Posts

Everyone’s a Winner?

/0 Comments/in /by

In the Gospel of John, Pontius Pilate responds to Jesus stance on Truth by asking, “What is Truth?” (Jn. 18:38) Unbeknownst to him he was having a conversation with – the TRUTH. We are all familiar with Jesus’ statement in John 14:6 in which He declares that He is the TRUTH and from that we can rest assured that He is not a truth but the sum total of what that word implies and defines.

Ironically, it appears that Pilate has risen from the dead enlisting his own disciples of what we term relativism. Amy Davison, in her article for Women in Apologetics defines relativism as: the thought that truth is a socially or culturally agreed upon set of beliefs. Adding No one set of beliefs is any more right or wrong than the other, and attempting to argue as such is considered oppressive or bigoted. By denying the existence of objective truth, Post-moderns offered the equivalent of, “Everyone is a winner!” in the form of a tentative, “Everyone is right!” Which is partly why it is so attractive. If truth is subjective then each person is their own lawgiver, judge, and jury. Every culture, every practice, every belief is on the same subjective playing field. There is no longer an objective standard because we no longer have an objective lawgiver, and with no objective standard, morals become, as philosopher A.J. Ayer states, “Mere public opinion…an emotional preference.”

Carla Alvarez, in her blog, An Unexpected Journal argues successfully against the moral relativism that has emerged in our culture as a plague far worse than any pandemic. She notes that C.S. Lewis was once approached by a publisher seeking his endorsement: Looking for an endorsement, a publisher sent an elementary grammar textbook to C. S. Lewis for review. (Lewis would later refer to this book as The Green Book) What he read within, based as it was on a relativistic worldview, so disturbed him that it prompted the essay, The Abolition of Man….(Later) Lewis warned his fellow British academics that the acceptance of the ideology in The Green Book would certainly lead to “the destruction of the society which accepts it.”

3 John 3-4 states: In fact, I greatly rejoiced when [some of] the brethren from time to time arrived and spoke [so highly] of the sincerity and fidelity of your life, as indeed you do live in the Truth [the whole Gospel presents].4 I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my [spiritual] children are living their lives in the Truth. AMPC

What’s really powerful about Jesus being the TRUTH is that He doesn’t take sides. There is no “your truth” and “my truth.” Davison adds: It cannot be ‘absolutely’ true that my truth and the exact opposite of my truth are both equally true, because this violates the law of non-contradiction. Jesus, the Truth, has no contradiction in His nature. He simply IS – the GREAT I AM! For Gaius, the recipient of Johns letter, to be in the TRUTH means that he had joined himself to Jesus; subjective opinions and feelings became irrelevant in the LIGHT of JESUS, the TRUTH. Davison continues: Nor can all truth be subjective because that statement in and of itself isn’t subjective! Something that is subjective is based on personal opinions and feelings rather than on facts.

Relativists, and those who parrot this ideology, believe Everyone is a winner and Everyone is right. The good news? If everyone is a winner then no one is a winner and the concept of winning becomes meaningless – as there is no distinction between those who excelled and those who did not. If everyone is right then no one is right then there is no true standard of right and wrong, effectively making the concept of “right” meaningless because it becomes subjective and relative to each individual. The Champion of ALL – is Lord of ALL – and only through taking the time and effort to daily align yourself with Who He is are you made right, and win for yourself the depths and meanings of ALL that it means to be a winner. Thus if you want to be a winner you must lose the right to being your own champion. How can you achieve that status today? What circumstance are you in that Jesus, the Truth would invite you to die?

Trust Fall

/in /by

When I was a youth minister I used many exercises to develop team spirit and leadership. Inevitably we would use the trust fall. A trust fall is a team building exercise where one person falls backwards while others catch them, trusting that they will be caught. The exercise is intended to build trust between participants by having them rely on each other for safety and success. Once, while making a point about the reliability of even the weakest members of our group I decided to be the example. To make it even more impressive I stood on a wall and decided the point would be more powerful if I fell face first. After arranging the participants to form two lines – shoulder to shoulder, and face to face, I gave my encouraging pep talk. Taking my place on the wall I had them count to three and yell, “Fall!” And I did – believing, in theory, that the girls I had selected to catch me could do the job. Unfortunately for me some of the girls had not been adequately “pepped” causing them to scream and run away as I plummeted trustingly to the gym floor. Fortunately for me and the panicked girls I had some training in how to fall correctly breaking my fall through my extended fingers and feet. Nothing was broken, and nothing was bruised – but trust.

There are two passages in the Bible that have intrigued me for years when positioned side by side: John 2:24 But Jesus [for His part] did not trust Himself to them, because He knew all [men];…AMPC and 1 Corinthians 13:7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. NIV

1 Corinthians 13 describes the Agape Love of God as ALWAYS trusting. While John 2:24 seems to contradict this statement. Is Jesus’ love different from the Father’s or is there a deeper truth the Spirit wants to convey? Both passages use the same Greek word but how they are used shines light on the difference. The word can be used to convey a variety of meanings: to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in. Which helps us understand that Jesus was not putting His confidence in man’s nature because He knew all men. Which raises the question, Can you love someone without putting your confidence in them? Some may say an emphatic, “No!” But ask a father or mother this question regarding their toddling child, or hormonally charged teen ager. Can either parent love that child as God loves them and yet not trust their ability to do this or that? Absolutely! Can a marriage partner be unfaithful to a husband or wife through having an adulterous affair or looking at porn and still be loved by the faithful husband or wife? Some say, “No!” Yet, by the Grace and the Power of the Spirit, what seems to be humanly impossible becomes possible. Will the offended spouse trust them or have confidence in their fidelity? Probably not. But can that trust be rebuilt over time and through the Power of the Spirit? People may react strongly to this saying, Its impossible! It is – if you use soul power. But if you have become a new creation in Jesus you now have the Godhead living and expressing themselves through you and now you can do ALL things through Christ Jesus. You may quote the verse and display it proudly on your living room wall – but is it true – for you? Can you really do ALL things – loving those you don’t trust – through Jesus? If a parent can practice this – we all can. It simply comes down to a choice. Will I choose to be Jesus to this or that person? A person I don’t trust but I am commanded to love?

Hide and Seek

/in /by

A pastor phoned the home of some recent visitors to his church, and a voice on the other end of the phone answered with a whispered “Hello.” The pastor said, “Who is this?” The whisperer said, “Jimmy.”  The pastor said, “How old are you, Jimmy?”  “Four.”  “Well, Jimmy, can I please speak to your mom?”  “She’s busy.” “Well then, Jimmy, can I please speak to your dad?”  “He’s busy.” “Jimmy, are there any other adults in your home?” “The police.” “Can I speak to one of the police officers?”  “They’re busy.” “Jimmy, who else is there?” “Firemen.” “Well, Jimmy, can you put one of the firemen on the phone?” “They’re all busy.” “Jimmy, what are they all busy doing?” “They’re busy looking for me.”

1 Timothy 6:16 states: Who alone has immortality [in the sense of exemption from every kind of death] and lives in unapproachable light, Whom no man has ever seen or can see. Unto Him be honor and everlasting power and dominion. Amen (so be it). On the other hand Psalm 18:11 He made darkness His secret hiding place; as His pavilion (His canopy) round about Him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. Psalm 97:2 Clouds and darkness are round about Him [as at Sinai]; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.

On the surface this appears to be a contradiction. God dwells in unapproachable light, and clouds and darkness surround Him? Which one is it? It’s actually both. One describes the manifestation of God – the Light, and the other the hiddenness of God – the Dark. We’ve been exploring meeting Jesus outside the camp through prayer and seeking. Yet one aspect of the seeking is to realize that you will eventually have to encounter the horrors of the cross. Scripture records that It was now about the sixth hour (midday), and darkness enveloped the whole land and earth until the ninth hour (about three o’clock in the afternoon), While the sun’s light faded or was darkened; and the curtain [of the Holy of Holies] of the temple was torn in two. And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit! And with these words, He expired. (Luke 23:44-46)

Jesus found Himself in the darkness. What’s more, Matthews Gospel records what Jesus was experiencing: Now from the sixth hour (noon) there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour (three o’clock). And about the ninth hour (three o’clock) Jesus cried with a loud voice, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?—that is, My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me [leaving Me helpless, forsaking and failing Me in My need]? (Matthew 27:45-46) Jesus was experiencing what some would call separation from God as the sacrificial Lamb of God, took on the sins of all mankind. This is a great mystery. How can Jesus, the Second Person, be separated from the Godhead? He can’t – but His flesh, soul, or carnal man can. His soul man felt the estrangement, but it is my belief that His Spirit Man knew where the Father dwelt. And it is through His Spirit Man that He prevailed by faith over His soul, or flesh.

Graham Cooke has spoken, and written extensively, on the hiddenness and manifestation of God. He states: A key part of God’s nature is the fact that He moves in two ways: hiddenness and manifestation. When we come to terms with this truth, we are set free spiritually to ebb and flow with whatever God is doing. We begin to acknowledge that there are times when God reveals Himself to us and times when he hides. And he has reasons for doing both. I think we all love times of manifestation. I love it when God is right in my face, speaking into everything He can.  But for every time of manifestation, there is a season of hiddenness, where God seems to move away from us. When God hides from us, He is trying to draw us into His presence. So while manifestation takes place in our reality; hiddenness happens in His. And hiddenness is what draws us into a new place in the Spirit.

If, and when, you are experience what St. John of the Cross called the Dark Night of the Soul (La noche oscura del alma) – know that your spirit man (or woman) is being drawn to where Jesus is. The conscious awareness of separation, or distance from God, is simply God’s way of making you aware that He is drawing you to where He is. It’s this understanding that allows you to cooperate with God instead of fighting Him off through it. Understanding is the key to growing through this process, and faith is the handle that will pull you through to the other side.