I grew up charismatic. I still am a charismatic. I believe that the gifts from the Holy Spirit to the Christian Church listed in Romans, Corinthians, and Ephesians are still in operation today. In case you didnt know, thats what defines a charismatic theologically speaking. What you are probably more familiar with though, is not the theology of charismatics but the practices of charismatics. Everybody has heard stories, seen stories, or even made stories, and lived to tell about it.
I've seen demon posessed people roll on the floor and make crazy, scary sounding noises. I've seen people run around like their hair was on fire. I've seen people sit and laugh for hours. I've heard endless prophecies, words of wisdom, and knowledge. In fact, I dont think I have enough time in one life to do all that I have been prophesied to do. I've been told that I was an evangelist, a teacher, a prophet, and a pastor. I'm still yet to be called an apostle. I've seen people give a preacher over 100,000 dollars for a 45 minute sermon because they believed the anointing was so great on his life that they had to give a lot of money to him in hopes of being blessed by God in return. I've seen people healed of various physical problems. I've heard a thousand people pray in tongues in a church service all at one time. I've seen people "slain in the Spirit". I've seen people roll on the floor and hollar like they were on fire. I won't say I've seen it all because I know people who claim to have seen goldust appear on people's bodies, objects levitate, and on and on and on.
I've seen enough to write a book on it for sure. But instead, Im going to write maybe a few notes about some of my adventures in what I like to call Charismania. My hope is just to share a few stories from my time in Charismania. Some of them are very humorous, to me at least. Others are sad, some are scary, and some are deeply touching. My intention is not to bash Charismatics, afterall, I am one.
I will begin with a story about Benny Hinn.Benny Hinn is probably the most famous charismatic in the world today. He's the middle-eastern man with the white suit who is most known for knocking people down by placing his hand on them, waving his hand at them, blowing in the microphone, or by some other means. He comes on TBN (the christian station) daily. Oh yeah, he has a wicked comb-over as well. Hopefully you know who I am talking about now.
I think the year was 2002. That would make me nineteen years old. Myself and two friends, Matt and Blake, decided to go to a Benny Hinn "Youth Crusade". It was held at Creflo Dollar's church near Atlanta, Georgia. I'm not sure what we were hoping to experience exactly, but I think there was some general hope of experiencing God's power in some physical sense. We didn't want to be healed or made Christians. We just wanted to feel God's power in some way.
When we got to the service they had the front portion of the church roped off, I suppose for church members and/or important people involved with the "Youth Crusade" somehow. My friend Blake, ever the bold one, demanded that we go beyond the ropes and act like that was what we were supposed to be doing. I was very hesitant but as I recall Matt was willing and so there was a 2/3rds majority. So we did it. We walked up to the rope, lifted it, and casually walked into the special seating area. We found great seats only about 5 rows back from Benny Hinn. I remember joking that I was close enough to spit on the back of his head.
The service went on like a typical charismatic youth service. There were probably between 5,000 to 8,000 youth there, depending on how you define a youth. We all sang very loudly. The noise was thunderous and reverberated against our bodies in a powerful way. After the worship Benny Hinn began to speak.I honestly remember only a few words that Benny Hinn said that night. I don't guess words were what we were there for anyways. We were there in the hopes of experiencing some power, maybe in the hopes of having our faith strengthened by the undeniable experience.
About halfway through the service Benny had an altar call. He asked for all the men between 17-25 years of age (dont quote me on that) who felt called to full time ministry to come to the front. He said he was going to pray for the fire of God to fall on us, I think with the intention of empowering us for ministry. We were excited. This was the moment we had come to Atlanta for.
We made it to the front quickly as thousands rushed to the front of the church to be prayed for by Benny. I was grateful that Blake's boldness had helped us get such great seats. I soon found myself completely surrounded by other young men, and maybe women, I cant remember. We were packed into the front like a can of sardines. My shoulders were touching the people beside me and if I moved one inch to the front or to the back I would be touching someone.We wainted intently as Benny began to speak to us.
At some point he stopped speaking and began to pray for us. The 10,000 seat building was quiet except for Benny's voice coming through the speakers. He prayed in a low voice and with noticeable calmness. My head was bowed and I was intently listening, my heart focused on receiving some powerful touch from God. Suddenly, Benny interrupted his quiet prayer by yelling at the top of his lungs, "FIIIIRRREEEEEE!!!!!!!!".
The mass of people around me were immediately startled and began falling like dominos. There were people falling backwards into my legs and sideways into my knees. The guy directly beside me grasped my arm as he was falling down and nearly pulled me down with him. He would have succeeded if I did not somewhat violently jerk my arm free from his grasp. In an instant the front of the church had become a field full of bodies laying all over one another.
I saw that everyone to my right had fallen down. Then I turned my head and looked across the mass of bodies on the ground to my left. As my eyes followed the rows of bodies on the ground they ran into the one other person in the crowd of thousands who had not fallen down...my friend Blake. Our eyes met and we exchanged the largest grins. It appeared that whatever happened to everyone else had not happened to us. Karen Wheaton, another popular charismatic, was there for the crusade to sing for Benny that night. When she saw me still standing she looked at me puzzled. Her eyes filled with some sort of compassion seemed to be asking, "What happened? Why didn't you go down?"
Benny offered a few more signs for the faithful gathered there that evening, but I dont want to turn this note into a book. Anyways, as we discussed the happenings of the crusade that night in the car on the way back to Boiling Springs, South Carolina, we remembered that Matt had fallen down with the rest of the crowd.He said he was knocked down by the people around him. We didn't want to hear it or believe it. We gave him crap about that the rest of the way home. Sometimes I still give him crap about it : )
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
A song
Jesus, Savior, King Eternal
rescued us in our transgression,
bleeding heart and bleeding hands,
have lifted us to where we stand;
boldly on the promise of God,
Our hope is fixed,
Our hope is sure,
through Jesus Christ we will endure,
Purified, we've been made righteous,
Our soul no longer seeks for treasure,
Our cornerstone who lives inside us,
fills our souls beyond all measure,
We spend our days now under the Sun,
eagerly awaiting your return,
when all that is wrong will be made right,
when joy abounds in your kingdom's light,
We pray, we seek, to know you now,
Your love, your peace, your mercy and strength,
Blessed to stand, we humbly bow,
You've chosen us who sought you not,
who loved ourselves beyond all else,
our wicked hearts would not receive you,
our blinded eyes would not believe you,
Against our wills, and for our joy,
Your spirit came and brought us life,
Your love so sovereign, deep, and free,
has made us yours eternally.
(We love you Jesus)
rescued us in our transgression,
bleeding heart and bleeding hands,
have lifted us to where we stand;
boldly on the promise of God,
Our hope is fixed,
Our hope is sure,
through Jesus Christ we will endure,
Purified, we've been made righteous,
Our soul no longer seeks for treasure,
Our cornerstone who lives inside us,
fills our souls beyond all measure,
We spend our days now under the Sun,
eagerly awaiting your return,
when all that is wrong will be made right,
when joy abounds in your kingdom's light,
We pray, we seek, to know you now,
Your love, your peace, your mercy and strength,
Blessed to stand, we humbly bow,
You've chosen us who sought you not,
who loved ourselves beyond all else,
our wicked hearts would not receive you,
our blinded eyes would not believe you,
Against our wills, and for our joy,
Your spirit came and brought us life,
Your love so sovereign, deep, and free,
has made us yours eternally.
(We love you Jesus)
Monday, November 3, 2008
Take Hold of Your Soul
Emotions. Ever-present, always needed, often hard to deal with. They are given to us by a loving God to experience and reflect him in an amazing way. They are given to allow us to have relationships. In some sense they mean we are alive. What is a human being without feelings, emotions, affections, desires? What is a romance without hearts that understand love and derive joy from it? Emotions are essential to who we are as human beings. But, sadly, we are sinful beings that think and feel in a corrupted way. This is why selfless love is COMPLETELY unnatural to each and everyone of us. We get upset because someone doesn't treat us like we think we "deserve" to be treated. We get sad because someone doesn't approve of us or think highly of us.
Our thoughts and emotions speak to us all the time preaching to us a gospel of self love. As Christians emotions play a crucial role. God doesn't command that we do a big list of commandments from mindless obedience. He commands that we obey him joyfully. He makes a demand on our emotions, often a demand we feel incapable to perform. I often find no reason to worship God in my soul. Looking for an intuition or good feeling about him it seems there is none present. Despite our sense of inability to obey God joyfully, the scriptures say that God has given us "everything we need for life and godliness." So what about our obstinate souls that stand with their arms folded in defiance of the living God? What can we do about our emotions when they are resistant to the reading of scripture, to the singing of songs, and to fellowship with believers?
An obvious answer is prayer. Cry out to God. Repent of any sin that is weighing down your conscience and making your soul cloudy.
In addition to this we must learn to apprehend our souls. We must speak to ourselves. This is not the same as the self-talk that I learned about in educational psychology classes. We do not say to ourselves, "okay, I can do this, I just need to slow down and think this through step by step". Instead of telling myself "I can" I speak the gospel to myself. God can, Jesus can, the Spirit can! I must do as 2 Corinthians 10 says and wage war on any rebel thought that seeks to rise above the dominion of Jesus.Abraham, the father of the faith, circumsized himself. Jesus has circumsized our hearts if we have the Spirit of God in us. But like Abraham we must grow to the place that we can cut on ourselves in a spiritual sense. Instead of listening to our thoughts and emotions and letting them run rampant in us, we should confront them with the truth of the scripture that is "sharper than any two edged sword" and that "divides soul and spirit" and discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).
Instead of letting our soul endlessly speak to us, we must grab hold of our souls and speak to them. We must rebuke and correct ourselves, violently refusing to allow self-addicted emotions and thoughts to run our lives.
We must say with the Psalmist....
Psalm 43:5
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.
This is a daily process. Its preaching the gospel to yourself. We need to do it everyday so that we can grow in grace and effectively serve others. If we are constantly beat up by our thoughts and emotions because we fail to speak to them and fail to force our souls to dwell on Jesus we will not be in a position to help our brothers and sisters because we will be ever-dwelling on our own calamity. There is great joy to be had in Gods salvation, but we have obstinate souls, and as a result, joyful obedience to our God is a violent struggle. Therefore, dont let your soul preach to you everyday. You preach to it. You grow in self-control. You take authority over rebel thoughts that raise themselves up against Christ.
Our thoughts and emotions speak to us all the time preaching to us a gospel of self love. As Christians emotions play a crucial role. God doesn't command that we do a big list of commandments from mindless obedience. He commands that we obey him joyfully. He makes a demand on our emotions, often a demand we feel incapable to perform. I often find no reason to worship God in my soul. Looking for an intuition or good feeling about him it seems there is none present. Despite our sense of inability to obey God joyfully, the scriptures say that God has given us "everything we need for life and godliness." So what about our obstinate souls that stand with their arms folded in defiance of the living God? What can we do about our emotions when they are resistant to the reading of scripture, to the singing of songs, and to fellowship with believers?
An obvious answer is prayer. Cry out to God. Repent of any sin that is weighing down your conscience and making your soul cloudy.
In addition to this we must learn to apprehend our souls. We must speak to ourselves. This is not the same as the self-talk that I learned about in educational psychology classes. We do not say to ourselves, "okay, I can do this, I just need to slow down and think this through step by step". Instead of telling myself "I can" I speak the gospel to myself. God can, Jesus can, the Spirit can! I must do as 2 Corinthians 10 says and wage war on any rebel thought that seeks to rise above the dominion of Jesus.Abraham, the father of the faith, circumsized himself. Jesus has circumsized our hearts if we have the Spirit of God in us. But like Abraham we must grow to the place that we can cut on ourselves in a spiritual sense. Instead of listening to our thoughts and emotions and letting them run rampant in us, we should confront them with the truth of the scripture that is "sharper than any two edged sword" and that "divides soul and spirit" and discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12).
Instead of letting our soul endlessly speak to us, we must grab hold of our souls and speak to them. We must rebuke and correct ourselves, violently refusing to allow self-addicted emotions and thoughts to run our lives.
We must say with the Psalmist....
Psalm 43:5
Why are you cast down, O my soul,
and why are you in turmoil within me?
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him,
my salvation and my God.
This is a daily process. Its preaching the gospel to yourself. We need to do it everyday so that we can grow in grace and effectively serve others. If we are constantly beat up by our thoughts and emotions because we fail to speak to them and fail to force our souls to dwell on Jesus we will not be in a position to help our brothers and sisters because we will be ever-dwelling on our own calamity. There is great joy to be had in Gods salvation, but we have obstinate souls, and as a result, joyful obedience to our God is a violent struggle. Therefore, dont let your soul preach to you everyday. You preach to it. You grow in self-control. You take authority over rebel thoughts that raise themselves up against Christ.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Christians During Election Time
I see many of my brothers and sisters become really passionate about who to vote for during election season. Some of them seem more passionate about who they are voting for, and creating converts to their given candidate, than they are passionate about God and sharing the gospel of Christ. This shouldn't be should it? When we are passionate about a particular candidate to the extent that he becomes the central part of our conversation it appears our lives have become centered around a human being, an American politician. This is always a hopeless life.
This applies to Christians who love Obama because they think he will demonstrate mercy and compassion through creating universal healthcare while ensuring the right to equal treatment of minority groups such as homosexuals (another act of mercy). This applies to Christians who love John McCain because they think he will end abortion, win the war on terror, and prevent America from taking steps toward socialism. I want to say this, and I may take heat for it, but neither one of these guys set a great example of being like Christ. Look at both of their lives and voting records and you will see evidence of that very quickly.
Another thing that bothers me deeply is the mingling of Amerian nationalism with our Christian faith. It seems many think of America as a shining beacon of the Christian faith to the rest of the world. This could not be farther from the truth. Our nation is one of the most perverse and wicked cultures in the history of mankind. We kill our babies, we kill each other, we eat more than anyone else, download more pornography, use more resources, and commit more time to leisure than perhaps any culture ever. And some people think Christianity has something to do with capitalism and free market economics.
Our history is one of dominance throughout Latin-America chock full of subversion, overthrowing of democratic governments and exploitation for our gain. Its no wonder that communism and socialism was very appealing to Latin Americans as it became popular in the early 20th century. They were the ones being capitalized by "christian America". When Jesus said that we are to be a city on a hill he was not talking about America. He was not talking about Rome. He was not even talking about Jerusalem. He was talking about the church of God, his people. We are supposed to live in such a way in the world that men would see our good works and glorify our Father. Instead, we have Christians in our day looking for a government leader who will make America the city on a hill. Derek Webb articulates some of these thoughts well in his song a king and a kingdom. Where are your allegiances? Is your allegiance to America right up there with your allegiance to Christ? If so I pray God gives you repentance.
who's your brother, who's your sister
you just walked passed him i think you missed her
as we're all migrating to the place where our father lives
'cause we married in to a family of immigrants
my first allegiance is not to a flag, a country, or a man
my first allegiance is not to democracy or blood
it's to a king & a kingdom
there are two great lies that i’ve heard:
“the day you eat of the fruit of that tree, you will not surely die”
and that Jesus Christ was a white, middle-class republican
and if you wanna be saved you have to learn to be like Him
my first allegiance is not to a flag, a country, or a man
my first allegiance is not to democracy or blood
it's to a king & a kingdom
but nothing unifies like a common enemy
and we’ve got one, sure as hell
but he may be living in your house
he may be raising up your kids
he may be sleeping with your wife
oh no, he may not look like you think
This applies to Christians who love Obama because they think he will demonstrate mercy and compassion through creating universal healthcare while ensuring the right to equal treatment of minority groups such as homosexuals (another act of mercy). This applies to Christians who love John McCain because they think he will end abortion, win the war on terror, and prevent America from taking steps toward socialism. I want to say this, and I may take heat for it, but neither one of these guys set a great example of being like Christ. Look at both of their lives and voting records and you will see evidence of that very quickly.
Another thing that bothers me deeply is the mingling of Amerian nationalism with our Christian faith. It seems many think of America as a shining beacon of the Christian faith to the rest of the world. This could not be farther from the truth. Our nation is one of the most perverse and wicked cultures in the history of mankind. We kill our babies, we kill each other, we eat more than anyone else, download more pornography, use more resources, and commit more time to leisure than perhaps any culture ever. And some people think Christianity has something to do with capitalism and free market economics.
Our history is one of dominance throughout Latin-America chock full of subversion, overthrowing of democratic governments and exploitation for our gain. Its no wonder that communism and socialism was very appealing to Latin Americans as it became popular in the early 20th century. They were the ones being capitalized by "christian America". When Jesus said that we are to be a city on a hill he was not talking about America. He was not talking about Rome. He was not even talking about Jerusalem. He was talking about the church of God, his people. We are supposed to live in such a way in the world that men would see our good works and glorify our Father. Instead, we have Christians in our day looking for a government leader who will make America the city on a hill. Derek Webb articulates some of these thoughts well in his song a king and a kingdom. Where are your allegiances? Is your allegiance to America right up there with your allegiance to Christ? If so I pray God gives you repentance.
who's your brother, who's your sister
you just walked passed him i think you missed her
as we're all migrating to the place where our father lives
'cause we married in to a family of immigrants
my first allegiance is not to a flag, a country, or a man
my first allegiance is not to democracy or blood
it's to a king & a kingdom
there are two great lies that i’ve heard:
“the day you eat of the fruit of that tree, you will not surely die”
and that Jesus Christ was a white, middle-class republican
and if you wanna be saved you have to learn to be like Him
my first allegiance is not to a flag, a country, or a man
my first allegiance is not to democracy or blood
it's to a king & a kingdom
but nothing unifies like a common enemy
and we’ve got one, sure as hell
but he may be living in your house
he may be raising up your kids
he may be sleeping with your wife
oh no, he may not look like you think
Dwell on Good Things
The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Phillipi from an ancient jail cell and admonished and encouraged them with a beautiful letter that uplifted the Gospel of Jesus Christ in an amazing way. I say that to say that what Im about to say is one very small part of a book that is densely packed with truth and joy inducing, encouraging words. So go read it if you never have.
One thing that Paul says in the 4th chapter really struck me and its implication for happiness and holiness in our lives is so far reaching. He says this...
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
Paul says to dwell on good things. As humans I think it is so contrary to our nature to actually dwell on good things. Most of the time we only dwell on things that worry us. Our worries naturally assault our thinking and I think this has a lot to do with why Christians don't experience the joy that they ought to experience. Or we dwell on sinful things. Whether it is lust, someone we dont like, the fear of man manifesting itself in insecurity, or any other sinful thoughts, we often allow our minds to be filled with ideas and images that are detrimental to our joy in Jesus Christ.
As I thought about the question, "Do I dwell on good things?" I realized very seldomnly do I dwell and ponder deeply good things. If a good thought comes it is usually very fleeting and is quickly replaced with other less virtuous thoughts. However, many people have known the joy of having their mind filled with good thoughts. If you have ever been "in love" you know the feeling of having your mind full of good thoughts. "I am loved by this person! I cannot believe it! This is so wonderful...how did I end up with her/him?!?!"
For the Christian there is opportunity to be "in love" with the savior everyday of our lives. We may not feel "in love" with him most of the time. But why is this? Is it because we are not loved deeply by the Lord? Is it because Jesus does not look upon us with great joy? It is because the Father does not sing and dance over us? No! Of course not. It is largely to do with the fact that we forget these things. We do not forget them with our minds only but with our hearts. Our affections forget the God of our salvation.
I remember one point about 5 years ago when I was struggling to overcome lustful thoughts (I am still struggling). At that time I remember a thought came to my head..."what in the world am I going to think about if I stop all this lustful thinking??" ...haha! It was as if I thought the Christian life would require me to think about nothing. To just have a blank mind ALL the time! My mind was so consumed with lustful thoughts that I had forgotten what it was like to think about other things.
Paul gives the answer to my question here in Phillipians 4:8. We dont just cease from thinking on the empty and the evil, but we begin to dwell on the GOOD things God has done, is doing, and will do! We learn to delight in the fellowship we have as Gods family. We learn to soak in the truth of Gods love revealed to us in Jesus. We learn to rejoice with the global church when we hear good news of how God is working around the world. We become praise minded as our thoughts are transformed.
I am encouraging myself and hopefully you if you read this. Think on good things. What do you have to be grateful for? What are you seeing God do in the lives of people around you and in your own life? How deep a debt has God forgiven you? Where would you be today without him lovingly breaking into your life and interrupting your pursuit of sin? What would you be hoping in? A career? Your intellect? Your looks? The stock market? Your family? A sports team? And when you begin to think on these things do not let them be fleeting thoughts that come and go in a flash. Rather, apprehend those thoughts. Dont let them go! Extract every ounce of joy from them you possibly can! This is good and pleasing to God, plus, it produces the joy and satisfaction our thirsty souls long after.
One thing that Paul says in the 4th chapter really struck me and its implication for happiness and holiness in our lives is so far reaching. He says this...
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.
Paul says to dwell on good things. As humans I think it is so contrary to our nature to actually dwell on good things. Most of the time we only dwell on things that worry us. Our worries naturally assault our thinking and I think this has a lot to do with why Christians don't experience the joy that they ought to experience. Or we dwell on sinful things. Whether it is lust, someone we dont like, the fear of man manifesting itself in insecurity, or any other sinful thoughts, we often allow our minds to be filled with ideas and images that are detrimental to our joy in Jesus Christ.
As I thought about the question, "Do I dwell on good things?" I realized very seldomnly do I dwell and ponder deeply good things. If a good thought comes it is usually very fleeting and is quickly replaced with other less virtuous thoughts. However, many people have known the joy of having their mind filled with good thoughts. If you have ever been "in love" you know the feeling of having your mind full of good thoughts. "I am loved by this person! I cannot believe it! This is so wonderful...how did I end up with her/him?!?!"
For the Christian there is opportunity to be "in love" with the savior everyday of our lives. We may not feel "in love" with him most of the time. But why is this? Is it because we are not loved deeply by the Lord? Is it because Jesus does not look upon us with great joy? It is because the Father does not sing and dance over us? No! Of course not. It is largely to do with the fact that we forget these things. We do not forget them with our minds only but with our hearts. Our affections forget the God of our salvation.
I remember one point about 5 years ago when I was struggling to overcome lustful thoughts (I am still struggling). At that time I remember a thought came to my head..."what in the world am I going to think about if I stop all this lustful thinking??" ...haha! It was as if I thought the Christian life would require me to think about nothing. To just have a blank mind ALL the time! My mind was so consumed with lustful thoughts that I had forgotten what it was like to think about other things.
Paul gives the answer to my question here in Phillipians 4:8. We dont just cease from thinking on the empty and the evil, but we begin to dwell on the GOOD things God has done, is doing, and will do! We learn to delight in the fellowship we have as Gods family. We learn to soak in the truth of Gods love revealed to us in Jesus. We learn to rejoice with the global church when we hear good news of how God is working around the world. We become praise minded as our thoughts are transformed.
I am encouraging myself and hopefully you if you read this. Think on good things. What do you have to be grateful for? What are you seeing God do in the lives of people around you and in your own life? How deep a debt has God forgiven you? Where would you be today without him lovingly breaking into your life and interrupting your pursuit of sin? What would you be hoping in? A career? Your intellect? Your looks? The stock market? Your family? A sports team? And when you begin to think on these things do not let them be fleeting thoughts that come and go in a flash. Rather, apprehend those thoughts. Dont let them go! Extract every ounce of joy from them you possibly can! This is good and pleasing to God, plus, it produces the joy and satisfaction our thirsty souls long after.
The Trinity -- A Practical Application
The doctrine of the trinity is a very old and highly misunderstood teaching of the church. When I say misunderstood I do not mean that it is disputed among Christians, rather, nobody would dare say that they can explain the trinity. The church has split over the specifics of the doctrine of the trinity in years past, particularly over who the Holy Spirit "proceeds" from. Anyways, all these semantics aside, I hope to give one practical application of the trinity since any good theology is practical and applies to how we live our lives.
Bear with me if this post veers a little new-agey or uber spiritual for a moment...
When we talk about God we are talking about the "highest reality". If you have ever experienced his presence you would know this is true. Many drug users, like the recent convert from the band Korn, attest to the fact that when God came and gave life to their spirit that it was the "realest" thing they had ever experienced. The night I became a Christian the Holy Spirit touched a deeper part of me than anyone ever had. It was the most "real" experience in my life, and is an experience I cannot deny. Far more real than the first time I "fell in love" (enfatuation), than my first homerun (although it was awesome), even more real than the death of my loved ones (those times, in fact, seem surreal).
The doctrine of the trinity teaches us that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are three distinct persons, yet they are one as God. So God, who has no beginning, is a community. The Holy Spirit, the Father, and Jesus have always loved each other deeply and freely...emphasis on always, meaning since God existed....which, he always did. It is clear from scripture that their is deep love between the Father, Jesus, and the Spirit. This is encouraging. Without the doctrine of the trinity, how can God be loving? If God were one, and alone, how could he be loving? Does not the nature of love imply a sharing and giving aspect. We do not say someone is loving because they like themselves a lot. The fact that "God is love" implies the trinitarian community of Gods nature. Love does not exist in isolation. It is always shared.
So one practical application of the trinity is this: Embrace the community of the church. Share your lives with people openly and freely. Ultimate reality is not found in isolation, although isolation for the sake of prayer and meditation is good (but even then you are not isolated...you are seeking God). We experience the realest, and most deeply satisfying lives possible when we share our lives with others in the spirit of humility....just as God always has. When we live in community and love one another we are following God's example. Do you say that you do not need the church, the people of God? You are a member of ONE body. The hand cannot say to the foot "I have no need of you". And if this is your attitude you would do well to consider that your attitude contradicts the very nature of God. This was once my attitude. I hope that attitude never takes root in my heart again. I was one of the most selfish people I have ever met during that time of my life.
Gospel of John Chapter 15:10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. 11 "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
Let us be imitators of God, loving one another in community.
Bear with me if this post veers a little new-agey or uber spiritual for a moment...
When we talk about God we are talking about the "highest reality". If you have ever experienced his presence you would know this is true. Many drug users, like the recent convert from the band Korn, attest to the fact that when God came and gave life to their spirit that it was the "realest" thing they had ever experienced. The night I became a Christian the Holy Spirit touched a deeper part of me than anyone ever had. It was the most "real" experience in my life, and is an experience I cannot deny. Far more real than the first time I "fell in love" (enfatuation), than my first homerun (although it was awesome), even more real than the death of my loved ones (those times, in fact, seem surreal).
The doctrine of the trinity teaches us that God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. They are three distinct persons, yet they are one as God. So God, who has no beginning, is a community. The Holy Spirit, the Father, and Jesus have always loved each other deeply and freely...emphasis on always, meaning since God existed....which, he always did. It is clear from scripture that their is deep love between the Father, Jesus, and the Spirit. This is encouraging. Without the doctrine of the trinity, how can God be loving? If God were one, and alone, how could he be loving? Does not the nature of love imply a sharing and giving aspect. We do not say someone is loving because they like themselves a lot. The fact that "God is love" implies the trinitarian community of Gods nature. Love does not exist in isolation. It is always shared.
So one practical application of the trinity is this: Embrace the community of the church. Share your lives with people openly and freely. Ultimate reality is not found in isolation, although isolation for the sake of prayer and meditation is good (but even then you are not isolated...you are seeking God). We experience the realest, and most deeply satisfying lives possible when we share our lives with others in the spirit of humility....just as God always has. When we live in community and love one another we are following God's example. Do you say that you do not need the church, the people of God? You are a member of ONE body. The hand cannot say to the foot "I have no need of you". And if this is your attitude you would do well to consider that your attitude contradicts the very nature of God. This was once my attitude. I hope that attitude never takes root in my heart again. I was one of the most selfish people I have ever met during that time of my life.
Gospel of John Chapter 15:10 "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. 11 "These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13 "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.
Let us be imitators of God, loving one another in community.
Remaining Teachable
"Hearing and listening are not the same as learning. The mind can be aware of a truth for years while the affections remain unchanged.".
Ive been a christian for about 8 years now. When I was converted I read the Bible voraciously. I soon began to read different books by christians authors as well. Though I have only been a christian for 8 years, I often find myself not wanting to read the scriptures because "Ive already read that like a thousand times". Also, I find myself not listening to others when they share with me what God is teaching them because "I learned that like a millions years ago".
1 Corinthians 8 says this"...We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. 2 And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him." (forgive me if I am using this somewhat out of context)
My very limited knowledge has puffed me up. So much so that I often believe practically (not theologically) that Jesus' words to me are of no benefit. I am slowly learning to lean on the truth that I NEED to hear the good news of the scripture everyday, instead of looking inside myself and waiting for some strong desire to read the scriptures and meditate upon them. In many ways that has been the story of my "devotional life" over the last 8 years. "Do I feel like reading the scriptures and having my soul corrected, encouraged, rebuked, reproved, purified, challenged, etc?" More often than not my answer has been a lazy, "no".
A good analogy that comes to mind is exercize (a word that I am confident I will NEVER learn to spell for some strange reason). My mom has a membership at a gym. She never goes. Her reason for not going? She doesn't FEEL like it. The fallacy in that thinking is this: You dont go workout because you FEEL good, you go workout in the hopes that you WILL feel good as your health increases. She has confused the means and the end. Working out is not the end. "Ahh Im doing well, look at me working out!" Working out is the means to the end, namely, feeling good!
I am that way with the gospel. I have mistaken the end for the means. I thought the end was the religious work of hearing the scriptures and reading the Bible. If that were the case I HAVE accomplished my task as a Christian. Ive read the New Testament and most of the Old. But the end of the Christian life is a heart that reflects the person of Jesus. In that light it is clear that while I have read through the gospels and the letters to the churches, I have LEARNED very little of it!!! 1 Corinthians 13, the great love chapter?? Oh Ive read that perhaps hundreds of times!! How much of it do I live?? Very little!
The point is this. I must go to the scriptures and other means of grace because I recognize my need to be changed by them, not because they are the end of some religious duty. Elsewise I will not return to the scriptures to feed on them and grow by them with the Spirit's help. I will not return to worship and behold God with an open heart. Why? "Because Ive already done that many times before!" What a sorry attitude. But, this is an attitude I fight on a daily basis.
I hope my confession of sorts will help you as you struggle against these types of attitudes.
Ive been a christian for about 8 years now. When I was converted I read the Bible voraciously. I soon began to read different books by christians authors as well. Though I have only been a christian for 8 years, I often find myself not wanting to read the scriptures because "Ive already read that like a thousand times". Also, I find myself not listening to others when they share with me what God is teaching them because "I learned that like a millions years ago".
1 Corinthians 8 says this"...We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. 2 And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, this one is known by Him." (forgive me if I am using this somewhat out of context)
My very limited knowledge has puffed me up. So much so that I often believe practically (not theologically) that Jesus' words to me are of no benefit. I am slowly learning to lean on the truth that I NEED to hear the good news of the scripture everyday, instead of looking inside myself and waiting for some strong desire to read the scriptures and meditate upon them. In many ways that has been the story of my "devotional life" over the last 8 years. "Do I feel like reading the scriptures and having my soul corrected, encouraged, rebuked, reproved, purified, challenged, etc?" More often than not my answer has been a lazy, "no".
A good analogy that comes to mind is exercize (a word that I am confident I will NEVER learn to spell for some strange reason). My mom has a membership at a gym. She never goes. Her reason for not going? She doesn't FEEL like it. The fallacy in that thinking is this: You dont go workout because you FEEL good, you go workout in the hopes that you WILL feel good as your health increases. She has confused the means and the end. Working out is not the end. "Ahh Im doing well, look at me working out!" Working out is the means to the end, namely, feeling good!
I am that way with the gospel. I have mistaken the end for the means. I thought the end was the religious work of hearing the scriptures and reading the Bible. If that were the case I HAVE accomplished my task as a Christian. Ive read the New Testament and most of the Old. But the end of the Christian life is a heart that reflects the person of Jesus. In that light it is clear that while I have read through the gospels and the letters to the churches, I have LEARNED very little of it!!! 1 Corinthians 13, the great love chapter?? Oh Ive read that perhaps hundreds of times!! How much of it do I live?? Very little!
The point is this. I must go to the scriptures and other means of grace because I recognize my need to be changed by them, not because they are the end of some religious duty. Elsewise I will not return to the scriptures to feed on them and grow by them with the Spirit's help. I will not return to worship and behold God with an open heart. Why? "Because Ive already done that many times before!" What a sorry attitude. But, this is an attitude I fight on a daily basis.
I hope my confession of sorts will help you as you struggle against these types of attitudes.
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