Recently I heard a news clip of Barney Frank (current House of Representatives Financial Services committee chairman) from several years ago. When questioned about the solvency of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae (both government-sponsored mortgage giants) Mr. Frank became rather indignant. As long ago as 2003, people were raising serious questions about the financial health of the mortgage industry. Yet Mr. Frank repeatedly attempted to paint over the cracks in the foundation of the two government entities. In the past year, the truth became evident for all to see. The concerns that had been raised were correct. Regardless of Mr. Franks efforts at painting, the fatal flaws finally brought down the mortgage industry starting our economy on it's downward slide.
I don't think that Mr. Frank is somehow malicious. Rather, I think that 6 years ago he chose to not believe the truth. He created a false reality and clung to his perception of reality. In other words, he chose to believe what he wanted to believe regardless of what he was seeing. As a result, his paradigm dictated his sight instead of his sight dictating his paradigm.
So what's the lesson here? I see a lot of similarities between Mr. Frank and Christians. Without a doubt we are in the midst of a season of God exposing the cracks in our spiritual foundations. Far to many Christians are busy trying to paint over the cracks instead of embracing the truth that comes in the midst the exposure. There are major denial issues in Christendom right now. We refuse to believe what we are seeing choosing instead to create our own false reality. We need to be aware, however, just as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's fatal flaws could only be hidden so long, our desired false realities will only stand for so long before they will crumble as well.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
where are the fathers?
Bev and I were in NY for the Memorial Day weekend. We worked on our cabin project and were able to get in a bit of fishing as well. While we were there, Bev had a phone conversation with a young lady from Pennsylvania. This young lady and her husband connected with us last winter at a marriage event. They have had a good deal of marriage struggles in the past year. Unfortunately they live in another community so heart to heart connections are more difficult to build. Any face to face interaction must be scheduled.
Their story breaks our heart – it is one that is all too familiar to us. They cry out for parents. They want to know how do life together. They have questions about things like sex, how to handle conflict, and parenting issues. They live in a community that is full of churches – more traditional churches like Methodist, Lutheran, and Mennonite. Then there are the independent churches and the churches who like to be on the “cutting edge”. Yet in the midst of all these churches, this couple still misses the very thing for which they long.
Their situation mirrors so many. Young adults deeply desire to be taught – not in a class or a seminar but in the everyday grind of life. They want to learn from the experiences of a generation that has gone before. Unfortunately that older generation seems to be too busy building their own ministries or too preoccupied with their own issues. They (the older generation) seem to be more interested in relationships that will benefit them instead of giving their life to a younger generation. They invite the younger generation to come to their meetings and listen to their teaching but they almost never invite people deeply into their life experiences. They may give their lives to build a “ministry” but they won’t give their lives to build the character of Christ in people.
The prophet Malachi spoke of a curse that comes as the hearts of the fathers are hard toward the children. And so we find ourselves under a curse. The fathers are too self-absorbed to give themselves to their children. The children suffer as a result. Bev and are frequently overwhelmed by the cry of the children – won’t someone teach us? Won’t someone help us? They don’t want a formula; they want interaction. They don’t want a class once a week; they want someone with which to walk.
I dream of a day when the hearts of the fathers reflect the heart of the Father. I dream of a day when fathers will give themselves for the good of the children. I pray for the spirit of Elijah to overtake us, driving the curse from our land.
Their story breaks our heart – it is one that is all too familiar to us. They cry out for parents. They want to know how do life together. They have questions about things like sex, how to handle conflict, and parenting issues. They live in a community that is full of churches – more traditional churches like Methodist, Lutheran, and Mennonite. Then there are the independent churches and the churches who like to be on the “cutting edge”. Yet in the midst of all these churches, this couple still misses the very thing for which they long.
Their situation mirrors so many. Young adults deeply desire to be taught – not in a class or a seminar but in the everyday grind of life. They want to learn from the experiences of a generation that has gone before. Unfortunately that older generation seems to be too busy building their own ministries or too preoccupied with their own issues. They (the older generation) seem to be more interested in relationships that will benefit them instead of giving their life to a younger generation. They invite the younger generation to come to their meetings and listen to their teaching but they almost never invite people deeply into their life experiences. They may give their lives to build a “ministry” but they won’t give their lives to build the character of Christ in people.
The prophet Malachi spoke of a curse that comes as the hearts of the fathers are hard toward the children. And so we find ourselves under a curse. The fathers are too self-absorbed to give themselves to their children. The children suffer as a result. Bev and are frequently overwhelmed by the cry of the children – won’t someone teach us? Won’t someone help us? They don’t want a formula; they want interaction. They don’t want a class once a week; they want someone with which to walk.
I dream of a day when the hearts of the fathers reflect the heart of the Father. I dream of a day when fathers will give themselves for the good of the children. I pray for the spirit of Elijah to overtake us, driving the curse from our land.
Sunday, June 7, 2009
entering the kingdom
In various recent dialogues with people, I see a common thread concerning the Kingdom of God. It seems to me that we are frequently attempting to interpret and understand the Kingdom of God through the lens of the natural mind. This leads to a great deal of misunderstanding about the nature of the Kingdom.
God created mankind in His own image[1]. As such, He granted humanity the possibility of being god in our individual lives. He allows us the freedom to determine the course of our life. He grants the choice of ignoring or acknowledging Him to every individual person. While He invites us to participate with Him in the stewardship of the earth, He never forces us to participate either. The choice is ours to make.
The freedom He gives me to be my own god sets up a great battle between Him and me. I have discovered that the greatest battles in my life have not pitted me against the devil or some sin but against God Himself. The self-god continually seeks to be enthroned as the chief determiner of my course of life. The self-god rebels against any kind of submission to any other being, especially to God. The self-god desires to make God subservient to the ways of mankind and in so doing attempts to create a god according to my own image.
Throughout history, people have formed gods according to their own perceptions of what a god should be. In ancient cultures, craftsmen carved statues and images to reflect their own desires for the characteristics of their own god. This tendency still prevails today. While we may not carve idols, we do set up images of God in our inmost being, images that are determined by our desire to be god. We project our personal perceptions on God in an attempt to further our personal desires. This is the work of the natural mind.
The Kingdom of God (literally the rule of God) is diametrically opposed to the way of the self-god, the way of the natural mind. This sets the stage for a great conflict. On the most basic level, the battle is between the Kingdom of God (the rule of God) and the Kingdom of Self (the rule of self). Furthermore, I believe that it is impossible to comprehend the realm of God through the perception of the self-rule. From the self-perspective, everything God is and does is filtered through the understanding and wisdom that comes from self. Unwittingly, we reduce God to acting and reacting as we would act and react in any given situation. We interpret the Bible through the carnal mind, resulting in teaching and doctrine that, while sounding pious and correct, is at best far from the heart of God and at worst opposes God.
For instance, the ways of the realm of God and His Kingdom are outlined clearly in Jesus’ teaching in Matthew chapters 5-7 (the Sermon on the Mount). Yet as we read His words, the impossibility of living according to the way given by Jesus becomes evident. The “how” questions bombard our mind. How do I love my neighbor? How do I keep from worrying? How do I rejoice when people speak evil of me?
The carnal mind, the self-god responds to these questions with one answer – I’ll try. I’ll try to love; I’ll try to quit worrying; I’ll try to rejoice. Yet Jesus does not ask us to simply try to attain these ideals. We must love; we must cease from worry. To which the self-god immediately responds, “Living that way is impossible”. From that perspective, these words of Jesus become unattainable ideals toward which we strive. However if we take an honest look at Jesus’ words, He never presents them as unattainable goals but the reality of living in the realm of God.
Therefore we are faced with a question – how do I ever comprehend God and His Kingdom if not done through my natural mind? How do I arrive at spiritual transformation if not by human effort? Like with other difficult questions, we find the answer in the life and example of Jesus. Paul, in his letter to the church at Philippi succinctly outlines the Jesus pattern.
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.[2]
Notice the downward spiral in Jesus’ experience. He began as God with the rights and privileges of God. Instead of grasping for self-preservation, He freely relinquished His rights to all power and glory to enter into a place of nothingness. Any vestiges of self were demolished by the radical submission to the plan of the Father that led to and through the cross.
It is imperative to be aware that the primary objective of the self-god is self-preservation. Everything about the downward spiral into submission to the rule of God will feel unnatural. The self-god will protest vehemently. Emotions of fear, anger, worry, and doubt will swirl seeking to cause you to self-protect.
At this point we are faced with a crucial choice – Will I enter the vortex of emotions, abandoning all hope for survival in order to pursue the way of God? The greatest temptation is to retreat from the rule of God in order to self-protect. Somehow I must numb the pain; somehow I must regain control of my life. Yet the only way to reach the realm of God, the only way to enter His kingdom is a headlong plunge into and through the cross.
Paul spoke of this difficulty in entering into the realm of God as he and Barnabas encourage the first century believers.
And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”[3]
The Greek word translated as “tribulations” literally means “pressure, anguish, or trouble”. We experience the realm of God only through the pathway of difficulty. There are no shortcuts, no easy roads that circumvent the cross.
It is important to note that while the cross signified Jesus’ complete surrender to the rule of the Father, it was not the final destination. Paul goes on to explain the eternal results of Jesus’ repudiation of self to embrace the desire of the Father.
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.[4]
In the place of utter dependency on the will of the Father, in the place of complete death to the self-god, a spiritual transformation occurs. We find ourselves in a new dimension, the realm of God. We cease from striving, worrying, fear, and the related symptoms arising from living according to the self-god. In my experience, quite literally, the world becomes a different place. We cease to operate in the ways of man. We cease to understand through the filter of our natural mind. The dimension in which we find ourselves is one of supernatural existence. We discover abundant life. The nature of Christ becomes formed in us. We recognize our oneness with Creator of the universe and begin to live from that oneness.
However, let me be clear once again – we can never enter this dimension of God’s rule through our own efforts. We can never comprehend the Kingdom of God from the perspective offered by the self-god. There are no ways to circumvent the cross; we must fully embrace it and the pain it brings. It is only in a place of utter despondency, of complete poverty of spirit that we discover resurrection life. Jesus, in His great outline of Kingdom principles in the book of Matthew, puts it this way:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”[5]
I passionately urge you to embrace the way of poverty of spirit. The downward spiral that leads to death of the self-god is the only way to experience and comprehend the supernatural realm of God. Oppose the temptation to self-preserve, to evade the cross. Lose your life so that you may find it!
[1] Genesis 1:26,27
[2] Philippians 2:5-8
[3] Acts 14:21-22
[4] Philippians 2:9-11
[5] Matthew 5:3
God created mankind in His own image[1]. As such, He granted humanity the possibility of being god in our individual lives. He allows us the freedom to determine the course of our life. He grants the choice of ignoring or acknowledging Him to every individual person. While He invites us to participate with Him in the stewardship of the earth, He never forces us to participate either. The choice is ours to make.
The freedom He gives me to be my own god sets up a great battle between Him and me. I have discovered that the greatest battles in my life have not pitted me against the devil or some sin but against God Himself. The self-god continually seeks to be enthroned as the chief determiner of my course of life. The self-god rebels against any kind of submission to any other being, especially to God. The self-god desires to make God subservient to the ways of mankind and in so doing attempts to create a god according to my own image.
Throughout history, people have formed gods according to their own perceptions of what a god should be. In ancient cultures, craftsmen carved statues and images to reflect their own desires for the characteristics of their own god. This tendency still prevails today. While we may not carve idols, we do set up images of God in our inmost being, images that are determined by our desire to be god. We project our personal perceptions on God in an attempt to further our personal desires. This is the work of the natural mind.
The Kingdom of God (literally the rule of God) is diametrically opposed to the way of the self-god, the way of the natural mind. This sets the stage for a great conflict. On the most basic level, the battle is between the Kingdom of God (the rule of God) and the Kingdom of Self (the rule of self). Furthermore, I believe that it is impossible to comprehend the realm of God through the perception of the self-rule. From the self-perspective, everything God is and does is filtered through the understanding and wisdom that comes from self. Unwittingly, we reduce God to acting and reacting as we would act and react in any given situation. We interpret the Bible through the carnal mind, resulting in teaching and doctrine that, while sounding pious and correct, is at best far from the heart of God and at worst opposes God.
For instance, the ways of the realm of God and His Kingdom are outlined clearly in Jesus’ teaching in Matthew chapters 5-7 (the Sermon on the Mount). Yet as we read His words, the impossibility of living according to the way given by Jesus becomes evident. The “how” questions bombard our mind. How do I love my neighbor? How do I keep from worrying? How do I rejoice when people speak evil of me?
The carnal mind, the self-god responds to these questions with one answer – I’ll try. I’ll try to love; I’ll try to quit worrying; I’ll try to rejoice. Yet Jesus does not ask us to simply try to attain these ideals. We must love; we must cease from worry. To which the self-god immediately responds, “Living that way is impossible”. From that perspective, these words of Jesus become unattainable ideals toward which we strive. However if we take an honest look at Jesus’ words, He never presents them as unattainable goals but the reality of living in the realm of God.
Therefore we are faced with a question – how do I ever comprehend God and His Kingdom if not done through my natural mind? How do I arrive at spiritual transformation if not by human effort? Like with other difficult questions, we find the answer in the life and example of Jesus. Paul, in his letter to the church at Philippi succinctly outlines the Jesus pattern.
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.[2]
Notice the downward spiral in Jesus’ experience. He began as God with the rights and privileges of God. Instead of grasping for self-preservation, He freely relinquished His rights to all power and glory to enter into a place of nothingness. Any vestiges of self were demolished by the radical submission to the plan of the Father that led to and through the cross.
It is imperative to be aware that the primary objective of the self-god is self-preservation. Everything about the downward spiral into submission to the rule of God will feel unnatural. The self-god will protest vehemently. Emotions of fear, anger, worry, and doubt will swirl seeking to cause you to self-protect.
At this point we are faced with a crucial choice – Will I enter the vortex of emotions, abandoning all hope for survival in order to pursue the way of God? The greatest temptation is to retreat from the rule of God in order to self-protect. Somehow I must numb the pain; somehow I must regain control of my life. Yet the only way to reach the realm of God, the only way to enter His kingdom is a headlong plunge into and through the cross.
Paul spoke of this difficulty in entering into the realm of God as he and Barnabas encourage the first century believers.
And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”[3]
The Greek word translated as “tribulations” literally means “pressure, anguish, or trouble”. We experience the realm of God only through the pathway of difficulty. There are no shortcuts, no easy roads that circumvent the cross.
It is important to note that while the cross signified Jesus’ complete surrender to the rule of the Father, it was not the final destination. Paul goes on to explain the eternal results of Jesus’ repudiation of self to embrace the desire of the Father.
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.[4]
In the place of utter dependency on the will of the Father, in the place of complete death to the self-god, a spiritual transformation occurs. We find ourselves in a new dimension, the realm of God. We cease from striving, worrying, fear, and the related symptoms arising from living according to the self-god. In my experience, quite literally, the world becomes a different place. We cease to operate in the ways of man. We cease to understand through the filter of our natural mind. The dimension in which we find ourselves is one of supernatural existence. We discover abundant life. The nature of Christ becomes formed in us. We recognize our oneness with Creator of the universe and begin to live from that oneness.
However, let me be clear once again – we can never enter this dimension of God’s rule through our own efforts. We can never comprehend the Kingdom of God from the perspective offered by the self-god. There are no ways to circumvent the cross; we must fully embrace it and the pain it brings. It is only in a place of utter despondency, of complete poverty of spirit that we discover resurrection life. Jesus, in His great outline of Kingdom principles in the book of Matthew, puts it this way:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”[5]
I passionately urge you to embrace the way of poverty of spirit. The downward spiral that leads to death of the self-god is the only way to experience and comprehend the supernatural realm of God. Oppose the temptation to self-preserve, to evade the cross. Lose your life so that you may find it!
[1] Genesis 1:26,27
[2] Philippians 2:5-8
[3] Acts 14:21-22
[4] Philippians 2:9-11
[5] Matthew 5:3
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
the severity of God
I am deeply convinced of the goodness of God. The longer I walk with Him, the more evident His goodness becomes to me. As I submit to His goodness, I am also increasingly aware of His severity. His overwhelming goodness does not negate the fact the He is God and I am not. While we have been created in the image of God, we frequently attempt to create God in our own image. In other words we create a god with whom we are comfortable. Our creation of our own personal god displaces the Creator with self.
Ananias and Sapphira greatly underestimated the severity of God. They attempted to appear godly by their giving to the church what they presented as the entire proceeds of the sale of some land. In reality, they kept some of the proceeds of sale for themselves (which was their prerogative). As a result of their fraudulent actions, God struck them down with death.
When I read the gospels, I watch for what affects Jesus. At one point, Jesus was deeply angered by the hardness of the religious leaders' hearts. They were more interested in the proper protocol than they were with healing to come to a man with a crippled hand. The hardness of their hear provoked the anger of God.
Hebrews tells us that God disciplines those He loves. There are times when the discipline of God seems harsh. However I have discovered that even His discipline comes from His goodness. He ruthlessly attacks the self-god that seeks to control my life. As I submit to His hand, His directives, and His ways, His goodness is showered on my life.
I am concerned that Christians today do not understand the severity of God. Repeatedly I hear people say "God told me to..." Yet they turn around and act in complete opposition to what they heard God say. Is it any wonder that people like this usually struggle with life? They are miserable and conflicted. It is because they have chosen to self-determine instead of submit to God. Perhaps God's invitation seems too difficult or perhaps they want the glory of sacrifice without ever truly making the sacrifice. Whatever the reason, they assume that God won't mind their disobedience.
Not only do people not heed the voice of God, they hide their own self-centered desires and actions behind God. God gets the blame for a lot of evil actions. We justify our sin by saying "God told me...."
While God is deeply good and His heart is toward me, I must yield to Him. To be in His kingdom implies that He is King. As a righteous King, He deals severely with unrighteousness. To those who resist Him, He becomes their enemy.
We live in perilous times. Safety is found only in the place of yielding to God and His ways. Abundant life comes only as we submit to Him. Do not believe for a minute that you can negotiated with Him. He is God - you are not!
Ananias and Sapphira greatly underestimated the severity of God. They attempted to appear godly by their giving to the church what they presented as the entire proceeds of the sale of some land. In reality, they kept some of the proceeds of sale for themselves (which was their prerogative). As a result of their fraudulent actions, God struck them down with death.
When I read the gospels, I watch for what affects Jesus. At one point, Jesus was deeply angered by the hardness of the religious leaders' hearts. They were more interested in the proper protocol than they were with healing to come to a man with a crippled hand. The hardness of their hear provoked the anger of God.
Hebrews tells us that God disciplines those He loves. There are times when the discipline of God seems harsh. However I have discovered that even His discipline comes from His goodness. He ruthlessly attacks the self-god that seeks to control my life. As I submit to His hand, His directives, and His ways, His goodness is showered on my life.
I am concerned that Christians today do not understand the severity of God. Repeatedly I hear people say "God told me to..." Yet they turn around and act in complete opposition to what they heard God say. Is it any wonder that people like this usually struggle with life? They are miserable and conflicted. It is because they have chosen to self-determine instead of submit to God. Perhaps God's invitation seems too difficult or perhaps they want the glory of sacrifice without ever truly making the sacrifice. Whatever the reason, they assume that God won't mind their disobedience.
Not only do people not heed the voice of God, they hide their own self-centered desires and actions behind God. God gets the blame for a lot of evil actions. We justify our sin by saying "God told me...."
While God is deeply good and His heart is toward me, I must yield to Him. To be in His kingdom implies that He is King. As a righteous King, He deals severely with unrighteousness. To those who resist Him, He becomes their enemy.
We live in perilous times. Safety is found only in the place of yielding to God and His ways. Abundant life comes only as we submit to Him. Do not believe for a minute that you can negotiated with Him. He is God - you are not!
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