Wedding and A Sign (2)

The gospel of John, the fourth biography of Jesus in the bible, is organized differently than the others. The others are fairly typical biographies, chronological descriptions of a person’s life. John, on the other hand, is organized around a series of signs, accompanied by a series of teachings.

We looked at the first sign at the wedding at Cana. It was different from other signs Jesus performed. And we asked, given that a sign is performed to demonstrate the validity of who the person is, and the truth of his claim, why did John include this, as the first? And I wonder, all the signs and teachings coordinated? That is, the sign and the teaching joined together purposefully, to point at each other. I don’t have a definitive answer to the second question. Maybe later.

But is there a link between the first teaching and the first sign? And, if so, what is it?

The sign, of course, was changing water to wine. But there was no obvious teaching, unless we include the short discussion between Jesus, his mother, and the servants.

As we observed, the groom’s family was about to experience a social catastrophe. And when Mary informed Jesus, he seemed to indicate that his purpose in the world was beyond what anyone conceived it to be. Then, he exercised God’s power in an act of creation, in loving service, and to protect people from shame and disgrace.

The first sign becomes a picture of Christ’s mission in the world.

He acts to create a new family of restored people. People transformed to live as they were designed. People transformed to be the best examples of mankind.

He acts in love. Indeed, the core fact of the universe, and all time, becomes an act of love, which radically overturns how the universe functions.

And he acts to re-connect the Father with his children. Any person who gives his allegiance to Jesus, no matter what he has done, or how low he has fallen, can be restored to the Father, can face his without shame, expecting to be received freely, warmly, and wholeheartedly.

Jesus came for all of this!

A Wedding and Signs

In Jesus’ time, a Jewish wedding was a big deal. The groom and his family would prepare a place for the new family. The would plan and prepare for the wedding celebration for a year, or more sometimes. They would gather, and store, food and wine for scores of guests, for a 3 or 4 day party. It was a disaster to run short of something.

Imagine someone has a year to plan and prepare for something, and it gets messed up. People could say that this particular someone was “inept” on so many levels. Or one could call them something less polite than “inept.” It was more than a logistical miscalculation. It was a social failure. It was almost impossible to live down the shame.

So, Jesus goes to a wedding. His mother is also invited, so there is a good change this is a family wedding. And the run out of wine.

Mary learns about the problem. And she tells Jesus. Scripture doesn’t seem to indicate if she intended him to solve the problem, or if she was merely expressing familial concern. And his response to her seems to be a reproof at first. Is he saying that even his mother doesn’t understand his mission in the world?

But she does tell the servant to follow his instructions. And he does give them instructions that solve the problem. He has them fill containers with water, and the water turns to wine. Moreover, the wine he provides is better that the best of what was provided.

Scripture calls this his first sign. By sign, Scripture means an attesting miracle. A miracle that demonstrates the validity of who Jesus is. From one perspective, all miracles point to Jesus, as God’s messiah, as the Promised One, as Savior and Lord.

Throughout Jesus’ ministry, the Jewish leaders consistently ask Jesus for a sign. And, in reality, he gave them a sign, several signs in  fact. But they did not accept his signs, not because they weren’t miraculous, but because they did not agree with their pre-conceptions of God’s intentions, and Jesus’ mission.

The Jews seemed to be hung up on their part in God’s plan. They recognized being God’s people, and the transmitters of God’s standards. They did not get that God was determined to restore all people to relationship, and fellowship with him. He would restore all people to live according to their original design, and to create a family from all peoples. And they didn’t get how the Father was going to accomplish his purposes.

Was this Jesus’ first sign, because it was a signal to pay attention? Something special is here. Something unexpected is here. Or was it a signal that God was beginning to establish that new family (weddings are the beginning of new families) that he had promised?

Forgiveness

It is the belief of Christians, that when Jesus died on the Cross, he satisfied God’s requirements for the wrongs of every person. The Father covered each person – past, present, and future – and each person’s sin – past, present, and future – with the blood of Christ.

Scripture says that when a person comes to the Christ, his\her sins are nailed to the Cross. His\her entire record. And God already knows our entire record.

The instruction for confession and repentance is not a substitute for the Old Testament sacrificial system.

If one is cognizant of sin, by all means, agree with God that you have done something wrong, and decide with God to live differently. Maybe even how to live differently.

But the guilt of sin, and the power of sin, have been handled by the Cross and the Holy Spirit. God’s primary concern is fellowship, and transformation. Rather, are we walking in relationship with him? Are we living as we were designed?

The Heart of the God-Head

Scripture says that Jesus is the exact representation of the Father. I basically hold the traditional view about the Trinity. There is a mystery about the nature of the God-head, which humans cannot understand. Theologians say they have the same essence, or substance, but different personalities. I don’t think this means they are identical triplets. I do think it means they are in perfect agreement. Their inner lives are complexly congruent, completely in sync. They have the same motivations, the same convictions, and the same perspectives. They agree on the same plan, and have the same mission.

This includes all thoughts, feelings, and behaviors toward each person.

The Father is not the reigning King, focused only obedience, and justice. The Son is not the sacrificial lamb, focused on love, compassion and mercy. The Spirit is not this ethereal force, falling like lightning in unpredictable places. They all hate sin. They all love sinners. They all want the restoration of a relationship with all people, the formation of loving fellowship with all people, and the transformation of all people into the likeness of Jesus. (Meaning: each person living fully as God designed each one to be. Without sin like Jesus. Fully loving like Jesus. Yet, fully expressing each one’s gifts, strengths, and potential.)

Many feel that each member of the God-head have different attitudes toward people. The Father is angry, and condemning. The Son is gentle, and compassionate. And the views about the Spirit could fill all the volumes in a complete set of encyclopedias. From ephemeral nothing, to vague shadow, to ever present and powerful dynamo, active in every situation. But Scripture indicates they are in complete agreement, and perfect unity, about what they think about people.

Their parts in the plan, and mission, may by distinct. But their attitudes, motives, intentions, drives, feelings, and connections with, and to, people are identical. We can approach each member of the God-head with the same freedom, the same expectation of response, knowing they the same feelings, attitudes, and motives, for our good, our growth, and our destiny.

The Father and Partiality.

Scripture says that God does not show partiality. The example given was between the rich and poor.

The God of the Universe, Creator of all things, gives each, and every, person 100%, focused attention. He died for each, and every, person, whether they receive that forgiveness or not, whether they choose to follow him or not. 

A rich man is not more important in the Father’s eyes. A poor man is not more important in the Father’s eyes. He holds each person equally responsible for following him, for keeping his word, and for maintaining fellowship with him. And he provides equally for salvation, significance and identity. He gives love, abundant and overflowing, to each one equally. And he gives 100%, focused attention to each one equally. 

Think of anything that divides one kind of people from another (race, religion, country, politics, etc.) the Father knows that this thing exists. But it does not exist for him. 

There is only one division that means anything to him. Is someone in his family, or not in his family? And if someone is not in his family, it makes no difference to how his loves that person, his desire for relationship with that person, his attention on that person, or his intention to restore that person to his original design.

And Scripture says that it is God’s desire for his children to imitate his heart, his attitudes, and his behavior.

 

The Four Loves

In the original language of the New Testament, there are four words that are translated with the English word “love.” Each word has a different “color” of love. Like sky blue, cobalt blue, and baby blue are all blue, but they are different.

The first kind of love we will call “unconditional love.” It is love given to everyone: strangers, enemies, and the least. It is a love most often attributed to God, who seeks out sinners, rebels, and his enemies, to restore them to his family, and to their original design. It is a love that his family should express.

The second kind of love we can call “friendship love.” The more or less official definition is: love based on common interests and experiences.

There are some people who see God loving his children with this kind of love. They say “God not only loves us, but he also likes us.” We can see a parallel with a physical father, who teaches and disciplines his children, who pushes them toward their potential, but also enjoys playing with his children. I remember playing tag on the school yard “monkey bars” with my son, and wrestling on the living room floor. And when he got older, we played one on one basketball. I have seen grown men having “tea” with their four year old daughters.

This is an important demonstration of love – not unconditionally for an enemy or a stranger – but for a friend or a family member. God delights to have fellowship with his children. Sometimes it entails “heavy,” or important things like Bible study, intercession, and worship. Sometimes, to show us how he accepts us, as we are, where we are, he is willing to sit down and have “tea” … or maybe play video games. My wife feels God is telling her with rainbows, and when she finds coins on the ground, “You’re my buddy. I have good things in store for you.”

The third kind of love we can call “family love.” It is love for people who are extensions of us. We love our grandparents, because they are part of our family. We love uncles, aunts, and cousins. It is not too much of a stretch to see God loving us with this kind of love. We are part of his family, and extension of who he is.

Of course, all of this is so I can ask a question about the fourth kind of love. Most people would call it “romantic love.” And we can certainly see it in a man or woman enamored with their significant other. But a more official definition would be: love of someone, because one is overwhelmed by a particular aspect, or trait, of the one loved. It is easy to see how this is associated with romantic love. One person is taken with the form, and beauty, of the other person. However, the Greeks used this word in reference to the love of God, or the gods. The idea is: one loves God, because one is in awe of his power, majesty, beauty, wisdom, or perfection.

This particular love has gotten almost most exclusively connected in our modern thinking with physical beauty. And a person could be captivated by another person’s beauty. But by definition, one could also be captivated by their intelligence, bravery, or artistic ability.

So, we have seen that God loves us unconditionally, even though we are sinners, rebels, and enemies. We have seen that God can love us as friends, enjoying to be with us, sharing life with us. And we can extrapolate a little, and see how God can love us, because we are part of his family, his body, and his kingdom. So, does the God of the universe, who designed us, and created us, who knows us better than we know ourselves, love us for some aspect of our being, that he built into us, to set us apart from everyone else?

• I really love Bob, because he can see my character in nature, especially the plant kingdom.
• I really love Pam, because she takes old, worn out, and ugly things, and re-creates them into new, useful, and beautiful things … kind of like I do with my children.
• I really love Mary, because her heart is given to children. They feel safe with her. And she brings out the best in them.
• I really love John, because he brings me into the center of things, and people, and helps them understand what I am really like, and how I really feel about them. 

At this point, I can understand the four loves, and I can see how God could express himself in all four ways. To be honest, I don’t have any Scriptural evidence that God does express himself in all four ways. There is definite evidence for some of the ways. And if I find evidence for others, I will most likely write about it here. And I invite you all to put your two cents about any evidence that you may know of.

"Adopted" in Christ

There are a few places in Scripture, where believers are described as being “adopted in Christ.” This presents a picture of a child, unwanted, alone, without family, without resources, being chosen and brought into a family. And everything changes, because the family pours out its love into the child, and the Father pours out his love into the family.

This is a compelling picture for many. The Father chooses to love. The Father pursues each of us, intending to bring us home. We are placed in a family, given equal access, equal rights, and equal resources.

But are we looking at the picture correctly?

The word translated “adopted” in the original language is a compound word, derived from two words meaning: “son,” and “to place.” So, the world could be literally translated “to place into son-ship.” It is pretty easy to see how the modern concept of adoption could be used. But are we born into one family, and brought into God’s family?

Scripture says we are born physically into the world, but without God, we are dead physically. When we give our allegiance to Jesus, we are born spiritually. We are born into God’s family. We are not unwanted outsiders. We are natural-born children of God’s family.

Recently, I was told – and Vine’s dictionary seems to agree – that the term “to place into son-ship” is more correctly understood to mean “to give recognition as a son.” It is a proclamation, and an affirmation, of relationship. It is a father, watching his son hit a walk-off home run, or scoring the winning goal in stoppage time, get out of his seat, and yell at the crowd: “That’s my son!”

There is a group of writers who discuss what they term the “orphan spirit.” It is the conviction of some people that they are unwanted and unneeded. They have no place. This declaration of son-ship is the exact opposite. God does not need us, because he is all-sufficient. But God does want us, and does want fellowship with us. And God does give us a place in his family, which needs us. If one of God’s children is living in an “orphan spirit,” they are living in a lie.

The Least ... Again

I have been thinking about another way to look at the “least.” I’m sure when Jesus referred to the least, he meant the lowest in society. The poor. The criminal. The social outcast. But could we not also think of them as those we have the least in common. When we combine this, with Jesus’ command to love our enemies, we can come to a bewildering array of conclusions.

It is easy to see how the better-off should love the poor. But Jesus’ commands are for everyone. So, the poor should love the rich.

Everywhere there is a broken relationship, no relationship, or enmity, the family of Jesus should fill that space with love. In both directions.

• Whites and blacks.
• Democrats and Republicans. (Conservatives and progressives.)
• Christians and Muslims. (ISIS?)
• Christians and gays.
• The Police and the black community. 

If we have given our allegiance to Jesus, and are members of his family, we have chosen to follow him. We have not only chose to obey him, and his commands, but we have, at some time, decided that his commands express a perfect expression of his design for mankind.

God’s first and foremost intention is for people to live in love. And love covers and encircles every single person: friend, foe, stanger, foreigner, amd across every possible way to divide people.

The Least

Jesus told a story about a crowd of people, standing before the throne of God, waiting for judgment.

God told one group, they would be banished from his Kingdom, because when he was hungry, they did not feed him. When he was thirsty, they did not give him a drink. When he was sick, they did not take care of him. When he was lonely, or in prison, they did not visit him.

God told another group, they would inherit from his Kingdom, because when he was hungry, they did feed him. When he was thirsty, they did give him a drink. When he was sick, they did take care of him. When he was lonely, or in prison, they did visit him.

And both groups asked him, when did any of this ever happen? (One woulds think that if an individual found the King hungry, and cooked a burger for him, one would remember.) And the God answered, "When you loved/served the least of my brothers, you loved/served me."

God makes loving and serving one another -- especially the least -- equivalent to loving and serving him.

But who are the least?

The helpless are part of the least. They can do nothing for you. They cannot repay, or reciprocate, for any kindness given to them.

Enemies are another part of the least. Someone who could reciprocate a kindness given, but if they had a choice, would give back evil.

Law breakers are also part of the least. They perform acts of rebellion against the order of their society. They promote a breakdown of peace and safety.

And in regard to the Kingdom of God, we are the least.

From the beginning, we were all intended to be part of God's Kingdom, God's family. The first people chose to live apart from God. They broke their allegiance to the Father, cast of their family ties, and lost their citizenship.

And we all begin in that state. We continue to break God's law. We defy God's rule, and are hindrances to his way. At times, we will deliberately choose to act in ways that advance the kingdom of the enemy. And when we wake up, and realize the emptiness of our lives and actions, we cannot change our hearts. We cannot change our standing before God.

A prime example of helplessness is a human infant. An infant cannot feed or protect itself. Unlike animals, who can walk within a short period of time, sometimes only hours after birth, an infant may take a year. The only reason infants survive is the almost obsessive devotion of their mothers.

We are helpless. We cannot restore our relationship with God. We cannot restore our design. We cannot fill our hearts with true fuel. So, our Father chooses to fil the role of mother, with the same devotion. He restored the relationship. He brought us back into the family. He fills our hearts with that true fuel.

If we break his law, we work against his Kingdom. We are rebels ... perhaps without conscious intention. But we live in ways that damage the effectiveness, the image, and the reputation of God's Kingdom.

We are least in the Kingdom. And God fed, clothed, cared for, and visited each of us. And God's standard is that the children imitate the Father.

Who are the least to us? That homeless man begging on the corner. That driver who cuts you off on the Interstate. Nowadays, maybe it is that man living at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Whoever it is, God wants us to treat the least, like he treats the least.

Choosing Jesus ...

When we give our allegiance to Jesus, we become a citizen of God’s kingdom, a member of God’s family, and a friend of the King. We learn that the world is broken. It does not work as God intended. And we are broken. But we look forward to God’s new world. And we rejoice as we consider living in that world, which is not broke, but does function as God intended.

And when the world expresses itself in this broken, ungodly way, we can also rejoice. Problems and trials teach us to endure. We learn to stay faithful. We learn what is important.

And because we practice what is important, we develop character. We slowly become what God designed us to be.

And because of this transformation, we eagerly expect salvation in all its phases. We expect to be delivered from the penalty of sin. We expect to be delivered from the power of sin. We expect to be delivered from the presence of sin.

And God will deliver meet all our expectations. Living as God designed is the best for us. And he delights in our transformation, and our fellowship, because he loves us. His Spirit resides in our inner core, to facilitate that transformation, and fellowship, and to communicate his love.

Serving from God's Love

I have been reading a book (The Five Stones), and in one part, the writers were the story about Jesus getting baptized by John. In the story, Jesus rises from the water, the Holy Spirit rests on him in the form of a dove, and a voice is heard. “You are my son. I love you. I am pleased with you.”

The writers point out this is the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. He hasn’t preached a sermon, healed any diseases, or performed any miracles. Yet, the Father proclaims his relationship, his favor, and his approval of Jesus. The Father gives loves and approval based on identity, not performance.

Recently, I discussed here 70 different parts of a person’s identity in Christ. 70 different things that God proclaims as true about each of his children. They are true, because God proclaims them to be, not necessarily because we walk in them.

Jesus served from his identity, and God’s love and approval. The writers pointed out that people often serve to gain love and approval. Like Jesus, any of God’s children, once they have given their allegiance to him, begin walking with him in his love and approval. We do not need to work for it. We have it already.

What amazed me was the tremendous freedom Jesus walked in. He had God’s total love and approval. That meant he could go all in, and roll the dice without fear. Jesus had no fear!! Of failure. Of rejection.

God’s children need to learn their identity, and learn how to walk in it. The heart to obey, and the willingness to take risks for God, increases as we learn who we truly are. And we can see the impact of this mindset, because the first church understood its identity vividly. And they turned the world upside doen.

The Gospel

The classic “formula” of the gospel is:

• God loves you and has uniquely designed your life.
• But all mankind has sinned, so they are separated from God. They have no relationship with God. They cannot have fellowship with God. They cannot experience his love.
• Jesus died to satisfy God’s judgment in our place.
• We can choose to accept this pardon.

Scripture bears witness to all four of these principles. Each of them could certainly be expanded on a lot more. For example, we could talk about how “accepting the pardon” also requires “repentance.” In other words, we realize that sin, not only separates us from fellowship with God, but it also blocks us from living according to our design. Repentance says “I used to live by these principles and standards of life. Now, I realize they don’t work. I choose to live by God’s principles and standards. I choose to live in subjection to him.”

However, my question today is: how close to the classic “formula” does a person need to be, for his profession of allegiance to Jesus to be authentic?

Augustine lived in the fourth century. To put it simply, he was a bad person. He lived selfishly, and for his own pleasure. But at some point in his life, he realized he was a bad person. And he was horrified by how he was living. So, he began a journey to find how a person can get right with God. After trying several things, he finally came to understand Jesus and the Cross. He understood repentance and faith. He gave allegiance to Jesus, and became part of God’s family.

I have a friend, who before he gave his allegiance to Jesus, was also a bad person. He knew he was a bad person, but he didn’t care. There were worse people. And in the long run, it didn’t matter.

One day, someone gave him a book. The book was about how the Bible is demonstrated to be true by events in history. His reaction was: “The Bible is true. God is true. Jesus is true.” The truth of history convinced him to give his allegiance to Jesus, not his guilt before a holy God.

The story of Paul’s conversion is quite prominent in the Bible. He became an agent of the Jews in persecuting the church. While on a trip to carry out his assignment, he was knocked off his feet by a vision of Jesus. It was this vision that became the main force in Paul giving his allegiance to Jesus. Paul, speaking about his life before Jesus, says that according to the Law, he had no fault. In his mind, at that time, he kept the Law. He was not guilty of breaking it. Scripture does not say what went on in his mind the three days between his vision and his baptism. But it was the truth about an encounter with Jesus that propelled him toward allegiance to Jesus, and not consciousness of sin and guilt.

I was nine when I gave my allegiance to Jesus. I do not have a very dramatic story. I was at my family’s church one Sunday. I became impressed by the fact that there really, and truly, was a God. And if there really was a God, that meant he was Boss of the universe. Which meant my life needed to agree with him, and his “direction.” So, I chose to get in line, and follow him the best I could. And it probably took me less time to decide that, than it did for you to read this paragraph.

Augustine’s main push came from his realization of his sin. The main push for the others came from some other truth. Not that they didn’t learn about sin, and how far away from God’s way they were. It came second though.

God does not follow formulas. God touches the core of each person’s heart, and connects with them. It might be a place of need. It might be a place ofafailure. It might be a truth. God does not get locked in, but uses a multitude of avenues to connect with people, and to persuade them to choose allegiance with him.

God's Restoration

Scripture says that Jesus died for us. Sin destroyed mankind’s relationship, fellowship, and image with God. Jesus dies so the Father could fulfill his plans, and purposes, in the world. Plans and purposes devised, designed, and intended before anything else was created.

The Father intended to have a relationship with every person ever born. He intended to have fellowship with every person ever born. Jesus paid the admission fee into God’s family for everyone. We need to go get the ticket that is already waiting for us.

And when we choose to follow Jesus, we being the lifelong process of restoring our relationship, fellowship and image with God. Not only are we supposed to “look” like Jesus – thinking , speaking, and acting like Jesus. We are also supposed to have the same relationship Jesus had with the Father, when he was in the world. We are supposed to have the same fellowship. We  are supposed to have:

• The same connection;
• The same awareness of the Father and the Spirit;
• The same grasp of the Father’s heart;
• The same “eyes” to see what the Father’s sees;
• The same “ears” to hear what the Father hears;
• The same “voice” to speak what the Father speaks, and pray what the Father prays;
• The same closeness.

The Father intends to restore all of this.

Walk in the Spirit - 5

We have seen that sin does not destroy our relationship with the Father, but it does disrupt our fellowship. It disrupts our connection to the Father, the flow of love and grace, and therefore, our ability to live like Jesus, in the way we were designed.

One reason, Jesus live the way he did was because sin never disrupted his connection to the Father. We won’t be so lucky. We won’t be able to say that sin will never disrupt our connection. We should be able to restore fellowship (and the flow of love and grace) by confession and repentance. And we should have stonger cores, when fellowship and the connection is restored. And our character should grow; we should grow in obedience; we should shrink in the practice of sin.

Sin will disrupt the connection, and hinder our ability to live like Jesus. Walking in righteousness will increase our ability to walk like Jesus. But is that the whole thing?

Jesus never lost connection with the Father, and the Spirit. And he never lost contact. The presence of the Father, and the Spirit, was always before him. From the time he got out of bed in the morning, the fact the he was rubbing shoulder with the Spirit was an apparent, obvious fact.

Every day, we rub shoulders with the Spirit. He is eternally present. (Meaning: God gives each one of his children 100%, focused attention.) He is ready, willing, and able to act in any endeavor that restores his kingdom, and brings him glory. He promises to do anything we ask in his name.

Yet, how many of us live as if God is eternally present? We mostly live as if he is not. We need to live in a way that does not offend God, but we also need to live in a way that is aware of his presence. We need to give him attention in a way that mimics his attention of us … given we are physically unable to imitate his 100%, focused attention. It is this awareness that puts us into position to draw on his resources. It is our usual, normal, lack of awareness, that puts us in a position where we depend on our personal abilities, knowledge, and wisdom.

Jesus’ story of the vine and branches indicates, if nothing else, that Christianity is not just a moral code. It is a relationship and fellowship with the Creator of the Universe. It is rational, reasonable, logical, wise, and philosophically complete. But it is also has a mystical side. As his children, we need to embrace the rational, and the mystical. We need to connect into the vine, to receive grace, love and divine nutrition, to produce fruit, and glorify the Father. But if we do not even recognize that we are connected, we will receive nothing from the Father. The connection relies on the focus of our hearts.

Walk in the Spirit - 4

When we give allegiance to Jesus, God chooses to act as judge, and as father. He declares, because of our choice to follow Jesus, that the penalty for our sin is paid for. And he declares that he has adopted us as sons, and taken us into his family.

When Christ died, God nailed our sins to the cross … and they died with Jesus. And we died with Jesus. We were crucified, died and were buried with Christ. And the Law cannot judge anyone, once they have died.

When we choose to follow Christ, God marked us as his, by sending the Holy Spirit to make his home in our inner core. The Spirit renews our core, and crushes the power of sin in us.

Jesus and the cross dealt with the penalty of our sin. The Holy Spirit dealt with the power of our sin. The only thing left is its presence. And because sin was in our core at birth, and because we practiced it every day, we became extremely proficient.

We were designed to have relationship with the Father. We were designed to have fellowship with the Father.

Relationship refers to identity and\or position. When we gave our allegiance to Jesus, he chose to adopt us. We became sons. We became members of his family. Sin cannot break that relationship, any more than insulting my physical parents breaks that relationship. If I insult my mother, I am still her son.

Fellowship refers to connection. I am designed for my heart to be open to the Father, and the Father’s heart to me. I am designed for moment by moment communication, moment by moment reception of love and grace from the Father. I am designed to live like Jesus, and to demonstrate the fruits of the Spirit, and the traits of love. If I live in obedience to the Spirit of God (which is expressed in the Word of God), I agree with my design, I am filled with joy and peace, and I maintain and strengthen my connection to the Father.

And sin breaks all that. Even though I am still a son, the connection is broken. There is no communication, no love, and no grace. I am in disharmony with my Father, and my design. No joy. No peace. No growth. No fruit.

If I insult my mother, I am still her son, but I might not get invited to dinner for a while. And, maybe, it is really important for my health, and well-being, to get home cooked meals.

We need to become convinced of the fact that: living in agreement with God’s word means living in agreement with our design, it means maintaining and strengthening our connection to our source of life, meaning and purpose. If the connection gets broken, we start dying. We need to restore the connection as soon as possible.

Scripture says we need to confess and repent of our sin. Confession means to speak in agreement. We agree with God. Sin is bad; righteousness is good. Repent means to change the way we think. And if I am changing the way I think, I change the way I live.

If someone does not have relationship with the Father, it is sin which cuts such a person off from the Father. And it is confession and repentance, plus giving him allegiance, which brings a person into relationship and fellowship.

If someone does have relationship with the Father, it is sin which blocks the connection with the Father. And it is confession and repentance, plus choosing to honor one’s allegiance, which restores the connection, and renews the reception of communication, love and grace.

Because of the presence of sin in our lives, we will continue to fall, and continue to experience a loss of fellowship, with its ensuing love and grace. So, we will need to continue the practice of confession and repentance to restore our connection, and to continue to live as we were designed.

Walking in the Spirit - 3

Mankind was designed to live a particular lifestyle. The shortest way to describe this lifestyle: mankind was designed to live like Jesus.

Jesus is unique in a number of ways. There were some things only he could do. The Father, Son, and Spirit planned that Jesus would complete his unique purpose and mission. And they intended that he would live a life style to be an example to all of God’s children. When we gave our allegiance to Jesus, we embarked on a life of transformation and cooperation with the Father’s mission and purpose. The process of transformation should bring us back to living as we were designed, in the image of Jesus.

We should live like Jesus lived. We should love like Jesus loved. We should have faith like Jesus. We should serve like Jesus. We should be connected to the Father and the Spirit like Jesus. We should hear him speak to us daily. We should always live in reliance on his grace.

The question that always comes up is: if God intends for use to live like Jesus, does God intend for us to heal the sick, raise the dead, and walk on water?

Some would relegate such acts to Jesus alone. He is God. He is sinless. On the other hand, this does not take into account that the Twelve performed such acts. This does not take into account that Paul performed such acts. This does not take into account modern, current testimonies of cancer disappearing, people getting out of wheelchairs, and the blind seeing.

Scripture says that God has spoken to us and given us promises. God gave these promises, so we could demonstrate the characteristics of his nature. One, that means we will grow to naturally, and habitually, choose honorable, pure, and righteous behavior. It also means we will choose love, and we will choose faith.

Two, Scripture also says:  if we ask for anything in Christ’s name, he will give it to us. “Anything” is an awful, big area. The sick, the dead, storms, cities, nations, and cultures are all part of “anything.”

Maybe, as some suggest, God does not respond to our prayers, because of our moral failures. Maybe, as some suggest, God does not respond to our prayers, because responding would interfere with God’s overall strategy in the world. And maybe it is a faith issue. Maybe his children do not take the Father’s promises seriously enough.

Walk in the Spirit - 2

We have tried in the past to discuss the nature of this connection. There were several posts using Jesus’ analogy of a vine and branches. A branch receives life, growth, and bears fruit based on its connection to the vine.  And we have mentioned in other posts that the connection is at least initiated by focusing our hearts on God.

And I have described how I believe that when the Bible uses the word “heart,” it is using a metaphor for the inner life. I sometime use the word “core” to express the same thing. So, connection could be achieved in a number of ways: worship, prayer, meditation, silent communion, studying Greek participles, or sitting in an open posture, waiting for God to speak into our lives. We hold out our hands to God, and God grabs back. Then, he turns on the flow of love and grace into our hearts.

We gain connection; and we love connection. We live like Jesus; and we live like us. So, is the answer to our previous question: Jesus was always in connection with the Father. And “calming storms” is merely the overflow of fully charged batteries. Or is there another step? And how can frail human beings always remain in connection with the Father?

Walking in the Spirit

During the Last Supper, besides eating the Passover meal together, because he knows his death is imminent, he spends considerable time teaching and encouraging his disciples in many areas.

He is seated with the men, who will take his message and his example into the world, with earthquake-tsunami-like effect.  And if the disciples are in any way aware of the expectations of their life, they would dissolve in fear, and panic. "I'm not Jesus! How can I do what he does?"

So, a large portion of this time is spent on the Helper\Comforter. The Bible says that when we give our allegiance to Jesus, God marks us as his. The mark is a guarantee of our citizenship in his kingdom, our membership of his family, our part in his body. The mark is the Holy Spirit. It is God himself, residing in our core. God has made his home in our inner being, declaring with bright, glaring neon lights, "This is mine! No trespassers allowed!"

It is this same Holy Spirit who resets our spiritual DNA, guaranteeing our transformation. He communicates the Father's special, individual, messages to our inner core. He is our connection to God's resources.

Jesus, though he was in nature God, became man. He became man, so he could demonstrate mankind's original design. He lived, acted, spoke, thought, and felt as each of us were designed to be. He lived in connection to the Father, through the Holy Spirit.

Now, given our allegiance to Jesus, we have the same connection to the Father that Jesus did. And Jesus says, because we have that connection, we can do the same things Jesus did. And Jesus said we will do greater things. (Give sight to the blind? Raise the dead? Calm the storm?)

This is way outside the experience of many Christians. This is way outside the experience of Christians, who assert most strongly that all have been granted authority to love, and act, in this manner.

"Authority" is "delegated power." It means that some entity is given permission to use power. And, usually, power is delegated with conditions. The electric company gives its customers permission to use its power, provided the customers pay the bill. The police are given permission to use deadly force to enforce the law. Again, there are parameters under which such force is sanctioned.

The question we all ought to be asking is: if Jesus did what he did, and lived the way he lived, because he was connected to the Father, and we should do what Jesus did, and live the way he lived, because we are connected to the Father, why are very few, if any, of God's children doing what Jesus did?

Since, one of the parameters to the authority each of God's children is given is the connection of each child to the Father, what is the difference between Jesus' connection and ours?

"Walking" in Faith

In the Bible, God tells Abraham that he is going to give Abraham’s family the land he is living in. Of course, at this time, Abraham’s family has just two people in it. Then, after Abraham died, there was a famine in the land, so Jacob moved the family to Egypt temporarily. Temporarily meaning 400 years.

Eventually, it was time to move back. So, Joshua and 2 million Israelites stood on the shore of the Jordan River. Melted snow from the mountains added to the river, so that it was a mile-wide raging torrent. How do you get men, women, and children across the river?

For someone who parted a sea not too long before this, parting a river is not too big of a problem. But there is a twist.

When God parted the Red Sea, Moses stood up and said, “Hey, guys! Watch this!” And they did. Now, Joshua told the people, that when they saw the priests carrying the Ark, they should follow them. And they did.

The priest carried the Ark down to the edge of the river, and started to wade across. When they got to knee-deep, the Bible says God pushed to river back to a city 5 miles upriver.

God is giving two pictures of faith. Sometimes, if we are pursuing a God-given objective, and there is an obstacle, we need to watch and wait. And sometimes, we need to start wading. That is, we need to begin moving in the direction of the objective.

How do we know which to do? Faith is believing that what God says is true, trusting he will be acting to bring it to pass, and obeying what he gives us to do. Which means sometimes we wait, and sometimes we wade. The only logical difference  I can see in both situations is what God said, what people heard, and what people did in obedience.

I believe God is an active communicator still. I believe God is speaking to each child almost continually. His children mostly are not paying to attention. So, they miss his voice.

He speaks in different ways. Sometimes, he underlines verses in the Bible. Sometimes, he whispers thoughts in our hearts. He sends dreams and visions. I even read of a couple of instances where people heard audible words. Faith requires us to be alert to his voice, so we know whether to wait, or whether to wade.

Pray for Workers

Jesus sent his disciples out on a mission trip. Before they left. He spent some time giving them instructions. The first instruction was to pray for workers.

He said the harvest was great. The harvest in this case was not ears of corn, or bushels of wheat. The harvest referred to the lives, and souls, of people. These are people who have not given God their allegiance, but they are responding to the God-shaped emptiness in their hearts.

Part of Jesus’ mission was to die for mankind’s sin. Part was to introduce people to the Father, and his desire for fellowship with people. Only Jesus could complete the first part. But any of Jesus’ disciples can do the second. And the second part has become the disciples’ mission.

There are three practices involved in accomplishing this part of Jesus’ mission.

• Proclaim. This is communicating the gospel message. This could be verbal, written, sign language, art, semaphore, or Morse code. This could be a speech, a discussion (one on one, group, or panel), a blog post, a newspaper article, a novel, or an animated movie on TV. This could be instruction, answering questions, or relating personal experience. It should occur in all places, and all phases of society.

• Demonstrate. Jesus did more that talk; he acted. So, his disciples should act too. Like him, they should serve, love, feed, give relief, build, comfort, empathize, accept, heal and show mercy. The goal is for God’s family to be a picture of God. It is say, “You want to know what Jesus was like? Look at his family.”

• Pray. Creation has two parts: physical, and spiritual. And these parts interact and impact each other. So, there is a supernatural component to walking with Jesus. Prayer is how an individual follower of Jesus contributes to the impact of God’s family in the unseen, but really real, part of creation. In prayer, he smothers the effects of the enemy, enhances and strengthens the effect of the Spirit, releases the Spirit to move in different spaces, and affects the hearts of people, cities, and nations. Along with that, he strengthens the hearts of other members of God’s family to take up God’s mission. 

God’s family is an army, and a team. Each member of God’s family should be able, and should be involved in proclaiming, demonstrating, and praying. Each one will probably be involved in one practice more than the others – so, as a team, we cover one another. But all should practice all.

Golden Rule

I noticed recently that in Luke’s gospel, the golden rule is in context of Jesus’ teaching about loving your enemies.

The tendency most people have is to give to one’s enemy what the enemy gives to you. With maybe a little more added. If they trash you, you trash them. If they abuse you, you abuse them.

But Jesus said, treat your enemy as you want to be treated. No one wants to be abused, trashed, taunted, insulted, or spat upon. We all want to be treated gently, politely, and with respect.

Jesus commands us to live contrary to our natural inclination. Even to move in the opposite direction. For abuse, give kindness. For insult, give praise.

Of course, to really, authentically act in a different way, a person needs a different heart. To act in love at all times, a person needs a new heart. A person needs new spiritual DNA injected into the core of our being. To get new spiritual DNA, a person needs a new agreement with Jesus, to give one’s allegiance to Jesus.

Old Vs. New Covenant

God told Jeremiah that he would make a new covenant with his children. The first covenant was made on Sinai, when God gave the Law to Moses. The covenant was based on an agreement between God and the people. God would bless the people, as long as they obeyed the Law. And God would permit circumstances that would punish the people, when they disobeyed. And they continually broke the covenant. The Bible narrative contains a series of waves. The people ride high on the crest of obedience. Then, the crash on the beach of disobedience.

It was a choice to surrender to weakness, and expedience. To want to be like others. To stop following the Lord. Israel chose to follow other gods, almost from the very first day God delivered them from Egypt.

So, a new covenant is needed. One that is not based on men following the Law in their own strength and will. Because that is never going to happen.

This new covenant is also based on an agreement with God and people. The people choose to follow God. God chooses to make a fundamental change in the person’s spiritual DNA. The change occurs deep in a person’s inner man. Thought processes, motivations, and imagination are all fundamentally changed.

And Jesus came to bring this new covenant into being. And many Jews realized something extraordinary was happening. But what many did not seem to see was that a change in covenant also meant a change in practice. It’s like when a person gets a new item of clothing, because an old item has a hole in it. One does not get the new item to use it as patch material for the old item. One begins using the new item, and gets rid of the old one.

Christ Removed the Power of Sin

Scripture also says god gave us a spiritual circumcision. Circumcision is a cutting away and removing of flesh. In a spiritual circumcision, God removes the flesh.

“Flesh” is a term, used in the bible, to mean that part of a human being, which enables us, which gives power to sin. When the first people chose independence from God, that decision flipped a switch in the hearts of people to choose sin and rebellion. Turning away from God, choosing sin instead of holiness, hate instead of love, selfishness instead of service, has become natural to people. It has become part of our DNA. We do not have the power to stop, and change these attitudes and behaviors. They are woven too deep into our beings. There is no hope of improvement, let alone perfection.

But we gave our allegiance to Jesus, and he circumcised our spiritual flesh. He removed that part of our inner man that is naturally inclined to sin. If you will, he did a DNA transplant. He removed the gene that gave power to sin, and replaced it with a gene that gives power to love, obedience, and faithfulness. He gave us the spirit, who will step by step, renew our image, so we will look like, and live like, Jesus.

Without this process, there is no hop of moving back to the Father. We will be unable to choose obedience. No, we can choose.

This does not mean we will become perfect in this life. The presence of sin is still in our lives. We have gotten too good at it, through long, intense, and continuous practice. The enemy and the world still seek to deceive, to influence, and to mold. But we can now expect significant restoration of our original design. We can expect significant transformation into Christ’s image. We can expect significant advances in love, joy, and peace.

Christ Paid the Penalty of Sin

Scripture says, that when we chose to give our allegiance to God, he dealt with the penalty of our sin. Christ’s death prepare the way. And with our allegiance, God applied the results of Christ’s death to us. He nailed our sins to the cross.

When a criminal was crucified, a sign was nailed to the cross listing the crimes the person committed, for which he was being executed. Well, God listed our sins, and nailed them to Jesus’ cross. He was executed for our sins.

Christ has paid the penalty for our sin. The cross cancelled that penalty. And we are now free to approach God, as his child, as his friend, and as his priest.

Peace

We were at some friends recently. At one point, the family cat came in from outside, and was looking for a warm lap to take a nap in. He jumped onto the chair I was sitting in, found the most comfortable spot, laid down, and didn’t move a muscle.

It reminded me of my son. We would need to go somewhere. So, we would put him into the car seat, buckle him in, start the car, and he would be a sleep in 30 seconds. Head down flat on the arm rest in front of him. How can anyone sleep in such a position?

And I began to wonder about what going to sleep so readily says about a person’s mind-set.

Little children fall asleep readily, and quickly, because they feel safe. There are no worries, no fears, no frantic scramble to achieve security. Little children are totally at peace. They have moms and dads who fill their needs, protect them, comfort them, and love them.

Scripture says we should be like little children. Scripture says our lives should be characterized by peace. And human adults are anything but characterized by peace. Not that they are not seeking peace. They are looking for it in jobs, insurance, alarm systems, government regulations, politics, and the perfect relationship. Everywhere by the source of peace.

Like love, each of God’s children should be characterized by peace. If they are not experiencing peace, they are not walking with God like they should.

Large portions of God’s family are living in a state of angst. There is dread of the future, the state of the union, the world and the economy. Their hopes, confidence and trust rests in the government, their bank account, their jobs, or their friends, None of these are big enough.

The only thing big enough to support the world, all its people, and all its problems is our heavenly Father. He is the only one wise enough to have the answers. He is the only one big enough to hold everyone in his hands, and heart. He is the only one who can act with the perfectly balanced amount of love, power, strength, and gentleness.

He is the only one who has each person in his heart. He is the only one who can affect good for the world, and each individual. He loves each one. He is for each one. Even if the world is crashing, imploding, and being overwhelmed, all of these things are true. Especially as it relates to the who turn to God, give him their allegiance, and become a part of his family.

We experience peace as we engage in fellowship with the Father, as we surrender to the one who loves us above all else – our lives, our worries, and our loved ones. Peace is a sign of trust in our Father, and a sign of defeat to the world, the flesh, and the enemy.

Fruit of the Spirit

Scripture says that when we give our allegiance to Jesus, his Spirit makes its home in the core of our inner being. Since, all of life proceeds out of this core, the Spirit begins to give input into a person’s core, and it flows out into his life.

(Many people use the word “heart” to designate this core. It feeds into the person’s thoughts, words, and actions. And, therefore, it affects their life. I tend to see “heart” as a figure of the entire inner man. So, when god speaks to my heart, he speaks to the whole package.)

As the spirit gives input at this most fundamental level of our lives, we experience transformation starting at this most fundamental level. It then flows out to the outer places of life. Some people view this as a change in spiritual DNA.

So, as the Spirit splices new “DNA” into our hearts, we begin to live as the spirit lives, as Jesus lives. And Scripture says there are certain results that occur in our lives as this transformation process continues, and should occur in increasing measure.

The first in importance is love. The longer a person walks with Jesus, the more that love should be apparent in their lives. With joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness and discipline appearing and growing.