Category: New For Old

483. Is God Bored? A New Perspective on Church Practices

Mike Parsons

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Bored with this church stuff

God spoke to me and said, “I am really bored with this church stuff.” And I thought, you cannot say that. That cannot be you. How can you be bored with people worshipping you? But he was not saying he was bored of people, or of their desire to worship. He was saying he was bored of the format, the same things, week after week.

So I pressed him. “What do you mean, bored?” He said, “Why do you not ask me what I would like you to do?” I said, “We do. We ask you every week.” And he replied, “Yes, but you are only giving me a menu of five things to choose from. What you are really asking is: what order do you want to do those five things?”

I had to admit he was right. We claimed to be led by the Spirit, but only within the boundaries of those five things. That realisation shocked me. I kept quiet at first, because I knew it would cause an uproar. Instead, I began teaching the Engaging God programme in my office on Sunday mornings. The main meetings had to stay at a basic level for the newer people and those from the rehabilitation unit, so others handled that.

I would spend the first part of the service downstairs teaching, then went upstairs to join the main gathering. And when I did, I felt the same as God had said. This is really boring, is it not? I enjoyed myself more in the office than in the service. It was not the people—I loved the people. But while we were on the cutting edge of engaging God, with angels and portals into heaven, we were still doing everything in the same tired format. Someone would say something, we would sing, there would be ministry, and perhaps something else—but always within the same framework.

What is church?

I began to understand what God was saying, and I felt it too: this is not it, is it? He took me out of that scenario and began to press the deeper question: what is church? Why do we run a meeting? Because church is not a meeting. Church is people in relationship—with each other and with God. But what we had built, with worship, a preach and the rest, was the very thing God was challenging. “Why are you doing this? Who said I wanted you to?” And that challenge shook us.

It challenged people. What was this going to look like? So then we did not do any of that. We turned up on a Sunday and asked, “Oh, what does God want to do then? What do you want to do, God?”

God said, “If you had asked me before you got here, I would have told you I did not want you to come and do this today.” Ah. So it is not about meeting this way and turning up in a building then? No. Not every Sunday. No. If you had asked me, I would have told you I wanted you to go and do something yesterday, to go for a walk and enjoy the beautiful fresh air.

That was a very different challenge to our thinking. This was not just, “Oh well, we will turn up in the building and then ask you what to do.” This was actually, “Do you even want us to meet this way this week?” People struggled with that because they were so conditioned to being told they had to turn up on the day to do whatever was going to happen. That was ‘church’, and they were expected to be there if they were part of church.

What is the way forward?

So it was very challenging, and we got to the point where those who were meeting together began saying, “Well, let’s just seek God and ask Him to show us the way forward. What is the way forward?” This was November–December 2019. Then God used COVID to show us the way forward, because suddenly we could not meet anymore anyway. We had all the technology to meet online, but we asked God, “Do you want us to meet online?” No, because all you would be doing is recreating something online that you cannot do in person.

Eventually, people were weaned off church — the meetings, the format, the structure that we called church. They were still relating to one another, still building relationships, still pursuing the mission God had given to care for people. Some people could not cope with not having a church service, so they went off and found one that made them feel comfortable. Great. If that is what they want to do, no problem. They were free to do that. But some people were so free that they realised they did not have to go to a meeting on a Sunday — or two meetings, or whatever it might have been. They would never want to go back to that. They discovered that being church is very different to going to a meeting that we call church.

That deconstruction took place in people’s understanding of church over quite a long period. I did not turn around and say, “You can’t do this anymore.” I did not say, “You can’t meet this way anymore,” because that would have been forcing them. I said, “Okay, I am not making these decisions. I am not going to be a leader anymore who tells you what God might be saying or not saying. You are responsible to hear God for yourself. So you decide what you are going to do.”

An everyday relationship

When COVID came, with all the restrictions, we could not meet the way we had been meeting, and for a time, we could not even meet together individually. People realised their relationship with God was just as strong, if not stronger, after they stopped doing Sunday church meetings than it had been before. They found their relationship with God was an everyday relationship, not based on the structure we had put in place to ‘help’ them.

Some people struggled. Some wanted the fellowship of meeting together in a bigger setting, and they found that elsewhere. But others found their relationship with God growing anyway. They discovered that their relationship with others, if genuine, is not dependent on meeting on a Sunday. They still had relationships and friends.

It is very interesting to see the process God takes us through to challenge our preconceived ideas about the Christian life, about what church is, about what we ‘should’ or ‘should not’ do. And when we are free from it, we find freedom. Now, I am free to go, free not to go, free to do whatever I feel in God. And I know God enjoys me watching the football just as much as He enjoys it if I went to a home group!

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473. Why Do We Assume? | Questioning Our Beliefs and Practices

Engaging God

430. Being You | The Heart of Your Relationship With God

482. Is Your Heart Aligned with God’s Kingdom or Culture?

Mike Parsons

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There are many questions we should be asking and signs we should be looking for. If God is doing something—like Enoch appearing or other unusual things—what is that about? I cannot give a hard, fast answer, but I do believe God is challenging us to think and to question what we believe. What are the foundations of our lives and the way we live? Are they kingdom foundations, or are they cultural?

If they are cultural and oppose God’s kingdom, which is love, then we must ask, where is my heart? Is it aligned with God’s heart, or with the culture where I live? I do not want to be known culturally as British. Yes, I was born in Britain, it is on my passport, but I do not want to be subject to the culture of Britain if it is anti-kingdom. I would never call myself a British Christian, or even a Christian. I just want to be seen as a follower of God, of the Father.

So, what might cause me to have views which may be contradictory to the kingdom? We need to ask: what has shaped my life, my thinking, my belief systems, my worldview? Are they aligned with God’s heart, or do they need deconstruction? I see three main areas where God is challenging people (there may be more): religious deconstruction, political deconstruction, and financial deconstruction. A friend of mine said God was taking him through those things, and I realised he was doing the same with me. I now know to look at things differently in those areas and make sure that I am not thinking in a cultural way that puts me into contradiction to God.
So, financially, my views have changed from religious rules about tithing to simply asking, “God, what do you want me to do?” Politically, I had to face assumptions about why I voted as I did. I had assumed God agreed with me, but he showed me I had never asked him. I had to be completely unravelled and deconstructed in that area. Now I ask, “Is there a way you want me to vote?” And if he says it does not matter, then I examine my own heart and motives. Each of us may have a different way of looking at that question.
God wants our whole mindset aligned with the kingdom and with one another, to become one mind, the mind of Christ. That requires major shifts, deconstruction, and honest questioning of why we think, believe and act as we do. Most people never really consider these things, but I believe it is part of the process God is taking us through so that heaven can be established on earth.

For the past ten years, God has been deconstructing most of my old assumptions. My thinking has changed in many areas. This does not mean there are simple answers, because each of us must discover what God is asking of us in our own sonship. But it does mean we must begin to make decisions based not on selfishness, economics or cultural conditioning, but on God’s heart.

Strong opinions are often shaped by culture rather than by God. Even in raising my children, I tried to let them think for themselves, yet they still reflected my political views. That made me wonder whether I had been more vocal than I thought. The key is not to pass on political perspectives but to help people find God’s heart.

Some people vote based on economics, others on compassion, but the real question is whether our choices reflect God’s heart or merely our conditioning. I am not convinced God is as invested in political systems as solutions as we might think. Much of the prophetic movement seems to have become politicised in a way it never was 20 years or so ago, perhaps out of disillusionment when promised revivals did not happen as expected. Whatever the reason, it seems to have become blind to the real issues in some way…

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288. Enoch’s Secret to Walking with God

241. You Have Not Desired

277. On Earth as in Heaven

 

480. The Heart of Evangelism | Meeting People Where They Are

Mike Parsons

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The Importance of Showing Real Interest

God loves people and takes a genuine interest in their lives. If we fail to show any interest ourselves, how will they ever believe that God is truly interested in them? Demonstrating care means asking about their situation and engaging with their story. It is not about forcing a single message upon someone, insisting that they must receive it whether they want to or not.

Instead, it is about recognising that God personally meets each person in their own circumstances. He cares, He desires to help, and He longs for them to discover who they truly are. In doing so, they can understand that God already loves them. This is a very different approach, one that treats each individual as unique rather than as a commodity, project or statistic.

Meeting People Where They Are

In the past, many forms of evangelism tended to focus on strategies and techniques. Courses often emphasised how to deliver a message and how to ensure that people listened. Yet this approach often missed the point. Evangelism should not be about ticking boxes or securing conversions. It ought to begin with real interest in people themselves—the realities of their lives and the struggles they face.

Rather than asking, “How can I insert this message into a conversation?”, we should be asking, “How can I develop a genuine relationship with this person, one that may open the door for them to encounter God for themselves?”

A Personal Approach

People need to meet God in us. They need to see and sense something of Jesus expressed through our lives. This may not always be conscious on their part, and sometimes it may not even be conscious on ours, yet God shines through us all the same. In this way, we carry His presence into every encounter.

As Scripture explains, Jesus was the clear image of the Father, revealing to those around Him what God was really like. Many have no true idea of God’s character until they encounter Christ.

Treating Individuals as Unique

In the same way, we are called to be ambassadors of reconciliation. Our role is to represent God’s heart faithfully and to help others to see that He has already done everything needed to restore their relationship with Him.

Summary: When our lives reflect His presence, others can begin to sense His love and discover for themselves the truth of who they are in Him. By treating people as individuals rather than commodities, we embody the message that God cares deeply for them. Evangelism then becomes not about delivering a formulaic message, but about relationship, love and presence.

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307. God’s Unconditional Love For You

319. Face to Face with God

417. Awakening to Love | Finding Your Place in God’s Heart

479. Unmasking Fear: How Religion Manipulates Belief

Mike Parsons

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Fear in Religious Contexts

Religion often resorts to fear to prevent people from embracing ideas or practices it doesn’t understand or that do not align with its doctrinal beliefs. This is not, in my view, inconsistent with the truth of who God is, nor with Jesus being the embodiment of truth and the core message of the Bible. The presence of fear arises largely from a lack of understanding, particularly when something is discovered or embraced by those outside the Christian community—it’s immediately seen as suspect or wrong, which creates unnecessary problems. However, God is not the author of fear; perfect love casts out fear, so there is no reason to be afraid of scientific discovery.

Historical Opposition to Progress

Throughout history, Christians and the wider religious institution have regularly resisted developments in understanding and technology. This opposition was seldom about genuine scriptural concerns and more often about maintaining control. Consider the printing press: the church burned William Wycliffe at the stake for translating the Bible into English, which meant ordinary people could read scripture for themselves. Previously, only scribes translated and copied the Bible, usually in Latin, ensuring that the common person had to rely on religious authority for interpretation.

Power and Influence in Religious Systems

The fear surrounding change and innovation has been more about preserving power and influence than defending truth. If people could access the Bible directly, they no longer needed leaders to interpret it on their behalf, and so the authority and power of those leaders was undermined. Religious authorities have opposed technology and scientific advancement for this reason. For instance, those who claimed the earth revolved around the sun—such as Galileo—were persecuted and nearly burned at the stake for challenging conventional thinking. Looking back, it’s clear that these actions stemmed from narrow-mindedness and an unwillingness to embrace progress.

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249. The Veil is Taken Away

265. Love’s Good News

454. The Bible vs. Jesus: What’s the Real Message?

477. Transform Your Reality | Harnessing the Power of Intention

Mike Parsons

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The power of intention

Intention is incredibly powerful. When you hold a specific intention, it can be conveyed to someone else through frequency. We see this in ordinary conversation: when we speak, a wave of air reaches a listener’s ear, is translated by the brain, and is recognised as sound and language. What we say can therefore have an impact in everyday interactions. However, when we speak with explicit intention, it can have a much deeper effect.

For example, if I were to say something negative like, “You’re ugly, horrible, and everyone hates you,” that would clearly have a damaging effect. In contrast, if I said, “God loves you. You’re the apple of His eye, the treasure of His heart. You are unconditionally loved and blessed to be a blessing,” such positive intention lifts and enhances how a person feels.

Dr Emoto’s rice experiment

Scientists have demonstrated that even our words, which are essentially frequencies or waves, can have tangible effects. Studies have shown that speaking or playing sounds to water can alter the way water freezes—positive words produce harmonious, beautiful crystalline patterns, while negative words create unpleasant structures.

A Japanese researcher, Dr Masaru Emoto, famously boiled rice and split it between two jars: one labelled ‘hate’, the other ‘love’. Presumably, he also spoke corresponding words over them. After several days, the ‘hate’ jar began to go off and grow mould, while the ‘love’ jar remained fresh for much longer, suggesting that positive intention had a beneficial effect. He also conducted experiments with polluted lakes, gathering people to focus their thoughts and intentions on purifying the water; astonishingly, the water became clearer.

Intention experiments

Another researcher, Lynne McTaggart, has conducted intention experiments, where people’s focused intentions have helped locate missing persons or bring about other positive outcomes. This area is growing in understanding and application.

In my own workshops, I’ve invited people to experiment with intention using crystal bowls. About ten participants joined in and learned how to play the bowls. I then focused on transmitting a specific emotion while playing the bowls, without telling the group what it was. After I released my intention, I asked the others what they felt—one reported peace, another rest, another calm. My intention had, in fact, been to impart peace, and they each described the experience in their own words. We each took turns experimenting, and some participants were particularly tuned in, picking up every intention sent.

A healing intention

Later, I took this approach to a larger gathering and aimed to release a healing intention using three large crystal bowls tuned to C, D and E. I invited everyone to remain open to receive the intention through their bodies. Afterwards, one man—who wasn’t from a church background but was part of our rehabilitation unit—shared that he had lost feeling on one side due to past drug use. He sensed the sound’s frequency entering his body, began to vibrate, and the numbness completely disappeared, returning normal sensation.

This experiment served to show the power of intentionality. In the gospels, Jesus demonstrated that intention can transcend physical location—He spoke and healed people both near and far, laid hands on some, using vibrational energy. We know of Paul imparting healing through pieces of cloth (such as  handkerchiefs and aprons), which carried what many would call anointing or vibrational energy. When those pieces of cloth were placed on others, they too experienced healing.

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All Mike’s books, including Into the Dark Cloud and Unconditional Love, are available to order from online and local booksellers; or you can buy them as ebooks and download them instantly from our website.
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468. Unlocking Intentions: The Power of Sound in Practice

Friday 22 August 2025, 1:00 pm 0 boosts 0 favorites

476. Love As A Movement: Challenging the Status Quo

Mike Parsons

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We need to see people restored—brought out of darkness into light. That will not happen by trying to destroy them or confronting them with the same spirit in which they operate. True change comes through love. However, this does not mean that we just sit back and allow them to do what they like—we can and should stand for what is good, for righteousness, and for peace and joy. Importantly, we are not required to cooperate with those who use their power for selfish ends. These individuals typically control vast amounts of money, the media, and many of our major systems.

Therefore, we must begin to consider how we can legitimately remove their power—by refusing to participate in their ways of doing things. Real change starts as a grassroots movement; you cannot simply remove individuals, as new people will always fill the vacuum. What we actually need is systemic change, so when people see that our current financial system only enriches the same few and keeps the rest in poverty, they must stop supporting and engaging with that system.

To achieve this, alternative systems—kingdom government, kingdom banks—are needed, systems where money is not used for usury or lining the pockets of the wealthy, but for good. It may mean moving money out of institutions that fund selfish agendas and into systems set up for the benefit of all. When the time is right, if people withdraw their money, those individuals lose much of their practical power.

But it is crucial that there be something positive to replace the existing system—one truly governed according to godly, heavenly principles. Chasing every new “prophetic” financial trend, such as cryptocurrency, is not the answer; these rely on infrastructures that could fail or be manipulated in much the same way as traditional systems. Instead, there are established alternatives already in place—cooperatives and credit unions, for example—which are designed to support people and communities rather than corporate profit.

Ultimately, genuine change is possible only as people themselves are transformed. When enough people change, society will inevitably move away from corrupt systems. We should expect resistance from those benefiting from the status quo, especially when new technologies such as free energy threaten entrenched interests. Historically, those with power have bought up, suppressed, or blocked such advances to protect their profits. If technologies that advance the common good are to be released, we need the right people administering them and providing the necessary finance—including for practical matters like community-controlled water sources, so no one can monopolise such basic assets when their value increases.

We must plan wisely, ensuring that whatever solution we pursue does not create a new set of problems, but genuinely serves people and fosters a just and sustainable future.

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All Mike’s books, including Into the Dark Cloud and Unconditional Love, are available to order from online and local booksellers; or you can buy them as ebooks and download them instantly from our website.
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32. Nations Will Stream To It

369. Living in Abundance: The Wellbeing Economy

312. How We Are Wired To Restore Creation

203. Manifesto of Love

454. The Bible vs. Jesus: What’s the Real Message?

Mike Parsons

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Rethinking How We Use the Bible

Much of the confusion around this topic comes from how we use the Bible—treating everything in it as if it is God speaking directly to us today. The truth is, it is not. If we did not use the Bible that way, and if we did not see it as the primary way God speaks to people today—as “God’s Word”—we might approach it very differently.

The Bible is not God’s Word. It contains some words that God said, but it is not the Word of God. Jesus is the Word of God. He is the logos—the Word made flesh. He was with God in the beginning. When we understand that Jesus is the Word of God, then when we read “the word” in the Bible, we do not need to assume it is referring to the Bible. It usually is not—especially since the Bible did not exist until about 385 AD.

The Canonisation of Scripture

In 325 AD, at the Council of Nicaea, church leaders selected various writings—those they believed God had spoken through—and labelled them as scripture. Then in 385, they canonised a particular group of those writings and called it the Bible. The implication was: God cannot speak outside of this now. But of course, He still does. He is speaking to us all day, every day.

I spoke to someone recently who insisted that God inspired the selection of the Bible. So I asked him: why, then, did the Protestant version remove thirteen books that were in the original Bible—the ones the Catholic Bible still includes as the Apocrypha? If God inspired the creation of the canon, who had the authority to later remove books from it?

It does not add up. God never required a book. He wanted to speak to us directly—Spirit to spirit. Yes, some of those ancient writings are useful, even valuable. But without them, would we really be worse off? Arguably not. We might not be as divided into denominations, all centred on different interpretations of canonised verses.

Jesus: The Living Word

I believe every generation should have inspired writings that help them understand what God is doing in their generation. But those writings should not be canonised. They should not be seen as a final word that limits how God speaks.

Someone once quoted Revelation to me: “You must not add anything to this book.” But that is referring to that particular book, not the entire Bible—because the Bible did not even exist yet. People assume it means you cannot add anything to the Bible, but that was never the intention.

Similarly, 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “Every inspired writing is useful for doctrine…”—but it does not specify what counts as inspired writing. It could not have meant the Bible as we know it, because that came centuries later. The Greek word used is graphe—it means writings. That verse is often mistranslated or misread to mean “all Scripture”, with a capital S, implying the Bible. But it actually means “every inspired writing”, which is a broader and more flexible idea.

The Bible Contains Words—But Not All Are God’s

God has inspired writings throughout history. I believe there are writings today that help us understand how He is working now. But we should not base our lives on texts written 2,000 years ago as if they are the only things God ever said.

The Bible is a collection of books written by people. It contains words from God, but also words from others—Pontius Pilate, for instance. It contains poetry, history, letters and songs. Some of it is clearly inspired by the writer’s relationship with God. But it is not dictated by God. The Psalms, for example, were David’s personal expression of what he was going through. They were put to music, just like other writers did with their experiences. That does not make them irrelevant—but neither does it mean we must follow them as rules for today.

Should we follow David’s emotional outbursts, or should we listen to what God is saying to us now? I believe we should be listening to the Spirit today. That is the real issue here.

Led by the Spirit, Not the Book

This view can upset evangelical Christians, especially those who hold to sola scriptura—scripture alone—the idea that the Bible is the only authority. But where does that leave the Holy Spirit? If we have to read the Bible every day to know what to do, where is the Spirit’s role in leading us? The Bible itself says, “Those who are led by the Spirit are the children of God.” It does not say, “Those who are led by the Bible are the children of God.”

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Unconditional Love – new book out now
Mike Parsons’ new book, Unconditional Love, is out now. Order it from your favourite local or online bookseller today, or get the ebook instantly from our website. More details at eg.freedomarc.org/books.

403. So you think the ‘Word of God’ is the Bible? Think again!

364. The Hidden Texts

264. Relationship Replaced

 

426. The Nature of God: Rethinking Our Beliefs

Mike Parsons

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People often ask doctrinal questions, but it’s important not to answer them with doctrinal answers, because doing so only reaffirms another doctrinal stance. What we really need to do is bring it back to the nature and character of God. Behind every doctrinal question lies an assumption about who God is and how He acts. The person asking the question might no longer resonate with that assumption, or they may be going through a process of having their previous beliefs challenged. For example, when God began challenging my own belief in penal substitutionary atonement—something foundational to my upbringing—it led to a cascade of further questions. Doctrines are interconnected. When one is questioned, others naturally follow, and this often challenges the very foundation of someone’s faith.

Some doctrines may seem less significant, but if someone is asking about them, there’s usually a reason. The real issue is not necessarily the question itself but why they’re asking it. Understanding the motivation behind the question can reveal where they are in their journey. Perhaps God is working in them, nudging them to reconsider something. If they’re asking just to win an argument or prove their own belief right, then engaging in debate is usually fruitless—they’re not really open to listening.

So when someone asks about theology, I try to understand what’s prompting the question. Is God speaking to them? Challenging them? What’s He doing in their life that might explain why they’re now curious about this topic? Once I get a sense of that, I can align with what God is doing in that person’s life. I don’t want to get ahead of where God has them. If I tell them something they’re not ready for, they may react badly and retreat from the journey they’re on. I try not to give people something ten steps ahead when they just need the next step.

I often won’t answer the question they’re literally asking. Instead, I try to give the answer they actually need at that moment. This can be frustrating—some will say, “But you’re not answering my question.” And that’s true, but if God doesn’t want me to answer it right now, then I won’t. I want to share what God is saying to me to say, not just what I think I should say. The goal is always to discern what’s really behind their question, what’s in their spirit and heart, and then respond to that.

Rather than giving them answers, I try to point them to the Father. If they come to know who the Father really is, they’ll be better equipped to receive the answers directly from Him. That’s far more helpful than just believing or disbelieving something I tell them. Often doctrinal misunderstandings come from a distorted view of God, so pointing people to the true nature of God helps correct those distortions more effectively than tackling the doctrine itself.

In a recent Zoom on Patreon, I shared how mistranslations have distorted our view of God—how we see the cross, ourselves, and how God relates to us. These come from reading Scripture through doctrine instead of revelation. Take Isaiah 53:10—most English versions say it pleased the Lord to bruise him, suggesting God took pleasure in punishing Jesus. That paints God as abusive, which pushes people away.

But Jesus used the Septuagint—the Greek Old Testament—written between 300 and 100 BC. It reflects a shift in understanding. Earlier, people had thought everything came from God—good or bad—because they didn’t separate God from Satan. But over time, that changed. The Septuagint shows a growing revelation of who God really is—not a punisher, but a healer.

The Septuagint says the Lord wished to cleanse him of his wound—not bruise or crush him. That word cleanse is the same used when Jesus healed a leper. God didn’t punish Jesus—man did, inspired by the enemy. Jesus took on mankind’s wound so the Father could restore our identity. Penal substitution paints God as an abuser and makes love hard to grasp.

Similarly, Jeremiah 17:9 is mistranslated. It doesn’t say the heart is deceitful and beyond cure, but the heart is deep—who can know it?  These distortions fuel a false view of humanity as wicked and unfixable, rather than whole, loved and made in God’s image.

Romans 5:9 is very often translated as saying we’re saved from the wrath of God, but “of God” is added by translators—it’s not in the original. The King James and Young’s Literal just say the wrath. So whose wrath is it? Not God’s—it’s the enemy’s. The one who comes to rob, kill and destroy. Jesus came to give life and to destroy the works of the evil one.

For then the blameless man made haste, and stood forth to defend them; and bringing the shield of his proper ministry, even prayer, and the propitiation of incense, set himself against the wrath, and so brought the calamity to an end, declaring that he was thy servant. So he overcame the destroyer, not with strength of body, nor force of arms, but with a word subdued him that punished, alleging the oaths and covenants made with the fathers. For when the dead were now fallen down by heaps one upon another, standing between, he stayed the wrath, and parted the way to the living. (Wisdom of Solomon 18:21-23 KJV).

So the Wisdom of Solomon, part of the original canon of scripture [and included in the King James Bible until it was removed in 1885] says it is “the destroyer“ who punishes and brings death, and Paul would have known this as scripture. So when he talks about ‘the wrath’, he is referring to the enemy’s destruction, lies and identity theft—not God’s supposed anger.

So, a few mistranslated verses have propped up an entire theology that presents a false view of God’s nature.

{The video continues]

Mike’s latest book, Unconditional Love, is out now as an ebook on our website and is available to pre-order in paperback from your local or online bookseller.

More details at eg.freedomarc.org/books

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406. Recognise the Finished Work of Jesus

Mike Parsons

The Bible was

At that time, the Bible was still the living Word of God for me—not Jesus. I saw the Bible as the Word that washed me, not Jesus. I relied on the Bible to separate my soul and spirit, rather than allowing Jesus to do it. I used the Bible as a mirror to see myself, rather than looking to Jesus or the Father.

Jesus, mediator of a New Covenant

During this process, I was presenting myself in the heavenly tabernacle as a living sahttps://freedomarc.blog/2014/01/21/present-a-living-sacrifice-3-practice/crifice, prepared by me, acting as my own high priest. Now, that might sound bizarre, but when I first received this revelation and began engaging in the heavenly tabernacle, this is what I thought I was doing.

I approached the laver—a basin used for washing—which I understood to have a bronze, mirror-like surface. I used it as a mirror to wash myself through the Bible, performing the role of my own high priest. I consumed the showbread as biblical food, again as my own high priest. I sought wisdom from the light of the menorah, the Bible, instead of Jesus. I engaged the altar, refining myself through the Bible, all the while acting as my own high priest.

In truth, all of this was a self-reliant, religious duty—a “do-it-yourself” form of faith. The reality, as I later came to understand, is that I am not my own high priest—Jesus is. Hebrews 6:20 makes it clear: “Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us, having become a high priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek.” Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant, not me. I made no covenant with God—Jesus did.

Deeply ingrained religious mindsets

My deconstruction was revealing God’s grace and the finished work of Jesus, and that was challenging my old covenant thinking. My “do-it-yourself” religious mindset had trapped me and severely limited my ability to truly know God and my original, authentic self.

Now, that might sound really odd to you, and you may never have approached things in this way. I would certainly encourage you not to. However, it shows how deeply ingrained these mindsets can be, distorting our view of God and His work. Only when those limitations and restrictions were removed could I begin to discover my true origin, identity and destiny as a son of God. It was then I began to see how powerful the finished work of Jesus truly is.

Jesus accomplished everything on our behalf so we don’t need to rely on our own efforts. He died for me, and as me, so I died. He was resurrected for me, so I was resurrected. He ascended for me and I ascended. Jesus established the New Covenant for me and included me in it. He is my high priest, he is my mediator—I don’t have to do it myself. Jesus did everything necessary to restore the whole cosmos, reconciling everyone, corporately. We are not required to achieve this individually in our own strength. He has accomplished it on behalf of all mankind; he took away the sin of the entire cosmos.

Renewing the mind

We may need to transition into a renewed mindset because most of us have likely been programmed by some form of works-based mentality. Even if it wasn’t specifically religious works, cultural influences can drive us to succeed and build our identity around what we achieve. Transitioning from an old to a new mindset requires a deep deconstruction—a process of renewing the mind. it is a process, that is the key.

It’s a process that God orchestrates and that he leads us through. It is relational, and through this relationship, our thinking about God—and everything else—begins to change. Old restrictive doctrines and theological mindsets need to be replaced by a relational lifestyle of face-to-face innocence with God. This is the amazing truth of the relationship He has invited us into.

No need to fear deception

Through this, we can learn to trust our Father to father us without fear of deception. Personally, I struggled with a deep fear of “getting it wrong.” This fear was instilled in me through the belief that everything had to be done strictly “by the Bible,” as the Bible was my sole source of security against error and deception.

The reality, however, is that every Christian sect or cult uses the Bible in some way, so relying on it alone for safety didn’t truly protect me from deception. I believed the Bible was God’s Word: all of it was infallible, inspired, and entirely inerrant, and I thought that following it would keep me safe. But whose version was I following? Whose interpretation of the Bible was I basing my life on?

These questions were hard to face because I had been conditioned to think otherwise. In truth, that belief system itself was the deception that was keeping me religiously bound in fear, unable to move beyond the Bible. I was afraid that if I went beyond its pages, I’d fall into some weird error or be led astray. This is a fear shared by many people I have spoken to: their families and friends often worry that they are going off into some error or cult-like movement, because they are no longer going to church or no longer reading their Bible in the same way they once did.

But the fear of deception is itself a powerful form of deception that keeps us locked up. We don’t need to live in fear of deception, because we have the Holy Spirit of Truth within us, guiding us. Jesus, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, is also in us and with us, discipling us. Our loving Father is within us, fathering us into our true identity as sons and daughters. And if we measure everything against agape love, we won’t stray far. Love is the ultimate standard, and if we root everything in love, we can trust the process.

This video blog is an excerpt from Mike's current teaching series, Restoring First Love. Get the full length videos every month, only at eg.freedomarc.org/first-love

Rest in Love (guided meditation)

Close your eyes,
Slow down your thinking,
Rest—rest in love.
As you are breathing in,
And breathing out,
The very breath of God.

And as you rest in love,
Let the unconditional love of God
Rest on you.

Open your heart,
Open your mind,
Ask the Father to reveal:
“Are there any Old Covenant mindsets,
Any Old Covenant belief systems,
Still operating?
Is there any mixture of covenants
In your heart?

Open up your heart to listen
That the Father could show you.
 
And if there is anything
That’s a mixture of covenants
In your experience
Just hand it over to him.
Take off those old covenant mindsets
And clothes, if you like,
And hand them over to the Father.

And let Him clothe you
In robes of righteousness,
Let Him clothe you
In new covenant grace,
In mercy,
In unconditional love.

Related posts by Mike Parsons

380. Transform Your Consciousness by Embracing the State of Love

Mike Parsons – 

Changing your state of consciousness is less about actively doing something and more about entering into the reality that already exists. It’s coming into agreement with the truth of who you are as a son or daughter of God and embracing your identity in Him. This means realising that you live in an interactive relationship with God, where He is in you, and you are in Him – abiding in His presence as He abides in you. Connecting relationally with that truth changes your state of consciousness and your state of mind.

I would say this change begins with peace, a place of rest where you accept the reality of who you are in God – that you are forgiven, made righteous, justified, accepted and included. These truths bring you into a state of love, joy and peace. You are loved unconditionally, filled with joy, and live in gratitude for the life you have. You find peace that surpasses understanding. Jesus said, “My joy is in you so your joy can be full; love one another as I have loved you.” He left us His peace – not as the world gives, but a deeper peace of being loved, accepted and brought into a relationship with the Father.

This awareness shifts your consciousness from a focus on doing to a focus on being.

In this state of being, I live in unconditional love, grace and mercy. That is the state I live in. I am in rest; I don’t strive or struggle. I simply enjoy. A key to this shift in consciousness is understanding that you don’t have to do anything to maintain your relationship with God – it is freely given by His grace and love. You don’t earn it, work for it or need to do anything to sustain it. Instead, you enjoy it. You enjoy being loved, the joy of relationship with God, and a state of peace, free from duty, obligation or fear.

This means you can enjoy each day, knowing He is with you, and you are with Him. You don’t have to try to connect with God because He is already in you. Communication becomes continuous, as you are constantly face-to-face with Him in the light of His presence. He is connected to the core of your being, so you live in a state of oneness with Him. “Whoever is joined to the Lord is one spirit.” This oneness becomes a background awareness of His presence and your presence in Him, allowing you to live in love, joy and peace.

Communication with God becomes more of an inner knowing, where He shares His heart with you, filling you with peace. You are inspired by His intentions, which brings a sense of authority into your everyday life. Resting in Him means that you don’t approach Him with an agenda. You don’t seek to encounter or communicate with Him for specific goals; instead, you simply want to know His heart and walk in fellowship, intimacy and relationship with Him. As you rest in this relationship, He begins to reshape your understanding of yourself and your connection to Him, naturally transforming your consciousness into a state of rest.

From this place, communication with God becomes instinctive, an inner knowing of His heart. Yes, you may talk with Him, and He with you, but it becomes more about sharing hearts and living out of a state of union and oneness. As you do this, everything you are doing in the realms of Heaven connects with what you are doing here on earth, creating a seamless flow between both realms. You live in a state of peace and rest, enjoying life more fully, as life is meant to be enjoyed.

Living in intimacy with God, knowing that He is your Father who loves you, fills you with a sense of peace and purpose. In that state of love, He desires the best for you and wants you to live out that relationship daily, grounded in love, joy, peace and rest.

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