There are some interesting roads ahead of us. Dangerous roads.
Some will choose not to walk the roads, because there is danger there. But to fear to go in that direction because there is danger somewhere down that road, well, that's the mistake that the Pharisees made, and that didn't turn out so well for them.
Someone spoke of vomiting out lukewarm believers in Revelation. "I wish that you were hot or cold!" he said.
No thank you.
I will guard against error, against danger, of course. I trust my brothers and sisters to help guard me, as I help guard them. (Thank you for your help!)
But I will travel the road that my Father lays in front of me. If I fall, I fall, and I will get up and go on. But I will not be one who avoids the way my ever-loving Daddy has laid out before me, merely because it's dangerous. I trust him to help me travel this road. He has not promised that I would never fail; he has promised that he would never leave, and that he would provide all that I need. I can trust him.
Do you remember what Bilbo used to say: "It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to."
We must not hide indoors, simply because it's dangerous out there.
Tuesday
Wednesday
Learning From the Book and Beyond
I’ve been talking with a bunch of very cool people about the Gospel of John recently. It’s important to me to be fresh with what I’m talking about, so I’ve been burying myself in the first part of the book recently, more listening than reading this time, just for a new perspective. And indeed, I’ve heard things I’ve never seen in there.
I’ve been attracted
to the very fascinating story of Nicodemus in John 3. There are so many
interesting things in that encounter! Specifically, I’ve been watching how Jesus and Nick interact, and
frankly, I’ve been sympathizing with Nick’s confusion in that conversation. We
teach regularly from some of the content
of that conversation. I’d like to look at the nature of the conversation
itself, the context of it.
A little background:
Nicodemus is a Pharisee, which means he’s spent his life studying the Bible of
his day, our Old Testament. Moreover, he’s “a ruler of the Jews,” which means
that he’s been studying the Bible for a very long time, and that he has the
additional weight of leading the People of God, by means of his immense
knowledge of the Book. He’s probably a member of the Sanhedran, and he probably
teaches teachers in Israel .
I was taught from
Sunday School on up that Pharisees are “the bad guys,” but Nick embodies all
that is good about them. He comes to Jesus, seeking, recognizing God’s presence
in Jesus’ miraculous ministry. He’s teachable! And so Jesus, who is the Word of God (John 1:1), teaches the
teacher of the Word of God.
And Jesus is
dropping some pretty heavy stuff on him. In a few short paragraphs (which may merely
be a condensation of several of hours of conversation), Jesus introduces him to
the concepts of being born again and being led by the Spirit. We think of these
subjects as relatively foundational in the church today, but these would be
revolutionary to a Pharisee who has only had the Old Testament to study. He’s
studied the Word all of his life, but it hasn’t prepared him for the topics
that Jesus is opening up to him. I’m impressed that he stays in the
conversation; he doesn’t blow Jesus off, which tells me that he tastes some
truth, some life, in it.
In the midst of this
earthshaking conversation, Jesus drops in the fact that he, himself, makes visits
Heaven while he’s on Earth (verse 13: “No one has ascended to heaven but He who
came down from heaven,” whom he clarifies as being himself.) Even in our
post-Resurrection era, the idea of visiting Heaven one is a bit of a stretch
for many Christians. Fortunately, it allows us to experience a tiny bit of the
paradigm shift that Nick was reeling under: this Man, clearly from God, is
teaching some things that are waaaay
outside the lines of Nick’s religious experience, just as most churches would
consider visiting heaven at least “outside the lines” and possible “heresy.” This
is what Nicodemus is dealing with.
This is no light
conversation between Jesus and Nick. In this context we find the archetypal New
Testament verse, John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life.” This is that
conversation: foundational.
Let’s look at our
context: Today, we live in a season that has a lot of this kind of conversation
in it. For decades, even for generations, we’ve known what we believed; our
theology was settled, grounded, not really subject to change. And then Jesus
steps in and suddenly it shifts. Suddenly, those theological foundations are remarkably
less solid than we thought they were. Nicodemus experienced that shift, and we
are also dealing with the that kind of shift, as the Holy Spirit brings up new
topics for us as well. Think about the subjects of revival, apostolic ministry,
street-healing, visiting Heaven, even translocation; things these were even not
part of the conversation a few years ago. Like Nick’s conversation, these also
are topics that are not easily supported from inductive study.
Then verse 10 of
Nick’s conversation with Jesus hit me: “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Are
you the teacher of Israel ,
and do not know these things?’” Jesus acknowledged that he was speaking to “the
teacher” of Israel
(the definite article really is in the Greek), and knew that he was speaking of
content that was not supportable from exegetical or inductive study of the Old
Testament, but He expected the teacher to know anyway. The topics did not
reveal themselves in the Word, but Jesus expected “the teacher of Israel ” to know
– or at least have some familiarity with them – anyway.
If an Old Covenant
teacher (“the teacher of Israel”) was somehow expected to understand things
that were not directly supportable from the Scripture of the day, is it not
reasonable that we who are teachers, leaders, thought-shapers of the New
Covenant may likewise also be expected to draw some of our understanding from
sources OTHER than strict didactic study of the Word?
If we stop and say
it slowly, it’s not quite as scary: “There are more places to learn things than
the pages of the Bible.” But we have a hard time with the subject. I can’t tell
you how many times I’ve heard, “Show me that in scripture!” (Comment: they said
that to Jesus too. He gave them grief for it.)
Now, I am NOT
suggesting that we teach – or personally hold to – any doctrine or practice about which the Word says “Don’t do it!”
We don’t contravene scripture. End of story.
Nor am I suggesting
that we listen to every self-appointed spiritual authority out there. I’m
suggesting that the Bible is about God speaking to us: let’s listen to God. I’m
am suggesting that we allow ourselves and others to draw from non-Biblical
sources – including personal revelation, supernatural encounters, and
interesting conversations after hours – in order to correctly form our understanding of what the Spirit is doing and
saying to the churches today.
Am I saying “The
Bible is not enough”? Not quite. I’m saying, “Jesus seems to be declaring that
there’s substantially more to learning than just the Bible.”
It looks to me as if
Jesus doesn’t believe in the concept of “Sola Scriptura,” the doctrine that the Bible contains all knowledge
necessary for salvation and holiness. The amazing thing about the Bible is that
God is speaking. Why do we assume that just because we wrapped it in leather,
He has stopped speaking? The more I
know Him, the more I am inclined to follow Him instead of the Book. And I'm
coming to the radical conclusion that he has more to say than merely what had
already been said and recorded
Personally, I am
feeling challenged by the Spirit: that if I do NOT stretch my learning – more
than just the Word, not replacing learning from the Word – at least in the
data-gathering phase of my study, that I am short-changing what He can do in me
and say to me. It is fine to teach from the Bible, to teach what God has said. But I suspect that we’ll be
more and more relying on what God is
saying. And I believe that’s the way it’s supposed to be.
The real issue with Nicodemus was that the Spirit alone can unlock scripture; Nick’s head knowledge could never reveal mysteries of the Spirit. You know, I really don’t want Jesus saying to me, “You’re my child, and you still don’t get it?”
I Have Peas! (I Have Revival!)
I have Peas!
Some time ago, I planted peas in my garden. This is what they look like now. I'm so excited! I have peas!
Actually, to state it precisely, I don't really have peas. I have sprouts. If I care for the pea sprouts and pull out the sprouting weeds, if I train the tiny plants to climb the poles, if I keep the slugs and beetles away, if I water them with some regularity, then I am likely to have peas next month.
But I have peas! I know I have peas. I just can't see them yet.
Father spoke to me through this. "It's only those who recognize my move when it is in its infancy, who bless it when it's only a sprout, who will be qualified to be a leader in the movement when it is bearing fruit."
There was a gathering last weekend, a convocation, of some of the prophetic folks of the Northwest (notes are here: http://nwp.link/If5Xgl). The one thought I heard over and over again was different prophetic folks saying, "It's here. The move of God has already started, but it's only in sprout form just yet.
Now my job is to recognize the peas, the awakening, the move of God. My job is to to nurture the tiny sprouts, to train them to climb the poles on their own, to keep the pests away, to water them once in a while.
It's going to be a glorious harvest!
(Hint: This is not about gardening. This is about partnering with God. :-)
Some time ago, I planted peas in my garden. This is what they look like now. I'm so excited! I have peas!
Actually, to state it precisely, I don't really have peas. I have sprouts. If I care for the pea sprouts and pull out the sprouting weeds, if I train the tiny plants to climb the poles, if I keep the slugs and beetles away, if I water them with some regularity, then I am likely to have peas next month.
But I have peas! I know I have peas. I just can't see them yet.
Father spoke to me through this. "It's only those who recognize my move when it is in its infancy, who bless it when it's only a sprout, who will be qualified to be a leader in the movement when it is bearing fruit."
There was a gathering last weekend, a convocation, of some of the prophetic folks of the Northwest (notes are here: http://nwp.link/If5Xgl). The one thought I heard over and over again was different prophetic folks saying, "It's here. The move of God has already started, but it's only in sprout form just yet.
Now my job is to recognize the peas, the awakening, the move of God. My job is to to nurture the tiny sprouts, to train them to climb the poles on their own, to keep the pests away, to water them once in a while.
It's going to be a glorious harvest!
(Hint: This is not about gardening. This is about partnering with God. :-)
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