Fullness

If you are like most Christians, you are very busy, and don't want to waste your time reading material that either doesn't interest you or does not line up with the teaching of the denomination or movement you have chosen to follow. Therefore, we have developed methods to screen out those materials which do not fit into our mold. Often just a name will save us much time. If it doesn't come from the proper organizational headquarters, some people won't read it. The Jehovah's Witnesses, for example, have been trained not to accept non-Watchtower material. They will spend hours upon end discussing Scripture with you, but you must speak on their terms. Nothing else is allowed.

While we see the blindness in the Watchtower movement, we often do not realize that we have been programmed in much the same manner. Often, actually, we program ourselves. We only have so much time, and we would rather hear what we already believe then to hear something different. We naturally assume we already have the truth, so anything different must be a lie. It sounds reasonable doesn't it, but it is actually very foolish reasoning.

When a magazine such as Dew comes along, the natural religious mind wants to immediately put the book in its proper place. If it does not appear to fit into "our" beliefs, then it isn't necessary to waste good valuable time reading it.

Those of you who have studied various denominations and movements of Christianity know that each one seems to overemphasize one side of God to the exclusion of other sides.

The Methodist type of denominations, (there are many of them) strongly center around good works. To you, the Methodist, I say we to strongly emphasize good works.

The Calvinist, (there are many of these denominations also) does not emphasize works. He or she would emphasize sovereignty, election, and predestination aside from works. To you, Calvinist, we too, strongly emphasize these teachings.

The Lutheran is the champion of "faith alone," as Martin Luther would term it. Yes, we strongly concur that we are saved by grace, through faith. It is a gift.

The "Holiness" denominations (also many) emphasize coming out from among them and be separate unto God. We concur.

Baptists are the soul-winners of Christendom with a strong focus on winning the lost, being born again, and teaching the security of the believer. We whole-hearted, feel likewise.

The Pentecostal denominations (lots of them) strongly center on the "Holy Ghost" and speaking in tongues. We believe in the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit.

The Roman Catholics say there is only one church. They also see the maternal side of God which they express through devotion to Mary. We also believe in a universal church and the maternal love of God for all His children.

The Charismatics enjoy the duty of offering up spiritual worship and praise to the Most High. Amen!

The Present Truth, Sonship movements emphasize spiritual revelation. We also believe and receive and teach spiritual truths from the heavenlies.

We neglect mentioning other denominations only for lack of space. We see and understand the foundational strengths of most denominations of Christianity. This presents a major problem for most people centered in these sects. We can't be Lutherans because we are also Calvinists. We can't be Roman Catholics because we are also Baptists. We can't be Methodists because we are also Charismatics.

Our solution to the whole thing is this: We will be just plain-old Christians! These other denominational names will be worthless in the Kingdom of the Father. They will eventually have to go. Why not now?

And so, that is what we have done. We have dropped all our man-made titles and have gotten to the real foundation of Christianity. Jesus Christ did not come to start 22,000 different denominations centered around doctrines, men, and nationalities. He came to give His life a ransom for the whole world. He came to conform us to His image. He came to bring us into His family and give us the Family Name. Why are we not satisfied with that? Must we add to His finished work by adding another name? Will that make us better Christians, or will it actually makes us something else?

In Christ and Christ alone is the fullness of God bodily. In this Body, and this Body alone will a person enter into all the fullness He wants for us. Any other body will miss the mark and fall short of fullness.

It has been an exciting and sometimes dangerous journey going from one part of the earth (denomination) to other parts of the earth (denominations) to gather all the foundational teachings of Christianity without falling into man-made pits. Indiana Jones would enjoy such an adventure.

Dew is a magazine about fullness. We want it all. We want to bring heaven and earth together. Mount Hermon in the Bible was outside Israel, yet it was the life of Israel. It provided the water which became the Jordan. But the small confined Jordan could not provide enough water for all the crops. It was the heavy Dew from Mount Hermon which came at night that provided that moisture to bring in the harvest.

The moisture came from the highest mountain range in the region, higher than the mountains of Israel. It is a mountain situated at the crossroads of the East and West. "Snowy Mountain," "Chief Mountain," "Sion," "to shine," "to glitter," are among the names attributed to this mountain by the surrounding nations.

In the summer months, the remaining snows appear to be locks of white hair on an old man's shoulders. Most present-day scholars believe this was the mountain of the Transfiguration. Here is where the Voice from on High said, "This is my beloved Son, hear Him." (Mark 9:7) It is from this mountain our Father commands the blessing-Life forevermore. (Psalm 133:3) In this place, there is no room for Jewish nationalism or any kind of nationalism. If you can hear it, there is no room for any kind of denominationalism on this mountain. He who has fullness has all the parts. He who has a part, does not have fullness. He who is full of the ways of this world, must empty himself that he might become full with the riches from on high. We must be able to see that the ways of religion are empty and vain. We must see it for the dung it is before we are willing to let go of it. That is part of what the articles in Dew are all about. Some may say we spend too much time on the negative. Perhaps ... but we usually do not leave our little man-made sand castles until a wave comes or someone knocks it down. We do not knock down the little sand castles to be mean. Our desire is that you have Life Abundantly. It is only found in that city Abraham sought. Our desire is to keep all of us continuously moving toward that city ... the city from above Whose Maker is our Father from above. Abraham had to leave much behind.

I received a couple of letters from a woman asking me not to write articles about the problems in the church. She said there is no life in them. That is true, but if we applied the same principle to the Bible, we would have to eliminate a good part of the Bible. We would certainly have to remove the Prophets and most of Moses' writings would have to go. Much of the red print would also have to disappear. It seems Jesus spent a great deal of time on "Woe, woe, woe." Of course the apostles' writings would disappear as well. Even John, who wrote so much about love, warned of the apostasy which was then occurring. This beloved apostle was the only one who warned that even then there were many anti-Christs. And let us not forget his remarkable book-Revelation. Surely, Paul, the apostle to the nations would have to recant about the "foolish Galatians," Alexander the coppersmith, the women ladened with sin chasing every wind of doctrine, etc. And his remark about wishing his opponents would castrate themselves-well-what can I say? Of course, Jehovah of the Old Testament would surely have to completely be removed of the Holy pages of the Bible. With the above in mind, let's press on. I think the point has been made.