Quaker Worship

 

^"What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification." 

                                                                                                                                --  I Corinthians 14:26

Thus Paul begins his summary of instruction on the charismata (grace gifts) of the Spirit: by highlighting their normative operation in Christian worship-services, "when you assemble."

I think we have to understand, therefore, that God's absolute intent is that He ALONE structure our praise-giving, and Alone determine its content.

It's certainly not possible to know the innermost heart of every "worship-leader" and pastor, of course: but it's probably safe to say that few of our "evangelical" churches (even formally "pentecostal" churches) prepare for their Sunday service without some planned "order-of-worship" and sermon-topic.

And we can all testify that God can, and certainly does, work through even the most rigid and traditional orders-of-worship.  In addition to their edification of believers, Paul writes that our services of worship must be "done properly, and in an orderly manner" (v. 40).

But I've always admired the raw faith of traditional Quakers that God is "not a God of confusion" (v. 33), and will Himself Sovereignly order our worship in the "Spirit and Truth" He desires of His worshippers.  I've often thought a few Quakers sitting together in silence, listening for God to give one of them a word to speak to their waiting hearts, may please God more than any other Christian worshippers.

We often speak of our worship as "waiting on God."  How pleasing can it be to The Holy One that our "waiting on God" involves no waiting on God, and rather pre-empting Him ?

Trinity

I cannot understand the doctrine of the Trinity.  Cannot understand, or even very well picture, how our One God is in three Persons.  Saint Patrick's example of the shamrock is probably the closest I've ever come to understanding this Mystery at the center of all things.

And I doubt any of the greatest theologians have ever, or can ever, truly understand.  That inevitably follows from the fact we all experience, know, and believe, that man and his abilities are less than God's.  In every honest theology, "I AM" IS Mystery except as God is pleased to reveal Himself

I only know and believe, in my personal experience...probably the only place, and only way, any theology can ever be honest...that except in loving Jesus and knowing His love for me, I could never know The Father, nor have The Spirit.

Amen.

Worldviews

"For as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he..."    Proverbs 23:7

People see the same event different ways.  It all comes down to each person's “worldview,” what criteria he brings to interpreting reality.  And what criteria a person chooses tells you a lot about what he "thinketh in his heart."

Right now, I'm hearing people, even some Christians, say the January 6^th hearings are all about politics.

That’s not the worldview of anyone who agrees in God's commands that human beings do right and not wrong, that they speak truth and not lies.

And no Christian will ever consider any worldview but God's definitive.

Today's Confession

"Jesus said...“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me."

                                                                                                                            --  John 14:6

 

I believe Jesus Christ IS The Life, as He said.  So I will do no violence to others by word or deed, nor follow the ways of murderers.  Amen.

I believe Jesus Christ IS The Truth, as He said. So I will not lie, nor deceive myself, nor follow the ways of liars.  Amen.

I believe Jesus Christ IS The Way, as He said, and the only Way to the Father.  So I will follow no other way, and I renounce satan and all his ways.  Amen.

 

I believe Jesus, so I will follow Him.  What He said I will do.  This is my confession today.  Amen, and Amen.

At the Moment

 

Our Bible-study teacher often started the class by asking “What jumped out at you in this chapter ?”  There were always some folks in the class who had read and meditated on the chapter, and had “heard” a word there from the Spirit that they were eager to talk about.

The hour of discussion that followed usually gave us insights, questions, and challenges enough to ponder all week.  I appreciated the teacher’s wisdom in opening the class that way: it encouraged us to hear the Spirit speaking in scripture, and fed our spirits all week.

Not every student heard exactly the same word, of course: God doesn’t make robots.  There were even times people heard seemingly-contrary things in scripture.  Those times, it seemed folks in the class were able to practice spiritual discernment…another opportunity for us to hear the Spirit…and sort out differences, so they weren’t problems.

But usually our “differences” were like the blind men describing an elephant: our limited perceptual abilities “touching” the totality of God’s Wisdom at the different places we could individually reach.  When we realized that, I think it renewed, and increased, our awareness of God’s active UNITY, in His Spirit and His Logos.

It was amazingly frequent, too, that God confirmed something we’d been discussing in Bible-study, in the pastor’s sermon.  He didn’t sit in on our Bible-study, and had prepared his sermon some days previous; but it often turned out the pastor spoke on the same topic we’d talked about in Bible study that morning: sometimes exactly the same scripture: or a related topic that tied-in, or gave nuance, to what we’s discussed in Bible-study.

When that happened, it was exciting, and impossible to miss that God was actively guiding us.  It felt like His verification that we were hearing Him aright in our studying the Bible, and the pastor in preparing his sermon.  It gave us a powerful sense of God’s approval, that the church-body was walking in His Way.

Church leadership decided a few months ago to start on a year-long study-program of the Bible’s major teachings.  Among other things, the program co-ordinates the topics for Bible-study classes and the pastor’s sermon each week. 

Praying about it later, I was hearing that the program was not the way to go, and twice asked the pastor and a couple church-leaders to pray about it again.  My understanding of I Corinthians 14:29 is that private words from the Spirit should be submitted to the judgement of others who hear Him, and these brothers do.  They affirmed the program, however; so I have to think the word I heard was personal direction for me.

My wife said I’d still be able to hear the Spirit in the new Bible-study, as I do in the pastor’s “co-ordinated” sermons; and she’s right.  Anyone who’s listening for the Spirit will hear Him, in whatever way or place He chooses to speak.

My wife’s argument is tempting, and I greatly miss being in the Bible-study.  Miss most of all the sense of God’s immediacy and approval when He verifies the word we hear by His “co-ordination.”  If I was the least bit uncertain of the word I was given…that it’s not the right thing, at least for me…I’d act on her argument.

But I’ve spent years practicing to discern the Spirit’s voice: practicing, most of all, to distinguish His voice from the voice of self-will we all have to deal with.  I’ve learned that when I get it wrong (a normal part of any learning-process), He’s gracious to give me credit for asking, and for doing what I thought I heard from Him.  Learned too that if I continue listening to Him, He’ll correct me in anything I get wrong.

So I don’t doubt the new program is “good,” or that the Spirit will work through it.  I also don’t doubt His word of personal direction, that it’s not the way I should go.

It’s an uncomfortable place to be, for the moment: I miss Bible-study.  But it's the place God wants me to be, for the moment.  I’m eager to see what He has for me next.

 

Son of God, sons of the devil

 

"You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies."

                                                                                --  John 8:44

I have no doubt Jesus IS the Son of God.  So when He tells us how He recognizes the children of satan, we have to pay attention.  He would know.

They are first of all plural, and clearly they were already around in Jesus' lifetime.  There were still many sons of the devil around when Jesus' disciple John wrote about them some years later:

"Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour" (I John 2:18, my emphasis) 

You're right to be aware The Anti-Christ is coming, says John: but be aware too that his little spiritual brothers and sisters are already here, and will be until The Lord returns to settle accounts.

(Which is certainly not to diminish the centrality of The Anti-Christ in satan's scheme.  Just as Jesus Christ is the Incarnate and Only Son of God, here present in human flesh, anti-Christ will be the unique, full-on, counterfeit of Christ, satan's own son, present on earth in human flesh.)

Many of us are convinced we're living today in what John calls "the last hour."  If so, Jesus' major teaching on the "end-times," in Matthew 24, must be of critical relevance to us.  And that discourse is notable for Jesus' repeated warnings to His disciples not to be misled, and not to be deceived, even by the "many [who] will come in My name" (v. 5).

So Jesus again emphasizes that the children of satan will be on the scene, that they will be "many," and that they will be busily spreading their father's lies: for how else are people "misled" and "deceived" than by lies ?

Jesus warns that the "many antichrists" of the end-times will even be spreading "Christian" lies ("in My name").  Indeed, those whom Jesus called children of satan to their face appeared to be "Christians:" they had followed Jesus in Person, and "had believed Him" (John 8:31; for even liars must admit Jesus is speaking truth).  So Jesus' command in Matthew 24 is that we discern, as He discerned, the children of satan by the fact they do satan's characteristic deeds.

(My opinion is that in our day we especially need to heed Jesus' warning, "do not believe them" (Matthew 24:23,26), regards the many "Christian" teachers of "end-times prophecy."  Jesus flatly says that no man knows God's timing (v. 36); and that world-political events and natural disasters are NOT primary prophetic signs of the end-times (vv. 6-7).  In broad characterization, many of today's "Christian" interpreters of "end-times prophecy." predicate their teaching exactly on those things Jesus proscribes.)

We therefore know that satan's children can be discerned by their lies.  And we certainly know what lies are: statements contrary to fact, and reality: statements contrary to Truth, Who Jesus says He IS (John 14:6).

(I often hear people try to excuse themselves from obeying Jesus' command with the complaint that "it's hard these days to know what's true."  That excuse is itself a lie.  In these days of the internet, it's easier than ever to verify, from multiple official, news, or fact-checking websites and "citizen-journalist" sources, what someone has actually said, or if an event actually happened...often with on-scene video of what was said or done.  The only relevant question is if a person loves truth enough to search for it...more properly, Him.)

Jesus says the other "spirit" by which we should discern satan's children is their desire to "murder."  Our varying systems of human criminal-law have rather muddied our understanding of what constitutes "murder:" but Jesus gives us His definition in Matthew 5:21-22.  Jesus says that angry, violent, contempt for others is murder...whether or not blows are struck, or lives lost.

America's experience has verified Jesus' definition.  Violent contempt for others, which has become...rather, has been made...a dominant spirit of national politics, has repeatedly produced in our country horrific mass-murders which meet even humans' legal definitions.

We've also seen that the greatest spouters of violent contempt have also made lies a dominant spirit of American politics, to an extent never before seen.  And it's not hard to see that this change has taken place because lies and murder...Jesus' checklist of "sons of satan"...have been politically successful, tactics for them.

Incredibly, even some Christians have followed the politicians whose ways are, relentlessly and always, lies and murder.

So this blog is my plea to those Christians to repent, and quickly turn back in these last days from following those Jesus has warned us are "children of the devil."

Amen.

Biden Preaches the Gospel

 

A few days ago President Biden went to Buffalo to meet with and console the folks who'd lost family in the mass-shooting there.  Afterwards, he made a speech to them and the nation.

Biden's not a great intellect.  He's not a great orator.  That's not what made his speech notable.

Joe Biden is a man who genuinely cares for people.  An American President should care for the people whom God's put in his charge: so Biden was in Buffalo.

He's also a man of faith, a man with a "moral compass," as his speech showed.

“…evil will not win. I promise you. Hate will not prevail." -- Joe Biden

Biden spoke SPIRITUAL truth to those who are suffering, in Buffalo, and throughout our nation.  In all the hatred, and death, and destruction that assail us, “evil will not win.”  The comfort he offered those survivors, and all of us who grieve for our nation's suffering, is the good news that our King sealed to reality by His life and His death, that “evil will not win.”  The comfort Biden offered those survivors, and all of us who grieve for our nation's suffering, is that in Jesus' rule we have hope that will not be disappointed.

I was also impressed that Biden stands to gain no political advantage by his speech.  The "spiritual discernment" we see manifested by America's "conservative Christians," it's doubtful any of them will hear Christ's comfort or hope in Biden's words: and unlikely any of them will turn back from their delusional adulation of the liars and haters they follow.

Bumper-stickers and The Mind of Christ

 

It's not an perfect metric, of course.  Not every driver wants to publicly state his or her personal opinion, or feels strongly enough about some issue to do so: but bumper-stickers are probably a good indicator of the thoughts of those who do.

Or perhaps better, "attitudes."  Some bumper-stickers are indeed only "attitude," and probably minimally indicative of thought.  Someone whose car is plastered with bumper-stickers like "You'll Only Take My Guns From My Cold Dead Hands" is probably not open to thoughtful (or calm) discussion of the meaning of the Second Amendment.

Most other bumper-stickers presumably indicate the driver has considered his or her viewpoint/opinion/preference on "issues" or candidates.  When that's the case, a bumper-sticker can be an insight to the driver's personal thoughts.

Which sometimes we don't want to know.

I recently had to park in a distant part of the church parking-lot...behind a car with a "Trump 2024" bumper-sticker.  When I left after church I literally prayed I wouldn't see which of my fellow-parishioners drove that car: how could I not think less of that person's moral character and intelligence, knowing those were his or her political thoughts ?

But what's most been on my mind these days is if we should remain at our current church after we move, or go to a church nearer our new living-place.  It has seemed that God may be saying, in the latter eventuality, we should test our Spiritual discretion in choosing a church, and see if we are attuned to His will: able to be "guided by His eye."

So God's metric for a church has been a recurring meditation.  And bumper-stickers may also be relevant there.

As I wrote in an earlier blog, the Great Commission's "make disciples" has seemed to me Jesus' absolute metric: so my question has been what Jesus deems a bona-fide disciple.

The Greek word there is literally "learner:" appropriate for one who follows and listens to the Teacher.  I don't doubt that Jesus also means His disciples will be, in today's phrase, "life-long learners:" since that's how long we are to follow and listen to Him.

And He means more.  His teaching, and that of those He commissions, is that "all nations...obey..." His commands: not merely hear to His teachings, but act on them.  That's considerably more than "evangelizing." which is how the Great Commission is usually preached.

The meaning of our English word "disciple" is undoubtedly enriched by the fact that the Latin word for "learner," discipulus, has also given us the word "discipline."  (And Latin is, of course, one of the first translations in which the gospels spread.)  In regard to preparing those who hear the gospel to act on it, I think we'd be on the mark to connect "making disciples" with teaching people the disciplines that Jesus taught.

Having "the mind that is in Christ" (Philippians 2:5, I Corinthians 2:6, and elsewhere) is undoubtedly one such discipline.  Not natural to us: we must learn it...learn, in the title of one of my teacher Derek Prince' most powerful series, "agreeing with God"...and practice it, to make it our absolute habit-of-mind.

The old saying was that someone was "as nervous as a whore in church."  If a church is making disciples, and its people hear the gospel, I have to think anyone who prefers to hear satan's lies (such as those of the above politician) would be even more uncomfortable in that church: and wouldn't go there at all.

It's not an perfect metric, of course.  But in discerning if a church is "making disciples" according to Jesus' command, driving through the church' parking-lot might provide some insight into whether or not its members' thoughts manifested "the mind of Christ."

My Problem With "conservative Christianity"

My problem with so-called “conservative Christianity” is its hypocrisy: its attempt to pass off its political agenda as “Christian,” to achieve its political ends.   That hypocritical political purpose has been evident from the beginning, when it delivered 80% of “evangelical” votes to the 1980 “conservative” Presidential candidate Ronald Reagan, giving him victory over his Christian opponent.

(But then Reagan was also hypocritical in claiming to be "conservative."

The touchstone of that doctrine was always that government has no business “interfering” with citizens’ personal "rights."  As Governor of California, Reagan enacted that conservative principle in state law when he “de-criminalized” California’s abortion laws so women could make that choice themselves, without government "interference."

But Presidential-candidate Reagan's “conservative” initiative to Christian voters was that he opposed abortion.  It worked so well for him that it remains…at least during every election season…the lip-service "principle" of every “conservative” politician today.)

Christians have been deeply foolish to be deceived by political hypocrites; especially when the deceivers were so blatant as to give their counterfeit a political label.  But my greater grief is Christians’ failure to live up to scripture’s teachings.

The Church has long allowed itself to be rent by division, contrary scripture’s numerous teachings about our unity in the Spirit (I Corinthians 12:13 and Ephesians 4:4-5 for example): and most grievous of all, contrary Jesus’ prayer that our unity be like His with the Father, witnessing His glory to the world (John 17:20-22).

We’ve accepted the divisions we’ve created as manifestations of our obedience to God, by our theological purity.  Or is that not why the Orthodox and Protestant churches separated from the Catholic church, Calvinists from Reformed, Puritans from Church of England, Fundamentalists and Charismatics and Evangelicals from all those other kinds of Christians ?

While they may have some descriptive usefulness, every modifier we’ve attached to “Christian” is a way we divide ourselves from “those other Christians” (or “them” from “us:” either way, the work of the flesh that Galatians 5:20 calls “factions”).

Born of our, not God’s, spirit, those “religious” divisions also embody more than a little human pride.  Thinking we obey God by our superior theological purity, how can we not be rather pleased with ourselves…and think ourselves better (more “Orthodox,” for example) than those other Christians ?  To my experience, the “Fundamentalist,” or “Evangelical,” or “conservative” Christians I know are, get down to it, rather prideful in their chosen denominator.

Which is my problem with “conservative Christians.”  The denominator they choose to identify with is a human political one: so Its pretense of “obedience to God” and “theological purity” is transparently false.  It is, worse, hypocrisy so absolute that its adherents are political followers (as was their manipulators' purpose) of a man of lies and violence: the kind Jesus called a “child of the devil” (John 8:44).

But God is merciful.  It may yet be that He will awaken a few “conservative Christians,” so that they repent and return to follow Him.

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