Jul 26
Fair warning. This one will probably shake you a bit. At least it will shake many who think they know what it means to live their faith.
There is a big difference between knowing ABOUT something and knowing HOW TO DO something. I can know everything ABOUT a sport, but not be able to play the [...] [...more]
Posted: under Teaching.
Tags: Blog, Christ, christian, God, Jesus, Mystery, Power, Teaching
Fair warning. This one will probably shake you a bit. At least it will shake many who think they know what it means to live their faith.
There is a big difference between knowing ABOUT something and knowing HOW TO DO something. I can know everything ABOUT a sport, but not be able to play the sport. Big Difference!
So… I ask before the teaching…. Do you know ABOUT God? Do you know ABOUT Christianity? That’s Too Bad. Christianity is not a spectator sport. Learning ABOUT God and the Christian Life show that you have begun something. But there is so much more power available to you.
The better question is, do you know “HOW TO”… HOW TO BE God ? How to DO God?
What, you ask? That sounds like heresy! A Blasphemy? Maybe a misguided New Age False Prophet Message? Hmmmm……. Not so fast. Let’s dig a little deeper.
Using a little legal language for sake of an example….. Christians are called to be the agents of God in this world. An “agent” can act for the one who sent him - or his “principal”. An agent has the legal rights of the principal, and should both act as the principal (to represent and safeguard reputation) and should be treated as the principal when the principal is not present. The Agent can sign contracts on behalf of the principal - thereby BINDING the principal to PERFORM a contract.
Now… where do we get the commission or charge to be an AGENT of God? First, an example, and then the appointment of Christians to DO God instead of just know about Him.
The Example: Jesus said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father”. Jesus often said he and the Father were “ONE”. Being one is more than being an Agent. It is a mystery of the Faith. I propose that the best way we might understand this from earthly experience seems to be the concept of Agency. However, I fully realize that this is more than agency that Jesus speaks about.
The Charge: Before Christ left this earth, he prayed for us - that we would be ONE in Him, just as He is ONE in the FATHER. He also gave us the “Keys to the Kingdom” saying whatever we BIND on earth would be BOUND in heaven, and whatever we LOOSED on earth would be LOOSED in heaven. Do you know the verses for these quotations? Maybe somebody will post a comment with the bible addresses?
THE POINT IS: If Christ asked the Father, and He and the Father are one…. Then the prayer is answered in the affirmative. It’s not so strange, really. It would be like you asking yourself to do something for your child.
SO HERE IS WHERE IT GETS POWERFUL: If we are one in Christ, and Christ is one in the Father, then if you have seen me - you have seen THEM. By the power of the Holy Spirit - we are ONE. What I do here, He ratifies or performs from there. Hmmm…. What I condemn, He condemns. What I forgive, He forgives. What I promise or contract for, He will perform. Can you say “OMG”.
Rather than filling me with Pride or Arrogance, this concept is humbling. I aspire to DO God rather than know ABOUT God. I have reached this pinnacle of the faith on occasion, but being an imperfect vessel, this certainly does not happen as often as I wish. Nor does the experience last as long as I wish. However, I strive as Paul did to press onward, finish the race, attain the prize of my Holy Calling.
BTW: If a prize is worth attaining, it might be ok to enjoy the attainment. It’s OK to enjoy the prize of our calling to BE God instead of just know ABOUT God. So don’t give me a load about False Humility. God is worshipped when I enjoy the attainment of the mystery of DOING His work here on earth.
And so…. I ask again….
Do you know ABOUT God or do you know HOW TO DO God?
What difference does this make in your life? Comments? Examples? Criticisms? Let’s hear!
Jul 25
All Things Work to Good. That’s the promise we get from God.
But how it works is a mystery to many - and sometimes it is a mystery to those who know God pretty well.
What I am talking about is how something that looks bad today can turn out good in the long run.
For instance, oil [...] [...more]
Posted: under Teaching.
Tags: christian, Free Will, Overcoming, Power, Sin, Theology
All Things Work to Good. That’s the promise we get from God.
But how it works is a mystery to many - and sometimes it is a mystery to those who know God pretty well.
What I am talking about is how something that looks bad today can turn out good in the long run.
For instance, oil causes pollution and gas prices are choking our economy - but these very costs will drive us to cleaner, more sustainable energy sources like hydrogen fuel cells.
Now - if God CONTROLLED the world, then you would see a few lightning bolts here or there to “smite the phillistines” in the oil world… Viola - no oil, and no pollution. Simple, eh? Well sort of. What kind of world would it be where humans had no free will?
Go lets us make our own messes. This too has value. By experiencing the result of our choices, we can decide if we want to repeat a behavior. There are times when the lesson seems obvious to everyone around me, but I still don’t get it… Hmm….. Even an alcoholic can go far enough into his disease to either kill himself or convince himself that the answer he seeks is not in that behavior.
If God CONTROLLED the world then there would be no choice… and no consequence for our choices. Would the world be a better place? Without choice? What would that make a human being? Just another animal?
The coolest part about what God does is share how it works without interfering.
God never violates the freewill of a human. He gives us his WORD and his Sons and Daughters, and his Angels to teach us… If we listen, read, heed, we can grow toward Him.
If we go against that which is the created way we break fellowship with God and each other - (sin). It hangs like a clouds to block the light and joy we might otherwise experience… But this is not God’s doing. It is merely the natural consequence of our choice for going against the better way.
Now, just to confuse it all, some of God’s children are occasionally called to work on something from an unusual angle. It may seem that they are going against the way of God, against the nature of things, and yet they do not have consequences.
“Walking on water” would be a good word picture for this. If you try to walk on water, you should sink in and get wet - maybe even drown. But for some useful reason, now and then, God will call and enable a person to do something without paying the normal consequence…. “Walk on water….” Maybe God just delays the consequence of our action so that the person can avoid the stain of failure? Or maybe God wants one follower to walk out to a person who needs a hand getting back because they already fell in? Maybe God just wants to demonstrate His presence and power? Why not every person? Why not do away with water completely if we are all going to start walking on it? Hmmm…..
In the end, those who know and worship God will find the Good, see the good, and enjoy it. Some will walk on water or perform other miracles that demonstrate the presence and power of God. Others will follow more simply. Some will reject God. Some may not ever see the good in a particular happening. But then… They may not see the good in a lot of things - through all those clouds that build up around their head and heart.
God desires us to seek, find, worship. When we do this of our own free will, we can say that all things are God-i-ful. All things are full of God and work to good.
Does this make sense to you? Do you walk on water? Tell!