Gods character - what is it?
What's he like?
Well apparently the bible says he is loving and just and merciful, but he's also jealous, wrathful, angry and well, just about every human attribute has also been ascribed to God at some time in some way.
But there is only one attribute that God IS - and that's love.
God IS love.
He isn't loving, or shows kindness when he is happy, or merciful when he feels sorry for us. HE IS LOVE.
So all the other stuff in the bible? Maybe man, in his attempts to understand the universe, how it all fits together and all our failings, shaped God in his own image. And maybe the biblical record is the account of the discourse between God and man leading up to God sorting it all out, once and for all, through Jesus.
Maybe we read the bible as if every word describing God's character and actions is exactly how He is, instead of thinking its the record of man struggling to define Him through their own understanding.
The only characteristic of God that is valid is love. (1 Cor 13)
Monday, 26 November 2012
Monday, 19 November 2012
Christianity is dead - long live Jesus
Maybe I'm just getting tired and cynical, or maybe I'm really feeling God's heart - not sure...
As I troll the interwebs, looking at the goings on in christendom, I start to feel like its all a farce. All the bickering, the twisted angry people spouting twisted angry doctrines about a twisted angry God. Fighting each other over things that don't matter, swallowing stupidity hook line and sinker. Gullibly believing stuff just because it was how their favourite leaders teach it, or its just the traditions they have been handed down.
Then there's all the political crap that has been wrapped in christian words, supposedly to make godly nations, and supposedly bringing his blessing on the land. And all the money grabbing ministries, and all the "support Israel or be damned" groups.
I look at all this and think, what a mess! Is there actually any truth in this whatsoever? The bible is little use in sorting out the mess because that's the very thing that starts half the problems anyway. For me christianity is dead. Its a corpse that won't lie down because people keep kicking it around, propping it up and putting makeup on it in the vain hope that it will keep going.
But somewhere outside of all that is the light of Jesus. I think the light went out in christainity a long time ago. There are however lights shining in individuals who quietly get on with bringing Gods heart to a starving needy world. And many aren't in the church, and many aren't "christians" (gasp). But they bring Fathers love to all they touch. They bring the miracle of what Jesus did for all mankind to life in all they are and do, and spread that miracle to all around them.
That light also flickers in some of us, and struggles to burn through the walls of christianity, to break free into the world. It is held back by the very religion that tried to embrace it, but ended up smothering it to death.
For those of us who nurture our precious unity with God, who see that flame in others and want nothing more than to blow life into it, can we stand together? Can we leave the rotting putrid corpse of christendom for the vultures, walk away from it, and let Jesus shine? Let his unconditional love for everyone be our sole justification for all we are and do?
I could! I could just walk away from it all and leave it for the fires of Gehenna.
As I troll the interwebs, looking at the goings on in christendom, I start to feel like its all a farce. All the bickering, the twisted angry people spouting twisted angry doctrines about a twisted angry God. Fighting each other over things that don't matter, swallowing stupidity hook line and sinker. Gullibly believing stuff just because it was how their favourite leaders teach it, or its just the traditions they have been handed down.
Then there's all the political crap that has been wrapped in christian words, supposedly to make godly nations, and supposedly bringing his blessing on the land. And all the money grabbing ministries, and all the "support Israel or be damned" groups.
I look at all this and think, what a mess! Is there actually any truth in this whatsoever? The bible is little use in sorting out the mess because that's the very thing that starts half the problems anyway. For me christianity is dead. Its a corpse that won't lie down because people keep kicking it around, propping it up and putting makeup on it in the vain hope that it will keep going.
But somewhere outside of all that is the light of Jesus. I think the light went out in christainity a long time ago. There are however lights shining in individuals who quietly get on with bringing Gods heart to a starving needy world. And many aren't in the church, and many aren't "christians" (gasp). But they bring Fathers love to all they touch. They bring the miracle of what Jesus did for all mankind to life in all they are and do, and spread that miracle to all around them.
That light also flickers in some of us, and struggles to burn through the walls of christianity, to break free into the world. It is held back by the very religion that tried to embrace it, but ended up smothering it to death.
For those of us who nurture our precious unity with God, who see that flame in others and want nothing more than to blow life into it, can we stand together? Can we leave the rotting putrid corpse of christendom for the vultures, walk away from it, and let Jesus shine? Let his unconditional love for everyone be our sole justification for all we are and do?
I could! I could just walk away from it all and leave it for the fires of Gehenna.
Saturday, 17 November 2012
Uniquely the same
This is a tough post. I want to express something that is still forming in my mind and, well, I may be premature, but thought I'd put it out there for some reaction anyway.
What if God wasn't that worried about all our doctrines. I mean really, its not a problem. And I mean things like our current hot topics, healing, universalism, penal substitution, you know all the things that we get so hot under the collar about that completely destroy relationships.
What if we could take a step back from endless eschatology, hermeneutics, exegesis, blah, blah, and find the lowest (or highest) common denominator and just sit there for a while, a long while, and let it become the centrality of all we are, perceive and do.
The problem is of course determining what that commonality is. I think we would all agree its love. But then straight away we have to define love. Well, what if we could take a step back from that as well. I mean, Jesus reckoned we had to be like kids to understand all this. Kids understand love. You don't have to explain it too them. It doesn't need scriptural support or interpretation or theology degrees. Every heart knows what love is, even if they don't give it or receive it themselves.
Yes, this is very simplistic but hang in there. As we grow in our own love relationship with God we can see everyone else on the journey, and know that just as God has taken us to where we are, he will take everyone on their own unique journey. That will give us a freedom to interact with any person at the place they are at on their journey. We don't look down or up to them, or think they are better or worse, or deceived, or holy, or a heretic. Perhaps the only thing we can do is to challenge each other to not stop, to keep asking questions, to be willing to change our minds and keep growing, even if it looks hard!
We should be able to walk with a traditional anglican or catholic just as easily as a baptist or pentecostal, universalist or even someone from another religion, new ager or atheist, and respect the sincerity of their hearts. We should be able to listen to them, hear the underlying questions, the way they are expressed and the way they try to meet their "heart needs".
Then we can begin to feel God's heart for them, but not in a patronising way, but as an equal, a fellow traveler who knows that God is working in and through all things. We are then free to encourage each other to truly seek God's heart of love, to lift each other above our self made confines.
I guess I feel that at some point we can find open hearts, no matter where and under whatever circumstances, and have a relationship with those people at the "level" they are at without condemning or patronising, only a pure desire to help them on their journey to discover the depth of Love Himself, whatever that journey might look like.
What if God wasn't that worried about all our doctrines. I mean really, its not a problem. And I mean things like our current hot topics, healing, universalism, penal substitution, you know all the things that we get so hot under the collar about that completely destroy relationships.
What if we could take a step back from endless eschatology, hermeneutics, exegesis, blah, blah, and find the lowest (or highest) common denominator and just sit there for a while, a long while, and let it become the centrality of all we are, perceive and do.
The problem is of course determining what that commonality is. I think we would all agree its love. But then straight away we have to define love. Well, what if we could take a step back from that as well. I mean, Jesus reckoned we had to be like kids to understand all this. Kids understand love. You don't have to explain it too them. It doesn't need scriptural support or interpretation or theology degrees. Every heart knows what love is, even if they don't give it or receive it themselves.
Yes, this is very simplistic but hang in there. As we grow in our own love relationship with God we can see everyone else on the journey, and know that just as God has taken us to where we are, he will take everyone on their own unique journey. That will give us a freedom to interact with any person at the place they are at on their journey. We don't look down or up to them, or think they are better or worse, or deceived, or holy, or a heretic. Perhaps the only thing we can do is to challenge each other to not stop, to keep asking questions, to be willing to change our minds and keep growing, even if it looks hard!
We should be able to walk with a traditional anglican or catholic just as easily as a baptist or pentecostal, universalist or even someone from another religion, new ager or atheist, and respect the sincerity of their hearts. We should be able to listen to them, hear the underlying questions, the way they are expressed and the way they try to meet their "heart needs".
Then we can begin to feel God's heart for them, but not in a patronising way, but as an equal, a fellow traveler who knows that God is working in and through all things. We are then free to encourage each other to truly seek God's heart of love, to lift each other above our self made confines.
I guess I feel that at some point we can find open hearts, no matter where and under whatever circumstances, and have a relationship with those people at the "level" they are at without condemning or patronising, only a pure desire to help them on their journey to discover the depth of Love Himself, whatever that journey might look like.
Thursday, 1 November 2012
Pride and Humility
~ Colin Lagerwall
Pride and Humility are often seen as opposites, yet in reality, they are totally compatible and even imperative to our complete design ...
When both have their source in Truth ....
When we know that our 'Person' is of God, made in His Image and Likeness, there is no greater source of satisfaction than in knowing 'who you are' with nothing missing or falling short in the completeness of your being, an exact expression of your Father, just as He carefully and with intense Love designed every part of you;
And by embracing all of yourself as He has made you, you see how brilliant His handiwork is, and that this handiwork is all of His design and doing, not of any accomplishment of your own, because it is the way he designed and created you, and that it is your birthright .... your 'Person' is of His 'Person'.
With this understanding comes a Humility that has no falseness or self abasement, but a true sense of humble awe that perfectly blends with this pride and joy in your 'Person' , forming a complete and wholesome blend that is best described as your Glory ......
It is Pride without being puffed up, for there is no need to puff that up which is full and complete, for the substance of this Pride is true, yet it carries no arrogance for the workmanship was never of your own doing, you were born that way, just as He made You and designed You ........
It is a unique combination of the full spectrum of high and low with this fullness founded in Truth, and the beauty of understanding it, is that you realize that that which is true of you is also true of All, so there is no need for competing and comparisons, only a sense of deep appreciation for those you meet in your daily doings as you recognize this same Glory in All;
And you realize that the only thing that keeps people blind to their Glory are the lies that they have believed about their Design and their Source, a design that proudly displays the Voice of Truth that says "You are Very Good ..."
And in this place of 'Glory', we find that it has no need for self indulgence, for it is full;
There is no need to acquire popularity, for it's own popularity is complete in itself;
There is no need for abasing itself, for that would be living a lie;
And then from within this fullness of glory that can receive no more, we begin to see that it is a Living glory that is fermenting and bubbling and vibrant and active, it is a life-force that cannot be contained, it has to be shared and poured to a world that was designed to be a recipient of Your glory, a world that is thirsting for this glory of Your Person, and you give and pour because there is no end, for you are intertwined with the Life of the One from whom you came and of whom 'You Are', a one-of-a-kind unique expression of the Author of All things;
And in this overflowing giving of Yourself, you realize that 'Yes, I Am like Him, for I Am designed to be full and complete ..... No! ... designed to be More than full, to overflow with this Goodness of my being and all it expresses, to Others;
For my fullness has no end as it flows through the open-hearted compulsion of Love to empty my Self in others, yet it is an emptying that will not be depleted, for there is a Flow of Life that is always More than can be given ...........
To really 'Be like Him' is to be your Self in full Pride and full Humility, and compelled by the Love with which you are pickled, pouring your Self with open heart at ground level into a world that is longing .....
For You ........!
Pride and Humility are often seen as opposites, yet in reality, they are totally compatible and even imperative to our complete design ...
When both have their source in Truth ....
When we know that our 'Person' is of God, made in His Image and Likeness, there is no greater source of satisfaction than in knowing 'who you are' with nothing missing or falling short in the completeness of your being, an exact expression of your Father, just as He carefully and with intense Love designed every part of you;
And by embracing all of yourself as He has made you, you see how brilliant His handiwork is, and that this handiwork is all of His design and doing, not of any accomplishment of your own, because it is the way he designed and created you, and that it is your birthright .... your 'Person' is of His 'Person'.
With this understanding comes a Humility that has no falseness or self abasement, but a true sense of humble awe that perfectly blends with this pride and joy in your 'Person' , forming a complete and wholesome blend that is best described as your Glory ......
It is Pride without being puffed up, for there is no need to puff that up which is full and complete, for the substance of this Pride is true, yet it carries no arrogance for the workmanship was never of your own doing, you were born that way, just as He made You and designed You ........
It is a unique combination of the full spectrum of high and low with this fullness founded in Truth, and the beauty of understanding it, is that you realize that that which is true of you is also true of All, so there is no need for competing and comparisons, only a sense of deep appreciation for those you meet in your daily doings as you recognize this same Glory in All;
And you realize that the only thing that keeps people blind to their Glory are the lies that they have believed about their Design and their Source, a design that proudly displays the Voice of Truth that says "You are Very Good ..."
And in this place of 'Glory', we find that it has no need for self indulgence, for it is full;
There is no need to acquire popularity, for it's own popularity is complete in itself;
There is no need for abasing itself, for that would be living a lie;
And then from within this fullness of glory that can receive no more, we begin to see that it is a Living glory that is fermenting and bubbling and vibrant and active, it is a life-force that cannot be contained, it has to be shared and poured to a world that was designed to be a recipient of Your glory, a world that is thirsting for this glory of Your Person, and you give and pour because there is no end, for you are intertwined with the Life of the One from whom you came and of whom 'You Are', a one-of-a-kind unique expression of the Author of All things;
And in this overflowing giving of Yourself, you realize that 'Yes, I Am like Him, for I Am designed to be full and complete ..... No! ... designed to be More than full, to overflow with this Goodness of my being and all it expresses, to Others;
For my fullness has no end as it flows through the open-hearted compulsion of Love to empty my Self in others, yet it is an emptying that will not be depleted, for there is a Flow of Life that is always More than can be given ...........
To really 'Be like Him' is to be your Self in full Pride and full Humility, and compelled by the Love with which you are pickled, pouring your Self with open heart at ground level into a world that is longing .....
For You ........!
Wednesday, 24 October 2012
Confession
I have a confession to make.
I engage in a lot of theological/doctrinal discussion, and part of me desperately wants to pull all the loose threads of christendom and the nature of God and man together, as well as the salvation of all mankind.
I read lots of books, endless articles, all discussing minute aspects of scripture - revealing incredible layers of revelation that weave through all biblical history. Heaps of testimonies about healing, miracles, near death experiences, provision, victory...
But they are all at odds with each other. Yeah, lots of common ideas, but lots of complete contradictions. Even scripture is full of contradictions/paradox. People forever trying to disprove each other and gather supporters, tearing down and belittling others in the process.
And I'm rather tired of it all.
I know in my own heart what God is showing me, and its really simple. So what is to say I'm any "righter" than any one else? Nothing I guess. But it's where I'm at (ask again next week). So what's so simple?
GOD IS LOVE.
We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. (1 John 4:16).
These simple words are the underlying truth that everything stands on. They summarise all theology and doctrine. Its the beginning and end of all we are. Its the only message that any man needs to know. It's the Gospel. Read these words carefully, look at the construction of the sentence (in any translation). If John was actually right, then all our endless discussions are just for entertainment value at best, and a total waste of our lives at worst.
I guess I'll still discuss and argue doctrine, but it all turns into clanging gongs in the end - just our stupid ideas... and how precious those ideas can become: healing, salvation, atonement, holiness, anointing, hell, calvinism, baptism, rapture, prophesy, armageddon, and the list goes on and on and on.
I find myself more and more just wanting to grab people and shake them, saying stop!! get your head out of all this and just let God love you! That's all! And the best news is; all who live in love, live in God and God lives in them! Am I basing my entire life on one scripture. You bet!! Are there other scriptures that need to be considered? Only if they line up with this as the centrality of all we read and understand. And yeah, its not just one scripture - this message is woven through all scripture, we just keep missing it!
Oh yeah, my confession? I don't care about christianity any more, its dead. I just love Jesus because He loves me.
I engage in a lot of theological/doctrinal discussion, and part of me desperately wants to pull all the loose threads of christendom and the nature of God and man together, as well as the salvation of all mankind.
I read lots of books, endless articles, all discussing minute aspects of scripture - revealing incredible layers of revelation that weave through all biblical history. Heaps of testimonies about healing, miracles, near death experiences, provision, victory...
But they are all at odds with each other. Yeah, lots of common ideas, but lots of complete contradictions. Even scripture is full of contradictions/paradox. People forever trying to disprove each other and gather supporters, tearing down and belittling others in the process.
And I'm rather tired of it all.
I know in my own heart what God is showing me, and its really simple. So what is to say I'm any "righter" than any one else? Nothing I guess. But it's where I'm at (ask again next week). So what's so simple?
GOD IS LOVE.
We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. (1 John 4:16).
These simple words are the underlying truth that everything stands on. They summarise all theology and doctrine. Its the beginning and end of all we are. Its the only message that any man needs to know. It's the Gospel. Read these words carefully, look at the construction of the sentence (in any translation). If John was actually right, then all our endless discussions are just for entertainment value at best, and a total waste of our lives at worst.
I guess I'll still discuss and argue doctrine, but it all turns into clanging gongs in the end - just our stupid ideas... and how precious those ideas can become: healing, salvation, atonement, holiness, anointing, hell, calvinism, baptism, rapture, prophesy, armageddon, and the list goes on and on and on.
I find myself more and more just wanting to grab people and shake them, saying stop!! get your head out of all this and just let God love you! That's all! And the best news is; all who live in love, live in God and God lives in them! Am I basing my entire life on one scripture. You bet!! Are there other scriptures that need to be considered? Only if they line up with this as the centrality of all we read and understand. And yeah, its not just one scripture - this message is woven through all scripture, we just keep missing it!
Oh yeah, my confession? I don't care about christianity any more, its dead. I just love Jesus because He loves me.
Saturday, 13 October 2012
The Scary Now
The changes tear
Eyes squint to strain
Wind spiked tears bleed down cheeks
Salty tracks crack with a smile
To what am I led
With delightful wisps of promise?
To where am I dragged
Through gravel loss and sweet meadow gain?
Past chains drop link by link
Yet bruises still grip, rusty skin stains burn.
Face the warming sun, the breeze green grass
This moment, this moment
Is freer than the last, but -
There is no past to compare now
There is no future to despair now
This moment is I am, is who am I?
Is untried baby steps, is floating
Is not-fear, peaceful confusion
An open space, so open
Could I have dreamed?
Am I still hoping, to heal the bruises?
Scrub the rust from from tender skin?
Nothing is as it was as I thought
And this new light blows
Through everything
Singing and sighing
Like spring's first blush
Eyes squint to strain
Wind spiked tears bleed down cheeks
Salty tracks crack with a smile
To what am I led
With delightful wisps of promise?
To where am I dragged
Through gravel loss and sweet meadow gain?
Past chains drop link by link
Yet bruises still grip, rusty skin stains burn.
Face the warming sun, the breeze green grass
This moment, this moment
Is freer than the last, but -
There is no past to compare now
There is no future to despair now
This moment is I am, is who am I?
Is untried baby steps, is floating
Is not-fear, peaceful confusion
An open space, so open
Could I have dreamed?
Am I still hoping, to heal the bruises?
Scrub the rust from from tender skin?
Nothing is as it was as I thought
And this new light blows
Through everything
Singing and sighing
Like spring's first blush
Wednesday, 10 October 2012
Stuck in the middle with Jesus
What, only a few hours since my last blog? The old brain cell is working overtime again!
Stuck in the middle of what with Jesus?
The middle of the two covenants! The death of the old and the creation of the new. And in my humble opinion most of us get stuck in the middle of the two covenants, not being able to figure out quite which way to go.
Now I know most of us are quite happy about walking away from the old and embracing the new, and for many of us its the most cathartic experience in our lives when we realise that the old is totally and utterly gone and we are now living in complete freedom, in union with God.
BUT... What do we do with the teachings of Jesus?
Most of us are taught that we are to live by his teachings, first and foremost. That the words of Jesus are the most important guide to life we have. But if we take a closer look at them and compare His teachings to Paul's, we start to see a lot of discrepancies! Jesus preached a VERY hard lifestyle. He raised the bar on sin so high that it is impossible to live by those standards. All his parables, allegories and metaphors, paint hard pictures, harsh consequences, and strict judgement. But Paul's gospel is different. Full of God's unconditional love and acceptance of us. The bar on sin was raised so high it just disappeared - Jesus removed it from the equation.
So what do we make of Jesus teachings? It's really simple. He hadn't completed the transition to the New covenant while he walked the earth. He was born under the Old, lived under the Old, preached under the Old and died under the Old. Yes, he often pointed to the New, but nobody understood until the gift of hindsight brought its wisdom! When He was raised from the dead, the New began (some even say it wasn't even until the Holy Spirit came - who knows, the issue is really about what He taught).
Jesus audience was the Jews. He bumped into a few Samaritans and gentiles and spoke to them in quite a different tone. But most of his teachings were to the Jews under the Old covenant. They don't apply to us!
Shock/horror/heresy!!
But like it or not, they don't. Even the beatitudes, as good sounding as they are, are all just to show up the failings of the Old. The Lord's prayer, same, with a bit of pointing to the New just to top it off.
Here's a challenge... just try reading the gospels with that in mind, that its sole purpose is to the Jews under the Old covenant, to show how hard it is to live up to the standards they had created. To show them the burden they had created for themselves and the mess they had made of everything. (I'll leave the purpose and validity of the laws with their harsh demands and consequences for another time).
If we are trying to live by Jesus teachings we have completely missed the boat, we have stepped off the wharf and are about to drown with the boat sailing off into the sunset. Paul's gospel is the truth of the life we are to live. He was given a snippet of the depth of what Jesus did and how incredible God's heart for us really is. And dare I say, Paul was only the beginning and it seemed he struggled with coming to terms with cultural values, social applications etc. He even sometimes threw some bits of the Old back into the mix without realising, while trying to sort out misunderstandings and the general mess left by many who just didn't get it!
Reading the New Testament with this lens, it all starts to make sense. It becomes really simple. It unravels a lot of doctrinal mazes and presents us with a clear, understandable, beautiful picture of God's heart.
Yes, this puts the bible into a different light. Suddenly it's not the literal "Word of God", its the record of how God made the way clear for us to live loved. Its His heart spoken through the shakey words of men in awe of what He's done. Men who were still grappling to apply this amazing gospel. And it gives us the keys to do the same. Its not an instruction book on how to be a christian, and neither are Jesus' teachings the way to live.
Our union with God, through Christ, and Holy Spirit, is the source of all our revelation and knowledge of Himself. The bible supports that knowledge and encourages us to relationship. Relationship is what its all about!
Don't get stuck in the middle with Jesus - move on into the fullness and freedom of the gospel!
Stuck in the middle of what with Jesus?
The middle of the two covenants! The death of the old and the creation of the new. And in my humble opinion most of us get stuck in the middle of the two covenants, not being able to figure out quite which way to go.
Now I know most of us are quite happy about walking away from the old and embracing the new, and for many of us its the most cathartic experience in our lives when we realise that the old is totally and utterly gone and we are now living in complete freedom, in union with God.
BUT... What do we do with the teachings of Jesus?
Most of us are taught that we are to live by his teachings, first and foremost. That the words of Jesus are the most important guide to life we have. But if we take a closer look at them and compare His teachings to Paul's, we start to see a lot of discrepancies! Jesus preached a VERY hard lifestyle. He raised the bar on sin so high that it is impossible to live by those standards. All his parables, allegories and metaphors, paint hard pictures, harsh consequences, and strict judgement. But Paul's gospel is different. Full of God's unconditional love and acceptance of us. The bar on sin was raised so high it just disappeared - Jesus removed it from the equation.
So what do we make of Jesus teachings? It's really simple. He hadn't completed the transition to the New covenant while he walked the earth. He was born under the Old, lived under the Old, preached under the Old and died under the Old. Yes, he often pointed to the New, but nobody understood until the gift of hindsight brought its wisdom! When He was raised from the dead, the New began (some even say it wasn't even until the Holy Spirit came - who knows, the issue is really about what He taught).
Jesus audience was the Jews. He bumped into a few Samaritans and gentiles and spoke to them in quite a different tone. But most of his teachings were to the Jews under the Old covenant. They don't apply to us!
Shock/horror/heresy!!
But like it or not, they don't. Even the beatitudes, as good sounding as they are, are all just to show up the failings of the Old. The Lord's prayer, same, with a bit of pointing to the New just to top it off.
Here's a challenge... just try reading the gospels with that in mind, that its sole purpose is to the Jews under the Old covenant, to show how hard it is to live up to the standards they had created. To show them the burden they had created for themselves and the mess they had made of everything. (I'll leave the purpose and validity of the laws with their harsh demands and consequences for another time).
If we are trying to live by Jesus teachings we have completely missed the boat, we have stepped off the wharf and are about to drown with the boat sailing off into the sunset. Paul's gospel is the truth of the life we are to live. He was given a snippet of the depth of what Jesus did and how incredible God's heart for us really is. And dare I say, Paul was only the beginning and it seemed he struggled with coming to terms with cultural values, social applications etc. He even sometimes threw some bits of the Old back into the mix without realising, while trying to sort out misunderstandings and the general mess left by many who just didn't get it!
Reading the New Testament with this lens, it all starts to make sense. It becomes really simple. It unravels a lot of doctrinal mazes and presents us with a clear, understandable, beautiful picture of God's heart.
Yes, this puts the bible into a different light. Suddenly it's not the literal "Word of God", its the record of how God made the way clear for us to live loved. Its His heart spoken through the shakey words of men in awe of what He's done. Men who were still grappling to apply this amazing gospel. And it gives us the keys to do the same. Its not an instruction book on how to be a christian, and neither are Jesus' teachings the way to live.
Our union with God, through Christ, and Holy Spirit, is the source of all our revelation and knowledge of Himself. The bible supports that knowledge and encourages us to relationship. Relationship is what its all about!
Don't get stuck in the middle with Jesus - move on into the fullness and freedom of the gospel!
To War!!
Recently, I've been posting and responding to comments on Facebook about war.
I've discovered there are many christians who actually endorse acts of war and even some who harbor anger and hate for anything "foreign" behind a christian mask.
There are many christians in the military, all for their own various reasons, and its not for me to question that. But I do question the whole waring mentality ESPECIALLY amongst christians. I'm surprised at the type of reactions I get from these comments, especially amongst those who profess their understanding of grace and the unconditional love of God.
After some interaction with a guy who openly declared his loathing for certain other faiths, I responded with this:
"No one would despise those who truly fight to defend the lives of loved ones. But those who die for an ideal that may or may not be truly founded in reality and love, have probably died in vain. Their loss is no less, and those who grieve should be comforted, because the passion of those who fought was founded in sincerity and the commitment and loyalty to a cause that seemed to be the right thing at the right time.
But, as with many things, we grow and understand that there are always other solutions, hindsight should give us wisdom, although history usually proves that we learn nothing from history!
If we see a "fight for freedom" exclusively expressed through violence, we have truly progressed no further than the Dark Ages, where greed and power were the only motivation to brutality inflict "God's will" on the world.
To endorse war as the only means to peace is deny the very nature of God."
Perhaps I would feel differently if we were invaded, and I'm sure I would attempt to defend my family. But I would definitely encourage those who understand God's heart to intervene before it even got to that point.
I don't give a stuff about politics (although I can like or dislike policies as much as the next person), but really, it makes little difference. If we are prepared to bring God's heart to the world from the ground up, to live from our intimacy with him, then and only then will we see change. Not just in our own neighborhood, but to ALL nations.
Its a big call, but I challenge anyone to tell me its Gods heart to go to war!
I've discovered there are many christians who actually endorse acts of war and even some who harbor anger and hate for anything "foreign" behind a christian mask.
There are many christians in the military, all for their own various reasons, and its not for me to question that. But I do question the whole waring mentality ESPECIALLY amongst christians. I'm surprised at the type of reactions I get from these comments, especially amongst those who profess their understanding of grace and the unconditional love of God.
After some interaction with a guy who openly declared his loathing for certain other faiths, I responded with this:
"No one would despise those who truly fight to defend the lives of loved ones. But those who die for an ideal that may or may not be truly founded in reality and love, have probably died in vain. Their loss is no less, and those who grieve should be comforted, because the passion of those who fought was founded in sincerity and the commitment and loyalty to a cause that seemed to be the right thing at the right time.
But, as with many things, we grow and understand that there are always other solutions, hindsight should give us wisdom, although history usually proves that we learn nothing from history!
If we see a "fight for freedom" exclusively expressed through violence, we have truly progressed no further than the Dark Ages, where greed and power were the only motivation to brutality inflict "God's will" on the world.
To endorse war as the only means to peace is deny the very nature of God."
Perhaps I would feel differently if we were invaded, and I'm sure I would attempt to defend my family. But I would definitely encourage those who understand God's heart to intervene before it even got to that point.
I don't give a stuff about politics (although I can like or dislike policies as much as the next person), but really, it makes little difference. If we are prepared to bring God's heart to the world from the ground up, to live from our intimacy with him, then and only then will we see change. Not just in our own neighborhood, but to ALL nations.
Its a big call, but I challenge anyone to tell me its Gods heart to go to war!
Monday, 1 October 2012
All roads lead to Rome
Now that's a title that's bound to get some interest! Jim's lost the plot and headed for the fires of hell, yet again.
Well, I'm not broaching the subject of other religions, I'll save that for some time down the line... But I am talking about doctrines, denominations, theology, paradigms, blah, blah.
I had a run in with someone about "sound doctrine" and if you don't have it you're headed for damnation and need to repent immediately! It was their job to publicly determine who was "sound" and who was a heretic. It doesn't take much to imagine what my response would have been, but I was nice about it!
Sooo, let's take a couple of the most currently contentious doctrines floating around, say, "all are in Christ" and maybe "Universal Reconciliation", "Inclusionists" perhaps, subjective vs objective reconciliation, all that sort of stuff. Its a huge battle as people throw scriptures around trying to prove their points. Books and countless articles, videos and posts about it all. Now you probably know my personal views on some of this stuff, but that's not really the issue.
The point is we need to encourage each other to go for it! Yes, that's right, support and help each other in our quest for truth!
We can trust God in us to guide us, its really that simple. All we need is the integrity and honesty about our journey and the humility to be wrong and the willingness to be stretched. He has given us intelligence, reason, common sense, curiosity, passion and a desire for truth. We need to use these faculties to their fullest. And the best part is He's right there with us in that journey.
Now I can hear some of you saying, "well that's fine as long as its based in scripture, otherwise we'll just drift off into spiritual anarchy and deception". Well, I kinda think God's a little bigger than that. If we are truly living in the integrity I described above, then we can totally trust God to guide us.
The thing is, His grace leads us to intimacy with Him - that's the whole purpose of it. In that place, doctrines become a non-issue, its all about Jesus and us, living loved and all that entails. And from that place we have the permission and the ability to freely pursue all that we put our minds to. His universe (physical and spiritual) is so enormously huge that even the bible is quite a limited document.
That's got a few of you going too, I would guess, but I've covered that in a few previous blogs. Suffice it to say, the bible is awesome and definitely something He left for us to cross reference our life in the Holy Spirit with, but its also been the fuel for the worst atrocities in history.
We are made in His image and we are in union with Him. We are free to use all our God given capabilities and character to pursue His truth, in complete trust that He will guide us. Jesus WILL lead us into all truth.
So my original point? All these doctrines aren't either/or, they are expression of God's heart through us, and we have nothing to fear by pursuing these ideas. Lets help each other in this exciting journey into the enormity of Daddy's heart!!
Well, I'm not broaching the subject of other religions, I'll save that for some time down the line... But I am talking about doctrines, denominations, theology, paradigms, blah, blah.
I had a run in with someone about "sound doctrine" and if you don't have it you're headed for damnation and need to repent immediately! It was their job to publicly determine who was "sound" and who was a heretic. It doesn't take much to imagine what my response would have been, but I was nice about it!
Sooo, let's take a couple of the most currently contentious doctrines floating around, say, "all are in Christ" and maybe "Universal Reconciliation", "Inclusionists" perhaps, subjective vs objective reconciliation, all that sort of stuff. Its a huge battle as people throw scriptures around trying to prove their points. Books and countless articles, videos and posts about it all. Now you probably know my personal views on some of this stuff, but that's not really the issue.
The point is we need to encourage each other to go for it! Yes, that's right, support and help each other in our quest for truth!
We can trust God in us to guide us, its really that simple. All we need is the integrity and honesty about our journey and the humility to be wrong and the willingness to be stretched. He has given us intelligence, reason, common sense, curiosity, passion and a desire for truth. We need to use these faculties to their fullest. And the best part is He's right there with us in that journey.
Now I can hear some of you saying, "well that's fine as long as its based in scripture, otherwise we'll just drift off into spiritual anarchy and deception". Well, I kinda think God's a little bigger than that. If we are truly living in the integrity I described above, then we can totally trust God to guide us.
The thing is, His grace leads us to intimacy with Him - that's the whole purpose of it. In that place, doctrines become a non-issue, its all about Jesus and us, living loved and all that entails. And from that place we have the permission and the ability to freely pursue all that we put our minds to. His universe (physical and spiritual) is so enormously huge that even the bible is quite a limited document.
That's got a few of you going too, I would guess, but I've covered that in a few previous blogs. Suffice it to say, the bible is awesome and definitely something He left for us to cross reference our life in the Holy Spirit with, but its also been the fuel for the worst atrocities in history.
We are made in His image and we are in union with Him. We are free to use all our God given capabilities and character to pursue His truth, in complete trust that He will guide us. Jesus WILL lead us into all truth.
So my original point? All these doctrines aren't either/or, they are expression of God's heart through us, and we have nothing to fear by pursuing these ideas. Lets help each other in this exciting journey into the enormity of Daddy's heart!!
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
Questions
Why does God allow suffering?
Why is there so much pain?
What about innocent children dying?
What about world politics? National politics?
Doomsday? Freedom of speech? Injustice? Poor and homeless? Mental illness?
And all the other questions we have?
We want the answer to why all this happens, when God who IS Love and nothing but Love, lets it happen!
There are thousands of theologically complex answers that require a lot of mental gymnastics to get around. We keep trying to answering this big question by analyzing scripture, and end up with something that doesn't really appease anyone deep down. I mean, really deep in our hearts. Its one of those areas that we end up saying "God's ways are greater than ours" blah, blah...
But these questions will never be answered, and CANNOT be answered by any amount of exegesis, study, whatever. Its RELATIONSHIP! Lame answer isn't it. Well, here it is - we won't see an answer outside of personal intimate relationship with the fullness of the truine God. We have to let go of these questions completely, as overwhelming as they are, and ONLY pursue the reality of our love affair with God.
Only then will the world make sense. Only out of the security of our reciprocal, unconditional, love with God does the world and all these questions make sense. And even more frustrating is we begin to loose the language to communicate any set of tidy answers that we can share. We start to see God's heart for his precious creation, that is way beyond black and white solutions to problems. There is a peace "beyond all understanding" that rests in a greater reality. The answers we crave for cannot be expressed in words, only in love.
We waste our time trying to enter into political discussions, justice, suffering etc, trying to figure out what a "Christian" stand should be on these things. Just look at how well that works!
Its ONLY from intimate relationship with God that we will ever see His heart for the world He created. And that is beyond communication. It can only be expressed in an overflow of His love for us.
Why is there so much pain?
What about innocent children dying?
What about world politics? National politics?
Doomsday? Freedom of speech? Injustice? Poor and homeless? Mental illness?
And all the other questions we have?
We want the answer to why all this happens, when God who IS Love and nothing but Love, lets it happen!
There are thousands of theologically complex answers that require a lot of mental gymnastics to get around. We keep trying to answering this big question by analyzing scripture, and end up with something that doesn't really appease anyone deep down. I mean, really deep in our hearts. Its one of those areas that we end up saying "God's ways are greater than ours" blah, blah...
But these questions will never be answered, and CANNOT be answered by any amount of exegesis, study, whatever. Its RELATIONSHIP! Lame answer isn't it. Well, here it is - we won't see an answer outside of personal intimate relationship with the fullness of the truine God. We have to let go of these questions completely, as overwhelming as they are, and ONLY pursue the reality of our love affair with God.
Only then will the world make sense. Only out of the security of our reciprocal, unconditional, love with God does the world and all these questions make sense. And even more frustrating is we begin to loose the language to communicate any set of tidy answers that we can share. We start to see God's heart for his precious creation, that is way beyond black and white solutions to problems. There is a peace "beyond all understanding" that rests in a greater reality. The answers we crave for cannot be expressed in words, only in love.
We waste our time trying to enter into political discussions, justice, suffering etc, trying to figure out what a "Christian" stand should be on these things. Just look at how well that works!
Its ONLY from intimate relationship with God that we will ever see His heart for the world He created. And that is beyond communication. It can only be expressed in an overflow of His love for us.
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