Love and Spirit: A New Set of Eyes

By Thomas R. Martin

Who is God? What must we come to know in order to know God? What is the kingdom of Heaven? What sums up God’s law that all the prophets spoke to? What is the source of the universe and all that exists? What binds us to God and to one another? Why did He come into our world? What gives us eternal life? What is the great beginning and the ultimate end? Is there something truly universal that we can come to know, answering all of these questions?

Love and Spirit says there is, presenting one word that could explain everything. It lives in the hearts of all people, waiting to be discovered, nurtured, and understood: love.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Oct 22, 2015
• ISBN: 9781504341981

Thomas R. Martin

This is the second book Tom Martin has written about the Spirit we are all a part of. Tom is a retired Captain from a major airline. He continues to passionately seek the Truth, trying to understand Its infinite wisdom, and he loves to share what he has discovered along the way. Tom and his high school sweetheart, love their life on a lake in Minnesota, sharing it with family, good friends, and nature itself.

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Copyright © 2015 Thomas R. Martin.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

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www.balboapress.com

ISBN: 978-1-5043-4197-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-4199-8 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-4198-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015916000

Balboa Press rev. date: 10/26/2019

Contents

Chapter 1:   The Mistakes of the Pharisees

Chapter 2:   The Grand Illusion

Chapter 3:   The Wisdom of Children—and Dogs

Chapter 4:   The Spiritual Nature of Water

Chapter 5:   The Mustard Seed Kingdom

Chapter 6:   Defining the Law

Chapter 7:   One + One = One

Chapter 8:   Levites and Samaritans

Chapter 9:   The Doorway Painted in Blood

Chapter 10: Alpha and Omega

Chapter 11: The Hypocrisy of the Pharisees

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my Mother, for instilling

within me awe for God’s magnificent creation,

and for giving me the confidence to experience it.

To my Father, who taught me the value of

hard work, and never giving up until you’ve

accomplished what you set out to do.

To them both, for their love, and for building a solid

foundation within me by dragging my butt to church.

To my family and friends, for the love and

laughter that enriches my soul.

And to my Wife, who has taught me more about Love

than I ever imagined. The incredible joy and peace

I feel in your arms is truly heavenly.

And finally, it is dedicated to God, for without

Him, none of this would be possible.

You have given us a beautiful gift

that none of us can repay.

Thank you doesn’t begin to scratch

the surface of how grateful I am.

In return, I give to You all that I have

to give—my heart and soul.

I Love You.

Acknowledgments

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I would like to thank all those who helped me by being the early sets of eyes on my manuscript, giving meaningful feedback that helped turn it into a book. To my mother Kady Martin, my wife Cathy (my initial critic and editor who suffered through countless re-writes!), Monica and Jim Bruning, Bob Bergman, Larry Gauper, Erik Kaiser, Connie Lengyel, Ron Osborne, Jeanne Shermer, and Tom Wasbotten. It really meant a lot to me that you would take the time out of your busy lives to read my manuscript and tell me how crazy I am with these ideas! You’ve helped make a dream become reality and I can’t thank you enough!

I would also like to give a special thank you to my editor, Heidi Mann, at Final Touch Proofreading and Editing. You’ve polished my manuscript into a book worth reading! It was a true pleasure working with you and I feel blessed to have had you as my guide during my first experience in publishing. To all you writers out there, I would highly recommend Heidi and her services. They don’t come any better. Thanks, Heidi!

You can find Heidi at her website:

www.finaltouchproofreadingandediting.com

Cover Design

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T he cover was designed by my wife Cathy Martin and the design team at Balboa Press. They are photos of some of the many portraits God painted and I was blessed to be a part of. My wife chose them for their spiritual feel and heavenly presence.

CHAPTER ONE

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The Mistakes of the Pharisees

They asked Christ, Who are You? Tell us so that we may believe. He answered, You see the face of heaven and earth, but do not know the One standing before you, and you do not know how to appreciate this moment. Gospel of Thomas 91

O il lamps flickered in the darkness of the temple, as they led Him by sword and spear to the ones who would sit in judgment. He—the Light of all people—was soon to be judged by the darkness of their ignorance. Steam from their breath marked the adrenaline of their pace, as they pushed Him faster to what would be the beginning of His end here on earth.

Voices grew louder as they approached the courtroom that reeked of judgment and condemnation. The temple guards burst through the entrance, shoving their prisoner to the center of the room, laughing as He stumbled to brake His torrid pace. The prisoner steadied Himself, slowly standing upright, ignoring their laughter and weeping for their ignorance.

His sudden appearance temporarily stilled the energy of the room. Searching eyes pored over every inch of the disheveled man standing before them. Crescendos of murmurs arose again from those in attendance, trying to make sense of the moment. But disgust was writing itself across the face of the one who sat in the High Priest’s chair. He stared in disbelief, rubbing his forehead and mumbling to himself.

King . . . they call this man King.

The man in the center continued examining the room, turning slowly, gazing into the eyes of lost souls. He wanted to cry out and give them the answer they had been waiting to hear, but He knew they wouldn’t receive it. He kept turning, searching for someone who might believe, yet finding no one who would. As He shifted, His back turned toward the High Priest, insulting him with this unacceptable posture.

WHO ARE YOU? boomed the Priest, his voice rocketing across the room, bouncing off the walls, silencing the room once again.

All eyes pierced into Him, waiting for His reply, yet He stood still, not saying a word. His defiance enraged the High Priest even more.

ANSWER ME WHEN I SPEAK TO YOU—WHO ARE YOU?

A guard charged Him with sword drawn but was subdued by a wave of the High Priest’s hand. The Priest looked away, rubbing his forehead again, gathering his composure the best he could. Clearly this man wasn’t intimidated standing before him and the council. A different tack would be needed. Perhaps a direct question would lead to the answer he was looking for.

Tell me . . . are you the Messiah?

The man at the center slowly turned to face the High Priest, a glorious smile spreading across His lips. He looked upon the Priest with radiant eyes,

I am.

The room erupted.

BLASPHEMER!!! DID YOU HEAR?! HOW CAN HE . . . WHO IS HE TO SAY. . . . KILL HIM!!!

*       *       *

It has always amazed me how the ones looking for the Messiah couldn’t see Him when He stood before them. Those who devoted their lives to being experts on scripture couldn’t understand the wisdom contained within. How could this be? How could they not know it was He? And perhaps more importantly, how do we avoid making the same mistakes they made?

I believe the answer lies in how they were looking. They were looking for the Messiah in terms of this world, picturing Him as an earthly king with an earthly kingdom. The thought that the King and His kingdom were of the spiritual world never crossed their mind. When He told them, Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days (John 2:18-20), they mistook it to mean the physical temple they were standing in. Later, when the Pharisee named Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night to question Him, Jesus says, No one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again. Nicodemus is confused and asks, How can a man be born when he is old? Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born (John 3:1-4). Again, the confusion comes from trying to picture what Christ is saying in terms of this world. Nicodemus is thinking in terms of flesh and blood, and is confused how it can be born again. But the physical isn’t what Christ came for. It is spirit that He came to save, and it’s in terms of spirit that Christ speaks.

And what about us? Would we have done any better? If we had been in the temple that day and heard Christ say He could rebuild it in three days, would we have known that Christ was talking about Himself? Or if we had been with Nicodemus that night, would we have known Christ was talking about the need for our spirits to be born again, not our flesh? I doubt I would have. I’d be just as confused as the Pharisees and the other religious leaders. Thinking outside the earthly limits of time and space, outside the limits of flesh and blood, is a foreign concept to many of us, including me.

So . . ., what if? What if we’re still doing it? What if we’re still repeating the mistakes of the Pharisees, missing the message of scripture? What have we learned in the 2,000 years since Christ died? How has our focus changed? We claim we know better. We say we understand that the kingdom Christ spoke of is spiritual, not physical. We claim our spirits are important, yet our day to day focus continues to be our flesh and blood.

In my opinion, we’re still blowing it. Why? Because our focus hasn’t changed. We’re still trying to define and understand Spirit in terms of the physical world we live in. They are two different things, and it’s impossible to use one to define the other with any amount of accuracy. If we want to come to know God, then we have to come to know Spirit.

The church’s leaders suffered from a bad case of mistaken identity when the Savior they were looking for stood before them. They’ve continued making their share of mistakes, teaching (for example) that the earth was the center of God’s creation for over a thousand years after Jesus had lived on it. When Galileo came along and spoke the truth, the church condemned him for heresy, giving him the choice of being burned at the stake or living under house arrest for the remainder of his life. (1) And the church continues to make its share of mistakes. I guess it’s to be expected, since the church is human and therefore prone to error like the rest of us.

I don’t bring this up to condemn the church or its teachings. On the contrary, I agree with much of what they have to say. I simply point this out to show that the church doesn’t always get it right. It is good to listen to the church’s teachings. But we all have a duty to question whether or not something is truth. I have found that questioning my faith doesn’t mean it’s weak. Rather, it’s what has strengthened it.

I’ve also noticed that as my faith deepens, my relationship with the church has become much like the one we have with our parents. When we are young, we look to our parents for all our answers. Our questions are easy, and Mom and Dad have no trouble answering them. But as we age, our questions become deeper, and the answers more difficult. Soon there comes a time when we realize our parents don’t have all the answers. We begin to see they are human, with many faults of their own, just like us.

And so it has been for me with the church. Early on, it answered all my questions when the subjects were easy. But as I grew older, pastors no longer had answers to my questions. I realized they’re human too, and were searching just like me. I began to drift away from the church, looking for answers on my own. This was both good and bad, I suppose: good in the sense that it gave me a fresh outlook with which to search for God, one that wasn’t influenced by the church’s lens and allowed me to look with new eyes; bad in the sense that I was becoming disconnected from the very thing I was searching for—the Vine I am a part of. Yet, in my search, I came up with some answers that seem to fit better than the ones given to me by the church.

This book is about what I learned in my journey beyond the church’s teachings. I will always be grateful for the foundation my parents and the church gave me upon which to build, for without that, my search would have never begun. And I am very grateful for the roles both my parents and the church continue to play in my life: giving me the Love that, it turns out, is the overarching answer I was looking for. I would like to share with you what I have found along the way, hoping that these ideas may help you in your journey too.

As with all journeys, one needs something to use as a compass or a guide to help keep one’s way. The guides I use are Christ’s words, along with those of His disciples and the prophets. My thinking is, who better to learn about God than God Himself, and those who were with Him while He walked the earth? The version of the Bible I have used to guide me is the Concordia Self-Study Bible, NIV. It is my hope that those from other religious backgrounds won’t stop reading here, but will continue on, because I believe the Truth is universal in nature, and is known and felt in many different cultures and religions. So while I quote a lot of scripture from the Bible, I also use ideas from other sources. I ask that Christians allow me the latitude to use sources outside the Bible, while those who aren’t Christian allow me to quote scripture from within. Let’s try walking this path together and see where it leads.

So, where to start? As I mentioned earlier, we think that with the benefit of hindsight, we know better than those from Biblical times. We claim, "Oh, I get it . . . the kingdom is a place in the clouds where we’ll live in a time called eternity. . . . And yet, if that’s how we see God and His kingdom—as a Being living in a place in time"—we’re still missing the true meaning of all of this. We’re still using the tools the Pharisees used—earthly tools that don’t apply to God. We’re still trying to define a limitless Spirit in terms of the limits imposed by time and space. It’s like trying to understand temperature using meters to describe it. Trying to define temperature using terms of distance misses the mark.

In order to overcome this, in order to avoid repeating the mistakes of the past, we have to start looking in a new way—one that isn’t limited by time and space. To see the Truth, we have to let go of the physical boundaries within which we live and move. We need to see God and His kingdom in the way He sees it, existing outside the boundaries imposed by time and space. This is who He is, not limited by anything, not living within the created limits of the physical universe. We need to change our thinking from physical to spiritual, for trying to define God in earthly terms is the crux of our problem.

This isn’t easily done. We are embedded in space and time every day of our lives. Our senses constantly bombard us with information that comes to us in terms of things being here and there, and events happening before and after. But the problem with time and space is that they are defined by boundaries and therefore place limits on what dwells within them. In our world, something can’t be here and there at the same time. And the future and past can’t exist side by side (although quantum physicists are beginning to challenge these ideas . . .). God is without limits, and in order to see Him, this is how we must look.

As best we can, we must let go of the bad information our senses are feeding us about what reality is, because Truth isn’t physical in nature; it’s spiritual. It’s an all-encompassing, omnipresent, spiritual energy lying beyond the reach of our senses. It is truly universal, transcending all of humanity’s religions. And it’s known and felt by all who have walked, or ever will walk, the earth. It is alive, living within the hearts of all beings it has created. And perhaps most important of all, it is the very definition of real life, eternal life. If we want to come to know the Truth, we have to turn our focus away from what we see with our eyes, and start looking into what we can’t.

I have come to realize that my journey is no different than yours. We all have different hopes and dreams in this life, and we all pursue different avenues through it. But the overall journey remains the same for all of us—back to the Great Beginning, back into the Spirit from which we came.

I hope these ideas will help you in your journey back to God, and will give you a new way to see Him—one that is simple, and that we all understood when we were kids but have long since forgotten as adults. I ask only that you keep an open mind as you read, allowing these ideas to enter and rattle around a little before you decide what to do with them. If they help you on your journey, keep them close to you. If not, then let them go and continue knocking on doors until you find what you are seeking. For it is good to be puzzled. That’s where all worthwhile searches start.

You will seek Me and find Me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back from captivity. Jeremiah 29:13-14

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8

The Gospel of Thomas

Before going any further, you may have noticed at