Hello again,
This month I’d like to share my new book with you. It is called “Reality Squared.”
“Reality Squared” is a Biblical teaching on “How To” attain and enjoy the reality of God. It is a search for the Biblical pathway into the presence of God. It begins with an in-depth Bible study to discover all there is to know.
The reader of this book will learn how to be transformed from a life of carnality, where sadness, depression, and immorality reign into the “Will of God” in real-time. If done seriously, the study will transform the mind into an abundance of life where love, joy, peace, and other attributes of God flow freely.
I titled this book: “Reality Squared” because I felt there is more than just man’s reality. God is far above man’s existence, and he has his own separate reality. It is this reality that my teaching is all about. Thus, the title, “Reality Squared.”
I wrote this teaching because of my quest to be more like Jesus and less like my liberal society. I knew there must be more to living than what I was experiencing. I also believed that the answer was in the scriptures. The study of the scriptures offered a pathway to personal freedom from an inward sin nature, the outward evil attacks of Satan, and the expectations of non-Christian individuals around me. This is my quest that began over 60 years ago.
The Biblical definition of reality…That reality is the way things really are. Reality is what it is because God declared it to be so and made it so. God is the author, source, determiner, governor, arbiter, ultimate standard, and final judge of all truth. The Bible assumes a fundamental duality in reality, with an irreducible ontological interval between God and everything else.(Ontological = relating to the branch of metaphysics dealing with the nature of being)
Reality can be defined in a way that links it to worldviews or parts of them. (conceptual frameworks): Reality is the totality of all things, structures (actual and conceptual), events (past and present) and phenomena, whether observable or not.
Reality is the independent nature and existence of everything knowable, whether it is knowable by logical inference, empirical observation, or some other form of experience. The common misconception is that reality and truth convey the same meaning, but that is not accurate.
Reality is the sum or aggregate of all that is real or existent within the universe, as opposed to that which is only imaginary, nonexistent or nonactual. In physical terms, reality is the totality of a system known and unknown.
In today’s world, people have reduced reality to a point of view. It is a perspective or way of thinking. It drives us to be a certain way and do things that shape our destiny. My reality can be very different from yours because you may think along different lines than I do. That’s why there are liberal thinkers and conservative thinkers that clash constantly in the political arena and on social platforms. That’s why there are gays and straights. That’s why women think differently than men. Everyone has his or her own reality or view of life that they live out in different lifestyles. However, beyond all of this is the “Reality of God.”
I asked a few friends to explain reality to me from their viewpoint.
One friend said that reality was determined by how much money you have which would shape the lifestyle in which you would live. Money equals a lavish lifestyle and ease. Poverty would create a lifestyle of suffering and struggle. The “Haves” and the “Have-nots.” This was his point of view concerning reality. (Remember, the actual definition of reality is: “The totality of all things”, so, my 1st friend is not correct because money and lifestyle does not make up true reality.
Another friend believed that childhood experiences shape one’s reality, determining whether they become a positive or negative adult. This was the foundation of his lifestyle. (Again, this answer, that everybody has different experiences, and that is their reality, would negate an absolute. “The totality of all things” is an absolute,)
Yet another friend said that their reality was the sum total of their education, which made them what they are today. (This too is incorrect because reality is the total of everything that exists, not everything that is learned.)
Then I talked to one more friend that said reality to him was an ever-changing flow of thoughts that took him into depression and/or other negative feelings from which he could not escape. This was his reality. (This too is incorrect because all thoughts are not the same for every individual. They may shape one’s destiny, but they are not the total of everything that exists.)
Finally, I spoke with a phycologist friend that defined reality as “Now.” He said the past was gone, and the future has yet to be determined. All that exists is this very moment, and that is reality. (We are indeed living in the moment, but our moment does not cover all that is actual and existing everywhere else. We may not see the billions of people on earth, but they are actual, real, and existing just the same. Plus, a building that was real in the past may still be today, even though it is not in our current moment. Thus, he too is mistaken.)
So, I then planned my theory of reality. Based upon my past education and Biblical knowledge, plus my personal Christianity, I reasoned that true reality had to be realized on a spiritual level, not physical. I also reasoned that there were many realities in life that shape the lifestyles of folks in our society. There could be 7-billion realities on earth, one for every person. They are clashing with each other every day for supremacy. However, they all deal with reality from a personal perspective. They are, in fact, just a little piece of a bigger world view and not universal.
I investigated many different realities and found that, for the most part, they were not based on any Biblical truth. Instead, they were rooted in humanism, feel-good theories, and had a carnal nature. Even the world religions were Anti-Christ in their thinking with a reality that supported false gods and doctrines. Reality should be that which is true, but often it is not. Instead, people present it as truth, but it is actually a false assumption. (Jesus said, “Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.”) Luke 11:35.
As I studied the scriptures, I discovered that there was a reality where God exists and is Lord over his creation. I also discovered that there was a pathway that would lead me into that reality which is different from what most other folks experience. I discovered I could see, feel, and know the presence of God in real time, day- by-day. I could actually live, and have my being in the “Reality of God.
My search revealed that man’s reality was very different from God’s reality. His reality is unseen, but nevertheless there. It is just as real, if not more real, than what man experiences. Everything in God’s reality is true and purpose driven. In contrast, man’s reality is filled with lies, deception, and fear, which influence his thoughts and shape his reality and subsequent lifestyle. Truth is not the basis for man’s reality. Man has lost truth in his quest for self-identity. What is real is not a prerequisite. If it were, we would all be living in God’s reality.
I am pleased to share my 60+ year journey with you, hoping you too can find yourself and live in a world that is ordered by God and blessed with his grace and love.
There is a pathway that leads to the reality of God. This path is not clear, so as folks could readily see it and know where it goes. The pathway hides itself in plain sight, and only those who seek God can find it.
As we study, we will look at Romans, chapter twelve, with a look back at the end of chapter eleven. I will also add other supporting scriptures as relevant to my discussion.
Based on the material from Acts and the Corinthian epistles, we can clearly see that Paul wrote the Book of Romans from Corinth on his third missionary journey. Paul had never visited Rome; but after fulfilling his mission of mercy to Jerusalem, he hoped to go to Rome in route to Spain (Rom. 15:23-25). At any rate, the date of the book is probably 60 A.D.
At the end of chapter eleven, Paul said this, “For of him, and through him and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen.” (He speaks of Jesus)
The beginning of chapter twelve, Paul continued with a, “Therefore” said this, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service and be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Romans 12:2
The reason or need for us to be transformed is so we can prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God. Thus, knowing the perfect will of God is discernable, but not by worldly methods. It takes the Spirit of God to see into spiritual things. That’s why Paul begs us to be transformed.
Paul is pleading with or (Beseeching) the Christians at Rome, based on 11:36, (Because all things are of him, through him and to him). 12:1 “Therefore, we, by the mercies of God, ought to present our bodies as a living sacrifice which is holy and acceptable unto God.”
This action, although noteworthy, is difficult. Paul knew this and thus tells his believers that it will require a transformation from worldly to spiritual; from walking in darkness to walking in the light of God’s love; from immorality to morality. Life as they knew it would have to change radically. Their thinking will have to become brand new.
The mind will have to be renewed.. So…to be transformed, we need to exchange our corrupt minds with the mind of Christ. We need to restore our minds to a condition of holiness. The problem is, we have never been in that holy mindset, so restoration is seemingly impossible because we do not know what that looks like…or do we?
The unsaved man is like Adam after he fell from God’s grace. He is without God’s indwelling Spirit (Breath of Life). He was separated from God and left to walk in spiritual darkness.
The saved man is like Jesus. He possesses the indwelling Spirit of the living God. (His Breadth of Life) He is privileged to hear God’s voice, understand his logic, and be blessed by his wisdom. All of this came to man when he was “Born Again.” John 3:16.
The invisible nature of God now shines in and through his children, who have been “Born Anew” by his Spirit. It’s like a butterfly that once was a crawling, worm-like creature that experiences transformation and becomes a beautiful butterfly. This is a vivid picture of a, “New Creature”. The old passed away, rather…was transformed into something entirely new.
We are buried into baptism with Christ and raised with him in newness of life. Colossians 2:12. Anyone who says they are alive in God and does not believe in the burial by baptism and a personal resurrection with Christ is deceived and probably not really saved.
Here is what Paul said to the Galatians: (Chapter Three) “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?” Galatians 3:1-35.
This is a prime example of a need to be renewed. They drifted away from spiritual things, returning to the things of the flesh. If you read on, you will discover that they had abandoned the concept of God’s saving grace to trust in the Law of Moses as a spiritual guide for salvation. Paul said they were foolish. So…we now know that we are to be transformed and the way to accomplish that transformation is to renew our minds…to go back to the simplicity of the gospel and follow in the footsteps of Christ. Let me explain.
The world system of things… like Liberalism, Secularism, Gay Rights, Gender Reclassification, and other immoral posturing, has worn off on us.
The world’s influence has led to a general lack of faith and a general falling away from the gospel of grace. They were once dedicated to God’s will, not their own. He was the center of their lives and they found themselves in him, not in the things of this world. His mindset was what they sought and found in his lordship. They could see life from his perspective.
The pathway to the reality of God was through a renewal of their minds. It was the only way they could escape the sinful nature inside of them and attain and enjoy God’s grace in real time.
So, we will embark on the same journey that the 1st century saints took to be transformed from “death unto life”; “darkness into light”; “lost to being saved” and from “sorrow into an abundance of joy.” Our journey will take us into a renewal process that will deliver us into the reality of God.
I hope I was able to wet your appetite with this introduction. Now, I would also hope that you will buy the book. You can get it on my website, www.marinellichristianbooks.com. Look for the “Book of The Month” and click on the link to get a special discount.
God never said life would be easy. Nevertheless, God wants us to have his “Mindset”. The fall of man into sin has caused multiple realities, one for every person on earth. Most of these realities are not the mindset of God. They are centered in carnality. (Man’s natural thinking) Only our “Free Will” and God’s grace can produce a shift from our darkness into the light of God’s love.
If you want his will, apply what you have learned on this journey until it becomes your way of thinking and your mindset. The question is, “Are you in touch with reality?” If you think you are, whose reality are you touching? God’s reality or man’s reality? Most of us will have to be transformed so we can touch God’s reality.
So, Let’s review. How can we be transformed by the renewing of our minds?
1.) Become A Living Sacrifice …by not conforming to this world.
2.) Change Your Thought Life…by casting down imaginations and evil thoughts that seek refuge in your mind.
3.) Stay In a Continual Attitude of Prayer…by talking to God about the small things as well as the major ones.
4.) Always Be Thankful…in all things, not for all things.
5.) Believe That Every Day Is A New Day…because God has created it just for you.
6.) Guard Your Spirit…because fiery darts are being tossed your way from evil spirits.
7.) Listen For the Whistle…because God’s Peace will referee, letting you know if you are offsides.
I see this journey as steppingstones to your personal freedom in Christ. It can become the foundation upon which you stand. My goal is to help you to fully realize the potential of actually becoming a, “New Creature,” in Christ and thereby fully equipped and ready to do the will of God.
This is “Reality Squared” attaining and enjoying the reality of God, which is far above this world’s reality. You can attain this reality. God wants you to seek him so he can bless you with his presence.
Note: God is the only true reality. We seek him that we may find ourselves for we are his creation and his children. If you were to ask me what God’s reality looks like, I would tell you that it is the epidemy of Love, the fullness of Joy, the ultimate peace, and full of the rest of the fruit of his Spirit.
How will you know when you have arrived at the reality of God? That is easy… you will be in the experience of God, your heavenly Father. It is there, in his presence, that you will realize your divine destiny and enjoy the blessings of the holy Spirit.
As you walk through your day-by-days, you will know that you are fellowshipping with your creator. He will welcome you with open arms.
May our Lord bless you and enrich you and fill you with his good grace as you apply these truths.
Check out other new books just published: “The Christian Life Digest”, “Being Born Again”, “It’s Your Choice, or Is It” coming at the end of March, and of course, “Reality Squared.”
Click on the cover of the book of the month and get a special discount.
Until Next Time
John Marinelli, Author & Publisher
Marinellichristianbooks.com