will. After all, when we shall be spending eternity with him, we shall not be robots; we shall have free will AND we shall not be sinning. So, why not make us that way from the beginning? 

There must be some reasons in line with God's eternal divine plan and purpose. In the heavenly realms, there are beings that God created in total, complete perfection. These beings cannot fall; cannot sin; cannot rebel against God. At the same time, they have free will. They are not robots. So please, why is our case different? 

Clearly, there must be some EXPERIENCES that can only be had by beings with free will, who can fall into sin. Beings like you and I. Beings with strengths and weaknesses. Beings with frailties. Beings who are so grossly imperfect. Beings who, from the very beginning have the tendency to rebel against God. These beings, as they climb, evolve, or ascend from gross imperfection to divine perfection, go through EXPERIENCES that CANNOT be had through any other means. 

This is for their own benefit and the benefit of all existences, including the benefit of those created in total, infallible divine perfection. Meanings, values, lessons, discoveries, growth, development, truths, beauty, goodness, etc, etc, are realized that CANNOT be realized through any other means. And they are needed for some grand plan and purpose both now and in the long, long, long distant future, plus all through eternity. 🌷🎇🤍🌺🌼🌎🦋🌌💎💗🙏🏽✨️💖🙏🏻 

Sincerely!
- Karo E.K.D. Akamune
X: @KaroAkamune
Blog: https://cmcjesushub.blogspot.com

Jesus Presented the Full Gospel Message

Jesus declared the full gospel message. He taught the good news of God's kingdom, which included the requirements for salvation and spiritual growth. We see the proof of these in the very lives of his disciples (believers). They repented. Their sins were completely forgiven. Their souls were cleansed and uplifted. They experienced "the new birth" - salvation, born again, born from above, born of the spirit. All these happened WITHOUT Jesus shedding a single drop of blood. 

Zacchaeus is a very good example (Luke 19:1-10). He sincerely repented. And God forgave him all his sins. This is why Jesus said to him that SALVATION had come to him. It is not proper for some people to twist this and say Jesus did not mean that Zacchaeus had received the free gift of salvation. Please, why are you twisting or misinterpreting Jesus' words all because you stubbornly insist on justifying the man-made blood atonement doctrine of our ancestors and of Paul? 

The seventy (70) evangelists of Luke 10 present another example of believers who were already saved or born again as a result of the Master’s gospel ministry. Our Master, Jesus, himself declared that their names were already written in heaven because they had already received the heavenly Father's (our spiritual Father's) free gift of salvation (Luke 10:18-20). Now please, do people receive salvation at the cross of Christ? Yes, they do. People receive salvation, cross or no cross: by having a personal, life transforming, soul rejuvenating encounter with God and his love. 

You cannot understand the gospel of the kingdom: the gospel of salvation and spiritual growth by using our ancestors and individuals like Peter and Paul as the standard teachers. No, please! Jesus is the standard teacher! All teachings must be brought under the radar of Jesus' teachings. That's how you do it. When you understand these things, you will easily see how people from other cultures and religions here on earth, and also those in other planets (a.k.a. aliens) receive salvation and grow spiritually. And you will not misunderstand the statements Jesus made concerning his death and resurrection. 

Luke 10, NKJV
18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” 

A Salvation Prayer  
To receive our heavenly Father's life transforming gift of salvation, please, you may say this prayer in faith:  

Oh God! My heavenly Father, with all my heart, I accept you as my spiritual Father. Thank you for your infinite love towards me. I embrace your love with all of my heart, mind, and soul. I yearn to have a personal revelational encounter with you. I seek a Father-son relationship with you. God, my spiritual Father, I accept your divine forgiveness of any and all of my sins. May I walk in your divine love and spiritual power in my dealings with others. I make a wholehearted commitment to do your will. In faith, I ask all these under your great grace, in the name above all other names. Amen. Thank you, God, my SOURCE! I adore and worship you! ❤🙏💜 

Love, Light, and Life!
- Karo E. Akamune
Fellowship with us in one of our cell groups: https://christmichaelcenter.org/contact-us

GOD SPEAKS TO YOU DIRECTLY!

 

Yes, the still, small voice, the spirit fragment of God the Father within you, your Thought Adjuster (TA) communicates with you directly. It occurs in your thoughts, in the highest realms of your thoughts. Sometimes, this communication may successfully get to your feelings. Sometimes, but not all the time. When it comes to "feelings," please, we have to be very careful because sometimes, the "feeling" may not be from God. 

However, the communication starts at the thought level. From the highest realms of our thoughts. In the superconscious levels of the mind, the communication is passed down to our souls (this is the domain of the mid-mind, morontia mind) and then to our conscious mind, our brains, our senses, our feelings - the electro-chemical parts of our being. As the communication travels or goes from the superconscious mind down to the conscious mind, it might get diluted or corrupted because of our animal or carnal nature, our ignorance, etc. It might be interfered with. This is a major reason why one has to be careful NOT to rush to conclusions to say, "Thus saith the Lord." 

If you are actually growing intellectually and spiritually, you should find it easier to ascertain or properly identify the divine messages. The closer you are to God, the more mature you become, and the easier it becomes for you to receive your TA's messages, understand them, interpret them properly, and execute them effectively. And yes, sometimes, you can literally, audibly hear your TA (indwelling spirit Thought Adjuster; God the Father in you) speak to you with a human voice, in your own language. It's always very, very beautiful, filled with love! Hallelujah! Namaste! Glory! ️     

+ + + 

God speaks to us in our highest THOUGHTS. Please see Urantia Book 101:1.3 

101:1.3, "The divine spirit makes contact with mortal man, not by feelings or emotions, but in the realm of the highest and most spiritualized thinking. It is your thoughts, not your feelings, that lead you Godward..." 

For mid-mind, please see Urantia Book 111:2.8 

111:2.8, "The midway creatures have long denominated this evolving soul of man the mid-mind in contradistinction to the lower or material mind and the higher or cosmic mind. This mid-mind is really a morontia phenomenon since it exists in the realm between the material and the spiritual..."

For the superconscious mind, please see Urantia Book 91:2.6 

91:2.6, "...But there is also a domain of prayer wherein the intellectually alert and spiritually progressing individual attains more or less contact with the superconscious levels of the human mind, the domain of the indwelling Thought Adjuster..."

Can you literally, audibly hear the Inner Voice, the voice of your Thought Adjuster, your Mystery Monitor? 

Yes, you can. However, please check this: 

Excerpts from Paper 110 - Relation of Adjusters to Individual Mortals

110:6:5 The Adjusters are always near you and of you, but rarely can they speak directly, as another being, to you.

110:7:9 Human beings below the third and second circles of attainment rarely hear the Adjuster’s direct voice except in moments of supreme desire, in a supreme situation, and consequent upon a supreme decision.

Please be careful not to rush to believe or conclude that a new idea or concept that comes to your mind has come from your Thought Adjuster (TA). It may sound like a great or nice idea. This does not necessarily mean it has come from God. Be patient. Discuss it with your TA. Don't be in a rush. 

Excerpts from Paper 110 - Relation of Adjusters to Individual Mortals 

110:5:6 But it is dangerous to entertain the idea that every new concept originating in the human mind is the dictation of the Adjuster. ... This is dangerous ground, and every human being must settle these problems for himself in accordance with his natural human wisdom and superhuman insight.

110:5:5 It is extremely dangerous to postulate as to the Adjuster content of the dream life.

Sincerely, 
Love, Light, and Life! 
- Brother Karo E.K.D. Akamune 
ChristMichaelCenter.org
Find the Father - Jesus, Salvation, Love, Faith (christmichaelcenter.org)

Saved by Faith and Faith Alone

We often hear of religions that sprang forth from Abraham - the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Now, please factor this in: Abraham was here about 4,000 years ago. Do you know that long, long, long before Abraham was even born, there were African Traditional Religion, South American Traditional Religion, etc? In short, what you call the "Law of Moses" was already being practiced by Africans, South Americans, North Americans (Native Americans), etc, 6,000 years ago, 20,000 years ago and beyond. 

Clean and unclean things. Stoning guilty offenders to death. Marrying your late brother's wife. Agricultural laws. Human and animal blood sacrifices. Worship temples having the outer court, inner court, and innermost court with various Priests and a High Priest (Chief Priest). Etc. Everything you see in Judaism was already being practiced by other religions thousands upon thousands of years before there was anything called, "Judaism". So please, who copied who? 

Now, please why did God allow blood sacrifices? You have to understand that salvation, divine favor, divine blessings, etc come by grace through faith and faith alone. Faith in God that he is your spiritual Father and that he loves you. But primitive man found it extremely difficult to grasp unto faith, a spiritual substance, without going through something that is physically tangible to him. He strongly felt he needed to bring in some "works."

Even when Jesus was here, we saw a woman who found it very difficult to walk in faith and faith alone in order to receive her healing. She strongly believed that she had to do something physically tangible like touching the hem of his garment. To this day, some people struggle to exercise faith without a physical intermediary. 

Primitive man insisted on paying something very expensive or offering a very costly physical sacrifice in order to get God's attention. Spiritual realities like grace, faith, and love were just too abstract for him to comprehend. Something outward or visible needed to be brought in to help him gravitate towards the invisible. And what could be more expensive or costlier than a human life! As a result, human blood sacrifices became popular worldwide for thousands upon thousands of years, long, long, long before there were prophets like Moses. 

God, our heavenly Father ministers to us directly. He also ministers to us through his angels: sanobim angels, cherubim angels, seraphim angels, etc. These angels, working with religious leaders worldwide succeeded in prevailing on some of them to replace human blood sacrifices with animal blood sacrifices. If man could not immerse himself in faith and faith alone and in sacrifices of a broken heart, a contrite heart, a repentant heart alone BUT INSISTS ON offering his costliest possession - children as sacrifices; if he cannot make that leap from human blood sacrifice to faith and faith alone, then he could be met halfway. At least, it would be better to get him to replace the humans with his choicest animals. The senseless killings of fellow human beings had to stop! 

God never ever needed blood. It was the very slow growth of man that called for it. You are saved by grace through faith and faith alone; not by works.

Peace and Blessings! 🙏🌷🎇🤍🌺🌼🌎🦋🌌💎💗

- Brother Karo E.K.D. Akamune
The Christ Michael Center
Contact Us: https://christmichaelcenter.org/contact-us 

🍷🤍🎇🌱🙏

A Salvation Prayer

To receive our heavenly Father's life transforming gift of salvation, please, you may say this prayer in faith:  

Oh God! My heavenly Father, with all my heart, I accept you as my spiritual Father. Thank you for your infinite love towards me. I embrace your love with all of my heart, mind, and soul. I yearn to have a personal revelational encounter with you. I seek a Father-son relationship with you. God, my spiritual Father, I accept your divine forgiveness of any and all of my sins. May I walk in your divine love and spiritual power in my dealings with others. I make a wholehearted commitment to do your will. In faith, I ask all these under your great grace, in the name above all other names. Amen. Thank you, God, my SOURCE! I adore and worship you! 💖🙏💜

Fellowship with us in one of our cell groups: https://christmichaelcenter.org/contact-us

Why God Allowed Animal Blood Sacrifices

 

Please, we have to clearly understand the history of blood sacrifices. Long, long, long before Moses was even born, human and animal blood sacrifices were going on worldwide. Primitive man found it very, very difficult, even impossible to believe that salvation, divine favor, or any serious divine intervention can occur without him paying a very hefty price for it. And to him, that very hefty price of very great value has to be something physically tangible. And what better hefty price to pay than his own first-born son? In some communities around the world, the hefty price was their little babies, little children, or slaves. 

That's why, all over the world, primitive peoples practiced human blood sacrifices. They couldn't believe that a sincere heart of repentance that seeks to walk in love is good enough.

The senseless killings of their fellow human beings continued until gradually, they made a leap of faith to replace humans with another high valued commodity - their highly valued animals. God and his angels helped them to make this leap. At least, it was better than human sacrifices. Please, this should not be interpreted to mean that God needs blood. No, he does not. All he needs is for you to have faith in him, in his goodness, and in his love. Faith and faith alone. His grace is already available. Just have faith, living faith! But man found it extremely difficult to run. So, holy angels helped him to crawl. 

The angels of the churches are in charge of the religious life of human beings. These angels, together with the angels of progress, guided primitive man to evolve from human blood sacrifices to animal blood sacrifices. These angels were involved in the delivery of the law of Moses. Even before Moses was born, the law was already in place in different communities all over the world. The law was a religious code of conduct that people practiced worldwide. The Hebrews were not the first to get the law - the religious codes of conduct. 

Now, please understand that even though godly, loyal angels helped man to create "the law," they did not literally write down everything for man. They simply led or guided man to come up with something he could work with, based on his level of understanding. The Spirit does not force. The Spirit leads and guides. 

This means the law was bound to contain some things that were not in line with the divine love of God because of the level of intelligence and spirituality of the men and women who put it together. Also, you have to factor in interference from rebel spirits, demons, pretending to be angels of love and light. In assisting us, holy angels do not write down everything for us. They will tell us some things and lead or guide us to some things, but ultimately, we have to evolve through EXPERIENCE to arrive at greater revelations. This takes time. 

The real, final destination was the total abandonment of blood sacrifices altogether. But back then, it was too big of a leap to get primitive minded man to abandon blood sacrifices altogether. This was why he was nudged to replace human blood sacrifices with animal blood sacrifices. That was simply the next practical step for most humans to take back then. 

While all those gruesome blood sacrifices were going on, God continued to send teachers, prophets, more enlightened men and women to teach mankind, worldwide, to help him evolve, grow, become more intelligent and more spiritually minded, little by little. And then, as a result, to abandon blood sacrifices altogether, totally and completely BECAUSE GOD DOES NOT NEED BLOOD. 

This explains why Melchizedek of Salem never practiced blood sacrifices. He had a system of worship in place. He had many students or members. Abraham was one of them. He sent out missionaries worldwide. In helping man to evolve, Melchizedek brought in the sacrament of bread and wine TO REPLACE the sacrament of flesh and blood. A very, very big tipping point came when Christ incarnated as Jesus. His life and teachings clarified everything, answered the puzzle, and sealed the icing on the cake. And if you pay close attention, you will see that Jesus, just like Melchizedek, used bread and wine, NOT flesh and blood. ❤️ 

God does not need blood because his infinite love is so, so, so powerful to transform a soul that opens up to it. His love can also easily break the yoke of sin or the grip of evil, sin, and iniquity. His love, his divine presence, and his holy spiritual anointing oil are so, so, so enriching, enlightening, and empowering to save, to heal, to deliver, and to lift you up. Father God does not need blood in the equation. 

Psalm 51:16-17, “For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart - These, O God, You will not despise.” 

To progress, 😇✨
In love and light! 🤍🎇
- Pastor Karo Akamune
ChristMichaelCenter.org 

Subscribe to our YouTube channel:
www.YouTube.com/ChristMichaelCenter

Why Do We Need Salvation?

Now, beloved, why do we need salvation? Do we need salvation because of sin? No, please. We were not created with eternal life inherent within us. We were created mortals, with the potential of becoming immortals IF we accept to wholeheartedly commit ourselves to the eternal divine plan and purpose of God. Embracing the divine love with all our hearts and dedicating our lives to his love is a signal to God that we are totally willing to align with, and eternally commit to his eternal divine plan and purpose. 

As a result, he gives us the free gift of salvation and eternal life. This eternal life is the God-kind of life that empowers us and enables us to literally live forever. In order to fulfill your role in his eternal divine plan and purpose, you have to live forever. So, he gifts you his eternal life. Those who refuse to align with his will and way, ultimately cease to exist. He will not or cannot force them to work with him forever. So, goodbye. They are gone.  Yes, our salvation delivers us from sinning or living in sin. Nevertheless, even if Lucifer had never rebelled and even if we humans do not do very terrible things, we will still be in need of salvation and eternal life. To receive salvation is to be crowned a bonafide spiritual son of God. To receive eternal life or to have eternal life fully functional in your life is to be crowned with the ability to live forever, endlessly, ruling and reigning with the everlasting, ever-loving, all-powerful heavenly Father, the First Source and Divine Center.  We mortals are not created or born with eternal life inherent within us. And we were not born having the absolute, eternal perfection of God. Same goes for some celestial beings like Lucifer. If Lucifer and all other unseen beings who rebelled had the absolute, eternal perfection of "the Father in heaven", they would never ever had rebelled or sinned. The ability or tendency to sin would not have been present. Some of God's children or creatures, terrestrial and celestial alike... ...some... ...were intentionally not created with the absolute, spotless, infallible perfection of God. They were created with varying degrees of perfection and then commanded to EXPERIENCE LIFE and grow or evolve to become perfect as the heavenly Father is perfect. And there are amazing reasons for this. 

It is very, very important for us to understand these things. I greet you in love!  Grace, Light and Truth. 

Cheers! ️  - Brother Karo Akamune  ChristMichaelCenter.org 

NB: 

We know that there are billions upon billions of galaxies. It is estimated that there are between 200 billion to 2 trillion galaxies in the observable universe. Each galaxy has trillions upon trillions of planets and stars. We are definitely not alone. God (our Source) has revealed to those who care to listen that he has intelligent free will mortals in other planets - in trillions of planets. Now, please, what is the requirement for salvation for people living in all these planets out there? It is LOVE - the wholehearted embrace of the divine love by faith that really ushers in the free gift of salvation and eternal life.   Urantia Book 15:14.8  "The grand universe number of your world, Urantia, is 5,342,482,337,666. That is the registry number on Uversa and on Paradise, your number in the catalogue of the inhabited worlds. I know the physical-sphere registry number, but it is of such an extraordinary size that it is of little practical significance to the mortal mind."  Jesus said he has sheep not of this fold or not of this world. Also, God, our heavenly Father can confirm for you that free will intelligent mortals exist in some other planets - if you ask him earnestly and sincerely. Please, have you ever asked God, the God of LOVE?

Intimate Communion with the Father Drives out Fear

"Draw near to God and he will draw near to you." - Book of James 4:8a

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love." - Book of 1 John 4:18

As you draw near to God, God will draw near to you. "God is love." As a result, your heart, your mind and your entire life will become immersed in the divine love - little by little, more and more. You will see improvements in your thought life; in your behavior or character. The fruits of the spirit will begin to gain deeper roots in you. This is practical living not mere empty talk. Closeness to God brings with it, the ability to feel the presence of God. This ushers in great faith and boldness into your life. This ushers in wisdom, knowledge and understanding. You draw close to God the Father through friendship with or intimate relationship with your Thought Adjuster - the still small voice within you. This is the Father's spirit within - living in your Holy of Holies within! Hallelujah! 🙌

Wisdom, knowledge and understanding help you to discover facts and truths for what they simply are AND to use them for your intellectual and spiritual development. This is how you become a most magnificent version of yourself - a living Jesus on the earth. Jesus Christ will begin to live through you in higher dimensions. Fear will have no place in your life. Faith and love will not allow it to. You are surrounded by God and his heavenly hosts. You are safe and sound! Now please, go out there and be a blessing to others!

NB:

If you understand this teaching of your still small voice within and how to fellowship with this voice, and you apply the understanding in your life, YOU WILL BE MORE THAN A CONQUEROR ON THE EARTH! Guaranteed! 👌

This is the secret to having amazing and powerful relationships with Jesus Christ (Christ Michael); with the Holy Spirit; with "Sons of God" like the Melchizedeks; with angels; with fellow human beings, etc, etc.

- This is the key to everything! ❤️

- This is why Jesus summarized his gospel message thus, "The kingdom of God is within you." The Father's kingdom is already within you because his Thought Adjuster, the still small voice is already within you. Oh! Glory!

One Love ❤️

Hallelujah! 🙌

Tossed out of Heaven to Earth?

Did God Really Chase Sinful Rebellious Spirits From The Heavenly Realms To Earth?

Before the Lucifer rebellion took place, unseen beings like the prince of Persia, the kings (or lords) of Persia, the prince of Greece, etc were all once loyal to Christ Michael and our heavenly Father. And they were placed in positions of leadership, authority and rulership in the spiritual realm over various parts of planet earth, in line with Universe Government Administration. This is how they got to our planet in the first place.

Book of Daniel 10:12-14 

12 Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.” 

The heavenly messenger was delayed for 21 days by his fellow spirit beings (the prince of Persia and the kings or lords of Persia). These beings were rebel spirits. They still had some powers. God did not strip them totally and completely of all their powers. Also, they had some form of legal claim to the planet, since it was under their rule before the Lucifer rebellion started. They continued to have some form of leeway. These are some reasons why they were able to withstand the glorious heavenly messenger for 21 days till Michael came to his rescue.

It is very important to note that their right to rule has been stripped from them completely since the days of Christ Michael as "Jesus of Nazareth". Michael came here in the flesh and terminated the Lucifer Rebellion - technically. The full manifestation of this is unfolding before our eyes, little by little. The Lucifer rebellion has been terminated but this does not mean that automatically, within the twinkle of an eye, every single rebel spirit has been destroyed. No! The Universe does not operate that way.

When the Lucifer rebellion broke out, some celestial personalities joined Lucifer in his rebellion. Some of them were already on earth on various assignments for God. They were not immediately removed from the planet after they joined forces with Lucifer. Even the likes of Lucifer and Satan were not immediately imprisoned when they rebelled. All these unseen rebellious beings were permitted to move and act freely to a certain extent. And Christ allowed this, in part, to let everyone on the terrestrial realm (e.g. earth) and the celestial realm see, without a shadow of a doubt, the folly of their actions that "the way of the transgressor is hard"; that "within every sin is concealed the seed of its own destruction"; that “the wages of sin is death."  

It is very important to understand these things. The correct understanding will open your eyes to the fact that God did not drive them down from the heavenly realms to earth to make our lives a living hell. Some scriptures say "they were cast down".  This simply means they were disgraced, demoted and defeated. It does not mean they were driven out of the heavenlies, down to earth. 

Our God is a God of justice. He will not drive rebellious spirits to our planet. Think of it, please. Humans were on earth, minding their own business. They had nothing to do with Lucifer and his gang rebelling. So please, what sense does it make to chase them out of the heavenly realms to earth and leave them here to tempt and torment us? Is that justice? Is that fair? Is that love? It is important we understand the nature of God and how God operates. Those rebels were already on earth as loyal and obedient members of God's family, working for God. When they changed their minds and rebelled, they were not immediately removed from the planet. And there were those who were not stationed on earth but had access to move freely around the Universe. In Job 1:6, we see an example of Satan moving freely. This access was not withdrawn from them immediately. By the way, the account in Job is not very detailed. The Urantia Book presents a more detailed and clearer account - please, see Urantia Book 43:4.8-9.

Urantia Book 43:4.8-9 

43:4.8 That the teachers of olden times knew of these things is shown by the record: “And there was a day when the Sons of God came to present themselves before the Most Highs, and Satan came also and presented himself among them.” And this is a statement of fact regardless of the connection in which it chances to appear.

43:4.9 Since the triumph of Christ, all Norlatiadek is being cleansed of sin and rebels. Sometime before Michael’s death in the flesh the fallen Lucifer’s associate, Satan, sought to attend such an Edentia conclave, but the solidification of sentiment against the archrebels had reached the point where the doors of sympathy were so well-nigh universally closed that there could be found no standing ground for the Satania adversaries. When there exists no open door for the reception of evil, there exists no opportunity for the entertainment of sin. The doors of the hearts of all Edentia closed against Satan; he was unanimously rejected by the assembled System Sovereigns, and it was at this time that the Son of Man “beheld Satan fall as lightning from heaven.” 

Source: The Urantia Book, Paper 43, The Constellations https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book-standardized/paper-43-constellations

We see here in the Urantia Book that even after Satan rebelled against our heavenly Father and his Christ, Jesus Christ (or Christ Michael), he was still allowed a certain degree of freedom. Please, why? We need to understand that Satan and all other rebels were created by Christ. They are his creatures; his children. As a human parent, please, do you kill your children or disown them immediately they rebel against you? The answer is, "No!" A big no! Your love for them as a true parent, a real parent makes you to give them opportunities to repent and come back to their senses. Now, if you, as a human being can do this to your mortal children, then please, how much more our everlasting heavenly Father and his Christ - beings who have infinite love, mercy and compassion. Please, think about this for a minute.

Allow the mind of Christ to pervade your being, then you will begin to see the wisdom in giving rebellious spirits time to repent and offering them opportunities for correction and rehabilitation. This verse below will help you see that God can forgive a fallen rebel spirit. Forgiveness and salvation is not for humans alone! 

Urantia Book 53:9.1 

"Early in the days of the Lucifer rebellion, salvation was offered all rebels by Michael. To all who would show proof of sincere repentance, he offered, upon his attainment of complete universe sovereignty, forgiveness and reinstatement in some form of universe service. None of the leaders accepted this merciful proffer. But thousands of the angels and the lower orders of celestial beings, including hundreds of the Material Sons and Daughters, accepted the mercy proclaimed by the Panoptians and were given rehabilitation at the time of Jesus’ resurrection nineteen hundred years ago. These beings have since been transferred to the Father’s world of Jerusem, where they must be held, technically, until the Uversa courts hand down a decision in the matter of Gabriel vs. Lucifer. But no one doubts that, when the annihilation verdict is issued, these repentant and salvaged personalities will be exempted from the decree of extinction. These probationary souls now labor with the Panoptians in the work of caring for the Father’s world." 

Source: The Urantia Book, Paper 53, "The Lucifer Rebellion" https://www.urantia.org/urantia-book-standardized/paper-53-lucifer-rebellion

In paper 43 of the Urantia Book, we see that if a rebel spirit insists on persisting in evil, sin and iniquity, his freedom begins to be gradually curtailed, limited or reduced. Thus, a time came when Satan was not welcomed anymore to the Edentia conclave, the gathering of the “Sons of God”. The doors of the hearts of all Edentia closed against him; he was unanimously rejected by the assembled System Sovereigns (a.k.a “Sons of God”), and it was at this time that the Son of Man “beheld Satan fall as lightning from heaven.” Even at that, Christ still opened the door of repentance to Satan and all other rebels. Satan continued to reject it and a time came when he was seized and taken to a prison world in the heavenly realms.

The Urantia Book also reveals that Lucifer and some other rebels have been seized and taken away to hellish prison worlds in the heavenly realms - the Jerusem Prison Worlds. However, the Urantia Revelation does not say that every single rebel spirit has been imprisoned. As at the time of the publishing of the book, a rebellious being Caligastia, our deposed planetary prince, the one the Apostle Paul called, "the prince of the power of the air" was still roaming freely on earth. There are other rebel spirits that have not been removed from earth even to this day. They are being removed one after the other, slowly but surely. These things take time. Why? 

God is patient and merciful. There's no rush. Please, remember, they are all his children. Do you think it pleases a Father to see his child destroyed? Our heavenly Father, in his infinite wisdom always look to see if there's a window of opportunity for repentance in the heart of a rebellious child. Also, I believe there are other reasons that we may not know of right now, as to why some rebel spirits are still here. But we should be rest assured that our heavenly Father has our best interest at heart - ALWAYS!

There's great wisdom in delaying justice sometimes. Mercy delays justice for good reasons. There are so many lessons that are learnt. There are so many good and great things that come out as a result - for the benefit of all.

Conclusion 

It is very important to know that God our heavenly Father and his Christ (Christ Michael) did NOT drive or chase fallen angels, Lucifer, Satan, etc to planet earth. When you begin to understand more and more of the true nature of God, you will find it easy to see this and understand/appreciate why. The belief that God drove "fallen angels" (rebel spirits) down to earth from heaven is not correct. Such a belief implies that God just got rid of them quickly and pushed them away from his heavenly domain to our earthly domain. It suggests that God took care of his own comfort and did not care much about our own comfort. Such a belief is not consistent with the nature and character of God. 

"Get out of here! Go to earth and do whatever you like there!"

👆🏼 

Please, do you really believe a loving heavenly Father would do this? We really had nothing to do with the Lucifer rebellion. We did not cause, create or initiate it. We did not participate in it, at least, initially. We did not participate in the war in heaven. So please, why should someone think God chased them to meet us on earth? Is it just and fair to push those heartless spirits down to earth, just like that? 

They were not chased out of heaven to earth to be a pain in our behind. They had the freedom to move around freely before they rebelled. They moved around from the heavenly realms to our earthly realm and beyond. Some of them were literally stationed on earth to serve the divine plan and purpose of Deity. Some of them were stationed here while they were faithful and loyal to God BEFORE they rebelled. After they rebelled, they were not immediately removed from the planet for some key reasons in line with the Father's nature of justice, mercy and love.  

The heavenly Father has already made more than enough provisions for his human or mortal children such that even though some rebel spirits are present on earth, they (i.e. mortals or humans) have been given the power, wisdom, knowledge and understanding to withstand and overcome them all. It is up to you, the individual human being whether or not you will make use of all that your spirit Father has freely given to you. The Father loves all his children: terrestrial and celestial alike; seen and unseen and he makes ample provision for their salvation, growth, care, upkeep and eternal destiny. Hallelujah!  

One Love,

- Pastor Karo Akamune 

The S-Files

Salvation files of the Christ Michael Center Our Salvation Files, "The S-Files": 1) What is Salvation and Why the Cross? https://cmcjesushub.blogspot.com/2018/11/what-is-salvation-and-why-cross.html 2) The Spiritual Technique of SALVATION - Long Form Edition https://cmcjesushub.blogspot.com/2017/12/the-spiritual-technique-of-salvation.html 3) Syncretism in Christianity's Soteriology https://cmcjesushub.blogspot.com/2018/01/syncretism-in-christianitys-soteriology.html 4) Jesus and Atonement https://cmcjesushub.blogspot.com/2015/10/jesus-and-atonement.html 5) What is Salvation? https://cmcjesushub.blogspot.com/2015/04/what-is-salvation.html 6) The Salvation of Zacchaeus https://cmcjesushub.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-salvation-of-zacchaeus_30.html 7) The spiritual technique of SALVATION https://cmcjesushub.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-spiritual-technique-of-salvation.html 8) A Salvation Letter to a Friend https://cmcjesushub.blogspot.com/2019/06/a-salvation-letter-to-friend.html 9) A Salvation Letter to a Friend (II) https://cmcjesushub.blogspot.com/2019/06/a-salvation-letter-to-friend-ii.html #OneLove ❤️

A Salvation Letter to a Friend (II)

…You wander about the death of Jesus because of the theology of salvation that you have embraced. Please beloved, did Jesus teach that you MUST believe that his blood washes away your sins in order for you to be saved? Forget about Peter or Paul or whoever, for a minute. Please, focus squarely on the teachings of the Master himself. Christ was here as Jesus in the flesh. What did He teach with regards to salvation? Remember His talk with Nicodemus? In essence, Jesus told Nicodemus that he could get born again right there in the garden. I hope you know this. Jesus did not say, "Oh, but you have to wait till I spill my blood." Also, on many occasions, we see God forgiving people's sins as Jesus went about his ministry. Please, take note: his blood had not been spilled o! 

So, in answer to your question my brother: for their salvation, people in other planets do not even need to know that Christ was on a planet far, far away as Jesus; let alone believe that his blood was spilled for their sins to be washed away. Salvation is the same anywhere: "You are saved by grace through faith. It is a gift from God." Now what does that really mean? 

You are saved by grace through faith. Faith in what, please? Christianity says it is faith that Jesus died and bled to wash away your sins. But Jesus did not teach that. You are saved by faith - faith that God is your Father and that He loves you. If you can allow this "faith" to be real in your heart, you will receive a life transforming quickening by the LOVE of God, which causes you to surrender all to God - to seek to do His will. In all these, the grace of God gives you strength. This, in a nutshell, is the real salvation message. And this is how people get saved in every inhabited planet. 

Do people get saved at the foot of the Cross? Yes, of course! Why? At the Cross, Jesus revealed the Father's LOVE in a very deep and moving way. The Cross experience helps many people to see and feel and understand the LOVE of the Father. That's why they get saved at the Cross. It is not the blood of Jesus that washes away the sins in the literal sense. It is a revelation of the LOVE of God that the human heart sees at the Cross and receives that ushers in salvation. If you go to the Cross without experiencing a "quickening" revelation of God's love, you will not experience salvation - regardless of the amount of sinner's prayers offered. We have people walking about today who are not yet saved because of this. They have offered the so-called sinner's prayer o! Yet no real spiritual transformation. Jesus' blood does not magically save anyone. You must have a spiritual encounter with God the Father by FAITH in His LOVE and tender care. This happens at the Cross. It also happens elsewhere. So, YES. Christianity understands salvation - but partially NOT fully. 

Yes: The death of Jesus actually helps many people to embrace salvation. Jesus knew this would happen. And that's one of the reasons he "gave himself for many". There are also other deep reasons why he chose to die. He knew it would help end the senseless and brutal animal and human sacrifices - which largely were put in place by "doctrines of demons" to enslave people. Blood sucking demons were having a feel day. Jesus wanted to end that. At a deeper esoteric level, his spilled blood "spoke" to address these problems. It was one effective way he used to silence the likes of Lucifer and other fallen princes of darkness who made use of animal and human blood sacrifices to keep humanity in bondage. 

When they saw Jesus' blood, they couldn't handle it. Unlike the animal and human blood they had been drinking for ages upon ages, Jesus' blood presented a power they could not defeat. That was a game changer. They met their waterloo. The price of blood demanded by demons or devils from humans was effectively terminated. We can go on and on. But let me stop here for now. I know this discourse may be confusing to some people. It takes a deep spiritual mind to understand these spiritual transactions. But there's hope: "The Spirit of Truth shows the way!"


I greet you sincerely!
#OneLove ❤ 

A Salvation Letter to a Friend

The message of salvation is one of the simplest spiritual messages. It is also one of the most difficult for Christians to clearly understand. There's so much confusion out there. You should start by focusing on what Jesus – himself said about salvation. Focus on that. Study that. That's the priority not what Paul or the other Apostles said.

Meditate on these questions, please:
1) If the shedding of blood is a must requirement for the forgiveness of sins, how come Jesus forgave people their sins as he went about preaching and teaching - before he was crucified?
2) What is justice? Is it justice to punish an innocent man for the crime, sins and misdeeds of guilty offenders?

= = =

If humans who are just and fair would not do such a thing as punish an innocent man for the misdeeds of others, how in the Heavens do you get to think that the Almighty and all loving and divinely just God the Father would do such a thing?? Such a belief is like a slap in the face of our Heavenly Father. It's an insult.

The Father did not punish Jesus for our sins. Jesus simply chose to allow natural events to take their course. He was assaulted by killers and murderers and he chose to face it head on as an ordinary human being, as a way to experience the full human or mortal experience which includes dying. Otherwise, they would not have succeeded in killing him.

Jesus also allowed it to happen because he knew his brutal crucifixion would play a very, very big role in bringing blood sacrifice to an end. Just like Moses helped humans to evolve from human sacrifice to animal sacrifice, Jesus also is helping humans to evolve from any kind of blood sacrifice. His death has a big part in this.

Salvation is simple:
You are saved by grace through faith - faith that God is your Father and you are His child and faith in His power to keep you securely all through eternity. It is this same faith that saved Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Peter, Mary, Paul, etc. The technique of salvation has never changed. It's the same anywhere and anytime.

An understanding or insight into the love of God facilitates the delivery of salvation to you.

Yes, people look at the cross and receive salvation. Why is it so? Simple: The cross showcases God's love in action. Even in death, Jesus revealed love. And if a human being is able to see this love, he or she can be pulled to or drawn to God - in total and humble surrender to the rule and reign of God in his/her heart. This is why people experience salvation at the cross. It is not in the bleeding blood per say. It is in their receiving a life transforming revelation of God's love. The suffering and death of Jesus simply makes it easier for some people to see this love. There are others who have seen this same love through other means and have embraced salvation. And there are those who have come to the cross and failed to see this love and are still lost to this very day! God is not a magician. There are spiritual principles that must be followed.

In a nutshell, salvation is by grace through faith, facilitated by the quickening of the human heart and mind through a life transforming experience of seeing and embracing the divine love.

When you understand this, then you'll see that some Christians are saved; some are not. Some Muslims are saved; some are not. Some Buddhists are saved; some are not. Some aliens (intelligent mortals in other planets) are saved; some are not. Jesus presented a salvation message that is applicable to anyone regardless of nationality, religion or planet of origin. The spiritual technique of salvation has to be clearly understood.

The Salvation of Zacchaeus

Luke 19
Jesus said to Zacchaeus, "This day is salvation come to this house... ...For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."

Now, the question is: Please, was Zacchaeus saved on that very day? The Master clearly said salvation came to his house that very day! Jesus had not yet died, spilled blood, yet salvation came to Zacchaeus? And he was so spiritually transformed, "born from above" (born again) that he said, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold."

I'm telling you beloveds, if you really want to understand the entire package gospel of "The Kingdom", please look no further. Just look at Jesus Christ and his teachings! Jesus taught what we must do to be saved and he also taught what we must do to KNOW the Father, grow in grace and to "build" the kingdom.

When it comes to the topic of salvation, please, don't look to Paul and some prominent Apostles who walked with Jesus. They understood it partially and it shows in their letters. Even Jesus pointed out, on different occasions how that his Apostles did not fully understand what he was saying, teaching or doing. These same men did not magically understand everything after he ascended. They had to learn and grow as they walked with God - just like you and I today. We don't know it all magically, even after 10, 20, 50 years of walking with the Lord. To know more, you must apply yourself. You must submit yourself to the ministry of the Spirit of Truth - always.

Luke 19
8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.
9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham.
10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Footnote: 
..So, people keep asking, "Then why did Jesus die?" I gave explanations here:
"What is Salvation and Why the Cross?" https://cmcjesushub.blogspot.com/2018/11/what-is-salvation-and-why-cross.html
...and here:
"Syncretism in Christianity's Soteriology" https://cmcjesushub.blogspot.com/2018/01/syncretism-in-christianitys-soteriology.html

One Love 🙏
- Pastor Karo

Philemon 6, an Exegesis

Philemon 6 King James Version (KJV)
"That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus." - The Apostle Paul to Philemon

The acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus is a process. You go through a process. The act of acknowledging all spiritual blessings "in Christ" involves engaging in a co-creative process with your Maker (with divinity). You need the energy and power of "faith" to do this. It involves you seeing yourself the way your heavenly Father sees you. It involves the renewal of your mind and using the God-given inherent power of your mind to "see" yourself in a fundamentally and even radically different way. You become what you see. It's that simple.

You have to know and begin to understand "every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus". How? It comes by learning about these things. How? Through obtaining the right information. How? Through the scriptures and other materials that provide revelation knowledge of who you are as a faith-liberated soul, one who is an active participant in the family of God (a.k.a kingdom of God). Also, through prayers or communion with God, you get to discover a lot of things about you, "your new you"!

The process of acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus also involves you taking a stand and uttering prophetic declarations and apostolic decrees: you stand on God's words and speak or declare all the great and wonderful things about you - great and wonderful things that God says you are or you have. You speak them in faith, accepting them and imagining yourself walking in them. This aspect of imagination is key - the power of your will and your mind comes in play here. You declare them to yourself and to the Universe (to all of God's creation). You appropriate them to yourself. You see them as "real" here and now. You declare things that be not as though they were and they be (they become real - they manifest in the physical realm). These are very important steps and procedures needed to make the blessings and victories you have "in Christ" to become real in your personal daily experiences here on Earth.

Please, bear in mind that you are a powerful creative being beyond your comprehension. Your greatest limitation is your inability to fully believe. Your challenge is to learn to move beyond the uncertainty that impedes your ability to believe. With faith, ask our heavenly Father to strengthen you, for you to move beyond uncertainty and develop your creative potential. With faith accept and acknowledge all the blessings and victories wrought for you and presented to you by Christ.

These are blessings that were heaped up for you before Christ came to this planet; also during his stay on this planet as "Jesus" - son of man and Son of God in one and blessings/victories that he continuously rakes in for you everyday now and in the future. Remember, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, making intercessions for you. This connotes: working for your benefit right now and in the future. Christ and his heavenly forces (or hosts) are presently doing a lot adding to all the goodies that you already have. If you can understand this, wow! A whole new world will open unto you! Glory! Hallelujah!

When you begin to walk in the realities we are talking about here, you would see changes in your character; in your behavior - remarkable improvements of inestimable value. You will see yourself finding it much easier to do the right thing, everyday. You will see yourself growing to higher heights in your manifestation of the FRUITS of the SPIRIT and the GIFTS of the SPIRIT. You will begin to operate in increasing levels of spiritual power. You will begin to make progress in your level of wisdom, knowledge and understanding that comes from above - from the heavenly Father, the giver of all good gifts. The communication of your faith would become effectual! Your light will shine! Your spiritual garment would sparkle! Your Father would be glorified in you! The Universe would be blessed because of you! Hallelujah! Glory! 🍷 🙌

Always be of good cheer! 😀
- Pastor Karo Akamune
#OneLove ❤


+ + + 

Some Nuggets: 
👉🏽 Jesus made the cross an eternal symbol of the triumph of love over hate and the victory of truth over evil when he prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
👉🏽 True love does not compromise nor condone hate; it destroys it. 

What is Salvation and Why the Cross?

If you say saints of old could not resurrect and go to heaven before Jesus died and resurrected because they were not "born again", then please, how do you explain Enoch and Elijah who went to heaven; who by the way, did not even see death? How could they have gone to heaven if they were not saved (or born again), if they were not, according to your theology, "washed by the blood of the lamb"? Please, how come they went to heaven? They were so close to the Father, so deeply spiritually minded; so high in intelligence and spirituality, they were caught up! They were born from above (or born again) otherwise, they could never have become so close to the Father and could never have made it to heaven... 

Please, here's another question:

Is it justice to punish an innocent righteous man for the wrongs of guilty offenders? If we, as humans understand this is not justice, how much more our heavenly Father? How can we say our loving Paradise Father would depend on the punishment of an innocent man for the sins of guilty offenders in order for "some wrath" to go away? To hold such a view shows we do not understand the Father.

I have been studying the topic of salvation for nothing less than 25 years. Paul, Peter and their associates got it wrong somewhere. Jesus did not teach the atonement doctrine. He did not go from place to place, screaming atonement. He went from place to place declaring, "The kingdom of God is within you". And he taught how to manifest the kingdom in our human affairs... The early Apostles must have been overwhelmed by "the Master's death and resurrection" that they got carried away and made it a doctrine of salvation. They meant well. But sowed seeds of confusion. Now, we have a big mess to clean up. 🙏

I am convinced in my heart, sincerely, speaking that the salvation message from the Father has never changed. It has always been the same thing regardless of dispensation. It is man's understanding and interpretation of it that changes, from time to time. As far as the Father is concerned, the MUST requirements for salvation has always been the same thing. Abraham received salvation. Enoch did. Elijah did...

My conclusion is, "We are saved by faith through grace". Faith in what? And whose grace? It is faith that God is our Father and we are his children and that he loves us. And it is the divine grace. It's that simple. But man finds it very hard to believe so they come up with all kinds of rituals and sacrifices that must be done. But that's syncretism.

I have asked, "Then why did Jesus really die?" Please, some of my conclusions thus far:

Before Jesus died, his disciples were saved. They were already in God's Kingdom. People's sins were washed away without the shedding of Jesus' blood. Jesus clearly forgave people their sins before he died. This tells you that blood must not be spilled for sins to be washed away. There's salvation at the Cross primarily because at the Cross, Jesus gave a very deep and powerful revelation of God's love. In the depths of the greatest hatred, despair and wickedness, he showed love and forgiveness. He revealed the love of God. It is this revelation of God's love in the midst of so much hatred that pulls many more people to God and His salvation. It is not the shedding of blood per se which inevitably followed his brutal hanging on the Cross.

This explains why some people recite the so-called sinner's prayer but do not experience salvation, even though they may think they have magically become saved. If at the Cross, an individual does not experience a soul-quickening transformation birthed from an understanding of God's love, resulting to a total acceptance of this love, he/she may not walk away saved. It does not matter the amount of sinner's prayer memorized and offered. It does not matter the number of times he/she runs to the altar in response to an "altar call". God is not a magician.

As we understand the Heavenly Father better, we see that it is LOVE that saves. This love may be discovered and wholeheartedly embraced at the foot of the Cross or somewhere else. This explains why in Heaven, we would meet people from all walks of life, various faiths and different planets.

So, why did the Master choose to die? I am convinced that this is one of the key reasons why:
He knew that through the sufferings and brutal death on a Cross, he would reveal God's love in a very deep, very emotional and very moving way. He knew that the Cross would reveal a love that may not be matched by anything else for, "No greater love can a man show towards others than to lay down his life for them". He knew that the revelation of God's love in the midst of so much hatred has a tremendous spiritual drawing power to pull many, many more people to God and His salvation. And for this, he was willing to take that extra step - to go that extra mile; "to walk a second mile", in order to make it easier for so many more people to embrace salvation. He did not have to do it but he chose to.

This reveals the great, great, great depths of his love towards us, such that he was willing to do anything and everything to rake in the numbers... But some of us have mistaken this to mean that his death and his blood were a MUST requirement for the salvation of anyone and everyone! The salvation was already available for anyone and everyone before he died; even before he came. And some people received it. But his physical presence (mortal bestowal), his teachings, his death and resurrection has made it and continues to make it much, much easier for many, many more people to understand, grasp and embrace salvation.

If we really understand exactly what one must do in order for his "soul" to be transformed, then things become clearer. There is this something that must happen to a soul in order for the soul to be saved. There's something or a spiritual transaction the soul must "go through" in order to receive the gift of salvation. If we really narrow things down and come to a good understanding of this spiritual transaction and the requirements needed for the transaction to occur, then we will really understand salvation. The concept of "the soul" is little understood. This is a part of the problem.

It is this "spiritual transaction" the soul must go through that I call "the spiritual technique of salvation". And I define it thus:
The spiritual technique of SALVATION occurs when an individual accepts and is "quickened" by the expression of God's LOVE and MERCY. Salvation is yours when you get a revelation of God's love and mercy: a revelation or understanding-experience that causes you to open your heart to God, to trust Him, to welcome Him into your life; to surrender all to Him and have FAITH in Him as your Father. These acts bring you to a place where you begin to see others as your brothers and sisters and you develop FAITH in your eternal salvation - that you will exist in and with God forever. Your heart becomes totally committed to doing His will. This is possible because of the GRACE and GOODNESS of God. Herein is your salvation. This is the explanation of salvation by faith through grace.

As I study (various books) and inquire further (within myself and interactions with others), I discover that Jesus also went through the Cross as a way to give a powerful response to his rebellious celestial children: Lucifer, Satan, the fallen Prince of this world, Beelzebub, fallen angels, etc. A close look at human history reveals that all over the world, these arch rebels instituted a system of religious blood sacrifice: in Africa, South America, the Middle East, etc - everywhere. They demanded something for favor. The priests would say, "...to appease God" or "to appease the gods". In actuality, the Paradise Father did not make those demands. It was the forces of darkness pretending to be angels of light that made those demands.

The Father even said he did not desire sacrifices and burnt offerings but a broken and a contrite heart; steadfast LOVE and the KNOWLEDGE of God (Psalm 51:16, Hebrews 10:8, Hosea 6:6, Psalm 40:6, 1 Sam 15:22). In the midst of the confusion of bloodletting, the Still Small Voice within sometimes managed to come through, speaking clearly to any who cared to listen, "I do not desire sacrifices and burnt offerings but a broken and a contrite heart; steadfast LOVE and the KNOWLEDGE of God". This has been the Father's heart from the very beginning. Never for once, did he change it.

Jesus must have thought to himself that there has to be a way to put a total, final and lasting stop to these ruthless human and animal blood sacrifices that were taking place, practically all over the world. He knew the celestial rebels were behind it and that they also used the "energies" from these blood for their nefarious aims. The Master must have thought to himself, "I can use my death on the Cross to show to these arch rebels and also to loyal angels the futility and madness of these crazy bloodletting. My rebellious celestial forces always used blood as a way to demand for something. I shall take the extra step; go an extra mile to present my blood in a bid to fully reclaim my planet in a way that will be unquestionable, even by the standards of my celestial arch enemies." The Cross was an unsuspecting chess move that Jesus used to shut them up, once and for all time. They did not see it coming. Initially, they thought they had their way when they inspired wicked men to crucify him.

The Cross was like the final straw that broke the camel's back! The vast host of loyal celestial personalities were in total shock to see their Creator (incarnated in flesh), hanging on a tree, bleeding like a useless vagabond; a helpless sheep. Any and every sympathy they may have had for the rebels evaporated! A very strong message with regards to the total folly of the Lucifer rebellion was registered all over the Universe. Even Lucifer was in shock! A lot of the arch rebels were in shock - when the realization of the folly of their actions began to dawn on them. Jesus offered his blood. And they could not even accept it. They could not touch it! They could not tap into "its energies and powers - its life" like they were doing with that of animals and humans, the world over. Oh! Yes, "There's power in the blood of Jesus!" It was game up for them.

These are some insights one can draw from the death on the Cross on a deeper cosmic, esoteric or celestial level. To die on that Cross was not a MUST. However, Christ, as Jesus, chose to, for various reasons (and interestingly, the Father willed it). And some of us are deeply engrossed in exploring and understanding these reasons. 🙏

One Love,
- Karo E. Akamune 

“Church and Welfare”

The Corinthian Church, the Galatian Church, the Ephesian Church... ...were taught by Paul to give money. Please, let us also emphasize that the monies that were "given" were used to meet the needs of fellow believers - to meet their material or physical needs, for example: feeding, clothing, health care, etc. The Apostle Paul made it clear that the offerings collected were for the purpose of "welfare".

We see many Churches today neglecting the needs (physical or material) needs of their members and pouring money into building projects, media outreach, etc. Please, how can you neglect to show love to the people you see – those around you but claim to show love to people you do not see (those who watch TV or listen to radio stations)? We must understand the deep implications of "first love". We must start by first showing love to those we see in our Churches and then we can, in a very powerful way, reach out to those out there who we do not see or who are not in close proximity to us.

The best strategy is to, "Take good care of your people - your members", first. Assist them from the money collected. Also, teach them how to make money. And then they will be empowered and encouraged to join hands with you to reach out to those out there through TV, Radio, etc. They also will be inspired to show love to others as they go about their daily activities. "Love is contagious." The love they receive from their Churches will "infect them" and they will spread it!

Yes, money should be allocated to buildings and outreach activities. But enough money MUST be allocated to "welfare". We take care of our people and then (together) we can more readily do so much more with regards to impacting our world. This is the strategy the likes of the Apostles Peter and Paul implemented. This is one key reason they had so much impact during their time – a very great impact that reverberates even to this day. This is one very important ingredient you need to create a sustainable impact on "the World Mind".

During Jesus' public ministry, Judas Iscariot was his treasurer. The money in his care was used to take care of the families of the Master's Apostles - for these Apostles "left all" to follow Him. Money was also used for the welfare of others. Some of the money also went towards the Master's material needs and that of the 12. The "behind the scenes" effective administration of money played a very, very important role in the success of Jesus' public gospel ministry. We must learn to take care of our people – our members.

You may ask, “Was the money in Judas' purse used to meet the needs of Jesus, his Apostles and their families?” It may not be there in black and white in the Bible. However, we can deduce. Judas Iscariot was the treasurer. Now, what did they do with the money? We know the Apostles "left all" to follow Jesus, to be with Him in His travels and all that. Sometimes they would go fishing. But that was never enough to meet their daily needs and that of their respective families... Please, take note: we are talking about meeting needs not funding luxuries!

We know Jesus did not erect buildings with the money. So, the question remains, "Please, what did they do with the money?" Some of it went into meeting the needs of their families. Some went into taking care of other people. 

Let's look at the miracle of feeding the multitude with 5 loaves and 2 fish. Mark 6:35-37, "And when it grew late, his disciples came to him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is now late. Send them away to go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves something to eat.” But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?”" 

We need the power of deduction; the ability to draw inferences. Jesus told his Apostles, “You give them something to eat.” We can infer from this statement that, this was not the first time Jesus and his team fed people. Look at the conversation very closely, please. The Apostles were not surprised about that statement. They were used to feeding people. But they were concerned that they did not have enough on that day to feed those present. Jesus wanted them to feed the people. However, right there and then, they had only two hundred denarii. It was not enough. Hence, the Master made a decision to resort to a miracle... This tells you that it was not uncommon to see Jesus and His Apostles dipping their hands into their Ministry's funds to meet the needs of people. Remember, they had a Ministry purse. Judas Iscariot was their treasurer. Donations from Ministry partners were kept by Judas.

Also, consider how the 12 Apostles lived in the early days of the Church (Please, see Acts 4). In Acts 4, it was easy for them to bring money together and provide for the needs of the believers because they were already used to such things. When Jesus was with them, they cooperated to meet one another's needs. After Jesus left, they continued in that practice. But of course, we know they took it too far, selling all their belongings, laying the proceeds at "the Apostles' feet", believing the world was soon to end. The world never ended and believers from other parts of the world had to come to their rescue. Anyway, back to the key point, which is this: The spirit of working together, as believers to see that nobody suffers lack. Churches or Gospel Groups should hold onto this spirit. It is a powerful strategy to show love and spread love. 

We should not spend too much money erecting physical buildings and paying for media outreach at the detriment of meeting the needs of our members, most especially the poor in our midst. We cannot claim to have the love of God for "the world" when we neglect the people in our midst. Take care of your people. Empower them. Then you all can do a far better job in ministering to the world out there. This is what Jesus did. Peter and Paul as well. And boy, did they spread their message far and wide? You bet!

Every generation is different. We may have physical buildings today. And it's okay. (These buildings must be realistic and “within budget”.) But we must not neglect the poor and needy in our midst. If we neglect them, then it shows we do not have a clear understanding of the gospel that Jesus presented.

Commentary:

We MUST ask, "Please, what should be done with the monies collected?" In the Bible, we see that Jesus (inferred from Mark 6:35-37); His 12 Apostles (Acts 4:32-37) and the Apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 16:1-4) used monies collected to MEET THE NEEDS (PHYSICAL NEEDS) OF PEOPLE. Money was not used to erect ridiculously expensive buildings or projects that are way out of budget. Also, money was NOT used to fund luxurious lifestyles of Ministry or Church leaders. Yes, some of the money went into meeting the needs of leaders. But it was their basic needs. Nowhere in the NT (New Testament scriptures) did Ministry money go into funding or paying for extravagant expenses, ludicrous expenses, luxuries, and whatnot.

Acts 4:32-37
32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.

Beloved, I hope you saw it (verse 35). The money "was distributed to anyone who had need". The needs of the leaders and their members were met. It was not the needs of the leaders alone. And it was their "basic needs" NOT extravagant, luxurious "wants" like very expensive cars, private jets, million-dollar mansions, etc. Ministry money is not for funding luxurious lifestyles. Anyone who wishes to live in luxury MUST go work for the money himself/herself – go get a job that pays you six figures or more or go start and run your own private business with your own money and then develop it into a multi-million dollar business and then fund your luxuries with "your own money" NOT Church's money.

1 Corinthians 16:1-4
1 Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 3 Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.

It is very clear in verse 1: "Now about the collection for the Lord’s people..." Paul raised money to meet the needs of people! Jesus, the 12 Apostles and the Apostle Paul WERE PEOPLE FOCUSED! The needs of people - most especially, fellow believers (or "Church members") were not neglected. All the monies were not poured into taking care of the Senior Pastor alone; into buildings alone; and not into outreach expenses alone. But today, we see Ministries pouring so much money on Radio, TV and Internet outreaches AND close their eyes to the needy in their midst. Very un-Jesus-like. "Please, where is your love?" 1 Corinthians 13 highlights: If I do not have love, I am nothing...

When your heart is quickened by the all-powerful, life transforming teachings of Jesus Christ, you will not only preach and teach. You will also be interested in identifying various areas of need in the society. You will then do something remarkable to meet these needs. A spirit-filled life is devoted to doing practical, physical things to meet needs in addition to “talk, preach and pray”. Jesus met physical needs. He fed people. The Apostles met the physical or material needs of their members with the money laid at their feet. The Apostle Paul raised money to meet needs of believers who were going through financial hardship. When Missionaries came to Nigeria, they also met physical needs: free education, free health care (or very easily affordable), etc. When Caucasians from the Southern Baptist Convention, United States of America came to Eku, Delta State to preach and teach, they set up the Eku Baptist Hospital. Was it not free or easily affordable? By their fruits you shall know them. It’s not by mere grandstanding and speaking grammar.

If a preacher is spending millions of US dollars per year in the ownership, use and maintenance of a private jet, then how much money is he/she spending in showing love to the poor and the needy - how much goes towards meeting their physical needs: food, shelter, skills acquisition programs, money management skills, health care, etc? How much is spent in solving social problems? How much? Please, compare and contrast. Discover where his/her heart is.