Randy – Wisdom From the Word

Culture Creep

Recently I was on my way to meet with a prayer group and stopped at the hardware store to pick up some items. Yes, there are always projects at home. On my way out I noticed the addition of new speed bumps in the parking lot. Which led me to thinking about project management and scope creep (the way things are gradually added to a project beyond the original scope). This led me to coin in my head the term Culture Creep. Yes, my mind works in mysterious ways!

The speed bump for me was an indicator of the increasing measures we see put in place to create safety in our culture. More and more are being put in place in our city, more and more obstructions to traffic flow and reduced residential speed limits, to create safety. I don’t know whether they are creating safety, from listening to others I know the various measures are compounding a sense of frustration about an inability to easily navigate the city.

Now you may be wondering what on earth this has to do with the church. I see it in the culture increasingly creeping into the church because we live in it. As our culture focuses on more and more safety measures, we have gone from physical safety to seeking to create emotional safety, which is where the law of unintended consequences comes in.

We are creating in our world in general, and also in the church, a culture that can’t handle or tolerate challenges. We are losing the ability to navigate difficulty, which is bad for both our culture and the church. An example I have shared with a few people is a Facebook group where I am one of the administrators. It is set up as a debate group where Christians and atheists may challenge one another’s viewpoints. We have strong guidelines around respectful dialogue that we adhere to. On one occasion a young man joined the group and raised a point. I disagreed with his point and explained why I disagreed, his response was, “I am going to report you to Facebook for bullying.” I pointed out to him that he had in fact joined a debate group and people were at times going to disagree with him. He promptly left the group. The sad part about the exchange was in his worldview disagreement was not only bad and dangerous, it was bullying behaviour. This has become part of our culture along with a few other undesirable characteristics.

Yet, because our modern western church has become so enculturated this type of thinking also crops up in the church. A well known Christian made a post about an increasingly popular view of the atonement. I commented that I still held to the Penal Substitutionary Atonement (PSA) view as I saw it rooted in scripture. One fellow challenged me, said the view was wrong and quoted a couple of comments from Jesus. I said I agreed with Jesus’ comments but the passages he referenced had nothing to do with atonement. I then provided scriptural comments from Jesus that supported and reinforced PSA. He immediately responded by no longer responding!

This type of behaviour is a pattern I see, an avoidance of addressing issues. Yet that is precisely how Scripture says that we grow. Here are some examples.

⁶ Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. Proverbs 27:6 (NKJV)

¹⁷ As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. Proverbs 27:17 (NKJV)

In fact, in one of the key passages in the New Testament on spiritual growth Paul wrote the following.

¹⁴ that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ¹⁵ but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love. Ephesians 4:14–16 (NKJV)

We are called to speak the truth in love.

Now, back to culture. I am not advocating the current behaviour of keyboard warriors who attack others from the place of anonymity or the sad cultural practice of ‘cancelling’ others we disagree with or not tolerating dissent. Just the opposite, I believe we need to engage in respectful dialogue, speak the truth to others because we love and care about them, and seek to hear truth about and for ourselves. Over the years I many times referenced Proverbs 27:6 to friends and told them that if they really cared about me, they would care enough to tell me the truth. I want to know.

I believe when we do this, we grow. I am not advocating conflict, I am advocating that we as His body model something different than what the world embraces, a commitment to truth, compassion and respectfully challenging of one another so that we grow. When I coached sports, I spent a lot more time encouraging and supporting players than challenging them. We need both but we need to challenge because we care and, in the process, strengthen those around us.

Are you up to the challenge of shifting our culture?

Now is the Time?

In the New Testament (NT) the most frequently quoted passage from the Old Testament (OT) is Psalm 110. It is a short Psalm about the rule and reign of the coming Messiah. Here are the first two verses.

¹ The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” ² The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! Psalm 110:1–2 (NKJV)

The most famous Psalm in the world is the 23^rd Psalm. Here is a key verse related to our subject.

⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Psalm 23:5 (NKJV)

The command in Psalm 110 is to rule, referring to the Messiah, Jesus. The message of Psalm 23 is that in the very face of our enemies He prepares a table, a place of nourishment and sustenance for us. Here we will look at the sustaining and transforming role of worship. Which requires some background and a story.

At the end of June and beginning of July in 1995 I, along with my friend Wouter, attended an event in Whistler, British Columbia called The Gathering of the Nations. IT was in fact of gathering of people from many nations with the stated purpose of gathering to seek His face. I can still remember where I was in my basement on our acreage when I read the brochure for the conference. I was on a distribution list for a newsletter, back when these came via the post office! I had picked up the mail the previous day but hadn’t opened this iteration of the monthly newsletter. When I did there was a brochure promoting the Whistler conference. I read it and began weeping. I know, not a normal response. What led to my weeping was that the entire agenda of the conference was to focus on worship and seeking His face and discerning His voice. I knew I was to be there. I won’t go into all the details but, along with Wouter, I made it there.

Spiritually the conference was a very powerful and significant event. While there I found out that the only event actually scheduled was a presentation of Brian Doerksen’s new album and musical production Father’s House (I highly recommend it). For some reason it was never presented or referenced in any of the five days of meetings that took place three times per day.

You are likely now wondering about the significance. During the conference I spent some time chatting with Brian in a hot tub at the hotel we were staying at. He was genuine and open and never referenced his Father’s House project. I later found out that he had mortgaged his home to produce it and when released it was not a success. Fast forward to 1997 and Brian and his family had now moved to London England to help with leading worship and training worship leaders in the Vineyard in the UK.

With the many posts following his recent transition to Jesus’s presence I recently listened to an interview with Brian where he shared about the birth of a worship song after their move ot London. He stated that after their arrival he was at a low point in his life. He had lost everything financially trying to launch his Father’s House musical and was doubting his faith. As he was walking the streets of London one morning pondering and praying, he said he suddenly felt the Lord’s presence moving on him and through him like electricity and felt like he was being visited by the love of God. In this atmosphere he clearly heard the words, “Come, now is the time to worship.” It made no sense to him but he felt like it was an invitation to come and worship in his brokenness so he went home and began working on the song. He played it a couple of weeks later during worship and said that within weeks they heard of it being sung around the world before he even completed the final version or recorded it.

So, back to our verses. Brian was not in a good place when this invitation came. An invitation to embrace a table prepared for him in the midst of discouragement and a host of other negative emotions. What about you, have discouragement, hopelessness or failure become your companions? Are you struggling in some other area? Then I invite you, as I have done in difficult times, respond to the invitation, come, now is the time to worship.

brian doerksen come now is the time to worship youtube – Search

Give Yourself

This past week I had the opportunity to hike in the backcountry in the mountains for the first time this year. Hiking is a reflection opportunity for me and at one point in redirecting my wandering mind to His presence and purpose I was drawn to what Paul wrote to Timothy.

¹⁴ Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. ¹⁵ Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. 1 Timothy 4:14–15 (NKJV)

⁶ Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 2 Timothy 1:6 (NKJV)

While these words were written to Timothy, something else Paul wrote tells me it applies to our lives as well, in this case it is the correction of the direction of thinking and instruction or training in righteousness, right thinking lead to right actions.

¹⁶ All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 2 Timothy 3:16 (NKJV)

Paul obviously thought that Timothy walking in his gifts and calling was important because he addressed it in both of these short letters to Timothy. Equally important to the growth of His body is us walking in our gifts and callings. Obviously, we first need to know what gifting we carry, then we need to heed Paul’s injunction to Timothy. I am focusing on the latter.

In 1 Timothy Paul highlighted three things we can summarize as follows regarding our gift.

Pay attention to what we have been given.
Meditate, reflect deeply on the use of the gifts we carry.
Gives ourselves fully to seeing the gift(s) exercised.

Then in 2 Timothy Paul directed Timothy to ‘stir up’ his gift. Let’s address that aspect. The ESV translates the phrase as ‘fan into flame.’ I don’t know about you, but I like a wood fire, and we have a wood fireplace in our home. In the winter when the fire begins to die down a poker, appropriately named, can be used to poke the coals and look for ones that are still red hot even if the fire is dying. More wood can then be added and a bellows used to direct air onto the hot coals until the added wood bursts into flame. This is what Paul was communicating to Timothy and by extension us. He said a similar thing to Archippus, highlighting the need to pay attention to his calling.

¹⁷ And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.” Colossians 4:17 (NKJV)

When I was a child the Doris Day show was popular. If you have never heard of it don’t worry. The show began with Doris singing a song, ‘que sera sera whatever will be will be.’ It is expressed in first Spanish then English. It was very popular; however, it reflects not faith but fatalism. It is akin to the idea, “If God wants me to do X He will make it happen.” That is not what scripture teaches. Paul is telling us that to fulfill our calling and purpose we need to pay attention, focus on it and develop it.

Now to the practical part, some reflective questions.

Do you spend time reflecting on and developing the gifts He has given you?
Can you envision yourself doing what He has called you to do?
Are you taking practical steps to use your gifts to build up the body?

What will be is what we partner with Him to accomplish. Let’s seek to reflect on and be faithful with what He has called us to.

In closing a song from Brian Doerksen who stepped from time into eternity earlier this week. His music touched generations for decades and this song seems appropriate to our calling to partner with Jesus in stewarding well what He has given to us.

Light The Fire Again | Brian Doerksen feat. Marika Siewert | Live Performance

A Threefold Cord

The heading of course comes from Ecclesiastes.

¹² Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NKJV)

We will look at the implications and importance of a New Testament threefold cord in this hour, but first some context. To paraphrase Amos, I am neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet (Amos 7:14). However, I can discern the signs of the times. Historically revivals and awakenings have been preceded by very spiritually dry and dark times. We have been in such a season for some time. We have also had many people prophesying a major move of the Spirit for literally decades now. Are we heading into one? There have been encouraging signs, the Asbury revival/move of the Spirit in recent years being one. I don’t know if a move of the Spirit is imminent, I pray it is, however whether it happens in six months or six years our responsibility is to be ready. That I know. If we want to succeed in passing a the final test in a course we don’t open the textbook for the first time the night before the final exam. So, let’s look at an aspect of preparing for a move of the Spirit.

A regular part of my prayer life is a prayer for apostolic wisdom, prophetic understanding and teaching knowledge, a threefold cord. Let me explain the source and why it is likely important for you as well. Paul presented it this way.

²⁸ And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. 1 Corinthians 12:28 (NKJV)

You may have noticed my pairing of wisdom, understanding and knowledge with the apostolic, prophetic and teaching gifts. Whether or not we believe in these offices for the contemporary church, my prayer is for apostolic wisdom, prophetic understanding and teaching knowledge because of how Paul prioritizes them.

When it comes to the pairing of wisdom, understanding and knowledge, we see it in two places in Proverbs.

¹⁹ The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; By understanding He established the heavens; ²⁰ By His knowledge the depths were broken up, and clouds drop down the dew. Proverbs 3:19–20 (NKJV)

³ Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; ⁴ By knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches. Proverbs 24:3–4 (NKJV)

Wisdom is foundational to building, think of the church as His building, not ours. Understanding is necessary to further establish the church, a business undertaking or a marriage/family and knowledge is required to flesh out and sustain an undertaking, again whether it is the church (His people not a building), a business venture or a marriage. Note, these are illustrative not exhaustive and in referencing the need for apostolic wisdom, prophetic understanding and teaching knowledge I am primarily thinking of the church but to use another example, they are equally required for good government.

Let’s break the three down further. I have often said that wisdom is applied knowledge without including understanding. Understanding is comprehending the meaning of knowledge or information. Let’s use a practical illustration. Imagine standing in the middle of an intersection. A large truck is heading straight toward you. Knowledge is knowing or being aware that the truck is coming. Understanding is recognizing the implication, ‘if I don’t move, I will be run over.’ Wisdom, our applied knowledge, is moving.

Now let us use some wisdom and apply this to the church in terms of a move of the Spirit. The term waves or moves of the Spirit has often been used so we will use the wave analogy. If I discern and know that we are in a place of dryness, and have been for some time then I need to consider what that means. From the perspective of teaching, there is a need to recognize that this wave is going to have an impact. Our understanding points us to where the wave is heading to prophetically announce and declare it. Apostolic wisdom would be going to the place where the wave will arrive and gathering the body to meet it.

If we take this further, imagine the wave has arrived and much is taking place. Teaching knowledge would tell us that things have shifted in the spirit realm and will impact the church. Prophetic understanding would lead us to recognize the need to respond appropriately and apostolic wisdom would be both teaching and directing teachers what to teach and when.

These are some simple examples, and because I believe there is something coming, I want to exercise wisdom and seek His heart for what to study in this season of preparation. Thus, I will continue to pray for apostolic wisdom, prophetic understanding and teaching knowledge as I seek to find my place in what He is doing today. Please join me!

A closing interjection, while we may pray for a move of the Spirit, church history tells us that they are messy, often opposed by the established church and require significant adjustments on our part to follow His leading. Are we ready?

An Indwelling Christ?

Raise your hand if your life feels busy. As a retiree I find it a truism that it is hard to book time with a retired person because they are too busy! We are enculturated to do, not so much to be. In writing this I thought of a line from an old song, ‘Looking for love in all the wrong places.’ In my mind I refocused it to ‘looking for life in all the wrong places.’ Jesus said that for us He is the way, truth and life (John 14:6). Thus, we need to know how to encounter the life that He offers.

This leads me to wonder how aware are we of an indwelling Jesus. In our busy lives we need to experience Him as our source of peace because as Christians we are all called into an ongoing relationship with an indwelling Jesus. This is expressed in a number of places in scripture, some of which I have included below. We start with Ephesians 3.

¹⁴ For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, ¹⁶ that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, ¹⁷ that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, ¹⁸ may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height – ¹⁹ to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. ²⁰ Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, Ephesians 3:14–20 (NKJV)

Here Paul expresses his desire for the believers in Ephesus. He wants them to;

be strengthened in their inner being,
experience Christ dwelling in their hearts through their faith in this reality, and
be rooted and grounded in love that they may know the fullness of His love.

This desire is also expressed by Paul in 2 Corinthians.

¹⁸ But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NKJV)

⁶ For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6 (NKJV)

Included in 2 Corinthians is more of the how. Internal transformation and a deepened relationship come about through intentionally beholding Him because we encounter “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Practically if we put Ephesians 3 together with 2 Corinthians 3 and 4, we start by praying along with Paul that we would be strengthened in our inner being, then by faith we spend time just focusing the gaze of our heart upon Him. One way we can do this is through time alone in His presence. In the gospels Jesus demonstrated a habit of getting alone to seek His Father’s face. We can also train our hearts to behold Him as we go about our daily activities. Whether that is commuting, having a cup of tea or coffee or sitting in a meeting at work, a portion of our attention can be attuned to His presence. This may just be a subtle awareness but it is something we can train our heart to do if we have faith in what the scriptures say about His indwelling.

Is this easy? Not in my experience. Is it doable and fruitful? Yes, in my experience. I have succeeded at it to varying degrees over the years and am highlighting it again here because I think we are in a season where we need to better know both His heart and His voice. After all, Jesus is waiting for us to avail ourselves of His indwelling presence and purpose.

A song that expresses our desire to know an indwelling Christ is Eagles Wings by Hillsong. Enter into it.

Bing Videos

How’s Your Heart?

I have written about our hearts on more than one occasion, but due to the importance of the subject it is worth revisiting. After all, according to Paul it is the organ of faith.

¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:10 (NKJV)

Paul also noted that our faith is activated by hearing.

¹⁷ So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Romans 10:17 (NKJV)

Thus, what we hear affects our beliefs. Paul isn’t expressing a formula here; he is echoing what Jesus taught. After all, not everyone who heard Paul preach and teach responded with faith. However, his sharing of the gospel opened the door to an expression of faith. The importance of the heart in this process is why Solomon wrote the following.

²³ Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23 (NKJV)

Due to its importance in our lives we are all called to guard our hearts. The Hebrew word translated as ‘keep’ in the NKJV is translated as ‘watch’ or ‘guard’ in other versions. All three options carry the idea of being alert and paying attention to the condition of our hearts. Jesus pointed to our heart as our ‘vault of values’ our capacity to treasure things, either things of this life or the things of the Spirit.

²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21 (NKJV)

Which now leads us to the parable of the sower. It is found in Matthew 14, Mark 4 and Luke 8. In Mark 4:13 Jesus in essence said understanding the principle of sowing and reaping was foundational to understanding His other parables. Now we have the parable both given and explained by Jesus so there is no mystery. The seed is God’s word and the soil is the condition of our heart. Luke recorded it this way.

¹⁵ But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience. Luke 8:15

Our fruit bearing capacity is tied to the exercise of patience and having a ‘noble and good heart.’

The obvious need is to understand what having a noble and good heart entails. If we look at how people responded to Jesus, we see Nicodemus coming with questions in John 3. He came with honest questions, a noble and good heart. In John 12 we see Mary coming and anointing Jesus with precious perfume and wiping His feet with her hair, a noble and good heart. In Luke 19 we see Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector, repenting of his sins in response to Jesus, a noble and good heart. The commonality among the three stories is a willingness to lay down their agendas and ideas and submit to Jesus’ presence.

For more specific instructions on how to develop and maintain a noble and good heart we have clear instructions in Proverbs 4.

²⁴ Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. ²⁵ Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. ²⁶ Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. ²⁷ Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil. Proverbs 4:24–27 (NKJV)

Solomon tells us to walk in integrity, speak the truth, keep focused on the right things and pay attention to the general direction of our life and avoid evil. Given that, how’s your heart?

Partakers?

Most of you who read this, and including myself as the writer, have evangelical roots. Our faith is rooted in Western theological traditions. The title is from 2 Peter 1:4. Here we explore the meaning by starting with the passage.

² Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³ as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, ⁴ by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. 2 Peter 1:2–4 (NKJV)

I referenced our evangelical roots as they are distinct from older Eastern Orthodox traditions. They embrace the concept of ‘theosis.’ The word comes from Greek and means deification or becoming ‘godlike.’ The process is described more fully in the article below from my Logos library

Deification. The process of becoming like God, emphasized primarily in Eastern Orthodoxy, as part of Christian salvation and sanctification. The notion of deification (Greek: theosis) finds biblical precedent in 2 Peter 1:4. Some have also seen the concept present in the writings of the apostle Paul (Blackwell 2011, 129). The language of deification was profuse throughout the patristic writings; the concept may even have been taken for granted, as no formal definition was offered until the sixth century (Russell 2004, 1). It is most famously expressed by Athanasius of Alexandria (c. 296–373): “For he was incarnate that we might be made god” (On the Incarnation 54).

The Eastern Orthodox present theosis as a three stage process. Wikipeadia describe it as follows.

Purgative Way (Katharsis) – purification of mind, body, and soul through repentance, ascetic practices, and moral discipline.
Illuminative Way (Theoria) – spiritual enlightenment and direct experience of God, often cultivated through prayer, contemplation, and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Unitive Way (Theosis Proper) – full participation in God’s divine energies, culminating in sanctity and eternal communion with God, especially realized in the resurrection

I raise this as in recent years more Christians have been moving to Orthodox and similar Roman Catholic beliefs and practices. What is always important to be, no matter who holds or promotes certain beliefs, is whether they align with scripture. To clarify, the teaching on theosis is not that believers become Christ, the Spirit, or the Father but it is that we become ‘godlike.’ To some degree this makes sense in that we receive a new nature at conversion. However, rather than focusing on theosis I will focus on what scripture says and you can decide.

The Greek word that ‘partakers’ is translated from is below.

κοινωνός koinōnos; from 2839; a sharer:—partaker(1), partakers(1), partner(2), partners(2), sharers(4).^[1]

If you are familiar with the term koinonia, which we translate as fellowship or communion, you will recognize the similarity because koinonos is the root of koinonia. The idea being that we partake of or participate in something. Peter tells us how we partake in verses 5-7, he says it is through a process of adding virtue (right behaviour to our faith) then knowledge, followed by self control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and finally love. Here love is agape, sacrificial other focused love.

Thus, we are told that partaking of the divine nature comes via the knowledge of Jesus, “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” Now, before we conclude that our growth in our relationship with Jesus is based on our good works. I think we need to shelve that idea. It is based on walking with Him in a deep and meaningful way.

I will explain and encourage you to search the scripture. We are told that we are spirit, soul and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23, Hebrews 4:12). At conversion our sprit is born again, we receive Jesus’ nature within (2 Corinthians 5:17, 21). As we continue to walk with Jesus and walk through the process Peter described, our soul (mind, will and emotions) begins to be reshaped into Jesus’ image. A process known as sanctification. Which is what Peter says is partaking of the divine nature. We draw closer to Him and begin to know Him in a deeper way. Our minds are renewed as we submit our wills to His as revealed in scripture (Romans 12:1-12).

I think another part of this process, in addition to submitting to scripture, is through spending time with Jesus based on 2 Corinthians 3:18 – beholding Jesus. We do this by simply sitting with Him, by faith beholding Him and worshipping Him.

In doing so we do in fact partake of the divine nature. Not by becoming godlike but by being changed in the presence of a holy God.

^[1] Robert L. Thomas, New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries : Updated Edition (Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998).

Disruptive by Design

An intriguing title I trust. A number of years I was receiving treatment from a chiropractor in the local university area. On the way to appointments I regularly walked by an optometry office and there was a sign in the window advertising glasses frames, Oakley I believe. The caption on the poster was, ‘Disruptive by design.’ It captured my attention. They were obviously using it as a marketing tool. Which isn’t in and of itself a bad thing. They were being strategic in how they sought to reach their customers

Which leads to me wondering how many of us have ever thought of Jesus as strategic. Scripture says He was born, “In the fullness of time” (Galatians 4:4) That is strategic. Jesus came on the scene when Rome had built an expansive empire that allowed for far flung travel and the spread of the gospel. Strategic. Scripture also says Jesus was the ‘lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). That is long term strategic planning! Jesus also arrived on the scene at a time when things looked hopeless for Israel as a nation, which stirred up a longing in people’s hearts for a messiah deliverer. John the Baptist was born and called into his ministry to prepare the way for Jesus’ ministry (Mark 1:1-4), another strategic aspect.

Now we need to address what this has to do with being disruptive. Jesus was disruptive by design; He was being strategic. As part of the Trintiy, He was part of the planning of when He would be born, to whom and where. Other than His birthplace being prophesied, the other aspects of Jesus’ incarnation were disruptive. For example, He was conceived in a young virgin, in an unimportant town in an unimportant area in Israel. In His ministry He wanted to capture attention and get people to think differently, to step out of dysfunctional religious traditions and embrace not the kingdom of Israel but the kingdom of God.

Jesus was consistently disruptive in challenging the way people saw things. The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 challenged the traditions and practices of the day. His parables were often pointed stories that challenged the religious establishment. In short, Jesus’ ministry disrupted the status quo, challenged people on how they saw the world, from the most broken and hurting to the loftiest, in terms of cultural status. In the culture of the day if someone touched a leper, they became unclean. Jesus touched lepers and they became clean! Jesus championed the outcasts but also sought out wealthy people like Zacheus the tax collector and brought salvation to his house. In John 3 when Nicodemus came to Jesus by night his worldview was significantly disrupted.

So now some questions for us. Are we furthering His kingdom and functioning like Jesus or seeking to fit in and get along? Are we asking the right questions and saying the right things that extend His kingdom in our world? Are we thinking strategically about how we impact those around us? After all, if we reflect on Jesus’ prayer for us below it is clear that He expects us to walk in a such a way that He is revealed through us.

²⁰ “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; ²¹ that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. ²² And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³ I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. ²⁴ “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. ²⁵ O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. ²⁶ And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” John 17:20–26 (NKJV)

Simply some things to consider.

Triumphing Over Them in It.

I trust you find the title interesting and hopefully you recognize Colossian 2 as the source. Here we will address two questions, the answers to them and ‘it.’ We need to recognize who is being triumphed over then understand both the short – and long-term implications. Along with looking at implications we will address the ‘it,’ which is the source of the efficacy of triumph.

¹³ And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, ¹⁴ having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. ¹⁵ Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. Colossians 2:13–15 (NKJV)

We have here a progression. All of us, prior to the new birth, were dead in our sins (see also Ephesians 2:1-10). Through repentance and faith, we were forgiven and made new. We all, even the best of us, had a list of transgressions we had committed that meant we were eternally lost. Our situation is summed up in the lyrics from a 1979 song, “He paid a debt He did not owe. I owed a debt I could not pay.”

Jesus went to the cross on our behalf and the weight of our sins fell on Him. He took the list of our transgressions, past, present and future, and paid the price for them. This is a metaphorical, not a literal list. In His sacrifice on the cross Paul said that of the spiritual forces arrayed against us, the principalities and powers, Jesus triumphed over them in ‘it,’ the cross. The cross is the source of our victory. Paul addressed this in 1 Corinthians as well.

⁶ However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. ⁷ But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, ⁸ which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 1 Corinthians 2:6–8 (NKJV)

The human ‘rulers of this age’ would have been Caiaphas and Pilate but the powers behind them, the principalities and powers, were the true rulers of the age driving the human rulers to engineer Jesus’ crucifixion.

Where we see the implications played out is in understanding the already not yet nature of the kingdom, an idea popularized by theologian George Eldon Ladd. The idea is compared to D-Day and V-Day in WWII. D-Day was June 6, 1944, the allied invasion of Normandy that was the turning point in the war. V-Day was May 8, 1945. For all intents and purposes, the war was won in June 1944. The victory was finalized in May 1945. The already point is that Jesus accomplished the victory 2,000 years ago on Golgotha. The principalities and powers arrayed against us have been defeated. However, the full realization of His victory, V-Day, will not be realized until His return. For us this means we need to understand and walk in what He has accomplished, His triumph on the cross. We demonstrate that we believe in what Jesus accomplished when we engage in the spiritual warfare Paul describes in Ephesians 6:10-20. When we take up the armour He has given us and stand in faith in the middle of the battel we are in the moment enforcing Jesus’ victory, what was accomplished at the cross. As we continue to stand, we will see it fully realized in our lives at His return or when we step from time into eternity. In any case, our call is to stand in the battle until it is finished and what has been accomplished is fully realized. Let’s stand in faith, confident in Jesus’ triumph over them in it.

The Place of Authority

Here we will briefly examine the role of gates in relation to authority in Israel’s history and the actions in Matthew 16 leading up to the Transfiguration and the significance of Jesus statement in Matthew 16. Jesus said that He only did the things He saw the Father doing (John 5:19). In Matthew 16 the Father said it was time, so Jesus asked His famous question of the apostles, “But who do you say that I am? (Matthew 16:15) The timing was connected to geography, they were in northern Israel near Mount Hermon in the region of Caesarea Phillipi, known as Bashan in earlier times. In Moses’ day it was ruled by one of the giants, Og, king of Bashan, Moses defeated Og and his tribe and it became the territory of Manasseh (Numbers 21:33 – 35, Deuteronomy 3:1 – 7, 11, Joshua 13:11 – 12). Mount Hermon was the place where it was historically taught in Israel that the fallen elohim descended from the heavenly realm, took on human flesh, took human wives and produced the giants as offspring (see Genesis 6:1-4). Genesis 6:4 refers to giants being in the land in that time period and afterward. These fallen beings and their offspring so corrupted humanity that is lead to the flood of Noah’s day.

With that background we look at what Jesus said to Peter.

¹⁸ And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. Matthew 16:18 (NKJV)

As a step in going deeper we take a look at three keywords in this statement, gates, prevail, and church. In Greek the word gates is simply a reference to a gate. The word prevail is a bit more interesting in Greek.

κατισχύω katischuō; from 2596 and 2480; to overpower:—have strength(1), overpower(1), prevail(1).^[1]

Thus, we could say the gates of Hades shall not overpower or have strength against the church, which we will define shortly. Yet gates are not active things, they are points of access, which means we need to dig a little deeper into what the term gates historically refers to by looking at OT examples, the cultural framework for the statements Jesus made. There are two below (see also Deuteronomy 21:18-21).

¹ Now Boaz went up to the gate and sat down there; and behold, the close relative of whom Boaz had spoken came by. So Boaz said, “Come aside, friend, sit down here.” So he came aside and sat down. ² And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and said, “Sit down here.” So they sat down. Ruth 4:1–2 (NKJV)

²³ Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land. Proverbs 31:23 (NKJV)

The city gates were the courthouse of the day where legal transactions took place and matters were adjudicated. In essence the city gates were the authority structures. Once we see this, we can read Matthew 16 a little differently. Jesus went into enemy territory, the centre of ancient rebellion even before Israel existed as a nation, stood at the temple in the area known as The Gate of Hades/Hell and made a pronouncement that His followers would have heard as, “The authority structures of Hades shall not prevail against the church.”

This allows us to make sense of the passage and then act accordingly. First though we look at the word church. This word is critical as it has become popular in charismatic circles to refer to the church by the Greek term ekklesia. Which is fine if it is understood. The problem comes in with how it is often referenced as reflected in The Passion version of the bible. I have deliberately not used the word ‘translation’ as it isn’t. It is frequently an offering of one person’s opinion. Here is the best example, Matthew 16:18 in this version.

I give you the name Peter, a stone. And this rock will be the bedrock foundation on which I will build my church – my legislative assembly, and the power of death will not be able to overpower it!

Notice that this version refers to the church as a ‘legislative assembly’ and that is how many in the charismatic community view the church, as a legislative assembly uttering and enforcing decrees on the Lord’s behalf. The problem is that the idea of a legislative assembly is one aspect of the word. As we see below.

The understanding of ekklēsia as a secular term of classical Greek is in part linked to its etymology. It is from ek (1523), “from, out from,” and kaleō (2535), “call”; thus the verb ekkaleō meant “to call out, to summon” (by a herald). The noun, therefore, means the resulting “assembly,” “congregation,” or “those summoned.” Normally this summoning was of people, and it was often for political or governmental functions such as a legislative “assembly” or any “assembly of the common people, populus” (Liddell-Scott; Schmidt, “ekklēsia,” Kittel, 3:513; Coenen, “Church,” Colin Brown, 1:291–307).^[2]

When we look at the gospels John the Baptist, and Jesus in His earthly ministry, were heralding or calling out people to assemble with a purpose and calling. The subsequent believers who shared the gospel were doing the same thing. That purpose and calling, the reason for the assembly, is most clearly seen in Matthew 28:18-20, The Great Commission. Whenever and wherever the gospel is preached the church is being called to live the gospel and disciple others to do the same.

Now back to what Jesus meant in Matthew 16. Jesus in essence was saying that the church, the people He would gather, would have spiritual authority over the authority structures of the spiritual opposition against them. Paul understood this, which is why he wrote the following.

While it was religious and political authority structures that carried out Jesus’ crucifixion, Jesus had led them into a trap and set them up for failure, which is Paul’s point. The principalities and powers Paul addresses in Ephesians in his teaching on spiritual warfare were the rulers of this age he referenced in 1 Corinthians 2. Their defeat by Jesus is what enables us to use the spiritual authority He has given us (Matthew 28:18-20) to preach the gospel and set the captives free. The authority structures of hell will never defeat the church. We carry His authority and are commissioned as He was to destroy the works of the devil (Acts 10:36-38).

The issue of authority is important because our use of it is tied to whether or not we believe we have it. I have read more than one account of people involved in witchcraft or the occult who later became Christians and stated that prior to their conversion they could see the authority that Christians carried but didn’t seem to be aware of. The awareness of authority is crucial for our operating in it. I recall a time many decades ago when I was pondering whether or not I had any spiritual authority. Later that evening an older lady (likely younger than I am now!) who had a prophetic/intercessory gifting called me at home and in the course of our conversation suddenly said, without any mention of the issue on my part, “Randy, you have the authority!”

Thus, I say to you, as a believer, “You have the authority!’ So, let’s walk in the authority He has given knowing that our ultimate victory is assured. Let’s pray and proclaim the truth of the gospel. We may lose some skirmishes in the battle but if we do we need to adjust our armour and get back in the fight and be found faithful knowing the final outcome is assured for us, the called-out ones, His church.

^[1] Robert L. Thomas, New American Standard Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries : Updated Edition (Anaheim: Foundation Publications, Inc., 1998).

^[2] Thoralf Gilbrant, “Ἐκκλησία,” in The New Testament Greek-English Dictionary, The Complete Biblical Library (WORDsearch, 1991).