Wisdom From the Word

In continuing to talk about the need to walk as one I am going to weave together some seemingly disparate scriptures into one. In doing this I recognize that if the church is to ever function in the unity Jesus prayed for then we all need to understand what and how to walk in the things He has prepared for us to do.

¹⁰  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10 (NKJV)

While I wrote ‘if the church is to ever function in the unity Jesus prayed for’ in the comment above, the real question is ‘when?’ Given Jesus prayed for unity we can be assured that no matter how things look now, or how settled we are in unbelief, before the end Jesus will ultimately have what He requested from the Father. We also need to understand the role our persevering faithful prayer plays in the fulfillment of Jesus prayer. However, back to Ephesians 2:10. Have you ever had guests for a meal? Generally we try to prepare the food before they arrive, to have things ready in advance. Our Father looked down through time and eternity and ‘pre’-pared things for us to walk in, our individual calling and purpose. This is part of being assembled as a body.

So let’s start with what Jesus prayed.

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.” John 17:20-23 (NKJV)

Jesus said we will come into unity, become one, through an understanding and experience of His glory. So we would do well to pray for an unveiling of His glory. I think some of that will come through us as His body each understanding our calling and purpose.

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 4:16 (NKJV)

Another key piece is the need to be righty related to one another. Paul told us that the body is ‘joined and knit together’ through what the joints supply. A joint is not a part, it is a relationship between parts. So let’s add this to the reference below.

²⁴  And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, ²⁵  not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25 (NKJV)

There are two parts here. Joints and assembly. In applying Hebrews 10:24-25 I know the literal meaning is getting together but in the early church that meant 1 Corinthians 14:26, not showing up and sitting and standing on cue and then leaving in pretty much the same condition we came in as seems to be the case in so many present day churches.

²⁶  How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. 1 Corinthians 14:26 (NKJV)

So we need to be joined in right relationships to grow as a body, we need to exercise our gifts and callings and we need to be assembled. Assembled in the sense of the right parts fitting together. If we as the church are the body of Christ then the toe needs to be joined to the foot, the ear to the head and the nose to the face. Each part needs to know its function and then be in the right place on the body. This will require a shift in the function of much of the current church leadership, a revelation of His glory throughout His body, and a general releasing of the body into their calling and purpose.

The way I best understand this coming about is an image the Holy Spirit showed me about 20 years ago. I saw an image of a puzzle, like a jigsaw puzzle. As the parts shifted and came closer the picture was clearer but when they all came into the right place it was as if light were turned in inside the puzzle and it was filled with life. This is what I believe will happen when we as His body come into our gifts and callings and are properly assembled. We will see clearly what was previously confusing and will corporately powerfully flooded with the light of His presence (we have something to pray for).

In closing here is what I heard Bobby Connor say while recently watching John Paul Jackson’s memorial service.

“God chose us in the past, to live in the present, to forge the future.” Bobby Connor

Let us forge the future Jesus envisions for His body!

I recently spoke very briefly about how the body of Christ is designed to function and someone requested I expand on my thoughts so here they are. Paul told us that the events of the OT were written as examples for us (see below). So let me share some of what the OT teaches about the oneness Yahweh desires in His body so we can learn from this example.

¹¹  Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. 1 Corinthians 10:11 (NKJV)

In Exodus 26 Yahweh instructed Moses on how to build the tabernacle.

⁶  And you shall make fifty clasps of gold, and couple the curtains together with the clasps, so that it may be one tabernacle. Exodus 26:6 (NKJV)

¹¹  And you shall make fifty bronze clasps, put the clasps into the loops, and couple the tent together, that it may be one. Exodus 26:11 (NKJV)

The piece I want to highlight is Yahweh’s focus on the tabernacle being one. This was one of the aspects that Yahweh emphasized. There is no mysterious meaning in Hebrew, the word simply means to be united or one. So, if as Paul noted this was written to teach us something what is it teaching us? While the tabernacle was the place of worship and communion with Yahweh. I have noted in previous teaching how the different aspects can represent our spirit, soul, and body. However, it also represents a corporate body. Peter tells us this.

⁴  Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, ⁵  you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶  Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” 1 Peter 2:4-6 (NKJV)

Peter tells us that as believers in Jesus we as living stones are being shaped into a spiritual house. Paul framed the same concept a bit differently in Ephesians 4:11-6 and said the following things would result from the proper functioning of the five-fold ministry in the church. Paul said the proper functioning of the five-fold ministry would flow from understanding that these gifts are given;

• for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of serving,
• for the building up of the body of Christ,
• to bring the church into the unity of the faith (not doctrine) and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
• to bring the church to maturity, the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ

So that the church, in maturity:

• would be stable,
• would speak the truth in love to further mature the body,
• would be nourished by what the joints supply (a joint is a relationship between two parts),
• would be knit together in right relationships, and
• would grow effectively in love.

This brings us back to Exodus 26 and the tabernacle being one. He is looking to see His church move in unity, as one. If you have ever played on a sports team or watched one you can tell when there is team unity. There is a flow in the team actions, the team seemingly takes on a life of its own and moves with a harmony that supports, protects and leads. If you have ever been part of such an experience you will treasure it, this is how we as the church are called to function.

So how do we get there? Have you ever studied a construction site at the beginning of a building project? A hole is dug and a foundation poured. Then all the materials are brought in so the floor, walls, roof and other parts can be assembled. When the supplies are brought in all the basic parts are there but it certainly does not look like a house! In the same way if we purchase a boxed piece of furniture at one of many large stores we realize, once we take all the parts out of the box, if it was not already obvious, we can see there is some assembly required! In a similar manner, having all the different members of a church congregation in one place does not mean you have a spiritual house – some assembly is required.

We need properly functioning church leadership and a body all operating in their gifts to see His house properly built. Yahweh said the tabernacle was to be one, all the seemingly disparate parts expressing a unity of purpose and function. Let us pray for this leadership to be further raised up and released and for all of us to operate in our gifts and callings.

More to come…

How do we recognize spiritual authority? Is it through titles or attire? Is it by physical bearing? Scripture has some interesting comments. I will start with Isaiah.

¹  Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? ²  For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. ³  He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Isaiah 53:1-3 (NKJV)

Isaiah here described Jesus and prophesied that when He came we would not recognize or be drawn to Him by His physical appearance. Jesus would not fit in well with the elite of His day. Very few with cultural status would be able to recognize Him. Has this changed?

If we look back in scripture the Israelites at first did not embrace Moses as their leader and often challenged his spiritual authority in the wilderness. We see the same pattern with the kings. Saul looked good and failed and then when the great prophet Samuel was sent to anoint the new king he needed to learn something about discernment.

⁶  So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the LORD’S anointed is before Him.” ⁷  But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:6-7 (NKJV)

Samuel got caught up in physical appearance. Jesus challenged the religious elite of His day because they asked for a sign from Him to validate His message. Never mind that numerous ones had already been given. They refused to recognize Him because to even consider Him as the Messiah offended their religious minds.

⁴²  The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. Matthew 12:42 (NKJV)

Jesus point was that someone who was a stranger to the community of Israel would go through great hardship to hear Solomon’s wisdom but they could not recognize the embodiment of reality and true spiritual authority standing right in front of them! Are we any different? The pattern has repeated through church and secular history. If we as the church in this day are to fulfill our calling and purpose we need to learn how to function differently. We need to embrace the spiritual truth that Paul provided for us because the issue was still prevalent in his day. Immature believers failed to recognize his spiritual authority and the truth is we receive from others based on our ability to discern what they carry. Paul said.

¹²  For we do not commend ourselves again to you, but give you opportunity to boast on our behalf, that you may have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart. ¹³  For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; or if we are of sound mind, it is for you. ¹⁴  For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; ¹⁵  and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. ¹⁶  Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. ¹⁷  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:12-17 (NKJV)

Paul was telling us that if we learn to relate to our fellow believers based on who they are in Christ and what they carry of His presence we will go a lot further as the church. I know pastors who carry great spiritual authority and wisdom but I know more people who are not official church leaders who carry great spiritual authority and wisdom. My friend the carpenter who loves the scriptures like no one else I know, my friend the janitor who constantly changes lives through his intercession, young men and others who have given themselves to prayer and are carrying increasing spiritual authority. I see them and many other who carry His presence but are not greatly esteemed by the world. I pray we learn this lesson and retain it. As Jesus said.

¹⁵  And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” Luke 16:15 (NKJV)

The converse is true, that which is generally lightly esteemed by men is highly esteemed by God!

Where is our awareness most of the time? I recently visited with a friend who is 89, and while her mind and spirit are sharp, she has been in ongoing terrible pain and is on scheduled doses of morphine to manage the pain. She refuses to take enough to truly deal with the pain because it dulls and muddles her mind and alertness – her awareness is very important to her. I asked her how conscious she was of Jesus in all of this (she has had terrible pain for many long months). My question elicited a smile and joy as she told me how aware she constantly was of His presence in her and with her. I will come back to this.

What I wonder about is how well we apply scriptural truth to this aspect of our lives? What is our ongoing perspective on reality?

¹⁸  And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰  teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28:18-20 (NKJV) 

⁵  Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. Philippians 4:5 (NKJV) ¹  After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.” ²  Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne set in heaven, and One sat on the throne. Revelation 4:1-2 (NKJV) 

¹  Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, ²  a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man. Hebrews 8:1-2 (NKJV) 

¹  God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, ²  has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; ³  who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, Hebrews 1:1-3 (NKJV)

The verses above all tell us something about Jesus nearness, presence, ministry and finished work. One underlying message is that He is very involved in our lives. Yet, I believe to walk in what He desires for us we need to learn to tune our hearts to His presence. He is very near, at hand, and desiring to engage our hearts. Yet if we never slow down to focus on Him we can miss what He is doing in our lives.

We live in a culture driven by distraction and activity yet if you can engage someone in a meaningful way in all of our cultural ‘busyness’ many feel disconnected. We live in the most ‘connected’ time in history yet seem to not have time to connect with the one this is all about. Paul told us it was and is all about Jesus.

¹⁰  that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth – in Him. Ephesians 1:10 (NKJV)

This means that since Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith and of time then history is really His-story. Given that does it not make sense to make time for Him? Given we know He is near, at hand (Phil. 4:5) how can we know His presence like my friend above? The answer is simple and challenging, we give Him our time.

Giving Jesus our time may sound daunting but it is consistent with how He has designed us. For many years in our busy culture I have commented that most people say they have no time yet I believe that if you put the average ‘busy’ person in our culture in a quiet room with no distractions  for 10 minutes they would find it very difficult to be still. We were created to need quiet times to recharge and be restored. Even the word recreation is a compound word, re-creation. Times of rest are meant to recharge us.

For myself I love hiking in the mountains. It is amazing when you spend even half an hour hiking up and then look back and see how much distance you have covered. The other important piece is that the view is very different than down in the valley.

So, while I believe it is critical to make time each day to sit with Jesus with no distractions, I believe we can also practice creating these moments throughout any given day. We can climb our cultural mountain of distraction by refocusing on Him in a checkout line, while riding an elevator, in the shower, etc. Jesus is at hand and if we will learn to tune our hearts to Him we will become more aware of this important reality and will find all of the busyness around less of a distraction and find ourselves able to see from His perspective rather than ours – the views really are quite different!

The story of the woman at the well, as it is known, is very common in Christian circles. It is not a parable, it is a record of an actual event that took place. While we can read the story in a few minutes understanding something of the cultural context will help us better understand what took place. The basic facts,

• The woman was a Samaritan,
• Samaritans do not interact with Jews
• Jesus was a Jew
• The woman had five different husbands
• She was now living with a man who was not her husband
• The whole community knew who she was and were familiar with her history

An important factor is that in the culture of the day woman had no right to divorce men. Men initiated the divorce. This tells us two things about this woman. The first is that all five of her husbands must have found something desirable in her to marry her, particularly as one went further down the husband list! The second is that they all found some reason to divorce her. We don’t need to speculate on what that was, we just need to know that she experienced ongoing rejection from everyone who married her. It would strain credibility to believe they all just dropped dead and that is why she kept remarrying.

So what can we learn from this scene. Let’s start with the key verses.

¹  Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John ²  (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples), ³  He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. ⁴  But He needed to go through Samaria. John 4:1-4 (NKJV)

Jesus needed to go through Samaria. Why? The religious people of the day went out of their way to go around Samaria (see verse 9). Jesus needed to go because He was not religious, He was free, and because He had an appointment at a well.

⁶  Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour. ⁷  A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” ⁸  For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. ⁹  Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. ¹⁰  Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” ¹¹  The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? ¹²  Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” ¹³  Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, ¹⁴  but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” ¹⁵  The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” ¹⁶  Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” ¹⁷  The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ ¹⁸  for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.” ¹⁹  The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. ²⁰  Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.” ²¹  Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. ²²  You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. ²³  But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. ²⁴  God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” ²⁵  The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.” ²⁶  Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.” John 4:6-26 (NKJV)

³⁹  And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” ⁴⁰  So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. ⁴¹  And many more believed because of His own word. ⁴²  Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.” John 4:39-42 (NKJV)

We know that as a result of this encounter with Jesus this unnamed woman moved from religion to life, she found living water, and she found the freedom Jesus modeled as she became a passionate evangelist sharing openly the good news of her heart issues being revealed, which means her heart must have also been healed. Something about Jesus drew her into the conversation. We know it was not His appearance as Isaiah said there was nothing in His physical appearance to draw us to Him (²  For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, And as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; And when we see Him, There is no beauty that we should desire Him. Isaiah 53:2 NKJV). It must have been her heart that was drawn.

So, how many of us are like this woman? We have had to deal with issues of religion, rejection or conflict, sometimes all interrelated, and need our hearts healed. Are we ready like her to come and drink of this living water and let it flow through our hearts bringing cleansing and healing? We may have been a Christian for years but still need our hearts healed, or we may have at one time had a free heart that now needs to be healed. Whatever the case there are two things I know for sure.

1. He is able
2. He is willing

Come drink – not once but continually.

In Genesis after the flood Noah sent out a raven and a dove. Their behaviour is illustrative of spiritual truth. Ever wonder why the dove returned and the raven did not?

⁶  So it came to pass, at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made. ⁷  Then he sent out a raven, which kept going to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. ⁸  He also sent out from himself a dove, to see if the waters had receded from the face of the ground. ⁹  But the dove found no resting place for the sole of her foot, and she returned into the ark to him, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her, and drew her into the ark to himself. Genesis 8:6-9 (NKJV)

The context of the above passage is after many months in the Ark the waters began to recede and mountaintops could be seen. This is when Noah sent out the raven and the dove. If the raven could find a place to rest why couldn’t the dove find a ‘resting place for the soul of her foot?’ The simple answer is that ravens eat carrion and there would have been plenty of dead carcasses still floating around. The dead carcasses in spiritual terms speak of our flesh. The Holy Spirit will not rest upon and bless our flesh. We may protest that Acts 2 tells us otherwise. I will come to that.

4418. σάρξ sarx noun

Flesh, human, mortal nature, physical life.

Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary, The – The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary – Sigma-Omega.

The Greek word sarx is used in the New Testament to refer to both our physical body and natural sinful propensities. Paul created this latter usage in his writing with numerous phrases such as the ones below.

⁴  that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:4 (NKJV) ¹⁶  I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. ¹⁷  For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. ¹⁸  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Galatians 5:16-18 (NKJV)

Here Paul extrapolates from the use of the term to refer to our physical body to have it refer to our natural sinful tendencies that are at odds with the desires of the Holy Spirit. Thus we can have Paul using the term the way he does above, with Luke writing in Acts and quoting Peter using it to refer to our natural physical body.

¹⁷  ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, That I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your young men shall see visions, Your old men shall dream dreams. Acts 2:17 (NKJV)

A very interesting side note here is that most people associate this outpouring of the Spirit upon humanity as tied to the release of spiritual gifts. Yet Peter was not making that connection – he was connecting the release of spiritual gifts with conversion! This may seem like a small point but it is crucial. We tend to see the release or development of spiritual gifts as a post conversion experience. Peter quoted Joel to explain what had happened to the 120 when the Holy Spirit descended on the day of Pentecost and birthed the church. Peter then explicitly connected the outpouring of the Holy Spirit to conversion.

³⁸  Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹  For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” Acts 2:38-39 (NKJV)

So back to our dove. The dove represents the Holy Spirit here in Genesis and at Jesus baptism (please note that the dove is only one of a number of representations of the Holy Spirit). The dove will not rest upon carrion, If we want the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives He will come and impart new life, we will be born again and receive Jesus nature in our spirit. Yet the Holy Spirit will never be comfortable with our flesh, our sinful propensities. He is the third member of the Godhead and while He may release gifts through us He will not find a resting place for the sole of His feet as long as we choose carrion over Him. We may have moments of His presence but He desires a resting place.

I remember once hearing a story from a missionary. He and his wife were on the mission field and a dove kept coming to sit on their balcony. At the time they were going through some marital struggles and noticed that every time they argued the dove left. They liked the dove and concluded that the dove represented the Holy Spirit being with them. They also concluded that since the dove was not going to change if they wanted the dove’s presence they needed to change their behaviour, they did. Let Isaiah express Yahweh’s heart in this manner.

¹  Thus says the LORD: “Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? ²  For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist,” Says the LORD. “But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word. Isaiah 66:1-2 (NKJV)

Do we want to be His resting place?

PS – your comments on this or any other post are welcome. I think that creates a dialogue that helps us grow in Him and that is my goal in what I write.

Ever have the experience of suddenly seeing a scripture in a new light? Like driving down a familiar street and seeing something and saying to yourself or someone else, “Is that new?” and discovering that in fact it has been there all the time. I had one of those experiences recently. I have taught on 2 Corinthians 3:18 many times and have read it numerous more times and quoted it to myself out loud and in my head many more times. If it sounds like I think this verse is important – the answer is yes. So there I was recently on vacation and I find my thinking often shifts when I allow myself to relax (how do I live like that every day?) and I saw this verse in a new way.

So what did I see? Glad you were wondering! Look at the verse below.

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)

Anything particularly remarkable in it? On the surface there isn’t. Yet we all know that if we look in a mirror we see ourselves. Yet this verse suggests that I can look in a mirror and see Jesus. How does this work?

²³  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴  for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. ²⁵ But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. James 1:23-25 (NKJV)

James, Jesus half-brother, said that if we want to see something different in the mirror we need to be intentional in our looking. This is an important point as mirrors in Paul’s time were made of polished metal, thus they did not provide a really clear reflection and you needed to look carefully in them. That is why Paul referred to seeing in a mirror ‘dimly’ (1 Cor. 13:12). So while we can behold Him the reflection is not clear but we can see Him in us. We can also know that as we choose to gaze at Him both in the word and in just sitting before Him that the Holy Spirit is changing us ‘from glory to glory.’

So let’s look at Him and remember what Paul said,

²⁷ To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. ²⁸ Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. Colossians 1:27-28 (NKJV)

Paul believed that as we focused on Him we grew up in Him. I can focus on Him in a mirror because He is in me. It is also evident that what we focus on grows in our lives, whether good or bad, because we are sowing into the place and point of our focus. So let us look in the mirror and simultaneously gaze upon Jesus and see Him in us. We can do what David described.

⁵ They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed. Psalm 34:5 (NKJV)

As a closing thought here is a song a good friend sent me that speaks to this post.

I’ve Seen I Am by Jonathan David Helser, the link is below.

 

Micah 6:8 has been said to be a summary of the ethical requirement of the entire law and prophets, that is, the Old Testament.

⁸  He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 (NKJV)

Micah tells us that we have already been shown in the Old Testament what need to know to live a godly life. In the New Testament John reinforces this concept.

¹⁶  And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. ¹⁷  For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸  No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. John 1:16-18 (NKJV)

So we have what we need to know and know what we need to do. We are to act justly, be merciful and walk in humility. We may wonder what that looks like in practice. For example, one person may say allowing abortion is bringing justice and mercy to the mother who does not want an unborn child, though they would likely use the term ‘fetus’ because it is less personal and sounds more like tissue than a person. However, how is this just for the unborn child? It clearly isn’t. It is an act of unsanctified mercy, a term I will explore further later as it is very prevalent in our culture. First, seeing that living out Micah 6:8 requires a bit more examination let’s look at the key words – shown, justly, mercy, humbly.

The word shown in Hebrew is below.

5222. ‏ָנגַד‎ nāghadh, verb, to announce, to tell, to report, to explain

The primary meaning of this verb, attested principally in the Hiphil stem, is “to inform.” It can simply refer to disseminating previously unknown information (e.g., Ruth 3:16), or it can have the more emphatic nuance of “to announce” (e.g., Isa. 41:22) or “to proclaim” (42:12). An extension of this nuance is “to praise,” found in a number of Psalms (e.g., 30:9) and in Isaiah (48:20). Indeed, the heavens nonverbally proclaim the glory of Yahweh (Ps. 19:1). The participle can denote a herald (2 Sam 15:13). It can have the nuance of “to answer” questions (2 Chr. 9:2).

Complete Biblical Library Hebrew-English Dictionary – The Complete Biblical Library Hebrew-English Dictionary – Nun-Ayin.

Some bibles translate this Hebrew word as shown in Micah 6:8 and some as told. The meaning in context is that what Yahweh requires is plain for all who want to know (see the first 3 chapters of Romans where Paul lays out all that has been shown particularly 1:18-20).

¹⁸  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, ¹⁹  because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. ²⁰  For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, Romans 1:18-20 (NKJV)

The meaning of justly is as follows.

5122. ‏מִשְׁפָּט‎ mishpāt noun, judgment, justice, ordinance

God’s kind of decisions are always just (Gen. 18:19, 25). Therefore, mishpāt involves dispensing justice and was a strong part of the prophets’ messages as they called the backslidden covenant people, and especially their leaders, back to his ways (Isa. 1:21; Amos 5:24; Mic. 3:1, 8; 6:8). It is a description of good government. Ultimately, the coming Servant of the Lord was to establish it in the earth (Isa. 42:3f). When God’s decisions, which reveal his character and deal with sin, are in the world, people learn righteousness (Isa. 26:9). Complete Biblical Library Hebrew-English Dictionary – The Complete Biblical Library Hebrew-English Dictionary – Kaph-Mem.

In essence doing justly is walking according to Yahweh’s character, which is revealed in His laws and ordinances. However, rigidly following the law can make us into Pharisees. The term means ‘separated ones’ and the focus of the Pharisees was on what they were separated from. They sought to live pure and holy lives by focusing on what they weren’t rather than on who Yahweh called them to be. It is enlightening to see the change Paul highlighted in himself in Romans.

¹  Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God Romans 1:1 (NKJV)

 

When Paul was converted from a Pharisee to a believer in Yeshua he shifted his focus from what he was separated from to who he was separated to! As Christians we can functionally be Pharisees if our focus is still on all the things we don’t do as believers rather than a focus on our relationship with Jesus.

Our next word from Micah is mercy.

2721. ‏חֶסֶד‎ chesedh noun, grace, steadfast love

One of the most important words in the Hebrew Bible is chesedh, meaning “kindness,” “mercy,” “loyalty” or “steadfast love.” When chesedh is used to describe an attribute of God, it becomes a key theological term for understanding the nature of God as presented in the OT, especially in relation to being faithful to covenants and true to his word. Chesedh is used by a wide variety of OT authors, occurring in twenty-eight of the thirty-nine OT Books. It occurs most frequently in the Psalms (127 times).

The fourth, and most important way that chesedh is used in the Hebrew Bible is in the theological context of describing a characteristic of God himself. In this area, chesedh is one of the most important theological terms in all of Scripture, giving an insight into the very essence of God. In the midst of tragedy, Lam. 3:22 proclaims that the chesedh of the Lord never ceases, that the Lord’s mercy is unending. The sense of chesedh here is of the inexhaustible quality of God’s “covenant fidelity” to his people.

Complete Biblical Library Hebrew-English Dictionary – The Complete Biblical Library Hebrew-English Dictionary – Heth-Yodh.

In essence when Micah exhorts us to love mercy he is telling us we are to function like Yahweh. In the record of the Old Testament we can see numerous examples of His mercy to individuals and to Israel as a nation when He continually sent them prophets to warn them to change their ways and delayed judgment to give them time to repent. We are called to act in such a way toward others that we always seek to bring out the best in them and as part of enacting justice to remember that ‘mercy triumphs over judgment.’

¹³  For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:13 (NKJV)

 

Justice and mercy are best walked out in humility.

7076. ‏צָנַע‎ tsānaʿ Verb to act humbly

 

Mic.

6:8

and to walk humbly with thy God?

The verb tsānaʿ occurs only in Mic. 6:8 and means “to act in a humble manner.”

Complete Biblical Library Hebrew-English Dictionary – The Complete Biblical Library Hebrew-English Dictionary – Pe-Resh.

What is humility? I think a good scriptural description is in 1 John and Isaiah.

⁴  You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4 (NKJV)

¹⁵  For thus says the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel: “In returning and rest you shall be saved; In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” But you would not, Isaiah 30:15 (NKJV)

John is communicating that our confidence needs to lie not in our abilities but in Christ in us. Isaiah expresses a similar thought. The returning and rest is returning to a place of trust and quiet confidence in His protection and enabling. So, humility is not a lack of confidence, it is a transfer of confidence from our abilities to Yahweh’s, pride is confidence in our ability to do things independent of Him in our own strength. When examining our gifts and abilities Paul encouraged us to do this in a humble manner.

³  For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. Romans 12:3 (NKJV)

¹⁰  Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; Romans 12:10 (NKJV)

Lastly, I believe there is significance in the order of Micah 6:8. In the application of justice we need to apply mercy with humility, for example Jesus response to the woman caught in adultery in John 8. Jesus was merciful and a grave injustice there would have been to punish the woman according to the law when those who brought her claimed she had been caught in the ‘act’ but never brought the other guilty party, the man. In our application of mercy we need to be humble, knowing that under the right circumstances that may be us in need of mercy. As Paul said in Galatians 6.

¹  Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Galatians 6:1 (NKJV)

 

So while we are to apply justice in mercy and humility we need to do it according to Yahweh’s standard. I referenced earlier the concept of unsanctified mercy. Let me clarify, our standards are not Jesus standards. We have a tendency in our culture of compromise and ‘tolerance’ to not want to challenge anything. Though as an interesting aside my experience has been in talking with those who promote tolerance that some of them are most intolerant people I have met, they will not tolerate me disagreeing with them. Our culture will not survive if we tolerate everything and we need to apply a standard in the administration of justice. However when we tolerate and support what the scriptures clearly say are wrong we are in opposition to Jesus, we are practicing an unsanctified or unholy mercy. We need to apply scriptural standards rather than cultural norms. Many times that requires both great courage and a great deal of prayer to do the right thing.

The other side of this coin is continuing to rightly apply the scriptures. A number of years ago a friend and I were invited to hear a guest speaker. It was a gathering of 30-50 people and the speaker was very serious and focused. In listening I could see that he was misusing the scriptures and was going to use select verses to prove that laughter and humour were ungodly and that we all needed to always be very serious and focused to be godly. At times we do, but that is not all there is to our faith. There was no evidence of joy or love in his talk so I interrupted and asked if I could ask a question. He said no, he would take questions at the end. Given where this was going I responded, “I might not be here at the end.” I wasn’t, there was no point in arguing with him as his mind was made up, wrongly so I am convinced. He at some level had some understanding of the law but was misapplying it and seemed to not grasp mercy or humility.

So let us endeavour to do justly, love mercy and walk humbly with Jesus, seeking to hear His heart in all situation and circumstances that we may continually re-present Him to a world that needs to know Him.

Paul closes a teaching section with this exhortation.

⁸  Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things. ⁹  The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9 (NKJV)

While this sounds very nice, how do we apply it in practice? Our first task is viewing the passage in context. My own experience, and that of many others, is that at times we try to apply some truth or principle in scripture and end in the place of frustration. If His word is true the often painful conclusion is that there is some problem at our end. So, let’s look at the context.

¹  Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved. ²  I implore Euodia and I implore Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. ³  And I urge you also, true companion, help these women who labored with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the Book of Life. ⁴  Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! ⁵  Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. ⁶  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. ⁸  Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things. ⁹  The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:1-9 (NKJV)

Paul begins this short teaching by telling us to stand fast in Jesus. He then tells us how. Our first task is laid out in verse 2. We need to be in unity with those we fellowship with. There is no guarantee we will ever be fully in unity on all matters but we need to be united in heart in terms of our relationship with Jesus. Paul reminds us that even if we do not agree here, if we know Jesus our names are written in the Book of Life there. Our next step is cultivating a worshiping and thankful heart. A by product of a worshiping and thankful heart is a gentle spirit. When we cultivate a life and habit of thankfulness the fruit of the Spirit is manifest in our lives, one aspect of which is gentleness. Why can we be gentle? Because Jesus is there empowering us. Flowing from this Paul tells us to replace anxiety, yes anxiety is not a fruit of the Spirit, with intercession. That is, instead of worrying or praying the problem, focus on His heart. The need for specificity in prayer is highlighted in the Amplified bible.

⁶  Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. Philippians 4:6 (AMP)

We are to be definite in our prayer life and blend thanksgiving with our prayers. Lastly, we need to walk as Paul walked, in obedience to Jesus and His word. My experience over the years is that often we look for the harvest at the same time as we sow the seed. Any good farmer will tell you that after you sow you need to watch over the crop and water and weed before you receive a harvest. Paul doesn’t spell that out here, though he does elsewhere in Galatians 6.

⁸  For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. ⁹  And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:8-9 (NKJV)

The key to all of this is biblical meditation. Our hearts and thoughts focused on that which is good, true, right etc. Verse 8 covers all aspects of what we should dwell on in our thinking. This is where the battle lies, training our minds to focus on what is good, true and right. One example of doing this is gently and continually throughout the day drawing our hearts back to verse 5, Jesus is at hand and if we focus on His presence we can experience Him throughout the day whenever we focus on Him. We may not always strongly sense His presence but we can encounter Him when we turn to Him. As further explanation, biblical meditation means to think deeply on or ponder something. We need not breathe or sit in a special way to meditate on truth, though frankly sitting in a relaxed focused state is very helpful in encountering Jesus on a regular basis. As David wrote.

¹⁰  Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46:10 (NKJV)

To paraphrase David, we could say, ‘Be still and be intimate with Me.’ Engaging our minds to encounter Jesus is a series of right choices that produce a harvest over time. It is a relationship worth nurturing.

Let me start by defining my term then applying it to leadership in our lives. By definition a blind spot is something we cannot see. It is similar to deception, the very nature of deception is that we are unaware of something or we would not be deceived. In driving we refer to blind spots where we may have a pillar or something else blocking our view as we drive. The point of blind spots is not that we cannot see, it is that we cannot see from certain perspectives or see certain aspects of things.

We generally view blind spots as something negative, and they usually are. On the other hand, trainers put blinders on race horses to avoid distractions and keep them focused on the task at hand. At times we may need to be blind to some things to accomplish our purpose. So while I acknowledge that, my focus is on how blind spots can hinder our walk with Jesus and how we can overcome them.

The classical example of blind spots in scripture is Jesus teaching in the Sermon on the Mount.

¹  “Judge not, that you be not judged. ²  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. ³  And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? ⁴  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? ⁵  Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:1-5 (NKJV)

This is probably the most frequently quoted passage of scripture by a certain group of people, those who are not Christians! It is also a great example of taking scripture out of context. The irony is that those who tell others they have no right to judge are simply demonstrating their own blind spot! In this passage is Jesus really telling us to never pass judgement on others? Wouldn’t that be hypocritical of Jesus since in verse 5 He accuses His hearers of hypocrisy? Isn’t that passing judgment? If Jesus could do it why can’t we? The answer is that we can. There are however some qualifiers. Prior to looking at them let me share some other scriptures to demonstrate the issue requires more than a surface look.

⁴³  Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” Luke 7:43 (NKJV) ²⁴  Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.” John 7:24 (NKJV) ³  For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged (as though I were present) him who has so done this deed. 1 Corinthians 5:3 (NKJV) ¹²  For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? 1 Corinthians 5:12 (NKJV)

These passages, using the same Greek word as in Matthew 7:1, reinforce judging. So how do we reconcile these seemingly contradictory statements? We reconcile them by understanding what Jesus is getting at in Matthew 7 as there are other similar passages in the New Testament that warn us against passing judgment.

One of the ways we judge others wrongly is criticizing things we ourselves do. Paul addressed this in Romans as noted below. However I like the way I once heard Mike Bickle put it, “Our sins look terrible on other people.” His point was highlighting blind spots. We tend to find it easy to criticize others for the very things we practice while not seeing them in ourselves.

¹  Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. Romans 2:1 (NKJV)

So how do we recognize and overcome blind spots? We can ask the Holy Spirit to show us, and He will, though frequently He will use other people. I recently had an experience where some colleagues at work pointed out that I regularly used the phrase ‘ya no.’ I was surprised by this on two fronts. One I was unaware that I had been using the phrase, and two, to reinforce Bickle’s point, I found it annoying when others did it! Once I became aware of this I stopped doing it, though I did catch myself a couple of times. The other aspect is why do I find this phrase annoying? I think it is because it reflects a lack of confidence or certainty in what we are saying and I don’t like seeing that in myself or others. Paul did say that we should let our yes be yes and our no be no.

So, back to the Matthew passage for a more in depth review to lead us into how to judge rightly.

¹  “Judge not, that you be not judged. ²  For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. ³  And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? ⁴  Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? ⁵  Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:1-5 (NKJV)

In context this passage is part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaching on how to live a right life with right heart attitudes. His point is similar to that of Paul in Romans 2:1, we tend to judge others without first examining our own heart. If our heart is wrong it distorts how we see. After all another part of this sermon says,

²²  “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. Matthew 6:22 (NKJV)

Having a right heart attitude allows us to see clearly. Jesus other point in this passage is that in most cases when we remove the plank from our eyes what see in others tends to shrink. In the middle of writing this I read Rick Joyner’s new book, “Living Dangerously” where he addresses the factors behind the climate change debate. I highly recommend it. However what struck me as I was reading it was he also wrote about blind spots, yet was very gracious to those he disagreed with. He truly sought to practice the love described in 1 Corinthians.

⁴  Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; ⁵  does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; ⁶  does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; ⁷  bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NKJV)

He wrote the book out of an experience of being part of the recent documentary James Cameron did on climate change. He provides a number of examples of those who simply could not see what was clearly in front of them because at a heart level they were already committed to another perspective. Without using the language he describes the function of our brain known as the Reticular Activating System. This function teaches us to pay attention to what we already believe and value because to pay attention we must filter the thousands of bits of information coming at us all of the time.

To overcome this requires a teachable spirit and a love of the truth. Have you ever helped a blind person across the street or through a difficult area? If so you helped them overcome their blind spot! In the same way to overcome our blind spots we generally need someone else to help us see. This is one role of the body of Christ. We need to be teachable and need others to be lovingly honesty in giving us feedback. Feedback about blind spots is usually hard to hear. I realized a number of years ago that the vast majority of people who request feedback are really asking for affirmation, and often reject or become offended by true honest feedback. So if we want to move beyond our blind spots we need humble hearts.