You have probably heard this phrase quoted:“God’s thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways higher than ours”Unfortunately it is often quoted in the face of some tragedy. Usually, after some terrible event has occurred, that has left people stunned and speechless … this quote is used. What is insinuated, is that God was somehow involved in this tragedy, and we should not try to understand it … because we can’t.I don’t think there is any real comfort in ignorance. I find it very revealing that the ‘Comforter’ is also called the Spirit of Truth, who leads us into all truth.
I was pleasantly surprised when I read the original source of this quotation and I think you will be too.Isaiah:55:7,8 Let the wicked one abandon his way, and the sinful one his thoughts; …. ”For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways.”
Notice that having thoughts that are not His thoughts is described as wicked and sinful – a way of thinking that should be abandoned. God never stated that such a condition is simply human, and therefore we should just accept it. No; He challenges us to forsake such low level thinking. He plainly says that if you don’t think like Him, you need to change your thinking!
He desires for you to know His thoughts and His ways. Not only does He desire for you to know His thoughts, but He also wants to teach you how to think as He does. Let’s look again at that scripture:
Isaiah:55:7-11 Let the wicked one abandon his way, and the sinful one his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, so He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will freely forgive. 8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, and your ways are not My ways.” declares the Lord. 9 “For as heaven is higher than earth, so My ways are higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For just as rain and snow fall from heaven, and do not return there without saturating the earth, and making it germinate and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, 11 so My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and will prosper in what I send it to do.”
Just like the rain and snow bridge the gap between Heaven and Earth, so His Word bridges the gap between His understanding and ours. He wants to saturate our minds with His thinking; He designed our imagination as fertile soil in which His ideas would germinate and sprout. The fruit of thinking His thoughts, is living His life.
Our Creator desires to be known; our Father wants to be understood, but His desire extends even further. He longs for meaningful companionship – a being that can think on His level; a being that is able to communicate boldly and comfortably in His presence. Such a being exists – it’s the one He created in His own image and likeness … it is you.
We started with the quotation “His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and His ways higher than ours” We showed how often this has been misunderstood and miss-quoted to insinuate that such a state is simply human. The context in which this scripture has often been quoted would suggest that God is worse than what we expected! Looking at the original setting of this scripture we discovered something completely different.
There have indeed been occasions where my thoughts were not His thoughts. However, discovering His thoughts has always been a pleasant discovery. He has surprised me time and again with His goodness. My best imaginations are always overshadowed by much better realities, when I see things from His perspective. He is better, bigger, wiser, more thorough, more involved, more loving than what we could ever have hoped for.
He is exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or imagine.He invites you right now to come and partake, to boldly come and commune with Him. There are no reasons to hesitate … just let Him surprise you with His goodness.
It is with this understanding that I want us to discover Romans 9-11. These chapters contain a progressive revelation of the goodness of God.
Imagine bending down and examining a beautiful flower. Then expand your focus and see the field of flowers in which it stands. Now look beyond the field and see the roaring river ripping through the landscape and in the background, majestic snow-capped mountains.This illustrates how these chapters expand our vision and stretch our understanding to appreciate the scope and exceeding greatness of Gods plan. Paul presents us with a problem or a question then answers it in such a way that it beckons an even bigger question. Each statement, question and answer expands our understanding of God’s master plan until the conclusion in chapter 11 … a climax which is most extraordinary.
Paul starts with a very specific focus – the Israelites.
Romans 11:1-5 1 I speak the truth in Christ —I am not lying; my conscience is testifying to me with the Holy Spirit — 2 that I have intense sorrow and continual anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from the Messiah for the benefit of my brothers, my countrymen by physical descent. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple service, and the promises. 5 The forefathers are theirs, and from them, by physical descent, came the Messiah, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
Here is the first problem that Paul presents: The Jews were the covenant nation through whom salvation would come to the nations. However, they hindered rather than helped this purpose. Jesus came and accomplished this mission … one would expect them, of all people to embrace this salvation … but no they didn’t. Even up to this day, the majority of Jews do not embrace this message. This poses a very important question regarding God’s faithfulness to His covenant people! It is this question that Paul answers in the following three chapters. He does not entertain a shallow theology that simply and callously accepts that the Jews got what they deserved (or chose). He seems to ask a much bigger question - what part does God play in this drama, seeing that ‘God’s call is under full warranty–never cancelled, never rescinded’ There seems to be a paradox: The Jews, in general, seems to be cut off from this salvation … but they are the covenant people ( to whom belongs the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants; see 11:28,29) … this causes Paul ‘intense sorrow and continual anguish’. Looking at the state of Israel, can we conclude that God has been faithful to His covenant? Paul’s answer is yes - but to come to that conclusion we have to look at a much broader context than the present.
Paul starts his argument by stating that there is more to being Israel than physical decent - not all Abraham’s descendants inherited the promise. (vs 6,7) Ishmael and Esau were physical descendants, but not heirs - the focus shifts from decent and personal choice to God’s election - His Choice, His initiative. (vs 8-14)
He illustrates the power of Gods’ decision, and the irrelevance of man’s contribution so strongly with statements like: “So then it does not depend on human will or effort, but on God who shows mercy.” He emphasises the point even more through the story of Pharaoh, who hardened his heart against God. The Old Testament story is quite clear that Pharaoh hardened his own heart, but Paul sees deeper and declares that what Pharaoh thought was his own choice, was actually God’s choice.
This will obviously raise some questions. Paul is aware of that and articulates it as follows:”You will say to me, therefore, “Why then does He still find fault? For who can resist His will?”If God makes all the important decisions, how can He hold us responsible for anything?
Paul does not attempt to answer this question immediately, but firstly shows that such a question misses the point. It is completely out of context … similar to a pot questioning the potter. The potter obviously has a much broader perspective and purpose for his handiwork, than what is immediately visible to the handiwork.
He then makes a very clear statement - God is a potter who decided to make two pots – one, a vessel of Mercy, and another, a vessel of wrath! The object of His mercy contains both gentiles and believing Jews (vs 23-26). The other pot is the object of wrath - that makes sense in the light of the scriptural statement that only a remnant will be saved! But this thought is one of the most important keys to understanding the whole plot. I’ll explore it more a bit later - suffice to say that the remnant has always been seen as God’s strategy to save the nation, just like the ‘one’ was His strategy to save ‘the many’ and the church is the firstfruits of a harvest much larger than the church!
So his argument progresses to show that the true Israel is the Church ,,, and so God remains faithful and justified in what He has done … but he does not leave it there! This is not the end of the plot.
Paul doesn’t just adopt a new definition for ‘Israel’ and moves on, He again expresses his desire for Israel (in the traditional definition) to be saved. (Chapter10:1) ’did God reject His people?’ … ‘by no means!’ (11:1)Paul is not satisfied that God has been faithful to His covenant with Israel, simply because a few Jews believed, or because he(Paul) now has a new definition for Israel. 11:11-12 Paul asks: ‘have they stumbled beyond recovery?’ Paul’s answer is a definite NO!This is rather amazing, because he quotes from Ps 69 in which the same question is asked, and the answer in the Psalms is: “Yes, they stumbled beyond recovery”. Ps 69:28 “Let them be erased from the book of life”However, Paul comes to a different conclusion! He asks the same question, but goes on to give the opposite answer. He obviously never subscribed to our neatly formalised principles on ‘how to interpret the scriptures’
Anyway, back to the main point.God’s long term plan includes only one ‘pot’ … the object of His mercy. He concluded all under disobedience, so that He might have mercy on all. Being the object of wrath is always temporal … ‘we once were by nature children of wrath, but now…(Eph. 2)
For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor, a lifetime. Weeping may endure the night, but there is joy in the morning. (Ps 30:5)
Israel’s ’stumble’ was part of a bigger plan for the Gentiles to be included … the inclusion of the Gentiles is part of a bigger plan to include all Israel (11:26)… which is part of a bigger plan to include all without exception.
We have the picture of the olive tree in 11:13-24 … So the conclusion: Not all descendants of Abraham are Israel(9:5); God has been severe in His dealings with them (11:22); they have been rejected (11:15) BUT this state is not permanent. ‘if they do not continue in unbelief, they will be grafted back in, for God is able’ So Paul makes this amazing statement that non-elect Jews, could become elect Jews! Being non-elect is also temporal!
But will this ever happen? Is ‘believing’ not a choice that some are bound to never make? 11:25-29 There is no gambling going on here - what God purposed will be accomplished.
11:31 From your point of view as you hear and embrace the good news of the Message, it looks like the Jews are God’s enemies. But looked at it from the long-range perspective of God’s overall purpose, they remain God’s oldest friends. God’s gifts and God’s call are under full warranty—never cancelled, never rescinded.
The above scripture makes it so plain that being an enemy (other terms used are non-elect, rejected, hardened) is only true within a certain context and period. God’s purpose however, has a much larger perspective and transcends the limitations of the temporal.
Wow - look at this in the MSG translation:30-32There was a time not so long ago when you were on the outs with God. But then the Jews slammed the door on him and things opened up for you. Now they are on the outs. But with the door held wide open for you, they have a way back in. In one way or another, God makes sure that we all experience what it means to be outside so that he can personally open the door and welcome us back in.
God our Father is at work in every person to will and to do His good pleasure (Phil 2:13) Some respond sooner than others. However, in the end every knee will bow and every tongue will adore Him.This is Paul’s ultimate conclusion: “For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.” (v32) No wonder Paul exclaims:
Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgements and untraceable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counsellor? Or who has ever first given to Him, and has to be repaid? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.(Romans 11:33-36)
1Co 2:16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Monday, January 15, 2007
irresistible
There’s something which I simply find irresistible; something to which I can’t help but respond. The love of God is a force to which I have no defence and neither do anyone else, I believe. That’s why love never fails – it is persistent, never loses hope, and eventually, once the recipient sees it for what it is, love gets the response it always knew would come.
No person who sees and understands the love of God our Father, wilfully rejects it. It is not a will that is free that reject this love; it is a will in bondage. No person has ever out of his/her own free will rejected our Lord, rather it is because of ignorance, because of blindness that some have made uninformed choices. The good news, however, is that God, and we, are in the business of making the truth plainly known.
He loves to reveal Himself, so that those who do not know Him, and ignorantly rejected who they thought He was – their own ideas of Him – might see Him for who He really is, and respond with the only possible response: “…bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all …“ Phil 2:10, 11
Such an encounter with God is not far from each one of us. We do not need to search or persuade Him of our need – He is both willing and able to make Himself known to any and every man, in a way that is as unique as the individual. The good news is that He took, takes, and will take the initiative to do this! Rom 10:20: Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”
The will of man – no match against the will of God
A most vivid example of this is the story of Saul’s conversion. I was taught, and I can confidently assume that many Christians were taught the same, that the one thing God would never violate, is man’s free will. I still agree with that statement, but as you can guess, my perspective of it has drastically changed. The erroneous conclusion normally drawn from the previous statement is that a man’s free will is more sacred and more powerful than God’s eternal purpose. For, although God desires that “all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4), ultimately a stubborn man who refuses to accept this truth will rob God of His desire. Also, it incorrectly assumes that a person who rejects God is free, for he/she does so from a free will! Let’s return to the story of Saul, who later became known as Paul, and I will refer to him as Paul from now on. You can read about his background and encounter with Jesus yourself in Acts chapter 9 and Philippians chapter 3.
Paul was a Pharisee – the strictest religious group of his day. Self-discipline and meticulous observance of rules and regulations defined this group. His enmity against the followers on Jesus was no theoretical debate, no, he took action. He was obviously a very determined man to be described as “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord”. We are not dealing with a weak-willed, indifferent person here. He considered Jesus and Jesus’ teaching to be his enemy and did whatever possible to stop it. Later Paul described himself as the chief of sinners.
Do you think Paul’s strong opposition and determined was a problem for Jesus? Can you imagine the Father and Jesus conversing regarding Paul and saying: “What will we do! We can’t interfere with his ‘free will’”Ridiculous!Jesus knew that Paul’s enmity against Him was rooted in ignorance; He knew that if Paul saw Him for who He truly is, there would be no argument. Jesus knew that Paul did not act from his own free will, but from deception, and therefore He had no problem with interfering in his life. His stubbornness was no obstacle to the love of God.
His initiative – our responseWhen Paul saw Jesus, he needed no prompting to make a quality decision for God; he needed no argument to persuade him to repent and submit to Christ. No! When he encountered Jesus his first words were: “Lord, who are you”. He might not have known by what name to call this being, but he knew that this was the Lord. There was an instant recognition and an instant response. God is irresistible; God is inescapable!He never gives up on anyone and He never fails.
No wonder that Paul’s whole testimony and message is centred around the initiative of God and not around the contribution of man. In Galatians he emphasises that this encounter with God had nothing to do with his decision, but all to do with God’s decision! If fact he was zealously persecuting the church …”But when it pleased God … who called me by his grace …to reveal his Son in me.” Gal 1:15, 16.It was God’s initiative, God’s decision, and God’s faith in Paul that saved Paul!Paul writes about salvation in the book of Ephesians and declares that even faith did not originate in him – faith too is a gift of God!Eph 2:8: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.Eph 2:8 (Message): Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish!
Romans 9 focuses on God’s initiative and presents some very inspiring examples.The example of how God determined the destinies of Esau and Jacob is striking and summed up in verse 10: “ and her babies were still innocent in the womb–incapable of good or bad–she received a special assurance from God. What God did in this case made it perfectly plain that his purpose is not a hit-or-miss thing dependent on what we do or don’t do, but a sure thing determined by his decision, flowing steadily from his initiative.” Wow!
God at work within us
Phi 2:9 – 13: Therefore God has highly exalted Him, and has given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of heavenly ones, and of earthly ones, and of ones under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, cultivate your own salvation with fear and trembling.For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
Did you get that last part? “…it is God who works in you both to will and to do …” I am so glad that our Father does not consider my will off limits! I’m so glad He influences my desires, my will, my everything.
Now, what I find very interesting, is the fact that this statement follows so close after the declaration that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess. I used to think that God will eventually force every creature to bow their knee to him and coerce a confession out of them. One could imagine a dictator taking delight in forcing such behaviour from his enemies, but it is unimaginable that a the God of truth would find any delight in an outward form of submission and ignore a will that is still at enmity against Him. The way in which Love – God is love – destroys His enemies, is by making them friends … “while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God” He is at work within, to will and to do … and the outcome of this work is a being that wants to acknowledge and worship Him.
A better waySo often in our desire to share the truth with others, we’ve mistakenly focussed on their acceptance, their decision, their faith. We fought intellectually, emotionally and any other way we knew to get agreement, and if all failed we blamed it on their free will!
There is a much better way! We have an irresistible product! And when we simply focus on revealing the Father, and trusting that the Father Himself is at work within all, then we can rest assured that there is only one possible outcome; only one possible response to the love of God.
It is God’s initiative that awakens our response. It is His self-disclosure that stirs faith. Seeing His face draws out our adoration. Live confidently that every man’s conscience bears witness to the truth displayed through your live.
No person who sees and understands the love of God our Father, wilfully rejects it. It is not a will that is free that reject this love; it is a will in bondage. No person has ever out of his/her own free will rejected our Lord, rather it is because of ignorance, because of blindness that some have made uninformed choices. The good news, however, is that God, and we, are in the business of making the truth plainly known.
He loves to reveal Himself, so that those who do not know Him, and ignorantly rejected who they thought He was – their own ideas of Him – might see Him for who He really is, and respond with the only possible response: “…bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all …“ Phil 2:10, 11
Such an encounter with God is not far from each one of us. We do not need to search or persuade Him of our need – He is both willing and able to make Himself known to any and every man, in a way that is as unique as the individual. The good news is that He took, takes, and will take the initiative to do this! Rom 10:20: Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”
The will of man – no match against the will of God
A most vivid example of this is the story of Saul’s conversion. I was taught, and I can confidently assume that many Christians were taught the same, that the one thing God would never violate, is man’s free will. I still agree with that statement, but as you can guess, my perspective of it has drastically changed. The erroneous conclusion normally drawn from the previous statement is that a man’s free will is more sacred and more powerful than God’s eternal purpose. For, although God desires that “all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4), ultimately a stubborn man who refuses to accept this truth will rob God of His desire. Also, it incorrectly assumes that a person who rejects God is free, for he/she does so from a free will! Let’s return to the story of Saul, who later became known as Paul, and I will refer to him as Paul from now on. You can read about his background and encounter with Jesus yourself in Acts chapter 9 and Philippians chapter 3.
Paul was a Pharisee – the strictest religious group of his day. Self-discipline and meticulous observance of rules and regulations defined this group. His enmity against the followers on Jesus was no theoretical debate, no, he took action. He was obviously a very determined man to be described as “breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord”. We are not dealing with a weak-willed, indifferent person here. He considered Jesus and Jesus’ teaching to be his enemy and did whatever possible to stop it. Later Paul described himself as the chief of sinners.
Do you think Paul’s strong opposition and determined was a problem for Jesus? Can you imagine the Father and Jesus conversing regarding Paul and saying: “What will we do! We can’t interfere with his ‘free will’”Ridiculous!Jesus knew that Paul’s enmity against Him was rooted in ignorance; He knew that if Paul saw Him for who He truly is, there would be no argument. Jesus knew that Paul did not act from his own free will, but from deception, and therefore He had no problem with interfering in his life. His stubbornness was no obstacle to the love of God.
His initiative – our responseWhen Paul saw Jesus, he needed no prompting to make a quality decision for God; he needed no argument to persuade him to repent and submit to Christ. No! When he encountered Jesus his first words were: “Lord, who are you”. He might not have known by what name to call this being, but he knew that this was the Lord. There was an instant recognition and an instant response. God is irresistible; God is inescapable!He never gives up on anyone and He never fails.
No wonder that Paul’s whole testimony and message is centred around the initiative of God and not around the contribution of man. In Galatians he emphasises that this encounter with God had nothing to do with his decision, but all to do with God’s decision! If fact he was zealously persecuting the church …”But when it pleased God … who called me by his grace …to reveal his Son in me.” Gal 1:15, 16.It was God’s initiative, God’s decision, and God’s faith in Paul that saved Paul!Paul writes about salvation in the book of Ephesians and declares that even faith did not originate in him – faith too is a gift of God!Eph 2:8: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.Eph 2:8 (Message): Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish!
Romans 9 focuses on God’s initiative and presents some very inspiring examples.The example of how God determined the destinies of Esau and Jacob is striking and summed up in verse 10: “ and her babies were still innocent in the womb–incapable of good or bad–she received a special assurance from God. What God did in this case made it perfectly plain that his purpose is not a hit-or-miss thing dependent on what we do or don’t do, but a sure thing determined by his decision, flowing steadily from his initiative.” Wow!
God at work within us
Phi 2:9 – 13: Therefore God has highly exalted Him, and has given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of heavenly ones, and of earthly ones, and of ones under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, cultivate your own salvation with fear and trembling.For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.
Did you get that last part? “…it is God who works in you both to will and to do …” I am so glad that our Father does not consider my will off limits! I’m so glad He influences my desires, my will, my everything.
Now, what I find very interesting, is the fact that this statement follows so close after the declaration that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess. I used to think that God will eventually force every creature to bow their knee to him and coerce a confession out of them. One could imagine a dictator taking delight in forcing such behaviour from his enemies, but it is unimaginable that a the God of truth would find any delight in an outward form of submission and ignore a will that is still at enmity against Him. The way in which Love – God is love – destroys His enemies, is by making them friends … “while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God” He is at work within, to will and to do … and the outcome of this work is a being that wants to acknowledge and worship Him.
A better waySo often in our desire to share the truth with others, we’ve mistakenly focussed on their acceptance, their decision, their faith. We fought intellectually, emotionally and any other way we knew to get agreement, and if all failed we blamed it on their free will!
There is a much better way! We have an irresistible product! And when we simply focus on revealing the Father, and trusting that the Father Himself is at work within all, then we can rest assured that there is only one possible outcome; only one possible response to the love of God.
It is God’s initiative that awakens our response. It is His self-disclosure that stirs faith. Seeing His face draws out our adoration. Live confidently that every man’s conscience bears witness to the truth displayed through your live.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Monday, July 03, 2006
August 2006 Weekend Function
Only a month to go!
I'm sure we all share the same experience that Paul spoke about in Rom 1:11 "The longer this waiting goes on, the deeper the ache. I so want to be there to deliver God's gift in person and watch you grow stronger right before my eyes! Rom 1:12 But don't think I'm not expecting to get something out of this, too! You have as much to give me as I do to you."
I was so stirred, the past week, to make the most of the friendships God has entrusted us with. "So, friends, we can now--without hesitation--walk right up to God, into "the Holy Place." Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The "curtain" into God's presence is his body. So let's do it--full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching. (Heb 10:19-25 MSG)
The first part speaks directly about making the most of our frienship with God. We have an awesome, always-available, opportunty to fellowship with Him - LET'S USE IT! In the same breath, he speaks about our frienship with fellow believers. There are aspects of God that we can only encounter in one-another! That's how He chose to reveal Himself - through people ... and to neglect fellowship with one-another is to neglect fellowship with Him. Now some might have allowed 'guilt' into their hearts and to them this will sound like condemnation, however, I prefer to use the same words as scripture and call it: "spurring each other on" Come on, we have so much to give and to receive from each other and from our Father, let's make the most of every opportunity.
For those who have not confirmed for the weekend funtion, please do so soon.
Details:When: Friday 4th to Sunday the 6th of August. You can arrive from 11H00 on Friday. We'll finish on Sunday at 11H00.
Where: Holmsted Manor, Staplefield Road, Cuckfield, West Sussex, RH17 5JF
Accommodation: 13 Rooms with own facilities, 9 with 2 single beds and 4 with double beds. All bedding included.
Food: Will be supplied. - you are welcome to bring your own snacks.
Cost: £40 includes accommodation and food.
We are only able to book the whole facility for the whole weekend, so no discount applies if you only stay for one night. Please don't allow finances to stop you coming. Just let us know, we'll make arrangements.
Day-visitors are welcome – a donation of £10/day will cover food & drinks.
What next? BOOK. Please forward your names and whether you want a single bed or double bed room.
Andre & Mary-Anne
I'm sure we all share the same experience that Paul spoke about in Rom 1:11 "The longer this waiting goes on, the deeper the ache. I so want to be there to deliver God's gift in person and watch you grow stronger right before my eyes! Rom 1:12 But don't think I'm not expecting to get something out of this, too! You have as much to give me as I do to you."
I was so stirred, the past week, to make the most of the friendships God has entrusted us with. "So, friends, we can now--without hesitation--walk right up to God, into "the Holy Place." Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The "curtain" into God's presence is his body. So let's do it--full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching. (Heb 10:19-25 MSG)
The first part speaks directly about making the most of our frienship with God. We have an awesome, always-available, opportunty to fellowship with Him - LET'S USE IT! In the same breath, he speaks about our frienship with fellow believers. There are aspects of God that we can only encounter in one-another! That's how He chose to reveal Himself - through people ... and to neglect fellowship with one-another is to neglect fellowship with Him. Now some might have allowed 'guilt' into their hearts and to them this will sound like condemnation, however, I prefer to use the same words as scripture and call it: "spurring each other on" Come on, we have so much to give and to receive from each other and from our Father, let's make the most of every opportunity.
For those who have not confirmed for the weekend funtion, please do so soon.
Details:When: Friday 4th to Sunday the 6th of August. You can arrive from 11H00 on Friday. We'll finish on Sunday at 11H00.
Where: Holmsted Manor, Staplefield Road, Cuckfield, West Sussex, RH17 5JF
Accommodation: 13 Rooms with own facilities, 9 with 2 single beds and 4 with double beds. All bedding included.
Food: Will be supplied. - you are welcome to bring your own snacks.
Cost: £40 includes accommodation and food.
We are only able to book the whole facility for the whole weekend, so no discount applies if you only stay for one night. Please don't allow finances to stop you coming. Just let us know, we'll make arrangements.
Day-visitors are welcome – a donation of £10/day will cover food & drinks.
What next? BOOK. Please forward your names and whether you want a single bed or double bed room.
Andre & Mary-Anne
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Faith
Faith is one of the most attractive and contagious spiritual forces. Faith releases tremendous benefits into one's life, for faith is the doorway between the spirit realm and the natural realm. Faith takes spirit realities and brings them into the realm of our experience, for our benefit.(Heb 4:2)
Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
“...from faith to faith..” Our faith has its origin in God's faith. His persuasion leads to our persuasion. When we see that which God is absolutely convinced of, faith is the natural response. Faith does not begin with effort from our side, but with simply seeing. What we hear and see awakens faith; what we do and say is the result of faith.
Faith and Presumption
There have been times where Mary-Anne and I have acted upon faith and the results were awesome. There have been other times where I acted on presumption and the results were close to disastrous. At that time the differences between faith and presumption were murky, but they have become much clearer. Let's look at some of the differences:
True faith has nothing to do with my own effort. True faith is almost unaware of itself; it's simply seeing. When your focus is on seeing what He sees, persuasion and conviction flow without effort and without constraint.
Presumption on the other hand has everything to do with my own effort and personal convictions. That's why it normally follows a set procedure or formula. The missing ingredient however, is seeing together with God and being convinced of what He is convinced of.
I have realized that when I become too aware of the level of my faith and the way in which I express it, it is a sure sign of losing focus. When I focus on what God believes and set my gaze on what He sees, faith flows, grows, explodes without me even thinking about it. This focus changes my perception in a deep and intimate way. Presumption is cosmetic, shallow and does not flow from the spirit.
The faith of God.
Jesus exhorted us to have the faith of God ( Mark 11:22) Many translation have ' faith in God'. See Young's literal translation. Here and in many other places the literal meaning is the faith OF God.
That is also consistent with Rom 3:17 that says it is from faith to faith. It also corresponds to the fact that faith is a gift (Eph 2:8) God does not want us to have an inferior faith to His faith. He desires to convince us of what He is convinced of!
The greatest reward of faith is not the circumstances it can change or the stuff we can attain with it, but it is the intimacy of seeing together with God; the oneness of knowing what He know; the friendship of sharing the same opinion.
The exceeding great reward of Abraham's faith was not Isaac, but God Himself!
Our Father is so keen for you to see what He sees. He offers you the opportunity to see from His point of view. Life is so much more than what can be sensed through the five senses; don't restrict yourself to to this natural realm. Become aware of His indwelling and allow Him to think His thoughts through you.
By Andre Rabe
http://eclesia.blogspot.com
andre.rabe@gmail.com
Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
“...from faith to faith..” Our faith has its origin in God's faith. His persuasion leads to our persuasion. When we see that which God is absolutely convinced of, faith is the natural response. Faith does not begin with effort from our side, but with simply seeing. What we hear and see awakens faith; what we do and say is the result of faith.
Faith and Presumption
There have been times where Mary-Anne and I have acted upon faith and the results were awesome. There have been other times where I acted on presumption and the results were close to disastrous. At that time the differences between faith and presumption were murky, but they have become much clearer. Let's look at some of the differences:
True faith has nothing to do with my own effort. True faith is almost unaware of itself; it's simply seeing. When your focus is on seeing what He sees, persuasion and conviction flow without effort and without constraint.
Presumption on the other hand has everything to do with my own effort and personal convictions. That's why it normally follows a set procedure or formula. The missing ingredient however, is seeing together with God and being convinced of what He is convinced of.
I have realized that when I become too aware of the level of my faith and the way in which I express it, it is a sure sign of losing focus. When I focus on what God believes and set my gaze on what He sees, faith flows, grows, explodes without me even thinking about it. This focus changes my perception in a deep and intimate way. Presumption is cosmetic, shallow and does not flow from the spirit.
The faith of God.
Jesus exhorted us to have the faith of God ( Mark 11:22) Many translation have ' faith in God'. See Young's literal translation. Here and in many other places the literal meaning is the faith OF God.
That is also consistent with Rom 3:17 that says it is from faith to faith. It also corresponds to the fact that faith is a gift (Eph 2:8) God does not want us to have an inferior faith to His faith. He desires to convince us of what He is convinced of!
The greatest reward of faith is not the circumstances it can change or the stuff we can attain with it, but it is the intimacy of seeing together with God; the oneness of knowing what He know; the friendship of sharing the same opinion.
The exceeding great reward of Abraham's faith was not Isaac, but God Himself!
Our Father is so keen for you to see what He sees. He offers you the opportunity to see from His point of view. Life is so much more than what can be sensed through the five senses; don't restrict yourself to to this natural realm. Become aware of His indwelling and allow Him to think His thoughts through you.
By Andre Rabe
http://eclesia.blogspot.com
andre.rabe@gmail.com
Friday, June 30, 2006
Adventures in Christ - Second Edition - Free download
 | Adventures in ChristSecond Edition - fully revised Also NEW - Free download by andre rabe Have you ever witnessed a wild animal in its natural environment? A tame lion simply does not have the presence of a wild one. A wild lion has an attitude, an assurance in its walk. The unrestricted environment and the untamed nature of the animal complement one another. To tame such a creature and remove it from its environment is to rob it of its identity. Acts 17:28 “For in Him we live, and move, and have our being.“ God Himself is the natural environment in which man is to live! What an unrestricted environment for the expressive nature He gave us. |
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Truth Preserved; Truth Revealed
Most of us have experienced how a message can deteriorate as it is passed from person to person. Even if the greatest care is taken in to preserve the exact words, the message can still be misunderstood by the intended audience. What a dilemma – how can a message be preserved throughout many generations and still contain its original impact.
How does God preserve the integrity of His message? How does He insure that His original intend is clearly perceived and accurately understood? He has a strategy that astounds me!
Throughout history many wrong assumptions have been made regarding where and how truth is preserved. People have rigorously defended these assumptions, believing that their efforts would mean the difference between the message lost and the message preserved.
The story of the Bible – how it came about and how it was preserved throughout the ages is truly awesome. The way in which the original scrolls were preserved; the way in which men were inspired to translate these scriptures into modern languages, and many paid with their lives for it – all these stories makes it clear that God's hand was involved in this book. The Scriptures are undoubtedly part of God's strategy to preserve and reveal truth, yet it is not the complete strategy.
Except for Hebrew and Greek scholars, we only have a translation of the original writing available to us. Anyone who has studied the original languages will know that translations - even your favourite, most accurate ones – are inferior to the original. There is a richness in the construction of the Greek and Hebrew languages that often got lost in translation.
But even if we assume that we have a perfectly accurate translation, that still does not mean people will understand the original meaning. Any writing is still subject to personal interpretation. That means that your culture, your personal history and issues will greatly influence your understanding of these writings What was meant when the these papers were originally written, often gets lost when we view it through our 20th century and personal interpretation filters.
Recognising the errors that inevitably creep in through misinterpretations, religious institutions have added traditions and rituals in an attempt to explain the scriptures. These institutions insist that truth cannot be understood through the scripture alone, but needs the context of their traditions to understand the true meaning. These man-made traditions can easily be seen in the older establishments like the Catholic Institution, but man-made traditions are just as prevalent in the most up-to-date Charismatic organisations. These additions do nothing to explain or clarify the truth, rather it further deteriorates the message.
Some fiercely defend their view of truth. They defend the integrity of the Bible or the necessity of their own traditions and religious practices. The truth, however, needs no defence. Truth is like a lion – it can defend itself.
God's strategy for accurately communicating His thoughts and preserving the truth throughout all generations, does not rely on the accuracy of scriptural translation, nor on any human tradition or institution. Neither is He dependant on your intellectual ability. He is able to communicate what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has conceived. He does not depend on our ability to gather and process information.
So what is His strategy? He reveals Himself! Yes, God inspired the writing of the scripture, but the essential ingredient for us to understand scripture is His active, living involvement to give revelation, to open our eyes to see as He sees. He is able to by-pass all the reasoning and influences of our minds and impart revelation directly to our spirits. Revelation is an active event in which the living God manifests Himself. In a way God does not need to preserve the truth, because He is the truth and delights in revealing Himself. In all our attempts to defend and preserve truth, we have missed one very important factor: God can, and does, speak for Himself.
Truth is not found in sentences, words and letters alone. The Word of God precedes the Bible! The Truth is a person – Christ. He uses the scriptures, but He does not rely on scripture alone to reveal Him. He is actively and personally involved in revealing Himself. The greatest testimony to truth is a person who knows Christ – a relational knowledge beyond mere mental information.
By Andre Rabe
How does God preserve the integrity of His message? How does He insure that His original intend is clearly perceived and accurately understood? He has a strategy that astounds me!
Throughout history many wrong assumptions have been made regarding where and how truth is preserved. People have rigorously defended these assumptions, believing that their efforts would mean the difference between the message lost and the message preserved.
The story of the Bible – how it came about and how it was preserved throughout the ages is truly awesome. The way in which the original scrolls were preserved; the way in which men were inspired to translate these scriptures into modern languages, and many paid with their lives for it – all these stories makes it clear that God's hand was involved in this book. The Scriptures are undoubtedly part of God's strategy to preserve and reveal truth, yet it is not the complete strategy.
Except for Hebrew and Greek scholars, we only have a translation of the original writing available to us. Anyone who has studied the original languages will know that translations - even your favourite, most accurate ones – are inferior to the original. There is a richness in the construction of the Greek and Hebrew languages that often got lost in translation.
But even if we assume that we have a perfectly accurate translation, that still does not mean people will understand the original meaning. Any writing is still subject to personal interpretation. That means that your culture, your personal history and issues will greatly influence your understanding of these writings What was meant when the these papers were originally written, often gets lost when we view it through our 20th century and personal interpretation filters.
Recognising the errors that inevitably creep in through misinterpretations, religious institutions have added traditions and rituals in an attempt to explain the scriptures. These institutions insist that truth cannot be understood through the scripture alone, but needs the context of their traditions to understand the true meaning. These man-made traditions can easily be seen in the older establishments like the Catholic Institution, but man-made traditions are just as prevalent in the most up-to-date Charismatic organisations. These additions do nothing to explain or clarify the truth, rather it further deteriorates the message.
Some fiercely defend their view of truth. They defend the integrity of the Bible or the necessity of their own traditions and religious practices. The truth, however, needs no defence. Truth is like a lion – it can defend itself.
God's strategy for accurately communicating His thoughts and preserving the truth throughout all generations, does not rely on the accuracy of scriptural translation, nor on any human tradition or institution. Neither is He dependant on your intellectual ability. He is able to communicate what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has conceived. He does not depend on our ability to gather and process information.
So what is His strategy? He reveals Himself! Yes, God inspired the writing of the scripture, but the essential ingredient for us to understand scripture is His active, living involvement to give revelation, to open our eyes to see as He sees. He is able to by-pass all the reasoning and influences of our minds and impart revelation directly to our spirits. Revelation is an active event in which the living God manifests Himself. In a way God does not need to preserve the truth, because He is the truth and delights in revealing Himself. In all our attempts to defend and preserve truth, we have missed one very important factor: God can, and does, speak for Himself.
Truth is not found in sentences, words and letters alone. The Word of God precedes the Bible! The Truth is a person – Christ. He uses the scriptures, but He does not rely on scripture alone to reveal Him. He is actively and personally involved in revealing Himself. The greatest testimony to truth is a person who knows Christ – a relational knowledge beyond mere mental information.
By Andre Rabe
Sunday, May 21, 2006
The Scriptures in Perspective
What a joy it is to develop relationship with a God that loves to speak! Our God is not silent, nor withdrawn. His voice is familiar and finds an echo within our own hearts. Scriptures is one of the ways in which He chose to reveal Himself, and how to discover His living voice, instead of dead letters, within the scriptures, is the focus of this writing.
Attitude is such an important ingredient in any relationship. Our attitude toward the scriptures greatly determines the value we find in them. The very definition of attitude implies a complex and delicate state that involves beliefs, feelings, and values.
Because of this I thought it best to start with a series of symbols or illustrations, which describe the Word of God. Many of the passages we’ll look at refer to the Word of God beyond just the scope of Scriptures, and I appreciate that God speaks in many ways, but the focus of this writing is specifically on discovering His voice within the scriptures.
Jesus likened the Word of God to seed. Seed is a marvel. An apple seed is not an apple tree, yet it contains within it everything necessary to produce an apple tree. The seed is the beginning, the promise, the container of a living ‘creature’ much greater than itself.
In the light of this, there are two obvious errors in the way we could value the seed. Firstly, because we recognise that the seed is not the apple tree, we could decide to discard the seed. It is not the actual product, so why waste time on it. We could contend that we have an apple tree, and therefore no longer need the seed. I think the error of that is obvious to all.
Secondly, we could place undue value on the seed. We could defend the integrity of the seed, spend quality time with the seed, study the seed, profess our great love for the seed and eventually worship the seed – as if the seed is the life it contains … it is not!
Jesus said that the word of God is like seed. Scripture is seed – it is the beginning, the promise, the container of a life much greater than itself. God’s eternal purpose was never for His Word to just become Scripture, but rather ‘flesh’. “And the word became flesh and dwelt amongst us” Paul saw the same truth when he wrote to the Corinthians that they were ‘living epistles’. He places more value on them than on his letter! Paul intended for his letters to simply be the catalyst, or seed that would give birth to a life much greater than the seed. God intends for the scriptures to simply be the catalyst – the beginning of a relationship with Him that could never be captured in words. God desires to express Himself, not in the letters of a book, but in the lives of His children.
Jesus emphasised this same thought when He told the Pharisees “You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you'll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me!”
Can you see how we could place the Scriptures in a position of honour that blinds us to its actual message? Can you see how we could value the seed as if it is the tree?
In no way do we subtract from the value of scripture in this way. Giving scripture its proper value is also the highest value we can give it.
Scripture contains the Word of God, as such it is intended to function as a seed that would germinate within us and produce the actual fruit – a transformed life.
Again in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians he warns about an approach to the scriptures that produces death! A seed that is kept outside of the environment in which it germinates can eventually die. So much preaching and teaching tries to impart knowledge and exhort people to gain more knowledge of scripture – I content that this produces more death than life.
Hear why and what John wrote: “I have not written unto you because you know not the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth ... But the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true and no lie, and as He has taught you, abide in Him.”
His motivation for communication was not to inform or impart knowledge, but to stir up and confirm that which God Himself was teaching them (without his writing).
The Father has made available a relationship with Him, but so often people prefer a relationship with a book about Him. Why worship the manual, if Emmanuel – God with us and in us – is inviting you to encounter Him?
Obviously we value the scripture - the way it should be valued - as a catalyst, but placing it in the wrong position will hinder, rather than promote intimacy with God.
Perspective:
Let me give some examples of what Paul describes as ‘peddling the word of God’. I find the down-to-earth letters of Paul so refreshing compared to so much of our contemporary Christian writing. For instance, Paul doesn’t make a statement and then list 10 scriptures to support his point. It is so easy with concordances etc to find all the words that supports your point of view, yet this method completely ignores the actual message of the scriptures. It is with this perspective that I want to show some shocking facts about scripture. When we loose sight of the overall message, and dissect the scriptures into little verses it is amazing what we find.
Observation.
The Scriptures are often just an account of what happened and what was done. As such we can say that it contains the Word of God, but we cannot say it is the Word of God. For instance there is an account of how Paul and Barnabas had a disagreement and went their separate ways. This is not God’s Word on how to handle disagreements; it is simply an account of what happened. The message contained within the whole account is the Word of God, not isolated sentences.
Personal opinions.
We clearly see the different personalities and influences of the different times in the writings of the different authors of the Bible. As such it is clearly a human document, yet I also clearly see God’s message and dealings with man shine through all these writings, and as such I recognised that every part, every word is inspired by God. At one stage Paul clearly says that what He is writing is his own opinion and not God’s command! I think most of the writers, although not explicitly saying so, did not think of their writings as Holy Scriptures. This meant that those who read the letters did it with the full knowledge of the fact that there was a real fallible human behind these letters, yet they recognised the voice of God in the message.
Lies!
Let’s take the book of Job as an example. Often passages are quoted from this book as ‘the Word of God’, forgetting that within this same book, God rebuked them for what they said about Him in the book! Clearly, every individual sentence in the Bible is NOT God’s Word – It is the collective writings that contain His message.
All Scripture inspired by God:
Some find it difficult to reconcile this with “All scripture is given by inspiration of God”. There is, however, no contradiction in saying that God included every word and sentence necessary to communicate His message. Although some of these sentences are personal opinions, and others accounts of lies – lies even about Him – He still inspired the whole story as the container of His message.
Perversion of the scriptures occurs when one does not understand the story and quote the individual verses as ‘The Word of God’ concerning a specific subject.
Of much greater importance than understanding how the writing of scriptures was originally inspired by God, is allowing Him to inspire your understanding of them! Never underestimate the power of a seed – the power within the scriptures. You have the one who created these stories within you – let Him reveal to you its true meaning.
Remember “… the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true and no lie, and as He has taught you, abide in Him …”
It is an awesome experience when God takes the truth contained within these stories, written long ago, and makes that truth visible and relevant to you personally. He delights in showing us what He sees. And seeing what He sees is called faith.
Scripture is an awesome catalyst to encounter God Himself, but don't miss the forest for the trees - He is in you, hear Him; know Him; read Him.
By Andre Rabe
Attitude is such an important ingredient in any relationship. Our attitude toward the scriptures greatly determines the value we find in them. The very definition of attitude implies a complex and delicate state that involves beliefs, feelings, and values.
Because of this I thought it best to start with a series of symbols or illustrations, which describe the Word of God. Many of the passages we’ll look at refer to the Word of God beyond just the scope of Scriptures, and I appreciate that God speaks in many ways, but the focus of this writing is specifically on discovering His voice within the scriptures.
Jesus likened the Word of God to seed. Seed is a marvel. An apple seed is not an apple tree, yet it contains within it everything necessary to produce an apple tree. The seed is the beginning, the promise, the container of a living ‘creature’ much greater than itself.
In the light of this, there are two obvious errors in the way we could value the seed. Firstly, because we recognise that the seed is not the apple tree, we could decide to discard the seed. It is not the actual product, so why waste time on it. We could contend that we have an apple tree, and therefore no longer need the seed. I think the error of that is obvious to all.
Secondly, we could place undue value on the seed. We could defend the integrity of the seed, spend quality time with the seed, study the seed, profess our great love for the seed and eventually worship the seed – as if the seed is the life it contains … it is not!
Jesus said that the word of God is like seed. Scripture is seed – it is the beginning, the promise, the container of a life much greater than itself. God’s eternal purpose was never for His Word to just become Scripture, but rather ‘flesh’. “And the word became flesh and dwelt amongst us” Paul saw the same truth when he wrote to the Corinthians that they were ‘living epistles’. He places more value on them than on his letter! Paul intended for his letters to simply be the catalyst, or seed that would give birth to a life much greater than the seed. God intends for the scriptures to simply be the catalyst – the beginning of a relationship with Him that could never be captured in words. God desires to express Himself, not in the letters of a book, but in the lives of His children.
Jesus emphasised this same thought when He told the Pharisees “You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you'll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me!”
Can you see how we could place the Scriptures in a position of honour that blinds us to its actual message? Can you see how we could value the seed as if it is the tree?
In no way do we subtract from the value of scripture in this way. Giving scripture its proper value is also the highest value we can give it.
Scripture contains the Word of God, as such it is intended to function as a seed that would germinate within us and produce the actual fruit – a transformed life.
Again in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians he warns about an approach to the scriptures that produces death! A seed that is kept outside of the environment in which it germinates can eventually die. So much preaching and teaching tries to impart knowledge and exhort people to gain more knowledge of scripture – I content that this produces more death than life.
Hear why and what John wrote: “I have not written unto you because you know not the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth ... But the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true and no lie, and as He has taught you, abide in Him.”
His motivation for communication was not to inform or impart knowledge, but to stir up and confirm that which God Himself was teaching them (without his writing).
The Father has made available a relationship with Him, but so often people prefer a relationship with a book about Him. Why worship the manual, if Emmanuel – God with us and in us – is inviting you to encounter Him?
Obviously we value the scripture - the way it should be valued - as a catalyst, but placing it in the wrong position will hinder, rather than promote intimacy with God.
Perspective:
Let me give some examples of what Paul describes as ‘peddling the word of God’. I find the down-to-earth letters of Paul so refreshing compared to so much of our contemporary Christian writing. For instance, Paul doesn’t make a statement and then list 10 scriptures to support his point. It is so easy with concordances etc to find all the words that supports your point of view, yet this method completely ignores the actual message of the scriptures. It is with this perspective that I want to show some shocking facts about scripture. When we loose sight of the overall message, and dissect the scriptures into little verses it is amazing what we find.
Observation.
The Scriptures are often just an account of what happened and what was done. As such we can say that it contains the Word of God, but we cannot say it is the Word of God. For instance there is an account of how Paul and Barnabas had a disagreement and went their separate ways. This is not God’s Word on how to handle disagreements; it is simply an account of what happened. The message contained within the whole account is the Word of God, not isolated sentences.
Personal opinions.
We clearly see the different personalities and influences of the different times in the writings of the different authors of the Bible. As such it is clearly a human document, yet I also clearly see God’s message and dealings with man shine through all these writings, and as such I recognised that every part, every word is inspired by God. At one stage Paul clearly says that what He is writing is his own opinion and not God’s command! I think most of the writers, although not explicitly saying so, did not think of their writings as Holy Scriptures. This meant that those who read the letters did it with the full knowledge of the fact that there was a real fallible human behind these letters, yet they recognised the voice of God in the message.
Lies!
Let’s take the book of Job as an example. Often passages are quoted from this book as ‘the Word of God’, forgetting that within this same book, God rebuked them for what they said about Him in the book! Clearly, every individual sentence in the Bible is NOT God’s Word – It is the collective writings that contain His message.
All Scripture inspired by God:
Some find it difficult to reconcile this with “All scripture is given by inspiration of God”. There is, however, no contradiction in saying that God included every word and sentence necessary to communicate His message. Although some of these sentences are personal opinions, and others accounts of lies – lies even about Him – He still inspired the whole story as the container of His message.
Perversion of the scriptures occurs when one does not understand the story and quote the individual verses as ‘The Word of God’ concerning a specific subject.
Of much greater importance than understanding how the writing of scriptures was originally inspired by God, is allowing Him to inspire your understanding of them! Never underestimate the power of a seed – the power within the scriptures. You have the one who created these stories within you – let Him reveal to you its true meaning.
Remember “… the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true and no lie, and as He has taught you, abide in Him …”
It is an awesome experience when God takes the truth contained within these stories, written long ago, and makes that truth visible and relevant to you personally. He delights in showing us what He sees. And seeing what He sees is called faith.
Scripture is an awesome catalyst to encounter God Himself, but don't miss the forest for the trees - He is in you, hear Him; know Him; read Him.
By Andre Rabe
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Jesus versus tradition.
A few weeks ago, on my way back from work, I was listening to BBC 4 on the radio. The topic of the program was the emergence of spiritual groups that weren't associated with any mainline religious organisation. A representative of the Baptist Church and a Bishop from the Anglican Church were defending the value of long and established traditions, being the best guard against these 'cults'.
Interestingly, the presenter pointed out to the Baptist minister that their organisation started as a much persecuted group. They were refered to as a cult simply because they did not fit into the Anglican structure of their day. It took decades before they were accepted. (And the reason that they were eventually accepted is because they compromised enough to become just as lifeless as the structure they originally came out off.)
I immediately started thinking about what Jesus said about tradition. Before we look at His words, let me give you the summary of the argument put forward by the Anglican Bishop and the Baptist Pastor:
Basically people are evil and deceptive and therefore you should never be too trusting, and maintain a healthy level of suspision. No one person can therefore have an accurate interpretation of the scriptures. We need many people over many years improving the interpretations of the previous generations. The long esthablished christian traditions were refined and build up over decades and so we can have great trust that they are sound and those who deviate from them are deceived.
The Angican representative ended off by saying he places no value on any spiritual experience. Only religious traditions are worth any attention.
The presenter ended off by remarking that although they were convinced that they had the exclusive rights to the truth, millions were voting with their feet and leaving these religious organisations.
I always find it astonishing that religions that claim to be based upon the teachings of Jesus Christ, would ignore what He had to say. Jesus was confronted on a number of occasions about his apparent lack of respect for tradition. He made no secret of His attitude toward tradition but boldly declared that tradition was the very reason that they ignored God. Let's look at one of these occasions:
"Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?" Mat 15:1-3
Instead of praising the value of tradition, like the people on the BBC interview, He said that tradition can often be the cause of transgressing the Word of God!
I'm so glad that we don't have to rely on our own interpretation of the scriptures to know God. My confidence is not in my own ability to accurately interpret scriptures, or in anyones else's ability to hear Him. My confidence is in His ability to reveal Himself. God's self disclosure was far, far too important to entrust it to human organisations, or leave it at the mercy of our own interpretations. God took this responsibility upon Himself – to make sure that He reveals Himself to all.
It is such a precious experience when God opens ours eyes to a specific truth. Such an experience will often lead to a transformation in our lives – our conduct changes as a result of revealed truth. This is the way God transforms our lives – the transformation is the natural result of beholding Him. Religion is so deceptive because it pretends to do the same thing, but instead of transforming lives throught the revelation of truth, it tries to adjust behaviour. Even what started as a revelation of truth can easily end up as a religious tradition ... if we forget the original truth, and replace it with behaviour management.
Tradition is like an empty tortuise shell – it has the same form as the actual aminal, but there is no life. Never allow the life-giving revelations from the Father to become dull memories. Always return to the ultimate authority and live-giver – your Father, creator of all things.
By Andre Rabe
Http://eclesia.blogspot.com/
Interestingly, the presenter pointed out to the Baptist minister that their organisation started as a much persecuted group. They were refered to as a cult simply because they did not fit into the Anglican structure of their day. It took decades before they were accepted. (And the reason that they were eventually accepted is because they compromised enough to become just as lifeless as the structure they originally came out off.)
I immediately started thinking about what Jesus said about tradition. Before we look at His words, let me give you the summary of the argument put forward by the Anglican Bishop and the Baptist Pastor:
Basically people are evil and deceptive and therefore you should never be too trusting, and maintain a healthy level of suspision. No one person can therefore have an accurate interpretation of the scriptures. We need many people over many years improving the interpretations of the previous generations. The long esthablished christian traditions were refined and build up over decades and so we can have great trust that they are sound and those who deviate from them are deceived.
The Angican representative ended off by saying he places no value on any spiritual experience. Only religious traditions are worth any attention.
The presenter ended off by remarking that although they were convinced that they had the exclusive rights to the truth, millions were voting with their feet and leaving these religious organisations.
I always find it astonishing that religions that claim to be based upon the teachings of Jesus Christ, would ignore what He had to say. Jesus was confronted on a number of occasions about his apparent lack of respect for tradition. He made no secret of His attitude toward tradition but boldly declared that tradition was the very reason that they ignored God. Let's look at one of these occasions:
"Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?" Mat 15:1-3
Instead of praising the value of tradition, like the people on the BBC interview, He said that tradition can often be the cause of transgressing the Word of God!
I'm so glad that we don't have to rely on our own interpretation of the scriptures to know God. My confidence is not in my own ability to accurately interpret scriptures, or in anyones else's ability to hear Him. My confidence is in His ability to reveal Himself. God's self disclosure was far, far too important to entrust it to human organisations, or leave it at the mercy of our own interpretations. God took this responsibility upon Himself – to make sure that He reveals Himself to all.
It is such a precious experience when God opens ours eyes to a specific truth. Such an experience will often lead to a transformation in our lives – our conduct changes as a result of revealed truth. This is the way God transforms our lives – the transformation is the natural result of beholding Him. Religion is so deceptive because it pretends to do the same thing, but instead of transforming lives throught the revelation of truth, it tries to adjust behaviour. Even what started as a revelation of truth can easily end up as a religious tradition ... if we forget the original truth, and replace it with behaviour management.
Tradition is like an empty tortuise shell – it has the same form as the actual aminal, but there is no life. Never allow the life-giving revelations from the Father to become dull memories. Always return to the ultimate authority and live-giver – your Father, creator of all things.
By Andre Rabe
Http://eclesia.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Jesus versus religious leaders
When I think of how Jesus related to people, the foremost impressions are compassion, acceptance and understanding. Yet we forget that there were some relationships that we can't describe in any other way, but hostile. There were a group of people, or let's rather say the attitudes and values that were held by these people, for which Jesus had no time whatsoever.
If Jesus was manifested in the flesh today, He would still have the same conflict with these same attitudes, that still resides in the same people. Who were (and are) these people who constantly clashed with Christ? They are called religious leaders.
But instead of me explaining this subject, I'll let Jesus speak for Himself.
Matthew 23 : 5-7: "Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroided prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary decrees, and getting called "Doctor" and "Reverent""
Not much has changed since Jesus said this. We still have religious leaders like this, and Jesus is still as disgusted with them now as He was then.
"Don't let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates. Don't set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God, let Him tell you what to do. No one else should carry the title of Father, you have only one Father, and He's in heaven. And don't let people manuever you into taking charge of them. There is only one life-leader for you and them – Christ.
Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you'll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you're content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty"
Matthew 23:8-12 The Message
A person might protest and say: "I can't help it, people esteem me because of my position" Jesus makes it clear that it is up to you, to allow or disallow others to put you on a pedestal. This is one of the underlying values of these religious leaders that so grieved Jesus: their desire to be elevated above others; their pre-occupation with position. He comes right to the heart of the matter when He says: " You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates". With this statement He boldly declares the equality of all men, and shatters the very foundation upon which their religious leadership was built, namely: "We are Not all equal ... we (religious leaders) are obviously elevated by God. We are the teachers and you are the students. We are the 'Fathers' and you are the spiritual children. We are the experts, so let us run your lives for you ... let us tell you what to do".
You might think: "That's not me! I'm not a religious leader!" But Jesus does not only warn about being like this, He also warns against allowing such people to have any influence in your life.
"Don't set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God, let Him tell you what to do."
This is very plain and simple. Do you get your instruction from God, or from religious leaders? Are you allowing others to act as experts in your life? Often, when we get dull of hearing, it's easier to simply convince ourselves that God is speaking through this expert, than what it is to give Him the attention we should.
The authority to tell you what to do, belongs to God exclusively, and it is your responsibility not to compromise that. Whoever desires relationship with God, will sooner or later face the situation where they are pressurised to give up the simplicity and purity of such a relationship for a man-made counterfeit.
Jesus not only warns us about the influence of religious leaders, but in the very next sentence shows us how we could fall into that very position and be the very influence that we are trying to avoid! "And don't let people manuever you into taking charge of them ..."
Any person who enjoys the simplicity of direct contact with the Father; who successfully resisted the temptation to give up that authority to humans, will be easily recognized by others. Those who seek a deeper relationship with the Lord will naturally be drawn to such a person, and naively start to manuever that person to take charge of them! Not only should we avoid giving that place of authority to anyone else, we should avoid taking such a position. Our testimony should always point beyond ourselves.
Obviously, the Lord encourages and speaks to us through other people, but that's exactly what we should recognise – it's the Lord! It's not their unique position that enables certain people to speak for God. Anyone feeling proud of the fact that God has spoken encouraging words through them, would do well to remember that God also spoke through a donkey at one stage.
Recognise Him, not position, not title, but Him. This is why Jesus compared the most authoritive position in the kingdom of God with a child. It is not the official title or office of a child that carries the authority, but the childlike attitude. “They started arguing over which of them would be the most famous. When Jesus realized how much this mattered to them, he brought a child to his side. “whoever accepts this child as if the child was me, accepts me” he said “And whoever accepts me, accepts the One who sent me. You become great by accepting, not asserting. Your Spirit, not your size, makes the difference” Luke 9:46-48
Here we have such contrasts: On one hand we have the religious leaders assuming that they are authorized to reveal God and take charge of other people's lives ... Jesus reserves His harshest words for them. On the other hand we have simple children without any assumptions of authority. Jesus says that these children reveal so much of Him, that we should receive them as if they are Him.
To conclude: “Watch yourselves carefully so you don't get contaminated with Pharisee yeast, Pharisee phoniness ... I'm speaking to you as dear friends. Don't be bluffed into silence or insincerity by the threats of religious bullies” Luke 12:2,4
By Andre Rabe
http://ecclesia.blogspot.com
If Jesus was manifested in the flesh today, He would still have the same conflict with these same attitudes, that still resides in the same people. Who were (and are) these people who constantly clashed with Christ? They are called religious leaders.
But instead of me explaining this subject, I'll let Jesus speak for Himself.
Matthew 23 : 5-7: "Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroided prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary decrees, and getting called "Doctor" and "Reverent""
Not much has changed since Jesus said this. We still have religious leaders like this, and Jesus is still as disgusted with them now as He was then.
"Don't let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates. Don't set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God, let Him tell you what to do. No one else should carry the title of Father, you have only one Father, and He's in heaven. And don't let people manuever you into taking charge of them. There is only one life-leader for you and them – Christ.
Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you'll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you're content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty"
Matthew 23:8-12 The Message
A person might protest and say: "I can't help it, people esteem me because of my position" Jesus makes it clear that it is up to you, to allow or disallow others to put you on a pedestal. This is one of the underlying values of these religious leaders that so grieved Jesus: their desire to be elevated above others; their pre-occupation with position. He comes right to the heart of the matter when He says: " You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates". With this statement He boldly declares the equality of all men, and shatters the very foundation upon which their religious leadership was built, namely: "We are Not all equal ... we (religious leaders) are obviously elevated by God. We are the teachers and you are the students. We are the 'Fathers' and you are the spiritual children. We are the experts, so let us run your lives for you ... let us tell you what to do".
You might think: "That's not me! I'm not a religious leader!" But Jesus does not only warn about being like this, He also warns against allowing such people to have any influence in your life.
"Don't set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God, let Him tell you what to do."
This is very plain and simple. Do you get your instruction from God, or from religious leaders? Are you allowing others to act as experts in your life? Often, when we get dull of hearing, it's easier to simply convince ourselves that God is speaking through this expert, than what it is to give Him the attention we should.
The authority to tell you what to do, belongs to God exclusively, and it is your responsibility not to compromise that. Whoever desires relationship with God, will sooner or later face the situation where they are pressurised to give up the simplicity and purity of such a relationship for a man-made counterfeit.
Jesus not only warns us about the influence of religious leaders, but in the very next sentence shows us how we could fall into that very position and be the very influence that we are trying to avoid! "And don't let people manuever you into taking charge of them ..."
Any person who enjoys the simplicity of direct contact with the Father; who successfully resisted the temptation to give up that authority to humans, will be easily recognized by others. Those who seek a deeper relationship with the Lord will naturally be drawn to such a person, and naively start to manuever that person to take charge of them! Not only should we avoid giving that place of authority to anyone else, we should avoid taking such a position. Our testimony should always point beyond ourselves.
Obviously, the Lord encourages and speaks to us through other people, but that's exactly what we should recognise – it's the Lord! It's not their unique position that enables certain people to speak for God. Anyone feeling proud of the fact that God has spoken encouraging words through them, would do well to remember that God also spoke through a donkey at one stage.
Recognise Him, not position, not title, but Him. This is why Jesus compared the most authoritive position in the kingdom of God with a child. It is not the official title or office of a child that carries the authority, but the childlike attitude. “They started arguing over which of them would be the most famous. When Jesus realized how much this mattered to them, he brought a child to his side. “whoever accepts this child as if the child was me, accepts me” he said “And whoever accepts me, accepts the One who sent me. You become great by accepting, not asserting. Your Spirit, not your size, makes the difference” Luke 9:46-48
Here we have such contrasts: On one hand we have the religious leaders assuming that they are authorized to reveal God and take charge of other people's lives ... Jesus reserves His harshest words for them. On the other hand we have simple children without any assumptions of authority. Jesus says that these children reveal so much of Him, that we should receive them as if they are Him.
To conclude: “Watch yourselves carefully so you don't get contaminated with Pharisee yeast, Pharisee phoniness ... I'm speaking to you as dear friends. Don't be bluffed into silence or insincerity by the threats of religious bullies” Luke 12:2,4
By Andre Rabe
http://ecclesia.blogspot.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)