Emotions are a powerful and important part of the human experience, and we do not have to be afraid to embrace them. In fact, the very word used to describe Jesus’ compassion means being “moved in the gut” – a deep, visceral reaction. The key is aligning our emotions with the Father’s heart.
When we see injustice or suffering, it is right for us to feel anger or sorrow. But we have to be careful that we do not just let those emotions rule us and cause us to act rashly or unwisely. Instead, we can use those feelings to connect with what the Father is feeling about the situation. What does the Father’s heart desire in this moment? Allow that to be what moves us and guides our response. Sometimes that may mean taking practical action, whether through legislation, intercession, advocacy, practical aid or other means. At other times, it may simply be about weeping with those who weep, or expressing compassion in a way that reflects the Father’s love. Every situation and every individual prompts a unique response.
The danger is when we try to suppress our emotions altogether, out of a misplaced sense of stoicism or reserve which is prevalent in some cultures. That is not how Jesus lived – he expressed the full range of human feelings, from laughter to tears. His emotions were a key component of the connection he enjoyed to the Father’s heart that enabled him to respond every time with such wisdom and power.
So let us be open to what the Spirit is stirring within us. Sometimes those gut-level reactions will well up unexpectedly, going beyond just our intellectual understanding. When that happens, we need to lean into it, allowing those emotions to guide us towards the Father’s purposes, rather than trying to shut them down.
Conclusion
Ultimately, it’s about finding the right balance – not being controlled by our emotions, but allowing them to be a servant that connects us to the Father’s heart and empowers us to act in alignment with His will. That is where we will find the wisdom and compassion to truly make a difference in this world, bringing heaven to earth.
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Note: Mike was asked a question about how he views the fact that some prophetic voices seem not to be accurately representing the good news of the gospel at all, and what might be the way forward. This is his response.
Deception often starts with small distortions of truth, leading people astray gradually. These initial deceptions can lay the groundwork for larger falsehoods to take root. The enemy doesn’t usually present outright lies immediately; instead, the truth gets twisted bit by bit. Any prophetic individuals who now spread complete falsehoods likely fell into deception gradually. Minor deceptions accumulate over time, dulling people’s sensitivity to truth and making them susceptible to further deception as they operate outside of love.
This is what has led to recent political and judgmental ‘prophecies’. Eschatological beliefs, particularly those of impending judgment (invariably understood to mean ‘punishment’), exacerbate this; leading to prophecies of judgment on nations or individuals through catastrophes such as earthquakes and tsunamis. When I come across such messages, I always look to express mercy instead. My desire is for all to experience God’s love for themselves, which reveals His true nature of mercy, grace and love, so contrary to this kind of judgment.
Signs along the way, such as the excommunication of the Toronto Vineyard, marked a departure from values of love and acceptance. Judgmental attitudes infiltrated the prophetic movement, leading to further divisions and exclusions. This led to an increased focus on spiritual warfare and a judgmental mindset, causing the movement to drift away from its roots in love. Prophets began to pronounce judgments in alignment with their perception of God’s impending judgment on the earth – a mindset that has drawn some into extreme political views and conspiracy theories.
It is important we measure everything against love to avoid deception. Instead of engaging aggressively, let’s approach everyone with love and restoration. Embracing and loving perceived threats (rather than fighting against them) can lead to transformation. Restoration, not separation, aligns with God’s desire to reconcile all things. So, instead of getting into conflict, it will be better if we focus on helping individuals – even fallen heavenly beings – get back on track with their original purpose. I’m not going to fight against someone or something and so give them an opportunity to fight against me. All I will look to do is come in the opposite spirit: remind them of their true identity, that God has forgiven them, and that they have an original higher purpose which is so much better than what they are doing right now.
Even though there may be deception within the prophetic movement, understanding God’s original intent for it can help us move forwards. When we receive a revelation, we often interpret and implement it based on our own understanding. I believe in the importance of embracing principles like foundational government, but my approach has shifted towards viewing government as an intrinsic aspect of our identity as children of God, rather than merely a set of roles or tasks to fulfil. Our aim is to discover and express God’s kingdom and governance in our lives, so that we can each contribute according to our abilities and opportunities for growth and expression within a given blueprint.
So, rather than fitting people into predefined roles, it is more effective to allow their identities to naturally express themselves within a relational framework. Heavenly government is an expression of individuals’ identities coming together, not a rigid organisational structure. Initially, there might be a tendency to impose organisational structures, but the essence lies in organic development and honouring each person for who they are. The principles remain valid, but the way they are worked out evolves organically within the dynamics of relationship. Sometimes, we embark on journeys to discover better ways, learning from experiences along the way. If I had known then what I know now, I would not have taken the church here along the path I did; but ultimately it is God who takes us all through doing, to becoming, to being – that is our journey.
Key Takeaways
Let our desire be for all to experience God’s love for themselves, which reveals His true nature of mercy, grace and love.
Ultimately it is God who takes us all through doing, to becoming, to being.
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Realised eschatology, for me, is also heading for an understanding of Christian universalism. The same scriptures Jesus referred to concerning hell (Gehenna) are in the same passage as those that speak of the end of the age – not the end of the world, but the conclusion of their Old Covenant age. People faced being cast into Gehenna if they remained in Jerusalem when the Roman armies invaded. They would be crucified, and a few hundred thousand were thrown into the literal Gehenna.
This is the concept of hell, as commonly understood in English. Of course, Christian Universalists would say hell is a different thing, and some deny its existence altogether. Personally, I see it as a place where those who haven’t come to know Jesus in life still have the opportunity to choose him after death – death is not the end of choice. Rather than a realm of punishment and torment, I see it as the fire of God’s loving presence which purifies and refines.
The scriptures that mention Gehenna portray it as a consequence of staying entrenched in the old covenant ways, not some future judgment scenario. It was a warning of a physical manifestation of death. Jesus warned his followers to flee Jerusalem when they saw certain signs: they understood this and ran to the hills, to find safety in Pella. By heeding his words, they were physically saved from the destruction that befell Jerusalem.
Signs
All that being said, I believe God introduces concepts like this to steer the church back to first principles, into a deeper relationship in which we experience Him intimately, face to face. Once we do, we no longer need the signs which pointed us towards this reality.
Experiential connection
In my preaching of the gospel, I aim to introduce people to Jesus in a way that facilitates a tangible, experiential connection with the Father. It is only through this intimate relationship that someone can truly understand and experience God’s unconditional love, find spiritual healing and wholeness, and embrace their identity and inheritance as a child of God. I believe God is gradually weaning us off an over-reliance on healings and miracles, so we can live in mystical experience with Him. This shift is not about abandoning miraculous manifestations altogether but that we use them for the purpose of outworking what God is doing in the earth.
We have the ability to govern and rule, to establish the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. This process begins first within our own lives, then thorough our lives, and ultimately leads to the creation of places on earth which do not operate under the government of earth but under the government of heaven. There will be no sickness there, no disease, no lack, no poverty: nothing contradictory to the fullness of life as children of God.
Cultivating relationship
In the Mystic movement, there is a shift away from seeking outward manifestations like healings towards cultivating a deeper relationship with God in which health and wholeness naturally flow, and the focus is no longer on individuals performing healing. God is our healer.
Early Christians underwent a profound shift in their understanding of God, moving moved away from viewing Him through the lens of an outdated religious and political system. Instead, Jesus revealed God as love incarnate, challenging their preconceptions and inviting them into a relational encounter with the Father. He came to undo their whole understanding of God from an Old Covenant mentality. This shift from a legalistic mindset to one grounded in relationship and experience to which Jesus is the door, empowered them to operate in sonship, seated in heavenly places, and to manifest the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.
The God that we know
When we are introducing the reality of who God is, we do not need to do so through miraculous healing, but through introducing the God that we know. They can experience the God that they will then know, and then they can enter into that life themselves. Now I am not saying there are not amazing things. I have done all sorts of transrelocation, time miracles and other things; but in the purposes of outworking my relationship with God, not to prove who God is or to demonstrate to others how good God is. I can help them experience God themselves, so they are not dependent on me testifying by doing anything like that.
Key takeaway
Preaching the gospel is about leading people to encounter the God we know, so that they can embark on their own journey of discovering His love and life-changing power for themselves.
Want to learn more about ‘happy’ or realised eschatology? Get Mike’s book The Eschatology of the Restoration of All Things from your favourite bookseller, or download the ebook from our website at https://eg.freedomarc.org/course/eschatology-ebook
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If we were all just more cognizant of who we are, and aware of who we are – what our true identity is – and just enjoyed being us, I think we would find a lot of change begin to take place around us because of our light and joy. We leave a residue of that DNA and that light wherever we go. Whenever we speak and act in a place, that gets recorded within the fabric of the atoms, molecules and particles of that place; so when we walk in that place we leave a deposit of ourselves; that light does continue. So let’s make sure we are not miserable and leaving a miserable deposit in the place we have been in: moaning, complaining and grumbling over the fact that it isn’t as we want it to be. Let’s be positive, leave a deposit of activity in the realm of the spirit in that place which will continue until it has finished bringing about change and transformation.
I think that is the key. Jesus said “If you go into a place and they don’t receive you, shake the dust off your feet and leave.” People think that is so negative! And it wasn’t. That was such a positive statement. Because the dust was the rabbi’s dust, reflecting the rabbi’s teaching that they had received and were living. Therefore by shaking that dust off they were leaving a deposit of the truth and the life and the light in that place; so even though they might have rejected Jesus at that moment, they had a possibility of accepting and engaging because you’ve left a positive deposit, not “let’s bring down fire out of heaven and burn up that village.”
Some of them didn’t yet get it because they didn’t get the love dimension yet; and I think Jesus had to show them by his attitude even by being punished, being whipped and beaten and having a crown of thorns and all the terrible things that he went through getting to the cross, let alone on the cross itself. His response was still “Father, forgive them.” His response was still “look after my mum.” He was still thinking of others, he was still thinking about the world even while he was going through those things; and that’s what he taught his disciples. So when they then went through martyrdom or persecution – which he warned them was likely to happen in the next generation; both the religious and the political spirit being against them (both Israel and Rome) – they could do so with a smile. And even when they were crucified upside down, as some of them were, they still rejoiced because they saw it as an honour
We are leaving deposits of light and love and truth wherever we go. If people have found some joy or happiness in being around us because we weren’t miserable and we weren’t complaining and grumbling about the weather and everything else, but we were rejoicing and enjoying and always had something to be thankful for and grateful about, that leaves a deposit of life; and that will bring about change, even after we have left and are no longer there, because we have been there.
What have we left? It’s a good thing to think about. Wherever we have been in the last week, whether it be at work or in the supermarket or in the garden or in meeting people or out having fun or having a meal in a restaurant, did we leave a good deposit? Did we leave a good vibe, a good atmosphere – a rejoicing, peaceful atmosphere – or did we moan and complain and oh, the queue’s too long and we’re getting angry and annoyed and frustrated and all that? What have we left? What deposit have we left wherever we have been, and wherever we are going?
Think about it this week. Wherever you are going this week, whatever you are doing this week, what deposit of light are we leaving behind, of peace, of joy, in the fabric of the very place we have been to bring about that place being transformed? Or the people who are going to come into that place feel and sense something good about it because they pick up the light and that peace that we left there?
It is a good thing to think about isn’t it? Am I leaving rest and joy, and peace and love wherever I’m going? If people see you enjoying your grandchildren and having fun, you’ll leave that deposit with them and with where you’ve been enjoying them; that memory is there in that fabric of that place. It will be a joyful, happy place and other people who come there can still feel and sense it.
Russian scientists, recording light from our very DNA, are still recording it after we left1. I don’t know how they record it after we left, but they have obviously found a way of doing it. But actually it’s more than that! We are leaving more than just residual light, we are leaving a deposit of who we are in that place, and I think that’s what the world needs.
Am I leaving a deposit of rest and joy, peace and love wherever I go?
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Mike Parsons reads from his latest book, ‘Into the Dark Cloud’.
Engaging in love, joy and peace within the eternal heart of God has transformed my entire life. God has challenged my understanding of who He is, my mindset and my beliefs about Him. He has shown me love, love, and more love in ways I could never have imagined.
At this point, all I desire is a deep relationship with Him.
The way I look at and engage with the world has changed as a result of that.
I am beginning to experience what it means to live loved. It changes everything. Life takes on a whole new perspective: I do not feel obliged or bound by anything, I am free to be myself within the context of a loving relationship with my Father.
God is love, and He wants me to experience that love and be free within it.
Because of that, I can live a life filled with love and demonstrate that love to others. After all, “God so loved the world that He gave…” and Jesus told us to love one another just as He loved us.
In order to do that, we must be able to receive love ourselves. How can we love, if we have not received His love? It would be superficial, limited to a mere physical or emotional affection. But God desires to take us deeper into a love that surpasses that between friends, romantic partners or spouses,
into agape love, unconditional love. To love in such a way, we must first receive it ourselves. That is why God wants us to receive and experience His love.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1).
This Word, Jesus, came to reveal love to us. In His earthly life He fully expressed the image of the Father. He even said, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.”
So, what do we think God is like?
Do we see Him as being like Jesus?
Or as a distant figure from the Old Testament?
It can be confusing to have a divided perception of God, as if He were somehow two-faced, so that we could never be sure which face we would encounter. My view of God used to be more aligned with an old covenant perspective; but Jesus was awesome, so I focused mostly on Him.
But there is no difference between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in their nature of love. They are all expressions of love, and they want us to experience that love.
God is love, and He wants you to experience that love and be free within it.
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God knows everything there is to know about you, even many things you do not know about yourself, and He loves you. He loves you as much as He could possibly ever love anyone, and His love will never change. It is totally unconditional. There is nothing you can do (or not do) which will ever change His love for you.
Once we really accept the truth of that, it gives us the confidence and trust to be completely open with Him, not fearing that if we are honest with Him He will be angry or disappointed with us. He is always smiling upon us; His countenance is always fair towards us. He may be stern and fiercely opposed to whatever is robbing us, hindering us or putting stumbling blocks in our path, but never towards us.
He loves us, and when we really know His love it allows us to say: “Search me, O God, and know my heart. Put me on trial and see if there’s anything in me which is a hindrance and a stumbling block to me.” (see Psalm 139:23-24).
In the Mirror Bible it says this:
The message God spoke to us in Christ, is the most life giving and dynamic influence in us, cutting like a surgeon’s scalpel, sharper than a soldier’s sword, piercing to the deepest core of human conscience, to the dividing of soul and spirit; ending the dominance of the sense realm and its neutralizing effect upon the human spirit. In this way a person’s spirit is freed to become the ruling influence again in the thoughts and intentions of their heart. (Hebrews 4:12).
We want the living word to penetrate and impact us. When God speaks to us, He speaks life and truth: He opens up revelation to us. Before we can change the atmosphere around our life by flowing from the inside out, an inner transformation needs to take place. We want our spirit to be free to become ‘the ruling influence in the thoughts and intentions of our heart’, so that we are no longer ruled by our soul: the directive comes from the spirit and our soul is in complete agreement.
Our surrender, our yielding, invites and enables God’s action.
The whole time we are trying to do it ourselves, God is waiting for us to stop and give up.
In all we are embarking upon in this book, there may be points where we have to give up. When we have been used to fighting for things all our lives,
or been taught that we should always be actively trying to do something,
giving up is not always easy!
Nothing you can do (or not do) will ever change His love for you.
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Reflecting on my personal journey, I found immense joy in being led by God rather than following a rigid set of practices. It wasn’t about ticking off tasks but allowing my senses to be trained, within the relationship I shared with God. If I were to offer advice, I would suggest a less systematic and more relational approach, emphasising the importance of being led, enjoying the journey, and avoiding unnecessary stress.
Our journey with God isn’t a duty; it’s a dynamic relationship. Whilst the Engaging God programme can be a useful guide, it’s showcasing possibilities rather than dictating a routine. I wouldn’t change my journey, as it uniquely unfolded based on my relational connection with God. However, I’ve added basic meditation and rest at the beginning of each day to enhance the experience of simply being, not doing.
It’s about enjoying the journey, and I encourage others to be led by what resonates with them rather than adhering strictly to a predetermined order. Following God’s guidance is paramount, since every individual is at a different stage in their journey. I stress the importance of being led to what personally resonates, acknowledging that everyone’s path is unique. One size definitely does not fit all, and that’s perfectly fine.
Key takeaway
Approaching the journey from a place of rest, enjoying the process rather than fixating on the destination, leads to the unfolding of identity and the revelation of destiny through a deep and relational connection with God.
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Problem two with penal substitutionary atonement theory is that it makes a wrathful violence the solution to everything. PSA claims that God’s justice will not allow Him to just forgive sin; instead, His wrath must be poured out – on an innocent, in this case, Jesus – and His justice be satisfied so He can forgive the guilty (us). And again, that concept presents God as a completely violent and wrathful Being, when He is love. He’s not anger. He’s not wrath. He’s not violence. He’s love.
That is the second real, big, giant problem with the theory of atonement – and the the word ‘atonement’ really just means ‘why Jesus died on the cross’ – ‘what He was doing on the cross’ – it makes wrathful violence the solution to all our problems: in short, violence is actually the answer. Well we know that can’t be true because of Jesus’ teaching, and Jesus’ life, and everything He represented. PSA claims that God must violently punish to satisfy His justice. Now, we can counter that by saying if God had to use violence to solve the problem, we elevate violence as a viable solution for people’s problems. “If God did it, then why can’t I do it?”
That actually is why people can justify the Crusades, and all sorts of persecution of people, and ‘salvation by the sword’, and all that type of thing that happened in the past because they were coming from an Old Testament perspective. And God wasn’t even that God in the Old Testament, because He’s the same, He never changes: He has always been love.
Their view of him was wrong and Jesus came to truly reveal what God was fully like. Even when Peter used a sword to cut off the high priest’s servant’s ear, what did Jesus do? He didn’t commend Peter for violently cutting off his ear, he put his ear back and healed him. Very clearly, the pictures and some of the illustrations that use the terminology of a sword coming to divide were examples of division, nothing to do with violence.
Another claim of PSA is that God punished Jesus on the cross as an expression of His wrath. Again I think we can counter that – the idea of God using violence directly contradicts the ethics taught and lived by Jesus, who is God. There is not one instance where Jesus who is God suggests this in His teaching, especially The Sermon on the Mount. Therefore it contradicts the core of Jesus’ teaching, which is to show mercy, to love our enemies and to never use violence to solve anything.
I think mercy triumphs over man’s desire and need for justice, for sacrifice for offering, and all the other things we have created in our own forms of religion.
Key takeaway
According to PSA, violence is actually the answer. Yet this directly contradicts the ethics lived and taught by Jesus.
This is part of an occasional series taken from ‘The Chariot of Ascension‘: in which Mike began to discuss 7 problems with PSA (as identified by Bryan Finley).
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It is not that all religions lead to God, but that we can choose to accept and love people who hold different beliefs. God loves everyone, no matter what they believe. He loves Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs (and everyone else) just as much as He loves Christians. No more, no less – they just do not know that love in the same way. Telling others they are wrong or are leading people astray and that they will go to hell is counter-productive and falsely represents God’s nature.
God can reveal Himself to anyone. Taking a positive approach towards others makes them more likely to think of God as good, so that when they do meet Jesus, they are more likely to consider following Him than if they have experienced hostility from an unfriendly church. Rick Warren is someone who takes flak for engaging with other faith groups, yet all he is doing is reaching out and showing love – which is what the good news is all about. Whatever our doctrinal disagreements might be with him, he is reflecting God’s love in a way that others are not.
God is not looking at whether you have all your I’s dotted and your T’s crossed in doctrine: He is looking at love. He is looking at your heart. If we are loving, that is more a reflection of Him than if our belief system is in line. If you have great doctrine but you do not show love, what is the point of that? You are nothing but a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal (see 1 Cor 13:1). If you do not show love, your faith is empty and hollow and it has no power and no effect. It is about what you do with people, not what you say to them.
Key takeaway:
If you have great doctrine but you do not show love, what is the point of that? You are nothing but a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
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Penal substitutionary atonement refers to the doctrine that Christ died on the cross as a substitute for sinners. God imputed the guilt of our sins to Christ, and he, in our place, bore the punishment that we deserve (Theopedia).
Penal Substitutionary Atonement (PSA) Theory faces a significant challenge when we consider it in the light of Jesus’ life and teachings. There is a stark disparity between PSA and the person of Jesus, who is the incarnation of God and the very image of the Father. PSA appears to align with the Old Testament perception of God from a Hebrew standpoint rather than embracing the New Testament revelation embodied by Jesus.
PSA’s assertion that God cannot be in the presence of sin (due to His holiness) may resonate with evangelical doctrine. But in that case, none of us could be in God’s presence and He would not be able to even look at us. The idea that God turns His back on the world is nonsensical. And if God could not be in the presence of sin, then surely Jesus could not be either? And yet He spent time around prostitutes, tax collectors and sinners!
PSA also says that God cannot forgive sin without some form of punishment, contradicting Jesus’ consistent demonstration of unconditional forgiveness. Even on the cross, when He was undergoing punishment (by men, not by God) Jesus forgave without demanding punishment for anyone: “Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.” PSA argues that God’s standard of justice is higher than ours and demands payment. In reality, it is we who demand payment, in the religious systems we have created.
Jesus challenged prevailing Hebrew notions of justice rooted in violence and retribution. He urged a shift from an “eye for an eye” mentality to a radical perspective of love, turning the other cheek and extending kindness to enemies. Genuine forgiveness harbours no resentment against enemies; and God, in His mercy, holds nothing against mankind. Let us allow the discrepancy between PSA and Jesus’ person and teachings to prompt a critical re-evaluation of our theological perspectives, to ensure we are aligning with the profound love and forgiveness exemplified by Jesus, even if this challenges the preconceived notions deeply ingrained in our theological traditions.
Love and forgiveness: God, in His mercy, holds nothing against us – and never has. Let’s ensure we are aligning with His profound love and forgiveness as exemplified by Jesus, even if this challenges our preconceived religious notions.
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Sons of Issachar 