Re-adjusting our Focus

As our church has been working on memorizing the book of James, we are nearing chapter 5, which has caused me to begin pondering. Join with me, if you will.

Let us begin with the background. James wrote to churches which had been scattered by the diaspora. This was the product of the persecution under Herod Agrippa. These Christians were being persecuted, and were suffering. In fact, in his opening statement to the church, James says, “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials” (1:2). There was not much room for possibility. It had happened, was happening, and was going to continue to happen. It is in this context of pain and suffering that James wrote chapter 5.

James says in 5:7-11
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! My brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed, we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and see the end intended by the Lord – that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

I’m going to go through now and pull out the emphases I see James making:

 

Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.

See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patientlyfor it until it receives the early and latter rain.

You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!

 My brethren, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. Indeed, we count them blessed who endure.

You have heard of the perseverance of Job and see the end intended by the Lord – that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

 

James’ theme in this passage is perseverance and patience in suffering. What is the reason, or goal that he gives? It is not that one day the suffering will end, or that the pain would one day get easier to bear. His focus, his consolation for the church, is the Return of Christ. Three times James reminds his readers – Christ is coming, and He is coming soon!

Paul, in his writings, shows a similar theme:

II Tim. 3:12 – Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

Col. 1:24 – I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church.

Phil. 1:29 – for to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.

Rom. 8:17 – and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

II Cor. 1:5 – For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.

Get the point? As believers who stand firm on the doctrine, the teachings of Scripture, we will face persecution. Nowhere do the Apostles indicate that the persecution is limited to that which afflicts us from the unsaved world. Rather, over and over, we are reminded that the persecution will come from those who call themselves brothers, “spots at your love feasts” (Jude 12). How we handle the persecution from these within “the Faith” will show where exactly we are focusing our mind and our attention.

Our attention. Where is it? As I have had the opportunity to preach and teach within the church, the topic of our attention has crossed my study several times. Our attention is to be on Christ, the Author and Finisher of our Faith. Our attention is to be on the hope of Christ’s imminent, soon return. And our attention is to be on Prize of being conformed to His image (Phil. 3:14). Some of these things will occasionally flit through our minds. But really, how focused is our attention on the Return of Christ? Do we think about it so frequently we can call it a motivation? Do we really understand what motivation is?

After a few months of marriage I began to notice that I had pudge. Now, I’ve prided myself on being a runner, in tip-top shape, for years. So for me to notice I had pudge is a serious problem. So I began running in earnest, desperately trying to shed the flab. Every time I sit I notice the pudge, the roll over my belt, and I look forward to my run when I get off work. A chance to rid myself of it. That is a motivation. That is a dedication. Is that how we look forward to Christ’s return?

When we face a difficult time, are we dedicated to perseverance and endurance through it on the basis of Christ’s return? Does it motivate us to that extent?

When we see that flab of the flesh rolling over our belt, do we seek to purify ourselves from it on the basis of Christ’s return? Is His return so central to our thoughts that it drives our lives?

God has placed times of suffering and persecution in our lives to get our eyes up, off ourselves, our comfort, our plans, to remind us that Christ is coming. He must be our motivation. His imminent Return must be our reason for hanging on and making the right choices, the doctrinal choices.

Being Changed By Gazing

Great insight from Robert Mounce, famed Greek teacher:

At the heart of the Christian experience is a radical transformation from what we were by nature into what God intends us to become by grace. Nowhere is that transformation stated with greater clarity than in II Cor 3:18. And at the heart of this verse is a present middle participle that reveals the secret of Christian growth and maturity.

What this verse tells us is that a wonderful change is taking place in the life of the believer. Although a veil remains over the mind of the unbeliever (v. 15), that veil is lifted for those who are in Christ (vv. 14, 16). They are being changed into the image of Christ from one degree of glory to the next.

The secret of divine transformation lies in the participle katoptrozomenoi. It comes from a verb which, in the middle, originally meant “to look into a mirror.” Then it came to mean “to gaze upon” or “to contemplate.” Taking the participle in the instrumental sense we read, “We all are being changed into the image of Christ by beholding the glory of the Lord.”

Transformation into the likeness of Christ is the inevitable result of gazing upon his glory. We become like that which dominates our thoughts and affections. Like Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “great stone face,” which shaped the life of the one who spent his days looking at that craggy representation of all that was held to be good and pure, so also does the believer gradually take on a family resemblance to his Lord as he spends his time contemplating the glory of God.

Note that the participle is present tense. It is a continual contemplation that effects the transformation. As the participle is present tense, so also is the finite verb “are being changed” (metamorfoumeqa). The transformation keeps pace with the contemplation. They are inextricably bound together. By continuing to behold the glory of the Lord we are continually being transformed into His image. (Mounce, William. Basics of Biblical Greek. Grand Rapids: Zondervan 2003, 245)

 

This last paragraph was most captivating in my mind. The looking and the changing are “bound together.” So the question lies, “am I changing?” From this verse, if my answer is “no” or “negligible” the reason why is “not enough looking.” You know you can read your Bible and not look? You can pray and not look? It all comes back to the heart. How many times did Christ condemn the Jews for heartless following? “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” – Matthew 15:8. Where are your heart and your mind when you are engaged in your devotions? Is it engaged in Christ? Or just on overdrive? Do you see the need in your life for “changing”? “Gaze”, Paul commands. One will not happen without the other.

And if this strikes conviction in anyone’s heart, I plead with you (as much as I plead with my own weak flesh), “do not be the double-minded man.” James warns earnestly of the consequences of looking into the perfect law of liberty, then going away and forgetting what kind of person you are (James 1:8, 22-25). Act now; make radically different choices, before it is too late.

Sliding in a Winter Wonderland

I’m sure every Christian blog in the South is mentioning something about snow this morning, and something about Isaiah, and something about forgiveness. I must admit that, though I am an avid snow-hater, my heart was refreshed as I drove to work in a white world, reminded of God’s forgiveness of “such a worm as I.” But there’s more to this thought. There’s more to the picture than our sins being white as snow. First, let’s look at the passages. Two come to mind in reference to this topic.

First, Isaiah 1:18, God’s promise to Israel: “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the Lord, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool.” What abundant mercy and grace promised to those repent and act out of obedience. Obedience is closely tied to this promise, as God says in the next two verses, “If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land; But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” God will not bless the rebellious and disobedient, but He promises abundant mercy to the repentant. This is certainly reasonable, in light of Habakkuk 1:13 – “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness.” He cannot wink at sin. Therefore obedience finds forgiveness and mercy, while rebellion finds punishment and discipline.

The second passage is in Psalm 51. This passage is David’s repentance after living in rebellion for some 9 months during his sin with Bathsheba. Verse 7 says, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” Notice, this is a redeemed man speaking, one who prior to this, was called a man after God’s own heart (I Sam. 13:4, cf. Acts 13:22). He certainly knew the salvation of the Lord, yet here he recognizes his impurity and his need for cleansing. He needed the forgiveness of God to purify him, even in his justified state, to make him “whiter than snow.” Was he here no longer saved? Was the Lamb of God no longer providing atonement for his sin? Salvation always was and is a finished act based on God’s grace to man, and not man’s work in earning it (Eph. 2:8-9). However, it is clear from this passage that David’s relationship with God was tarnished, and he needed cleansing. This cleansing was not salvific in nature, for he was already justified. However, having fallen into sin, he was no longer pure. It wasn’t that he was no longer a child, but he was a rebellious child who, upon his repentance, needed restoration.

This is where the winter analogy continues. As I drove to work this morning, admiring the beauty of the snow, I began to slip. I slowed to make my turn, turned my steering wheel…and continued to slide straight. I had to pull a u-ey to get back to my turn (very, very slowly, this time), and get to work. The amazing thing about this was that I didn’t even notice the point where I ceased to be in control, and where the ice took over. It happened so subtly as I drove. One minute I was perfectly in control, and then I was sliding quite out of control, praying I wouldn’t hit the oncoming car. This caused me to think. Sunday afternoon we heard a great message on perseverance in the Christian life. It was observed that we can so easily get off course, still doing the things we are “supposed” to do, but do them for the wrong reasons, the wrong motivation. To fit my analogy, it is so easy to just start sliding. Our sliding can begin so subtly that we don’t even notice it. Sin is so deceitful (Heb. 3:13), and our hearts so wicked (Jer. 17:9). Careful observation must be given every day to faithful walking, lest we subtly begin to slide into sin, deceiving ourselves the whole time that we are doing just fine. It’s fine to enjoy the beauty and cleanness of the snow, but in doing so, guard yourself from the subtle ice which will cause you to wreck.

Foundations

I have been watching very intently lately as a house in Lewisville was prepared to be moved from one part of town to another. The house is very old, supposedly one of the first built in the area, back in the 1800s. For months “concerned citizens” of Lewisville lobbied to have this house declared an historical location, so that it could be preserved after the property was sold. After much marketing and after raising thousands of dollars, these concerned citizens saw their dream become a reality. I wonder how many people in Lewisville were actually involved in the petition. I wonder how many people in Lewisville cared. Very few who populated my store seemed to even notice what was going on. A small minority, it seems, managed to move a house.

On Christmas Eve a large semi truck began preparations to move the house. This seemed to be a process in and of itself. As I drove by day after day, I noticed bigger piles of dirt around the house every day. The foundation of the house was being dug up, so that the house was standing in the end supported only by the braces attached to the semi. The house was then standing about 2 feet off the ground in some spots, still resting on the ground in others. Yet they kept digging. Before they moved the house, they had dug the foundation 4 or 5 feet from under the house. The foundation was completely removed and temporarily supported on the truck, and then it was moved. A new foundation had already been prepared across the street, where the house would be moved. Very slowly, the house was moved from the old location to the new location, and the new foundation was carefully built back up around the house.

This makes me think of America. As Christians, we are familiar with this illustration, but there is definitely a point here. Of course, we understand that America was originally built on a Christian foundation…to an extent. It was at least built on a conservative, God-acknowledging foundation. Now, America is turning as liberal as the nations around it. With almost surgical care, the foundation of America has been removed and America has been carefully moved to another location. Even this most recent election evidences this move. In fact, the election and its implications could arguably be part of the moving of the nation to a different foundation. Time will tell. The point is, we don’t stand where we once did. What will we do about it? What is the role of Fundamental Christianity in this shifting time? What will we do to reverse this? What can we do to reverse this? How can Fundamental Christianity maintain the old foundation when the building is gone? Does anyone care?

Dispensational Distinction

As i have continued to plow through material representing the New Perspective of Paul (hereafter NPP) interpretation of justification, specifically as it references the rejection of our Justification by the Imputation of Christ’s righteousness, i have found (not surprisingly) that hermeneutics is where the argument rises and falls.

Don Garlington, as a representative of this perspective, notes that his primary hermeneutic is “a historia salutis (history of salvation).” This “salvation history” is his driving hermeneutic. Everything is interpreted in light of this. As he quotes EP Sanders, long-recognized cornerstone of the NPP, he shows that this hermeneutic is what the NPP is built upon.

This perspective, as touched on in previous posts, sees God as a covenantal God first and foremost. That is, He only relates to His creation in terms of Covenants. Therefore salvation itself is covenantal in nature. In fact, Sanders’ perspective was that Israelite history was itself a picture of our salvation, and God’s covenant-keeping in relation to Israel played a crucial role in interpreting our salvation. Concepts of salvation, justification, and righteousness in the Old Testament are used to interpret Pauline passages. For instance, at one point Garlington argues:

In biblical-theological perspective, the justification of the people of God [notice this phrase is used to unify Israel and the Church] is their vindication when they return to the land and resume their privileged position within the covenant. Thus “vindication from sin” [Rom. 6:7 - NKJV "freed from sin"; Gk "dedikaiotai apo tes hamartias"] would make fine sense as meaning that we have been absolved with regard to the charges of sin.

As humans, we were exiled by our sin, but now have been restored to the land and the covenant by God’s justification of us. This is the interpretation of salvation by the NPP. God’s righteousness, then, is interpreted as “his saving activity to redeem Israel from her oppressors (Garlington, Response17).” “Justification in Paul signals deliverance from exile and freedom from bondage (Garlington, Justification by Faith62).” This view in general seems to lack much of the forensic nature of Paul’s arguments. While no NPP author denies a forensic meaning in Paul, certainly it is at least secondary to their arguments.

What all this has to do with Dispensationalism should now be fairly obvious. The sine qua nonof Dispensationalism has often been noted to be a clear distinction between the Church and Israel. However, this historia salutis hermeneutic clearly opposes this by striving to interpret all of Paul’s work through an Old Testament framework (which itself doesn’t seem to be consistent with a Biblical covenantal framework). In his letters Paul never seeks to equate the church with Israel or declare Christians to be a “new Israel.” God is not done with national Israel. The promises (covenants) made to them are yet intended to be filled by them, and can in no way be fulfilled by the church. The NPP, as well as Classical Covenant Theology, necessitates a covenantal hermeneutic which seeks to establish the Church as a “spiritual Israel.” This reading of Scripture causes misunderstandings and misapplications of Scripture such as the NPP.

A specific aspect of this issue can be addressed accompanied by a rejoinder. Garlington, in his Response to John Piper, defines the term “apostate” covenantally by quoting Romans 1:25: “who…worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever.” All of humanity, then, according to Garlington, is apostate (29). In a covenantal interpretation, this necessitates all of humanity to be bound by covenant to God. However, in New Testament theology, there is a much different perspective on the word “apostate.” Unlike its Old Testament interpretation referring clearly to one who had violated the Mosaic Covenant (cf. for example, Deut. 13), the New Testament, and Paul in particular, employs this word to refer to those who had left the Faith (I TIm. 4:2).  The question then arises – “what is “the faith?” Doctrine answers these questions. First, these individuals cannot have been saved, or they would not have left the faith (Rom. 8:30). Therefore, second, “the Faith” must be a reference to the teachings, or doctrine, of Christ. This is bolstered by the context, in which Paul had just finished giving an early creed of sorts regarding the essentials of the Gospel. It is to these essentials, then, to which he refers as “the faith.” Is this faith then, a covenant? There is absolutely no proof in New Testament literature, Paul included, that “the faith” is considered in terms of entering a covenant. Apostates are not leaving a covenant relationship, but are rejecting first a personal trust in Christ, then a set of doctrine which conforms to His Word and character.

Jude continues this thought of apostates and what it means to be apostate. The word he chooses over and over is “ungodly.” Used some 6 times in this short book, “ungodly” is the primary way in which Jude thinks of apostates. The use of the word “ungodly” does not, however, indicate a covenant relationship. Rather, it indicates a failure to comply to the character and person of God, marking one out as a sinner (I John 3:4). Sin, in the New Testament, is not just the failure to adhere to a covenant. Rather, it is transgression of a moral code. This defines it as forensic in nature. This observation simply serves to bolster the “traditional” and “Protestant” interpretation of Pauline doctrine.

So what’s the problem? What difference does it make if one believes the church is Israel or not? Doctrines such as those proposed by the NPP suffice as reason. When the theological structure (Covenant, Dispensational, etc.) forces a re-interpretation of doctrines such as justification to fit that particular schema, when your theological grid drives your hermeneutic rather than your hermeneutics driving your theological framework, there is an issue. The consequences will not necessarily be instantaneous, however. It may be that though current Covenant and NPP theologians rest their faith in Christ for salvation. However, the battle is for the generations. True doctrine will always cause future generations to fear God and worship Him properly. However, as these other doctrines continue, they will cause our children and our grandchildren to fall away from the faith, crawling out further and further on the branches until they break and our children fall into the apostasy we began. This is what is at stake. I’m no prophet and I can’t see what NPP will morph into. I could take some guesses, but I don’t know. But I do know that our children and grandchildren will not hold the line of faith because of these doctrines. Apostasy will be the end result of these doctrines, and history will have another lesson.

Imputation and Being “In Christ”

Well, i haven’t heard anything from anyone yet, but i have continued to study this doctrine called imputation as well as those who are objecting to the Biblical accuracy of the doctrine. The theory being promoted in distinction to the doctrine of imputation is that God counts our faith as righteousness. And suddenly i realize i am ahead of myself.

The doctrine of Imputation teaches that when God looks at those whom He has redeemed, He sees them clothed in Christ’s Righteousness. This act of clothing, or imputation, was beautifully illustrated by the prophet Isaiah, in Isaiah 61:10

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. (italics added)

The point is, we do not stand before God in our righteousness, but in the righteousness of Christ. Or, in the words of Paul, “even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous” (Rom. 5:18-19). Scripture is replete with references to Christ, our righteousness, and our status “In Christ.” For example:

Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit are you now being made perfect by the flesh? (Gal. 3:3)

That is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing ther trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Chirst, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Chirst’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. (II Cor 5:19-21)

But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God – and righteousness and sanctification and redemption (I Cor 1:30)

Being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God (Phil. 1:11)

…that I amy gain Christ, and be found in Him,  not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith, the righteousness which is from God by faith (Phil. 3:8b-9)

Just as Abraham “Believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” (Gal. 3:6)

Fir in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, “the Just shall live by faith.” (Rom. 1:17)

More on this later.

The Doctrine of Imputation – Biblical?

i need some response on this one before we go too far…why do we believe in the doctrine of imputation? i need Biblical data, not just opinion. Any takers? More is coming, just want to prime the pump.

Prophet of God?

i was doing a bit more research on this whole revival/outpouring thing in Florida, and specifically in Todd Bentley, the “Revivalist” (a spiritual gift i evidently overlooked as i read Ephesians 4) who is mustering the whole thing up. There are plenty of resources out on the net to hear Bentley speak and define himself and his beliefs. Several of those sources include interviews of him in which he claims to have had the heavens open up and Jesus appeared to Him personally, “just as he would have looked to the disciples.” Bentley seems to have quite a following, as well. It amazes me, however, how lacking in discernment these people are. For starters, Bentley is claiming that Jesus came in His pre-resurrection state, just a “regular, plain ephod, and very brown eyes.” However, this is not the Biblical picture of Jesus. After His resurrection, everything changed. He is now sitting at the right hand of the Father in His glory – this is a state of being, unchanging. Acts 2:33, part of Peter’s Pentecost sermon, says “therefore, being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.” This brings up an interesting issue. For some reason undisclosed in Scripture, the Son could not be here while the Holy Spirit was indwelling men. The prerequisite for the promise of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit was the departure of the Son. We do not know why this is true, only that it is Christ’s clear teaching (John 16:7 – Nevertheless, I tell you the Truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” Christ clearly teaches that if the Spirit is here indwelling, He cannot be here in person. Again, i do not confess to understand how this works with His omnipresence or whatever…this is simply what the passage (and Acts 2) teaches. This creates a problem for Bentley. Does he have the Spirit? He surely thinks so. If so, can he really have seen Christ…can Christ really have come and spoken to him? This is letting doctrine run your life. This is what it means to be discerning. “Testing the spirits” (I John 4:1) is all about this. This is what it means. Run the claims of men through the sieve of Scripture, and see if they pass through. This one doesn’t.

Another sieve: what does Peter mean in II Peter 1:19 by “we have the word of prophecy made more sure?” What is the context? What is he talking about? He is recounting his experience on the Mount of Transfiguration. He saw Jesus in His glory as He had appeared in heaven. Yet he had a more sure foundation than this experience – the Word of God, Scripture. The Scriptures, he goes on to explain, were inspired as God the Holy Spirit moved men to write. The Scripture is the more sure foundation than the seeing of the glory of Christ – to say nothing of His pre-resurrection manifestation (as Bentley claims he has seen). Sieve #2 failed.

A third sieve: Phil. 2:7-9. This passage is known as the kenosis passage, indicating Christ’s emptying Himself of His prerogative as God, and taking up the form of Man. But upon His resurrection “God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Here’s the thing. Hebrews 7:27-28 indicates that Christ’s kenosis happened once for the putting away of sin. 9:25-28 goes on to say that He appeared once for the purpose of sacrificing Himself, and “to those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.” This second appearance is a reference to the Rapture, when He will appear to all His redeemed at the same time. Therefore to claim to see Him before this time indicates at least a unique dispensation for that individual. Obviously this is very questionable. Again, this is just letting doctrine rule your experiences. The Word of God is our final authority, no matter how ecstatic the musings of men are. Sieve #3 failed.

The point i hope the reader is getting at this point is that we must think Biblically, and be willing to act discerningly no matter how great the temptation is to do otherwise. One final note on this. In another interview Bentley was doing something (some call it prophecying or giving words of knowlege) in which he was imparting healing to some random viewer of the interview who had some sort of physical malody. Honestly as i listened to him try to describe who this person was with the illness, i could not help but think of John Edwards, Mr. Crossing Over, as he communicates with “spirits.” The whole process was far from anything seen in Scripture, and therefore quite illegitimate. All these things add up to Jude 1 and II Peter 2 – false prophet. Warning bells, anyone?

Pentecost Revisited – Day 50 of the Florida Outpouring

Don’t know how many are keeping an eye on Florida these days (for more than political reasons) but things are still going strong on the Florida Outpouring. In fact, if you want you can even hook yourself up with the daily preachings, see undeniable accounts of people being raised from the dead, or even get yourself a Florida Outpouring wallpaper. Pretty nifty stuff. However, as i began to dig in a little bit, i found typical-yet-troubling reports of the things being said. Various passages of Scripture were being taken out of context, doctrine was overrun by emotions and feelings, and nothing was being questioned as legitimate (at least from internal sources). At this point, however, the Florida Outpouring is gleaning such popularity that it is planning on continuing through the summer, according to its leaders. Plans are in place to aquire a 10,000-seat arena, and hold services twice a day through the summer.

So my question in all of this is where is the doctrine? Oh, God is claimed to be in the middle of the whole thing, running the show. According to Todd Bentley, the “revivalist” who is running the show, it’s all about God, it’s not about him. He says he wants to be out of the way, and to just let God do His thing. So my question: is He?

When God communicates with His people, and makes certain claims about life and about Himself, are they true? When He says you already have all things necessary for life and Godliness (II Pet. 1:3), is He lying, or is He telling the truth? Before this Outpouring, did i have everything abundantly (to use one of “their” words) in Him? Further, if we are going to speak about fillings, what does Ephesians 3 say is the prerequisite to “being filled with all the fullness of God (Eph. 3:19)?” Is it an experience? Does He demand that we be experientially-driven to gain this filling? Colossians 3:16 demands that the “word of Christ dwell in you richly.” We must know, understand, and be driven by His Word. If this is not so, there is no abundant filling. Filling is according to knowledge. And the fulness of God is not a mystical, charismatic driving force of supernaturality; rather, it is the filling of godly character traits. It is for this purpose that the Holy Spirit is even with us – that we may be conformed to the obedience of Christ (Rom. 8:29; 12:12)

Furthermore, is it not against the very nature of God for the Holy Spirit to be acting in such a way that He is drawing undeniable attention to Himself? Does this not contradict the unique character of the Holy Spirit (John 16:13-14)? So if, as Christians, we see a movement calling attention to the Holy Spirit distinctly, ought not doctrine rule our minds and we resist such a movement, rather than allowing emotions to run us and we embrace said movement, for “God is there”? Is God really there?

As a manner of post-script, i would love to hear a Biblical definition of terms being thrown around such as “impartation,” “come and get some…,” “full and overflowing,” “release people into revival,” and last but not least,

“The Lord told me…”

This i believe is the most dangerous claim out of everything i have heard. Claiming personal, divine revelation denies the doctrine of the completed canon, denies the doctrine of revelation at its core, and brings God into question over claims stated earlier.

Great Big World

Graduation and marriage have a tendency to pretty much change the world one lives in. Until now, things have been rather sheltered and comfortable – to an extent. However, all that is changing. This is the real deal now. Which makes it a great time to step back and reflect on the sufficiency and sovereignty of God. Has He not been all i need for the past 23 years? Seems like He said something about that in I Corinthians 10:13.

No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.

The Greek word for “temptation” is peiraso. This word is quite common in the New Testament. James 1:13 says,

Let no one say when he is tempted (peirazei) “i am tempted by God” ; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Hmself tempt anyone.

God’s making a way that we may bear it is for the purpose of fulfilling Rom. 8:28. It is His purpose that all things work out for our good – that is, our conformation to the image of Christ. This He is doing as we choose to obey and be conformed.

Just some words to encourage those of us who are embarking on new chapters in our lives.