1 Peter 2 begins with Peter’s exhortation that the newborn believers exiled in Asia Minor would desire the pure milk of the word so they would grow. Spiritual milk is the gospel of salvation and the resulting new identity we have in Christ. Eph 2:1-10 This is the foundation of Christianity and reality itself. If indeed you are in Christ, you are a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.2 Cor 5:17 If indeed you are in Christ you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Many contemporary Christians lose sight of the fact that the purpose of milk is to grow teeth capable of chewing solid food. 1 Cor 3 The KJV calls it meat.
I prefer meat.
We made it to 1 Pet 2:4 in our Bible study last week.
…Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.1 Pet 2:4-5
Peter is quoting from Isaiah and Psalms. The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.Psalms 118:22“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, and a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation;Isaiah 28:16 Jesus is the living stone, rejected by men, but chosen by God. …the chief cornerstone. We the church are living stones being built into God’s building. 1 Cor 3:9 Once again, the foundation laid by the Apostles is the Gospel. It is the template for reality. If that foundation is changed or corrupted the whole building will burn and collapse. 1 Cor 3:20-14 It is for this reason that Paul gives such a very dire warning.
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.Galatians 1:8-9.
Peter goes on to say that the purpose of God’s building (His people) is the offering of spiritual sacrifices. In the past, not even kings could offer sacrifices but only Levitical priests. In 2 Chronicles 26, the Lord struck King Uzaiah with leprosy for daring to offer incense on the altar of incense. Today believers are a Holy Priesthood. Our spiritual sacrifices include the sacrifice of praise, acts of charity, and submission to spiritual authority. Heb 13:15-17 We are to walk in love as Christ loved us. Eph 5:2 Most importantly we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. Rom 12:1-2 “Self” must be slain on the altar before we come boldly (as holy priests) to the throne of grace. Heb 4:16 This includes but is not limited to our self-image and facades, our pride, our rights, and if necessary our very lives. Rev 12:11 Not loving our lives onto death is a scary thought. But Jesus told us to fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which can destroy both soul and body in hell.Mat 10:28 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.Prov 9:10 This also is spiritual milk. Fear phóbos (terror) of the Lord is the terror associated with the idea of ignoring or rejecting Him. It begins with the recognition of our littleness, our weakness, our brokenness devoid of wisdom and understanding. As we mature, phóbos leads to reverence and awe more than terror as we behold and appreciate the awesome wisdom power, and grandeur of our sovereign God in the context of the Spirit of (our) adoption as sons… Rom 8:15 The reverence and awe that flows from sonship is a function of love and gratitude.
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christprovided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him. Sometimes suffering is where the meat begins. Rom 8:16-17
Understanding the necessity of suffering only comes with maturity grown from a diet of spiritual meat. The transition from milk to meat begins when we find ourselves less and less consumed with self e.g. my identity, my calling, my comfort, my rights etc., and become so enamored with Him and His will that self drops away. You know you are eating meat when the words you’ve read a thousand times jump off the page and give way to deeper revelation and awe.
For example
One of the most awe-inspiring, faith-building albeit mind-boggling aspects of God’s word is that scriptures written in the past tense may describe future events. For example, Isaiah wrote about Jesus in the past tense seven hundred years before He was born. David did the same in Psalms 22. Spiritual meat that reveals deeper truth nourishes faith that can endure testing and be proven genuine. 1 Pet 1:6-9
Why would God write about the future as if it already happened?
Did he intentionally confuse us? After all Solomon did write that, …he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.Ecc 3:11 In my experience, scriptures that conflict with my existential perceptions and understanding ofcreation, time and distance bring me to a crossroads of awe and doubt. Do I lean on my own understanding, remain wise in my own eyes and doubt the validity of the text? Prov 3:5-8 Or do I trust God’s word that tells us He saved us before He created us and allow the paradox to birth revelatory awe in my soul?
even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. Eph 1:4
Trust the Science.
As is often the case, the science with which so many try to refute God’s Word repeatedly validates it. Four hundred and fifty years before Jesus was born Solomon wrote That which is, already has been; that which is to be already has been; Ecc 3:15 Today the Theory of Special Relativity in quantum physics states that everything that is going to happen has already happened.
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! “For who has known the mind of the Lord? … Rom 11:33-34, Isaiah 55:8-9, Job 38:4-7
According to these physicists, while everything that ever will exist already does exist, it is the act of observation on our part that brings each moment into what we call physical or experiential existence. The Bible uses the word “fulfillment”. If that sounds weird or “New Agey” then consider this.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.Heb 11:1
What if we replaced the aforementioned “act of observation” with “faith”? Lots of believers attempt to walk this out individually, especially regarding healing. Miracles and healing do happen. However, statistically speaking, more often nothing happens. Now you might conclude that my observation of the “nothing” is the problem. But denial and faith are not the same. Perhaps the reason we fail to manifest the power that should attend our roll as priests is the fact that what we call the body of Christ amounts to what Art Katz called an aggregate of individuals doing their own thing. Perhaps the problem is that we are consumed with “My Identity” rather than
“Our identity”
Ephesians 4:11-16 is the cry of my heart amidst pipe dreams of “unity in community” based on games, social gatherings, dinners, and birthday parties. Our identity will only be found when we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; We can get together over a taco at the drop of a dime. But to come together in His Word, according to His Word to search out the mysteries of His word Prov 25:2…well ya know I’m really tired and besides I have a birthday party to get to”… But what if unified corporate belief in His Word that produces faith Rom 10:17 is what is required for His biblical blueprint to be made manifest as reality? Ephesians 4:11-16
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting… Ephesians 4:11-16
The guiding principle behind the Acts 17:11 Bereans Bible Study is that we all see in a mirror dimly. 1 Cor 13:12 Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Rom 10:17 It follows that we all see and hear better when we do it together. Holy Spirit is our teacher. John 6:13
Still, how can unity of the faith happen when almost no one wants it? How do I know that no one wants it? Because as I showed in our previous post only 6-9% of professing Christians and 37% of pastors in the US have a Biblical worldview based on the Word that God exults above ALL His name. Psalms 138:2.
For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.Heb 5:12-14
“Then Simon Peter, having a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.) John 18:10
I often wonder about Malchus, the servant of Caiaphas whose ear was cut off in the Garden of Gethsemane. Naturally, I did some digging. Ironically, the name Malchus means “My king; kingdom; or counselor”. The Bible doesn’t say what he believed before the attack. It would seem that he lived his life according to the collective religious consensus into which he was born. Like many people today, he probably never questioned the assumptions that undergirded his worldview. One day he was simply performing his usual duties when a lunatic named Peter chopped off his ear. If that wasn’t crazy enough the zealot insurrectionist named Jesus whom he’d come to help arrest picked up his ear and stuck it back on his head.
That Jesus’ final miracle before he was crucified was to miraculously restore Malchus’s ability to hear strikes me as poignant if not prophetic.
The Bible says nothing about Malchus after Jesus was arrested. But extra-biblical historical texts indicate that he was converted and went to live in a monastery in Greece until the end of his life.
Smart like a Rock
It is uncertain whether or not Peter was a Zealot (Jewish nationalist). We do know that his initial hope was in a physical messiah that would fulfill the prophecy as they understood it. Peter thought Jesus would conquer Israel’s enemies once and for all, and then reign like King David. More than a few professing Christians are prone to similar errors today.
But His “Kingdom is not of this world…” John 18:36
Peter is fishing, when Jesus calls Him. He simply drops his net and follows. The Bible isn’t clear about what went through Peter’s mind when he followed Jesus. But his actions before the resurrection imply anything but a divine revelation of Jesus’s true identity and plan.
None of the disciples truly understood Jesus until after the resurrection.
Peter’s first encounter with the true identity of Jesus is found in Mat 8:14-17 when He heals Peter’s mother-in-law. Healing is a primary basis of faith for many today. I could be completely wrong but I imagine Jesus rolling His eyes a lot. His healings often seem like a concession rather than His primary point.
So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.”John 4:48
While I am only listing scriptures where Peter is at the center, we should keep in mind that he is present throughout all of Jesus’s teachings and miracles including His calming the storm. Mat 8:23-27
The next paradigm-shifting encounter comes when Jesus sends the disciples out in a boat and then follows them later on foot. Peter sees Jesus walking on water and tells Him to command him to get out of the boat and walk – if in fact, He is really Jesus. He does. So Peter gets out of the boat and starts walking. Then the wind scares him and he starts to sink.
Jesus takes Peter’s hand and pulls him up before admonishing him.
“O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” Mat 14:22-33
Peter had his eyes and faith fixed on Jesus as he stepped out of the boat. Then he was distracted by the wind. His focus moved from Jesus to his external circumstances and he began to sink.
If I am honest, I’m a lot like Peter. I know that I know I was supernaturally delivered from a point-blank shotgun blast and over two decades of addiction that I’d tried everything known to man to beat. It is empirically verifiable that my life made a 180-degree turn from that moment on. Still, I have occasionally been tempted to question and consider alternative explanations. Was that really you Jesus? It was of course. Still, it got me thinking. Maybe, miracles, signs, and wonders come with a shelf life. They point to the source upon which our focus should remain.
Or they expire and leave us craving another experience. Mat 16:4
In Mat 15:10-20 Jesus explains to the Pharisees that it’s what comes out of one’s mouth that defiles them not what goes in. Peter still doesn’t understand and Jesus explains it to him.
Next, we have an amazing display of discernment in Peter’s revelation that Jesus is the Christ to which Jesus replies “Uponthis rock, I will build my church.” Mat 16:13-18 Some people think Peter was the rock.
He was referring to Peter’s revelation that He – Jesus was the Rock.
Somehow Peter assumed the authority to rebuke the one he’d just acknowledged as the Messiah. Peter determined that he would not allow Jesus to go to the cross in fulfillment of Isaiah 53 and at least 351 other prophetic scriptures. So Jesus rebuked Peter,
Next, in Mat 17:1-8 Peter is one of the disciples accompanying Jesus to the mount of Transfiguration where He Jesus, attended by Moses and Elijah, reveals His deity. Peter was busy wondering if he should make tents for the three when suddenly,
“Behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
Later as they walked down into the valley. Jesus commands Peter and the others,
“Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”Mat 17:9
Apparently, this wasn’t a problem because based on their reaction to Jesus’ crucifixion no one understood what he was saying anyway.
Back in the valley, Peter watches Jesus cast out a demon and admonishes the other disciples for their faith that apparently was a lot smaller than a mustard seed. Mat 17:20
Next, we have money collectors asking Peter if Jesus will pay tribute in Capernaum. “Of course, He will”, says Peter. Then he asks Jesus. Jesus says “No”. But just to avoid offending people He tells Peter to catch a fish and give them whatever he finds in its mouth. Peter loves fishing. He finds a gold coin in its mouth and gives it to the collectors.
One would think that would have rattled Peters’s worldly paradigm.
Given that I can so identify with Peter’s misunderstandings, mistakes, and failures, I have to wonder. Was it apathy born of Peter’s familiarity with Jesus? Was Peter so consumed with his view of things and the hope of a coming overthrow of the Roman empire? Or was he simply naive and uneducated?
Jesus gives an in-depth teaching in Mat 18 about cutting off everything that leads to sin. Peter has heard all the other teachings about forgiveness and still asks ‘How many times do I have to forgive? Is seven enough?’
Jesus teaches about the potential bondage of material wealth in Mat 19 and finishes with the idea that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than a rich man to get into the kingdom of God. Luckily all things are possible with God.
How does Peter respond?
Ok….but what about us? We gave up everything. What do we get? Mat 19:27 Like so many of us Peter lost sight of the fact that he already had the most valuable gift in Jesus Himself.
Well, Peter, here’s the deal. Y’all get to rule with me from 12 thrones in heaven.
Still, Peter sincerely loves Jesus. He swears that he is different from the others and will never deny Him. Jesus looks at Peter and says, actually Peter you will. In fact,
you are going to deny me before the rooster crows three times…Mat 26:34
Peter is incensed and responds with even greater determination. “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.Verse 35
Things come to a head in the Garden of Gethsemane. Peter has one of the two swords that Jesus told them to bring. Jesus goes off to pray and asks them to watch and pray with Him. Naturally, Peter and the others fall asleep. Peter gets the brunt of Jesus’s anger. “So, could you not watch with me one hour?!” Maybe Peter is overcompensating for crushed self-esteem born of his failure. Now more than ever he stands ready to defend Jesus as the soldiers come to arrest Him. If I were Peter I probably would assume that Jesus told me to bring a sword so I could use it. I’d be wondering if this moment marked the beginning of the zealot rebellion for which I’d been waiting.
Peter swings hard. I’m guessing that splitting Malchus’s head was his goal. Instead, he misses and cuts off his ear. Malchus and Peter stare in dumbfounded amazement as Jesus exclaims “No more of this!”Luke 22:51 picks up the ear and reattaches it. Then He blasts poor Peter again.
“Peter! Put your sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?”John 18:11
It wasn’t long after that Peter denied Jesus three times. John 18:17-27
Fast forward
Jesus is crucified and resurrected. Everyone is standing around the tomb talking about the fact that everything happened just as Jesus said it would. Now what? Peter is even more confused than before. He runs into the tomb in apparent unbelief to see if Jesus’s body is there.
…for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.John 20:4-10
Soon after Jesus shows himself to the disciples. Peter still doesn’t get it and characteristically replies,
“I’m going fishing!”
He and the disciples spend a fish-free night on the water. In the morning Jesus calls to them from shore and instructs them where to throw their nets. Suddenly, “the one whom Jesus loved” (John) realizes it is the resurrected Jesus standing on the beach. What does Peter do?
He puts all his clothes on, jumps out of the boat, and swims to shore.
Later during a beach breakfast fish fry, Jesus asks Peter three times if Peter loves him. The irony that Peter had denied Him three times just three days ago seems lost on Peter as he passionately affirms His love. Jesus replies that if Peter loves Him then he should “feed my sheep”. Then He prophesied Peter’s death. John 21:15-19 Peter still did not have the remotest clue as to what Jesus was saying as evidenced by Peter’s next question. What about that guy?John 21:21
“If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”
How often have I been so focused on what I think God is doing or wants to do in others that I remain oblivious to what God was doing in me?
There is a story about Charles Darwin as he arrived in Patagonia on the HMS Beagle, a colossal steel brigantine ship. Darwin and his crew rowed ashore in rowboats. To his surprise, the Patagonians who had canoes themselves clearly saw the row boats. But they did not perceive the HMS Beagle. Why? Because a ship so large was so far outside the realm of their experience and resulting presuppositions that it was too much for their brains to process. Instead, their brains filtered it. They literally could not see it.
I often wonder, as I read about Peter, how much I fail to see?
Peter wasn’t stupid. He simply had his own ideas about God. They prevented him from seeing. It didn’t matter how many times Jesus explained God’s plan. Peter filtered what didn’t fit his paradigm.
In the Marine Corps, we referred to guys like Peter as “Rocks”.
Still, Peter’s heart and intentions were in the right place. It didn’t matter how many times he failed and was rebuked. Peter loved Jesus and never stopped pursuing Him. He remained “Semper Fi“. Ironically, it wasn’t until after Jesus ascended Acts 1:11 and Holy Spirit was poured out in the Upper Room that Peter finally understood everything Jesus had taught.
He preached the entire Gospel in his first sermon beginning in Acts 2:14-15
“For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel…”
Peter was apprehended by Holy Spirit in the upper room. Paul was apprehended on the road to Damascus. I was apprehended at gunpoint on a beach. We don’t know for certain what happened to Malchus and I may just be projecting. But I suspect he was apprehended the moment his hearing was restored. I know a lot of people who were miraculously apprehended by Jesus. I am convinced that a truly transformed life is always the fruit of divine apprehension, not merely an act of human will. John 15:16
Even so, our will often gets us into position for our appointed arrest.
1st and 2nd Peter address some hard topics. Let’s keep in mind that like Peter, every one of us is prone to be smart like a rock. It is only through the power of Holy Spirit in conjunction with the whole counsel of Godthrough His Word that we gain the right perspective and ability to joyfully walk out the hard things to which every Christian is called.
Eschatology: a branch of theology concerned with the final events in the history of the world or of humankind. Merriam Webster Dictionary
Eschatology can be a touchy subject these days. Those who endeavor to understand it soon find themselves traversing a theological gauntlet. Today some sects and denominations reject those who do not adhere to their end-times doctrine. Add to that the multitude of failed end-time prophecies, in the 1970s and 80s and it’s no wonder that eschatology has become a proverbial hot potato that many pastors simply avoid. Still, if we adhere to the basic tenants of Christianity rooted in an eternal perspective, we will always begin with the end in mind.
Our view of the end drives how we live in the present.
Most people automatically think of the book of Revelation anytime the end times are mentioned. Yet it is a huge mistake to begin there. None of the New Testament existed when Jesus gave His near bullet-pointed eschatological discourse on the Mount of Olives in Matthew 24-25, Mark 13, and Luke 21. Even so, given that we are studying the Book of Ephesians it may be worthy to note that Ephesus is the first Church to be addressed in the Book of Revelation.
But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.Rev 2:4-5
Given the current and emerging state of Polycrisis in today’s world, more and more people are concerned about eschatology. That’s not a bad thing. The sheer number of unbelieving friends and family that suddenly wanted to know about the end times when COVID lockdowns went into effect made us realize that sometimes “eschatology drives discipleship”.
Still, there is a multitude of eschatological views and variations of those views regarding when and how the end times play out. Add to that the differing views regarding when a “Rapture” Harpazo takes place and you’ve got seeds of even more division. We think Jesus is super clear in Mat 24:29-31. Even so, we will be thrilled if we are wrong and receive early cloud tickets home.
Confusion arises when people trust their preferred eschatological experts without testing 1 Thess 5:20-21 or searching scripture to see if it is true. Acts 17:11 Reading books and listening to sermons about scripture instead of studying scripture itself is unacceptable 2 Tim 2:15. At the end of the day, eschatology should be studied like any other topic in the Bible. That means as literally as possible in the original textual, grammatical, and cultural context.
A common problem among those most interested in eschatology is viewing scripture through a lens of current events. The tendency is to focus on topics like the Mark of the Beast Rev 13 as people try to predict the identity of the antichrist and the trajectory of humanity toward the greatest tribulation.Dan 12Mat 24:21Rev 13 An unintended result is that the plans of the enemy may trump (pun intended) the return of Jesus as every disease, conflict, disaster, and member of the political and financial elite is falsely correlated with scripture.
Some correlations are crazier than others…
This approach becomes most problematic when the resulting eschatological views become dogmatic. That’s what happened with people such as Hal Lindsey in the 70s and 80s. In the end, the multitude of false end times prophecies made Christians everywhere look like children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Eph 4:14 They also helped to validate things like New Atheism as those not firmly rooted and grounded in God’s Word continued to destroy the Christian witness with bad exegesis.
Hence not only can eschatology drive discipleship. Eschatology can also drive heresy.
We’ve studied it in depth and still only scratched the surface. If you still insist on studying eschatology; great. But let us do it soberly and well. 1 Thess 5:6 “Sober” is nḗphōto be calm and collected in spirit, temperate, dispassionate, circumspect.
Our Hope in Two Parts
The Gospel message is two-fold. First, we have the fulfilled Gospel of Salvation whereby Jesus conquered sin and death and made a way for all people to be reconciled to the Father. Eph 2:8-10 Where people previously relied on a high priest to enter the Holy of Holies on their behalf Heb 9:7, Jesus tore the veil that separated us from God. Mat 27:51 Today we are able to come boldly to the throne of grace…on our own. Heb 4:16 This is the meaning of “It is finished”. The second part is eschatological, the Gospel of the Kingdom which is yet to be fulfilled. Rev 21-22 Together these define the Aramaic word
If we view the world and its events through the lens of scripture then we remain mindful that Judgement comes first to the house of God.1 Pet 4:17 Our first concern should be the status of the body of Christ, not the anti-Christ. Psalm 139:23-24, 1 Cor 1:10, Eph 4:13, Heb 12
Any correct view of eschatology prioritizes the fulfillment of God’s purpose and plan for His bride without spot or wrinkleEph 5:27. The endgame for the end of days is the full acquisition of our inheritance for which Holy Spirit deposited in every believer is
That’s not to make light of the gift of Holy Spirit but a call to be mindful of how much more is to come. This is the correct approach to eschatology. We must keep in mind that our inheritance will only be realized by individuals existing as part of a unified bride, not individual Gnostic Christians, prepping for battle with returning Nephilim and the antichrist. Regardless of how we imagine the end times, if we study eschatology as Jesus taught it we will see an emphasis ona call to endurance and faithfulness.Rom 5:3-5, Mat 24:13, Rev 12:11, Rev 13:10 Jesus framed endurance in the context of childbirth. Mat 24:8 Faithfulness carried to fruition looks like All attaining to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ… Eph 4:13 Incidentally “manhood” does not refer to the masculinity of individual men any more than the spotless bride refers to individual women. Both are allegorical references to the body of Christ unified in Him. Eph 2:15-17
It’s no accident that Paul concludes Ephesians 5 with the image of marriage between a husband and a wife. The one newman and unity of the faith is represented in ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.’ So they are no longer two but one flesh.Gen 2:24, Mark 10:7-8This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.Eph 5:32-33 It follows that the state of our marriages in the church reflects the state of the church and visa versa. Hence, our eschatology should be more focused on spot and wrinkle removal, unity in the faith, and maturity than on wars and rumors of wars over which Jesus said we should not be alarmed. Mat 24:6I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.2 Cor 11:1-3
The potential consequences of rejecting this essential foundation of eschatology are profound.
“But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment. And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”Mat 22:11-14
The benefits of embracing it are beyond comprehension.
“Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”—
for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.”Rev 19:6-9
Our view of the end drives how we live in the present.
Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible,Eph 5:11-13
Expose is elénchōbring to the light, convict, refute, confute, reprehend severely, chide, admonish, reprove, chasten, to punish.
Ephesians 5:3-20 addresses the issue of sin, in the church. …instead let there be thankfulness to God. It also instructs us to Look carefully then how we walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
The biggest question in our Acts 17:11 Bereans Bible Study this past week was “Exactly what do we expose and rebuke?” “What does that look like if we do?” Are we to simply reject those who are in sin as Eph 5:7 seems to imply?
Therefore do not become partners with them…
But Jesus hung out with sinners. Luke 7:34-35 Yes but He did not participate in their sin. That said, Ephesians 5 specifically addresses the issue of sin as it relates to believers within the church. Paul addresses the same subject in 1 Cor 5 when he orders the church “to deliver (The offender) to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.”
Mathew 18:15-20 gives clear instructions for exposing and rebuking sin on an individual basis. Ephesians 5 goes deeper. In my opinion, we are to bring sin that might not be identified as sin to light so it can be clearlyseen, understood, and avoided.
…when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Eph 5:13
If you are young and or new to the church you may be unaware of the most recent spiritual attacks that produce unadulterated heresy. This is evidenced by a growing number of formerly biblically sound teachers like Tim Keller, Beth Moore, Mike Todd, and Andy Stanley to name just a few who have embraced aspects of what is commonly called WOKE ideology. WOKE ideology creeps into the hearts and minds of believers under the auspices of compassion and acceptance in a spirit of
Given the history of racism in the USA, especially in the South, the basic tenets of WOKE ideology seem righteous and loving. After all what kind of Christian supports racism or opposes justice for the oppressed? Given the history of publicly sanctioned atrocities e.g. slavery that occurred before the Civil Rights movement, only a monster would oppose a movement underpinned by the idea of making previous wrongs right. Micah 6:8 The question is not if righteousness is required but rather; what is righteous? The heresy begins when we regard the flesh as identity, mistake reparations for grace, confuse justice with equity, and love with acceptance of sin. At the end of the day, WOKE is another gospel for which Paul says those who preach it are accursed.
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.Gal 1:8-9
He reminds us that we are soldiers in a war and instructs us how to fight.“For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.”. 2 Cor 10:4-6
Perhaps you have seen news footage of parents in front of school boards disputing the teaching of subjects like Critical Race Theory (CRT) and aberrant sexual behavior to children in schools. The normalization of all that was previously defined as mental illness is simply unfathomable to most. Hence much of Paul’s meaning in Ephesians 5 involves shedding light on the enemy’s methodologies in leading people astray. Eph 6:11
What is commonly known as Critical Theory and Post Modern Theory form the philosophical backdrop of the Woke movement. It is a mutation of an opportunistic virus created by Satan when he rebelled against God and was cast out of Heaven. It is rooted in pride, fertilized by entitlement, and watered by conflict. Just as the Bible provides genealogies that culminate with the birth of Jesus, so does the WOKE movement have a satanic genealogy that culminates with the intention of destroying the Church and any civilization supporting it. For those who may be interested I have compiled a timeline listing people and events that directly influenced the replication and propagation of all that resulted in WOKE ideology up to 2021. You can download the PDF here.CRT History.
CRT
Critical Race Theory (CRT) is often framed by words like “diversity”, “unconscious bias” or “sensitivity training” and always in the name of love.
The Woke Church is CRT applied to the gospel.
Again, as the aforementioned download shows, CRT is derived from failed Marxists in the Frankfurt School of Economics during the early 20th century. I say “failed” because Karl Marx believed in an inevitable violent revolution of the working class against the capitalist class. Rooted in the Hegelian Dialectic this revolution was to produce order out of chaos and finally a utopia. However, Marx did not account for the fact that while the rich indeed got richer under capitalism, the poor got richer too. When the Russian Revolution only produced greater economic disparity and human suffering, the Marxists returned to the proverbial drawing board. Given that Marxism requires conflict between oppressor and oppressed classes, Critical Theorists substituted race and gender for the previously failed model based on economics alone. Minorities and women became the oppressed and white males the oppressors. While it is certainly true that disparities exist in society and are problems to be overcome, they are a vital means to a desired outcome for these rebranded Marxists.
The keyis in the word “CRITICAL”
The “Critical” in CRT is not the same as the “Critical” in Critical thinking. Critical thinking is based on the discipline of logic and the laws of coherence, noncontradiction, and correspondence. Simply put, Critical thinking applied to problem-solving is solution-focused. Critical Theory is problem-focused. Critical Thinking is constructive. Critical Theory is deconstructive. All Marxist revolutions begin with historical, cultural, linguistic, and institutional deconstruction then revision.
Critical Race Theorists are Cultural Marxists or Neo-Marxists.
Some dispute this title as “Marxist” is often regarded as a pejorative.
In more spiritual terms, Voice of the Martyrs founder Richard Wurmbrand wrote that Karl Marx a Jew by birth then “backslidden” Lutheran eventually became a Satanist. Fabian Socialism which is clearly Satanic, is the English version of Marxism that preceded and contributed to the development of Critical Theory in late 19th-century England. “Like critical theory, Fabianism was informed by Marxism and was responsible for the setting up of the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1895 to “study and eradicate social injustices and societal ills”– The origins of critical theory in education–
Fabian Socialism was a catalyst for Critical Theory in that they also recognized the futility of violent revolution and instead sought to transform society via social and ideological reform. Therefore deception is key.
“The Fabian window explicitly reflects the goal of the Fabian Society to portray an outward role contrary to its real character, i.e. to use deception in pursuing its ultimate aim. Specifically, a wolf in sheep’sclothingis the image which appears in the shield above the world being wrought in the Fabian mold.” The world is heated by socioeconomic and politically orchestrated chaos and then beaten into the desired shape by the proverbial Fabian Socialist blacksmiths. If we look closely we will see CRT and Fabianism working in harmony to undermine the Judeo-Christian foundations of Western culture.
Satan always comes as an angel of light 2 Cor 11:14 and always in the name of the greater good.
Antonio Gramsci
Antonio Gramsci was an inspiration for Critical Theorists. Imprisoned by the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini Gramsci was the first to define socialism as a religion and stated “socialism is precisely the religion that must kill Christianity.” He is best known for his Prison Notebooks that inspired future critical theorists and formed the basis for the theory of hegemony whereby instead of a violent and bloody revolution Marxist goals could be achieved through institutional manipulation and coercion via institutions like media, religion, and education. His socialist religion was rooted in “trust in man and his best strengths as the sole spiritual reality.”
Not everyone needs to study and comprehend all the nuances of CRT and its proverbial cousins. But just in case you are still thinking these are coincidences rather than parts of an elaborate and very well-thought-out satanic plan…
In 1963 undercover FBI agent Cleon Skousen testified before Congress and outlined a45-point plan of the American Communist Party.(also a PDF download) Incidentally, the word Communist is from the “Communist Manifesto” by Karl Marx. Here are a few points in the plan worthy of note for this discussion.
24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them “censorship” and a violation of free speech and free press.
25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.
26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy, and promiscuity as “normal, natural, healthy.”
27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with “social” religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a “religious crutch.”
28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of “separation of church and state.”
40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.
41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks, and retarding of children to the suppressive influence of parents.
As you can see they have been rather successful in promoting an agenda formed at least sixty years ago.
CRT Thinking Errors
Incoherence
Similar to atheists who frame their defense of atheism based on what atheism “is not” Today’s CRTs do the same when confronted with its abject lack of coherence. For example, if I dispute the framing of my identity as “white” on the grounds that it is racist, CRTs will readily admit that my “whiteness” makes me guilty of racism. However, “whiteness” has nothing to do with skin color. On the other hand, if I say a black person is being racist they will say black people can not be racist. Only white people can be racist.
But I thought it wasn’t about skin color?
That their reasoning is incoherent within an objective worldview is irrelevant. In their eyes, objective truth does not exist. They regard knowledge derived from critical thinking and logic as a form of colonialism. Basically, the evil, Christian, cisgendered white male-dominated patriarchy colonized all knowledge as a means of oppressing women and minorities. That this absurdity has taken root as truth should be regarded as a clear and present danger.
WOKE is a worldview.
As I’ve said, all world views are based on one or more empirically unprovable presuppositions. Some basic Christian presuppositions are that God created the universe and all people are created in His image. Truth, reality, and morality are objective, absolute, and enumerated in scripture that is inherent. “Objective” means it is coherent and corresponds to reality as defined by our orthodox Christian worldview and does not contradict scripture. A very simplistic example of objective truth would be that if I jump off a cliff I am going to hit the ground below. Or, Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap…Gal 6:7-9 Absolute means the same thing will happen every time. While Christians regard the Word of God as absolute objective truth. CRTs consider reality and the very idea of truth, especially moral truth to be a social construct. “Social construct” means man-made. The primary building blocks are language.
Hence what one says to a CRT carries more weight than what one does.
Postmodernism is another root of the Woke. Postmodernism maintains that truth if it exists at all is relative. What is true for you might not be true for me. What matters is that we respect one another’s FEELINGS. That means I respect your right to determine your truth. You respect my right to determine mine. If gay marriage and abortion fit your moral paradigm I should accept it. If any implied disagreement on my part hurts your feelings it is my moral duty to apologize for my insensitivity and admit I am wrong. In some places, insensitivity is grounds for being charged with a hate crime.
Progressivism
Postmodernism was a catalyst for Critical Theory to enter the church. Critical Theory is also veiled by the word “Progressive”. As is the case with Progressivism which views the US Constitution as a living document, Progressivism applied to Christianity views scripture the same. The understanding of scripture evolves in conjunction with the moral advancement of humankind. Gay marriage, Transgenderism, and abortion are moral advancements. If the Word of God is a living document its interpretation is always subject to revision according to our socially constructed reality.
Add CRT to the mix and traditional orthodox interpretations of scripture become invalidated due to their oppressive, racist, patriarchal roots. Hence today’s progressive WOKE church frequently frames Jesus as a revolutionary, who fought the patriarchy on behalf of the poor and oppressed. He was subsequently murdered by the same patriarchy for His impassioned pursuit of social justice. Hence, patriarchy in any form is always oppressive. This includes but is not limited to all creation governed by our Patriarch in Heaven.
Intersectionality further groups society based on subcategories of oppressed versus oppressor status. Influence and authority are determined according to the number of intersectional groups to which one claims membership. In a word, it validates and turbocharges the “victim stance”. For example, black is one group. Women are another. There are Muslim, gay, transgender, bisexual, nonbinary, soon-to-be Pedophiles a.k.a. MAPs (Minor Attracted Persons), and AI to name a just few. The point here is that a gay black, woman has more clout than a mere black woman. A gay, Muslim, black woman has even more. Oppressor groups have just four categories white, male, cisgender, and Christian. While it is possible to have membership in both oppressed and oppressor groups e.g. a white woman, or gay male, white, heterosexual Christian males can only be oppressors. Again this is not because of anything they do but because of who they are. Any disagreement with this paradigm is labeled “White Fragility” which means an oppressor is too fragile and weak to accept culpability as the sole cause of all past and present social ills. Any denial of guilt is regarded as further proof of guilt.
Intersectionality defines reality and truth according to “lived experience”. This is called Standpoint Epistemology. Metaphorically speaking, “lived experience” is a form of social credit. These proverbial credit scores are elevated according to the number of intersectional groups to which one claims membership and their corresponding lived experiences as an oppressed person. Voddie Baucham called this “Ethnic Gnosticism” because it asserts secret knowledge held by the oppressed. The oppressed have the right to speak and to be heard. Those with the highest scores become influencers with the power to define truth. Oppressors have the right to shut up, listen and admit their guilt. Those who admit their guilt and actively oppose their fellow oppressors are called
“Allies”
Corporations can also be allies
Membership and participation in the “community” is their reward. Community membership is maintained by compliance with the group consensus. Consensus and acceptance are love. Disagreement is hate.
Hate must be canceled.
Satan always mixes his lies with truth.
Scriptural meat that counters empty CRT deceit
In the case of professing Christians who have been “cheated through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”Col 2:8,scripture clearly refutes the foundations of CRT.
Christianity in practice is about redemption and reconciliation between mankind and God in Christ.
“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. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the. ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” 2 Cor 5:16-19
CRT defines all human interactions according to power. Power and reparations are the goal.
Forgiveness
Daniel interceded on behalf of Israel and modeled how we should pray to God regarding the collective sin of a nation Still, Christianity is predicated on repentance from personal sin. Forgiveness from God, and for others are core values without which it is impossible to be a Christian.
CRT is obsessed with the past collective sins of ancestors we never knew and for whose actions we are to be held responsible but never forgiven. Christian repentance and forgiveness are not possible in CRT because racism is not something one does.
Racism is something one is.
Eternal penance through never-ending “anti-racism work” and becoming an “ally” are the only path to partial redemption. Redemption can only be partial because anti-racism work means continually identifying how one is a racist until the day that one dies.
Justice
Christianity maintains that everyone is created equal in the eyes of God and everyone is equal in the face of truth. Ethnicity and social status have no bearing.
“You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor.”Lev 19:15
While Christians should be concerned about injustices like genuine active racial oppression, abortion, abuse, human trafficking, etc. true biblical justice is only promised in eternity. The American legal system was based on the premise that we are innocent until proven guilty and it is better that a guilty man go free than for an innocent man to be convicted.
CRT pursues social justice by aligning oppressed groups against designated oppressors for the sake of retribution and equity. One is guilty based on gender and race and unless proven to be a member of an oppressed group.
Equality versus Equity
CRT dismantles meritocracy and equal opportunity with the goal of achieving equity of outcomes. Everyone is to be rendered the same regardless of intelligence, ability, or effort. That the greater means of one person resulting from parents who worked sixteen hours a day to provide a better future for their children while those of another used drugs and refused to work at all is irrelevant. Unfortunately, just as impassioned Marxist revolutionary pawns learned during the previous century, applied Marxism never ends with equity for the poor but a consolidation of wealth and power among a ruling elite. Please understand, you are always facing a form of Marxism when the word “equity” is used in the context of social issues and social justice.
Wielding the Sword of the Spirit.
An entire counter-argument is contained in the scriptures that follow. I recommend copying the scriptures that resonate most with you. Formulate your own argument and be ready in season and out to rightly divide the word of truth and cast down these vain imaginations that exalt themselves above the word of God.
Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.” Rev 12:10“Accuse” is katēgoréō from which the English word categorization is derived. Like Satan, CRTs forever classify people into socially constructed subcategories under the primary headings of oppressor and oppressed. Acts 10:34-35, Rom 2:11-16, and Gal 3:28-29 are clear that God is no respecter of persons, genders, social status, ethnicity, etc. Categorizing anyone apart from the Imago Dei and In Christ v.s. Not yet is demonic; period. God’s only criterion for acceptance is that we love and obey Him. Of course, we weep and pray for all who are blinded by the god of this world many of whom are in our own families 2 Cor 4:4. Still, we know that apart from Christ our most righteous deeds are like filthy rags. Rom 3:10-18, Isa 64. In the end, those not “in Christ Jesus” Eph 2 will perish for their lack of repentance just like the Galileans in Luke 13:1-5.
“There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”
Woke is predicated on a lie
When engaging Woke ideology it is vital to understand that committed CRTs are never objectively honest. Not because they are intentionally lying, but because they have a different definition of truth. They will not examine or even acknowledge their own logical fallacies and thinking errors. Instead, they divert the conversation, move the proverbial goalposts, redefine their terms, and engage in “whataboutism” to keep you on the defensive. As for the Christian Woke, they rarely cite scripture. If they do they do so out of context. Isaiah 61:1 is a favorite that they interpret as speaking about themselves in the context of a personal social justice anointing, not the prophetic word that Jesus fulfilled in Luke 4:18. In my experience, there is little point in debating with them. Most importantly, be angry but don’t sin. Don’t give way to anger as their goal is often to trap us and invalidate our witness. Simply, define your terms, state your point, and preach the gospel. Any increase is up to God. 1 Cor 3:6-9
Finally, when contending with the Woke know that Rom 1:18-32 always applies from the first presupposition regarding God and his creation through the entire downward spiral to becoming reprobate. Almost every tenant of the Woke is addressed. Remember, hold your ground and reject Wokness knowing that it is the ideological spirit of the antichrist not the person in front of you that you oppose and seek to expose.
This PDF Download list of Bible verses is intended to help you frame a solid 1 Pet 3:15apologia regarding God’s view of humanity and expose the contrast between the true Gospel of Jesus Christ and the increasingly popular false gospel of the WOKE church. You may also be interested in reading how Jesus dealt with racism here.
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.Eph 5:1-2
Beloved isagapētós: esteemed, favorite, worthy of love. It is the same word the Father spoke immediately following Jesus’ baptism.
“And behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved (agapētós) Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Mat 3:17
God’s love in John 3:16“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son…” is agapáō love in a social or moral sense, to be fond of, to love dearly.
The difference is subtle but profound. Agapáō in John 3:16 is the love with which He loved us even when we were dead in our trespasses…by nature children of wrath. Eph 2:1-3. This is a statement of God’s character. He loved us because of who He is despite who we were. In contrast, Agapētós in Eph 5:1 is a statement about us. As believers made alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised up with him and seated with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,Eph 2:5-6 we are now esteemed as His favorites, worthy of His love.
The reason for the change in our status remains the same. For by grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.Eph 2:8-9 Nevertheless we have been promoted to the rank of favored children with Jesus and seated with Him as if we’d been there the entire time.
Let that sink in…
When viewed correctly this revelation should provoke both
Gratitude and Fear.
Historically, believers embrace one or the other. We are consumed with Rom 7:15-25 “Oh what a wretched man I am! Who will save me from this body of death?” Or we redact Romans 7 completely in lieu of Romans 8.
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.Rom 8:1-2
Mind you this is Paul the Apostle speaking about himself. He went a step further in 1 Cor 4:13 when he described himself as the scum of the world, the refuse of all things. He said this in the context of addressing what I call “celebrityism” beginning in chapter three.
So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.1 Cor 3:7
“Celebrityism” is born of the “self” that Jesus requires us to deny. Mat 16:24 “I” becomes doctrine such that “My identity” supersedes His wherever “self” is not slain. It is so subtle, so seemingly normal that most do not give it a second thought. The doctrine of “I” is most clearly seen in an obsession with “My Ministry”, “My Calling”, “My gift”, “My significance” etc.
I have applied all these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers, that you may learn by us not to go beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up in favor of one against another. For who sees anything different in you? What do you have that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if you did not receive it?1Cor 4:6-7
“Celebrityism” begins with a sincere desire to be used by God and becomes idolatry when we idolize those we wish we could be in the world. “Celebrityism” is pride unwittingly instilled by culture. It is carnal- a work of the flesh. 1 Cor 3:1-4 It is a desire to be something or someone in the world in Jesus’ name. It is a fruit of immaturity, comparison, performance, and a perverted understanding of what it means to be
beloved children.
Many believers wrestle with the paradox of identity IN Him. Either we are so consumed with beholding our reflection in His eyes as we imagine it that we can not even see Him. Or we are so consumed with guilt, shame, and condemnation that we can not see Him. Either way, the enemy doesn’t care if we are consumed with narcissism or self-hatred. He only needs us to be focused on the unholy trinity of
Me, Myself and I
It’s been the same game since the fall when Adam and Eve’s attention went from perfect fellowship with God to an obsession with self when their eyes went from Him to themselves and they realized they were naked. Gen 3 The enemy doesn’t need us to choose sin. He just needs us to be focused on sin. He is perfectly happy to have me indulging with impunity or shamefully struggling in the flesh to avoid it. If only we would realize that all of us are born addicted to self, that
We’d understand our identity as beloved children and be free.
That identity is a dead child of wrath revived, redeemed, and now beloved because of who God is, not because of who I am. He does not need me. He wants me. His plans are not contingent upon anything I do or fail to do. My participation is an undeserved privilege granted to me as a beloved son. If I rule and reign with Him it is only because my life is in Him. Today, I do not regret the past or wish to shut the door on it because it is covered by the blood of Jesus. Hence, my brokenness has become my blessing, my rap sheet my resume. I don’t need to affirm my or your identity in Him because the “I” is dead or still needs to be slain.
“so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes…”Eph 4:14
The Acts 17:11 Bereans Bible study made it to Ephesians 4:17 last week. We covered a lot. Someone briefly mentioned that it might benefit us as believers to remain ignorant of evil and its ways, otherwise known as human cunning, craftiness, and deceitful schemes...” After all, Smith Wigglesworth was so single-minded that he wouldn’t even allow a newspaper to enter his home. It makes sense within the proper context. That context is underpinned by fearlessness.
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.1 Cor 16:13
The strength of which Paul speaks is characterized by complete surrender to God’s will in our circumstances regardless of how those circumstances appear to us.
I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance, and need.I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.Phil 4:12-13
We are not to be ignorant of satan’s devices lest he should take advantage of us. 2 Cor 2:11 Jesus commanded that His disciples be wise as serpents and gentle as doves as they went out among wolves. Mat 10:16
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 1 Pet 5:8
Still, Churches like ours tend to focus on what God, not the devil is doing. Again, that’s a good and correct thing for most people provided they have also done all, to stand…Eph 6:13-14 and aren’t hiding from hard things because they idolize comfort and are terrified of losing it.
I felt a gnawing conviction after our study.
I have always been a watchman. Ironically it’s a calling I fully embraced until I moved to Tennessee. If I’m honest it’s the fear of man that zips my lips. I don’t want to offend the culture and people I love, and who thrive on joy.
Joy in the third world where we spent the better part of the last decade, is rooted in Col 3:1-3. I perceive that many American believers unconsciously correlate joy with their present health, wealth, and prosperity.
This is known as “Favor”
Facing the possibility of enduring suffering like so many believers around the globe already do is usually not a popular topic of discussion among contemporary lovers of His presence. Hence our stream’s foundational principles of “honoring first”, going “Low and Slow” and the oh-so-slippery slope of always “speaking things in love” can just as easily become justifications for me to bury my head in the sand.
Watchmen are often confused with prophets because they sometimes project future outcomes based on a current trajectory. But watchmen are not prophets. For example, David Wilkerson was a watchman who repeatedly corrected those who called him a prophet. He viewed the world through the lens of scripture. He could see where we were headed and called Americans to repentance. Jeremiah on the other hand, was a prophet to whom the Lord spoke directly about Israel’s future. For 40 years he called the nation of Israel to repentance.
Israel didn’t and neither have we.
I used to write blog posts from a watchman’s perspective. Posts like Truth or Trump and Better than Ninevah remain published. Others related to situations like COVID were removed because well… “what’s done is done”. More recent posts were never published because I got cold feet. It’s much easier and palatable to proclaim God’s goodness while ignoring His severity. Rom 11:22 This was the problem in ancient Israel, a nation whose moral decline so closely mirrors that of the USA today. Jer 14:13-22, Jer 23, Jer 28
The Conviction
A few days ago, the Lord led me to Ezekiel 33. It was as if I were reading it for the first time. Immediately I felt His rod of correction.
But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’ Eze 33:6
I confess that I’ve put my head in the sand. Not to hide from seeing and hearing. I put it there to silence myself for fear of offending those whose souls might be required at any moment. Luke 12:15-31
Forgive me, Lord! I repent!
I’m not being a “Debbie Downer” or a “Prophet of Doom” as some are sure to say. The fruit of the spirit including the genuine joy of the Lord does not change if I face plenty, hunger, abundance, or need. Granted, my mood might change if I get a million-dollar check in the mail versus a nuclear bomb in Nashville. But the genuine joy of the Lord is not determined by worldly circumstances. James 1:2 commands us to count it all joy when facing trials that test our faith… To count is hēgéomai and means to take authority.
Count it all joy is an offensive, rather than a defensive action.
In January 2020 I taught a “biblicized” version of The Fourth Turning to a group of young missionaries in Guatemala. In a nutshell, the authors, Straus and Howe framed history as a recurring cycle of approximately 80-100 years comprised of four “Turns” (think seasons) of 20-25 years. They are 1.”The High”, 2.”The Awakening”, 3. The Unraveling and 4. The Crisis. You can buy the book on Amazon or read my synopsis here.
Most of these 18-21-year-old “gap year” missionaries just rolled their eyes as I challenged their worldview. Others were angry because I’d called their previously prophesized dreams and plans upon which their joy was predicated into question. Less than two months later the entire world went into lockdown as COVID hit. Their dreams were squashed as they and 400 of their peers from around the globe were emergency evacuated back to the USA. Some barely got out before the borders closed. Suffice it to say that we are in a Fourth Turn now. Here are a few timely conclusions from the book.
“Sometime before the year 2025, America will pass through a great gate in history, commensurate with the American Revolution, Civil War, and twin emergencies of the Great Depression and World War II…” “…The risk of catastrophe will be very high. The nation could erupt into insurrection or civil violence, crack up geographically, or succumb to authoritarian rule…”“…Through much of the Third Turning, we have managed to postpone the reckoning. But history warns that we can’t defer it beyond the next bend in time…”
Not since WWII, have we been at such risk for an economic collapse, unmitigated global crisis, and military conflict. Not since the Civil War have we been so divided as a nation. In the words of the World Economic Forum at Davos this year, “The collective vocabularies stored in the world’s great dictionaries didn’t appear to hold a single word, to sum up, all this strife. So here’s a new one:“
“Polycrisis“
“The World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report 2023 uses the term, to explain how “present and future risks can also interact with each other to form a ‘poly-crisis’ – a cluster of related global risks with compounding effects, such that the overall impact exceeds the sum of each part”.
Nothing is new under the sun. Ecc 1:9 And there is a time and a season for everything.Ecc 3:1-8 Crises or Fourth Turns have come and gone and come again throughout history. More often than not they arrive just as people assume peace and security. 1 Thess 5:3 Others clearly hear the trumpet but refuse to heed the warning. Eze 33:4
In any case, history teaches us that the primary determining factor in the outcome of any crisis is the individual and collective character of those upon whom the crisis falls. Sometimes God uses a crisis to produce character. Rom 5:3 In the end, Fourth Turnings, in particular, produce one of two outcomes. Either there is a return to traditional values, religious revival, prosperity, and freedom. Or people descend into darkness, moral depravity, persecution, and bondage. That said, it is within the context of bondage that God’s promise and warning in the oft-misquoted Jer 29 applies. Hence,
Fourth Turns (crises) are not a call to build bunkers or hoard ammunition, and gold, but rather a call to repentance, fearlessness, and faith amid turmoil.
It may be worthy of note that the word “Crisis” is derived from the Greek word Krisis which means “God’s judgment.” The purpose of God’s judgment, not to be confused with His wrath, is to discipline the rebellious and bring us to repentance.
Perhps one of the hardest things for believers to accept since the fall of man is that throughout human history “Adversity makes men. Prosperity makes monsters”. -Victor Hugo- 1 Tim 6:10
We were isolated in the mountains of Honduras after COVID hit and were amazed at the number of people back in the USA who contacted us with the question, “Is this the end of days?” Suddenly everyone was curious about God and His word. What a blessing it was to have an audience comprised of previously deaf ears. Alas, COVID passed, normalcy came back into view and people lost interest in the Bible. It seems they only cared about God when faced with the prospect of their imminent demise.
Sociological data only confirms this.
According to the American Worldview Inventory 2023 “The first national study of Americans’ worldview since the COVID-19 lockdowns show that the incidence of biblical worldview has fallen to a mere 4%—a drop of one-third from the 6% recorded just three years earlier.“Dr. Tracy F. Munsil | February 28, 2023, | CRC |
What determines a biblical worldview? you ask. Very basic tenants of the faith. Click both hyperlinks for details.
“But that’s not me. I have a biblical worldview,” you say. And maybe you do. The question is; how could so many professing Christians be so devoid of truth? John 17:17 It would seem that what many are calling revival is more in line with a great falling away. 2 Thess 2:3
The truth is like a lion; you don’t have to defend it. Let it loose; it will defend itself. -Augustine of Hippo –
Look maybe this Watchman stuff isn’t your cup of tea. Maybe you are already one who praises the Lord whether life gives you a proverbial massage or a kick in the butt. “It’ll all pan out.” I get it. But if you value seeing and discerning the time Mat 16:1-4, then join the discussion by subscribing by email in the sidebar as I may not link every post to social media. Hardly any of our readers link to us via social media anyway. I’ll categorize future Watchman posts under Red Pill Diaries.
Categories are listed above the title of each post.
Jesus said,“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”Mat 7:24-27
Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Eph 4
The Acts 17:11 Bereans Bible study begins Ephesians 4 this week. Given the “season”, I’m going to jump ahead for in this blog post.
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: Gen 1:14.
Seasons is “mowed“: “an appointed feast”.
Specific instructions and times for these feasts were given to Moses in Leviticus 23.
Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, Concerning the feasts of the Lord, which ye shall proclaim to be holy convocations, even these are my feasts. Lev 23:2
Convocation is “miqra“: a “dress rehearsal”.
What many regard as obscure, obsolete Old Testament feasts are in fact the Lord’s feasts appointed 1,948 years before Go made His covenant with Abraham. Gen 17 Each of the seven feasts is a type and shadow ofGod’s plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. Eph 1:9-10
Passover Ex 12:1-11Lev 23:48 2023 began on April 5th at sunset. The Gospels tell us Jesus was crucified “on the day of preparation” John 19:14. “The day of preparation” was the Jewish idiom for “Friday”. John is referring to preparation for the Sabbath that fell during Passover week. It was not the preparation for the Passover meal that Jesus had already eaten. Mat 26:17-29 The Feast of Unleavened Bread Lev 23:6-8 begins on Passover and continues for seven days. Jesus was crucified during Passover and resurrected three days later on the Feast of First Fruits. Lev 23:10-11 The day after Passover begins the Feast of Weeks and the counting of the Omer (sheaves of wheat) for fifty days leading up to Shavuot Lev 23:15-16. Passover to Shavuot marks the beginning and end of the wheat harvest. Christians call Shavuot Pentecost because it means “fifty”. One hundred twenty people waited fifty days in the upper room until Pentecost was fulfilled in Acts 2.
When the law was given from Sinai, God appeared in a thick cloud. Exod 19 Then the Lord spoke to the Israelites from the midst of the fire Deut 4 He showed them his great fire and they heard his words from the midst it. In Jerusalem, there was the rushing of a violent wind from heaven divided tongues, as of fire, which rested upon each one of them, and the apostolic proclamation of the Gospel in tongues. Acts 2 The Old Testament Pentecost was the giving of the 1st Covenant, the Law. The New Testament Pentecost was the giving of the 2nd Covenant, the Holy Spirit.
As For Easter…
“Easter actually originated as an ancient pagan celebration of the spring equinox. In Christianity, the day was dedicated to observing the resurrection of Jesus Christ, celebrated around the time of the Jewish Passover. However, with the spread of the Gospel of Christ, early Christians who did not participate in Jewish customs eventually merged their observances with the pagan spring festival, recognizing Easter as “resurrection day.”History of Easter
The Passover meal that Jesus ate with His disciples and is repeated yearly by Orthodox Jews and Messianic believers is called the Seddar. It has fifteen steps the first of which is the removal of Leaven from the home. Leaven (yeast) represents Egypt out of which Israel emerged into the desert. For us, it is worldliness, false teaching, sin, etc. The leaven is not to be touched so the father takes a candle for light and a feather and goes about the house sweeping the hidden leaven into a bag. When all the leaven is collected both bag and feather are burned. Of course, yeast is not found scattered in most houses today. Therefore pieces of unleavened bread are traditionally hidden like the pagan easter eggs parents hide for children today.
Jesus was removing Leaven in John 2 when He cleansed the Temple during the feast of Unleavened Bread.
It was Passover when He fed the five thousand and The Feast of Unleavened Bread when He declared
Where Passover represents our justification (the remission of sin), The Feast of Unleavened Bread represents our ongoing sanctification. Justification is an exclusive work of God. Sanctification takes place in partnership with God. Justification is instantaneous. Sanctification is ongoing as we become Holy even as He is Holy. “Holy” is to be separate from the world.
Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you, 2 Cor 6:14-18
This is not an obsolete Old Testament ceremonial law but a New Testament command for those already justified by grace through faith. Eph 2:8-10 Our part in sweeping the leaven from our lives is illustrated by Paul in the book of Romans.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.Rom 12:1-2
As for those who claim the feasts are not for today Paul is clear that they are. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.1 Cor 5:8
Leaven includes but is not limited to the thoughts, words, and actions that we do not want to acknowledge as sin. It is the worldliness we justify, rationalize, and minimize to avoid the fact that friendship with the world is enmity with God. Opposition implies stubbornness which is idolatry. 1 Sam 15:23 Active opposition looks like a violent attack.
Leaven compels us to make idols of politicians, celebrities, political parties, denominations, faith streams and wealth, etc. Mark 14:8-20 Leaven might be the music or tattoo that we think gives us the “cultural cred” we covet. We rationalize that they open doors for the gospel.
Leaven is the beloved tradition that emerges from syncretism. Syncretism pleases man in the name of God rather than God for the sake of man.
Easter 2023 at Transformation Church in Knoxville TN.
Leaven is false prophecy, false signs and wonders, and, the false teaching that deep down we suspect or even know is unbiblical.
Leaven confuses loyalty with faithfulness, pride with anointing, intention with action, and cognitive dissonance with faith. Leaven fuels offense and even rage when our loyalties and wrong beliefs are challenged. Leaven always seeks its own and with it approval from the world rather than God who opposes it. 1 John 2:15-16
I’m not a Methodist. But given that I live in Appalachia, I find the alleged connection between John and Charles Wesley, the Methodist revival, and the Feast of Unleavened Bread rather poignant. After having profound personal encounters with God, the Wesleys preached the necessity of sanctification through personal holiness in thoughts, words, and actions. This is the point for Christians during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It was in this context that Paul wrote.
Now, this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. Eph 4:17-32
…his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law, he meditates day and night.Psalm 1
The word “meditate” in Hebrew means to chew as a cow chews its cud. Cows have four stomach chambers. Hence every bite is thoroughly chewed four times over.
Ephesians 3:1-13
As we’ve said, unity is the underlying theme in the book of Ephesians. Paul sums up the unity between Jewish and Gentile believers in the conclusion of Ephesians chapter 2.
So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God…vs 19 Inhim, you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. Vs 22 This is not just a fleeting epiphany.
The language is mysterious which is fitting because Paul calls it a mystery in Ephesians 3:3 and repeats it in verses 4, 6, and 9. Ideological importance in a passage or book can often be identified by the number of times a word or phrase is repeated. Galatians 1:8-9 and Luke 13:1-5 are two examples. If you’ve ever read an in-depth commentary then you know that Bible scholars frequently count the number of times words are used when establishing authorship as well the primary theme. It is for this same reason that most online bibles will tell you the number of times a word occurs in the Old and New Testaments.
The mystery of which Paul writes is that before the foundation of the world God planned to save both Jew and Gentile in Jesus creating in himself one new man in place of the two. Eph 2:15 Paul says this mystery was revealed to Him by God. And while he does not formally declare himself to be a prophet, this revelation exemplifies the nature of true prophecy which is the testimony of Jesus.Rev 19:10
While not explicitly stated, the implication is that the depth of our understanding of the mystery is contingent upon our unity. This is more clearly illustrated in chapter 4.
…till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— Eph 4:13-15
The current denominationalism a.k.a. the fragmented church, is full of winds of doctrine, craftiness, and plotting. Even so, each one has a piece of the truth puzzle. Unfortunately, each denomination thinks it has the whole puzzle and unity will only be achieved when everyone conforms to their piece.
The Acts 17:11 Bereans Bible Study
Cathy and I open the church doors and set up the chairs each week to make space for two or more to gather together in the name of Jesus. We study and present the pieces of the mystery that we think we’ve grasped albeit with our blurred vision and partial knowledge. 1 Cor 13:12 Others come alongside us and do the same. I think I can say that when the session ends we each walk away with more insight than we could have obtained on our own. This weekly experience lends deeper context to “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” Mat 18:20 This is what we mean when we say,
We all see better when we see together.
With the theological foundation for the church now laid, Paul prepares to frame the building by summarizing the church’s ultimate purpose in Eph 7-13
Of this gospel, I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given to me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. Eph 3:7-13
It is worth noting that Paul was in prison when he wrote this letter. This was after he’d met with the Ephesian elders in Miletus Acts 20:29-30. The elders wept because Paul knew he was destined for prison and eventual execution in Rome and they would see his face no more vs 38. Paul doesn’t want them to worry and mourn for him because it was God’s will that Paul suffers for them which was their glory. While many avoid talking about it, suffering is another aspect of the mystery and unity.
What most caught my eye in this chapter was that the purpose of the church is to make the manifold wisdom of God known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
1 Peter lends some insight.
In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.1 Pet 1:6-9
That as a church we would believe John 1:12-13 and stand Eph 6:13 and rejoice in our suffering Rom 5:3 and conquer by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony, and love not our lives even unto deathRev 12:11 and all this by faith rather than sight2 Cor 5:7 apparently amazes the good rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. It stumps and defeats the evil ones.Eph 6:12
Certainly, these are some of thethings into which angels long to look. 1 Pet 1:12
Also, consider that Angels can not be saved. The third of them that fell are already condemned with no hope of redemption. They have no experience of grace or regeneration. They can not be indwelt by the Holy Spirit, or delivered from sin. And yet the remaining two-thirds are our fellow servants. Rev 19:10
The more I dig into the Word of God the more mystified and awed I become. Ephesians 3:10 should produce the fear of God. After all, we have such an important mission contingent upon unity, and yet we are so divided as a global body.
How will we ever come to the unity of the faith?!
What exactly is it that keeps us so divided? Is it envy, pride, laziness, ingratitude celebrity worship, or genuine confusion?
Maybe it’s all of the above. Or maybe we just don’t fear God. Prov 9:10
My friend Tyler and I were discussing how little we actually know about the world in which we live. Yet we go about our daily lives as if the mysteries of creation have been revealed. Many will readily admit they do not know how things work, that science is a mystery. They just trust the scientists. Those who understand the nature of science know the absurdity of that statement. For example, while theories abound we still don’t know what electricity is.
“Why it’s a flow of colliding electrons!” you say.
Ok. But what are electrons?
A middle school science lesson.
Turns out those neat little electron orbits that they showed us in middle school aren’t accurate. Based on the findings of a guy named Heisenberg scientists can not prove that electrons don’t pop in and out of existence or bounce between dimensions.
Everyone knows that water freezes at 32 degrees Fahrenheit and a cup of water freezes faster than a lake.
Currently, there are at least twenty different theories of gravity. Isaac Newton, the scientist who read his bible more than any other book allegedly came up with what amounts to a theory of gravitational effect when an apple fell on his head.
Speaking of gravity one of the most interesting theories known as String Theory fully supports the fact that Jesus, the Word, spoke creation into existence. Gen 1, John 1:1-3 According to String theory the subatomic particles of which the universe is composed are made of sound frequencies like individual musical notes. Words are composed of letters that represent sounds or frequencies.
In the beginning, was the Word…
Please don’t feel pressured to leap down the aforementioned rabbit holes. My point is that we exist in a realm of mystery that we know very little about. What we do know is that any knowledge we have concerning the mysterious, manifold wisdom of God ultimately only comes by revelation. While secular society may regard scientists as an all-seeing priesthood, many of our best inventions arose from what secularists call accidents.
The truth is we wouldn’t even have a thing called science were it not for God-fearing Christian men and women who saw a world governed by objective laws created by the objective lawgiver – God. They saw the complexity in the creation and knew it was designed by Him. God veiled the glory of His design in a mystery. These men and women were compelled to search it out. Prov 25:2 Anyone who reads the life stories of men like Sir Issac Newton, Blasé Pascal, and Max Planck to name a few will clearly recognize the revelatory nature of their discoveries.
Nothing is by accident.
I suspect that the unity of the faith will only be realized when God humbles us through various means such that every member in the body of Christ realizes that all is a mystery and none of us knows anything apart from or beyond that which God gives. 1 Cor 4:7
For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?
It is for this reason that Paul warned in the previous verse, donot depart from what is written. 1 Cor 4:6
Believers everywhere are and always have been crying out for revival. Others say it is upon us. However, the Biblical World View has been in steady decline for years. As of 2021, only 6% of Americans were following a Biblical Worldview. From a purely scriptural viewpoint, these stats seem more indicative of a falling away2 Thess 2:1-3 than the cusp of a major revival. Then again repentance always precedes and accompanies true revival.
Maybe we need to repent?
If I am perfectly honest when I look at the body of Christ today I see a growing number of fractures and a lot of what I call “Harry Potter Christianity” that results when people depart from what is written. I can’t help wondering if these are the times when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.2 Tim 4:1-4
Perhaps we should ask ourselves. Do we depend on Holy Spirit whom Jesus promised would leadall of us into all truth? John 16:13 Do we take the words of Jesus seriously; Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth? John 17:17 Or are we always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. 2 Tim 3:7 Do we believe He is there when two or more of us are gathered together? Or does he only speak to an anointed celebrity few that we must chase from conference to conference in the hope of receiving an impartation? If in fact, we know Jesus is in our midst shouldn’t we be hungry to embrace the royal privilege we’ve been given together and search out the matter of truth in His Word that He breathed?
Please don’t misconstrue my constant emphasis on the Word of God. I am not minimizing any other aspect of our faith. Jesus said the gospel of the kingdom WILL be preached to all the World. Mat 24:14. The unity of the faith is a benchmark goal. That being said, if we believe that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God Rom 10:17 then it follows that unity of the faith will only berealized in and through the Word of God. In our experience, a deeper comprehension of the mysterious manifold wisdom of God is always the fruit of such fellowship.
Enantiodromia is a Greek word that means “running in opposite ways”. Its contemporary use began when Carl Jung coined it to describe the tendency of one extreme to give birth to its polar opposite. Enantiodromia is most easily depicted in a pendulum where the extent of one swing is largely determined by the extent of the previous one. We see it in history where uber-conservative societies become licentious and vice versa. Perhaps it is most evident in Christianity and politics, especially when the two are combined.
“What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.” ECC 1:9
As I’ve said before, the mission field taught us a lot about the goodness and faithfulness of God amdist life-threatening situations and everything in the natural going wrong, amidst all of our earthly expectations being unfulfilled. We have come to understand that suffering is and always has been the norm for most of the world. Now we are in Greeneville Tennessee ministering to equally broken people and the as of yet unbroken one percent
whom God loves as much as the other ninety-nine.
We have found the tribulation of Rom 5:1-5 and the patience of James 1:1-4 to be vital in our understanding of the word of God and God’s ultimate plan. We have purposed to walk all of this out in the context of Prov 3:5-8. God always provided exactly what we needed to survive despite our not having a paycheck for 6 years. He guided us to whom we should serve and provided for them too. He will continue to provide because
He is the provider.
The proverbial midnight hour is His favorite time to come through.
We have learned the “name it and claim it” prosperity theme that undergirds so much of contemporary theology often results in confusion and frustration because people askamiss that they may spend it on their pleasuresJames 4:2-4. That might be a hard word for those who have never experienced the conditions in which the majority of His bride currently resides. We have seen a similar error in gluttony for signs, wonders, and demonstrations of power. I sometimes wonder; is it unbelief or are people just bored with T.V.? Jesus did not come to entertain us. He came to destroy the works of the enemy. Interestingly He was rebuking the Pharisees when he declared “a wicked and perverse generation seeks after a sign.” Later in the same chapter, He warned about the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees who in addition to being the religious leaders of the day were also opposing, political factions. It was amidst this political and religious division that the Sons of Zaddock set themselves apart from the leavenous religious and political turmoil to preserve the genuine Jewish calendar and scriptures at Qumran.
Qumran
We have learned that the purpose of prayer is for us to align with God’s will – not to align His will with ours. We have learned that His will is best even when it seems to fail in our eyes and external circumstances appear tragic. We have learned that His will has little if anything to do with our comfort in this life, that earthly comfort and prosperity are incidental to His purpose.
Tribulation is not.
We have learned that the Christian walk is NOT about OUR blessing. It is a stripping away of our self-centered desire to be blessed. It is a 1 Corinthians 3:15 burning up our cravings and fluff. A Heb 12:27 shaking of our silly significance, self-image, performances, facades, and narcissism to reveal the Romans 7:24 body of death that hangs around all of our necks for which God gave His only begotten Son so that all who believe would be saved and walk in Romans 8:1-4 freedom.
We have come to understand that our life is not about OUR identity.
Today we look at ourselves in the mirror and see that much dross remains, much that needs to be stripped, much in us that still needs to die. This dying is a vital step in our continued healing. James wrote “let patience have her perfect work so you may be complete desiring nothing”,‘Nothing’ismēdeís – desiring nobody, nothing. Not one man or woman or anything. We understand that this makes zero sense to those who presume to teach and promise prosperity, justice, and Heaven on earth now. It’s a genuine paradox until we take that first step in obedient faith. We have friends whom we deeply love and who insist on preaching these very things that we have already obediently rejected – the things that Jesus rejected. Luke 14:26. As scary, enigmatic, and lonely as this sounds it is not because He doesn’t want us to have anyone or anything. Rather He wants His desires to become our desires. Psalm 37:4 He wants to give us everything – to have what He has. He can’t do that if our hearts, and minds, are full of our own cravings, and ideas about how things ought to be.
His will won’t be done in our lives if we are fighting Jesus in Jesus’s name.
The Pendulum
People often cite Martin Luther’s Ninety-five Theses in 1571 as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. Yet the English Reformation preceded it by 40 years when Mary Queen of Scots, a devout Catholic, began ordering the deaths of hundreds of protestant heretics in Jesus’s name.
Mary Queen of Scots
John Hooper the Bishop of Gloucester was among the first. The queen somewhat graciously offered Hooper a pardon provided he would publicly recant his anti-Catholic views. He refused and was sentenced to be burned at the stake. As the story goes, high winds on the day of his execution made it hard to get a suitable fire started and only Hooper’s legs and groin were burned. One might think he’d have been tempted to change his mind and recant. Instead, he cried out,
“For the love of God, good people, let me have more fire!”
Hooper defiantly beat his chest until his arm fell off. He did the same with the other until it also fell off.
Eventually, these stubborn Hooper-inspired reformers prevailed and became the dominant political force under Queen Elizabeth, a devout Protestant, and the Church of England was born. Ironically, this new and allegedly doctrinally sound church held onto some Catholic traditions like “vestments” (Priestly garb) along with some other liturgical traditions. Some believers became incensed. They saw it as clear evidence that the spirit of the antichrist was in their midst. So, they split from the apostate Church of England, and the Puritan or the “Precisionist” movement was born. The Church of England’s clergy were quite offended of course. And it didn’t take long for the very people who had survived Mary’s reign of terror to begin arresting, jailing, torturing, hanging, drawing, quartering, castrating, and disemboweling their Puritan brethren
in Jesus’s name.
Some fled to Amsterdam in 1608 where the Lutheran Reformation was in full swing and the myriad core protestant denominations were formed. Among these were my own ancestors, John Alden and Priscilla Mullins who eventually left for the New World on the Mayflower. John Alden was among the men who signed the Mayflower Compact. He served as assistant governor of the Plymouth colony from 1631 until his death in 1687.
He persecuted Quakers and Baptists in Jesus’s name.
Two years ago Amos 3:7 was foundational for those wanting to believe in a God-ordained, prophetically declared election outcome.
“For the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.”
Agreed!
Ironically the book of Amos tells the story of Israel falling into idolatry and hypocrisy during a time of political stability and prosperity. While there is no doubt that Donald Trump was elected according to God’s will in 2016, the same biblical principle applies to the election of Joe Biden in 2020 because
Milo Yiannopoulos Bathes in Pig’s Blood at First Conservative Pro-Trump Art Show
The inane politicization of the Christian faith has always resulted in absurd, blasphemous and sometimes dangerous theology. It always has and always will divide the body of Christ from Him and each other. Each swing of the pendulum produces more Mary Queens of Scots and John Hoopers. At best we will remain divided until we realize that we are one body, one bride united in the same mind and same judgment that He intends to make spotless and that His Kingdom is as Jesus clearly stated,
If it were His disciples would have fought and killed for it as when 1000 Sicarii Jewish Patriots tried and failed to make Israel great again at Masada in 73 AD. Most of them ended up killing their wives and children and then themselves rather than surrender.
Then Peter opened his mouth and said: “In truth, I perceive that God shows no partiality. But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him. Acts 10:34-35
WWII German soldier returning to find his family and home is gone forever. Vietnam warVietnam warAfghan war victim
It occurred to me as I traveled to so many places on the mission field that at any time my government could label the people I served as enemies and my children could be sent to kill them. My grandmother was a missionary in China and left just before the Japanese invaded.
Today we have Christian Nationalists prepping to fight China or Russia. Meanwhile, I live in a Tennessee county that was divided during the Civil War. Today Christian Nationalists and Marxian Leftists are discussing the likleyhood of yet another one to be fought in Jesus’s name. At some point, the body of Christ needs to own the hypocrisy of singing “God Bless America” while cheering the bombing of His people to hell in Jesus’s name. Like it or not we were not given the ministry of political transformation. We are given 2 Corinthians 5 ministry of reconciliation.
In Jesus’s name
Today the Church has so many false gospel flavors that align with what entitled itching ears want to hear. We have the left-wing WOKE gospel with its neo-Marxist roots. We have the right-wing replacement theology that makes the church into God’s chosen over the rejected Jews and the USA into Jerusalem. We have Christian nationalism and progressive Christianity that mix the aspects above in varying degrees. There are Christian witches and New-Age Christians. We have Interfaith, Chrislam, and the Perennialism of Oprah and Richard Rohr. We have a prosperity gospel, grave sucking and canceling racism by the authority of Gandalf. We have the Vatican siding with globalists, validating the New Age and denying the existence of Hell. We even have emerging AI Christians ready to evangelize those worshiping an AI God in the metaverse. Instead of screening our views in accordance with Paul’s warning in Galatians 1:8-9, we divide ourselves based on our subjective opinions of how the world ought to be and the resulting constructs of God’s and our identities.
Today a few of the previously fervent “Trump prophets” are saying that Trump lost in 2020 because America and especially God’s people did not turn from their 2 Chron 7:14 wicked ways. Maybe it’s just me but I really didn’t need a prophet to tell me that. God has always given a nation its leaders based on the righteousness of the people.
2 Chron 7:14 has always applied to God’s people first even though we often apply it to everyone but ourselves.
He will heal our land if we repent.
Repentance for the body of Christ begins with asking ourselves, “Is Jesus being lifted up, or is someone else being glorified in His name?”“Am I really praying “Thy will be done”? or do I want my will done in Jesus’s name? Are we being led by Holy Spirit as we mediate on God’s word? Or are we being led by books written and promoted by celebrity pulpits? Do we believe what God has already said?
Or do we believe God changes in accordance with what we want to hear?
We have justified our blood-thirsty patriotism with our opposition to abortion. We pointed the finger and demanded repentance from those who don’t even know Jesus. Now we cheer over the repeal of Roe V Wade. But Roe V Wade never was a law. Neither is its repeal. It has only clarified the division between those who would never choose abortion and those who always will. Meanwhile, we remain one nation under God, subject to His discipline in Jesus’s name.
As a nation, we are perverting the Imago Dei by sexualizing children, normalizing paraphilias, and following the exact path of reprobates whom Paul described in Rom 1:18-32 and Jeremiah rebuked for 40 years. We shake our heads and roll our eyes in disgust when we learn that some schools in the so-called Bible belt provide litter boxes for kids who identify as “Furries” and send our kids back to school the next day.
Our silence about the hard things guards our comfort. Our willingness to cheer others who contend with evil preserves our vicarious self-righteousness.
We sing and pray and cry out for revival but we won’t sweep the leaven from His temple and our own lives. We are far too concerned with preserving our grandiose illusions about our identities. We won’t allow, let alone invite God to search and try us so we can truly heal. If we are biblically literate and even a little honest we see that the USA fits the type and shadow of Ninevah in the Book of Nahum or maybe Babylon in Revelation 18.
We’d rather imagine ourselves as a repentant Israel under Cyrus in Isaiah 45.
While I wish him no harm, and might even vote for him if he runs again, I often wonder if God won’t take Donald Trump out completely for the sake of His biblically confounded bride. That so many continue to proclaim any political party or candidate as a fulfillment of the gospel of the Kingdom is absurd. What frustrates me most is that political leaven is just one of many reasons why our witness is so powerless and that only 6% of Americans today have a biblical word view. It is why the left correlates Christians with Nazis, atheists call us crazy,
And young believers deconstruct in droves.
Listen, I have no issue with those who want to improve our country and way of life. After all, God calls both politicians and plumbers. I happen to think plumbers are more valuable and honorable. But if politics is your call then go for it. I do have a problem with those who believe the Bible and God’s plan are about MAGA, Social Justice, or any other false gospel. Those who would question or mock my political atheism should consider Galatians 1:8-9 and maybe do a word study on “accursed” – “Anathema“
Our experience on the mission field and countless others like us is proof that God is true to His word, that the true Gospel is the only answer for humanity and He preserves us in accordance with His will despite external circumstances. The abundant life is found in deliverance from all that holds us captive, Luke 4:18, the wounds that cause us to devour one another in Jesus’s name. Psalm 147:3 That abundance often comes with repentance amidst tremendous suffering and loss. Those who insist on fighting an earthy battle in the flesh, against the flesh for their best life now may soon find themselves fighting against God Himself in Jesus’s name. These will almost certainly be caught in a snare. Luke 21:35 What do you think? Will we learn from the past and repent before it’s too late? Will they know us by our endurance and love? Or will there be more John Hoopers before we are done? Mathew 10:16-18
“In the crushing, in the pressing, you are making new wine.”– Hillsong Worship-
So we made it to Greeneville Tennessee, a place that five months ago we didn’t even know existed when God so clearly called us here. Everything that could have and should have gone wrong during our transition didn’t. Every good thing that shouldn’t happen so easily did. We are now living in the friendliest place I’ve been to date. Even the most menial, and in my case, normally irritating tasks like getting the water turned on and opening a bank account turned out to be the most fun I have had in a while. The bank was the best because they served gourmet chocolate chip cookies and coffee. I know. I’m like a little kid. The point is we are adjusting remarkably well. Still, there are periodic reminders that I am still in the process of reentry from the mission field.
Yesterday I finally realized that “Ingles” is not a Hispanic store for English speakers.
Holston Home where I now work is one of the most incredible places I’ve been. It began as an orphanage over one hundred years ago. Today it is a place of healing for traumatized children and sometimes their families. It’s a job for which I am particularly qualified. Not because of my professional counseling background but rather because each day that I work I come face to face with my broken teenage self who grew up to become an even more broken parent and eventually healed.
Those who regularly read these posts know my walk with the Lord began in jail. What many don’t know is that my former wife also went to jail and our two children went into foster care. My ex-wife was released before me and so the kids went home with her. But she was broken beyond repair. I was told that the court wanted to place the kids with me but I wouldn’t be out for another year. One day, I was summoned to the guard shack. My lawyer was on the phone. She told me that something horrific had happened to my children as a result of my ex-wife’s lifestyle and acquaintances. The courts wanted to terminate her parental rights but according to the law, they could not terminate one parent’s rights without terminating both. I realized at that moment that there was only one way to end the cycle.
I told my lawyer to terminate my parental rights.
It was ten years before I heard of their whereabouts. Needless to say, I paid a huge emotional price and I questioned my decision through the years. Today my daughter is married with a son and works as a manager for an import-export company. Last I heard my son builds cellos for a living, is studying pre-med, and has a girlfriend he loves.
My ex-wife died as a result of IV drug use.
I’m not sure if the Lord brought me to Holston Home because I know what it means to be broken like the children here or because I was broken like their parents.
Maybe it’s both.
The boys with whom I work like that I’m a former Marine, especially those that need to borrow my self-control. That’s code for physical restraint. I guess it’s cooler to be taken down by an Ex-Marine than a five-foot female.
Of course, that is also a key to what ails them.
We got COVID shortly after returning to Kauai from Honduras and I took it like a hardcore former Marine who knows how to stuff any and everything he feels. I even interviewed for my current position at its peak. I felt horrible.
“If you like me now, you’ll really like me without COVID!” I joked via Whatsapp
The qualifying question during the interview seemed to be “how would you react if a kid called you every name in the book?” I said something to the effect of
“Why I’d feel right at home.”
Humor has always been a key to my resilience. But perhaps you see the connection between that and what ails the boys.
It was 4 am in Hawaii and near the end of my bout with COVID. I was sitting in a recliner because it hurt too much to stay in bed. My fever was breaking and I was getting the chills. The temperature outside was 70 degrees. I was bundled up in sweat pants and a thick hoody under a comforter but I just couldn’t get warm. I was shivering and shaking.
Sometimes it takes a physical affliction to disarm us and reveal more truth.
All at once, I was 15 again, the same age as my grandson Elijah, the same age as the hurt broken boy I recently “lent my self-control”. It was Christmas Day 1979. I’d been living alone in a house with three finished walls and no heat. It was minus twenty degrees outside and maybe 20 degrees inside. Everyone in town knew my situation but no one said anything, let alone did anything. I became the “bad kid” that everyone wanted to keep their kids away from lest I corrupt them. Now I was a lonely kid under a blanket, desperately trying to keep warm. I remember trying to be tough – trying to be hard as I strengthened the imaginary armor I’d created to protect me from a brutal world. I stoked the fires of my anger as I very intentionally transformed all my grief into rage. Anger became the energy source that kept me warm and safe. I would eventually use that anger to throw my father through a wall when he showed up and took a swing at me during an argument.
I began shivering and sobbing like a little child in the recliner. I tried to choke back the tears at first but I’ve learned through the years to let the tears flow when they come. I must have been pretty loud because I woke Cathy up and soon she was by my side holding me and weeping with me as I choked out the memory between sobs. The connection was made, we prayed. Healing came with a deeper revelation of why we were going to Tennessee.
I sometimes joke that most kids run away from their parents but I was so bad that my parents ran away from me. Sometimes it’s genuine humor. Most times it’s a sign of some residual armor that needs to be stripped away and tossed. That’s just part of the continued process of sanctification as we are being conformed to the image of Christ. The fact is that I was a deeply hurt and broken child well into adulthood.
There’s no room for armor and false pretenses in the Christian walk.
To this day I don’t really know, let alone understand what happened to my parents – to my family apart from generations of bitterness and unforgiveness. I once asked my dad as an adult, if there was one thing about his life that he could go back and change; what would that be? “I wouldn’t have had ” F-ing” kids!” he replied.
“You guys ruined my marriage.”
I love my dad. He died several years ago. I got the call while leading a middle school process group of 13 and 14-year-old boys. Ironically they were complaining about their fathers. “What’s wrong Mr. Gray?” they asked as I hung up the phone. “My dad just died,” I replied.
The therapeutic poignance was deafening.
It’s both fascinating and faith-building to watch the Lord direct my steps and turn even the hardest, most hurtful things into pure gold. I hope you can see that and don’t give way to sadness or worse – pity as you read. Compassion literally means “to suffer with”. It is the ability to identify with and join in the suffering of others. Compassion is the fruit of suffering from which the world tells us to flee.
Compassion is what qualifies us to participate in God’s plan.
It was about a week after my COVID-ridden interview that I started thinking about my old childhood friend Craig Hammerly. “That’s weird,” I thought. I hadn’t thought of him for years. Craig was the unauthorized friend with whom I used to play in the woods between our houses when we were 6 or 7 years old. I say “unauthorized” because Craig was that “bad kid”. My mother forbade our friendship. So I’d grab my Tonka dump truck, excavator, and matchbox cars and meet Craig secretly to play. Craig didn’t have any toys so it was up to me. I remember I’d always be trying to build something. Craig just wanted to crash the race cars into the Tonka trucks and destroy everything. It was kind of irritating but I rolled with it. Craig lived alone with his grandfather. Rumor had it that he “did things to Craig” – the kind of things that people didn’t talk about let alone do anything about. Craig got held back and we grew apart by the time I was in the third grade. Soon he became the school bully that everyone was afraid to fight. Craig couldn’t read but he sure knew how to punch. Elementary school mythology had it that “he’d knocked out a high school kid in a fight. Heck, even the teachers were afraid of him.” His identity became the kid who could beat up anyone – except maybe his grandfather. Craig moved away sometime before the 6th grade and I never heard of him after. It seemed kind of random that I’d feel prompted to look him up on the internet after 50 years. But there he was. His picture was all over the internet. It was no surprise when I learned that Craig, who called himself Damien Knight had been on drugs and in and out of jail for most of his life. He’d just been arrested again a week or so before.
Craig beat his roommate to death with his fists
Maybe you come from one of those miraculously functional families that loved Jesus and each other. Maybe you are cringing or weeping as you read this. Maybe you’re scratching your head and trying to make sense of seemingly disconnected albeit traumatic data points. Maybe you just think I’m crazy. Or maybe you recognize that “there but for the grace of God go I”. One of the many ways that God speaks to us in and through the circumstances of our own lives – past and present. When I look at Craig I see myself minus Jesus. There’s no going back for guys like Craig and me only forward. But maybe I can help boys – boys like we once were to choose a different path. What I know for sure is that I had no idea why God told us to move to Greeneville Tennesee. It was such a blind leap of faith that part of me questioned my hearing at times. Today it is clear what God is doing or at least what he’s continuing to do in my life. It’s what He’s always been doing. He’s crushing and pressing.
He’s making new wine.
I don’t know what Craig’s future holds. I do know that with God all things are possible. I know that God used prison to save my eternal life and begin the transformation that resulted in the wild adventure that is my life today. Of course, I didn’t know it at first. I know the goal is to count it all joy in the midst of trials and testing. But let’s face it. The crushing and pressing hurts and all we want to do at first is to make it stop. Most of us are doing well if we can count it all to joy to have passed through them. Still, every day I am excited to see what God weaves in and through my life and where he places me as a living stone fitly framed in His house. I hope you can do the same.
The name “Gray Hope Missionaries” has occasionally caused a few eyebrows to rise. “What does that even mean?” they ask with a familiar reticence in their voice. I’ll admit it does sound a bit self-centered. I originally coined the title with the idea of it being a conversation starter. That’s manipulation code for initiating an evangelistic or “support us” sales pitch.
We all know God’s will requires funding.
Amirite?
Gray is the color between black and white, light and dark. It’s how I imagine hope. It’s also a Scotch Irish name that literally means hope. According to Google, the family crest which may or may not be my family crest, is an anchor.
That we live in the gray is another way of saying we see as in a glass darkly.
We need as much hope as we can get.
If you ask a missionary what life on the mission field is like you will often get an oral or written narrative along the lines of our most recent Hope In Time Newsletter, the ministry with whom we currently serve. Yes, we really do what we say. That’s not the point. Increasingly, we find ourselves cringing at what inevitably ends up looking like horn-tooting, self-promotion. It’s a Catch 22. We can’t be accountable to supporters without pictures of us doing what we say we do. But then it’s hard to direct the reader’s attention to God while staring at our mugs amidst a story about some tin we just nailed.
I’ve come to almost despise the drudgery of self-promotion if only because it’s not biblical. Mat 6:1-4 When I think back to the marketing videos I regularly produced until two years ago I am embarrassed that I cultivated so much narcissism and self-aggrandizement. Yet narcissism and embellishment are just good business these days. They are expected and even praised in our consumer culture. That this is accompanied by a corresponding subconscious distrust of anyone asking for money seems rather ironic. That we associate meekness and humility with failure, and grandiosity with success, may offer some insight into why our culture has so little wisdom and discernment and continues to select psychopaths as leaders.
But I digress.
In my experience, being a missionary has been more about coming to terms with things that people preoccupied with the first world rat race never have time or perhaps the desire to think about.
I liken it to peelingan onion.
We began with peeling away our previous assumptions about ourselves, missions work, God, His Word and the world, as well all the ethical dilemmas that result from pride-ridden dreams of being a “world changer”.
This is counterintuitive as we are taught that success is contingent upon one’s ability to portray it.
Next came a season of preaching one thing and doing another. In my case that looked like talking about abiding while franticly striving to live up to prophetic words about my being a “world changer”.
Turns out telling people they are “world changers” is also a marketing strategy.
This recurring motif frequently ends in missionary burnout. Either we learn that,
“His strength is made perfect in weakness. We would rather boast in our infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon us. For when we are weak, then we are strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:8-10
or we quit.
This may seem simplistic to those whose careers and prosperity are the fruit of their dependency on God. But try it after slaying prosperity on the altar. This is where we encounter our inner Judas.
Mary, therefore, took a pound of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (he who was about to betray him), said, “Why was this ointment not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” John 12:3-6
The temptation to do everything apart from the literal commands of Jesus can be strong. There’s always an excuse. I have learned that given a severe enough tragedy or perceived inequity, and there always is, darn near any worldly strategy can be justified in support of financing God’s will.
Yet Jesus assured us there will be no human solution to the world’s suffering and problems. That includes poverty, climate change, and injustice to name a few. The Christian walk is not about world-changing effort and success let alone how God uses the almighty “us” to do it. It’s about being broken as we learn we can not. Only brokenness teaches us to be utterly dependent upon Jesus.That is thekingdom definition of success.
It begins with accepting the abject silliness of our self-imagined significance. John 15:1-17
“You can do nothing” is not hyperbole. “Nothing” means “nothing”. Hence, I’m thinking a better word for “missionary” might be
“Abidinary” – one who abides in the vine.
In our case, becoming an “abidinary” has meant dwelling both literally and prophetically in the wilderness. This has been especially true since moving into the mountains when the entire world was locked down. Our driver’s licenses expired and we don’t have a car. Every time we are tempted to think it is coming to an end, another mutation and mutant worldly narrative kicks in. We are stunned and amazed at what the world has become and is becoming. It seems that everything we knew could happen – but probably wouldn’t – is happening. Maybe you can relate. Each time we learn that normal isn’t coming back the Lord brings us back into the Book of Exodus. We shed another onion layer as we look into the type and shadow of our own impatience, impertinence, and ingratitude. Sometimes we are at the Springs of Marah in Exodus 15 grumbling that the living water is not sweetened to our taste. Other times we are in Exodus 32 carving a golden calf 2.0. Our calf isn’t made of gold but steak dinners and dreams of RV living while touring the US.
Meanwhile, God keeps placing us at the proverbial entrance to the Leviticus 8:35 tent.
For the record, I am not claiming to be a Levitical Priest.
Rather there is just so much history and depth in the original Tabernacle and Priesthood. Leviticus 8 is about the consecration and ordination of the priests. Many believers discount the Old Testament, especially Leviticus. “That was the old covenant,” they say. “Only the new one applies today.” And let’s be honest. Detailed descriptions of donning one hundred pounds of priestly garb before tying a bull to the altar, slaughtering it in the heat, and spreading the blood and guts around can be boring and well…gross.
Still, everything points directly to Jesus and lends greater depth to our understanding of Him and our relationshipwith Him.
The bull was first and foremost symbolic of the priest tying himself to the altar. What took place there was a prophetic depiction of Jesus who would be both the final and perfect sacrifice as well as the high priest who offered it. It was symbolic of the depth of what is required if indeed we offer ourselves as living sacrifices. Rom 12:1-2.
Meanwhile, we sing “Come to the altar” as if it were an invitation to hug Santa Claus.
The altar is an invitation to tie ourselves up, be slain and die.
The tying, which is submission, is up to us. The slaying is a job for the High Priest. That’s Jesus. Anyone who has ever slaughtered a bull knows the sheer brutality, labor and gore involved. That the same sacrifice was immediately repeated with a ram only makes the scene seem more burdensome and intense. We may not slaughter animals as a propitiation for sin today. But shouldn’t our alter calls reflect the same sober intensity? Interestingly, Lev 8:3 lends deeper context to the scene when we consider that the entire congregation was required to be present.
This was church.
The Levitical Priests were just getting started.
“And you shall not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the days of your ordination are completed, for it will take seven days to ordain you. As has been done today, the Lord has commanded to be done to make atonement for you. At the entrance of the tent of meeting you shall remain day and night for seven days, performing what the Lord has charged, so that you do not die, for so I have been commanded.” Lev 8:33-35
There is mind-numbing, soul-shaking, typological, depth to this for those who understand. Suffice it to say that in addition to the wilderness, this is the place where God has repeatedly placed Cathy and me for the better part of two years. It is an uncomfortable place, albeit an often joyful place, a paradoxical place filled with futility and hope and the realization that our best efforts are analogous to a finger painting by a three-year-old presented to his father. Perhaps the desire to please God alone would qualify as an acceptable sacrifice. But then who can honestly say they do that? Hence, the bible says our best efforts are filthy rags. It seems more likely that our worldly displays before man for which people so often praise us has become our reward in full. Peeling the onion has shown us that
The counterfeit of true worship and sacrifice is the worship of one’s own reflection in the eyes of another and as we might imagine it in the eyes ofGod.
We are the tabernacle today. The tent entrance is symbolic of the place of coming to terms with ourselves as God reveals the deepest parts of ourselves in answer to prayer. Residual parts we don’t like and wish were not there. It is always parts we wish were not there that need to be cut away, discarded or burned. The altar is hard work. But the hardest part is in the submission to waiting.
The entrance to the tent is a most necessary place.
It is at the entrance to the tent of our tabernacle that we wrestle with drudgery, immobility, and loneliness. We are all strangers in a strange land. But Honduras is a place where no matter how low and slow we go we will never be seen as equal, a part of, or the same. We are gringos. We are opportunity and blessing, consumers and cash. Sometimes we are bipedal ATMs. The deafening silence so devoid of true fellowship at the tabernacle door can produce the temptation to retrieve what was slain and return to comfort in the land of the prospering dead. We are here for seven days, however long or short a time that may actually be, according to His will and “so that (we) do not die.” There may be a different season and assignment on the horizon. In the meantime, this is what it looks like to learn to abide. John 15:5
I know it’s Christmas and depending on the audience, “Merry Christmas” can be a sincere wish, an act of defiance, or a virtue signal. As for us, Marantha seems a more fitting greeting this year.
It’s been about a month since our little mission cabin was destroyed in an Iota landslide. In a few days, it will be exactly a year since God called us out of the City of Refuge into the mountains here.
To say that we loved our little cabin would be an understatement for sure. Of course, we always knew our time there would come to an end. That awareness only added to the sacredness. Ironically last year I wrote that Water brought us here. I guess it’s only fitting that water-soaked earth should take us out.
I ended that post with Proverbs 3:5-6.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
Like a lot of people, we’ve had our times of wrestling with God this year. Perhaps you can relate. “Why Lord did you bring us here only to lock us down in our house for 13 out of every 14 days.” Yet “Why?” is the cry of spoiled children. “What are you doing Lord?” is the only valid one. The only thing that came to mind each time I asked was the word “preserve”. Cathy heard “worship me”. Meanwhile, each time we stopped wrestling with God over our situation, let go, and focused on Him and His word, He’d bring His purpose into our lives.
I can’t describe the confusion I experienced as I walked down the road that morning and realized that our house was completely gone then saw the two boulders laying side by side in the exact place where our heads would have been had we chosen to sleep there that night.
I did get part of an answer to my question for the year.
The Lord had directed our steps and preserved us.
The other part came from Jacob. The story of Jacob wrestling with God in Genesis 32 has always been one of my favorites. It was during our morning devotions the other day that the word “preserved” emerged again in verse 30. I’d never really noticed it before. We looked it up and found the original Hebrew word is “Natsal”.
It means to “deliver, rescue and save.
“Natsal” also means to strip.
We had been stripped of everything but the clothes on our backs and we were homeless in the third world. And yet a strange supernatural peace enveloped us as well as an even stronger bond between us as husband and wife.
That bond and peace remain with us now.
It is a peace that comes with the reassurance that His hand is indeed upon us and the understanding that true worship is trusting Him no matter what. We did. We do. If we leave this earth tomorrow it is only because our appointed time has arrived.
In the meantime, He will preserve us.
Like most full-time missionaries we’ve had our share of weird harrowing experiences. One thing we have observed is that life goes on as normal until suddenly it doesn’t. One minute your driving down the road singing silly songs then staring down the barrels of rifles or threatened with spears in the next. In any case, facing one’s imminent demise is always surreal. One thing is certain. All of life as we know it will one day be swept away. As our 78-year-old friend, Maria just said,
“He gives and takes away.”
“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?” Mat 6:25-27
It didn’t take long for us to release all our worldly possessions that were buried beneath mud and wreckage. The ease with which we did this surprised everyone especially us. A few days later our Honduran friends asked us to come to their house. When we arrived we found clothing and other things that the community had painstakingly dug up and washed for us.
They even dug my drone and a pouch full of Cathy’s special heirloom jewelry she’d made 40 years ago out of three feet of mud.
The love was priceless and palpable even if our hearts sank under the renewed burden of stuff.
That sounds crazy.I know.
What are you doing Lord?
While we are certain more will be revealed, at this point, the joy of a James 1:2-4 testing that increased our faith and the contentment described by Paul in Phil 4:11-13 appear to be the biggest takeaway right now. It’s one thing to read and know the word. Living is is another.
Since then we’ve been consumed with helping those less fortunate than ourselves. If you follow us and or Hope In Time Ministries on FaceBook then you know what we’ve been up to. As for our welfare, we have a fully furnished house to stay in until March 1st.
We have no idea where we are going after that. Mat 6:25-27.
The devastation here can be mind-numbing and the temptation to check out is real.
Yet on this day, our hearts go out to so many in the 1st world. Those grasping for the material. Those praying that their old lives will be restored and those with all hope in a political candidate. Those with the same hope in a vaccine. Those who remain terrified and angry about so many things beyond their control. Those consumed by the cares of this world and are blind.
To those I say, “there is a better way”.
I’m not a prophet, fortune teller, or seer but I’m guessing that events in the coming weeks and years are going to draw many to the Lord and cause others to fall away. I believe there is a message in the recent events of our lives that applies to all.
Everyone on earth has a world view. Everyone frames their lives accordingly. Every world view is framed or bracketed by unprovable assumptions regarding one’s origin and destiny. It is on these assumptions that we all place our trust and fill the space in between. That so many today are thoroughly consumed with anxiety and fear over things that they can not control let alone understand is not the result of events between the brackets.
They are a result of bad bracketing.
Maranatha is an Aramaic word that depending on how it is pronounced means “Jesus has come” and “Jesus is coming”. It is the gospel of the Kingdom condensed into one word. It is the truth claim that brackets the life of every true follower of Christ regardless of how messed up things might be in the space in-between. It is the truth claim the brackets our existence and supports everything we do whether or not we have a place to lay our heads. Let’s face it. “Hard” is a relative term. This past year has been hard for everyone. Yet while Jesus did not promise freedom from suffering He did promise peace. That peace is contingent on the bracketing.
I recently saw a headline that 43% of evangelicals think Donald Trump should be removed from office. We know others who have declared him to be a modern-day Cirrus. I’ve had different opinions at different times but honestly,
I’ve never met the man.
All I know is what I see, hear and read in the media.
I write a blog for the Adventures in Missions GAP year squad that we coach called The Squirrel Pole. A squirrel pole is a survival food trap that I learned about when I was a US Marine.
Its based on the idea that everything in nature naturally takes the path of least resistance. A squirrel is perfectly capable of running straight up a tree. But place branch laden with wire nooses at an angle against the trunk and the stupid squirrel will hang itself every time.
Another squirrel poll upon which people hang themselves is the reliance on others to do their thinking for them.
I used to trade world currencies on the FOREX.
That’s when I learned the world is not the world I had learned about in school. It makes sense. The father of lies is the god of it.
As it turns out the average American’s world view is shaped by a media whose narrative is controlled by six corporations. That’s not just so called “fake news”. That’s all news.
The first thing I learned as a trader was, know your own biases, do your own analysis and emotion is the enemy of analysis.
People are easily manipulated by what is commonly known as confirmation bias. Brokers leverage confirmation bias to take money away from nonprofessional traders who dream of getting rich quick.
They call these nonprofessionals “dumb money”.
This is how it works. The broker begins by “pumping” a stock or other financial instrument through internet and television. They tell everyone why “you’d better hurry before it’s too late because this one is a sure thing!” Dumb money is looking for a sure thing and hearing “it’s a sure thing” confirms what they want to hear. So, dumb money rushes in to buy before the price goes up. Of course, this drives the price up at warp speed. Dumber money tries to jump on the “moving train” and the price goes up faster until it hits a target predetermined by the broker who probably owns the biggest chunk.
When it hits the mark, the broker might short the stock or buy an “option” before closing his original position and collecting the profit. Of course, some of the dumb money sees the price action, panics and sells before they lose everything. That makes the price drop faster and more people jump off the “moving train” and sell to cover their losses. When the price gets low enough the original broker reverses his position and collects the profit from that trade too. This goes on all day every day that markets are open. What is important to understand is that media drama moves markets. While the public separates into tribes, fights with each other over what they believe is the correct moral side of what they think is the real issue; smart money is busy making money.
For example, gun control is always hot button issue pumped by the press. In June 2016 Barack Obama talked about a possible assault weapons ban. The media pumped a false pending executive order narrative. Guess what happened next? Gun lovers panicked. Assault weapons and ammunition sales went through the roof. Smart money made money again.
Confirmation bias makes lying easy. Confirmation bias makes us easy to manipulate.
World leaders have always used it to manipulate populations for their own gain.
Paul Joseph Goebbels was Adolf Hitler’s Minister of propaganda said;
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State.”
Know your own confirmation biases.
Otherwise you’re sure to get played.
Why am I telling you all this in a missionary blog?
Adolf Hitler had motto.
“He alone, who owns the youth, gains the future.”
There is a huge cultural and spiritual war in progress for the hearts and minds of the generation that many of us refer to as youth. Some of you are youth.
The winner gets to determine “Truth”
Deception is the Devil’s number one game.
And Your emotions are a primary tool in Hell’s efforts to manipulate and control you.
In Mat 22 people were trying to trap Jesus into making a political statement about taxation, politics, and Rome so they could kill him. It was a total set up. But Jesus wasn’t dumb. Cesar’s image was on the money. So He said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.
The question is; who’s image do you bear?
If it’s God’s then shouldn’t you be rendering all of yourself onto Him?
I recently heard a preacher ask; “Why do we get so upset when we see the world acting like the world?” That’s what the world does. Even more; why are we so focused on changing the world by worldly means? 2 Tim 3 seems clear. Things are going to get worse before they get better. As Christians we are called to be in the world not of it. We are called to be Holy which means “set apart”. We can argue politics all day. But it doesn’t change anything. It only divides and divided kingdoms don’t stand.
By all means render onto Cesar what is Cesar’s and vote. Just be aware of your own confirmation bias and your own unreliable emotions.
That said, Jesus was clear. He said “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. John 14:6
Christians are ruining their witness everyday by getting angry over politics. Meanwhile PEOPLE ARE GOING TO HELL.
If you ask me we need to be telling people who Truth is and stop wasting our time fighting over who Trump is.
At the end of the day we’re all dumb money when it comes to that.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.Rom 1:18-20
Before we delve into why they are without excuse for their disbelief, we need to review how we establish proof of anything. For believers, this means identifying the reasons (arguments)for the hope that is within us. 1 Peter 3:15 Fair enough. Yet it also involves identifying the logical fallacies driving arguments that oppose God. Charismatics tend to cringe at the idea. “Listen!” They say. “I already know that I know so who cares?!” While some believers are repelled by intellectual arguments, the fact that these arguments exist at all is in itself proof of God’s existence.
World View
While you may not have given it much thought, everyone has a worldview. It is a paradigm – a conceptual model of reality. This includes but is not limited to ideas about God, and the origins of life. Every worldview can be reduced to one or more empirically unprovable presuppositions. That the phone I am holding will fall to the ground if I let go is an empirically provable presupposition. In contrast, “God exists.” Or “God does not exist.” are empirically unprovable presuppositions. Hence both are statements of faith. The question that follows any two opposing statements of faith is,
Which of them has the most logical supporting evidence?
Some might view this as splitting hairs. However, millions of young people are being argued out of their faith by falsehoods framed as proven facts.
Please don’t misunderstand. I am not rejecting alternative forms of knowledge. Spiritual discernment, prophecy, revelation, dreams, visions, or any other supernatural encounter with God and His truth can be equally valid. Rather I am establishing what Paul means by
they are without excuse.
God is the author of the laws of logic, mathematics, and science that govern His creation. It was the revelation that It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matterProv 25:2 that drove mankind to discover science which means knowledge in the first place.
Presuppositionalism
If you are a 2 Tim 3:16-17 Bible-believing follower of Christ then you are by definition a presuppositionalist. The presupposition is that All scripture is God-breathed and therefore inerrant. Can we prove this empirically? No. Or at least not yet. We are being intellectually honest when we admit that we walk by faith, not by sight. 2 Cor 5:7
In contrast, Atheists normally claim intellectual superiority over those who walk by faith. Perhaps the most famous of these is Evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins. When asked how atheists should respond to Christians he said, “Mock them!” Because “religion “subverts science and saps the intellect”.
Ironically, he calls himself a “cultural Christian” today. 🤔
Having listened to Dawkins for years I think this is hilarious. However, the most pertinent point to grasp is that ALLpurely intellectual atheists are intellectually dishonest. Richard Dawkins is the perfect example in that he would never admit that his firmly held “there is no God” presupposition is in fact, a statement of faith. Even more important is that the above video illustrates the sleight of hand that so many atheists use in debating theists. Instead of making an argument for what they do believe, atheists redefine terms and argue for what they don’t. Here Dawkins arrogantly assumes the right to redefine the term Christian. Yet, only God and His word can define a follower of Christ.
Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.Mark 16:16
This narcissistic, self-aggrandizing nitwit has led countless students away from God. He is a quintessential representation of the spirit of anti-Christ. He actually believes that
he can claim to be Christian without believing in Christ.
If that sounds mean, consider this. I call Dawkins a nitwit because what Islamic extremists would do to him here on earth is nothing compared to what he will face in eternity if he doesn’t repent and believe.
Proof
Just as only God can define God. Only empirically proven facts can define empirical truth. Everything else amounts to faith in a presupposition.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Heb 11:1.
The good news is that genuine faith is backed by evidence such that it becomes evidence itself. The more evidence we gather, the stronger our faith and hope grow. People like Richard Dawkins listen to my subjective personal testimony then mock me and say I am nuts. But subjective does not mean untrue. As believers, we tend to confirm our subjective experiences by correlating them with similar experiences reported by others. That’s great if our faith increases. If frustration and confusion arise it is probably because we are treating subjective truth as if it were objective. Correlation is never proof of cause in itself. Hence, an atheist might simply say it is expected that we would align with, and build consensus with other mentally ill people. Can Holy Spirit confirm our subjective truth claims in the hearts and minds of unbelievers? Certainly. Yet we must understand. The fact that someone debates our subjective truth is not what Paul said will leave themwithout excuse.
We need to understand and acknowledge this if we claim to loveunbelievers.
Those without excuse namely vehement atheists almost always validate their presupposition by using the subjective nature of our experiences against us. First, they point out the subjective nature of spiritual experience itself. We present what we think is supporting evidence but is really just more subjective truth. Then they claim we are delusional. If we take the bait, they trick us into arguing that we are not. The harder we try, the more frustrated we become. At that point, the atheist mocks us. We step into guilt, shame, and condemnation because we feel stupid. Or we get offended and warn them they are going to hell. We repeat the experience a few times until we give up and stop talking about God to strangers. If only we would grasp and understand that we plant and water. 1 Cor 3:5-9 That is all. The best we can hope is that our subjective testimony and objective evidence we are about to present will inspire others to,
Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.Psalm 34:8
It’s important to think deeply about what Paul means when he says, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.
He is speaking specifically about the objective proof of God. That proof has grown exponentially since Paul’s day as Daniel so aptly predicted.
…Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.Dan 12:4
Those who are without excuses are not accountable for rejecting our testimony. They are accountable for rejecting the proof that was in front of them the entire time. They are accountable for the sorcery and lies to which they cling because they love their sin and their rebellion. Those without excuse do not want God to be God. In the words of a very honest atheist Thomas Nagel,
“I want atheism to be true and am made uneasy by the fact that some of the most intelligent and well-informed people I know are religious believers. It isn’t just that I don’t believe in God and, naturally, hope that I’m right in my belief. It’s that I hope there is no God! I don’t want there to be a God; I don’t want the universe to be like that.”
–The Last Word – 1997
Thomas Nagel is a perfect example of what is in the heart of every committed atheist. These are those whom Paul says are without excuse. Any purely intellectual atheist will change their mind when faced with the objective proof of God that modern science provides. The problem is that many believers remain totally unaware of how much genuine scientific confirmation of our faith exists.
What follows is a list of evidence for the reader to explore at their leisure. While not exhaustive, the list contains some of my favorite arguments and evidence for the truth that Holy Spirit has already confirmed in the hearts of genuine believers.
Cosmological Argument
Something can not come from nothing. Those claiming it can have yet to provide the smallest shred of supporting evidence. Hence it remains a bad presupposition – an unsupported statement of faith.
Whatever begins to exist has a cause. Once again, Newton’s Third Law of Thermodynamics which no atheist would dispute says for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Saying that things exist without a cause amounts to saying that reactions do not require a precipitating action.
The universe began to exist. No scientist anywhere would seriously postulate that the universe has always existed. Finding and recreating the moment it began is the primary goal of the Hadron Collider known as CERN in Switzerland.
Therefore, the universe has a cause. That cause would have to be outside space and time otherwise known as creation. Because something can’t come from nothing and every reaction has a precipitating action or force outside itself that set it in motion.
At the end of the day, the Cosmological Argument is a bullet-pointed breakdown of what most people call common sense. Common sense is what Paul means by …clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. Here is another example.
Intelligent Design
Imagine you were an alien landing in a forest on Earth. Trees, plant life, and birds were all you saw as you walked for miles. Suddenly you found a wristwatch buried in the leaves. You investigate further by taking the back off and notice all the miniature circuitry, the battery that powers it, and the tiny LED display. Obviously, you conclude that the watch is an aberration, the product of a random act of nature. That sounds logical.
Right?
Of course not. Comonsense tells us that complexity always indicates design. Design requires an intelligent designer. Still, many reprobates continue to argue the point. None would dispute that if it takes 23,000 engineers and three billion lines of code to run Google, the largest repository of knowledge and information on earth, it would be dumb to dispute the existence of intelligent designers behind Google. If that is the case it is just as dumb to dispute the intelligent designer of a cell weighing less than several ten-thousandths of a gram and requiring what amounts to two billion lines of code using four amino acids, adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G) and thymine (T) to operate.
At this point, many might assume that prayer could only be relegated to the realm of subjective truth. While the impact of prayer on the external world remains subjective, there is some fairly solid objective evidence regarding prayer’s impact on the one who is praying.
Most will remember the geologic layers they learned about in junior high or Middle School Earth Science.
The layers allegedly proved the earth is millions of years old. The existence of coal was one major proof point. While you won’t hear about it from secular sources, coal was formed during the Mt Saint Helen’s eruption in 1980. In addition to the linked article above the YouTube channel Is Genesis History is a fantastic source for scientific evidence of the Biblical story of creation.
Fine Tuning
That the earth’s position just happened to be so perfectly fine-tuned to support life defies the laws of mathematical probability. In fact, the mathematical probability of fine-tuning being a random event is 1 times 10 to the minus sixtypower. Just to add context, a mathematical impossibility begins at 10 to the minus fifty power.
In case you are confused by minus 50 – 60 powers.
To give you some perspective the odds of your being struck by lightning in the United States in your lifetime is 1.5 times 10 to the minus 4 power.
The Primordial Slime
The probability of life occurring randomly out of what Evolutionary Biologists call the primordial slime is in the same range of impossibility. John Lennox is an amazing scientific Christian apologist who has successfully debated the likes of Richard Dawkins and others on the mathematical and scientific accuracy of the Bible.
That’s a whole lot to chew on.
As believers, we know the ultimate proof that God exists is found amidst our relationship with Him and in all the mighty subjective confirmations He gives within our hearts where eternity is written. Ecc 3:11 Again, we don’t provide evidence to prove God exists. Rather we provide it so that those who have been sold a fake scientific narrative can see that the science that claims to prove the nonexistence of God is not science at all. True science beholds his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, which have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made and are awed by them. True science is worship. The evidence we present causes sincere truth seekers to question what they have been told such that they open their hearts and call out to God and He will answer. Isa 65:24 Then they can taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him. Psalm 34:8
Those who reject God do so because they don’t want there to be a God; they don’t want the universe to be like that.” It is for this reason that they are
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”Rom 1:16-17
The question posed in the previous post was;
What exactly is faith? And how do we live by it?
Perhaps the most common scriptural response is, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.Heb 11:1 The rest of the chapter known as “The Hall of Faith”, describes major Old Testament players some of whom fell pretty hard along the way and were still able to please God through faith.
But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.Heb 11:6
There is a fair amount of division in the body of Christ that is rooted in the subject of faith. For example, those familiar with Catholic doctrine know that faith and works in James 2:14-26 are a salvation issue. Hence penance always follows the confession of sin to and through God’s intermediary, the Priest. Protestant Christianity which encompasses all other mainstream church denominations, tries to agree with what the Bible explicitly states.
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.Eph 2:8-9
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are,yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.Heb 4:14-16
Whatever faith is, it is a gift from God, without which, we have no hope. Eph 2:8-10 It seems that our having it is in no way dependent on anything we do. Jesus clearly stated.
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.John 6:44
The question does God draw us before we believe, or must we believe for God to draw us has been debated for centuries. At the end of the day, the mere fact that anyone believes Jesus and has faith may be the ultimate demonstration of God’s power.
As for works, Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.John 6:29
Still, the fracturing of our collective Protestant theology continues across ever growing denominations. Divisions in Protestant churches are mostly along the lines of Reformed Theology versus the younger Charismatic Movement.
The root of controversy is the existence of spiritual gifts as well the nature and role of faith in exercising them. Reformed believers tend to deny the gifts based on thier interpretation of scripture. This baffels Charasmatics who point out the plainly stated gifts in 1 Cor 12:4-11. What many charismatics misunderstand is that reformed believers regard the full canon of scripture from Genesis to Revelation as the fulfillment of but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.1 Cor 13:10. Charasmatics see the fullment of the perfect inthe future second coming of Jesus when we see him face to face and know Him as He knows us. 1 Cor 13:12 In the meantime these three remain,
faith, hope, and love.
I say this because while they might deny it, all denominations ultimately equate thier perception with the fulfillment of walking by faith, not sight. 2 Cor 5:7 No one takes to heart what scripture says about our perception,
While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.2 Cor 4:18
In the end, we argue and divide over what we think God does or does not do. Charismatics may dismiss Reformed believers as “spiritually dead”, “Pharisaical “Legalistic”, or “religious spirited”. Reformed believers, view charismatics as heretics preaching doctrines of demons. 1 Tim 4:1-3 Everyone ignores that unity of the faith in the body of Christ is a vital benchmark that Satan has thus far successfully opposed.
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.Eph 4:11-16
The devil is riddled with joy because he knows that if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.Mark 3:25
But it’s not just reformed believers and Charismatics who are divided. There are myriad divisions over the nature and role of faith among Charismatics. For example, streams like the Word of Faith Movement, the and The Seven Mountains Mandate regard faith as a tool to recreate earth as it is in heaven. The overarching theme in this is that Jesus’ declaration “it is finished!”John 19:30 was not only the fulfillment of the gospel of salvation but also the gospel of the kingdom. They believe God wants everyone happy, healed, and prosperous NOW. Jesus is on the thrown and we are seated with Him in heavenly places. Eph 2:6 It is the responsibility of the church to transform the earth one institution at a time. Hence, believers have the power to speak things into existence and transform society according to their faith. Mat 9:29 More faith, means more power. After all, Jesus did say, according to their faith. The question is;
according to their faith in what?
The answer is found in the previous verse.Do you believe that I can do this? Once again the work of the believer is to believe God for whom nothing is impossible.Luke 1:37
Then we have the words of Jesus.
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do…John 4
The implication seems to be that if I am not getting what I ask from Jesus then I must not believe…enough. Yet we must not ignore an important qualifying part of the verse. that the Father may be glorifiedin the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.John 4:12-14
Jesus is not a proverbial genie in a bottle who does what I want provided I believe He will. Jesus came, died and was resurrected to accomplish His Father’s will not mine. How prideful are we to assume that any desire of mine is synonymous with the Father’s?
The book of James further addresses the motivation that drives our asking.
...You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”? James 4:2-5
How do we ask rightly? By abiding in Jesus. Apart from Him we can do nothing. John 15:5 That includes the ability to ask rightly.
Apart from Jesus I can’t even ask the right questions!
The only condition I see Jesus setting on His doing whatever we ask in His name is that it glorifies the Father. Glorifying the Father begins with desiring His will, not ours. Even if it means we must suffer. 1 Pet 1:6-7 Our purpose and goal on earth is to align with the Father until we only say and do what He is doing. John 5:19-20 Let’s be honest. How many of our prayers are prayed with a sincere and single-minded desire that the Father be glorified? Aren’t most of our prayers really self centered petitions that “my will be done in Jesus’ name?” I don’t know about you but I can rationalize and justify anything with a scripture taken out of context. The fact remains that God has always used hard situations 1 Peter 1:6-7 to purify His people and glorify Himself. We’ve covered this topic at length in previous posts. Suffice it to say that we can not be disciples of Jesus apart from a willingness and even an expectation of suffering. Mat 16:24, Rom 5:3-5, 2 Tim 3:12, James 1:2-4, 1 Pet 1:6-7 Confusion is gauranteed if we miss the first prerequisite for faith that allows discipleship to take place.
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. Rom 10:17
The implication here is that faith can grow. Still, it does not say that we do anything beyond hearing and believing God which we have already established as the work of God.
Habakkuk
In the previous post, we mentioned the book of Habakkuk in the context of it’s being quoted in Romans 1:16-17, The Righteous Shall Live by Faith! Habakkuk’s frustration mirrors the frustration of so many believers today.
It is within the context of such overwhelming hopelessness that the true meaning and manifestation of faith may be found.
Habakkuk concludes with the following.
I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me.Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.Hab 3:16-19
The overarching message regarding the nature of faith and its application seems to be rooted in believing God in accordance with His word such that we seek Him for Himself not for what we think He does or does not want to do for us or through us. It seems to me that genuine faith pursues holiness. Faith is not the pursuit of power and prosperity to alter circumstances for the sake of our comfort and pleasure. Rather faith believes God is in control of all outcomes despite circumstances. Faith produces peace that passes understanding in the midst of circumstances regardless of how they appear to our minuscule earth-bound minds. Faith always prays like Jesus prayed at Gethsemane.
nevertheless, not as I will, but as YOU will. Mat 26:39
It seems to me that what so many call faith today is nothing more than spiritual pride in disguise. That we know in part1Cor 13 is for everyone but us. We are right. They are wrong! If the body of Christ could agree to abandon the pride and hubris that assumes the individual right and authority contradict God’s written word. If we would accept that we all see as in a glass darkly 1 Cor 13:12 and we see better when we see together, we’d be on our way to attaining to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Perhaps that’s why James further qualifies his declaration that we have not because we ask not with,
But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”James 4:6
So what is faith and how do we walk in it? I think it is absolute trust in God in and through His living word, Holy Spirit who never contradicts His written word. Trust is produced by utter dependence. Dependence is produced when we run out of options. Options run out in the proverbial wilderness. It is in the wilderness that we learn to trust as Abraham trusted.
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. Heb 11:8
The book of Romans was written by Paul the Apostle who wrote 12 other Epistles (Letters) included as books in the New Testament. Romans was written to both Jews and Gentiles residing in the city of Rome which was the center of the Empire. It had a diverse population of approximately one million living in a ten square mile area. Historians estimate there were forty to fifty thousand Jews residing there when Paul wrote this letter.
Unlike other churches addressed by Paul, he did not plant the one in Rome. While we don’t know for certain, the most popular theory is that it was founded by Romans who were present at Pentecost. Acts 2:10-11
In 2 Cor 12:7, Paul refers to a “thorn in the flesh“. While people commonly project their own weaknesses onto this verse, Paul was probably referring to problems with his eyesight. Gal 4:15, Acts 23:5. Hence Paul had multiple scribes or what we might call “ghost writers”. This is important because disputing bible authorship is a common antichrist strategy for invalidating the gospel. Paul wrote Romans from the city of Corinth, while he was on his third missionary journey in 56 AD.
One thing that sets Romans apart from other epistles is that Paul was writing to a church he had never visited. Instead of addressing specific issues in the church, the book of Romans establishes the proverbial big picture regarding the theological foundations of the faith, especially the doctrine of soteriology (Salvation). Hence, the book of Romans is perhaps the first book of what is commonly known as Systematic Theology.
Paul begins his letter with a customary run-on sentence from Verse 1-7. Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, was called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God. Rom 1:1 is on one hand a standard greeting like we might use “Dear so and so” today. More importantly, Paul is declaring his position, authority, and the purpose for that authority which is for the gospel of God. The context of this authority is servanthood.
“Servant” is doûlos. A Doûlos is not an employee, but one who is owned by his master. An apostle is a delegate, ambassador, or messenger.
Ironically where we were once slaves to sin, Eph 2:1-3 we are now slaves to righteousness. Our freedom is contained in our bondage as doûlos to Jesus. Many recoil at the idea of freedom in bondage to Jesus. Yet how many define true freedom as the right to remain in bondage to sin?
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 Cor 6:19-20
Paul goes on to establish his authority as being in Jesus whose own authority is derived by His being declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations. Rom 1:4-5
Incidentally, nations is éthnos people groups. We can be certain that God is concerned with choosing individual people, not political entities, agendas like patriotism, or country borders because,
Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. Acts 10:34-35
We know that the church in Rome is not new because Paul hopes that he and they may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.Rom 1:12
Paul goes on to share his desire to visit the Church in Rome but he has been unable to do so. Part of the reason seems to be the sheer volume of people to whom he was called to preach the gospel.
I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. Rom 1:14-15
The theological meat begins in verse 16.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”Rom 1:16-17, Gal 3:11, Heb 10:38, Hab 2:4
What is faith?
I listed Habakkuk 2:4 because just like so many believers today, Habakkuk was crying out to God over corruption, violence, and injustice.
O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? Or cry to you “Violence!” and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong? Destruction and violence are before me; strife and contention arise. So the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; so justice goes forth perverted.Hab 1:1-4
God replies in verse 5 “Look among the nations, and see; wonder and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told.
He goes on to say that he is sending violent people called the Chaldeans to pillage the land where Habakkuk resides. It is within this context that God says The just shall live by faith! The question before us this week, if indeed we get that far is,
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.1 Cor 16:13
How many are aware that Biblical manhood has been under attack for decades? While the most recent roots of this phenomenon are decidedly Marxist, (see Expose What?) the fact remains that multiple generations of men are confused. Many are so confused that they don’t know they are confused.
Given that I was an adolescent in the 1970’s I can remember clearly when the controversy over manhood first emerged. Before that decade, boys were raised to endure pain. I remember being told, “Big boys don’t cry”. Not because we didn’t have feelings or that feelings were bad. But rather because the call to self-control is the call to manhood which is a hero’s journey.
As the Frankfurt School’s Critical Theorists rolled out their neo-Marxist agenda using radical feminism as a catalyst in the early 70s, men were increasingly framed as oppressors instead of protectors. I distinctly remember my mother reading an article in Cosmopolitan magazine stating one radical feminist’s view that “all male babies should be killed at birth.” While I never succumbed to it, I remember feeling pressured to feel guilty for being male.
Fast forward to the 1980s with T.V. shows like Married With Children and the 90s with The King of Queens and men went from being cast as oppressors to buffoons. The compulsion to feel guilty turned to shame for being born male.
Al Bundy from Married With Children
Masculinity by contemporary cultural standards today is nothing other than mental illness.
Given that we now have somewhere between one hundred and one thousand imaginary genders, it should be no surprise that masculinity has been subdivided into hyper, hegemonic, complicit, marginalized, toxic, and subordinate masculinities. I am sure there is more…
Garbage!
If you are interested in the definitions of this absurdity then by all means research them yourself. As for me, I am a biblical man. I’ll die on that hill.
What is Biblical Manhood?
I teach the boys whom I serve at the children’s home that the primary difference between a man and a boy is self-control. Self-control is a fruit of the spirit. Gal 5:22-24 Self-control applies to every fleshly impulse, especially anger. Men who are easily overtaken by what the Bible calls fits of anger or fits of rageGal 5:19-22 might be saved and loved by God, but they have yet to attain anything resembling mature manhood. Eph 4:11-16
Only John states that Jesus made a whip which only implies that the emphasis is not the whip. Nowhere does it say that Jesus raged let alone whipped any human being. I see Jesus as uncompromising and assertive, not hostile and aggressive. Given that Jesus is God it would be pretty safe to assume that His behavior never once departed from the nine fruits of the spirit. He may have been angry, but He didn’t sin.
but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile,1 Pet 1:15-17
The Bible is full of verses regarding the importance of self-control concerning anger. Here are just a few.
Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. SelahPsalm 4:4
Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,Eph 4:26
Be not quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger lodges in the heart of fools.Ecc 7:9
A rebuke from a friend is sweeter than kisses from an enemy.Prov 27:6
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.Prov 15:1
A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention. Prov 15:18
Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.James 1:19-20
Whoever is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.Prov 16:32
Make no friendship with a man given to anger, nor go with a wrathful man, lest you learn his ways and entangle yourself in a snare.Prov 22:24-25
For an overseer, as God’s steward, must be above reproach. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered or a drunkard or violent or greedy for gain,Titus 1:7
It is in the context of true Biblical Manhood that genuine Love is modeled. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.Love never fails. 1 Cor 13:4-8
I have observed that men prone to fits of rage tend to minimize, justify, and or rationalize their lack in one or more of the bolded areas above. This is one root of religious abuse. Many maintain a facade of kindness and holy self-control while in public. Then they explode when those who might hold them accountable are not present. Defenseless women and or children often receive the brunt of their anger.
Perhaps the most pure and genuine expression of biblical manhood is found in our relationships with women and children. Not just the women and children in our families, but all women and children. After all, Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:27
Ironically it is within the rite of passage from boyhood to manhood where the capacity to harm another is established that patience, kindness, the desire and ability to honor others, self-control, and the inner drive to protect are formed. If that seems confusing then consider how many adolescent boys punch holes in walls. It is only through the comprehension that we can harm that we develop a healthy fear that we might harm. Hence it is the fear of losing control of our own power that provides an initial spark of self-control. Self-control brings with it the recognition that we have a capacity and therefore a responsibility to protect those weaker than ourselves. We begin as boys dependent on our parents for protection. Then one day we realize that if someone comes through the door with the intent to harm others it is up to us to stop them. No one else is coming. This revelation may be literal or proverbial. Unfortunately, most traditional rites of passage have been lost. This is especially true in a society that begrudges masculinity. What may have been intended to soften men and create a more peaceful society has backfired. We now have legions of insecure uninitiated boys in men’s bodies without a higher purpose and something to prove. Instead of fully stepping into their roles as priests, providers, and protectors of those called by God to birth the bearers of His image, these uninitiated men are compelled to compete with and subsequently view women as a threat. Having never embraced and understood their own power to harm, they lack an awareness of how intimidating and even terrifying their fits of rage may be to a weaker vessel especially a woman or a child.
Given the neo-Marxist and therefore satanically induced competition between men and women in our society I should probably qualify the term “Weaker Vessel” 1 Pet 3:7 “Weaker Vessel” does not mean “inferior vessel”. Peter is clear. We are to honor them as the weaker vessel since they are heirs with us. Proverbially speaking, wehonor the weaker vessels as we would fine china instead of treating them like cast iron frying pans.
At this point, the missing rite of passage can only be fulfilled by deep repentance. Having terrified or harmed those he is called by God to nurture and protect, he must stand accountable before God and man. The hero’s journey now looks like a willingness to humbly own and embrace any hard truth that is presented about himself. He must remove any permission he has given himself to lash out in a fit of rage. He must resolve to be patient, gentle, and self-controlled even when it hurts. Even when it is unfair. It is within this process that the transformation of the uninitiated inner child takes place and the flesh-driven man steps into biblical manhood as a priest, provider, and protector within his family and his community.
Be one who calms the storms in people’s lives instead of the storm itself.Mark 4:35-41
Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love.1 Cor 16:13-14
This is the story of a Super Hero. Some people know him as Judah. I know him as “Lion Man”. Judah is a living epistle of perseverance in tribulation which produces character, and character hope. Lion Man bolsters my hope because I can so clearly see the love of God that is poured out in Judah’s heart. Rom 5:3-5.
Biblically speaking, Judah was the youngest of Jacob’s sons through whom the lineage of Jesus, The Lion of Judah came.
I have known Judah the Lion Man for just over two years. In that time I have watched him persevere amidst Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a genetic condition that causes muscle weakness and atrophy (when muscles get smaller).SMA can affect a child’s ability to crawl, walk, sit up, and control head movements. Severe SMA can damage the muscles used for breathing and swallowing.
When I say persevere, I do mean PERSEVERE. I don’t know if I could ever handle what Judah faced in his 5 years. Most superhero’s are known for thier ability to avoid pain and suffering and inflict it on their designated villians. Super Heros like Lion Man endure pain and suffering with patience and abundant joy to build faith and bring hope to a world obsessed with self image. I am convinced that God sent super heros like Lion Man to a world obsessed with physicality, in order to smash the idol of self that most people don’t even know they worship. If that seems hyperbolic consider that the net worth of the entire beauty industry was $579.22 billion in 2023. American consumers alone spent nearly $88 billion on beauty products that same year. Meanwhile American consumer spending on fitness supplements came in at $13.5 billion. Just to give you some perspective, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), estimated that an annual investment of around $267 billion is needed to achieve Zero Hunger by 2030. Ironically the 200,000,000 skin cells we smother with lotions and potions die every hour regardless of how much money we spend. Meanwhile the hair we strive to keep shiny and in style is dead before can touch it. Again, I’m not putting anyone down, just lending some perspective.
Jacob who God renamed Israel fathered the nation through whom salvation, reconciliation and restoration would come to a very broken world. It is no coincidence that Jacob’s blessing and true identity began with a physical disability given to him by God. Gen 32:22-32
Recently, I learned that Lion Man was feeling a bit dejected and was seeing himself as a broken toy, namely Woody from the movie series Toy Story. Having only seen the first movie where Buzz is broken, I had no idea that Woody, Buzz’s friendly, rational and pragmatic side kick had his arm torn off as well.
I wanted to cry. Not because Judah was feeling down – Lion Man always bounces back. But rather because he was losing sight of his blessing and being tempted to view himself through the lens of a completely fake and broken world.
Most adults who arrive at an understanding of their identity do so like Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story 1. By the way, if you think you are above being ministerd to by a children’s story then you are the quintessential representation of Buzz Lightyear. But then I am writing to, and for Judah more than anyone else.
In Toy Story One Buzz Lightyear, is a toy astronaut with an identity complex. You see, Buzz thinks he is a real superhero and does not know he is a toy. As the story begins we see Buzz comparing himself to, and competing with, the other characters for Andy the toy owners love. Buzz denies his obvious weakness, then rationalizes and justifies his failures to the point of the absurd until one day he sees himself on a television commercial and is confronted with truth.
Never the less he seizes upon his powers of denial, pulls himself together and once again tries to fly only to fall with less style than ever and loses an arm.
In the next scene we see a broken and dejected Buzz drinking Darjeeling tea with a bunch of headless dolls in Andy’s sisters’ room.
His friends try to rescue his shattered self-worth but to no avail. Buzz must go through the fiery process of transformation and discovery of his true identity.
Fast forward to the conclusion, we see Buzz rallying a bunch of broken toys to overcome the wiles of the evil Sid and save the day. In the end He becomes a real super hero but within the context of brokenness and in partnership with those who had also been broken.
The paradoxical truth is that everyone’s true identity is found amidst thier brokenness. Everything else is a facade. That brokenness usually comes packaged as a loss. It might be found in a full revelation of Ephesians 2:1-10. Or in the context of an addiction, a disease, a prison sentence or any other tragedy that shatters our silly narcissistic, illusions about ourselves. No sermon, no apologetic argument, no amount of proof will change the mind let alone the heart of the unbroken. The good news is that the blessing is in the brokenness. That includes the blessing that God has for us as well as the blessing that we can be to others. True anointing does not come with gifting or celebrity. True anointing is conferred by God within brokenness.
I’m no prophet but I can clearly see the anointing on Judah the Lion Man. While so many others must make the journey through their brokenness. Judah was born into his. His legs may not be working at this time, but he is farther along in his walk than many who are ten times his age. He is living up to the heritage contained in his name. He is Judah blessed by God to walk in the spiritual footsteps of Jacob and Jesus the Lion of Judah. You are not a broken toy Judah. You are Lion Man. You will aleays be a superhero in our eyes. Now kick that lying devil out of your head and get back to being the super hero that brings laughter and joy to everyone you meet and above all Glory to your Maker. You have alot to teach us.
The Feast of First Fruits is the third and final feast of the Lord in the season of Passover. The actual Passover Feast took place on the 14th of Nissan, (April 21, 2024) The Feast of Unleavened Bread on the 15th of Nissan (April 22, 2024) The Feast of First Fruits on 22 Nissan (April 29, 2024). It occurs to me that we find varying dates for the feasts on Google. Keep in mind that the original sacred Hebrew calendar is lunar and must be adjusted every year. Our modern Gregorian calendar is solar and and adjusts every four years. The sacred calendar was preserved with the original scriptures at Qumran following the sacking of Jerusalem and the destruction of the 2nd Jewish Temple under the Roman Emperor Titus in 70 AD. It is believed that the Jewish priests known as the Sons of Zadock and or the Essenes are the ones who preserved the scriptures. In addition, they resisted the Hellenization of Judaism and the changing of the sacred calendar under the Pharasees and Sadducees. It is believed that John the Baptist was probably an Essene.
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land that I give you and reap its harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the firstfruits of your harvest to the priest, and he shall wave the sheaf before the Lord, so that you may be accepted. On the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it. And on the day when you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a male lamb a year old without blemish as a burnt offering to the Lord. And the grain offering with it shall be two tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, a food offering to the Lord with a pleasing aroma, and the drink offering with it shall be of wine, a fourth of a hin. And you shall eat neither bread nor grain parched or fresh until this same day, until you have brought the offering of your God: it is a statute forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.Lev 23:9-14
The very first Barley sheeves were waved in air by the Priest as a firstfruits offering to the Lord. This process continued daily for fifty days up to The Feast of Pentecost in what is called the counting of the Omer (measure of Barley). Counting the Omer was a way of remembering God is our provider that man’s true purpose was to worship and obey God amidst the daily labour of bringing in the harvest.
What makes this relevant for us is that Jesus was resurrected on the exact of day of The Feast of Firstfruits celebration.
Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.Mat 28:1-6
Once again, the dawn of the first day of the week is sunset on saturday not sunrise on Sunday. Mary arrived sometime near sunset, not at sunset. Jesus rose when the first offering was being waved before God as the fulfillment of The Feast of Firstfruits that the Jews had been rehearsing for 1500 years.
Apart from the correct correlation with the Feasts, we miss the significance of several events and statements of Jesus described in the Gospels.
For example,
Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”John 20:16-17
Jesus told the women not to touch Him in accordance with the fact that the first barley sheeve could not be touched until it was offered to God by the Priest in the Temple. Similarly, Jesus could not be touched until He ascended to the Father to offer Himself as the Fristfruits from the dead. Furthermore, the barely offering consisted of multiple barley sheeves bound together. Consider that multiple people were raised with Jesus.
The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.Mat 27:52-53
Naturally we could go into more detail regarding the season of Passover. However, what is most important for us as believers is found in the application that proceeds from thier fulfillment in Jesus. We don’t have to to celebrate the feasts, we get to. Still, apart from the feasts we miss the details, timing and depth of God’s carefully orchestrated will and plan for eternity. We miss a deeper experience of reverence and awe that is at the heart of true worship.
Where Unleavened bread is a separation onto God that is putting off the old man.
…put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, Eph 4:22-23
Firstfruits is consecration that is putting on the new man.
and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Eph 4:22-24
As Christians the Feast of Firstfruits means we offer ourselves and our lives that are His gift as firstfuits.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.James 1:16-18
That offering manifests itself in daily life as fruits of the spirit.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.Gal 5:22-23
Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.Mat 12:31-32
I have often heard the interpretation of the above passage as “Jesus said that blasphemy against Himself is ok. Blasphemy against Holy Spirit is not.” Therfore let us first establish the context of Mathew 12 before we delve into translation details.
First the Pharasees try to trap Jesus because His disciples are picking and eating wheat on the Sabbath. Jesus counters with For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath. Verse 8 They attempt to trap Jesus again for healing the man with the withered hand. But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. Verse 14 Then Jesus casts out a demon. The Pharasees accuse Him of being Satan to which Jesus replies,
And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Verse 27-28
Jesus is declaring His Diety!
The confusion arises in the use of the term Son of Man. Son of man in Greek is the same in every context huiósánthrōpos and literally means male human offspring. While Strong’s concordance does indicate the possible use of the term to indicate Jesus as Messiah, we must dig deeper to understand the true context.
English speakers often assume that the term Son of God which occurs 67 times in the New Testament is the declaration of Jesus’ diety. Yet consider that all of us are given the right to become Sons of God when we are saved and sanctified. John 1:12-13 In truth, Jesus’ reference to Himself as the Son of Man occurs 78 times in the New Testament and declares His Diety.
Ben-Adam – Bar-Adam
How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, (ben-adam) which is a worm?Job 25:6
Son of Man in Hebrew is Ben-Adam and literally means a descendent of Adam that can be equated with huiósánthrōpos, a human man in Greek.
Coming with Clouds
Anytime Jesus refers to Himself as The Son of Man in the New Testament it is always in reference to Daniel chapter seven.
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. Dan 7:13-14
Son of man in this verse clearly describes the return of Jesus the Messiah to establish His Kingdom on earth at the end of days. Hence, it is in reference to these verses that Jesus describes His second coming in the Olivet Discourse Mathew 24-25.
Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.Mat 24:30
It was Jesus’ declaration to Caiaphas the high priest that He was the Son of Man that caused him to tear his robes, spit in Jesus’ face, strike him and later demand He be crucified.
Then those who had seized Jesus led him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. And Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the guards to see the end. Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.” Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him,Mat 26:57-67
It is reference to Dan 7:13-14 that the two men in white robes addressed the disciples at the ascension of Jesus in Acts, thus further clarifying that Jesus is indeed the Daniel seven Son Of Man.
And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”Acts 1:9-11
It is important to note that while the New Testament was written in Greek, Jesus would have known Hebrew as Jewish Rabbi, and spoken Aramaic as it was the common spoken language of the day. What makes this even more fascinating is that most of the book of Daniel is written in Hebrew. However Daniel chapter 7 just happens to be written in Aramaic. Once again, Son of Man in Hebrew is Ben-Adam. Son of Man in Aramaic is Bar-Adam. When Jesus declared Himself to be the Son of Man he would have done so in Aramaic and in refrence to Daniel 7. That the only available term in Greek was huiósánthrōpos illustrates that fact that word definions can be misleading apart from the correct context.
As for blasphemy of the Holy Spirit in Mathew 12.
Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
The English does seem to say that blasphemy against the son of man will be forgiven. The Pharasees were trying frame Jesus and calling Him Beelzebul (Satan). Yet if we understand the Trinity then we understand that God(all aspects of God)is a Spirit. John 4:24 not just the third part of the Trinity. The idea that it’s ok to blasphemy against one part of the Godhead but not another violates the laws of Coherance and non contradiction that we covered in our very first Acts 17:11 Bereans Bible study. If we call one aspect of the Trinity evil then we are calling all of the Trinity evil. The root issue is defined in Isaiah 5:20.
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
In addition, Jesus was not declaring Himself to be the Son of Man in this passage. Rather He seemed to be making a blanket statement about them. Hence the logical conclusion concerning Jesus’ words in Mathew 12 regarding the Son of Man is that he was talking about blasphemy against mere human beings that will be forgiven. Blasphemy against any aspect of God as the Pharasees were doing will not. Still, the remaing question is,
“What exactly constitutes blasphemy?”.
As I see it, hence I could be wrong, the Pharisees were God’s anointed voice and representatives on earth at the time. They should have recogized and welcomed Jesus. Yet they were opposing God to the point of trying to destroy Him and teaching others to do the same. Perhaps this is the essence of blasphemy of Holy Spirit and is highlighted in the warnings in James and Mathew.
Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.James 3:1
But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.Mat 18:6
But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.Mat 12:36
When I personalize these I am certain that given what I know about God and what He has done for me, turning my back on any aspect, Father, Son or Holy Spirit now and teaching others to do the same would definitely constitute blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread which follows the Feast of Passover begins Monday, 22 April 2024, and ends at nightfall on Tuesday, 30 April 2024.
Leaven is the symbol of Israel’s old life in Egypt. Exodus 13:3-16 God called them out of Egypt to separate a people onto Himself. Today leaven represents deliverance from the bondage of sin and friendship with the world that is enmity with God. James 4:4
The idea of consciously seeking out sin within ourselves and our lives is not a popular idea within charismatic circles that emphasize identity and imputed righteousness. Those believers who take a seeker-friendly approach to evangelism and discipleshiptend to forget that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. Gal 5:9 The resulting tendency to ignore the leaven (sin) and emphasize that God loves us as we are is common. This is in my opinion, one major reason for so much sin and resulting heresy in the charismatic church today. As the saying goes, “When you dance with the devil, the devil doesn’t change. The devil changes you.” Jesus did NOT come to Christianize culture. He came to call us out of it. 2 Cor 6:17, Rev 18:4 The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a time to take inventory of ourselves.
Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!Psalm 139:23-24
The unleavened bread of affliction
You will note that the bread known as the unleavened bread of affliction is bruised, striped, and pierced. Isaiah 53. Its reference to Jesus might have been obvious had God not given the Jews a
“spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.”Rom 11:8
The leaven-free bread of affliction is a picture of Jesus the sinless lamb of God who took upon Himself the sin of the world John 1:29, so that we might become children of God, John 1:12, righteous in Him. 2 Cor 5:21
The Feasts of the Lord are easy to see throughout Jesus’ ministry once we have a basic understanding of their role.
For example, “The Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand.” when Jesus fed the 5000. John 6:1-14. Once again, while the actual Passover Feast is on the 14th of Nissan, Passover also denotes the season that includes the Feasts of Unleavened Bread and First Fruits. Many Christians miss the fact that some of Jesus’ most prophetic acts took place on or around the very feasts He came to fulfill. For example, it was during the Feast of Unleavened Bread that Jesus cleansed the Temple of worldly leaven in John 2:13-17. It was during the Feast of Unleavened Bread that Jesus declared Himself to be its fulfillment. “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” John 6:35 Jesus‘ emphasis on His being the bread of life culminates with
“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not like the breadfn the fathers ate, and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.”John 6:53-58
Jesus was taken down from the Cross before Sundown on the 14th. Sundown marked the beginning of the 15th, The Feast of Unleavened Bread. While the Jews were ritualistically sweeping Leaven from their houses, Jesus was spiritually sweeping the Leaven of Sin from the world as the fulfillment of the feast. In other words
He took, our sin in His Spirit, “our leaven of sorrows in His soul, our leaven of sickness, disease and death His body.” Richard Booker Celebrating Jesus in the Biblical Feasts
How does this apply to born-again believers?
It is in the context of addressing sexual sin that Paul says,
Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.1 Cor 5:6-8
Leaven for us today is sin and or friendship with the world in any form for which we have not repented. James 1:27, Rom 12:1-2 The tradition of sweeping the house clean of Leaven is where we get the idea of “Spring Cleaning.” That the traditional Unleavened Bread dinner includes the father going about the house with a candle, and a feather and spoon to search out and sweep up any remaining bits of leaven is a picture of what we are called to do regarding any remaining sin and worldliness within ourselves. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1 Cor 3:10-15 The father deposits the collected leaven into a bag that is removed from the home and burned. This is a picture of Paul’s words, But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 1 Cor 11:1 The Feast of Unleavened Bread is a time to do just that. We voluntarily subject our sins and false doctrines to fire so that we are not subjected to fire ourselves.
each one’s work will become manifest, for the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he will be saved, but only through fire. 1 Cor 3:13-15
While we are saved (justified) by grace through faith which itself is a gift Eph 2:8-9 we are sanctified, purified, transformed, and made Holy in partnership with God in our beliefs, and resulting actions. Our actions testify to what we actually believe. Romans 12, James 5:16 Hence we work out our salvation with fear and trembling.Phil 2:12 We purpose to sweep the proverbial leaven from our lives and God meets us there to sanctify us. Phil 2:13, 1 Thess 5:23,
Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”Luke 24:44
Jesus and scripture repeatedly affirm the validity and importance of all prophecy and scripture regarding Himself.
For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?”John 5:46-47
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.Rom 15:4
The importance of this is further confirmed by the fact that only twenty-seven percent of prophecy in the Bible has been fulfilled. That said, given that Jesus fulfilled Passover, Unleavened Bread, First Fruits, and Pentecost, we can rest assured that He will fulfill, Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles as well.
The Meaning of Passover
The ten plagues leading up to the first Passover are found in Exodus 7:14- 11-10. The instructions for insuring that the angel of death spared the households covered by the blood of the Passover lamb are found in Ex 12:1-14.
We need to pay careful attention to the established days and hours as the timing, preparation, and killing of the Passover lamb is a clear picture of the preparation and crucifixion of Jesus for which the Jewish people conducted a dress rehearsal for 1500 years.
The first thing to note is the establishment of the Lord’s sacred calendar in Ex 12:2 It (Passover) shall be the first month of the year for you. This first month is called Nissan.
Next, we have the instructions leading to preparation. “on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household.” Verse 3 The Passover lamb was selected and set aside to be examined.
The Passover lamb had to be without blemish verse 5
…and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month. Verse 6 The lamb was examined for any imperfections until the 14th day (Passover)
…when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. Verse 6 The lamb was killed at the Sunset of the 14th which marks the end of the day and the beginning of the high Sabbath. A high Sabbath occurs when a Feast Sabbath coincides with the regular weekly Sabbath. In this case it was the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The instructions for preparing the lamb included that none of its bones should be broken. Exodus 12:46 and Numbers 9:12
The entire lamb was consumed before morning. Lintels were covered by the blood of the lamb and the Jews were rescued from the plague of death. Verses 7-14 A lintel is a horizontal support of timber, stone, concrete, or steel across the top of a door or window.
Lintel
Jesus Fulfills Passover
Keep in mind, that the word “fulfill” does not mean to “do away with” or “replace”. Rather it means to “give the correct and complete interpretation”.
John 12 describes the preparation of Jesus, whom John first identified as the Lamb of GodJohn 1:36.
Six days before the Passover, Jesus therefore came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. John 12:1
Passover is on the 14th. Therefore we know that Jesus arrived in Bethany on the 9th.
The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” John 12:12-14.
The next day was the 10th. Jesus was set aside and examined as the Jews were following the Exodus 12:3-6 instructions to set aside the Passover lamb. The examination and testing of Jesus, The Lamb of God began on 10th, and continued for the next five days. First, Jesus was arrested John 18:1-11 then brought before Annas, Caiaphas and an assembly of religious leaders called the Sanhedrin. Matthew 26:57-75. After this, He was taken before Pilate, the Roman Governor who then sent Him off to Herod for further examination. Herod returned Jesus to Pilate Luke 23:6-12 who washed His hands and turned Jesus over to the Jewish leaders. John 18:28-19:16 Having thoroughly examined Jesus The Lamb of God and found Him to be flawless, and blameless, without spot or blemish they nailed Him to the cross at the exact same time that the rest of Israel were afixing their Passover lambs to a spit to be roasted.
Note: the exact Exodus 12 instructions were not followed with this modern rendition of a lamb on a spit.
Jesus was crucified on the third hour (9 am) on the 14th Mark 15:25 Darkness covered the land at noon. He died in the 9th hour (3 pm). This was the same hour that Jews were killing their traditional Passover lambs.
Jesus suffered on the cross for six hours. Given that a high Sabbath was due to begin at the 12th hour (sundown), His body had to be taken down beforehand. Mat 27:45-54 To hasten death, a Roman Centurion would break the legs of the crucified victims thus preventing them from pushing themselves upward to take a breath. Their lungs would subsequently fill with fluid and they would drown in minutes. Jesus died before they could break His legs in fulfillment of scripture Psalm 34:20, John 19:31-36.
Recovering Hearts is a women’s recovery and discipleship program located on the Holston property in Greeneville TN. Cathy and I have the unique privilege of volunteering there. We see a woman individually two or three days a week and run a process group on Fridays. The people in our congregation see them twice a week at church and have occasional opportunities to fellowship with them. Aside from the full-time Recovering Hearts staff, most people do not have the privilege of seeing and hearing their struggles and victories should they choose to endure and overcome them. Sadly many are deceived into quitting just before the breakthrough. From our perspective, those who do overcome have a revelation of Mathew 16:24.
Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
As I’ve said, while I may have been a professional substance abuse treatment counselor by trade and Cathy and I ran a transitional house for prison inmates, our former brokenness is what qualifies us to work with these ladies whom we regard as treasurers of gold. We get to be gold miners digging and panning for gold. Sometimes we liken our being here to Marshal Tucker’s song Fire on the Mountain.
And there’s fire on the mountain Lightening in the air Gold in them hills and it’s waiting for me there.
Sometimes fire on the mountain Lightening in the air looks like an episode of the Jerry Springer Show as sandpaper sisters get triggered amid process group. These tend to be the best and most healing groups of all as they end in personal ownership of issues, disclosing past traumas, and prayer. It’s beautiful to watch in the context of Proverbs 14:4.
Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.
Today marks two years since Cathy and I arrived in Greeneville. We’ve met with a lot of women during that time and heard details of trauma beyond anything many people can imagine. Things like being trafficked and chained in basements to be abused by both men and women. Several have been subjected to some of the worst religious abuse by fathers and pastors who just happened to be methheads and pedophiles. It is a sheer miracle that any of them would be willing to trust Jesus. We’ve heard stories of being nailed into wooden boxes to be transported overseas only to be miraculously rescued by the hand of God. Many have been clinically dead from Fentanyl overdoses multiple times. Thus far the record is six before the age of twenty-six. They have been imprisoned and homeless fighting off predators and pimps, beaten nearly to death by husbands and boyfriends they were terrified to leave. They’ve lost children – sometimes forever. Some have shot up friends and lovers with intravenous drugs only to watch them die. Quite often we see that having given in to these requests to shoot up friends produces the kind of guilt that results in suicidal ideation. And this is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg under which they must persevere each day.
While the community at large often recognizes passion and fervency as these women worship, they may not know the intensity of the battle within as they are asked to submit to God and the leadership He has appointed over them. The struggle to raise one’s hands in submission to God might be a real battle for a woman who’s default definition of submission is being chained to a wall to be brutally beaten and raped. That said, how often do we recognize, let alone appreciate them for the women warriors they are or the intensity of the spiritual battle that accompanies hanging in there for just one more day? It is such an honor and blessing to be part of Recovering Hearts where we get to witness women who refuse to fake it till they make it but are willing to be real so that – and until – they can heal. We think there is so much that the body of Christ could learn from them. Especially those who remain safely hidden behind a facade of a smile, histrionic spirituality, or worldly success. Never have we seen a group so willing to be so honest and so raw and yet so willing to take responsibility for their sins and repent, than the women warriors at Recovering Hearts. We love these women more than they could know. And while this is just a snapshot, we hope that you will know that love as well.
In case you were wondering what prompted me to write this blog post; it was Summer. If you know her – then you know her. If you don’t, you should. She writes the most amazing poems and spoken word. She asked me if I would post this poem on a blog. And while you might never suspect that such an insightful, wise, loving, gregarious, and talented person might struggle with feeling rejected; she does. All we can say is that if you don’t know Summer and the rest of the women whom we do not have permission to name, then it is you who are missing out. Here is Summer’s poem about the loneliness that comes with dying to self and the courage and perseverance required to begin walking in faith instead of sight.
Til The End of Age
Straight ahead and at the fork turn right I fear I’ll get lost for the end of the road isn’t in sight. I question each curve and exit along the way Wondering which town am I to rest and stay? A weary traveler running from the dead. The lost loner seeking God up ahead. When I first started I was excited for the journey. Now I’ve grown old, heartbroken, and dirty. Every step feels like the wrong path to take. Every decision is the wrong one to make. But thank God your thoughts are higher than mine. Your blessings and plans have no time. When I am broken and defeated within Your love God, guides me to the very end.
