Wholeheartedness vs 'Yes But' Theology

There are so many groups, denominations, and ministries found everywhere across the net. I enjoy Christian writers and connecting with others who delight in the God, his Word and in acknowledgement of  the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Gone are my days of homogenized elitist church-thinking. I no longer stumble across I Corinthians chapter 1(v.13 'Is Christ divided?') and get a queasy feeling in my heart.

There has always been division since the early days of creation and it is pretty much summed up by the question "Did God really say?" (Genesis 3). What if Eve had answered that question by quoting God exactly instead of adding her own 2 cents to the miasma? What if she had said to the serpent, "Why don't you ask God for yourself?"

There are a lot of teachers and preachers around expounding doctrine and, yes, we can learn from them but ultimately the responsibility comes back to each of us: "What actually does God say?" Therein lies the strength, power and ability to love beyond what we can imagine!

In Numbers 13, the 12 spies who were sent to the promise land were divided 2 to 10. Caleb and Joshua spoke up and encouraged the Israelites to believe God without success. So what did they do? Form their own group? They trusted and loved God wholeheartedly and stuck it out during those 40 years of wilderness wanderings convinced about what God had promised. What others said did not deter them because God was truly their God. I'm sure God was blessing there lives and teaching them despite the the lack of trust surrounding them.

When God is truly our God we can wholeheartedly live abundantly despite the differences around us. We can love bigger, be happier and are freer to go where the spirit needs us to go. I am sure Joshua and Caleb didn't spend those wilderness years complaining about the rest of them who were frightened and not believing God. They believed, loved and were catalysts to the rest of Israel.

No one on this earth has all the answers to everything, I know I certainly don't.  I've been at this in-depth study of God's word for a long time. There is a lot to learn and plenty to experience and the more I learn, the more I realize this.

I am so thankful for those who share undeniable eagerness and love for God. I like reading their blogs or listening to them in conversations expressing how great God is. I may disagree with them on certain points, but I'm not interested in joining a theological 'think tank' or fellowshipping with pharisaical 'killjoys'('yes but' theology). The heart of the true 'church is beautifully expressed in Acts 2:47. They were excited:

47 Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

The 12 Spies -The Edge of Believing

In the record in Numbers 13, the exodus sojourners were getting closer to the land promised them.  It appears in Numbers 13:1 and 2 that God told them to send in spies to scout out the land:

13 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 2 Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them.

However, flipping over to Deuteronomy 1:21-22 there is a slightly different slant on this:

21 Behold, the Lord thy God hath set the land before thee: go up and possess it, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath said unto thee; fear not, neither be discouraged.
22 And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come.

It was the Israelites who requested a look-see at what was ahead. It sounds reasonable to plan but as one reads through Numbers 13, it indicates that some of them were not ready for the task ahead. God had led them with a pillar of cloud and a pillar of fire. He had gotten them through the Red Sea in a most spectacular way.  He had fed them with manna and quails . Water was provided from a rock. It becomes evident that throughout their trek, some of them continued to carry their fear, lack of trust and discontent with them. Fear must be counter-balanced with trust and believing. God let them send the spies and the results of their thinking and readiness was exposed.

Only two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, were excited and ready push ahead trusting the God who had not failed them. Eventually they led the younger generations into the promised land. The fear of the other ten spies and their influence on the population delayed this event. This fear caused them to wander and procrastinate and eventually kept them from what God wanted for them. They did it to themselves.

The edge of believing is always in front of us. Fear is a natural human emotion. Wisdom and healthy respect are benefits, but fear can shut us down when we don't take it to God. He is absolutely approachable with honest prayer and provides several means of reassurance through His son, His Word and  the spirit penetrating our hearts.

Growing in the Light

Have you ever really looked at a tree? It is amazing!  So why are leaves flat? Could it be so every leaf gets a chance at the sun? Why is it they are green for a period of time and then turn colors and shrivel up and fall off the tree. How come there are no fall colors in Florida? These are great lessons in its design.

The leaf has other structural miracles. Just check out the stomates sometime, or the palisade, xylem, phloem cell layers. Biology is a fascinating subject (Romans 1:20) and I love talking about it (guess that's why I became a biology teacher)!

Plants were brought forth on the 3rd day. Uh oh! The sun came into being the 4th day! A day is a day (see Genesis1:14-16), so there is no problem with plants coming into existence a day before the sun.  Actually a plant will grow in the dark. This was one of the first experiments we did in my Biology class. Plants grown in the dark have long long long white stems (to help them look for light). Plants grown in the light are green, vibrant and sturdy. The spindly plants have smaller leaves. Plants grown in the light have larger, productive leaves. Again these are great lessons that apply to life.

Isaiah 66:2 For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

God is light and in him is no darkness at all. So when we bask in God's light we flourish in productivity and fruit. Our lives are not spindly.

The Word of God into the bible

Pleasing God

As I travel through the Old Testament slowly, I often find things in the New Testament that emphasize some of the treasures found in the old covenant period. As I get to know people like Abel, Enoch, Abraham, Jacob, and Moses, the 'Believer's Hall of Fame' in Hebrews 11 is really becoming clearer. These men had a passion for God, 'they walked with Him'!

I had to do some rethinking of Hebrews 11:6 in regards to the word 'faith'. It is translated from the Greek word 'pistus' meaning faith, believing or trust. God expands His meaning (He often does that) right there in the verse!

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Pleasing God had always seemed highlighted for me until recently; but it is the phrases that follow that present clearly what it is to please God.  We cannot please God by any other method than by 'coming to Him', 'believing that He is' and that 'He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him'.  Often this verse has connoted to people an 'earn by works' or what I call 'bootstrap believing' (or 'grit and believe it' theology). That is not at all what it is about. It is all about our hearts turning to God and trusting. How can one believe someone without trusting? Trust involves knowing the true nature of God and having a relationship with Him. Jesus Christ showed us that.

Each one of those men mentioned in the first paragraph had a relationship with God; it was individual and each one did something different for God. When you have the spirit of God in your life, you are the one to whom the spirit of God communicates purpose and direction to. No one else can do that for you. No one else determines your 'mission for God' except you and Him.

Several years ago someone told me I needed to go on a project assignment for God in order to grow and not be afraid to give up my well-paying job. Had God forgotten to tell me about this?  Was I not listening? Was I not believing or trusting God? It happened several times and I even started entertaining a fear of being fearful! Then I realized God was providing my own unique 'projects' and my paycheck was not in my way!  Heck, God had helped in my job search! It could absolutely be an entirely different situation for someone else.  The point is that each of us has to believe that He (God) is and diligently seek Him. No one does that for you. What we share with each other is the excitement of access to God for direction, not the direction itself.

In the Old Testament, the spirit of God was 'upon' certain individuals and not on everyone. The whole purpose of the New Testament is to explain our access individually to the throne of grace. We all can have the spirit within because of the death, resurrection, ascension and Lordship of Jesus Christ.

Spirit Of Jealousy

In Numbers 5, jealousy is dealt with in the law:

12 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man's wife go aside, and commit a trespass against him, 13 And a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her husband, and be kept close, and she be defiled, and there be no witness against her, neither she be taken with the manner;

This law involves adultery on the part of the wife when there are no witnesses or that she hasn't been caught in the deed.

14 And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled:

When there is no proof, there is the possibility that she is innocent. The problem is that jealousy can enter the relationship and by it's nature it can be violent involving rage and out of control emotions.

Proverbs 27:4 4 Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?

Envies and jealousies are cruel because they go after another person in a bad way. Gossip, lying and extreme emotion may be its vehicles, in one person trying to destroy another. It can lead to even more damaging consequences. Throw in some control and indignation and it can be quite a recipe for evil. Adultery is wrong, but so can the reaction to it be wrong.

15 Then shall the man bring his wife unto the priest, and he shall bring her offering for her, the tenth part of an ephah of barley meal; he shall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincense thereon; for it is an offering of jealousy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remembrance.
29 This is the law of jealousies, when a wife goeth aside to another instead of her husband, and is defiled; 30 Or when the spirit of jealousy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and shall set the woman before the Lord, and the priest shall execute upon her all this law. 31 Then shall the man be guiltless from iniquity, and this woman shall bear her iniquity.

In the Old Testament this is the way things were dealt with. In the New Testament, with the presence of the spirit of God in the believer, Paul records the ultimate reaction to evil:

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; II Corinthians 10:3-5

Galatians 6:1Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted. 

Check out Ephesians 6:11-17. The world is full of jealousy, envy and strife.  God is the answer to it all. It is in his hands how forgiveness plays out. It may involve restoration, but it could involve putting distance in the relationship when things are not restored.  Our attitude of meekness toward God is the primary determiner.

Prophets, Prophecy and God's Heart - Happy Hearts Day!

You've gotta love Numbers Chapter 11! The people of Exodus were complaining again. Even Moses got irritated with having to deal with it again yet another time.

I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me. Numbers 11:14

God did an amazing thing. He told Moses to gather 70 men and he gave them spirit.

And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease. Numbers 11:25 

These men were set around the tabernacle. Two men,  Eldad and Medad,  however, were reported to have been prophesying outside in the camp. Imagine that! As human nature would have it a young man asked Moses to forbid them to do so! Moses had a great response:

And there ran a young man, and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. 28 And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord Moses, forbid them. 29 And Moses said unto him, Enviest thou for my sake? would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them! Numbers 27-29

God's heart was to be able to talk to every believer. In this record we have a small porthole to see what would happen eventually on the Day of Pentecost that is recorded in the book of Acts. On that day 12 men spoke in tongues as evidence of the gift of holy spirit they received. But the day did not end with just the 12 receiving the gift of holy spirit:

38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.39 For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. 40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. 41 Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. Acts 2:38-41

God calls to us today to receive His gift. This gift should not lift our hearts above others as if we are specially endowed, or more spiritual than anyone else. It is a gift to lift others up to enjoy the same privileges and comfort in every recess of our inner heart.

Brazen Idolatry

Because the sun rises in splendor every morning and sets in beautiful colorful serenity every day, do we make it a god? It should remind us of the incredible power and love of an eternal God.

In Numbers, the exodus sojourners were attacked by serpents. They cried out and God provided them with a way to escape:

Numbers 21:8 And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. 9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

In the Numbers incident, it was an action of God that saved them, the brazen serpent was the vehicle. The Israelites kept the brass model and eventually they began to worship it as indicated in 2 Kings 18:3-4 several hundred years later:

3 And he (Hezekiah) did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that David his father did. 4 He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.

Hezekiah removed all the idols including the brazen serpent which became an idol. It is a good lesson for us today.  When God works through various vehicles today such as people, ministries, and movements, these vehicles should be catalysts in inspiring individuals to  develop a relationship and trust in the one true God. Too often the means becomes the end instead of being a means to an end. A catalyst is something that causes other things to react without itself being affected. Discipling is just that. It is a process that helps people connect to God without getting in the way.

Jesus Christ refers to the brazen serpent image with an analogy to himself:

John 3:14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

Jesus Christ is our catalyst for reconciliation to God. He has a very unique position being seated at the right hand of God and head of the body. God has given him power and authority through the spirit to be the head of the church of God. He is the high priest. He is the way to God.

Love is Beautiful

Have you ever thought about what is true beauty?  We catch a glimpse of it in eyes
that shine and in words that truly encourage. We hear it in wisdom

Desert Rose

as we feel its peace. Genuine excitement reflects its power. Whenever we look for God He can be found even in the
vast wilderness of this world.

The title of the book of Numbers is translated 'In The Wilderness' from Hebrew ('Bemidbar') and that it is! At the end of Exodus, God came down from Mt Sinai and filled the tabernacle that had been made according to His directions. It was a transportable tent to be taken on their journey to the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The time frames for Exodus and Leviticus are very short compared to the +38 years of this book describing the trek through the wilderness. The people got to the edge of the promised land, but because of fear in their own hearts they could not go in. Thus, what should have been a much shorter journey becomes drawn out.

God has previously expressed His heart to provide for and  interact with His people many, many times through the ages. Mt Sinai has come and gone. Archeologists disagree today about where it was located. Maybe its location is no longer important to God.  Yes, it is the place where the burning bush appeared to Moses and where Moses received the 10 commandments and guidelines for living. But once God had done that, He stepped down right in the middle of them to be their God.

For God to be God to His people, he asked for free-will devotion and adherence to His way of right. He was and is not tolerant of evil, but He is forgiving. He designed the universe, he ought to know how to navigate it.

Much has happened to humanity since the days of Moses, but the wilderness hasn't changed too much. God has given us a great path to follow through the the ultimate sacrifice of His son, Jesus Christ. His desire for us is to be His sons with power to overcome fear and to relate to Him not only as some entity in our midst, but relationally in our hearts.

The world is not very peaceful nor very encouraging. It still is a wilderness. God is still God and he is everywhere where there is a heart to live in. His wisdom continues to be extended and every morning we can rise with genuine excitement for the day. The love of God is the most beautiful thing in the world.

Skia of the Skene! (Shadow of the Tabernacle)

1 And the Lord called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the

congregation (tent of meeting NIV) saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, If any man of you bring an offering unto the Lord, ye shall bring your offering of the cattle, even of the herd, and of the flock. 3 If his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male without blemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation before the Lord. 4 And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. Leviticus1:1-4

These opening verses of Leviticus contain several gems ('and', tabernacle of the congregation, burnt offering, voluntary and atonement). Wrapped up in these words are the promises of fellowship, free-will and salvation wholeness (physically, mentally and spiritually - body, soul and spirit wholeness)

Leviticus 1:1 opens with the word 'And'! This tells you something right away. Leviticus is connected to Exodus. In Exodus chapter 40, the tabernacle (Link - skene-tabernacle) was set up and ready for business. In verse 33, it says Moses finished the work and guess who stops by?

32 When they went into the tent of the congregation, and when they came near unto the altar, they washed; as the Lord commanded Moses. 33 And he reared up the court round about the tabernacle and the altar, and set up the hanging of the court gate. So Moses finished the work. 34 Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. Exodus 40:32-33

The desire of God's heart is to have a relationship with each of His sons. Moving from the mountain to the tent of meeting was a starting place. Eventually He would move from the tabernacle to the temple; then to Jesus Christ (John 1:14 - tenting among us); then on the day of Pentecost into the hearts of men and women who believe.

The book of Leviticus is  an inspiration as well full of information about God's heart. It is a curious book to many but very necessary for our learning as it contains shadows (Link -skia), symbols and patterns of things to come.

Truthful Love

Honestly, Ephesians chapters 4-6 should be read together and not in pieces. Ephesians chapters 1-3 are about God's love. Chapters 4-6 are about loving others and how we should relate to people in a godly way.

Unity is a nice thing and Ephesians 4:1-7 addresses unity, but we need to see the rest of Ephesians to see what pitfalls threaten unity and how to deal with them. For example in Ephesians 5:11, God is pretty clear that we can have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness. How does this relate to longsuffering and forebearing (Ephesians 4:2)?  We have to read Ephesians 4:23-27 and other sections to read verse 2 of chapter 4 correctly.

23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; 24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. 25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. 26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: 27 Neither give place to the devil. (Ephesians 4:23-27)

This is not hard to understand because it is specific. It is much more difficult to just read Ephesians 4:1-7 without the context; one would have to extrapolate one's own theology to apply the true meaning of unity in practice.

'Putting away lying' is an important concept. Lying can be a tool in manipulation, gossip and very subtle conversational tact.  Speaking the truth in love can dispel genuine anger but maybe not for every side involved. When one person loves the truth, the sun will not go down on that person's wrath. It is speaking the truth in love that causes one to peacefully grow up!

God is Huge!

The older I get the more I realize that God is bigger than I could ever have imagined. We get just a glimpse of him as we live day to day soaking up grace. My mind is in awe of the solutions he comes up with when I am patient and trusting to wait on Him.

God committed himself to truth. He is the creator of the universe (if you doubt that, you need to check out the precision in the solar system, the magnificent construction of a tree, the intricacies of the human eye etc). He could have designed it any way He wanted and acted any way He wanted, but everything He created reveals His gracious heart, justice, and sovereignty, and free will choice.  His word is His will. If you want to know God's will for your life, the word of God will reveal what he provides.

I know that we have versions of translations and translations of versions and versions of versions; but God is bigger than all that. It becomes increasingly evident the closer one looks at His word.

At this time of the year a tree has no leaves, it is gray and spindly-looking, but deep inside its cells, it is preparing for the spring, summer and fall! A person just has to look deeper than the imperfections of the environmental flaws to really understand the incredible genius of a tree.

Likewise, the Bible is something to be looked at deeper than its black cover, gilded page edges, thin paper, double columns or even the January 2, 2015 article in a 'weakly' news magazine. God is bigger than any version and man's un-humble opining about God.

We can be so influenced by 'big' names in the world of religion and journalism. I have read oodles of articles and research regarding biblical issues. There are times it is really exciting to see another viewpoint because it may jostle some of my own bias or wrong teaching. But a big name does not make untruth truth nor truth untruth and most people have untruth in their 'isms'. The 'big' in big name is infinitely small compared to even the 'back parts' of God ( Exodus 33:23) .

We have to remember that our relationship with God is first individual. Moses asked to see God  and he saw His glory. That was a lot to take in. Today, the Word of God shows us God's heart. it is our 'burning bush' and 'clift of the rock' (Exodus 33:22). The gift of holy spirit is our radar.

13 Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation is thy people. 14 And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.(Exodus 33:13-14)

Amen! Happy New Year!