Must We Be Filled With the Spirit to Study?

In discussing limitations, we must also ask the question of whether there is a limitation in our own holiness. Every single person in Christ has had the struggle. There are always the voices and thoughts that say we cannot know God, because we aren’t good enough, aren’t smart enough, aren’t righteous enough, or any other absurd “aren’t enough”. Whether you fall into the camp of the Nazarenes, the Wesleyans, or the Charismatic denominations, you will find that there is a difficult quandary that must be overcome. How do you balance the understanding of a second work of grace, or a filling of the Holy Spirit, or a second blessing, or becoming ‘sanctified’ with theology?

Must one have the baptism of the Holy Spirit in order to do theology? Does God require that we would be filled with His Spirit in order to know Him? Should we expect that if we haven’t had a certain experience that purges the dross from our lives and causes us to live in a more attuned manner that we are somehow lack?

It is precisely here that the cessationist has every right to balk. Yet, I would suggest the cessationist has the exact same enigma, only with different words. The idea of a second work of grace is that we are all on a journey with the Lord. There comes a point in time in that journey where we decide it isn’t enough to simply be Christian. My roommate, who was an atheist, called this “being devout”. He experienced this moment in my life, when I was a Christian, but still enjoyed an occasional party, and watched the movies and shows I shouldn’t have. When the moment came that conviction wouldn’t allow me to live in that any longer, I gave it up. In that moment it wasn’t about my decision, but about the power of God releasing me from these things. I don’t need them anymore.

The Wesleyan branches of theology have termed this event in the spiritual walk of the believer. The cessationist would say that we’re filled with the Spirit from our spiritual birth, and they might agree that such a moment could or would happen in the life of the believer, but that event is not a baptism in the Spirit. This isn’t a “second work” of the Spirit, but just the work that the Spirit performs. Herein are semantics, and these semantics are pointless to discussion. The real pressing perplexity lay within every college student who went off to school to learn theology, or every layman who hasn’t yet had that momentous moment. As a pastor, as an educator, as a friend, as a brother or sister, how do you respond both biblically and lovingly to this kind of question?

Our resolve is found in the character of God. Ultimately, what we’re asking is not a question of self, but of God. If our focus is upon self, then it is little wonder why we have so hard a time feeling after answers. With God, all things are possible. The very God of the universe that was able to abide in flesh – not sanctified flesh, but everything that flesh is and represents – and dwelt in sinless perfection, not faltering at one point of the Law or commandments, revealing to us perfectly the heart, character, and expression of the Father tells us everything we need to know about whether we can truly know God. Let us not forget that it was not the apostles of Acts chapter 2, after being filled with the Spirit, that Jesus discipled and asked whether they didn’t know Him.¹ These foolish, bumbling, hardened, ignorant disciples – the unsanctified, who haven’t yet had the second work of grace, or the baptism of the Spirit – are the very ones that Jesus seems to have utter confidence in. Is it because He knows they will receive the Spirit that He has this confidence, or is there something else that causes Him patience?

Just like our Christian walk itself is a journey, so is our understanding of theology. God meets us where we are, revealing Himself because He is not restricted. Is God free to reveal Himself to us, who are mere mortals? Or is God somehow constrained because we are too frail, too stupid, not this, not that, and not enough? Yes, we are dust, but we are God’s dust, and I don’t think He would appreciate the way that we talk about His dust sometimes. Is it not the accuser of the brethren to speak such? Why, then, do we use such language and violence against one another as the accuser of the brethren himself? Exactly who are we representing and working for?

In the end, we cannot deny the obvious. Certainly being further along in the journey with God helps. It is said that the ground is level at the cross, but we all know exactly how it feels to be brand new and hear that one guy who seems to have the whole Bible memorized. We all know what it’s like to look up to someone else because of their insight, and hopefully also because of their character and integrity. Something about them arrests our being, and we cannot reject the obvious in that moment. They have seen and experienced something that we know nothing of, possibly eating of a bread that we’ve never tasted. Their communion seems sweeter, and something in us has a bit of longing – hopefully not jealousy. Whatever you call it, that kind of closeness certainly has its benefit, but we cannot persist that it is necessary, nor that the lack thereof is a lack and limitation. God is the one who works with us, and not ourselves with ourselves. Let that be a comfort and rest.

1 John 14:9

A Brood of Vipers – Matthew 3:7-12

There are a few things going on here that are cultural references, and a few things that are Scriptural. So, first lets deal with this first section. When the Pharisees and Sadducees come to John, he calls them a brood of vipers and asks them who told them to flee from the wrath to come. What’s happening here?

Go back to Genesis 3:15. There are two seeds. There is the seed of the woman, who shall be the deliverer, later expressed in the term Messiah. Then there is the seed of the serpent. When you read through Genesis, you have two seeds presented at all times. There is Cain, and Abel/Seth. There is the wicked generation, and Noah. There is the nations at Babel, and Abraham. There is Ishmael, and Isaac. There is Esau, and Jacob. The seed of the serpent isn’t specific to a people group, but rather a concept. There are a people who consistently oppress and persecute the people of God, and it doesn’t matter if they are called Philistines, Egyptians, Assyrians, or Chaldeans.

Something begins to shift in the history of Israel, though. Solomon uses slave labor to build his palace and some military bases. But God said to not have slaves, because you were once a slave in Egypt. Here is the topsy-turvy kingdom: Israel, the new Egypt. Under Rehoboam it gets worse. The northern kingdom of Israel doesn’t ever have one good king. The southern kingdom of Judah has a handful. Over and over again in the prophets, what we read is that they are in outrage over the fact that the leaders are mistreating the people. In fact, such strong language is used in certain places (Jer 10:25, Mic 3:1-3, Zeph 3:3, etc) that it says the leaders of Israel are actually eating and devouring the people.

The leaders have become the seed of the serpent, at enmity with the seed of the woman and with God. Therefore, they are a “brood of vipers”.

But let’s not be hasty. It is easy to point fingers. What exactly were the Pharisees, anyway? In the first century, you could call the Pharisees the conservatives, and the Sadducees were the liberals. They were the leaders of the people. The Pharisees, in their great learning and understanding, were the ones who helped the people to understand the Law, so that Israel might follow it and obey. According to the Pharisees’ belief, if they could only reform the people of God back unto holiness and righteousness, then the Messiah would come. The Sadducees, on the other hand, were hired Roman officials – Jews who betrayed their own people. Therefore, the high priests, priests, and the scribes were often Sadducees hired by Rome to keep the people in check.

I’m not going to point out what I find to be obvious. In our Christianity today, there are Pharisees and Sadducees. There is no point in me putting names with those titles, because the truth is that if you can’t discern it, then you probably fall into one of those two camps. And John the Baptist calls them a brood of vipers. The difference between much of what is called Christianity today and the Sadducees/Pharisees is that at least the Pharisees/Sadducees understood that John and Jesus were talking about them…

What about this wrath to come?

Again, when you read the prophets, any “wrath to come” that is mentioned is associated with the Day of the Lord. There might be prophecies against certain nations (I’m thinking of Isaiah 37-39 currently) that had an immediate expectation, but the vast majority were beyond the immediate. It’s as though the prophet was beholding the seed of the serpent within these rebellious nations, and wasn’t merely prophesying concerning Assyria, Babylon, or Moab (or any other nation), but beyond them to an ultimate “seed of the serpent”, which is the mystery of iniquity, which the New Testament calls “Antichrist”. It is this one, the Antichrist/False Prophet, that we read Jesus will destroy with the brightness of His coming.

What is the coming wrath? It is the return of Jesus, and the outpoured fury upon the nations who have gathered against Israel at Har Meggido (Armegeddon). We read in passages like Ezekiel 38-39, Zechariah 14, and Revelation 19:11-21 about the destruction of this army that gathers. We read in other passages, such as Zechariah 14:16-17, Isaiah 19:21, and Daniel 7:11-14, about how there are nations who are judged, but not condemned and cast into the pits of hell with Jesus’ return.

Thus, to get back to what John is saying to the Pharisees, I think that we need to be keen on the understanding of the apostles in that first century. Peter calls Jerusalem “Babylon” at the end of his first epistle. When you read Revelation 17, the language used in regard to the 10 nations attacking the woman comes straight from the prophets in regard to Israel and Judah’s judgment. In Zechariah 14:14, there is a subtle hint that even Jerusalem/Judah itself will fight with the Antichrist against the coming of the Lord. God alone knows, but what we can be truly certain of is that God has consistently spoken that the wicked of Israel shall not endure unto the end, but shall taste of the wrath of God during that final expulsion and sifting through the nations.

We can ask the question of why this is being said here. It makes sense to say it if we’re dealing with the Day of the Lord, but this is Jesus’ first coming. I would challenge you to go to Malachi 3 and read it. Couple that with Matthew 21:33-43. Even though this isn’t the final last days dealing of God, it is quite clear that Jesus has indeed taken the Kingdom from the leaders of Israel and given it to they who will produce it’s fruit (the tax collectors and sinners of Israel, and later in Acts even the Gentiles).

“Therefore bear fruit to repentance…” Again, the concept of bearing fruit is not foreign in the consciousness of the Jewish people. John isn’t being clever and inventing something new. Even Isaiah the prophet calls Israel God’s “vineyard” (Isaiah 5) – the Hebrew word gan. God planted Israel, He cultivated Israel, and yet He only found bad fruit. Tell Me, O Israel, what I did wrong! The answer, of course, is that God did nothing wrong. Therefore, John is telling these people, “Bear fruit to repentance.” You who have consistently been that barren vineyard, or, even worse, been the ones producing bad fruit, repent of your wickedness, and turn unto the Lord. They know what tshuva means (Hebrew word/concept of repentance).

In the book of John, Jesus is speaking to the Jews round about Him. And in chapter 8, the Jews respond that they have Abraham as their father. It’s as if being genetically Jewish is all they think they need to inherit the Kingdom. They don’t even realize that Abraham was called to be the father of many nations because of his character, and not simply because of God’s sovereign choosing. Certainly God’s sovereign choosing played into it, but don’t think that God would have chosen Nimrod instead. There is a character, a certain mindset and lifestyle that reflects who God is, and it was that very thing that was being chosen.

God can raise children of Abraham from the stones.

Why?

It wouldn’t be too much for God to do so, but I think we should understand that John was pointing to that hill outside Jerusalem, where it says that the Messiah will step foot upon (Zech 14:5).

What stones are upon that hill?

They are graves.

God can raise them up out of the graves, and you will completely miss it, because you have hardened yourself, and have refused to consider that God is an actual person, and not some concept that we fiddle with.

We come back to the concept of agriculture and producing fruit. What do  you do when a tree refuses to bear fruit? You cut it down and use it as firewood. Therefore, John has no hesitation or timidity in pointing out that the ax is already at the root, just like it’s always been, and the fire of God is already upon you. This is the vision of the prophets. Everything is immanent; everything is life and death; everything is now, even while it yet might be millennia in the future. Eternity has no concept of time. Time cannot contain eternity. Eternal moments break the constraints of time, so that they who are eternal can perceive the reality of past, present, and future in a manner that affects all of past, present, and future. We’re affected by our past, and we also effect the past. We’re affected by the future, and we also effect the future.

In verse 11, John again brings up the issue of repentance. He says, “I baptize you with the water of repentance…” Baptism itself, as far as I can tell, comes from the concept of mikveh. A mikveh was the ritual of washing yourself with water to make  yourself clean. You find this in Exodus 19, that God says to Moses that the people need to wash their clothes and be made clean before Him. You find it again in Psalm 51:2, that David asks to be washed in order to be made clean. Ezekiel 36:25 speaks of clean water being poured out upon the House of Israel to make it clean – again, a reference to mikvah. In Leviticus 17:15, we have the mikvah prescribed in regard of becoming clean again after eating something that has died of natural causes or by beasts (that which you didn’t kill).

For a mikveh, you would immerse yourself in moving water. The rabbis talk about how this takes you out of your regular mode (in the air), and puts you in a state less familiar (floating submerged in water). It’s like birth, and has deep significance tied to it from a baby that leaves the womb, and now therefore is coming forth into the air for the first time. You are no longer unclean, but now as clean as a baby, you enter again into the air and society in right standing with HaShem (God).

In this last segment, when John begins to express what the Messiah shall do, again we find that much of it goes back to the prophets. He isn’t saying anything new. John is building upon what has already been said, and what is already being believed. For example, look up these verses: Psalm 1:4, Isaiah 1:31, 27:4, Jeremiah 7:20, 15:7, Malachi 4:1, and Amos 9:8-10.

I think the “Holy Spirit and fire” is not two separate things, but one. It’s like when you say it is raining cats and dogs. It doesn’t mean that it rains cats in one spot, but dogs further up the street. It’s just a saying, for one, but we all understand that they go together. In fact, the whole point of the outpouring of the Spirit in the prophets (Jeremiah 31:31-37, Ezekiel 36:21-27, Joel 2:25-32, etc) was that there was both the outpouring of the Spirit and the cleansing of the House of Israel, but also the judgment and recompense upon the nations in the Day of the Lord. You cannot escape it. This outpouring is always placed at the end of the Time of Jacob’s Trouble, at the threshold of the coming of Messiah, the Day of the Lord, when there shall be signs  in the heavens, and fire and devastation. The Spirit of supplication and grace poured out upon Israel in Zechariah 12 is the same timeframe as the previous verses:
“And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in the Lord of hosts, their God.’ In that day I will make the governors of Judah like a firepan in the woodpile, and like a fiery torch in the sheaves; they shall devour all the surrounding peoples on the right hand and on the left, but Jerusalem shall be inhabited again in her one place – Jerusalem. The LORD will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the House of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah. In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them. It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.”

Let us conclude, then. This passage is incredibly suggestive of end times events. That which John is speaking of cannot simply be constrained to the first coming of Jesus. And yet, there is a reality in which they were exactly constrained to the first coming of Jesus. The leaders really were cast off of their own tree – the ax already being at the root. They were cast off and wild branches were grafted in. But that isn’t for you to boast, but for you to tremble. Behold the goodness and severity of God. Goodness to you, should you continue in the ways that you have been taught by Christ, yet severity to those who harden themselves to become full of bad fruit. This is a now word, because many do neglect the most basic principles of the faith, and yet it is also a future word, because the King shall come, and when He does, we shall again see the outpouring of the Spirit and fire.

Fruits of the Spirit – Galatians 5:22-26

I want to begin this by claiming that I am not qualified to go through these fruits. Let me begin the same way as the post on the fruits of the flesh. We’ll examine the text around the list of the fruits, and then we’ll list off the fruits and put forth a couple ideas.

It captures me that the statement immediately following the fruits of the flesh is, “those who practice such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” Immediately after the fruits of the Spirit is the statement, “Against such there is no law.” Is it possible that these statements are somehow being paralleled? Is there something inherent within “the Kingdom of God” that requires “against such things there is no law”? Certainly the whole sweep of Galatians would propose this. We begin with Paul expounding to us that the law is more than just Leviticus and Deuteronomy, for I confess that I delight in such books (as did Paul). Law is something other, it is putting anything in between you and Christ. It is exploring traditions, whether like the Pharisees or like evangelicalism, and in that exploration suggesting that the fullness that people seek is within something utterly outside of Scripture and Christ.

You who want to know Jesus more deeply, where do you think this comes from? It isn’t from going to church more often, for I’ve done that. It isn’t from serving more, for I’ve done that. It isn’t from Bible college or seminary, for I’ve done that. It isn’t from having such and such big name pray over you, for I’ve done that. It isn’t from getting baptized in the Spirit to pray in tongues, for I’ve done that. It isn’t in louder, or “more intimate” worship, for I’ve done that. It isn’t in becoming an elder, or a deacon, or some other higher appraised position in your church (I haven’t done this one lol).

All of these things may have their place (some are questionable), but what I’ve found is that none of them bring the satisfaction that I continually sought. I kept praying for more of Jesus, more of God’s Spirit, more of God’s power, more submission to God, more of God’s presence, more of “more”, but I’m not sure what “more” is…

This is once again where it is actually really simple, but we’ve made it so complicated. What does Paul say? “And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” Where in there do you find, “put to death the sinful nature”? Where in that statement do you find, “Always keep searching for something more, something deeper”? Where do you find, “Do this, don’t do that”? It isn’t there. It is simply, you’re in Christ, and therefore you’ve crucified the flesh and its lusts. You live in the Spirit (I’ve also read “by the Spirit”), so therefore walk in the Spirit. This last statement isn’t about rules or “don’t do this”, but a natural outworking of what Paul has just said. It’s like saying, “You’ve been given a body that has certain needs, so make sure to take care of yourself.” If you add on the end, “Don’t smoke, and don’t drink”, it isn’t a command, or “law”, but the simple obvious example of what it means to “take care of yourself”.

So, where do we find the satisfaction that so many are looking for? IHOP and other ministries are actually based entirely upon this seeking.

Satisfaction to the uttermost is found in everything that it means to be “in Christ”. What is it that God wants you to do with your life? He wants you to be “in Christ”, and therefore not in the flesh. What does God approve of? Jesus says that God’s will is this: “To believe on Him whom He has sent”. What about all of the amazing glory-cloud, and visions, and dreams, and prophecies, and tongues, and gifts, and corporate worship, and serving, and evangelism, and…? That stuff is not the foremost, but the secondary. It is the outworking of that which is foremost: being what God has told you to be.

If you are what the Bible marks out for humanity to be, and you simply uphold what Jesus taught that we should live, then go in peace. You already are “deeper” than most people. Here is what I’ve found: the Bible maps out for us a progression. God has been working in the earth since its formation. He rested on the seventh day, and Hebrews 4 then takes that idea and claims that we can also rest from our works, thus entering into the cosmic rest that God has already established (from the foundation of the world). God has been revealing Himself more and more through history, and I dare say that Jesus walking upon the earth was a greater revelation than what Adam and Eve saw in the Garden. Yet, there is an even greater revelation still: Jesus’ second coming and the establishment of God’s Kingdom upon the earth. And yet, there is a greater “unveiling” still: the New Heaven and New Earth, where heaven and earth are one, and where God is in unadulterated splendor before all creation, and where Spirit and flesh are married.

Here is the question, then: How can we be a part of what God is already doing to bring all things unto that ultimate climax and revealing of God? To answer that question is to know what it means to be a “saint”, and specifically a saint in our own day and age. It is answered in knowing God’s heart, and basing our understanding of everything in theology (but especially our end times perception) off of that heart and character. When we know what God is up to, then we can work hand-in-hand with Him, and this is the satisfaction so many are craving.

So, what are the fruits, that we might better understand what to do/be here and now?

Love
I’m sure you’ve heard that “agape is God’s love”. This isn’t true. If you’ve ever looked into the Greek words more deeply than just the way they are used in Scripture, you’ll know agape was a Greek word before the New Testament began using it. It is true that agape is often used as God’s love, but agape is also commanded. Therefore, it was already understood to have a certain connotation. What is love? Love is the essence of what it means to be human. It is the act of reconciliation with all things (God, humanity, and creation). It seeks to perceive more than just circumstances, and in that to perceive to the very heart and essence of the other, cherishing that very essence. It is for this reason that 1 Corinthians can give us things that love does and doesn’t do – because it sees beyond just flesh and outward experience/circumstance.

Joy
I’ve heard it said that joy and happiness are different. Happiness can fluctuate, but joy remains. While this might be true, we need to recognize that there is still a deeper way of expressing what joy is. Joy is the result of satisfaction in Christ. It is the result of freedom. It is the result of being in the Kingdom of God, and no longer in the kingdom of darkness. Joy is the result of working hand-in-hand with God, to be the saints of God in your own generation.

Peace
Blessed are the peacemakers, because they bring conflict wherever they go. They realize that true peace is not avoidance of the issues, but rather the result of dealing with issues. To be a peacemaker is to have the ministry of reconciliation; peace is reconciliation. As much as it is up to you, live at peace with all men.

Longsuffering
Other translations call this “patience”. Longsuffering instills the image of being nagged excessively, and yet just bearing it for a long time. That attitude is not longsuffering. It isn’t patience. Patience requires that we can perceive beyond the circumstances, to realizing that we are an eternal people, and that though time itself might bring aggrevating conditions, God is the one in charge. Instead of getting angry at so and so, we know that there is something else at play (demons, their immaturity in Christ, they are of this world and therefore acting like this world, etc). Instead of getting angry about being late, or persecution, or whatever is out of our control, we know that “there is but one God, from whom all things came” (1 Cor 8:6, and see Eph 4:6 and Hebrews 10:32-35).

Kindness
Chréstotés, which comes from chréstos, and means (loosely) to be well fit for what is truly needed. Chrestos means useful, and therefore this “kindness” isn’t about not being mean or cruel, but about perceiving what is truly necessary, and to act according to that need. In this, I think Shakespeare had said something remarkable in Hamlet, “Sometimes one must be cruel in order to be kind.” It isn’t cruelty for the sake of being mean, but cruelty for the sake of snapping someone into reality. In this, we find Jesus and all the prophets railing against the religious in Israel, and speaking such harsh statements, which we would all find to be absolutely “unkind”, and yet fully revealing kindness and love.

Goodness
Agathosune (ag-ath-oh-soo-nay) means “inherent goodness”. Notice the suffix “syne” (sune), which in the Greek suggests a condition or quality. It isn’t that goodness is something that we work on, or attempt to be, but that this fruit of the Spirit demands that we simply are. We have the condition, or the quality, of being good, and therefore can do no other. So, what is “goodness”, which I’m sure that all of you are thinking you fall way short of? This word seems to be specific to the New Testament, and from what I understand is not a word found in secular Greek manuscripts. Agathos is what originates and emanates from God, and is impowered through His life. I would like to suggest that it is the very condition that we all know. When you woke up the day after coming to Christ, did you experience a different set of morals? I did. I no longer desired to live the way I had always lived. That is agathosune.

Faithfulness
This comes from the word “faith”, which is a pursuasion of that which you believe. It might well be that faith is not faith when you can see it with your own eyes, but is revealed as faith when you trust it, even if you can’t tangibly prove it. Faithfulness is the act of faith. It is the pursuasion of your confession, and the lifestyle bent toward God in all things. God is real, Jesus has saved my soul, and now I shall eternally cry, “All to Jesus”. That is faithfulness – to do the things God desires, even when it is unconvenient and difficult.

Gentleness
I met a man from Sweden with such gentleness and quietness. When he spoke, it was barely louder than a whisper. Yet, when he spoke, everyone shut up to listen. His words were charged, and in them were the most beautiful things. His eyes were always red, because he from when I met him, he was always crying. In him was gentleness, and that was his strength. There was strength shown in this man that I had never seen before, and it paradoxically came most powerfully from his meekness.

Self-Control
This is our discipline to do that which God demands.

These are freedom, and it isn’t a requirement. This is the “symptom” of freedom. All is permissible, but not all is beneficial. Some acts of freedom are your last act of freedom. Therefore, do the things that freedom is, and in that, live as you already are: free.

Resurrection

Yesterday was Easter. I do my best to not post on the weekends, which sometimes means not having as much traffic. I especially do my best to not post on holidays. So, this post is coming out today 🙂

The issue of resurrection is an issue that we all need to wrestle with until it comes into the kishkas (note: kishkes are a stuffed sausage, but kishkas are the guts). We celebrate the resurrection of Christ, but why? I’m what you would call a “slow learner”, especially in these subjects… I’ve noticed that there is much emphasis upon Jesus’ cross, Jesus’ resurrection, and Jesus’ ascension, but I could not for the life of me figure out why there is such an emphasis on it. I mean, I get the death, taking our sin and the curse to the cross, and I get the resurrection, that Jesus was vindicated by the Father, but why the ascension?

Come to find out, when you realize the importance of the ascension, you understand the importance of the other two…

When Jesus raised to the right hand of the Father, where He is currently sitting, it opened wide the veil for us as well to enter into that Holiest Place, to sit down, resting from our own work, and to remain seated with Christ in heavenly places.

Did you catch that?

The emphasis is upon Christ, and I recognize the importance of Psalm 110:1 (if you don’t, don’t worry about it right now). Yet, what makes this statement so significant isn’t that Jesus ascended, but that it grants access for us to join Him. For those of you who don’t know, I’m usually a stickler for not putting emphasis upon ourselves. Yet, in this case, reason with me…

Jesus died upon the cross, and now we are to take up our crosses and follow Him.

Where He goes, we cannot follow, but don’t neglect the last part of the statement that we shall follow Him. (Please note that the place where Jesus was about to go was into death and resurrected out of the grave. You can’t do that on your own.)

We read in Romans 6 that just as Jesus went down into the grave, so too have we been baptized into His death, and just as the glory of God the Father raised Jesus up from the dead, so too has the same glory, the same power raised us up.

We are seated with Christ in heavenly places.

 

What are you saying, Tommy? Why you talkin’ so cray cray?

What I’m saying is that the significance of the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus is that we now also have the opportunity to die, be raised, and ascend up unto the right hand of God, and be seated with Christ in that place. This is where the doctrines become reality. You can hold to the “doctrine” of resurrection, that Jesus rose and that we’ll raise on the last day. But, what did Jesus say to Mary? ” I am the resurrection.” Notice Jesus didn’t say, “I have the power to resurrect the dead”, but that Jesus, Himself, IS the resurrection. What that even means I can only intuit. It isn’t simply through Jesus that we have resurrection, as if it happens on the last day, but that in Christ we ARE raised with Him by the glory and power of God the Father.

We, too, have opportunity to suffer through the eternal Spirit unto death, and in that true suffering and death, find that God Himself will also raise us up, truly while we still yet are in the flesh. They who believe in the doctrine of resurrection, truly believe, will live in the resurrection. It isn’t simply that Jesus rose, and that one day we’ll also rise, but that we, right now, by the very power of God, have access to be alive in Christ. No more “die to sin”, because you already are dead. No more, “put to death the sinful nature”, because anything that is still “sinful nature” isn’t YOU sinning, but YOUR FLESH (Romans 7:17) – that is, the sin that dwells in you.

This changes everything.

There is no condemnation in Christ, because if you are “in Christ”, then you aren’t “in sin”. If you are walking “in the Spirit”, then you can’t be walking “in the flesh”. It’s that simple. When we make it difficult, it is either because our lack of faith, or because we simply aren’t preaching the Gospel.

Walking in the Spirit – Galatians 5:16-18

I want to give some practical advise to walking in the Spirit. Let me make it simple: It’s really simple. Got it?

After about 10 years in the Lord, I’ve heard a lot of messages about walking with God, about walking with the Spirit, and I’ve read a lot of books, articles, and blogs. This is pretty well what I do. When I was first saved, I went to church daily. 7 days out of the week I was spending all of my free time either at church, in a Bible study, or on the streets evangelizing. I have about 500 sermons on my computer that I’m still working through. That number was upward to about 10,000. I say all this to say that I know this is a question that people are asking about, and I know that a lot of times the answers are clouded in uncertainty (to say the least).

So, first things first, let us reason naturally. When you’re born, you can’t walk immediately. Most of you muscles are unfit for being used in maturity. You drink milk, you flail about without hand-eye coordination, and even your vocal/speaking mechanisms are unable to communicate as adults. After a couple years, the child has probably gotten to a place where he/she can say some words, can walk (somewhat), is eating food instead of milk, etc. It takes time for the body to grow and mature. The same is true spiritually.

When you’re first born into the Lord, you probably don’t know a whole lot of what you’re doing, or how to do much. There is nothing wrong with that, because you can’t expect an infant to be potty trained or reason with the philosophers of our day. There has to be maturing that takes place. Whether you’re years or months (or decades) in the faith, don’t feel like because you haven’t seen the fruit you were hoping for that you’re somehow doing it wrong. It takes time, it takes devotion, and it takes dedication.

Now that that is out of the way, what exactly do we even mean when we say “walk in the Spirit”? I’m afraid that it has almost been supercharged into this unattainable super-human, super-spiritual thing. Just as walking is such a natural ability of the creature (what animal do you know that isn’t naturally able to figure out the walking thing?), so too is walking in the Spirit. It’s simply what you do when you’re in the faith. So, lets go ahead and look at a few Scriptures (you’ll notice that all of these pertain directly to our passage):

Rom 6:12-14, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” (see Gal 5:16 and 18)

Rom 8:1-4, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”

Rom 8:12-14, “Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.”

I know all of these verses are in Romans. You’ll notice if you go through a concordance (or search Bible Gateway with the phrase “walk in the spirit”) that in almost every case (if not every case), it is immediately in regard to not walking in the flesh, not falling to temptation, beholding the Day of the Lord and our redemption that comes with it, and therefore living in purity before God here and now.

So, what is walking in the Spirit? If our theology tells us that to walk according to the Spirit is to somehow be led out of our homes, across the country or across the world, to preaching to people that need Jesus, or to knowing with intuition that someone needs help that we can offer, then we have missed the mark. Prophecy, healing, miracles, and missionary work is not the definition of walking according to the Spirit. It isn’t about hearing some Divine emanation and then doing what this voice from heaven speaks. It is not about knowing the will of God for your life and then pursuing it.

Walking in the Spirit is really simple. In fact, if you’re truly in Christ, it is the most basic thing that you can do. What it comes down to is this: What does God approve of? If you open the Bible and simply begin to read it, what conclusions will you come to about what God approves of and expects His people to act like? Let me give a few thoughts off the top of my head:

1. Compassion on the oppressed
   Compassion is about justice. God hears the cry of the oppressed, whether the poor, the widows, the fatherless, or the sojourner. If you’re in Christ, and you truly have the Spirit of God within you, then you cannot ignore this cry. Something in you drives you to noticing when there is injustice and oppression of the lowly. You can’t ignore it, because it is fundamentally something that God gets super pissed about. I told my wife the other day, “I’ve figured it out… I’m an Amos.” The reason that I continue to harp and gripe about the injustice I see Christendom doing, and the theories that promote selfishness, is because I’m an Amos. I might not have the glorious visions and prophecies of Isaiah or Zechariah, but when you read Amos you can’t ignore the compassion and love that he radiates for His people and for the poor.
2. Faithfulness
   This word is something that has been lost to us. Faithfulness doesn’t mean that we’re sinless, nor that we somehow spend all and are expended upon the Lord’s behalf, but that we’re simply faithful. We devote ourselves to the Lord, and if He directs our path in another direction, then we go. If He doesn’t move us, then we’re content to stay and live a simple life. We’re faithful with what He has given us, and we’re faithful to not complain and covet what others have. When we have need, we pray, and when we don’t have need, we have gratitude.
3. Acknowledgement of God
   How sad is it that one of the biggest things that God desires is to simply be acknowledged? Even within Deuteronomy, one of the statements that rings out is to not forget God when you get blessed… To acknowledge Him is to recognize on a deeper level that it is by God that you live, and move, and have your being. Don’t think that simply saying, “Oh, but God provides” is enough. That statement shouldn’t be a quick cliche to spout out, but the very reality that you live from.
4. Simplicity
   There is never anything, anywhere, in the Bible that is complex. You might have deep thoughts, amazing wisdom, and incredible insight, but you don’t have anything complex. Things like “Bible codes”, hoops to jump through, demands that you need to know multiple languages to understand the Bible, etc are all lies. God is simple, and He expects that we live simply. In Exodus, he who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little did not go hungry. You live within your means. Proverbs speaks against debt profusely. In all things, live simply. Know that the Bible is simple, and even Leviticus can be easily understood when you’ve read it a couple times to become familiar with it, and that we’re asked to live within our means, not desiring bigger, better, faster, more. That kind of thinking (bigger, better, faster, deeper, more) comes from demons, and not God.
5. Mercy
   Once again, this seems super simple, right? God has granted you mercy, so go and do likewise to/for others. There isn’t a “unless” or “except for” in that command of Jesus. You weren’t deserving of mercy, and neither are they.

To learn to live in this manner (and this is just a quick off-the-top-of-my-head outline) is to walk in the Spirit. Learning of God’s character and the things He approves of is to learn to walk according to the Spirit. Therefore, “spirit-led worship” and “spirit-led sermons” and other stuff is nonsense. To be “Spirit led” is to learn from the Spirit the very wisdom and lifestyle of heaven, and to then live from that reality in all things that you do. This is why “walking in the Spirit” is the opposite of “walking in the flesh”.

The Name of God – Exodus 3:11-15

If we were to write out a timeline of the Bible, we could have the “old covenant” representing the Old Testament from about the year 4000 B.C. unto 1 B.C. I’m not trying to make a point of young earth or old earth creation, but simply making it simple. It is assumed that those of the old covenant era were somehow different than we are, being under the “new covenant”. Thus, there is a division between Pentecost and everything before it.

This brings an interesting question. What about when Jesus was on the earth? There is a bizarre gap in our theology, no matter who you read, where it is almost impossible to explain whether there was a new covenant or not during the life of Jesus, or if it went into effect after His death, or was it after His resurrection, or was it not in effect until His ascension? Or, even more difficult is why was there no outpouring of the Spirit for 30 years after Jesus was birthed, lived, died, resurrected, and ascended? It wasn’t for another few days (I think ten?) until the Day of Pentecost.

What makes this difficult is not only that we’re left in the dark as to when the New Covenant begins, but also that we’re stuck questioning about various times in the Old Testament where it seems to contradict this thinking. For example, it is said of Saul that when he goes home, he shall be turned into a new person (1 Samuel 10:6). It is this verse that seems to spark what Paul declares is ours in the New Covenant in 2 Corinthians 5:17. Or, what about Enoch and Elijah? If the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23), and if the old covenant sacrifices could never take away sins (Hebrews 10:4, 11), then how is it that these two men never died?

Please understand the power of that question. This can’t be waved away by simply declaring “by God’s grace…” No, there demands something that would be able to take away the sin of Enoch and Elijah, otherwise there is absolutely no way for them to enter into heaven without death. So, we’re back to square one.

Is it possible we’ve been misunderstanding?

Maybe instead of writing out a dividing line between Old and New Testament, we should be writing out a dividing line between old and new covenants. What does that mean? The book of Hebrews is a desperate attempt to get us to understand that the whole point of Jesus’ life, ministry, death, resurrection, ascension, the outpouring of the Spirit, the coming of the new covenant, etc is to bring us into the eternal covenant. What do I mean by eternal covenant?

In Hebrews 3-4, the author is trying to get us to understand that there is an eternal rest, an eternal Sabbath, that was established on the seventh day when God rested. Notice Hebrews 4:3, “And yet His work has been finished since the creation of the world…”

Catch that.

His work has been finished since the creation of the world. How is it that God has ceased His work since day seven of creation? What, then, was the point of Jesus’ coming?

We enter into Hebrews 5, and the author discusses this Melchizedek priesthood. You see, the Old Testament has a problem within it. Aaron and his sons are priests. No one else is. So, how is it that David eats of the consecrated bread, and even gives it to his men? How does Elijah offer sacrifices? How does Moses offer sacrifices to consecrate Aaron and his sons? Why does God accept the sacrifice of David to stop the angel of death? Why are David’s sons called kohanim (priests)?

This is not something we can wave away quickly. None of these men were of the sons of Aaron. There are many more examples (not the least of which being Samuel). How can a just God accept these sacrifices? The answer, dear children, is that there is an eternal priesthood, one that Aaron was only a reflection of, identified as the Melchizedek priesthood.

In Hebrews 8-10, the whole point is that the sacrifices of the old covenant were not the end in themselves, but also just reflections – patterns – of the ultimate eternal sacrifice (Christ Jesus). Once again, the point of quoting Jeremiah 31:31-34 is not to establish that we’re looking at a “new covenant” (as if the old is before the new covenant), but that there is something that goes beyond the old covenant – before the old covenant. Sinai was the establishment of the old covenant, but before that was the eternal covenant (brit olam first being mentioned in Genesis 9:16).

Before the Sabbath of Exodus 20:8 there was Genesis 2:1-5. Before the priesthood of Aaron in Leviticus 8-9, there was Melchizedek. Before there was a sacrificial system in order, we see Abel sacrificing, Abraham tithing, Noah sacrificing when he got off the ark, etc. What is it that these men are a part of? What I would like to suggest is that they were a part of the eternal covenant – what we call the “new covenant”.

It is with this context that we enter into Hebrews 11. The saints that are mentioned here are not to be considered because they fought a good fight. They are to be considered because this is our heritage. They were of the new covenant, even before the ‘establishment’ of the new covenant. They were of a different caliber, a different reality – the eternal reality.

Just like we are told in Hebrews 12:18-24 that we have not come to Sinai, the covenant that was patterned after the heavenly reality, but rather we have come unto Zion – the true heavenly Mount of God – the saints of the Old Testament did not come unto the mount burning with fire, but to the holy Zion of God.

You might be wondering by this time what this has to do with the name of God…

The answer should be obvious:

everything

In the Hebrew word shem (which means name) there is an interpretation not always understood. It doesn’t just mean name, or stature, but character. It is the quintessence of the person. So, when Moses asks God, “What is your name?” he is asking for the quintessential ‘God’. The answer is yod hey waw hey. We pronounce it in English as Yahweh, or Jehovah. There isn’t good enough consensus on the Hebrew pronunciation to authoritatively say.

What is it about this name that is so important? Why do the Jews to this day not pronounce the name except in holy times, such as prayer or celebrating the high feasts? Why the reverence? Why the hubbub? Why the solemnity? Because this name represents the very core nature, the crux, the quiddity of the Being we call the Living God.

What could the name mean?

In the Hebrew letters, there is a story in itself. Ancient Hebrew was pictographs, and some scholars believe that the letters had significance to understanding the meaning of the words of ancient Hebrew (I happen to agree). So, for example, the word av (father) is made with an aleph (ox head) and a beth (tent). Why? Because the ox represents strength, and the father is the strength of the tent, or family. But the real question before us is what the yod hey waw hey means, right?

The yod was a forearm, also considered the hand. The hey was a man beholding, or worshiping. The waw was a tent peg, or nail. Thus, we have a sentence emerge: “Behold the hand; behold the nail.”

The quintessential nature of God is “behold the hand; behold the nail.” It is Jesus dying upon the cross. It is the eternal covenant, the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. For us to believe in, or into, the name of Jesus, we are believing into this already finished work – the work that God finished and therefore rested on the seventh day. Somehow Jesus appeared at the end of the age, but is the Lamb slain from the foundation (or creation) of earth.

This is what the name of God signifies. It signifies that they who believed in the name of Yahweh did believe into the name of Jesus. Those saints of the Old Testament are not unlike we. You see, what happened at Pentecost was that the Spirit was poured out upon the entirety of the ecclesia, the assembly, the people of God. No more is it the prophets, priests, and saints that alone enter into this “eternal covenant”. Now it is that “whosoever shall call upon the name of the LORD shall be saved”.

Does this make sense? For some it is semantics. For me it is one of the most important doctrines within Christianity. We have been grafted into the roots already formed. We are a part of something already in existence – into the eternal covenant that the saints of old were brought into. This is why the only text in the entirety of the Old Testament that speaks of a “new covenant” is Jeremiah 31. You cannot find it anywhere else. If it is so darn important that God is establishing a “new covenant” and doing away with the “old covenant”, then why is this teaching blatantly absent from everything in the Scripture except a few questionable texts of the New Testament?

It makes much more sense when we understand the whole picture here. The new covenant is the same as the eternal covenant. The eternal covenant is that heavenly covenant – the eternal that Hebrews is constantly pointing to and saying that the “old” was only a shadow of.

Mark of the Beast 1 – Rev 13:14-18

And it deceives those dwelling on the earth because of the signs that were given to it to perform before the beast, telling those dwelling on the earth to make an image to the beast, that has the wound of the sword and has lived. And it was given to it to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should also speak, and should cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast would be killed. And it causes all the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free and the servants, that it should give them a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and that no one should be able to buy or to sell if not having the mark – the name of the beast, or the number of its name. Here the wisdom is. The one having understanding let him count the number of the beast. It is indeed man’s number. And the number of it is 666.

We spoke briefly previously about this image. The signs are warned of in Matthew 24:24 and parallels. Paul tells us to watch out for false signs in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10. Something beyond dubious signs should be expected. It isn’t enough to consider that this man will come out claiming Satan to be god, and here is the proof! We can’t simply expect a Muslim Antichrist, and therefore these things will be done in the name of Allah. These signs are warned against. It would imply, therefore, that there is a seduction that can take place in beholding these signs. They aren’t fake. This man truly calls down fire from heaven.

The people who flock to televangelists and other phenomena, whether true or not true, are in danger at this point. What is it within the human mind that miracles and signs are the signet ring of heaven? There is something here that needs to be burrowed out. We identify heaven by the character, and not by the miraculous. The Antichrist and the False Prophet will give every sign of being authentically in God the Father, yet are not. They somehow are able to deceive, thus we have warnings of their coming, but at the same time blaspheme the very name of God and they who dwell in heaven. What is it that is so drastically neutered in our thinking to be so placated?

One thing is certain: they who are cheap in their walk with Christ are in far more danger than the devout. To read the Bible, whether New Testament or Old Testament, and to still be searching for what it says ‘to me’ is a grave disgrace. Herein lie the glory of eternity, and we would rather see ourselves. There is something calibrated within our souls. We hope to find a mirror instead of a pool. A mirror will reflect back to us what we are, and we’re happy with that. A pool reflects us, but also reveals what is beyond the surface. It is much better to find self in the Scriptures than to find God, for in finding God we are confronted with something much more grand than ‘me’.

The deception comes when we are not lovers of truth, as Paul would tell us in 2 Thessalonians 2:10. To love the truth is more than desiring truth. We can desire truth and hate it. We can seek truth and not love it. We can be content to ‘know’ truth, and yet not live by that truth. We might even delight in the knowledge, but as soon as requirement hits to live by that truth we show the reality of our condition. In the olden days, back when you used gold and silver for currency, one of the ways you knew whether it was true silver was by throwing the coin to the ground. It would hit the floor and make a *ping* that resonates for time after the incident. If the coin be fake, it would hit the ground with a *thud* and the ring would instantly stop.

Either we are true through and through, or the truth is not in us. Truth is something that we live, and not simply something we ‘agree’ with. Doctrine is a strange thing. It goes beyond what we believe. It reverberates into the very soul itself. It finds lodging in the deepest cracks, and from there it shows forth its reality. Whether we are truly believers will come through in all instances in life. For example, when you are in the midst of joy, that joy will overflow into praise unto God. When you are in the midst of trial, no matter how adverse the trial, that will drive you into the loving arms of God the Father. If you be true, you find in all things, in all moments, Christ is there. If you only have the outward appearance of silver, but lack the actual thing, you will find that no matter what circumstances life brings to you, you will continue to emanate your ‘self’, and not a new creation either.

I have often found it bizarre that in the midst of the Charismatic miracles and healings there is always a personality. In the midst of the prophetic, there is rarely a word. It is almost always characterized by ‘getting the Bible out of the way’. You give the quickie sermonette so that people will hear what the Bible says, but the real action is within the healings. The real action is within the prophetic word. Why do we so quickly pass by the Scriptures in order to come to something ‘more glorious’? Could there truly be anything more glorious? This isn’t a critique against prophecy or miracles, but against our mindsets.

This sort of quick grab-bag mentality stinks. It comes up into the nostrils of God and reveals our inner hearts. We don’t truly want Christ. We want manifestations. We want prophecy. We want excitement. We want something bigger, louder, more ‘hit you in the chest’. Our desire is tangibility, but the reality is not found there. How is it that the two witnesses perform signs explained in Revelation 11, and yet just across town people are lining up to get marked? Does this not blow the whistle on the whole thing? The true is abandoned because it is true. The false is embraced because it is easier.

Don’t think that by ‘easier’ it means without hard preaching. They who speak harshly against cults and leaders can be quite easy. Condemn the outward sin, but let’s not talk about the inward problems. Talk about death and death and death, but let’s neglect resurrection. Crucify the leaders who are wolves in sheep’s clothing, but let’s not mention that we too have our struggles. The preacher who stands on a platform lies to you. Any elevation is a lie. They are ‘over’ you only in their imaginations. The elevated platform perpetuates the lie, but Jesus has said that we’re all one. If that is true, that we are all one, then the person behind the pulpit is no greater than you are. To perpetuate that lie is to give yourself over to deception. It is the love of truth that will raise the banner. I cannot give myself to that performance. It is blaspheme to continue in the system called ‘church’ when we know good and well that it is only a building and a service. Calling it church doesn’t make it church. Gathering together doesn’t mean Jesus is in the midst. The whole thing is based off of pretense and error, and to continue in that is dangerous.

The False Prophet makes a monument unto the beast. This is much like when Absolom made a monument unto himself in 2 Samuel 18:18. The Davidic kingdom was orchestrated by God. It was given from heaven, and blessed by God. Yet, this man in his arrogance attempts to steal the kingdom with force. So it is today that they who would call themselves the ‘head’ of any congregation is perpetuating a lie. It is an Absolom anointing, which ultimately is an anointing of Satan. It is antichrist at the heart. We have kicked out the people of God in order to continue in our games and events and programs. We have neglected the Jewish people, some even calling them cursed, and in that have rejected David as king. We have run out the prophets and apostles from our midst, because they won’t allow the pretense. They who are Davidic, whether Jew or Christian, are shunned – even from the Messianic congregations.

The Davidic character is one of tears. It is one of authenticity. It desires truth in the inward parts and will not allow the lie to be perpetuated. David is humble. He is gentle. Yet, when you oppose the Lord his God, you will find that he can also be a man of war. For this reason they are considered rude and bringers of division. They goat kick and wolf back, but to the sheep they are lovers beyond what can be worded. They protect the flock and destroy any who devour. For this reason they are opposed most strictly by the leadership within the walls. They are an affront to anyone who would claim leadership as a job instead of a function in the Body. To receive income for your ‘calling’ is an abomination.

We see in Daniel 3 the story of Nebuchadnezzar building a statue. Why is it that only these three men were caught opposing it? The same question can be asked of chapter 1. Why is it in Daniel 1 that these four men are the only ones unwilling to eat the defiled meat? Did no one else know the Law? Or, more correctly, could no one else discern the abomination? Here it is that the other Israelites considered themselves as blessed and being taken care of. Daniel and his three friends could see that this meat is anathema. What was it that Daniel and his three companions had that the rest of the nobility lacked? What wisdom did they draw from?

I speak quite harshly in this post concerning the religious system that we’ve made. The reason for this is to shock you into reality. By what wisdom do you know whether what you are doing is right or wrong? How is it that you know that wherever your attending is not an Absolom? How do you know that the meat is not defiled? Is it because you pray? So did the rest of the nobles. Is it that you read the Bible? So did Absolom. What makes you so different? This is the heart. This is the nub of the argument. How can we discern whether the miracles are true or false? How can we know and recognize this deception? It is by knowing intimately the culture and character of heaven, because we’ve spent time with God in heaven.

Heaven is the place of intimacy with Christ. It is where you and I are one. From that place, where Christ revealed Himself to you, you are united unto Him and all the holy brethren. If you are unable to love the brothers and sisters of Christ, then you do not love Him. You cannot love Him and then despise His brethren. They who claim they love Jesus and then hate their brother shows themselves to be a liar, and the truth is not in them. This is your antidote. This is the litmus test. The man or woman who would willingly cast out or oppress someone else because they don’t get along together is antichrist. It is true that some people are difficult to get along with. Are they your brother? Are they your sister? Are they truly of Christ? If yes, then you have no excuse. If no, then you cast out the unbeliever from your midst. This is what is important, and not whether you all play nicely.

What will distinguish the Antichrist and False Prophet will be their words. With their lips they’ll claim one thing, but with their actions show fruit of something else. Anyone who opposes them will be vehemently opposed. How is this possible if the love of God is within them? Did not Jesus show us that God’s character is one of servanthood and gentleness? Does not David show us that he was unwilling to harm the Lord’s anointed? This is the character of God. He is willing to endure suffering on behalf of the other person so that they might receive greater glory. If that character is lacking, then there is a problem.

I’ll pick up next time examining the mark of the beast more specifically. Until then, grace and peace in Christ.

Sources for Theology: Holy Spirit

One of the overlooked sources for theology is the Holy Spirit. I think that this is somewhat accidental, and to another degree very deliberate. To one, we see that it is a given to expect that the Holy Spirit would be at work in helping us to understand these theological concepts. To the other, we find that our secret hearts desire that we should be able to work hard and figure it without help. There is a bit of pride in the heart when we ignore the fact that without the Holy Spirit, we simply cannot understand anything of the faith. Paul has plainly told us that the carnal man does not understand the things of God. Again, in 1 Corinthians 2, we find that Paul says that they who do not have the Spirit of God does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. Is that supposed to be something that only works for the apostles? If not, then why accept that any of the rest of the context would speak exclusively to the apostles? Is it not true that the Spirit has been poured out upon you and I? If so, then I must embrace 1 Corinthians 2 as having immediate implication for me.

God reveals these mysteries to us through His Spirit. We will discuss later why it is necessary to have the Holy Sprit when studying – indeed we cannot even come to call the Bible authoritative or even fully comprehend it without the Spirit’s work. In 1 Corinthians 12:3, we read that we cannot even claim that “Jesus is Lord” but by the Spirit. If this is true, how much more will we need the Spirit in our study to understand the words of Jesus? The truth is that Christianity is a faith based upon resurrection. While the Jewish people would believe that the resurrection will happen one day, we would contend that by entering the faith we have been buried with Christ and raised by the glory of the Father (Romans 6:1). It is by that very notion that we lay claim to all of our beliefs. All of our knowledge and understanding comes from two sources: heaven or the world. If it comes from below, whether of culture, carnality, or demonic lies, it is only by the power of the Spirit that we recognize it.

We are told to no longer conform to the ways of this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. What does it take to renew our minds? It takes the study of Scripture, but study alone does not cut it. If it had, there would be no reason for the new covenant. What brings us from glory to glory is to behold the Spirit of the Lord in one another’s faces. The renewing of our minds is enacted when we will live in a manner worthy of the calling we’ve received – namely, to drive the Jew to jealousy. Paul then elaborates what that means through the rest of the book of Romans. After giving this kind of indictment in chapter 11, we read the beginning of chapter 12 to lay down our lives. What does it take to extend mercy to the enemies of the Gospel? How do we drive the Jew to jealousy? What is it about the full number of Gentiles coming in that will result in “all Israel will be saved”? Is it not the very expression of unity and love marked out in Romans 12? Is it not the very submission unto the Church leadership and obedience through love given in Romans 13? Is it not the very expression of loving one another and not causing our brother to sin, as expressed in Romans 14-15? Is it not the very laying down of our lives on behalf of they who are enemies of the Gospel – not being content to leave them alone and allow the Jewish people to deal with their circumstances however they feel the need, or having the need to warn them of a coming day of calamity because it is what all of the prophets have spoken from the time of Enoch – as we read that we’re to be an offering acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:16)?

If it is by living according to love that causes us to renew our minds, then why would we believe that we can do this outside of the Holy Spirit? Is this not the result of the very logic of love shed abroad in our hearts? No, we are at the complete disposal of the Holy Spirit. Everything we do, and everything we comprehend, is to stem from obedience to the Holy Spirit. This is our final source for theology. The question, which is quite a laborious question, is how to discern between the voice of the Holy Spirit and all other voices. Once again, this goes back to renewing our minds. How do we do this? We live as Christ lived, which is to say, we live and move and have our being from the command of the Holy Spirit.

The importance of this cannot be stressed enough. Stop idolizing preachers. You cannot live off of someone else’s relationship with God. To build your life and theology off of someone else is to be a parasite. It takes building your own well and drinking from your own cistern to come to your own reality. It might be true that we can learn much from others, and indeed we should. That is part of what it means to give to the next generation. We desire to teach and build up anyone and everyone who might need it. However, building up requires that we would teach our disciples how to pray and how to cultivate their own relationships with God. They are welcome to come to us for advice and wisdom, but at some point if there is not the breaking away because of maturity, there is a problem.

Men like Leonard Ravenhill, David Wilkerson, Arthur Katz, and Paul Washer are known for saying that we need to get alone with God. They are known for challenging pastors and teachers to acquire their messages from before the throne instead of from our own minds or some influential message from another person. Where do you think they got such an idea? Was it from their own minds, or do you think they would challenge others to do so because they have done so? Our theology needs to be our own. Our understanding needs to be our own. There are tremendous revelations and insights that others have given that I am forever indebted to. Yet, I don’t live to come to further understanding by reading what others wrote. My understanding comes from my relationship with Christ. So, too, should you understanding come from the revelation from the Holy Spirit instead of from the work of others, however beneficial that might be. Pick up where they left off and continue the labor. Don’t leave it alone simply because they had wrestled with their understanding longer. Figure out if they were missing anything, and if so, balance their understanding more properly with these missing details.

That kind of understanding and wisdom to discern what others are missing or misunderstanding does not come from diligent study. It comes from God Himself. Remember that when Peter had claimed, “Thou art the Christ”, that Jesus’ response was, “Flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but the Father who is in heaven.” So it is with all truth. Anything that you understand, when it is true, was not apprehended because of your diligent study, but because of the Holy Spirit revealing it. The Father Himself bore witness to it, and in that, you saw it for the reality it is. Therefore, continue in that reality.

Sources For Theology: Reason

It is worth investing in some sort of learning of logic. Our ability to reason is incredibly important. Not only do we need to reason when it comes to putting together pieces of theology, but we also need to reason when simply deciphering the meaning of biblical passages. One of the examples of where our reasoning falls short is described later in this volume. In relation to general revelation, the definition of revelation typically implies that the individual can come to some sort of “general” knowledge of God. For example, I can see the complexity of design in nature, and thus reason that there is a designer, a creator. But that is not going to give the specific detail that God is triune.

It is said that general revelation cannot be salvational. It is impossible to be saved from general revelation. If this were the case, however, then we might question what revelation even is. If it is not the breaking in of truth, and the truth sets us free, then is it revelation? If we say that general revelation is indeed the breaking in of truth, but not in a salvific manner, then we must ask what is being set free at all? If there is truth to be revealed, namely, that God exists and that He has created the universe, then certainly that is enough to imply the next step of a personal deity that would require certain moral values. Our conscience even bears witness to that much. If this deity is not personal, then why would He create at all? And if indeed He is personal, then why would He allow us to continue in rejection of Him?

Therefore, it is stated that people can be condemned on the basis of general revelation, but cannot be saved. I would say that you cannot have it both ways. Either you cannot be condemned upon general revelation, because it is not revelation at all, or you can indeed be saved on the basis of general revelation. Sure, specific revelation must come. And, if it is true conversion, then it shall come. I would expect that for someone to see and reason even to the point of accepting and embracing general revelation would already mean that the Holy Spirit is drawing them.

This is the way that reason works. It is contradictory to hold to general revelation being both open revelation to all, and at the same time it is not able to save. It takes reasoning capacity to plunge the depths of our thoughts and theology. When we compare our theology of anthropology and salvation with eschatology, are they mutual? Or, if we contrast our beliefs regarding ecclesiology and God’s nature, do they agree? How often do our beliefs contradict, simply because we were unwilling to reason! There is the obvious argument that we should trust the Holy Spirit, but we must also not be naïve in thinking that demons or our own thoughts cannot whisper a false interpretation into our inner ear.

It is through reason that we “love God with all of [our] mind”. It is through reason that we “take captive every thought”. These commands are not possible outside of reason. They presuppose that we can reason. Even the discernment of the spirits presupposes that we can reason. Discernment does not work independent of our reason, but along side of. It is true that reason alone will come to false conclusions. This is why we trust in the Sprit to lead us into all truth. Yet, that in no way should validate for us the rejection of reason, especially if we are misunderstanding reason to be dead intellectualism.

In regard to reason as a source of theology, we can see how this can go south quite quickly. If all we use is philosophy and reason, by what means shall we come unto the God of Israel? What makes Jesus so much more obviously God than Allah? We hold to that it is not by reason, but by evidence that we are convinced. Yet, the interpretation of that evidence is based in reason. This is the relationship of reason to theology. Our reason is not foremost. Actually, reason is introduced after we’ve already been given the foundation. It is upon the foundation of recognizing certain truths of the faith that we then employ reason to interpret those truths. Reason will ultimately lie to us, because our thoughts are not God’s thoughts. It is the Scripture that reveals to us truth, and reason that helps us to put the pieces together. However, reason coupled with a proper relationship with Christ is a marvel.

Paul had said, “We’ve been given the mind of Christ”. If we take that as only applying to the apostle, then we have misunderstood the text. The pique of the Gospel is that Christ does not leave us to our own reason. We are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. This is an affront to reason. We are given a completely different ‘wisdom’ by which we think. This wisdom is the very wisdom of God. By that wisdom we reason concerning the faith. God endures suffering. It is in His nature. Therefore, any theology that promotes Christ taking all of the judgment and ‘curse’ so that we don’t have to endure it is a lie. We’re told to rejoice in trials and tribulation. We’re told that Christ chastises whom He loves. Just as God willingly endured suffering from the creation of the world – knowing that Adam would sin – and just as Jesus endured suffering on the cross, we too must endure suffering. It is innate within the faith. We uphold this by the reasoning of God, and not by the reasoning of men. This is where it is tricky.

If we hold to the mere philosophy of men, we come to a place where we begin to say things like, ‘Sin is anything that does not promote human flourishing.’ While this sounds good, it is a lie. It might be simple enough to understand, but it is wrong. We shouldn’t accept something as truth simply because it has good reasoning behind it. Our understanding comes from God. This is why the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, and the fear of the Lord the beginning of wisdom. If we don’t possess a proper relationship before the Lord, which leads us to understanding His mindset and heart, then we are left to our own devices, and it is no wonder why we have so many various opinions regarding the faith. The problem is not with our reasoning ability – that obviously works just fine. The problem is that it is our reason, and not the very intellect God has given us surrendered to the heart and purpose of God.

It is so simple, and yet such a stumbling block, to realize that God does not command us to reason out the faith according to our own brains. While reason is to be harnessed, it is to be harnessed in submission to the heart of God. Why do I not say submission to the Spirit? That phrase has been hijacked to mean too many contrary things to what I am speaking of. It isn’t about surrender to what the Spirit would whisper into your ear. It is about entering a mindset that God has established from the very beginning. It is about seeing God’s character and personality, and recognizing that disposition. It is about reflecting the Divine nature, and in reflecting His nature, embracing His temperament. From that lifestyle we begin to reason quite differently than we had previously reasoned. Suddenly our thoughts are not our own thoughts. We begin thinking like loons and fools in the world’s eyes. Yet, from the sight of heaven, this kind of reasoning is precious. It is rare. It is upon these grounds that reason is valid, and no other.

Rejoice in Your Suffering

Have you ever considered how nonsensical these words seem? Let us be honest. We’re all adults here. When was the last time that you rejoiced in your suffering? I’m not talking about the kind of suffering that you find normal. Someone cutting you off in traffic, stubbing your big toe in the garden, your computer running slow, and other “first world problems” are not sufferings. I mean really. When the phone rings and you learn about you father’s death. When you hear those words for the first time: “We think it is cancer.” When you see your child fall, and they don’t get back up. When you come to find out that your significant other is cheating on you.

These, of course, are still “first world problems”. It isn’t that they happen nowhere else in the world, but that when I talk about the sufferings of those in the Middle East, most likely cancer won’t be on the top of the list. Yet, these moments are real, and they are traumatic. Am I honestly supposed to rejoice? What about when I was in school and got bullied – such to the point that I had someone shoot an arrow at me in archery class. Am I honestly supposed to rejoice that day after day I get bullied in school, only to then come home to a father that yells at me all the time?

Instead of rejoicing I tucked myself away into a crevice that no one else could come in. I ran. I hid. I shut everyone out. I began to allow the feelings of anger and bitterness fester. It didn’t take long before I was turning to alcohol, porn, and anything else that wasn’t drugs and cigarettes in order to find some sort of escape. I had to find my way out of here. I was the joker, and my friends were the thieves I was talking to (Bob Dylan reference).

So, we’re all adults. Let us be really honest with ourselves and God right now. When was the last time that you rejoiced in suffering? When was the last time that you found the inner fortitude to sing hymns at midnight instead of licking your wounds like a dog? Has it ever been that you’ve even found the capacity to laugh and/or rejoice when your phone breaks? What is it about those first century apostles that they could tell us to rejoice in suffering, and yet we throw a tantrum when our food doesn’t come out of the kitchen hot and we’re on a date.

This question boggles my mind. Here is the thing. I can perceive of every reason why I’m supposed to rejoice, but I can’t understand how to get to that place where I do actually rejoice in stead of bitch and moan. Let me break it down for you. We’re in a cosmic war. There is a battle going on for the souls of men, and ultimately even for the cosmos itself. Lucifer has claimed that he wants to exalt himself to the place of the Most High, even to ruling from the mountain of the assembly (see Isaiah 14:12-14). The principalities and powers all around us tempt and taunt.

What are you going to do about it? When darkness rejoices over you, what is your response? Insert Ephesians 3:10 here. I would encourage you to go back and read the context. Essentially, Paul says in Ephesians 3:10 that God has destined all of creation so that there would be a people called “the Church”, and that this “Church” would manifest the wisdom of God on the earth. However, the apostle says something bizarre here. While we would think that we’re to manifest the wisdom of God so that all men might see it and repent, instead the apostle says that the purpose is to be a witness unto the principalities and powers. Why do demons need to see this manifestation?

There is a power released when the saints of God manifest the wisdom of God. What is that wisdom? It is selflessness, sacrifice, mercy, grace, love, hope, long-suffering, gentleness, joy, peace, patience, fortitude, faith, faithfulness, and all the things that make up the very character of God. How do we display that? First, you display it by being united. When you can love one another instead of fight with one another, you have broken free from the wisdom of darkness and into a higher ground. But the struggle isn’t over. Second: Rejoice in your suffering.

I leave this with a question. I can see ever reason why we should rejoice, but can’t figure out how to go from knowing why to actually doing it. What is it that the apostles had that is so bankrupt within my own soul? Do you ask this question of yourself? You should. We’ve established a Christianity that applauds Paul for the walk he had with Christ, but then reject it is possible for you to even come close to that proximity to the heart of God. On what Scriptural basis do you make that assumption? So really, what is it that they had that you and I are missing? Love? Baptism in the Holy Spirit? Trust in Christ? Obedience? For God’s sake, we better figure it out. Is it an eternal perception that we’re missing? Do you, my dear reader, have any clue to help me? I want to sing this song below, but I know that if I do, I would be a liar. How many of you would too?