I don’t want you to get to heaven and ask the question, “are we there yet?” I want you to have lived the life in this community that you tasted it and touched it and felt it and were a part of it all the time.
-Rick McKinley, Imago Dei Church
Monthly Archive for August, 2006
In a way I quite understand why some people are put off by Theology. I remember once when I had been giving a talk to the RA.F., an old, hard-bitten officer got up and said, “I’ve no use for all that stuff. But, mind you, I’m a religious man too. I know there’s a God. I’ve felt Him: out alone in the desert at night: the tremendous mystery. And that’s just why I don’t believe all your neat little dogmas and formulas about Him. To anyone who’s met the real thing they all seem so petty and pedantic and unreal!” Now in a sense I quite agreed with that man. I think he had probably had a real experience of God in the desert. And when he turned from that experience to the Christian creeds, I think he really was turning from something real to something less real. In the same way, if a man has once looked at the Atlantic from the beach, and then goes and looks at a map of the Atlantic, he also will be turning from something real to something less real: turning from real waves to a bit of coloured paper. But here comes the point. The map is admittedly only coloured paper, but there are two things you have to remember about it. In the first place, it is based on what hundreds and thousands of people have found out by sailing the real Atlantic. In that way it has behind it masses of experience just as real as the one you could have from the beach; only, while yours would be a single isolated glimpse, the map fits all those different experiences together. In the second place, if you want to go anywhere, the map is absolutely necessary. As long as you are content with walks on the beach, your own glimpses are far more fun than looking at a map. But the map is going to be more use than walks on the beach if you want to get to America.
“Niceness”-wholesome, integrated personality-is an excellent thing. We must try by every medical, educational, economic, and political means in our power, to produce a world where as many people as possible grow up “nice”; just as we must try to produce a world where all have plenty to eat. But we must not suppose that even if we succeeded in making everyone nice we should have saved their souls. A world of nice people, content in their own niceness, looking no further, turned away from God, would be just as desperately in need of salvation as a miserable world-and might even be more difficult to save.
For mere improvement is not redemption, though redemption always improves people even here and now and will, in the end, improve them to a degree we cannot yet imagine. God became man to turn creatures into sons: not simply to produce better men of the old kind but to produce a new kind of man. It is not like teaching a horse to jump better and better but like turning a horse into a winged creature. Of course, once it has got its wings, it will soar over fences which could never have been jumped and thus beat the natural horse at its own game. But there may be a period, while the wings are just beginning to grow, when it cannot do so: and at that stage the lumps on the shoulders-no one could tell by looking at them that they are going to be wings-may even give it an awkward appearance.
-from Mere Christianity
Here are a few more quotes from Mere Christianity
In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them.
For many of us the great obstacle to charity lies not in our luxurious living or desire for more money, but in our fear–fear of insecurity.
That is so upside-down to our world, I think. That there would be normal things that we’d like to do, like hit starbuck’s for a grande americano or get popcorn at the movies, but we can’t because we gave too much money away. Really, you would have to give A LOT of money away if you couldn’t do a simple thing like popcorn at a movie. wow.
This passage is really good:
That is why the Christian is in a different position from other people who are trying to be good. They hope, by being good, to please God if there is one; or—if they think there is not—at least they hope to deserve approval from good men. But the Christian thinks any good he does comes from the Christ-life inside him. He does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us; just as the roof of a greenhouse does not attract the sun because it is bright, but becomes bright because the sun shines on it.
And let me make it quite clear that when Christians say the Christ-life is in them, they do not mean simply something mental or moral. When they speak of being “in Christ” or of Christ being “in them,” this is not simply a way of saying that they are thinking about Christ or copying Him. They mean that Christ is actually operating through them; that the whole mass of Christians are the physical organism through which Christ acts—that we are His fingers and muscles, the cells of His body.
I don’t know if Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis is for everybody, but it does have some really good points and ideas and images in it.
A man who changed from having Bios [natural life] to having Zoe [life in Christ] would have gone through as big a change as a statue which changed from being a carved stone to being a real man.
And that is precisely what Christianity is about. This world is a great sculptor’s shop. We are the statues and there is a rumour going round the shop that some of us are some day going to come to life.
My poor commentator that wrote all over the book before me missed some really good stuff. I think he was so set on not getting it, that even the most simple things passed right over him.
I read this part and thought about the various corrupt systems in our world.
It is easy enough to remove the particular kinds of graft or bullying that go on under the present system: but as long as men are twisters or bullies they will find some new way of carrying on the old game under the new system. You cannot make men good by law: and without good men you cannot have a good society. That is why we must go on to think of the second thing: of morality inside the individual.
I’m not done typing in my quotes. I’ll type in some more in another entry.
They made the bronze basin and its bronze stand from the
mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of
Meeting.
(Ex 38.8)
“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a bronze basin, with its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the Tent of Meeting and the altar, and put water in it. Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet with water from it. Whenever they enter the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting an offering made to the LORD by fire, they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.””
(Ex 30.17-21 NIV)
“In that day the Lord will snatch away their finery: the bangles and
headbands and crescent necklaces, the earrings and bracelets and
veils, the headdresses and ankle chains and sashes, the perfume
bottles and charms, the signet rings and nose rings, the fine robes
and the capes and cloaks, the purses and mirrors, and the linen
garments and tiaras and shawls.”
(Is 3.18-23 NIV)
I am so struck by these ladies that served at the entrance. They gave
up their mirrors to make the bronze basin. These mirrors came from
the rich egyptians when the Hebrews “plundered the Egyptians” because
God made them generous toward them. These women, for years, were told
what they looked like from these mirrors, they got their visual
identity from these mirrors. The thing is, Egypt represents the land
of sin and death and oppression, so they were getting their identity,
and what they thought was a look at their beauty, from articles made
in the land of sin, death, and oppression. They gave these up, it’s
like they said, “we aren’t going to get our identity from these any
more” Or like the Barlowe Girl song, “You don’t define me.”
They moved on from looking at themselves and began looking to the
congregation. Because they took their eyes off themselves, the men
could wash and be clean before God and not be struck dead.
How many times do we define ourselves by our possessions, and so make
it difficult for our fellow believers to be washed clean? In our
contest of possessions that begin to possess us, in the comparing and
the showing off, the brother who is trying to keep up or fit in with
us that have so much eventually gets left behind and left out.
These ladies gave up the expensive and fine items that used to say
“this is what you look like” and in return all of Israel gained
fellowship and access to God.
Doesn’t Jesus tell us to do the same thing to draw near to Him?
“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said:
“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his
cross and follow me.”
(Mark 8.34 NIV)
the young rich man believed, like so many of us do, that all of his
‘blessings’ were ‘blessings’ from God, and showed his ‘blessed’ life.
But Jesus would never take away a blessing from us, so maybe they
weren’t blessings after all.
“Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said.
“Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.””
(Mark 10.21 NIV)
Ok, so my wife got me a super cool pen for my birthday, and I’m really distracted when I have my quiet time with an online computer, so I’ve devolved back to a notebook, bible, and my cool pen. that means blogging is harder, but so be it. Here are about three days entries strewn together.
>>>
all of 1 cor 9 (&8before it) is about Pauls rights. He boasts almost
about the great things he’s done and what he dserves, but then he
says v.15 “But I have not used any of these rights. and I am not
writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I WOULD
RATHER DIE than have anyone deprive me of this boast.”
He would rather starve, be unjustly executed, be forgotten, than tell
them they should help him because HE deserves it or THEY owe him. God
doesn’t demand from us either. Even at the end of time, every knee
will bow and tongue confess but it on’t be forced, it will be a true
confession from all!
Why doesn’t God demand from us? and why doesn’t Paul demand from the
Corinthians? God is totally complete. He IS glories, so He doesn’t
need people to tell HIM He’s glorious. He IS great, so He doesn’t
need people to tell HIM HE IS GREAT. the things that I’m most
confident in, I don’t need people to tell me. The things I’m not
confident in, I want people to tell me. If I’m not confident in my
authority and my worth, I want to do things to show people my
authority and worth.
I’m not trying to get them to tell me “you have authority, you have
worth.” literally, but by their actions. But what if I got my worth
and authority from God? Would I need any from men? NO! Jesus didn’t n
e e d respect from Romans or Pharisees, though he had every right to
demand it. But He would rather die than demand His rights. When the
Fox in the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe says, “I’m sorry your
majesty,” the witch says, “Don’t patronize me!” and he says, “I
wasn’t talking to you.” and bows down to Edmond, one of them demanded
submission to the authority she didn’t have, and the other was
royalty without advertisement, but simply by his presence.
I had goosebumps and tears flowing on that part.
Paul wants to preach the gospel for free so that he can’t make use of
his rights in preaching it. There were some towns where Paul had
fully earned the right to preach (stoned, left for dead, then alive,
or he did major healings, etc.) But he never expected an audience or
demanded their attention. He was bold with them, and said he’d come
with a whip if they didn’t straighten up, but it wasn’t with a
tyrant’s attitude.
to say there is great power in humility would be backwards. And you
can’t strive for either and ever get them. It all comes from being
near to Him. To power, the identity, the authority, the peace, and
the right humility.
A lot of people act out in a way to convince other of what they are
unsure of in themselves.
Tyrannical rulers, the snow witch, me trying to get street kids
to respect me by calling them degrading names, husbands coming
home from being out of control at work and over-controlling their
families, boys looking at girls on the internet to control their
relationships, Christians trying to convince each other how
spiritual they are…
We have developed habits for getting our God-needs met with our
flesh, but we’re new now!
We’ve been lied to about who we are supposed to be, like someone
getting a sign hung on them that says “Superman” and being told they
are a political leader. How will they every figure out who they are?
Eph. 4.22
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off
your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
Eph. 4.23
to be made new in the attitude of your minds;
Eph. 4.24
and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true
righteousness and holiness.
2Cor. 3.16
But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.
2Cor. 3.17
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is,
there is freedom.
2Cor. 3.18
And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are
being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which
comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Gal. 5.13
¶ You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your
freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in
love.
Gal. 5.14
The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor
as yourself.”
Gal. 5.15
If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will
be destroyed by each other.
Gal. 5.16
¶ So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires
of the sinful nature.
Gal. 5.17
For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the
Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict
with each other, so that you do not do what you want.
Gal. 5.18
But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
Gal. 2.19
For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God.
Gal. 2.20
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ
lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son
of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
