No Exceptions Ministries, Inc

I’ve been pondering the nature, purpose, and function of the ekklesia, the intimate manner in which a group of faith is to form, gather, and ‘live the Way’ together in community.  What follows is one such musing, ‘Faith in Isolation’.  ——————————- “No man is an island.” - John Donne, English Poet and Anglican Minister ——————————- Jesus is the Vine but we, collectively, are His branches. (John 15:5) Jesus is the Shepherd but we, collectively, are His sheep.  (John 10:11-18) Jesus is the Head but we, collectively, are His body comprised of distinct part dependent on the whole. (Colossians 1:18) Contemporary Western Christianity, heavily influenced by cultural and political forces, has a habit of emphasizing the individual at the expense of the whole.  Pulpits accentuate the need for individuals to ‘get saved’ when the Biblical narrative speaks as much, arguably more, about plural conversion (metanoia: a change of mind, thinking, or perception) households, communities, nations, and cultur

What follows, my precious grace brethren, is said in and through Love.  Please hear it as the heartfelt plea of subjective healing that I intend it to be. When one is delivered out from under a religiously oppressive system, there are countless traumas that, if we are not careful, are carried into the next phase of our respective journeys.  That pain, if left unresolved, distorts our perceptions and pollutes the Living Water with our hurt as we pour Love out to others.  It permeates our conversation, prefacing the articulation of our beliefs more so on what we DO NOT belief than on what we DO belief.  Exhausted by the us-vs-them attitude that saturated the religion we fled, we have at times functioned with the same sense of false superiority and elitism of the very systems we escaped, merely replacing ‘sinners’ for ‘the evangelical church’ in the ‘them’ column. As an academic, I can appreciate the importance of words and debate in articulating ideas and theological concepts.  The resto

This marvelous journey of Grace and Love in which we find ourselves recognizes no natural distinctions. The varied means by which mankind separates and divides are anathema, utterly contradictory to the Truth found in our Triune Lord. No male or female. No ‘in-crowd’ or ‘outsiders’. No class divisions. No egos. Just oneness in the One who is Love. THAT is the Truth.  But as the Apostle Paul knew all too well, a sense of superiority can be a powerful thing, ever-ready to stand in opposition to the truth of our union and inclusion. Brian Simmons, author of the Passion Translation, is being overly kind with the use of the word ‘manure’ to describe these vain attempts at personal promotion of self above others in his rendering of Philippians 3:8. The Greek word is skúbalon and was used as a vulgarity in the Greco-Roman world. A more accurate translation is…well…(I’m sorry mom, but it’s true)…’shit’. All that Paul could point to amidst his accomplishments as identifying his worth, identity

Christ is risen!  But He didn’t rise alone!  The marvelous splendor of the resurrection is that Jesus included the whole of creation within Himself.  As such, His death was OUR death and His resurrection OUR resurrection!  So yes, He most definitely is ‘risen indeed’.  But through His selfless act of ultimate reconciliation whereby we are found in (and seated with) Him, WE TOO ARE RISEN INDEED!  Passages to Consider: Colossians 3:1-4 (Passion Translation) Christ’s resurrection is your resurrection too. This is why we are to yearn for all that is above, for that’s where Christ sits enthroned at the place of all power, honor, and authority! Yes, feast on all the treasures of the heavenly realm and fill your thoughts with heavenly realities, and not with the distractions of the natural realm.  Your crucifixion with Christ has severed the tie to this life, and now your true life is hidden away in God in Christ. And as Christ himself is seen for who he really is, who you really are will als

From before the foundation of the world, THEY were: Father, Son, and Spirit, operating in complete accord and oneness.  They made man in THEIR image and likeness, and then included all of creation in that relationship through Christ Jesus.  So from the very start, it has always been RELATIONAL.   It is all the more tragic then that so much of the western church distorts this, emphasizing a God who is transactional, always requiring something of people before He will bless, accept, or even love them.  Whereas covenant is what scripture speaks of, institutions have twisted into a perverted form of contract wherein we are expected to ‘do to get’.   THAT IS NOT GOD! 

You cannot manipulate God into doing good to you; not through prayer, giving money, volunteering, or any other altruistic means.  That’s what the pagans did in their sacrificing of their “best” in service to their gods.  It’s what misguidedly motivated Abraham to take Isaac to the mountain top for sacrifice.  As a Tishbite, Abraham had an expectation that sacrifice was necessary for the creator to be pleased with him.  But when he is about to end Isaac’s life, GOD STAYS HIS HANDS!  Why?  Because that’s not how God is not is it what He requires.   So no, we cannot manipulate God through giving, acts of seevice, contrition, or any other means to force Him to bless us.  More to the point, you cannot manipulate Him period!  Why?  BECAUSE THERE IS NO NEED TO!  He ALREADY desires good to/for you.  Nothing is withheld by Him.  So stop begging, pleading, giving, serving, etc. in the hopes of getting God to ‘move on your behalf’.  He’s constantly in motion already, actively dispensing blessing

Palm Sunday is commemorated as the day that Jesus entered Jerusalem to the jubilant exaltations and praise of the populace, waving palm branches to declarations of Hosanna! (‘Save us, please’).  Palm branches were symbols of victory in Jewish and Roman imagery.  By waving them at His arrival, they signaled their identification of Jesus as their long-promised Deliverer.   This same group would shout for His crucifixion just days later.   What changed?   Their deliverance came, sure enough, but not in the context in which they wanted or expected. They desired an avenging warrior-king who would slit the throat of Roman tyranny, freeing them from colonial rule.  Instead, what they received was the Prince of Peace who brought true freedom from a far greater oppression they didn’t even know held them in bondage: a mistaken identity of separation from God.   People are fickle.  Their faithfulness is fleeting, dependent upon several internal and external factors.  Even the most trustworthy, co

Competition in the business world is not only acceptable, but it has the potential to bring about the best for everyone: lowering cost, increasing quality, expanding options.  But this is most definitely NOT the case in spiritual matters among likeminded brethren.   The turmoil caused by local fellowships and large ministries engaging in competition with one another has been a chronic source of embarrassment to the ekklesia at large, as well as a pitiful witness to the world around us.  Rather than seeing humanity as a seemingly endless expanse of people yet to experience the unconditional love of God, competitive Christianity perceives the expanse as limited, prompting them to scratch and claw for their piece of the finite pie.  ENOUGH.  We are not called to compete but to COMPLETE. The expression of the divine within each person is capable of helping another to achieve their goals.  If we stop focusing on building our own empires and instead endeavor to prioritize our brethren, what