Who's Drinking the Kool Aid?

John 14:6 - Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

What an amazing message in church yesterday morning. Delivered by a late 30-something "elder." He's not a preacher but a teacher. So he taught. On something that just so has my mind wrapped up on these days. Truth.

Please excuse me if I repeat one of the best scriptures on truth above. It's the whole message about truth.

Tyler started by explaining perspective...how there can be more than one way to see something and both can be right, like two different views of a car accident. 

There is such a thing as absolute truth, according to God. It can be known. He shared what Pastor says often regarding the meaning of scripture: Two people can look at a verse and have two different interpretations. Either you are right and I am wrong or I am right and you are wrong. But we can't both be right. In order for anyone to know absolute truth we must know where this truth comes from. There is only one truth. Many others and myself are not drinking the Kool Aid! 

The only truth comes from the Lord Jesus Christ. I understand a person first needs to have a certain belief that He exists in order to agree with this statement. That means not suggesting that God's Word doesn't mean that for today. 

Belief is a difficult thing to explain. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. (John 4:24) The truth is, we must be taught and learn and live truth by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is where belief comes in. If we have not experienced a moment in our life when we know we were touched by the power of the Holy Spirit then absolute truth might become a problem.

There are times when we know what right and wrong, truth and lies, good or evil are. We just know. I have had discussions with friends on how wrong abortion is only to get the response it's a woman's choice or the situation has to be considered or think of the pain caused the woman. Absolute truth says it's wrong, and this will be argued unmercifully. God's Word says it's wrong, despite the fact some people twist what His Word says to suit themselves. 

God's Word is the truth. Period. If He says something is wrong, it's wrong, will always be wrong because He said so and He never changes His mind to make us happy. Some day the absolute truth will be made known. And a lot of people will be disappointed, angry, sorry they hadn't listened or believed. All people's lives are at stake when it comes to this Truth.

The truth is: I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6)  Jesus is all truth. If we don't know Him, don't believe this with every ounce of understanding, we do not know the truth. There's a lot of unknowing going on in this world. Just what the devil ordered. Why would he want anyone to know the truth? How could he continue in his destructive habits if everyone knew the truth? He'd be toast, as he will be someday.

Jesus is the only way to this truth. The only way. The only way to life too. No truth, no life. Someday the truth will be made absolutely known. And as I said, anyone who has avoided this truth, rejected it, scoffed at it, said someone was drinking the Kool Aid, will be very surprised. 

In order to avoid the deceptions that are here today and will increase as the days go on, we must have this Holy Spirit power. We must have discernment. Not man's discernment but God's. I'm both terrified and dismayed that there are a lot of people I know without this understanding. But it is not by my power they change. They have to want to and they have to have Christ and His Spirit living within them. To the point where nothing else matters. All I can do is share truth.

Lord God, I pray that I would continue to grow in Your truth. I ask for Your strength, Your power to trust, learn and endure...at any cost. I might lose all my friends but if that's what has to happen to be counted Your child, then let it be. Give me the love and power to stand my ground for Your truth. Give me both a passion for Your truth and compassion for those who don't know it. I will forever praise You, my God and my King, You who holds the truth, who gives generously to those who want to receive. Open deaf ears, blind eyes and soften hearts to receive all You have to offer. Let perception be not of this world but of You. There is only one truth. Let it be known. 

John 14:16-17 - And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

By the Truth

John 17:17-23

Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.

And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.


The red words of Jesus. Jesus is praying to His Father for His disciples. They have heard the truth, believed it and will be sent into the world to share it. Jesus again shows that He and the Father are one. When we come to Christ and believe as these men did we become one in Spirit. Christ's Spirit in us, and that means the Spirit of God resides in us also. It is our duty to share His words.

But not everyone has this Spirit. We do not have this Spirit until we receive Christ and believe the words of truth He (and His Father) spoke. Through Christ we become joined with Christ not only in His sufferings but in sharing the love of Christ with others.

Real life begins when we first hear the words of truth. By the truth we believe and are set free, now able to be sanctified along with others who have done the same. Again, we must receive (it's all about receiving)...the truth. Jesus is truth because He is the Word...made flesh. It's too marvelous!

Even as I read these few verses this morning I felt an excitement come over me. My heart was stirred. That's what the word of truth does. I thought...my spirit is quickened. I had to look up the meaning of that word. (Of course!)

Quicken, Strong's Concordance:
To give life, make alive.
By spiritual power to arouse and invigorate.
To restore to life.
Of the spirit, endured with new and greater powers of life

And that's what His Word does. It gives life. We think we have life on this earth but real life is in Christ. Scripture says the world and it's desires will pass away, but those who do God's will will live forever...and God's Word, both in word and flesh, will never--never--pass away. (1John 2:17, Matthew 24:35)

Though we see God and His Word being shunned, blasphemed and despised, thought of as offensive, it will not pass away because it is from Him. It is truth in a world that does not want to know the truth...which does not want to know Christ...who will not be made alive by the truth. But there are some of you who do not believe. (John 6:64) This is sad.

Lord God, it is never too late for anyone to change their mind about You. Quicken their spirits to receive more abundant life in You. You call people daily. Somehow they don't hear. Open their ears and hearts to receive the truth that is You.

John 6:63 - It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

Spirit of Truth

John 14:15-17

If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever--the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 


Jesus was telling His disciples they will not be left without a part of Him remaining with them in the power of the Holy Spirit. He had to leave them (die) for this to occur. I'm certain this is how we come by faith to Christ since we can no longer see Him physically face to face. Remember, God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one.

When I came to Christ it was first through the power of the Holy Spirit that caused me to realize a need. When I acknowledged that need and called on the name of the Lord, I was then filled with the Holy Spirit. It only happens when we receive Christ into our hearts.

Then, as little marginal notes written in my Bible state, the Holy Spirit becomes our teacher, counselor, comforter, truth. It's a promise that God said we would receive to have a better understanding of Jesus' truths which are in the Bible.

If we do not hold to all that the Bible says, if we don't agree with everything, we do not have the Holy Spirit. It's that simple. Am I convicted because of some of the things written? Yes. Because I know there are times I don't want to hear something. I admit it. It doesn't mean I don't agree; it's an area that still needs work on...also through the power of the Holy Spirit...and my submission.

Jesus says in His own words, the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive...because some in the world do not know Jesus in the way He requires. And the Spirit does not live in them. These are hard words. They will offend.

What does Jesus require? Most assuredly*, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Most assuredly*, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said this to you, 'You must be born again.'" (John 3:3,5-7)

Oh there she goes with that born again stuff! No...there He goes with those words. If it were not true, Jesus would not have said it. Being born of water...and Spirit. It is through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). 1Corinthians 5:50 says that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. It's a spiritual thing, which is imperishable. Flesh is perishable, spirit is not. Our spirits will live either in the kingdom of God or in hell.

With the help of the Spirit of God truth is revealed. All that the Bible claims will come alive. Things that would have offended one will now be understood...or should be. I've heard of even some believers not believing every word in the Bible. That's the enemy deceiving, spreading lies.

When one becomes born again and receives the Spirit of truth, it means He dwells in you and will be with you.

... He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. (1John 4:6)  It's pretty plain:

Romans 8:9-11 - But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 

*of a truth, so be it, amen