Spiritual Formation (Spiritual Friendship part 3)

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Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.  For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion.  But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.  Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone?  And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him.  A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

            Spiritual Friendship, like most interpersonal relationships, is complicated.  If we are honest, we as Christians make many assumptions regarding others’ spiritual walks; moreover, often we are careful to make our walk look smoother than it is.  However, inside, where nobody else can see, we all read James’ words, “For we all stumble in many ways” (Ibid. James 3:2a) and silently we shout, amen!

            There is a phenomenon in our modern world concerning social media. Although some people are more than willing to overshare every problem they encounter, most people want their online profile to appear perfect.  Photos with smiling friends and family.  Posts that make us look like we have our lives together and everything is in order.  We can take this same mindset and apply it to our outward spiritual walks, doing everything we can to make sure people only see our pressed and wrinkle-free white robes.

            However, James was being brutally honest when he said that we all stumble.  And it is at these times that Spiritual Friends are most needed.  Again, there are overly honest people on social media and that can be somewhat awkward at times. Some confessions and conversations are best kept between personal friends and not for everyone to see.  However, these kinds of exchanges are necessary for a Christian’s life and can be powerful moments of growth.  Hence the necessity of Spiritual Friendship.

            Consider what Paul expressed to the Corinthians in his second letter.  There he talked about how God comforts us in our troubles so that we can comfort others when they have difficulties (1:3-4).  It’s important to see that one person can receive the comfort that is meant to be passed on to comfort another.  That is where a friend can pass on what they have received in their past to a friend going through a similar ordeal.  We’ll explore this idea more when we get into Spiritual Guidance.

Written by Pastor Ozzy

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Works Cited

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

Spiritual Formation (Spiritual Friendship part 2)

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… Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you… (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Gen. 12:1)

Boaz replied to [Ruth], “All that you have done for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband has been fully reported to me, and how you left your father and your mother and the land of your birth, and came to a people that you did not previously know. (Ibid. Ruth 2:11)

           In the last blog, we began to look at the relationship between Naomi and Ruth, and because of what we find in the Ruth narrative, we can see how one person can help to affect  another person’s spiritual formation.  With the benefit of hindsight, we can see that this relationship led to Ruth becoming a progenitor in the Davidic line (Ruth 4:13-17); i.e., leaving her pagan origins and joining with Naomi was the catalyst that put her in the matriarchal line of the Messiah (Matt. 1:5).

            

          Although their period in the history of Israel is quite different, there are striking similarities between the Abraham story and Ruth’s story.  Both were pagans in their homelands (Josh. 24:2).  Abraham lived as an alien in a foreign land as did Ruth.  Interestingly, where Abraham has direct encounters with God to give him instructions and guidance (Gen. 17), Ruth has Naomi to guide and direct her (Ruth 2:22, 3:1-5).  Keep in mind, the Ruth narrative has for its backdrop the period of the Judges.  A time when people did what was right in their own eyes.  This period in Israel's history sounds very similar to our modern experience.

           Therefore, the spiritual friendship between Naomi and Ruth has great value to modern readers.  Imagine how strange the pre-monarchy structure of Israel would have been to an outsider, like Ruth.  This same sense of strangeness can exist when someone with no background in the Bible attempts to understand Christianity.

            

           As has been previously mentioned, the Ruth story happens during the period of the Judges.  The book of Judges is often misrepresented in our modern day because people have failed to understand its descriptive nature and mistook it for prescriptive.  If a person misunderstands the book in such a way, it is difficult to see its value and purpose.  That is where spiritual friendships are incredibly valuable.  Someone with a biblical background can guide and direct someone new in the scriptures.

            

           This is, of course, only one example of the value of spiritual friendships. Next week, we’ll continue our exploration of this topic. (Click here for Part 3)

Written by Pastor Ozzy

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Works Cited

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

Spiritual Formation (Spiritual Reading part 4)

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Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1 Peter 5:8)

Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face.” (Ibid. Job 1:9-12)

I have not forgotten my promise to consider whether we should make the patient an extreme patriot or an extreme pacifist.  All extremes except extreme devotion to the Enemy, are to be encouraged (Lewis, Kindle 32)

            Spiritual warfare may be an overlooked topic in Spiritual Formation.  The goal of Spiritual Formation is to submit the self over to God, so that the character of Jesus may be formed within us.  If that is a person’s goal, do you not think that Satan would work in every way to obstruct or stop this purpose?  Although many of C.S. Lewis’ other works are associated with Spiritual Formation, the Screwtape Letters are not often cited.  This may be a mistake, since the Screwtape Letters are a fictional account of a demon giving instructions to a lower raking demon to prevent a person from becoming a committed follower of Jesus.  It must be understood, the work is fiction; however, Lewis brings out several real-world examples of ways that Satan may distract us from full devotion to God.

            In the above quote from the Screwtape Letters, the demon Screwtape points out to the lower demon, Wormwood, that there may be benefit to their cause regardless of whether Wormwood works to turn the person, referred to as the patient, into an extreme patriot or an extreme pacifist during World War II.  Take a moment and consider, how could Satan equally use a person from these seemingly opposite positions?

            In another letter, Screwtape explains that from the demon’s perspective, many positions are neither good or bad, and their goals may be accomplished by letting the humans argue over “… whether love, or patriotism, or celibacy, or candles on alters, or teetotalism, or education are good or bad” (Lewis, 101).  Consider how Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love the Lord with all you are, and the second commandment was to love your neighbor as you love yourself (Matthew 22:37-40).  Has Satan be able to use the subjects that Screwtape names in this quote to convince Christians that they don’t need to love their neighbor who holds to a different position?  If so, then he has prevented the Christian from fulfilling what Jesus called the second commandment.  Moreover, where John wrote that Christians would be known for their love (1 John 2:5), if a Christian has been convinced not to love, what kind of damage does that do to the message of the cross?  This example illustrates why spiritual warfare should be a concern of Spiritual Formation.

Written by Pastor Ozzy

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Works Cited

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

Lewis, C. S. 2009. The Screwtape Letters. New York: HarperCollins e-books.

Spiritual Formation (Spiritual Reading part 2)

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[preface: Spiritual reading is not confined to authors from a specific denominational background.  Last week we looked at the works of Gregoryof Nyssa, an ancient Christian writer of the Catholic Church.  In the future, we’ll examine Bernard of Clairvaux, Brother Lawrence, Thomas Merton, and Henri Nouwen, all of who were also Catholics.  This week we are looking at some writings of Martin Luther, writings that are of Spiritual Formation in nature.  In this case, Luther’s works can aid a person’s Spiritual Formation.  Luther also wrote things of an anti-Semitic nature, writings that will not assist Spiritual Formation.  The point is, finding spiritual benefit from Christian literature, not agreement with everything an author ever wrote.]

But [Jesus] answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on Bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Matthew 4:4)

            This coming Wednesday is October 31^st, and it will be 501 years since Martin Luther nailed his 95-theses to the church door in Wittenberg, an act that many call the spark of the Protestant Reformation.  However, the act was not rebellion, it was an invitation to debate [that’s how you did it back then, long before Twitter].  And the theses were not a breakup letter with 95 points. Take, for example, the 25^th theses, “The power which the pope has, in a general way, over purgatory, is just like that power which any bishop or curate has, in a special way within his own diocese or parish” (Luther, kindle location 657).  It was a 1519 debate and the publishing of his 1520 tracts that led to his excommunication in 1521.

            However, today we’ll focus on one of Luther’s thoughts related to repentance and how that affects our formation.  Luther brought up the subject with a former teacher that he refers to as a dear Father in the Augustinian Order (Ibid. 775).  He wrote that love of God is the start of repentance, and this may be different from a modern view.  Do we begin our repentance with the knowledge that God loves us, or do we want to repent of our sins because of our love for God?  This is an essential thought because it brings up our relationship with sin and with God.  The goal of our formation is to be conformed to the image of the Son.  When Jesus was tempted by the devil, one of His clear motivating factors was His love for the Father.  It is this love that Luther is talking about when we consider our sins, and are moved to repentance.  Moreover, that repentance is directly tied to the change of our hearts and mind when we come to our senses in realizing our errors (Ibid. 782-3).

Written by Pastor Ozzy

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Works Cited 

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

Luther, Martin. 2018. The Collected Works of Martin Luther. Prague: e-artnow.

Spiritual Formation (Spiritual Reading part 1)

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♫ I am a friend of God

I am a friend of God

I am a friend of God, He calls me friend ♪ (Houghton 2004)

“… encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,”… (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Hebrews 3:13)

            For close to 1,985 years there have been Christians trying to follow Jesus.  Throughout those years, many Christians have left their writings, telling of their Spiritual Formation; although we may not agree on some issues, their writing can still inspire and instruct our lives today.  Without neglecting the nourishment that comes from personal time in the word of God, let us explore some of the writings that have come down to us from these Christians.  Many of them never knew what a car or an airplane was, some of them would not understand the internet; but they knew what it was to try to live their lives for God.

            Gregory of Nyssa was a Christian who lived during the fourth-century AD, and was known for his work, The life of Moses.  In this he wrote that Moses was God’s friend and serves as an example for us to copy (Gregory of Nyssa, 136).  Consider this passage:

… it is time for you, noble friend, to look to that example and, by transferring to your own life what is contemplated through spiritual interpretation of the things spoken literally, to be known by God and to become his friend.  This is true perfection: not to avoid a wicked life because like slaves we servilely fear punishment, nor to do good because we hope for rewards, as if chasing in on virtuous life by some business-like and contractual arrangement.  On the contrary, disregarding all those things for which we hope and which heave been reserved by promise, we regard falling from God’s friendship as the only thing dreadful and we consider becoming God’s friend the only thing worthy of honor and desire (Ibid. 137).

Although specifically Gregory was focused on Moses’ friendship with God (Exodus 33:11), we also hear Jesus’ words, “You are my friend, if you do what I command you” (John 15:14).  Motivation is a powerful tool and Gregory points out that there can be wrong motivations regarding our friendship with God.  The scriptures say that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7), but Gregory did not think that fear of punishment was an adequate motivator for seeking God’s friendship.  Instead, friendship with God was the only thing worth seeking and this not merely motivated by hope of gain, but because it can lead to what Gregory called the perfect life.

            

            Perhaps, you can reflect on this thought of God’s friendship as you also reflect on “[God] who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity” (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, 2 Timothy 1:9). Consider reading the Life of Moses by Gregory of Nyssa and next week, we’ll look at another Christian’s writings.

Written by Pastor Ozzy

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Works Cited

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

Houghton, Israel. 2004. "Friend of God." Live from Another Level.

Nyssa, Gregory Bishop of. 1978. Gregory of Nyssa. New York: Paulist Press.

Spiritual Formation (Prayer Life Part 6 Unanswered) Final

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But now, O Lord, You are our Father,
We are the clay, and You our potter;
And all of us are the work of Your hand. (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Isaiah 64:8)

In the United States, you can go to a bank or other lending institution and apply for a loan.  If the institution rejects your application, they are required to give some indication as to why they rejected your application.  God on the other hand, is not required to give any reason why one of your prayer requests was denied.  How many parents in world history have said no to something their child has asked for?  If you’re a parent, have you always given a full and detailed reason to your child?  If you’re a child or have been a child and had a parent deny your requests, did you always understand why?  Moreover, if they did explain why, were you always satisfied with their answers?

            As was pointed out in Part 3, one of the most common illustrations of our relationship with God found in scripture is the father-child relationship.  In fact, in the sermon on the mount, Jesus uses this illustration regarding prayer, “…[W]hat man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? … If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him”(Matthew 7:9 & 11 NASB).  Jesus’ words paint a picture of God as a good and loving Father who wants to provide for His children.  So, again, why does it seem that some prayers go unanswered?

            We’ve seen from Biblical passages, that prayers may be unanswered because we pray with wrong motives.  Also, sins and lack of repentance separates us from God, so much so, He’s even said that He won’t listen to some people’s prayers.  Some passages portray prayer as a struggle and like other spiritual disciplines (fasting, scriptural meditation, sitting quietly with God, etc.) there is purpose in the struggle.  Moreover, prayer is not an Aladdin’s lamp and God is not a genie just waiting for wish requests.  In His Gethsemane prayers, Jesus submitted His requests to the will of God; that is, He did not demand His own way, but accepted the will of His Father.  From this, we should also see that our prayers should always be submitted to the will of God.

            Therefore, perhaps, we experience unfruitfulness in our prayers for one or more of these reasons.  Examining our prayers based on scripture is one way for us to submit our minds, our desires and our lives to God.  If Spiritual Formation (Christ being formed in us) is our goal, then as difficult as it may be, unanswered prayers can be how God is reaching into our inner selves.  Keep praying.  Examine your prayers in the light of scriptures.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.*

Written by Pastor Ozzy

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Works Cited

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

* There are other scriptures that we did not cover, such as 1 Pet. 3:7 that suggests the way a man treats his wife may hinder his prayers.  And Daniel 10:12-14, where something, likely a satanic force impeded the response to Daniel's prayers.  Therefore, we must not forget, we have an enemy of our souls, who is not flesh and blood and his goal is the kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10).

Spiritual Formation (Prayer Life Part 5 Unanswered)

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[Jesus said] “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you” (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Mark 11:24)

          Some passages in the New Testament, like the one cited above, can make prayer sound like carte blanche; however, the context of this passage explains its meaning.  Jesus makes this statement on the Tuesday morning after the Triumphal Entry.  On Monday morning, Jesus and the disciples were walking from Bethany to Jerusalem and on the way, Jesus cursed a fig tree that He found to be without fruit.  When they arrived in Jerusalem, Jesus saw the corruption of the religious system and in reaction, He drove out the people selling animals inside the temple.  In His zeal, He shouted passages from the prophets, saying that the temple was meant to be a ministry to all the nations, but the ruling religious system had changed it into a den of robbers.  It is the next day, when Jesus and the disciples are making the journey again, that Peter notices the fig tree had withered.

           These events have led to this scene, and Jesus’s statement is made in that context.  The religious system, that had been instituted by God, had failed to reach out to the nations.  John the Baptist had cried out to Israel to make ready the path of the Lord, fill in the ravines and lower the hills and mountains (Luke 3:4 & 5).  The religious system had become a mountain in the path of the Lord.  Because of that, Jesus tells the disciples that by prayer, mountains can be moved.  The disciples, 12 men from the middle of nowhere, with no political connections and no money, cannot undo the religious system.  It’s possible that 11 of the men Jesus is talking to are under 20 years old [only Jesus and Peter paid the temple tax in Matthew 17:27] and the Pharisees/Sadducees have been ruling in second-temple Judaism since late Hasmonean period.  In other words, this mountain is well established, and the disciples are nobodies, with no power to move a mountain themselves.

           In that context, Jesus is telling them that prayer can move mountains standing in God’s way.  This mountain needed to be moved.  It was blocking the Abrahamic promise of blessing to all nations (Genesis 12:3c).  Therefore, prayers offered in accordance with God’s purposes can be prayed with confidence[1].  This understanding is in harmony with John’s explanation, “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him” (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1 John 5:14-15).

Growth through unanswered prayers 

Written by Pastor Ozzy

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Works Cited

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

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[1] Mark 11:25-26 goes on to discuss a person’s prayer and their relationship to forgiving others.

Spiritual Formation (Prayer Life Part 3 Unanswered)

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“So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood. (Isaiah 1:15)

Therefore thus says the Lord, “Behold I am bringing disaster on them which they will not be able to escape; though they will cry to Me, yet I will not listen to them. (Jeremiah 11:11)

            Above are quotes from two of the major prophets[1] where the God of Israel specifically says that although people pray to Him, He will not listen.  During Isaiah’s time, he continually called the Southern Kingdom of Judah to repentance, to forsake the false gods that people where worshiping and to return to faithfulness to the Mosaic covenant.  And although there were some instances of revival between Isaiah’s time and Jeremiah’s time, the nation still followed other gods and broke the covenant with the God of Israel.  Sins and infidelity disconnect people from God.

            One Proverb of Solomon says that God is not with the wicked or lawless and that their prayers He will not listen to (15:29).  These passages seem to express that unconfessed sins and an unrepentant attitude keep God from listening to prayer.  Judge for yourself: two of the most common metaphors in scripture for the relationship between God and His people are the marriage relationship and a father and child relationship (Is. 45:5, Revelation 21:2, and Deuteronomy 32:6, Ephesians 4:6).  Imagine a father/child relationship where the children never obey their father.  Imagine a marital relationship where one spouse is always unfaithful to the other.  These images are how God describes the people throughout the prophets (Is. 1:21, Jer. 3:9).  Moreover, understand the Biblical imagery of the unfaithful one; they commit adultery and then pretend that they have done nothing wrong (Prov. 30:20).  Which separates more, the actual act of adultery or having no guilt or repentance after?  So, consider if an unanswered prayer goes unanswered due to unconfessed or unrepented sins.  God is merciful and ready to forgive (1 John 1:9).  But remember how Satan was described when under the disguise of a snake, he was called crafty, this could be because he is crafty with how sins can snare and trap us.  We’ve already explored other reasons that prayers go unanswered, and next week we have more to explore, but this area of a follower’s life should be examined if their prayer life seems unfruitful.

Struggling in prayer

Written by Pastor Ozzy

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

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[1] Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel and often Daniel are considered the major prophets because of the amount they wrote and not because they are more important than the other twelve.

Spiritual Formation (Prayer Life Part 2 Unanswered)

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It's been forty days and forty nights

Down the road of many trials

And I pray it's only for a season

'Cause in the wilderness and in the flood

You're the one I'm thinking of

And I know You've brought me for a reason (Third Day 2003)

[Jesus] fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, Matthew 26:39)

            The film The Passion of the Christ starts with Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane, his face drenched with sweat as He prays.  Depending on how the synoptic gospels (Matt, Mark & Luke) are harmonized, Jesus has predicted His death and resurrection at least three times before the Gethsemane episode [First M16:21-26, M8:31-37, L9:22-25; second M17:22-23, M9:30-32, L9:43b-45, third M20:17-19, M10:32-34, L18:31-34].  Despite this, we are confronted with an emotional and vulnerable Jesus praying in the garden.  One could get lost in the mystery of the incarnation; but one thing is clear, God the Son is pouring out His heart before God the Father.  Theologians have debated what the cup is; is it the cross and its pain, the separation and isolation, both of these things and more? Whatever it is, one thing is absolutely clear: Jesus wants this “cup” to pass from Him without drinking it.  Yet, His prayer does not end with His want, but with His submission.  “… not as I will, but as You [Father] will.”

            Stop.  Wait.  Don’t go past this event too quickly.  Jesus, the Jesus that healed the blind, the sick, and the lame.  Jesus, the Jesus that turned water into wine, walked on the sea and drove out demons by His words.  Jesus, the Jesus that withstood all the tests and tempting of Satan himself in the wilderness and won.  This Jesus, who knows the Father and has seen the Father and could at once call 60,000 angelic beings to His will (Matt. 26:53), ends His prayer by submitting to the Father’s will.

            This cannot be missed; the Son knew His mission.  He said, “… I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 5:30 NASB).  Therefore, His prayer in Gethsemane follows this pattern.  However, remember what was pointed out above.  Despite having predicted His resurrection, He is praying that the “cup” could pass Him by.  The Gethsemane episode is filled with conflict and we see Jesus in turmoil.  We know how the story goes; but it does not lessen the tension that happened in the garden.  The Son is pleading with the Father, He is praying, “Is it possible that there could be a plan B?”  However, the Son accepts the will of the Father and submits.

            Sometimes it’s good to be reminded of purpose.  The purpose of Spiritual Formation is to allow Christ to be formed within us (Galatians 4:19).  Concerning this Gethsemane episode see what Paul writes:

Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:5-8 NASB).

This then is our example for our prayers.

Prayers hindered by sins

Written by Pastor Ozzy

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

2003."40 Days." Come Together.

Spiritual Formation (Prayer Life Part 1 Unanswered)

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You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures. (Holy Bible: New American Standard Bible, James 4:3)

You say God give me a choice, you say Lord I say, Christ,
I don't believe in Peter Pan, Frankenstein or Superman (Queen 1978)

            How has prayer been explained to you?  There is a scene in the movie Europa Europa, in a Soviet orphanage, the communists intend to prove to the kids that God does not exist (Hofschneider 1990).  They tell the kids to pray to God for candy, and no candy comes.  However, they then drop candy on the kids and tell them the candy is from Stalin.  Is this a good explanation of prayer?  Asking God for things you want and then He gives you what you asked for?  In an argument form it would look like this:

            p1. If God exists, you can make requests to him.

            p2. If you make requests, he is obligated to fulfill your request.

            p3. A request unfulfilled means he does not exist.

            c. Prayer requests go unfulfilled; therefore, God does not exist.

However, as can be seen in the above passage from the book of James, within the Biblical religion, God is not obligated to fulfill certain requests.  Therefore, from a Biblical perspective, p.2 is a false dilemma.  Since p.2 can be falsified, unfulfilled prayer requests are insufficient in disproving the existence of God.  Moreover, this explanation of prayer also displays an inadequate understanding of the subject.

            Many of us begin to learn about God at a young age, the same time we are exposed to stories about Peter Pan, Frankenstein, and Superman.  Many people think there is even a verse that extols child like faith; however, in context, Jesus is talking about giving up ambitions for power in Matthew 18.  Paul, on the other hand, instructs Christians to become mature in their thinking (1 Cor. 14:20).  Therefore, how can we understand unfulfilled prayers?

            Again, James gives one reason that prayers may go unfulfilled, that the request is made with selfish motives and for only the purpose of pleasures.  Are Jesus’ followers to resemble Him or should they resemble Veruca Salt?  She was that spoiled little girl that following her own desires, fell down the garbage shoot in Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory (Cole 1971).  Selfish motives are only one Biblical explanation for unfulfilled prayer requests, and perhaps many of us can call mind to requests that were not selfish but were unfulfilled.  What do we do with those?  That gives us a topic for further exploration next week.

Jesus's unfulfilled prayer

Written by Pastor Ozzy

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1971. Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. Directed by Mel Stuart. Performed by Julie Dawn Cole.

1990. Europa Europa. Directed by Agnieszka Holland. Performed by Marco Hofschneider.

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

Queen. 1978. "Bicycle Race." Jazz. Comp. Freddie Mercury.

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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