No Ordinary City

Freedom - a poem

2008-03-07T12:48:00.000-05:00

Freedom

Now a slave by will to my good and another's fame. I begin to question. This life just doesn't live the same.
the chains are gone, what now? My mind is turned to a story old and loud.
Long time ago, the story goes, a foreign people lived as slaves, their plight was grim at best.
But not forgotten, they only stood while their Savior did the rest.
They walked out unscathed; a strange salvation began their test.
They grumbled, but He remained, giving them a chance to see Him for who they might one day be, a chance, if they were willing, to be set free.

He parted the waters, but little did they know, their freedom was in no way independence, but an opportunity to grow.
Free to love, free to belong, free to become, free to create, free to imagine, free to serve, freedom with a purpose, freedom to imitate and obey. and freedom to pass ... from this death into that life, that life that is truly life, that life that no one understands but the one who really lived it, I mean really lived it; he gave it all for freedom. freedom bought and now taught; stretched out upon a cross me and many others this king's limbs have caught. this one, this savior spoke of freedom - freedom for you and me. A king by invitation only, he is free as a human's soul could be.

Glory saved his full force for another time, still while on earth he would heal the blind.
Do you know this healer, this savior, this man?
My dream, friend of mine, is that you and I will take His hand.

Musings on a Party

2008-03-01T01:42:00.004-05:00

I went with Benoit tonight to a benefit concert that was part of the "Art Matters Festival." As we stood and sat on the balcony, soaking up the beats, watching the musicians and surveying the crowd to find people we might know I began to reflect on what I think God's been teaching me about culture, church and people. It wasn't amazing, but it was as if many thoughts began to coalesce there on the spot. Let me explain: the first performers were a unique show. The drummer also rapped a few songs and sang in a high pitch voice that could have been mistaken for a girl's, and the front man had a keytar and four or five other sweet "treats" as my friend in Boston, Jon Green would call them - a name he'd give to any cool technical musical gadget. It was a cool show, because these guys were basically hosting a party. The music went on and on. The songs looped in and faded, then came back strong, but they never got repetitive. As I was watching, I noticed that people were really enjoying it. And I thought what a shame it is that Christians so rarely get to celebrate life like this. I wonder sometimes why it is that we think worship services have to be lead by a guitar, a piano, and a djembe! Why aren't we ever willing to try something a little new? Why do we keep church looking and sounding like a 1990's rock band, when we haven't listened to that music for over a decade? And why don't we think about our services more as parties? I think this would go a long way towards connecting with the culture we're in and bringing the kingdom of God to our neighbors.

The night went on, and the big show came up. As the music got heavier, people seemed to get a little bit more clumsy on the dance floor, some more aggressive, some more evasive. As I watched the dance I couldn't help but notice a couple of girls, one of whom I'd seen kissing another girl earlier. This time she was with another girl, doing the kind of thing you tell your un-neutered dog not to do to the the couch or your neighbor's pet. Later I saw the same girl doing the same thing with a guy, and then another guy. Watching this I was thinking about what Jesus would do in a party like this. Most of us I think would want to be dancing with all the really self-confident people who seem to make everyone else laugh or smile, or maybe the right thing to do would be to dance with the people back by the sound booth who don't look like they've had anything to drink - yea, maybe that's what Jesus would be doing. But then i think to myself and it hits me: I think instead Jesus would be right next to that girl who everyone's groping or gawking at, just waiting for her to look at him. Isn't that what the parable of the one lost sheep is all about? I wonder if he would leave all the people back at the sound booth just for her. Maybe she's so used to people either lusting after her, or just avoiding eye contact that just a genuine smile from someone sharing the same space would be enough to show her that she's worth the change. And she is. I don't know. I can't claim to say what Jesus would or would not do, but I know she'd be worth it to Him, whatever He did for her.

2007-06-25T15:02:00.000-04:00

Fear of the LORD series.

Impact Church

IF I OBEY(June 3)
If you obey God, because of your faith He will reward. The goal is to move towards intimacy with Him.

The Bible tells us the story of man's relationship with God. Fear is not mentioned as an aspect of our relationship with God until after the Fall. It is only after Adam and Eve eat from the forbidden tree that they are "afraid" hearing God walking in the garden. This tells us that God did not originally need to use fear to exert His will and rule. Adam and Eve had intimacy with God. That's what was lost in Eden, and that's what God is restoring. Now that fear is in the world, God is willing to use it to get us to a point of intimacy with him. Only when men began to subdue each other through fear does God begin to use this emotion as a way to relate to Him. And the purpose of it is that we achieve intimacy with Him.

God does not want us to constantly be afraid of him, but because there is so much fear of other things and because it is such a strong, controlling emotion, he uses fear as an entry point for many people. For instance, David Ritz has told me the story a few times of a friend of his who, upon being told by a friend that he was going to hell would be terrified by that very thought every time he was high on drugs. Freaking out, he would tell his friends that he was going to hell and had to do something about it. Later this guy came to faith in Christ and now knows God's love for him. And it seems that God uses fear most often for wayward Christians, people who know the LORD but are slipping up in their faith and getting caught up in the wrong things. God is not afraid to bring us back to Him by fear. A friend of mine had a spiritual rebirth after she had a near death experience in a car crash. Now she prays for her friends to know God, she tells them about His love, and wants to be a missionary to Jerusalem. Fear is not God's goal, but He is willing to use it. This is not to say that when we really know God we no longer fear Him, but when we know Jesus we know that as awesome as God is, His love has done away with the things that would make us afraid of Him. In fact, Christians, especially need to be taught the fear of the LORD. We can be close to God yet still be tempted by sin.

Before we move on I want to watch a scene [Scene 6 from Fellowship of the Ring] from one of my favorite movies: the Lord of the Rings, because this scene is perfect for illustrating my next point. In this scene, Gandalf uses fear for love. Gandalf loves Bilbo, you can see it in his eyes. You can tell in the way at the outset he does not scold Bilbo but tries to persuade him and wanting him to do choose to do the right thing on his own. The "cheap trick" is actually just that, a way to get Bilbo back to his senses and doing what is right. And by the way don't you love that Gandalf never once gives the ring a lustful glance? In the next scene he thinks about picking it up to move it but he thinks better of it ... He's like Jesus never sinning, he never gives in. I think that this is a good illustration of what it means to fear the Lord. Bilbo loves Gandalf and wants to maintain their relationship. Though he's occasionally brought to a point of fear, he knows that it's only for his good, and so he continues to listen to Gandalf's loving advice. I would recommend this scene to anyone going through an addiction. I would just watch it again and again to realize how to get free from the power of that addiction. Listen to God! Obey!

Christians, especially need to be taught the fear of the LORD. As Bilbo was so close to Gandalf (friendship built through adventures and pipe-smoking storytelling times), so we can be close to God yet still be tempted by sin. This is what it means to fear God: to know that whatever our circumstance, we can still be tempted by sin. Sometimes as we go through our lives the devil steers us toward places of complacency, where we are not growing and not doing anything good with what we have. See, life with God is not safe. Jesus never promised life would be easy or safe. Proverbs 17:3 says "the crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart." In this analogy we are inside the flames, and God is the fire! This brings us to another way of understanding the fear of the LORD. Because living in the fear of the LORD is more than a one time fear event.

What does it mean to practice the "fear of the LORD"?
Many passages in scripture tell us bits about the "fear the LORD" but I often wonder what did it mean to the people to whom this passage was written?

Though the phrase is packed with meaning for us, the phrase "the fear of the LORD" was first taught to the Israelites leaving Egypt. I want you to imagine for the next few minutes that you've never heard this phrase "the fear of the LORD." I want you to imagine that you're in an ocean all alone, having no idea of where to go - and the fear of the LORD is your life boat. It keeps you from drowning, and it gets you to your reward - land. Maybe the analogy helps, maybe it doesn't, but the important thing is: imagine you have no idea what it means.
Exodus 6:2-3 shows us that though God had revealed himself to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, He first revealed himself by the name YHWH to Moses and the Israelites in Egypt. Even though God was not yet revealed as YHWH (which happens in Ex. 3:14 to Moses), in the Genesis narratives the name YHWH is used often. Reasoning that the whole Pentateuch (widely accepted as having one author) was probably written by that person to whom God was first revealed as YHWH (or someone after him), it seems that the most likely author of Genesis through Deuteronomy would be Moses. Knowing the context in which the phrase "fear of the LORD" is first revealed helps us to understand the meaning of the phrase. If I'm in the middle of a ship wreck and I am all alone, out on the ocean, and all I have is a life boat, I'm not going to know where to go with it to get to land. I need more than just the life-boat. I need to know where I am. Here [holding up the Bible] is our lifeboat. But to understand where we are going, we have to understand the context, we have to understand where the lifeboat is. Moses wrote to the Israelites most of whom, until then had not experienced God personally. They had the stories of their ancestors, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. But their cultural experience in the present told them of a different worldview. According to the Egyptians there were many gods, one of whom was the Pharoah. The people of the land, including Israel served and feared the King of Egypt, because their worldview told them that he was divine and because he had real political power. It is in this context that we learn what it means to "fear the LORD."

Now that the setting has been unpacked, we look at the story of Exodus which tells of how God goes up against the Pharoahs, these men who were believed to be gods. And this makes you wonder, why did God choose to go up against the Pharoahs? He could have just reclaimed Israel off on its own plot of land in a remote part of the world. But He chose to go after the Pharoahs, and to make a mockery of the self-proclaimed "gods." As a clever way of reversing the roles Pharoah has pompously constructed, God tells Moses in a missionary commission: "See, I make you as God to Pharoah"(Exodus 7:1). What Pharoah tried to do to everyone else, God does to Pharoah through the signs and wonders. And we see that by the end of the story, Pharoah is brought low, he is groveling. He repeatedly admits his sin, is made to look foolish as he chases after the Israelites and his entire army is crushed in the Red Sea. Why the ten plagues? Moses says to Pharoah God did it "so that you may know that the earth is the LORD's" [ Exodus 9:29]. God owns the whole earth, and He's not afraid to show a little pharoah who's boss, to tell him and the world "I am the real king." That land you call Egypt, that's mine. That whole in the ground you call the Nile, that's mine. That palace you're building at the expense of my people - he bricks and mud are mine. That land you stole to build your pyramid for a burial site - that's mine. Pharoah didn't want to let his identity go. He was afraid that if he obeyed God, he would lose his position and his title. He was afraid that people wouldn't think he was who we said he was anymore. This is often the same reason we compromise. We look at that chart and say: "If I obey, I lose my identity." We replace the "he will reward" part with our own fears of what will happen. So our first reason for the plagues is found in the encounter between God and Pharoah.

The second reason for the plagues is seen in what happens to the people of Israel. Before the plagues, Israel was already a nation, though the people did not serve the LORD. What the Pharoah said was done in Egypt. Everyone in Egypt in some way served the Pharoah, whether through allegiance or through some employment. The Pharoah was feared throughout the land. This is the context in which the term the "fear of the LORD" was introduced. People already knew what it was to fear and revere a king. To fear the king was to serve him and obey him. The king Xerxes in 311 instills an awe and fear similar to that the Pharoahs probably did. And for a citizen of Babylon, or for the citizen of Egypt, the king's face is on the currency, the city is designed with the focus being the king's palace, everything is effected by the king. But these men were claiming positions and titles that only belong to the LORD. I wanted to include all of that to show how this term "fear of the LORD" is introduced in scripture. The context is really important. As kings were causing men to fear them and obey them, God does two things: 1. God moves to cause even the highest, most powerful of men to become his subject. 2. God also makes for himself a people of His own, a nation who fears Him. I think we can see these purposes most clearly in Ex. 11:7, where He says to Pharoah that He's doing all these things "so that you may know that the LORD makes a distinction between the people of Israel and Egypt." He is making a people of his own, but he's doing it in such a way to make it clear to Pharoah that He is God! We see that after the Israelites have crossed through the waters, it says that then they "feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in His servant Moses" (Exodus 14:31).

Why does God do what He does in Exodus?
1. to humiliate Pharoah - Pharoah says: your men can go, but leave your children here; you can all leave, just not your cattle.
2. to make for himself a people who fear Him

What does it mean to fear the LORD?
It seems to have something to do both with what you do, and what you don't do.

Job 1:8 says that Job was "a man who fears God and shuns evil."
Proverbs 8:13 "To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech."

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the LORD's commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?"
Deuteronomy 6:2 "so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live by keeping all his decrees and commands that I give you, and so that you may enjoy long life."

I can say, yeah I stopped looking at pornography, but is that what it means to fear God?
On the flip side, I can say, I volunteer at a soup kitchen three times a week, but is that all it means to fear God? Some people, even former U.S. presidents have done great deeds but cheated on their wives. We have to shun evil, AND do good. I am not there yet. It is He in me who's gonna do it.

We can know what is right, but not do it. I met a guy named Zach who had a deep faith and intimate walk with God. He shared his testimony with me, told me about his ministry to street kids and people with huge problems, and gave me a lot of wisdom. At the end of the night I asked him how old he was - he said 18. I said "Man, you're wise beyond your years." He said "no, man, the wisdom is in the doing. I need to do." He was so right. We can know what's right, but we know that we fear the LORD when we do what is right.

What does it take to learn the fear of the LORD?
1. God.
Now imagine you're Pharoah, and a man comes and tells you that God is going to judge your land with plagues if you do not let the Israelites go; You don't quite believe him, because you know he was off in the wilderness for a long time and something weird could have happened to him while he was out there. Besides, he's 80 years old, and not even the Israelites believe him. But right when he says it's going to happen and just he way he says it, the plagues come. Time passes, and one plague after another devours your land. The river your nation depends on for water is turned to blood, your land is swarmed with frogs, then locusts and other insects; your cattle die, even your magicians and sorcerers are subjected to boils on their bodies, then a storm like none the nation has ever seen comes: just as Moses says, ice starts falling and the thunder roars. Half of your nation's crops are destroyed, and there is a threat of further damage to the land if you do not repent. You'd think that by this time, Pharoah would have learned to fear the LORD. But that's not what happens. At the end of each plague, we're told that Pharoah's heart is hardened and he does not let the people go. What does it take for a person to learn the fear of the LORD? Looking at the story of the plagues that God brought on Egypt, we can see that it is more miraculous than any of these signs and wonders for a person's heart to be transformed. Moses discerned correctly after the plague of hail and thunder that they did "not yet fear the LORD God" (Exodus 9:30). Pharoah saw the most amazing signs and wonders that for any of us would instill fear, yet he and his servants hardened their hearts to God (Exodus 9:35). We see from this story that it is incredibly hard to learn the "fear of the LORD"; in fact some would say it takes divine providence. It takes a miracle, it takes God's power to help us to live for Him.

2. Hard work.
Obedience does come at a cost. It requires all of us, our whole hearts, everything.
Deuteronomy 10:12-13 "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require from you, but to fear the LORD your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the LORD's commandments and His statutes which I am commanding you today for your good?"

It does cost us something to serve God. It always costs us something. We can't go through our lives without expecting to give up everything for what we believe in. To serve God means to give him everything all the time. We are always His, entirely. Next week, though, we are going to look at the rewards. By now you might not believe the second part of section in the diagram, the part that says that He will reward. But we are going to talk about the benefits of the fear of the LORD, so come ready to hear about these, because they will truly make you passionate for more of God in your life.

HE WILL REWARD (June 10)

This week the Lord pointed me to Psalm 119:32 which says "I will run in the way of your commands, for you will enlarge my heart."

I believe that He wants me to speak on this for at least two reasons tonight.

1. When I read this verse, I said, Lord, I don't want to be lukewarm. I want to be on fire for You. It's time for us as a church to accelerate into God. Lord, pull us into you! Let's pursue God and His righteousness like we've never done before. Jesus said "seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you." We're going to talk today about the second part of last week's key sentence: "If I obey, because of my faith, he will reward." We're talking about the blessings of God. But before we get into that, I had to talk on this. We need to run, and accelerate in our faith and obedience.

2. The second reason I believe God gave me that verse this week is for the second part of it. It says "for you will enlarge my heart." What does that mean? Why do our hearts need to be enlarged? It's because God wants to communicate to us this week. Throughout scripture the heart is the place of communication. When God speaks to us, He speaks to our hearts, not our minds. He shows us through our minds (with things like visions and dreams, this is what I want your life to look like), but he speaks to us in our hearts. The mind comprehends, but the heart understands. John 12:40 says that the Israelites did not understand God's Word because of their hearts: "He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes nor understand with their hearts, and turn and I would heal them." When God calls us, the place where we hear His voice is in our hearts. Also, our words come from our hearts. Sometimes people say words like "How are you?" "I'm good.", words without much meaning, but true communication moves from heart to heart. Matthew 12:34 "Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." Or "For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7b says "man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart." David prayed "Let the words of my lips and the meditations of my heart be pleasing to you" - What's in our hearts is what we're saying to God. Of course God hears our words. David prayed let the words I speak to others be pleasing to you and the meditations of my heart, because he recognized that God is right on top of us. To listen to us He moves past our mouths and to our hearts to hear our inner thoughts. He knows what we say and think but to hear what's happening and what we are saying He searches our hearts. He is over ever one of us today doing that. Searching our hearts, examining them to see what is in them.

So today, we ask God to fill our hearts with His word. We're asking Him to enlarge our hearts to hear His voice. And this goes right with our diagram, which says as we grow in obedience, we become more grateful and grow in intimacy with Him.

Re-introduce diagram.
Obedience - rewards

Last week we said that the fear of the LORD was more than a one time event, but a posture before God. It's a way of describing our relationship with Him. The one who fears the LORD serves Him.

"Employee Benefits" of practicing the fear of the LORD:

When I started to look for examples of the benefits of the "fear of the LORD" in scripture, it was a lot easier than I had expected. We're going to go through these together, now. This is not a comprehensive list, but it at least gives us a taste of what is there.

His personal guidance, teaching:
Psalm 25:12 "Who then is the man who fears the LORD? He will instruct him then, in the way chosen for him."

His confidence:
Psalm 25:14 "The LORD confides in those who fear him, he makes his covenant known to them."

Fulfillment, contentment:
Psalm 34:9 "Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing."

His love:
Psalm 103:13 "As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him."
You could say, "everyone is loved by God," but that's not exactly the way the Bible says it. God reserves certain blessings for those who fear Him.

Wisdom, understanding:
Psalm 111:10 "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To Him belongs eternal praise."

Blessedness:
Psalm 112:1 "Blessed is the one who fears the LORD, who finds great delight in his commands."

Protection:
Psalm 115:11 "You who fear him, trust in the LORD, he is their help and their shield."

A special place in God's heart:
Psalm 147:11 "The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love."

Giddiness, glee:
Psalm 2:11 "Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling."
At first when I read this, I thought to myself, this is the most blatant contradiction I've read in the Bible. I said "God if I weren't a Christian and I read this there's no way I'd continue to read the word."
What does it mean? Maybe it means we can get giddy like the girl who just won a beauty pageant, or someone who is being proposed to.

Good health, long life:
Proverbs 10:27 "The fear of the LORD adds length to life, but the years of the wicked are cut short."

Healthy, strong families:
Proverbs 14:26 "He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge."

Safety from injury, freedom from addictions:
Proverbs 14:27 "The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death."
A fountain of life could mean any of a number of things. People say things like "Hockey is life." But what happens when you're too old to play or when your vision goes and you can't even watch the game anymore? Or what happens when there is a strike? Wouldn't you rather have a fountain? A lake or even an ocean has limits. If you keep taking from it it will eventually run dry. But a fountain is continually replenished. It grows old with you. And with a fountain you never lack your source.

Wealth, honor, life:
Proverbs 22:4 "Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth, honor and life."

Salvation, knowledge:
Isaiah 33:6 "And He shall be the stability of your times, A wealth of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge; The fear of the LORD is his treasure."

The LORD's presence:
This passage is talking about a community that's being transformed.
Malachi 3:16 "Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of rememberance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name."
The verse emphasizes two things: their fear of the LORD and His presence with them.
How many times have you been in a battle with a temptation and known that you'd be ok because you have God with you?!

Knowledge:
Proverbs 1:7 says "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction."
Living in a culture that highly prizes knowledge, a world where degrees and education are so highly valued, we need to be able to see what the Bible says about knowledge. Proverbs talks more than any other book I know about knowledge and understanding, and it says consistently that to attain knowledge, we need to know God.

Positive attractive powers / Corrected, healthy relationship with opposite sex/spouse:
Proverbs 31:30 "Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."
Proverbs tells us that the fear of the LORD is even the way for a woman to find a good husband. The fear of the LORD remedies unhealthy relationships between the sexes.

Health, long life, happy marriages, healthy families, safety, freedom from addictions, protection, wealth, honor, life, joy peace, blessedness, wisdom, salvation, knowledge, fulfillment, the LORD's compassion, the LORD's personal instruction, the LORD's confidence, being the LORD's delight, positive attractive powers, the LORD's presence, healthy relationships. Every aspect of our mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical lives are covered.
When you put it all together, who wouldn't want the fear of the LORD?!

Love God.

One guy in the Bible who gets it best, in my opinion, is Agur: "Surely I am more stupid than any man, and I do not have the understanding of a man [a word referring to Adam or the race of man]. Neither have I learned wisdom, nor do I have the knowledge of the Holy One." Proverbs 30. The man is desperate for knowledge, desperate for wisdom, desperate to know God. In verses 8 and 9 he says "Two things I asked of Thee, Do not refuse me before I die: keep deception and lies far from me, Give me neither poverty nor riches; Feed me with the food that is my portion, lest I be full and deny thee and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or lest I be in want and steal, and profane the name of my God." He's not seeking the reward apart from God. He knows that God will reward. He only wants to be in relationship with God. It's when God sees our faith combined with obedience that He rewards.

And in verse 12 he says "there is a kind [of man] who is pure in his own eyes, Yet is not washed from his filthiness."
If you think you have it all together, and that you're generally a good person, do not read the Bible. The Bible is good for encouragement and yes it tells us about God's love, but is not kind to the person who is not willing to recognize his faults. It will tell you like it is. It will not lie, it will expose your innermost thoughts and show you that you too are "not washed from your filthiness."

Proverbs 8:18-21 "Riches and honor are with me, Enduring wealth and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold, and my yield is better than choicest silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of justice, to endow those who love me with wealth, That I may fill their treasuries." What is wealth? In this life, what is wealth?

Is wealth the silver and the gold? No, it is the potential to create it. God is the giver of all these things. If you have Him, then you have them. Having a God-filled life is better than anything the world can offer.

To protect your wealth, you have to protect the source. When conservationists go to protect a river, they go up to where the water starts. They don't go down to the harbor where the river goes into the ocean and try to clean out all the pollution there. If it's clean and rich at the top, it'll be clean and rich at the bottom. As long as the system is healthy at the source, the river does its job. They stop deforestation and pesticides in the mountains where the rivers begin. They do whatever it takes to prevent the water that's hitting the mountains from being sent elsewhere. To have a healthy, steady flow of the Spirit in our lives, we have to protect and nourish our relationship with the source, we have to deepen our walk with Jesus.

The Conflict-Resolver

2007-05-30T10:32:00.000-04:00

I was reading the other day in a part of the Bible that I'm not all that familiar with. It's a story about two guys who had a quarrel with one another over some land that belonged to them. 2 Samulel 19 recounts the story. I want to focus in this story on the humility of one of those guys, Mephibosheth.
1. During a rebellion, he honored the king. 2 Samuel 19:24 says that while David was in exile, and the kingdom was in trouble, Mephibosheth showed his solidarity by going through some visual symbols of self-humiliation - letting his hair grow, not trimming his mustache or cleaning his feet until the King was restored as ruler of the whole land. So, while his people were rebelling, Mephibosheth honored the king.
2. He values the reign of the King more than his own vindication. Having been swindled by his servant Ziba out of his land and branded a traitor(16:1-4) Mephibosheth would have been the poorest of poor, and had every right to be angry at the king for mistrusting him. Seeing his own mistake in granting the land to the false servant Ziba, David justly decreed that Mephibosheth would get a part of the land (29). Mephibosheth's response, however, gives us a lesson for conflict resolution on any magnitude. He says to the king: "Let him take it all, since my lord the king has come safely to his own house" (19:30). In the last point, we saw him waiting patiently for the restoration of the kingdom. Now that David has been restored, we see him fully satisfied. His waiting for the king was not so that he could get his land back. He didn't do this fasting thing just so that he could get something out of it. He just wanted the king to reign. Christians, so may we be.

What does it take to resolve today's conflicts and wars? A love for the kingdom of God. We cannot hold our identities and our possessions nearer to us than we do our love for the King of Kings and expect to resolve conflicts.

Quebec's Quiet Revolution

2007-05-24T03:11:00.000-04:00

Reading up on the Quiet Revolution for a research project I'm working on, I encountered that period of history from a new perspective than I had before. Before, I had only heard about it from Christians lamenting the loss of attendance in and influence of the Catholic Church that occurred during that time. Reading about the period from other perspectives, I'm persuaded to believe that it is important for Christians in ministry here to think about that timer period from political, economic, and cultural perspectives as well. Because what happened during that time period was that in many ways for the first time, the Quebecois became free. Masses of rural poor flocked to the cities, where they gained access for the first time to education, developed cultural initiatives, financial prosperity and political sway. During the Quiet Revolution, Quebec's first true middle class was born during this time. Now, most North Americans have traditionally attributed at least some credit for their wealth and prosperity to their faith values. Americans, for instance, have historically championed the Puritan work ethic, and most believe it was the cause of economic prosperity in that nation. Eastern and Western Canadians have similar ways of thinking about their own religious value systems - good moral behavior in accordance with the overarching religoius value system leads to peace and prosperity. The Quebecois, however, view all of this differently, because at their most significant moment in recent history, as wealth, cultural development, and political influence were increasing, church attendance rates were plummeting, and the influence of the Church in society was waning. Religion was not a part of the solution for problems of poverty, cultural repression, and political impotency. I think that most Quebecois today sense a spiritual need, but to seek to fill that need by going back to their spiritual roots would be committing intellectual, political, and financial suicide. Few see the church or faith in God as a remedy to life's biggest problems, and this is the state in which we find our culture. Foreigners, and people from outside Quebec need to realize these problems to effectively reach out to our neighbors. Beyond the surface, there is a great spiritual need - huge problems in the family in Quebec, a lack of love and a need for God's love, much sexual confusion and a great need for an identity. But to really address these issues, we can't tell people to go back to church. The church needs to come up with alternatives that will truly serve the people.

Appalling Segregation in US

2007-05-14T22:00:00.000-04:00

City of Boston Assessor's Department Data, 2001

Zooming in on a map of the city of Boston that shows a color based on the value of each land and building (darker is more valuable, the numbers are house values), I've discovered some compelling patterns. Wealth is created in business centers, but its most universal place of storage in capital markets is through home-ownership. Land is the most tradeable commodity, because it is the most enduring. It is through the study of land and housing values that we learn the most about a people's access to resources. Land in Boston is at a premium. Home prices on the whole are rising in almost every neighborhood, yet there are locations that have shown resistance. What causes resistance to wealth creation in particular pockets of the inner city? Is it crime? Is it racial discrimination? Is it simply the market playing itself out? As Christians, I believe we're called to find out the answer and help cities get it right.

Even worse, there are patterns of segregation based on race persistent today that cannot be denied. For instance, look at this town. After living in Canada for 6 years, I've forgotten how drastic the problem of race relations still is in the U.S. We need to do better.

Obedience in Trials

2007-01-04T14:25:00.000-05:00

Recently, I've been looking closely in Genesis 6:1-9:17 at the story of Noah and the ark. This story has value for any follower of Christ who may be going through a period of chaos and confusion like that which Noah probably endured. Not only that, but there are many things taught in this part of scripture that help us to ultimately better know our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The story starts off by showing that the earth will be judged because of the sinfulness of mankind. Powerful men (the Nephilim) are marrying whomever they want whenever they want. And Noah is one righteous man in a world full of corruption. Yet it is clear that even within the chaos preceding and during the flood that God is still in control. We can learn from this too that God manifests and protects when we obey. Also, there are signs even within the execution of God's judgment that He intends for this moment to be a new beginning for the establishment of His covenant with creation (but that will have to wait for another time - mid February?).

Difficulties in life are a guarantee for any person who decides to follow Christ. But we know that God is always in control. When looking back on the flood account, the author of Psalm 29:10 recognized that "the LORD sat enthroned over the flood." God's word is valuable for all people in all places at all times. So, we know that whatever situation we are facing, God is in control. He is over it. He rules over it. We see in the Genesis story that God is the one who initiates everything. He responds to man's actions, but He remains in control and purposeful in what He is doing the whole time. Also, God is intent on revealing to man (in this case, Noah) what His purpose is in this situation. Do you believe that God is in control of your life? What things have happened to you that make you wonder if God has a purpose in all the things that happen in our lives?

Let's look more closely now at the story in Genesis six through eight. There is evidence in the passage that the ark is a place where God invites Noah and his family into the protection of His presence. When we read closely the account, we see that the ark is similar to many other places described in the Pentateuch as localities where God's glory dwelled. Like the tabernacle and the temple, the ark has only one entrance, and it has the shape of a rectangular box (the meaning of the word for "ark"). It is interesting to note that in this passage is the first mention in the Bible of the distinction between "clean" and "unclean." The significance of these words was brought out more fully only generations and generations later when the Israelites were building the tabernacle and traveling in the desert (see Leviticus). It seems that a later hearer of the initial story of Noah put a spiritual twist into the text to help the readers understand what God was doing in the ark. Like the tabernacle and the temple, the story implies that the ark was a holy place. Finally, like the garden of Eden - God's original earth-dwelling place - the ark is an animal-friendly environment.

Also, we look at the description in Gen 8:1, it says God sent a wind over the waters to cause them to recede. If God sent a wind from above powerful enough to change the water level, it would have driven the boat beneath the waters. If He sent it from a lateral direction, it would have sent the boat tipping on its side and out of control. But the only place He could have sent it from without it damaging the boat and those within it was if He sent the wind from within the boat itself. The only way to understand this picture is if God is in tabernacle/temple ark with Noah as He's making this command. The story of Noah and the ark is amazing for many reasons. But I think the most amazing part is the story of Noah's faith. At any point in the story, Noah could have "jumped ship." "The end is near, live it up!" could have been his lifestyle message to the people around him. Noah could have doubted at any point that God was going to keep His word and spare his family. Being in that boat for forty days, he could have gone crazy wondering if and when the rain would ever stop pouring. What a hard time it must have been for him, wondering if the waters would recede in time for them to get the food they needed to survive. Would God really keep his promise and allow Noah and his family to live? Could he have just imagined it all? But at all these points in the story, there is no mention that Noah has any of these doubts. In fact, to the contrary it commends his obedience (Gen. 7:5) "and Noah did all that the Lord commanded him." How is his faith so strong? I think it's because he knows that God is with him. Noah understands what the text implies - that God will be with you in whatever He commands you to do. Someone reading this may know they're in the life boat but fear being tipped over and kicked out, submerged and drowned; but if you keep doing what is good and keep walking in God's ways, won't He protect you?

A lot of people look at bad stuff happening in their lives: a break-in and robbery, a friend who refused to reconcile, or health and career difficulties, and simply wait for things to get better on the other side. They don't want to get anything out of the suffering and pain. They only wish that it would not last any longer. They just want to be through with it and get on with life as it was before. But God has something better for us. God doesn't just allow random problems to come into our life without a purpose. Trials come, and difficulties come, and to receive the blessing (Gen. 9:1) like Noah did when the waters recede, we've got to be in the ark, doing what God has called us to do, we've got to be in covenant with the LORD. Because we each have a particular destiny, we face tailor-made trials that God uses to form us into the people who will fulfill those destinies (Romans 8:28-29). So, if you're in a trial, it's because God has a plan for you. But we need to expect more from suffering than for it just to pass. Paul writes to the Corinthian church suffering from disunity: "Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you" (2 Cor. 13:11). The exhortation is followed by the promise. Whatever the trial, God will be with us when we obey Him.

There's a song I've been singing a lot lately by Hillsong. I think the words were inspired by Psalm 29. But basically, it the words and this worship video sum up what I want to say:
Still
Words and Music by Reuben Morgan

Hide me now
Under your wings
Cover me
within your mighty hand

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I will be still and know you are God

Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know his power
In quietness and trust

The Spirit, our spirit, and the discerning of spirits

2006-10-31T10:54:00.000-05:00

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

2006-10-04T22:55:00.000-04:00

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

2006-09-06T13:57:00.000-04:00

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)

2006-09-01T19:17:00.000-04:00

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

2006-01-31T10:39:00.000-05:00

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?