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The Government of God

March 12, 2025 by bjcorbin

Jesus explained the government of God when He told His disciples that, “the Son can do nothing by himself; he can only do what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does (John 5:19)”.  Paul further explained that the head of every man is Christ, and that the head of Christ is God (1Cor.11:3). 

By walking in perfect submission to the leadership of the Father, Jesus gave us a clear demonstration of, “thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven,” which allowed Him to rightfully claim, if you’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father (John 14:9).

As amazing as that claim was, He also told His disciples that it was better for them that He go, so that the Holy Spirit could come (John 16: 7-11), which speaks of God’s provision for us to experience the government of God as well. 

Once again, Paul expounds that Jesus has been given all authority, and that He is the head of the body (Eph.1:22-23), which ultimately is our source of life (Col.2:19).

I submit that the Lord has no interest in some earthly replica of His government or kingdom.  We are not building some new hierarchy or structure we are submitting to the Kingdom rule that already exists in heaven between the Father and the Son.

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Legacy

March 8, 2025 by bjcorbin

If you live long enough, your life is bound to stand for something.  Even without any conscious thought, the consistent patterns that repeat themselves throughout a lifetime point to the things we truly value and expose the content of our character.  They ultimately create the subtext of our story, which could rightfully be considered our legacy.  Those of us given the privilege of reaching old age frequently get the opportunity to consider the legacies of those who came before us, which quite naturally encourages the consideration of our own.

There are some who seem to be driven by their desire to cultivate a specific legacy, seeking out opportunities to prove themselves and to frame the narrative of how they might be remembered.  Unwittingly, that drive can actually work against them, and undermine the story they hope to tell.  

An example of this would be those who wish to be remembered as “successful” or as a “winner”.  While they may spend their lives accumulating accomplishments and leave behind trophy cases of awards and accolades, that only tells a part of their story.  If the cost of achieving such things was meaningful relationships, and/or if their need to win caused them to treat people like pawns in a lifelong chess tournament, that will likely become the bigger story.  The record books may acknowledge them as a “winner”, but they will be remembered for being ruthless and uncaring.

In the end, we don’t get to write our own legacy.  It is ultimately defined by those we leave behind.  In many ways it is the foundation we’ve established for them to build upon (or teardown), and the mark we’ve made on their hearts.  If our life was nothing more than an endless pursuit of our own happiness, it seems doubtful that anyone would take the time to consider what it meant.  Indeed, a life consumed with self is the emptiest existence one could choose.  If we could grasp this concept early in life, it might drastically alter our value system, thereby rewriting the subtext of our story.

I’ve frequently taught my children that at the end of this life there will only be two things that really matter.  One is “who you loved,” and the other is “who loved you!”  When you’re lying on your deathbed, your money, your diplomas, your gold medals, your Oscars, your Nobel Prizes… won’t be of any consolation.  In that moment, all the stuff that once seemed so valuable becomes meaningless, as we realize that only those things rooted in faith, hope and love can pass over the threshold with us.

It is in such moments that many a rich man discovers his poverty, and that many a poor man discovers the riches of a life well lived. 

Today, as my dear brother Thomas lives out the final moments of his story, he is surrounded by people who he deeply loves, and who deeply love him.  People who he has invested his heart in, and who cherish the moments they’ve had together.  Though my brother has many other accomplishments, and things he could be admired for, these are the only things that matter today.  As he stands on the threshold of eternity, he can look back into the loving eyes of those whose lives have been touched by his, and he can look ahead, into the loving eyes of the Father who awaits his embrace.  

I can’t imagine a better way to end one’s story.  

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The Spirit of Religion

February 25, 2025 by bjcorbin

(Another one from the achieve)

There is a demonic force that thrives in religious atmospheres, and for the purposes of this writing, I will refer to it as the “spirit of religion.” Because it so often comes dressed in robes and vestments, it is easily mistaken for orthodoxy.

The spirit of religion seeks:

  • to put boundaries around what is infinite
  • to place conditions on that which is unconditional
  • to discredit anything that cannot be rationalized and reproduced
  • to have us view other people as our source of connection to God, as opposed to viewing God as our source of connection to other people
  • to redefine the “work of God” as something other than believing in the One whom He sent
  • to inspire the church in the construction of an earthy replica of “the kingdom”, so that the genuine Kingdom does not come
  • to keep us grasping, when we should be releasing

The spirit of religion opposes:

  • spontaneity, because it understands the power that is released when God moves “suddenly”
  • anything that puts our focus on the person of God, because when the body becomes connected to the head, all things become possible

The spirit of religion wants the church to accept:

  • comfort as a substitute for healing
  • ideas as a substitute for revelation
  • activity as a substitute for fulfilling one’s true purpose
  • stimulation as a substitute for manifestation
  • recreation as a substitute for rest
  • instant gratification as a substitute for renewed strength
  • things done in the name of Jesus as a substitute for things done in His character
  • intermediaries as a substitute for direct & personal connection
  • symbols as a substitute for a living God
  • earthly prosperity as a substitute for spiritual authority
  • good form as a substitute for real substance
  • morality as a substitute for being led by the Holy Spirit
  • petition & declaration as a substitute for genuine communication with God
  • the exaltation of men of God as a substitute for the exaltation of God Himself
  • spiritual gifts as a substitute for Gods’ tangible presence
  • government as a substitute for community
  • accomplishment as a substitute for transformation
  • what is seen as a substitute for what is unseen
  • rituals as a substitute for relationship

The spirit of religion is always present at the funeral of revival

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True Value

February 25, 2025 by bjcorbin

(Another writing from the archives)

This article reminded me of something the Lord showed me several years ago, which I added below.

“Picked up for 3 bucks, Chinese bowl goes for $2.2 million at auction”

   By Erin McClam, Staff Writer, NBC News

A Chinese bowl that a New York family picked up for $3 at a garage sale turned out to be a 1,000-year-old treasure and has sold at auction for $2.2 million.

The bowl — ceramic, 5 inches in diameter and with a saw-tooth pattern etched around the outside — went to a London dealer, Giuseppe Eskenazi, at Sotheby’s auction house in New York on Tuesday.

Sotheby’s said the bowl was from the Northern Song Dynasty, which ruled China from 960 to 1127 and is known for its cultural and artistic advances.

The auction house said the only other known bowl of similar size and design has been in the collection of the British Museum for more than 60 years. The house had estimated that this one would sell for $200,000 to $300,000.

Sotheby’s did not identify the sellers, but said they put the bowl up for auction after consulting with experts. The family bought the bowl in 2007 and had kept it on a mantel in the years since. There weren’t any additional details made public about the garage sale where they had purchased the item.

Years ago, the Lord showed me a picture of an oil painting, sitting on an old, chrome framed, yellow vinyl, kitchen chair.  The chair was sitting out on the lawn, with masking tape across one corner of the paintings frame. 

As I pondered what the scene meant, I remembered hearing stories about people who’ve cleaned out attics and inadvertently sold valuable masterpieces, by artists like Rembrandt or Picasso; sometimes getting as little as five or ten dollars at a yard sale.  Obviously, the people, who found those old pictures, had no idea of their value; and as I continued to meditate on this, a deeper understanding began to emerge.

The most obvious meaning of this picture was that God considers each of His children to be a masterpiece, regardless of whether they’ve ever been treated like one.  Sadly, when you’ve been handled like old junk, it becomes easier to believe that’s what you are.  But in truth, the real value of a masterpiece is not diminished by the failure of its beholder to understand its worth.  It is the one who undervalues the artifact who ultimately suffers the loss.

Few would argue God’s credentials as a “Master” Creator; but just as it is with the Master Painters here on earth, some might want to quibble over His “greater” and “lesser” works.   Yet to the artist, each work is an expression of their inner being, each is valuable and irreplaceable.  One painting might get more attention than another, one may bring more profit, but each one is of equal value in reflecting the heart and vision of its creator.  Undoubtedly, if those who looked upon such a painting, with untrained eyes, had known the name of the artist, they may have had some greater sense of its worth.

Genuine art lovers can often pick up subtle details in a picture that an unskilled or maybe even an uncaring eye might miss.  They can often derive much more significance from a work than someone who only scans for the obvious; and so it is with us. 

We may not always see the beauty in people, but how often have we really looked for it.  We may not always understand what the Creator was trying to convey to us, but simply knowing who created them should make these works valuable to us.  While this may be difficult with some people, it may be most difficult as we look in the mirror.  I sense that God’s heart is just as grieved when we don’t understand our own value to Him, as when we don’t see the value in others.

I believe that God wants us to be like the lovers of great art; to look deeply into His creation and to find Him in it.  The scripture says that the invisible qualities of God are found in the things He created and that we were created in His own image. 

I sense that He is calling us to look past the obvious (love covers a multitude of sins) and to find the beauty He’s placed inside of each one of His children.  Once we find it, I believe that He would have us cultivate (i.e. to shine the light on and water) it.  Isn’t that what Jesus did? 

He didn’t focus on the flaws or mistakes; He treated each one as precious and valuable.  We can see that people were transformed by that (e.g. the woman at the well, the woman taken from the bed of adultery, the woman at the well, Zacchaeus…). 

Jesus told the apostles that people would know His followers by the way that they loved each other.  Is that how people know us church folk?  How much of a difference would it make if we sought the beauty that God placed in each person and if we truly valued them as a unique creation, from the hands of a Master Artist.  If our hearts are going to align with His, we are going to have to become more passionate about those He created.

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Clarifying Love

February 19, 2025 by bjcorbin

(Another older writing)

Given the scriptures exhortations about the importance of love, it is critical for Christ’s followers to understand what that word means to Him.   To that end, the Lord gave me a series of visions that helped to clarify the relationship that He desires to have.  Hopefully, they will bring some clarity for others as well.

(Gratitude)

As I pondered what it means to truly love the Lord, He gave me a vision of standing at the front door of my old house, looking out the screen door.  Across the street was an apartment complex, which had a bus stop directly in front of it.  The road between was not zoned for a residential area, and so the cars normally came through at a very high rate of speed. 

In the vision I looked across the street to the bus stop and saw what appeared to be a young mother, with a child (approximately 3 yrs old) busily exploring the ground around her feet.  As I watched, the mother received a cell phone call, which took her attention off of the child, who immediately began to wander onto the roadway.  Knowing how the traffic moved through this area, I was alarmed and ran out the door.  At the edge of the road I could see that my fears were warranted, as a car was rapidly closing in on the child.  

Instinctively I ran toward him, violently grabbing him under his arms and diving toward the edge of the road; just as the screeching tires of the car passed by us.  We hit the ground hard, before rolling to a stop on the grass.  There was what seemed to be a frozen moment of silence, as the shock of what just happened washed over us; but that silence was quickly shattered by the fearful screams of the child and the loud cries of his mother. 

As I scrambled to ensure that the boy was OK, his hysterical mother ran to us; as did the driver of the now stopped car.  Upon seeing that the boy wasn’t seriously hurt, I lifted him into his mother’s arms, as she managed to repeat thank you, thank you, thank you, through her sobs.  As I looked into the faces of the mother, her child and the panic stricken driver, the vision ended and the Lord began to speak.

“Do you think that they are grateful?” He said

“Absolutely”, I replied

“If I asked them if they loved you, what do you think that they’d say?” He continued

“In this moment I would suppose that they may say that they did”, I replied

“Do you believe that they love you?” He asked

“I think that they love what I did, but they really don’t know me, so I don’t see how they could honesty love me”, I said.

“This is how many of the people who say that they love Me are; they are grateful for what I’ve done for them, but they don’t really know me at all”

From this exchange with the Lord, I derived that while we should be grateful for His sacrifice on the cross, we cannot mistake that gratitude for the loving relationship that He’s called us to.

(Explicit Love)

As I pondered how I might bless the Lord’s heart, He gave me a vision of a man (in his mid to late forties) walking through his house and buttoning his shirt.  The house was dark and after a couple seconds I realized it was before dawn and that he was getting ready for work.  As he passed by his children’s bedrooms, he paused to check on them as they slept and then he quietly slipped out the door. 

I then saw him at work on a construction site, where he appeared to be the Foreman or maybe a Construction Engineer.  He was working hard and providing direction to several different people; I could see from their response that they respected him and what he was telling them. 

The scene then shifted back to his home, as he came in the kitchen to drop off his lunch bucket and checked the “Honey Do List” on the refrigerator.  I then saw him outside his house, working on a ladder, apparently repairing something near the rain gutters.  The house and the yard looked immaculate, as if a lot of care had been expended on them. 

The scene once again shifted and he was now sitting down with his family for dinner.  I watched as they bowed their heads and blessed the food.  After dinner, I saw the man hard at work on his computer, as his children came to say goodnight to him.  While he acknowledged the children briefly; he seemed immersed in his work.  It appeared to be very late when his wife came by to say goodnight as well.  Sometime later, he walked back through the darkened house, put on his night clothes and slipped into bed.  As he lay in bed, the Lord began to speak.

“What do you think of this man?” He asked

“He seems to be a very good man to me Lord”, I replied

“Do you think that he loves his family?” He continued

“Oh yes”, I said

“What makes you think so?” He asked

“Because he seems to work hard, they have a beautiful home and he seems to take good care of them”, I said

“Do they feel loved?” He asked

“I would think so”, I replied

“Look closer”, He said

As I moved around his bed, I could see his wife’s face; and to my surprise she wasn’t asleep.  As I came closer, I could see that there were tears in her eyes.  As I moved down the hall and looked at the faces of the children, they too were awake and also had tears in their eyes.

“I don’t understand Lord, why are they so sad?” I asked

“Because they love this man”, He replied

“But he clearly loves them, don’t they understand?” I asked

“He wants them to understand that he loves them because of all that he is doing for them, but they would all be willing to sacrifice some of these comforts if it meant that they could have more time with him”, the Lord said,  “You see this is how many of My children are with Me; they want Me to derive the fact that they love Me by all of the things that they do for Me; but I’d be much more pleased just to spend time with them”.

From this I concluded that while our actions should reflect our love of the Lord, we must be careful that our love for Him doesn’t become implied (i.e. implicit), as opposed to being expressed (i.e. explicit).  I felt like the Lord said that if a faith that never acts is dead; what is the value of a love that is never truly expressed?

(The Desires of Our Heart)

As I pondered what it means to be passionate for the Lord, he gave me the following vision. 

As she stepped out of the hotel lobby and onto the busy Manhattan sidewalk, she could sense the electricity in the air.  The boulevards were jammed with people and cars, not unlike the streets that she’d grown up with in Calcutta (or Kolkata as it is known in India).  But to her the atmosphere was totally different.  Despite the affluent appearance of her hometown, she viewed it as a monument to a bygone era; an oasis of civility in a largely third world culture. 

New York City seemed different to her; modern and progressive.  America was not some third world country; it was the nation of the great middle class, where average people expected the next generation to progress beyond the current one. 

As she walked along the crowded avenue the possibilities seemed endless, as exotic smells filled her nostrils, unfamiliar sounds rang in her ears, and inviting scenes seemed to unfold at every turn.  She found it intoxicating, as she spent hours strolling through shops, galleries and plazas; simply taking in the ambience of the city. 

Every once in a while, a wave of sadness would wash over her as she remembered that the Travel Visa, which allowed her to be in this country, would soon expire; and that she would have to return home.  This trip had been a graduation gift from her parents, and she was due to start Medical School in a few weeks.  But this is where she wanted to be, and the thought of going back was excruciating to her.  She quickly pushed these thoughts and feelings aside, as to not waste the precious time that remained.

As she passed through the doorway of the exclusive restaurant, she saw Michael waiting for her.  When he saw her, his face broke into a broad smile.  Failing to conceal his excitement, he quickly made his way to her.  He helped her with her coat and they were soon seated at a little table by the window, which overlooked Times Square.  She had met Michael a few days after arriving in New York, and he had persistently pursued spending time with her ever since.  He was a successful business man, in his mid-thirties, and he seemed very eager for them to cultivate a relationship. 

While she had every reason to be attracted to Michael, his earnest manner made her somewhat uncomfortable.  She loved the places that he’d taken her, and enjoyed the attention that he lavished upon her, but she couldn’t seem to get herself excited about the relationship that he seemed to long for.  As they waited to order their food, Michael stared at her intently; totally enthralled by her dark eyes and almond colored skin.  Yet, she seemed oblivious, as she stared out the window, apparently mesmerized by the bustle of the cityscape. 

After their food was ordered, Michael’s face grew serious.  He told her that he understood that her time in America would soon be over, and of how sad he was at the thought that they might never see each other again.  Though his grief seemed to rest more on the latter thought, hers rested firmly on the former.  His face brightened some as he explained that it didn’t need to be that way.  Reaching into his pocket, Michael produced a small felt covered box, pushing it across the table to her.  A wave of trepidation swept over her as she realized what was happening. 

His face was glowing with love as he said, “You could stay here and be my Bride”?

Her head spun at the sound of his words.  She knew that her feelings for him were not nearly as strong as his were for her.  Truthfully, she didn’t really know him very well; though she had to admit to herself that her desire to know him better wasn’t that strong.  On the other hand, agreeing to this proposal would mean that she could remain in this place, which she’d come to view as a sort of paradise.  The thought of returning to the oppressive atmosphere of her homeland was overwhelming to her.  The thought of becoming a naturalized citizen in this country was like a dream come true.  This was her chance for the life that she yearned for; how could she even consider saying no. 

As she opened the felt box, she saw the spectacular diamond ring that he’d picked out for her.  He pulled the ring from the holder and taking her hand, he gently slipped it onto her finger.  It fit perfectly and flashes of light erupted from it with every movement; she found herself captivated by it. 

“Do you like it?” he asked. 

“Oh yes!” she replied, without looking at him. 

When she was finally able to pull her eyes from the ring, she looked into Michael’s face.  She could see that he was stricken in anticipation of her answer. 

She finally whispered, “How could I say no?”

Michael made no attempt to conceal his delight, and people from other tables began to look at them.  She was embarrassed, but he was unashamed to share his joyful report with anyone who would listen.  As Michael ordered Champagne for everyone in the restaurant, and continued in excited conversation with those around him, she stared out the window at her new home, and smiled.

At the end of the vision I felt like the Lord said, “This is a picture of my Bride.  She yearns to live in my Kingdom, she yearns for the things that this marriage will afford her, she yearns for the treasures of my store houses, but she doesn’t necessarily yearn for Me.” 

While the Lord intends for His Kingdom to be inviting and to be lavish with His children, I believe His heart yearns for a Bride who will love Him for who He is.  I pray that we would become such a Bride.

The eyes of the Lord range (i.e. run to and fro) throughout the earth, to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him (2 Chronicles 16:9)

From the book, “Along the King’s Highway” by Bryan J. Corbin

Published in 2008 (ISBN 978-1-4363-6965-7)

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Three Brothers

February 19, 2025 by bjcorbin

(Another older writing)

Today, it all became clear to me.  It wasn’t always that way; for many years I felt caught between two worlds or more accurately between two brothers.  I (Marcus) was the second of my fathers’ three sons; born seven years after my brother Phillip and just a year before my brother Andrew.  My father is the King of this great land and of course that makes each of us a Prince.  The affairs of the kingdom have kept my father away for as long as I can remember and thus much of what I know of him has come through my older brother Phillip. 

As the first born and the first heir to the throne, he has access to things within the kingdom that Andrew and I don’t.  I’ve never struggled with that knowledge, but it has always been a point of resentment for Andrew.  He’s never seemed content with his role in our family or in the kingdom.  All through our childhood his discontent grew stronger, along with his resentment of Phillip.  I tried to stay out of that conflict, but eventually I was drawn into the middle and forced to choose a side.  To understand that choice, I must go back to the beginning.

Andrew and I have always been close; I suppose this is largely due to the small difference in our age and the fact that Princes rarely have the opportunity to interact with other children.  Even so, our temperaments seemed to fit well together.  Andrew is fierce and impulsive; full of passion, emotion and expression; while I am naturally cautious and thoughtful; more of an observer and slower to speak.  Though I am older, I’ve always tended to yield to Andrew, even in the times when I’ve disagreed with him.  I guess that I’ve rarely felt passionate enough about my own beliefs to fight with him; and to disagree with Andrew will always mean a fight.  We spent almost every waking moment of our childhood together and this forged an unbreakable bond between us, or so I thought.

Phillip is very much a reflection of our father.  He is even tempered, wise beyond his years and deliberate in all that he does. He always seemed much older than us and has always been busy with the matters of the kingdom.  I can scarcely remember a time when he’s acted like a child, even when he was one.  Everything that he says or does seems to be motivated by either, “the kingdom calls” or “it is what father would want”. 

Those phrases tend to aggravate Andrew, but I’ve never sensed any pretense in Phillip, so I tend to view them as noble.  Phillip was always fair with us, though he could be very firm as well.  I know that he was aware of Andrews’ feelings toward him, yet he never acknowledged them or acted in a way that I thought was retaliatory.  He didn’t really have to force us to do anything, but often Andrew would complain bitterly whenever he asked anything of us.  Though Phillip and I are probably more alike, we’ve rarely spent much time together and thus we haven’t shared the closeness that Andrew and I have.

As we reached early manhood, I sensed Andrew becoming more distant.  He would leave the palace and be gone all day.  He was rarely willing to speak of where he had been or what he’d been doing.  In this time, his resentment for Phillip seemed to grow into hatred.  Just the sight of him would cause Andrew to seethe.  On occasion I tried to reason with Andrew about this condition, but his anger would normally just turn on me, so I quickly abandoned that effort.  As much as I could, I tried to remain neutral, but the day eventually came when that became impossible.

Late one evening, I was lying in my chamber, when I heard the foot steps of many men moving through the passageway.  I quickly moved to the door, just in time to see the door of Andrew’s chamber close.  I quietly moved down the passageway, intent on learning the source of this commotion, and as I paused at the door, I could hear Andrews’ impassioned voice.  He was describing how they were going to overtake and kill “him” and I suddenly realized that the “him” that they were speaking of was Phillip. 

I was immediately torn as whether to burst into the chamber, letting them know that their plan was exposed or whether I ought to run to Phillip.  After a momentary pause, I chose the latter and quickly went to awaken Phillip.  Even coming out of a deep sleep, he seemed immediately coherent and calm.  As I excitedly conveyed what I’d heard, he didn’t seem at all worried or even surprised.  When I was finished, he told me that he knew that this day would eventually come and then he asked me a disturbing question.  He said, “Which side are you going to take”? 

I was instantly irritated by the idea that he would expect me to choose between my brothers and after some hesitation, I blurted that out.  Phillip calmly agreed that no man should ever have to make such a choice, but went on to say that all of my tomorrows would hinge on that choice tonight.  He also reminded me that if Andrew was successful in killing him, that I would be the next in line for the throne, which is something that I’d not yet considered.  Phillip genuinely seemed more concerned with what decision I was going to make, than with the fact that Andrew and his accomplices could arrive at any moment. 

It felt as though either way I chose to go, one of my brothers surely would be destroyed.  I asked Phillip, “how does one make such a choice”, to which Phillip replied, “For me it is simple; what would father have me do”, “but the question you must resolve is whether that will be your standard”?   As I sat there in a daze, Phillip eventually broke the silence, thanking me for warning him and assuring me that he would handle Andrew’s uprising.  Before I departed from him, he reiterated that no matter what happened, whether I acted or failed to act, I will have made a choice.

As I made my way back, I noticed that all was silent in Andrew’s chamber and I tried to convince myself that it had all been talk; but as I stepped through my own door, a voice emerged from the shadows, “good evening Marcus”.  Surprised, I stammered, “Andrew, what are you doing here”?  He said, “I’ve come to speak with you brother, where have you been so late in the evening”?  I replied, “Well it seems as though we’re all having difficulty with sleep tonight, what is it that you’ve come to speak about”?  “We’ve come to discuss the future of the throne”.  “We”, I replied; “Yes, I’ve some friends with me”, said Andrew.  I could sense their menacing presence in the room as I said, “Since when does a brother need friends to speak to his brother”?  To which Andrew replied, “My friends haven’t come for you”. 

“Who have they come for” I inquired.  “I think you know” responded Andrew.  I let out a sigh and said, “Yes I suppose I do; but then what happens”?  “Why you’ll become the first heir to the throne of course”, he replied.  After a silent moment, I asked, “What if I refuse to be a part of this…brother”.  At that moment Andrew stepped out of the shadows, with his sword drawn and moved slowly toward me.  Upon reaching me, he raised the tip of his sword to my chest, just poking through the cloth of my shirt and said, “The choice is yours…brother”.

I could barely breathe at the revelation that my own brother was willing to destroy me, but before I could respond, Phillip and a squad of palace guards poured through the door.  Before Andrew could fully turn, Phillip had knocked the sword from his hand and had his sword drawn on Andrew, while his accomplices were immediately subdued by the guards.  To my surprise, Phillip did not address Andrew, but instead he queried me. 

He asked, “So have you decided Marcus”?  “Decided what”, I responded weakly.  “Which side you choose”, said Phillip?  After a moment I asked, “What if I choose Andrews’ side”?  “If that is your decision, I will lay down my sword, surrender my claim to the throne and put myself at Andrews’ mercy”.  His words were like a kick in my stomach, no matter what I chose it would mean the destruction of one of my brothers.  As my mind flooded with thoughts and memories; memories of Andrew and I laughing together as children, thoughts of his sword at my chest; it suddenly became very clear to me and I said the only thing I could think of, “what would father want”? 

At those words Andrew screamed in agony and it was finished.

In the time that has passed since that night, I’ve often wrestled with whether I’d made the right decision, but today it was resolved forever in my mind.  Today, our Father came home.

This story is a parable about the relationship between our body, soul and spirit.  In the story, Andrew represents the body, or more rightly our flesh (i.e. our carnal nature).  We naturally feel more connected to the flesh, because we grew up being guided by it and our relationship is much closer than to that of the spirit.  Like Andrew, the flesh always wants its way, even to the eternal destruction of the soul.  Phillip on the other hand represents our spirit, which is our connection to the spiritual realm and to our Father in heaven.  Like Phillip, the spirit is motivated by the things of the kingdom and is edified by doing the Fathers will.  As in the story, the spirit is not willing to destroy the soul to gets its own way, but if we are willing to submit (through our spirit) to the leadership of the Holy Spirit, the kingdom rule of our King will be manifest, even in His apparent absence. Marcus represents our soul (i.e. our mind, will and emotions), which is what makes us who we are and lives on for eternity.  As in the story, we don’t like to have to choose, but the Bible clearly says that the flesh wars against the spirit and that what is pleasing to the flesh is not pleasing to the spirit; it goes on to say that the flesh needs to be put to death, so that we can partake of a life in the Spirit.  While the battle between the flesh and the Spirit may be difficult and confusing today, it won’t be on the day we come face to face with “Our Father”. 

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Thought for the Day – Heavenly Minded

February 15, 2025 by bjcorbin

It’s ironic how often I’ve heard warnings about “being so heavenly minded that you’re no earthly good”, when I can’t seem to find a scripture that substantiates this concern, nor have I ever met someone who actually fits that description.

I have met a few folks who seemed hyper-spiritual (i.e. overly fascinated by the supernatural), but I considered them to be more mystical than heavenly minded. Their excitement appeared to be more rooted in the dynamics of power, than on eternity.

On the other side of the coin, I hear almost nothing said about believers who are so engrossed in current events and the facilitation of man-made systems that they no longer have much capacity for the good news of the gospel. Sadly, I frequently encounter folks who fit this description, and the scripture clearly speaks of that issue (Rom.8:5-8, 2Cor.4:18, Col.2:8).

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The Original Sin

February 13, 2025 by bjcorbin

I grew up with the story of Adam and Eve, and their exploits in the Garden, which seemed pretty basic at the time.  There was good fruit, bad fruit, and God’s clearly stated expectations.  Man disobeyed those directions, chose the bad fruit, and sin was introduced to the world. 

My take away was that life is pretty much a struggle between good and evil, that choosing evil is sin, and that sin is what separates us from God.  From that I derived that the mission was to do “good” and not evil, so that at the end of this life I’d wind up with the good folks in heaven.

Throughout my formative years, this was my conception of what “Christianity” was all about.  As I stepped into adulthood and made my own way in the world, I left the church life behind.  I suppose if you would have asked me, I still considered myself a Christian, just not a church goer.  I tried to be a good person, and to live by the golden rule, but there was little evidence of the belief I claimed.

Years later, as I reached my early thirties, the life I’d built began to crumble, which forced me to reconsider my conclusions both about myself and about God.  I remember hearing someone quote the Matthew 7 passage that says, “Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven (vs. 21).”  That was scary, because it seemed to be aimed at people who counted themselves as followers.  Even more terrifying was the ending of the passage, where despite the good things they had done in His name, they were disqualified because He never “knew” them (vs 23).

This immediately challenged my concept of what God was after.  The folks He was addressing in the text seemed to believe in Him, and to be doing good things in His name.  As far as I knew, that was what we were supposed to be doing.  And these verses were clearly saying that there’s more to it than that. 

Something like panic began to rise up in me, and I knew I’d better read this book (i.e. the Bible) for myself.  What I found not only changed my concept of the mission, it redefined what I consider “sin”.

When I revisited the story of the garden, I was surprised at how different it seemed.  Most important, was the realization that the choice Adam and Eve faced wasn’t between the fruit of what is good, and of what is evil, it was fruit from the Tree of Life, or fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. 

The tree of life is pretty straight forward, it’s really just a picture of Jesus.  It offers us provision from the Giver of life, but like any fruit tree, we’ll need to come back daily to sustain ourselves.  He became our daily bread.  He is the vine and we are the branches.  The fruit is good because He is good.

Less obvious is the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil”.  After all, doesn’t God want us to know the difference between good and evil.  If life is really a battle between the forces of light and the forces of darkness, isn’t this essential information?  Why should God forbid that we eat of this tree?

It’s the serpent that answers this question.  He tells Eve that if they eat of the fruit, they will become like God.  In other words, they won’t have to rely on Him for this knowledge, they’ll be able to decide for themselves what is good and what is evil. 

Ultimately, it was the choice between being completely dependent upon God, and viewing truth through the lens of their relationship with Him, or living life on their own terms (i.e. independently from God) and by their own sense of what seems “good”.  Sin entered in when mankind chose the latter. 

The punishment wasn’t because God was mad at them, He was actually giving them the life they chose (i.e. the desires of their hearts).  A life lived by their own wits, and sweat, and sense of what was right.

I often hear people speak of sin in the third person, as though it is a separate entity, like a demonic spirit that tricks us into disobedience, or some stray cloud of evil that temporarily shrouds our vision, but that is deceptive.  The appeal of such an aesthetic is that it makes sin seem less personal, thereby making us seem less accountable. 

Like Adam, we want to rationalize that we’re not really disobeying God, as much as we’re just victims of an unfortunate set of circumstances (Gen.3:12).  But like him, we are making a definitive choice that has very real implications. 

As I read the whole of scripture, and have endeavored to walk with the Lord, it’s become clear that sin is much more than simply choosing to do evil or to disobey God’s commands.   Minute by minute we have the same choice as they did.  We can submit ourselves to the Lord’s leadership and live our lives through the context of His heart, or we can engage the world through the filter of our own perceptions, and persist in self-rule. 

God lets us know that His thoughts are much higher than our thoughts (Isa.55:9), that He can do exceedingly more than we could ever imagine (Eph3:20), and that the wisdom of men is foolishness to Him (1Cor.1:25).  Further, he warns that our perceptions are severely limited (1Cor.13:9), that apart from Him we can do “nothing” (John 15:5), and that the way that seems right to us will ultimately lead to death (Prov.14:12).  He literally sets before us life and death, blessings and curses (Deut.30:19).  But then He allows us to choose the path we follow (Josh 24:15).

Jesus said that He is the way, the truth and the life, and that no one comes to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).  He also let His disciples know that the way that leads to life is narrow, and that only a few actually find it (Matt.7:14). 

So, when we choose to rely on our own perceptions (i.e. thoughts, experience, knowledge, sense of justice, understanding, perspective, attitudes…) to guide us, we are willfully deviating from the way He made for us.  He is not distancing Himself from us, we are separating from Him.  I have come to believe that this is the very essence of sin.  Our penchant for choosing the way that seems right to us is fundamentally rooted in pride, which God detests (Prov.16:5).

This is why Jesus said that anyone who wasn’t willing to take up their cross daily (i.e. die to self), and follow Him (i.e. submit to the will of the Father) is not worthy of Him (Matt.10:38).  It is also why He said that the only way to find the abundant life He died to give us, is to surrender our life to Him (Matt.10:39).

Jesus demonstrated the life He’s calling us to when He expressed His unwillingness to do anything He didn’t see His Father do first (John 5:19), so that at the end of His life He was able to say that if you’d seen Him, you’d seen the Father (John 14:9).  He has destined us to be transformed into that same image (Rom.8:29).

Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross made a way for us, and His Spirit stands at the ready to share everything we need for godly living (2Peter 1:3), but the decision to yield our hearts belongs to us. 

Moment by moment, we can be driven by our own thoughts or guided by His thoughts (2Cor.10:5).  We can relate to people based on our feelings about them or we can manifest His heart for them (John 13:34).  We can view the world through the lens of current events, or from His eternal perspective (2Cor.4:18). 

If sin was simply about obeying commandments, then the rich young ruler should not have gone away sad (Luke 18:18-29).  But Jesus asked him to lay down the very things that identified him both as rich, and as a ruler, which was a price he wasn’t willing to pay.  I’ve no doubt He is asking the same of us. 

Yielding our mind, will and emotions to Him is ultimately the way to love Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength (Matt.22:37).  At this point in the journey, I’ve come to believe that the mission is to keep my heart (i.e. mind, will & emotions) in step with His heart, which allows me to be available for whatever He chooses to do.

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The 7 Cultural Mountains Strategy

February 13, 2025 by bjcorbin

(Written several years ago)

Over the last several years the “7 Cultural Mountains” doctrine has become very popular in many circles. Ostensibly, it explains both the loss of “Christian” influence within the culture and gives “the church” a strategy for a return to prominence. At first blush, it sounds fairly plausible, but upon closer examination, significant flaws emerge.

For those who are not completely versed in this paradigm, it is based on the premise that there are seven primary areas that tend to shape any culture; which are government, religion, education, the family, business, arts & entertainment and media.  These areas have been dubbed cultural molders, pillars of culture, or more popularly the “7 Cultural Mountains”.  The idea is that if you can have an effect in those areas, you will in fact impact the culture as a whole. 

If you extrapolate from this solid base assumption, you can begin to trace the fall of the Christian influence within the larger American culture to its breakdown within these seven specific categories.  A study of the last half century in America’s history would certainly seem to confirm the steady descent of the Judeo-Christian influence within the culture; and it begs the questions, “What caused this descent?” and “How do we as Christians regain a place of influence within our culture?”  It is in the answer to these two fundamental questions that I find the most problematic elements of this movement.

The generally accepted answer to the first question is that Christians have separated themselves from the culture and essentially abandoned the other six cultural mountains in favor of camping on the religion mountain.  This claim is generally supported by pointing to the Christian subculture created by things like books, music, movies… that are specifically marketed to the church.  But a broader look at the people who count themselves as “Christian” in America doesn’t seem to support that premise at all. 

If Christians have truly segregated themselves to the religion mountain, then there ought to have been a marked shift toward orthodoxy in the church, instead of the rampant abandonment of traditional church doctrines and it ought to be easy to find groups of highly devout Christians, sequestered away from the culture at large (akin to the Amish people); but that doesn’t appear to be the case either.  Considering that more than three quarters of adult American’s profess to believe in some form of God and that most of those profess some form of Judeo-Christian basis for that belief, such a mass cultural exodus would be difficult to conceal. 

As I look around, I see people who claim some form of Christianity in positions of prominence throughout the culture.  The mayor of my town, the governor of our state, and the President of our country are all professed Christians; so is the Senate Majority Leader and so are the majority of people who hold government office in this country.  Many of teachers at my children’s public school are Christians, as are several of the players from the last Super Bowl teams, so was the winner of this year’s Daytona 500, and at the Grammy awards, several of the artists thanked their “Lord and Savior”.  Wherever you go in this country and no matter what field you look into, you can find Christian people in a position to influence their environment. 

The idea that the church has separated itself from the culture would seem to imply that Christians in America are so committed to their principles that they are unable to relate to the things of the world, but the overwhelming evidence suggests that the opposite is true.  Statistics for things like sex outside of marriage, divorce, abuse, addiction to internet pornography… indicate no discernable difference between the church and the world.  I would submit that the failure of the church to effectively engage the culture has more to do with the fact that the American brand of Christianity has become so dilute and compromised that the church as a whole has become undistinguishable from the culture.  I also believe that for those who have not compromised, the chasm between the pure truth of God’s word and what the culture holds as truth, has become so wide that they doubt their ability to bridge the gap.

A possibly more dramatic example of the flaw in concluding that Christians have cloistered themselves on the religion mountain can be drawn by an examination of the religion mountain itself.  If Christians have put all their eggs in that basket, than this is the one area of culture that they should firmly control; but the truth is that their influence appears to be diminishing just as rapidly on this mountain as it has on all of the others; as traditional forms of religion give way to the rise of Humanism, Scientology, Mormonism, Islam, New Age and Wicca. 

If we have drawn the wrong conclusion about the question of how we got to this point then undoubtedly our answer to the question of, where we should go from here, will be off base as well.  If the conclusion is that we’ve disconnected ourselves from the culture, than the answer is sure to be aimed at establishing a stronger connection; but if our problem is in fact that we’re already too connected to the culture, then such a strategy could be a recipe for disaster. 

As I review the strategy that’s being developed for “taking back the cultural mountains”, I caught myself trying to find some biblical context for it.  Undoubtedly we are meant to have an impact on the culture around us, but my understanding of scripture would indicate that this impact was meant to be a by-product of our on-going, dynamic connection to God and was never meant to be the object of our pursuit.  If Jesus was out to conquer the culture, why wasn’t He born in Rome or at least in Jerusalem; why did He spend His brief season of ministry with ordinary people instead of appealing to those in positions of power; and why don’t we see the apostles doing those kinds of things either. 

It is the enemy’s game to make us feel as though we lack what we need to live the life that God has ordained for us and yet this strategy seems to be predicated on the idea that “if we only had the right people, with the right credentials, in the right places, then we could impact the culture for Christ.”  If that is what it takes, then how did Jesus change the world with twelve uneducated men, who possessed little earthy influence?  This proposed strategy seems to be more rooted in futurist philosophies than in biblical principle. 

The sad news from my perspective is that we’re already in a position to impact the culture if only we’d surrender ourselves to God and to His purposes.  We seem to think that we can win the world with our ideas, but the word tells us that to those who are perishing, the cross is foolishness and it’s too easy for the world to see the disparity between what we preach and how we live. 

Our role has always been to be “salt” and “light”.  Salt was never intended to be the main course; it was only intended to flavor the things it touches.  Light itself is rarely the center of attention, but its presence is illuminating to everything it reaches.  If we’d simply live what we profess to believe, our culture would be revolutionized.  If we loved our wives like Christ loved the church, women everywhere would want to marry a Christian man.  If we loved our neighbors as ourselves, people would want us to live on their street.  If our “yes” meant “yes” and our ‘no” meant “no”, businesses would want us as their employee’s.  If we could be identified as Christians because of the way we loved & supported each other, we wouldn’t have any trouble getting people to come to church.  If people could see the character of Christ within us, they’d be drawn to it.  Unless the world sees something within our existence that they want for their own, they have no reason to accept that our version of the truth is any more credible than theirs. 

The danger in this doctrine is that it threatens to keep the church focused on the culture instead of the Author and Finisher of our faith; and as humans we tend to become whatever we behold.  It also threatens to keep us focused on what is seen, instead of looking to the unseen realm, which is where both our weapons and our enemy exist.  This philosophy seems to hinge the healing of our land on our ability to change the minds of the ungodly, while God’s word ties the healing of our land to His children changing their minds. 

It strikes me as more than a little ironic that the period in which Christianity reached its most prominent position within culture has come to be known as the dark age of the church.  Unless the church that bears the name of Jesus Christ becomes connected to Him in a way that causes His image to be accurately projected to the world, it will continue to be irrelevant to this or any other culture.

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Blurred Vision

February 13, 2025 by bjcorbin

(Written many years ago)

One of the most effective tools of our enemy is the subtle redefinition of terms, especially those with biblical significance.  Within this pattern we see a word from scripture infused into our cultural vernacular, where it can take on all sorts of new connotations (i.e. it is secularized).  As such a term gains new relevance, there is often a renewed emphasis on its use within the church; but many times the word is not restored to its original context.  An example of such a term is, “vision”.

Like many words, “vision” can have different meanings based upon its context.  It can simply mean how well we see (i.e. our visual acuity); or it can refer to a dreamlike state where images permeate our conscious mind; or it can refer to our long term goals and the strategies we have for achieving them.  I believe that this final context is the most popular, and that its attractiveness can largely be traced to the business world. 

It is our human tendency to make successful people and/or entities into icons; and increasingly entrepreneurs have reached celebrity status within our society.  They are often hailed as visionaries based solely on their perceived success, and often in spite of their character.   These czars of popular culture rarely resist the urge to share their “vision” and often find a crowd willing to fall in line behind them. 

Unfortunately the church is amongst the leaders in this trend; as church growth experts study the successes of corporate entities in hopes of replicating their success within the church.  Though on a purely practical level this would seem to be a reasonable strategy, spiritually it is fraught with pitfalls.

While many might rationalize that there is nothing wrong with the church employing successful methodologies from the world; such a belief ignores that at the foundation of every methodology is a philosophy or ideology; and that embracing the method in the natural generally equates to embracing the corresponding philosophy in the spiritual (i.e. in essence we put our faith in it). 

The other problem is the aim of these strategies.  Corporate entities in the world are looking to attract consumers, to grow their businesses and to appeal to the masses.  Churches who’ve successfully deployed such methods have often achieved those same ends; producing consumers instead of disciples.

In the corporate world, the leaders (or visionaries) come together and cast the vision for the organization.  This is the exercise of visualizing where they want to go, what they want to achieve and then developing a strategy for getting there.  Once again this seems to be a very sensible approach for any corporate entity, including the church; but it ignores many principles of scripture. 

God clearly states that our ways are not His ways; that the wisdom of men is foolishness to Him and He warns us not to be taken captive through “hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ”.  He tells us not to be focused on what is seen (i.e. in the natural), but to be focused on what is unseen (i.e. the spiritual).  He tells us that not only is our struggle in the spiritual realm, but also that our tools, weapons and authority are in that sphere as well.  Sadly, when the church chooses to study and deploy worldly strategies to gain influence in the natural realm, we unwittingly lay down our weapons and forfeit our authority in the spiritual realm.

The scripture I’ve most often heard quoted in regard to the word “vision” is from Proverbs 29 (KJV), where it says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish”.  I’ve heard many leaders use this scripture in the context of talking about long term goals and strategies, but that doesn’t seem to be an appropriate application.  The Hebrew word translated as “vision” in the King James actually speaks of a revelation from God; and other translations actually use the word “revelation”. 

If our long term goals and strategies were established through revelation from God, it could be argued that these meanings are synonymous; but in terms of teaching the scripture, there is a large difference between the idea that people perish because they don’t have long term goals and strategies, and that people perish because they don’t get revelation from God.  The Lord has not entrusted the leadership and guidance of His children to anyone apart from Himself and thus the vision for our lives and His church must come directly from Him.

Just as the term vision has taken on a new context, so has the term “visionary”; whereas there was once a very spiritual connotation to the term, it now seems that anyone who has an active imagination or the ability to “visualize” their ideas can be viewed as a “visionary”.  The problem with such visionaries is that they can tap into any number of sources for their vision. 

Visions that are not birthed from the Spirit of God, but are instead derived from our minds, emotions, observations, experiences, imaginations… could more accurately be called goals, plans, wishes, dreams or fantasies.  Surprisingly, Proverbs 28 (NIV) addresses the idea of fantasies when it says, “one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty”.  In light of these two scriptures (i.e. Prov. 28 & 29), it would seem vital that we discern the origin of our “vision”; because apart from divine inspiration, a visionary will inevitably build a monument to themselves.

It is very much within our nature to want detailed information about the future; as such detailed plans for the future can seem very appealing.  But God’s interest in developing our faith makes such detail counterproductive.  He told Abraham to leave his home, but He did not tell him where he was going; He gave Joseph a dream of the future, but no road map or time table for getting there; When Paul had the desire to go preach in Asia, the Spirit would not let him, instead he was given a dream of a man in Macedonia and nothing more… over and over we see God give His servants a vision and then expect them to rely on Him to guide them to that vision.  Even Jesus said that He didn’t do anything that He didn’t see the Father do first. 

While God can and does give us a vision for the future, we must understand that our view of it is partial at best (i.e. we know in part, we prophesy in part, we see as through a glass dimly).  While the world casts a vision and then stays focused on it, we as children of God must remain focused on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.  If we become too locked into our vision, we can easily become task driven instead of driven by the Holy Spirit; goal oriented instead of people oriented and so focused on our long term goals that we miss what God is doing today. 

If we find ourselves stepping over, around, or through, people to bring about our vision, I’d suggest that we’ve lost our eternal perspective.  I do believe the Lord has a vision for our lives and His church, but that the biggest obstacle to His plan is our plan.  Without His guidance, the best we can achieve is a bigger and busier church.  Yet with His guidance, we can change the world.  Unless the house is built using the Lords plan, we labor in vain.

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