Tag Archives: Faith

Experience & Becoming

In my job I do a lot of driving.  I may be visiting customers or trying to gain new ones, but I will often drive to locations I’ve never been.  In recent years I’ve become a fan of Google Maps.  Not only does it give good directions (apart from mispronouncing Irish names & locations!) but the ability to switch to street view is real benefit. Being able to ‘see’ the geography around the customer’s location makes the last few minutes of a journey much easier.  Seeing a photograph of the entrance to the building before I arrive helps me know what to look for which saves time and potential hassle.

But, no matter how beneficial a photograph may be, I would be foolish to presume I know all there is to know about the geography around the location.  For starters, the photo may be several years old and the environs may have changed.  Even if it hadn’t changed, there are any number of things which could make my experience different from the perceptions I made from a photograph.

Just because I ‘see’ something doesn’t mean I understand all there is to understand about it.  Even if I know the destination from photos, maps or descriptions of others, I won’t actually ‘know’ it until I’ve experienced it for myself.

This principle is applicable to so much of life and it is especially true of our relationship with God.  Just because someone shows us a picture, or tells us a story, about God does not mean we have a full, complete, understanding of who God is.

One of the biggest challenges for Christians today is the access we have to content about God.  It is possible that we could be the most biblically educated generation in history.  That may be an overstatement but the prevalence of teachings, books, devotionals, variety of translations, on-line videos and smart phone apps means we can be exposed to as much biblical material as we desire.

Yet, I still wonder, how much do we truly know of God from our own, personal experience of Him?  How deep have we gone with him in the privacy of our own prayer closet?   How intimately do we know Holy Spirit’s voice?  How responsive are we to follow, simply because we recognise it is Him speaking?

I don’t want to be someone whose history with God is based on the stories told by someone else.  I don’t want my experience of Him to be reliant on a ‘photograph’ of a destination taking by someone else.  Nor do I want the extent of my experience in Him to be curtailed by the limits of others.  I have never been one to settle for the status-quo and I refuse to accept mediocrity in my journey with Jesus.

I will pursue His Word and the life-giving promises He’s given.  I will seek to believe, to learn and to understand all He has spoken so I can live worthy of the calling I’ve received.  I will seek the presence of His Kingdom that I might know the whole measure of His fullness within me.  I will pursue the growth of my faith through the declaration and demonstration of His love, power and wisdom.  Where my faith is lacking or my understanding falls short I will fall on the grace and mercy of the One Whom I believe.

I extend an invitation to all who share similar desires.  Let’s explore the possibilities of faith together.  Let’s ask Holy Spirit to stir up a hunger and passion for more of Him.  Let’s commit to encourage and support one another in this journey toward transformation. And let us know the One we believe so we can become all He desires us to be.

 

 

Belief in the Fullness

I became a Christian in my teenage years.  I won’t tell you my age… but I now have teenagers of my own.  Even after all this time of being a ‘Believer’ there are a lot of things in the Bible that I find hard to believe.  It’s not that I have an active unbelief toward these things.  It’s more that I am simply unable to comprehend their magnitude.  As a result, they aren’t included among the first things when I describe things I believe.

Take, for instance, this statement from the Apostle Paul:  “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ…” (Colossians 2.9-10; NIV)

Even though my heart burns within me as I read this statement, the implication remains somewhat of a mystery.  It just sounds so BIG.   So unimaginable.   So unbelievable.

I am comfortable with – and even believe – the theological concept that God Himself dwells within Christ.  Hebrews 1.3 tells us that Jesus is the perfect representation of the Father.  And, in many other places, the Bible tells us that Jesus and the Father are One (see Jn 14.10).  Though I may find it difficult to explain, I have a reference point for this.

But, how could it be possible that I have fullness in Christ if, at the same time, God is fully manifesting Himself in Christ?  It feels a bit incongruous.  He’s perfectly pure and I’m…. not.  Some days when I read this scripture I find myself wanting to buy into it wholeheartedly.  But, other times, I sit uncomfortably on a train of thought that leads me to doubt.

Is this tension and lack of clarity a sign of unbelief?   I don’t think so.  Quite the opposite.  Using the analogy of the fence (see posts), I think I’m discovering a fence I didn’t realise was there.  Or, maybe more likely, I’m coming up on what I thought was a boundary only to discover it is an entry-point into a new horizon of faith.

The clue that gave it away was the fact that my heart continues to burn when I read and consider this passage.  That tells me Holy Spirit is highlighting a truth – even if it is hidden.    I have often held onto the truth that God has chosen to make known the mystery of Christ in us (Col 1.27).  But recently Holy Spirit has been highlighting that in Christ are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2.3).  My heart has been lit aflame with this idea and I have been seeking these treasures with zeal.  So, I will continue pursuing the hidden treasure of what it means for me to have been given fullness in Christ.

I cannot yet articulate all I’m sensing.  Nor do I know the extent of what lies on the other side of the fence I’m dismantling, but I’m praying that I will have sufficient courage to explore the fullness of these new realms.

Boundaries of Belief

The house I lived in as a small child was on the corner of two roads.  The house was set in from the smaller road so it meant our back garden (back yard) bordered each road up to the intersection.  A fence created the necessary safety for my siblings and I to play freely in the garden.  I was very young and I don’t remember being tempted to venture beyond the fence.  But I have clear memories of my mother sternly warning us not to go outside the fence.

Fences provide a boundary.  Sometimes they keep things in.  Sometimes they keep things out.  Fences can be used to keep people, pets and property safe.  They give an indication of a property line or even a geo-political border.  Whatever way it is used, a fence is a visible, physical manifestation of an invisible line; a demarcation between two realms.  The extent to which one is allowed travel.  The limit beyond which one is unable to go.

Sometimes we create boundaries where none were intended.  More often we assume a boundary exists because someone, somewhere, implied that it does.

When I was a teenager, I remember being told that God no longer works miracles; that all miracles stopped after the time of the Apostles.  Even though this didn’t make sense to me I allowed that thought to become a fence that cut through the middle of my spiritual prairie.  I’ll never forget the season when I dismantled that fence after experiencing God’s healing power.

Similarly, I grew up in a tradition which did not practice prophecy or pursue the voice of God for practical, relevant life direction.  This, too, became a fence which corralled my yearning for the tangible presence and voice of God.  Again, it was a joyous endeavour uprooting those fence-posts after learning to hear the voice of Holy Spirit.

Those are examples of substantial life-changing lessons.  But if it was possible to have such large fences in my life for many years, is it possible that I may still have fences of which I’m not fully aware?

Recently I find myself asking, what are the small fences that still limit me from experiencing the fullness of all God has for me?  What are the beliefs that limit my relationship with the Father?  Do I have beliefs that undermine the One Whom I Believe?  Are there incorrect or miss-placed boundaries on my beliefs?

He Gave the Right (pt 2)

I am an American.  I was born in the USA.  Graduated high school in the late 80’s and finished college and seminary in the early 90s.  Having lived in Ireland for 23 years, I’m married to a wonderful Irish woman and have 4 kids who find it amusing to be ‘half’ American.  A number of years ago I was granted Irish citizenship.  The exchange of citizenship was made official when I received my Irish passport.  But the benefits of citizenship would mean very little to me if I do not exercise the rights of citizenship.  When a right is bestowed on us, it is something we must embrace and choose to exercise.

“To all who receive him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”

Understood in this way, it is interesting to note that the Greek word for ‘right’ is actually ‘exousia’.  This Greek word is translated as ‘authority’ in other passages.  For instance, when Jesus sent the Twelve to preach and heal the Bible says he gave them power (dunamis) and authority (exousia).  This wider context of the use of exousia sheds deeper meaning on the ‘right’ God extends to enable us to become His children.  Specifically, in the same way authority must be exercised to bring God’s truth into a situation, the rights of family must be exercised to experience the relationship of a child with a Father.

As we’ve seen (see post), the act of receiving Him is an integral component to becoming His child.  Believing in His name is the other crucial component.  We can only ‘receive’ the One in whom we believe.  Through being ‘receptive’ to believe, we are able to put our trust in Him.  And through trust we learn to exercise our right (authority) to BE a child of God.

Exercising the rights of a child more easily flow from a place of belief – where love, faith and trust are deeply rooted.  A child learns trust from infancy.  Since we are children of the perfect parent, we have the opportunity to learn to trust Him from the moment we receive and believe.  It is through love we obey Him.  The more we obey, the more we learn trust.  As we learn to trust him, we develop our understanding.  As we become more understanding of Who He is, we grow in wisdom (see post) and become more like our Father (see Col 2.3).

“To all who receive him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”

 

 

He Gave the Right (pt 1)

When we talk about God or church in intimate, family terms it can sometimes be a little uncomfortable for people.  But, when discussing those who believe, the imagery and language of family is used throughout scripture.  The family of believers.  God as Father.  God as Daddy (see post).  The believer as a child of God.  Believers as brothers and sisters.  One verse that clearly articulates the reality of the believer as a child of God is John 1.12.

“To all who receive him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God”

The clarity of this statement carries significant meaning and promise.  It states that being a child of God is available to anyone – to all who receive him.  But, it also indicates that becoming a child of God requires a response from us.  He has cleared the way.  He has made it possible.  The invitation is open to all.  But in order for someone to become a child of God, they must first come to a place where the heart is open to receive and then ready to believe.

“To all who receive him, to those who believe in his name…

There are steps in the process toward belief.  Rarely do we simply arrive at belief.  The path toward belief is a journey.  Some people may traverse the path quickly.  Others seem to explore the path more cautiously; and some examine the path judicially.  But along the journey to belief, we go through the process of receiving him (see post).  In order to receive Him, we must first be receptive.  Open and willing to receive.  Then, once we’ve opened ourselves to receive Him, the path toward belief is made clearer.  Our hearts cannot be open to believe Him if they are not yet open to receive Him.

Believing and receiving introduces a Right. 

Then, once someone has arrived at belief, God extends to them the right to become a His child.  The RIGHT.  The idea of us having a Right to become His child adds a layer to what I’ve previously understood about how God brings us into His family.  Namely, that being identified as His child was an automatic part of believing & receiving.  The act of Justification (Jesus’ righteousness conferred on us) is a theological principal that defines a supernatural, spiritual reality.  We were crucified with Christ (Gal 2.20); re-born by the Spirit (Jn 3.5-6) so he old has gone, the new has come (2 Cor 5.17).  Becoming a child of God occurs within this new exchange.

Yet, this idea of us having a RIGHT to become children of God introduces another dimension.  At one level becoming a child is a spiritual reality that occurs as part of a miraculous supernatural process.  On another level, becoming a child is a right we must choose to exercise.

 

Witnesses of God

Throughout the New Testament there is a consistent theme about how the message of God is both seen and heard.  Using a parable to illustrate his point, Jesus explained how the soil of the heart is what determines a person’s ability to recognise, receive and, essentially, understand the message of God.  In his explanation, he referred to a prophecy from the prophet Isaiah which declared that there would be a group of people who would have eyes but not see and have ears but not hear.

The authors of the Gospels mention this prophecy from Isaiah in their interpretation of why Jesus did the things he did (Jn 12.40) and Jesus himself referred to the prophecy (Mt 13.1-4; Lk 7.22) to explain his ministry.  For this reason, the prophecy from Isaiah deserves closer investigation.

Isaiah chapter 6 describes what is referred to as Isaiah’s call to be a prophet to the people of Israel.  The very first instruction the Lord gave to Isaiah was to tell the people:

“Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’  Make the heart of this people callous; and their ears dull, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” (Is 6.9-10).

We talked about possible interpretations and implications for such a prophetic declaration in a recent discussion (see post).  The purpose of such a declaration was not so God would keep people from coming to him, rather it was an acknowledgement that their refusal to believe would lead to a further hardening of their hearts.  But this prophecy was not creating, forming or announcing a permanent state of being for those it described.

The ministry of Isaiah spanned a number of years and, as he faithfully declared the message of God to the people, his message changed.  Toward the end of his life he began to prophecy of God’s coming Servant who would be a “light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness” (Is 42.7).  This was substantial because it not only spoke about opening the eyes of the blind – thereby promising that the symptoms of a hard heart would be reversed through the ministry of God’s servant – but it also spoke of God’s message being made available to those outside the nation of Israel.  The remainder of chapter 42, concentrates on God’s restoration of his people.  In particular, 42.18-25, make clear that God wants to open the eyes and ears of those who have closed them.

In chapter 43, after instructing the Servant to “lead out those who have eyes but are blind and have ears but can’t hear” (43.8), God says something that will (hopefully) sound familiar.  “You are my witnesses and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he” (43.10).

Did you hear it?!  This is the phrase Jesus used in John 10.38 when he said, “Even if you don’t believe me, believe the miracles so you may learn and understand that I am one with the father [ie. I am he].”  Jesus was declaring the prophetic statement about himself in hopes those who had eyes to see would actually see it – even if they hadn’t heard it.

But, equally substantial, and exciting to me, is that Isaiah introduced the description of how we go through a process of understanding.   Namely, that we come to know (learn) from a posture of belief which enables us to understand who he is.

These two passages are the only Scripture references I have found in which this phrase is used.  The significance of this singular reference is that Jesus fully intended his statement to be directly linked to Isaiah’s prophetic declaration – it was not a casual reference.

Biblical scholars, when they translate and interpret the Scriptures use a principle they call the Law of First Mention.  Basically, this means when a word or phrase is used for the first time, the meaning or intent of that word is largely defined by the context of its first use.  All subsequent uses of the word or phrase are reliant upon the meaning derived by the initial use.  The repeated uses will often add depth or enhance the original meaning, but they will not fundamentally change the meaning from the first mention.

Based on this law of first mention, the process of believing so we learn and understand derives a significant meaning and purpose from the context of the Isaiah passage.

Within the context of Isaiah, we learn that although God had allowed people’s hearts to become hard so they had eyes but could not see and ears but could not hear, his intention was to send his witnesses who would lead these people out of the condition of their own making.  In doing so, the witnesses, as well as the people, will all grow in belief, learning and understanding of who God is.

This will be the focus of our next discussion.

Development of Belief

“…even if you do not believe me, believe the evidence of the miracles, that you may learn and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father” (Jn 10.38).

When Jesus made this statement, he was speaking to the religious leaders who, in their opposition to him, refused to consider the possibility that their perspective may not be the only explanation for things.  They had heard what Jesus taught but their hardness of heart meant they were unable to recognise the voice of God or understand His message.  Jesus, in his mercy, did not write them off but gave them another opportunity to hear his voice.  This time, he displayed the reality of his love by actions that were visible.   Through both circumstances, Jesus expected people to be able to recognise the voice of the God and respond by applying faith to what they heard (see post).

Responding in belief initiates a process that enables us to learn more about God’s nature and what life in his Kingdom is like.  As we submit ourselves to getting to know the One we believe, we grow more into His likeness.  One way to illustrate this process of learning is to identify the steps from belief to wisdom.

Belief / Faith

Belief is the foundation, the centre, of this process.  Throughout our discussions, we have spoken of how the Father initiates faith within us through His word.  As we recognise his word, and respond to it, we apply faith which ignites the seed of life carried within his word.

  • Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Rom 10.17; Jn 5.24)
  • It is with the heart that we believe (Rom 10.10)

While belief and faith are not the same thing, they are extremely similar.   The two English words share the same Greek root words which are translated differently according to the context.  So, for the purpose of our discussion and this illustration I have combined them.

Obey:  Belief leads to obedience.

Obedience is the standard of one who is in relationship with God.  Jesus demonstrated a life of perfect obedience to the Father (Jn 5.19) and expects the same type of humble obedience from his followers (Mt 28.20).

  • If you love me, you will obey my teaching. (Jn 14.23)
  • Anyone who comes after me must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me (Lk 9.23).  

Trust:  Obedience leads to trust.

As we walk in obedience, we learn to trust God.  A lifestyle of obedience in the different areas of our life enables us to trust that God is trustworthy, reliable and faithful.  For example, as we are obedient with our use of money, we learn to trust God as the One from whom all resources come.  Obeying God’s instruction to forgive others as we have been forgiven, we learn to trust God as the One from whom justice and grace come.  In addition, we have opportunity to more fully embrace humility and mercy.

Trusting God does not mean we don’t have questions about what He may ask of us.  Trust is displayed as we maintain a soft-hearted, belief in Him even when we don’t understand why circumstances are the way they are.

On this point, consider two people who questioned what God asked of them through the angel Gabriel.  Mary and Zechariah each asked a question about what the angel announced to them – and the words used in their questions are very similar.  Yet the angel knew that Mary’s question, “How can this be?”, came from a soft-hearted belief that was willing to trust (Lk 1.34,38).  On the other hand, Zechariah’s question, “How can I be sure of this?”, came from an unbelief that had crept into his heart (Lk 1.18,20).

 

Understand:  Trust leads to Understanding.

As we trust God throughout the various circumstances and challenges of life, we learn more about God’s nature which leads us to a deepening understanding of WHO He is.   Often, we want to leap-frog over obedience and trust to get quickly to a place of understanding God.  But that is not how belief and relationship works.

We do not believe because we understand.  We understand because we believe. Understanding comes through a process that is lived alongside the One Whom we believe.  We cannot understand the depths of Who God is unless we have learned obedience and trust.  Any attempts to bypass these areas will only give an incomplete, dichotomised portrayal of God.

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead I have called you friends, for everything I have learned from my Father I have made known to you (Jn 15.15).

In some church contexts, it may be possible to confuse the effects of a Christian sub-culture with a personal trust and/or understanding of God.  However, we must be careful not to presume that a lifestyle of Christian principles equates to an authentic, personal relationship with God, even if the principles are based on biblical standards.  A relationship with God means we know WHO we believe rather than relying on what we believe.

 

Wisdom:  Understanding leads to Wisdom.

One of the outcomes of a life based on belief is that we will grow into a people who display God’s wisdom (Eph 3.10).  As in the natural realm, wisdom can only be gained through process, experience and a humble willingness to continue learning (Pr 11.2, 13.10).  But the first step toward wisdom is through relationship with God (Ps 111.10).  So, a lifestyle of soft-hearted belief along with an active relationship based on obedience and trust will help us grow into wisdom.

Wisdom is much more than a personal characteristic or some type of achievement acknowledged by others.  Wisdom is a description of Jesus himself, who has become the wisdom of God (1 Cor 1.30).  Since we are on a journey toward becoming like Christ we, too, should expect that we will grow into wisdom which will, in turn, deepen our relationship with God (Eph 1.17).

Do you see the connection with the ever-increasing nature of this?  But, so you don’t think I am aiming for some lofty, out-of-touch philosophy; the wisdom I’m speaking about has a practical impact on those around us (James 3.13-18).  In keeping with the process of soft-hearted belief, the life of wisdom bears witness to the life, message and ministry of Jesus.

 

Believe that you may learn and understand.  Life with God is a consistent process of growth.  As we increase in faith and expand our belief through obedience, trust, understanding to wisdom we learn to say, along with the apostle Paul, “…I know the one whom I have believed” (2 Tim 1.12).