I think the most compelling change in the way I look at God these days is the conviction that he is not the God I thought he was when I was young. I’ve believed rightly that God loves us and has great blessings in store for each of us. But the avenues to “blessing” are much different than I had ever imagined. In fact, even the blessings themselves are far from what I envisioned when I was less clued-up.
I tended to look at blessings as material things that were easily grasped with my hands. I’ve learned now that a blessing can be a line of thinking, or wisdom really, that opens the door to the thoughts of God. Knowing the thoughts of God brings freedom and relief to a person held down by things like despair, hopelessness, pain, and persecution.
When I first lost everything and entered the “tent” years ago (please read past posts to get the gist) it was an identity of embarrassing failure and bleak worthlessness. Over time, the tent has become a place that symbolizes the very thoughts of God. This humbling circumstance has now become a map, an illustration, that I can superimpose over the struggles of life and find God’s thoughts on an issue. The supernatural purpose of the tent has become so vivid that I can hold up any difficulty to the truths I’ve found in it and find the wisdom of God. Who would ever think that this small canvas shelter could represent far more in God’s eyes than it could ever stand for on earth? Now that's a blessing I would say.
3/26/12
This Ain't No Disco
So, you may ask, "What is the church (the Body of Christ) supposed to look like in the days to come?" Good question. I sincerely hope that it's not what it looks like presently. I can’t imagine anyone, in their right mind, would want to become a member of a group such as the Church of today? We are just as sinful, petty, insecure, selfish, prideful, hurtful, and superstitious as anyone on the earth. And we have become utterly blinded by our own so-called "knowledge" of the truth. The answer to the question is this: Whoever LIVES the Bible is part of the true Church. Vociferous pew-sitters and puffed-up Bible scholars are NOT necessarily the real living church. They think that they are, but they are wrong. The real living church of the Lord walks the streets and alleyways of earth with a glorious irresistible light shining out from its brokenness and humility. The real living church has the power to transform the lives around it through the genuine and undeniable presence of the Spirit of God.
The Bible exhorts us to “distance ourselves” from the "World", but many Christians have missed the point of this exhortation. Distance, in this case, does not mean we alienate ourselves so as to keep our spirits unstained. Rather, it means to “differentiate ourselves” to create a powerful positive stir. I think it may be time to differentiate ourselves from the inaccurate version of the church that prevails today. Holy distance ideally generates a curiosity such as that which drove Nicodemus to find and question Christ in the middle of the night. We should desire that people search US out in the night to find the truth. Now that would be effective Christian living and a much better rendition of what the Church is supposed to look like!
The Bible exhorts us to “distance ourselves” from the "World", but many Christians have missed the point of this exhortation. Distance, in this case, does not mean we alienate ourselves so as to keep our spirits unstained. Rather, it means to “differentiate ourselves” to create a powerful positive stir. I think it may be time to differentiate ourselves from the inaccurate version of the church that prevails today. Holy distance ideally generates a curiosity such as that which drove Nicodemus to find and question Christ in the middle of the night. We should desire that people search US out in the night to find the truth. Now that would be effective Christian living and a much better rendition of what the Church is supposed to look like!
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