The Implications of Questioning

My family and I started going to a church a few years ago that would describe its theology as "Reformed" and "Calvinist". For most of my years as a Christian I have wrestled with some of the concepts of Calvinism, even before I knew they were called "Calvinism". I knew about them from my reading of the Bible. I wrestle with them for a couple of reasons. One, I wrestle with them because I am very concerned that God is rightly represented in the things we say about Him. It's about His name and what it means in the minds of people.  Two, I wrestle because I have an inherent sense of justice, rightness, and goodness that either must be reconciled with what I read in God's Word, or altered. I think this sense is in me by virtue of my being created in the image of God and also from the fact that God Himself has resided within me from the day of my new birth (conversion). God also tells me to "examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good" (1 Thessalonians 5:21). If I didn't have the mind of Christ within and the Word of God without, I would not be able to examine anything carefully because my examining skills would be deficient. But He has given me His mind and His Word and can, therefore, command me to examine. The need for examination implies that there are matters that I will have questions about. If not, there would be no need for examination. I would already have the answers and know what is good and what is not.

A few years back, a couple from the church invited my wife and me to their house for dinner. In the course of the discussion, as often happens with me, the subject turned to Calvinism. Before I continue, I should explain the basic tenets of Calvinism. Anyone reading this who is already familiar with these tenets should just skip this part. I gleaned these from a website (http://www.thecaveonline.com/APEH/calvinTULIP.html).

There are five points of Calvinism, all described by the acronym, "TULIP".

"T" stands for Total Depravity and asserts that the total human being--body, soul, intellect, and will, is fallen and that everyone is born spiritually dead and spiritually helpless. This doesn't mean people are as bad as they can be. It means that sin is in every part of one's being, including the mind and will, so that a man cannot save himself. (John. 1:13; 8:43, 47; 10:26; 12:37-40; 18:37; Romans. 7:18; 8:5-8; 1 Corinthians. 2:9-14)

"U" stands for Unconditional Election. God chooses to save people unconditionally; that is, they are not chosen on the basis of their own merit. Since one is born totally depraved and enslaved to sin, one's election, which would include their turning to God for salvation, cannot be dependent or contingent on any spiritually worthy action one commits. According to this point, God predestines or chooses to soften the hard, sin-enslaved hearts of certain fallen individuals and liberate them from their death not because of any merit they have but despite their demerits. In other words, He elects to change their hearts (and thereby join them to Christ and His saving work) despite the fact that they hate God and oppose Him, and have hard hearts, not soft hearts, and have sin-enslaved wills, not free wills. Thus, believers have no reason to boast about themselves or their own actions: the only thing that differentiates them from Judas, Esau, or others who never respond in faith is that God gave them grace that He withheld from such reprobates ( Ezek. 11:19-20; 36:26-27; Rom. 9:11-18; 1 Cor. 4:7; Eph. 2:8-10; cf. Jn. 1:13; 15:16; Acts 13:48; 16:14; 18:27; Phil. 2:13).

"L" stands for Limited Atonement.  The sacrifice of Christ on the cross was for the purpose of saving the elect only. This point says that while Christ's blood, life, death, and resurrection--is infinitely intensive in saving power and thus unlimited in one sense, it is not infinitely extensive and is thus limited, and not universal, in the extent of its application; for while everyone conditionally or "provisionally" shares in Christ's life, death, and resurrection (thus, if everyone believed, everyone would be joined or married to Christ), only members of Christ's body or bride or flock (elect believers) actually share in His blood ( Jn. 10:11, 15, 26; 17:9; cf. 6:37, 39; 17:2, 6, 24).

"I" stands for Irresistible Grace. It teaches that God's inward call (as distinguished from the outward call such as where the Word says "many are called but few are chosen") is perfectly effectual and sufficient. When God has chosen to save someone, He will. A hard, fleshly, sinful heart need not add anything to God's grace, such as "co-operation," for this special call or grace is invincible, overpowering all hatred and melting all opposition.  (e.g., Jn. 3:6-8, Acts 7:51; 13:39; Rom. 8:3).

"P" stands for Perseverance of the Saints. Those people God chooses cannot lose their salvation; they will continue to believe. If they fall away, it will be only for a time. This is not the idea that no matter what a believer does he or she cannot lose his or her salvation but the idea that "He who began a good work in you will perfect it . . " (Phil. 1:6) i.e., the idea that whenever God creates faith in our hearts and thereby joins us to Christ and His saving work, He will sustain that faith, that saving relationship with Christ, causing us, by His grace, to persevere in faith. (Jn. 6:37, 39; 10:28-29; Rom. 8:31-39)

Well, back to our dinner engagement. As we discussed Calvinism, I expressed that I had reservations about some of the points. Our host informed me that there were times in church history when people were excommunicated for questioning this particular doctrine. To this day, I'm not absolutely sure what his point was. Was he saying that I should, therefore, put my doubts aside and embrace the doctrine? If that was his point, I would have a serious problem with complying. After all, how do you put doubt aside? Was he saying that I should just ignore my doubts and keep quiet about them? I could do that, but I believe it would be dishonoring to God...not the "keeping quiet" part, but the "ignoring" part, since God is the One who told me to "examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good". ((By the way, I am pretty sure my friend was not trying to threaten me or even make me think I could be excommunicated for questioning. I think he was probably making the point that this is a serious doctrine that church leaders took seriously enough to part ways over it......I think)

My initial reaction was, "so be it". If having questions would result in excommunication, then excommunication may not be such a bad thing. By the way, with regard to Calvinism, I had, and have, no reservations about the Word of God. I fully believe that the Word teaches us God's truth...not all of God's truth, but enough for the time being. In the revelation that is called the Word of God, I and many others have found a well with a bottom that cannot be reached. There is only One who can fully plumb its depths. That is the One from whose mind it comes, namely God. In His Word, He even tells us " My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways, for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55: 8,9) How much higher are the heavens than the earth? Infinitely higher. Does it not follow, then, that we should expect to find mystery in the Word?
Given God's infinite nature, shouldn't we who are finite expect to find truths that appear to contradict each other, that leave us puzzled and perplexed?

I expect it, and have found it to be the case. Sometimes it makes me feel dumb, like, "What's wrong with me? Why are these things so clear and easy to understand for other people while I find them impossible to wrap my mind around?" It certainly may be a simple matter of lack of intelligence on my part, and I don't say that facetiously...I mean it. It may even be that I am just a stubborn nonconformist and it's rebellion that keeps me in this constant state of uncertainty.
 
Any believer who has attempted to plumb the depths of God's Word can tell you that it is an impossible task to complete. As we meditate on His Word, guided by His Spirit, the Word unfolds, like a flower. Just as we think, "ah, I think I'm finally getting it." Just as we are starting to think that we can box this particular verse up and put it on a shelf, the Lord starts to peel back another petal. We think, "how many petals does this flower have?" It should cause one to pause before filing that box away. I have found this to be the case with the "simplest" of verses.

For example, just this morning, I was reading John, chapter 3. There it says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son..." Wait, stop, what does He mean "only begotten Son"? I started pondering the fact that the Eternal Creator, the One who is behind it all, this mysterious and wonderful Being, for whom all adjectives are gross understatements, has a Son! An only begotten Son. And He gave this Son because of His love for the world.  I cannot wrap my mind around this! Who could make something like this up? I want to peer into it, to "get it", to fully grasp it. Usually sons have a beginning. Usually fathers are older, wiser, and stronger than sons. But not in this case. This only begotten Son is called the Eternal Father, Mighty God, Prince of Peace in Isaiah 9:6. And yet, this Son serves His Father, prays to His Father, calls His Father His God! This exercise could go on forever, I think. But if I am so unable to grasp a "simple little truth" out of one little verse in the Bible, how am I ever going to become settled on a doctrine that is derived from a bunch of verses from different places and contexts in the Bible? Especially a doctrine that has lots of people wrestling with it and coming to different conclusions. In my mind, this is clearly not a time for dogmatism, threat of excommunication or not.

So, I'm going to leave it at this; that God commands us to examine all things, that this command implies uncertainty, that He allows us to discover "good" in our examination so it isn't just an endless pursuit of the infinite. There are settled truths (not necessarily fully grasped) that God wants settled in our minds. There will be things that we examine that we will not be able to be completely settled about and in the midst of this examination we should keep looking to and leaning on Him for insight, and not think that we can handle it on our own.

Evolution's Problem with Morality

       "There ain't no sin and there ain't no virtue. There's just stuff people do." The quote is from the preacher in John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. If the proponents of Darwinian Evolution are correct, that all living things evolved, randomly and by chance, from nonliving things, and that Evolution is an undirected, purposeless process, then the preacher's quote is absolutely true. If so, then it's nonsensical to speak of concepts like "sin" or "virtue" or man as being "basically good" or "basically evil". There would be no such thing as good or evil. They would necessarily be concepts invented in the minds of people for some reason or another.

       The Evolutionist might say that the idea of morality evolved because adherents have a greater chance of thriving and thus are naturally selected for survival. But how would adhering to concepts of right and wrong enhance one's chances for survival? It seems to me that those who adhere to self imposed moral restrictions on their behavior would be easy prey for those without such restrictions. Imagine two next-door neighbors, one moral and the other not. Apart from the moral influences of conscience, the police, and judiciary system, who's garage would be full and who's would be empty?
       Animals operate according to only one unwritten "code" which is "the fittest survive". According to evolutionary theory, this "code" is directed by the amoral influence of natural selection and completely devoid of any influence from, or concern about, what may be right or wrong. If some mutant gene arose that caused an individual animal to have some inkling of morality (hard to imagine, I know, but stick with me here), how would that inkling affect its chances to survive? Compare two lions, one moral and the other amoral, coming upon an injured antelope. Which lion would be the quickest to kill and eat the antelope? While the amoral lion would have no reason for hesitation, the lion with the mutant morality gene might hesitate.
       After all, the existence of morality implies choice. Consciously or unconsciously, morality pauses and asks, "is this possible action that my stomach is calling for right or wrong?" An amoral animal has no reason to pause. It's either hungry or it isn't. If it's hungry, it kills and eats. No contemplation required. The stomach is either full or empty when the lion comes upon prey and its behavior is predictable. Not so with the moral lion. So, I don't see how explaining everything coming about by natural selection can account for concepts of morality. I wonder if Evolutionists are troubled by the "coincidence" that man seems to be the only animal with a highly developed sense of morality and Genesis' contention that man is made in the image of God?

       Back to the Evolutionists claim that nature is all that exists and that survival of the fittest is the only determinant of behavior. If that is so, then how do they explain the vast differences between man and animals and how these differences enhance survival? Why does man, among a myriad of differences that could be described, think, reason, ponder, reflect, choose, appreciate, marvel? Why does man eat a strawberry and ponder or rejoice over its flavor? Why does he eat an orange and ponder how different it is from the strawberry? Why does man gaze at sunsets, waterfalls, stars, and butterflies and do this thing called "marveling"?  Why does man "waste" a lot of time talking, or writing books and newspaper articles when he could be hunting and gathering? What survival value does getting your feelings hurt or holding grudges have? Why does man feel proud?  Why does man feel deflated, encouraged, perplexed, guilty? Why does man argue, not only over the best course to take in terms of survival, but the best course to take in terms of right and wrong? Why do people have a sense of justice? Why are people incensed when they read about an injustice perpetrated on someone else? Why do they go to such lengths to right wrongs that occurred in the past? Why are we repelled and appalled when some human being actually acts like an animal and kills and eats another human being (Jeffrey Dahmer), or steals someone else's property? How and why did all this evolve (and I am just scratching the surface)? Why in the world did mankind depart from the standard animal model where every quality exists only because it enhances survival?
       Finally, why does every Evolutionist I've heard or read minimize  and suppress this kind of questioning? Why don't they embrace it? The pursuer of truth, after all, has nothing to fear from questions, does he? Truth cannot be injured or altered by questions. In an open and free inquiry, truth will always remain standing. So why are Evolutionists so afraid of anything that dares to question their version of truth?
       If the Evolutionist is correct, then so is John Steinbeck's preacher, and there is absolutely no basis to believe in God or expect a civil society. But if the Evolutionist is wrong, and the evidence just touched on here declares that he is, then what could be more important than finding out the truth with regard to God?

Questions to Consider

1. Thinking about world history or current events, do you think anything is wrong with the world? What are the indicators, or symptoms, to you?

2. What do you think the root cause is? Why are things the way they are?

3. What do you think would fix it?

4. Are you part of the problem? How? If not, why not?

5. Do you believe that the Bible credibly answers these questions?

The problem

When I was going to college, I was asked the first question by a hitchhiker that I had picked up on my way home from school. I thought about it for a while. I wasn't suffering. I was healthy. I partied with my friends every weekend. Life was pretty fun for me. Life was good. For some reason I had never thought about what might be "wrong with the world". I said to the guy, "I don't know, what do you think?"  

To that, he asked me if I had read a newspaper lately, or if I had ever taken a history class and if I hadn't noticed that the world has always been filled with war and suffering. He asked me why everyone locks their doors at night and why prisons are so numerous and full. He asked, "Why do we have fences around our yards? Why has there always been war and strife?". I must have been oblivious because I had never thought about these things before. But at that moment, the problems became strikingly real to me and, for the first time, I realized that the world is a pretty messed up place.

After I admitted that the world seemed pretty messed up, he asked me the second question above; why did I think things were the way they were?  I thought about it for a minute before telling him that I didn't have any idea and asked him what he thought. He said that he thought the root problem was that, in general, people care more about themselves than they do their fellow humans. He said that he believed that if each individual in the world cared as much for his fellow humans as he did for himself, that none of the problems we had been talking about would even exist.

Maybe you're like I was and hardly notice that anything is wrong with the world. Maybe part of the reason some of us hardly notice is that this experience of life is all we know. The way things are seems "normal", but if you think about it, doesn't it seem like the world is a very messed up place?

These words of Jesus that have widespread appeal and have often been quoted say  "love your neighbor as yourself". Most people agree that everyone should put those words into practice. Why then is there such a contrast between what we agree about and what we experience? Why does self-centeredness and selfishness seem to be our default condition? Why do our personal interests seem to so naturally take precedence over the interests of others? 

Some answers people might give

The system

Many think that the root of our problem is  "The System". They think that if we can change the system we can fix the problem(s), so they work on the problem(s) from this angle. Some think it's the educational system. For others, it's the political system.  Communism, as an example, envisions a Utopian system that will eventually sustain itself as everyone works for the common good. Humankind has been changing "the system" for all of recorded history, often violently. But no matter how many times "the system" has been changed, the problem persists. 

Religion

Others think that people must modify themselves in some way through sheer will power.  "Do this", "don't do that".  The religious answer is often one that requires people to subjugate their natural tendencies by the exercise of their will. There are examples of this expressed in most religious literature. One is found in the following article: 

"Monks undertake 500-mile journey on their knees"

"Masters Zhiyuan and Hanliang will spend two months crawling to 99 temples on their way to the Putuo Mountains in eastern China until they reach a statue of Guanyin, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. Each night the pious pair will sleep under the stars in sleeping bags without even a tent to cover them, say helpers from their home temple in Ganlu, southern China. 'They will crawl and then every third step they will stop and bow as a sign of respect to the goddess,' explained one."

( http://metro.co.uk/2010/10/19/monks-undertake-500-mile-journey-on-their-knees-552157/ )

Many, like these monks, think the problem would be solved if everyone would just follow their example.

The Bible's Answer

If we were not self-centered but, rather, generally motivated by a love for our fellow humans, wouldn't any system work? Conversely, if we are motivated by self-centeredness, then won't any system eventually fail? Could it be that failure isn't inherent in the system; but rather, inherent in the people within the system?

In the New Testament book of Galatians, the Apostle Paul writes about the human condition that we all share. It is a condition of self-centeredness that results in distrust, lying, discord, hatred, strife, envy, anger, gossip, selfishness, and separation among many other "symptoms"  (Galatians 5:19-20). The history of the world is a long display of the result of this human condition.  

But the question remains, why? Why are we naturally self-centered? Why aren't we naturally motivated by love? 

We've considered the behavioral signs and symptoms of the problem, but the Bible claims that the problem is rooted in something deeper than behavior. It claims that people "walk in the futility of their mind, being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them" and that this is "because of the hardness of their heart" (Ephesians 4: 17-19).   

Regarding our condition, the Bible claims that all people are sinful, that "there are none righteous, not even one". (Romans 3:10) It teaches that we miss the mark of having perfect love, which is God's standard. The meaning of the word, "sin" is, literally,  "to miss the mark" or "fall short". We all miss the mark and fall short of meeting God's standard of love.

The thread of man's fallen, broken condition can be found throughout the Bible and throughout history. 700 years before Jesus Christ walked the earth, a Jewish prophet named Isaiah wrote, "All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way..." (Isaiah 53:6)

The Bible claims that this problem exists for one reason, the universal alienation of humanity from God. We have all "gone astray". Each one of us has turned aside from God to our own way.  We have each abandoned God, and our lives are marked by self-centeredness instead of love as a result.

In the Bible, the human condition isn't described as simply a behavioral problem. And it doesn't claim that we are just dull or ignorant or not paying attention. It's deeper than that. It describes us as being "dead in our sins". According to the Bible, this condition is more than just a passive ignorance toward God. It includes an attitude of active hostility and rebellion.

To make things worse, in our spiritual deadness we are unable to even perceive our own condition. The Bible tells us that we are spiritually blind as a result of being spiritually dead! (Revelation 3:17-18).

I can remember my own thinking before I was a Christian. I saw Christians as gullible, simple-minded people who believed in this mythical book, the Bible. The Bible itself made absolutely no sense to me.

Now, looking back, I can see that the reason the Bible made no sense to me was that I was spiritually dead.

The cure

The Bible claims that without God's help our condition is as hopeless as the condition of a dead fruit tree. No amount of cultivating, fertilizing, or watering can do anything to change the condition of the tree. Trying to solve the problem by changing our behavior, whether by changing the system, self-improvement, or trying to follow religious rules, amounts to trying to fix the dead tree by tacking plastic fruit onto it. There is no hope in these efforts because the problem is deeper than behavior.

The good news is, there is a solution to this condition.

God is the Great Physician, and He has the "cure" for the "disease". The Bible claims that only God can accomplish what we have no hope of accomplishing. It says that our only hope is that God would perform a miracle in us because only God can bring a dead tree to life. And the good news is He's willing to do that! But how does He do it?  He does it by giving us spiritual life!

Christianity doesn't give us a list of rules that says "do this and don't do that and you might become acceptable to God". Christianity is, before anything else, about "dead" people being given the necessary and free gift of life. One amazing thing that the Bible teaches is that the life that the Christian receives when he or she trusts in Jesus for salvation is the life of God himself! Jesus said "I am the way, the truth, and the life". A new life begins when the Spirit of God enters into the heart of a person! This is what Jesus was referring to when He said that we all must be "born again". 

This new life is freely given to anyone who looks to and trusts Jesus for salvation. Many other things also happen. One of the first is that our eyes become opened to spiritual truth. We are able to see and understand that the Bible is God's Word. We are able to see ourselves and the human condition more clearly. We are able to see and embrace God's solution, which is rooted in Jesus' death and resurrection. As we learn to yield to God and trust in His enabling power we are able to grow into being the kind of loving people He created us to be. 

So, how does this happen to a person? Do we play any part in the process? The Bible tells us that we do have a part to play. Just as our rebellion is essentially our turning aside from God to go our own way, so our salvation involves our turning back to Him. Turning back is not a matter of us mending our ways. That would be a requirement that would be impossible to meet. It's a matter of our recognizing our hopeless, helpless condition and turning to him for what he has provided as the solution. In a passage that is, in part, very familiar to people who watch football on TV, Jesus said,

"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man (Jesus) be lifted up; so that whoever believes, will in him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed..." 
(John chapter 3 verses 14-20)

That day in 1974 that I gave a hitchhiker a ride was the beginning of a journey for me. It started me on a search for truth and it took a few years before I found what I was looking for. I now know that it was not only that I found what I was looking for, but that what I was looking for found me, but that’s another story.

There is much more to say and discuss about these matters. There may be questions or objections that you have about Christianity. For example, many people think the Bible contains too many inconsistencies to be considered credible, or that it contradicts science (Evolutionary theory, for example). Yet, many eminent historians and scientists have critically examined these apparent inconsistencies or contradictions only to have become Christians themselves.

Questions about the Bible should be encouraged in the quest for truth. If this quest is something that you would be interested in, please call, text, or email me at the number or address below.

Bob Humphrey

925-699-2824

bob9354@sbcglobal.net

How does God "speak" to us?

I'm reading our (March) church newsletter. The thought provoking first article concerns the Christian's proper relationship to culture. Five views are submitted, two of which are rejected by the author due to their being unbiblical. The other three are each synthesized from Scripture. 

In summary; one of the three biblically based views was that Christ is over culture. All good things (artistic renderings of nature and beautiful musical instrumentals for example) are gifts from God, but require revelation to be fully appreciated or realized. 

Another view states the belief that we should honor the divinely ordained, such as family, hard work etc, but at the same time refrain from compromising with what is obviously at odds with what is divinely ordained. 

The third is the view that the Christian should be at the task of reforming culture, redeeming it by working toward it's conversion to Christianity.

My first reaction, and my reason for writing this is that, though I agree with the article, that there are biblically legitimate elements from all three views, something is also missing from it's consideration of the Christian's proper approach to culture. 

I think it's a human tendency tendency to look for rules to follow, and Christians are not immune to this tendency. We want a road map. That's fine, and we do need guidance, however, it isn't all that we need. I believe that the successful discernment of God's will requires more than just a search of the Bible for answers, essential as that is. I believe it also includes "listening to" or "waiting upon" God.
     

If you think about it, you'll realize that there may be several different biblically legitimate answers to any particular situation or question we face in life. If God were to specifically address every situation or question in His Word, the Bible would be many times thicker than the IRS tax code. It's so important to look to the Lord in prayer for guidance and to "listen" expectantly for the Lord's will to be revealed. I believe He not only "speaks" to us through His Word and through the wisdom He has given to members of His Body, but also through our thoughts and inclinations as we wait upon Him. Every thought or inclination, of course, must be biblically supported, and never elevated to the level of scripture as far as whether to trust them.
     

So often I find myself rushing to do or say something based on what seems to be the biblically obvious answer. Sometimes (unfortunately not often enough), I will check myself, stop, and pray, "Lord, what is your mind in this?" Then I will wait and "listen". What I'm waiting for at those times is not an actual "word" from the Lord. I'm not expecting Him to give me some obvious revelation as though I'm a prophet. What I'm waiting for is for the mind of Christ, which is already in me, to be made evident to me by His Spirit.
     

As Christians, we're a mixed bag in that we still have the mind of the flesh as a part of us. Romans 12:2 tells us not to be conformed to this world. That conformation starts in the mind, and behavior follows. The verse goes on to tell us to be transformed by the renewing of our mind. I think this renewed mind that we are to be seeking is, ultimately, the expression of the mind of Christ in us.
     

We, of course, renew our mind by immersing it in the Word of God. But along with that, in order for me to discern the will of God in any particular situation, I need to consult with Him in prayer and then wait for Him to, for lack of a better word, "speak". "Which word, Lord?" "What path?" "What answer?"
     

Let me give an example. My wife and I were sitting at our dining room table chatting with the college aged Christian daughter of a couple of friends of ours. During the conversation, she expressed a lot of frustration about her mom. Her mom was being way too clingy. She wanted to know everything that was going on in her daughter's life. She wanted to know everything that her daughter thought about every subject. She was constantly asking her daughter for advice. "What do you think I should do with my hair?"  "Do you like this dress?"  "What do you think I should do in this or that situation?" In short, she felt like her mom wanted to be her best friend. It was pretty clear that the young lady was totally sick of her mom and wanted her to just go away and leave her alone. She couldn't wait to get out of the house and away from her. 

As she talked, I became increasingly irritated with the young lady. I was thinking about all the love her mom had poured into her throughout her life. I wanted to rebuke her and was thinking of ways to do it without coming on too strong.
     

I started thinking of some biblically correct words to say. It had become obvious what the real problem was and what she needed to hear. "You are thinking only of yourself. You are not respecting your parents, nor are you appreciating what God has done through them in your life. You are being worldly minded and selfish. You need to get into the Word of God and stop thinking the way the world thinks." There were a lot of things that I could have said that would have addressed her attitude, and all of them seemed biblically obvious.
     

Then it occurred to me to pray. I asked, "Lord, what does she need to hear now? What do You want me to say, if anything? Is there something that is timely and appropriate that would speak to her heart?" Then I waited and "listened" for God's wisdom, for the mind of Christ in me to be revealed, for the Lord to speak to me. 

As I waited, I believe by the grace of God, it occurred to me to think about her mom's behavior and what motivated it. It occurred to me that her mom was crying out for love and companionship. It also occurred to me that this young lady was in a unique position to minister to her mom and build her up, perhaps in ways that no one else had the opportunity to. I believe that these thoughts, which also had a biblical basis, were the ones that were right for that moment. So I mentioned them to her. I felt like the words impacted her and caused her to reconsider her desires. I also felt a sense of  "rightness" and timeliness to the words that brought joy to my heart.
     

Do I know that I had "heard" from God? No I don't. But the words that I ended up saying still checked out when held up to the light of God's Word. Regardless, I believe that He wants us to wait upon Him in expectant prayer as we consider our involvement in culture and our responses to specific circumstances. When we do, I believe we will discern paths that we might have missed otherwise.
      

I think also that this is what Proverbs 3: 5-6 is talking about when it says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." 
     

Acknowledging Him includes more than simply discerning His will by looking for it in His written word. It's possible that even that can be done while leaning on our own understanding. The Pharisees are an extreme example of what can happen as one leans on his own understanding while searching the Word.  
     

God has been showing me the havoc that I have often brought into my life and the lives of my loved ones when I lean on my own understanding, even in the "discernment" of His will and application of His Word in life. There's "a time for everything". But only God knows when, where, what, why, and how to apply His Word. 
     

In summary, it seems to me that there are two essential activities in discerning God's will, not only with regard to our relationship to and involvement in culture, but with regard to all of life. One is the immersion of our minds in God's Word so that worldly thinking can be replaced by Godly thinking. The other is dependent, expectant prayer, looking for His mind to be revealed to (in) us.
               
"Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him..." Psalm 37:7
               
"If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to him." James 1:5

"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." John 14:26

"But 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 when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth...He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you." Excerpted from John 16: 7-15

Paul described certain experiences that I think are the kinds of experiences that we should expect. For example, in 2 Corinthians 12, Paul writes of a "thorn in the flesh" that he was experiencing. He appealed to the Lord about it and asked that it be removed. Now, Paul could have simply used his mind to search for, and apply, scriptural principles to his situation. He could have looked at the sufferings of Joseph, or Job, or Christ and thought about how God was at work in each case. He could have reasoned that God is powerful, loving, and faithfully involved in all circumstances, so he could rest in those scriptural facts and that would be that. But Paul had a relationship with the Lord that included communication...two way communication. I believe that, in the outworking of that relationship, the Lord guided him into specific wisdom concerning his current trial. God comforted him by specifically reminding him of scriptural truth in a direct communication to Paul's mind, along the lines of what Jesus was talking about in the verses from John 14 and 16 above.

I believe that God continues to "speak" in this way to believers who are "listening". He may not always "speak" directly to their mind. Often he "speaks" through other believers (who have been "listening").

In 2 Corinthians 1: 3-4 Paul says,

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God"

It's interesting that the word "comfort" used here is the same root word for "helper" used in John 14 and 16. God comforts us with truth, but I believe it's truth that God actively brings to our mind as we "look" to Him expectantly. And the truth and wisdom that God reveals to our mind will always be scriptural, but not necessarily revealed by a search of scripture.

"Have this attitude in yourselves"

3/14/2013
Philippians 2:5 tells us to have an attitude. It tells us to do nothing motivated by selfishness or empty conceit, not looking out only for our own interests, but the interests of others. In short, it is telling us to be motivated by love.
     My beloved racquetball provides me with many life lessons. My attitude has predominantly been one where I am motivated by selfish desires. I want to win. Why? What's behind that motive? What am I thinking happens when I win? All I have to do is explore my imagination to find the answer. I find there a man who attracts the admiring gaze of others as I walk through the racquetball club. There I can read their thoughts and hear their conversations as they say, "Wow, there goes that guy, Humphrey. Did you know he's 58 years old?" Someone answers, "No way! How can someone that old beat all these guys half his age?" I imagine them studying my game so they can improve theirs. I'm at the top of the heap, king of the hill. I'm virtually worshiped.  It's all about me.
     At the heart of this attitude, there's no thought or desire of compassion for my fellow man. Is he saved? Does he know Jesus? Is being beaten by me good for him? There's only room for a passing thought about being used by Jesus. There's the Spirit quietly reminding me of a much higher purpose that He's interested in. His purpose is as much higher than mine as the heavens are higher than the earth. His purpose is to use me to express Himself; His love, His wisdom, His patience. He wants me to be at peace about any outcome, truly believing that He actually does cause all things to work together for good for those who love Him. The "all things" includes a bad shot, or being beaten by a lesser player.
     But how do I adopt this attitude? I have prayed many a time on the way to the club, "Lord, use me today. Please allow me to have your attitude of love", only to revert into selfish and worldly desires for self exaltation, manifested on the court in expressions of anger, frustration, and displeasure.
     Is there no hope? There certainly is. Jesus says that apart from Him, we can do nothing. He also says that if we abide in Him, we can do all things. When we do, we will say, like Paul, "I live, yet not I, but Christ who strengthens me. We stay plugged in, not just on the way to the court, or job, or marriage, or fill in the blanks, but while on the court and at the job etc. We must learn what it means to "walk by the Spirit" because, as the word says, when we do, we will not carry out the desires of the flesh.
     We need to keep tabs on our attitude. Our flesh is a wild animal, ready to bite at any opportunity. When I fail at the court, instead of giving in and giving up, I need to see that failure as a red flag and a reminder to turn to Jesus. I need to keep turning, seeking His power that is perfected, not in my strength, but in my weakness.
     So how does His attitude of love manifest itself in and through me on the court? Should I still try to win? Is there a place for competition and trying hard? I believe there is. In fact, I believe that trying hard to win is  compatible with the verse that tells me to do whatever I do to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). You might say, "but Bob, when you win, someone else loses." That's true. But how is winning or losing good or bad for a person? Can God use losing as a tool in a person's life? How about winning?
     I remember a pastor once saying in a sermon that Jesus wants to show the world how He looks as a fill in the blank:                  . How does Jesus look when He wins? How about when He loses? How does He look as a paralytic, a businessman, a rich man, a poor man? Jesus is able to, and wants to, express Himself in every station of life. It isn't the circumstance that matters, it's the attitude, the mindset, the heart.
    So, back to the racquetball court. How can love be manifested in winning? It starts away from the court. It starts in my relationship with Jesus. As I seek Him in His word, in prayer, and in fellowship with His body, He transforms me by the renewing of my mind. Ideally, His purposes become my purposes. I see things from an eternal perspective. While I'm playing, I'm not seeing the action on the court as being about me, but rather as being about God's eternal purposes with me and with my opponent. If I win or lose, or make a good or bad shot, I'm looking to Him to fulfill His purposes through it. I'm thanking Him throughout the experience, not only for His perfect will that is being accomplished, but also for the joy that I'm feeling as I see Him using me in the working out of His purposes.
     In practice, this transformation of mind occurs only as I keep my spiritual eyes on Him. Just as a power tool has to be plugged in to operate, so I have to stay "plugged in". The moment I unplug (and it happens constantly), I lose the power and thus the focus. This state of being unplugged will quickly be manifested in certain "deeds of the flesh" like the "outbursts of anger" spoken of in Galatians chapter 5.
     The wonderful Good News is that God does not condemn me for such failures and weaknesses any more than a mother condemns her infant for falling down. How He deals with me is shown in the story of Peter when he asks Jesus to let him walk on water. Jesus, who's already out there standing on the water says, "come". Peter gets out of the boat and starts walking to Him. But then Peter takes his eyes off Jesus and focuses on the (impossible seeming) circumstances, immediately starts sinking, and cries out for help. Jesus didn't say, "you idiot. Okay, now you're going to drown." Instead, He grabbed his hand and told him what he had done wrong (forgot to trust in Jesus). The relationship shown here is possible with us only because of what Jesus accomplished on the cross.
     So, when I'm on the court, there can be joy in winning or joy in losing, as long as I abide in Him. If I do not abide, there is no real joy in either winning or losing.

Sin’s Deceitfulness

3/14/2013

Hebrews 3:13 says, “But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called ‘Today’, so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”  I am coming to see one aspect of the deceitfulness of sin. I have noticed that I can be “on track” for the Lord and yet, in one moment, be derailed by sin. And then the lie (liar?) comes in and says, “you know, now that you've sinned, you've relegated yourself to second class citizen. God is decidedly not pleased with you. You stand condemned, and you are filthy. Go to the “cellar” and stay there until you've gotten your act together and worked off your debt. Don’t even imagine that you have unfettered access to God now. You gave that up when you made that decision to sin; and you did make the decision didn't you. Maybe someday, you’ll actually treat God as though He’s really valuable to you; not like it’s hard for you to decide between sin and Him. Until you’re ready to do that, just go. You’re so far from being that person, that you might as well just give up. Heck, you might as well just sin some more. I mean, what’s the difference. A little further away from God is nothing compared to how far you have to go to get back to Him.” (Or some variation thereof)
     Last night, I was watching YouTube videos of the amazing things that people do on bicycles, diving boards, trampolines, etc. One of the videos had a portion where a shapely girl was dancing in a bikini. I knew I should have turned it off, but I went ahead and watched it. As is always the case, sin deceived me in (at least) two ways. The first most obvious way was in how it deceived me into thinking that I was gaining from the experience. “Ah, here’s life! Enjoy this little tidbit of forbidden fruit. It will satisfy!”
     This is a lie, for the eyes of lust are never satisfied. In fact, lust is the opposite of love. Love seeks to please others. Lust seeks to please self. Lust, in fact, wars against love. But the second way it deceived me was as described in the paragraph above. The devil takes every advantage and will exploit every angle!
  But the lie was exposed! Before I went to bed, I remembered that I had wanted to write down one of my earlier observations (the one about poverty and blindness). As I wrote, I was increasingly encouraged. By the time I went to bed, I was lifting my hands in praise to God for His wonderful provision, and thanking Him that He had made me rich! There was no second class status! No need to go to the "cellar"! No debt to pay that wasn't already paid! Yes, I had turned away. And if I had remained turned away, God would faithfully and lovingly (and sometimes painfully) discipline me for the purpose of bringing me to my senses. But He doesn't condemn me… ever! All I had done was turn to His word, and His word had had its healing, encouraging effect.
     “long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” 1Peter 2:2

The Dilemma of Blindness

3/14/2013

Was heading out to play racquetball yesterday. On the way I was praying, “God, help me. Please manifest yourself through me. Manifest your love, your power, your wisdom, and your patience. Allow me to trust in you and your promise that all things work together for good for those who love you and are called according to your purpose.” Then I said, “I’m here with the open hands of a beggar, Lord. I have nothing without you. I can’t even want your will without you overcoming my fleshly will.”
Praying as a beggar made me remember something out of Revelation 3 where Jesus addresses the Laodicean church and calls their lukewarm members “poor and blind and naked”. He advises them to buy from him gold refined by fire that they may become rich, and white garments so that they may be clothed and the shame of their nakedness not be revealed, and ointment for their eyes that they may see.
As I pondered the verses something Jesus said stood out to me. First, He’s addressing people who are poor and blind, BUT THEY DON’T KNOW IT! Because they’re blind, they don’t know that they’re poor, blind, and naked. And yet Jesus is still telling them to buy from Him the things that will cure their condition and give them true riches. So, even in the midst of their lukewarm condition, their ignorance and resultant apathy, Jesus meets them with a hope-filled admonition. It should be noted, though, what He doesn’t tell them. He doesn’t tell them to open their eyes and look at their condition. No, He virtually says “in the midst of your ignorance, in which you don’t know that you’re poor, blind, and naked, buy from Me and become rich”.
This is remarkable to me. I met a young man the other day who told me that he believed everything in the Bible. He believed that he was a sinner, that Jesus is God, and that He died for our sins. He believed it all! And yet he was apathetic. He had no fire for the Lord. He wasn’t sure what he was going to do with this information he apparently believes. What do you say to a guy like him?
Next time I see him I’m going to point him to Revelation 3 and tell him there’s hope, even for him. He needs to come to Jesus and confess that he has been satisfied with life apart from God and ask God to grant him Gold and Clothing and Ointment for his eyes so that he can see himself from God’s perspective. So he can see the true nature of his condition, that he has not been rich, but poor.
     As an additional note, I want to focus on the Gold, White Garments, and Ointment. What are these things? What makes us truly rich? What greater riches are there than God Himself? Gold refined by fire. Jesus was refined by fire wasn’t He? What White Garments can clothe us so that the shame of our nakedness would not be revealed in judgement? What greater garment could we be clothed with than the righteousness of Christ Himself? Are we not clothed with Him? And what eye ointment can cure our blindness better than the Holy Spirit Who opens our eyes to the word of God?
     The riches we have been given freely are so wonderful. These are the only truly priceless treasures to be found anywhere in the universe, and their cost is infinitely high. I remember Ed Moore making the point that the only thing we have to give is our poverty; our poor, blind, naked selves. This is true, but this isn’t the currency that covers the cost of the gift, for even a gift must be paid for by someone. But never by the receiver!
     When a poor, blind, naked beggar comes to the Great Merchant who is selling His wares of Gold, White Clothing, and Eye Salve he has no money to pay for them. Eternal praise is due Jesus who paid with the currency of His infinitely valuable blood! He gave us the Greatest Gift of all, His life!  And then the beggar would truly be able to say,  “now I am rich and wealthy and have need of nothing”!
“His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence” 2Peter 1:3
Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe.

Our Power Supply

3/13/2013
I have always tended to think of myself as a (spiritually) “battery operated tool”, so to speak. I plug in to God at various times through fellowship, taking in His word, or prayer, and then “go out” into the world to live for him. The result has always been an “up and down” experience. The “charge” soon wears off and I’m left living on my own power, a certain recipe for failure.
    I recently realized that I’m not battery powered. I’m a plug-in “tool”. I have to stay plugged in to Jesus all the time. I am always in need. I must always keep my beggar’s hands open to receive from Him. Since no one of us has enough to go around, our supply is limited, we don’t like beggars and mooches. But I am a beggar and a mooch with God, and that’s just the way He wants it. He doesn’t mind my mooching off of him because He knows I have no supply apart from His and His supply is unlimited! 1Thess 5:17 “Pray without ceasing”, I.E. stay plugged in.

Jehoshaphat’s Prayer

3/11/2013
As I readied myself to look again into the passage of Romans 8:1-14, I read the first couple of verses and sensed that there was something I had been missing in my previous studies. I therefore prayed that God would reveal His mind in me in wisdom, insight, and revelation. I prayed that He would grant me understanding of the verses.
    Then I realized that understanding, at least academic understanding, was not all that I needed. I needed, and prayed for, an enlightened heart so that I would know (as Paul prayed for the Ephesians in Eph. Ch. 1), experientially, the truths of this passage.
    As I prayed, I found my mind turning to my sons, Gabe and John. I prayed, that they would be granted the same insight and revelation into God’s truth. As I prayed, I found myself thinking about ways I could encourage or admonish them toward that end. As I did, a sense of hopelessness came upon me.
   I realized that their situation was utterly, overwhelmingly, hopeless. No amount of encouragement or admonishment from me would change their hearts in the least. It left me with a sense of an impossible burden.
    Then I realized that we are all, overwhelmingly without hope. Each one of our situations is dire, and destined to continue as they are, in a downward spiral away from God... unless He intervenes. We are dependent on Him for every need. He is our only hope. But then, we do have hope in every situation, but only in Him! He is our only hope! And, therefore, our first, last, and constant effort should be to pray with that in mind ("pray without ceasing").
    My first realization as an unbeliever who was being "awakened" from “sleep” 37 years ago was that I could not believe. The things of the Bible were utter nonsense to me. I realized then that, even if they were true, it didn't matter because I didn't believe them to be true. And how does one change that?
    Billy Graham, on TV one night, was telling me “all you have to do is believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved!” All? That’s all? All I have to do is believe? Wonderful (said with sarcasm), and unfortunately impossible.
    At that time, I didn't know that there actually was hope, but only in Him. Nonetheless, He heard me cry out from my helpless condition, “I don’t believe! If You’re real, I need help. Because if you’re real, I want to believe!” It was only then, through the miraculous intervention of God, that I was transformed into one of His children. (it wasn't instantaneous from my perspective. I don't know exactly when that transformation occured).
    I’m wondering if this isn't what God means when he says to us, “if we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit." I was made alive (spiritually) only after crying out to Him from an utterly helpless condition. Is it not true that without His intervention, even as Christians we are utterly helpless, and therefore must continue coming to Him with the outstretched hands of the beggar? Is that what it means to “walk by the Spirit”?
    God is amazing. As I was writing all of this, Denise came in from her walk and told me how she had been reading the story of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, in 2nd Chronicles 20.     There was a great and overwhelming multitude of enemies on their way to destroy Judah. Jehoshaphat immediately realized that the situation was hopeless without God’s intervention, so he proclaimed a fast in which all the people sought God’s help.
    Jehoshaphat’s prayer, from verses 5-12,  should be the model for our prayers. In it, He acknowledges that God is ruler over all so that none can stand against Him. He acknowledges what God has done in the past in bringing Judah through their many trials. He acknowledges that Judah was powerless against this coming multitude and didn't know what to do, and therefore their eyes were on God.
    Is this not our situation in all cases? Am I not powerless to change anything in someone else’s heart? Am I not even powerless to change anything in my own heart? There are "multitudes" coming against us in the form of temptations, weaknesses, shortcomings, and circumstances that we are powerless against and, therefore, our eyes must be on God as our only hope. And none can stand against Him.
    He is the all-wise, all-powerful God who knows our needs and knows how and when to meet them. May we be made aware of our needs (yes, we need Him, even for this), and look only to Him as the multitudes assail us.
    What a comfort that we are safe and secure in our Strong Father’s hands! He knows our manifold weaknesses, even in trusting Him. Even the multitude of our weaknesses will not stand against Him. He knows how to safely shepherd His blemished sheep, and lose not one. And He has promised to do it! He never fails. Never.