Spiritual Formation (Prayer Life Part 4 Unanswered)

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Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God. (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Colossians 4:12) [emphases added]

         For as secular as our society has become, in the public arena we may still hear from time to time someone make a statement like, “Our prayers go out to …” or “Our thoughts and prayers are with …”.  Yesterday during a televised sporting event, the score was tied and the camera found one fan kissing something on his necklace, and if you had read his lips, he was praying for his team to score.  Have you ever wondered if the person who said, “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims,” actually prayed in any tangible way, or if that phrase is just our cliché when there’s nothing else to say?  Some ancient thought expressed in the Mishnah (part of the Jewish Talmud) considered it trivial to pray for birds (Zahavy, Kerakhot 5:3). How much more then for sporting events?  If these are accurate pictures of prayer in our public arena, how much has this influenced our perspectives on prayer?

         In the above-cited passage from Paul, the word he uses translated laboring earnestly is the same word from which we get our English word agonize.  Paul’s companion Epaphras is said to agonize in his prayer for his friends.  Although people who have developed a deep prayer life may be able to relate to this idea, if we were to do a word association exercise, is agonize the first word that comes to your mind when you hear the word prayer?  Perhaps you’ll find it interesting that in Luke, this same word, translated strive, is used by Jesus to tell His followers to enter in the narrow gate (13:24).  In that context, we can see a dichotomy between the path that leads to destruction and the other that leads to life.

          How then do we understand striving to enter by the narrow gate?  Why is the broad road to destruction so appealing?  By exploring those questions, do you see how prayer can be a struggle?  In considering this, we are also reminded how challenges make us better.  Therefore, this earnest labor in our unanswered prayers can be the character-building struggle we need in our spiritual development.  If prayer is as laissez-faire as in the examples highlighted at the beginning of this blog, what kind of character development would be possible?  On the other hand, when we engage in prayer as in wrestling, working, or striving, then we enter into the mystery that is our communication with God.  Perhaps this is why in some cases we experience unanswered prayers.

Did Jesus give carte blanche to prayers?

Written by Pastor Ozzy

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Works Cited

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

Zahavy, Tzvee. 1987. The Mishnaic Law of Blessings and Prayers: Tractate Berakhot. Scholars Press.

Spiritual Formation (Reading Scriptures part 4 of 4)

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But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.  He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, John 16:13-14)

Some movies are meant to explore hidden meanings and deeper perspectives.  By analyzing the films, philosophies and ideas emerge from the dialog, from the settings or even from the camera angles.  Sometimes, directors come out and explain the subtext of their movie in hopes that their film becomes more than amusement, it transcends into our conscious and changes our outlook.  In a way, this is the role of the Holy Spirit and His movie is the Bible.  Over the past few weeks, we’ve been exploring an ancient reading system, and here we are at our final step.  This last step may sound like over spiritualized mumbo-jumbo; but it is at its core, hearing the voice of God speak through His word.

In week one, we listened.  Like a text message or email from a friend that we’ve wanted to hear from, we read the passage making sure to hear every written word.  We listen intentionally.   In week two, we used our mind’s eye to see the passage.  Words have meanings, and they can be used to paint a picture.  Here we let the text move from words to images.  Last week, we prayed.  Those images triggered our thoughts, and we reshaped those thoughts into a prayer to God.  Now, we let God’s response reshape us.

This time, the exercise is all on you.  In the past, we’ve explored a scripture together.  Now, you do it alone.  Perhaps, start with a familiar passage, one that has spoken to you before, even your life verse.  Like many other things, you’ll get out of this, what you put into it.

Find a quiet, comfortable spot and open to the passage of scripture.  Begin at step one and start to work your way through all the steps.  When you get to step four, hear the voice of God using the scripture to reform, transform, and renew you.

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. (James 1:22-24)

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. (Rom. 12:2)

Written by Pastor Ozzy

 

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

Spiritual Formation (Reading Scriptures part 3 of 4)

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He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name sake. (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Ps. 23:3)

But Hannah replied, “… I have poured out my soul before the Lord. (Ibid. 1 Sam. 1:15)

            One of the questions that the early church asked in recognizing which writings were Scripture [i.e., Bible] and which were not, was whether or not a text had life-transforming power (From God to Us How We God Our Bibles, Kindle location 1319).  In one sense, they were asking the texts, did they contain truth and did that truth set them free (John 8:23).  The next step in this ancient Bible reading practices involves this question; however, it is us asking the text or the truth of the text to set us free.  In other words, we shape our prayers to God through the freedom brought through the texts.

            In the first part of this series we listened to the text of Psalms 66:16, “Come and hear, all who fear God, and I will tell of what He has done for my soul” (NASB).  If you went through step two, described in last week’s blog meditation, then you should go back and apply that lesson to Psalm 66:16 also.  Now we pray as we read the Scripture.  Ask the Holy Spirit to steer feelings that arise in your soul from the Scripture.  When they spring up, offer them back to God as the Spirit leads.

 

For example, Ps. 66:16 contains the words, “fear God”, what emotions or ideas do these words produce in your soul?  This can be a profound or powerful idea.  Remember the children of Israel at Mount Sini, in fear of God they cried for Moses alone to speak to them (Ex. 20:19).  In Deuteronomy, there is a command to, “… fear the LORD your God and walk in all His ways and love Him…” (10:12).  Jesus, who reconciles us to the Father and shows us the Father’s love also says to fear Him (Matt. 10:28).  Ask the Holy Spirit, what does it mean to fear God in the way the Scriptures teach?  Offer it as a prayer, asking Him to instruct your heart, your mind and, your soul to fear God in this way.  However, do not neglect the second part of the verse, where the Psalmist is excited to tell of what God has done in his soul.  What has God done in your soul?  Perhaps ask for the opportunity to tell someone what God has done in your soul.

Scripture is a powerful tool that God uses in our lives.  Praying and being attentive to how the Holy Spirit can lead you through the Scriptures can remind you of the power found in the Word of God.

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Heb. 4:12)

[Next week: Hearing from God]

Written by Pastor Ozzy

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

Norman L. Geisler and William E Nix. 2013. From God to Us How We God Our Bibles. Matthews: Bastion Books.

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Spiritual Formation (Reading Scriptures part 2 of 4)

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“This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night…” (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Josh. 1:8).

“I will meditate on all Your work and muse on Your deeds” (Ibid. Ps. 77:12).

            Stop for a moment and picture someone you’d like to see, or something you’d like to have, or somewhere you’d like to be.  In your mind’s eye, can you truly “see” that someone, something or somewhere?  In truth, there is nothing substantive to the picture in your mind; however, what it represents to you could not be more real.  What you have done is mediated on that person, place or thing.  Before we explore the exercise of Bible meditation, it will be helpful to define the word meditation.  It should be understood as time spent in quite contemplation, often alone, to consider and think about God’s word and attempt to hear from Him (Manser, section 8662).  Therefore, this is not an emptying of the mind or an attempt to cease conscious thought, but a focusing of the mind on the words of scripture.  This can be done the same way that you just mediated on that person, place or thing.

            In our last blog we listened to the words of Psalms 66:16 and because of the poetic nature of the Psalms, it’s easy to begin this exercise there also.  So first, listen to the words of Psalms 71:17-19:

O God, You have taught me from my youth,
And I still declare Your wondrous deeds.
And even when I am old and gray, O God, do not forsake me,
Until I declare Your strength to this generation,
Your power to all who are to come.
For Your righteousness, O God, reaches to the heavens,
You who have done great things;
O God, who is like You?  (NASB)

Like last week’s passage, we don’t know who the original author was; therefore, let your mind choose the author.  Perhaps you can see an aged Samuel, whose soul was saddened by Eli and his son’s cavalier attitude towards the God of Israel.  Then he also witnessed Saul’s failings and now before he dies, he is reflecting on making sure the knowledge of the God of Israel is passed on.  In your mind, go to Ramah and sit outside of Samuel’s house as he speaks.  Hear these words and remember the story of Samuel meeting God in the tabernacle at Shiloh (1 Sam. 3).  Now he is old and gray, but it has been his heart’s desire to instruct the sons of Israel to obey God.  Just like before, become the speaker.  Read these words the way you’d say them.

            Now, reflect on the meaning of the passage.  Perhaps focus on them line by line.  The first states that God is a teacher from the author’s childhood.  How did that happen in ancient Israel?  How does it happen today?  How did it happen for you?  Where you born in a Christian family and therefore learned scriptural truths from a young age?  Keep in mind that even out of heartache and tragedy, God can teach[1].  Why is this image of God as teacher in the Bible?  How does that affect your picture of God?  These are some good questions that arise when we stop and reflect on Scripture.

[Jesus said] “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?”  Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures… They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Luke 24:26-27 & 32)

[Next week: Prayer]

Written by Pastor Ozzy

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

Manser, Martin H. 2009. Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies. London: Logos Ed.

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[1] Consider a child born to unreligious parents or parents who were Christian in name only.  Before he went to school, they divorced and remarried.  What can God teach out of that situation?  That there are real consequences for sin and sometimes those consequences are passed on to the next generation.  Maybe, that child will be reached by God and see His plan, one husband and one wife in a covenant relationship.  Perhaps then the cycle will be broken, he won’t treat love like a four-letter-word.



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Spiritual Formation (Reading Scriptures part 1 of 4)

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“This is my daily bread, your very word, spoken to me” (Barnett 2002)

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”

(Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Psalms 119:105)

… Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures…” (ibid. Matt. 22:29)

           Every believer knows that they should read the Bible; however, it is a sad fact that many Christians do not have a daily routine of reading through God’s word. This is not meant to be a guilt trip. Being guilted can often lead to a begrudging habit, and that does not sound like a productive action in one’s spiritual formation. Therefore, you do not need to build up a defense against the feeling of guilt. Instead, why don’t we begin to explore some ancient Christian practices that were developed for productive time in God’s word. When you gain something from a habit, you’re more likely to do it without a sense of guilt.

            Have you ever been in a conversation with someone who isn’t really listening to what you’re saying?  They may be hearing your words but before you’ve finished your thought, they have already formulated a response.  Perhaps, they are the type who takes one part of your speech and goes off in a personal story that has nothing to do with what you’re saying.  They dominate the conversation and you’re not even sure it should be called a conversation, maybe it is more like a monolog.  We’ve all been in situations like this and therefore, we can relate to the frustration that comes from not being heard.  Now ask yourself, how often do you listen to God’s word?

            Hearing could be described as a passive activity, but you cannot passively listen to anything.  Many of us have received an email or text message and only glanced at its content.  Our eyes quickly scan the words only looking for a generalized understanding.  The same can be said about reading the Bible, a person can read the words without engaging the text.  Other times, we stop and read each word, seeing the whole sentence and gaging its meaning.  Therefore, starting with a short passage or section of scripture, begin by reading and imagining the text.

            For example: “Come and hear, all who fear God, and I will tell of what He has done for my soul” (Ps. 66:16 NASB).  This Psalm is not attributed to any person, so start by imagining yourself within an Old Testament scene.  Perhaps you’re with the children of Israel listening to Moses at Sinai, or you’re there when David leads the Ark of God to Jerusalem, or sometime after Solomon’s temple has been dedicated.  The reader reads these words of Psalms 66:16, and let your imagination go, picture the biblical scenes that touch your soul.  Let this go on for as long as you can.

            Then when you’re ready, become the speaker and say, “Come and hear, all you who fear God and let me tell you what Jesus has done in my soul.”  Again, let your imagination run and remember what Jesus has done in your life.  Imagine telling people about how you met Jesus.  Think about telling someone about a troubled time you’ve been through and how now you can see the hand of God leading you through that time.  This is a way to live the scriptures and make them a personal part of your very being.

            “…But I noticed that during the saddest and most troublesome times of my life, there was only one set of footprints… 

[God] whispered, "…When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you” (Stevenson n.d.)

[Next week: Meditation]

Written by Pastor Ozzy

2002."Breathe." The Air I Breathe . B0000UWE04.

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

Stevenson, Mary. n.d. "Footprints in the Sand."

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Spiritual Formation (Relationship with God)

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Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Gen. 3:22-23)

The purpose of the Edenic expulsion was to prevent eating from the tree of life and thereby to live forever in a fallen state; however, it has also cause us to forget that we were created for relationship with God.  Almost everyone has new, old, steady, strained, and broken relationships, these are universal experiences.  These relationships can also be seen in the Bible.  Notice that unlike Noah (Gen. 5:7-29), it seems when Abraham is called there is no reason from the Genesis account to assume Abraham already had a relationship with God.  In fact, there are ancient Jewish legends outside of the Bible that Abraham’s father Terah was an idol maker (Ginzberg, Kindle location 2061)[1].

            Therefore, it seems that the Lord’s relationship with Abram (Gen. 12) is a new relationship.  In a new relationship, there is learning about each other.  Notice that Abram believed God when He promised a biological child (Gen. 15).  However, when Abram tried according to his will to bring about its fulfillment, his action of polygamy (Gen. 16:1-4) mirrored the practices of the ungodly line of Cain (Gen. 4:19).  On the contrary, it was God’s intention for Abram’s first wife Sarai to be the mother of the child of promise.  Could this be a case of Abram needing to know the Lord better?

            

            There may be another example when Abraham is tested by the Lord (Gen. 22).  In a classic movie, when the Lord tests Abraham, he questions Him, “Are you really the Lord my God?” (Scott 1966).  However, consider that Abraham was called out of a pagan and idolatrous culture.  To us, human sacrifices sound like a barbaric ritual of the unenlightened, but to Abraham, was it a normal religious practice from his culture?  Perhaps, when the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham and stopped him from sacrificing (Gen. 21:15-16), God was revealing more of His character to Abraham.  Was He saying, “You imagine a god similar to the gods of your culture; however, I AM a God much different than those gods worshiped by the pagans.”

            

            Therefore, in the new relationship, Abraham had to learn who God really was.  In like manner, we may follow the gods of our culture, or we can learn from the Bible about the character and nature of the true and living God.

Written by Pastor Ozzy

Ginzberg, Louis. 2011. Legends of the Jews. Amazon Digital Services LLC.

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

1966. The Bible: In The Beginning. Directed by John Huston. Performed by George C. Scott.

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[1] This type of Midrash is called Aggadah (lore) and was never understood literally and is not doctrine.


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Spiritual Formation (From church to individual)

“…let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together…” (Heb. 10:24 -25a NASB).

“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5 NASB).

           

            Perhaps you've heard of the blind men and the elephant parable from India.  In this parable one blind person touches the elephant’s trunk and concludes that an elephant is like a snake.  Another touches the elephant’s ear and concludes that an elephant is very thin and flimsy.  Another touches his leg and concludes that an elephant is very large and thick.  The point is that each is only understanding one part of an elephant but missing the bigger picture.  An elephant is more than a trunk, ears, tusks, legs, body and a tail; moreover, the whole is the sum of the parts.  In a similar way, we cannot be formed into Christ by only focusing on one part of our lives.  Also, we cannot keep beating the drum on why the Christian life is meant for community.  Hopefully, you've seen this truth from scripture and the witness of Christians that have gone before us.

            Paul’s illustration of the Church being a body in 1^st Corinthian 12, is an easy picture to understand.  The body is made of different parts, i.e. hands, eyes, ears, mouth, nose and so on.  The Church is made of people who are different and gifted in different areas for ministry.  An eye cannot say to a hand, I don’t need you and in the same way, one Christian cannot say to another, I don’t need you.  An eye cannot say that because they are not a hand, they are not part of the body, in the same way, a Christian cannot see another Christian using their gifts and conclude that since they are not gifted the same way, they are not part of the Church.  Therefore, it is not a complicated metaphor, the only question is, will you obey the scriptures?

            However, our formation is a personal and individual venture as well.  The prophet Hosea describes the people of his day as egocentric vines (10).  There they are said to produce the fruit themselves and when that fruit increased so did their faithlessness and idolatry (v. 1 & 2).  In contrast to that, Jesus describes Himself as the true vine and his followers as the branches.  It is only through His support and nurturing that we can produce fruit and apart from Him we can do nothing.

            Therefore, over the next several blogs, we’ll turn our attention to what it means for Christ to be our vine and for us to be His branches.  Reflecting on the example of the elephant parable, would it be correct to state that part of an elephant is similar to a snake?  However, that is only one part of many.  Similarly, the goal of spiritual formation is not just for one part of ourselves, but all of ourselves to be transformed into Christlikeness.

Written by Pastor Ozzy

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

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Spiritual Formation (Church part 3)

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“I don’t need to go to church [building/service] because I can worship God when I’m _____ (fill in the blank).”

Let us imagine that the earliest followers of Jesus had adopted this attitude towards Church.  Perhaps the book of Acts would have sounded more like this:

Jesus was lifted up as the apostles looked on and a cloud received Him.  After these things, Peter began to understand Jesus’ messiahship and mission as a suffering servant and drew away to himself Mark who is also called John.  Matthew however, understood Jesus to be King of the Jews, the fulfiller of Old Testament prophecies.  Luke does not exist in this alternate timeline, and that shall soon be explained.  Finally, the disciple whom Jesus loved believed that He would best be understood through Greek thought expressed in Jewish terms.  In a similar way, James, Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew, the other James, Simon and the other-other James all thought they had the best understanding of Jesus, this being only through a personal relationship with Him.  Soon thereafter, the disciples each went their separate ways, preaching their esoteric take on Jesus.  Therefore, there was no three thousand converts at Pentecost, but each disciple drew a small group to them.  They continually devoted themselves to their apostles teaching.  There was no lasting fellowship, breaking of bread or prayer.

Therefore, the Jesus movement splintered into several groups, and the Sanhedrin forgot about it, much like Judas the son of Hezekiah (a messianic claimant who you’ve never heard of, mentioned in Josephus).  Therefore, Saul wasn’t persecuting the Way, and he never joined it, which explains why there is no Luke in this timeline.

Perhaps this is how the alternate New Testament would have ended.

Someone once pointed out that Jesus said, “When you fast…” (Matt. 6:16) and not “If you fast…” the point being that a discipline like fasting should not be regarded as optional.  In the same way, why should the call to fellowship be disregarded?  Can a Christian or group of Christians worship on a weekend camping trip or a day at the lake?  Of course, but it should be asked what form does that worship take?  Is a Bible devotion given?  Did someone bring a guitar for some music worship or do they sing acapella?  Is there prayer time or communion?

Eventually, we will explore the subject of a personal relationship with the Lord; however, this Church subject cannot be overlooked.  Communal worship was part of the Mosaic form of worship, and clearly, New Testament authors saw that communal aspect as vital.  Reflect on Acts 2:42, continual devotion to the apostles teaching, fellowship, communion, and prayer.

“Therefore, a Christian needs another Christian who speaks God’s Word to him.  He needs him again and again when he becomes uncertain and discouraged, for by himself he cannot help himself without belying the truth” (Bonhoeffer, Kindle Location 112).

Written by Pastor Ozzy

Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. 1949. Life Together. Munich: Chr. Kaiser.

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Spiritual Formation (Church part 1)

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Imagine that a gym puts up a sign that reads, “Exercise is good for your health.”  Is that statement falsified because the gym benefits from you paying to join it?  Imagine a restaurant putting up a sign that reads, “We serve heart-healthy soups.”  Is that statement falsified because the restaurant stands to benefit from health-conscious customers buying their soups?  In both cases, the fact that there could be benefits to the sign owners does not negate the claim made by their sign.  Perhaps you will think, of course, a Church blog is going to write about the importance of Church attendance.   In the same way, a blog focused on Spiritual Formation and pointing out the value of participation in the local Church cannot be falsified only on the grounds that the local Church benefits from that participation.

Perhaps you will think, I have the Bible and I can read; therefore, I have no need to go somewhere and have someone tell me what the Bible says.  If that is the case, then we should consider what the Bible says about believers gathering together.  You may remember a Psalmist likened his seeking for God to a deer that pants for water.  When that Psalmist pondered the question, “Where is God,” it was answered by remembering their going with crowds of people up to the House of the Lord and being with the multitude celebrating the festivals (Ps. 42).

Consider these words attributed to the fourth-century Christian philosopher Ambrose, “To Thee our morning song of praise, to Thee our evening prayer we raise” (Farrar 1822).  Notice the plural pronoun ‘our’ as opposed to any singular pronoun.  Ambrose’s words fit with Paul’s words to the Church in Corinth; the body of Christ is made of several different people.  Those different people perform different functions, just as different body parts perform different functions, so the body works.  One part cannot say to another part, I do not need you (1 Cor. 12:14-26).

With that in mind, think about how many things you do in a week where you need another person.  You cannot go waterskiing alone.  Is it fun texting yourself?  We can see the need for other people in our daily lives; moreover, as shown above, God intended His people to be in community.

Written by Pastor Ozzy 

Farrar, D. D. 1822. "Sermon at Great St. Mary's." The Cambridge Review Vol. III. NO. 62. . Cambridge Review Committee, Feb 22.

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Spiritual Formation (Presence of God part 2)

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[Preface: In this entry, we will look at Jesus as our example; when Paul writes regarding Christ being formed within a believer, he is talking about the same attitudes that were present in Jesus’ incarnation.  This entry will focus on Jesus’ relationship with the Father during the incarnation.  Therefore, it will not contain a full treatment of the relationship between the Father and the Son within the Trinity.]

In the days of His flesh, He [Jesus] offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.  Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered” (Heb. 5:7-8 NASB).

Last week there was a challenge to be aware of the presence of God in every moment, with the hope of raising the awareness of His presence not only in “religious experience,” but in the ordinary and commonplace.  Within an average day’s routine, when waking from sleep, preparing for the day, commuting, working, resting, eating and everything else that happens.  Consider what David wrote regarding his daily life, that God knew his sitting and rising, his thinking, sleeping and all his activities (Ps. 139:2-3).  This could make us understand that all our life is for the Lord and not just parts of our lives.  Moreover, since the goal of Spiritual Formation is having Christ formed in us, then Jesus serves as an example for us regarding awareness of God’s presence.

    Although having a unique relationship with the Father, as quoted above Jesus still learned from his experiences.  In an episode from Luke, we see a twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple, sitting with the teachers and possessing some incredible level of understanding. Yet that story ends with the statement that He continued to increase in wisdom (2:46-52).  I.e., He kept learning.  Whatever came with being God in human form, also came with being human.  This is something we must not miss.  What was Jesus doing in the wilderness before the temptation (Mt. 4:1-11, Mk. 1:12-13, Lk. 4:1-13)?  He was fasting in solitude, two disciplines that we’ll cover in future blogs.  The author of Hebrews writes of Jesus, “…who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (4:15 NASB).  Take note then of Jesus’ words from a few years later, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38 NASB).  Jesus learned the importance of the presence of God and then could declare that He knew the will of the One who sent Him.  Therefore, our own practicing the presence of God is vital to Christ being formed within us.

Written by Pastor Ozzy 

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

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Spiritual Formation (Presence of God part 1)

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“The presence of God is the concentration of the soul’s attention on God, remembering that He is always present” (The Practice of the Presence of God, Kindle Location 467).

            

            In a way, our modern 21^st-century American system has created a distinction between the sacred and the secular.  In other words, within reason, a person may have beliefs; however, strictly secular practices are required within our social order.  Beliefs are still allowed when they are restricted to the private life.  This dichotomy is a relatively new idea in history.  For instance, the earliest followers of Jesus were second-temple Jews, and their social life and their religion were principally one in the same.  God was a part of their everyday life.

In the pages of the Old Testament, there are examples of miraculous and unique encounters with the God of Israel.  The LORD appeared to Abram at Shechem (Gen. 12:7), also to Moses in a burning bush (Ex. 3).  Isaiah reports having seen the LORD in Solomon’s temple (Is. 6) and Ezekiel’s vision by the river Chebar (Ezek. 1) to name a few.  The narratives often express life-changing experiences, moments of calling or divine instruction.

This was the pattern in the Old Testament; however, in the pages of the New Testament, the message of God’s redemption and salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus spread beyond ethnic Israel (Acts 8 & 10).  With that movement, the Apostle Paul expressed that God was not limited to temples built by men (17:24) and more than that, God is not far off, but in Him, we live and move (17:28).

Consider your life, every moment in the presence of God.  Your mornings, afternoons, evenings and nights.  Your work, social and family times.  When you’re awake and when you’re asleep.  Reflect that God is in both your religious and secular times.  Have you been aware of His presence?  Read these words from Brother Lawrence, “[To] know God, we must think about Him often.  Once we get to know Him, we will think about Him ever more often, because where our treasure is, there also is our heart!” (The Practice of the Presence of God, Kindle Location 327).

Perhaps in the next week, challenge yourself to be aware of God’s presence as often as you can and where ever you are.

Written by Pastor Ozzy

Lawrence, Brother. 1982. The Practice of the Presence of God. New Kensington: Whitaker House.

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Spiritual Formation (Intro)

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“Be imitators of me [Paul], just as I also am of [Jesus] Christ.” 1 Cor. 11:1 NASB

It is likely that almost every modern American has heard the slogan, “What Would Jesus Do?”  Perhaps with good intentions, this is a reminder of how a person should behave. But is imitating Christ only about how a person should act in a given circumstance?  One may ask a serious question, how does a person living in Montrose Colorado in the 21st century imitate a 1st century Jewish Messiah?

Every year movie studios spend billions of dollars to create movies where audiences buy into an illusion.  We accept that Chris Hemsworth is not a mortal man, but is a superhero based on a Norse god.  We escape into fantasy from a long time ago and in a galaxy far, far away to learn how a scruffy-looking nerf-herder ended up in a Cantina on Tatooine.  Finally, we believe that Jim from The Office now lives in a Post-Apocalyptic world with monsters.  Could this be what Paul means by imitating?  To act?

It is unlikely that Paul intended his readers to perceive himself as merely playing a role, but wanted them to understand how he lived his life for God and to imitate him.  Paul wrote, “See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people” (1 Thess. 5:15 NASB).  This is more than a course of action within circumstances and instead is a lifestyle principle.  Moreover, you can tell Jesus’ influence on Paul.  Jesus taught his followers, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you...” (Matt. 5:43-44 NASB).

Perhaps, you have read these words of Jesus before and wondered if He is setting too high a standard.  Maybe He is setting forth an ideal concept, or these actions are only for uber-spiritual people.  After all, all of us have encountered people who, to be polite, are challenging to deal with.  Jesus could not have intended a rude neighbor, an ill-tempered co-worker or a hostile in-law, could He?  By way of analogy, have you ever met or seen a person incredibly gifted in a specific talent?

 If you witnessed a group of four people juggling bowling pins to each other, would you believe that they only started juggling an hour before, or do you think that each one spent hours learning the skill and then worked together to develop rhythm and pattern?  Again, if you saw a man about to balance on a tightrope when doing a handstand, would you think that you’re seeing his first attempt?  It is far more likely that he has practiced for years.

Therefore, if your immediate reaction is not to love your enemies, do you think that will simply change or will it take work and effort?  Exercises that are intended to produce Spiritual Formation will be the focus of several blogs.  Many Christians from the time of Paul through the 21st-century have shared their experience in Spiritual Formation and here will be an exploration of that process.

Written by Pastor Ozzy

1995. Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible. LaHabra: The Lockman Foundation.

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