Showing posts with label Freedom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Freedom. Show all posts
Monday, January 10, 2022
Freedom To Speak
'Freedom of Speech' is very important. It is a key to mental health in a society and in an individual. The Bible promotes liberty and healthy boundaries. It define profitable and unprofitable speech but it doesn't 'shut us down' with spoken or unspoken rules.
"If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses." - Matthew 18:15-16 ESV
The Bible doesn't say, 'Just forgive them, forget about it and never talk about it.' It gives a proper channel that honors all parties involved. There is a time and place. One that isn't libelous (written defamation) or slanderous (verbal defamation). Some things never need to be said but others must be said and faced.
Perhaps you were brought up in a home where certain subjects were 'out of bounds' and if you ever brought them up you would get a sharp negative response... maybe even a violent response. Like most abuse.. the victim might just grow up and become the abuser if there is no healing of the wound. You feel that way about certain subjects and you can't even pinpoint why.
God wants to heal you of that and every other wound that has damaged your soul. God will listen. The scripture will give definition on how God thinks so our mind can be changed if we have a wrong perspective.. which results in wrong dealings with others.
"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." - Ephesians 4:29 KJV
Notice the emphasis on self-governance. It does not say 'their mouth'. It says 'your mouth'.
I want my speech to be a 'faith confession' because that is profitable but I pour out my heart to God and nothing is off limits. At the same time I want to end the 'conversation' with His point of view. The poison gets purged and life-giving words fill that place in my heart and mind. Healing happens.
Yes. Freedom to speak is needed to have real freedom. Are you free?
"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' " - John 8:31-32 ESV
--
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
A Look At Submission And Divine Command Ethics
Two concepts are on my mind this morning.
'Divine Command Ethics' - God tells us to do this and not to do that as individuals like He instructed Israel as a nation.
and
What some groups refer to as ESS (The Eternal Subordination of the Son) which paints the Son as eternally submitting to the Father instead of just taking on the role of a servant for a time in the incarnation, then being exalted by the Father and returning to a co-equal role and sitting on the throne with Him.
I see great linkages between these two concepts. Are we submitting for a time so that redemption can happen in time and space or are we submitted forever?
Do we force submission on others?
What kind of submission is expected in marriage and family? How is our Church leadership structured? If you are a man how do you see and treat women?
Big questions aren't they?
Evolution or natural selection says the fittest will survive. The weak will eventually bow down to the strong. Religion forces submission by divine decree but what is spiritual?
"You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you." - Galatians 5:4-8 ESV
"And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, 'If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.' " - Mark 9:35 ESV
Freedom is an interesting thing. The Israelites faced a crisis when they left Eygpt. It was a freedom crisis. They didn't have anyone to tell them what to do anymore. They asked for rules and God gave them rules because they had no capacity to look at Him and be led in freedom. That generation died in the wilderness.
"When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, 'It is finished,' and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." - John 19:30 ESV
Jesus obeyed the rules for us. He won our salvation and as a last act of submission, He fell backwards into the arms of God trusting that His Father would raise Him up again. Now He sits at the right hand of God and all those who believe sit there also because they are hidden in His victory forever.
"And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." - 1 Peter 5:4-7 ESV
We now have a capacity to willing humble ourselves also and not lose our dignity doing it. There is a crown waiting for all those who fall backwards into the arms of God in circumstances because Christ has finished the work of mandatory spiritual submission.
--
'Divine Command Ethics' - God tells us to do this and not to do that as individuals like He instructed Israel as a nation.
and
What some groups refer to as ESS (The Eternal Subordination of the Son) which paints the Son as eternally submitting to the Father instead of just taking on the role of a servant for a time in the incarnation, then being exalted by the Father and returning to a co-equal role and sitting on the throne with Him.
I see great linkages between these two concepts. Are we submitting for a time so that redemption can happen in time and space or are we submitted forever?
Do we force submission on others?
What kind of submission is expected in marriage and family? How is our Church leadership structured? If you are a man how do you see and treat women?
Big questions aren't they?
Evolution or natural selection says the fittest will survive. The weak will eventually bow down to the strong. Religion forces submission by divine decree but what is spiritual?
"You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace. For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. You were running well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? This persuasion is not from him who calls you." - Galatians 5:4-8 ESV
"And he sat down and called the twelve. And he said to them, 'If anyone would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.' " - Mark 9:35 ESV
Freedom is an interesting thing. The Israelites faced a crisis when they left Eygpt. It was a freedom crisis. They didn't have anyone to tell them what to do anymore. They asked for rules and God gave them rules because they had no capacity to look at Him and be led in freedom. That generation died in the wilderness.
"When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, 'It is finished,' and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." - John 19:30 ESV
Jesus obeyed the rules for us. He won our salvation and as a last act of submission, He fell backwards into the arms of God trusting that His Father would raise Him up again. Now He sits at the right hand of God and all those who believe sit there also because they are hidden in His victory forever.
"And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.' Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you." - 1 Peter 5:4-7 ESV
We now have a capacity to willing humble ourselves also and not lose our dignity doing it. There is a crown waiting for all those who fall backwards into the arms of God in circumstances because Christ has finished the work of mandatory spiritual submission.
--
Friday, October 12, 2018
Purchased For Freedom
One little phrase that occurs twice in the new testament in the same book. It reveals a reality that protects us from letting our own desires consume us and from other people claiming ownership over our bodies.
"Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." - 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 ESV
"Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men." - 1 Corinthians 7:20-23 ESV
'You were bought with a price.'
Jesus paid for you and me and each individual with His own precious blood. Our lives were very expensive.
If you were a slave to addictions before now you are a 'freedman' of the Lord. We can speak to the thing or person or desire and say, 'You don't own me. I belong to someone else.'
Maybe you don't desire that kind of coverage but it is the truest of coverings.
When peer pressure comes in we can say, 'I need to ask God first. He owns me.'
When the car salesman of lust lays on the pressure and says, 'You deserve to treat yourself. You have been under a lot of pressure lately.' and the offer looks tempting we can say, 'Sorry, I need to sleep on that and get back to you. There is someone at home I need to discuss this with first.'
'...if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity...'
It is a paradox, isn't it? What other owner says this? God is the only one who owns people to set them free.
--
"Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." - 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 ESV
"Each one should remain in the condition in which he was called. Were you a bondservant when called? Do not be concerned about it. (But if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity.) For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men." - 1 Corinthians 7:20-23 ESV
'You were bought with a price.'
Jesus paid for you and me and each individual with His own precious blood. Our lives were very expensive.
If you were a slave to addictions before now you are a 'freedman' of the Lord. We can speak to the thing or person or desire and say, 'You don't own me. I belong to someone else.'
Maybe you don't desire that kind of coverage but it is the truest of coverings.
When peer pressure comes in we can say, 'I need to ask God first. He owns me.'
When the car salesman of lust lays on the pressure and says, 'You deserve to treat yourself. You have been under a lot of pressure lately.' and the offer looks tempting we can say, 'Sorry, I need to sleep on that and get back to you. There is someone at home I need to discuss this with first.'
'...if you can gain your freedom, avail yourself of the opportunity...'
It is a paradox, isn't it? What other owner says this? God is the only one who owns people to set them free.
--
Monday, October 1, 2018
A Time Of Fellowship With Someone In Revival
I spoke to a very amazing woman yesterday who is having a 'prayer revival' right now and it was a real blessing. God gave me a word for her about angels being worshipers and how we become worshipers when we see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ and I just felt humbled that God would use me that way. She is a spiritual giant in my eyes and I kind of marvel at what is happening in her life. It challenges me. She has great hardships, great difficulties and great faith.
"Rejoice always,
-
Pray without ceasing,
-
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
-
Do not quench the Spirit.
-
Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.
-
Abstain from every form of evil." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 ESV
This isn't something that can be manufactured. This isn't 'being good.' This is God manifesting Himself through us.
The Bible provides an entrance into this life but there is a person who greats us at the door and ushers us into His home.
When I was fellowshipping with this woman I felt like it was Christmas night and I was out in the dark cold following her into a warm bright home. The light was shining on her as God opened the door for her to enter and I got to walk in behind her. I was still somewhat in the dark and she was shining with light from the doorway. The smells of dinner and Christmas cookies were in the air. The lights were twinkling inside. The festive music was playing and there was a warm spot on the couch waiting just for me. The host was greeting me warmly. I am special to Him but He opened the door for her. She was in front of me. He heard her knock.
God is listening for our knock on His door. Yes, He comes to find us like a shepherd finds a lost sheep. There is this dual dynamic happening. God seeks us first and then we seek Him and others get ushered into His warm festive home as family members.
--
P.S. Here is a piece of what God gave me to give to her as she was ministering to me...
{I've been reading and thinking about the 'spirituals' that slaves in United States used to sing and the encoded messages in them used to help guide runaway slaves. If the group sang 'Wade in the Water' it was sending the message that the people chasing the runaway had dogs and to get in the river or stream to mask the scent and throw off the dogs. They would sing a series of songs and if one song was sung twice it meant the coast was clear but if they sang a new song it meant there was danger.
Imagine singing to God... singing with all your heart in worship but also singing knowing the message you were sending in the song might mean life or death for someone who just wanted to be free.
The angels are worshippers. I wonder if they get cues about moving or holding back based on our worship. God desires that people would worship Him in spirit and in truth. That kind of worship is Spirit (capital S) led worship. The Trinity is present in the worship of a person who worships God because the glory of God has been revealed in the face of Jesus Christ.
Maybe... just maybe... when our worry turns to worship it signals the next phase of God's plan to bring us or someone else from bondage in to freedom.}
--
"Rejoice always,
-
Pray without ceasing,
-
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
-
Do not quench the Spirit.
-
Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.
-
Abstain from every form of evil." - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-22 ESV
This isn't something that can be manufactured. This isn't 'being good.' This is God manifesting Himself through us.
The Bible provides an entrance into this life but there is a person who greats us at the door and ushers us into His home.
When I was fellowshipping with this woman I felt like it was Christmas night and I was out in the dark cold following her into a warm bright home. The light was shining on her as God opened the door for her to enter and I got to walk in behind her. I was still somewhat in the dark and she was shining with light from the doorway. The smells of dinner and Christmas cookies were in the air. The lights were twinkling inside. The festive music was playing and there was a warm spot on the couch waiting just for me. The host was greeting me warmly. I am special to Him but He opened the door for her. She was in front of me. He heard her knock.
God is listening for our knock on His door. Yes, He comes to find us like a shepherd finds a lost sheep. There is this dual dynamic happening. God seeks us first and then we seek Him and others get ushered into His warm festive home as family members.
--
P.S. Here is a piece of what God gave me to give to her as she was ministering to me...
{I've been reading and thinking about the 'spirituals' that slaves in United States used to sing and the encoded messages in them used to help guide runaway slaves. If the group sang 'Wade in the Water' it was sending the message that the people chasing the runaway had dogs and to get in the river or stream to mask the scent and throw off the dogs. They would sing a series of songs and if one song was sung twice it meant the coast was clear but if they sang a new song it meant there was danger.
Imagine singing to God... singing with all your heart in worship but also singing knowing the message you were sending in the song might mean life or death for someone who just wanted to be free.
The angels are worshippers. I wonder if they get cues about moving or holding back based on our worship. God desires that people would worship Him in spirit and in truth. That kind of worship is Spirit (capital S) led worship. The Trinity is present in the worship of a person who worships God because the glory of God has been revealed in the face of Jesus Christ.
Maybe... just maybe... when our worry turns to worship it signals the next phase of God's plan to bring us or someone else from bondage in to freedom.}
--
Tuesday, December 19, 2017
Sons Of The Father
This phrase caught me this morning...
Only a Son of the Father could do this.
"...God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons..." - Galatians 4:4b-5 KJV
Now the larger concept in a more modern translation.
"I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!' So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?" - Galatians 4:1-9 ESV
If we don't operate as children of the Father we will return to operating as subjects to rules. We had to be freed by 'the Son' and become children.
"And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." - Colossians 1:9-14 ESV
We are no longer under 'a power'. We are in God's organized government as heirs to a throne with a King sitting on it that will never die.
Our 'Abba' is the King.
I marvel at that. It is the sweet spot of true freedom yet at the same time a son represents his father and is a reflection of Him to others. What an honor.
--
Only a Son of the Father could do this.
"...God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons..." - Galatians 4:4b-5 KJV
Now the larger concept in a more modern translation.
"I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, 'Abba! Father!' So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?" - Galatians 4:1-9 ESV
If we don't operate as children of the Father we will return to operating as subjects to rules. We had to be freed by 'the Son' and become children.
"And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." - Colossians 1:9-14 ESV
We are no longer under 'a power'. We are in God's organized government as heirs to a throne with a King sitting on it that will never die.
Our 'Abba' is the King.
I marvel at that. It is the sweet spot of true freedom yet at the same time a son represents his father and is a reflection of Him to others. What an honor.
--
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Structured Freedom
Still reading Romans chapter 7 and just pondering why rules don't work for us in the long run.
"So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin." - Romans 7:12-14 ESV
"For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh," - Romans 8:3 ESV
Ever work in a place with tight restrictive rules? A few people thrive but in most of the places I have been the relationships with management are always strained in some way. Those rules may be good rules or bad ones it. The culture is affected no matter what.
Folks teach that God is like that but He isn't. Rules were given so 'sin would be revealed as exceedingly sinful'. God isn't a micromanager.
"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' They answered him, 'We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, 'You will become free'?' Jesus answered them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." - John 8:31-36 ESV
God has made a family for himself and creates a divine culture in this family. It is one of freedom not oriented on restrictions.
"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 'All things are lawful for me,' but not all things are helpful. 'All things are lawful for me,' but I will not be dominated by anything." - 1 Corinthians 6:9-12 ESV
This isn't a legal treatise. This is just me pondering on an ordered culture of freedom that has love, mercy, grace and honour. A place where we don't marvel at or concentrate on the rules or personal failure. We don't sweep it under the rug but we also don't live focused on how someone or something should be. We marvel at the mercy and live in a vision.
Rules just are not going to 'fix' people. Love will produce the change. Structured freedom creates an atmosphere of growth where failure isn't final.
Grace is sufficient. It really really is.
--
"So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good. Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin." - Romans 7:12-14 ESV
"For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh," - Romans 8:3 ESV
Ever work in a place with tight restrictive rules? A few people thrive but in most of the places I have been the relationships with management are always strained in some way. Those rules may be good rules or bad ones it. The culture is affected no matter what.
Folks teach that God is like that but He isn't. Rules were given so 'sin would be revealed as exceedingly sinful'. God isn't a micromanager.
"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' They answered him, 'We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, 'You will become free'?' Jesus answered them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." - John 8:31-36 ESV
God has made a family for himself and creates a divine culture in this family. It is one of freedom not oriented on restrictions.
"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. 'All things are lawful for me,' but not all things are helpful. 'All things are lawful for me,' but I will not be dominated by anything." - 1 Corinthians 6:9-12 ESV
This isn't a legal treatise. This is just me pondering on an ordered culture of freedom that has love, mercy, grace and honour. A place where we don't marvel at or concentrate on the rules or personal failure. We don't sweep it under the rug but we also don't live focused on how someone or something should be. We marvel at the mercy and live in a vision.
Rules just are not going to 'fix' people. Love will produce the change. Structured freedom creates an atmosphere of growth where failure isn't final.
Grace is sufficient. It really really is.
--
Thursday, October 5, 2017
Heart And Soul - Part 3
The next passage is truly amazing and it is given in the context of Sabbath rest.
"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account." - Hebrews 4:12-13 ESV
Ceremonial rest. Purposeful rest. Ceasing from labor. Enter in. It isn't the sleep we get because we are exhausted. It is purposeful ceasing from labor. The Bible will give you and I discernment about many things. The joint is the hinge. Muscles pull. They can only pull or rest. The Bible is going to show us how we are using our muscles. God already sees but the Bible cuts it all open for us.
"So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God," - Hebrews 4:9 ESV
"The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all his innermost parts." - Proverbs 20:27 ESV
Divisions must be made. What is God's light and what is our personality? Our soul will strive to survive and eclipse out the light of the spirit. Without the Bible that is sure to happen. We will filter everything through ourselves. We will have an intellectual, social or emotional faith. No. The Bible must cut away soul from Spirit and say, 'This is who you are. Look at those joints. You can't pull now. Your power has been cut. Now look at the spirit and rest.'
"The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God..." - 1 Corinthians 2:14a ESV
The word 'natural' there is psychikos (Strong's G5591) in the Greek and it would be better translated 'soulish'. Here is more context for the passage...
"And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 'For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?' But we have the mind of Christ." - 1 Corinthians 2:13-16 ESV
Yes. Light. Grace. Rest. Jesus' mind given in a book. Not everyone who quotes the book has God's mind. That is for sure. Maybe even most don't. Jesus' mind opens things up and frees us from striving. God's mind says, 'Look. The work is done. Stop striving to please me. Jesus has already pleased me. Rest in my love.'
The soul is who we are. The Spirit shines light into who we are. Truth is that light. The Bible is God's book of light.
We may say. I don't want to be cut open and seen like that. God already sees everything. He lays it open for us to see because He Is gracious and loving.
Your soul is like a perfect beautiful crystal. Let God hang it in the sunlight so it can shine forth God's glory. Enter into the rest of Christ's finished work. He strove to get to the cross and die in our place. Now God wants us to rest in everything we do.
Shabbat shalom everyone. Have a good Sabbath today and every day.
--
"For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account." - Hebrews 4:12-13 ESV
Ceremonial rest. Purposeful rest. Ceasing from labor. Enter in. It isn't the sleep we get because we are exhausted. It is purposeful ceasing from labor. The Bible will give you and I discernment about many things. The joint is the hinge. Muscles pull. They can only pull or rest. The Bible is going to show us how we are using our muscles. God already sees but the Bible cuts it all open for us.
"So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God," - Hebrews 4:9 ESV
"The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all his innermost parts." - Proverbs 20:27 ESV
Divisions must be made. What is God's light and what is our personality? Our soul will strive to survive and eclipse out the light of the spirit. Without the Bible that is sure to happen. We will filter everything through ourselves. We will have an intellectual, social or emotional faith. No. The Bible must cut away soul from Spirit and say, 'This is who you are. Look at those joints. You can't pull now. Your power has been cut. Now look at the spirit and rest.'
"The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God..." - 1 Corinthians 2:14a ESV
The word 'natural' there is psychikos (Strong's G5591) in the Greek and it would be better translated 'soulish'. Here is more context for the passage...
"And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. 'For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?' But we have the mind of Christ." - 1 Corinthians 2:13-16 ESV
Yes. Light. Grace. Rest. Jesus' mind given in a book. Not everyone who quotes the book has God's mind. That is for sure. Maybe even most don't. Jesus' mind opens things up and frees us from striving. God's mind says, 'Look. The work is done. Stop striving to please me. Jesus has already pleased me. Rest in my love.'
The soul is who we are. The Spirit shines light into who we are. Truth is that light. The Bible is God's book of light.
We may say. I don't want to be cut open and seen like that. God already sees everything. He lays it open for us to see because He Is gracious and loving.
Your soul is like a perfect beautiful crystal. Let God hang it in the sunlight so it can shine forth God's glory. Enter into the rest of Christ's finished work. He strove to get to the cross and die in our place. Now God wants us to rest in everything we do.
Shabbat shalom everyone. Have a good Sabbath today and every day.
--
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
The Elders Who Were Carried Away Captive
I'm reading Jeremiah chapter 29 again and again this morning and it is very instructive to me. This letter is to Israel and Israel is a unique nation. It isn't the Church. The Church comes from the same root but that is a different message.
We can look at Israel's cycles and see similarities to the cycles and mentalities of an individual human being. Israel is a survivor. God has caused them to survive.
"Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the elders who were carried away captive--to the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. (This happened after Jeconiah the king, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.) The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying, Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters--that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace." - Jeremiah 29:1-7 NKJV
Perhaps we look at the life we had and the one we have now and wonder, 'What parts have me have survived and what parts haven't?' Our cells die and are replaced and we change as we grow. For many life has taken them captive... or it seems that way. Actually, God sends us all into captivity but it isn't to hurt us. It is to grow us up.
"Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. All those who were descendants of Jacob were seventy persons (for Joseph was in Egypt already). And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation. But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them." - Exodus 1:1-7 NKJV
Why God does this is mysterious but it clearly has to do with our free will. He wants us to choose freely but fallen people need limitations or they will destroy themselves. We need a tower of Babel as much as we need a Savior. We just don't know it. We long to be free but God sets boundaries and says, 'Live here with these restrictions.' and we fight against those boundaries.
If I kept writing today my post would be 100 pages long because there is so much here in this chapter. There are false prophets in our captivity and all kinds of obstacles but Israel was told to focus on God and the salvation that was coming.
"For thus says the LORD: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive." - Jeremiah 29:10-14 NKJV
Our salvation is a person. We focus on Him.
Survival mode comes in seasons for us. There is no shame in it. Guilt and shame have real remedies in Christ. Sin, failure and just plain falling short are resolved in Jesus' time on the cross. Shame is self hatred. None of that. No. Never. God loves us and He isn't thinking that way. His thoughts are peace.
"He has broken my strength in midcourse; he has shortened my days." - Psalm 102:23 ESV
Yes. It happens to all of us but God has a well-timed plan that we will see unfold in due season. Don't despair if you feel trapped. God will release you when the time is right and you will thank Him for all of it. Yes. All of it. We don't know what we need. God only knows that.
--
We can look at Israel's cycles and see similarities to the cycles and mentalities of an individual human being. Israel is a survivor. God has caused them to survive.
"Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remainder of the elders who were carried away captive--to the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon. (This happened after Jeconiah the king, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem.) The letter was sent by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying, Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters--that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace." - Jeremiah 29:1-7 NKJV
Perhaps we look at the life we had and the one we have now and wonder, 'What parts have me have survived and what parts haven't?' Our cells die and are replaced and we change as we grow. For many life has taken them captive... or it seems that way. Actually, God sends us all into captivity but it isn't to hurt us. It is to grow us up.
"Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. All those who were descendants of Jacob were seventy persons (for Joseph was in Egypt already). And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation. But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them." - Exodus 1:1-7 NKJV
Why God does this is mysterious but it clearly has to do with our free will. He wants us to choose freely but fallen people need limitations or they will destroy themselves. We need a tower of Babel as much as we need a Savior. We just don't know it. We long to be free but God sets boundaries and says, 'Live here with these restrictions.' and we fight against those boundaries.
If I kept writing today my post would be 100 pages long because there is so much here in this chapter. There are false prophets in our captivity and all kinds of obstacles but Israel was told to focus on God and the salvation that was coming.
"For thus says the LORD: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the LORD, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive." - Jeremiah 29:10-14 NKJV
Our salvation is a person. We focus on Him.
Survival mode comes in seasons for us. There is no shame in it. Guilt and shame have real remedies in Christ. Sin, failure and just plain falling short are resolved in Jesus' time on the cross. Shame is self hatred. None of that. No. Never. God loves us and He isn't thinking that way. His thoughts are peace.
"He has broken my strength in midcourse; he has shortened my days." - Psalm 102:23 ESV
Yes. It happens to all of us but God has a well-timed plan that we will see unfold in due season. Don't despair if you feel trapped. God will release you when the time is right and you will thank Him for all of it. Yes. All of it. We don't know what we need. God only knows that.
--
Monday, June 12, 2017
God Loves Freely
In Hosea 14 verse 4 God says He will love Israel 'freely'.
But in chapter 11 He declares that they will need to go into captivity first because their inward bondage is not apparent to them.
That so speaks to me this morning. Grace is free love and yet we have restrictions on our lives don't we. We have things that hold us in. Responsibilities, debts, concerns and compromises are a part of every life I know. In order to have this we must endure that... or so it seems.
"Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. Take with you words and return to the LORD; say to him, "Take away all iniquity; accept what is good, and we will pay with bulls the vows of our lips. Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses; and we will say no more, 'Our God,' to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy." I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon. They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and look after you. I am like an evergreen cypress; from me comes your fruit. Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them." - Hosea 14:1-9 ESV
In this world love comes with a price tag but God loves us freely and that is amazing.
--
But in chapter 11 He declares that they will need to go into captivity first because their inward bondage is not apparent to them.
That so speaks to me this morning. Grace is free love and yet we have restrictions on our lives don't we. We have things that hold us in. Responsibilities, debts, concerns and compromises are a part of every life I know. In order to have this we must endure that... or so it seems.
"Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled because of your iniquity. Take with you words and return to the LORD; say to him, "Take away all iniquity; accept what is good, and we will pay with bulls the vows of our lips. Assyria shall not save us; we will not ride on horses; and we will say no more, 'Our God,' to the work of our hands. In you the orphan finds mercy." I will heal their apostasy; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them. I will be like the dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily; he shall take root like the trees of Lebanon; his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon. They shall return and dwell beneath my shadow; they shall flourish like the grain; they shall blossom like the vine; their fame shall be like the wine of Lebanon. O Ephraim, what have I to do with idols? It is I who answer and look after you. I am like an evergreen cypress; from me comes your fruit. Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; whoever is discerning, let him know them; for the ways of the LORD are right, and the upright walk in them, but transgressors stumble in them." - Hosea 14:1-9 ESV
In this world love comes with a price tag but God loves us freely and that is amazing.
--
Thursday, May 11, 2017
Reading The Revolutionary Letters Of John Adams
Lately, I have been looking at the life of John Adams. A founding father of the United States. One of the five men who drafted the Declaration of Independence. The second President of the United States and father of the sixth President. He wore many hats actually.
I'm at the point where I am reading the correspondence between him and his wife before and during the war for independence. In a way, it feels strange reading someone else's mail. If these people were still around it would be an invasion of privacy but because they are historical figures, who saved the letters in part to preserve a time that was fading from the public memory during their own lifetime, I feel more justified.
John Adams was a farmer and a lawyer and the idea of revolution was a scary one. They weren't rich people and there is little monetary compensation during a revolution. Freedom from tyranny would have it's payoff later for some. Others would lose fortunes. This family relied heavily on the income from their farm and that meant Abigail and the children needed to work hard and live in a frugal way.
They knew people would die and just one death was such a high cost but the felt as a colony their backs were up against a wall and they were left with few choices. Buckle under or revolt.
They were brave people. They trusted in God. The Hollywood accounts don't show or emphasize that but they were people of faith. Not all the founding father were but they were.
Here are a few passages that come to mind this morning...
"I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!" - Psalm 120:7 ESV
"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' " - John 8:31-32 ESV
Liberty is worth the struggle but the choices are rarely easy that is true on a national and a personal level.
We all have personal struggles. Health. Finances. Relationship. Dreams that seem far from realization. Reading these letters reminds me that others have struggled and prevailed. Freedom is rare in this world but God wants us to be free. He has provisions for those who seek freedom for themselves and others.
The Apostle Paul could say this...
"For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing." - 2 Timothy 4:6-8 ESV
Jesus has won the war and has reconcilied God and mankind. What about our battles? Does His victory reach that far? It can. We can possess the freedom that is already ours.
John and Abigail Adams let truth guide their decision making. They valued human dignity and took a stand at great cost. Will we do the same?
--
I'm at the point where I am reading the correspondence between him and his wife before and during the war for independence. In a way, it feels strange reading someone else's mail. If these people were still around it would be an invasion of privacy but because they are historical figures, who saved the letters in part to preserve a time that was fading from the public memory during their own lifetime, I feel more justified.
John Adams was a farmer and a lawyer and the idea of revolution was a scary one. They weren't rich people and there is little monetary compensation during a revolution. Freedom from tyranny would have it's payoff later for some. Others would lose fortunes. This family relied heavily on the income from their farm and that meant Abigail and the children needed to work hard and live in a frugal way.
They knew people would die and just one death was such a high cost but the felt as a colony their backs were up against a wall and they were left with few choices. Buckle under or revolt.
They were brave people. They trusted in God. The Hollywood accounts don't show or emphasize that but they were people of faith. Not all the founding father were but they were.
Here are a few passages that come to mind this morning...
"I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war!" - Psalm 120:7 ESV
"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' " - John 8:31-32 ESV
Liberty is worth the struggle but the choices are rarely easy that is true on a national and a personal level.
We all have personal struggles. Health. Finances. Relationship. Dreams that seem far from realization. Reading these letters reminds me that others have struggled and prevailed. Freedom is rare in this world but God wants us to be free. He has provisions for those who seek freedom for themselves and others.
The Apostle Paul could say this...
"For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing." - 2 Timothy 4:6-8 ESV
Jesus has won the war and has reconcilied God and mankind. What about our battles? Does His victory reach that far? It can. We can possess the freedom that is already ours.
John and Abigail Adams let truth guide their decision making. They valued human dignity and took a stand at great cost. Will we do the same?
--
Thursday, August 11, 2016
A Way To Process Pain
God doesn't ignore or discount blame. Pain should be processed. If we don't process pain then we just repress it. He provides a scapegoat as a healthy means to deal with blame.
"Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the LORD and use it as a sin offering, but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel... And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat. And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness.
Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and shall take off the linen garments that he put on when he went into the Holy Place and shall leave them there. And he shall bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his garments and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people." - Leviticus 16:7-10, 20-24 ESV
Jesus is my scapegoat and it is because of Him that I can minister.
There are two goats in this sacrifice. Which one is He? First He satisfied what justice demanded and then He took on the role of removing iniquity from our consciousness.
We might say, 'The goats didn't do anything... how can they be a substitute.' They are a perfect example really because Jesus didn't do anything either. He was spotless but we can lay our blame on Him and send that blame away into death where it belongs.
Unlike those goats... Jesus rose from the grave because of His innocence.
If we don't put the blame on Him we will blame someone else. We can process our pain with self blame and grow sick because of it. We can blame others. We all know about that. Lastly, we can blame God but where does that deception get us?
Jesus is God's scapegoat. He took on the role willingly. He wants to be that for us also. Can we take Him up on His offer? Send your iniquities (the source of bad emotions) away on Jesus so they can get lost in the wilderness. They will stay out where He went when He died. They will be as far away as the east is from the west. Then you can bath, be clean and minister.
--
"Then he shall take the two goats and set them before the LORD at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And Aaron shall cast lots over the two goats, one lot for the LORD and the other lot for Azazel. And Aaron shall present the goat on which the lot fell for the LORD and use it as a sin offering, but the goat on which the lot fell for Azazel shall be presented alive before the LORD to make atonement over it, that it may be sent away into the wilderness to Azazel... And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place and the tent of meeting and the altar, he shall present the live goat. And Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the people of Israel, and all their transgressions, all their sins. And he shall put them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. The goat shall bear all their iniquities on itself to a remote area, and he shall let the goat go free in the wilderness.
Then Aaron shall come into the tent of meeting and shall take off the linen garments that he put on when he went into the Holy Place and shall leave them there. And he shall bathe his body in water in a holy place and put on his garments and come out and offer his burnt offering and the burnt offering of the people and make atonement for himself and for the people." - Leviticus 16:7-10, 20-24 ESV
Jesus is my scapegoat and it is because of Him that I can minister.
There are two goats in this sacrifice. Which one is He? First He satisfied what justice demanded and then He took on the role of removing iniquity from our consciousness.
We might say, 'The goats didn't do anything... how can they be a substitute.' They are a perfect example really because Jesus didn't do anything either. He was spotless but we can lay our blame on Him and send that blame away into death where it belongs.
Unlike those goats... Jesus rose from the grave because of His innocence.
If we don't put the blame on Him we will blame someone else. We can process our pain with self blame and grow sick because of it. We can blame others. We all know about that. Lastly, we can blame God but where does that deception get us?
Jesus is God's scapegoat. He took on the role willingly. He wants to be that for us also. Can we take Him up on His offer? Send your iniquities (the source of bad emotions) away on Jesus so they can get lost in the wilderness. They will stay out where He went when He died. They will be as far away as the east is from the west. Then you can bath, be clean and minister.
--
Wednesday, June 1, 2016
Jingle. Jingle.
"...But he laid his right hand on me, saying, 'Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades...' " - Revelation 1:17b-18 ESV
Jingle. Jingle. He has the master keys to every bondage and He holds them up with two fingers smiling and waving them over His head.
Fear not. Those handcuffs of doubt are about to drop to the floor. That cell is about to swing open wide. Fear not. Jesus has knocked out death cold. Hell can't hold him. He has regained the keys that Adam unwitting handed over to the Devil. Power has transferred hands. Your friend, the one who will never leave of forsake you, has the keys to death and Hades.
Jingle. Jingle.
'Hey fear! What's that you were saying again? I can't hear you.'
Jingle. Jingle.
--
Jingle. Jingle. He has the master keys to every bondage and He holds them up with two fingers smiling and waving them over His head.
Fear not. Those handcuffs of doubt are about to drop to the floor. That cell is about to swing open wide. Fear not. Jesus has knocked out death cold. Hell can't hold him. He has regained the keys that Adam unwitting handed over to the Devil. Power has transferred hands. Your friend, the one who will never leave of forsake you, has the keys to death and Hades.
Jingle. Jingle.
'Hey fear! What's that you were saying again? I can't hear you.'
Jingle. Jingle.
--
Friday, May 6, 2016
Ruffled Feathers
God wants us to be free.
"But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, 'There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.' Then the Lord answered him, 'You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?' As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him." - Luke 13:14-17 ESV
I love this passage. The day of rest is a great day to be free. It's Friday so there are millions of people working today who don't have to go to a job tomorrow. Many are saying, 'Thank God It's Friday.' because they want to be free even if it is just freedom from the restrictions of work for a few days. Monday a lower percentage of those same people are saying, 'Thank God I have a job.' because the money and possibly the benefits of their job give them freedom in other ways.
Something started to happen to this woman eighteen years before she met Jesus. Perhaps it was gradual but she was losing mobility. She must have learned to live with it. That's what people do. They learn to live with the issues that won't go away.
Then one day when she was resting Jesus healed her. Did she have rest from her bent over condition. No. Not yet. She was resting in the rest God prescribed.
The rulers of the synagogue prided themselves in the knowledge that they were 'sons of Abraham'. Part of why they were ashamed was because Jesus identified the woman as a 'daughter of Abraham'. She was like them. She is like all of us but they were so occupied with the rules that they lost sight of the miracle.
Freedom. I want people to have it. If Jesus never walked her way then she would have died a bent over person.
"And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said, 'Man, your sins are forgiven you.' And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, 'Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?' When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, 'Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins' - he said to the man who was paralyzed - 'I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.' And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God." - Luke 5:18-25 ESV
Let's tear off the roof to lower people down and see Jesus.
"And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!' " - Mark 10:47 ESV
The blind man yelled at the top of his lungs. It bothered the people around him.
Our methods might bother a few people. Jesus wasn't obnoxious. He did what He did and it shamed them when He calmly explained it to them.
I am free and I plan to use my freedom in ways that I know will bother some people. I can't heal like Jesus. Jesus healed every person that came to him. He never walked away unsure what just happened.
The power we have is just as amazing. We can rip off they roof and lower people down to see Jesus.
I wonder if those same men came back later and fixed the roof. The scriptures don't say anything one way or the other about it.
I suppose if we plan to have Jesus over we aught to expect that there might be some property damage also.
--
"But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, 'There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.' Then the Lord answered him, 'You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?' As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him." - Luke 13:14-17 ESV
I love this passage. The day of rest is a great day to be free. It's Friday so there are millions of people working today who don't have to go to a job tomorrow. Many are saying, 'Thank God It's Friday.' because they want to be free even if it is just freedom from the restrictions of work for a few days. Monday a lower percentage of those same people are saying, 'Thank God I have a job.' because the money and possibly the benefits of their job give them freedom in other ways.
Something started to happen to this woman eighteen years before she met Jesus. Perhaps it was gradual but she was losing mobility. She must have learned to live with it. That's what people do. They learn to live with the issues that won't go away.
Then one day when she was resting Jesus healed her. Did she have rest from her bent over condition. No. Not yet. She was resting in the rest God prescribed.
The rulers of the synagogue prided themselves in the knowledge that they were 'sons of Abraham'. Part of why they were ashamed was because Jesus identified the woman as a 'daughter of Abraham'. She was like them. She is like all of us but they were so occupied with the rules that they lost sight of the miracle.
Freedom. I want people to have it. If Jesus never walked her way then she would have died a bent over person.
"And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said, 'Man, your sins are forgiven you.' And the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, saying, 'Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?' When Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answered them, 'Why do you question in your hearts? Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Rise and walk'? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins' - he said to the man who was paralyzed - 'I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.' And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God." - Luke 5:18-25 ESV
Let's tear off the roof to lower people down and see Jesus.
"And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!' " - Mark 10:47 ESV
The blind man yelled at the top of his lungs. It bothered the people around him.
Our methods might bother a few people. Jesus wasn't obnoxious. He did what He did and it shamed them when He calmly explained it to them.
I am free and I plan to use my freedom in ways that I know will bother some people. I can't heal like Jesus. Jesus healed every person that came to him. He never walked away unsure what just happened.
The power we have is just as amazing. We can rip off they roof and lower people down to see Jesus.
I wonder if those same men came back later and fixed the roof. The scriptures don't say anything one way or the other about it.
I suppose if we plan to have Jesus over we aught to expect that there might be some property damage also.
--
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Bought With A Price
"For he who was called in the Lord as a bondservant is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a bondservant of Christ. You were bought with a price; do not become bondservants of men. So, brothers, in whatever condition each was called, there let him remain with God." - 1 Corinthians 7:22-24 ESV
Wow. What an interesting passage this is. Looking at the Greek adds dimensions I've never seen before.
The Greek word for 'price' is time (Strong's G5092) it is the set value given to an item or the deference given to an office or position. Sometimes it is translated honor.
God has paid this honor debt for every person already. The ones who don't know Him just don't know or recognize that all important detail.
Some job promotions come with perks like a better office but a calling puts us on assignment right where we are. It changes our sense of privilege and debt.
" 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.' For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends." - 2 Corinthians 10:17-18 ESV
The 'bondservant' role has a price attached to it. Our price has been paid by the Lord. No fallen person owns us. We belong to God as people on assignment in whatever situation we find ourselves in.
We live in the realm of honor. God has a grace honor system. It is the culture of His household. We are free men and women there. We are also constrained by love in ways that didn't matter to us before.
We are ambassadors of God and His grace where ever we go today. We are living representations that a price has been paid and God's kingdom culture is divine and different.
Amazing.
--
Wow. What an interesting passage this is. Looking at the Greek adds dimensions I've never seen before.
The Greek word for 'price' is time (Strong's G5092) it is the set value given to an item or the deference given to an office or position. Sometimes it is translated honor.
God has paid this honor debt for every person already. The ones who don't know Him just don't know or recognize that all important detail.
Some job promotions come with perks like a better office but a calling puts us on assignment right where we are. It changes our sense of privilege and debt.
" 'Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.' For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends." - 2 Corinthians 10:17-18 ESV
The 'bondservant' role has a price attached to it. Our price has been paid by the Lord. No fallen person owns us. We belong to God as people on assignment in whatever situation we find ourselves in.
We live in the realm of honor. God has a grace honor system. It is the culture of His household. We are free men and women there. We are also constrained by love in ways that didn't matter to us before.
We are ambassadors of God and His grace where ever we go today. We are living representations that a price has been paid and God's kingdom culture is divine and different.
Amazing.
--
Monday, February 8, 2016
Spiritual Autonomy And Sexuality
Spiritual autonomy is a wonderful thing. It is the ability and right to govern ourselves. When the writers of the American Declaration of Independence spoke about 'inalienable rights' that is one of the things they were referring to.
A liar loses their spiritual autonomy. Why? They have taken the right God gave them to be autonomous and surrendered it. They have usurped authority and somewhere in the back of their mind they feel that the one who granted them freedom is chasing them. Autonomy is lost.
"Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." - Psalm 51:6-7 ESV
It is no coincidence that the age of accountability is closely linked to the age of sexual awakening. This is often the time in a person's life when they begin to hide or display themselves to others in exaggerated and deceptive ways.
"and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?" - Matthew 19:5 ESV
I am so happy when I hear of a young couple who is getting married. I know that this is the beginning of a great adventure. They both finally have an avenue to deal with their sexuality (among many other things of course) with someone else. Those who were hiding won't need to hide anymore. They now have someone who they can share their life with for better or for worse.
Marriage isn't necessary for spiritual autonomy. People can have truth that gives them the ability to operate in the light in every situation and instance. Everyone can live in transparency towards God. God does however use marriage in an amazing way in people's lives.
We were born to be ourselves but when needs go unmet people create masks. No one wearing a mask can truly say they are free.
Biblical sexuality is private in nature. The doctrine isn't but the rest of it is. Many cultures have made it a public issue but exposure isn't the answer. Exposure can not exorcise shame or guilt.
Autonomy and interdependence go hand in hand. People need people. There is no economy without commerce. God's transactions are grace transactions. Autonomy just means that a person, group or nation is free to govern themselves without oppression.
This is a sensitive subject but if your sexuality is keeping you in bondage then going to God is the answer. He made us as sexual creatures. He has a way for us to live in the light for every area of our life. Even this one.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." - John 3:16-18 ESV
Yes. Those without Christ are condemned already. Somewhere in the back of their mind they know they have transgressed holiness and there is no remedy. Some work for appeasement. Others just run and hide for as long as they can. Others recreate God in their own image to create a false sense of security.
No one can run forever and God has only ever been satisfied with one person. Jesus is the answer. Jesus was the only answer for the woman caught in the act of adultery and He Is the only answer for us.
"...And Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.' " - John 8:11b ESV
Let Him say that to you. We all need to hear it. It is what gives us the ability to operate in our inalienable right of spiritual autonomy.
--
A liar loses their spiritual autonomy. Why? They have taken the right God gave them to be autonomous and surrendered it. They have usurped authority and somewhere in the back of their mind they feel that the one who granted them freedom is chasing them. Autonomy is lost.
"Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow." - Psalm 51:6-7 ESV
It is no coincidence that the age of accountability is closely linked to the age of sexual awakening. This is often the time in a person's life when they begin to hide or display themselves to others in exaggerated and deceptive ways.
"and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?" - Matthew 19:5 ESV
I am so happy when I hear of a young couple who is getting married. I know that this is the beginning of a great adventure. They both finally have an avenue to deal with their sexuality (among many other things of course) with someone else. Those who were hiding won't need to hide anymore. They now have someone who they can share their life with for better or for worse.
Marriage isn't necessary for spiritual autonomy. People can have truth that gives them the ability to operate in the light in every situation and instance. Everyone can live in transparency towards God. God does however use marriage in an amazing way in people's lives.
We were born to be ourselves but when needs go unmet people create masks. No one wearing a mask can truly say they are free.
Biblical sexuality is private in nature. The doctrine isn't but the rest of it is. Many cultures have made it a public issue but exposure isn't the answer. Exposure can not exorcise shame or guilt.
Autonomy and interdependence go hand in hand. People need people. There is no economy without commerce. God's transactions are grace transactions. Autonomy just means that a person, group or nation is free to govern themselves without oppression.
This is a sensitive subject but if your sexuality is keeping you in bondage then going to God is the answer. He made us as sexual creatures. He has a way for us to live in the light for every area of our life. Even this one.
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." - John 3:16-18 ESV
Yes. Those without Christ are condemned already. Somewhere in the back of their mind they know they have transgressed holiness and there is no remedy. Some work for appeasement. Others just run and hide for as long as they can. Others recreate God in their own image to create a false sense of security.
No one can run forever and God has only ever been satisfied with one person. Jesus is the answer. Jesus was the only answer for the woman caught in the act of adultery and He Is the only answer for us.
"...And Jesus said, 'Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.' " - John 8:11b ESV
Let Him say that to you. We all need to hear it. It is what gives us the ability to operate in our inalienable right of spiritual autonomy.
--
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Logical Fallacies - Part 6
I am back looking at my list of logical fallacies and it is very instructive and challenging for me.
A common error is the BLACK OR WHITE one or to put it is more modern terms the RIGHT OR WRONG fallacy. This argument boils everything down to two choices. A good one or a bad one. It has people looking back and making moral decisions they they likely didn't make at the time as they are cross examined about the past.
We can do this to ourselves. Some folks are very prone to this. Why didn't I do this? If I only did that then this other thing wouldn't have happened. One decision is demonized and the other one is glorified.
Sure. There are clear cut decisions we make that follow this pattern. Temptation and pressure of some kind is often involved. It is an error to think that every decision we make is either a good one or a bad one.
"Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." - 2 Corinthians 3:15-18 ESV
Sad to say... There are Churches today where the 'law of Moses is read.' There are homes like this. People blame religion but read this next passage carefully.
"For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them" - Romans 2:14-15 ESV
Fallen men accuse or excuse. Religion has little to do with it. Systems form around this very human tendency. Only a judge has this right. God's mercy has prevailed over His judgement at the cross. He is not accusing or excusing. In His mind that stage of Judgement has passed. He has made a ruling. Those in Christ are in one category and those who are not are in another. End of story.
God gave the law for a purpose and it is holy but it was not given to be tool of conformity only. It was given to reveal the fall of man to those who had become familiar with it's affects.
"Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin." - Romans 3:19-20 ESV
The law makes a category of things BLACK OR WHITE.
"What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, 'You shall not covet.' But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead." - Romans 7:7-8 ESV
Then we realize that once we know something is wrong will still want to do it. We might even want to do it more than before. It reveals something crucial to us. We are broken and can't fix ourselves. We need a Savior.
Making every decision a good or bad choice is dangerous because it makes manipulation very possible. It awakens our fallen nature that looks for favor to cover it's transgression.
God has a different economy for us to function in.
"The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin." - Romans 14:22-23 ESV
This example uses food as the example. The chapter deals with food sacrificed to idols which was a common practice in Rome at the time. Did the fact that certain food had been sacrificed to idols taint it for consumption? Did someones else's actions turn a neutral action into a BLACK OR WHITE decision?
The scripture does not turn to the law to get an answer. No. The shift is made to love and care.
" 'All things are lawful for me,' but not all things are helpful. 'All things are lawful for me,' but I will not be dominated by anything. 'Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food' - and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body." - 1 Corinthians 6:12-13 ESV
" 'All things are lawful,' but not all things are helpful. 'All things are lawful,' but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor." - 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 ESV
Some make seeking other people's good a new law but it isn't. We are free. All ten commandment are reiterated in the new testament. The Sabbath went from a day to a continual state of mind but the other nine can be found almost exactly as they were given to Moses.
Still. We are free. We are not under law. Those who believe are under grace. We can just make choices by faith within the framework of The faith. That leaves us a large free space.
"He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me." - Psalm 18:16-19 ESV
The current can drag us in a direction but God rescues us from a 'this way' or 'that way' mentality. Grace places us in freedom. Fear is removed. Liberty is assured.
--
A common error is the BLACK OR WHITE one or to put it is more modern terms the RIGHT OR WRONG fallacy. This argument boils everything down to two choices. A good one or a bad one. It has people looking back and making moral decisions they they likely didn't make at the time as they are cross examined about the past.
We can do this to ourselves. Some folks are very prone to this. Why didn't I do this? If I only did that then this other thing wouldn't have happened. One decision is demonized and the other one is glorified.
Sure. There are clear cut decisions we make that follow this pattern. Temptation and pressure of some kind is often involved. It is an error to think that every decision we make is either a good one or a bad one.
"Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." - 2 Corinthians 3:15-18 ESV
Sad to say... There are Churches today where the 'law of Moses is read.' There are homes like this. People blame religion but read this next passage carefully.
"For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them" - Romans 2:14-15 ESV
Fallen men accuse or excuse. Religion has little to do with it. Systems form around this very human tendency. Only a judge has this right. God's mercy has prevailed over His judgement at the cross. He is not accusing or excusing. In His mind that stage of Judgement has passed. He has made a ruling. Those in Christ are in one category and those who are not are in another. End of story.
God gave the law for a purpose and it is holy but it was not given to be tool of conformity only. It was given to reveal the fall of man to those who had become familiar with it's affects.
"Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin." - Romans 3:19-20 ESV
The law makes a category of things BLACK OR WHITE.
"What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, 'You shall not covet.' But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead." - Romans 7:7-8 ESV
Then we realize that once we know something is wrong will still want to do it. We might even want to do it more than before. It reveals something crucial to us. We are broken and can't fix ourselves. We need a Savior.
Making every decision a good or bad choice is dangerous because it makes manipulation very possible. It awakens our fallen nature that looks for favor to cover it's transgression.
God has a different economy for us to function in.
"The faith that you have, keep between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself for what he approves. But whoever has doubts is condemned if he eats, because the eating is not from faith. For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin." - Romans 14:22-23 ESV
This example uses food as the example. The chapter deals with food sacrificed to idols which was a common practice in Rome at the time. Did the fact that certain food had been sacrificed to idols taint it for consumption? Did someones else's actions turn a neutral action into a BLACK OR WHITE decision?
The scripture does not turn to the law to get an answer. No. The shift is made to love and care.
" 'All things are lawful for me,' but not all things are helpful. 'All things are lawful for me,' but I will not be dominated by anything. 'Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food' - and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body." - 1 Corinthians 6:12-13 ESV
" 'All things are lawful,' but not all things are helpful. 'All things are lawful,' but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor." - 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 ESV
Some make seeking other people's good a new law but it isn't. We are free. All ten commandment are reiterated in the new testament. The Sabbath went from a day to a continual state of mind but the other nine can be found almost exactly as they were given to Moses.
Still. We are free. We are not under law. Those who believe are under grace. We can just make choices by faith within the framework of The faith. That leaves us a large free space.
"He sent from on high, he took me; he drew me out of many waters. He rescued me from my strong enemy and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, but the LORD was my support. He brought me out into a broad place; he rescued me, because he delighted in me." - Psalm 18:16-19 ESV
The current can drag us in a direction but God rescues us from a 'this way' or 'that way' mentality. Grace places us in freedom. Fear is removed. Liberty is assured.
--
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
A Person We Can Trust
"So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will." - 2 Timothy 2:22-26 ESV
I was thinking this morning about the picture of the man of God being a man who is trustworthy as a wholesome confidant. Some people have no one to trust with their faults or misdeeds. They can't tell family nor do they feel they can tell their friends and yet they are burdened by fears, guilt and shame.
In the catholic tradition they could tell their priest and that secret is kept confidential.
We all have a marvelous provision that everyone should take advantage of.
"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:8-9 ESV
I talk to God everyday and rely on the provision found in this passage. God is faithful. This is primary and irreplaceable.
At the same time parallel to this it is wonderful to have people that do not strive. They are not quarrelsome. They can be trusted. The are not accomplices who share a secret. They are people who can teach us how to do the thing that would set us free from our burden. They travel a wholesome road and welcome company on that road for the journey.
"From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." - 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 ESV
Isn't it wonderful to be with a person who sees you as new even if your faults have been made known to them. What a treasure that is. If we have family members like that we are very fortunate. If we have friends like that we are rich people.
The finished work of Christ allows us this perspective. Old things have passed away and all things have become new. A nail pieced hand reaches down into the pit of shame and guilt and pulls us out into the light to live lives of freedom.
Depending on the error that might not mean a release from all consequences. It is good for us to face the music for certain things. It is needed but it does mean freedom from the bondage of guilt, shame and the loneliness of isolation. Maybe all any of us need is a companion who will go with us and encourage us in Christ's stead because they have His mind.
"Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself." - Galatians 6:1-3 ESV
I think this morning of children who are not equipped to bear the burden of their parents but instead of going to someone outside the family the parent has loaded something on their child that is heavy and smothering for them to bear. I pray for those situations. If only someone with knowledge and experience with God could be brought in then both parties could be set free.
For some issues it is best if the minister of reconciliation is someone unaffected and has a little distance so that the counsel can be free from a personal agenda.
The key to freedom from wrong knowledge is right knowledge. The cross of Christ is that right knowledge. Jesus died for the sins of man. It is finished. Mankind has a provision of forgiveness. Once that provision has been received we can die to self so that others can live.
"The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil." - 1 John 3:8b ESV
He has destroyed those works at the cross and the cross is still active to destroy those works in people's lives. Let's take up His cross and live in the cycle of resurrection.
Help us God. Help us be trustworthy people. Help us to face the music if that is what is needed. We know You know us and love us. We are so grateful for that. You see all who believe as clean and perfect in Your Son. Thank You God for for loving us and making a way of escape for us.
--
I was thinking this morning about the picture of the man of God being a man who is trustworthy as a wholesome confidant. Some people have no one to trust with their faults or misdeeds. They can't tell family nor do they feel they can tell their friends and yet they are burdened by fears, guilt and shame.
In the catholic tradition they could tell their priest and that secret is kept confidential.
We all have a marvelous provision that everyone should take advantage of.
"If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." - 1 John 1:8-9 ESV
I talk to God everyday and rely on the provision found in this passage. God is faithful. This is primary and irreplaceable.
At the same time parallel to this it is wonderful to have people that do not strive. They are not quarrelsome. They can be trusted. The are not accomplices who share a secret. They are people who can teach us how to do the thing that would set us free from our burden. They travel a wholesome road and welcome company on that road for the journey.
"From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." - 2 Corinthians 5:16-17 ESV
Isn't it wonderful to be with a person who sees you as new even if your faults have been made known to them. What a treasure that is. If we have family members like that we are very fortunate. If we have friends like that we are rich people.
The finished work of Christ allows us this perspective. Old things have passed away and all things have become new. A nail pieced hand reaches down into the pit of shame and guilt and pulls us out into the light to live lives of freedom.
Depending on the error that might not mean a release from all consequences. It is good for us to face the music for certain things. It is needed but it does mean freedom from the bondage of guilt, shame and the loneliness of isolation. Maybe all any of us need is a companion who will go with us and encourage us in Christ's stead because they have His mind.
"Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself." - Galatians 6:1-3 ESV
I think this morning of children who are not equipped to bear the burden of their parents but instead of going to someone outside the family the parent has loaded something on their child that is heavy and smothering for them to bear. I pray for those situations. If only someone with knowledge and experience with God could be brought in then both parties could be set free.
For some issues it is best if the minister of reconciliation is someone unaffected and has a little distance so that the counsel can be free from a personal agenda.
The key to freedom from wrong knowledge is right knowledge. The cross of Christ is that right knowledge. Jesus died for the sins of man. It is finished. Mankind has a provision of forgiveness. Once that provision has been received we can die to self so that others can live.
"The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil." - 1 John 3:8b ESV
He has destroyed those works at the cross and the cross is still active to destroy those works in people's lives. Let's take up His cross and live in the cycle of resurrection.
Help us God. Help us be trustworthy people. Help us to face the music if that is what is needed. We know You know us and love us. We are so grateful for that. You see all who believe as clean and perfect in Your Son. Thank You God for for loving us and making a way of escape for us.
--
Sunday, January 24, 2016
The High Mountain Winds Of Freedom
We are born into unpredictability.
"Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." - John 3:7-8 NKJV
Our directions change. Our intensity changes. On a natural level people expect moral consistency but what a spiritual person has is spiritual buoyancy. Freedom.
"If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain," - 1 Timothy 6:3-6 ESV
Knowledge can puff up but grace understanding and emphasis ushers in contentment. Godliness isn't gain. It provides stability on a level above normal consistency. Grace can have or give all that it has away if that is what love would do in each situation.
"And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." - Isaiah 35:8-10 ESV
Wind blows in unpredictable ways up on that high path of holiness. High up as it is there is safety there. There is freedom there. The view is marvelous there. Let us worship returning as ransomed ones. Let's boldly go to the throne of grace. God is always on His throne waiting to be gracious to us.
--
"Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." - John 3:7-8 NKJV
Our directions change. Our intensity changes. On a natural level people expect moral consistency but what a spiritual person has is spiritual buoyancy. Freedom.
"If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain," - 1 Timothy 6:3-6 ESV
Knowledge can puff up but grace understanding and emphasis ushers in contentment. Godliness isn't gain. It provides stability on a level above normal consistency. Grace can have or give all that it has away if that is what love would do in each situation.
"And a highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Way of Holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it. It shall belong to those who walk on the way; even if they are fools, they shall not go astray. No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." - Isaiah 35:8-10 ESV
Wind blows in unpredictable ways up on that high path of holiness. High up as it is there is safety there. There is freedom there. The view is marvelous there. Let us worship returning as ransomed ones. Let's boldly go to the throne of grace. God is always on His throne waiting to be gracious to us.
--
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Water Opens Passageways
If you are lost in the wilderness one good way to find civilization again is to follow a water source and see where the water is going. People often build structures near water.
"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise." - Isaiah 43:19-21 ESV
I had an interesting thought about dead ends yesterday. In urban centers they are often created by a need for aesthetics or security. Alleys that go nowhere are often dirty places because things build up there. They are places to put storage or for garbage collection.
"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word," - Ephesians 5:25-26 ESV
The word waters, washes and cuts a path in the wilderness.
" Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:" - Philippians 2:5 KJV
Grace thinking nourishes a marriage and creates a flow and not a stagnant dead end.
People attend Churches and they ask, 'What missionaries do we support?' and the answer is, 'We don't do that because it's not in our budget.' They have reached a dead end.
A couple is dating and one day the concept of marriage comes up and a person says, 'I never want to get married.' the other sighs and realizes they have entered an alley with no exit. It's time to turn around or be trapped.
Jobs turn into dead ends. Many things do.
God's kingdom has no dead ends.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."" - Matthew 28:19-20 ESV
There are always people to win and places to go. God wants to join with us and show us reproduction in the world. New friends. New adventure. A way in the wilderness.
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV
God will give us a way when there seems to be no way.
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6a ESV
Yes. Jesus is our way to the Father and we become people formed by God to declare His praise. The words that come from the Book and our mouths open passages for people so that they can escape what is killing them and enter into the place where they are accepted and loved.
--
"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches, for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise." - Isaiah 43:19-21 ESV
I had an interesting thought about dead ends yesterday. In urban centers they are often created by a need for aesthetics or security. Alleys that go nowhere are often dirty places because things build up there. They are places to put storage or for garbage collection.
"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word," - Ephesians 5:25-26 ESV
The word waters, washes and cuts a path in the wilderness.
" Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:" - Philippians 2:5 KJV
Grace thinking nourishes a marriage and creates a flow and not a stagnant dead end.
People attend Churches and they ask, 'What missionaries do we support?' and the answer is, 'We don't do that because it's not in our budget.' They have reached a dead end.
A couple is dating and one day the concept of marriage comes up and a person says, 'I never want to get married.' the other sighs and realizes they have entered an alley with no exit. It's time to turn around or be trapped.
Jobs turn into dead ends. Many things do.
God's kingdom has no dead ends.
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."" - Matthew 28:19-20 ESV
There are always people to win and places to go. God wants to join with us and show us reproduction in the world. New friends. New adventure. A way in the wilderness.
"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV
God will give us a way when there seems to be no way.
"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." - John 14:6a ESV
Yes. Jesus is our way to the Father and we become people formed by God to declare His praise. The words that come from the Book and our mouths open passages for people so that they can escape what is killing them and enter into the place where they are accepted and loved.
--
Monday, November 30, 2015
Logical Fallacies - Part 1
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." - John 13:34-35 ESV
I'm going to start a series of posts on logical fallacies. It is what I'm studying these days and it may go on for a while. I am floating a few 'series' these days... 'Loving Dangerous People' is another one. If you lose track or want to go back and see the previous post I try to always put the parts as clear as possible in the index of the blog page. Sometimes it takes awhile to unpack an idea. By God's grace I endeavor to finish each series I start... it just might take awhile. {smile}
The truth sets people free. Truth is always logical. The foundation may be hidden but the structure is ordered. Many times people are in bondage because of illogical biases. The great thing about truth is that it stands up to scrutiny.
THE STRAWMAN FALLACY - Over simplifying an argument or making it two dimensional to make it easier to attack. Don't we see people do this all the time? I look at people's lives and see great complexity. It's true that many things are made overly complicated but isn't it love that simplifies matters. By oversimplifying someones believe system even if it is full of holes we are disrespecting people. When Jesus is presented as He Is He is so 'real' and 'true' that my illusions become transparent in His precedence. I never want to jam the truth down someones throat and demean their experience. I need to see Jesus and His love. It makes me sad and sometimes mad to see people set up a Islamic strawman just so that they can knock it down or an atheist one or a political one. No. I want the real opponents to face one another. The Gospel doesn't need to dumb down everything else in order to win. The cross is lifted up high than the crowd so it can be seen. Jesus' love is unparalleled. His work is unmatched. People try to fictionalize it but the proof is there. It is historically recorded and any honest man must come to the conclusion if he or she looks at the evidence that God's love was expressed on Easter morning in a profound way.
THE SLIPPERY SLOPE - The 'If this happens then that must happen' argument uses cause and effect against someone to try and win them. I love how grace disarms the the slippery slope. Not that I'm endorsing bad decisions but I know so many people who have made bad decisions and are living good lives and vice versa. Karma is fife with loopholes because God is sovereign and has a complex plan. Things don't always add up. Sure there are some real documented consequences to actions and declarations that God makes in the scriptures but if our thinking and reasoning is slippery slope reasoning then we will live out of a deficit motivation and ask others to do so also. If we weigh every decision to heavily on the bad thing that might happen we are being steered by fear and not love. Love is the only thing that will get us where we want to go. Not our love... God's love. We need to know God has a plan and to base our decisions on the content of that plan. God can redeem and He is an expert at it.
I want to be thinking clearly.
"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' " - John 8:31-32 ESV
Yes. That means thinking that is free from restraint and not arguments that are struggling to climb a hill that they lack the energy to climb.
Hey! Let's love one another. Let's love the people we agree with and those we don't agree with.
"Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched?" - Proverbs 6:27-28 ESV
Lies are going to burn people. We don't want to embrace them but lets be the people who have a salve to sooth the pain of those burns so they can heal and not the folks who pour salt on a wound.
--
I'm going to start a series of posts on logical fallacies. It is what I'm studying these days and it may go on for a while. I am floating a few 'series' these days... 'Loving Dangerous People' is another one. If you lose track or want to go back and see the previous post I try to always put the parts as clear as possible in the index of the blog page. Sometimes it takes awhile to unpack an idea. By God's grace I endeavor to finish each series I start... it just might take awhile. {smile}
The truth sets people free. Truth is always logical. The foundation may be hidden but the structure is ordered. Many times people are in bondage because of illogical biases. The great thing about truth is that it stands up to scrutiny.
THE STRAWMAN FALLACY - Over simplifying an argument or making it two dimensional to make it easier to attack. Don't we see people do this all the time? I look at people's lives and see great complexity. It's true that many things are made overly complicated but isn't it love that simplifies matters. By oversimplifying someones believe system even if it is full of holes we are disrespecting people. When Jesus is presented as He Is He is so 'real' and 'true' that my illusions become transparent in His precedence. I never want to jam the truth down someones throat and demean their experience. I need to see Jesus and His love. It makes me sad and sometimes mad to see people set up a Islamic strawman just so that they can knock it down or an atheist one or a political one. No. I want the real opponents to face one another. The Gospel doesn't need to dumb down everything else in order to win. The cross is lifted up high than the crowd so it can be seen. Jesus' love is unparalleled. His work is unmatched. People try to fictionalize it but the proof is there. It is historically recorded and any honest man must come to the conclusion if he or she looks at the evidence that God's love was expressed on Easter morning in a profound way.
THE SLIPPERY SLOPE - The 'If this happens then that must happen' argument uses cause and effect against someone to try and win them. I love how grace disarms the the slippery slope. Not that I'm endorsing bad decisions but I know so many people who have made bad decisions and are living good lives and vice versa. Karma is fife with loopholes because God is sovereign and has a complex plan. Things don't always add up. Sure there are some real documented consequences to actions and declarations that God makes in the scriptures but if our thinking and reasoning is slippery slope reasoning then we will live out of a deficit motivation and ask others to do so also. If we weigh every decision to heavily on the bad thing that might happen we are being steered by fear and not love. Love is the only thing that will get us where we want to go. Not our love... God's love. We need to know God has a plan and to base our decisions on the content of that plan. God can redeem and He is an expert at it.
I want to be thinking clearly.
"So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, 'If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.' " - John 8:31-32 ESV
Yes. That means thinking that is free from restraint and not arguments that are struggling to climb a hill that they lack the energy to climb.
Hey! Let's love one another. Let's love the people we agree with and those we don't agree with.
"Can a man carry fire next to his chest and his clothes not be burned? Or can one walk on hot coals and his feet not be scorched?" - Proverbs 6:27-28 ESV
Lies are going to burn people. We don't want to embrace them but lets be the people who have a salve to sooth the pain of those burns so they can heal and not the folks who pour salt on a wound.
--
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