Water and Dust

Recently I saw a picture of a man. He was teaching and coming out of his mouth was a torrent of mud. Immediately the words "water and dust" came to my mind, and I knew in the Spirit what this meant. The man was teaching from the Word, which was represented by the water, as in Ephesians 5:26. But he was also teaching out of his flesh, which was represented by the dust, as in Psalms 103:14. When the two mixed, it made this terrible mud spewing from his mouth.

Even the world knows that a confused word can "muddy the waters" and that "crystal clear" clarity of word and intent are preferable for teaching. Anything else is "clear as mud". So obviously this teacher was issuing forth a confused word, a confused message, with the potential to confuse his audience on any topic covered. When this is applied to teaching of the Word, we have a grave issue here.

Believers without solid foundation either in the Word or in relationship with God can easily be swept away by the torrent of the teachings of man. They have no spiritual maturity or discernment to lead them to the Truth, which is what we need to hold onto when this flood comes. Knowing our Father's voice (John 10:27), having the Word hidden in our heart (Psalms 119:11), this is where discernment comes from and is our defense against wrong teaching and bad doctrine or theology.

So part of this picture was in discernment of what I was seeing in the natural, a warning against bad teaching. But the flipside of that same coin is guarding against being guilty of doing the same. The Word tells us that not many should become teachers and that those who teach will be judged with greater strictness (James 3:1). So when we do feel like we have a word for someone, or feel like God is giving us a word for a group of people, we should test that word against the only thing that lasts forever, God's Word (Isaiah 40:8). We should make sure that what He wants to say is all we allow to come out of our mouths, not embellishing or straying from His message.

I Timothy 1:3-7 directs us further;

^"3 As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, ⁴ nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. ⁵ The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. ⁶ Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, ⁷ desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions." (ESV)

How many of us have run across teachers like that? Constantly teaching from the prophetic books and speculating on all manner of weirdness having nothing to do with the Gospel of Jesus Christ? They have vain discussions specifically designed to lift up their own fame and following and glory, doing nothing to increase the fame of Jesus or to bring Glory to His Name. I love the Word's use of the phrase "promote speculation rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith". You can't do both. It also clarifies that they are "without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions". Don't miss for a moment that those to whom the letter was written were instructed to "charge" these people not to teach this way. Not all conflict in the church is of man, some of it is God trying to correct man's behavior, and more often than not, that comes through another man.

So what does this mean then? Out of fear of judgment should we refuse to open our mouths when we feel the Spirit urging us to speak? No, this sin would be like the sin of teaching out of the flesh. Instead we should be open to the Spirit that He may be allowed to speak through us, but continually guard our heart and build on the foundation that God is building in us so that we will not be deceived, and in turn deceive others.

And we can see from I Timothy above that when we see someone teaching in this wrong way, we should charge them to teach only what God is saying in the Spirit, and not out of their flesh. This may not sound like the comfortable church setting you have become familiar with, but it is what we are commanded to do. Besides, are we to be friends of man or of God?

Be greatly blessed!!

~Michael

Come again?

You've undoubtedly heard the phrase; "Life is not a spectator sport". Essentially, this means that - whether we (want to) realize it or not - we are involved in this life and should act like it. We shouldn't be sitting around, doing nothing, just waiting to die. Self-help books will tell you to "decide what you would be doing right now, if you could do anything in the world...Then go do it, or at least do something that can make that happen". To live each day, each moment, as if it is your last. In the Latin, it's "Carpe diem", or "seize the day". I was recently in a Discipleship training where Bill Allison reminded us that for disciples of Christ, this means we need to quit sitting on our hands and actually follow the greatest commandments...

Matthew 22:37-40 "Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

And...

Matthew 28:18-20 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

If we can just do these three things; love God with all we have and are, love our neighbors and make disciples, we will be fulfilling our purpose on this earth. But for some people in the church, it's more about deciphering codes and searching out hidden mysteries, all in an attempt to determine when Christ will return to this earth. Now, there is a reason God has chosen to hide Himself in mystery, and just like a close friend or spouse desires to be sought-out and discovered, God desires us to immerse ourselves in studying Him. But when it comes to the second coming, the Word is pretty clear...

Matt 24:36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

We do not know, we will not know, anyone who claims to know or to ever have known is a false prophet. People like Harold Camping, with all their hand-wringing over when Jesus will return, are completely, utterly and totally missing the point. They're like the people at your work, or in church who spend the entire time staring at the clock, not doing what they're supposed to be doing. In the business world they're called "clock watchers" and they likely cost businesses billions of dollars a year in lost productivity. It's no different in the rest of life, or in the church...If you're focusing on the clock, so to speak, you're missing the point entirely. We are here for a reason with a job to do and we can't do it with our eyes on the clock. Jesus will return when the Father tells Him it's time. It's to us to be ready, not to try and guess when that will be.

Purpose

So, between the busy work schedule, the kids' busier play schedule, all the errands and responsibilities that come with everyday life, and everything else we have going on...Especially this time of year...What is it we are really doing with our lives?

Yeah, that's no easy question to answer, but it gets easier once you define how you WANT to answer it. That is done by deciding what you want to do with your life; how you want to measure your impact in this world. Are you striving for worldly financial and social success? Or are you endeavoring to permanently impact the lives of those around you? Maybe you have political aspirations? Or have you been simply plodding through life, trying to survive, with no real direction or goal in mind whatsoever? Once you set a goal for your life's work you can begin measuring your success to that end.

In this Western society, even Christ-followers have a difficult task laid out for them, deciphering what it is that we are supposed to be doing with our lives. Our supposedly "Christian" culture is all about the appearance of good will, while still living untransformed lives; striving for carnal desires, making very little if any impact on the world around us. There is so little focus on righteousness and discipleship in most of our churches that even those of us who regularly attend mostly just hear sermons about "being a good person" and "accepting everyone for who they are" with nothing standing in our path, challenging us to become who and what we are destined to be.

If we were to step outside our comfortable pews, open the Word and read...REALLY read it, with an open mind...We would see quite a different picture of who God intends for His people to be. We would be convicted and challenged to set aside worldly pursuits, to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, to be filled with His Spirit, and to indelibly impact those around us. The fruit of our labor would be lives, permanently changed for the better, simply by having spent any time around us. We would be called to die to ourselves and to live only in Christ, and therefore to be only about our Father's work. If the Bible is true, then we have been called to spend time in the Word, in worship and in prayer, perpetually being transformed into new creations in Christ, displaying the Kingdom of God in this world, simply by our thoughts, words, decisions and actions. We are God's Ambassadors, His representatives. Agents and Administrators of the Kingdom of the Most high. Appointees, Delegates, Deputies, Diplomats, Emissaries, Envoys, Intermediaries, Ministers, Officers, Operatives, Proctors, Proxies, Stewards, Surrogates, Viceroys...

We are the People of God, visibly demonstrating His Kingdom and His Purposes on this earth. How does striving to have a big name, to live in a big house with big TVs and big cars even begin to compare? Yeah, it doesn't. Not even a little. God tells us in His Word that in heaven, those who were the least among us on earth shall be the greatest, and the greatest among us shall be the least. In this way, the most humble custodian, serving with his whole heart, in heaven will be greater than the most powerful person here in the world. So what does going into mountains of debt to buy a house and cars to compete with your neighbors really accomplish? Nothing, except a lot of stress and trouble in this world. Don't misunderstand, I'm not opposed to anyone appearing successful in the natural; God desires to greatly bless all of us. But only when these things aren't really of any concern to us, and we are seeking only His Will and Way in our lives. It's the motivation of the heart that matters. Matthew 6:25-34 puts it plainly...

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." (NIV)

So how are we to measure success in this life? How are we to discern our purpose? I believe, when it's all said and done, God tells us in His Word. Quite simply; “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind", and "Love your neighbor as yourself". If we can just accomplish these two things, then I believe in heaven we will be regarded above the Donald Trumps of this world.

Mistakes

You've heard the adage: "Failure is not in the falling down, failure is to not get back up".

Being someone who has done more than their share of falling down, I'm a big believer in this modern proverb. It's a reminder to offer grace to ourselves and to others when we make mistakes, and instead to focus more on how we respond after the fact. We all make mistakes, what we can do is get up, keep moving forward, learn from them and try to ensure they don't get repeated. In doing so, you may find yourself basing your opinions of yourself and others not on whether or not you mess up (because you will), but instead, in how you recover from a mistake and whether you can learn from it. Eventually, when you do mess up, it won't look like falling down, it will be falling down "with style".


Lately I've been finding myself making fewer mistakes.

As I get older, it's less likely that I'll do something stupid. Instead, on the verge of a mistake, I will recognize the issue, step back and think something like; "Oh, that wouldn't have ended well". Then I make a different choice and move on with my life, thankful for the wisdom learned from falling down so many times before. This is part of our 70-some years on this earth. To learn how to walk more gracefully in this life, full of the wisdom that comes with a lifetime of - not just making mistakes - But learning from them. Each and every one of them. Eventually, mistakes can become so rare an occurrence that you almost find yourself thankful for the opportunity to learn. Or so I've been told.

That's how it is for long-term interpersonal relationships like marriage as well.

The more time we spend around a close friend, spouse or even a business partner, the more likely we are to anticipate their needs and potential responses to our actions. In doing so, we find ourselves in a position to better serve the needs of that person, and of the relationship, without having to "fall down", apologize, and rebuild that trust again all the time. In time and with great patience, we become "experts" on that person, real authorities on what makes them tick, and what just ticks them off. We know their pleasure centers, and their hot buttons, and know how to navigate both with great skill. It's not about "control" or "manipulation", it's just about knowing the lay of the land and being able to navigate it properly. It is when we become experts on those around us that they, and we, are best served.

Likewise, that's how it is supposed to be in our relationship with God.

Being a "Christ-follower" isn't simply about attending a weekly service somewhere, tithing our 10% and living however we would like the rest of the time. It's about making the pursuit of a Christ-like life the primary focus of our lives. It's about learning everything there is to know about Jesus and letting Him have His Will and Way in our hearts and lives. It's about giving the King those keys to our kingdoms and letting Him reign on the thrones of our hearts and lives. Just as getting to know ourselves better can make us more graceful people, and getting to know those close to us can make us more graceful in those relationships, Jesus desires for us to let Him make us experts on Him so that we can become the creations we were made to be.

So that's how I believe it is supposed to be in our lives.

Like an excellent guide on a difficult exploration, it isn't in knowing the future that you can avoid most of the pitfalls in this life, but in having lived through them all before and recognizing them when they appear. This is who makes the best mentors, counselors and pastors; those who have already walked these miles and years in your shoes, who have lived to tell about it, and can help you walk through them in victory. This is who we are to be, in all aspects of our lives, experts on ourselves, on those around us, and on our King, so that in so becoming, we can blaze a path for those around us, that they may also find fulfillment is Christ.

Be blessed!

~M

A New Thing...

A friend of mine posted a note in facebook essentially giving God full access to his life, to expose and remove the things that may still be hidden away, asking God to have His will and way in his life. In essence, "Here You go, Lord". This is a trend I've been seeing in individuals, congregations and across international boundaries lately. I responded with the following on his note, but felt like it needed shared here as well...

It's amazing to see the parallels in people's lives, and in the course of ministries, all over the area, and in fact, all over the world right now. "Behold, I Am doing a New Thing" has been prophesied in several places and seems to be the call of this global move of God. He's calling us into deeper submission for a nearer walk with Him. Perfectly in line with the Divine Experiment and the knitting-together of area congregations, God seems to be wanting to do the same, both in our individual hearts and on a global scale.

Lord, we pray for the clarity that comes from the Light of Your Truth in our lives. Expose anything within us that is not of You, and give us the strength and courage to allow You to remove them. Likewise guard our hearts and lead us away from anything outside ourselves that is not of You. "Here You go" indeed, we offer up our hearts, minds and lives as an offering to You. Be glorified in our hearts, actions and lives...In everything we do, we long to honor only You. In the glorious Name of Your Almighty Son Jesus our Lord and Savior, amen.

~M

Perspective

It's all about perspective, my friends.

If there's one area in life where people have the most difficulty, it's deciphering the actions and intentions of others. Have five different people witness the same complex social exchange and ask them what they witnessed. You are bound to get five different interpretations. Why is that? Is it because some of the five have an agenda, or is it simply because they "just see things differently"? Actually, it's more likely because, as people, we have a tendency to view the world through a filter.

You've heard of viewing the world "through rose-colored glasses", meaning that the viewer thinks everything's just fine, refusing to acknowledge the hardships of others? This is a similar concept, except those glasses we're looking through are ourselves. We see life, the world and others through a filter of our own past, our own motives, our own intentions. We use this filter to gauge the intentions of others, to base our conceptions of their actions.

This can cause major issues in dealing effectively with others, in social situations, in business, in all aspects of life. If someone who has (or has had) a very self-centered view of the world sees someone else being very charitable, they inevitably assume ulterior motives. Likewise, someone who is a bit naive and who has a caring disposition views someone mistreating another, they may tend to assume there was some very good reason for things to go that way.

As believers, how are we to view the world and interpret the actions of others? Isn't this just how God made us, as people? Shouldn't we interpret the motives of others through the process we already use? I tell you, NO. As new creations in Christ, we are no longer to operate in the flesh and in our own devices, but we are to filter everything we think and do and say through Christ, revealed in the Word. We are to seek His direction in all things, and not to lean on our own understanding...In anything, ever. No matter how good the path of the flesh looks to us at that moment and in that situation.

So, what does that really mean, in everyday life? In its simplest terms, it means that we do not assume. Ever. If we have a history of selfishness and idolatry, we cannot use that history to discern the motives of others. If we did, we would only ever see the worst in others, always assuming the worst, and life would be a real mess for ourselves and anyone unlucky enough to be around us. Someone genuinely being kind to another would to us look like they were out to get something for themselves.

If we are young and naive, we cannot always use our simple kindness to discern why people behave the way they do. If we did, we would never see the evil of others operating purely in the flesh, and we and those around us would be open to attack. Someone horribly mistreating us and others would be assumed to be in the right, and the enemy would be allowed to operate freely in our midst.

In Christ, there is balance. Matt 10:16b "Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." We are to forgo our own interpretations and instead discern all things in Christ through the Word. Only then, when we can really hear from God on all things, can we be sure to understand what is going on around us and why people are doing and saying the things they are. Until then we should be careful not to judge, and instead temper all things with caution, following Christ's example. If you have a question, ask. If you have a problem, address it with the other person. In this way, we can be protected from attacks of the enemy that come in the form of misunderstanding, causing division.

That's what Matthew 18 is all about; protecting ourselves and others from this kind of attack by testing all things and always bringing all issues to the transparency of the Light of the Truth.

"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that 'every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector." Matthew 18:15-17 NIV

If we follow God's pattern on this, we can rest assured that, if there are issues, we have made every effort to handle them in a Biblical fashion. Hopefully they will be easily resolved as misunderstandings in this way. If not, at least we know we did all that we can, and did not judge in the flesh and in secret. In this way, we know it was not our own, possibly distorted perspective that may have caused an issue (or inflated a small issue into a much larger one), but all things were tested according to the Word and with the testimony of witnesses.

This is the only perspective we should seek to attain; that of Christ in all things. Anything less is worthless flesh and will ultimately only lead to destruction. Our own, and potentially that of others who we've led astray by operating in the flesh in the first place.

Until next time...

Trees

Recently I found myself in a conversation about how people are like trees. A particularly bubbly friend of mine was outside dancing with what could only be described as the pure joy of the Lord, and simply commented "I'm like a tree!". Immediately I was reminded of Mark 8 (22-26), where Jesus was healing a blind man, and the healing came in 2 stages. First, the blind man could see, but not clearly. He said "I see people, they look like trees walking around". Then Jesus touched him again and normal vision was restored. Then there's this whole idea of fruit of the spirit, and the harvest, and all the myriad of other Biblical references to tress, fruitfulness and so on.

So I said "yeah, you are like a tree...We all are", and this of course sparked an interesting evening of conversation regarding the nature of this concept, what kinds of tree different people are (my friend is a cherry tree; kind of short, beautiful, very fruitful, flowering and somewhat fruity - in a good way). It's funny this all came up, as I haven't known this person very long, but for whatever reason had a pretty good sense of her personality (and what kind of tree she was) the first day we met. One of those people you just know you're going to get along well with, right from the start.

The Healing of a Blind Man at Bethsaida

²²They came to Bethsaida, and some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him. ²³He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man's eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, "Do you see anything?"

²⁴He looked up and said, "I see people; they look like trees walking around."

²⁵Once more Jesus put his hands on the man's eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly. ²⁶Jesus sent him home, saying, "Don't go into the village."

Some people are oak trees; mighty, ancient, deep-rooter, fruitful and producing good wood. Others are willows; beautiful, flexible, good for holding things together, usually near the water (that's a whole other concept) and sometimes melancholy. This isn't some weird pseudo-psychic concept; it's simply using one object to describe another. "Types", as this kind of association is usually called, have been around probably forever.

In the Bible, water is very often used to represent the Spirit, smoke is most often associated with glory, or the prayers of the saints, fire is used to represent many things but it and doves are often used to describe the anointing of the Holy Spirit, particularly when directly associated with people. You get the idea. Even in the secular, dream interpretation very often uses "types" and "lists" to decipher why you might have recurring dreams involving tornadoes or water spouts. Again, this has some Biblical basis, though (as usual) the enemy has used counterfeits of this same concept in the occult. Don't let that discourage you from digging more into associations, just let it be a warning to ensure your source is Biblical.

In my humble opinion, most occult/psychic/paranormal activity or practice is a direct counterfeit of something believers can do through the Holy Spirit. Witch doctors are the worldly counterpart to Spirit-filled believers. The difference is the source and the purpose for the gifting. But, that's a conversation for another day.

Be blessed!

~M