Articles that lend insight or understanding to our times, the day in which we live, usually in comparison to the Biblical or historical perspective, which will aid one in knowing how to live and act wisely in our day. “Like the sons of Issachar, men who understood the times and what Israel should do.” I Chron 12:32
70 is a special number, and a special time in life. Two Greek words for time come to mind. Chronos means sequential time as in day after day, hour after hour, and week after week. Kairos means a special period of time or an opportune time for action. Beginning a new decade, especially the later decades, brings both kinds of time into clearer and more meaningful focus.
Ecclesiastes also comes to mind: “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” And yes, the last part of that verse points out there are some things hidden from us — something mysterious to be puzzled out or revealed. “Yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).
My life has been more than 70 revolutions around the sun.The more time you live, the more knowledge, wisdom, and experience you accumulate. You start to see more clearly “the beautiful” and “its time” — also the mystery. The mystery becomes more beautiful because it points to the Eternal.
One should not take our time in this life so seriously because of what we see with our natural eyes. We know everyone dies. We also sense there is more to life. A long chronology or length of years is not to be our only goal or perhaps a goal at all. Besides, much of that is out of our hands (Ecclesiastes 8:8).
In another sense, we should take our time seriously because it is meaningful and prepares us for something meaningful. This could apply to all of our days, but especially the kairos times that seem to set or alter the course for our future. Examples are important exams, career choices, marriage choices, major purchases, or opportunities and calamities that come our way.
Something very special is hidden from our view behind a very thin but impenetrable veil.
The longer and closer you walk with the Holy Spirit, the more you perceive and know it to be true. The more time you read the Bible and look around at your life and world events, the more you know it and smile inside at the reality assured.
In respect and appreciation I vail before the King, bowing my knee and heart to the One just behind the veil.
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“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Timothy 1:17 NIV).
“Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away [emphasis added]” (Psalm 90:10).
“Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You turn people back to dust, saying, ‘Return to dust, you mortals.’ A thousand years in your sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night [emphasis added]” (Psalm 90:1-4). Moses 1500 BC
“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever [emphasis added]” (Psalm 23:5-6).
On Election Day, November 8, during her early morning neighborhood walk my wife sent me this quote someone tweeted: “Before you vote please fill up your car with gas, buy your groceries for the week, take a peek at your retirement account, and look at current government spending.”
What’s happening at the moment to our economy and way of life is no mystery to those who carefully read their Bibles and have some grasp of history. I would recommend Deuteronomy 28, and Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich as a beginning place. No socialistic, secular-humanist people have lasted long as a nation. Without God’s blessings and actions in our individual and corporate lives we implode, make poor decisions, become easy targets for our enemies, and demonstrate we really do need Him — unable to rule ourselves.
In my upcoming book Puzzling 2020, Connecting the Pieces I mention that I don’t put my hope in the political process or politics. I do think politics are important and touch our lives deeply at times in very personal ways, so I vote and pray for candidates with the best character to win. I encourage my friends to do the same. But my hope is in God, the Rock, the Everlasting One — the God of history and Ruler of nations.
I recall now a favorite quote from Charles Simpson: “Good men can make a bad system work, but bad men can’t even make a good system work.” God is the X factor in making men and women, as well as nations comprised of the same, flourish or perish, for their own benefit.
A few relevant Bible verses come to mind: “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people” (Proverbs 14:34). “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance” (Psalm 33:12). And, “When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when a wicked man rules, people groan” (Proverbs 29:2).
Before leaving you with these thoughts to ponder as fodder for action, I’ll give a shout out to an excellent book addressing this subject in an insightful way. Its title is Letter to the American Church by Eric Metaxas. Our 20/20 Men’s Book Club and friendship group is currently reading it. I’m only 10 pages into this succinct 139-page book and can see it’s worth the money and time spent reading it already. May God bless you and yours.
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“Why are the nations in an uproar and the peoples devising a vain thing? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying, ‘Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us!’ He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them. Then He will speak to them in His anger and terrify them in His fury, saying, ‘But as for Me, I have installed My King upon Zion, My holy mountain’” (Psalm 2:1-6 NASB).
“But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more” (Romans 5:20b NKJV).
“The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries.”
RENE DESCARTES
Greetings All, my blog has been rather silent for the past weeks and months as I’ve focused on finishing my third book Puzzling 2020. It should be available in mid December, and I’m very excited. The book’s cover blurb speaks to its purpose:
“Einstein said, ‘Adversity introduces a man to himself.’ The pandemic and explosion of events beginning in 2020 certainly did that to Americans, both the culture and the church. Many things were stripped away from our lives as we pondered how to stay healthy. Some reacted in fear, and some in faith. It caused everyone to reexamine who they trusted for valid information about safety, health, and hope for the future. Puzzling these events, even after two years, a resolution is still inconclusive. This book seeks to answer some basic questions: “Where are we? How did we get here? Where do we go from here, or how do we live in these puzzling times?” We look to the Bible, history, and God for insight and truth — and for grace to live with purpose and without fear. These puzzle pieces will help you “Light a candle, instead of cursing the darkness.”
I hope you’ll give it a look. I think it certainly gives readers a better grasp on where we are as a culture and church, and more importantly, a healthy paradigm or world view for how to live in our day — the present, a gift from our Creator God.
Its seventy short chapters, or puzzle pieces, could be used as a devotional or daily meditation. Hopefully it will bring spiritual sight, light, joy, and renewed purpose.
By using the Descartes quote I didn’t mean to claim a “fine mind,” but simply give a shoutout to reading as a spiritual discipline. By reading, you humble yourself to hear someone else’s thoughts. You also slow yourself, still yourself, and are alone with your thoughts as you read, away from the din of the media, technology, and rush of our time. It’s like a mini vacation refreshing the soul.
Shalom, and stay tuned for more frequent blogs this beautiful autumn.
Dwayne
“Whosoever is delighted in solitude, is either a wild beast or a god.” ― Aristotle
Easter is such a special time, because spring and new life is evident everywhere and coming forth with a ferocity that one can’t ignore. One looks at brown soil one day and a green-grass carpet the next. Trees without a single leaf yesterday now flutter in the wind by thousands or millions, and colorful flowers pop out of the ground from seemingly nowhere. It’s as if Someone commanded them to come forth. It seems mystical, magical, and beautiful. It makes our hearts sing with hope and expectation of warmer seasons, longer days, and more light to work and play.
That’s fitting and apropos, but not the real meaning of Easter per se. New spiritual life has been made possible and commanded to come forth from the original passion week culminating in Christ’s resurrection — life from death indeed. It’s hard to put into words for those who see, yet it makes our hearts swell and feel alive, with hope for better days in this life and then for eternity with the One whose sacrifice made it possible. Amen.
Something changed in response to the light of the sun and the tilt of the earth. Something changed in response to the light of the Son and the inclination of a human heart and head. That’s the spirit and truth about Easter. It’s not that simple, and it’s not that complicated. Maybe it isn’t elementary to explain precisely or in detail, but simple to experience because the grace and revelation are there, awaiting the key of faith.
The Road
The road to Emmaus provides many insights into its complexity and simplicity. And why our hearts are full of joy and excitement at Easter’s realization. Our pastor preached on this today, and most of the insights I share here are from his sermon. It’s beautiful synchronicity to me that I wrote a chapter in my upcoming book, “The Puzzles of 2020?” over the weekend saying that the vision or dreams of many had been altered or crushed by the COVID pandemic, and the cure for crushed dreams and blurred vision is a fresh encounter with God. I used Elijah and Isaiah as examples. Then in a Good Friday blog, I cited this same Emmaus incident:
“Maybe the dashed dreams of his disciples and those who believed Jesus to be the Son of God (as He claimed and His miracles attested), the promised Jewish Messiah and King, are summed up by two of his disciples walking to their hometown, Emmaus. They said to a stranger walking with them: ‘Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days? … ‘About Jesus of Nazareth,’ they replied. ‘He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel’” (Luke 24:18b-21a).
The Luminary
Their answer describes the rather hopeless state of two friends walking home, their vision and dreams crushed. They were about to have a God encounter. But it took a while for the light to dawn. That the light did dawn is the most beautiful part of the story for all of us. But fascinating too is that it took a while for its truth to light upon them. Let’s look at Luke 24 for what it might teach us.
I will take some liberties and assume that most of you have read or heard the story many times and have gleaned lots of truth. So I’ll move quickly and trust your familiarity will help you appreciate these insights and apprehend them quickly. They speak to our day and age of doubt and skepticism. They speak to the need for revelation and illumination. It’s a beautiful mystery that is more easily caught than taught, as this story illustrates. Let’s dive in.
These two travelers are on the dark road of doubt. Are you in a dark place? Are you having a debate or an argument about your faith? Are you slow of heart to believe — foolish? Are you walking away from your faith? Do you think Jesus let you down? Jesus himself met these two on the road in this very situation.
Many of us ascribe to the saying, “Seeing is believing.” But these guys have the resurrection staring them in the face, and they’re not believing. Jesus starts to draw them into a conversation, “What are you talking about?” They answer him with their gloomy and doubting assessment that I recorded above. It’s ironic that Cleopas speaking a bit rudely, says: “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” (Luke 24:18). It’s ironic because he’s the one who isn’t aware of what happened in Jerusalem during these days.
They had hoped for what they did not see. How can they reconcile this in their mind? They saw Jesus suffering and then dying. Our suffering can drive us to moments of doubt. Do you have your vision of a king? A savior? What will he look like? Obviously, this is not what they expected of Jesus.
But now we see the stranger (Jesus) rebuke them a little bit: “‘How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself [emphasis added]” (Luke 24:25-27 NIV).
What about us?! They should know because of what He told them during 3 1/2 years together. They also knew the Scriptures they had pretty well. Then what about us? Indeed, we have more of the story, more evidence, and more proof to understand the happenings that day and believe Jesus and everything He told us. So we should quickly and easily move into His life by faith. Isn’t this a reasonable expectation? Isn’t this His expectation? You decide. But there are some tricky parts to the story we’ve not addressed yet.
Let’s back up toward the beginning of the story: “As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him [emphasis added]” (Luke 24:15). They were kept from recognizing him! What do we make of this, especially in light of the rest of the story? On the surface, it seems that it takes God’s action for people to recognize Jesus, at least in part. Let’s go on with the story, remembering they just received one last Bible lesson.
Breaking Bread
Will they get it? The suspense grows as they reach their home, and Jesus continues to travel onward: “As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, ‘Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.’ So he went in to stay with them” (Luke 24:28-29).
Then what? They sat down to eat: “When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him [emphasis added]” (Luke 24:30-31a). So it is; your eyes must be opened to see Him as He is. So it is, if He breaks the bread of revelation for you Himself, you know it. And you’re never the same! You don’t live by bread alone any longer, but by every word or revelation that proceeds from God.
It’s fascinating what happened next: “and he disappeared from their sight” (Luke 24:31b). While He was with them, they didn’t recognize Him. When they recognized Him, He vanished.” Apparently, after you see the Son, then from then on, you relate to Him mainly by His Spirit. It’s not merely semantics, and it doesn’t matter either. You know it’s Him, and He can teach you how it works by walking, or by revelation from His Word, or revelation period. You’ve seen the resurrected Lord, and you can trust Him and live with Him in a new way on a new day. That’s the Gospel, and that’s a fact.
Burning Hearts
How do we know? Burning hearts demonstrated what they had seen and experienced — the living, resurrected Lord. He disappeared from their sight in bodily form, and all of a sudden, they doubted no more and spoke of it: “They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’” (Luke 24:32).
Not only that, with their sorrow turned to joy, they hurried back into Jerusalem, but not in the same spirit they had departed. They were delighted with the new reality and couldn’t wait to share it with their brothers. Travel wasn’t that safe at night, and they didn’t have street lights, but off they went on the seven-mile trek to tell their friends what they had seen, heard, and experienced with great joy. It couldn’t wait! Their actions are more evidence of their burning hearts: “They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, ‘It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.’ Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread” (Luke 24:33-35).
What Happens Next?
It gets better! And it’s more of the same. Humans are sometimes dull, hard to convince, and slow to believe. The Lord Himself shows up immediately after these two tell their story to the disciples! You’d think this timing and this appearance would do a great deal for them and put all doubt aside about what had happened. Wouldn’t you?
Let’s take a glimpse: “While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’
They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.’ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, ‘Do you have anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence [emphasis added]” (Luke 24:36-43).
I’m sure Jesus enjoyed the fish and the beautiful reunion moment with His followers and friends, but He had to shake His head at their continuing unbelief! At first, they didn’t believe because of fear and disillusionment. Now they don’t believe because of joy and amazement!
I will choose to believe the best and step out on a limb a bit and say they couldn’t be rational or use their hearts and minds to believe or process because of all the joy at His surprise visit. He was alive! With them! Just like before the crucifixion and burial. It was like being surprised by a dear old friend who’s come knocking at your door late at night, and you say, “I can’t believe it’s you!” Or, “I can’t believe you’re standing here!” But multiply that feeling times a quad zillion. They had been separated by death!
That said, I still find this a bit puzzling or disconcerting. Maybe you can’t process things with all that flood of emotion, but you still know Who is standing there, and it shouldn’t take anything else to believe. Well, let’s move on to what happens next. It does add a little bit of clarity.
Jesus went on: “He said to them, ‘This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms’” (Luke 24:44). This reminder was helpful and got them to piece the puzzles of Scripture together again with what they had just seen happen and experienced. But what happens next seems to be the rest of the story and the part we usually don’t notice and don’t understand.
What did Jesus do next: “Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures [emphasis added]” (Luke 24:45).
Is this the same as breaking bread for them and with them? Maybe so. At any rate, what they didn’t believe before, they understood and believed now. Again, there appears to be an unseen God part in moving from doubt to belief. Because we have grown up in a secular, materialist culture and churches many times, we have trouble with the unseen. But it’s central to the Bible, and we must be schizophrenic not to realize it and function in that realm. Jesus told the woman at the well: “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). And what Jesus told Nicodemus in John chapter 3 is the key and secret (an open secret) to life in the Spirit and life in the Kingdom.
What A Day!
Jesus was now telling His disciples something for the last time. I think He had their attention: “He told them, ‘This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high [emphasis added]’” (Luke 24:46-49).
So Jesus finished this welcome surprise and exhilarating visit with a charge and a promise to them. Wow! What a day! Easter, April 7, 33 AD! They know again they are accepted by God, their sins are forgiven, taken away by His sacrifice, and now they receive new directions and vision for the future — a future not devoid of Him. What could be better?! They could now sleep in peace! Or maybe they couldn’t sleep at all? Because He told them He would do something else for them not many days from now.
Then he led them out to Bethany, a place they had often enjoyed with Him, blessed them, and left them — but not for long. To be continued in ten days, on Pentecost.
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“He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying” (Matthew 28:6)
I wrote a blog yesterday morning, or actually, a chapter in my next book Puzzling 2020 about broken dreams and visions and needing a fresh encounter with God to repair our hearts, renew our vision, and fix our focus. I used Elijah and Isaiah as examples, which was instructive for me.
This morning, when one considers the gravity of this day and what happened on a cross in Roman Jerusalem 1989 years ago today, there is no comparison for matching broken dreams and crushed visions in the history of humankind. Every human soul on that day, before, and since was on a slippery slope to hopelessness and oblivion.
A miracle-working king, good and just, merciful too, kind and gracious, morally astute, with the appearance of a Divine, also a link to heaven and the Holy One, the Creator, had just died.
He died the cruel death of a sinner, a transgressor, a criminal, no less. The hopes and vision of thousands of his followers were crushed with his ebbing bleeding, internally and externally, and each labored breath.
Maybe the dashed dreams of his disciples and those who believed Jesus to be the Son of God (as He claimed and His miracles attested), the promised Jewish Messiah and King, are summed up by two of his disciples walking to their hometown, Emmaus. They said to a stranger walking with them: “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days? … ‘About Jesus of Nazareth,’ they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel” (Luke 24:18b-21a).
He didn’t say much. He just hung there, painfully suspended between heaven and earth.
There was a simple sign over his head. It read: “Jesus of Nazareth, king of the Jews.”
Requiem & Selah
Let today be “an act of remembrance” and of us “resting in peace,” as we “stop and think about that.”
We pause and remember. So does Heaven. Let all the earth be silent.
In a funny little battle of wills with my wife, who would like to take down all our Christmas decorations the day after Christmas, and myself, who would prefer to keep them up the Twelve Days of Christmas, our outside angel came down today. Our tree made it until the Eleventh day of Christmas this year. It was the only thing left besides the angel until today. My wife is still winning, but I’m gaining a little ground.
Today is January 6th, Epiphany in Christendom, celebrating the arrival of the Magi from the east as recorded in Matthew chapter two. They came to King Herod’s court in Jerusalem, then on to Bethlehem, becoming the first gentiles to have an epiphany — the realization and revelation that Jesus was the promised Messiah, God in human flesh, the prophesied King of the Jews.
I attended a men’s Bible study this morning on the Book of Revelation. Our teacher noted the difference in appearance between angels coming from the presence of God and those fallen angels released for a time from the bottomless pit. That got us thinking about how life-changing it is to behold God.
I immediately thought of the Aaronic blessing, where the LORD told Moses to instruct Aaron, the High Priest, how to bless the sons of Israel. It’s a blessing repeated over believers for more than three thousand five hundred years now. “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).
Similar verses came from men in the class. “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (I John 3:2 NKJV).
We are told in the Bible that no man can look upon God’s face. “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” (Exodus 33:20). But we can look upon Jesus, as the Magi did, and start to live differently. Jesus said that’s why He came, to show us the Father.
I also think that every time a believer, with the help of the Holy Spirit, catches a glimpse of God while reading the Bible or by a revelation elsewhere, they become a little more like Him. “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (II Corinthians 3:18).
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (II Corinthians 4:17-18).
Happy Epiphany! And may you have many more epiphanies in 2022. Godspeed and Shalom.
Last night, I took my wife on a Christmas date to see “Christmas with the Chosen.” It was inspiring and wonderful, like Christmas is, especially for the chosen — those who have, or are given, eyes to see and ears to hear the story of the King. It’s in theaters nationwide for three more days if you want to enjoy it there and show your support for The Chosen. Soon it will be free on the web.
A quick sidebar is for those who haven’t heard. The Chosen is a wildly popular and highly acclaimed film series about the life of Jesus Christ. It’s crowd-funded and has produced two seasons of eight episodes each, with something like 318 million views as of today in every country of the world. It’s viewable free, thanks to supporters, on YouTube, FaceBook, and its own app. This film series is beautiful, fresh—inspired, and inspiring.
As a dark cloud seemingly descends on our country and world during these past two years, this film series is a good reminder that it was that way when the King came the first time, to humble parents and humble people, in a place we know as Bethlehem Judea, within tiny Israel. It’s encouraging to remember also something the Scriptures say, “But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 5:20-21 NLT).
Recently in conversation, a quote about Christmas came up, “Christmas is not a time nor a season, but a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas” (Calvin Coolidge). Indeed, everyone should cherish peace and goodwill. Certainly, everyone should be plenteous in mercy. And those things are rightly celebrated at Christmas. However, Christmas is a time and a season, and perhaps a state of mind, to focus on the king whose advent makes these things possible on a wide scale in a dark world at spiritual war. Christmas is about Christ more than about his rule and reign, his attributes, or even His kingdom. It’s about the gem of creation — God becomes a man. A Son of Man to tell us about God, His kingdom, His rule, His purpose, His Person, and then to send us His power in the form of His Spirit to live this life and make peace, goodwill, and mercy possible on the earth and in our realm of family and friends. And to dwell with us.
Some might ask, “Isn’t the point of Christmas love, peace, mercy, truth, good?” I’d say yes, of course, these are the things we celebrate which are made possible by the King and are descriptive of the King. But I would add that people think and act as if they can bring these qualities to bear on the earth on their own. History would demonstrate that we really can’t in any widespread or lasting degree. We need a righteous, kind, powerful king to affect what we celebrate at Christmas and desire year-round and lifelong.
Christmas is a time and a season to be still, to be quiet, and focus on this gift from above — a baby, a gift of power and love. A king is born — beautiful, personal, good, enabling. He is mighty to reign and enforces justice in the middle of His enemies all around. His rule ensures the wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth and goodwill to men.
Worship and give thanks — honor and celebrate the King.
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“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen” (I Timothy 1:17 NASB).
“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,Too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity. Therefore He will give them up until the time when she who is in labor has borne a child. Then the remainder of His brethren will return to the sons of Israel. And He will arise and shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord His God. And they will remain, because at that time He will be great to the ends of the earth. This One will be our peace” (Micah 5:2-5a).
I recently received a photo of a Bible text from a friend in a men’s group with some verses circled in red. Below that, he asked the question, “Do you think this is possible today?”
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved” (Acts 2:42-47 ESV).
I gave it some thought then replied with what came to my mind. “Yes, I don’t see why not. God is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. It’s possible. It’s happening in places around the earth, I believe.” He was asking if what was happening in the early church should be happening in our churches today.
I awoke this morning with that question on my mind, and a couple of verses came quickly to me, followed by other thoughts as I got up and journaled. First, I’ll share the verses, then the thoughts.
The Verses
“Those who cling to vain idols leave behind the gracious love that could have been theirs” (Jonah 2:8 ISV).
“The wind blows where it wants to. You hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. That’s the way it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8).
The Thoughts
The Spirit moves where He wants to move. Those born of the Spirit and those born by the Spirit sense where He’s moving and are carried along by His power in that direction. These people include sailors, pilots, army scouts, accountants, teachers, business people, laborers — spiritual adventurers. They are those who exercise faith in God and risk following his Spirit, those who become adept and practice doing so, who make it their very lifestyle and passion.
These are people like David, the shepherd boy, and king who the Bible says “… served the purpose of God in his own generation” (Acts 13:36a NASB). Is it possible to live a life like his? Or like Amos, the fig grower? Or like Elijah the prophet? Or Esther the orphan? Or Ruth the Moabitess? Or Abigail, caught up in a bad marriage? Or rather perhaps a good marriage to a bad person? Where is the wind of the Spirit blowing in each of these person’s lives and in their times? Ask yourself that.
Someone has said that wisdom begins with asking the right question. We may not be asking the right question in this case. Do we look at the church in Acts and try to mimic it? Is that a reasonable approach or course of action in our day?
I say, “yes and no.” “Yes,” in that it’s a valid expression of what a church or people flowing in the Spirit of God can look like, just like the lives of the Bible characters listed above are examples. I say “no,” in that our job is not to take one of these demonstrations of life in the Spirit and try to replicate it precisely in the flesh or in our power.
We see the Spirit wind blowing in the lives of individuals and a group of people. We get insights into the actions of the Spirit and the lives of people who experience the Spirit’s life and power. We see the Spirit’s peace and power flow in their lives and in their times.
Men love to emulate a model to take credit for accomplishing success in the process or feat. “But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us” (2 Corinthians 4:7 NIV), writes Paul. Or, as explained by an Old Testament prophet, real spiritual progress is accomplished in humans, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the LORD of hosts” (Zechariah 4:6b).
It’s good to look at the examples in Scripture to learn about the Spirit of God moving and working among people. We also learn about the people God chooses, blesses with his presence, and entrusts with his power. Yet, it’s best to ask what the Spirit is doing in our day and how we can function as a son or daughter of the gentle breeze — the Holy Spirit.
In Acts, we see the Spirit of God moving in power to birth the church and establish the kingdom of God in some measure with the first advent of the King. In the times of the prophets of Judah and Israel, we see the Spirit moving in judgment and redemption to save people from idols and themselves and turn their hearts back to their Creator Redeemer. In Esther and Daniel, we see the Spirit, boldly but in his hidden, understated way, moving in the lives of chosen people to effect righteousness and peace in two gentile, world-ruling kingdoms. In Ruth, it’s about two people, or a few people, in a backward time and place, knowing their God, walking in faith, being empowered by the Spirit to give birth to a king, and eventual, godly direction and leadership for a chosen but impoverished nation.
What is the Spirit doing in your day and life is the best question to ask. The next best question might be: “How do I hear him? How do I know him? How do I learn to flow in His power, presence, and leading?”
It’s possible because he’s always on the move to save, redeem, and call needy people and lost sheep out of darkness and into his marvelous light. Seek him. Ask him to show you how to become and stay a son or daughter of the gentle breeze — the Holy Spirit.
I get that phrase from the life of Elijah, one of the most powerful prophets in the Bible sent to the idol-ridden, northern kingdom of Israel. They were in a deceived and spiritually dark time like ours. The Bible tells us that “Elijah was a person just like us” (James 5:17a ISV), not some made-up superhero. He was spiritually sensitive, as we can come to be. Yet, he had his ups and downs on his spiritual journey, which should give us insight and encouragement.
One time on Mount Carmel, he heard the Spirit and moved in power, calling down fire on a sacrifice to God in the presence of the people and the king. Then he prayed for rain ending a three-year drought. Immediately after that, he experienced a very low point. In fear for his life due to the death threat from an evil queen, he ran to Horeb, the mountain of God. There he hid in a cave, praying for God to take his life because he was “no better than his fathers,” apparently at hearing God’s voice and moving in the Spirit, exercising courage and faith.
A mighty wind came upon the mountain, and an earthquake, followed by fire, but none of these moved Elijah. “Then there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. Finally, there was a gentle breeze” (I Kings 19:12 CEV), which Elijah recognized to be the Spirit of God. At the coming of the “gentle breeze,” Elijah came out of hiding to hear God provide revelation, restore vision, and instruct him to continue his journey.
That’s my prayer for you and myself — that we simply, humbly become and remain sons and daughters of the gentle breeze — the voice and leading of God’s Spirit. May we be moved by that gentle breeze whether we live in a time of correcting judgment, or the birth of something new, or both—godspeed as you journey.
Don’t be overly amazed about this. Just experience it. Be willingly led by the Spirit wind as you come to apprehend or hear His leading and come to see what He is doing. Jesus told Nicodemus that he could. And he’s telling you that you can.
It’s not hard! You don’t have to understand it completely. In fact, you won’t! John 3:8 and Proverbs 3:5-6 tell us not to lean on our understanding, rather expect to be moved by the wind of the Spirit. You have to sense it and follow those leadings and impressions. By training your senses through obedience to what you hear, you will improve. It’s a sixth sense, one the world does not experience, but one the believer uses to see into the spiritual realm and bring heaven’s goodness to bear on earth.
You will learn to recognize synchronicities. You will know to pay attention to some dreams and reject others. You will expect visions. You’ll not be surprised when awakened at 3:33 AM anymore. You will get up and journal or meditate in silence and listen to what thoughts come to you. You will listen for what the Spirit might say. Through practice, you can learn to distinguish between your ideas and His thoughts. Through familiarity, you will learn to discern His voice from others, like you recognize the voice of a family member or close friend.
Hindrances to Knowing the Spirit
Does this spiritual exchange of information get to be foolproof? I’d say no, it does not. The Scripture would indicate that dark spirits can operate on these same frequencies or spiritual impressions. The Scriptures record that even “Satan can appear as an angel of light.” So that scares many away from desiring social intercourse with the Holy Spirit. But it shouldn’t. Trust God, He’s more powerful, and He is good. We know this spiritual communication is a fact of life, whether we want to bury our heads in the sand and ignore it or not? You have undoubtedly had bad dreams that disturbed sleep, had no rhyme or reason, and scared you. They seemed disjointed with no discernible message. Do you think those came from God? Yet, we know that dreams can be valid from the Scripture and shared human experience. They may warn us about something or someone. They may give us a glimpse into our destiny or what God intends for our future. We may need the help of interpretation or more dreams, but they don’t scare us, and we don’t forget them when we sense their validity.
Another thing that drives many with a western mindset away from this spiritual communication is the fear of making mistakes. What if I hear incorrectly? What if I hear from a dark spirit or my imagination? Fear of failure and fear of making a mistake robs us of life that might have been ours. Trust God. Get to know Him through His record of interacting with people in the Bible. Then you will know if what you hear sounds like something He would say. But don’t wait until you are a Bible scholar. Remember He also sent a guide, the Holy Spirit. He will help you. He will train you. He will show you the way you are to go. Sometimes it will involve courage. Obedience to what you hear will always require faith and trust. Each obedient action leads to better hearing, more confidence, more trust, more spiritual insight. Initially, the Spirit probably won’t speak to you the same way He spoke to Moses, Elijah, the prophets, the apostles, or Jesus Himself. But He desires to speak and commune with you. It’s both a gift and a learned skill to hear. It’s to your great advantage to listen, obey, and enjoy that relationship of intimacy, seeing, and adventure—godspeed on your journey.
The Joy of Knowing the Spirit
You will come to hear of someone having a word of knowledge and see it for what it is. You won’t be surprised, seeing it as the Holy Spirit wanting to illuminate something or help someone. I know of many examples personally, but not as many as I would like to see and experience.
It only stands to reason that if you know it happens and that it’s a valid expression or communication of the Holy Spirit, you’re going to participate in it by faith. All of the gifts work by faith and leading, by leading and faith, by hearing and obeying. Afterward, the spiritual power flows, and you see it, sense it, and are in awe of it.
There are times you are not aware of it. Only the person receiving your word of encouragement, word of knowledge, or prayer, is affected deeply by it. They may not even show you this outwardly. But inwardly, between them and the Lord, they know and are moved or stunned by what is said, prayed, or laid bare. It will affect their life, if not immediately, in the days to come, as they surrender or come to know the Spirit themselves. God is very understated like that. Expect it often to work this way. Have faith that you delivered the message and trust God with the results. When people sense a message is supernatural or from God, they’re seldom inclined to shoot the messenger. Relax, be humble, be caring, be loving, be gracious, be courageous. “… wisdom is proved right by her deeds” (Matthew 11:19b).
Again, it stands to reason that if you don’t understand how the Holy Spirit works, even a little bit, or haven’t seen Him in action, you’re going to stand by and gawk. You’ll be more in shock and doubt than a willing participant in God’s grace as it’s pouring out.
“…because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high.” Luke 1:78
I have eight examples listed in the journal I’m referencing right now. And I’d love to share them as demonstrations of what I’m talking about because they’re convincing and fun to recount. But I feel the Spirit impressing me not to do so, instead to let my words be few and leave the convincing between Him and you, the reader. He’s reminding me of the Scripture, “Your ears will hear a word behind you saying, “This is the way, walk in it’” (Isaiah 30:21a).
In a men’s group recently, the discussion about the Holy Spirit was excellent! Most of the guys were open to new truth and revelation as long as it was in the Bible, but having a Baptist background like me, I wondered how it would go? The same could apply to many denominations, as you will note.
“Why,” it was asked, “does the church in the west, or we have trouble with the Holy Spirit?”
Honest answers proffered and discussed included:
Our educational system is Greek modeled, materialistic, and further influenced by the French Enlightenment, stressing the intellect and neglecting or rejecting the Spirit.
Our churches are affected and infected and have not understood nor taught what the Bible says about the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit is mystical and mysterious, so He’s not easy to know if you have the mindset mentioned in 1. and 2. above.
Because of excesses seen or reported, we’ve been skeptical of those sects or denominations who claim to have experienced the Holy Spirit. Some have acted like they have some corner on Him, or have Him in their box, so we’ve rejected them and their teaching, likely throwing out the baby with the bathwater.
Why are our eyes and minds closed? Don’t we love the truth? Are we that afraid of error? Why wouldn’t we trust God our Father to lead us into all truth? One of the most important truths is that we can have and should have a relationship with the Holy Spirit.
Spiritual blindness is more rampant, embedded, and systemic in our lives and churches than we have thought! This omitted teaching and missing experiential relationship with the Holy Spirit is one area that demonstrates that fact. One member of our group just finished reading “The Heavenly Man.” It’s about Brother Yun, a leader of the underground church in China, who the Spirit constantly led. My friend brings it up often, and I can tell the book has changed his thinking about the place of the Holy Spirit in the church and his personal life.
In Isaiah chapter six, we find another clue why we in the community of believers haven’t known the truth about the Holy Spirit and are consequentially spiritually dull. The Lord is understated and doesn’t appear to those disinterested, but usually to those who are humble or desperate and hungry to know Him. Grace is free, but it is not cheap. Grace is costly, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer told the modern church in “The Cost of Discipleship.” He found the German church in his day asleep and deceived, like the Jewish nation of Isaiah’s day. The Lord told Isaiah to speak to the people whatever he heard from the Lord, but also told him the people would not hear, by and large. They had grown dull of hearing because of idolatry and the lack of intimacy.
Jesus on The Holy Spirit
What did Jesus have to say about the Holy Spirit? “Much!” is the answer. I’ll point out a few things for brevity. Let it serve as a springboard to do your research and study. It’s easy to see that the Holy Spirit was a significant focus for Jesus and an essential part of his plan for us.
“Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you” (John 16:7 ESV).
“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26 ESV).
Paul on the Holy Spirit
The Apostle Paul had much to say and demonstrate about the Holy Spirit. In Acts 19, Paul going to Ephesus met a group of believers outside of town and asked them a meaningful, telling question.
“Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit” (Acts 19:2 ESV). Doesn’t that describe or define the church in the West? In America? In our city? We have not even heard whether there is a Holy Spirit, it seems.
At least we act like it. While we do experience the Holy Spirit from time to time, it seems we do so without being aware. It appears we are wired by God for 220 volts and are living on AA batteries.
There isn’t awareness. There isn’t the practice. There isn’t the experience. There isn’t the hunger. Biblical teaching on the Holy Spirit as an abiding part of our lives doesn’t exist in many churches. The Bible teaches that God sent the Holy Spirit in Christ’s name to dwell with us and in us, to be our Helper. Is He a part of your reality?
The Acts 19 account goes on to say there were about twelve men involved. That’s not a significant number. God is not into big numbers, apparently. I wonder what kind of wonders these twelve accomplished after that experience and for the rest of their lives? Later in the same chapter, we read, “God was performing extra ordinary miracles by the hand of Paul” (Acts 19:9 ESV). Paul continually said it was the Holy Spirit working through him.
We Should Know the Spirit
Back to our reality, the Holy Spirit goes about his work of refining us, convicting us of sin, righteousness, and judgment. He is molding us into the image of Christ, to be his friends and his bride, the church, the “ecclesia?” the called-out ones. But it seems there is so much more available from Him for us and through us if we understand the working of the Spirit.
John chapter 3 is telling and instructive about the role of the Holy Spirit. Jesus talks to Nicodemus, “The Teacher of Israel,” a man schooled and skilled in the Bible, and tells Nicodemus there is more. Someone has said, “God did not leave us just a map. He left us a guide.” The map is the Bible, and the guide is the Holy Spirit. Scripture completely supports this convergence.
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6 ESV). “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8 ESV).
