“Whose image and inscription is this?”

 

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. – Genesis 1:26 (ESV)

God created us human beings in His image and after His likeness; but how many of us reflect His image and express His nature? The truth is, we all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). But even more than that, we humans have perpetually created God in our own image and our own likeness. We have made God a reflection of ourselves.

Jesus said to those sent to entrap Him, “give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.” (Matthew 22:21 NLT) but we give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and we give to God what belongs to Caesar when we redefine His image and likeness.

At the Palace of Versailles in Versailles France, there is a long room with a mirror-covered wall from ceiling to floor on one side. It is an incredibly overwhelming sight that assaulted my eyes and scandalously impressive with all its gilded ornamentation, artistic renderings on the ceiling, marble columns, chandeliers and golden statues.

This one room is regarded as an architectural masterpiece, while the entire palace was once considered a symbol of absolute power.

The mirrors reflect the view of a well-watered, cared-for garden which can be seen through large arched windows that stand directly opposite the mirrored wall.

The palace, along with its well-watered, cared-for garden at Versailles are of human creation. God’s Word tells us that you will be like a well-watered garden (Isaiah 58:11), however, this promise carries certain stipulations which you can read for yourself in chapter 58. You and I, as well-watered gardens, are not of our own creation or invention, we are God-stamped, it is he who made us, and we are his (Psalm 100:3 NIV) – we belong to God.

Sadly, we have constructed our own hall with mirrors that reflect, not a well-watered garden but an image of God that has been distorted by our own misguided beliefs, biases, prejudices, excuses, ideas of justice, skewed religious morals and limitations.

We create a false image of God with a likeness that suits our fancy; a god that never takes us out of our comfort zones, a god who approves of all our preferences, a god who is perfectly aligned to us.

We, meaning Christians, have taken the infinite, transcendent, Omniscient, Omnipresent, the Alpha and the Omega Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty Creator of the universe and reduced Him to our human level of existence.

“Whose image and inscription is this?” 

In our arrogance, we who claim to be godly followers of the Word, do not know the God of the Bible. We have become religious narcissists who compromise rather than stand firm, choosing to conform rather than transform and in our failure to embrace the full reality of the God of Scripture, we offer to others an image of God who is inscribed with human characteristics.

 Beloved, we have become adept at anthropomorphism; humans crafting God after their own image and nature is not new, for Isaiah responding to a people who had replaced God with idols made in their own image said to them then and us today,

How foolish can you be? He is the Potter, and he is certainly greater than you, the clay! Should the created thing say of the one who made it, “He didn’t make me”?
Does a jar ever say, “The potter who made me is stupid”? (Isaiah 25:16 NLT)

We condemn these ancient people for creating idols of worship, yet in our modern day, when we engage in creating God in our image, we are doing exactly what they did by redefining God into a deity we seek to control and manage, a god who will conform to our way.

They did not have Jesus as we do, so even if we say that they were at a disadvantage, certainly in this day and age, we are not, a fact that Philip learned when he said to Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” To which Jesus responded, “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. (John 14:8-9 NIV).

When you take a hard look at Jesus, who do you see? You must honestly answer the question, “Whose image and inscription is this?”.

By our creating God in our own image and likeness, we find ourselves at the foot of Mt. Sinai, worshipping a god crafted by our own human hands.

It’s time for us to open our bibles and get to know the God of Scripture in all His glory.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Whose image and inscription is this?” © 2026 August 18, 2026

 

 

 

 

The function of yeast

Throughout the Word, yeast is mostly symbolic of corruption, evil and sin, however, Jesus portrays yeast in a different light in an effort to get His audience to understand what the Kingdom of God is like. Jesus asked them,

“How can I picture God’s kingdom for you? What kind of story can I use?” – Luke 13:18 (MSG)

First, Jesus uses the tiny mustard seed as an example but then, perhaps to drive home His point, Jesus goes on to give another example. He says,

“What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough.” – Luke 13:20-21 (MSG)

Let’s take a little bite of this parable, like a morsel of bread to chew on.

Luke was very careful in recording Jesus’ words. He was careful in letting us know that Jesus included specific elements in His parable – yeast, a woman preparing dough, and the exact measurement of flour.

The Greek word for yeast in the verse above is “zume” which is sourdough starter and not the packets of cultured yeast we buy in the supermarket.

Creating sourdough starter is a process that Jesus’ first century audience would have understood.

Even today, anyone who has ever made starter should know that all that’s required is flour, water, yeast and time for it to ferment. To initiate the fermentation process, the mixture, in a covered bowl, is put in a warm, dark, breezeless place, such as an oven.

The yeast, a living fungus that feeds on sugar and starch, is the active agent in breadmaking; the dough will never rise without the yeast.

In this translation, Jesus describes a woman mixing sourdough starter into flour to make dough, but the Greek term here translated “mixed” is “en krypto”, which comes from the root verb “to hide” or “to conceal”. So, the woman in the parable, hiding or concealing something rather than merely mixing places a whole different spin on how this parable is viewed, especially as Luke 8:17 (NIV) records Jesus saying,

For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be known or brought out into the open.

Whatever this woman is hiding, will be revealed, for what is hidden will come to light and although her apparent secrecy may be seen as a “bad” thing, in reference to the Kingdom of God, it is bound to lead to something wonderful.

Sixty pounds of flour is a lot of flour. This woman must have had a bakery because five pounds of flour yields many loaves of bread and she used twelve times that amount.

That amount of dough would be far too much for this one woman to knead and its yield way more than she, alone, could ever consume, so this is definitely not a lesson in domesticity.

This conjures up an image of abundance, doesn’t it? But there is something else, it’s a picture of a small beginning yielding a tremendous result. Jesus tells us what the Kingdom of God is like, using the story of a woman who is about to make more bread than a single person could ever eat.

Is Jesus saying therefore that the Kingdom of God is not only more than enough for everyone to partake of but like the function of yeast, it remains hidden while it works its way through our lives? And even though its not outwardly visible as it quietly spreads, it gives rise to and yields changes in us that are much greater and more palatable than we ever could imagine?

Beloved, the Kingdom of God is present now and available to all, “whosoever will” (ref. Revelation 22:17). Shall you not eat? After all, Jesus Himself proclaimed, “I am the Bread of Life. No one coming to me will ever be hungry again.” (John 6:35 TLB).

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “The function of yeast” © 2026 August 17, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Your kingdom come...

 

Matthew 4:17 (NRSVUE)

From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Matthew 5:3 (NRSVUE)

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 6:10 (NABRE)

your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.

Mark 10:24 (NABRE)

The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God!”

Luke 17:21 (TLB)

You won’t be able to say, ‘It has begun here in this place or there in that part of the country.’ For the Kingdom of God is within you.

John 18:36 (TLB)

Then Jesus answered, “I am not an earthly king. If I were, my followers would have fought when I was arrested by the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of the world.”

Romans 14:17 (NABRE)

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of food and drink, but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the holy Spirit;

1 Thessalonians 2:12 (ESV)

we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

Beloved,

Your kingdom come...immediately leads you toward the divine rather than any inclination toward human action.

Your Kingdom come...establishes that the divine purpose, to be executed on earth is present now in heaven.

Your Kingdom come...draws us into intimate communion with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

Your Kingdom come...is to experience the fullness of God in every area of your life.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Your Kingdom come...” © 2026 August 10, 2026

Crazy for God

 

As some of you may know because I have mentioned it before, when I got serious about my spiritual journey, my own mother thought I’d gone crazy. There were things that God led me to do that appeared illogical to any onlooker, but God is always confounding the wise and, on this journey, He will have you do some crazy things.

People have been crazy for God for a very long time, take Noah for instance; imagine building a gigantic boat for years, proclaiming that a flood is coming and it has never even rained. What’s a flood?

The Israelites marched around Jericho seven times – six times in complete silence, once every time and on the seventh time, seven times, making an incredibly loud commotion with trumpets blaring and the people shouting. What madness is that?

God tells Hosea, the prophet, to “Marry a prostitute and have children with that prostitute.” (Hosea 1:2 GW). Hello…isn’t that crazy?

And there are many more stories like that throughout the bible, where God has given people some insane instructions. You think they didn’t look like crazy people? But they carried out God’s instructions anyway.

Beloved, all this is to encourage you to act even when you think that what God has asked you to do or say is going to make you look or sound completely bonkers.

Know that persons may get offended, but the fact is, not everyone is going to get it and that’s okay; you need to do what you know you’re being led to do by God, even if it seems crazy and you’re labelled insane or un-Christian.

I would choose looking crazy for God, way above looking sane for man and you should too.

Remember, God and His purpose must always come first.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Crazy for God” © 2026 August 10, 2026

 

 

Forgotten Esoteric Knowledge

 

We haven’t yet realised how deep our communion with the Almighty is; every human being exists daily without knowing that we are breathing His name. God created us with certain structures built-in and then He breathed His life force into us.

It is through him that we are able to live, to do what we do, and to be who we are. As your own poets have said, ‘We all come from him.’ – Acts 17:27-28 (ERV)

Yes, we all come from God; everyone has come from God and is sustained by Him. And our existence on this earth is a journey; a journey that is not meant to be hum drum, especially for those who have been born again, that is, re-born from above.

for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God. – 1 Peter 1:23 (NASB 1995)

Having been born again, the Spirit of God now resides inside you and now you have access, through God’s Spirit, to knowledge that was once hidden from you.

People who do not have God’s Spirit do not accept the things that come from his Spirit. They think these things are foolish. They cannot understand them, because they can only be understood with the Spirit’s help. – 1 Corinthians 2:14 (ERV)

God’s Word is not static and was never intended to be, it is alive, and understanding a verse today is not the same way you’ll understand it a year from now or even tomorrow.

Christianity is an on-going journey of endless discovery.

When Christians hear the word “esoteric” they often think that it could never be in reference to anything godly, so they tend to steer clear of the subject and in doing so they miss out on an entire aspect of the spiritual journey.

Esoteric knowledge isn’t reserved for occultism; in its simplest form, it’s wisdom that’s hidden. The word “esoteric” comes from the Greek, “esoterikos”, meaning “inner” or “further inside”. It carries the idea of concealment.

Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, said,

Look for wisdom like silver. Search for it like hidden treasure. (Proverbs 2:4 ERV)

Deuteronomy 29:29 (ESV) says,

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Apostle Paul in his letter to the Colossians wrote,

I want them to know completely the secret truth that God has made known. That truth is Christ himself. In him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are kept safe. (Colossians 2:2-3 ERV)

Too many of us are good with just having a basic knowledge and understanding of God’s Word; we have no interest in searching for the wisdom contained therein like the treasure that it is.

God is yearning to reveal to us, the secret things that belong to Him, but we don’t seem to yearn to know completely the secret Truth that God has made accessible to those who are re-born – all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge that are in Jesus Christ.

The ancients understood this and were habitually looking deeper but, somewhere along the line this esoteric knowledge was lost or no longer passed down and most have forgotten; in our time, only a few seem to want more, the rest are prepared to remain limited in their present knowledge of Truth.

Jesus Himself said,

Everything that is hidden will become clear. Every secret thing will be made known, and everyone will see it. (Luke 8:17 ERV)

This, Jesus told His disciples after explaining to them the meaning of His parable about the seeds.

So think carefully about what you are hearing. The people who have some understanding will receive more. But those who do not have understanding will lose even what they think they have. (Luke 8:18 ERV)

Jesus warned that those who do not have understanding run the risk of losing what they think they have.

Beloved, none of us can afford to lose what we think we have; you and I should be longing to seek out the forgotten esoteric knowledge of God’s Word, so that everything that is hidden will become clear to us.

This, however, is not something to accomplish on our own, you and I must seek revelation from the Holy Spirit, Who reveals to us, the deep spiritual truths of God.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Forgotten Esoteric Knowledge” © 2026 August 10, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Unity of Three

 

It is interesting, to say the least, to see how the plurality of God is interwoven throughout His Word.

We see it from the very beginning when we read Genesis 1:26 (AMPC),

God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness

The Hebrew word here is “Elohim”, which is not only plural but an expression of all-encompassing power, showing that there is strength in unity.

Then in Deuteronomy 6:4 (AMPC), Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord [the only Lord], “Shma Yisrael Adonai Elohenu Adonai Ekhad”, “Elohenu” which means “our God” is derived from the word “Elohim”.

How can our one God be divided into three? But yet He is, revealing His tri-unity since Creation, and to man, in His many manifestations, as He interacted with His creation, even before the incarnation of Christ.

This mysteriously fascinating unity of three nature of God can be seen, particularly in the Old Testament but is most startling in Isaiah 48:12 & 16 (NASB),

Listen to Me, Jacob, Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first, I am also the last.
Come near to Me, listen to this:
From the beginning I have not spoken in secret, From the time it took place, I was there. And now the Lord God has sent Me, and His Spirit

God is speaking of Himself as the Messiah, being sent by the Lord God and His Spirit. What powerful proof of the existence of the three-in-one God.

There is perhaps no reasonable explanation of how or why God is One and Three simultaneously. The unity of Three may be a stumbling block to unbelievers and even some believers but it is an essential foundation block in the believers’ faith.

The unity of Three is strange and shrouded in mystery, for the Father cannot be seen but was revealed in the Son.

Jesus *said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? The one who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? (John 14:9 NASB)

The unity of Three is strange and shrouded in mystery, for like the Father, the Spirit cannot be seen, yet, is a very real Person and though always invisible, the effects of the Spirit are witnessed in people’s lives.

Suddenly a noise came from heaven. It sounded like a strong wind blowing. This noise filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw something that looked like flames of fire. The flames were separated and stood over each person there. (Acts 2:2-3 ERV)

Beloved, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are three Persons relating as One – the unity of Three.

And now, May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

 

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “The Unity of Three” © 2026 August 7, 2026

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jesus' Passionate Desire

Jesus prayed,

I pray not only for these followers but also for those who will believe in me because of their teaching. Father, I pray that all who believe in me can be one. (John 17:20, 21 ERV)

So, what’s going on with His followers nowadays? We say we believe in Jesus; we gather together as congregations; we look the part and act the part but…anyway.

It is written in 1 Corinthians 11:30-33 (MSG),

If you give no thought (or worse, don’t care) about the broken body of the Master when you eat and drink, you’re running the risk of serious consequences. That’s why so many of you even now are listless and sick, and others have gone to an early grave. If we get this straight now, we won’t have to be straightened out later on. Better to be confronted by the Master now than to face a fiery confrontation later.

So, my friends, when you come together to the Lord’s Table, be reverent and courteous with one another. If you’re so hungry that you can’t wait to be served, go home and get a sandwich. But by no means risk turning this Meal into an eating and drinking binge or a family squabble. It is a spiritual meal—a love feast.

This translation gets the message across. Apostle Paul is clearly saying that those who partake of the sacrament of communion while refusing to see or pay attention to each other as being part of the Lord’s body are running the risk of serious consequences, which he details as listlessness, sickness and an early grave.

Not my words. Paul’s warning to the Corinthians then, is applicable to us today. We cannot continue to be ignorant of the dire spiritual effects our behaviour can cause.

Jesus Christ suffered, His body “broken” for all of us, yet we turn what is meant to be a time of fellowship throughout the Body of Christ, which is His Church, into a church-family squabble. Have we no regard for the sanctity of Christ’s sacrifice?

There is one loaf of bread, so we who are many are one body, because we all share in that one loaf. (1 Corinthians 10:17 ERV)

Jesus continued His prayer,

You are in me and I am in you. I pray that they can also be one in us. Then the world will believe that you sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me. I gave them this glory so that they can be one, just as you and I are one. I will be in them, and you will be in me. So they will be completely one. Then the world will know that you sent me and that you loved them just as you loved me. (John 17:21-23 ERV)

When potential converts enter your church, will they believe that the Father sent the Son? Will they believe that the Father loved them just as [He] loved [Jesus]? Will they see unity but sense division?

Oh, how wonderful, how pleasing it is when God’s people all come together as one!  (Psalm 133:1 ERV)

David, a man after God’s own heart, understood the unity of one.

Jesus continued with,

Father, I want these people you have given me to be with me in every place I am. I want them to see my glory—the glory you gave me because you loved me before the world was made. (John 17:21-23 ERV)

Beloved, oneness was and still is, Jesus’ passionate desire. This passion can be seen in His prayer which is a picture of the oneness Jesus shares with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus had already emphasized that He and the Father are one (see John 10:30) and solidified that truth more so when He prayed for the unity of believers, not just with each other but with the Father, the Son and the Spirit, so that we may be made perfect in One.

The sad fact is, as a church, we can never be completely one in Them if we cannot even achieve oneness with each other.

Amen †

Shelley Johnson “Jesus’ Passionate Desire” © 2026 August 7, 2026