Month: November 2017

Why Are We Spiritually Starving?

When we are starving, our palate begins to broaden and things that we would normally not eat, we now consider because survival becomes our priority.

It is in these humble beginnings where we re-learn on how we should live by faith and to live beyond the labels of what is good or bad “food” simply to quiet these hunger pains.

But once “food” has become a blessing daily and routine, we tend to become more “selective” or “biased” on what we choose to feed our bodies and souls.

So as stewards of God’s blessed reminders, may we not become “narrow-minded” when it comes to how or where God may feed us.

John 6:35 NIV

“Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.

“Narrow-mindedness” biblically is simply about ignorance. Ignorance is just a lack of diversity in one’s life.

Sadly, racial discrimination/racism has this same foundation of narrow-mindedness and ignorance.

Because if we ever allowed other “races” in our inner circle, we would had learned early in life that “color” had nothing to do with how we trust individuals. It is about faith and things that are not logical that builds relationships, like forgiveness and love.

So as gentle as I can say it, we should never be spiritually hungry.

The only reason why we are spiritual dying and starving these days is because of our narrow-mindedness or our lack of variety and diversity in how God may feed us.

The Non-denominational and Protestant movement was all about this simple fundamental truth. “The Just shall live by faith.”

It was all about LIBERATION and not LIMITATION. It was about freedom internally before the external and about achieving the highest level of order in our hearts vs an external order of laws and legalism. Preaching Self-discipline over disciplinary measures.

Like I tell my kids, sooner or later we need to eat more than just chicken nuggets and pizza.

In the name of Jesus Christ, your brother in our war against sin. Amen.

Ray Evangelista

Literal Symbolism.

There was a time when a Pastor would tell me in regards to scripture, “Don’t read into it”. Meaning that I should not venture off the literal meaning of scripture. However, what message are we sending as elders of the spiritual church of God?

What is “literal” is good, and it is not a matter of right or wrong, but of order.

We, mankind, have been deceived on what we classify of what is “literal” and “figurative” because it is all figurative.

Because what we deem as literal; words, letters, characters, and numbers are really just “symbols” of something true and what is true is that all of creation points to the Creator. When we lose this connection, we lose vital meaning and intimacy between our relationship between God and mankind.

“The Word of God must first be a love letter before it can become a rule book.”

These words are just a basic symbolic expression of what is real and in no way should be taken as truth alone.

The word coffee is not really coffee and the word apple, is not an actual apple.

For example, the word “faith” is not faith. The word “hope” is not hope and the word “love” does not even express a fraction of what love truly is.

In fact, scientifically, when we “see” the word love, it is our right brain that will interpret these characters to us and produce a conclusion by linking our personal experiences of love (good or bad) which creates our own personal definition of what “love” truly is.

So what does this all amount to?

Well, the “Word” became flesh for a reason. The “Word” or what was written had to become an actual being and an expression of flesh because we got the wrong interpretation of what was written in the scriptures.

So if this note will teach us anything, it would teach us that even what we perceive as literal in life and scripture, still has a very symbolic and deeper meaning if we can believe.

A life of literal meanings is what we are trying to escape in this world.

Now if we are still children, yes we need literal boundaries, but when do we push maturity? At what age?

And who around us will we allow intimately to push or encourage our maturity?

These are valid questions that the “church” are obligated to address and yet they do not. Because unless we are preaching about receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, then we remain in a immature spiritual state and require discipline over having the power of self-discipline via the Holy Spirit.

Look around us, we are grown adults that are still fighting childhood demons of envy, lust, addiction, gluttony, and abuse.

Everything in our lives speak that we have a lack of self discipline.

I have been a poor steward of God’s blessings. It was never a question of God providing, but a question of my management.

“Our problem in this country is NOT our ability to make money, but our ability to manage it.”

Let us learn from great men like King David. Sadly, he was more mature as a young man intimate with God then as an adult separated from God with so many distractions. Apart from God we truly cannot do anything.

John 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Maturity is about living by faith, by hope and most of all living by love. Maturity is about living beyond what is literal and what is “seen” or by what we perceive as good or evil. There is more to it than just “bad luck” or this is what we deserve.

Philippians 4:7 “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.”

Life is about many personal messages and experiences that God sends to us in one of three ways, aka the “Trinity”. And in this “Trinity” comes three intimate messengers of love with the latter being the most intimate;

First, the love of a Father, second, the love of a best Friend via His Son and finally, the love of a Husband to His Bride via the Holy Spirit.

All are in harmony to remind us that there is something greater than what is literal.

I have much more to write, but I trust that by faith, the true Counselor will guide you unto all truth and the mysteries of this blessed subject. May this serve simply as a “Theatrical trailer” to a greater full length feature film.

Now if you still remain a very literal person about scripture, I close with this scripture:

Acts 2:38

“Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

In the name of Jesus Christ, your brother in our war against sin.

Ray Evangelista

The True Light. 

There are artificial and natural lights for every need in life. Some lights are solely to illuminate our surroundings and some are designed specifically for cellular growth.

However, there is a light that is far greater than any light God or man has created. This light also possesses illumination factors as well as the power of cellular growth, however it has one more quality that the other lights lack and that is the power to give life to your soul.

In fact, this light was often described biblically as a consuming fire or a pillar of fire unlike a dove from heaven when Jesus was baptized.

This light is what inspired God’s creation of all earthly lights, including the sun, moon, stars and fire.

This original light was the Holy Spirit and prior to Calvary, only one man was able to harness its power in it’s entirety and His name was Jesus Christ.  

John 1 NIV

“9The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– 13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”

If there was any book and chapter in the Bible that I would recommend to read before starting in Genesis, it would be John chapter 1.  
My emphasis here is verses 12-13,

“12Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God– 13children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.”

Acts 2:38 NIV

“Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”

Receive the true light.  There is 99.9% chance that you were baptized by the traditional religious way of “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” which OMITS the name of Jesus Christ.  Honor the name above all names and  ask to be rebaptized in the name of Jesus Christ. 

We preach the baptism in the name of Jesus Christ not because a believer has to, but instead, a true believer should want to.  

Because obedience without love is religion. 

Your brother in our war against sin, 

Ray Evangelista