Not long ago, I admitted to a couple of my roommates an obvious fact about me, recognized and diagnosed early by my Psychiatrist who treats me for ADD as he softly said with a hint of frustration “I can see you don’t like to be told what to do.” One does not have to know me well to know he rightly diagnosed the all too obvious stubborn part of my character that is either admired, found annoying, or deemed unacceptable. Such evaluations seem to depend on one's need to exercise authority over me or one's willingness to submit to my authority, ultimately depending upon whether or not we are mutually submitted to the same authority. If the conflict is rooted in a demand that requires I betray my allegiance to my highest authority, I am indeed obligated to be obstinate, an obligation that often gets me in trouble.
My current inflexible determination, however, is somewhat of a contradiction to who I was. I once was very submissive; overly eager to be told what to do given the severity of my disability that impaired my ability to hear, understand and follow instructions. Therefore, my repeated failure to follow instructions most often had more to do with my inability to understand the requirements than my lacking the desire or motivation to comply. As a result, I was often shamed for my failures and/or sternly disciplined for what was perceived to be rebellion. From my distracted confusion, I grew ravenous with desire for approval and driven to learn what it takes to get it, desperate for the relief that would save me from or sooth the pain of being punished for my noncompliance.
By high school, I had compensated rather well for my deficiency by becoming very skilled as an actor in the school’s drama program and in life, using the extreme sensitivity of my emotions, also characteristic of ADD, to empathetically evaluate the expectations of others so I could comply with what the majority demanded of me by performing the character they most liked, thus maximizing my potential for approval and minimizing my aptitude for inciting conflict. Though well supplied with praise as a skilled performer who showed tremendous potential for a promising future, I was empty and unsatisfied, conditions characteristic of an addict who is always looking for the next fix when the high wears off. Likewise, the growing complexities of the demands of my environment required more performance than my skills were equipped to offer, thus adding to the pain I was trying to alleviate with a medication that was diminishing in supply. Since potential is not enough to meet the demands for performance required by reality, all the fraudulent characters of my repertoire were exposed, either by those who were able to see through my disguises or by my failure to prove my claims of who I was and what I could do, especially when it came to my identity in Christ. Those who know Jesus well are not easily fooled by Jesus costumes, no matter how look-alike they may be. Likewise, even those who do not know Jesus recognize a poor performance when they see one.
Once the truth about me was finally exposed so neither I nor anyone else could deny it, I began a desperate search for help. Unfortunately, I could not find it though I stubbornly persisted to wander from dead end to dead end. Finally, I reached a place I could not go further having reached the last dead end of the road of my life where death was the only option I had left. I even considered the possibility of taking my own life but was too afraid of God’s disapproval.
Nevertheless, it was at that final destination where I discovered the means to rightly kill my “self” and the instructions on how to do it, described in detail within the discipline of apologetics, instructions I understood and was able to apply very successfully despite my learning disability. Having died well, I was then raised from the dead with new sight and focus, able to see fixed points of reference with such clarity that all distractions were driven to the limits of my peripheral vision, allowing my attention to be firmly held by the one who I had tried to be for so long. Like Pinocchio who was finally turned into a real boy, I could finally say with integrity I knew Jesus and therefore knew myself having been gifted with new life and identity foreign to all I had ever known but familiar to what I had always wanted. Jesus has had my undistracted attention since that magic moment of transformation, a transformation that also redirected my distracted drive to win the approval of others to a focused determination to win the crown I see waiting for me in the hands of the source that defined my identity, purpose and reality, in the hands of my Jesus, in the hands of my God. (If you are interested in knowing more about why apologetics helped, see my blog “My Journey to Apologetics” written August 13, 2008. The books that served as my introduction are listed at the bottom of my blog).
Since I am submitted to the lordship of Jesus Christ, I am also willing to submit to everyone else as long as their demands do not violate God’s standards or compromise my identity in Christ, regardless of whether or not their values are different from mine. However, now that I know the objective reference that defines the truth, I am no longer easily deceived by pretenders who are skilled at acting like Jesus; I know the profession too well having practiced it for most of my life. I am also not very trusting of those who claim to be an authority on truth but are not familiar to me and/or do not speak words I understand or weigh decisions with values informed by standards that do not make sense to me. Therefore, I often have problems with or become a problem to those who possess the power of authority over me, not necessarily because their demands are unreasonable, but perhaps because they are unable or unwilling to help me understand their demands. On the other hand, their authority may also conflict with the authority of God, the authority that trumps all others in my chain of command. Either way, my disability that makes it difficult to make decisions about arbitrary details still gets me in trouble with some authorities though my noncompliance may now be for very legitimate reasons. Either way, I am still often persecuted as a rebel who simply does not like to be told what to do.
Even in the world, credibility requires objective references and/or recognized authority. If the credibility is there, I in fact do like, indeed love being told what to do, as does anyone who is told by the one they love how to go about pleasing them. Likewise, in the absence of credibility, I would rather die than betray my love. Therefore, my defiance may not be the result of selfish ambition or obstinate pride. If it is, my Lord will deal with me directly, either in me or through someone else he possesses. Considering the fact even demons will not be told what to do by those who deceptively claim the authority of my Lord, how much less effect would such demands have on Jesus himself; he who defines me, directs me, and whose Holy Spirit possesses me? Submission is not my problem given my Lord commands I submit even to my enemies that do not demand I betray him by disobeying his orders. Therefore, Should any conflicting demand be made of me absent of his authority, I will not be moved, much less impressed, any more than the demoniac described in Acts who was ordered to act against his will. I may even be inclined to ask the same question: “Who are you to tell me what to do?” Those who claim authority in the name of Jesus need to be careful they are possessed by the authority to wield it. His power is not ours to control, much less to be used to control others.
Acts 19:13-16 13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I adjure you by the Jesus, whom Paul proclaims." 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?" 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Friday, April 1, 2011
Pure Religion = Golden Relationships
The paradigm for American church community has shifted in priority from large groups to small groups in an effort to restore personal connections that have been lost due to the impersonal size of congregations, the traditional spectator format, the media-distracted/hedonistic/autonomy defined culture, and the demolition of the family unit. Many mega-churches have been directive toward dividing their congregations into smaller communities so they can have the opportunity to relate to one another, some encouraged to meet in homes where they can eat and share together without the time constraints imposed by Sunday morning structure. The house church model has also become popular, especially to church planters who are trying to correct the communal challenges intrinsic to the spectator format, to include the weighted drag and squandered resources imposed on church duplication by the effort to facilitate growing congregations by means of constructing bigger buildings and self-centered programs. While these efforts are needed, noble, and appropriate in response to the first two communal challenges, I am not convinced they are enough to overcome the other challenges of expelling cultural influence from the Christian identity nor redefining and supplementing/rebuilding Christian families. As a result, many small groups end up looking like smaller versions of the same large group paradigm – relationally shallow, culturally pluralistic, and communally distracted from the Christian identity and purpose they claim.
Last night, I became even more acutely aware of the tragedy of the church’s dereliction when I accompanied a group from Clearwater Community Church on a visit to a local nursing home. The visit was motivated by the clear Biblical mandate to love and minister to those who either lost or never had family, a mandate described in James 1:27 as intrinsic to the most basic, foundational, identifying principles of the Christian religion, a mandate that if left unfulfilled would spoil our religion, making it impure. Last night I was affirmed the greatest threat to Christian identity and purpose is not the way we gather together or even how or what we do while together. Rather, the greatest threat to our identity is what we fail to do together, by those who we neglect to include, by those we fail to invite, by those we fail to go find, those who want to and need to be found. Their absence and/or exclusion makes our family broken, robbing us of the love, well-being, security, self-realization, self-confidence, and self-actualization that are manifested in healthy families. From their absence, we have forgotten who we are.
My experience last night was a wonderful reminder of who we should be. Following is an account of what I observed that inspired my recollection.
After entering the nursing home, I approached a nurse named Janet who was serving dinner to the tenants in the rooms along the hall I was exploring to ask her help in deciding who would best be served by our time there. She indicated all of them needed our ministry, including the staff. I affirmed the truth of what she said, but clarified the limitations of our time and the advantage she had in knowing their needs given the time she spends with them every day. After pausing for a moment to think about it, she decided to direct me to those who would most likely talk to me, meaning those with whom I would most enjoy meeting. Again, I clarified I was more interested in those others would not enjoy talking to, thus representing those most isolated. After further deliberation, she finally directed us to a couple of rooms that met the profile I was looking for. Before leaving her, I asked how we could pray for her. Janet smiled and exclaimed we could pray for anything on her behalf as if to say she was simply starving for the presence and blessings of God. To her delight, we prayed over her then embraced her before we continued on our way.
I first visited a woman Janet said was often ornery with the staff. I’ll call her Gloria since I don’t remember her name. I learned as soon as I arrived Taylor had sung, "Nothing but the blood of Jesus" to her before I came because she was still glowing with delight over his offering. I offered my hand to Gloria which she grabbed firmly and swung back and forth for some time. Gloria then began telling me over and over again while smiling with joy how special that was to her, how few young men are like that these days, and what a blessing Jesus is to her because of his blood. I agreed with and encouraged her with many halleluiahs and a-mens. She told me she has 5 sons, all in the military, and how she hopes one of them becomes a preacher so she can go listen to him.
Her roommate, I’ll call Hannah, had a vacant expression most of the time we were there. However, when I would take her hand, smile and look into her eyes, she would smile sweetly back and return my gaze. Hannah asked we pray God would sustain her health so she would not feel any worse than she did right now, as if to say she is content since she did not ask to feel better. They clung to us as we embraced them and closed their eyes while sweetly grinning as we kissed them on their foreheads, as if they were remembering what it felt like to be loved by family.
We walked into another room and I sat in front of a woman sitting in a wheelchair. She had a vacant expression and drool was hanging from her chin. As I looked in her eyes, my friend grabbed some tissues then lovingly wiped her mouth with no indication of revulsion or disgust, like a son taking care of his mother. I stared in her eyes and smiled, occasionally telling her of the love of Jesus and his sustaining peace. She stared back into mine, only at times looking down for a moment before returning my gaze.
Her room companion was in a similar state though lying in her bed. I spent similar moments with her though she did not divert her gaze to look into my eyes. I reflected on what her life might have been like, sensing the possibility pain and loneliness led her to simply withdraw from reality into her personal world of indifference to the world around her, a world possibly indifferent to her. We kissed them on the forehead before we left, assuring them of the love of Jesus that never leaves or forgets.
My friend and I went to separate rooms for the next visit. I met a woman named Francy who was sitting in a wheelchair facing the wall behind her bed. She had towels draped over her chest to catch the regurgitation from her supper, some of which was still coating her chin. I was close enough to her I could smell it as well. I chose to ignore my senses and focused on looking in her eyes.
There was a sweet expression on her face as she stared at a cross stitched picture on the wall with a cross necklace hanging on it that had the numbers 12 12 22 at the bottom. She said her brother gave it to her, repeating again and again how special it was to her, intermingled with the statement, “…but that’s o.k., I like it.” She said he made it just for her and how thoughtful it was that he brought it to her for her birthday, revealing the significance of the numbers at the bottom to signify her birthday - December 12, 1922. She told me she had 5 brothers and four sisters, one of whom was still a baby, and that she was the oldest among them being she was now 46.
I noticed she had an accent and asked her where she was born. She said she wished she could get rid of the accent because she was so often blamed for being a part of killing all those people, repeating several time she had nothing to do with it, finally confessing she was from Germany. She said the pictures pinned to the wall were her family. I recognized one of them as the woman in the wheelchair I had just visited in the room down the hall. Francy said she was her younger sister.
A few moments later, two young ladies from the group came in to join the visit. She was delighted to see them, believing they were family, asking one of them if she was married yet. The girls wisely pretended to believe she was talking to them and answered the question honestly.
Janet, the staff member I prayed with earlier, soon arrived at the door and asked me to follow her to the room of a man she wanted to be sure I visited before I left. I hugged and kissed Francy, then followed Janet to my last visit; a 96 year old retired missionary Janet called Rev. Todd.
Rev. Todd was being fed the last of his supper when I arrived. His right hand was on the table in front of him, revealing bruises of unknown origin and fingers positioned in such a way that revealed they were no longer of much use to him. One of his lower eyelids drooped a little and was bright red around the rim. His head was cocked slightly to the right in what appeared to be a permanent position.
After his nurse left with his dinner tray, I sat next to him on his bed close enough to be able to hear his soft spoken words and asked him to tell me about his ministry, about where he had been. He mentioned the United States, Canada, Libya and I think Tanzania before his attention wandered.
When he returned to our conversation he smiled and softly chuckled as he said “You sure have a heavy beard.” I laughed and told him a little about my ministry, explaining how God had brought me from the pristine appearance of an Army Chaplain to the unkempt appearance of a homeless man.
A few moments later, he confessed he was tired and feeling frustrated that he was still waiting to go home. I encouraged him by reminding him of the character still being grown in him and informed the hope it produces with promises of heaven, of the wonder of finally seeing God face to face, the rest of the saints waiting for him where suffering will be no more, of the crown already prepared for him to reward his faithful service to our Lord, and the joy of dancing before the throne as hosts of angels sing praise to God’s honor and glory. His attention wandered as I spoke and he closed his eyes in what I hoped was reflection.
We prayed over Rev. Todd then left, but my thoughts stayed with him as I walked toward the exit. I wondered if God had given me the privilege of being a herald of his servant’s homecoming who announced to his saint standing at the gates of paradise that he was about to be escorted in. If not, to have been in the presence of one so close to heaven was a sacred moment nonetheless, a moment I am compelled to repeat and to share with others who are as oblivious as I was to the opportunity.
My friend Ravi Landge said Americans live as if they are in a bubble that isolates them from the world around them. His metaphor reminds me of the plastic bubble designed to create a sterile environment, protecting those without an immune system from all contamination since their bodies are not able to filter what is harmful from what is beneficial. As a result, they are confined, in a fashion imprisoned by their weakness, unable to know or experience any part of the world outside their protective shield, unable to share in full communion with other people, unable to enjoy so much that is good because they cannot tolerate the contaminated part of it they believe to be bad.
I cannot imagine willingly choosing to live in such a prison but it seems that is exactly what so many who claim Christ do, only their shield does not protect them from evil; it merely isolates them from what they determine to be a threat, most often defined by what they find unfamiliar, undesirable, and/or uncomfortable. They fear death so they avoid the dying. They fear sickness so they avoid the infected. They fear rejection so they avoid the rejected. They fear sin so they avoid the sinful. They fear pain so they avoid the painful. They fear suffering so they avoid the insufferable. Within boundaries of exclusion, homogenous communities huddle together to escape the world and all that is threatening. The most absurd reality and most depraved of tragedies is their inability to recognize or escape from the greatest threat to their security and well being – themselves.
Luke 9: 24 says if you try to save your life you will lose it. In other words, the self-preservation God provided us to sense and avoid danger has been corrupted by sin, leading us to protect the base source of eternal bondage and death and reject the base source of eternal freedom and life. Life does not exist without community in the Trinity, made possible through Jesus Christ and manifested in us by the Holy Spirit. Community in the Trinity does not exist within man made boundaries, it empowers love that knows no boundaries and fears nothing and no one. God’s communal love is perfect and casts out fear. Therefore, he compels us to explore the unknown depths of his mystery and fear no death or anything else that can kill the body. He equips us to endure and at times even enjoy pain that grows his character in us or allows us to share his character with others. Since nothing can separate us from his communal love, we are safe to love even our enemies without fear. Since all that is material cannot be kept, we do not fear giving everything to invest in the gospel that restores what is of eternal value in people and possessions.
In the kingdom of heaven, the standard of value that defines eternal currency is not material or even monetary; it is relational. Fellowship in community is the treasure that defines the interest rates of kingdom return on all investments to be considered and made in the world. Therefore, it is beyond time the church diversify their investments in interests outside of their own so the rate of return will please their master who has entrusted them with his treasure to invest. The highest yield accounts are the lost, the poor, the lonely (widows and orphans), the suffering, and the disenfranchised. There is so much money to be made and so little time that the foolishness of burying the treasure of our fellowship in fear of high risk investments has to stop. There is simply not time to be safe. Church, our master is coming soon. Get off the couch and get to work!
James 3:13-18 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Last night, I became even more acutely aware of the tragedy of the church’s dereliction when I accompanied a group from Clearwater Community Church on a visit to a local nursing home. The visit was motivated by the clear Biblical mandate to love and minister to those who either lost or never had family, a mandate described in James 1:27 as intrinsic to the most basic, foundational, identifying principles of the Christian religion, a mandate that if left unfulfilled would spoil our religion, making it impure. Last night I was affirmed the greatest threat to Christian identity and purpose is not the way we gather together or even how or what we do while together. Rather, the greatest threat to our identity is what we fail to do together, by those who we neglect to include, by those we fail to invite, by those we fail to go find, those who want to and need to be found. Their absence and/or exclusion makes our family broken, robbing us of the love, well-being, security, self-realization, self-confidence, and self-actualization that are manifested in healthy families. From their absence, we have forgotten who we are.
My experience last night was a wonderful reminder of who we should be. Following is an account of what I observed that inspired my recollection.
After entering the nursing home, I approached a nurse named Janet who was serving dinner to the tenants in the rooms along the hall I was exploring to ask her help in deciding who would best be served by our time there. She indicated all of them needed our ministry, including the staff. I affirmed the truth of what she said, but clarified the limitations of our time and the advantage she had in knowing their needs given the time she spends with them every day. After pausing for a moment to think about it, she decided to direct me to those who would most likely talk to me, meaning those with whom I would most enjoy meeting. Again, I clarified I was more interested in those others would not enjoy talking to, thus representing those most isolated. After further deliberation, she finally directed us to a couple of rooms that met the profile I was looking for. Before leaving her, I asked how we could pray for her. Janet smiled and exclaimed we could pray for anything on her behalf as if to say she was simply starving for the presence and blessings of God. To her delight, we prayed over her then embraced her before we continued on our way.
I first visited a woman Janet said was often ornery with the staff. I’ll call her Gloria since I don’t remember her name. I learned as soon as I arrived Taylor had sung, "Nothing but the blood of Jesus" to her before I came because she was still glowing with delight over his offering. I offered my hand to Gloria which she grabbed firmly and swung back and forth for some time. Gloria then began telling me over and over again while smiling with joy how special that was to her, how few young men are like that these days, and what a blessing Jesus is to her because of his blood. I agreed with and encouraged her with many halleluiahs and a-mens. She told me she has 5 sons, all in the military, and how she hopes one of them becomes a preacher so she can go listen to him.
Her roommate, I’ll call Hannah, had a vacant expression most of the time we were there. However, when I would take her hand, smile and look into her eyes, she would smile sweetly back and return my gaze. Hannah asked we pray God would sustain her health so she would not feel any worse than she did right now, as if to say she is content since she did not ask to feel better. They clung to us as we embraced them and closed their eyes while sweetly grinning as we kissed them on their foreheads, as if they were remembering what it felt like to be loved by family.
We walked into another room and I sat in front of a woman sitting in a wheelchair. She had a vacant expression and drool was hanging from her chin. As I looked in her eyes, my friend grabbed some tissues then lovingly wiped her mouth with no indication of revulsion or disgust, like a son taking care of his mother. I stared in her eyes and smiled, occasionally telling her of the love of Jesus and his sustaining peace. She stared back into mine, only at times looking down for a moment before returning my gaze.
Her room companion was in a similar state though lying in her bed. I spent similar moments with her though she did not divert her gaze to look into my eyes. I reflected on what her life might have been like, sensing the possibility pain and loneliness led her to simply withdraw from reality into her personal world of indifference to the world around her, a world possibly indifferent to her. We kissed them on the forehead before we left, assuring them of the love of Jesus that never leaves or forgets.
My friend and I went to separate rooms for the next visit. I met a woman named Francy who was sitting in a wheelchair facing the wall behind her bed. She had towels draped over her chest to catch the regurgitation from her supper, some of which was still coating her chin. I was close enough to her I could smell it as well. I chose to ignore my senses and focused on looking in her eyes.
There was a sweet expression on her face as she stared at a cross stitched picture on the wall with a cross necklace hanging on it that had the numbers 12 12 22 at the bottom. She said her brother gave it to her, repeating again and again how special it was to her, intermingled with the statement, “…but that’s o.k., I like it.” She said he made it just for her and how thoughtful it was that he brought it to her for her birthday, revealing the significance of the numbers at the bottom to signify her birthday - December 12, 1922. She told me she had 5 brothers and four sisters, one of whom was still a baby, and that she was the oldest among them being she was now 46.
I noticed she had an accent and asked her where she was born. She said she wished she could get rid of the accent because she was so often blamed for being a part of killing all those people, repeating several time she had nothing to do with it, finally confessing she was from Germany. She said the pictures pinned to the wall were her family. I recognized one of them as the woman in the wheelchair I had just visited in the room down the hall. Francy said she was her younger sister.
A few moments later, two young ladies from the group came in to join the visit. She was delighted to see them, believing they were family, asking one of them if she was married yet. The girls wisely pretended to believe she was talking to them and answered the question honestly.
Janet, the staff member I prayed with earlier, soon arrived at the door and asked me to follow her to the room of a man she wanted to be sure I visited before I left. I hugged and kissed Francy, then followed Janet to my last visit; a 96 year old retired missionary Janet called Rev. Todd.
Rev. Todd was being fed the last of his supper when I arrived. His right hand was on the table in front of him, revealing bruises of unknown origin and fingers positioned in such a way that revealed they were no longer of much use to him. One of his lower eyelids drooped a little and was bright red around the rim. His head was cocked slightly to the right in what appeared to be a permanent position.
After his nurse left with his dinner tray, I sat next to him on his bed close enough to be able to hear his soft spoken words and asked him to tell me about his ministry, about where he had been. He mentioned the United States, Canada, Libya and I think Tanzania before his attention wandered.
When he returned to our conversation he smiled and softly chuckled as he said “You sure have a heavy beard.” I laughed and told him a little about my ministry, explaining how God had brought me from the pristine appearance of an Army Chaplain to the unkempt appearance of a homeless man.
A few moments later, he confessed he was tired and feeling frustrated that he was still waiting to go home. I encouraged him by reminding him of the character still being grown in him and informed the hope it produces with promises of heaven, of the wonder of finally seeing God face to face, the rest of the saints waiting for him where suffering will be no more, of the crown already prepared for him to reward his faithful service to our Lord, and the joy of dancing before the throne as hosts of angels sing praise to God’s honor and glory. His attention wandered as I spoke and he closed his eyes in what I hoped was reflection.
We prayed over Rev. Todd then left, but my thoughts stayed with him as I walked toward the exit. I wondered if God had given me the privilege of being a herald of his servant’s homecoming who announced to his saint standing at the gates of paradise that he was about to be escorted in. If not, to have been in the presence of one so close to heaven was a sacred moment nonetheless, a moment I am compelled to repeat and to share with others who are as oblivious as I was to the opportunity.
My friend Ravi Landge said Americans live as if they are in a bubble that isolates them from the world around them. His metaphor reminds me of the plastic bubble designed to create a sterile environment, protecting those without an immune system from all contamination since their bodies are not able to filter what is harmful from what is beneficial. As a result, they are confined, in a fashion imprisoned by their weakness, unable to know or experience any part of the world outside their protective shield, unable to share in full communion with other people, unable to enjoy so much that is good because they cannot tolerate the contaminated part of it they believe to be bad.
I cannot imagine willingly choosing to live in such a prison but it seems that is exactly what so many who claim Christ do, only their shield does not protect them from evil; it merely isolates them from what they determine to be a threat, most often defined by what they find unfamiliar, undesirable, and/or uncomfortable. They fear death so they avoid the dying. They fear sickness so they avoid the infected. They fear rejection so they avoid the rejected. They fear sin so they avoid the sinful. They fear pain so they avoid the painful. They fear suffering so they avoid the insufferable. Within boundaries of exclusion, homogenous communities huddle together to escape the world and all that is threatening. The most absurd reality and most depraved of tragedies is their inability to recognize or escape from the greatest threat to their security and well being – themselves.
Luke 9: 24 says if you try to save your life you will lose it. In other words, the self-preservation God provided us to sense and avoid danger has been corrupted by sin, leading us to protect the base source of eternal bondage and death and reject the base source of eternal freedom and life. Life does not exist without community in the Trinity, made possible through Jesus Christ and manifested in us by the Holy Spirit. Community in the Trinity does not exist within man made boundaries, it empowers love that knows no boundaries and fears nothing and no one. God’s communal love is perfect and casts out fear. Therefore, he compels us to explore the unknown depths of his mystery and fear no death or anything else that can kill the body. He equips us to endure and at times even enjoy pain that grows his character in us or allows us to share his character with others. Since nothing can separate us from his communal love, we are safe to love even our enemies without fear. Since all that is material cannot be kept, we do not fear giving everything to invest in the gospel that restores what is of eternal value in people and possessions.
In the kingdom of heaven, the standard of value that defines eternal currency is not material or even monetary; it is relational. Fellowship in community is the treasure that defines the interest rates of kingdom return on all investments to be considered and made in the world. Therefore, it is beyond time the church diversify their investments in interests outside of their own so the rate of return will please their master who has entrusted them with his treasure to invest. The highest yield accounts are the lost, the poor, the lonely (widows and orphans), the suffering, and the disenfranchised. There is so much money to be made and so little time that the foolishness of burying the treasure of our fellowship in fear of high risk investments has to stop. There is simply not time to be safe. Church, our master is coming soon. Get off the couch and get to work!
James 3:13-18 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth. 15 This is not the wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16 For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice. 17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. 18 And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
What Do You Do for a Living?
For years, I have labored to answer one of the most common questions asked during introductions, “What do you do for a living?” Those who know me well are as amused as I am by the question and by my awkward struggle to answer it in tangible terms. We are also amused by the inevitable confusion of the questioners who are searching for a common reference that does not exist. You see, if the question were direct, the most direct answer to the question would be “I glorify God for a living,” which is true but not very specific as to the way I do it. Likewise, the question is not a direct question of purpose; it is an implied question that solicits an answer that will define the tangible, professional expression of my identity so they can understand who I am and decide how or if they can relate to and value me. In other words, they want to know, “Who in the world am I?” Since I do not have a worldly purpose, a worldly employer, or material evidence of the utilization of my professional skills, answering the question in such a way that avoids wrongfully identifying me as unemployed has been challenging in some cases, unavoidable in most.
In an effort to overcome this challenge, I recently asked an elder in my church to whom I had been recently introduced how he would answer the question based on the general information he knew about me. He answered “mystery,” more as an assessment of who I am than what I do. However, his answer rightly represented the general definition and manifestation of my work, especially since explaining it was still a mystery to me. I had even used his answer before in metaphorical context, comparing my work with a scientist whose job title is in Latin and few even know his work exists. Since the comparison only revealed my struggle to answer the question, the failure to provide an answer to the question only added to the confusion. Therefore, though his answer did not provide the functional answer I needed, I was affirmed by his applying the term I needed to describe my dilemma. Well said.
Given the recent growth of demand imposed on me by the increase of new introductions, I have been driven harder of late to supply an adequate description of my profession. While I still cannot find a vocational title that sums up my work, I have been able to find some recognized, legitimate titles via Wikipidia that provide the closest worldly comparisons to date. Naturally, those who only qualify a profession as legitimate based on monetary compensation will still believe I am not gainfully employed. Since gain is a reference to value, I do not believe the value of my compensation will ever be recognized within those terms, much less my work. Even among those who recognize the value of my profession, many will not recognize my qualifications or the value of my performance within the terms I provide. Nevertheless, since my goal is to communicate an accurate function of my performance rather than to gain approval, I am confident the following answer will suffice for those who have any hope of understanding what I do. If not, I will keep trying according to the understanding God gives me.
Advocate/Translator
I speak for the lost, the poor, the suffering, and the disenfranchised of the world as a voice for the voiceless, crying out on behalf of those in need to those who are either ignoring or rejecting them. While they do not have the ability to be heard, I do. Intrinsic to my work is living and working among them so I am able to continue to listen to them and translate meaning to those who are also listening but lack the context of experience/empathy needed to understand what they are hearing. I also provide understanding and vocabulary to the voiceless as I teach them how to speak for themselves.
Arbitrator
I define truth when it is unknown or misunderstood, judging it to be what it is. Truth is not subjective. Therefore, when I pass sentence, my judgment is not based on my subjective, arbitrary perspective, rather on evidence I can prove should my judgment be called to question. I recognize the possibility and need for my judgment to be revoked should I be wrong and the intrinsic liability should that happen, thus informing my careful consideration before making any judicial claim. My “formal” educational qualification includes an undergraduate degree in International Relations and Spanish from Samford University and 72 hours toward a 96 hour Master of Divinity degree from Beeson Divinity School. For the past three years, I have independently studied the discipline of apologetics and applied it to personal introspection, Biblical exposition, existential understanding, and communal relations. My character, standards, values, and judgment serve as the more compelling sources of credibility.
Litigator
I defend the truth for what it is against false accusations and erroneous claims, providing objective evidence as proof, predominately from the self-evidence of existentialism and logical reasoning. Christian identity and purpose are the subjects in which I am most qualified and the church context is the one in which I have the most experience performing.
Mediator /Conciliator
A Mediator is described as a link between parties who are alienated by differences or disputes to negotiate terms upon which both can agree to come together in unity and peace. In the Christian context, this role is closely tied to the roles of Arbitrator and Litigator because the terms for agreement are intrinsic to the identity all Christians claim. Therefore, my role in the church is more accurately defined by the physiological context of Mediator, as a presence that mediates a response in the body’s tissue. Physiologically, I work in the church (the body of Christ) to mediate their unification with the identity and purpose they claim to have in common, with the community of the Trinity, a unification that demands alienation from all that serves as a distraction from that communion. In other words, I work to bridge the divides between denominations, races, classes, genders, cultures, nations and selfish interests by representing and proclaiming the neutral identity by which we are all defined and reminding all Christians of our common purpose.
Once Christian identity and purpose is established, I work to mediate the union of the church with those for whom I advocate, taking on a neutral role for the sake of mutual understanding as I help them communicate with each other. I aspire to mediate the development of a designed, unified cooperative that delegates intervention according to individual function between churches, para church organizations, and government institutions that share the same goal of meeting needs but do more harm than good due to their divided efforts, inept strategies, and unqualified interventions.
A Conciliator has the same function as a Mediator but works with the parties on an individual level toward bringing them to the face to face meeting where Mediation takes place.
Writer
Writing has served as an effective discipline and medium for the development of the definition and practice of my other professional roles. It also serves as the most tangible evidence of my professional credibility.
Freelancer
If I am to be accurate, I cannot claim to be “self” employed since my “self” is currently in a coma. Therefore, I must emphasize this title only references I am exclusively employed by God since he is my identity and employer. I cannot be employed by the world or a church because the needed loyalty to employers would conflict with the requirement for neutrality in my roles as Mediator and Conciliator and would also violate the employment contract I have with God.
It would be right to pay me for my services according to the high monetary value they merit but I do not require monetary compensation nor do I want it. Hospitality is sufficient to meet my needs and provides inclusion in one of the contexts in which I work.
It is imperative I be involved in the leadership meetings and processes that work to develop new strategies if I am to fulfill my role as Moderator, an involvement I have only just begun to realize. Therefore, though I cannot be institutionally employed, I am confident these contexts require a respected endorsement given the prerequisite credibility required by many of my potential clients, namely those in positions of authority who need and want my services but need the borrowed credibility of someone they trust (ie. church staff meetings, governmental legislatures, publishers, and speaking forums). However, I am also confident this endorsement should be restricted to the aforementioned contexts. For church congregations in denial of the disparity between who they are and who they claim to be, entering their assembly in anonymity has proven to be very effective, an entrance that provides the needed evidence to expose their need for my help as I respond to how they received me as one of the least of these.
Like Paul wrote in Romans 6:19, I have written in human terms due to the human limitations I recognize as a barrier to understanding and facilitating the roles and purpose for which God has equipped me. I pray that barrier has now been mediated or has at least diminished enough to allow me to work with those who also share my vision so we can be mutually benefitted by the contributions we individually provide to the body of Christ. According to God’s sovereign leadership, provision, wisdom, grace, love and glory, may he continue to use me and all who are called according to his purpose to work together for his good and the gospel reconciliation of all things to him.
In an effort to overcome this challenge, I recently asked an elder in my church to whom I had been recently introduced how he would answer the question based on the general information he knew about me. He answered “mystery,” more as an assessment of who I am than what I do. However, his answer rightly represented the general definition and manifestation of my work, especially since explaining it was still a mystery to me. I had even used his answer before in metaphorical context, comparing my work with a scientist whose job title is in Latin and few even know his work exists. Since the comparison only revealed my struggle to answer the question, the failure to provide an answer to the question only added to the confusion. Therefore, though his answer did not provide the functional answer I needed, I was affirmed by his applying the term I needed to describe my dilemma. Well said.
Given the recent growth of demand imposed on me by the increase of new introductions, I have been driven harder of late to supply an adequate description of my profession. While I still cannot find a vocational title that sums up my work, I have been able to find some recognized, legitimate titles via Wikipidia that provide the closest worldly comparisons to date. Naturally, those who only qualify a profession as legitimate based on monetary compensation will still believe I am not gainfully employed. Since gain is a reference to value, I do not believe the value of my compensation will ever be recognized within those terms, much less my work. Even among those who recognize the value of my profession, many will not recognize my qualifications or the value of my performance within the terms I provide. Nevertheless, since my goal is to communicate an accurate function of my performance rather than to gain approval, I am confident the following answer will suffice for those who have any hope of understanding what I do. If not, I will keep trying according to the understanding God gives me.
Advocate/Translator
I speak for the lost, the poor, the suffering, and the disenfranchised of the world as a voice for the voiceless, crying out on behalf of those in need to those who are either ignoring or rejecting them. While they do not have the ability to be heard, I do. Intrinsic to my work is living and working among them so I am able to continue to listen to them and translate meaning to those who are also listening but lack the context of experience/empathy needed to understand what they are hearing. I also provide understanding and vocabulary to the voiceless as I teach them how to speak for themselves.
Arbitrator
I define truth when it is unknown or misunderstood, judging it to be what it is. Truth is not subjective. Therefore, when I pass sentence, my judgment is not based on my subjective, arbitrary perspective, rather on evidence I can prove should my judgment be called to question. I recognize the possibility and need for my judgment to be revoked should I be wrong and the intrinsic liability should that happen, thus informing my careful consideration before making any judicial claim. My “formal” educational qualification includes an undergraduate degree in International Relations and Spanish from Samford University and 72 hours toward a 96 hour Master of Divinity degree from Beeson Divinity School. For the past three years, I have independently studied the discipline of apologetics and applied it to personal introspection, Biblical exposition, existential understanding, and communal relations. My character, standards, values, and judgment serve as the more compelling sources of credibility.
Litigator
I defend the truth for what it is against false accusations and erroneous claims, providing objective evidence as proof, predominately from the self-evidence of existentialism and logical reasoning. Christian identity and purpose are the subjects in which I am most qualified and the church context is the one in which I have the most experience performing.
Mediator /Conciliator
A Mediator is described as a link between parties who are alienated by differences or disputes to negotiate terms upon which both can agree to come together in unity and peace. In the Christian context, this role is closely tied to the roles of Arbitrator and Litigator because the terms for agreement are intrinsic to the identity all Christians claim. Therefore, my role in the church is more accurately defined by the physiological context of Mediator, as a presence that mediates a response in the body’s tissue. Physiologically, I work in the church (the body of Christ) to mediate their unification with the identity and purpose they claim to have in common, with the community of the Trinity, a unification that demands alienation from all that serves as a distraction from that communion. In other words, I work to bridge the divides between denominations, races, classes, genders, cultures, nations and selfish interests by representing and proclaiming the neutral identity by which we are all defined and reminding all Christians of our common purpose.
Once Christian identity and purpose is established, I work to mediate the union of the church with those for whom I advocate, taking on a neutral role for the sake of mutual understanding as I help them communicate with each other. I aspire to mediate the development of a designed, unified cooperative that delegates intervention according to individual function between churches, para church organizations, and government institutions that share the same goal of meeting needs but do more harm than good due to their divided efforts, inept strategies, and unqualified interventions.
A Conciliator has the same function as a Mediator but works with the parties on an individual level toward bringing them to the face to face meeting where Mediation takes place.
Writer
Writing has served as an effective discipline and medium for the development of the definition and practice of my other professional roles. It also serves as the most tangible evidence of my professional credibility.
Freelancer
If I am to be accurate, I cannot claim to be “self” employed since my “self” is currently in a coma. Therefore, I must emphasize this title only references I am exclusively employed by God since he is my identity and employer. I cannot be employed by the world or a church because the needed loyalty to employers would conflict with the requirement for neutrality in my roles as Mediator and Conciliator and would also violate the employment contract I have with God.
It would be right to pay me for my services according to the high monetary value they merit but I do not require monetary compensation nor do I want it. Hospitality is sufficient to meet my needs and provides inclusion in one of the contexts in which I work.
It is imperative I be involved in the leadership meetings and processes that work to develop new strategies if I am to fulfill my role as Moderator, an involvement I have only just begun to realize. Therefore, though I cannot be institutionally employed, I am confident these contexts require a respected endorsement given the prerequisite credibility required by many of my potential clients, namely those in positions of authority who need and want my services but need the borrowed credibility of someone they trust (ie. church staff meetings, governmental legislatures, publishers, and speaking forums). However, I am also confident this endorsement should be restricted to the aforementioned contexts. For church congregations in denial of the disparity between who they are and who they claim to be, entering their assembly in anonymity has proven to be very effective, an entrance that provides the needed evidence to expose their need for my help as I respond to how they received me as one of the least of these.
Like Paul wrote in Romans 6:19, I have written in human terms due to the human limitations I recognize as a barrier to understanding and facilitating the roles and purpose for which God has equipped me. I pray that barrier has now been mediated or has at least diminished enough to allow me to work with those who also share my vision so we can be mutually benefitted by the contributions we individually provide to the body of Christ. According to God’s sovereign leadership, provision, wisdom, grace, love and glory, may he continue to use me and all who are called according to his purpose to work together for his good and the gospel reconciliation of all things to him.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
CONDEMNED
It saddens me to pass through neighborhoods that once were the icon of prosperity but now bear the image of neglect and decay. I am especially saddened by notices on some of the doors that pronounce the judgment "CONDEMNED,” warning those who are considering entrance to the house that it is not structurally safe and announcing to those who may dream of restoring the once majestic feat of architecture that it is beyond hope of repair and is awaiting total destruction.
I wonder sometimes if such notices of condemnation are informed by an assessment of impossible repair or by a poor appraisal value, meaning the house would cost more to repair than it is worth. The appraisal value is generally based on the potential of profitable return from the investment. If the cost of restoring a house is greater than the market worth of the house (the list price based on what the average buyer would be willing to pay for it), then the house would generally be considered not “worth” restoring. However, if the value of a house were to be based on the value of heritage (like a family heirloom or one that has community or historical significance), the market value and the cost of restoration would then be irrelevant. The only contingencies for heritage value are the availability of funding and the structural possibility a house can be saved. While some houses are rightfully condemned, I am most saddened by the ones that could be saved but lack a proprietor who values them enough to invest in them. Wasted potential is such a tragedy.
The word “CONDEMNED” also comes to mind as I reflect on the movie “The Blind Side.” The story is about a young man who grew up in the ghetto but was able to advance beyond his circumstances because a woman and her family noticed him as they passed him walking on the side of the road, had compassion for him by stopping to ask him about his needs, and were willing to invest in him by inviting him to live with them. After arriving at their home, the mother (Leigh Anne Tuohy), while making a bed for the young man (Michael Oher), was told by Michael this was his first time. She asked, “The first time you have had your own room?” To her horror, Michael responded, “No. The first time I’ve had a bed.” I’m sure she wondered how such a wonderful young man could experience such neglect. Moved by the reality of Michael's humble depravity and the abundance of belessings she had to share, Leigh Anne was compelled to provide all Michael had so desperately needed but lacked the provision to acquire.
Sometime later, while having lunch with her friends, Leigh Anne was criticized for making such a risky and potentially costly investment by taking Michael into her home. Leigh Anne was hurt but not swayed in her commitment to invest in him given her ability to see Michael’s worth as a human being, a worth based on heritage rather than market return. She quickly grew to love him as her own, leading her to increase her investment by adopting him as her son.
As it turns out, Michael did have market value that later came to Leigh Anne’s attention, a value Leigh Anne wisely cultivated by not only investing in Michael as a person by loving and adopting him, but by also investing in Michael’s skills. She served as an advocate for him by fighting for his acceptance on the high school football team so he could practice and grow in his skills as a lineman. The school was unwilling to accept him at first since they had not seen him perform and prejudicially appraised him to be a charity case that had nothing of marketable value to offer. They changed their mind about his potential once they saw him perform under the loving guidance and encouragement of Leigh Anne.
When the obstacle of his academic challenge was presented, Leigh Anne helped him overcome the obstacle by hiring a private tutor to supplement the deficit to the instruction Michael needed in the classroom. As his skills grew, Leigh Anne worked to market his potential to colleges in order to provide the possibility of Michael receiving a college education and the opportunity to grow his skills as an athlete, skills that had potential for qualifying Michael as a candidate for a career in professional football. As it turns out, Michael was a diamond in the rough, a treasure found in the unlikeliest of places that proved to be priceless in value when his potential was realized in the NFL.
Since Michael turned out to have such incalculable market value, most admire Leigh Anne more for the return on her investment than the reason she invested in Michael to begin with. Her motives were even scrutinized by a college football ethics committee who believed she may have planned from the beginning to groom Michael as an asset to be applied to her university alma mater, the university team Michael chose to join. Michael was devastated by the possibility Leigh Anne’s love and acceptance was not genuine, that it may have had ulterior motives.
Michael ran from her and returned to the ghetto to visit his old home, his mother who had abandoned him, and friends who wanted to use him for their profit. After some reflection on his transition from who he was to who he had become and some reassurance by Leigh Anne, Michael was able to decisively accept the truth that Leigh Anne loved him not because of his market value, but because of his heritage as a child of God, as a person. It was because she recognized his heritage value that she adopted him, in a sense bought him for her own, then invested in him as her treasure. To her, market value had always been irrelevant and return on her investment was not even a consideration in terms of monetary worth. He had always been priceless.
It saddens me “The Blind Side” was made into a movie predominantly because of the market value of its story. Movie audiences highly value stories such as Michael’s. Michael was a young man without options, trapped by his circumstances and the broken systems that had posted the notice “CONDEMNED” on Michael’s community and all the people who lived there. He was without hope and without value. Despite the warnings and in defiance of economic reasoning, Michael was bought and renovated by a proprietor who had no intention of selling him for a profit. Nevertheless, in complete contradiction to the odds, Michael rose in value from a state deemed worthy for destruction to an appraisal value reserved for the most elite and highest valued in the American market.
Michael’s story inspires hope that the impossible may not be so impossible after all, that maybe there is hope for others like him in the viewing audience. Such movies are good at inspiring dreams so they market well. What saddens me is the movie fails to emphasize the most valuable treasure displayed in Michael’s testimony, a treasure that would not lose its value even if Michael had been best equipped for a career as a dishwasher in the local restaurant. The treasure is the gospel of Jesus Christ, a treasure available to everyone, a treasure everyone needs since everyone is CONDEMNED without it.
Leigh Anne was a Christian who was inspired by the investment made in her by her proprietary God through her Savior, Jesus Christ, to make that same gracious investment in another hopeless possibility, in Michael. Those like Leigh Anne who are bought by God are not only renovated, they are remade into the same image for the same function as Jesus himself, the function Leigh Anne performed beautifully.
God does not evaluate worth based on the world market. Every person was made by him, giving every person a priceless appraisal of heritage value worthy of redemption no matter how badly damaged they may be. Every child that has been adopted by God is equipped to invest in others the same way Leigh Anne invested in Michael. Funding is not an issue since God’s resources are unlimited. God also will not allow his children to be sold on the world market, making their appraisal value irrelevant. As investors, his children are forbidden from appraising the market value of any potential investment to include any market assessment of condemnation. God’s children are commanded to invest freely and fully in anyone willing to submit to being remade and to continue to extend the offer to all those who refuse, hoping they accept before they are destroyed. Though all may not turn out to be pro football players, all investments are built by God with excellence through the Holy Spirit, sharing the same excellent model character as the most respectable among people, Jesus Christ.
According to the gospel, Michael’s story is an example of the rule, not an exception to it. May we all learn to be wise investors like Leigh Anne as we perform the purpose for which God made us in Christ, the purpose of making the impossible possible, the purpose of rebuilding the CONDEMNED for his glory. As the work of the gospel continues to succeed in rebuilding entire communities, the world market will soon be flooded with new value, calling for new standards of appraisal, standards gospel investors already know and apply well. I invite you to get in on the ground floor by investing all you have while there is still time. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity so don’t miss it!
I wonder sometimes if such notices of condemnation are informed by an assessment of impossible repair or by a poor appraisal value, meaning the house would cost more to repair than it is worth. The appraisal value is generally based on the potential of profitable return from the investment. If the cost of restoring a house is greater than the market worth of the house (the list price based on what the average buyer would be willing to pay for it), then the house would generally be considered not “worth” restoring. However, if the value of a house were to be based on the value of heritage (like a family heirloom or one that has community or historical significance), the market value and the cost of restoration would then be irrelevant. The only contingencies for heritage value are the availability of funding and the structural possibility a house can be saved. While some houses are rightfully condemned, I am most saddened by the ones that could be saved but lack a proprietor who values them enough to invest in them. Wasted potential is such a tragedy.
The word “CONDEMNED” also comes to mind as I reflect on the movie “The Blind Side.” The story is about a young man who grew up in the ghetto but was able to advance beyond his circumstances because a woman and her family noticed him as they passed him walking on the side of the road, had compassion for him by stopping to ask him about his needs, and were willing to invest in him by inviting him to live with them. After arriving at their home, the mother (Leigh Anne Tuohy), while making a bed for the young man (Michael Oher), was told by Michael this was his first time. She asked, “The first time you have had your own room?” To her horror, Michael responded, “No. The first time I’ve had a bed.” I’m sure she wondered how such a wonderful young man could experience such neglect. Moved by the reality of Michael's humble depravity and the abundance of belessings she had to share, Leigh Anne was compelled to provide all Michael had so desperately needed but lacked the provision to acquire.
Sometime later, while having lunch with her friends, Leigh Anne was criticized for making such a risky and potentially costly investment by taking Michael into her home. Leigh Anne was hurt but not swayed in her commitment to invest in him given her ability to see Michael’s worth as a human being, a worth based on heritage rather than market return. She quickly grew to love him as her own, leading her to increase her investment by adopting him as her son.
As it turns out, Michael did have market value that later came to Leigh Anne’s attention, a value Leigh Anne wisely cultivated by not only investing in Michael as a person by loving and adopting him, but by also investing in Michael’s skills. She served as an advocate for him by fighting for his acceptance on the high school football team so he could practice and grow in his skills as a lineman. The school was unwilling to accept him at first since they had not seen him perform and prejudicially appraised him to be a charity case that had nothing of marketable value to offer. They changed their mind about his potential once they saw him perform under the loving guidance and encouragement of Leigh Anne.
When the obstacle of his academic challenge was presented, Leigh Anne helped him overcome the obstacle by hiring a private tutor to supplement the deficit to the instruction Michael needed in the classroom. As his skills grew, Leigh Anne worked to market his potential to colleges in order to provide the possibility of Michael receiving a college education and the opportunity to grow his skills as an athlete, skills that had potential for qualifying Michael as a candidate for a career in professional football. As it turns out, Michael was a diamond in the rough, a treasure found in the unlikeliest of places that proved to be priceless in value when his potential was realized in the NFL.
Since Michael turned out to have such incalculable market value, most admire Leigh Anne more for the return on her investment than the reason she invested in Michael to begin with. Her motives were even scrutinized by a college football ethics committee who believed she may have planned from the beginning to groom Michael as an asset to be applied to her university alma mater, the university team Michael chose to join. Michael was devastated by the possibility Leigh Anne’s love and acceptance was not genuine, that it may have had ulterior motives.
Michael ran from her and returned to the ghetto to visit his old home, his mother who had abandoned him, and friends who wanted to use him for their profit. After some reflection on his transition from who he was to who he had become and some reassurance by Leigh Anne, Michael was able to decisively accept the truth that Leigh Anne loved him not because of his market value, but because of his heritage as a child of God, as a person. It was because she recognized his heritage value that she adopted him, in a sense bought him for her own, then invested in him as her treasure. To her, market value had always been irrelevant and return on her investment was not even a consideration in terms of monetary worth. He had always been priceless.
It saddens me “The Blind Side” was made into a movie predominantly because of the market value of its story. Movie audiences highly value stories such as Michael’s. Michael was a young man without options, trapped by his circumstances and the broken systems that had posted the notice “CONDEMNED” on Michael’s community and all the people who lived there. He was without hope and without value. Despite the warnings and in defiance of economic reasoning, Michael was bought and renovated by a proprietor who had no intention of selling him for a profit. Nevertheless, in complete contradiction to the odds, Michael rose in value from a state deemed worthy for destruction to an appraisal value reserved for the most elite and highest valued in the American market.
Michael’s story inspires hope that the impossible may not be so impossible after all, that maybe there is hope for others like him in the viewing audience. Such movies are good at inspiring dreams so they market well. What saddens me is the movie fails to emphasize the most valuable treasure displayed in Michael’s testimony, a treasure that would not lose its value even if Michael had been best equipped for a career as a dishwasher in the local restaurant. The treasure is the gospel of Jesus Christ, a treasure available to everyone, a treasure everyone needs since everyone is CONDEMNED without it.
Leigh Anne was a Christian who was inspired by the investment made in her by her proprietary God through her Savior, Jesus Christ, to make that same gracious investment in another hopeless possibility, in Michael. Those like Leigh Anne who are bought by God are not only renovated, they are remade into the same image for the same function as Jesus himself, the function Leigh Anne performed beautifully.
God does not evaluate worth based on the world market. Every person was made by him, giving every person a priceless appraisal of heritage value worthy of redemption no matter how badly damaged they may be. Every child that has been adopted by God is equipped to invest in others the same way Leigh Anne invested in Michael. Funding is not an issue since God’s resources are unlimited. God also will not allow his children to be sold on the world market, making their appraisal value irrelevant. As investors, his children are forbidden from appraising the market value of any potential investment to include any market assessment of condemnation. God’s children are commanded to invest freely and fully in anyone willing to submit to being remade and to continue to extend the offer to all those who refuse, hoping they accept before they are destroyed. Though all may not turn out to be pro football players, all investments are built by God with excellence through the Holy Spirit, sharing the same excellent model character as the most respectable among people, Jesus Christ.
According to the gospel, Michael’s story is an example of the rule, not an exception to it. May we all learn to be wise investors like Leigh Anne as we perform the purpose for which God made us in Christ, the purpose of making the impossible possible, the purpose of rebuilding the CONDEMNED for his glory. As the work of the gospel continues to succeed in rebuilding entire communities, the world market will soon be flooded with new value, calling for new standards of appraisal, standards gospel investors already know and apply well. I invite you to get in on the ground floor by investing all you have while there is still time. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity so don’t miss it!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
The Bond of Fellowship
Knowing God in a loving relationship through Jesus Christ and the presence of his Holy Spirit includes Christians as members of the community of the Trinity, the community of God himself. Community in the Trinity defines individual and corporate Christian identity and community. Individual Christians relate to one another by sharing their individual testimonies as communal witnesses to the extraordinary presence and glorious work of God in themselves, each other, the Bible and the world around them. Christians instantly recognize and love each other as family the moment they meet. They are bound together by their mutual bond through the Holy Spirit to the community of the Trinity, an unbreakable bond that instantly unites Christians when they come together. Often, all that is necessary to make this connection, even in a momentary encounter, is a look in each other’s eyes that says, “Yes! I see him too! I know you and I love you!” Such loving familiarity is called fellowship; the relational recognition of an eternal quality that makes even a moment shared together a loving memory that lasts for eternity.
The Drama of Life
Christians are members of the cast who perform the drama of Life. They perform their roles in Life well together, roles that were written to work together in Life’s production. Christians are extraordinary performers because Jesus is extraordinary; Jesus is the character of every Christian and the starring role in Life, making every Christian a star, loved by fans and hated by critics. Among those who audition, those who are given a role are not cast due to the details they know about God, how well they know Life’s story, how well they recite the character’s lines, or their abilities as a performer on the world’s stage. Those given a role are cast because they are willing to submit to God’s direction, become the character he assigns them, perform as God directs them, and properly use the props with which he equips them. God refuses to cast anyone who auditions for the part of themselves since that part does not exist in Life, nor will God write it in. Christians recognize other Christians and the roles they play not by the clothes they wear, the affiliations they claim, the lines they recite, or the stage on which they perform. Christians recognize other cast members by their character and the leadership of the Director.
Those who do not make the cut become groupie fans. They are baptized into the Jesus fan club and possess certificates of authenticity to prove their membership, autographed by their favorite performer. Membership in the fan club does not represent an authentic relationship with the character Jesus, the performers in Life or the Director. It is an affiliation of the most shallow quality and the most weak among relational connections to the Christian community. It certainly does not include fans as members of the cast. Jesus fans will be left behind when the curtain falls and the performers go home. Only the cast will be allowed on the bus.
Those who do not make the cut become groupie fans. They are baptized into the Jesus fan club and possess certificates of authenticity to prove their membership, autographed by their favorite performer. Membership in the fan club does not represent an authentic relationship with the character Jesus, the performers in Life or the Director. It is an affiliation of the most shallow quality and the most weak among relational connections to the Christian community. It certainly does not include fans as members of the cast. Jesus fans will be left behind when the curtain falls and the performers go home. Only the cast will be allowed on the bus.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
The Magic Formula (Extended Version)
I decided to give up on brevity for the sake of clarity. Let me know if you see any other areas that need more attention.
The Magic Formula is not a self-help stairway to success that teaches you what to do or what you need to know to achieve your goals. Neither is it a spell that can be cast for miracles of healing or material wealth. The formula is “magic” because it provides evidence of God’s supernatural presence and work in the experiences of existence on earth that many try to deny or presume they cannot explain. Given that it is magic, it is not a formula that teaches yet another strategy or methodology to do God’s work for him. Rather, the formula is a discipline that trains the heart, mind soul and strength of a believer to grow in the power of discernment to distinguish between good and evil, enabling Christ followers to rightly know and apply God’s Word for the fulfillment of God’s purpose. According to the Westminster confession, the purpose of man “…is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Therefore, if practiced constantly, you will be able to distinguish the goodness of God from the world’s corruption, grow in right relationship with God, be transformed and empowered by the glory of God, thus becoming a suitable vessel to be used by God to boldly fulfill the purpose for which God made you, a purpose that is extremely difficult but extremely enjoyable given the exponential eternal rewards you begin enjoying now.
This introduction only includes the basics needed to understand the construction of the formula, serving as the foundation on which to build other articles and mediums according to God’s provision. I pray it will fulfill its purpose by growing you as a disciple of Christ, thus equipping you to make other disciples, thus propagating the spread of the gospel to the ends of the earth, thus working to establish the Kingdom of Heaven in anticipation of the return of the King. When the King returns, hunger will be no more and peace will be restored! Therefore, come now and reason with me, then let’s go prove it!
The Magic Formula
Values
A = The Word
B = Temporal (Time and Matter)
C = Life
-C = Corruption
Standards (the source that determines value)
If…
The Word = God
Temporal = Creation
Life = God’s Glory
Corruption = Sin
Commerce
Then…
The Word + Temporal = Life
Temporal – The Word = Corruption
Temporal + Corruption = Corruption
Corruption + The Word = Temporal
Temporal + The Word = Life
The Word - temporal = The Word
Logic - The formula is based on the three laws of logic:
1. The law of identity: Christ is Christ
2. The law of noncontradiction: Christ is not Anti-Christ
3. The law of the excluded middle: Either Christ or Anti-Christ.
Apologist J. P. Moreland says “These fundamental laws are true principles governing reality and thought and are assumed by Scripture. …These laws govern all reality for 2 reasons: (1) They are intuitively obvious and self-evident. Once one understands the basic law they can see that it is true. (2) Those who deny them use these principles in their denial, demonstrating that those laws are unavoidable and that it is self-refutable to deny them.” He goes on to say God can violate the laws of nature but cannot violate the laws of logic since they are rooted in God’s nature. Therefore, God and all that is true about him is not subject to the changes so often imposed by the middle ground of personal perception, interpretation, understanding, or opinion, thus excluding all of these neutral sources as valid standards of credibility, to include our own. “…often God does not act in ways that people understand or judge to be what they would do in circumstances. But God never behaves illogically in the proper sense. He does not violate in His being or thought the fundamental law of logic.” (“What are the Laws of Logic,” The Apologetics Study Bible, pg. 1854)
There are four areas in which the laws of logic must be applied in order to rightly discern them : prayer (knowing God), the Church (confirming witnesses), the Bible (confirmed and recorded objective truth), and all of temporal reality. These sources must be in complete agreement to confirm objective truth (the Word) so as to eliminate the middle ground of opinion.
The Formula
A + B = C – This is the basic mathematical formula used for logical reasoning, postulating IF A and B are objective logical values defined by logical objective standards, THEN their addition or subtraction will have an objective logical outcome. For example, If A =2 and B = 3, then 2 + 3 = 5. Logically, 5 is 5, not 6. Therefore, 5 is the right answer. Since it is right it is not wrong because 5 must be either right or wrong.
The Word + Temporal = Life
The Word – Some scholars translate Word in John 1 as Logic (a divine, rational mind). Since all creation was made through the Word, the translation makes sense given all natural law and human thought is governed by logic. Of course, “sense” only makes sense if one is thinking logically.
John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Temporal (time and matter) - Creation was made perfect because God is perfect and rightly recognized his creation as good. Therefore, the standard for the value of good in the temporal is perfect creation. Since good is good and good cannot be non-good, all that is temporal is either good as God created it or not good because it has become something else.
To clarify, good is not always a moral assessment. Objects are amoral. Morality is determined by decisions as to how to use objects. For example, an axe is a good tool for cutting down a tree. An axe is not a good tool for settling a dispute with your neighbor. If an axe is not sharp, it is not a very good axe since it no longer serves the purpose for which it was designed. A perfectly good axe can also be used perfectly as it was designed for a terribly evil purpose, like cutting down a tree in the University of Alabama courtyard (may it never be…unless the tree is dead).
John 1:3 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Isaiah 5:19-20 20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
Life – God made life for his glory so his glory is the only purpose in which life can be found. Synonyms of glory are: magnificence, splendor, beauty, wonder, grandeur, brilliance, credit, fame. Famous inventors, engineers, scientists, etc. are glorified by their exceptional work and their exceptional personalities are evident in their work. It may be a delight to meet a genius without knowing their work or reputation. However, meeting a genius after first seeing their work and hearing of their reputation would make such an introduction a sacred honor. Original works of art created by infamous artists are evaluated as priceless because an original cannot be duplicated. All of God’s creation is his masterpiece, making everything and everyone priceless when seen for the original work they are. Seeing is enabled by light. Life is the source of illumination that shines the light of God’s glory by which we are able to see everything else for what it is. All that God is and made is good, making a life lived for God’s glory very good indeed.
John 1:4 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Temporal – the Word = Corruption
Corruption – When God made man in his image, God included the same perfect love intrinsic to his own perfect character. Love is a state of being with others that must be freely chosen or it ceases to be love. Obedience is a loving choice, motivated by trust, respect, faithfulness and devotion. Forced obedience is slavery, not love. A choice requires options from which to choose. Therefore, man’s created ability to love and obey included the will to choose to disobey. When man disobeyed God, perfection was corrupted. The root cause of all corruption to include the first act of disobedience is called “pride.” C. S. Lewis called pride the “anti-God state of mind.” When man decided to act independently of God by disobeying God, man turned his attention away from God to himself. Pride causes spiritual blindness, intellectual imbecility, social alienation and psychological madness that eventually results in eternal death since the soul is eternally separated from life in God.
Genesis 2:16-17 6 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."
Temporal + Corruption = Corruption
Corruption is the progression of death and destruction. Similar to a disease, corruption also infected the earth as a result of man’s choice and was passed to every child born to man.
Genesis 3:17 17 And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life
Corruption + The Word = Temporal
A repair of a damaged original may be able to restore it to close to perfect if the damage is not serious, but close is not close enough for a perfect standard. Man’s corruption is very serious, so serious it is beyond even consideration of repair. Man’s corruption is like an inoperable tumor that has metastasized, making man’s condition inoperable and therefore terminal. Logically, man is hopelessly doomed.
However, in John 3, Jesus described another option: being born again. As Nicodemus pointed out, that’s impossible in nature. Being born again is just as impossible as being made perfect again. But remember what J. P. Moreland said: God is able to break the laws of nature if doing so does not compromise the integrity of his character. In other words, what is impossible for temporal man is not impossible for the eternal God. For example, imagine an animated, two dimensional cartoon man. He is limited to thinking in two dimensional terms but he is trying to think about how he was made. He may deny he can be made to move or even that he was drawn since the movement required to draw and create animation is impossible in his second dimension. Likewise, the depth, substance, and freedom of mobility of the artist would be unimaginable to his second dimensional mind. The artist’s dimension contains all the parameters of the second dimensional drawing but the artist is not bound by them given the added depth of the third dimension. The artist’s dimension also allows him the power to manipulate the rules of the second dimensional world to give the appearance of 3-D.
Now that you understand the vast difference in depth between you and a drawing, imagine the possibilities if the artist existed in the ninth dimension (that’s how many scientists have proven exist so far). What would exponential depth and ability to the sixth power look like? Now consider the mathematical symbol for immeasurability called infinity. Infinity does not exclude measurable math any more than the third dimension excludes the parameters of the second; it goes beyond it. I find it funny, that numbers like Pi with infinite digits are considered “irrational” numbers because they cannot be written as a fraction. Typical. The mathematician who deemed such numbers irrational was either a very poor philosopher or an atheist. If he was an atheist he was also a poor philosopher… God cannot be fractioned either but that does not make him irrational. Fractioning is what happens when we try to rationalize God with manageable, theological terms or when we limit his abilities by the laws of the nature he created. I don’t find that funny at all…I find that irrational.
While there are numerous, nifty theological words to explain being born again, I don’t believe they do much good for those who don’t speak the language or have not experienced what they describe. Mystery is a good word for matters of an eternal nature. Eternity is that infinite, God dimension that includes our temporal dimension but goes infinitely beyond it. That means eternal matters go far beyond our temporal descriptions too. For example, the Trinity is a theological word that references God’s identity existing as three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) in one essence. Such a complex personality seems reasonable enough when considering the limitless depth of the eternal dimension and the divine nature of our creator God. A shallow God would be harder to believe since he would not be very divine. Therefore, we can only describe such matters with new terms (theology) or in terms of “like” since explanations will always be less than what they describe. Nevertheless, such explanations do help direct attention to what is being described and do expand in meaning when one is able to see God and eternity with their own eyes. For example, the challenge is “like” describing a breathtaking sunrise to a blind person. For those who see such a sunrise, it’s tough to even breathe, making the challenge even greater to find the right words that could duplicate the sensation for the one oblivious to the splendor right in front of them. However, I believe a blind person would appreciate the spectacle even more should they ever see for themselves what they had already heard about. Have you ever said, “So that’s what they meant!”? If you have, then you know what I’m talking about.
The “born again” option started with the birth of Jesus. Because God loved his corrupted original man and did not want mankind to be destroyed, God sent the second person of his Trinitarian self (the Word) to be born as the man Jesus. Jesus was born to a virgin named Mary, making God the Father of God the Son, thus breaking the patriarchal line of corruption passed down from Adam to allow for the introduction of God’s new, perfect original; his second Adam. As darkness is the absence of light rather than a force that can overcome light, the perfection of the God/man Jesus remained untouched by corruption. As light is the polar opposite of dark, Jesus was the polar opposite of corrupted man: The corrupt love money. Jesus was poor. The corrupt love power. Jesus was meek. The corrupt want to be served. Jesus served. The corrupt are cruel. Jesus was kind. The corrupt are judgmental. Jesus was merciful. The corrupt think they are righteous. Jesus showed them they were wicked. The corrupt think they are wise. Jesus showed them they were fools. The corrupt are indifferent to the sick, the suffering and the hungry. Jesus healed the sick, was compassionate toward the suffering, and fed the hungry. The corrupt are selfish. Jesus was selfless. The corrupt want war. Jesus brought peace. The corrupt hate those not like them. Jesus loved everyone including them. The corrupt demand justice be served upon everyone but themselves. Jesus chose to suffer injustice himself so everyone would not have to suffer what they justly deserve. The corrupt would not die for a friend. Jesus died for his enemies. Jesus was perfect in every way and said if man wants to live, he has to be perfect like him. But didn’t I say that was impossible? Yes, but I also said what is impossible for finite man is not impossible for infinite God. The Word is the magic symbol for infinity in the Magic Formula. The Magic Formula is also known as the gospel.
John 1:5 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:9 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
John 1:14 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 3:19-20 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
John 3:3 3 Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Matthew 5:48 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Luke 18:24-27 24 Jesus, looking at him with sadness, said, "How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." 26 Those who heard it said, "Then who can be saved?" 27 But he said, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."
Temporal + The Word = Life
The crux of the Magic Formula is the cross. Our generation and all that follow have been blessed by God’s union of modern technology, the genius skill of director Mel Gibson, and the gifted acting of Jim Caviezel to produce a window through which the crucifixion of Jesus can be observed for what it most likely was. Such horrendous, tortuous suffering is foreign to our culture. It was not just a familiar spectacle in the days of Jesus, it was an everyday reality. They sometimes saw streets lined with people on crosses, people they knew, some they loved. The Jews wanted Jesus to overthrow the Romans who ruled over them and subjected their people to such horrible pain, torment, and death. Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, the “anointed one,” the promised king who would restore God’s kingdom. If you saw the movie, I’m sure you can understand their confusion about who Jesus was. He did not look or act like a warrior king. He said he came to bring peace. Then he allowed himself to be unjustly arrested, tortured, and nailed on the very cross they wanted to escape. I’m sure his words came back to his disciples after witnessing his horrible death that if they wanted to follow him, they would have to take up their cross as well. Really? What most did not understand then or now is what I already explained; freedom from corruption was not only needed in the world around them, freedom from corruption was also needed within them. They and the whole world were being destroyed by corruption. Therefore, Jesus as the Messiah had to deliver them from themselves as well. Jesus did conquer corruption. He even conquered the inevitable outcome of death, but not as a liberator from death; he did it by becoming a victim of death, a victim of the cross. Mel Gibson rightly titled his movie “The Passion.”
Synonyms of passion are: fervor, obsession, infatuation, excitement, enthusiasm, zeal, craze, delight. The antonym of passion is indifference. Modern use of the word passion has been reduced to sexual ecstasy but the emotion the word describes is infinitely more profound in expression and depth. It is a magic emotion, a God emotion, and only a single expression of its base emotion: love. God passionately loved man when God made man and God made man so he could passionately love God in return. Man was unfaithful to God. Unfaithfulness alienated man from God as a wife alienates herself from her husband by walking the streets as a whore. It would have been logical for God to destroy his bride and start over but he so passionately loved her he did not want to destroy her. Therefore, the infinite, most powerful, most worthy being in the universe reduced himself to the level of helplessness of a baby. He showed mankind who they were supposed to be. He reminded them of who he is and how passionately he loved them, even while they were killing him. His death, burial, and resurrection worked to accomplish the most divine mystery of God’s passionate love, the mystery of rebirth. God provided the option to be remade into the new Adam, that perfect identity that restores man to God and restores God to man, allowing both to passionately love one another again. To receive that life, it must be chosen. Love is not love unless it is freely chosen.
To be a follower of Christ is to follow him in his passion. He invites us to come and die that we may live with passion in him. The flesh will still die but Jesus said that our spirits can be reborn. Since pride is the anti-God state of mind, it is also anti-Christ. Therefore, followers must choose to submit themselves for execution so pride and every self-defined part of their identity, purpose, desires, relationships, and possessions can be killed and buried in the past and redefined by the new identity in Jesus. They must leave their old identity to die in the darkness and run to the light where they will receive and live their new life in the light of God’s glory. The Holy Spirit enters the soul of new believers, changing them over the course of their life into the perfect image of the God/man Jesus, enlightening their hearts to feel as he did and enlightening their minds to think as he did, thus freeing them from the enslavement of corruption and the insanity of deception. As a result, they shine with the light of God’s glory in dark places as Jesus shined, restoring life to the dying, liberating the captive, enlightening the confused, feeding the hungry, caring for the lonely, healing the suffering, defending the helpless, and bringing peace to the chaos. When the Word returns in royal splendor, he will finish the work he started in the world and in those being raised from death to eternal life.
Ephesians 2:8-10 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
1 Timothy 2:3-6 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
Luke 9:23-24 23 And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
John 3:5-6 5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
John 14:26 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
Hebrews 4:12 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Colossians 1:19-20 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
John 15:4-5 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Galatians 5:22-25 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
The Word – Temporal = The Word
For those who know the Word but are not changed by it or fail to apply it, the Word maintains its integrity but does not produce life. Fear; indifference toward worship, the needy, the lost and the suffering; pride; selfishness; a sense of meaninglessness; boredom; and an uncontrollable hunger for worldly pleasures are all symptoms of slavery to corruption. A follower of Christ is either Christ or anti-Christ. Freedom in Christ is available but requires full surrender on God’s terms. There is no middle ground, no neutrality, no provisions, and no bargaining. Search for him and you will find him. Ask for his Holy Spirit and you will not be denied as long as you are willing to die. Love him with passion and you will have no reason to fear. You will also have no choice but to live boldly and boldly share the gospel since you will be the gospel as you share yourself. Eternity is a breathtaking view and life is the greatest adventure that awaits those willing to have their eyes opened to the truth!
I hope you see it too and will join me in working and sharing the Magic Formula. The King is coming and there is no time to lose!
Hebrews 5:12-14 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
James 2:13-20 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. 14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe- and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?
Galatians 6:7-8 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Matthew 25:41-46 41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' 45 Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
The Magic Formula is not a self-help stairway to success that teaches you what to do or what you need to know to achieve your goals. Neither is it a spell that can be cast for miracles of healing or material wealth. The formula is “magic” because it provides evidence of God’s supernatural presence and work in the experiences of existence on earth that many try to deny or presume they cannot explain. Given that it is magic, it is not a formula that teaches yet another strategy or methodology to do God’s work for him. Rather, the formula is a discipline that trains the heart, mind soul and strength of a believer to grow in the power of discernment to distinguish between good and evil, enabling Christ followers to rightly know and apply God’s Word for the fulfillment of God’s purpose. According to the Westminster confession, the purpose of man “…is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Therefore, if practiced constantly, you will be able to distinguish the goodness of God from the world’s corruption, grow in right relationship with God, be transformed and empowered by the glory of God, thus becoming a suitable vessel to be used by God to boldly fulfill the purpose for which God made you, a purpose that is extremely difficult but extremely enjoyable given the exponential eternal rewards you begin enjoying now.
This introduction only includes the basics needed to understand the construction of the formula, serving as the foundation on which to build other articles and mediums according to God’s provision. I pray it will fulfill its purpose by growing you as a disciple of Christ, thus equipping you to make other disciples, thus propagating the spread of the gospel to the ends of the earth, thus working to establish the Kingdom of Heaven in anticipation of the return of the King. When the King returns, hunger will be no more and peace will be restored! Therefore, come now and reason with me, then let’s go prove it!
The Magic Formula
Values
A = The Word
B = Temporal (Time and Matter)
C = Life
-C = Corruption
Standards (the source that determines value)
If…
The Word = God
Temporal = Creation
Life = God’s Glory
Corruption = Sin
Commerce
Then…
The Word + Temporal = Life
Temporal – The Word = Corruption
Temporal + Corruption = Corruption
Corruption + The Word = Temporal
Temporal + The Word = Life
The Word - temporal = The Word
Logic - The formula is based on the three laws of logic:
1. The law of identity: Christ is Christ
2. The law of noncontradiction: Christ is not Anti-Christ
3. The law of the excluded middle: Either Christ or Anti-Christ.
Apologist J. P. Moreland says “These fundamental laws are true principles governing reality and thought and are assumed by Scripture. …These laws govern all reality for 2 reasons: (1) They are intuitively obvious and self-evident. Once one understands the basic law they can see that it is true. (2) Those who deny them use these principles in their denial, demonstrating that those laws are unavoidable and that it is self-refutable to deny them.” He goes on to say God can violate the laws of nature but cannot violate the laws of logic since they are rooted in God’s nature. Therefore, God and all that is true about him is not subject to the changes so often imposed by the middle ground of personal perception, interpretation, understanding, or opinion, thus excluding all of these neutral sources as valid standards of credibility, to include our own. “…often God does not act in ways that people understand or judge to be what they would do in circumstances. But God never behaves illogically in the proper sense. He does not violate in His being or thought the fundamental law of logic.” (“What are the Laws of Logic,” The Apologetics Study Bible, pg. 1854)
There are four areas in which the laws of logic must be applied in order to rightly discern them : prayer (knowing God), the Church (confirming witnesses), the Bible (confirmed and recorded objective truth), and all of temporal reality. These sources must be in complete agreement to confirm objective truth (the Word) so as to eliminate the middle ground of opinion.
The Formula
A + B = C – This is the basic mathematical formula used for logical reasoning, postulating IF A and B are objective logical values defined by logical objective standards, THEN their addition or subtraction will have an objective logical outcome. For example, If A =2 and B = 3, then 2 + 3 = 5. Logically, 5 is 5, not 6. Therefore, 5 is the right answer. Since it is right it is not wrong because 5 must be either right or wrong.
The Word + Temporal = Life
The Word – Some scholars translate Word in John 1 as Logic (a divine, rational mind). Since all creation was made through the Word, the translation makes sense given all natural law and human thought is governed by logic. Of course, “sense” only makes sense if one is thinking logically.
John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Temporal (time and matter) - Creation was made perfect because God is perfect and rightly recognized his creation as good. Therefore, the standard for the value of good in the temporal is perfect creation. Since good is good and good cannot be non-good, all that is temporal is either good as God created it or not good because it has become something else.
To clarify, good is not always a moral assessment. Objects are amoral. Morality is determined by decisions as to how to use objects. For example, an axe is a good tool for cutting down a tree. An axe is not a good tool for settling a dispute with your neighbor. If an axe is not sharp, it is not a very good axe since it no longer serves the purpose for which it was designed. A perfectly good axe can also be used perfectly as it was designed for a terribly evil purpose, like cutting down a tree in the University of Alabama courtyard (may it never be…unless the tree is dead).
John 1:3 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Isaiah 5:19-20 20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
Life – God made life for his glory so his glory is the only purpose in which life can be found. Synonyms of glory are: magnificence, splendor, beauty, wonder, grandeur, brilliance, credit, fame. Famous inventors, engineers, scientists, etc. are glorified by their exceptional work and their exceptional personalities are evident in their work. It may be a delight to meet a genius without knowing their work or reputation. However, meeting a genius after first seeing their work and hearing of their reputation would make such an introduction a sacred honor. Original works of art created by infamous artists are evaluated as priceless because an original cannot be duplicated. All of God’s creation is his masterpiece, making everything and everyone priceless when seen for the original work they are. Seeing is enabled by light. Life is the source of illumination that shines the light of God’s glory by which we are able to see everything else for what it is. All that God is and made is good, making a life lived for God’s glory very good indeed.
John 1:4 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Temporal – the Word = Corruption
Corruption – When God made man in his image, God included the same perfect love intrinsic to his own perfect character. Love is a state of being with others that must be freely chosen or it ceases to be love. Obedience is a loving choice, motivated by trust, respect, faithfulness and devotion. Forced obedience is slavery, not love. A choice requires options from which to choose. Therefore, man’s created ability to love and obey included the will to choose to disobey. When man disobeyed God, perfection was corrupted. The root cause of all corruption to include the first act of disobedience is called “pride.” C. S. Lewis called pride the “anti-God state of mind.” When man decided to act independently of God by disobeying God, man turned his attention away from God to himself. Pride causes spiritual blindness, intellectual imbecility, social alienation and psychological madness that eventually results in eternal death since the soul is eternally separated from life in God.
Genesis 2:16-17 6 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."
Temporal + Corruption = Corruption
Corruption is the progression of death and destruction. Similar to a disease, corruption also infected the earth as a result of man’s choice and was passed to every child born to man.
Genesis 3:17 17 And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life
Corruption + The Word = Temporal
A repair of a damaged original may be able to restore it to close to perfect if the damage is not serious, but close is not close enough for a perfect standard. Man’s corruption is very serious, so serious it is beyond even consideration of repair. Man’s corruption is like an inoperable tumor that has metastasized, making man’s condition inoperable and therefore terminal. Logically, man is hopelessly doomed.
However, in John 3, Jesus described another option: being born again. As Nicodemus pointed out, that’s impossible in nature. Being born again is just as impossible as being made perfect again. But remember what J. P. Moreland said: God is able to break the laws of nature if doing so does not compromise the integrity of his character. In other words, what is impossible for temporal man is not impossible for the eternal God. For example, imagine an animated, two dimensional cartoon man. He is limited to thinking in two dimensional terms but he is trying to think about how he was made. He may deny he can be made to move or even that he was drawn since the movement required to draw and create animation is impossible in his second dimension. Likewise, the depth, substance, and freedom of mobility of the artist would be unimaginable to his second dimensional mind. The artist’s dimension contains all the parameters of the second dimensional drawing but the artist is not bound by them given the added depth of the third dimension. The artist’s dimension also allows him the power to manipulate the rules of the second dimensional world to give the appearance of 3-D.
Now that you understand the vast difference in depth between you and a drawing, imagine the possibilities if the artist existed in the ninth dimension (that’s how many scientists have proven exist so far). What would exponential depth and ability to the sixth power look like? Now consider the mathematical symbol for immeasurability called infinity. Infinity does not exclude measurable math any more than the third dimension excludes the parameters of the second; it goes beyond it. I find it funny, that numbers like Pi with infinite digits are considered “irrational” numbers because they cannot be written as a fraction. Typical. The mathematician who deemed such numbers irrational was either a very poor philosopher or an atheist. If he was an atheist he was also a poor philosopher… God cannot be fractioned either but that does not make him irrational. Fractioning is what happens when we try to rationalize God with manageable, theological terms or when we limit his abilities by the laws of the nature he created. I don’t find that funny at all…I find that irrational.
While there are numerous, nifty theological words to explain being born again, I don’t believe they do much good for those who don’t speak the language or have not experienced what they describe. Mystery is a good word for matters of an eternal nature. Eternity is that infinite, God dimension that includes our temporal dimension but goes infinitely beyond it. That means eternal matters go far beyond our temporal descriptions too. For example, the Trinity is a theological word that references God’s identity existing as three persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) in one essence. Such a complex personality seems reasonable enough when considering the limitless depth of the eternal dimension and the divine nature of our creator God. A shallow God would be harder to believe since he would not be very divine. Therefore, we can only describe such matters with new terms (theology) or in terms of “like” since explanations will always be less than what they describe. Nevertheless, such explanations do help direct attention to what is being described and do expand in meaning when one is able to see God and eternity with their own eyes. For example, the challenge is “like” describing a breathtaking sunrise to a blind person. For those who see such a sunrise, it’s tough to even breathe, making the challenge even greater to find the right words that could duplicate the sensation for the one oblivious to the splendor right in front of them. However, I believe a blind person would appreciate the spectacle even more should they ever see for themselves what they had already heard about. Have you ever said, “So that’s what they meant!”? If you have, then you know what I’m talking about.
The “born again” option started with the birth of Jesus. Because God loved his corrupted original man and did not want mankind to be destroyed, God sent the second person of his Trinitarian self (the Word) to be born as the man Jesus. Jesus was born to a virgin named Mary, making God the Father of God the Son, thus breaking the patriarchal line of corruption passed down from Adam to allow for the introduction of God’s new, perfect original; his second Adam. As darkness is the absence of light rather than a force that can overcome light, the perfection of the God/man Jesus remained untouched by corruption. As light is the polar opposite of dark, Jesus was the polar opposite of corrupted man: The corrupt love money. Jesus was poor. The corrupt love power. Jesus was meek. The corrupt want to be served. Jesus served. The corrupt are cruel. Jesus was kind. The corrupt are judgmental. Jesus was merciful. The corrupt think they are righteous. Jesus showed them they were wicked. The corrupt think they are wise. Jesus showed them they were fools. The corrupt are indifferent to the sick, the suffering and the hungry. Jesus healed the sick, was compassionate toward the suffering, and fed the hungry. The corrupt are selfish. Jesus was selfless. The corrupt want war. Jesus brought peace. The corrupt hate those not like them. Jesus loved everyone including them. The corrupt demand justice be served upon everyone but themselves. Jesus chose to suffer injustice himself so everyone would not have to suffer what they justly deserve. The corrupt would not die for a friend. Jesus died for his enemies. Jesus was perfect in every way and said if man wants to live, he has to be perfect like him. But didn’t I say that was impossible? Yes, but I also said what is impossible for finite man is not impossible for infinite God. The Word is the magic symbol for infinity in the Magic Formula. The Magic Formula is also known as the gospel.
John 1:5 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:9 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
John 1:14 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 3:19-20 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.
John 3:3 3 Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."
Matthew 5:48 48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Luke 18:24-27 24 Jesus, looking at him with sadness, said, "How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! 25 For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God." 26 Those who heard it said, "Then who can be saved?" 27 But he said, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."
Temporal + The Word = Life
The crux of the Magic Formula is the cross. Our generation and all that follow have been blessed by God’s union of modern technology, the genius skill of director Mel Gibson, and the gifted acting of Jim Caviezel to produce a window through which the crucifixion of Jesus can be observed for what it most likely was. Such horrendous, tortuous suffering is foreign to our culture. It was not just a familiar spectacle in the days of Jesus, it was an everyday reality. They sometimes saw streets lined with people on crosses, people they knew, some they loved. The Jews wanted Jesus to overthrow the Romans who ruled over them and subjected their people to such horrible pain, torment, and death. Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, the “anointed one,” the promised king who would restore God’s kingdom. If you saw the movie, I’m sure you can understand their confusion about who Jesus was. He did not look or act like a warrior king. He said he came to bring peace. Then he allowed himself to be unjustly arrested, tortured, and nailed on the very cross they wanted to escape. I’m sure his words came back to his disciples after witnessing his horrible death that if they wanted to follow him, they would have to take up their cross as well. Really? What most did not understand then or now is what I already explained; freedom from corruption was not only needed in the world around them, freedom from corruption was also needed within them. They and the whole world were being destroyed by corruption. Therefore, Jesus as the Messiah had to deliver them from themselves as well. Jesus did conquer corruption. He even conquered the inevitable outcome of death, but not as a liberator from death; he did it by becoming a victim of death, a victim of the cross. Mel Gibson rightly titled his movie “The Passion.”
Synonyms of passion are: fervor, obsession, infatuation, excitement, enthusiasm, zeal, craze, delight. The antonym of passion is indifference. Modern use of the word passion has been reduced to sexual ecstasy but the emotion the word describes is infinitely more profound in expression and depth. It is a magic emotion, a God emotion, and only a single expression of its base emotion: love. God passionately loved man when God made man and God made man so he could passionately love God in return. Man was unfaithful to God. Unfaithfulness alienated man from God as a wife alienates herself from her husband by walking the streets as a whore. It would have been logical for God to destroy his bride and start over but he so passionately loved her he did not want to destroy her. Therefore, the infinite, most powerful, most worthy being in the universe reduced himself to the level of helplessness of a baby. He showed mankind who they were supposed to be. He reminded them of who he is and how passionately he loved them, even while they were killing him. His death, burial, and resurrection worked to accomplish the most divine mystery of God’s passionate love, the mystery of rebirth. God provided the option to be remade into the new Adam, that perfect identity that restores man to God and restores God to man, allowing both to passionately love one another again. To receive that life, it must be chosen. Love is not love unless it is freely chosen.
To be a follower of Christ is to follow him in his passion. He invites us to come and die that we may live with passion in him. The flesh will still die but Jesus said that our spirits can be reborn. Since pride is the anti-God state of mind, it is also anti-Christ. Therefore, followers must choose to submit themselves for execution so pride and every self-defined part of their identity, purpose, desires, relationships, and possessions can be killed and buried in the past and redefined by the new identity in Jesus. They must leave their old identity to die in the darkness and run to the light where they will receive and live their new life in the light of God’s glory. The Holy Spirit enters the soul of new believers, changing them over the course of their life into the perfect image of the God/man Jesus, enlightening their hearts to feel as he did and enlightening their minds to think as he did, thus freeing them from the enslavement of corruption and the insanity of deception. As a result, they shine with the light of God’s glory in dark places as Jesus shined, restoring life to the dying, liberating the captive, enlightening the confused, feeding the hungry, caring for the lonely, healing the suffering, defending the helpless, and bringing peace to the chaos. When the Word returns in royal splendor, he will finish the work he started in the world and in those being raised from death to eternal life.
Ephesians 2:8-10 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
1 Timothy 2:3-6 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
Luke 9:23-24 23 And he said to all, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.
John 3:5-6 5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
John 14:26 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
Hebrews 4:12 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Colossians 1:19-20 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
John 15:4-5 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Galatians 5:22-25 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
The Word – Temporal = The Word
For those who know the Word but are not changed by it or fail to apply it, the Word maintains its integrity but does not produce life. Fear; indifference toward worship, the needy, the lost and the suffering; pride; selfishness; a sense of meaninglessness; boredom; and an uncontrollable hunger for worldly pleasures are all symptoms of slavery to corruption. A follower of Christ is either Christ or anti-Christ. Freedom in Christ is available but requires full surrender on God’s terms. There is no middle ground, no neutrality, no provisions, and no bargaining. Search for him and you will find him. Ask for his Holy Spirit and you will not be denied as long as you are willing to die. Love him with passion and you will have no reason to fear. You will also have no choice but to live boldly and boldly share the gospel since you will be the gospel as you share yourself. Eternity is a breathtaking view and life is the greatest adventure that awaits those willing to have their eyes opened to the truth!
I hope you see it too and will join me in working and sharing the Magic Formula. The King is coming and there is no time to lose!
Hebrews 5:12-14 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
James 2:13-20 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. 14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe- and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?
Galatians 6:7-8 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Matthew 25:41-46 41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' 45 Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The Magic Formula
Here it is everyone! The moment has arrived that many of you have been waiting for: the unveiling of the formula that can end world hunger and bring world peace. As promised, I am choosing not to be like the Grinch by telling everyone :-) This is the first draft so let me know if you have any ideas or corrections.
The Magic Formula is not a self-help stairway to success that teaches you what to do or what you need to know to achieve your goals. Neither is it a spell that can be cast for miracles of healing or material wealth. The formula is “magic” because it provides evidence of God’s supernatural presence and work in the experiences of existence on earth that many try to deny or presume they cannot explain. Given that it is magic, it is not a formula that teaches yet another strategy or methodology to do God’s work for him. Rather, the formula is a discipline that trains the heart, mind soul and strength of a believer to grow in the power of discernment to distinguish between good and evil, enabling Christ followers to rightly know and apply God’s Word for the fulfillment of God’s purpose. According to the Westminster confession, the purpose of man “…is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Therefore, if practiced constantly, you will be able to distinguish the goodness of God from the world’s corruption, grow in right relationship with God, be transformed and empowered by the glory of God, thus becoming a suitable vessel to be used by God to boldly fulfill the purpose for which God made you, a purpose that is extremely difficult but extremely enjoyable given the exponential eternal rewards you begin enjoying now.
For the sake of brevity (best I could manage anyway), this introduction only includes the basics needed to understand the construction of the formula, serving as the foundation on which to build other articles and mediums according to God’s provision. I pray it will fulfill its purpose by growing you as a disciple of Christ, thus equipping you to make other disciples, thus propagating the spread of the gospel to the ends of the earth, thus working to establish the Kingdom of Heaven in anticipation of the return of the King. When the King returns, hunger will be no more and peace will be restored! Therefore, come now and reason with me, then let’s go prove it!
The Magic Formula
Values
A = The Word
B = Temporal (Time and Matter)
C = Life
-C = Corruption
Standards (the source that determines value)
If…
The Word = God
Temporal = Creation
Life = God’s Glory
Corruption = Sin
Commerce
Then…
The Word + Temporal = Life
Temporal – The Word = Corruption
Temporal + Corruption = Corruption
Corruption + The Word = Temporal
Temporal + The Word = Life
The Word - temporal = The Word
Logic - The formula is based on the three laws of logic:
1. The law of identity: Christ is Christ
2. The law of noncontradiction: Christ is not Anti-Christ
3. The law of the excluded middle: Either he is Christ or Anti-Christ.
Apologist J. P. Moreland says “These fundamental laws are true principles governing reality and thought and are assumed by Scripture. …These laws govern all reality for 2 reasons: (1) They are intuitively obvious and self-evident. Once one understands the basic law they can see that it is true. (2) Those who deny them use these principles in their denial, demonstrating that those laws are unavoidable and that it is self-refutable to deny them.” He goes on to say God can violate the laws of nature but cannot violate the laws of logic since they are rooted in God’s nature. Therefore, God and all that is true about him is not subject to the changes so often imposed by the middle ground of personal perception, interpretation, understanding, or opinion, thus excluding all of these neutral sources as valid standards of credibility, to include our own. “…often God does not act in ways that people understand or judge to be what they would do in circumstances. But God never behaves illogically in the proper sense. He does not violate in His being or thought the fundamental law of logic.” (“What are the Laws of Logic,” The Apologetics Study Bible, pg. 1854)
There are four areas in which the laws of logic must be applied in order to rightly discern them : prayer (knowing God), the Church (confirming witnesses), the Bible (confirmed and recorded objective truth), and all of temporal reality. These sources must be in complete agreement to confirm objective truth (the Word) so as to eliminate the middle ground of opinion.
The Formula
A + B = C – This is the basic mathematical formula used for logical reasoning, postulating IF A and B are objective logical values defined by logical objective standards, THEN their addition or subtraction will have an objective logical outcome. For example, If A =2 and B = 3, then 2 + 3 = 5. Logically, 5 is 5, not 6. Therefore, 5 is the right answer. Since it is right it is not wrong because 5 must be either right or wrong.
The Word + Temporal = Life
The Word – Some scholars translate Word in John 1 as Logic (a divine, rational mind). Since all creation was made through the Word, the translation makes sense given all natural law and human thought is governed by logic. Of course, “sense” only makes sense if one is thinking logically.
John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Temporal (time and matter) - Creation was made perfect because God is perfect and rightly recognized his creation as good. Therefore, the standard for the value of good in the temporal is perfect creation. Since good is good, good cannot be non-good (evil), and it is either good or evil.
John 1:3 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Isaiah 5:19-20 20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
Life – God made life for his glory so his glory is the only purpose for which to live. Synonyms of glory are: magnificence, splendor, beauty, wonder, grandeur, brilliance, credit, fame. God’s glory is light because God is the source of light and it is by his light that we are able to see everything else.
John 1:4 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Temporal – the Word = Corruption
Corruption – God made man with the will to choose. A choice requires options so God gave man the options of choosing to obey him by living for his glory or choosing to not glorify God by disobeying him. As disobedience is non-glory and dark is non-light, death is non-life. Therefore, when man chose disobedience, he chose death.
Genesis 2:16-17 6 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."
Temporal + Corruption = Corruption
Corruption is the progression of death and destruction, a disease that also infected the earth as a result of man’s choice.
Genesis 3:17 17 And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life
Corruption + The Word = Temporal
Since God is perfect in love, he desired man be restored to being able to love him in return. Since God is perfect in justice, wrong had to be made right. Since no one was perfect but God and because he loved his creation, God sent the Word to become the God/man named Jesus. As darkness is the absence of light rather than a force that can oppose light, Jesus remained untouched by evil and overcame evil wherever he went. As reason cannot be overcome by madness, Jesus restored sanity to madmen and shut the mouths of the unreasonable by maintaining perfect logical integrity. Jesus took death on himself by willingly allowing himself to be killed on a Roman cross. Since he was God, death was destroyed when Jesus rose from the tomb alive. Evil cannot overcome God any more than darkness can overcome light.
John 1:5 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:9 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
John 1:14 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
1 Timothy 2:3-6 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
Temporal + The Word = Life
In fulfillment of the promise made by Jesus to send a counselor after his purpose was fulfilled, God’s Holy Spirit was made available to anyone who chooses to believe the Word and love God . Having had the corruption of their dark hearts exposed by the light of the Word, they must leave their old identity to die in the darkness and run to the light where they will receive and live their new life in the light. The Holy Spirit enters the soul of the new believer, changing them over the course of their life into the perfect image of the God/man Jesus, enlightening their hearts to feel as he did and enlightening their minds to think as he did, thus freeing them from the bondage of death and the insanity of deception. As a result, they shine with the light of God’s glory in dark places, restoring life to the dying, liberating the captive, enlightening the confused, feeding the hungry, caring for the lonely, healing the suffering, defending the helpless, and bringing peace to the chaos. When the Word returns in royal splendor, he will finish the work he started in the world and in those being raised from death to eternal life.
John 14:26 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
Hebrews 4:12 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Colossians 1:19-20 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
John 15:4-5 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Galatians 5:22-25 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
The Word – Temporal = The Word
For those who know the Word but are not changed by it or fail to apply it, the Word maintains its integrity but does not produce life.
Hebrews 5:12-14 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
James 2:13-20 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. 14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe- and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?
Galatians 6:7-8 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Matthew 25:41-46 41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' 45 Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
The Magic Formula is not a self-help stairway to success that teaches you what to do or what you need to know to achieve your goals. Neither is it a spell that can be cast for miracles of healing or material wealth. The formula is “magic” because it provides evidence of God’s supernatural presence and work in the experiences of existence on earth that many try to deny or presume they cannot explain. Given that it is magic, it is not a formula that teaches yet another strategy or methodology to do God’s work for him. Rather, the formula is a discipline that trains the heart, mind soul and strength of a believer to grow in the power of discernment to distinguish between good and evil, enabling Christ followers to rightly know and apply God’s Word for the fulfillment of God’s purpose. According to the Westminster confession, the purpose of man “…is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.” Therefore, if practiced constantly, you will be able to distinguish the goodness of God from the world’s corruption, grow in right relationship with God, be transformed and empowered by the glory of God, thus becoming a suitable vessel to be used by God to boldly fulfill the purpose for which God made you, a purpose that is extremely difficult but extremely enjoyable given the exponential eternal rewards you begin enjoying now.
For the sake of brevity (best I could manage anyway), this introduction only includes the basics needed to understand the construction of the formula, serving as the foundation on which to build other articles and mediums according to God’s provision. I pray it will fulfill its purpose by growing you as a disciple of Christ, thus equipping you to make other disciples, thus propagating the spread of the gospel to the ends of the earth, thus working to establish the Kingdom of Heaven in anticipation of the return of the King. When the King returns, hunger will be no more and peace will be restored! Therefore, come now and reason with me, then let’s go prove it!
The Magic Formula
Values
A = The Word
B = Temporal (Time and Matter)
C = Life
-C = Corruption
Standards (the source that determines value)
If…
The Word = God
Temporal = Creation
Life = God’s Glory
Corruption = Sin
Commerce
Then…
The Word + Temporal = Life
Temporal – The Word = Corruption
Temporal + Corruption = Corruption
Corruption + The Word = Temporal
Temporal + The Word = Life
The Word - temporal = The Word
Logic - The formula is based on the three laws of logic:
1. The law of identity: Christ is Christ
2. The law of noncontradiction: Christ is not Anti-Christ
3. The law of the excluded middle: Either he is Christ or Anti-Christ.
Apologist J. P. Moreland says “These fundamental laws are true principles governing reality and thought and are assumed by Scripture. …These laws govern all reality for 2 reasons: (1) They are intuitively obvious and self-evident. Once one understands the basic law they can see that it is true. (2) Those who deny them use these principles in their denial, demonstrating that those laws are unavoidable and that it is self-refutable to deny them.” He goes on to say God can violate the laws of nature but cannot violate the laws of logic since they are rooted in God’s nature. Therefore, God and all that is true about him is not subject to the changes so often imposed by the middle ground of personal perception, interpretation, understanding, or opinion, thus excluding all of these neutral sources as valid standards of credibility, to include our own. “…often God does not act in ways that people understand or judge to be what they would do in circumstances. But God never behaves illogically in the proper sense. He does not violate in His being or thought the fundamental law of logic.” (“What are the Laws of Logic,” The Apologetics Study Bible, pg. 1854)
There are four areas in which the laws of logic must be applied in order to rightly discern them : prayer (knowing God), the Church (confirming witnesses), the Bible (confirmed and recorded objective truth), and all of temporal reality. These sources must be in complete agreement to confirm objective truth (the Word) so as to eliminate the middle ground of opinion.
The Formula
A + B = C – This is the basic mathematical formula used for logical reasoning, postulating IF A and B are objective logical values defined by logical objective standards, THEN their addition or subtraction will have an objective logical outcome. For example, If A =2 and B = 3, then 2 + 3 = 5. Logically, 5 is 5, not 6. Therefore, 5 is the right answer. Since it is right it is not wrong because 5 must be either right or wrong.
The Word + Temporal = Life
The Word – Some scholars translate Word in John 1 as Logic (a divine, rational mind). Since all creation was made through the Word, the translation makes sense given all natural law and human thought is governed by logic. Of course, “sense” only makes sense if one is thinking logically.
John 1:1-2 In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Temporal (time and matter) - Creation was made perfect because God is perfect and rightly recognized his creation as good. Therefore, the standard for the value of good in the temporal is perfect creation. Since good is good, good cannot be non-good (evil), and it is either good or evil.
John 1:3 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Isaiah 5:19-20 20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
Life – God made life for his glory so his glory is the only purpose for which to live. Synonyms of glory are: magnificence, splendor, beauty, wonder, grandeur, brilliance, credit, fame. God’s glory is light because God is the source of light and it is by his light that we are able to see everything else.
John 1:4 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Temporal – the Word = Corruption
Corruption – God made man with the will to choose. A choice requires options so God gave man the options of choosing to obey him by living for his glory or choosing to not glorify God by disobeying him. As disobedience is non-glory and dark is non-light, death is non-life. Therefore, when man chose disobedience, he chose death.
Genesis 2:16-17 6 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."
Temporal + Corruption = Corruption
Corruption is the progression of death and destruction, a disease that also infected the earth as a result of man’s choice.
Genesis 3:17 17 And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life
Corruption + The Word = Temporal
Since God is perfect in love, he desired man be restored to being able to love him in return. Since God is perfect in justice, wrong had to be made right. Since no one was perfect but God and because he loved his creation, God sent the Word to become the God/man named Jesus. As darkness is the absence of light rather than a force that can oppose light, Jesus remained untouched by evil and overcame evil wherever he went. As reason cannot be overcome by madness, Jesus restored sanity to madmen and shut the mouths of the unreasonable by maintaining perfect logical integrity. Jesus took death on himself by willingly allowing himself to be killed on a Roman cross. Since he was God, death was destroyed when Jesus rose from the tomb alive. Evil cannot overcome God any more than darkness can overcome light.
John 1:5 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:9 9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
John 1:14 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
1 Timothy 2:3-6 3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
Temporal + The Word = Life
In fulfillment of the promise made by Jesus to send a counselor after his purpose was fulfilled, God’s Holy Spirit was made available to anyone who chooses to believe the Word and love God . Having had the corruption of their dark hearts exposed by the light of the Word, they must leave their old identity to die in the darkness and run to the light where they will receive and live their new life in the light. The Holy Spirit enters the soul of the new believer, changing them over the course of their life into the perfect image of the God/man Jesus, enlightening their hearts to feel as he did and enlightening their minds to think as he did, thus freeing them from the bondage of death and the insanity of deception. As a result, they shine with the light of God’s glory in dark places, restoring life to the dying, liberating the captive, enlightening the confused, feeding the hungry, caring for the lonely, healing the suffering, defending the helpless, and bringing peace to the chaos. When the Word returns in royal splendor, he will finish the work he started in the world and in those being raised from death to eternal life.
John 14:26 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
Hebrews 4:12 12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Colossians 1:19-20 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
John 15:4-5 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Galatians 5:22-25 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 24 And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.
The Word – Temporal = The Word
For those who know the Word but are not changed by it or fail to apply it, the Word maintains its integrity but does not produce life.
Hebrews 5:12-14 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, 13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.
James 2:13-20 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. 14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe- and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?
Galatians 6:7-8 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
Matthew 25:41-46 41 "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' 45 Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Really?
How many of you have either used or heard the excuse “But my friends were doing it…” in response to a reprimand? If you have, you are also likely familiar with the retort, “If your friends were to jump off a cliff, would you follow them?” Does anyone else have a problem with this question? Of course, the retort is meant to reveal the error of assuming a majority decision is always right by postulating a scenario in which the majority does something clearly wrong. The trouble is the scenario does not teach the intended lesson, especially when used in association with subjective rules like wearing a shirt tail out, talking in class or playing an outside game inside. As a child, I remember thinking indignantly (though I dared not say it), “What does jumping off a cliff have to do with how my friends and I wear our shirt?” Now that I am an adult who has done away with childish reasoning, I know with confidence I was right to question the relevance of cliff jumping and shirt tails. I can also now answer the question in such a way that reveals why:
First, if I answer “No, I would not follow them,” then I am asserting I do indeed have the sense not to jump off a cliff to my death. Of course, if you knew me, you would already know that. Likewise, if you knew me, you would also know I have the sense to only share company with friends who also have the sense not to jump to their death, making the proposition they would jump an insult to my friends and to me for keeping their company. Likewise, the presumption our transgression was just as morally consequential as cliff jumping is absurd since, if the transgressions were equal, I would be dead and we would not be having this conversation. Furthermore, cliff jumping is not always suicidal, meaning it is not always wrong. If we were all wearing parachutes, knew how to use them and the conditions allowed for a safe landing then I could answer with justified moral conviction “Yes! I would follow them!” Therefore, your scenario intended to demonstrate the futility of following the immoral majority has only worked to insult my intelligence, morally patronize me, and led me to justifiably question your ability to discern right from wrong since you can’t even discern the difference between matters of preference and matters of life and death.
Should your children respond so rationally, be careful not to mistake a justified demand for an apology for what may sound like a rebellious attitude. Children do not appreciate being falsely accused or irrationally reprimanded nor should they. That does not mean children should not be reprimanded. It does mean parents need to know how to discern right from wrong, how to weigh moral decisions and how to discipline their children in the way they should go so that when a reprimand is needed, it will communicate loving guidance and deserved justice, thus granting the most hopeful opportunity for genuine repentance. That also means parents need to be careful about using clichés or Scripture references learned from their parents and pastors without first making sure they are true, relevant, understood, objectively tried and personally applied. By having the logs of sin removed from their eyes by the chainsaw of truth in the hands of the Holy Spirit, parents will then be able to see clearly enough to be used by God to carefully and tenderly remove the splinters from the eyes of their loved ones, minimizing the pain and discomfort caused by their removal.
On a similar note, if this need for relevance and careful application of truth is so important to the development of children, how much more important is it to fully grown adults, including grown adults from the ghetto? Adults won’t tolerate being falsely accused or irrationally reprimanded either. Adults also do not appreciate being talked to like children nor should they, even if they are acting like children. Therefore, if your principles are offended and you are compelled to talk about or to someone else in a way that diminishes them from equality with you, recognize it is not God who is compelling you but the devil, thus revealing your need to check yourself in the mirrors of God’s Word and Spirit. While there, look at the one who offended you in the mirrors too. You may find yourself diminished by the reflection of Jesus looking down on you.
Teach me and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong. How painful are honest words! But what do your arguments prove? Do you mean to correct what I say, and treat the words of a despairing man as wind? You would even cast lots for the fatherless and barter away your friend. But now be so kind as to look at me. Job 6:24-28a
First, if I answer “No, I would not follow them,” then I am asserting I do indeed have the sense not to jump off a cliff to my death. Of course, if you knew me, you would already know that. Likewise, if you knew me, you would also know I have the sense to only share company with friends who also have the sense not to jump to their death, making the proposition they would jump an insult to my friends and to me for keeping their company. Likewise, the presumption our transgression was just as morally consequential as cliff jumping is absurd since, if the transgressions were equal, I would be dead and we would not be having this conversation. Furthermore, cliff jumping is not always suicidal, meaning it is not always wrong. If we were all wearing parachutes, knew how to use them and the conditions allowed for a safe landing then I could answer with justified moral conviction “Yes! I would follow them!” Therefore, your scenario intended to demonstrate the futility of following the immoral majority has only worked to insult my intelligence, morally patronize me, and led me to justifiably question your ability to discern right from wrong since you can’t even discern the difference between matters of preference and matters of life and death.
Should your children respond so rationally, be careful not to mistake a justified demand for an apology for what may sound like a rebellious attitude. Children do not appreciate being falsely accused or irrationally reprimanded nor should they. That does not mean children should not be reprimanded. It does mean parents need to know how to discern right from wrong, how to weigh moral decisions and how to discipline their children in the way they should go so that when a reprimand is needed, it will communicate loving guidance and deserved justice, thus granting the most hopeful opportunity for genuine repentance. That also means parents need to be careful about using clichés or Scripture references learned from their parents and pastors without first making sure they are true, relevant, understood, objectively tried and personally applied. By having the logs of sin removed from their eyes by the chainsaw of truth in the hands of the Holy Spirit, parents will then be able to see clearly enough to be used by God to carefully and tenderly remove the splinters from the eyes of their loved ones, minimizing the pain and discomfort caused by their removal.
On a similar note, if this need for relevance and careful application of truth is so important to the development of children, how much more important is it to fully grown adults, including grown adults from the ghetto? Adults won’t tolerate being falsely accused or irrationally reprimanded either. Adults also do not appreciate being talked to like children nor should they, even if they are acting like children. Therefore, if your principles are offended and you are compelled to talk about or to someone else in a way that diminishes them from equality with you, recognize it is not God who is compelling you but the devil, thus revealing your need to check yourself in the mirrors of God’s Word and Spirit. While there, look at the one who offended you in the mirrors too. You may find yourself diminished by the reflection of Jesus looking down on you.
Teach me and I will be quiet; show me where I have been wrong. How painful are honest words! But what do your arguments prove? Do you mean to correct what I say, and treat the words of a despairing man as wind? You would even cast lots for the fatherless and barter away your friend. But now be so kind as to look at me. Job 6:24-28a
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Lifeguarding
While being trained as a lifeguard in the Boy Scouts, I learned a valuable principle when it comes to trying to rescue a drowning victim: if I simply swim to them unassisted with the intention of helping them swim back to safety, I will likely be killed. In their desperation to stay above water, the victim will try to use me as a floatation device, meaning they will push me under water with irresistible, super-human strength enabled by a panic induced shot of adrenalin and hold me there until I drown. Since panic also makes a victim irrational, no amount of reasoning as to my intentions or the need for their cooperation will prevent them from killing me. Since a dead person does not have sufficient buoyancy to keep the victim’s head above water, my dead body would not even keep the victim from drowning, meaning my well intentioned self-sacrifice would result in making casualties of us both. Therefore, I should do myself and the victim a service by considering my options before jumping in to save them. I have found this principle to be generally universal in its application.
Likewise, I have found the training I received that provides viable alternatives to self-destruction to also be generally universal in application. Based on the Boy Scout motto (Be Prepared!), I was first taught to create as controlled an environment as possible when planning waterfront activities by providing all the potentially necessary rescue tools and by posting plenty of qualified lifeguards who know how to use them. Also, I was taught to qualify activity participants by testing their ability to swim before allowing them to enter the water.
I was then trained to use rescue strategies based on the principles of Reach, Throw, Row ,Go. First, I learned I should not panic when I find myself a witness to an emergent need in which I have the opportunity to intervene. Instead, I should stop, breath, think, and look around to assess the environment and availability of resources to assist in the victim’s rescue. If they are within reach from the side of a pool, pier, or the shore, I should use a pole or something of the sort to extend to them so they can be pulled to safety. Should it be required to extend a hand or leg, I should secure the rest of my body to avoid being pulled in and to provide the needed leverage to pull the victim out. If the victim is too far to reach, I should look for a flotation device to throw to them with sufficient buoyancy to keep their head above water until they can be reached. If they are beyond throwing distance, I should look for a row boat or other equivalent means of transport that can cover the needed distance in time to reach the victim before they drown and can carry the victim as an added passenger back to safety. As a last resort, I should swim to the victim while carrying a floatation device that can be passed or thrown to them from a safe distance. If the victim should fail to grab the float or prefer to use me as a float, it may be necessary to hit them and/or render them unconscious in order to pacify them enough to enable my appropriate assistance. If all attempts fail, I should stay out of their reach until they drown with the hope of dragging them to safety in time to revive them using CPR.
As I consider possible interventions to help victims in East Lake, I am haunted by the parallel application of these principles and how counter intuitive they may be. As opposed to the controlled lake water environment in which I learned, I now feel as though I am working in the chaos of raging flood waters. There are scores of victims who have been swept up by the deadly currents who are gasping for breath as they cry out for help. I also feel as though there is no shore of safety to which I can deliver them. The river runs through a canyon with walls too high for them to climb though construction of a means to elevate them has begun. The conditions are not controlled so I have had to evaluate what resources are available. The most effective resource I have used is the one that saved me when I lost my life preserver, one that defies convention. It is all that I have had to extend for support and cannot be denied in its effectiveness.
Jumping into these waters also defies reason. The risks imposed by the water are substantial but I have not felt threatened by it given the effectiveness of my life support in dealing with the conditions. I have understood not all victims I tried to rescue would see my support or take what I offered due to the blindness of their hysterics and their unfamiliarity with the means of rescue. I have known I cannot knock sense into them nor could I render them unconscious. As a result, I have watched helplessly as victims drown due to their rejection of my offered assistance and my refusal to allow them to cling to me as their source of life. I remain convinced my body cannot offer them the salvation they need but the help I am offering them can. I have been affirmed in the self-awareness of my limitations when I have seen other well meaning but unqualified lifeguards who jumped into the water as rescuers but became victims themselves, overwhelmed by small groups of victims ineffectually clinging to them for life. All of them are drowning.
As I appraise the devastation I am also appraising my feelings toward the rescue effort. I am frustrated by the discontinuity of the operation. I question if I am even a part of the same effort as other lifeguards since we seem to be using conflicting methods and seem to answer to different leaders. Not many even recognize me as a lifeguard. I am angry with the multitudes of rescue trainees who never seem to graduate the program; many have not even left the shallow end of the pool. I am irritated by the wasted resources spent on responding to victims who cry for help from their homes settled high above the flood because they are afraid of drowning in the water in their pools. I am enraged by those who stand on the edge of the cliffs looking down with indifference or contempt for those who are not able to scale the walls of safety on which they now stand. Some say they don’t help because they are not called to swim and others don’t want to learn to swim because they hate water. They just watch and comment on the situation amongst themselves, like the crowds drawn to gawk at train wrecks.
Additionally, I am beginning to question if land is where I even belong or if it is where I should be trying to deliver victims to safety. I have a growing sense that eventually everyone is going to be swept into this torrential flood that is ever rising and all consuming, similar to the waters that once consumed everything but an ark and the refugees it carried. No one but whom God had equipped to escape the flood was able to survive it. I believe God is equipping his elect to survive this one as well. I’m thinking perhaps the water is really where I am supposed to live since the earth will not survive destruction this time. What if the point is not to try to stay alive by keeping my head or the heads of the victims above water or even to live above the water? I wonder if the reason I’m not afraid of it is because God is making me into something like a fish, able to breathe underwater. Fish are at home in water and the air so many are fighting to breath is becoming increasingly foreign to me. When I return to the surface, I’m not gasping for air. There are times it seems like I’m not holding my breath anymore underwater either. Since I was jerked from the water some time ago, I feel as though I’m suffocating and desperately want to be thrown back in. I’m wondering what it is now I was actually trying to save victims from since I’m now so out of place on land and saw so many swimming underwater with me before I was fished out.
Since I lost my life preserver, the fathoms into which I have been looking beckon me to come further. However, I can only go so far every time I explore before I am compelled back to the surface by the reminder of my purpose to assist victims and by the fact my transformation is not complete given my still present need for air. It seems only the lifeguards and the victims who have learned to let go of life preservers are undergoing the same life giving transformation as I am, equally enabled to navigate the depths that strike such fear in land lovers that they would destroy themselves and others to avoid sinking into them. Those who have let go also seem to be the only ones able to assist the others who are still drowning.
I also notice the cliffs are shrinking because the waters are rising as the rain keeps falling. I’m now more worried for the ones who are safe on dry land than I am for those trying to stay afloat in the water. Though the water is different than what consumed the earth before, the threat is just as real and the safe are just as oblivious. No one will escape the flood this time. They need to be warned lest they be swept under the water with no life preservers left and no way to breath. I can only pray they heed the warning this time, which is actually a call to join the rescue effort since there is no ark. The only way to escape this flood is to dive into it. The life so many are trying to preserve is not worth preserving since no one can float forever and everyone will have to eventually sink or swim.
I can also only pray new recruits that respond to the call have abandoned the counterproductive strategy of self-preservation as they jump into the water lest they become yet another victim that has to be coaxed to let go as they flail their arms in panicked hysteria. Knowing the source of life, how to preserve it and how to share it are essential prerequisites for becoming a lifeguard. Perhaps the training program needs to be modified so trainees are better prepared and better equipped for these conditions. Until then, experience can serve as an effective school if a new lifeguard is willing to learn and is willing to listen to seasoned lifeguards.
Seasoned lifeguards will be the first to admit they are still students themselves since no one graduates until retirement. They also know there is only one Master and they are exclusively under his leadership, following his orders. New lifeguards will not have to look hard to find seasoned lifeguards because they are easy to identify; they are the ones who are skillfully navigating the waters as they carry life to the victims. Their victims are also the ones being saved, and the ones who are becoming new lifeguards. That said, perhaps the land-based life guard academies need to also evaluate if their instructors and writers of their curriculum are still practicing as real lifeguards, if they ever were real lifeguards. God forbid the commentators on train wrecks, watching from their perches high on the cliffs, also be the ones who are writing manuals for how lifeguarding should be done and the ones who determine if new lifeguards are qualified. That would explain a lot. I have been so schooled. I’ve got to get back to the water.
Likewise, I have found the training I received that provides viable alternatives to self-destruction to also be generally universal in application. Based on the Boy Scout motto (Be Prepared!), I was first taught to create as controlled an environment as possible when planning waterfront activities by providing all the potentially necessary rescue tools and by posting plenty of qualified lifeguards who know how to use them. Also, I was taught to qualify activity participants by testing their ability to swim before allowing them to enter the water.
I was then trained to use rescue strategies based on the principles of Reach, Throw, Row ,Go. First, I learned I should not panic when I find myself a witness to an emergent need in which I have the opportunity to intervene. Instead, I should stop, breath, think, and look around to assess the environment and availability of resources to assist in the victim’s rescue. If they are within reach from the side of a pool, pier, or the shore, I should use a pole or something of the sort to extend to them so they can be pulled to safety. Should it be required to extend a hand or leg, I should secure the rest of my body to avoid being pulled in and to provide the needed leverage to pull the victim out. If the victim is too far to reach, I should look for a flotation device to throw to them with sufficient buoyancy to keep their head above water until they can be reached. If they are beyond throwing distance, I should look for a row boat or other equivalent means of transport that can cover the needed distance in time to reach the victim before they drown and can carry the victim as an added passenger back to safety. As a last resort, I should swim to the victim while carrying a floatation device that can be passed or thrown to them from a safe distance. If the victim should fail to grab the float or prefer to use me as a float, it may be necessary to hit them and/or render them unconscious in order to pacify them enough to enable my appropriate assistance. If all attempts fail, I should stay out of their reach until they drown with the hope of dragging them to safety in time to revive them using CPR.
As I consider possible interventions to help victims in East Lake, I am haunted by the parallel application of these principles and how counter intuitive they may be. As opposed to the controlled lake water environment in which I learned, I now feel as though I am working in the chaos of raging flood waters. There are scores of victims who have been swept up by the deadly currents who are gasping for breath as they cry out for help. I also feel as though there is no shore of safety to which I can deliver them. The river runs through a canyon with walls too high for them to climb though construction of a means to elevate them has begun. The conditions are not controlled so I have had to evaluate what resources are available. The most effective resource I have used is the one that saved me when I lost my life preserver, one that defies convention. It is all that I have had to extend for support and cannot be denied in its effectiveness.
Jumping into these waters also defies reason. The risks imposed by the water are substantial but I have not felt threatened by it given the effectiveness of my life support in dealing with the conditions. I have understood not all victims I tried to rescue would see my support or take what I offered due to the blindness of their hysterics and their unfamiliarity with the means of rescue. I have known I cannot knock sense into them nor could I render them unconscious. As a result, I have watched helplessly as victims drown due to their rejection of my offered assistance and my refusal to allow them to cling to me as their source of life. I remain convinced my body cannot offer them the salvation they need but the help I am offering them can. I have been affirmed in the self-awareness of my limitations when I have seen other well meaning but unqualified lifeguards who jumped into the water as rescuers but became victims themselves, overwhelmed by small groups of victims ineffectually clinging to them for life. All of them are drowning.
As I appraise the devastation I am also appraising my feelings toward the rescue effort. I am frustrated by the discontinuity of the operation. I question if I am even a part of the same effort as other lifeguards since we seem to be using conflicting methods and seem to answer to different leaders. Not many even recognize me as a lifeguard. I am angry with the multitudes of rescue trainees who never seem to graduate the program; many have not even left the shallow end of the pool. I am irritated by the wasted resources spent on responding to victims who cry for help from their homes settled high above the flood because they are afraid of drowning in the water in their pools. I am enraged by those who stand on the edge of the cliffs looking down with indifference or contempt for those who are not able to scale the walls of safety on which they now stand. Some say they don’t help because they are not called to swim and others don’t want to learn to swim because they hate water. They just watch and comment on the situation amongst themselves, like the crowds drawn to gawk at train wrecks.
Additionally, I am beginning to question if land is where I even belong or if it is where I should be trying to deliver victims to safety. I have a growing sense that eventually everyone is going to be swept into this torrential flood that is ever rising and all consuming, similar to the waters that once consumed everything but an ark and the refugees it carried. No one but whom God had equipped to escape the flood was able to survive it. I believe God is equipping his elect to survive this one as well. I’m thinking perhaps the water is really where I am supposed to live since the earth will not survive destruction this time. What if the point is not to try to stay alive by keeping my head or the heads of the victims above water or even to live above the water? I wonder if the reason I’m not afraid of it is because God is making me into something like a fish, able to breathe underwater. Fish are at home in water and the air so many are fighting to breath is becoming increasingly foreign to me. When I return to the surface, I’m not gasping for air. There are times it seems like I’m not holding my breath anymore underwater either. Since I was jerked from the water some time ago, I feel as though I’m suffocating and desperately want to be thrown back in. I’m wondering what it is now I was actually trying to save victims from since I’m now so out of place on land and saw so many swimming underwater with me before I was fished out.
Since I lost my life preserver, the fathoms into which I have been looking beckon me to come further. However, I can only go so far every time I explore before I am compelled back to the surface by the reminder of my purpose to assist victims and by the fact my transformation is not complete given my still present need for air. It seems only the lifeguards and the victims who have learned to let go of life preservers are undergoing the same life giving transformation as I am, equally enabled to navigate the depths that strike such fear in land lovers that they would destroy themselves and others to avoid sinking into them. Those who have let go also seem to be the only ones able to assist the others who are still drowning.
I also notice the cliffs are shrinking because the waters are rising as the rain keeps falling. I’m now more worried for the ones who are safe on dry land than I am for those trying to stay afloat in the water. Though the water is different than what consumed the earth before, the threat is just as real and the safe are just as oblivious. No one will escape the flood this time. They need to be warned lest they be swept under the water with no life preservers left and no way to breath. I can only pray they heed the warning this time, which is actually a call to join the rescue effort since there is no ark. The only way to escape this flood is to dive into it. The life so many are trying to preserve is not worth preserving since no one can float forever and everyone will have to eventually sink or swim.
I can also only pray new recruits that respond to the call have abandoned the counterproductive strategy of self-preservation as they jump into the water lest they become yet another victim that has to be coaxed to let go as they flail their arms in panicked hysteria. Knowing the source of life, how to preserve it and how to share it are essential prerequisites for becoming a lifeguard. Perhaps the training program needs to be modified so trainees are better prepared and better equipped for these conditions. Until then, experience can serve as an effective school if a new lifeguard is willing to learn and is willing to listen to seasoned lifeguards.
Seasoned lifeguards will be the first to admit they are still students themselves since no one graduates until retirement. They also know there is only one Master and they are exclusively under his leadership, following his orders. New lifeguards will not have to look hard to find seasoned lifeguards because they are easy to identify; they are the ones who are skillfully navigating the waters as they carry life to the victims. Their victims are also the ones being saved, and the ones who are becoming new lifeguards. That said, perhaps the land-based life guard academies need to also evaluate if their instructors and writers of their curriculum are still practicing as real lifeguards, if they ever were real lifeguards. God forbid the commentators on train wrecks, watching from their perches high on the cliffs, also be the ones who are writing manuals for how lifeguarding should be done and the ones who determine if new lifeguards are qualified. That would explain a lot. I have been so schooled. I’ve got to get back to the water.
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