E-mail Questions Answered by Ken Smith:
12/7   Truth Expanding:
Truth never changes but we change to understand more of that Truth.  Only our Heavenly Farther is the same yesterday, today and forever.  St. Paul writes about us about seeing through a smoky glass in time but then clearly as we see our Lord, face to face.  That now we know in part.  But as we get closer to the end of "This Age" we will begin to know even as we are known, 1 Cor.13:11-13 & Eph.4:1-16.  So Truth is "The Way" into ever bigger rooms of truth but the original simple truth always remains the same.  Isaiah challanges us:  "Line upon line and precept upon precept, here a line and there a line, Isa. 28:9-22."  It is imperative to keep our hearts and hands open to the unfolding revelation of God's Truth as confirmed by the Prophets and Apostles of our Lord Jesus.  This means that our Catholic Orthodox traditions must also be flexible to further embrace the Holy Spirit's Divine revelation and correction that will further release the fruit of the Holy Spirit.  Traditions can be excellent if they are supported by God's Truth.  However, they also can try to put out the light as in the murder of our Lord of Glory.  The only way we can tell good traditions from bad is with Holy Scripture and by testing the fruit.  St. Paul clearly write that in the "latter Days" it would be perilous and that there would be a form of Godliness without power.  He admonishes us to leave it and find an Acts 5:16 kind of Fellowship or Community of Saints, 2 Tim.3:5 (chapters 2-4 for context.)


It is like going to California in the gold rush days.  At first it was just "Go West."   But then as many went west they wrote the directions for the trails and then for the forts and then for the towns and finally for the cities on the West Coast.  The original truth was always constant in "Go West."  but the settlers began to want better guidance in going west due to the hardships if they made the wrong turns or had selected bad guides, Jude really hits this hard, Jude 10-25 along with Revelation Chapters 1-3, 17 & 18.

While it is true that  "church" codified the "exquisitely beautiful words" of the day they still left much of the Holy Scriptures without comment.  Those areas concerning the fruit, gifts and ministries of the Holy Spirit are nearly ignored.  The power of the Kingdom as revealed in Acts 5:16,  also seems totally off the list of concerns and teachings.  There is much that the "church" did confirm for which I am indebted.  Our Creator, Lord Christ became flesh in our sinful world through a virgin,   Jesus Christ showed us The Father by His live and gave His life for our redemption and will return to gather His faithful people into His eternal Kingdom.  It is good that the essentials have been protected however the Truth of God as revealed in Holy Scripture has a great deal more to teach us concerning our Lord's Kingdom and how to walk in His power,  John 17.  Even the basic Holy concept of being of "One Mind and One Spirit" has been relegated to the place of agree to disagree.  Read again Eph.4:1-16 and 1 Cor.14 there is such silence in these areas of Truth.

12/10/06    Truth Expanding:
As God is "I AM" all Truth is constant in His dimension of foreknowledge and predestination.

In our world of time and death Truth is an unveiling.  Our Lord told His disciples that they could not handle the Truth at one time but the the Holy Spirit would come and lead them into all truth and that the Holy Spirit would be with them forever, Luke 11:13,  John 7:38-40,  John 16:7-16   In John here there is a very obvious teaching by our our Lord Jesus Christ that Truth is expansive as we mature and have ears to hear. 

Religious Traditions can tend to plug our ears as with those who crucified the Lord of Glory.  There is much in "church" history that stinks and was the traditions of men and not of God for example the Inquisition.  We are responsible to filter what goes into our hearts through the Holy Scriptures,  "Sola Scriptura" and especially if we choose to carry the banner of Catholic Orthodox or universal truth.  Every Christian needs to know his/her own Bible, it is required reading and study, 2 Tim.2:14-26. Only a few will bother to look up the above Holy Scriptures, that is a shame.

In the Early Church there was a balance between love, holiness and power but in time the saints seem to split up and take parts with them of the Truth but not the whole Truth.  Jesus is The Father's pure example of balance and was full of love, holiness and power.

The Evangelicals focused on love and have tended, by themselves to become indulgent with greasy grace.
The Sacramental folks, focused on holiness and by themselves became rigid and sanctimonious.
And the Pentecostals and Charismatics tended towards power and became emotional and produced a carnival.
In my web site:  www.ACTSeminary.org the first picture is three streams falling into a River of Life.  Our Lord is a Pure River of Life into which we must all flow to be part with and of Him.

This is covered more particularly in www.Trinity-Aloha.org   hotlink:  "Keys To THe Kingdom" fist chapter.

Our Lord also said,  "They that gather with us are not against us."  So I try to see the anointing in each denomination or division and accept that Truth as I can confirm by Holy Scripture as being the Truth.  We need all of our vitamins and minerals to remain spiritually healthy.  If God can speak through donkeys and rocks why not the guys on the other side of the tracks.  There is just one Body of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He sorts the wheat and the weeds,  that is His job.

You made a good point concerning Moses and Elijah.  Notice however, that Our Lord quoted Moses three times on the Mount of Transfiguration to defeat the devil.  In personal prophesies I use the three witness approach.  The Word of God states that out of the mouth of two or three witnesses is a thing confirmed.

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