Spiritual insight – Wisdom From the Word

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

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).

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 Gift of Presence

I have thinking lately about what we do or may carry into our interactions with others. Primarily I am thinking about being carriers of Jesus’ presence in our interactions. First, I will provide a context for the concept.

We all carry something into our interpersonal interactions. An example that has stood out to me for decades took place in May 1983 when I was 23. I had an issue and saw the Dr. on a Monday afternoon. He quickly diagnosed me with cancer. When I asked him how sure he was he said about 90-95%. I was admitted to the hospital the next day, had my first surgery on Thursday, I had a small cancerous tumour removed, and was discharged Saturday at noon and was married later that day. A few weeks later I had major abdominal surgery and the surgeon discovered a grapefruit sized tumour around my aorta, which, thankfully, he was able to remove.

Later in the summer I began chemotherapy treatments. It was frankly an awful experience, which brings me to presence. I tried to sleep as much as possible and my wife would come from work and sit near my bed and read the newspaper. We didn’t talk much, what was comforting was her presence. Neither of us were walking with the Lord at this point in time, however her presence brought a great deal of comfort. While I had been aware of various degrees of presence, this experience was what first led me to reflect on it in a meaningful way.

I had a recent experience that really highlighted the importance of presence. In March of this year, I attended a church men’s retreat for the first time. There I ran into Greg Musselman of Voice of the Martyr’s Canada. We had been trying for many months to schedule a lunch and things kept getting in the way. Now we had an opportunity to catch up.

As part of catching up Greg shared the story of a pastor from Nigeria. His pregnant wife and five daughters were murdered by Fulani Muslim herdsmen. He became embittered and wanted nothing to do with God any longer. People kept going to him and talking with him but he remained bitter. Then someone went and didn’t talk, they just sat with him in his grief and that is what opened his heart to turn back to serving the Lord. Later that evening I was sharing the story with a fellow from church and when I got to the part about the man simply bringing the Gift of Presence he exclaimed, “Of course you don’t say anything.” What was significant about this was he was from the same region of Nigeria where these events had taken place and has only been in Canada a couple of years. He understood the importance of presence.

Decades ago, I was working in downtown Edmonton and had a friend who was down there at periods of time for work. We had both been spending time focusing on our relationship with Jesus and intentionally spending time sitting in His presence. Occasionally we met for lunch and we said very little but simply sat together with a focus on Jesus and His presence was very tangible. We made room for Jesus to be part of our lunchtime.

I think the reality of this is found in what Jesus promised. In the last phrase of Matthew 28:20 Jesus says, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Jesus said some things in John and prior to His incarnation He said something to Moses.

¹⁸ I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. John 14:18 (NKJV)

²³ Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. John 14:23 (NKJV)

¹⁴ And He said, “My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14 (NKJV)

There are many more scriptures that address this issue but if we are believers He is both with us and in us. In Romans 8:16 Paul said that His Spirit bears witness with our spirit, there is an inner awareness, which is why we can sometimes meet someone and know they are a Christian because the Holy Spirit in their spirit is bearing witness in our spirit. His presence is real with us and in us. The point of my examples above is that I believe we can be more intentional about paying attention to His presence and inviting Him to manifest His presence in our interactions with others.

So, let’s be mindful of what we are carrying into your interactions with others and seek to bring the Gift of Presence.

Glorious Day

In recent weeks I was driving somewhere and the song Glorious Day by Casting Crowns came on. I recognized that it is a song replete with Easter references and it drew my heart. We will look at some of the lyrics, though the primary significance of Easter is captured in something Paul wrote, ably summed up in the last verse below.

²³ Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, ²⁴ but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, ²⁵ who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification. Romans 4:23–25 (NKJV)

However, to the lyrics.

Living, he loved me
Dying, he saved me
And buried, he carried
My sins far away

Rising, he justified
Freely forever
One day, he’s coming
Oh, glorious day
Oh, glorious day

In living on earth Jesus walked in love to those around Him and out of love for us laid down His life (John 3:16). On the cross He paid the price for our sins. When He cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30) He was stating that the debt of sin had been fully paid and Paul tells us that our list of sins, our violations of the Law, were nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14). Reflect on that. Each of us have a sin debt, charges filed against us under God’s moral law. Charges that affirm that we are deserving of death. Yet Paul states boldly that the list of wrongs against each of us was nailed to the cross and in essence with Jesus sacrificial death, written across our debt was, ‘Paid in full!’

However, not only was our debt paid, scripture goes further. A line in the song is ‘carried my sins far away.’ Paul tells us where they were carried to.

³ Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? ⁴ Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. Romans 6:3–4 (NKJV)

In His death Jesus took our sin debt to the grave with Him. He carried our sins not to some distant place but down to the grave, to burial, to be left in the grave.

This now takes us back to our starting verse, Jesus was delivered to the cross for our offenses, our sin debt, and then raised to life to justify us and establish our freedom from death and sin. Let’s walk through this a bit to appreciate the significance of the Easter story. Jesus took on flesh and the limitation of humanity out of His love for us. He then revealed the heart of the Father through His ministry (John 1:18, 14:9-11) He completed His earthly ministry by going to the cross. The sentence against us was carried out on Jesus, He then took our sins to the grave with Him, they are buried and done away with. He then gloriously rose to newness of life in a resurrected imperishable body as a foretaste of what will experience.

Given all of that, I encourage you, mediate on His finished work and the effects of this glorious day to truly appreciate what Jesus did on our behalf.

The full lyrics and a link to the song are below.

One day, when Heaven was filled with his praises
One day, when sin was as black as could be
Jesus came forth to be born of a virgin
Dwelt among men, my example is he

The Word became flesh
And the light shined among us
His glory revealed

Living, he loved me
Dying, he saved me
And buried, he carried
My sins far away

Rising, he justified
Freely forever
One day, he’s coming
Oh, glorious day
Oh, glorious day

One day, they led him up Calvary’s mountain
One day, they nailed him to die on a tree
Suffering anguish, despised and rejected
Bearing our sins, my redeemer is he

The hands that healed nations
Stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me

‘Cause living, he loved me
Dying, he saved me
And buried, he carried
My sins far away

Rising, he justified
Freely forever
One day, he’s coming
Oh, glorious day
Oh, glorious day

One day, the grave could conceal him no longer
One day, the stone rolled away from the door
Then he arose, over death he had conquered
Now he’s ascended, my Lord evermore

Death could not hold him
The grave could not keep him
From rising again (rising again)

Living, he loved me
Dying, he saved me
And buried, he carried
My sins far away

Rising, he justified
Freely forever
One day, he’s coming
Oh, glorious day
Oh, glorious day
Glorious day

One day, the trumpet will sound for his coming (we long for your coming)
One day, the skies with his glories will shine (glories will shine)
Wonderful day, my beloved one bringing
(My Saviour) my Saviour Jesus is mine

Living, he loved me
Dying, he saved me
Buried, he carried
My sins far away

Rising, he justified
Freely forever
One day, he’s coming
Oh, glorious day
Oh, glorious day
Glorious day

Oh, glorious day

Songwriters: Mark Hall, Michael Bleecker. For non-commercial use only.

YouTube

Carrying a Calling

There is a very interesting verse in Colossians, almost presented as an afterthought by Paul.

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)

The presentation in the Lexham English Bible is more pointed.

¹⁷ And tell Archippus, “Direct your attention to the ministry that you received in the Lord, in order that you may complete it.” Colossians 4:17 (LEB)

Paul is consistent in that he gives a similar encouragement to Timothy.

⁵ But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 2 Timothy 4:5 (NKJV)

While on the surface the primary point is the need to direct or give our attention to the ministry we are called to, there is an important subtext. That subtext is that we each have a ministry or calling. However, if we are unaware of what our calling is directing our attention to it is a difficult task. Over the years there have been various tools developed to help us discern the gifts that we carry. While we can fill out and labour over surveys there is another approach we can use. In Matthew 6:21 Jesus told us that our heart follows our treasure. That is, we all value certain things yet Jesus is telling us in the passage to set right priorities and choose to value the right things. This means pursuing His heart through His word, worship and fellowship. When we do this our gifts begin to emerge and it is easier to direct out attention to them.

There are a few lists of gifts in the NT, Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, Ephesians 4:11and 1 Peter. 4:11. Some are viewed as bestowed by the Spirit as needed in the moment and others as inherent motivational gifts, aspects of who and what we are. Paul illustrates some motivational gifts for us in Romans 12. I think they are illustrative rather than exhaustive but the important part is how he encourages us to use them.

⁶ Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; ⁷ or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; ⁸ he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Romans 12:6–8 (NKJV)

The gifts we carry, commensurate with our calling, need to be developed and their development comes about when we direct our attention to their use. For example, I know my gift is not hospitality. I enjoy spending time with people, I don’t enjoy preparing our home to host people. I do it because I think it is important, yet I know that unlike with me, it comes naturally to many. However, I do carry a desire to help people and I am very willing to help, to teach, to counsel, and similar things. Thus, these are the areas where I direct my attention.

I know the calling of some of you who read this, not all. Yet I also know that as we seek His heart our gifts and callings emerge and most importantly, I know that you carry a calling. Given that, pursue it and direct your attention to it that you may fulfill it. After all, as Paul wrote, we are His workmanship and He has prepared good 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)

Out of His Presence

I was praying about what to write about and the Spirit brought to mind an experience from many years ago. It was the beginning season of a small group that grew and had a significant impact on many from a variety places and backgrounds. I have written about this in the past but with a different focus.

A small group of us were worshipping and as my friend Lynn was playing instrumentally on the piano words came to me and I began to sing, “I am here to worship, Intimate One. You are all I worship, Intimate One.” I don’t remember all of the words that emerged as Lynn played, yet I do remember that what produced them was an awareness of His presence, Jesus being real and tangible and a strong desire to submit to His presence and leading.

This was an ‘Out of His Presence’ moment. While we don’t often talk about it, there is a distinct difference between Yahweh’s omnipresence and His manifest presence. He can manifest His presence to varying degrees. On this occasion, though it wasn’t a lot of His presence, it was sufficient to move the hearts of a group of us and release a new level of worship. Any time He begins to manifest more of His presence, we have the opportunity to respond at a deeper level. Even as I wrote this, I felt led to pause and just fix the gaze of my heart upon Him. He responded by intensifying His presence and I was deeply moved.

In seeking to capture the importance of this idea I thought of a song that became popular a couple of years ago, Make Room. The song captures the heart of what I am seeking to express. One stanza says,

And I will make room for You
To do whatever You want to
To do whatever You want to
I will make room for You
To do whatever You want to
To do whatever You want to

The repetition of submission to His will and leading is a key theme of the song. It is reflective of what you are likely familiar with in Proverbs.

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5–6 (NKJV)

When we come into His presence and submit our will to His we are making room. It is from here, out of His presence, that life and revelation can flow. When we lay down our agendas and make room for His, the Spirit is free to move in our midst. A great example of this is the famous George Washington Carver, a former slave who became famous for his scientific acumen in the US and abroad. In his regular Give Him 15 posts Dutch Sheets recently wrote about Carver, his numerous agricultural innovations and his international fame. Most importantly Dutch wrote about the source of Carver’s wisdom. Carver lived by the above passage from Proverbs. He made room and sought wisdom from Yahweh and referred to his lab at the Tuskegee Institute as ‘God’s little workshop.’ Carver’s focus was on the Lord guiding his scientific discoveries and achievements, which were numerous!

Now back to us, if we, like Carver, recognize that what comes out of His presence is the opportunity to engage in worship, creativity, passion and wisdom it should encourage us to make room. Let’s do that.

The Main Thing

There was a popular song a few years ago by Matt Redman about the importance of true worship. You likely know the song, The Heart of Worship. It is a beautiful song that reflects a spiritual reality found in the expression, ‘The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.’ A key line in the song is “I’m coming back to the heart of worship.” This leads to some obvious questions, ‘Why do we have to come back? Why did we leave?’ The answer of course lies in scripture.

¹ Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. ² For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, ³ how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, ⁴ God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? Hebrews 2:1–4 (NKJV)

The warning is about ‘drifting away’ not intentionally leaving. There have been stories of people over the years who didn’t survive because they were on some small floating device, stopped paying attention to the shore and drifted out to sea. In recent weeks there was the story of the Australian mother and her three children who went out on paddleboards and an inflatable kayak and the weather become rough and they drifted out to sea, even though they were paying attention. Thankfully they were rescued because the 13 year old boy swam four hours in rough seas to reach shore and help for his family.

The story serves as a warning and read carefully; Hebrews is a very sobering book that warns and deeply challenges us. One example above is the author highlighting the danger of drifting away. It is one reason for this famous passage in Hebrews.

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)

We need one another, we need to be checked and encouraged by one another, ‘lest we drift away.’

Thus, I think it is important that we have a way to assess whether or not we have drifted and need to come back to the heart of worship, our reason for being. As a way of making that assessment let’s go a little deeper into Redman’s song by looking at the initial verses.

When the music fades
All is stripped away
And I simply come
Longing just to bring
Something that’s of worth
That will bless Your heart

I’ll bring You more than a song
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear
You’re looking into my heart, yeah

I’m coming back to the heart of worship
And it’s all about You, it’s all about You, Jesus
I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made it
When it’s all about You, it’s all about You, Jesus

In essence Matt is saying that our words are an insufficient assessment tool. We can’t go by surface appearances. Instead, what we need to do is invite Jesus to examine our hearts and see if our focus is truly on Him. If it is our worship and lifestyle will be about Him. After all, true worship is scripturally defined most clearly in Romans 12.

¹ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:1–2 (NKJV)

In the passage above the NKJV has ‘reasonable service.’ This is an accurate translation. Paul is saying that it simply makes sense in light of what he has previously written in Romans. Yet some translations, the ESV for example, have these two Greek words as ‘spiritual worship’ because the translators recognize that this level of surrender is at the heart of worship.

So, we can invite Jesus to assess our spiritual condition and whether our hearts have drifted, which I think we all do at times, I know I have more than once gone through the motions without my heart fully engaged and surrendered at that moment. The beautiful thing about walking with Him is that even though I can fail, each time I do I can run not away, but boldly to the throne of grace to ‘obtain mercy and find grace.’

Thus, if you see that you have drifted, simply seek His face and ask Jesus to help you reorient your heart to worship.

Deepening Discernment Part 2

In my last post I focused on the process of discernment, which I anchored in Hebrews 5:13-14. I also noted that, “…the two obvious levels of discernment are knowing and paying attention to the scriptures and knowing and paying attention to His voice.” Here we will delve deeper into that process.

To actually develop and deepen our discernment we begin with shifting our focus beyond outward appearances. It is easy to see behaviour; it is hard to discern hearts. This is the first area to grow in. We must head Paul’s admonition to stop judging by outward appearances.

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. 2 Corinthians 5:16 (NKJV)

I am certainly not saying we should not address clearly sinful behaviour. I am saying in general we need to look beyond behaviour to try to see hearts.

Here is an example. I read of an experience a man had on the subway. He saw a man get on with two young children. The children seemed ‘out of control’ and were bothering other passengers. He judged the man a poor parent and decided to point out his negligent parenting. When he got the man’s attention he said, “Sir, I don’t know if you have noticed but your children are bothering the other passengers?” The man seemed to come around to greater awareness and responded, “I’m sorry, we just came from the hospital where their mother died.” What do you think happened to the man’s assessment of this father as a neglectful parent? Did judgment turn to compassion?

To discern rightly we need to seek to suspend judgment and try to understand hearts. We also need to consider whether there are things we need to lay down that colour our discernment. Do we have a history with someone that we need to lay down? Do we disagree with their doctrine? Is their doctrine our measure of their hearts? Most importantly, are we actively listening to the Holy Spirit and seeking His viewpoint as we seek to discern truth and life?

When it comes to discernment our call is to embrace the truth at a heart rather than head level. We pursue not a unity of belief in every single point of doctrine but unity around intimacy with Jesus (this will sort out a lot of our doctrine over time). Paul provides a goal for us.

¹³till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; Ephesians 4:13 (NKJV)

When we lay down our judgments and pursue His heart He will correct us, after all, the Holy Spirit is a faithful teacher!

²⁴ These also who erred in spirit will come to understanding, and those who complained will learn doctrine. Isaiah 29:24 (NKJV)

I think our greatest aid to discerning accurately is walking closely to Jesus. Consider the following passage.

⁹ And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, ¹⁰ that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, ¹¹ being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9–11 (NKJV)

Here Paul is saying that when our love for Jesus abounds, we are able to discern and approve the things that are excellent. An encounter with Jesus’ heart is something deeper than information about Him. It is a pulling back of the veil over our hearts so that we can experience more of His heart and see clearly. Loving Jesus produces love for one another and aligns our heart with His heart.

What happens if we have this prayer answered? As we receive a revelation of His heart, we know how He feels about us, which brings release and freedom, and as our ear gets near to His heart, we can also hear how His heart beats for others! The caution of course is simply assuming our judgments are accurate discernment. Thus, we need a way to test what we believe we are discerning.

To practice discerning, I offer something I learned many years ago and have taught a number of times. The distinction between intuition and insight, recognizing that intuition is a spiritual function while insight is a function of the mind.

¹¹For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. ¹²Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 1 Corinthians 2:11-12 (NKJV)

In the verses above, in the original Greek, the word ‘know’ refers to perceiving or being aware of something. The same Greek word is used in passages that refer to Jesus intuitively perceiving, becoming aware of, or knowing something.

But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” Matthew 12:25 (NKJV)

When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you?” John 6:61 (NKJV)

Now, unlike Jesus, who was always accurate, when we perceive or become internally aware of something we need to test it. In essence we become aware of or discern something in our spirit but need to test it with our mind. The process is that we discern something via intuition, a ‘gut feeling’ in our spirit that initiates a process. We then engage our mind to test it and the ‘aha’ experience, insight, completes the process. In essence, to test our discernment there needs to be a marriage between our spirit and our mind.

How does this work in practice? In ministering to people, I have frequently shared with people things about their lives that I had no natural intellectual way of knowing. For example, I remember sharing with someone that the Lord wanted to dance with them. I only knew the person’s name and nothing else about them as they had showed up to our small group for the first time that evening. There were 15-20 of sitting on chairs in a circle worshipping when I shared what I ‘perceived’ or ‘became aware’ of. The woman was deeply emotionally impacted by what I said and it was confirmation of the accuracy of what I shared. The way I ‘heard’ this from the Spirit was simply a growing internal sense that I needed to tell this lady that the Lord wanted to dance with her so I stopped the worship and in front of everyone said something like, “I think the Lord wants you to know that He wants to dance with you.” She responded with tears, good tears and verbally share the significance of the impact of what I had said. I don’t recommend doing this in front of a group unless you are accustomed to hearing Him speak this way, which I was, and thus was confident it was Him.

On another occasion, when leaving a job, I shared with the manager two things I sensed in prayer that morning. At the time I wasn’t praying for him, I was in prayer and these thoughts arose in my spirit. He was not a believer but was interested and asked me about them later in the day so he could write them down. The things I shared with him both took place within a few months.

A very important factor is that when I share this way, and I encourage others to do the same, I always share it as my sense of something I believe I am hearing from the Lord as I offer it to them. I often preface what I am sharing with, ‘This may sound odd.’ I share in this way because we need to test what we discern and present it as something for others to weigh (1 Corinthians 14:29). I only remember one occasion of being insistent on something I was sensing from the Spirit and when I pressed the issue the person became angry with me. A week later the same individual came back, apologized, and affirmed that I had been correct.

So, discerning requires paying attention to what we are hearing in our spirits and then testing that discernment with our minds in line with scripture. This idea of understanding intuition and insight lays a basic foundation for knowing how to test what we believe we are discerning. Malachi said it well.

Therefore take heed to your spirit. (Malachi 2:16)

Deepening Discernment Part 1

In recent years the Lord has exposed a great deal of sin by well known church leaders and movements. In recent weeks it seems to have significantly increased, particularly in charismatic circles. There are varying opinions and assertions found in many places on social media, and in reading about it and listening to opinions it seems some would like to throw the baby out with the bathwater. When this happens there has been a departure from discernment to judgment.

From my perspective the events of recent years and the very fresh present example, is a call for us as His body to walk in a deeper level of discernment, to separate the wheat from the chaff. I say deeper because I believe that discernment operates at more than one level, so here we will delve into it a bit.

Discernment has long been an important subject to me and I first wrote about it over three decades ago. At that time, I defined discernment as follows, and still adhere to this definition, “Seeing the reality which lies behind appearances.” On the surface this may suggest that we require some mystical spiritual gift to exercise discernment if we need to discern the reality behind surface impressions. Yet my goal is just the opposite. I want discernment to be both practiced and practical. While 1 Corinthians 12 lists the gift of discerning of spirits, which I think can be useful in exercising discernment, the primary New Testament text on discernment is in Hebrews.

¹³ For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. ¹⁴ But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Hebrews 5:13–14 (NKJV)

This passage makes it plain that discernment is not some mystical gift but is in fact the logical outgrowth of using our senses in submission to the Spirit.

To better grasp the process of discernment we will break this passage down a bit. First, the writer of Hebrews informs us the undiscerning are those who are ‘unskilled in the word of righteousness.’ An obvious reference to the scriptures. The clear implication being that a key aspect of discernment is developing the ability to rightly divide ‘the word of truth,’ the scriptures (2 Timothy 2:15). As the writer of Hebrews puts it, our discernment deepens through ‘reason of use.’ The phrase is one word in Greek and refers to habit or practice. Our discernment deepens as we practice discerning!

Here is an example that happened to me recently. I am a member of a few Christian Apologetics groups on Facebook. Someone posted an idea about the blind man Jesus healed who first saw men like trees walking then was able to see clearly after Jesus prayed for him the second time. Ostensibly the post was just an idea but then the writer quickly shifted into presenting his ideas as fact. While some of his ideas were plausible, I challenged the post on the grounds that it was eisegesis rather than exegesis. A reading into the text what seemed like a clever idea, rather than drawing out what the text actually said. The poster took offense to my comment and challenged my view. I then broke the text down and showed how some aspects were not only not supported by scripture, they were in fact in opposition to scripture. The poster responded with further offense and accused me of ‘nit picking’ rather than simply accepting things. My final response was that I broke things down and highlighted the errors because I take a high view of scripture. This experience highlighted the need to get at the reality behind the nice appearance.

My discernment process here was that I recognized the error in the post, even though I liked the idea presented, because it didn’t align with scripture. This is the fruit of exercising my spiritual senses and weighing what was being said against scripture.

An older example for me was reading a book in recent years by a popular leader from a popular movement. Something the author said didn’t sit right with me event though the book sounded good, felt good and was very popular. When I examined it in the light of scripture, I thought it plausible to draw the conclusion of the author but it still seemed at odds with the weight of scripture and the Lord’s heart. Something felt ‘off’ so I sat with it and literally set the book on a shelf. This was a few years ago. Then in the past year or so I listened to a podcast by some pastors I deeply respect. They were discussing the book and highlighted the damage it was causing in the body of Christ. They touched on what I had seen and other areas where the book was fostering the very types of sin being exposed in recent weeks. At this point I took the book off my shelf and threw it out. In both examples above my discernment was rooted in two things, a knowledge of the scriptures and an awareness or sense in my sprit of something being off, not sitting quite right. I then took the time to further examine what seemed off to discern where the error actually lay. This is the process of deepening our discernment. The Spirt will bring passages to mind to lead us into truth and will quicken things in our spirit that we need to pay attention to if we have developed the habit of listening to His voice. So, the two obvious levels of discernment are knowing and paying attention to the scriptures and knowing and paying attention to His voice. I encourage you to develop the habit, the practice of walking this way. It guards His body, can save us a lot of heartache, and is what He calls us to walk in, discernment.