The Spirit, our spirit, and the discerning of spirits

Romans 8:16 Says that "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children." In our modern western worldview, we rarely think about spirits the way that the Bible does and teaches us to. Yet, as Christians, we must be able to discern the spirits so that we can effectively do the work of God. This passage in Romans talks of the change in spirit, or personality, identity, or attitude that comes about in the life of a born-again Christian. It says that our spirits speak, witness to the world that we belong to God as His children. Our spirits do this in two ways:
1. We have confidence instead of fear. When facing problems, we know that our Father is the Almighty Creator God, maker of heaven, earth, light, time, etc. We can call on God the way a child calls his dad for help.
2. As God's children, we must be holy. An apple does not fall far from the tree. Son's are called "a chip off the old block." Sons often look like the father. If not, they look something like the mother. But the child is the image of the parent. So, we as God's children must have holiness in our spirits. The evidence to the world that the Spirit is in us is compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience all clothed with love (Colossians 3:12-14). When we live like God's children our spirits testify to the world and the heavens that we are God's children.

When a person becomes born-again, it can be seen in their new spirit. A Christian, then, must be able to discern spirits that might war against this new spirit, to preserve and increase the work of God in the body of Christ.

To understand more about our duty as Christians to discern the spirits, we should look at 1 John 4:1-6. God's command, here, is to test the spirits. If He's commanded us to test the spirits, He's assuredly given us the ability to do it.
Do you think that there were only false prophets back at that time? Maybe we think there are still a few left in this world now, but that they're only in crazy cults and weird voodoo and witchcraft stuff. The truth is that there are false prophets throughout the world and even sometimes in the church. Do you think that there might be false prophets on your computer, or on your TV? There are false prophets telling us that we can become really happy if we have sex regularly with people to whom we have not made a verbal oath. There are false prophets that tell us that being drunk regularly will not get you into trouble in the end. There are false prophets in the church making us feel guilty for things for which we've been forgiven. We are to discern these spirits, keeping their lies from us and keeping them at bay until we have tested them. A Christian must let every spirit be brought under the name of Jesus Christ - if it worships His name, it is the Spirit of God, if it writhes and cowers and flees, it is not.

In verse 3b, we see that the spirit of the antichrist is already in the world. We need not fear the end times, for the cosmic battle for eternity is happening currently. In a foreign Muslim country, I had the opportunity to hear the testimony of a church leader whose life has been transformed by God. When she was at the most desperate moment of her life, she found a Christian church and figured she'd try it since she hadn't anything or anyone else to turn to. She went in and people were singing worship songs. She liked the music and joined in the singing but could not sing the words "Jesus is Lord." Weeks and months went by and she couldn't say these words until God provided a miracle for her and she began speaking these words. There is a spirit in the world who hates to see our spirits as children of God. He knows that a spirit always testifies, and a spirit of sonship brings glory to God the Father. The antichrist hates to see spirits that testify that they are children of God. It is the same way in certain parts of North America, where in casual conversations with people about religion if the names of Jesus Christ and God are mentioned, some will cringe and not hear it. Friends, don't let this stop you, you need to say the name of Jesus to witness, just be aware that the spirit of the antichrist is at work so that you will know how to pray and effectively share. The spirit of the antichrist has made God's name a curse amongst many. Because we know the enemy's schemes, we must glorify God's holy name.

Finally, in verse 4, the Scripture tells us "the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." We must know that when we go into battle against the spirits, that it is God's spirit who is in us. God created the universe, He raised Christ from the dead, He separated oceans and parted the seas for Israel. He can do more than we can ever imagine. His spirit is greater than the antichrist or any spirit who is in the world. We might go through times when we feel like we're wrong, because everyone else is following a path that's different from ours (verse 5), and they may even look happy for a time but we must stay true to the Spirit of God, and pledge allegiance only to Christ.

In verses 6, all John is saying is that the line of the apostleship came from God. God gave the world Christ Jesus. Christ Jesus gave the church the apostles. John and the other apostles walked with Jesus, talked with Jesus, were taught by Jesus, were encouraged by Jesus, were rebuked by Jesus and now have given their lives for Jesus. Our faith has been given us through their sacrificed lives so it is to their inspired teachings the people of God choose to listen.


May you live as children of God, may your spirits testify to it, and may God grant you discernment of the spirits He is overcoming through you.

Peace and Evolution

A conversation with a friend recently struck up some thoughts for me. He seemed to be receptive to an invitation to church, but something was holding him back. You see, the problem was this: my friend has been caught up in a relationship with a woman who is an atheist. Leaving someone who you've become attached to like this is not easy to do. So, young Christian brothers, be warned: one of the most difficult things for men to overcome to follow Jesus is that of sexual attraction. One of the greatest lies out there is the lie that says that we cannot be happy without having sex. I'm telling you that it's a blatant lie. I am a man with testosterone and a man's desires, tendencies and creative imagination. I have never had sex. And I can tell you that you can still be happy without these things. I don't say this to boast, but I can tell you that it's only because God has rescued me again and again fromdoing things that would keep me from obeying His will for my life. The world tells us this lie because it does not know any better. The problem is that the world does not understand the peace that comes through Jesus Christ.
Jesus said "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives."(John 14:27) In other words, Jesus gives the peace that that the world does not give. This word "peace" has a fuller meaning in Biblical texts than our modern day english word of peace. When Jesus says this, He means that He gives us peace with God, peace with ourselves, peace with each other, peace with our past, peace with our finances, peace with our families, peace with our future, peace in our present (whatever the suffering you're going through), peace with the powers above us, peace with those who we're in authority over, peace with the circumstances that guide our lives, peace in our bodies, peace in our minds, peace in our homes, peace in our jobs, peace with our spouses, peace with our children, peace with our parents, peace with our lovers, peace with our detractors, and peace with our friends. And more than simply the absence of conflict, the peace that Jesus Christ brings to our lives is a peace that means completion, or wholeness. So in all those areas listed above, whereas the world does not offer us anything, Jesus Christ gives us completion. Jesus, you complete us!

These are just some of the things I'm learning on my journey.

Another thing I was reminded of this week was the intense inner turmoil I went through in the second semester of my second year of college when I was taking a course on evolution. The teachers for this course rejected faith in God and did not see people or the universe as the works of a Creator God. Their basis for teaching from these theological perspectives were not explained, but they were assumed as valid starting points for scientific discovery. Soaking up the teaching of these brilliant minds, I ended up believing falsely for a time that I had to either choose God and ignore the scientific discoveries with the theory of evolution, or reject this foundational scientific theory to retain my faith in God. Night and day I read through every different perspective I could, trying to grasp the meanings and intricacies of Genesis 1 while at the same time attempting to insert God somewhere into the evolution framework. Prayer, the study of scripture, and being honest with God and others helped me to overcome this crisis of faith. In the process, I discovered several things that have helped me to have shalom with the matter.
1. Genesis 1 does not try to explain all of creation. Reading scholars like Meredith Kline, Rikk Watts, and others, and I am lead to conclude from their compelling explanations of the "framework-hypothesis" that the creation account addresses concerns other than an exact explanation of how the whole universe came to be in the state we currently witness it. God, I believe, has left that for man to discover. http://www.asa3.org/ASA/PSCF3-96Kline.html
2. There are many Bible-believing Christians who do not reject the theory of evolution. Check out Carl Drew on his website: www.theistic-evolution.com/index.html
3. There are other mysteries we don't understand even with the help of scripture for which we do rely on science to help us understand. For instance, we are able to understand that God metaphorically knit us together and formed us in our mothers' wombs (Psalm 139:13) while at the same time we understand the whole sperm and egg thing that happen within a woman's body. Why, then, can't we simultanteously understand both God being Creator of the universe and that the universe and life on earth have been formed over billions of years through complex processes?

Back from Babel

Have you ever wondered why there is so much bloodshed and war in this world? Have you ever wondered why there is so much misery and anger, pain and sadness? Maybe these questions don't bother you as much as the personal search for a meaningful life. The ancient Biblical story of the Tower of Babel speaks to these problems and through a Christ-centered understanding of it, we can gain a new perspective on our lives and our future.

Cities are amazing places. I spent four years in a BA program studying cities and know that I have not even begun to scratch the surface on the many wonderful things you can say about them. If we have been dazzled at the skyscrapers of New York, tried to contemplate the number of people in Hong Kong, or Mexico City, taken a walk down Fifth Avenue, through Las Ramblas in Barcelona, or over Parc Mount Royal in Montreal we would all agree.

Imagine what it took to build all of the world’s brilliant places. Think about the brick, the steel, the concrete, the glass, the billions of hours of labor and billions of tons of building material. In my opinion, there is no better way to take a look at what man-kind has done on earth than to look at its cities.

There is a city described in the Bible that was built long ago. It was a pinnacle of achievement in construction for mankind, but mysteriously its construction ended and it faded into time.

Genesis 11:1-9
“ Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The Lord said, ‘If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.’
So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel – because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.”

Looking at this story, one wonders why God here scattered the nations. A possible clue is found in verse 4. One of the reasons that the construction of a city is proposed is so that they will not be scattered over the face of the whole earth. For some reason the people were already afraid of being scattered. Had God warned them already of some sin to turn from? They knew they were in trouble from the outset, before they even started building it. When you realize you're not right with God, what do you do? Whatever the cause of their fear, they didn't seek to be right on the inside, but they went ahead with their plans.

So, in our story, the people begin to build Babylon. In effect, God says "no, you will not build a city without me in it. Cities need life. And I am the source of life!" There's an important principal from scripture that we can see here. If humans were together on our own terms, without God, things would not work out. The only marriages that work the way they’re intended to are the ones that have the love of Jesus at the center. The only families that are fruitful are the ones that have Christ at the center. The only management plans that work out are the ones that are ordained and led by God. I don’t intend to ignore the countless successes of people who do not love, respect or even acknowledge God, but in the end, will their successes last? Will they not fade with this world, and when their creations die will the dead carry them on? Aren’t Napolean, Genghis Khan, and Ghandi all in the grave? And beyond the issue of death, what is the point of building anything without Jesus at the center? Anyone who wants to be in heaven knows that it will revolve around Him. So, why build with only “bricks and mortar”?

It’s important that we realize that just as building cities without God will fail, building anything without God will fail.
Psalm 127:1
"Unless the Lord builds the city the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain."

Is God the chief-designer of your city? Is Christ the cornerstone of your building?

In our story, once God confuses the people, they still have the opportunity to continue building together, but they don't. Why not? If they were really committed to the task, they would have merely been setback by the language barrier. After some time, they would have learned to communicate again and gotten back into a routine. In fact, it suggest in Genesis 10:31-32 that there may have already been a differentiation between languages and nations when they began this whole project. In any case the people could have been speaking different languages and working together just fine, but there was a bigger issue. What caused them to be “scattered”?

The problem was not just that the languages were confused, but that the machine of cultural conflict was set in motion to cause division and the dispersal of the nations.

When God intervenes, all of the energy they had been using to build that city was turned into animosity for one another. They spread out not because they speak different languages, but because something happened in the spiritual realm that made them unable to work together. So, the people disperse, Babylon's population drops. Her politicians, construction workers and artists move to the suburbs, exurbs and beyond. Babylon becomes ripe for attack. It is interesting to note, here, that the warrior king, Nimrod is said to have made Babylon one of the first centers of his kingdom (Gen. 10:10), probably with Peleg as his accomplice(1). And in the Gen. 11 account, it is first called Babel in verse 9(2), after the people have dispersed, which leads us to assume that Nimrod the Babylonian may have come to power after the people were scattered. So, it seems that in response to the pride of the peoples, God removed his protection, and the wicked moved in to power. Not only are the languages differentiated here, but in Babylon chaos and war move in on the human scene with new authority. And this is how I see it: the fall for individual relationships happened in Eden, but the fall for the inter-national relationships happened at Babel. This event was huge! The world as they knew it ended, and history’s power vacuum grew to reach international proportions. At Babel, the effects of sin jumped from an interpersonal level to an international level. And we see the effects to this day as wars, racism, and cultural conflict have not ceased into the twenty-first century and will not cease until the coming of Christ.

After the flood, there were very few people left on the earth and they were all concentrated in one small area. But, at Babel, this began to change. From Babel people moved through the desert and into Africa, over the mountain ranges and into all of Asia and the Americas, and over the hills and rivers and up into Europe. People spread all the way to Papua New Guinea, Aboriginal Australia, the Himalayas, the northern reaches of Siberia, across the Bering Straight all the way into South America, to the east, north, west and south of Africa, north into Scandinavia and west through the Mediterranean world all the way to Greenland! The names we’ve given these places didn’t even exist back then, so it’s unfair to judge the text for lack of depth in explanation based on our modern-day knowledge of its implications. When the story happened, people did not realize its full implications. Throughout human history, peoples have continued to divide, and new languages and cultural differences have emerged as people spread further and further throughout the earth as a result of what God did at the tower of Babel.

Maybe some of you have seen the film Baraka(3).

If you have, or if you’ve done any traveling in real life or through books or television you'd certainly agree that the human race is a beautiful work of art. Think about the diversity of our cultures, the diversity of our ways of life, or the beautiful colors we use in architecture and clothing, the wildly different languages we speak, the variety of fragrances we use and the tastes of foods we eat. All of these peoples and cultures are beautiful, and God made each individually and said His creation was very good(4). But because of sin, because of the pride we displayed at Babel, as beautiful as we are, we are spiritually insignificant until God breathes the Spirit of Jesus into us and makes us new. No matter how lofty our thoughts and how beautiful our buildings, the words in Isaiah stand true for all of creation, where God says “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are my ways your ways. High has the heavens are above the earth, so are my thoughts higher than your thoughts and so are my ways higher than your ways” (Isaiah 55:8-9). The millions and millions of galaxies in the universe are each billions of light years away from each other. Nothing we build could ever come close to even traveling at the speed of light, never mind actually accomplishing the task of searching out the depths of the heavens. Do you think that God did this at Babel because the people were actually knocking on heaven’s door? Do you think that God was curling up in a ball in his cloud-built castle, waiting, hoping that the people would not get any closer, and telling himself to think positive thoughts? Could God have actually been afraid of man? No, he did it to stop us from becoming monsters. He did it to stop us from destroying ourselves. The purpose of God’s justice is to bring people to repentance, to save us.

And we see that within His judgment there is so much blessing! Think of all the wonderful things that would not be had God not scattered the nations. There would be no Inuit ingenuity, no Anglo work ethic, no Aboriginal resourcefulness, no Mayan mixture of agriculture and urbanity, no Italian class, no French joie de vivre, no Japanese attention to detail, no Celtic ballads, no ancient heroes and cultural identities, none of the beautiful canvases on which to paint the gospel of Christ. Not only that, but most of scripture was revealed to a people caught in the midst of this cultural dispersion. We would not have any of the Biblical stories past Genesis 11:10 (where the story of Abram begins). Maybe God had something beautiful planned within the whole mess of our pride and sin. Maybe He planned a way to redeem it.

We see throughout the Bible that God loves the nations. He uses Abraham to bless the nations(5). He uses Joseph to save the nations from famine(6). He uses Solomon to be a light to the nations(7). Throughout scripture, God’s plan was to use all that went wrong at Babel for good in the end. Even while Babel was rebelling, the plans were being made for three things:
1. Reconciliation between the nations and the Lord.
2. Reconciliation between the nations – a place of unity.
3. A new earth, restored and beautiful.

In the following Psalm we get a glimpse of God’s heart for the nations.

Psalm 87
He has set his foundation on the holy mountain; the Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. Glorious things are said of you, O city of God: “I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me – Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush – and will say, ‘This one was born in Zion.’”
Indeed, of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her.” The Lord will write in the register of the peoples: “This one was born in Zion.”
As they make music they will sing, “All my fountains are in you.”

This Psalm reveals God’s desire to bring the nations together. In it, God says he will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge Him - and he will say that they were born in Zion. Rahab was the foreigner who was raised in the city of Israel's enemies, and Babylon is known both for the scattering of the nations and as an enemy and oppressor of Israel. These are the people who are experiencing the fullest effects of the Lord’s judgment at Babel, but they are being found in Zion – God’s new city. Something had to have happened to have caused a reconciliation this deep! A soldier in combat cannot just walk into enemy territory in the midst of war, buy a house and call it his home! I want to say something very important here. The story of Babel is only important if seen through the cross of Jesus Christ. If not, it is just an interesting myth. At the cross all of our sins, every single sin was separated from us as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12), and we are seen as born in Zion – God’s new city(8). Maybe you’re in a situation where you’ve been away from God for a long time. Maybe you went off on your own and tried to make a name for yourself. If so, I believe God has a plan for your life. Because of the cross, there is reconciliation with God, no matter how far we’ve wandered. Because of the cross of Christ, we all have a home in heaven. Because of the cross, we have reconciliation with God. And because of the cross, we have reconciliation with enemies from our past, no matter what others have said or done to us. Forgiveness is possible through the cross. Healing is possible through the cross.

Ephesians 2:14-22
“For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh (on the cross) the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”

If you want to know you have a home with God, pray this or something like it:
God, I admit I am guilty of all kinds of sins. (greed, lust, lying/deception, jealousy, idolatry, adultery, pride, sexual immorality, anger, malice and others are sins. List the ones you are guilty of.) Lord Jesus, I thank you that you came to this world for sinners. I haven't lived for you, Lord, but today, I throw my building materials aside to receive what you have for me. God, I repent of my sins and receive your forgiveness. Thank you for the cross. Thank you for your gift of eternal life (John 3:16). God, I ask you to give me your Holy Spirit as a guide and teacher.


Footnotes:
1. Genesis 10:25 shows that Peleg was alive when the “earth was divided.” He is the same generation as Nimrod, and no others are associated with the division event at Babel.
2. The city is referred to as Babylon in Gen. 10:10, but in the context of the story of Babel, the place where people gathered is first given the name Babel at the end. The name is attributed to the place because of what happened there.
3. Baraka (1992) a film created by Ron Fricke.
4. Genesis 1:31 This is the only place in the creation account where God calls creation “very good.”
5. Genesis 12:3 “…and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
6. Genesis 41:57 “And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world.”
7. 1 Kings 4:34 “Men of all nations came to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, sent by all the kings of the world, who had heard of his wisdom.”
8. The Bible makes it clear from other passages, as well, that God plans to bring us together under one banner in His Holy City. See Ephesians 2:14-22; Hebrews 11:10, 12:22; Revelation 21:2,26.

9. Historical Interpretation of Biblical Events:

If we look at the pattern of history laid out below, we can see God’s redemptive plan in action as we speak. Jews are being saved, brought into the presence of God, nations are calling on the name of the Lord, and we are experiencing the power of God on earth, just as the events occurred in Acts and according to Revelation will happen at the end times. As globalization mixes distant and competing cultures, the world is experiencing racial and ethnic reconciliation in Christ and a return to YHWH on a scale that has never before been seen.

Mankind – Adam from Eden
Nations – scattered at Babel
Israel – exiled to Babylon
Disciples – dispersed at crucifixion
CHRIST ON THE CROSS - RESURRECTION
Disciples restored
Jews experiencing salvation - presence of God to Israel
Nations gather to worship YHWH
God with us - a new creation, a new humankind

Part 1: Chaos increases; separation from people and God (events described throughout Bible).
Part 2: Salvation; reconciliation with people and with God (happened in Acts, and prophesied to fulfillment in Revelation).

Back in Beantown (Boston)

Hey Everyone,

Thanks for being faithful and checking in on my blog even though I haven't written anything in so long. I've been back in Boston for exactly a month now. I had a very great time in Europe with Dave, had a series of talks with the Russian company while at an academic conference in the Netherlands and returned on July 31st. (Check out pics on facebook). Since then, I've been spending time with Nate (my bro), my Mom, and some old friends and even my Dad. I did not get a job offer for the software company. They're still figuring out how they are going to open a U.S. office, and what they want in an employee. So, ASAP I'm going to start an MA in Geography at McGill. ASAP turns out to be in January, because of funding issues. So, I'm working in Boston for the next few months. Right now I'm waiting to hear back from places where I might be able to use GIS skills. It's a fun process now that I've gotten into it, and I'm learning a lot about potential uses of my degree when I finish. God has been good during this time of transition for me. Though my heart is in Montreal, and I'm not excited about starting and stopping friendships all over again, He is teaching me to pray for the city to which he has carried me (Jeremiah 29). And, as you might be able to tell from what I wrote below, I'm learning to trust in His provision for all my needs. Below I've written the groundwork for a sermon on receiving the promises of God. It is good to know that we are His children and that He has given us everything we need in Christ. If there's any truth in it soak it up, you just may be the only people to ever read it.

The Father’s Promises

The interesting thing about God’s work in the Bible is that it seems that His blessing is transferable, or somehow movable. God does not pick one man and say that He will be with this one man and everything he does for good or bad forever. He is not bound to a man who rejects Him. For instance, he starts out with Abraham, and promises to make him into a great nation, which would lead you to assume that He’s talking about the descendants of all of Abraham’s children. But God really only blesses Isaac. He blesses Ishmael, Abraham’s other son, but the story of the rest of Scripture does not follow the line of Ishmael, it follows the line of Isaac – the one God produced through Abraham’s faith.

Another interesting example of this is when we get to Jacob and Esau. Jacob and Esau, two brothers end up with very different paths in scripture. They have a fight over their inheritance, split up, but God goes to Jacob. God physically appears to Jacob twice in Bethel (Gen. 28:10-22 and 35:9-15). But scripture does not record any appearances of God to Esau. In fact, scripture describes the line of Esau, as if God were still giving them a chance to be a part of His promise to Abraham, but because neither Esau nor his children turned to him they faded out of the focus of scripture, losing their place as the chosen. Scripture is clear when it stops recording Esau’s descendants (Gen. 35). But even though the story of Jacob begins with the same phrase as that of Esau (36:1 and 37:2). There is no closing to the account the way there is for Esau (“This was Esau the father of the Edomites. 36:44”). In a similar way, Ishmael’s account fades out into hostility (25:12-18) while Isaac’s account begins (25:19) but is not closed. Jacob’s story continues (Gen. 37-50, although you could say it continues to the end of scripture and the ages). And within Jacob’s story, we see more confirmation of the transferable nature of God’s blessing and promises. Jacob gives Ephraim and Manasseh the name of his forefathers (48:16), even though they are from Joseph’s Egyptian wife.

Scripture tells about many people, but it continues to focus in on the work of God in the lives of a few: puny David and not his brothers, illegitimate Solomon and not his brothers. There are many examples. In fact, it often gets confusing. Scripture seems to be all over the spatial and temporal map, God extending his promises to the people we’d often least expect Him to. Why do you think this is?
The only change is when it comes to Christ. God is never about to remove His blessing from Jesus and move it to someone else. Even after Jesus dies, the story is still all about Jesus. Jesus is in perfect obedience and perfect relationship with God. Christ receives the fulfillment of all of God’s promises. This is because God the Father’s promises never belonged to any man, but they originated in His relationship with Jesus. Every promise given to man in Scripture is mirrored by a real gift manifested in Christ’s ministry. All the men before Him were only stewards of the promise that is rightfully His. For instance, the spiritual authority given to the family of Judah always belonged to Christ (Genesis 49:10). And the "great nation" promised to Abram (Genesis 12:2) has become a reality through the teachings and Spirit of Christ.
How does this effect us? Well, one of Christ's most important teachings was that because of the relationship He was giving us with God, we could ask for the Father for whatever he has said he would give and receive it. And God has laid out a pattern for all his promises through His word. So that means that we today (even the puny Davids and illegitimate Solomon’s) can receive God's promises through our faith in Christ. Sometimes we don’t bother to believe and go to God in prayer for our daily needs. But there is no need to worry and struggle through the day’s problems on our own strength, because God is with us, and He has given us everything we need in Christ.

This is also very important for any who are not following Christ. All people have access to the promises of God, but not all receive them. Do not be one who does not receive. Christ warned of eternal punishment that awaits many (Matthew 25:46). And the Bible says that “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12). If you have not received the Son in to your life yet, do it now! Believe in Christ as your soul’s Savior and Master and receive the promises of God today.

Lillith Commentary

Intro

The following is a work-in-progress commentary on George MacDonald's Lillith.
www.johannesen.com/LilithComplete.htm
The book was named for the ancient Hebrew myth described here http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~humm/Topics/Lilith/lilith.html

Lilith is an amazingly profound fantasy novel; it constantly causes the reader to be thinking beyond the surface, beyond what's happening in the story, and to search for deeper meaning in the characters and narrative. For many, we enjoy good fantasy novels because they help us to understand real-life themes of good and evil. We can identify with the story's characters because we've had co-workers gossip about us and try to tear us down while we were only doing what we thought to be right; we've been tempted to lie on an income-tax form and we struggle with things like knowing how to truly care for the poor and oppressed. The theme of good versus evil often pervades the best fantasy novels. In books like Lilith, we find this theme central, as the reader is regularly invited to assess which side each character has taken.
For many people, the question of how to live a good life is very important. The Psalmist ponders "How can a young man keep his way pure? By living according to your word (Psalm 119:9). " Whose word? We'll explore that here and now. Before going further in this commentary you should examine yourself to see if you meet two basic requirements.
1. You should be honestly seeking to live a pure life before God.
2. You should be willing to consider letting your whole life become subject to God's Word.
The Holy Bible is a compilation of books written by a diverse group of authors (40 total) over the span of at least 1500 years (some of it was transmitted orally before being written). The words of these books have been inspired by God, and are His message to an age of people that has not known Him and is lost in spiritual darkness. As we look closely at MacDonald's novel, let's open our hearts and minds to what the Bible has to say, so that we might learn to keep our ways pure.
What does the Bible have to do with MacDonald's book, Lilith? Well, from what little I've read about MacDonald, I've deduced that this Word to which we're turning was his source of life and inspiration. His book seems to be as much a personal testimony as it is a fantasy novel. So, without further ado, let's begin.

Chapters I-IV -
Curiosity
Have you discovered anything in the first five chapters that resembles yourself? Notice that what starts Mr. Vane's journey is his initial curiosity at the mutilated book and the old man who keeps appearing and disappearing in the library. Do you love to read books, research things, find out answers and learn new things? Why do you think that this is the way we are? All humans share the curiosity we see in Mr. Vane. Why is there this universal curiosity about the spiritual? The story told in the Bible offers that ALL humans were made "in the image of God" (Genesis 1:27). We have been made to be like our Creator. Our curiosity about the spiritual dimension is there because God's fingerprints have been left on His creation. The creator is Spirit, so the creation desires to be filled by the spiritual. Paul spoke to people in Athens, saying God made us this way "so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though He is not far from us" (Acts 17:27).
As Mr. Vane describes the confusing histories of the old man who lurks around the library in chapter one, he mentions the belief among some that Mr. Raven "was probably the devil himself." Read Genesis 1-3. What biblical person do you think Mr. Raven represents?

Chapter V -
Prayer
My favorite section here is when he talks about prayer. Towards the end of chapter V: "When one says to the great Thinker: = 'Here is one of my thoughts: I am thinking it now!' that is prayer - a word to the big heart from one of its own little hearts." Have you ever prayed for something? What was it that you prayed for? Why do you think you prayed for it? What happened when you prayed?
The Bible speaks about God knowing our heart's desires as well. The Psalmist teaches "delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalm 37:4). Have you told God about your inner thoughts, the desires of your heart?
If you've started to trust in Jesus, you've likely been encouraged to pray, to speak your thoughts aloud believing that He hears them. His reality does not depend on how He answers prayers, because you know that He always hears your thoughts when you speak them to Him. But simply speaking them to Him is not enough. Jesus told his disciples to pray and have faith (Matthew 21:21). When you put a dollar bill into a change dispenser, there's a moment where your mind makes a quick decision - do I look down and to see the change as it's coming out, or do I keep my eyes on the dollar bill to make sure it's being taken by the machine? Most people keep a close eye on the dollar bill as it goes in, because they're afraid it will be rejected. Are you used to praying and thinking that the dollar bill is going to get stuck? With God, we can always look directly at the change dispenser, we never have to worry that our dollar bill might be rejected because it is too crumpled. Praying in faith is inserting the dollar bill and looking straight down to the change dispenser.

Chapters VI - VIII -

Fear

Fear controlled Mr. Vane and his father. Fear caused them to turn back from following their curiosity spark. Fear caused them to return to their safety zones. We said at the beginning that there is an innate spiritual curiosity found in all of us, because the Spiritual Creator made us. What drives us away from pursuing that curiosity-spark within us? This story provides an analogy for our fears of faith.
What does it mean to actually believe in something? What does it mean to actually trust something greater than ourselves? What kept me from pursuing the spark for a long time was that I knew that to turn from the fear that ruled me required becoming involved in a relationship. That relationship would require accountability and integrity. Was the darkness of my heart ready to be exposed to the inexpressible light of the Truth? I doubted.
What is there to fear, though, when in the end, all Truth will be revealed? Why fear losing what we hope and think to be true when we know that in the end what is really True about us will be revealed and exposed? (Matthew 10:26)
One summer day in high school after reading the Bible for some time, my heart began to melt. I felt a warm, burning sensation on my chest and in my arms and on my face. It was like I was on fire, but not burning, only being warmed by a presence greater than myself. It was supernatural. My fears were revealed to me one by one. The truth about my anger and pain over my Dad's mental situation, my broken relationship with him and his separation with my Mom was revealed to me - but what was given me was not a feeling of discouragement (which is what had most often been the case) - rather a feeling of courage, and freedom. I had a knowledge that there was a power greater than myself who had seen the mess I was in, and had compassion on me. He didn't scorn or deride me for reacting bitterly to a difficult situation, though He knew that I had. He only warmed and comforted me. There was nothing left to do, but to weep tears of joy. I had been walking by my own strength, and I had to start walking in His strength. He revealed the TRUTH about my condition to me. The Truth Jesus talks about being exposed at the end of all things was exposed for me right then and there. My fear was laid bare, and I was brought to a point where I had to trust, I had to walk with Him.
Has Mr. Vane's Truth revelation occurred yet?
How about yours?

Chapters IX- XIV
God's Treasure
As Mr. Vane flees the monster in the darkness, a moon appears several times. Did you notice the similarities between the moon in chapter X, and the mutilated book in the library talked about in earlier chapters? Mr. Vane says "I felt as if the treasure of the universe were giving itself to me." What happens when he tries to possess it?
The true treasure of life is like this disappearing moon. King Solomon, a man renown for his wealth and wisdom once said "it is the glory of God to conceal a matter; to search out a matter is the glory of kings" (Proverbs 25:2). You can be a king like Solomon, have the whole world, and still not possess the most important things of life, because they are God's, and he keeps them for those who seek Him.
William Blake wrote, "He who binds to himself a joy / Does the winged life destroy / But he who kisses the joy as it flies / Lives in Eternity's sunrise." This is the way God's treasures are - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, humility, gentleness (Colossians 3:12). We cannot take them as if they were our creations. As we cannot create a winged creature, so we cannot create a holy creature. We must be given these gifts, and hold them in open hands, accepting and knowing that they've been given us, not produced on our own.

Following Him
The moon tells us so much about the way God works! Mr. Vane complains, "she brought me light, but not guidance! She would not hover over me, would not wait on my faltering steps! She could but offer me an ignorant choice!" Sometimes that's the way we see God - we want Him to be MORE present than He appears to be. We want HIS light to follow OUR path, and because what we want is all we know, if He doesn't do what we want then He's not what he appears. We want Him to do our will, rather than us seeking His. Frustrated and obstinate, we say, like Mr. Vane: "I will not be appalled by that which only seems!" And then, like the monster in Lilith, the monstrous consequences of sin rise from the waters beneath us.
But as it is for Mr. Vane, "she whom I distrusted was indeed my defense...", so it is with us (1 John 2:1) - "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense - Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice not only for our sins but also for the sins of the whole world." People often read this passage assuming that God is getting ready to send the judgment. What if God already set in place the judgment for our sins by establishing a world of moral order? For example, when I lie I feel shame, and have broken relationships. The shame and broken relationships are the judgmen, part of the the created moral order. He is our Hope, our defense against the monsters of sin and their consequences.
Jesus knew what he was saying when he told his disciples to "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33). John says we have to WALK in the light, as Jesus is in the light (1 John 1:7). David, ancient king, hero, and God-lover said "The Lord is my light, and my salvation..." (Psalm 27:1). As Mr. Vane had to live by the moon's light, so must we live by God's spiritual light.

Helping People
My favorite quote from chapter fourteen: "The part of philanthropist is indeed a dangerous one; and the man who would do his neighbor good must first study how not to do him evil, and must begin by pulling the beam out of his own eye" (p. 250) (a reference to Matthew 7:5). It must be difficult for philanthropists to not judge.

Chapters XV -
Living Water
Here I want to look at MacDonald's use of the imagery of water as he expounds on an analogy Jesus began. The following conversation is found on page 255.

"Then I suppose, when the little Lovers are grown, their land will have water again?"
"Not exactly so: when they are thirsty enough, they will have water, and when they have water, they will grow. To grow, they must have water. And, beneath, it is flowing still."
"I have heard that water twice," I said; " -- once when I lay down to wait for the moon -- and when I woke the sun was shining! and once when I fell, all but killed by the bad giant. Both times came the voices of the water, and healed me."

Mr. Vane is told that the water is flowing underground, hidden from view ... ever since the Princess of Bulika tried to capture all of the water. Though he can't always see it, it is flowing. In the same way, God's Holy Spirit, though we cannot always see Him, is at work in this world. The Holy Spirit has been around since before the world was created; the Holy Spirit is the Creator's spirit (Genesis 1:2). The Bible often uses the analogy of water to explain the work of the Holy Spirit. What does this all mean? What does the Holy Spirit have to do with our lives today? What can he do for me? If he's not always easy to see, how do we have access to him?

In Lilith, the Cat-woman also tells Mr. Vane that the children (Lovers) will have water "when they are thirsty enough." If you're like me, you'd look at what Cat-woman says here and wonder why God is so cruel as to wait until they are "thirsty enough." Isn't it cruel to not fill them once they show some sense of thirst? But, when we look at all the characters in the story, we see that the children are the happiest of the bunch. Even they're thirst is not yet filled, they are happy, content, and fearless in a dark world. They trust and believe that they will be filled. Would we rather be like the giants, who don't thirst and are trapped in cycles of ugliness, or like the children, who thirst and have a promise. Thus, their thirst is not in vain - because it produces hope. Jesus said that those who are thirsty will be filled by his Spirit: "To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life" (Revelation 21:6b).

Another interesting thing to note from this passage is when the times were that Mr. Vane heard the water running under him. Have you ever waited for the light while in the darkness? Or have you in a moment of a despair and pain needed a comforting hand upon you? (2 Cor. 1:3) It is mystery, but reality that God works most powerfully in our weakness. For these times of despair and pain, we have access to the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that "whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him" (John 7:38).

Curiosity Stepped Up
Our intellectual curiosity comes to nothing if it does not end up in a relationship with Jesus. Jesus Christ is God's way of creating a personal relationship with humanity. A relationship with God is about more than understanding, it's about more than head-knowledge. This is why Christ said the most important thing in this world is to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30). The foundation for all relationship is love. And love comes from God (1 John 4:7).
Maybe you've admired some of Jesus Christ's teachings. What are some of your favorite? A seed planted must grow, or it will die (Mark 4:1-20). If we love Him, we will obey Him.

Chapter XVI -
Words, Thoughts, and Prophets

People in today's culture often speak as if their words were meaningless. God's name is spoken flippantly, as an exclamation. At the risk of sounding like an old man, or my uncle, exaggeration is en vogue among youth. To call something "awesome" does not necessarily mean that that something makes one wonder in awe, but can mean merely an approval or affirmation of the details of when and where to meet up with a friend. Words like this have lost their value, because people assume that the words they speak have little meaning or power. Proverbs 18:21 says that "the tongue has the power of life and death." Think about how God created the world: by his very word. In Genesis 1 we see that God speaks, and the world is created. Many times Christians complain or look negatively on a situation without remembering God's word about who we are and what his plans are for us. But the Bible says that it is important that the thoughts we think and the words we speak line up with His will. When the Israelites grumbled against God in the desert, he spoke to the people he had a covenant relationship, saying "As surely as I live, I will do to you the very things I heard you say" (Numbers 14:26-28).

In one of this chapter's philosophical sidebars, MacDonald explains:
"That which is within a man, not that which lies beyond his vision, is the main factor in what is about to befall him: the operation upon him is the event. Foreseeing is not understanding, else surely the prophecy latent in man would come oftener to the surface!"

Not only is what we say important, but how we think is an important part of who we are. Proverbs 23:7 is translated in the King James Version as saying "for as he thinks within himself, so he is." This is not to say that if you imagine yourself as a wealthy business tycoon, you will become such. But who we are is shaped by the way we think. This verse looks at our thoughts as they emanate from our souls. For him who thinks he's enslaved to pornography, he is. For him who has the thought pattern that says he's been freed from that sinful addiction by Christ, he is. Our minds are being renewed in knowledge (Colossians 3:10), and being transformed (Romans 12:2) to think about whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). As the inner transformation happens, so our lives become filled with these things, not earthly riches.

So, what we say is connected to our destinies, and what we think is connected to who we are, but what is the connection between all three?
Jesus said some profound things about this. Matthew 12:33-37 "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him." The good things we think turn into good things we speak, which turn into good things for the edification of others. This is the way people work.

The quote taken from MacDonald's book possesses what I believe to be a keen insight into the gift of prophecy. Those of us who haven't grown up in charismatic traditions often think of prophecy as being constrained to predicting the future. The Bible describes the gift as being to strengthen, encourage, and comfort believers (1 Corinthians 14:3), and that nothing a prophet says will go against scripture (implied in 1 Corinthians 14:29). I believe many believers possess the gift of prophecy without knowing it. Unwrap your gift! If you woke up as a child on Christmas morning and saw a bright red box that was just the right shape and size for what you'd been asking all along, would you not unwrap the present? They have the word of God in their hearts, but they're afraid to speak it at the proper time to make it relevant to people. The Spirit stirs in their hearts while praying over another, and words to strengthen, encourage and comfort come to mind. As our minds are transformed to work more like His, so God is able to use our thoughts and our words to communicate His will. Has he given you the gift of prophecy?

Love

"I began to learn that it was impossible to live for oneself even, save in the presence of others -- then, alas, fearfully possible! evil was only through good! selfishness but a parasite on the tree of life! In my own world I had the habit of solitary song; here not a crooning murmur ever parted my lips! There I sang without thinking; here I thought without singing! there I had never had a bosom-friend; here the affection of an idiot would be divinely welcome!" He goes on to talk about how he has changed as a person, having spent time in this new world.
Here Mr. Vane discovers that life for oneself is an oxymoron. It is in fact, not life at all. To live is Christ, and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). Christ lived for others. He knew what it was to live fully. There is no life apart from Him. Have you met Christ? How has your life changed since you met Christ?

Leaving Fear With Christ

At the end of the chapter: "Not for a moment had I been afraid. It is true that whoever would cross the threshold of any world, must leave fear behind him; but, for myself, I could claim no part in its absence. No conscious courage was operant in me; simply, I was not afraid. I neither knew why I was not afraid, nor wherefore I might have been afraid. I feared not even fear -- which of all dangers is the most dangerous."
A great passage illustrating Jesus removing our burdens at the cross, or many other analogies of what it's like to be a believer.

Chapter XVII -

Suffering

" 'In this world never trust a person who has once deceived you. Above all, never do anything such a one may ask you to do.'
'Then some evil that is good for you will follow.'
'And if I remember?'
'Some evil that is not good for you, will not follow.' "
If we trust the devil and his demons, we will suffer for it. Not all suffering is directly caused by a sin, but God works for good in all suffering, even the suffering brought on by our sins. If we resist the devil, he will flee from us (James 4:7), and his destruction will have no grasp on us.

Chapter XIX -

Vomit

"'We must understand each other!' she said. "-- You have done me the two worst of wrongs-- compelled me to live, and put me to shame : neither of them can I pardon!"
Look at her disdain for life

Chapters XXI and XXII --

Life's Enemy

Woman running with child reminds us of baby moses (Exodus 2 saved from Pharoah), baby Jesus (Luke 2 saved from Herod). Revelation 12 (King Jesus saved from Satan).

p. 294 "I had learned that she was the enemy of children : the Little Ones might be in her danger!" The spotted leopardess, Lilith is the enemy of children, the same way Satan is. Think of Babylon's goddesses who required infant sacrifice.

The terror described in the city of Bulika reminds me of the terror described in Sodhom and Ghomorrah (Genesis 19) and Gibeah (Judges 19). This place needs a faith-hero like Rahab (Joshua 2), or maybe just someone to care for the people sitting at the city center

Chapter XXIII-

Work

" 'Because it is a disgrace to work,' she answered. 'Everybody in Bulika knows that!' "
The sin of this city, like Sodhom and Gomhorrah was pride. Their attitude goes directly against Proverbs that speak of the blessings of work, and Genesis 2 - God gave man work in the garden, instructions to care for it, thus work is good.

Chapter XXV-

The Cross

Lilith's description of how she got to where Mr. Vane found her is interesting. She describes a woman "by no means so powerful as myself, not being immortal, had cast what you call a spell -- which is merely the setting in motion of a force as natural as any other, but operating primarily in a region beyond the ken of the mortal who makes use of the force." Who was that woman? Probably Mara, maybe Eve. My guess is that the spell represents salvation for all who believe - the good news. The stream is God's redemptive love. She couldn't/wouldn't cross the stream. My guess is that her real motive for setting out was to reverse the spell cast at the stream. But, when she got to the stream, she was defeated. Christ defeated Satan where? At the cross - the symbol of the gospel.

Chapter XXVIII -

Weeping

" ' Why Mr. Vane, but for the weeping in it, your world would never have become worth saving!" Weeping prophets (Jeremiah). Matthew 4: Blessed are those who mourn. Jesus wept over Lazarus and Jerusalem. The best ntercessory prayer requires some grief.

Knowledge
" ' Is man's greatest knowledge more than a little? or is it therefore dangerous? The fancy that knowledge is in itself a great thing, would make any degree of knowledge more dangerous than any amount of ignorance. To know all things would not be greatness.' " states Mr. Raven.
Human knowledge tends to be spiritually empty. Having much of it, therefore can be dangerous, because it may lead to false pride. Paul warned followers of Christ: knowledge puffs up, but love builds up (1 Corinthians 8:1).

Also, page 327, "the fact is, no man understands anything; when he knows he does not understand, that is his first tottering step -- not toward understanding, but toward the capability of one day understanding. " Ecclesiastes 1:9 says "there's nothing new under the sun." This is wisdom. Whatever knowledge we attain is fleeting compared with the knowledge that begins in a relationship with God. It is "meaningless" as the writer of Ecclesiastes proclaims. But "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7). This is for those seeking true knowledge, lasting, eternal knowledge.

Chapter XXIX -

New Creation

" 'but my Eve repented, and is now beautiful as never was woman or angel, while her groaning, travailing world is the nursery of our Father's children.' " Romans 8:22-26 Are Christians still in the womb? We must be born again, but is this world our waiting room for eternal life?

Why is she (Lilith) left alive after she's shrunk to a house-cat? Why does Satan exist? Why does evil happen, even though Christ won the victory on the cross? Revelation 13-18

Chapter XXXIV -

Our Victory

In the end, Lona takes the throne.
This reminds us of one of Christ's teachings about the end: the last shall become first (Mark 10:31). In his Psalms, King david went from being scoffed at in the "songs of drunkards"(Psalms) to becoming King of Israel. What do you have to share from these last few chapters?