BTZ Blog

Life is not about religion...Life is about relationship. God is not a belief-system...Religion is. Jesus is not a religion...Denominationalism is. The Gospel is not about bringing earth's atmosphere to heaven...It is about bringing heaven's atmosphere to earth. The Church is not segregated name tagged buildings...The community of the redeemed is. The Bible is not a book of doctrines for denomination building...It is a book that points to Christ for spiritual building. Community is not segregation of Christ's Body under the headship of a man-made hierarchy...Community is unification of Christ's Body under the Lordship and Headship of Christ. Ministry is not a program...A Sunday-go-meeting is. Grace living is expectationless...Law living is expectation driven. The righteousness of God is not self-gained or self-maintained...Self-righteousness is. The gospel does not render women inferior...Neither does it render men superior.

People who love religion more than truth...love their denomination more than God. However, they love themselves most of all. Why? Because their actions speak louder than their saying “I love God.” God wants us to love Him for who He is. He doesn’t want lip service, where we merely go to Sunday-go-meetings once a week and sing “My Jesus I love Thee.” He wants us to show that we love Him by our daily living. In 2 Timothy 3 the Bible warns that the last days people will be hypocritical in their love for the Lord, and that will produce perilous times. Beginning in verse 1 we read, “This know, also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, lovers of [money] . . . lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away” This verse says people will have a form of godliness? That means they will be religious people who say they love God, but their lifestyles will speak lou

Sickness and pain whether physical, emotional or psychological is a part of life's journey while we are confined to the earth suit we live in. The suffering some people go through along life's journey is excruciatingly painful and sometimes long lasting. Often the encouragement given by well meaning people is, "The good thing about it is that you are safe in the Father's care no matter the outcome of the situation you find yourself in.  Just rest in His love for you that He may be glorified in whatever the outcome of your pain is." Often the response is an apology for not trusting God more, or the admission that they are being overwhelmed with fear and doubts as if by doing so they aren’t living up to the expectation of my prayer for them.  That only adds to their pain, it doesn’t lighten the load.  And prayers are never something to live up to, but to find refuge in. When we pray we ask God to do something.  We are not pressuring the paining p

Grace thrashers feel safe when people sin under the striving to keep the law and religious rules of performance religion because they can shift the blame for people’s sinning on the sinning saints themselves by saying...”I told the people not to commit sin”...but when someone sins under the Grace Gospel they blame the Grace Gospel by claiming that it gives people a license to sin. It boggles my mind that the claimers who claim that living up to some standard of the law is is evidence of true faith and not realizing they are diluting the greatest news that the community of humanity can ever hear. We are to share the Best News of all good news...God provided free grace while we were yet sinners because of Christ...yet the religious pharisees do every thing in their power to hide grace behind the wall of rules, regulations and laws. “This sloppy grace message is a license to sin!” is the accusation of grace haters, as though people need a license to sin. If that is so, why do law keeper

The "Protestant Reformation" of the 16th century initiated by Martin Luther produced some good fruits including greater Bible knowledge by the "laity"...the understanding that salvation is by by grace...encouraging individual relationship with God. But at what cost have these claimed gains been made? Martin Luther started the "Lutheran" churches" which started the segregation ball rolling and it has been rolling ever since. John Calvin could not come to agreement with some of Luther’s ideas therefore, began to form his own churches (the "Reformed" churches). The floodgates were now open wide, numerous other reformation movements surfaced, such as that initiated by John Knox (starting the Presbyterian church in 1560), Robert Browne (starting the Congregational church in 1592), and John Smyth (starting the Baptist church in 1609), none of which could come to agreement on the other's doctrines. Protestant denominations have catapulted

We can fathom many things. We can exasperate many things. We can exaggerate many things. We can over emphasize many things. But...we can NEVER fathom, exasperate, exaggerate or over emphasize: God's Love for people, it is the reason He gave His Son, it is measureless and divine. God's Mercy to people, it is boundless and fathomless and endures forever.  God's Grace for people, it is greater than all our sin, it pardon's and cleanses from sin, that's what makes it so amazing. Rest in God's Love, Mercy and Grace and your security in life and death will be assured.

Jesus said, "And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ." (Matthew 23:10). According to the writer of Hebrews the entire body of believers are to be teachers. How can this be when Jesus commanded that we are not to be called teachers? The context of what Jesus said above was the Jewish system, which consisted of men called Rabbis, Masters, and Fathers. Jesus came to do away with that system and replace it with His Community of the redeemed. In that sense, no man is a master or teacher, for Jesus is the Teacher in each one of us. While all believers do not have the same function, ALL are to be teachers in their sphere of functioning. Christ is to be all in all (1 Corinthians 12:6). When the body of Christ does not rise to the level of maturity where all are teachers in Him, there are grounds for concern. For though by this time you ought to be teachers (didaskalos), you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; an

"Jesus went to hell so we do not have to go" was the title of the sermon. This is one of the most despicable lies presented by the deceived trapped preachers of religion, especially when the hell referred to is the fire and brimstone hell of religion. The Bible does not support it...it is deception's lie and it is an atrocity to present it as a part of the Gospel. As we will find out...it is a direct contradiction to the words of Jesus. Jesus took up on Himself our sins on the cross, He did not go to hell so people do not have to go there. Did Jesus really go to a hell fire and brimstone hell between the cross and the resurrection? That is what most denominations think when they read the line in...not the bible...but in the Apostles' Creed that states, "He descended to hell." Some have changed the creed to read, "He descended to the dead". The thing we need to realize is that the Apostles’ Creed is not a passage from the Bible. Also, it

A believer is aware that freedom comes from a relationship with God and is not to be controlled by  religious Do's, Don'ts, and the Should's and Could's of a religion. A believer is required to follow only Jesus Christ the Shepard without the burdensome yoke of religious bondage by renouncing religion as the avenue of finding God and renouncing the lordship of professional denominated title holders that consider themselves the spiritual religious elite within institutional religion.  A believer holds to the fact that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and there is no biblical mandate to maintain a religious relationship with an institution called "church" in order to gain or maintain a spiritual relationship with God.  A believer is a God lover thus, is a people lover.      A believer proves all things by the Spirit to ensure the spirit of what is said is of God, and to discern false teachers who use the name of Jesus to validate their manipula

Scripture gives us the answer. Romans 5:8, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." In this verse and as well as the well known verse John 3:16, we find no conditions placed on God's love for people. God doesn't say, "as soon as you accept Jesus, and clean up your act, I'll love you; " nor does He say, "I'll love you if you promise to love Me." In fact, in Romans 5:8, we find just the opposite. God desires us to know that His love is unconditional, so He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us while we were still sinners. We didn't have to clean up, and we didn't have to make any promises to God for Him to love us sinners. His love for us has always existed, and because of that, He did all the giving and sacrificing long before we were even aware that we needed His love. God is Love, and His love is very different from human love. God's love is unconditional, and it&

We are told that the older we get the wiser we get. If that is the case, sometimes I wonder why I can't find the wisdom I am supposed to have that is inherent in getting older. Well, I guess I will have to take refuge in the fact that "He who holds his tongue is wise" and shut up. Then again, not finding the wisdom that corresponds to my aging to do so, here goes. Regarding Spiritual Wisdom, it does not automatically come by the number of years a person is a believer. If so, there would not be so many spiritually unwise saints when it comes to living as a loved child of God and understanding the Grace Gospel of Jesus Christ regarding God's plan and purpose for the community of the redeemed in the community of humanity. Neither would there be so many believers judging and condemning people. Spiritually wise people would also understand that the Bible cannot be understood by man's limited reasoning or by people's religious perceptions, because they wi

For many believers, using the Bible as the guide to living a spiritual life, the definitive, and final answer for everything is believed that is how God intended Bible to be used. But is that the case. I know the Bible is all divided up into nice chapters and verses that are conveniently  weaponized and used as proof text ammunition to validate man-made doctrine? The fact is, the chopping up of scripture didn’t start until long after the post cross books were written. Is the way the bible is used God's design? What if God didn’t intend for it to be the unquestionable 'Word of God'? What if God isn’t behind the way verses of the Bible are ripped up to prooftext everything? What if God doesn’t approve of our blind devotion to, and the idolization of a book? I know that sounds repulsive to the traditional way of thinking, but biblically could that be the case? What about in the gospels where we hear Jesus declaring, “You have heard it said… but I say…” Sometimes he’s

"This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of ALL men, specially of those that believe. These things COMMAND and TEACH." 1 Tim. 4:9-11 Believers have no problem believing that God is the Saviour of ALL men that believe. I wonder...how do they interpret the phrase that God is the "Saviour of ALL men" as declared in this verse also. Just wondering!

Stress Melters. Laughter in massive doses. There is humor in most situations you may find yourself in...find it and laugh your head off. Learn to laugh at yourself when you make mistakes. Rest. Do not over stress your body because it will over stress your mind and cause frustration which will add to your stress. Listen to your body, treat it well and give it rest when needed.  Blessings. Count your blessings not your problems,  Forgiveness. Forgiving yourself and others will set you free from the stress that holding grudges cause. Spontaneity. Practicing spontaneity once in a while will alleviate the drudgery of routine. and boredom. Surprises. Cherish surprises in life, they may not be what you expected but it may be what you needed. Vulnerability. Allow yourself to real, open and authentic.  Tear down any emotional brick walls you have built around you and feel every exquisite emotion, both good and bad. Attitude. Having a good one. Walking. Take one, it removes cob

Worry destroys your peace because you are imagining troubles that you don't want to happen before they happen, and may never happen. Instead of worrying about something in the future that may not happen, it is better to see things as they are now and deal with the situation. Focusing all you time on the problem  and its potential instead of focusing on the solution is counterproductive and fuels worry. Worrying  robs you of today, makes you over anxious about tomorrow and makes you regret your pass. Why worry when you can pray, trust Jesus He will show you the way where there is no way.

Good leaders do not have to dominate and control others. Good leaders dominate and control themselves.  Good leaders do not major on results that lie behind them or the victories that may lie  ahead of them, they major on the potential that lies within them. Good leaders are not bound by the fear of being wrong. Mistakes teach important lessons.  Every time they make a mistake they are one step closer to achieving success.  The only mistake that can truly hurt is choosing to do nothing simply because they are too scared to make a mistake, therefore they would never lead Good leaders never let negative people get the best of them. They hold their head up high not allowing the negative remarks to phase or deter them. Good leaders may get angry but, they are never cruel. Good leaders realize that if their leading was down the wrong path they still post a win because of the learnings from it. Good leaders not only pray when the circumstance are bad, they also pray when the cir

A good smile. A good laugh. A good friend. A good read. A good walk. A good job. A good meal. A good vacation. A good forgiver. A good name. A good understanding. A good conversation. A good relationship. A good rest. A good sleep. A good outlook. A good love. A good hug. A good kiss. There are many good things that can bring joy to life that does not require money and if you have money but not the good things that money cannot buy, you will not have a life of joy. Care to add to the list?

Being a loving positive person is the main ingredient in living a happy satisfied life. Spending less time with people you feel the need to impress and more time with people who make you smile and laugh is food for peace, contentment and health. Also don't live in the past or worry about the future if you want peace and contentment, life is in the present, that is where you are, so live life in the now. And remember that forgiveness, compassion and love are keys to a contented and a happy life.   A satisfied mind is a rich life.

Upsetting the coffee. Spouse forgetting to do what was asked. Irritable people. Being overcharged a few cents for an item. Can't find something you used that you just laid down. What other people think of you. The cook did not get your food order just right. You weren't acknowledged at church today. Your spouse talks to loud. Someone else is getting the attention you deserve. The car gets a flat tire. The remote start fails to start the car. The TV remote does not work and you have to get off the couch to change channels. These things may be irritating but should we let them ruin our day.  There will always be small issues that irritate and ruffle our feathers...the secret is to give them the microscopic importance they deserve.  

One thing is for sure..."In this world you will have trouble." That means there is no such thing as an issueless life, everybody has problems and nobody is perfect. Even smiling people have issues that plague them. Therefore, don't belittle, judge or condemn people, we all have unique battles we are going through. For those who are smiling through their battles or those whose expressions are expressionless because of the mistakes they have made or the pain they have caused or the adverse circumstances they are facing, a smile from you may not change the world but, it can change their world!  I know it is easy to feel like you're the only one that is struggling, barely getting by, frustrated and discouraged. But you cannot trust feelings, sometimes they lie. Jesus is going through the struggle with you and he will move on someone to help you find the sunshine and music in your world.  Remember it won't always be this way, there are better days ahead.

When times in life get tough we often allow the stress due to the crushing of our feelings to cause us to forget the things we should remember that would strengthen us and give us hope and we remember the things we should forget, causing us to become more distraught, stressed giving us a hopeless feeling.  We will never know the source of our strength or the quantity of our strength until the only choice we have is to be strong in The Lord.  Crying isn't a indication that you are weak, for at birth the first thing you do is cry and that is proof that you are alive and full of potential.    Therefore don't live life waiting for the storm to pass because more often than not there is another storm not far behind it.  The peace that passeth all understanding is going through the storms with you and because He is you are making progress by resting in Him, that will put you will way ahead of those who are remembering the things they should forget and forgetting the things the

Too many people spend to much energy doing things so God will love them. Stop wasting your energy worrying about if you are loved by God or not. The fact is God loved you even before you were a believer just as much as He loves you now that you are a believer. God's love for you is unconditional since the day you were born.   To live life fully you must accept the fact that God loves you and you can do nothing to make Him love you any more or love you any less. Get rid of the myth that God is sitting up there with a big stick to whack you over the head with when you do wrong. The truth is God is for you and is on your side and desires you to love Him so you will love people as He loves you. It is a fruitless endeavor for you to keep trying to earn God's love...you already have it. Every time you see the person looking back at you when you look in a mirror, remember that God loves you so much He made you in His image.  Break free from the need to earn God's approval by

How I treat people in the community of humanity on a daily basis in living life daily... How I respond to people who believe differently than I do... How I react to the sin-scarred sinner on the sin-polluted street... How I interact with the across-my-path people I meet... How I deal with narrow-minded people in their narrow-religious confusion of narrow-religious tradition on their narrow-minded street... How I understand and respond to the gracious grace of a graceful God as a member of the community of the redeemed... Is a far better indication of my respect, reverence and belief in God and His righteousness... Than standing for a "christian cause"... By stuffing my face with Chick-fill-a chicken to show my distaste and hate for the homosexual life-style... Picketing outside of an abortion clinic to show my hatred for the abortionist... Fear-mongering the sinner to scare the hell out of them to get them to join the faith... Or fear-mongering the saint

As Paul did, all true believers in Christ are to recognize the headship of Christ and the authority of Christ instead of the headship and authority of religion. Relationship with God is not found through something it is found through someone. Our death to the self-life and religious-life is a reality because of God's grace. Grace is not extended to so that we only have "Christ's life" within us...it is given so that "Christ's life"  will be lived through us as the community of the redeemed.  “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Gal. 2:20) We are not given grace to follow some man's ideology because He claims to be a representation of Christ and submitting to His authority or the authority of man a because of an appointed position in the hierarchal scheme of things. Grace is giv

The Grace of God was and is realized in Jesus Christ, and continues to be the expression of Jesus Christ by His working of His works through believers. Grace is Christ giving Himself to us for our redemption, recreation and restoration. By such giving of Himself, He invites us to Himself and shares with us the very Life and Love of God His Father. Thus, everything we are in God and everything we receive from God is because of His Grace. Grace is not only for the forgiveness of sin, Grace is the enablement and empowerment of a believers life for living life daily as the community of the redeemed in the community of humanity. Though GRACE does not depend on SIN to exist...but where there is SIN you will find that "Grace much more abounds." 

To properly interpret the Bible it is essential to understand  that every passage should be viewed through the lens of Jesus Christ..in other words through the framework of GRACE.  The mixing of law and grace proponents believe that salvation is by grace but the maintaing of that salvation needs salvation's grace to be balanced with something. The question is what should grace be balanced with? The common suggested counterbalance is obedience to the law. Does the bible teach that grace should be balanced with obedience?  My take on grace plus something is not grace at all, therefore grace cannot be balanced with something. I believe unfettered grace is the correct biblical concept to embrace. The fearers of radical grace maintain that that grace only people make light of the sin problem that plagues the community of humanity. But in actual fact, grace only is the only remedy for the forgiveness of sin and for overcoming the devastation, seriousness and pervasiveness of sin.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.  The written word of God...the bible...points to the Living Word of God...Jesus Christ. The Word of God became flesh...the bible, the written word of God did not become flesh? The Word was with God and the Word was God... the bible was not with God nor is the bible God? The heavens and the earth were created by the Word of God...the heavens and the earth were not created by the bible the written word about God? The bible is not a member of the Godhead...Jesus "The Word" is a member of the Godhead. Jesus the Living Word is to be worshipped...to worship the bible is to make an idol out of it. The bible tells us th