Spiritual maturity – Wisdom From the Word

The Glory of His Inheritance Part 3

I previously wrote about what Abraham long anticipated and noted that it was tied to what Yahweh wanted, a dwelling place. The time and place where Abraham will see his dream realized is recorded for us in scripture. We find it in Revelation, and more importantly, we find that it is also what Jesus has been longing for and anticipating.

² Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. Revelation 21:2 (NKJV)

Aside from it being a theme in scripture, the most significant thing about what Abraham was seeking is that it was and is what Jesus is seeking. The consummation of Jesus desire will be found in this city, ‘whose builder and maker is God’ (Hebrews 11:10b). My friend Evelyn stepped from time into eternity many years ago but she often referred to ‘the church which Jesus is building.’ This church is His city, the new Jerusalem, which is also His bride.

⁹ Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, “Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” ¹⁰ And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, ¹¹ having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Revelation 21:9–11 (NKJV)

While the church is often referred to as the ‘bride of Christ,’ in scripture the bride is also the city, the new Jerusalem. Whether or not it is a literal city is not the point of John’s vision. The primary message is that it is His dwelling place. That has always been the cry of His heart since He created the earth with Eden, an open dwelling place in and with His people. When Yahweh began His redemption plan for humanity He expressed His desire to Moses in Exodus. The Law, as we know it, was a marriage covenant between Yahweh and Israel. After the giving of the Law the next step was the construction of the Tabernacle. We are told why it needed to be constructed.

⁸ And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. Exodus 25:8 (NKJV)

His heart has always been to dwell with and among His people. Creation started this way in the garden, was broken through Adam and Eve partaking of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and the release of sin throughout creation. Yahweh immediately began the restoration process He had planned (the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world 1Peter 1:19-20, Revelation 13:8). When this plan reaches completion, we hear a cry of triumph ringing forth in Revelation in relation to Jesus’ bride.

⁶ And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! ⁷ Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” ⁸ And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Revelation 19:6–8 (NKJV)

From the birth of the church Jesus has been actively working to conform His church to His image, a helpmate and suitable bride.

In the coming forth of the bride Jesus has always been faithful to do His part, yet we also have a part. It says, ‘His wife has made herself ready.’ This is why in his ministry Paul was so focused on seeing the church come to maturity, being conformed to the image of Jesus. This is the bride making herself ready. We enter into the proper preparations when we embrace His call to spiritual maturity, the laying down of our agendas and the taking up or His cross. Let’s all do our part to see Jesus receive the glory of His inheritance!

The Glory of His Inheritance Part 2

Think back to something you waited for with great anticipation – it may be a thing or an event. We have all had moments in our lives. I know in my experience the event sometimes matches the anticipation and at other times it doesn’t. I know a common experience in our culture is that many things are promoted via empty hype, the phenomenon of over promising and under delivering. Yet I am confident it is not going to be that way for Jesus. As previously noted, He went to the cross, ‘for the joy set before Him,’ and Isaiah wrote of Jesus being satisfied by the travail or anguish of His soul (Isaiah 53:11a). Now we will look at what will satisfy Jesus, what will being Him joy, the one thing He is anticipating.

To understand what Jesus will receive we need to understand what He is looking for. This is revealed in scripture. It starts with the following statement about Abraham in relation to his sojourning and searching.

⁹ By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; ¹⁰ for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Hebrews 11:9–10 (NKJV)

In faith Abraham dwelt in the land that would become Israel never finding what he was ultimately seeking. This city he was looking for was tied to a memory of Eden and a prophetic glimpse into what was to come. A paradise and city constructed by Yahweh with Yahweh dwelling in it. We will eventually come to the consummation of this theme.

After Abraham the theme of a dwelling place is picked up in Yahweh’s interactions with Moses then later also presented by Paul and Peter in expressing the purpose of the church.

⁸ And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. Exodus 25:8 (NKJV)

¹⁹ Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, ²⁰ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, ²² in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:19–22 (NKJV)

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. Ephesians 2:19–22 (NKJV)

In each of these three passages from scripture we see expressed the desire of Yahweh for a dwelling place and the fulfilling of it in the how He is building His church. He is shaping us as living stones into a spiritual house, His dwelling place. Next time we will look squarely at the deeper identity of this dwelling place and the fulfillment of what Jesus has long anticipated.

The Glory of His Inheritance Part 1

What does Jesus get out of all of this? I don’t know how many of us have considered that question but we see something of the importance of this issue in Hebrews. After showcasing the heroes of the faith and their sacrifices the writer of Hebrews encourages us to follow their example and then transitions to why Jesus endured the cross.

¹ Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ² looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1–2 (NKJV)

Jesus endured the cross because He saw joy beyond it. In Ephesians we get a glimpse of that joy in something Paul wrote about and prayed that we would each have enough revelation to grasp.

¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, ¹⁸ the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power ²⁰ which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, ²¹ far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. ²² And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, ²³ which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:17–23 (NKJV)

Here in our western Christianity the passage above is frequently turned into a present-day prayer, the general theme being our seeking a spirit of wisdom and revelation. We want to grow in our Christian experience, which is a good thing. Yet there is more here. The passage is really about having a spirit of wisdom and revelation from the Father so we would grasp,

the riches of the glory of Jesus inheritance in the saints,
the exceeding greatness of His power toward us, the power that resurrected Jesus, and
Jesus’ authority over all the spiritual opposition in the heavenly places, now and forever.

The aspect we are going to focus on is “the glory of His inheritance in the saints.” What Jesus receives. To understand this, we need to look at a related scripture passage.

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰ Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. Romans 8:28–30 (NKJV)

What Jesus gets out of this, His inheritance, is believers conformed to Himself and ultimately glorified. Next time we will dig a little deeper into what that means and our role and responsibility in the process. For now, please pray for a spirit of wisdom and revelation to understand what Jesus receives.

Apologetics Part 5

Science or Scientism?

Have you ever wondered if science has all the answers? If you have explored the question, I trust that you have realized that the answer is no, it doesn’t. At the same time, a pervasive message we receive from our culture is that science does have all the answers. Here I am going to address the broader cultural message that science can answer and solve everything. I will also address another message we often hear in our culture, that science and faith, I am focusing on Christianity here, are at odds. Another falsehood.

Though the idea has been around for decades I first came across the concept of scientism through J. P. Moreland’s work. He said of the distinction between science and scientism, “In scientism, therefore, science is the very paradigm of truth and rationality.”[1]

Moreland is not a disparager of science. He was heading into a career as a respected chemist when he encountered Jesus. He says of science, “It would have been a wonderful calling to be a Christian chemist. Science is a noble and strategic vocation. And far from fearing science and what it will reveal, I regularly pray that God will send many Christians into the sciences to conduct their work and make discoveries with humble Christian confidence.”[2] Though he loved science Moreland’s encounter with Jesus led him into apologetics, theology and philosophy (he became a philosophy professor). As his journey shifted, he says he encountered scientism, “…the view that the hard sciences alone have the intellectual authority to give us knowledge of reality.”[3] He further noted of the issue, “Because scientism is in the air we breathe, we consider it both normal and essential. Very few people are aware of what it does to a culture and to the church. It puts Christian claims outside of the “plausibility structure” (what people generally consider reasonable and rational), which has led to a number of shifts in how our culture processes reality.”[4]

Of course, the irony here is that the belief that only science can answer the important questions about life is not a scientific statement – it is a philosophical and faith statement! Science can tell us what, it cannot tell us why or whether or not we should. Science cannot tell us how much love weighs or the scientific formula for hate because these things fall outside the purview of science. To understand love, hate and morality we need to turn to ethics, theology and philosophy.

Another man who recognized the errors of scientism is John Lennox. He is now Professor Emeritus at Oxford and spent his career in science and mathematics. Outside of his formal work Lennox was a very effective Christian apologist. Without using the term ‘scientism’ Lennox describes the issue in his summary of how many view science in our western culture, “Science is an unstoppable force for human development that will deliver answers to our many questions about the universe, and solve many, if not all, of our human problems: disease, energy, pollution, poverty. At some stage in the future, science will be able to explain everything, and answer all our needs.” [5] While deeply appreciating science, as a scientist and mathematician Lennox’s book is about refuting this false view that science has all the answers.

In his book on the issue Lennox shares about lecturing some decades ago at a university in Siberia on why he as a scientist believed in God. He writes, “I spoke about the history of modern science and related how its great pioneers—Galileo, Kepler, Pascal, Boyle, Newton, Faraday and Clerk- Maxwell – were all firm and convinced believers in God.”[6] He says he detected anger in the audience in response to his statement so paused his lecture and asked what the anger was about. It turned out that these Russian scientists were all angry that they had never heard this before as they had been taught that science and faith in God were at odds. Through Lennox they learned the truth that committed Christians were the majority of the chief architects of modern science in the west.

What does this mean for us? We need to appreciate both science and our faith. Think of driving on the highway. There are lines to demarcate the lanes where we should be driving. Science is a very important lane, yet science needs to stay in its lane. Theology is another lane and on a four-lane highway they drive side by side and observe one another. Theology can be informed by science. Science can tell us something about what David wrote.

¹³ For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. ¹⁴ I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. Psalm 139:13–14 (NKJV)

Through science we can make many amazing discoveries about the intricacies of the human body and marvel at how we were created. Theology can tell us that we were created, that human life is of infinite value, that a baby in the womb was created in His image and is not merely ‘fetal tissue.’

If we learn to operate in this way and honour what each discipline has to offer, we avoid the terrible error of scientism and can embrace what Jesus said when asked what the most important commandment in life was.

³⁷ Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and great commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:37–39 (NKJV)

Let us love Him passionately with our hearts, wisely with our minds, and give our all to Him.

[1] Moreland, J. P.. Scientism and Secularism: Learning to Respond to a Dangerous Ideology (p. 29). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

[2] Moreland, J. P.. Scientism and Secularism: Learning to Respond to a Dangerous Ideology (pp. 22-23). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

[3] Moreland, J. P.. Scientism and Secularism: Learning to Respond to a Dangerous Ideology (p. 23). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

[4] Moreland, J. P.. Scientism and Secularism: Learning to Respond to a Dangerous Ideology (p. 31). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

[5] Lennox, John. Can Science Explain Everything? (Questioning Faith) (pp. 4-5). The Good Book Company. Kindle Edition.

[6] Lennox, John. Can Science Explain Everything? (Questioning Faith) (p. 14). The Good Book Company. Kindle Edition.

Apologetics Part 4

The Fine-Tuning Argument

In looking at the Fine-Tuning argument we begin with the two scriptures I referenced for the Teleological Argument. Yet we dig a little deeper.

³ All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. John 1:3 (NKJV)

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 1:2–3 (NKJV)

The phrase we are zeroing in on is, “upholding all things by the word of His power.” While some translations say ‘powerful word’ or something similar the NKJV, ESV and NASB all correctly use the literal phrase in Greek, ‘word of His power.’ It is the continual release of Jesus power through His spoken word that both created and sustains the universe. As Paul put it under the inspiration of the Spirit.

¹⁶ For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. Colossians 1:16 (NKJV)

Jesus is the source and sustainer.

Now to look at the Fine Tuning Argument using an analogy. Imagine I hand you what looks like a puzzle box but there is no picture on the cover of what the puzzle is supposed to look like and when you open it you find random pieces of cardboard with no rhyme or reason and no pictures on them. I assure you that if you simply put the pieces in the box, shake it vigorously and dump it on the table the puzzle will form and there will be a clear picture. Instead of shaking the box you might be tempted to tell me to give my head a shake since what I have proposed is ridiculous. Which of course is true. If we want a puzzle to put together, we need a picture that tells us what it will look like and pieces cut with interlocking shapes so that when they are put together, they will reflect the picture on the box.

Now we consider the universe. The generally accepted theory for the beginning and creation of the universe is the Big Bang model. Whether one believes in the concept of a singularity or the idea that everything came from nothing, the basic concept is that matter exploded and expanded and time, space and matter now exist. The big question is whether the universe could have been created by a random unintentional explosion and planets just happened to form or whether a divine intelligence was behind it all.

This takes us to the cosmological constants. In brief, if the constants were different, if the universe had expanded more quickly or slowly than it did then the planets would never have formed or it would have collapsed back on itself. Even atheist Stephen Hawking acknowledged the importance of fine tuning, noting, “The laws of science, as we know them at present, contain many fundamental numbers, like the size of the electric charge of the electron and the ratio of the masses of the proton and the electron …. The remarkable fact is that the values of these numbers seem to have been finely adjusted to make possible the development of life.”[1] On their website, using a conservative approach, the Discovery Institute provides a list of 22 fine tuning parameters (List of Fine-Tuning Parameters | Discovery Institute).

One argument some present in seeking to refute the idea of a fine-tuned universe is the idea of the multiverse. The theory being that there are multiple universes and we just happen to live in the one that supports life as we know it. The problems of course are many. First, we have zero evidence for other universes. Next, for any other universe to exist it would be subject to the same cosmological constants to exist and last, where is this universe generating machine? It isn’t a tenable position.

Another term that highlights fine-tuning is the ‘Goldilocks Zone’ is a term used by some to describe where we live, earth. The term is drawn from the children’s story where things needed to be ‘just right’ for Goldilocks. If earth were closer to or farther from the sun all of our water would either freeze or evaporate. We can thus conclude that we are simply ‘lucky’ to have the orbit we do around the sun or we can conclude that Jesus ‘upholds all things by the word of His power.’ I choose the latter.

[1] A Brief History of Time, Hawking, Stephen, p. 125

The King is Coming – Part 3

In scripture Paul references two Adams and the Man Christ Jesus. A man lost dominion over creation and corrupted it, as we saw in the first post in this series. In part 2 we saw the impacts. Here we conclude by looking at what the last Adam accomplished. We begin with two of Paul’s references to Jesus.

⁴⁵ And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. 1 Corinthians 15:45 (NKJV)

⁵For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 1 Timothy 2:5 (NKJV)

Now we know who Jesus is and what He accomplished in creation for we have it in scripture.

¹⁵ He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. Colossians 1:15–16 (NKJV)

We also have a brief description of what He accomplished in His incarnation, the full glory of God dwelling in human flesh.

¹⁹ For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, ²⁰ and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. Colossians 1:19–20 (NKJV)

Knowing all of this let’s put it together.

In The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) Jesus sated that all authority had been given to Him. An odd statement for the One who demonstrated His authority in creating all things that we see and can’t see. Understanding it requires understanding the first and second Adam’s Paul referenced. In Eden, through his sin Adam lost dominion and authority to Satan and brought sin and destruction into all of creation. The only way for everything to be restored was for a perfect man, the last Adam, Jesus, to pay the price and redeem creation and humanity. Jesus shed blood on the cross restored this authority as He did what He did as a man not as God.

Jesus lived a sinless life as a man. Though always fully God and fully man at His conception in Mary’s womb, this king incarnate, the One who came from heaven to earth did what He did as a man, He set aside His divine abilities. I don’t know how; I only know that it is the testimony of scripture. In doing so He redeemed us and creation, so as we celebrate His birth let us also be thankful for His faithfulness and obedience to the Father throughout His earthly life that purchased our salvation.

Merry Christmas!

NOTE for some the idea of Jesus carrying out His earthly ministry without His divine abilities is a new or strange idea. I wrote a brief two part series on this in 2015. The link is below.

http://wisdomfromtheword.ca/the-man-christ-jesus-part-1/

The King is Coming – Part 2

In my last post I concluded saying that we would look at why Jesus needed to redeem us and how it relates to the delegation of authority in the kingdom of God. Thus, we begin with the why part which we find in Genesis 3. This is the famous chapter where the serpent tempted Eve and she, and subsequently Adam, partook of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This act infected all of creation with sin and also affected Adam and Eve’s dominion. They now had dominion over a broken and fallen creation and gave much of their authority to the serpent, Satan.

We see the fruit of this loss of authority in scripture with Satan tempting Jesus. Satan offered to give Jesus his kingdom (Matthew 4:8-10, Luke 4:5-7) and Jesus refused it. Some have attempted to deny Satan’s offer was real as scripture says he is both a liar and the father of lies. The point however is that as the father of lies it is his nature is to deceive and here he sought to deceive Jesus by offering a shortcut to authority and a way to avoid the cross. Scripture shows the authority of Satan and his minions in the following verses.

³¹ Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. John 12:31 (NKJV)

³⁰ I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. John 14:30 (NKJV)

¹¹ of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. John 16:11 (NKJV)

⁴ whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NKJV)

² in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 2 Corinthians 4:4 (NKJV)

These verses explain Jesus’ statement in The Great Commission that all authority had been given to Him.

¹⁸ And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” Matthew 28:18 (NKJV)

Jesus redeemed us from both sin and the dominion of the kingdom of darkness (Colossians 1:13) and has delegated to us the responsibility of furthering His kingdom on the earth by bringing people from the kingdom of darkness to light and demonstrating His kingdom by reflecting Jesus’ nature and character in all that we do.

Next week we will go deeper by looking at the significance of Paul’s statement “The Man Christ Jesus” in 1 Timothy and tie it back to The Great Commission and the first and second Adams that Paul references in 1 Corinthians 15.

The King is Coming – Part 1

This month many celebrate Advent, the Sunday’s leading up to the celebration of Jesus arrival as a baby, one wrapped in swaddling cloths of course. I am personally quite convinced that Jesus was born in the fall, however, given that there is a broad practice of celebrating the birth of Jesus on December 25 I am looking at what the arrival of our King means in reference to the broader kingdom of God. We begin with an overview of the kingdom, look at what Jesus’ birth inaugurated and conclude with what He accomplished through His crucifixion and resurrection.

When Jesus was born in the earth as a helpless baby the kingdom of God was presented to earth in a new way because the King had become one of us. Yet to have all authority Jesus had to live, be crucified and then resurrected (this will be addressed later). We begin defining and briefly explaining the kingdom of God.

The etymology of kingdom is uncertain but at the most basic level, a kingdom is anywhere that falls under the king’s domain or dominion. We see in scripture that ‘The kingdom of God’ and the ‘kingdom of heaven’ are two ways of referring to the same thing.

¹⁷From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17 (NKJV)

¹⁴Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, ¹⁵and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and thekingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.” Mark 1:14-15 (NKJV)

The kingdom of God operates through delegated authority with Yahweh the divine king as the ultimate source of all authority, an authority that He can delegate to others. We see this in Genesis.

²⁶Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” Genesis 1:26 (NKJV)

Adam and Eve were given dominion over the earth and the creatures on it. Yet they corrupted their delegated dominion through sin (Genesis 3) and their sin affected all of creation (Romans 8:20-21), which brings us back to Advent. Jesus came to save us from sin and restore what was lost. We have this angelic prophetic message given to Joseph regarding Jesus birth.

²¹ And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 (NKJV)

We later have this statement regarding our salvation and restoration in Revelation.

⁹ And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, Revelation 5:9 (NKJV)

In Greek the word redeemed refers to purchasing something, in this case us! Next week we will delve into why Jesus needed to redeem us and how it relates to the delegation of authority in the kingdom of God.

Encounters

Encounters with the Living God can change us. Salvation, the new birth, is an encounter, an event that initiates a process. As we then walk with Jesus we should be growing and reflecting more of His character. Paul describes this ongoing process as Christ being formed in us (Galatians 4:19) and it is seen in his teaching around the works of the flesh in contrast to the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:19-26) and the sowing and reaping principle he presents (Galatians 6:7-10). The ongoing process of spiritual growth is built on daily faithfulness. Isaiah described is as ‘precept upon precept, line upon line (Isaiah 28:10).

In a faithful daily walk there are also moments or opportunities of encounter. There is an expression, ‘Character isn’t formed in crisis it is revealed.’ What we have daily sown into our lives is what will be revealed when we encounter a significant challenge. We see an example in the life of Isaiah in chapter 6, in particular, verse 3-7.

³ And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” ⁴ And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. ⁵ So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The LORD of hosts.” ⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. ⁷ And he touched my mouth with it, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.” Isaiah 6:3–7 (NKJV)

Prior to this encounter, Isaiah had been prophesying judgement during the reign of Uzziah. After Uzziah died Isaiah saw Yahweh on the throne (John informs us this was Jesus – (John 12:37-41) and essentially said, ‘Oh no! I’m also in trouble!’ Isaiah shifted from pronouncing judgment on others to pronouncing it on himself.

When Isaiah saw Yahweh/Jesus on the throne he acknowledged that he was in need of cleansing. Then one of the seraphim flew to Isaiah with a live coal and when it touched his lips (Isaiah had been using his voice to pronounce judgment) said his inequity and sin were removed. As an aside, if you have an image of a cute cherubic figure in mind, banish that. Seraphim literally means ‘burning ones.’ These fiery creatures burned with holiness and zeal for Yahweh and His glory. Cherubim in scripture are similar, guardians of sacred space who protected Eden after Adam and Eve were banished and guard the ark of the covenant.

Now back to Isaiah’s encounter. The fruit of the encounter was a prophetic ministry that spanned decades (I once calculated it at 55 years, scholarly speculation varies from 40-60 years). It led to Isaiah prophesying Jesus’ birth, the restoration of the nation, the crucifixion and a number of other significant events with Isaiah being known as the ‘prince of prophets.’

Now the key here is not that Isaiah had an encounter, it is his response. I have sought to be faithful in my daily walk but I have also had encounters with His presence. I don’t claim anything like Isaiah’s experience, yet I once had an encounter where it felt like the Spirit unveiled eternity to me. It was a brief frightening experience that was only resolved in my heart and mind a couple of decades later. I trust that I responded correctly but don’t fully know. I do know that encounters with His presence are opportunities. Thus, I suggest, let’s daily walk with Him, seek His face and be prepared for encounters that drive our walk deeper.

PS – do you have something to share from your walk with Jesus?

Values, What a Concept Part 3

I close this series looking at the challenges of aligning our values and worldview with scripture. The first thing to note is that this is a real battle, spiritual warfare. As I noted in my last post, “The presentation of our body to His service and the considering of ourselves as dead to our former way of life, sin, are both acts of spiritual warfare that establish and enforce His victory in our lives and make us salt and light in our culture.”

To intentionally engage in this transformational process, we need to draw on His grace to swim against the tide of our culture and the spiritual influence of darkness, which is of course a significant part of our current culture. We draw on His grace in two ways. One, way is by asking for the Spirit’s help, the other is intentionally stepping into this battle by seeking to find and engage in the things He has prepared for us to do. Paul said it this way.

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast. ¹⁰ For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:8–10 (NKJV)

The Lord has already prepared things for us to do, our part is to discern and engage in them. While there may specific things each of us need to discern, some things are clearly laid out for all of us. Jesus presented a number of them in the Sermon on the Mount, here is a brief sample.

¹⁶ Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 (NKJV)

⁴³ “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ ⁴⁴ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. ⁴⁶ For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? ⁴⁷ And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? ⁴⁸ Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:43–48 (NKJV)

If you haven’t thought of these as acts of spiritual warfare and engaging in cultural transformation, they are, and when you engage in them you are modeling the values of the kingdom. This is presenting our members as instruments/weapons of righteousness (Romans 6:12-14, 17-19) and presenting our body as a living sacrifice and aligning our thinking and acting with the values of the kingdom (Romans 12:1-2).

Let’s daily do that.