Who is God?

There are many people in this world who have a concept of deity: some believe in multiple gods with human personalities, some believe in nature as their god, some believe in some higher power, and some have a hard time grasping the idea of an all encompassing force. Even in the Christian world, there are those who do not fully understand who [or what] this deity is.

In hopes of avoiding controversy [or confusion], this post's aim is to create understanding of who God is, His relationship to mankind, and what he expects from us.

Quick Word for Foundation

For the sake of argument, this post will use links to scriptures [including the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and other revelations] to convince the reality of God.

This is so, because if God spoke to mortals, someone would have recorded what he has said.

Please also consider the “milk before meat”: some questions will not be answered immediately nor in depth, but the simple foundation is enough for a child to understanding. As we exercise faith [or simple belief] we can understand this being even better.

God is Our Heavenly Father

Mortals have always pondered their place in the universe. Ancient mythology of old has often demeaned the human race, and even today man sees their place in this vast space is behind the environment, wealth and progression. These things are not necessarily evil, but the love of it over mankind is the sin.

The reality is that God, the most powerful and omniscient being in the universe, is the father of our Spirits, just like we have physical fathers.

His Organization

The most fundamental unit in God's plan for us is to allow us to have the same organization He has: a family.

Wise parents make sure their children understand what's right and wrong in order to help them stay out of harm’s way.

Likewise God wants to bless our families and he does so by giving us commandments to keep us from diving deeper in guilt and shame.

However, like the wise parent he is, He understands that sometimes we as his children just need to take things on good faith.

To give a better idea, take the following video:

[click here in case the video does not show up, or switch browsers with Adobe Flash installed]

The parents knew of the danger out in the Arabian desert. They made it clear to Patrick [the man narrating this story] that he needed to protect himself by simply putting on his shoes. Patrick had the choice of putting on shoes, but he [like the rest of us] made his own mind up and he followed... to a point.

Patrick's parents warned him of the danger, but in Patrick’s reasoning he tried bending the rules and paid the price.

When we heed to the words of wisdom from God, they are NOT meant to limit our potential: they are meant to keep us secure from the dangers that we sometimes don't understand.

What happens when we make a mistake and want to change?

God provided his choicest son [Jesus Christ] to pay the price of our mis-actions. When we choose to rely on him, with a resolve to do better and avoid sin.

Remember:

God is our Heavenly Father who created this world for us, His children, to learn and to grow.

He even waits now to listen to to both your complaint and thanks, and even now wants to bless you in the right time, right place, and with the right people.

Romance, Retribution, and Charity

Valentines day was this last week. For most, it is a time to rekindle love for one another.
The word is droned on and on in the media and in people's daily conversations concerning their sweethearts. But what exactly is Love?
For simplicity's sake, here is love dissected into three kinds:

Eros: a passion for appetite
All of us have our likes and dislikes in things such as food, luxuries and perfection in arts and people.
This kind of love is good...to a point.
A romantic relationship, for example, will fail if it is set on this kind of love. Bodily perfection will decay over time, and as a result unity decays with it.
It helps start an initial attraction, but that is all it does.

Philos: thanks in return
This is another kind of love, only stronger then Eros.
In our very fiber lies the need to satisfy justice. When someone does something for another, that person feels incline to return. This is the very thing that holds friendships and marriages together when partners feel and act on the needs of their comrades.
However, even this love has its weaknesses.
People are not perfect, and sadly neither are alliances at times. If one person feels hurt by another, that person will either avoid that person [sometimes with fair enough reason] or try to get even.
Despite its flaws, it is still good social behavior. However....

Agape: the flawless Diamond of Love
Take the following video:

[click here in case the video does not show up, or switch browsers with Adobe Flash installed]

Keep in mind, the man wounded was a Jew, the men that passed by him were Jews who's job was it to help the physical needs of the people.
But for what ever reason [they were prideful, didn't have the time and perhaps genuinely fearful] they moved on.
The Samaritans were part Jew, part Gentile [or non-Jew], who were hated by both groups of people for being who they were as mutts.
But it was this particular Samaritan who stopped to help his “neighbor”. He didn't care that the beaten man was ugly, or even hostile toward him, he only saw that he was in trouble.
What if...we stopped to help our neighbors, even to just say hello each morning?
What if... people young and old, rich or poor, would let greed slip from their lives so they can share just as much as they receive?
What if... we were patient with people who cross our roads? Allowed bygones to be bygones?
What if... we can harness all types of love and channel though Charity [or Agape]?
Simply doing small acts can mean a world of difference, even if it only changes the world of those you love, those in need or those that offend.

The Plan of Salvation [Admin]

For most of January, I've been talking about the Plan of Salvation [Or plan of Happiness].
To seal what I've posted, I've had a special experience that proved to me that God does love us, and how much a reality His plan is.
This post may not matter to many people, but it matters to me, and I pray that God's spirit will accompany it as well.

Corey
In the summer of 2010, me and a group of my church friends started a backpacking trip going through Zion National Park. Among them was a Eagle scout, a good friend of mine Named Corey Buxton.
Prior to coming on this trip, due to his size he trained himself for weeks for endurance. Aside from physical training, like any good Eagle Scout he had everything he needed to survive should we/he get lost somehow.
After a long day of walking through the rough sand in the blazing heat, we set up camp and slept on any flat rock that could serve as our beds.
Early next morning, we tracked up and down hills, enjoying the beautiful lands that both God and man preserved.
Our march, however, was relentless as we staggered hard to complete a 50 [?] mile stretch through mountains, streams and canyons in the space of five days. Our resting periods, no matter how long, never seemed long enough.
Me and others stayed behind with Corey [he was the only one really lagging behind] to make sure he could keep moving on. He complained several times of his pain, but urged us to keep moving on without him.
At one point, Corey fell from our radar.
We were forced to get out to the closest road while several of our leaders [though fatigued] march back through the steep hills and sharp grass blades to go look for him.
Soon, the park rangers were involved, and our group was forced to spend a long night in the park.
However, I knew he would come out, and the spirit made sure I knew.
The next morning, we spend half the day in the park's camping grounds, telling jokes, playing short games and waiting for further news on Corey.
I remember seeing the devastated look on a friend's face [one of our leaders] who came to us later that afternoon to give us the terrible news.
The search party found Corey's body at the bottom of a canyon.
I remember our leader, my Dad, and my eldest brother expressing their sorrow and their personal testimonies of God's love.
I too was sorrowful, but I was strangely at ease. I understood God's love; Corey DID come out, and it was a blessing to have his body secured and taken back home.
Even more, I feared more about what this meant for his parents. BUT THEY UNDERSTOOD GOD'S LOVE TOO.
They were grieving, but THEY KNEW that their son was not forever gone. They knew that they would one day see him, just as we all can.
What I've said is not just a waste of words. It is a REALITY of a grand scheme of a Grand God who reveres us as his own children.
To finally close this long string of post in Deus Ex Gospel, I've asked Corey's parents share their own witness of knowing this truth:
“One of Corey's favorite scriptures is Helaman 5:12 which says, "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it's upon the rock of our Redeemer who is Christ, the son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds; yea his shafts in the whirlwind, yea when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf do misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation where on if men build they cannot fall."

We have built our faith and foundation on the Savior. He is our rock and Redeemer. We know where we came from and that we are here to gain a body and be tested. With the knowledge that Christ suffered and died for us and that we can all be resurrected, we know that we will see and be with Corey again. We will be re-united as a family unit finding peace and joy as a forever family.”

Boyd and Suzanne Buxton

Corey Buxton

1/12/1993-7/22/2010

I want to thank the Buxtons, and to those I knew that passed away in the coarse of my lifetime:

Ryan Sneed

John [grandpa] Trout

Corey Buxton

Larry Heki

Raymond Vandavoort
Tom Shelly

Cynthia Davis

God loves us,

He weeps when we suffer,

and rejoices when we experience happiness...

and his happiness is complete when we march onward to heaven.

We can live again. THAT is my testimony in Christ name, amen.

...Stars in the Sky (2/3)

12/22/2012, the highlight of the year, the alleged day that the world is supposed to collapse on.

It may or may not be, but to any mortal tomorrow may be that end.

Death was covered in last week's post.

But death is not the end of life's eternal journey.

To reach perfection, we still need to overcome physical and spiritual death.

The Free Extreme Makeover

Before concluding this great plan, our own body and spirit must resurrect [or permanently unify] to overcome the bitter sting of physical death.

Never more will we need to fear separation from our bodies. What's more, man will have perfected bodies.

This victory over physical death is free to ALL [period].

Looking Back...

Mercy through Jesus Christ has given all so powerful blessings!

It saved from everlasting Death,

It prevented the worst from becoming worse,

And it has given borrowed time [in mortality and life to come] to change and march onward to heaven.

However, with all these aids, justice requires that we use them before time runs out.

When Time Runs out...

In reality, no one knows when the world [as we know it in our mortal state] will end. However, when it does, there will be a space to finish work on the earth, and then....

Judgment

...Every man and woman will be judged based on their judgments, actions, and most importantly, their final TRUE intentions.

Final Destinations

After Judgment, mankind is put into different spheres [or places] of glory.

In truth, almost all of God's children will enter heaven, but certain law's still apply....

Those who turn away from God will find themselves in a Telestial Glory [its glory comparative to the others as a star]

Those who lead good lives, but consider God's commandments more or less as “suggestions” will be found in a Terrestrial Glory [its glory comparative to the others as the Moon, still better then the star]

And finally, to those who take upon themselves the covenants from God AND uphold them and the rest of God's Commandments are given rest in the Celestial Glory.

The Ultimate Goal!

It is in the Celestial Glory where man overcomes spiritual death and reunites with God!

It is here, where Family can be united forever!

It is here where those who made sacrifices and chosen to be like Christ reap eternal benefits and become glorified joint-heirs with him!

This is where we can have true eternal Life with our Heavenly Father!

Final Recap:

For those who missed the last month's string of post, this is the Plan of Salvation and Happiness.

It is as follows:

1) We lived with our Father in Heaven before coming to earth. He gave us a plan to grow and exercise our agency.

2) Because of the fall of Adam, we understand our heritage and Justice.

3) Because of Jesus Christ, we can repent and understand Mercy.

4) Our death is not final, but rather a continuation of God's plan.

5)Everyone can be resurrected.

6)Everyone has a chance. And when we take that chance we can live with God again and be reunited with our families.

This is God's plan for his children, and it is his hope that we come to learn more of Him, His son, and our glorious future before us.

May we see Deus Ex Gospel and Carpe Diam!

A note from the admin

Next week, TOMORROW there is one final message [for now] concerning this docturine. To some [I'm sure] this whole thing sounds nice and dandy [perhaps mind blowing], but it's more then that: it is THE way of life and is true.

Dust in the Wind...(1/27)

Death.

The very word sends an array of emotions to any audience. Some people it sends shivers, others a sense of morning and remorse [others get a kick out of it until they find themselves at its door].

To me personally, it is a natural phase of life.

Referring to last week's post, our Savior [Jesus Christ] had gone through the same phases we did. He lived, he suffered life's adversities and temptations and died [of coarse he was perfect, but he understands perfectly what we've been through].

When you read His prophecy of his resurrection to his apostles [and of course happened], His body laid in the tomb for three days.

But where did his spirit go?

Happy Resting or Second Second Chances

If God requires so much of us [ex: reading the bible, taking covenants, following the commandments] then what happens to the poor man, women or child in history/obscure place that has never had a chance to even hear of God's word?

Most religions understand the God of justice an/or mercy, so where does this happen?

Going back to Christ, when he died he had fulfilled paying for EVERYONE'S sins [past, present and future] and had headed into a state of rest called Paradise.

Paradise is found in a place where people are in a state of happiness or misery BEFORE the resurrection and Judgment takes place,

However, even here justice and mercy take place.

Christ atonement allow those who had suffered because of their own sins and those who didn't know about the Gospel to enjoy the same blessings as we can have on earth. Like in life, they have the choice to accept that message or not.

Quick Word of Caution to Justification...

Great plan so far; we get second chances, people who never had a chance gets a chance, mercy takes effect.

However, so does Justice.

That said, no one shouldn't say to themselves, “Well, if I get a second chance in the afterlife, then I can sin all I want here to be happy and repent later.”

Here's three major points why this is a BAD IDEA:

Point # 1: Sin never was happiness. Living a life of Gospel principles lead to liberty from pain, guilt and shame. Changing NOW would mean less pain in this life and the world to come.

Point # 2: Living a good life will lead to better relationships, and as such trials to come will not be a result of evil but to strengthen your wisdom in this plan. These kinds of blessings will be withheld for willing transgression.

Point # 3: they will be held accountable for what they could have done.

So remember: DON'T FAIL BECAUSE YOU KNOW BETTER.

Next week, The plan concludes with Resurrection, Judgment and our final comfort zones in Heaven.

Living Life (1/19)

To those still following, here's the continuation of last weeks post.

Life and Justice

Humans roam the earth, which leads to the question that many philosophers, singers and scientist have staggered to figure out:

“Why are we here?”

Referring back to our Pre-Earth life, we realize that we come to receive our physical bodies and to exercise freedom [or free agency].

So we have the freedom to choose how we want to live, where we want to live, who we want to be with and what we want to be.

However our freedom to choose, God is STILL and HAS TO BE a god of justice; we CAN NOT choose our consequences once we've made the choice.

Without the Atonement, ALL of us would be placed under condemnation because we all fall short either through intents or misdemeanors.

Harsh? One small act was the imperfection forced Adam and Eve from God's presence for disobeying one simple [and seemingly harmless] commandment. God's Commandments are just that: Commandments, not suggestions.

So with all of mankind in imperfection, who or what do we turn to?

Aiding powers

Christ has provided the exit.

In order to save man from both Physical, and spiritual death, He came into this world like any normal mortal: He came as a mortal child, grew up to become a man, went through the same ordinances man needs and has gone through adversities we all face.

However, being perfect in all things, suffered for our sins in Gethsemane and died on the cross, and most importantly did He came out triumphant over Death and separation.

It is by this Grace, we are saved.

And it is by our works [however little they are] that we are JUSTIFIED.

Stay tuned....

Next week, comes the answer to another long asked question:

What happens when we die?

Foundation for Life (1/11)

Last week's entry talked about the prelude to earth's beginning and work.
This week’s topic is about a brief history on what jump-started the human race. Next week, We’ll talk about Life.

World Under Construction....
So God told us of this plan where we could receive bodies and have the freedom to choose. At the time, we all must have been exited like little puppies waiting on jerky.
But before diving into that, where was this plan taking place?
So in the beginning stages of God's plan, Earth was formed and the first human beings were created.

Our {insert # of “Greats” here} Grandparents

Ask any Abraham religion (ex: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, ect.) as to who the first humans were, they would promptly say “Adam and Eve!”
This is correct. Adam and Eve were indeed the first and ONLY people to walk the earth. They were like children, not knowing the difference between good and evil. They couldn't progress, as such they were in a “damned” state as it were. In a way, WE were damned to remain in heaven without being able to progress ourselves.
Life was BORING.
But even in their innocent state, Adam and Eve were given a choice: they told that they could eat any tree except the tree of good and evil. If they did, they would be caste out from His presence, and would die physically.
So they obeyed, and life continued in the garden…until Eve was tricked and Adam followed after.
Life became INTERESTING.
They made a mistake, and could make decisions clear as day. God saw that they had committed a sin/made a mistake knowingly and had them expelled from the garden.
This was part of the plan. In order to give man freedom to exercise good and evil, Man needed to make his choice.
Life now is OURS TO CHOOSE.

To be continued...

(Please Note: From some feedback, I was a little long on last week’s post. I apologize if it was and I hope this weeks is better.)

In the Beginning...(1/5)

Starting out Deus Ex Gospel in 2012, we'll begin at the beginning.

Last week's entry mentioned living with God before coming here. It said (and I quote), “...that our planet's main function is to house and help develop the lives of trillions of God's children (you and me)”

So, what's that mean? Why don't we remember? Why is this important?

Why?

Such a simple question:

Why?

A word that sometimes may pass our lips when tragedy strikes, or else something unexpected occurs.

So why Indeed?

Why So....

To know what God has in store for us makes life much easier.

Before we came to earth, we lived with God. He knew us, and we knew him. He was in the absolute state of perfection, meaning He was not only spirit but was complete as a spirit with a physical body of flesh and bone (in other words, the soul).

To give us progression, God gathered in his children (us) and told us of a chance to receive physical bodies.

But more chances to learn was yet to come.

In addition to having bodies, God gave us agency (or freedom to choose). In order to maximize this freedom to choose between good and evil, we had a “veil of forgetfulness” placed over our minds.

So now we can choose between good and evil is overshadowed by consequences. We choose good, we get good in the end (we progress and return to God). Bad, we get bad in the end (we digress and fall into darkness).

It is the supreme law of justice instilled in our fibers hat leads us to ask “Why...do bad things happen to good people...so much injustice...do we even exist...?” and so many other questions.

In the end, ALL of us will get our just deserts

What about...?

But where is the line? What happens to those who can't hear about this plan? What about those who find out they erred, and wish to turn back and change? What about second chances?

Justice is absolute, and EVERYONE would be under condemnation that would have forever prevented all from returning to God.

How It is Overcome

This is where Jesus Christ comes in. Being perfect, he was able to pay for our deep shortcomings so that we could return to God again.

By coming here to earth, Christ followed the same path as we did. He was born, he lived, and even died. But because he was perfect, he took our sins, shortcomings and mistakes (in every aspect of our lives) he paid our price in blood and died so that we could

-Repent (change our course)

-Be Resurrected (receive new perfected bodies after we die)

-Return to God

-Receive God's blessings in full

More is Coming...

Even in the beginning, our Father in heaven has given us the resources. He knows our potential and for whatever we could never do ourselves, Christ has already offered himself as a saftey net.

Let's begin this year, this week to use God's plan to our advantage.

Next week, we'll go into this plan deeper, as it applies into our history, heritage, these hard times, and our future yet to come.

(Please Note: I will take feedback if anything I've said does not make sense and I will explain further in future post). I understand that the following material I present may not be perfectly presented, but

I KNOW THIS INFORMATION IS TRUE)

Welcome!

For those following, Welcome to the New domain!

To start out, I'll be posting previous Post from the beginning of the year, [nearly]* unedited and original from the original site. this will continue until up to speed.

Update:

To those who have no clue what this means, Deus Ex Gospel had to be removed from its last domain in order to avoid controversy

It was in no way in fault of the host [they had to get revenue somehow] but being a website about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the ads were not conducive to the message.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy " )

* there has been a few slight differences such as spacing. Any other changes will be made known.