Discerning the Counterfeit By Eric Mumford

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© 2011 Lifechangers All Rights Reserved Printed in the United States of America Discerning the Counterfeit by Eric Mumford Recognizing ‘Worthless’ Reflecting upon the nature and ways of God’s enemy—“the serpent of old” (Rev 12:9)—a certain southern quip just seems to fit: “An ounce of pretension is worth a pound of manure.” The Scriptures frequently refer to Satan by the name Belial or Beliar, which simply means worthless. Belial, whom we will call Worthless, is an imposter clothed head-to-toe in pretense: “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2Cor 11:14). Worthless was formerly a distinguished archangel of heaven whose name is not mentioned in the Scriptures; early theologians named him Lucifer, a Latin translation of light-bearer or shining one (Isa 14:12). This archangel of God willfully degenerated into self-love (eros). As a self-center, Lucifer desired to be first—seeking to be served and no longer to be God’s servant and esteeming himself worthy to be the object of all worship and no longer a worshipper. This noble being of great worth was entirely consumed by envy of God; he ceased to be Lucifer and became Worthless. Through the prophet Ezekiel, the Lord recounts Lucifer’s fall: Thus says the Lord God, “You had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the -3- garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the ruby, the topaz and the diamond; the beryl, the onyx and the jasper; the lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald [Aaron and his sons, the high priests of Israel, wore this breastplate of precious stones, Ex 28:17-20]; and the gold, the workmanship of your settings [lit. tambourines] and sockets [lit. flutes], was in you. On the day that you were created they [instruments of worship] were prepared. You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you there [as a steward of worship, the leader of My worshippers]. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked in the midst of the stones of fire [heavenly beings, luminaries of God’s glory].

You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness [self-love] was found in you. By the abundance of your trade [worship for worthlessness; “exchanging the truth of God for a lie” (Ro 1:25)] you were internally filled with violence [envy, greed, murder], and you sinned; therefore I have cast you from the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart

-4- was lifted up [in self-worship] because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor [self-referential (eros) rationale]. I cast you to the ground [earth]; I put you before kings, that they may see you. By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade [counterfeiting] you profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; it has consumed you, and I have turned you to ashes [worthlessness] on the earth…” (Ezekiel 28:11-18).

Worship literally means worth-ship: to magnify, cherish, and celebrate God’s worth. “God is Agape [sacrificial self-giving Love]” (1John 4:8). Essentially, worth-ship is reciprocating God’s Agape—perpetually offering ourselves to Him in sacrificial self-giving as He perpetually gives Himself to us. Lucifer was actually a unique creation of God designed with musical instruments of worth-ship, “tambourines” and “flutes,” hard-wired into his very being! Further, God appointed him to a most distinguished position of honor and authority—an angelic high priest of heaven—the first to wear the breast-piece of Aaron and entrusted with authority over all the worshippers of God’s kingdom. The fact that one- third of God’s angels followed him into darkness

-5- is evidence that Worthless was previously a being of great worth and authority (Rev 12:4). Lucifer was uniquely equipped and appointed to lead all creation on an eternal journey into the fathomless worth of the infinite Trinity of Agape, but magnifying and esteeming himself, he became a forerunner into sin (eros), blazing a new trail of self-discovery and self-worth-ship. Worthless has spent all the subsequent ages mastering the arts of deception and seduction, luring all God’s creatures great and small to follow him on this alternate, twisted path of eros. Promising self- gratification to each unsuspecting dupe, Worthless exploits the sum total of his victims for his own vainglory, enslaving them through addiction and fear in his counterfeit kingdom and using them as pawns in the gratification of his envy of God. When Jesus “was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil,” Worthless even invited God’s Son to participate in this egotistical madness. Boldly quoting Scripture as a part of his customized snare, the cunning serpent offered Jesus a certain worthless promise, “if You fall down and worship me” (Mt 4:1-9). From the moment Lucifer (“light-bearer”) sold himself into this irredeemable darkness, he has since attempted to usurp God’s position, authority, and glory in every imaginable way. Worthless is a created being. He is not the Creator, and he is not God; therefore, to carry on this charade

-6- of “equality with God,” this imposter must perpetually mask his own finite limitations as a non-deity with deceptive pretense and conceal his deficiencies and inabilities with fraud, forgeries, and counterfeiting. With astounding effectiveness, Worthless peddles worthlessness.

The Copycat Worthless, who “disguises himself as an angel of light,” is uniquely qualified to carry on this envious charade because he actually was an angel of light before his degeneration into darkness. The archangel Lucifer was among the most distinguished, powerful, and honored beings of God’s creation before he was thrown out of heaven. The intellectual capacity which God created in this super-being, as well as the privileged access to the Trinity granted to Lucifer as an angelic high priest of heaven, afforded him intimate familiarity with many deep mysteries of God. As a former ‘heavenly insider,’ this outcast cunningly and shamelessly exploits his first-hand knowledge of the kingdom of God by every conceivable means, counterfeiting the light, power, culture, lingo, designs, imagery, and even God’s objectives and methods. To recognize Worthless and discern his schemes, we must understand that as a non- deity he does not possess God’s creative power to generate original things; he is a copycat driven by

-7- envy. “One who plans to do evil, men will call a schemer [lit. deviser of evil]. The devising of folly is sin [counterfeit creativity]” (Pro 24:8-9). All of Satan’s inventions and devices are dark ‘knock- offs’ of God’s creative ingenuity. Worthless, the pretender, is himself a counterfeit, and out of his very nature he masterfully counterfeits all the original ideas and creations of God. Though Satan does not have generative, creative power, he does wield tremendous degenerative, destructive power. He strives “to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord” (Acts 13:10). Worthless takes God’s resources—His words, designs, objectives, and especially angelic and human beings—and makes them crooked; that is, he twists them in upon himself as a false center. All of his innovations—deceptions, lures, counterfeits, and forgeries—are crafted from the raw resources of God’s kingdom. The outcome of the degenerative perversion of God’s original, life-giving things is a counterfeit kingdom, which is the antithesis of Father’s genuine kingdom. He has effectively constructed a kingdom of dark-light that is a perverted replica of the kingdom of Light, wrought through with nearly undetectable half-truths—intricately crafted lures, snares, and pit-falls designed to capture and hold mankind hostage from their Creator. An effective fishing lure is painted with multi-colored, iridescent paint, complete with

-8- detailed scales and eyes; even motionless it is indistinguishable from a real fish. Further, the lure is triple-jointed, the head, body, and tail are linked, and when skillfully pulled along, the fake fish appears to glide through the water by its own propulsion exactly like a live fish. The barbed hook trailing beneath is rarely discovered until it has already been swallowed. Worthless’ dark gift of al-lure-ment makes him an exceedingly treacherous enemy. As this Plumbline unfolds, we will see how Worthless, moved by envy of God, masterfully and comprehensively counterfeits all the genuine things of God as hook-laden lures, including miracles, spiritual gifts “without Agape,” a kingdom of Oneness, and even Son-giving and resurrection itself. Consider the difference between jealousy and envy: jealousy wants what another has, envy wants what the other has and for the other not to have it. Envy is a very evil, destructive thing—one of the major load-bearing pillars of wickedness and the impetus of murder. Worthless wants to be the king of God’s kingdom. He does not want an altogether different kind of kingdom; he is attempting to replicate God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, except that he is the focal point and center. Worthless desires what God in His creative ingenuity desires, but for himself, particularly the worth-ship of God’s children. Covetous envy is why counterfeiting is the very core of Worthless’

-9- agenda and activities, his stock-and-trade. Isaiah provided a helpful exposé of Worthless:

How you have fallen from heaven, O star [lit. shining one] of the morning, O son of the dawn! [originally a luminous being created and honored by God]. You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! [by deception, counterfeiting]. But you said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God [His angels and children] and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north [usurp God’s place among His people]. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit. Those who see you will gaze at you, they will ponder over you, saying, “Is this the man [Worthless, the false-father] who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world a wilderness and overthrew its cities, who did not allow his prisoners to go home [to their true Father]?

…Like a rejected branch [counterfeit of Christ, “the righteous Branch”], clothed with the slain who are pierced with a

-10- sword [those he deceives and murders], who go down to the stones of the pit like a trampled corpse. You will not be united with them in burial, because you have ruined your country, you have slain your people. May the offspring of evildoers [“sons of Belial”] not be mentioned forever. Prepare for his sons [imposters, liars who exhale Worthless’ spirit] a place of slaughter because of the iniquity of their fathers. They must not arise and take possession of the earth [usurpers] and fill the face of the world with cities [counterfeit light, anti- glory] (Isa 14:12-21).

Belial’s Worthless World For Lifechangers’ mission projects in Ukraine and Uganda we must take $100 and $50 U.S. dollar notes printed by the U.S. Treasury in 2001 or following. Banks and currency exchangers in these foreign nations do accept older bills but will only offer a significantly lower rate of exchange. In the 1990s there was so much skillful counterfeiting of U.S. currency that even trained bank tellers find it difficult to detect the difference. Currency exchangers have lost substantial profits by discovering, after their day’s transactions, many counterfeit bills among the cash they took in. In addition to counterfeit currency; fake Rolex watches; phony Prada wallets, shoes, and

-11- handbags; and all variety of bogus technological merchandise abound. When purchasing clothing, jewelry, home and auto parts, computer software, etc., we meet the same phenomena of “tares among wheat.” In Uganda, we have bought seedlings from salesmen who swore they would produce certain fruit-bearing trees, only to plant them and discover something altogether different— worthless. Further, the quality of products, which bear the exact same name-brand, can also vary greatly; we must ask, “Where was this made?” Belial’s kingdom, known to us as “the world,” is chock-full of counterfeits and counterfeiting: false advertising, fraud, “knock-offs,” plagiarism, forgeries, and stolen innovations. Apart from these overt deceptions, it is most rare that any product or service you hear advertised actually lives up to its claims. Further, “the world’s goods” are wrought through with ‘planned obsolescence;’ that is, products intentionally designed and crafted to wear out or become out-dated in order to secure greater profits by future sales. In this way, Worthless & sons cultivate consumer addicts and exploit them for profit, ceaselessly and shrewdly attempting to get more than they give. We were born into a world of takers mentored in and mastering Belial’s ‘eros hook’—there is the appearance of adding something to you, but at the last moment, when the transaction is complete and it is too late, their self-referential

-12- agenda is revealed and you have been taken! We all have been victims of it; therefore, we all have learned it, and we all practice it. It all began with Worthless. The counterfeit products and services we encounter daily on the surface of this natural world are directly sourced from the spiritual degeneration of Worthless. It causes us to wonder, as lifetime residents of this dark, familiar world that is “passing away” (1Cor 7:31), are we now so accustomed to all this counterfeiting and futility that we no longer even expect anything genuine? Have we ever actually seen anything truly genuine, and would we even recognize it if we saw it? Perhaps we do not even realize just how temporal, fake, and worthless it all is, even those things that we appraise as authentic. Jesus observed, “If the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Mt 6:23). Are we even capable of discerning between precious and worthless? Considering these things, perhaps we better understand why Abraham “was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God” (Heb 11:10). Abraham was simply not interested in ‘buying’ what degenerate men had designed and built. Before making his lifetime purchase he asked, “Where was this made?” Worthless, “the deceiver,” is a masterful propagandist; he shrewdly twists words to seduce and manipulate. Both through whispers and

-13- broadcasts, he peddles counterfeit “good news,” the promise of abundant life in self-gratification. We hear a report of the promise of things that we never actually see, and yet we believe and move at his word! To reinforce these deceptions, Worthless carefully constructs mirages. In “the world,” a cursed wasteland of famine and thirst of his own making, Worthless appears to be an oasis of water just over the next dune. Expending our last remaining strength, we struggle over the burning sands to the appearance of something that is not really there. Upon reaching that place, thing, person, or opportunity that we believed held such promise of gratification, and discovering it is not where we thought, we see the mirage further ahead and continue “emigrating” deeper into his “waterless place” to our death. Curiously, one of the major Las Vegas casinos is called The Mirage. What an appropriate name and illustration of the whole degenerate world into which we were born. “The house,” packed with gamblers, always comes out on top. While raking in cash, “the house” is simultaneously cultivating a legion of addicts who repeatedly return in false hope. Of course Belial’s mirage technique is evident in the secular world, but it is particularly effective in the religious world. Countless “Christian” churches around the world frequently proclaim the same eros-driven message: “If you tithe to God (our church, of

-14- course), He will bless your business, finances, family, health, and future, but if you do not, you will bring the curse of Malachi on yourselves.” Invariably, “the house” always comes out on top. While promoting and providing for itself, the church is simultaneously cultivating a legion of religious addicts who are repeatedly exploited in Jesus’ name! This is a cruel twist on Father’s intended design of reciprocal generosity in Agape; this is “the synagogue of Satan” (Rev 2:9; 3:9). We hear but do not see; we see but it is not really there; we buy, yet how quickly it becomes obsolete; we buy again. However, of the genuine, indestructible kingdom the psalmist writes, “As we have heard, so we have seen in the city of the Lord of hosts, in the city of our God; God will establish her forever” (Ps 48:8). No false advertising here; no ‘planned obsolescence!’ The composers of Psalm 48, who provided this ‘verification of authenticity,’ were the sons of Korah—citizens and worship leaders in the kingdom of David and Solomon. God established the kingdom of David and Solomon as a natural, authentic type of the genuine, spiritual kingdom of priests to come in the Person of His Son:

Now when the queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord [foundation], she came to test him with difficult questions

-15- [genuine or counterfeit?]….She spoke with him about all that was in her heart. Solomon answered all her questions; nothing was hidden from the king that he did not explain to her. When the queen perceived all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, the food of his table, the seating of his servants, the attendance of his waiters and their attire, his cupbearers, and his stairway by which he went up to the house of the Lord [all natural, yet genuine types of the eternal, spiritual kingdom], there was no more spirit in her. Then she said to the king, “It was a true report which I heard in my own land about your words and your wisdom. Nevertheless I did not believe the reports, until I came and my eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. You exceed in wisdom and prosperity the report which I heard” (1Kings 10:1-7).

Of the spiritual fulfillment of that natural kingdom Jesus said, “Behold, something greater than Solomon is here” (Mt 12:42). “For as many as are the promises of God, in Jesus Christ [the genuine, perfected Son] they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen [verification of authenticity] to the glory of God through us” (2Cor 1:20). The kingdom of God built upon

-16- the eternal foundation of the tested, proven Son, Jesus Christ, has no ‘planned obsolescence.’ “O Lord, Your testimonies are fully confirmed” (Ps 93:5). Observing others peddle counterfeit products and philosophies pre-scheduled for obsolescence and ultimately destined for destruction, humble gratitude and unspeakable joy well up within us to advocate and proclaim this genuine kingdom of our eternal Father built upon His Son! Worthless & sons love things and use people; Father & sons use things to love people.

But now God has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth, but also the heaven.” This expression, “Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those [counterfeit] things which can be shaken, as of created things, so that those [genuine] things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude by which we may offer [in reciprocal generosity] an acceptable service with reverence and awe [worth-ship]; for our God is a consuming fire [the Authentic Revealer] (Heb 12:26-29).

Laboring to equip God’s people with discernment to know precious from worthless

-17- and teaching them to distinguish the radical, subterranean differences between the genuine and counterfeit kingdoms, the psalmist David writes, “How long will you love what is worthless and aim at deception?” (Ps 4:2). Just how far will you chase the mirage? Abraham and his offspring of faithsaw through Worthless’ offers and flatly refused him. David said, “I will set no worthless thing [counterfeit] before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not fasten its grip on me” (Ps 101:3). Cutting all ties to Worthless’ world, these kingdom emigrants loved, aimed for, and discovered “Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think” (Eph 3:20). These discerning men and women ‘invested’ themselves into the only One who actually delivers far more than promised, and they were not disappointed. “Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious cornerstone, and he who believes in Him [God’s tested, proven, gen- uine Son] will not be disappointed” (1Pet 2:6).

“The power of the evil one” We have accurately identified Worthless as a pretender, an imposter, a fraud, a copycat, and a counterfeiter; however, these seemingly trite personifications could lead one to grossly underestimate the authority and effective power of this ancient serpent. Satan is by no means a mere camouflaged weakling. Three primary archangels

-18- are introduced in the Scriptures: Gabriel, who instructed the prophet Daniel (Dan 8-9) and announced to Mary that she would conceive the Christ Child; Michael who also came to Daniel’s aid (Dan 10); and Lucifer. In the book of Jude there is a fascinating warning about the arrogant foolishness of “reviling angelic majesties:”

But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the [deceased] body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” (Jude 1:9-10).

Knowing His people had a strong inclination to idolatry and would inevitably erect a worthless shrine to Moses, the Lord Himself buried the body of Moses in an unknown location with no human witnesses (Deut 34:6). Worthless, however, intended to exploit Moses’ body by returning it to Israel as a counterfeit object of worth-ship that would eclipse the worth-ship of God and snare His people. Though the Scriptures do not make plain the chain of command among these archangels, it seems Michael wisely acknowledged that Lucifer (Worthless) out-ranked him, even in his degenerate state. A survey of human history reveals that it is commonly the second in command, moved by an envious desire to be first,

-19- who spearheads the coup, mutiny, or assassination. Though I am speculating based on this sketchy scriptural evidence, it is possible that after the three Persons of the Godhead, Lucifer was second in command in heaven over the remaining angels and heavenly beings. God entrusted the whole earth to Adam and Eve, investing them with His authority over it as stewards (Gen 1:28; Heb 2:5-8). When the serpent deceived Adam and Eve, he made them partakers of his degenerate nature and therefore his slaves. Though Worthless’ authority over degenerate mankind and this world was usurped by this crafty means, it is legally binding and very real. The fact that Father sent His Son to legally “ransom” us is evidence of Belial’s real authority. When Jesus was led into temptation (testing), “the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their [counterfeit] glory; and he said to Him, ‘All these things [under my control] I will give You, if You fall down and worship me’” (Mt 4:8-9). The Apostle Paul refers to Belial as “the god of this world” (2Cor 4:4). The Apostle John wrote, “The whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1John 5:19). John added, “And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old…who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth and his angels were thrown down with him” (Rev 12:9). Martin Luther underscored this

-20- reality in his awesome hymn, A Mighty Fortress is Our God, declaring that Satan is “armed with cruel hate” and “on earth is not his equal.” Belial is, indeed, a crafty serpent: he strikes with lightning speed, he carefully calculates the precise target of his bite, his venom is lethal, and history testifies that his toxic anti-life courses through an individual, family, community, nation, and even the world like wildfire. Consider how a solitary, opportune visit of the “angel of light” to Joseph Smith in New York State has subsequently ensnared millions of Mormons in a deadly, contagious deception. They dispatch their precious, young men by twos in counterfeit evangelism throughout every nation on earth carrying with them a forged document: “the Companion to the Bible: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.” My Ukrainian daughter (age 24) is earning her masters degree in International Relations and Diplomatic Studies in a Ugandan University. One fascinating course is called International Political Economics. We are discovering through various case-studies that developed, western nations frequently offer humanitarian aid to third-world nations under the pretense of benevolence when in fact, they take far more than they give. It is common knowledge that government officials, corporations, and contractors in these developing nations commonly steal and sell donated medicines

-21- for diseases and embezzle funds granted for the construction of roads and power plants, etc. However, the calculated eros payoff of the wealthy benefactors has not been so obvious—counterfeit philanthropy. Posing as generous humanitarians, certain developed nations shrewdly offer third-world nations essential resources while simultaneously “negotiating” the extraction of vast amounts of raw materials at cut-rate prices, with tariff exemptions, cheap labor, and geographical access for various hidden, self-serving purposes, etc. The rich offer short-term solutions to the poor and reap nearly all of the long-term benefits. To reinforce their coercive control, international laws are written by a cunning few that give calculated advantage to the rich. International patent laws forbid developing nations to reproduce certain formulas for needed medicines with their own available resources, keeping them dependent on aid and primed for further exploitation. It should not surprise us that the same predatory, eros behavior we observe among degenerate individuals occurs on an international scale. It is truly Worthless’ world! Through hisspiritual influence, Worthless continues to directly twist and pervert the secular, contemporary affairs and endeavors of entire modern-day governments. From Father’s perspective, knowing how cunning and cruel His enemy can be and how

-22- serious the custody battle is over the lives of His beloved children, He grieves that we are so ignorant, ill-prepared, immature, foolish, and wayward in eros, chasing mirages and falling so easily into snares, confusion, misplaced allegiances, etc. “For God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart” (1Sam 16:7). Man looks at, Father sees through. Our wise Father is distressed that we are virtually defenseless because our judgments and subsequent choices are based upon outward appearance. Human discernment is entirely useless against such a crafty deceiver and skillful counterfeiter who targets, aims, and “shoots from concealment” (Ps 64:4). Father would teach us to see as He sees—beneath the façade of pretense, beneath the veneer of the counterfeit, into the reality of the heart. Through His prophets, we hear our Father’s voice repeatedly urging each generation of His people to beware. It is Father’s heart expressed through Paul in his first letter to his spiritual son Timothy. In just six short chapters, He cites these potential dangers in Worthless’ world of counterfeits:

Straying… turning aside… suffering shipwreck in regard to your faith…handed over to Satan…being deceived, fell into transgression…becoming conceited and

-23- falling into the condemnation incurred by the devil…falling into reproach and the snare of the devil…falling away from the faith paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons… denying the faith…feeling sensual desires in disregard of Christ thus incurring condemnation, having set aside your previous pledge…turning aside to follow Satan…keep yourself free from sin… falling into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction… wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs…gone astray from the faith… (1Timothy 1-6).

In weighty, perpetual concern, Paul was consumed with Father’s burden to mature His children “that no advantage be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes” (2Cor 2:11). We hear Father through T. Austin Sparks:

“Lest any one of you should seem to have come short...” (Heb 4:1). For those who… have a real burden and sense of responsibility for the spiritual life of God’s people, one of the most heart-breaking things is the way in which so many who gave promise

-24- of going right on with the Lord are caught in some side-track and turn to something other or less than He meant for them. Not necessarily to sin or to the world, but to something which, while it brings them a great deal of gratification for a time, eventually proves to be a diversion resulting in arrested spiritual growth, and they are found in a backwater, a cul- de-sac, occupied with an alternative to “the whole counsel of God.” Their ‘new discovery’, or ‘light’, or ‘guidance’, as they speak of it, by reason of the let-up of some tension, solution to some problems, promise of release into self-realization, and escape from pressure, when the novelty and glamour have worn off is found to have been “deceitful waters,” producing Jericho’s fruits which fall before they are ripe....

The peril or snare will be cunningly and ingeniously adapted to the ‘prey’. What would capture some would make no appeal to others. The most spiritual will be presented with what appears to be most spiritual. Our particular temperament will be our peculiar danger. We shall have to, ever and always, be governed by principle, and not by feelings, preferences,

-25- arguments, or natural appeal. Intellectual palliatives, emotional ecstasies, activity- gratifications must be suspected or challenged. The one question must be paramount—Where does this lead? Does it essentially and intrinsically relate to the one supreme purpose of God? (T. Austin Sparks, The Danger of Coming Short).

Distinguishing Genuine from Counterfeit Noah Webster will help us define the fundamental difference between genuine and counterfeit: Genuine: from genus, its genetic root; native, belonging to the original stock, hence real; natural, true, pure; not spurious, false or adulterated. Ingenuous: Open, frank, fair, candid, free from reserve, disguise, equivocation, or dissimulation; noble, generous; of honorable extraction, freeborn. Counterfeit (verb): to forge, to copy, or to imitate without authority or right, and with a view to deceive or defraud, by passing the copy for that which is original and genuine; as to counterfeit coin, bank notes, a seal, a bond, a deed, the handwriting or signature of another, etc. To make a likeness or resemblance of anything with a view to defraud; to make or put on a resemblance, as

-26- to counterfeit the voice of another person; passing the false for the true; to feign, to dissemble, to carry on a fiction or deception. (Adjective): forged, fictitious, false, fabricated without right; hypocritical. (Noun): a cheat, a deceitful person, one who pretends to be what he is not, one who impersonates another, an imposter. In law, one who obtains money or goods by counterfeit letters or false tokens. Counterfeiter: one who copies or imitates; one who assumes a false appearance (Noah Webster, 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language).

The Bible reveals that the true, living God is actually three Persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is One God because each of the three Persons is uncreated, eternal, and shares one and the same sacrificial, self-giving nature (Agape gene, DNA) with the other Two; “God is Agape” (1John 4:8). This Trinity in Oneness is the Creator, the genetic Root, and origin of all things, including Lucifer. Come let us worth-ship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker [our genetic Root]. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture [a kingdom not of Worthless’ world], and the sheep of His hand [no longer orphans in the false- father’s custody] (Ps 95:6-7). -27- This raises the question of the origin of evil. A very simple, concise answer: evil is essentially self- love (eros), the impetus of all thoughts and acts of wickedness. The triune God did not create evil (eros), but the Three did create the heavens and the earth in freedom—a freedom of the sacrificial self-giving Love that They are and have shared with One Another from eternity. An essential aspect of agape is that it is not coercive or robotic; agape must be freely, volitionally, and willingly reciprocated to be gen-uine. Lucifer willfully abused the freedom of agape, degenerated into self- love (eros), practiced self-worth-ship, and ushered in the reality of sin (eros) and its consequence: the power of decay and death. Agape (sacrificial self-giving) and eros (self- love) are both love. Agape is an uncreated Reality because it is the very nature of the eternal God, the genetic Root of all things. Eros is not a creation of God; neither was eros a “creation” of Lucifer, since he has never possessed creative, generative power. Eros is a perversion of agape—love redirected and twisted onto self, a counterfeit love, a feigning love: “Let love [agape] be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good” (Ro 12:9). Eros is the fundamental lie, the prototype counterfeit from which Worthless produces all counterfeits of all varieties. By deception, Worthless infected a third of God’s angels (now demons), as well as Adam and

-28- Eve, making them partakers of his degenerate nature. Through Adam and Eve’s degenerate offspring, eros and its “wages” of barrenness, futility, and death have been passed down to each and every generation of mankind, multiplying Satan’s evil in the earth. Demons strive alongside Worthless to maximize the destructive power of evil by shrewdly exploiting our eros compulsions, luring us into customized opportunities to manifest our selfish nature by acting in self-will. We will further examine man’s eros degeneration in a moment, but first we must understand the difference between real and genuine. Worthless and all his counterfeit things and mirages are absolutely real. The power of eros; false ideologies and religions with their own inherent magnetism and miraculous signs; fleshly snares customized to his prey; and his cunning, loyal agents actually exist both in physical and spiritual dimensions, but they are not gen-uine; that is, they do not originate from the true God of Agape, our Creator, the genetic Root of all things. The power of deception, the remarkable effectiveness of counterfeits, and the source of our confusion all lie in this one fact: God is Love (Agape), but Worthless is also love (eros). Like the cunningly-crafted fishing lure, it is exceedingly difficult for one to discern the difference between these two until the barbed hook has already been swallowed.

-29- The Face and the Façade There has appeared to mankind in the world both a Face and a mask. A face is the primary means by which a person communicates himself, who he really is. God designed the face as one of the foremost instruments of self-giving relationship: “The Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend” (Ex 33:11). The eyes are a window to the soul, “the mouth speaks out that which fills the heart” (Mt 12:34), and the overall countenance registers on the surface an infinite variety of sentiments and emotions occurring within. A face reveals; a mask conceals. A mask is a type of façade, a counterfeit persona worn by a pretender. A façade is designed to cleverly conceal an unsightly reality. Another term for façade is veneer. Wood veneer is used to make furniture appear to be constructed of solid, quality lumber when it is actually worthless particle board that swells and warps when wet! In the world, Christ is the Face of God, but there is also a masked pretender—“the spirit of the antichrist” (1John 4:3). Worthless, the imposter, masks himself as God. Worthless, the counterfeit god, was “thrown down” into the world; the gen-uine Son was “sent” into the world where Worthless the deceiver had already established himself as god among men through many idolatrous façades both secular and religious. The Son of God wassent to us from God

-30- the Father (the genetic Root) that we might see into Father and know Him; therefore, the God-Man Jesus Christ is gen-uine. Jesus repeatedly said, “If God were your Father, you would agape Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative [in self- will, with a self-serving agenda], but He sent Me” (John 8:42). Jesus Christ, “the Son of Father’s Agape” (Col 1:13), is a Face and not a façade because He is an exact DNA match of God the Father: “And He [the genuine Son] is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature [Agape DNA]” (Heb 1:3). Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). Jesus’ human face “has no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him” (Is 53:2-3), yet beneath this ordinary, humble exterior of flesh all the fullness of uncreated, eternal glory resides within: “He is the image [Face] of the invisible God” (Col 1:15). “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Out through Jesus’ human eyes a humble Father looks upon those degenerate, ungrateful men to whom He eagerly wills to give Himself sacrificially.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God [DNA match]. He was in the

-31- beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being [the genetic Root]. In Him was life [Agape], and the life was the Light of men. The Light [countenance of Christ, the Face of God] shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it [distracted, captivated by the masked imposter]….There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him [we only knew the imposter]. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him [appraised Jesus’ worth and exchanged the counterfeit for the gen-uine], to them He gave the right to become children of God [regenerated into His Agape DNA] (John 1:1-12).

The god of this world [Worthless, the masked imposter] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God….For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give

-32- the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2Cor 4:4-6).

“Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2Cor 11:14). An angel is a gen-uine messenger sent from God, an authorized representative of Agape. In the Old Testament, before His incarnation into human flesh, the Son of God came among men numerous times as a theophany (God appearing as a man) and is Himself called “the angel of the Lord” (Ex 3:2). The Son is called an “angel,” not in the sense that He is a created being, but that He is Father’s sent One. “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light,” an imposter of the sent One. Worthless’ intricately crafted façade of love (eros) can appear identical to the uncreated “genetic Root”—the Love (Agape) of the Father, Son, and Spirit. Like a carefully crafted, intricately decorated fishing lure, Worthless’ façade of light conceals a deadly eros hook beneath. Bob Mumford has repeatedly taught us: “Do not merely look at, see through.” There is only One gen-uine Christ, but John tells us that “many antichrists have appeared” (1John 2:18). God sent Christ to reveal His worth; Worthless counterfeits God’s own strategy by sending many antichrists—human agents manifesting his degenerate spirit—to reveal and glorify himself as though he were God.

-33- There is One Face but many masks. However, as regenerated, gen-uine “members” of Jesus’ one body, you and I, as Christ-ians, are now sent into the world as God’s Face! Father now shines the Light of Agape through His Son formed in us; He looks through our eyes with compassion upon the world of orphans whom He loves. The most effective way to expose a counterfeit is simply for the gen-uine to show up! By sending “the Son of His Agape,” God the Father exposed Worthless: “We were held in bondage to the elemental [counterfeit] things of the world. But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son” (Gal 4:3-4). The Son, in turn, exposed Worthless by revealing the nature of His true Father, the genetic Root: Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake [hook-laden lure] will he? If you then, being evil [degenerate in eros], know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask him! (Mt 7:9-11) Thegen-uine Son of God “appeared to destroy the works [façades, counterfeits] of the devil” (1John 3:8). Jesus destroyed Worthless’ façade, exposing him as an imposter of His Father, testifying: -34- He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth [Agape] in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature [eros], for he is a liar and the father of lies [lit. the lie] (John 8:44). Out from his own nature of envious self-love, Worthless breathes forth “lies” to perpetuate the pretense of equality with God, and he “murders” those who attempt to expose him as an imposter and counterfeiter. Nothing expels an imposter more effectively than the gen-uine Original being unveiled; however, exposing Worthless and the human antichrists with whom he masks himself tends to result in murder. Having exposed Worthless, Jesus was betrayed and delivered up to crucifixion. Many of Jesus’ gen-uine brothers and sisters through whom He has exposed Worthless have been literally martyred, and many suffered merciless persecution and character assassinations. Snakes ‘Taste’ Smells A snake can actually ‘taste’ smells. In sticking out its forked tongue, the snake captures odor molecules and brings them into its mouth, where they are identified by the sensitive olfactory organ (Richard Swenson, M.D., More Than Meets the Eye, Navpress, p. 37). -35- Jesus said to His disciples, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves” (Mt 10:16). For the purpose of understanding, I will venture to restate this verse in my own words:

Listen to Me, My beloved brothers and sisters, those who are being led by the Spirit of My Father. I send you out into a world of predatory counterfeiters, so be alert and observant, wise and discerning of the cunning ways of our ancient enemy and his agents (antichrists). I will teach you to ‘taste smells,’ that you might distinguish between Worthless and the genetic Root, that you may not be deceived and seduced into the ways and likeness of the false- father, but act in the peaceable, generous likeness of our true Father.

Theserpent is an emblem of eros—shrewdness, craftiness, and predatory cunning. The dove is an emblem of Agape—sacrificial self-giving and its fruit of peace. Shrewd means intelligent, wise, observant, alert, and aware. Innocent means unmixed, pure, harmless, and free from guile. Jesus added, “For the sons of this age [practiced, mature counterfeiters] are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light” (Luke 16:8). We can distinctly hear the grief in Jesus’

-36- observation, conscious of how grossly ill-prepared and vulnerable His brothers and sisters are—it ought not to be this way! While on earth, Jesus demonstrated for us a shrewd discernment capable of “tasting smells,” and yet He acted in the unmixed, self-giving, peaceable nature of His Father. “But Jesus perceived [tasted the smell of] their malice, and said, ‘Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites?’” (Mt 22:18).

And Jesus…said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” But some of the scribes [religious imposters] were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts [eros calculation], “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming [dishonoring our man-made, counterfeit religion]….” Immediately Jesus, aware [tasting the smell] that they were reasoning this way within themselves [beneath the façade], said to them, “Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?” …He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home” [demonstration of Agape amongst serpents]….They were all amazed and were glorifying God [the genetic Root], saying, “We have never seen anything [gen-uine] like this” (Mark 2:6- 12).

-37- By tasting smells Jesus effectively overcame the evil in man with good. We must be aware of eros in order to overcome it with agape; you must recognize God’s enemy and his toxic taproot in man. First the Spirit helps you to discern and expose the residue of Worthless’ nature and ways within yourself and then in the world outside of you. Surprisingly, even Satan in his envious, destructive crusade is purposefully used by the Almighty to fulfill His ultimate objective—“the Son of His Agape” perfected in us. Our Elder Brother Jesus intentionally sends us out as sheep into Worthless’ treacherous world of predators and counterfeits that His sacrificial self-giving DNA in us may have opportunity to mature. The environment of this dark, eros world—severe conditions of testing and proving—are uniquely conducive to the development of the gen-uine Light and Life of Christ within us. Worthless’ hard world is the very anvil of iron upon which the Son’s nature and character are hammered out to perfection within us. The deceiver tempts, but at the same time, in those exact same circumstances, God tests, proves, reproves, matures, and perfects His Agape nature within us.

The Genetic History of Mankind To understand why human beings think, act, and live as we do, we will chart the progression of

-38- mankind’s genetic history in our Creator according to the following terms: the genetic Root, in-gen- uity, gene, de-gene, re-gene, gen-uine, gene-rous: Adam and Eve were created (gened) in the image of God, the genetic Root. God, in His in-gen-uity, uniquely designed mankind with the capacity to partake of, and mature in, the ‘DNA’ of their relational Creator—“God is Agape [sacrificial, self-giving Love]” (1John 4:8). Though the first human beings, Adam and Eve, were untested, unproven, and immature in God’s likeness, they were destined to become self-givers in the gene-rous likeness of the Trinity, partakers of God’s gen-uine, relational Life in Agape. However, the “crafty” serpent made an effective yet fraudulent sales pitch, offering them aworthless alternative—counterfeit ‘life’—an invitation to awaken to self-consciousness. With “eyes opened” (Gen 3:5) they joined Worthless in the darkness of self-love (eros): the perpetual compulsion of self-gratification in self-will that alienates us from God and one another. Adam, Eve, and all their offspring were de-gened; we became ‘takers’ with a naturalized capacity to mature in the serpent’s self-centered likeness. ‘Buying’ the deceiver’s lie, man ‘sold’ the gen-uine Life of God in him; we forfeited and exchanged gen-uine Love (Agape) for the counterfeit of self-love (eros). We “exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image

-39- in the form of corruptible man…and exchanged the truth of God for a lie [lit. the lie]” (Ro 1:23- 25). The glorious “truth of God” is His uncreated Agape nature; “the lie” is eros. The “simplicity” of God-conscious “devotion” (2Cor 11:3) and the freedom of sacrificial self-giving for others was displaced in us by the curse of self-love; thereafter, man was spiritually and relationally “dead” to God and others, “alive” to self, and enslaved to compulsive self-gratification. In an act of mercy originating out of His own Agape nature, God the Father sent His only Son among us as a flesh-and-blood Man in Whom the gen-uine, uncorrupted DNA of the Trinity resides. “Jesus has been manifested to put away sin [eros] by the sacrifice of Himself [Agape]” (Heb 9:26). God the Son, in a consummate act of Agape— denying self-will, forfeiting self-interest, and sacrificially giving Himself unto death as a Man on the Cross in our place—secured the necessary authority to extend to all mankind Father’s gen- uine invitation. In profound humility, this tested and proven God-Man invites every one of us to spiritually ‘ingest’ His flesh and blood by which the very Agape DNA of God (the Trinity’s “abundant, eternal Life”) is assimilated into us, that we might be regenerated–re-gened. The unmistakable evidence that the gen- uine DNA of the God of Agape is in us—that we are “born from above” through the blood of

-40- the Son—is self-sacrificial gene-rosity. In a test, this distinctive of gen-uine sons and daughters of God is impossible to counterfeit. The in- gen-uity of our Creator was the source of this amazing plan. Before the creation of the world, the Trinity purposed to make mankind gen-uine partakers of Their own nature, in order to gene- rously give to us the inheritance of the “abundant Life” of fellowship They have shared with One Another from eternity—the capacity to receive and reciprocate Agape. After coveting Bathsheba, committing adultery, and attempting a fraudulent cover-up by the pre- meditated murder of her husband, King David composed this psalm to the Lord:

Against You, You only have I sinned [‘I violated and dishonored Your gen-uine Life at work in me by Your Spirit’] and done what is evil in Your sight [‘I gratified self at the expense of God and others’]….Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity [‘I am a de-gene-rate counterfeiter’], and in sin [Worthless’ nature of envious self-love] my mother conceived me. Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being [‘Re-gene- rate into me Your Agape DNA’]….Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me [‘Our relationship of reciprocal, sacrificial self-

-41- giving is gen-uine Life’]. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation [‘Deliver me out of self-consciousness and self-will into the freedom of Agape’] and sustain me with a willing spirit (Ps 51:4-12).

Cosmic Custody Battle Children are the foremost treasure and inheritance of their parents because they are born of their own DNA. The genetic bond between a father and mother and their cherished offspring— who look, talk, and act like them—is very powerful. This human-to-human genetic bond reflects the likeness of an even more powerful genetic bond which exists between the Creator and human beings. God created mankind “in His own image” (Gen 1:27); therefore, human beings are of great worth to God. Among all the things that God created, human beings are uniquely designed with the capacity to mature in His likeness, that is, to freely reciprocate the sacrificial self-giving Love (Agape) that God is. Therefore, human beings are partakers of His worth, His own children, and His foremost treasure. We are the supreme “inheritance” for which God is eagerly waiting (Deut 9:29; Ps 28:9; Ro 8:19). God must wait to fully inherit us because His sacrificial, self-giving nature in us has been sold and lost; His likeness in us has been materially damaged. In our de-gene-rate condition of self-

-42- love we are alienated and “excluded from the life of God” (Eph 4:18). We are orphaned in eros. God is waiting for us to be fully re-gene-rated that we may be all His again, that we may be His treasured possession. Until God’s sacrificial, self- giving nature (Agape) is perfected in us He cannot fully inherit us since we are unwilling and unable to fully give ourselves to Him as He gives Himself to us.

My well-beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill. He dug it all around, removed its stones, and planted it with the choicest vine. And he built a tower in the middle of it and also hewed out a wine vat in it; then He expected it to produce good grapes, but it produced only worthless ones….Judge between Me and My vineyard. What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why, when I expected it to produce good grapes did it produce worthless ones? (Isa 5:1-4).

Though we continue to withhold our affections from God and spend them on worthless counterfeits, God chose to give all of Himself to us in His Son (Col 2:9-10). “Father predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His

-43- will [Agape]” (Eph 1:5). When the DNA of God in Christ is fully formed in us, we will be able to fully reciprocate Father’s Agape and be His perfected children and His fulfilled inheritance. “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine” (Song 6:3). Reciprocal Agape is reciprocal inheritance. Worthless, the former heavenly ‘insider,’ knows this all-too-well. “But you are a chosen race [gen- uine family], a royal priesthood [of worth-ship], a holy nation [kingdom], a people for God’s own possession [inheritance]” (1Pet 2:9). Consumed by perpetual envy of God, Worthless desires to possess what God is waiting to possess and for God never to possess it. If God did not love us, choose us, want us, give Himself to us, and wait for us, Worthless would not give us a second thought or waste one minute of his time. However, since we are the treasured inheritance for which God longs, Worthless spends all that he is and all that he has to capture, as hostages, human beings destined to be regenerated into the image of God and perfected in His likeness as beloved children. Worthless targets human beings; he “hunts the precious life” (Pro 6:26).

For God [true Father] so loved the world [His degenerate, lost, orphaned children] that He gave His only begotten [gen- uine] Son, that whoever believes into Him

-44- [legally adopted by faith] will not perish [with the false-father] but have eternal life [regeneration, naturalized into Father’s Agape DNA] (John 3:16).

Since the crafty serpent first took Adam and Eve (and all their subsequent offspring) hostage by deception in Eden, world history has been a cosmic custody battle between a true Father (the genetic Root), and a false-father (Worthless, the masked imposter). Using deception the false-father “blinds the minds of the unbelieving” (2Cor 4:4), preventing orphans from discovering their true Father who seeks to adopt and regenerate them as His own naturalized children. “Let Us make man in our image, according to Our likeness” (Gen 1:26). Entirely lacking in creative ingenuity, Worthless even copies the eternal desire of the triune God to make children in Their likeness. Exploiting our addiction to self- gratification with worthless promises, the false- father fosters our dependence on him and displaces our true Father within us. With degenerative power, Worthless seeks to systematically destroy the image of God in us and twist us further into his own likeness; with regenerative power, our true Father “rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son of His Agape” (Col 1:13).

-45- For we once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures [counterfeits and mirages], spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another [manifesting the false-father’s degenerate nature]. But when the kindness of God our Savior and His Agape for mankind appeared, He saved us…according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing [into His DNA] by the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:3-5). Unbelievers are not Worthless’ primary target; he especially seeks to derail and capture those who have already become God’s children by exploiting our immaturity and the residue of his own self- gratifying nature that persists in us.

Beloved, now we are children of God [legally adopted], and it has not appeared as yet what we will be [we are half-formed, not yet naturalized and perfected as His inheritance]. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is [perfected in Agape] (1John 3:2). In envy, Worthless schemes to usurp or at least divide our affectionate allegiance to our Father. The false-father aims to possess God’s children, -46- but if he cannot twist and reroute our affections, cause us to backslide, and put us into his service, he would rather see us utterly destroyed (defamed, ‘shelved,’ or murdered) than to see us fulfill our destiny as God’s possession on his turf (the world). Martin Luther was right—it is a cruel, hateful business. In order to capture man…the Deceiver has counterfeited the whole heavenly system, from the Godhead through all orders of spiritual beings and all forms of spiritual work….There is not a thing which is true of God and in relation to God which has not been imitated by the Deceiver. Now there are two great systems. There is the divine system and there is the counterfeit, the satanic system (T. Austin Sparks, Christ the Power of God, chapter 4).

Worthless, the former heavenly ‘insider,’ not only counterfeits the culture, patterns, and dynamics of the kingdom, he also skillfully impersonates all three Persons of the Godhead (Trinity). “I will make myself like the Most High” (Is 14:14). Of our true Father it is written, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow

-47- [counterfeits or mirages]” (James 1:17). Disguised in light, the false-father’ impersonates the true Father. Under the pretense of a caring, paternal provider and protector, Worthless indulges the self-gratifying and self-preserving instincts of our eros nature, fostering our dependence on him and enslaving us like drug-addicts in a degenerative, destructive process. In this way Worthless gratifies his envy of God the Father and possesses us as his own—“children of the devil” (1John 3:10). The false-father did not create his “children,” nor suffer the birth-pangs of giving them life; he merely kidnaps human beings by deception and systematically twists them into his own degenerate likeness. The Scriptures also describe in detail how the false-father copies our true Father’s plan to send His Son as His “Word,” to lead us Home. The false-father dispatches “antichrists” into the world, imposters of Jesus Christ, to speak and impart anti- life and lead us further astray from our true Father. Further, Worthless cunningly uses his limited yet effective power to counterfeit the works, methods, gifts, and signs of the omnipotent “Spirit of truth” whom Jesus promised would “guide us into all the truth” (John 16:13). Worthless impersonates the dynamic presence and voice of the genuine Spirit in order to guide us deeper into “the lie:” “as sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd” (Ps 49:14).

-48- However, amidst all the treacherous confusion of this custody battle, our true, life-giving Father provides us with strong assurance and firm confirmation of His genuine Love, calling us Home to Himself:

For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself [the eternal, immutable, sacrificial Self-giver]….And so, having patiently waited, Abraham obtained the promise [of inheriting God and becoming His inheritance by regeneration through the coming Son of God]. For men swear by one greater than themselves, and with them an oath given as confirmation as an end of every dispute. In the same way, God, desiring even more to show to the heirs of the promise the unchangeableness of His purpose [no fraud], interposed with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie [act contrary to His sacrificial self-giving nature], we who have taken refuge would have strong encouragement to take hold of the hope set before us [Father’s kingdom to which we are emigrating is not a mirage]. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast [not a counterfeit] and

-49- one which enters within the veil, where Jesus has entered as a forerunner for us [in Christ, through the Spirit we are entering, inheriting right now]… (Heb 6:13-20).

Father of “the Lie”

Jesus answered them [religious Jews], “…I speak the [genuine] things which I have seen with My [true] Father; therefore you also do the [counterfeit] things which you heard from your father [false-father Worthless].” They answered, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children do the deeds of Abraham [by faith: ‘sell’ this counterfeit world and ‘buy’ (emigrate) into the genuine kingdom]. But as it is you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. You are doing the deeds of your father [Worthless]….

If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God [gen-uine], for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. You are of your father

-50- the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth [Agape] because there is no truth in him [eros counterfeit]. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own [degenerate] nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies [literal Greek: father of the lie]. But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me….If I speak the truth why do you not believe Me? He who is of God [gen-uinely born from above] hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God” (John 8:38-47).

Jesus, the embodiment of Father’s Truth, exposed Worthless as “the father of the lie.” Though the false-father tells countless lies (plural), all of his hook-laden deceptions, façades, impersonations, counterfeits, and mirages issue forth from one solitary lie—his own degenerate nature of self-love.

The Truth and The Lie Whether we are aware of it or not, on a daily basis in Worthless’ world we encounter his deceptive counterfeits of all varieties. They appear to us in both natural and spiritual forms, both in secular and religious settings, and yet they all

-51- stem from one solitary lie. In order to consistently recognize the diverse façades of the false-father and prepare ourselves to discern his repertoire of schemes, we must “know [taste the smell of] the spirit of truth and the spirit of error” (1John 4:6). The Scriptures make evident that “the spirit of truth” is sacrificial self-giving (Agape), and “the spirit of error” is “the lie” of self-love (eros). God’s “Word” is not a written message comprised of vocabulary such as we find on the static, printed pages of the Bible; rather, the Word is the dynamic, living Person of God’s Son of Whom the Bible testifies (John 1; Heb 1; John 5:39). In the same way, truth is not a set of accurate, static principles; rather, truth is the dynamic, living Persons of the Trinity Themselves—the “God of truth” (Ps 31:5; Is 65:16). More precisely, truth is God’s essential nature: “God is Agape” (1John 4:8, 16). Sacrificial self-giving, which God alone possesses, is the very substance and genetic Root of truth. God is Agape and God is truth; therefore, sacrificial self-giving is truth. Worthless is eros and Worthless is the lie; therefore, self-love is the one, fundamental lie. Carefully survey the Scriptures with me now in order that you may be equipped with an effective “master-tool” of discernment, which, on a daily basis, is able to save you from buying counterfeits, chasing mirages, and falling into deadly snares. As you meditate on the

-52- following verses, allow the Spirit to wash you of “the lie” and renew your mind in “the truth:” “that you, being rooted and grounded in Agape, may be able to comprehend the Agape of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to [inherit] all the fullness of God [gen-uine Life]” (Eph 3:17-19). The Father, Son, and Spirit are truth: “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory [sacrificial self-giving], glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth [Father’s Agape DNA]” (John 1:14). Paul said, “Truth [God’s Agape DNA] is in Jesus” (Eph 4:21). Jesus taught us, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth [reciprocate His sacrificial self-giving]” (John 4:24). Jesus said, “I am the way [to Father] and the truth [gen-uine Agape] and the life [Source of regeneration]; no one comes to the Father but through Me (John 14:6). John testified, “the Spirit is the truth [a sacrificial Self-giver]” (1John 5:6). Jesus added, “The Spirit of truth [Agape], will testify about Me” (John 15:26); “And for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth [God is the genetic Root of Agape]. Everyone who is of the truth [regenerated in Our DNA] hears My voice” (John 18:37). God desires for us to be truth in His likeness. John spoke of “the truth [Agape DNA] which abides in us and will be with us forever” (2John

-53- 2). Paul testified, “the truth [sacrificial self-giving nature] of Christ is in me” (2Cor 11:10). After David acted in the likeness of “the father of the lie,” committing adultery with Bathsheba and murdering her husband, he acknowledged to God his urgent need of a DNA transplant: “You desire truth [Your own self-sacrificial nature] in the innermost being” (Ps 51:6). David prayed, “Teach me Your [sacrificial self-giving] way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth” (Ps 86:11). John taught, “But he who practices truth [matures in God’s own sacrificial self-giving nature by practice] comes to the Light; so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God [acting from His gen-uine DNA]” (John 3:21). An opportunity to receive the “incorruptible seed” of God’s DNA comes by hearing “the message of truth [Agape in Jesus], the gospel of your salvation [regeneration]” (Eph 1:13). We receive the seed of God’s nature by a response of faith: “Put on the new self [regenerated man], which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth [God’s own sacrificial, self-giving nature] (Eph 4:24). Paul intentionally “put on” the genetic nature of God offered to Him in Jesus and said, “For we can do nothing against the truth [the DNA of our Father at work in us], but only for the truth [doing all things in His genetic likeness]” (2Cor 13:8). Paul added:

-54- But we have renounced the things hidden [Worthless’ lie] because of shame, not walking in craftiness [deceptive counterfeiting] or adulterating the word of God [using it as a hook for personal gain], but by the manifestation of truth [sacrificial self-giving DNA] commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God [our genetic Root] (2Cor 4:2).

Lodged in self-love, we intentionally and perpetually choose the lie: “For they exchanged the truth of God [Agape nature] for a lie [eros nature] and worshipped and served the creature [self-worth- ship] rather than the Creator” (Ro 1:25). James confronted double-minded believers: “But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart [Worthless’ eros nature], do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth [the nature of the God of Agape]” (James 3:14). Ananias and Sapphira made this foolish exchange: under the pretense of sacrificial generosity to the church from their sale of land, they lied against the DNA of God, which they had received within by faith in Jesus. Peter confronted them saying, “Why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit….You have not lied to men but to God” (Acts 5:3-4). Peter warned, “Many will follow their sensuality [eros self-gratification], and because of

-55- them the way of truth [God and His regenerated children] will be maligned” (2Peter 2:2). John wrote, “If we say that we have fellowship [reciprocal Agape] with Him and yet walk in the darkness [self- love, self-will], we lie and do not practice the truth [sacrificial self-giving]….If we say that we have no sin [eros], we are deceiving ourselves and the truth [God’s Agape DNA] is not in us” (1John 1:6-8).

Maturing in “the Truth” “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in our image, according to our likeness” (Gen 1:26). The Father, Son, and Spirit, who first generated mankind in Their own DNA, now work together to regenerate and mature Their lost children. “For those whom Father foreknew, He predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son” (Ro 8:29). Father sent His gen-uine Son in human flesh; the Agape DNA of God is resident within a Human Being “made in the likeness of men” (Phil 2:7). Jesus flesh was torn and His blood was shed so that those who “believe into Him” might become “partakers of the divine nature” (2Pet 1:4). After the Son secured for us the promised inheritance of God’s nature through His own tested, proven sacrificial self-giving at the cross, Father sent the Holy Spirit to cultivate the genetic “seed” of Their DNAwithin His believing children. Through Spirit-directed practice in God’s sacrificial, self-giving, we mature in Their

-56- image and likeness “from glory to glory” (2Cor 3:18). As we practice Agape, we “excel still more” (1Thes 4:10). The triune God has purposed for us to grow in Their likeness from babes, to children, to mature sons and daughters, and eventually becoming ambassadors of our kingdom Family (2Cor 5:20). Ambassadors are men and women of practiced discernment, trained to “taste smells,” sent into the world to effectually overcome the eros lie with the power of Truth “rooted and grounded” within them. God’s trustworthy stewards, evangelists, pastors, teachers, prophets, and apostles, who bring glory to that Name by acting in His sacrificial self- giving likeness, were all ransomed out of self-love and grew up from babes in Christ. “For My people have forgotten Me [in self- love], they burn incense to worthless gods [cherish counterfeits] and they have stumbled from their ways, from the ancient paths [leading to Father], to walk in bypaths [mirages of the false-father], not on a highway [Person of the Son]….If you return [exchange the lie for the Truth], then I will restore [regenerate] you—before Me [your true Father] you will stand; and if you extract the precious from the worthless, you will become My spokesman [mature child, ambassador]. They children[ of the lie] for their part may turn to you, but as for you, you must not turn to them” (Jer 18:15; 15:19).

-57- We mature in Father’s genuine likeness by progressive growth: incrementally exchanging “the lie” of self-love into which we were born with “the Truth” into which we are born again. We make this exchange by systematically “extracting the precious from the worthless.” Jesus said, “The ruler of this world [Worthless] is coming, and he has nothing in Me” (John 14:30). There was no ‘hook’ of the false-father in Jesus. Father’s gen-uine Son could not be ‘bought’ with deceptive promises and counterfeits; He was simply not interested in anything Worthless was ‘selling.’ Theextraction of Worthless’ degenerate nature out of our hearts, minds, and behavior and the extraction of his counterfeits (idols) out of our daily lives is itself worth-ship of our worthy God. Extraction means: “I do not want anything from the false-father, I recognize him and his counterfeits, and I am simply not interested. There is nothing of Worthless in me and nothing of me in Worthless; he is not my father. I only seek and ‘buy’ Truth, which is from my true Father. I am well-content in Father; I do not need to take because I know He gives me all I need.” Jesus confronted double- minded believers in the city of Laodicea:

You say, “I am rich [in Worthless’ world], and have become wealthy [cherishing counterfeits as true treasure], and have need of nothing [self-sufficient],” and you

-58- do not know that you are wretched, and miserable and poor and blind and naked [orphans which have sustained abuse in the custody of the false father], I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire [the Son’s own sacrificial self-giving DNA tested and proven on the cross] so that you may become rich [with gen-uine treasure], and white garments so that you may clothe yourself [Son’s righteousness], and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed [exposed as a worthless, predatory taker]; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see [discern and extract genuine/precious from counterfeit/worthless] (Rev 3:17-18).

The wordextract implies mixture. As immature believers, we suffer the torment of mixture, a double-mindedness that makes us precariously vulnerable to Worthless. There is a mixture of natures in us: “For the flesh [naturalized in eros, “the lie”] sets its desire against the Spirit [of Truth], and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please” (Gal 5:17). The Spirit of Truth prevents us from maturing in self-love, self-will, self-gratification. There is also a mixture in our affections: a love for God and at the same time a love of the world—a magnetism and affinity

-59- for deadly, hook-laden counterfeits that have their source in Worthless. Music is one example of a practical extraction necessary to maturity in Agape. Lucifer was an archangel of worth-ship, of music, with musical instruments created in his very being (Ezek 28:11-18). In his degenerate state, these gifts of God remain in Worthless but are now used in cruel envy to capture God’s children. Through musicians and lyricists deceived and inspired by “the lie,” Worthless himself is the author and source of vast amounts of music, which ignorant believers consider harmless, but through his dark anointing, his anti-life is ministered directly into the human spirit. We have seen many people delivered of demons that first “befriended” them and eventually possessed them through music and idolizing musicians of “the lie.” The extraction of worthless music from among your CDs and from your iPod is necessary to mature in “the Truth.” This same principle of extraction holds true for the subtle yet powerful influence of degenerate friends, sources of entertainment, methods of accomplishing things, etc. Father’s gen-uine, maturing child only wants, exposes himself to, and ‘buys’ that which is of worth—from his true Father. The “Spirit of truth” was given to live in us, sent to help us discern precious from worthless, and accomplish this essential extraction even among the practical things of our lives. Godly

-60- extraction is not motivated by legalism, but rather the powerful magnetism of exclusive, reciprocal Agape.

Whatever is true [gen-uine], whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure [extracted, unmixed], whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise [worth-ship], dwell on these things (Phil 4:8).

Maturing in “the lie” “By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious; anyone who does not practice righteousness is not from God, nor the one who does not agape his brother” (1John 3:10). The Scriptures teach us that the processes by which children of the Truth and children of “the lie” mature are almost identical. Paul warned his spiritual son Timothy, “But evil men and imposters [mentored by the false-father] will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2Tim 3:13). All human beings were born in the custody of Worthless, the false-father; as babes, we are partakers of his eros nature, a heredity passed down from Adam and Eve.

Do you indeed speak righteousness…O sons of men [de-gene-rate in eros]? No,

-61- in your heart you work unrighteousness [deception, counterfeiting]; on earth you weigh out the violence of your hands [predatory takers]. The wicked are estranged from the womb; these who speak lies go astray from the womb. They have venom like the venom of a serpent [false-father Worthless] (Ps 58:1-4).

The imposter of our true Father uses deceptive schemes to get these babes to ‘invest’ their faith in him, to follow him, learn from him, and mature in his degenerate likeness from anti-glory to anti- glory. These “children of the devil” practice and progressively master the counterfeiting skills of the pretender. Regarding both darkness and Light, it is truly said that “practice makes perfect.” Further, in both the cases it is man’s God-given capacity of faith that transforms him into these respective likenesses—we believe deeper and deeper into the image of either the true Father or the false-father. The God-given power of faith is what makes deception so deadly: “The woman, being deceived [believing Worthless], fell [lit. has come] into transgression [his degenerate nature and behavior]” (1Tim 2:14).

The Bible repeatedly refers to children actively practicing “the lie” as “worthless fellows” and “sons of Belial [Worthless].”

-62- “Now the sons of Eli the priest [high priest of Israel] were worthless men [lit. sons of Belial], they did not know the Lord” (1Sam 2:12).

“A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who tells [lit. breathes] lies will not escape” (Pro 19:5). In the Scriptures, breath and spirit (Greek: pneuma) are virtually synonymous. “God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being [a spirit in a physical body]” (Gen2:7). When a gen-uine child of God “speaks truth in Agape” (Eph 4:15), he is actually “exhaling” the Spirit of God that he has received (inhaled) within. Though a liar is likely unaware of it (being entirely absorbed in himself), he is actually inhaling and exhaling “the spirit of error.” The unseen, subterranean source of a man’s lies is the degenerate root, nature, and motive of the original counterfeiter. Being self-deceived, a liar imagines himself to be the source and author of his lies when in fact he is unconsciously acting in the likeness of his false-father. Worthless is secretly exploiting the liar as an unwitting pawn through whom he may breathe forth his toxic words and accomplish his envious scheme of division, darkness, and destruction. The liar believes that his lies will effectively secure for him greater freedom to do as he pleases, but in actuality he is merely

-63- reinforcing the very chains with which Worthless has leashed and enslaved him. Our true Father sends forth His gen-uine, mature children as ambassadors into the kingdoms of Worthless’ world, just as He sent His Son. The false-father copies this strategy, sending out into his world those he has systematically twisted into his degenerate likeness: “From the serpent’s root a viper will come out, and its fruit will be a flying serpent” (Isa 14:29). The mature children of the false-father are “treacherous in iniquity” (Ps 59:5). Iniquity is a specific type of sin (self- love) that means to bend, twist, or distort—taking God’s resources and twisting them into a hook- laden counterfeit used to gratify self by deceiving others. Through the twisted, eros nature that these worthless children share in common with the serpent, they are inadvertently used as pawns and agents of his ancient, envious scheme and are treacherous.

A worthless person, a wicked man, is one who speaks with a perverse mouth, who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet [carrying out hidden agendas], who points with his fingers [accuser]; who with perversity [self-love, envy] in his heart continually devises evil [crafts hook-laden lures], who spreads strife (Pro 6:12).

-64- For there are many rebellious men [de- gene-rates], empty talkers and deceivers… upsetting whole families [agents of division], teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain [counterfeiters, takers]….They profess to know God [imposters] but by their [eros] deeds they deny Him, being…worthless for any good [Agape] deed (Titus 1:10- 16).

As children of “the lie” mature, they eventually become conscious servants of Worthless. In a reckless and dark faith, they believe their allegiance to the false-father will result in their own selfish gain. Utterly convinced of this eros payoff, they are sent from him as “false teachers” and “false apostles:”

I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully….But what I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we

-65- are in the matter about which they are boasting. For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ [antichrists]. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds (2Cor 11:3-15).

The New Testament seems to indicate that one of the deepest levels of maturity in the kingdom of God is an apostle: a tested, proven “sent one” invested with Christ’s nature, name, truth, power, and authority. In the likeness of Christ’s own mandate and mission, a gen-uine apostle is led by the Spirit to pioneer into realms of deep spiritual darkness; these can be geographical places but also social spheres such as government (e.g. Joseph and Daniel), business, medicine, education, the arts, etc. Carrying the influence of the kingdom (salt, Light) into these realms, the apostle sacrificially forfeits his own life to rescue the captives of Worthless in that ‘place.’ An apostle willingly embraces the indescribable suffering involved to engage in this no-holds- barred custody war, and then patiently establishes those new, wayward believers (still half in love with the world) upon the foundation of Jesus

-66- Christ as a corporate expression of the kingdom of God against which “the gates of Hades will not overpower” (Mt 16:18). All of this is accomplished while “the god of this world” ceaselessly and viciously attempts to tear that new expression of Christ’s body, as well as the apostle, to shreds! The book of Acts and Paul’s epistles depict these acute apostolic realities in living color. Worthless’ counterfeit of God’s “sent one” (apostle) is an antichrist, a human imposter of Christ, greatly matured in the serpent’s degenerate likeness, mentored in “the deep things of Satan” (Rev 2:24), and invested with his power and authority over the world to perpetuate and exalt “the lie.” In the hierarchy of Satan’s army, the five-star generals are antichrists. The apostle John warned, “Even now many antichrists have appeared” (1John 2:18). “Therefore brothers, partakers of a heavenly calling [ambassadorship], consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession [of Truth]” (Heb 3:1). The Son of God, Himself, is called an Apostle, an Ambassador dispatched from the kingdom of heaven—sent from Father. “In the power of the Spirit” (Luke 4:14), Jesus was sent to lead people “into all the truth” (John 16:13). Paul testifies, “We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us, we beg you on behalf of Christ [the gen-uine Apostle] be reconciled to God [to Father, the genetic

-67- Root]” (2Cor 5:20). The apostle Paul adds, “For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ [the Apostle] has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed [gen-uine faith in the Truth], in the power of signs and wonders, in the power of the Spirit; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ” (Ro 15:18-19). “Ambassadors for Christ” are ordinary, redeemed individuals whom the Son has regenerated and matured in His own gen-uine Agape and made partakers of His own ambassadorial calling. Through these human agents, empowered by the same Spirit Who led Christ, the Son now exerts tremendous influence upon the world through His gen-uine, deputized bearers of Truth. With a similar degree of influence, and in the power of Worthless’ unclean spirit, antichrists are mature, genetic bearers of “the lie.” Though the power of the Spirit of God is infinitely greater than the power of Satan (not even comparable), God chose to bestow free will upon mankind and invest us with the power of faith to determine our own destiny either in darkness or Light. This human faith-factor causes the war between these two kingdoms, entirely mismatched in power, to be a fierce battleground. An antichrist can be a man or a woman. Jezebel, “the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians,”is

-68- an Old Testament example of a woman who wielded this degree of satanic influence. As a Gentile ambassador to Israel, sent from the toxic root of a consummately wicked king and kingdom, Jezebel cunningly manipulated her husband, the king of Israel, making him a puppet of her rule. In keeping with her degenerate heredity, Jezebel effectively set up Baal worship as the state religion in Israel and systematically “destroyed the prophets of the Lord” (1Kings 18:4). Elijah, who is considered the most powerful prophet of the Old Testament, the one who met with Jesus and Moses on the mount of transfiguration, was himself terrified of Jezebel. Immediately after Elijah called down God’s fire on Mount Carmel, Jezebel sent a death threat to him “and Elijah was afraid and arose and ran for his life” (1Kings 19:3). Daniel was a genuine, Old Testament apostle ‘sent’ into exile with his wayward people to become a top-level ambassador of the kingdom of God in secular politics. Amidst treacherous, human predators, he was sovereignly appointed as the chief advisor to four consecutive pagan kings who literally ruled the entire civilized world. The lion’s den was the least of his worries! Daniel, God’s “man of high esteem [worth],” exerted incalculable kingdom influence not only upon his own contemporary world, but also upon the world of all future generations. Daniel wrote:

-69- “A king will arise [an antichrist], insolent and skilled in intrigue. His power will be mighty, but not by his own power [a pawn/ agent of Worthless the archangel, invested with his power], and he will destroy to an extraordinary degree and prosper and perform his will; he will destroy mighty men and the holy people [who resist his agenda and threaten to expose him as an imposter]. And through his shrewdness he will cause deceit to succeed by his influence; and he will magnify himself in his heart [self-worth-ship; Worthless’ degenerate DNA], and he will destroy many while they are at ease [snake-like predator]. He will even oppose the Prince of princes [the genuine Christ], but he will be broken without human agency. The vision of the evenings and the mornings which has been told is true; but keep the vision secret, for it pertains to many days in the future [after Christ’s resurrection and ascension].” Then I, Daniel, was exhausted and sick for days. (Dan 8:23-25).

Test Before ‘Buying’ With our God-given capacity of faith, we human beings buy into “the Truth” or buy into “the lie.” Buying involves investing the affectionate trust of our heart and mind and the strength of

-70- our will, zealously pursuing that which we believe to be of worth. Jesus taught,

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value [worth], he went and sold all that he had and bought it (Mt 13:44-46).

God Himself bought a field looking for treasure: “For God so loved the world [the field in which His lost children were buried in darkness] that he gave [did not spare] His only begotten Son…” (John 3:16). Now that Father has bought the field at unimaginable cost, He is eagerly shoveling, digging to discover His treasured inheritance— “the Son of His Agape” formed in the subterranean places (DNA) of human beings “who are but dust” (Ps 103:14). Theshovel with which Father digs is a tool called testing: “I, the Lord, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his ways [Agape or eros], according to the results [fruit] of his deeds” (Jer 17:10). The historical narratives and the teachings of the Bible unanimously agree that God perpetually tests, proves, and reproves the subterranean

-71- motives of human hearts, our inward thoughts, our behavior, our work, and the fruit of our behavior and work, hoping to discover the treasure of His own sacrificial self-giving nature in us (Gen 22:1; Ex 16:4; Deut 8:2; Ps 11:4-5; Isa 48:10; John 6:6). The Scriptures also repeatedly instruct God’s children to test before ‘buying,’ to determine whether a person, spirit, thing, philosophy, message, situation, method, or opportunity is gen-uine or counterfeit. Testing must begin with ourselves:

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith [a ‘buyer’ of gen-uine Truth]; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ [God’s Agape DNA] is in you—unless indeed you fail the test? But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test (2Cor 13:5-6).

Testing is essentially a means of godly discernment, the “shrewdness” of which Jesus spoke—tasting smells. In the likeness of our Father, Elder Brother, and the Spirit of truth, we must learn to taste the smell of “the truth” of Agape and “the lie” of eros, in order to distinguish the precious from Worthless. ThisDNA-testing must begin with self because an individual must pass the test in order to effectively administer the test.

-72- And this I pray, that your Agape [God’s sacrificial, self-giving nature in ] you may abound still more and more in real [gen- uine] knowledge and all discernment [genetic ability to taste smells], so that you may approve the things which are excellent [lit. distinguish between things which differ; genuine or counterfeit], in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ… (Phil 1:9-10).

In this verse Paul gives us the master-key to becoming “shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.” Maturing in God’s gen-uine, Agape nature is itself the only means by which we can discern the gen-uine amidst a myriad of cunning imposters and masterful counterfeits. The outward appearance of Worthless’ façades and counterfeits are nearly flawless, altogether indistinguishable from the gen-uine; therefore, God placed within us a Light, the Light of His own DNA that shines through, beneath, and within everything. The Light of Agape is capable of piercing any veneer into the subterranean core of absolutely anyone or anything in heaven or on earth. Moses prayed, “You have placed our iniquities before You, our secret [self-love] in the light of Your presence” (Ps 90:8). Agape DNA is the Light of God’s presence within, enabling us to distinguish between darkness that appears to be light and true

-73- Light. Jesus said, “If then the light [gene] that is in you is darkness [of the eros lie], how great is the darkness!” (Mt 6:23). It is the Light of Agape DNA within you that shines upon the imposters and counterfeits you will encounter in Worthless’ world exposing them as fake, “of the lie.” “For you were formerly darkness, but now you are Light in the Lord; walk [practice and mature] as children of Light” (Eph 5:8). The more you practice sacrificial self-giving in everyday life, maturing in the Light of God’s own nature, the more clearly you will see through all things, beneath façades. The Light within you corresponds to, and resonates with, the Light outside of you. The Light will not correspond to, or resonate with anything “of the lie.” Of degenerate, religious imposters, Jesus says, “I never knew you [no DNA match]” (Mt 7:23). T. Austin Sparks describes the discernment of Agape revealed in Philippians 1:9- 10:

Personal, inward, spiritual intelligence [distinguishing things which differ; tasting smells] is a very rare thing. No wonder that the enemy has such a successful line in delusions [mirages], counterfeits, and false representations. Our greatest safeguard against such will be a deep knowledge of the Lord [the genetic Root of Agape] through discipline [maturing in

-74- His nature by practice]. To know the Lord in a real way means steadfastness [rooted and grounded in Agape] when others are being carried away [chasing counterfeits and mirages]….

The absence of this real [gen-uine] knowledge of the Lord has proved to be the most tragic factor in the Church’s history. Every fresh uprising of an abnormal condition has disclosed the appalling weakness [naiveté, mixture] amongst Christian people because of this lack [of shrewd discernment]. Waves of error; the swing of the pendulum to some fresh popular acceptance; a great war with its horrors and many-sided tests of faith; all these have swept away multitudes and left them in spiritual ruin. These things [Worthless’ counterfeits crafted in cruel envy] are ever near at hand… (T. Austin Sparks, On Knowing the Lord).

Running a DNA-Test The resurrected, ascended Lord Jesus spoke to His church at Ephesus: “I know your deeds…that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false [of “the lie”] (Rev 2:2).

-75- Saul the Pharisee was an exceedingly zealous “sent one,” traveling throughout the cities of Israel to arrest and imprison believers in Jesus Christ. However, while traveling on a certain road he was literally knocked off his donkey and blinded by the Light of the manifest presence of the resurrected Son of God who confronted him saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?…I am Jesus whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:4-5). Saul recognized “the glory [Agape] of God in the face of Christ” (2Cor 4:6). Further, Saul realized he had been exploited as an unwitting pawn of the spirit of the antichrist to destroy the gen-uine body of Christ. He later testified, “I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief” (1Tim 1:13). By this encounter with the gen-uine Son, the false apostle Saul was dramatically converted and regenerated into Paul. Though he was not among Jesus’ original twelve disciples, Paul was constantly subjected to stringent DNA-testing and proven to be a gen-uine apostle. Jesus said, “For I will show Saul how much he must suffer for My name’s sake” (Acts 9:16). This divine interruption led the apostle Paul to make a very profound and widely underestimated declaration: “truth is in Jesus” (Eph 4:21). Jesus is the solitary Source of all that is gen-uine in this world; therefore, He is the solitary standard

-76- of measure by which one is able to distinguish gen-uine from counterfeit in Worthless’ world. Those individuals who were sovereignly granted firsthand exposure to the Man Jesus, and ‘bought into’ Him, received a unique gift of discernment and were moved to impart to other believers the essential knowledge of how to run a DNA-test. Of the gen-uine, resurrected Son, Paul said, “Then Jesus appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, Jesus appeared to me also” (1Cor 15:8). Paul added, “God was pleased to reveal His Son [Agape incarnate] in me, so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles” (Gal 1:16). Jesus’ disciple, Peter, was a degenerate, eros-driven, self-focused disaster who repeatedly failed the DNA-test: “Then Peter began to curse and swear, ‘I do not know the Man!’ And immediately a rooster crowed” (Mt 26:74). Yet, before Peter’s denial, Jesus said to him, “But I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you are turned again [from self-love, self-preservation], strengthen your brothers [in the Truth]” (Luke 22:32). The apostle Peter testified:

We were eyewitnesses of His majesty [divine DNA]. For when Jesus received honor and glory from God the Father [verification of authentic Agape], such an utterance was made to Him by the

-77- Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased [exact DNA match].”…So we have the prophetic word made more sure [gen-uine], to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place [Truth in Worthless’ world], until the day dawns and the morning star [Son of Father’s Agape] arises in your hearts [regeneration] (2Peter 1:16-19).

Through Paul, Peter, Matthew, and other unique individuals whom Jesus apprehended, the Spirit of truth made very unique contributions to the ‘mosaic’ of the biblical disclosure of Truth. However, among all the apostolic authors of Scripture, John seems to have the most developed insight into Agape. Considering the obvious emphasis on Agape and self-love, truth and error, and light and darkness in his writings, perhaps John is the foremost ‘expert’ on how to discern “the Truth” from “the father of the lie.” John’s lessons are both vital and timeless. The source of John’s refined, penetrating discernment is the unique gift of intimate proximity and exposure to Jesus—Agape incarnate—which he was afforded as a disciple. In his gospel account, John does not refer to himself by his own name, but only as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 21:20). As John’s degenerate, self-referential nature

-78- was progressively and effectively extracted by faith and practice, he naturally defined himself in a childlike way, simply as the object of Jesus’ love. As his affections were entirely engulfed by Agape, John willingly forfeited his own independent, autonomous identity. His basic self-understanding was entirely defined by belonging to Jesus, being one with Him and His Father and Spirit through Him. At the last supper, “there was reclining on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23). Though this ordinary fisherman was largely unaware of it at the time, while eating dinner he was actually leaning upon the uncreated, eternal Word, Truth incarnate, the Creator, the genetic Root. John felt the rhythmic heartbeat of the gen-uine Son of God on his back pulsing through him; therefore, his first-hand ‘verification of authenticity’ of gen-uine DNA, as well as his ability to spot a fake, is altogether unique:

What was from the beginning [genetic Root], what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands concerning the Word of Life—and the life was manifested [in the Person of Jesus Christ] and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—what we have seen

-79- and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you may have fellowship [reciprocal, sacrificial self-giving] with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ (1John 1:1-3).

From John’s gospel, his three letters, and Revelation, we can learn many shrewd ways of ‘running the DNA-test:’ Beloved, do not believe [‘buy’ into] every spirit, but test the spirits [taste their smell] to see if they are from God [the genetic Root, of worth], for many false prophets [agents/spokesmen of Worthless] have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist [imposter, usurper], of which you heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world… (1John 4:1-3). Pretenders, imposters, and counterfeiters, compelled by “the father of the lie,” simply cannot acknowledge or confess Jesus Christ as the gen- uine Son born as a Man into the world because, by doing so, they would expose themselves as a fraud, forfeit their turf, and lose their intended -80- prey. Their genetic, predatory instinct of self-love, envy, and self-preservation simply will not permit them to acknowledge Truth incarnate. Now, to be clear, they will frequently speak the name of Jesus, but always in exploitation—in a self-referential, self-serving context. What they will never say is that, due to His infinite worth, they have forfeited themselves into Jesus Christ and been displaced by Him, e.g. Paul’s confession: “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me…” (Gal 2:20). This is a very effective test, yet inadequate on its own. John continues: You are from God, little children [gen- uine, but not yet mature in Agape] and have overcome them; because greater is He [gen-uine, perfected Son] that is in you than he [false-father] who is in the world. They [offspring/agents of Worthless] are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world [exhaling boasts, lies], and the world listens to them [resonates, believes and chases the mirage]. We are from God [gen-uine sent-ones]; he who knows God listens to us [resonates]; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know [test, prove and distinguish between] the spirit of truth and the spirit of error (1John 4:4-6).

-81- Jesus confronted religious imposters, saying, “You brood of vipers, how can you being evil [of the lie], speak what is good [of the Truth]. For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart” (Mt 12:34). Agents of “the father of the lie” are practiced pretenders and liars, yet they cannot entirely prevent the darkness of their heart from seeping out through their mouth. “But no one can tame the tongue” (James 3:8). As naturalized, ‘de-gened’ children of Worthless, they naturally exhale his spirit. Acculturated into his world, by habit they will “speak as from the world.” This involves self-referential talk, subtle boasting, “coarse jesting” (Eph 5:4), and esteem for the material things, accolades, and accomplishments of this world. Though these worthless values may be cleverly concealed under a religious façade in the speech of a practiced imposter, they are obvious to a gen-uine kingdom citizen. The further we emigrate into “the kingdom of the Son of Father’s Agape,” the more frequently we return through the Spirit to abide there, and the more we become acculturated into the Light of God’s presence, the more this world-talk is painfully obvious to us. “Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the Agape [DNA] of the Father is not in him” (1John 2:15). Gen-uine kingdom emigrants never speak of Worthless’ world in affectionate terms; rather, they “confess that they are strangers

-82- and exiles on the earth” (Heb 11:13). Out of the mouth of Father’s gen-uine child, the Spirit is exhaling talk of “the things above, not of the things that are on earth” (Col 3:2) and how, in compassion, they might bring those heavenly resources down to the earth among hungry, spiritual orphans. The most revealing aspect of the speech test, however, is what an agent of “the lie” will not say. Eros degenerates only understand personal gain; the only losses they will sustain are in calculated expectation of a precipitous and much larger payoff. An imposter cannot speak from the heart anything remotely like Paul’s confession:

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value [worth] of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things… (Phil 3:7-8).

John observes that it is not just the words of one’s mouth that reveal his heart-allegiance to Worthless’ world or to the kingdom but also his ability to listen to truth: “He who knows God listens to us.” The gen-uine DNA of Truth within a person resonates with truth, responds to truth, and acts upon truth; an imposter gened in “the

-83- lie” will employ a variety of avoidance techniques such as subtly changing the subject. The de-gened are “those who do not know God and those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2Thess 1:8). John continues in his first letter… Beloved, let us love [agape] one another, for Agape is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God [re-gened in His nature] and knows God. The one who does not agape does not know God, for God is Agape. By this the Agape of God was manifested in us [DNA], that God has sent His only begotten [gen-uine] Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is Agape, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins [God’s Self-sacrifice victoriously overcame our self- love]. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to agape one another….If we agape one another [practice sacrificial self-giving under pressure], God abides in us and His Agape [DNA, likeness] is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His [gen-uine] Spirit (1John 4:7-13). Uttermost Love: The Acid DNA-Test The types of DNA-tests mentioned above are certainly effective: an ability to “confess” the -84- Son, the revealing of one’s actual heart-allegiance out of the mouth, and the ability to “listen” and respond obediently to truth. However, the only 100% accurate acid-test to distinguish a gen-uine ambassador of the Father from the degenerate agent of Worthless is sacrificial self-giving in fiery circumstances of pressure, suffering, and loss. In these life-crises, Worthless tempts us to prove we are a fraud: that we agape with hypocrisy (Ro 12:9) and are therefore illegitimate children— worthless, self-seeking orphans, imposters, and counterfeiters in his likeness. In the very same sovereignly appointed circumstances of pressure, God tests us to prove the gen-uineness of His Agape DNA within us and to further refine, mature, and perfect His own sacrificial, self-giving likeness in us. Jesus said, Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber [imposter, counterfeiter]. But he who enters by the door is a [gen-uine] shepherd of the sheep [ambassador]. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep [gen- uine followers] hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name [recognizes Father’s DNA in them] and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because

-85- they know his voice. A stranger [imposter, false-shepherd] they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.... I [the only begotten, sacrificial, Self-giving Son] am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers [Worthless & sons] but the sheep [gen-uine followers] did not hear them. The thief [imposter, false-shepherd] comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life [God’s Agape nature and fellowship], and have it abundantly. I am the good [gen-uine] shepherd; the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep [sacrificial self-giving]. He who is a hired hand [working for personal gain, eros payoff], and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees [in self-preservation], and the wolf snatches them and scatters them….I am the good shepherd, and I know My own [recognize My DNA in them] and My own know Me [corresponding DNA], even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father [one gene]; and I lay down My life for the sheep….For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I -86- may take it again. No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative [volitional self-giving] (John 10:1-18). The “only begotten Son” is the One Good Shepherd sent from heaven; however, as believing children are regenerated and matured in His own likeness, the Son deputizes them as His under- shepherds and leads His people through these gen-uine stewards. Of course, Worthless copies this leadership strategy with his own counterfeit system of false-shepherds. How can we tell the difference? Jesus provided us with two DNA-tests: voice recognition and how one responds “when the wolf comes.” We recognize tested, proven, gen-uine under- shepherds of the Son because we can clearly hear His voice speaking through their broken, yielded voices—the sound resonates in our spiritual ears as a DNA match. There are many kinds of suffering that God calls us to willingly embrace, but He never asks us to follow a counterfeit shepherd or listen to a false-father. It is foolish, even madness to ‘buy’ into and follow a shepherd in whose voice, life, and behavior you cannot ‘taste the smell’ of the One Good Shepherd and who will not lay down his life for you in a crisis. Jesus said, “Leave them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man,

-87- both will fall into a pit” (Mt 15:14). Following a false-father, a “hireling” who “peddles the word of God” for personal gain (2Cor 2:17), will not lead you to your true Father. Woe to the worthless shepherd who leaves the flock! [chasing self-gratification or fleeing in self-preservation]. A sword will be on his arm and on his right eye! His arm will be totally withered and his right eye will be blind [unable to defend or preserve himself] (Zech 11:17). The coming of “the wolf” is itself God’s ultimate acid-test. Satan is the “wolf,” a consummate eros predator. God could destroy that wolf with a solitary word in a split-second; there is no power struggle between the Almighty and Satan. God has intentionally permitted Worthless to roam free in the world to facilitate His DNA-test. “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [predator], seeking someone to devour” (1Peter 5:8). Nothing rouses human beings from the “slumber” of self- focus (eros) like the crisis of the coming wolf. Truly, there is no more effective test to distinguish good (Agape) shepherds from eros-driven hirelings than the threat of the wolf. In this way, even Worthless and sons have been made to serve God’s ultimate purpose—to mature Father’s own sacrificial self-giving nature in His -88- own gen-uine children. The wolf-crisis facilitates a unique opportunity for believers to practice the nature of the Good Shepherd, which they have received within, and serves as the impetus of perfecting them in His likeness. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). We live in Uganda, East Africa where presidential elections and other political events can be very volatile. Main highways are flooded and completely blocked off by political parties whose militant gatherings often erupt in violence. Playing a grave ‘king of the mountain’ game at the expense of the lives of their own people, predatory candidates and their followers vie for power, even attempting to indict and incarcerate one another, etc. They prey upon the latent rage in individuals who believe they deserve more. These discontent individuals join together as a mob intent on securing as president the man who has promised them the greatest eros payoff and often make their corporate voice heard by rioting. Many join in who do not even know what the issues are! I was caught in such a riot on a blocked highway where a reckless mob rocked my van, tried to open the doors, and pounded on the windows. Curiously, the only way they would let me pass was if I held up the symbolic hand-gesture of their political party—the peace sign!

-89- As another presidential election is approaching, we are overhearing some wealthy, influential Ugandans saying they will leave the country during the days around the election. As the wolf comes, they flee in self-preservation. Perhaps this is how the genocidal maniac, Idi Amin, was permitted to rampage through Uganda because those influential persons who claimed to be true shepherds of their people fled and were revealed as hirelings. This also happened in Nazi Germany. Men like Dietrich Bonhoeffer were revealed as good shepherds, laying their life down to spare their people from the wolf while others fled, allowing Hitler to “snatch them and scatter them.” Uttermost Love The God-Man Jesus Christ is thegen-uine Son, the One, Good Shepherd, sent from Father to lead His lost children Home to their genetic Root. We know this with certainty because He was proven through the ultimate DNA-test: “Having loved those who were His own in the world, He loved them to the end [lit. Greek: to the uttermost]” (John 13:1). Like the prodigal son (Luke 15:11f), I was a selfish, ignorant, and willful fool. As an addict of self-gratification seeking my next ‘fix,’ I was perpetually and willfully ‘selling’ the inheritance of relational Life in Truth that Father had sacrificially laid up and secured for me to ‘buy’ Worthless’ -90- counterfeits and chase his mirages. I was a captive of self-love, an orphan held in the custody of “the father of the lie,” entirely ignorant of the fact that I was merely a pawn being exploited to gratify Worthless’ envious hatred of my true Father. Self-consciousness and introspection prevented me from seeing the ‘big picture:’ I was progressively maturing in the serpent’s degenerate nature—I was a practicing self-worth-shipper. Betraying Agape for self-love, I was ‘selling’ God Himself. I was being systematically twisted into Worthless’ likeness as a liar, a pretender, a counterfeiter, a predatory taker. As a traitor of the Truth and having willfully bought “the lie,” I chased Worthless deep into his waterless wasteland and became seriously thirsty! “In the world” I degenerated into a wretched, worthless condition of “uttermost” desperation. I was at “the end.” “For while we were still helpless [addicts, captives], at the right time [our uttermost extremity], Christ died for the ungodly” (Ro 5:6). The “Son of Father’s Agape” was sent to find me “in the world” and love me “to the end, to the uttermost.” I heard my Shepherd’s voice calling me, awakening me. I love the Shepherd, follow Him, and want to exchange my life for His because while I was “helpless” and the wolf was coming He did not flee. He stood between me and that cruel predator, Worthless, to whom I had willfully ‘sold’ myself. At the cross, the Good Shepherd willingly and

-91- sacrificially gave Himself into the mouth of the devourer in my place that I might go absolutely free: Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees [agents of the envious predator], came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. So Jesus, knowing all the things that were coming upon Him [betrayal, arrest, humiliation, scourging, crucifixion], went forth [willingly into the devourer’s mouth] and said to them, “Whom do you seek?” They answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” He said to them, “I AM He”…and they drew back and fell to the ground [no ‘yin-yang’ power struggle; volitional self-giving]. Therefore, He again asked them, “Whom do you seek?” And they said, “Jesus the Nazarene.” Jesus answered, “I told you that I AM He; so if you seek Me, let these [my disciples, ‘sheep’] go their way, to fulfill the word which He spoke, “Of those You have given Me I lost not one” (John 18:3-9). T. Austin Sparks wrote: “He loved them unto the uttermost.” And I think in that statement, there is the most wonderful thing that ever came into

-92- this world. Jesus had had a lot of trouble with those men [disciples]. They had often misunderstood Him…disappointed Him [unable to reciprocate His Agape]. They were really a very poor lot of men [eros de- gene-rates]....He knew what a poor lot of men they were, but He loved them unto the uttermost. That is the first thing about this love. It is not offended by our failures. He does not withdraw His love because we make mistakes. We may often disappoint Him, we may often fail Him, we may often grieve His heart, but He goes on loving us. He loves us unto the uttermost, right to the end. He is not offended by our failures. That is a very different kind of love from our love. This is God’s love in Christ.... You know, it is so easy to talk about love, to pretend to love, to use the language of love, to sing hymns about love, and it can all be sentimental; perhaps we all know people who have told us that they love us, but very often they are the very people who have hurt us most [failing the test]. Now, the love of Jesus was not sentimental, it was practical. He did not go in with His disciples and say, “Brothers, I do love you very much.” He showed that He loved them by what He did for them. It was not -93- sentimental love, it was practical love… unto the uttermost....These things which characterize the love of Christ for His own ought to characterize us in love for others. That is why the Holy Spirit has come. So that as He loved us to the uttermost, so ought we to love one another (T. Austin Sparks, “That They May All Be One, Even As We Are One”). “Father made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2Cor 5:21). Jesus, our gen-uine Elder Brother, has won my affectionate allegiance because He not only saved us but in Him we are “being saved” (1Cor 1:18). As we continue to hear and trust the Good Shepherd, daily following Him in reciprocal self-giving, He is leading us on a path of progressive re-gene- ration—patiently untwisting us from Worthless’ likeness and conforming us to His own. Among all the imposters and counterfeits of this world, that One is gen-uine; for that One I joyfully “sell all” and “buy!” Jesus has been manifested to put away sin [self-love, self-will, self-preservation, self- worth-ship] by the sacrifice of Himself [self-forsaking as an act of worth-ship to Father, demonstrating His uttermost love] (Heb 9:26). -94- The Agape of Jesus is an altogether opposite kind of love from the world’s eros counterfeit into which we were born. God’s uttermost love is an extreme self-forsaking love that was tested, proven, and perfected in His “only begotten Son” and is now genetically seeded into those who believe into Him. “In this is Agape, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation [atoning payment, redemption] for our sins [slavery to self-worth-ship, self-will]” (1John 4:10). If the gen-uine uttermost Love of the Son is within you, you will ‘taste the smell’ of the voice, workings, and gifts of His Father and His Spirit; further, you will be able to distinguish those born of God from Worthless’ pretenders. The more the DNA of Christ matures within you, the more intimately acquainted you will be with the Persons of the Trinity, and the more difficult it will be for Worthless and his sent imposters to deceive you with their hook-laden counterfeits. Wondrously, Jesus’ own uttermost love is the very DNA that has been seeded into those who have ‘sold all’ and ‘bought’ Him by faith: “Peace be to the brothers and Agape with faith [‘bought’ treasure] from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ [the genetic Root]…incorruptible Agape” (Eph 6:23-24). Incorruptible Agape is God’s own nature of uttermost love maturing within us that we will not and cannot ‘sell’ under any circumstances of testing/temptation. If we will not ‘sell’ then

-95- it is no longer possible for Worthless to ‘buy’ us by deception and he no longer exerts power over us: we are free, we are “saved!” The DNA-tests have been taken, God’s nature proven in us, the custody battle is over, and we are all Father’s, even as the Son is all Father’s; we are God’s treasured inheritance for which He no longer has to wait! Of this fulfilled, reciprocal inheritance, “Jesus has become the guarantee” (Heb 7:22) and the Holy Spirit “the down-payment:”

After listening to the message of truth [Agape], the gospel of your salvation [regeneration], having also believed [bought], you were sealed in Him [Jesus the Guarantee] with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge [lit. down-payment] of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption [from Worthless] of God’s own possession [His inheritance] (Eph 1:13-14).

Worthless wears a mask; the triune God wears a Face—Jesus Christ the “well-pleasing” Son, tested as a Man over thirty-three years and ultimately and irrefutably proven to possess the gen-uine Agape ‘DNA’ of God by acting against Himself according to the will of the Father at the Cross. In a religious charade, Worthless and his demonic and human agents—false-shepherds—

-96- will put on a masterful performance of benevolent, selfless compassion right up to the cross. However, it is genetically impossible for them to counterfeit “uttermost” sacrificial self-giving; they will always act in self-preservation in the acid-test. Those who are mature in Agape recognize that wolves, “fiery ordeals,” persecutions, and tribulations us are essential, and even consider these trials as God’s gift because with remarkable effectiveness they simultaneously expose counterfeiters and reveal gen-uine, sacrificial self-givers. “Our God is a consuming fire” (Deut 4:24; Heb 12:29); in Agape He tests all things.

Testing Fruit Compelled by envy, Worthless & sons target believers; therefore, they specialize in religious façades. Jesus warned us:

Beware of the false prophets [imposters exhaling the spirit of Worthless], who come to you in sheep’s clothing [camouflaged in counterfeit, religious words and works], but inwardly are ravenous wolves [eros predators]. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes [acts of Agape] are not gathered from thorn bushes [children of Worthless], nor figs from thistles are they? So every good [gen-uine] tree bears good [sacrificial self-giving] fruit, but the bad [de-gene-rate] tree bears bad

-97- [toxic, eros] fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

So then, you will know them by their fruits [DNA-test]. Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father….Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you [i.e. you are not gen-uine]; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness [counterfeiting]” (Mt 7:15-23).

Testing the “fruit” of a man comes down to this: does he act in sacrificial self-giving in practical, daily ways (especially in circumstances of trial and loss) that make evident he is abiding in and drawing his vital life-source from the Self-sacrificial Vine, the Son of Agape? My Dad taught me a valuable thing: “Do not merely listen to the words of a man’s mouth, but watch where his feet go.” See where the “feet” of the Apostle Paul (God’s ‘sent one’) and his band of gen-uine sons “went:”

-98- For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain [not worthless], but after we had already been mistreated in Philippi, as you know, we had the boldness in our God to speak to you the gospel amid much opposition [sacrificial self-giving proven in the acid- test]. For our exhortation does not come from error or impurity or by way of deceit [eros propaganda]; but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel [gen-uine steward-sons], so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who examines our hearts.

For we never came with flattering speech, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness—nor did we seek glory from men, either from you or from others, even though as apostles of Christ we might have asserted our authority [using coercion rather than self-giving affection]. But we proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children [gen-uine shepherds]. Having so fond an affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives [gen- uine self-givers], because you had become very dear to us.

-99- For you recall, brothers, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you [not takers], we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers [Agape without hypocrisy evident in daily behavior]; just as you know we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children, so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory (1Thes 2:1-12).

T. Austin Sparks distinguishes gen-uine Christian ministry from the counterfeit: You can test your service by this: the measure of the emancipation [from Worthless] of the people who come under your hands and the measure of the formation of Christ [DNA] that is going on. These are things which are [gen-uine] service. And then you will discover that, whereas the other [counterfeit] line of things with all the movement and activity and feverish and excited work does not call for very much patience of this kind. It does not call for much real self-emptying,

-100- no, it does not call for a great deal of meekness: rather I think it ministers to the opposite. It makes us self-important [self- worth-ship]. It makes us proud. It makes us self-sufficient. It makes us self-assertive. It makes us jealous for our position and our ministry [territorialism], and resentful if it is interfered with [Worthless’ counterfeit Christianity]. Yes, Christian work does that with many. The true service can be tested by these things, and the true servant can be tested by the measure of those virtues of Christ: utterly selfless, self-empty (T. Austin Sparks, The Cross and the Way of Life, chapter 7).

DNA-Test-Results

The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment [flagrant sinners]; for others, their sins follow after [well concealed]. Likewise also, deeds that are good are quite evident [of the Light], and those which are otherwise cannot be concealed [ultimately exposed in the test] (1Tim 5:24-25).

We must prepare ourselves; the results of a DNA-test can be the most painful thing imaginable. Nothing can hollow you out emotionally and

-101- spiritually quite like the discovery that one in whom you invested your affections and deeply trusted is in fact a “false brother” (2Cor 11:26; Gal 2:4). David testified: For it is not an enemy who reproaches me, then I could bear it; nor is it one who hates me who has exalted himself against me, then I could hide myself from him. But it is you, a man my equal [lit. according to my valuation (worth); i.e. one whom I loved as myself], my companion and my familiar friend; we who had sweet fellowship [lit. counsel, intimacy] together, walking in the house of God in the throng. Let death come deceitfully upon them; let them go down alive to Sheol, for evil is in their dwelling, in their midst [secret agents of Worthless]….He has put forth his hands against those who were at peace with him; he has violated his covenant. His speech was smoother than butter, but his heart was war; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords (Ps 55:12-21). Trying circumstances make sacrificial self- giving absolutely necessary. This acid-test effectively exposes a false brother, and though the test results are more painful to us than death, it is a necessary gift because Father’s relational house of “living stones” must be built upon the gen-uine -102- DNA of Jesus Christ within us and not upon a de-generate, “worthless” foundation. For a broader understanding of the complex and powerful dynamics of envious self-love as the impetus of betrayal, read Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel, The Count of Monte Cristo. The screenplay of this story starring James Caviezel is also insightful and magnificent. Overcoming Worthless’ Treacherous World The effectual, deceptive power of Worthless’ world of counterfeits and mirages only makes Jesus’ words that much more profound: “In Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation [necessary testing: genuine or counterfeit?], but take courage, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). The Son’s overcoming does not suggest a power struggle between God and Worthless; God has never been threatened by Satan’s power. Rather, His overcoming speaks of the inherent power of God’s Agape DNA seeded within us through the Man Jesus Christ displacing and conquering the power of Satan’s eros nature in us who were his captives—lovers of self in his world of self-love. The Apostle John clarifies: “Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1John 4:4). In other words, the genuine DNA of the tested, proven Son maturing in us is presently overcoming Worthless, the counterfeit god, and our self-gratifying addiction to his world.

-103- For whatever is born of God [re-gened in His DNA] overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith [‘selling’ the lie to ‘buy’ Truth]. Who is the one that overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the [gen-uine] Son of God? (1John 5:4-5).

Jesus said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions [degenerate humans: imposters and counterfeiters filled with the spirit of the lie], and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven [gen-uine heirs]” (Luke 10:19).

In our Elder Brother’s absence from us in this world, He promises that His own “Spirit of truth will guide you [through a maze of treacherous mirages and counterfeits] into all the truth” (John 16:13). Thegen-uine Spirit of the Son alive within us tastes the smell of Worthless’ lie operating through every elaborate scheme carried out by any unclean spirit at work through any human being, even an unwitting ‘pawn.’ Conscious of the deceiver’s perpetual threat, David prayed,

-104- “Appoint lovingkindness [Your Agape DNA] and truth [“Spirit of truth”] that they may preserve me [both from my degenerate self and Worthless]” (Ps 61:7). Further, God has purposed to defeat the serpent through the power of the tested, proven DNA of Christ in and through His overcoming saints: “the mature [in sacrificial, self-giving ‘DNA’], who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil” (Heb 5:14). Through His own offspring, our Almighty Father will ultimately bring His ancient enemy to destruction while simultaneously perfecting us as His own gen-uine namesake and inheritance.

Jesus answered and said…“Now judgment is upon this world [Worthless’ world of imposters and counterfeits]; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I [the gen-uine Son], if I be lifted up from the earth [as a standard of gen-uine sacrificial self-giving], will draw all men to Myself.” But He was saying this to indicate the kind of [uttermost] death by which He was to die (John 12:31-33).

Through this Plumbline, I have attempted to introduce to you a spiritual tool of discernment that you might be equipped to recognize and refuse Worthless’ lie. Now, for the purpose of

-105- illustration, clarity, and training we will look at a few of his specific counterfeits.

Counterfeit Wisdom All things, persons, ideas, and endeavors in the universe have their root source either in “the Truth” or in “the lie,” yet we must also beware that there are gradations of mixture. The foundation stones of Worthless’ counterfeit kingdom are ideologies and philosophies such as socialism, capitalism, existentialism, hedonism, nihilism, etc.; as well as religions such as Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and a treacherous ‘knock-off’ of true Christianity that is self-referential and exploitative of God. All of these powerful, mind-molding philosophies have one common denominator, one fundamental presupposition—eros rationale.

Who among you is wise [discerning] and understanding [standing under Truth]? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds [of sacrificial self-giving] in the gentleness of wisdom [Agape rationale]. But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart [Worthless’ envious desire to be first], do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth [Agape]. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above [the genetic Root], but is earthy, natural, demonic [eros rationale]. For where jealousy and

-106- selfish ambition [envious self-love] exist, there is [toxic fruit:] disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure [unmixed, extracted], then peaceable, gentle, reasonable [lit. willing to yield], full of mercy and good fruits [acts of sacrificial self-giving], unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed [Agape DNA] whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace [peacemakers are sons of God, Mt 5:9] (James 3:13-18).

Buddhist monks, for instance, appear to be peaceable, but if someone disturbs their ‘idol,’ or interferes with their ambition of self-discovery and self-realization through that idol, even the most passive human being will act from the de-gene- rate instinct of self-preservation within them in violent envy and murder. The DNA-test makes evident Buddhists are meditating (feeding) on self: striving to “attain inner peace by centering within self”—self-worth-ship. In my humble opinion, the meditation of many Christians has this same eros root, exploiting God and the things of God in idolatrous self-gratification. The more familiar we become with “Truth”—the Person of Christ who displaces self within us—the more we taste the smell of Worthless’ wisdom even through the veneer of seemingly good ideas being offered to us. “And

-107- do not be conformed to this world [self-love], but be transformed [re-gene-rated] by the renewing of your mind [into Truth]” (Ro 12:2). Paul adds:

For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh [not natural/earthy; rather DNA from above], but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses [ancient, fortified bastions of Worthless’ counterfeit kingdom built in the mind]. We are destroying speculations [eros rationale/ propaganda] and every lofty thing [crafted in envious, self-love] raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every [self-referential] thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2Cor 10:5).

Counterfeit wisdom is largely expressed through idolatry. To gratify his envy, Worthless established a thriving, worldwide business of ‘selling’ idols to effectively eclipse our genetic Root, the triune God.

Israel made a calf [counterfeit Lamb of God] and brought a sacrifice to the idol [counterfeit generosity—eros ‘payoff’], and were rejoicing in the works of their hands. But God turned away and delivered them up to serve the host of heaven [fallen angels]; as it is written in the book of the

-108- prophets, “It was not to Me that you offered victims and sacrifices forty years in the wilderness, was it, O house of Israel? You also took along the tabernacle of Moloch [counterfeit sanctuary] and the star of the god of Rompha [counterfeit of Christ “the bright Morning Star”], the images [in Worthless’ likeness: self-image] which you made to worship….” Our fathers had the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness [genuine, physical model of the spiritual body of Christ], just as God who spoke to Moses directing him to make it according to the pattern [eternal Prototype, the Person of the coming Son] which he had seen (Acts 7:41-44).

Many believers think of idolatry merely as the worship of statues, a diversion of ancient times no longer relevant to us. However, the Spirit of truth testifies that idolatry is thriving in our day, masked with contemporary façades that are shrewdly customized to the unique ‘style’ of eros rationale in our generation. Idolatry is actually self-worth-ship conducted indirectly through an object of affection; this idol is expressly chosen or crafted according to one’s self-image and used as an aid and means of self-discovery. An idol is rarely a literal statue: “I built this business with my own two hands;” the child through whom a parent

-109- lives vicariously; the man who ‘eats, breathes, and sleeps’ football; “my dream home;” checking the daily status of my investment portfolio; the Marine Corps, etc. For a broader understanding of contemporary idols, listen to Bob Mumford’s message entitled, “False Centers.”

And we know that the [gen-uine] Son of God has come, and has given us understanding [discernment] so that we may know Him who is true [distinguish true Father from false-father]; and we are in Him who is true, in His [gen-uine] Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life [not an imposter, not a mirage]. Little children [gen-uine, but not yet mature in Agape], guard yourselves from idols [Worthless’ counterfeits, mediums of self-worth-ship, self-discovery] (1John 5:20- 21).

You turned to God from the idols [mediums of “the lie”] to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His [gen- uine] Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is, Jesus who rescues us from the wrath to come [a Vortex of Jealous Agape that will shake out all that is not gen-uine] (1Thes 1:9-10).

-110- Worthless carefully calculates the measure of truth into which believers are gen-uinely grounded; on that basis he custom-designs a counterfeit with just the right ratio/proportion of truth in it that will actually compel us to ‘buy’ the whole mixed package. He is a master-craftsman of half- truth. Worthless employs a highly effective, lethal technique called syncretism—integrating (con- fusing) an unclean or obsolete idea, practice, or thing into the truth as a toxic whole. Syncretism is like a drop of poison in living water, or as Bob Mumford teaches, “mother’s breast-milk has radiation.” Judaism, the ancient faith of the Hebrews based on Moses’ Law, was a true, God-designed system of worth-ship; however, Judaism became obsolete (worthless, dead) when the Son came in the flesh to inaugurate a new covenant. O, what untold division and grief Worthless caused the early church through propagating a syncretism of Law and grace! As you meditate on the following verses, ask the Spirit within you to taste the smell of Worthless’ new applications of syncretism in the Christianity of our generation. The false brothers [Judaizers, agents of Worthless] secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Jesus Christ, in order to bring us into bondage [to a syncretic, counterfeit

-111- ‘Christianity,’ advocating self-righteousness by works]. But we did not yield in subjection to them [‘buy’] even for an hour so that the truth of the gospel [incorruptible Life in Agape] might remain with you [your gen-uine inheritance] (Gal 2:4-5). Therefore no one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day— {natural] things which are a mere shadow of what is to come; but the substance [gen-uine, eternal, spiritual kingdom] belongs to Christ. Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize [‘selling’ eros rationale] by delighting in self-abasement [self-focused, ascetic religion: punishing self rather than giving self] and the worship of angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the head [Christ]…. If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world [“earthy, demonic” wisdom], why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” (which all refer to natural things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with -112- the commandments and teachings of men? These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made [counterfeit] religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value [worthless] against fleshly indulgence (Col 2:20-23). To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you. Beware of the dogs [‘packs’ of religious predators], beware of the evil workers [peddlers of ‘self-help’ Christianity, exploiting the things of God as a means of self-gratification and self-actualization], beware of the false circumcision [propagators of external holiness]; for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in [lose ourselves into] Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh [self-reference, self-effort, self-righteousness—counterfeit spirituality] (Phil 3:1-3).

Bob Mumford taught us that there are three basic roads in life: legalism (self-focused, self- righteousness); lawlessness (self-focused, self- gratification); and the Agape road (Father-focused, Father pleasing in and through the well-pleasing Son, Jesus Christ). The first two roads constitute counterfeit ‘Christianity.’

-113- False prophets are abounding in our day, declaring that the gate to heaven is wide and the way is easy, preaching self- righteousness [‘1000 things’ self can do to be a good Christian], self-evolution [how God is making me a better, happier me], materialism [prosperity, getting my blessing/ inheritance from God], ecclesiasticism [baptizing people into church membership rather than into the King of the kingdom] every sort of counterfeit gospel—they are old foes with new faces….For a tendency to falseness is somehow inherent in man [Worthless’ degenerate nature]. Failing to be good, he tries to seem good; stealing the livery of the court of Heaven to serve the devil in it…for falseness and cruelty are twins. The man who counterfeits sanctity by wearing the meek garb of a sheepskin is sure to be within a ravening wolf (George Dana Boardman, The Kingdom, p239- 240). Boardman also includes in his book the following poem by Tennyson which brilliantly describes Worthless working through a human being, the false-shepherd:

With all his conscience and one eye askew– So false, he partly took himself for true;

-114- Whose pious talk, when most his heart was dry, Made wet the crafty crows foot round his eye; Who, never naming God except for gain, So ever took that useful name in vain; Made Him his catspaw and the Cross his tool, And Christ the bait to trap his dupe and fool; Nor deeds of gift, but gifts of grace he forged, And snakelike slimed his victim ere he gorged; And oft at Bible meetings, o’er the rest, Arising, did his holy oily best, Dropping the too-rough H in hell and Heaven, To spread the Word by which himself had thriven –Tennyson’s Sea Dreams T. Austin Sparks describes the taste of the smell of counterfeit Christianity: “The Most High doesn’t live in temples made by human hands” (Acts 7:48). Christendom is largely constituted by this sense—its architecture, its ritual, its music, its adornment, its lighting (or lack of it), its tone, its atmosphere, its vestments and so forth. All are of the soul....Spiritual death marks that realm, and while there may be intense emotions which make for resolves, -115- ‘high’ thoughts and desires, there is no genuine change in the [genetic] nature of those concerned, and repeated doses of this must be taken to maintain any measure of soul-self-satisfaction which makes them feel good [snare of planned obsolescence]. All religions have this soulish feature in common, more or less, and it is here that the fatal blunder has been made by many religious people who contend that other religions, which are undoubtedly devout and sincere, should not be interfered with, but the good in them should be recognized and accepted [syncretism]. It is the confusing of religion with what the Bible means by being spiritual. Religion can rise to high levels and sink to terrible depths. It is the same [counterfeit] thing which does both. But that thing never rises above the human [de-gene-rate] level; it never really reaches God [Agape]. Religion can be the greatest enemy of God’s true thought, because it is Satan’s best deception. Asceticism is no more truly spiritual than aestheticism. There is no more a brief with God for rigours, denials, fastings, puritanic iciness, etc., as such, than for the opposite. Simplicity may give God a chance [principle of displacement], -116- but it is not necessarily spiritual…. How near to the truth in perception and interpretation can the mystical go! What wonderful things can the imagination see, even in the Bible! What thrills of awe, amazement, ecstasy, can be shot through an audience or congregation by a master soul! But it may all be a false world with no Divine and eternal issues. It may all go to make up this life here, and relieve it of its drabness, but it ends there. What an artificial world we live in! When the music is progressing and the romantic elements are in evidence—the dress and tinsel—and human personalities are parading, see how pride and rivalry [envious self-love] assert themselves, and what a power of make believe enters the atmosphere! Yes, an artificial world.... The tragedy in this melodrama is that it is ‘real life’ to so many [appraised as genuine]. This soul-world is thedevil’s imitation. It is all false, wherever we may find it, whether associated with religion or not....‘The Christian Faith’ embraced as a religion, a philosophy, or as a system of truth, a moral or ethical doctrine, may carry the temporary stimulus of a great ideal; but this will not result in the regeneration of the life, or the new birth of the spirit [gen- -117- uine DNA]. There are multitudes of such ‘Christians’ in the world today, but their spiritual effectiveness is nil [worthless] (T. Austin Sparks, What is Man?, chapter 5).

Counterfeit signs and wonders Jesus warned, “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show [lit. give] great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect” (Mt 24:24). In the cosmic custody battle, the false-father uses all the available resources of his finite, yet awesome power. Through his agents, Worthless “gives great signs and wonders” in expectation of an eros payoff misleading and usurping the faith of God’s children. These signs and wonders are real, yet they are counterfeits because they effectively reinforce the believability of “the lie” compelling the unsuspecting to ‘buy.’ God’s chosen people, the Hebrews, were enslaved 400 years, suffering oppression and exploitation in the custody of Egypt. However, God “fought” for these slaves; He demonstrated that His people were of great worth to Him by performing miracles through the hands of two brothers, Moses and Aaron. This custody battle was waged through genuine and counterfeit signs and wonders: And Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his servants and it became a

-118- serpent. Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the magicians [lit. soothsayer priests], did the same with their secret arts. For each one threw down his staff and they turned into serpents. But Aaron’s [genuine] staff swallowed up their [counterfeit] staffs. Yet Pharaoh’s heart was hardened….And Aaron lifted up the staff and struck the water that was in the Nile…and the blood was through all the land of Egypt. But the magicians of Egypt did the same with their secret arts; and Pharaoh’s heart was hardened….

So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land….The magicians did the same with their secret arts, making frogs come up on the land of Egypt…. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats through all the land of Egypt. The magicians tried with their secret arts to bring forth gnats, but they could not….Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened… (Ex 7:10-8:19).

-119- Magic is an art of deception. There is certainly a dimension of this dark art that is ‘smoke and mirrors,’ a natural illusion accomplished by ‘sleight of hand;’ but there is also a dimension of the magic arts that is real supernatural power coming from the fallen archangel Worthless. As we read accounts of counterfeit signs and wonders in the New Testament book of Acts, it becomes evident that the false-father has never stopped waging his custody battle by this means through all the ages of mankind. In restless envy, Worthless seeks to capture the faith of human beings; he dazzles us with magic so we will buy “the lie.” The crowds with one accord were giving attention to [‘buying’] what was said by Philip [Jesus’ gen-uine disciple], as they heard and saw the signs that he was performing. For many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed. So there was much rejoicing in that city [freedom from slavery to Worthless!]. Now there was a man named Simon, who was formerly practicing magic [maturing as a counterfeiter] in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great [pretender]; and they all, from smallest to greatest,

-120- were giving attention to him, saying, “This man is what is called the Great Power of God [imposter, usurper].” And they were giving him attention [‘buying’] because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts. But when they believed Philip [gen-uine ambassador] preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized [adopted], men and women alike. Even Simon himself believed [‘sold’ the lie and ‘bought’ into Christ]; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip [to be mentored in the Truth], and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed [esteeming the gen-uine] (Acts 8:6-10).

Years ago, on a train in Europe, my mother Judith squeezed by a certain woman in the narrow corridor and their eyes met. Immediately the woman said, “O, you are a spiritist too!” After taking a second look at my mom, she added, “But you are not of the same spirit that I am .” Agents of Belial the counterfeiter come in varying degrees of maturity and advocate all types of ideologies (false-centers)—both religious (cultic, atheistic, and ‘Christian’) and secular (political, social, economic, etc.). We know, however, that all things are inherently spiritual, having their source either

-121- in the kingdom of darkness or of Light. Some of these agents are wholly unconscious of being manipulated by Belial, thinking they are acting freely according to their own designs; others consciously serve him, carrying out his schemes with skill and devotion.

When they [Paul and his companions, ‘sent ones’] had gone through the whole island…they found a magician, a Jewish false-prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus [son of Jesus; “false Christ”], who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence. This man summoned Barnabas and Paul and sought to hear the word of God. But the magician was opposing them, seeking [in Worthless’ envy] to turn the proconsul away from the faith [Truth]. But Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit [genetic Root], fixed his gaze on him, and said, “You who are full of all deceit and fraud, you son of the devil [Worthless the counterfeiter], you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked [eros] the straight ways of the Lord [Agape]? Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.” And immediately a mist and a darkness fell upon him, and he went about seeking

-122- those who would lead him by the hand. Then the proconsul believed [‘bought’]… being amazed at the teaching of the Lord (Acts 13:6-12).

The motive of all counterfeit miracles isto twist and pervert the Agape of God. Through human agents filled with his eros nature, clothed with his envious spirit, and equipped with his power, Worthless contests God’s custody of us. Paul wrote:

Now we request…with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that you not be…disturbed either by a spirit or a message or letter as if from us [forgeries], to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy [falling away from the faith] comes first, and the man of lawlessness [counterfeiter] is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes [God] and exalts himself [self- love] above every so called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God [usurper], displaying himself as being God [imposter]…. Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath

-123- [Spirit] of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming [when the gen-uine Son returns Worthless the counterfeiter is exposed/dethroned]; that is, the one [antichrist] whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders [counterfeit miracles], and with all deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth [Agape] so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them upon them a deluding influence [lit. an activity of error], so that they will believe [‘buy’] what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness [self-worth-ship] (2Thes 2:1-12).

The precise limits of Satan’ power to perform signs and wonders cannot be completely ascertained. However, in his Revelation John witnessed a counterfeit resurrection: Then I saw the beast coming up out of the sea [e.g. of degenerate humanity], having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were seven diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names….And the dragon [ancient serpent Worthless] gave him his power and his throne and great -124- authority [over the world]. I saw one of the heads as if it had been slain [antichrist, imposter of the Lamb of God], and his fatal wound was healed [counterfeit death and resurrection]. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast; they worshipped the dragon because he gave his authority to the beast… (Rev 13:1- 13). Counterfeit son-giving God the Father gave more than Himself, He gave His Son. Father’s Son-giving at the Cross is the ultimate demonstration of the omnipotent, rock-splitting, man-regenerating power of Agape—it is unconquerable. However, Satan twists, counterfeits, and exploits even this source of power. 2 Kings records an occasion in which God gave His people victory over their oppressive enemy Moab, and Israel was effectively defeating and destroying them; however, a fascinating turn of events occurred: When the king of Moab [a mature agent of Worthless] saw that the battle was too fierce for him; he took seven hundred men who drew swords, to break through to the king of Edom [Moab’s ally]; but they could not. Then [in self-preservation] he took his oldest son who was to reign in his place, and offered him as a burnt offering on the -125- wall. And there came great wrath against Israel [demonic breakthrough of power], and Israel departed from him and returned to their own land (2Kings 3:18-27).

In Uganda, East Africa where we live, witchcraft thrives on child sacrifices; it is the pillar of strength upon which this darkness is firmly established and the fuel of its advancement. Child sacrifice involves not only the literal murder of children in demonic ceremonies, but also their abduction and prolonged exploitation. In the 1980’s a woman named Lakwena, claiming to be the Holy Spirit, began abducting children. She mentored her nephew, Joseph Kony, in these “deep things of Satan,” and Kony has perpetuated and developed this practice exponentially for over twenty years besieging a whole nation with fear and displacing tens of thousands into refugee camps. Kony is the leader of bands of rebel soldiers comprised of abducted children who are subsequently desensitized and ‘converted’ to terrorize their own people. Though many attempts have been made over two decades to capture Kony, the yield of demonic power from child sacrifice has equipped him with a shrewd, self-preserving wisdom and effectively shielded him in concealment just out of reach. In the western world, consider Worthless’ calculated schemes to capture the minds and

-126- affections of our youth through music and media. This is essentially the same strategy of abduction resulting in alienation, ‘conversion,’ usury, and death.

Counterfeit Oneness The kingdom of God in its entirety is contained within one, infinite, uncreated Person—the God- Man Jesus Christ: “the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth” (Eph 1:10). By the fusion dynamic of Agape, the three individual Persons of the Trinity (Father, Son, and Spirit) dwell in Oneness in the ‘Nucleus’ of Christ (Col 1:9-10, 19), and every human being who “loses his life [independent nucleus] for My sake” (Mt 16:25) also dwells in that same ‘Nucleus’ as members of Christ’s own body. Therefore, God and regenerated man are fused into One, eternal, unshakable ‘Nucleus’ (Sanctuary, Home) in the God-Man Jesus Christ. This is the gen-uine kingdom of God. Regenerated believers are all one in the many- membered body of the Son, sharing the same gene. Worthless’ counterfeit is “the beast”—a corpus comprised of men who share his degenerate nature and act in oneness to accomplish his envious purpose of attaining self-glory: Your enemies make an uproar, and those who hate You [filled with Worthless’ envy]

-127- have exalted themselves [self-worth-ship]. They make shrewd [snake-like] plans against Your people, and conspire together against Your treasured ones [to capture gen-uine children, God’s inheritance]. They have said, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation….” They have conspired together with one mind; against You they make a covenant...saying, “Let us possess for ourselves the pastures of God” (Ps 83:2-12). Throughout human history Worthless has inspired fascist and communist regimes, as well as other types of predatory empires in an attempt to counterfeit the fusion power of human beings in the Nucleus of Oneness in Christ Jesus. The gen-uine kingdom is “one new man” in Christ which yields peace (Eph 2:15); the banner of the Soviet Union was “one man” in humanism (direct self-worship), which yielded oppression, war, and destruction. “Can a throne of destruction be allied [in Oneness] with You, one which devises mischief by decree? They band themselves together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death” (Ps 94:20-21). Though the Soviet Union was atheistic and scorned those who believed in the supernatural, they were inadvertently worth-shipping Worthless by self-worth-ship. For a time, the Soviet Union

-128- achieved a counterfeit oneness called uniformity by external coercion and fear. The gen-uine kingdom is diversity in Oneness, which can only be achieved by sacrificial self-giving, an affectionate allegiance from within, a volitional and reciprocal response to the Agape of God. “But perfect Agape casts out fear” (1John 4:18). In an account from the book Acts, we see how Worthless preys upon the self-gratifying, self-preserving instinct of degenerate men to unite them in himself:

About that time, there occurred no small disturbance concerning the Way [genuine route to God through Christ; original name for Christianity]. For a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis [an idol], was bringing no little business to the craftsmen; these gathered together with craftsmen of similar trades, and said, “Men you know that our prosperity depends upon this business. You see…this Paul has persuaded and turned away a considerable number of people, saying that gods made with hands are no gods at all. Not only is there danger that this trade of ours will fall into disrepute, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis be regarded as worthless and that she whom all of Asia and the world worship will even

-129- be dethroned from her magnificence.” When they heard this and were filled with rage [Worthless’ envious spirit of self-love], they began crying out, saying, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” The city was filled with confusion, and they rushed with one accord [counterfeit oneness, 666, con-fused into Worthless] into the theater, dragging along Paul’s traveling companions….They shouted for about two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” After quieting the crowd, the town clerk said, “Men of Ephesus, what man is there after all who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of the image which fell down from heaven? [Satan, aka Lucifer]” (Acts 19:23- 35). Responding to Worthless The following humorous anecdote of pure fiction is entitled “Satan in Church:” One beautiful Sunday morning a small-town congregation assembled. As all the people were seated, Satan himself suddenly appeared in the front of the church in all his dark fury. The people screamed in terror, leaped over the pews, and rushed for the exit to flee the presence of consummate evil. As the sanctuary emptied out, Satan noticed one old man -130- sitting quietly on the third row. Perplexed by the man’s obvious indifference, Satan approached him, and in a deep, intimidating voice he demanded, “Don’t you know who I am?” Entirely unfazed, the man replied, “Yep, sure do.” Stunned and indignant, Satan bellowed, “Aren’t you afraid of me?” The man simply answered, “Nope, sure ain’t. I’ve been married to your sister for 45 years!” We opened this study by learning how to recognize Worthless; now we will conclude by learning a few things regarding how to respond to him. “Satan in Church” reminds me of a true story; Satan actually did appear to a British man of God named Smith Wigglesworth (1859-1947) in the middle of the night. Wigglesworth, who was awakened from sleep by his dark presence, turned, looked at Satan, and said, “Oh, its just you,” and he turned back over and went to sleep! For Wigglesworth, a mature worth-shipper of the true God and a practiced discerner of the genetic Root, Worthless was simply not worth losing sleep over! Say that sentence 10 times fast! Though we must never underestimate Satan’s deceptive power, or be “ignorant of his schemes,” or revile Satan in our own name, it is a unique form of worth- ship to our true and living God—a conviction of faith in Him and jealous love for Him—simply to appraise His ancient enemy as worthless. Our true Father is not concerned about us encountering Worthless and his agents in the

-131- world, He purposed this as the necessary impetus of our testing and perfecting in sacrificial self- giving. However, Father is greatly concerned that we will be deceived, misled, and overcome by Worthless & sons because we have not yet matured sufficiently in His Agape nature and the discernment which it yields: “that no advantage be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes” (2Cor 2:11). The New Testament warns us countless times about deceiving spirits, the envious spirit of the antichrist, false brothers, false teachers, false prophets, and false apostles and their extensive repertoire of counterfeit ideas and false-centers reinforced by false signs and wonders. All these warnings reveal Father’s abiding concern for us—His “little children”—that we become adequately prepared to discern and overcome Worthless, his cunning propaganda, his counterfeit kingdom, and his “shrewd” agents by practicing His sacrificial self-giving and maturing in His own Agape DNA. Take care, brothers, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God [degenerate nature which subtly esteems Worthless]. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin [gradually allow self-

-132- love to displace reciprocal Agape]. For we have become partakers of Christ [the gen- uine Son], if we hold fast the beginning of our assurance [of He who is true Treasure] firm until the end…. For in the case of those who have once been enlightened [discern precious and worthless] and have tasted the heavenly gift [flesh and blood of Christ, “true food, true drink”] and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit [gen-uine DNA], and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame [consider God’s genuine Son to be worthless]. For the ground that drinks the rain that often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for sake it has been tilled [reciprocates Agape], receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless [manifesting Satan’s degenerate nature] and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned (Heb 3:12-14; 6:4-8). Since Satan is “armed with cruel hate” and “on earth is not his equal,” as Martin Luther testified; and in light of the fact that Worthless -133- (the former heavenly insider) knows more about the kingdom of God than you do; and considering the ancient serpent has centuries of practice as a master-counterfeiter, the Spirit urges us above all things: “keep yourselves in the Agape of God” (Jude 21). He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High [sanctuary of worth-ship] will abide in the shadow of the Almighty [protection, gen-uine peace]. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust!” For it is God who delivers you from the snare of the trapper [deceiver, counterfeiter] and from the deadly pestilence [Worthless’ infectious, contagious spirit of “the lie”]. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge….You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day; of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, of the destruction that lays waste at noon [Worthless’ round-the-clock scheming]. A thousand may fall [away] at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not approach you [the gen-uine heir of God in Christ]….You will tread upon the lion and cobra [degenerate counterfeiters], the young lion and the serpent you will trample down [consistently and effectively overcome]… (Ps 91:1-13). -134- -135- -136-