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The Foolishness of God

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1 Cor. 1:27-31 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.

Our culture, and humanity tends to gravitate to the strong, intelligent, talented, and beautiful people of the world. We value these things, celebrating them and paying big bucks to be entertained and impressed by them. But according to the passage above they are not usually God’s first choice. Can God use those people? Absolutely. But His track record from the Bible reveals time and again that He usually chooses the underdog.

Now one example of the “foolish” choices God made was in tasking a group of nomadic, ex-slaves to march around a city, blowing rams horns, and shouting to win a battle. Sure, we know from Scripture, the “Battle belongs to the Lord.” (1 Sam. 17:47) – but in everyday reality we tend to gravitate to the strong, intelligent, talented, and beautiful people of the world to save the day. God is not our first choice. And you can rest assured that the slim minority that believe Jesus actually communicates to them are oftentimes a little anxious about asking Him about His solution to the mountain of a problem they may be encountering. Why? Because they are a little fearful that He might ask them to do something that to a watching world isn’t going to be cool. It’s actually going to make them look foolish; make us look foolish; or make me look foolish.

But guess what? If you are in one of the groups above: foolish, weak, lowly, despised, unpopular, ugly, average, and not very talented – you are not only what God chooses, you are what God accompanies. The closest I ever feel to God is usually when I am at the low point of feeling like one of the above. Oddly enough, that’s when I see Him move on my behalf; when I see Him answer prayer. This is why God despises self-righteousness, or do it yourself righteousness. Why? It’s substitute righteousness. It’s replacing Him. It’s not humble, or teachable, and it’s definitely not meek. It’s full of SELF – not God. Self – Righteousness is Self-Powered. It is SELF – willed, and a self-willed person is the opposite of a meek person. Meekness is quite the opposite. The original meaning of meekness is drawn from the usage of bridles placed on horses. The horse is a powerful animal that has the potential to kill any man. Yet, this powerful animal willingly submits to the bridle often bowing its head to cooperate with its master. Could it be that’s why prayer is so important to the Lord? He’s looking for those who are wiling to bow their heads to their Master; to bow their heads in prayer; to bow their heads in willing submission to things that offend logic and reason. Could it be that’s why He leads us to do the foolish things to see if we will bow our heads in submission and trust?

What Jericho are you facing? Are you willing to inquire of Your Master? To ask for His strategy or plan to address your problem? Are you willing to bow your head and submit to your Master; to His strategy, and plan? Or will you find yourself with those who surely stood behind the walls of Jericho’s impenetrable fortress mocking?

Space Cowboys

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There’s an old leadership quote: “You cannot lead people where you have never been.” But it’s usually accompanied by another famous quote by Aristotle: “He who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader.” Jesse Jackson said it another way: You can’t Teach what you don’t know, and You Can’t Lead where you won’t go!”

This year I’ve been asking the Lord to allow me to experience this one Scripture so I can teach others how to go there. It has intrigued, challenged and puzzled me for years. It’s mysterious and seems to be out of reach. Yet, there it remains lodged as a “splinter in my mind.” The first time I heard that quote from a character named Morpheus in the movie The Matrix: What you know you can’t explain, but you feel it. You’ve felt it your entire life, that there’s something wrong with the world. You don’t know what it is, but it’s there, like a splinter in your mind, driving you mad.

What is the Scripture? Revelation 1:10-12 I was in the Spirit [rapt in His power] on the Lord’s Day, and I heard behind me a great voice like the calling of a war trumpet,11 Saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last. Write promptly what you see (your vision) in a book and send it to the seven churches which are in Asia—to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.12 Then I turned to see [whose was] the voice that was speaking to me,… 

I was in the Spirit [rapt in His power] on the Lord’s Day,…This is my “splinter.” I have prayed to have more understanding of its meaning. I have been praying for the experience – yet it stands removed and distant from me – like a distant planet I have only seen pictures of. Yet contrary to popular, Christian theology, the Bible was written as a testimony – a witness of what others have experienced; a testimony for future space traveling, cowboys who are willing to “boldly go where no man has gone before.”

Now don’t get me wrong I have prayed “in the Spirit” and I believe I have worshipped “in the Spirit” – but I’m still curious what lies beyond the door of being in the Spirit. Jesus said in John 4 that the Father is seeking for these kind of worshippers – so it must be pretty important. Which adds another piece to the puzzle. The book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible, is chocked full of mystical references to doors: entry to the Garden, sin crouching at your door, Noahs’ ark door, and Abrahams’ door. The book of Revelation, the last book of the Bible, has references to doors of time and space, or multi-dimensional portals. Whatever you want to call them they usher you into a dimension that is not your own. And Jesus is asking, seeking, and knocking – for someone to overcome the Laodicean Church Age and answer the Call. Isn’t it interesting the similarities between these actions of Jesus and His teaching on prayer in Matthew 7:7-8 Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the DOOR will be opened to you…. It’s as if Jesus’ “secret coded message” to anyone who will listen is that what the Father is searching for – Jesus is praying. Are you an answer to Jesus’ prayer? Referring back to The Matrix. Is Jesus like Morpheus and we are His “Neo’s?” Can you “see” the “Voice?”