The revelation of God

I love the word of God.  I have studied it, memorized it, and meditated on it. I have found direction and comfort in it many times.  Most importantly, I have found glimpses of His glory as He passed by.

I have been taught and repeated the teaching that God reveals Himself and His truth in 4 ways.

1. Special revelation - dreams, visions, and from angelic messengers
2. General revelation in His creation - "The heavens and the earth speak day after day of His glory"
3. Incarnational revelation - He is revealed in lives of those whom He indwells
4. Scriptural revelation - the Bible

The latter is the superior form because it's more explicit and clear than dreams and visions.  it's more broad in scope and situational in specifics than creation, and it's less distorted by the sin of the individual in whom God is revealed. 

But I think the fourth form of revelation - scripture - may be over-rated.   Don't get me wrong, I still love the Word, I agree with every word in Psalm 119, if I miss a day reading, studying, and meditating on it, I feel the loss as a shrinking of my own soul.  

The Word of God is "living and active," but it's not living and active in the same way that you are. Your life is more flexible, variable, and dynamic.  That makes you more facile, specific, and individualized as a source of revelation.  But seeing revelation of His truth and His person in His people is tricky because His people can reveal Him, or conceal Him, or distort Him.  

If others see a distorted view of Him in you, what misinformation do you suppose you communicate?  

If others don't see Him at all because you conceal Him, how do you suppose you accomplish the feat of concealing the most real part of you.  

Finally, and this is a trick question, how and what truths of Him do you reveal.  The suprising answer is, you don't.  You don't reveal the Christ that indwells you.  I don't reveal Chrsit who indwells me.  HE REVEALS HIMSELF.

That's not a simple technicality.  It means that the third source of revelation - incarnational revelation - is a much more reliable source of truth than I and most of my biblically learned friends thought.  It means that I can completely rely on the accuracy of the truth of His character as He is the one that revealed Himself in this way. 

Finding the truth of Christ in the scripture He breathed (2 Tim. 3:16) and in the people He indwells (2 Cor 3:18) requires discernment to clearly understand the truth without distortion.  But i think that the clarity and advantages of incarnational revelation has been highly and unfairly maligned.

Would you prefer to learn from Christ by reading the Gospels, or by being there, listening to him speak, watching him work?  I think that most honest people would plead for the chance to have been there and witnessed his life, even conversing with him.  Why would the same pattern not be true today.   Would you rather experience the compassion of Christ by reading about it, or by resting in the supportive embrace of his people?

My beloved, more importantly His beloved, let us not conceal Him, let us not distort Him.  May we be in communion and fellowship with Him in such a way that He reveals Himself easily and clearly through us.  May we seek to learn of His nature and His holy perfection as He reveals Himself in and through the people He indwells.  

The faith that saves

I used to think about Faith that saves and wonder what that Faith had to contain.  Is it possible to have saving Faith and not believe in a virgin birth?  Is it possible to have a saving Faith and not be certain the resurrection actually occurred?  Is it possible to have a saving Faith and believe that not all of the 66 books in the Bible are inspired?

Those discussions were always interesting in Seminary and Bible College.  But I’ve finally decided what should have been obvious.  They completely miss the point. 

I’ve come to think that saving Faith has a whole lot less to do with what facts I believe are true, and a whole lot more to do with how it changes me.  Faith that produces no change in me is not saving Faith.  Faith that saves is faith that changes.  What I do because of faith is the evidence that I’m His.  Faith that creates action is the evidence of things that are otherwise unseen… like the virgin birth, the resurrection, the inspiration of scripture, and personal salvation.

(James 2)

Trouble

Better strife, confusion, difficulty and dependence on Christ, than comfort, convenience, ease, and self-sufficiency.

Lord, Speak. Soul, Listen

The title has been my prayer this week.  My soul did listen, and it did hear him speak. 

 "Steve, you spend way to much time and energy fearing you will be exposed as a. weak; b. foolish; c. wrong; d. selfish; e. a fraud; f. arrogant; g. all of the above.  Everyone fears being exposed, but you are wasting too much time and energy on it.  You learned if from a home that lived in constant fear of being exposed.  But it's still foolish.  There is nothing you can do to prevent being exposed.  Even if you were perfect (chuckle) the enemy would just make things up. 

Spend less energy, effort, and anxiety trying to avoid being exposed.  Spend more energy and effort living obediently in my abundant grace.  Live with such freedom and joy that I would want to expose your life to others as an example of my easy yoke.  Do not hide your failures.  Embrace them because they prove how marvelous is my grace toward you and in you."

BTW: He spoke clearly, but it took me about 10 focused prayers, 2 dreams, and 5 illustrations and assurances to hear all of that.  He held up his part of the prayer much better than I held up mine.  I know... you're surprised.

Replacement 2

Foolish ancient Israelites trusted in idols rather than God.
Foolish ancient Israelites trusted in political alliances rather than God.
Foolish ancient Israelites trusted in "nobles" rather than God.
Foolish ancient Israelites trusted in wealth and riches rather than God.
Foolish ancient Israelites trusted in their own strength and abilities rather than God.
Foolish ancient Israelites.

Replacement

Taking a risk, please post your comment here.

"In your own words, how would you summarize the ideas from Jeremiah?  I have called them "the 'replacement' view of sin."

Jer. 1:17-19 (my loose paraphrase)

"I have given you a task.  Hitch up your jock strap and get on with it.  I know you are frightened, but you can choose: you can choose to be afraid of them and not speak; or you can choose to be afraid of me if you disobey me.  I am much more to be feared.

You will need to be strong, not the kind of strength that charges at and overruns the enemy, but the kind of strength that stands firm, on task, unmoved, no matter how fierce the enemy's attacks may be.

Make no mistake about it, they will launch attack after attack against you, but they will not destroy you.  You will be able to stand firm in the face of the attack, for I am with you to deliver you."

Note there are three reasons to obey God.
1) If we allow our fear of men to control us, we stand in opposition to God,
2) AND we stand alone. 
3) But if we allow our fear of God to control us, we stand in opposition to the world, but we have a mighty ally. 

Which do you fear?  Who is your ally?

Jeremiah 1:11ff

"Do you see the stick? Do you see the pot? Do you know what they mean?"

How many sticks do you see in a day? How many pots? How many rocks, birds, dead bugs, hairstyles, tools, heat shimmers, or poodles? Is God speaking to you through the things that are right in front of your eyes? Are you watching and listening?

The stick and the pot mean that God sees, He is watching, and His justice is coming. Good things to know, but Jeremiah wouldn't have heard them if he hadn't noticed a stick and a pot.

(If you were in church at Common Ground tonight... please notice that we were in Chapter 1, verse 11..... 1:11.)

Look. Notice. He often speaks by the things He puts right in front of our eyes. We need to notice.

Jeremiah 1:5

"Before I formed you in your mother’s womb I knew you. Before you were born I set you apart. I appointed you to be a prophet to the nations."

If God knew you before he formed you, and if He also knew what role he had set for you, wouldn't he have formed you in a way well suited for that role? No need trying to be somebody or something. His calling for you is to be you, in His will.

Mustard Seeds and Yeast

Matt 13:31-33 The simple idea is that the Kingdom starts small and grows. It gets bigger. It's just a natural process and it works in a natural way. Nothing especially mystical about a tree that gets big and birds nests in it. Nothing especially strange about yeast mixing into the entire lump of dough. It's what happens (unless something intervenes to prevent the natural order of things).

three judges in Judges 3

Othniel - pronounced oath-knee-ell - with emphasis on the last syllable. His name means "Lion of God." He defeated Cushan-Rishathaim, which means "twice wicked blackness" who was King of Aram Naharaim which is literally "exalted of the two rivers."

Ehud - pronounced eh-hude - (hude sounds like "rude") the emphasis in on the last syllable. His name means "I will give praise." He defeated Eglon which means "calf-like." Eglon was King of a nation that descended from Lot.

Shamgar - pronounced sham-gare - with emphasis on the last syllable. His name means "sword."

The Rev.

You can call me “the Rev.” or “Revdoc” but I’d prefer “Steve.” My church held a wonderful ordination service for me yesterday. It was a wonderful blessing to hear people affirm qualities of God’s Spirit in me, but it was also a little uncomfortable sometimes. Those same people know many of my shortcomings, but were gracious not to focus on them.


I wanted to read this poem sent by a former student, but I couldn’t find it in time. The author is anonymous, so I didn’t feel bad editing it a bit to suit me.


When I say, "I am a Christian,"
I'm not shouting, "I've been saved!"
I'm saying, "I was lost! That's why I desperately need saved."

When I say, "I am a Christian,"
I don't speak with pride in myself
I'm confessing that I stumble, and need a great God to be my guide.

When I say, "I am a Christian,"
I'm not claiming to be strong,
I'm admitting that I'm weak and pray for strength.

When I say, "I am a Christian,"
I'm not bragging of success
I'm admitting that I've failed and cannot pay the debt I owe.

When I say, "I am a Christian,"
I don't think I know it all.
I know I’m confused and I need to be taught.

When I say, "I am a Christian,"
I'm not claiming to be perfect.
My flaws are far too visible, but God is perfect and He believes He can do something with me

When I say, "I am a Christian,"
I do not wish to judge someone else
I recognize that the judge loves me.

Philippians - Part 5

Chapter 2 in Philippians includes a poem or hymn that summarizes the key point in the whole book. (My paraphrase of verses 5-18)

“You should approach life the way Jesus did. He did not hang on to every good thing heaven offered and he, as God, rightly deserved. He gave all that up in order to take on all the pains and deprivations of human life. Not only that, but he took on the role of a servant to the rest of humanity and submitted to the Father’s plan, up to and including execution as if he were a criminal.

That’s why God rewarded him with the throne above all thrones and will cause everyone that ever lived to praise him.

So then, you should continue to strive to live this completely selfless way. The same God that provides you with the desire to do this also provides you with the strength to do it. Sacrifice yourself for the sake of others without grumbling about it or harping on your great sacrifice. That will make you blameless children of God that will shine like lights in the world. That will also cause me great joy because it means by desires and labors for you have been effective. And we can rejoice together that God is using our sacrificial lives to accomplish his purposes.”

Then Paul gives two examples of people who sacrificed themselves to serve God’s people and purposes. Paul describes Timothy and includes this phrase. “Others are busy with their own concerns, not those of Jesus Christ.” The clear meaning is that Timothy approaches life the way Jesus did; in selfless service of others. Paul ‘s second example of a selfless life is the man the Philippian church sent as their messenger to Paul, Epaphroditis. “He risked his life in order to serve me on your behalf.”

Philippians - Part 4

As Paul continues to explain his current situation, he mentions that people were preaching more boldly because he was imprisoned. “Some are preaching from good motives. Others are preaching out of a striving for personal advancement and hoping that their preaching will add to the misery in my imprisonment.” Either way, Paul was happy because whatever their motives, they were preaching the good news of Jesus. Paul’s attitude is amazing, but I find it very intriguing to wonder why someone that knew the truth well enough to preach it, would preach with the hope of harming Paul?

My best guess is this. These preachers with selfish ambition were promoting doctrines Paul would oppose. I suspect that these people were teaching something closely akin to the health and prosperity teaching common on television these days. If they were promoting this false doctrine along with the gospel it would make Paul’s chains more painful because he clearly disagreed with the teaching: Even more so because if the teaching were true, it would disqualify Paul as a man of God. Paul’s faith had placed him into persecution, beatings, and imprisonment… even while he had been in Philippi. If Christ will provide health and wealth to those that obey him and have faith, then Paul was a spiritual failure.

This hypothesis would explain the strong emphasis in this section and throughout the epistle on the necessity, importance, and joy of suffering for Christ. It would also explain how the advocates were preaching with the motivation of making Paul’s suffering worse. It would pain Paul for the false doctrine to be promoted in his absence. But it would also pain Paul for the credibility of his testimony to be undermined.

Ponder the import of these excerpts from the first two chapters, if Paul was being undermined by the teaching that if he was right with Christ and had enough faith, that he would be prosperous and wealthy.

“You were partners with me in my imprisonment.”

“You have been given the priviledge to suffer for Christ, as you are encountering the same conflict you saw me face.”

“Instead of being motivated by self-serving goals or pride, you should each be humble and moved to treat others as more important than yourselves. You should be concerned about the welfare of others, not just yourselves. Your attitude should be that of a servant who sacrifices for others, like Jesus did.

“Timothy is a reliable example of someone who thinks of others not himself.”

“Epaphroditus risked his life to serve me on your behalf.”

The teaching out of “selfish ambition” is not identified. I’m just taking an educated guess as to what it was… but either way the clear teaching is that we should be servants of Christ and His people, living and working on His agenda, not our own.

“For me, to live is Christ.” Can we honestly say that?

Philippians – Part 3

After the introduction, Paul writes about his situation. He was in prison, basically waiting for the verdict whether he would live or be put to death. The most frequent observation is summarized in Paul’s statement. “If I am allowed to live, I will live for Christ. If I am put to death then I have a huge personal benefit.”

Since Paul lived his life completely on Christ’s agenda rather than his own, in one sense he lived like he was dead already. “For me to live is Christ.” He was not living for his own personal goals, agenda, or benefit.

Philippians - Part 2

In the first few verses, Paul introduces himself and gives a few quick thoughts about the church to which he is writing.

“I always pray with joy in my every prayer for all of you because of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now.” (1:4,5)

What was their participation? They had sent a financial gift, but it was the first one they had been able to send for quite some time, so participation “from the first day until now” doesn’t seem to fit. Their participation was so great that Paul viewed them as partners.

“I have you in my heart, since both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel all of you became partners in God's grace together with me.” (1:7)

So…. First discussion question… what form(s) did their participation and partnership take?

Answers:
They prayed for him. (not stated, but assumed)
They loved and him. (1:16)
They suffered for Christ like he did. (1:29,30)
They served on Christ’s agenda, not their own, like he did. (2:4,12)

Philippians - Part 1

As we begin our look at this letter. Let’s start with what we know for sure about Paul’s history with the group of people to whom he was writing. Acts 16: 11-40.

Paul’s previous experience with these people is important to understand his perspective on the issues he writes to them about.

How many people should you ask the following questions?

Do you see any of these in me... always, often, sometimes, rarely?

Love and affection for others.
A deep Joy even in hard situations
Peacefulness – the absence of frantic living
Patience when things aren’t going well
Kindness to everyone
Generosity
Loyalty
Meekness / humility
Self-control
View relationships as opportunities for self-pleasures
Fixate on false hopes
Envy and rivalry
Anger and a temper
Divisive and quick to join a division
Prone to numbing and the pretense of happiness (drinking, drugs, partying, etc)

My Calling

I was talking recently with several people that are considering major career decisions or changes in career directions. I’m always considering a career decision. So I found it an easy discussion to join.

Later, I read a commentator whose point was that God’s "calling" is too often used to refer to the ministry, when it should be used for a "calling" to any career just as easily.

It got me thinking. If God has a unique calling for each life, why does it sometimes seem so difficult to find? Why would he call me to X and then keep it completely hidden from me? Why would he hide “X” behind so much confusion and searching? Maybe I misunderstand something central about the whole thing.

Maybe a calling isn’t typically something that you hear, or know, or discover, or a particular place, or job. Maybe we are all called to find joy and live in loving response to the infinite love of God’s perfect love for us. Called to love, called to serve, called to joy in whatever place or way we work.

But a part of me is restless for more of God’s joy in my life. So a part of me will always wonder if I would find more fullness in the next job, next adventure, next day. And I may… but not because I have found my place or calling, but because I have found more of my God.

Somebody ate our outreach program!

Lessons in a small church:

When your outreach plan is to give gifts to the neighbors, don’t set a cake intended for outreach on a counter near where the church dinner is being served.