Zemirah Loc: Sojourner En Route...

—“Spiritual” Is Where You Find It

July 1, 2019
Dave Hunt


Phil Jackson considers basketball to be a very “spiritual” pursuit. He writes of the “link between spirit and sports.” By “spirit” or “spiritual” he obviously means something entirely different from biblical Christianity. And his new spirituality with its new acceptability by the world has opened up to him seemingly infinite possibilities that have liberated him from the narrow-mindedness of his youthful upbringing.

Jackson acknowledges that there is a spiritual dimension to existence. He has experienced, and it works, even to the extent of producing championship basketball teams! No longer, however, is true spirituality defined by the Bible. The very concept of something being true and something else false has been discarded. Spirituality, for Jackson, is a vast realm to be explored and experienced. He refers to “my two greatest passions: basketball and spiritual exploration.”

Yes, exploration! What possibilities that thought opens for wandering wide-eyed through exotic landscapes along a variety of paths made possible through the rejection of the Bible as God’s Word and infallible guide! And who cares where one path or another may lead? The excitement is in the discovery. All that matters is the experience of limitless exploration.

This new respectability which the world grants to a generic spirituality (so long as it isn’t Christianity) has allowed Phil Jackson (like multitudes of others) to reject what he thinks is Christianity without any sense of guilt. His embrace of all religions has clouded any understanding he may ever have had of Christianity.

Jackson equates faith in oneself with faith in God. In the occult we are each god. Declaring that the Bulls “certainly had faith in themselves in 1991-92,” he writes, “You have to trust your inner knowing.”

Amazingly, he confuses one’s inner knowing with “what St. Paul called faith: ‘the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen’ (Hebrews:11:1).”

On the contrary, Paul specifically said that he had no confidence in himself or in anyone else. (Philippians:3:3).

Repeatedly the Bible warns against trusting in any man, including one’s own self. Solomon wrote, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding.” (Proverbs:3:5).

Jeremiah warned, “Cursed be the man that trusteth in man …and whose heart departeth from the Lord.” (Jeremiah:17:5).

Jesus said, “Have faith in God.” (Mark:11:22).



Nuggets from Occult Invasion
https://www.thebereancall.org/content/nuggets-occult-invasion-spiritual-where-you-find-it

rumitoid

Wise words. The hubris to appoint oneself as the arbiter of truth is made into a spiritual quest. By experience, in our very limited lifetime and background, we can somehow know the secrets of the universe by osmosis. Very Tempting.

Zemirah Loc: Sojourner En Route...

More than tempting, it would seem, rumi,

For untold millions, and we can only judge by their external acts, words and fruit (only God looks at the heart), the Luciferian initiation experienced through an altered state of consciousness, no matter how created, has been irresistible, just as it was to Adam and Eve, in the garden that God had created for them.

Believing that we, ourselves, are God, not only removes natural restraint, but removes the need to search for the truth that spiritually exists only in Jesus Christ, to the exclusion of any other path to
atonement for our sins and personal acceptance by a Holy, Righteous and loving God.

Spirituality, set adrift from its secure mooring in Christ is a shipwreck.

bahmer

Amen and Amen very good Zemirah thanks for posting that as a warning to all of where wrong roads lead and where right thinking leads and that is eternal life.

rumitoid

I must admit to a fascination and liking of the Catholic Mystics, like Meister Eckhart. Can one have the same experience as Saul of Tarsus? Meister was killed in his travels most likely because he celebrated an individual's soul to know God. For Rome, only a priest could do that.

I do not believe in Solo Scriptura, because the Bible says not to...if we believe Paul. Romans1:18-21: "19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse."

We can know God and Christ directly, without the Word of the Bible, for we have spirit and grace as followers of Christ. Paul was not an exception to the rule of God with his personal revelations but simply how it should work. But not a single denomination or sect will accept such usurpers of their power. They will make the extreme radical nature of grace in revealing God as a flaw, ego.

Armageddun Loc: The show me state

There many sources of revelation of God. However, the Bible is the best and safest.

rumitoid

We are to depend on grace. Grace is not and should not be safe.

Armageddun Loc: The show me state

If you mean we should not take Grace for granted I agree. If that is not what you mean please explain?

Zemirah Loc: Sojourner En Route...

Hi rumi,

before I touch on your "fascination and liking of the Catholic mystics in general, and Meister Eckhart, in particular, here's some background noise:

Meister Eckhart (Eckhart von Hochheim) was a medieval-era (Born:Around 1260, near Gotha, Landgraviate of Thuringia in the Holy Roman Empire, now Germany;
Died:1327 or 1328, probably Avignon, Kingdom of Arles in the Holy Roman Empire, now France); German philosopher, mystic, and theologian. He gained recognition during the Avignon Papacy, at a time when "tensions" increased between diocesan clergy, Eckhart's Dominican Order of Preachers, the Franciscan Order, and monastic orders.

The increased power and ambitions of the cardinals led to the Great Schism and to the subsequent emergence of conciliarism, a theory that a general council of the church has greater authority than the pope and may, if necessary, depose him.

Apostolic succession presumes a direct line of authority proceeding from the Apostle Peter to Pope Francis I. That line got blurred during the Western Schism, which inadvertently sprung from the Avignon papacy.

In the 14th century, Rome was in a state of political anarchy and became too dangerous to contain the pope. One pope was imprisoned, and a later one elected under military pressure. In 1309, Clement V moved to Avignon, France, for safety and stability. Six more popes remained at Avignon, and the papal office became increasingly worldly in what was described as "the Babylonian captivity of the papacy". Saint Brigitta of Sweden pleaded with Avignon Pope #6 to return to Rome, but it took Saint Catherine of Siena's relentless spiritual clout to convince Pope Gregory XI (Avignon Pope #7) to comply in 1377.

Not long after returning to Rome, Gregory XI died. The next papal election was influenced by rioting Italians who called for a native successor, and the cardinals, still remaining behind in Avignon didn't get to vote. The mentally unstable Urban VI was the result. The French cardinals rejected Urban and held their own conclave, electing Clement VII. England and most of Italy sided with Rome; France, Sicily, Scotland, Naples, and Spain preferred the French pope. This led to a 39-year schism that confounded rulers and bishops. Double appointees were obliged to duke out the details in monasteries, religious houses, even parishes.

Urban returned to Avignon and was probably poisoned. Roman cardinals elected Boniface IX, who was promptly excommunicated by the French Clement VII. Boniface reciprocated. Clement died and was replaced with Benedict XIII by the French. The Roman Pope Boniface died, followed by Innocent VII and then Gregory XII. While several popes on both sides had wanted to end the Schism, Gregory and his counterpart Benedict agreed to sponsor the Council of Pisa in 1409 to resolve the problem. The Council deposed both popes and elected another, Alexander V. The other two popes refused this solution. Now there were three popes. Alexander soon died—probably poisoned.

The Pisa Council replaced him with John XXIII who was hardly better than a pirate. Another Council was held in Constance in 1414 and it elected Pope Martin V. All other contenders lost their supporters and the Petrine successors were thereafter traced through the Roman line of popes.

Scripture:
Mark 3:16; Matthew 16:18; Luke 22:32; John 21:15-17; Acts chs. 1–15

Books:
Authority in the Church - David J. Stagaman, SJ (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 1999)

The Popes of Avignon: A Century in Exile - Edwin Mullins (Ketonah, NY:BlueBridge Books, 2011)

Saul, who became Paul, of Tarsus, was given a unique mission by Jesus Christ; he completed that mission, and under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, wrote a goodly portion of the New Testament, which was forever closed after John received his Revelation from Jesus Christ ca 96 A.D.

..So, no, no, you can"t "have the same experience..."

The beauty and grandeur of nature is proof of God's existence, however, without the Bible, you cannot know the gospel of Jesus Christ, without which you cannot find the eternal salvation in His presence, granted to those who believe on Jesus' debt payment of their sins in full.

As you well know, "for Rome, only a priest could still do that.

...and how can we know how to "know" God and Jesus Christ without Holy Scripture, for it is written: " But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him out." (Hebrews 11:6)

You can run through the forest, rumi, seeking out God, until the cows come home, but without Holy Scripture, you will not know of God's interactions with mankind, and thus, you will not know God.

Do you think he chose men as His Prophets and Apostles over a span of thousands of years to record the words given to them, if He didn't believe it necessary that you read it?

IMHO, mystics are selfish men who seek to woo a "god" of their own making through their behavior of "godly" good works, and long hours spent contemplating their own navel.

Do you know otherwise, or are you playing d.a., and with whose ego are you concerned?

Rose42

What do you mean grace should not be safe.

rumitoid

"The beauty and grandeur of nature is proof of God's existence, however, without the Bible, you cannot know the gospel of Jesus Christ, without which you cannot find the eternal salvation in His presence, granted to those who believe on Jesus' debt payment of their sins in full."
I beg to differ. Grace is that powerful and far-reaching that the Bible does not have to be read to produce the necessary change of heart. For 1400 years after Christ died for our sins, very few had access to the word. A merciful God, I feel, would not desert those without a Bible.

Zemirah Loc: Sojourner En Route...

When former skeptic and seventeen-year-old Ravi Zacharias heard the words of Jesus in John 14:19, “Because I live, you also will live,” the trajectory of his life changed forever.

In a time of helplessness and unbelief—when he was on a bed of suicide—the truth of Scripture brought hope to Zacharias, and he committed his life to Christ, promising, “I will leave no stone unturned in my pursuit of truth.”

Earlier in John 14, Jesus says, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.” This verse has become the cornerstone of Zacharias’s ultimate mission as a Christian apologist and evangelist: to present and defend the truth of Jesus Christ that others may find life in Him.

Romans 10:16-18: God's Word Brings Salvation, rumi, "God's grace through Jesus Christ" is the most important concept in the Bible, in Christianity, and in the world. Grace is the love of God shown to the unlovely; the peace of God given to the restless; the completely unmerited favor of God has thus been offered to all mankind.

It is clearly expressed in the promises of God revealed in Scripture and it is embodied in Jesus Christ. Without faith in the gospel, that "necessary change of heart" cannot take place, for faith is the conduit through which God applies His grace to each individual soul who believes.

"But not all of them welcomed the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.
But I ask, did they not hear? Indeed they did: “Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world."

Galatians 3:2
I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?

Galatians 3:5
Does God lavish His Spirit on you and work miracles among you because you practice the Law, or because you hear and believe?

1 Thessalonians 2:13
And we continually thank God that in receiving the word of God from us, you did not accept it as the word of men, but as the true word of God - the word now at work in you who believe.

Hebrews 4:2
For we also received the good news just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, since they did not share the faith of those who comprehended it.

God has promised in Jeremiah 29:13 "But if you will seek the LORD your God, you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul," and James 4:8 - " "draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you."

God will provide a means for these seekers to hear His gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Book of Acts is a textbook on gospel preaching: there are 22 sermons or speeches - 9 by Peter, 9 by Paul and one each by Stephen, Philip, James and Ananias.

The 3,000 saved on the first Christian Pentecost had no Bibles, they heard Peter declare the gospel:

1. It was short and straight to the point. His speech was vital and urgent, with no unnecessary words (1 Corinthians 2:4). It was directed to the mind, giving instruction; to the heart, producing enthusiasm; to the conscience, resulting in conviction; and to the will, leading to decision.

2. It was simple, plain and clear. All in the congregation could understand exactly what he was saying, because he was proclaiming the glorious “new” message of the gospel, against the historical background with which his hearers were familiar. Peter spoke with great simplicity (2 Corinthians 3:12), and clearly and loudly - see verse 14.

3. It was instructive and informative. Peter’s preaching was not ‘emotional evangelism’, although there is much of it today. In the New Testament the appeal of the gospel is always to the mind, the heart, the conscience and the will (Isaiah 1:18).

4. It was scriptural to “preach the Word” (2 Timothy 4:2), i.e., the calling out of the Church to be the Bride of Christ (Acts 15:13-18).

5. It was bold, fearless and without apology. This was a distinctive characteristic of New Testament preaching; it was done with holy boldness.

The message he proclaimed is clearly stated in Acts 2:36 – “Jesus" ...both Lord and Christ” hath God made this Jesus whom ye crucified."

Peter did not preach religion, a religious system or even a creed, he preached a living person, Jesus Christ, God’s own Son and His work of dying on the cross, by which He accomplished the payment in full of the sin debt of guilty men and women; that which God the Son had done for the salvation of all men and women who would repent of their sins and have faith in Him.

http://www.daystar.com/guest-guide/ravi-zacharias/
https://biblehub.com/acts/2-36.htm
Greek-Hebrew Key Study Bible

rumitoid

I drowned in the surf of Rockaway Beach, Queens, when I was seven. Obviously, I was resuscitated. The memory of what happened that day seems as clear as if it was happening now. Felt overwhelming peace and love...and Jesus was the sun shining through the waters. I was changed. Jesus became an obsession. Yes, I was going to Catholic school and mass every Sunday where I heard (maybe) the Gospel but it was that day, that event, that made the real difference in my life.

Zemirah Loc: Sojourner En Route...

However God approached you, rumi, and for whatever reason, he saved you from drowning that day, the conversations at OPP would sorely miss your rather challenging (politely contentious even?) approach to debate.

You do know the gospel, however (when you choose to admit it). No one understands the gospel without the illumination of the Holy Spirit.

My salvation was realized the summer I turned eight. I went down the aisle in a Missionary Baptist Church
and accepted the gift of God's grace with full faith in Jesus having already paid for my transgressions, on the cross, and yes, I understood exactly what I was doing.

I didn't forewarn my parents, as I hadn't planned it. I felt a strong pull on my elbow, (like, "come on, let's go"), and walked forward, somewhat to my parent's chagrin, no doubt, as my father was the presiding minister that Sunday evening... and possibly would have appreciated advance knowledge.

God's timing is his own. He has wound the clock to eternity.

rumitoid

Thank you so much for that personal history of your conversion. I could see it. And God talks like that to me: "Come on, let's go." There is a smile to it, especially when he says, "be quiet." He says that a lot. Maybe I should listen more often.

I have had numerous numinous experiences. It was my practice to awake at 4am for my job, where I had to be there at six. This was in 1986. I would put on and drink a twelve cup pot of coffee, smoke a half dozen cigarettes, stare occasionally at Taos Mountain and write. There were many revelations during that period which would take days, weeks or never to understand. On this particular day, shortly before I needed to drive to work, the "voice" said "Jesus only had to say three words: Resist not evil." Goosebumps, and I loved its provocative nature. But I could not get a handle on its meaning. I left for work.

At work, as a breakfast cook, Linda, part owner, handed me a book and said she got the strong message it was for me. On my first small break, desperate to smoke, I went out to the picnic tables, sat, lit a cigarette, and randomly opened the book she gave around its center. The very first paragraph I read had a footnote. I love trivia. So I went down to the bottom of the page and read it. It said, "Leo Tolstoy believed Jesus only had to say three words: 'Resist not evil.'

That experience has cemented my knowing that God, or something other, is very real and survives this existence. I choose Christ.