I was driving and thinking recently about the Person of Jesus Christ; about how incredible He was in the “days of His flesh” (Hebrews 5:7); His integrity, patience, compassion, selflessness, self-control, etc. If you think of Him you can’t help but grow quiet in deep admiration and amazement for Who He is.
Then one of God’s promises hit me – “We shall be like Him . . .” (1 John 3:2). All who belong to Him are going to have His exact image stamped into their souls. I’m going to be like Him! If we’re honest, is there really anything in time or eternity we want more than that?! Nothing is more important, nothing. So, everything we go through is designed to that end.
“God causes ALL things to work together for good to them that love God, to them called according to His purpose . . . to be conformed to the image of His Son . . .” (Romans 8:28-29)
Who Jesus was as Son of Man wasn’t based on his upbringing or his vocation or his physical appearance or social status. It was based on Who He was within His soul and spirit; it was based on His thinking. Here’s what I mean.
“As he thinks in his heart, so is he.” (Proverbs 23:7).
We are what we think. This is why there is such an overwhelming emphasis placed on our thoughts, our mind, in the Bible.
“Be transformed (into the image of Christ) by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2).
This is where the battle rages and where the victory is won or lost. Circumstances have nothing to do with it. We can have everything we think we want and be miserable or have nothing and be happy. It’s our thinking that determines our personal development as children of God. Freedom, rest, maturity, Christlikeness, etc., all these things are directly related to thinking, to truth (John 8:32; Matthew 11:28-29; 2Peter 3:18; 2 Timothy 3:16 and many more like passages).
Those who are victorious, who have inner happiness and rest, are those who think truth 24/7. For the mature believer every situation, every event, every relationship, every good thing, every catastrophe is run through the grid of truth resulting in thanksgiving or indignation or sadness or joy or rest or patient endurance.
When our minds are filled with, and controlled by the truth (cp. Ephesians 5:18 with Colossians 3:16) which is God’s viewpoint of life, we simply look at our situation and determine God’s will based on His Word and His leading in that instance. Then we move forward in full dependence (not on ourselves) but on His indwelling Spirit to provide the strength, wisdom and resources needed to accomplish God will, “Not by power, nor by might, but by My Spirit says the Lord . . .” (Zechariah 4:6). In principle, living the Christian life is not that complex. Challenging, absolutely, but God never intended this to be beyond our comprehension. The more we “learn of Him” the clearer things become.
Here are a couple of practical illustrations:
In Exodus 14 the children of Israel were faced with two choices: Death by sword (the Egyptian army) or death by drowning. This would be considered an impossible situation, unless death was your goal. The only other alternative would be a miracle – God would have to intervene, which He did. So, as they are standing at the Red Sea they can panic, which they did, or they can apply the truths they’ve learned and exercise faith. They can relax and wait on the Lord. This is not what they did (except Moses, Caleb and Joshua), but they could have.
Abraham was given the promise of having a son to be his heir. Eventually, Abraham was too old to have children, as was Sarah, and no child had been born. So, Abraham faced two choices: Wait on the Lord to fulfill His promise (which took 25 years, by the way) or Abraham could try to help God, which he did and which produced Ishmael and the Arab nations. Some time after the Ishmael fiasco Abraham relaxed, rested and waited. As the years went by, Abraham actually had to “hope against hope” being way beyond the age of being able to have children. But God had promised. This was the truth Abraham knew, so he held on to that in spite of the circumstances of his life which gave every appearance of making the fulfillment of God’s promise impossible.
John had “no greater joy” than to see his children walking in the truth (3 John 4). There are a number of things that can bring a parent joy in relation to his children. John knew what the most important was and rejoiced when he saw it. Why would John place this above love or integrity or any other admirable characteristic? Because when the truth controls the thoughts, the rest will happen naturally.
Hebrews 5:14 talks about having our spiritual senses exercised by moving from milk to meat. A person does not move from weakness to strength physically without consistent exercise. Take a long enough break in your training and you almost have to start over. One does not “run with patience the race set before them” (Hebrews 12:1) in one day. Spiritual maturity is actually defined in several passages as the result of growing in the knowledge of God – going from the elementary principles of Gods Word to the deeper things of the Lord (Hebrews 5:14; 1 Corinthians 2:1-3:2).
The things we desire most, inner rest, happiness, confidence, hope, etc. are the result of moving from infancy to maturity. They are the fruit of the Spirit developed in a life saturated daily with the intake of truth. There’s no other way – there’s no short cut to maturity.
So, what are the specific means given in the Bible for a believer to move from spiritual childhood to spiritual adulthood? The clearest passages on this would be 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16-17; Ephesians 4:11-15; 1 Timothy 4:16; and a comparison of Hebrews 5:13-14 with 1 Peter 5:2a & 1 Corinthians 3:2a. The bottom-line is simple: Spiritual maturity is reached by growing in the knowledge of our Lord through consistent study and personal application of the Word of God.
As we grow in our understanding of God's Word, the Lord will “test” all we learn by providing pressures and trials so that what we have learned can become part of who we are in real life experience (Romans 5:1-5; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 1:6-7). As we learn of Him and as the Divine Architect shapes the circumstances of our lives, we move forward to maturity. If the study and application of God's Word is the single, highest, daily priority in our lives we will win; if its not, we will lose. As Hosea 4:6 says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..." Lewis Sperry Chafer, the founder of Dallas Theological Seminary, believed that the attitude of any person toward the Word of God was the most “. . . certain indication of the innermost character and reality of that person's spiritual state.”
Now, nothing I’ve said is probably much of a revelation. We all know that we grow through knowledge learned and lived. However, even Christians who are daily in the Word often find themselves defeated and confused, not because they are unstudied but because they are "untaught" (2 Peter 3:16 "amatheis"). There’s a huge difference.
Just as the role of the pastor involves teaching, the role of the believer involves listening (Hebrews 13:7). It’s a simple system in concept; the pastor studies and teaches, and the congregation listens, learns, and applies the truths they receive. “Untaught” means “uninstructed”. Personal study is important (Acts 17:11) but it can never take the place of being instructed in the Word from those called and gifted of God to do so (Ephesians 4:11-15).
In the early church the believers gathered primarily to hear the teaching of the scriptures; other activities were secondary (Acts 2:42 cp. 1 Timothy 4:6, 11, 16), and for good reason - the primary goal of the Christian life is "growing in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ ... that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine... but speaking the truth in love, may grow up . . ." (2 Peter 3:18; Ephesians 4:15), and this can only happen as the saints commit themselves in ongoing, faithful submission to the teaching of God's Word.
So, isn’t this happening? Pastors are teaching all over our country. If this is happening, why so much defeat and immaturity? Where’s the breakdown? It’s twofold. First, there are certain realities in "handling the Word of God" (2 Corinthians 4:2 cp. 2 Timothy 2:15b) which must be utilized to insure that effective teaching is taking place. For example, there are definite rules of Biblical interpretation that if ignored can sabotage effectual teaching. Not everyone who is teaching is doing so in a way that can move believers forward spiritually. If the pastor you are under isn’t giving what you need and you limit your intake to what he is offering in spite of a feeling of spiritual starvation, moving forward is not going to happen.
“They (the prophets/teachers) heal the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially." (Jeremiah 8:11.
Your loyalty to your pastor and church is admirable, but your loyalty to God and His plan for your life must have the highest priority (Matthew 10:37-39).
There are ways to teach the Bible that genuinely instruct and edify the saints and there are teaching methods that leave the church empty - or worse. For instance, the Bible has devotional content, but it is not primarily a devotional book. It is a revelation of the nature, character and plan of God; and these truths aren't going to be learned by devotional-style teaching, and they aren't going to be learned overnight.
Teaching "... all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:27b) in all its glorious aspects is what builds the soul and spirit of a young believer into a mature saint. It is God’s plan for us to grow to maturity in this way. Bible teaching is to be accurate, in-depth, and thorough (Colossians 1:28; Acts 20:27).
Personal study of the Bible and reading random books and articles can help, they can supplement, but there is no substitute for learning from the spiritual gift of pastor-teacher. Just as salvation is “one way only”, so also is growth to maturity. God has laid out His plan for this in His Word, as well as the reasons it must be this way, and we ignore (or creatively alter) that plan to our own peril.
The second reason for much of the spiritual struggle in our generation is the unwillingness of the saints to persevere under the teaching they need until they reach maturity. This problem was actually prophesied in 2 Timothy 4:3 which states, “For the time will come when they will not endure (lit. persevere in) sound doctrine..." Bearing down (“enduring”) under sound teaching day after day, week after week and year after year is what we must do. “Give us this day our daily bread” has become “give us this week our weekly devotional”. Moving from milk to meat does not mean moving from “Our Daily Bread” to “Max Lucado”. There’s much more to it than that.
God’s not asking for production. He’s not asking for us to help Him do what only He can do. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. He loves us with an infinite love and has made complete provision for our growth and happiness. He will work in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).
What God is asking is for us to grow in grace and knowledge as we learn the truths of His Word by faithfully, consistently listening, praying and applying; getting us to the place where we think the truth at all times, where our minds have been so renewed by the scriptures, away from the thinking of the world (and the resultant misery of the world’s thinking), that we can see God as He really is and share His happiness. A disciple is first of all a student.
Ok, just to be both specific and annoyingly repetitious, let's sum up.
Just as the non-Christian wants to believe there many paths to God, many Christians want to believe there are many paths to spiritual growth. But in salvation God has made one perfect provision, the cross, and anyone who tries to enter another way, will not get in (John 10:1). So also in spiritual advance, God has made a perfect provision. It’s a system of training based on learning in humility under authority through discipline. It’s not a multiple choice. It’s not a smorgasbord. There is one plan, one provision, one way.
"I have come that they might have life . . . the words I speak to you, they are spirit and they are life." (John 10:10, John 6:63).
Life in Christ, as the Lord intended it to be, only comes by the word of God. In numerous passages and principles we are told to live one day at a time. We are to forget the past (Philippians 3:13) and leave the future in God’s hands (Matthew 6:34). The past is past and the future is unwritten. We must live in the present, each day, and in this day we are in training. Each day we are to learn the scriptures from those gifted by God to teach and open the scriptures to us. If our pastor doesn't teach four or five times a week (and whose does?) then there are books, CD's, etc. that are available for us. We can learn through those whom God has called to this ministry as often as we'd like.
The bottom line is - we need consistent instruction; it's a suvival issue. Every day we need new strength. We must be brought into the truth as often as possible, so our minds can be occupied with Christ and the enemy's lies cannot get a grip on us. We can stay above the world and deception we are living in, we can abide in Christ, if His word dwells richly in our souls (Colossians 3:16).
". . . if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules." (2 Timothy 2:5)
The “rules” for spiritual growth are very simple: daily instruction of God’s word under the authority of the spiritual gift of pastor/teacher (Ephesians 4:11-15; Hebrews 13:7,17). This is the system of training for spiritual advance God has provided for His children to “grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18)
It would take a whole study to detail why, Old and New Testament, the humility/authority issue is so vital to the spiritual development of the people of God. It would take another study to demonstrate the need to have the spiritual gift of pastor-teacher engaged instead of simply opting for personal devotions.
Daily devotions isn’t the plan, reading the latest, most popular Christian book isn’t the plan, going to Church on Sunday and maybe throwing in a home group during the week is not the plan. Just as the cults have come up with a multitude of what seem to be Biblical and reasonable plans to get into heaven, Christians have also come up with a multitude of what seem to be Biblical and reasonable ways to move from infancy to maturity, but there’s only one way.
So, all we need to do at this point is ask ourselves two simple questions:
1). Do we know and believe the specifics of God's provision for our growth in Christ?
2). Are we availing ourselves of that provision each day or have we substituted our own agenda?
Every day we make a choice. If we make the right one, by God's grace, we win this race.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Revisiting the 4th Turning
The Convergence of 2012
by Mary Miller, Director of Research
Previously, we’ve discussed the cycles of history that promise to converge to create the anticipated apocalypse of 2012—a time when life as we know it ends and a new “spiritually enlightened” world emerges.
As we continue the study of cycle theory, the work of Neil Howe and William Strauss has been applauded in secular circles as “visionary.” Indeed, their book The Fourth Turning is provocative in addressing the cycle they believe America is in at this moment. In their 1997 work, Howe and Strauss defined four repeating generational archetypes: 1) Hero (raised protectively as children); 2) Artist (raised during a time of crisis); 3) Prophet (raised during post-crisis affluence); and 4) Nomad (raised during times of cultural upheavals).
As each of these generations progress through four phases of life (childhood, young adulthood, mid life, and old age), they create a “turning.” The turning represents the end of one 20-year cycle (approx.) and the beginning of another. The “national mood of the country depends upon where the generational archetypes exist within the cycles.” Howe explained “turnings” in a recent interview in “The Casey Report”:
Just as there are four generational archetypes, there are four turnings. The First Turning we call a High. Highs are periods in which institutions are strong and individualism is weak. Highs in America were experienced post-World War II, post-Civil War, and post-American Revolution. These were times when Americans felt good about themselves and wanted to gather together to enjoy life and prosperity.
Highs are followed by the Second Turning we call an Awakening. Awakenings are periods of public progress with no apparent limit to prosperity. However, suddenly everyone tires of social conformity and decides they want to rediscover individuality. America’s most recent and most memorable period of Awakening began in the mid-60s and continued into the early 1980s.
Awakenings are followed by the Third Turning we call an Un-raveling. In an Unraveling, individualism flourishes while institutions are weak and discredited. It is a time of celebrity circuses and a tremendous amount of freedom and creativity in our personal lives, but very little sense of public purpose. In American history, these were also decades of cynicism. The most recent period of Unraveling lasted from the mid-‘80s through the mid-‘90s and historically during the 1920s, the 1850s, and the 1760s.
A Third Turning has always historically been followed by a Fourth Turning. The generational line-up sets the stage: a Prophet generation enters old age, with Nomads entering mid-life, Heroes entering young adulthood, and Artists arriving as children.
It was Howe’s comments regarding the beginning of a Fourth Turning that got my full attention:
We have seen that if history doesn’t provide a Crisis-catalyzing event, Fourth-Turning leaders will invent them in order to galvanize collective action and begin the process of reversing many of the Third Turning attitudes. The culture begins to find a sense of purpose again, including propaganda that spurs people to coalesce around the same goal. Individualism gives way to a new sense of community. People begin to identify themselves with larger groups. We have seen this in previous Fourth Turnings, like the 1930s, which the historian Frederick Lewis Allen called the decade of community and belonging.
(Perhaps the comparisons of Barack H. Obama to Franklin D. Roosevelt following the first 100 days of Obama’s presidency were not so far-fetched.)
According to Howe, we are in the process of entering a Fourth Turning—one that is characterized by an agenda. And, it just so happens to come at a time when an agenda for change fits squarely into an already popular topic of catastrophic change—2012.
In order to mobilize a society to change quickly, an atmosphere of fear must be obtained and sustained. Historically, it has happened with war. However, the War on Terror, while mobilizing a reduction in personal freedoms in America, did not maintain our attention. The ensuing global financial meltdown (allowed by the U.S. government, the U.S. financial institutions, the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury) followed. Again, the situation had our full attention, but very little public outcry with the initial takeover of private banks and corporations.
There may be a reason for the slow start of a public response to the change in government attitude. Regarding the general mind-set at the time, Neil Howe said,
“During the Third Turning, it was in the interest of any investor and anyone in any business not to be noticed by the government, but rather to make your decisions in the free market, pocket your money, and move on.”
Howe continued with what would have been timely advice for many corporate executives,
“Now, however, you want to know and build relationships with people in power, because you never know when they will have the opportunity to do something for you—or do something to you.” (emphasis mine)
As we watch the headlines, we are amazed at the speed with which change is happening, especially in America. It is purposed that way.
Historically, many world leaders have sought a one-world (global) agenda. We are entering an extraordinary time in which the cycles of nature, societies, governments, and economies are converging in what appears to be a perfect vortex for the change to achieve that goal. Howe concluded his above re-marks with,
“Pragmatically speaking, as we move into an era of community and belonging, if you do not belong, your interests and your point of view are not going to be taken into ac-count.”
The “Change We Can Believe In” campaign slogan that brought Obama into the White House will require the “individual” to be sacrificed on the altar of “community.” The diversity of the American Middle Class must give way to a “standard acceptable lifestyle” in keeping with the world population. The time has arrived for the wealthy (regardless of how they came into that wealth) to pay for their opulence. In order to bring about the desired change without allowing society to disintegrate into total anarchy, a spirit of fear will continue to be dispensed from government leaders via a media that has already bought into the vision for the future. It is for such a time as this that Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Cycles represent the rehearsals of what will ultimately become the end. Without a Biblical worldview, it will be easy to assume that what we face is just another cycle—one in which we will survive to live another day and change the outcome. This is a part of the deception the ruler of this world would have us believe. Paul again provides advice for our generation in 2 Timothy 3:13, “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.”
The hype surrounding 2012 provides a backdrop to explain what is happening on a spiritual level in conjunction with the ancient civilizations as well as keep an apocalyptic fear of disaster at the forefront of our thoughts. It is imperative that we maintain situational awareness in our personal lives—that we not accept a spirit of fear, allow the deception to creep into our thoughts, and become part of the “community.”
Biblically speaking, what makes this convergence of cycles so different from those observed in history? Israel is in the land in unbelief as foretold by the prophets. We are operating on God’s time clock now. Truth is that point where word and deed meet. What lays on our horizon is that point where God’s Word and His deeds become one and prophecy is fulfilled. All indications point to a time of unprecedented upheaval to life as we know it. But then again, we’ve read the Book and we know the ending.
by Mary Miller, Director of Research
Previously, we’ve discussed the cycles of history that promise to converge to create the anticipated apocalypse of 2012—a time when life as we know it ends and a new “spiritually enlightened” world emerges.
As we continue the study of cycle theory, the work of Neil Howe and William Strauss has been applauded in secular circles as “visionary.” Indeed, their book The Fourth Turning is provocative in addressing the cycle they believe America is in at this moment. In their 1997 work, Howe and Strauss defined four repeating generational archetypes: 1) Hero (raised protectively as children); 2) Artist (raised during a time of crisis); 3) Prophet (raised during post-crisis affluence); and 4) Nomad (raised during times of cultural upheavals).
As each of these generations progress through four phases of life (childhood, young adulthood, mid life, and old age), they create a “turning.” The turning represents the end of one 20-year cycle (approx.) and the beginning of another. The “national mood of the country depends upon where the generational archetypes exist within the cycles.” Howe explained “turnings” in a recent interview in “The Casey Report”:
Just as there are four generational archetypes, there are four turnings. The First Turning we call a High. Highs are periods in which institutions are strong and individualism is weak. Highs in America were experienced post-World War II, post-Civil War, and post-American Revolution. These were times when Americans felt good about themselves and wanted to gather together to enjoy life and prosperity.
Highs are followed by the Second Turning we call an Awakening. Awakenings are periods of public progress with no apparent limit to prosperity. However, suddenly everyone tires of social conformity and decides they want to rediscover individuality. America’s most recent and most memorable period of Awakening began in the mid-60s and continued into the early 1980s.
Awakenings are followed by the Third Turning we call an Un-raveling. In an Unraveling, individualism flourishes while institutions are weak and discredited. It is a time of celebrity circuses and a tremendous amount of freedom and creativity in our personal lives, but very little sense of public purpose. In American history, these were also decades of cynicism. The most recent period of Unraveling lasted from the mid-‘80s through the mid-‘90s and historically during the 1920s, the 1850s, and the 1760s.
A Third Turning has always historically been followed by a Fourth Turning. The generational line-up sets the stage: a Prophet generation enters old age, with Nomads entering mid-life, Heroes entering young adulthood, and Artists arriving as children.
It was Howe’s comments regarding the beginning of a Fourth Turning that got my full attention:
We have seen that if history doesn’t provide a Crisis-catalyzing event, Fourth-Turning leaders will invent them in order to galvanize collective action and begin the process of reversing many of the Third Turning attitudes. The culture begins to find a sense of purpose again, including propaganda that spurs people to coalesce around the same goal. Individualism gives way to a new sense of community. People begin to identify themselves with larger groups. We have seen this in previous Fourth Turnings, like the 1930s, which the historian Frederick Lewis Allen called the decade of community and belonging.
(Perhaps the comparisons of Barack H. Obama to Franklin D. Roosevelt following the first 100 days of Obama’s presidency were not so far-fetched.)
According to Howe, we are in the process of entering a Fourth Turning—one that is characterized by an agenda. And, it just so happens to come at a time when an agenda for change fits squarely into an already popular topic of catastrophic change—2012.
In order to mobilize a society to change quickly, an atmosphere of fear must be obtained and sustained. Historically, it has happened with war. However, the War on Terror, while mobilizing a reduction in personal freedoms in America, did not maintain our attention. The ensuing global financial meltdown (allowed by the U.S. government, the U.S. financial institutions, the Federal Reserve and the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury) followed. Again, the situation had our full attention, but very little public outcry with the initial takeover of private banks and corporations.
There may be a reason for the slow start of a public response to the change in government attitude. Regarding the general mind-set at the time, Neil Howe said,
“During the Third Turning, it was in the interest of any investor and anyone in any business not to be noticed by the government, but rather to make your decisions in the free market, pocket your money, and move on.”
Howe continued with what would have been timely advice for many corporate executives,
“Now, however, you want to know and build relationships with people in power, because you never know when they will have the opportunity to do something for you—or do something to you.” (emphasis mine)
As we watch the headlines, we are amazed at the speed with which change is happening, especially in America. It is purposed that way.
Historically, many world leaders have sought a one-world (global) agenda. We are entering an extraordinary time in which the cycles of nature, societies, governments, and economies are converging in what appears to be a perfect vortex for the change to achieve that goal. Howe concluded his above re-marks with,
“Pragmatically speaking, as we move into an era of community and belonging, if you do not belong, your interests and your point of view are not going to be taken into ac-count.”
The “Change We Can Believe In” campaign slogan that brought Obama into the White House will require the “individual” to be sacrificed on the altar of “community.” The diversity of the American Middle Class must give way to a “standard acceptable lifestyle” in keeping with the world population. The time has arrived for the wealthy (regardless of how they came into that wealth) to pay for their opulence. In order to bring about the desired change without allowing society to disintegrate into total anarchy, a spirit of fear will continue to be dispensed from government leaders via a media that has already bought into the vision for the future. It is for such a time as this that Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”
Cycles represent the rehearsals of what will ultimately become the end. Without a Biblical worldview, it will be easy to assume that what we face is just another cycle—one in which we will survive to live another day and change the outcome. This is a part of the deception the ruler of this world would have us believe. Paul again provides advice for our generation in 2 Timothy 3:13, “But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.”
The hype surrounding 2012 provides a backdrop to explain what is happening on a spiritual level in conjunction with the ancient civilizations as well as keep an apocalyptic fear of disaster at the forefront of our thoughts. It is imperative that we maintain situational awareness in our personal lives—that we not accept a spirit of fear, allow the deception to creep into our thoughts, and become part of the “community.”
Biblically speaking, what makes this convergence of cycles so different from those observed in history? Israel is in the land in unbelief as foretold by the prophets. We are operating on God’s time clock now. Truth is that point where word and deed meet. What lays on our horizon is that point where God’s Word and His deeds become one and prophecy is fulfilled. All indications point to a time of unprecedented upheaval to life as we know it. But then again, we’ve read the Book and we know the ending.
Faith at the End of the Age
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
(Hebrews 11:1)
For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it patiently. (Romans 8:24-25)
We walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)
The word used for “faith” (confidence in God) may change depending on context (“hope” is used in Romans 8), but there is one concept that is common to all three passages – the absence of sight, “ . . . certain of what we do not see”, “hope for what we do not see”, “by faith, not by sight”. When we are young Christians much of our faith is based on what we see God doing for us or others. Our faith seems to rest on our increasing awareness of God’s activity and faithfulness to His word. But the faith of the mature saint, the faith that glorifies the Lord most, is faith that does not require sight to support it.
In spiritual maturity faith and sight are often mutually exclusive. Faith is based solely on God’s word, on His integrity, not on what He does or does not do for us. Why is this so important in our generation?
At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
It is my personal belief that we are living in the time described in this prophetic passage of scripture. The final “shaking” predicted by the author of Hebrews has begun, so faith in the midst of the storm is more important than ever.
As Jesus said in Luke 18:8, “Nevertheless when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” This becomes the ultimate criteria for the church in the last generation – will we be strong in faith when both the earth and heavens have been shaken to the core? Whether we are talking about spiritual, emotional, cultural, social or political realms, all will be shaken to discover what has eternal value, to see what will “remain”.
In addition it’s important to remember that the antichrist and those who precede and prepare his way are operating by an opposite principle of faith. The spirit of antichrist provides “sight” in abundance. They deceive the world by “miracles, signs and wonders”,
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders. (2 Thessalonians 2:9)
This lawless one will stimulate the faith of the masses because of what he does in their sight. At a time like this, only the spiritually mature believer who requires no “sight” will remain unfazed, undeceived, because he will know in Whom he has believed and nothing will shake his resolve to remain true to Him. If in your life, personally, there seems to be an absence of God combined with the presence of overwhelming pressure (“shaking”) God has not abandoned you, He is preparing you for this very unique time in history. The world pursues a faith supported by evidence, but the only evidence the mature saint needs is God’s word. The spiritually mature child of God walks by faith, not by sight, and is able to say with Job, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15).
(Hebrews 11:1)
For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it patiently. (Romans 8:24-25)
We walk by faith, not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)
The word used for “faith” (confidence in God) may change depending on context (“hope” is used in Romans 8), but there is one concept that is common to all three passages – the absence of sight, “ . . . certain of what we do not see”, “hope for what we do not see”, “by faith, not by sight”. When we are young Christians much of our faith is based on what we see God doing for us or others. Our faith seems to rest on our increasing awareness of God’s activity and faithfulness to His word. But the faith of the mature saint, the faith that glorifies the Lord most, is faith that does not require sight to support it.
In spiritual maturity faith and sight are often mutually exclusive. Faith is based solely on God’s word, on His integrity, not on what He does or does not do for us. Why is this so important in our generation?
At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, "Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." The words "once more" indicate the removing of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain.
It is my personal belief that we are living in the time described in this prophetic passage of scripture. The final “shaking” predicted by the author of Hebrews has begun, so faith in the midst of the storm is more important than ever.
As Jesus said in Luke 18:8, “Nevertheless when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” This becomes the ultimate criteria for the church in the last generation – will we be strong in faith when both the earth and heavens have been shaken to the core? Whether we are talking about spiritual, emotional, cultural, social or political realms, all will be shaken to discover what has eternal value, to see what will “remain”.
In addition it’s important to remember that the antichrist and those who precede and prepare his way are operating by an opposite principle of faith. The spirit of antichrist provides “sight” in abundance. They deceive the world by “miracles, signs and wonders”,
The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders. (2 Thessalonians 2:9)
This lawless one will stimulate the faith of the masses because of what he does in their sight. At a time like this, only the spiritually mature believer who requires no “sight” will remain unfazed, undeceived, because he will know in Whom he has believed and nothing will shake his resolve to remain true to Him. If in your life, personally, there seems to be an absence of God combined with the presence of overwhelming pressure (“shaking”) God has not abandoned you, He is preparing you for this very unique time in history. The world pursues a faith supported by evidence, but the only evidence the mature saint needs is God’s word. The spiritually mature child of God walks by faith, not by sight, and is able to say with Job, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him” (Job 13:15).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)