Apprentice2Jesus

Ramblings of a Confessing Pentecostal

Archive for the category “Spiritual Formation”

07 Feb 2012
2 Comments

Run in a Way to WIN

Paul’s passion for the ministry, his passion for souls, is amazing. He wanted Christ glorified so much he was willing to give up so much in his life to make sure the way was clear to Christ. It was not about his rights. It was about others being able to see Christ as clearly as possible.

The metaphor of “winning” was not for him as individual. It was for the glory of Christ. If others are coming to Christ, and they aren’t stumbling over him… he wins. Run to win.

24 Don’t you know that all the runners in the stadium run, but only one gets the prize? So run to win. 25 Everyone who competes practices self-discipline in everything. The runners do this to get a crown of leaves that shrivel up and die, but we do it to receive a crown that never dies. 26 So now this is how I run—not without a clear goal in sight. I fight like a boxer in the ring, not like someone who is shadowboxing. 27 Rather I’m landing punches on my own body and subduing it like a slave. I do this to be sure that I myself won’t be disqualified after preaching to others. (1 Cor. 9:24-27, CEB)

 

Posted in Common English Bible, Spiritual Formation, Spiritual hunger and tagged , ,
03 Feb 2012

The Rage Against Religion While Thinking You Are Spiritual

David Brooks is one of my favorite columnists. He hits it out of the ballpark again on THIS COLUMN.

He took the viral video of the guy raging against religion and got into the why, and then the results of the video. Challenged with the exact words of the video, the young man actually realized he needed to learn to say some things differently.

Brooks goes on to demonstrate how it’s not a problem to have “angst” in our world. It’s just what to do after that angst is our problem.

For generations we’ve been told to think for ourselves, but all we know how to do is say what we don’t like.

For generations people have been told: Think for yourself; come up with your own independent worldview. Unless your name is Nietzsche, that’s probably a bad idea. Very few people have the genius or time to come up with a comprehensive and rigorous worldview.

Brooks’ remedy is rather interesting:

The paradox of reform movements is that, if you want to defy authority, you probably shouldn’t think entirely for yourself. You should attach yourself to a counter-tradition and school of thought that has been developed over the centuries and that seems true.

The old leftists had dialectical materialism and the Marxist view of history. Libertarians have Hayek and von Mises. Various spiritual movements have drawn from Transcendentalism, Stoicism, Gnosticism, Thomism, Augustine, Tolstoy, or the Catholic social teaching that inspired Dorothy Day.

Passion is great. Just give it some place to land. Rigorously examine what is out there. What have the ancients taught us? Where is a path we can find?

I am deeply thankful that even in my time of angst I found the ancient paths still leading to Christ. Over the years I have been so thankful to keep exploring those paths and found the richness of who he is, and realized that within “religion” there is a design that helps to truly follow Christ. It gets expressed in so many ways, and most of them awkward in one way or another. But following those paths has given me the beauty of Christ.

I don’t fly solo very well.

Posted in Culture, Spiritual Formation, Spiritual hunger, Spirituality and tagged , , , , , | Leave a Comment
02 Feb 2012
2 Comments

The Place of Glory

3 Who among you is left who saw
this house in its former glory?
How does it look to you now?
   Doesn’t it appear as nothing to you?

9 This house will be more glorious
than its predecessor,
says the LORD of heavenly forces.
      I will provide prosperity in this place, says the LORD of heavenly forces.(Haggai 2:3,9, CEB)

In this passage the story is of the Return. The people of God have come back from exile and the call has been to rebuild the Temple. As they try desperately to rebuild the Temple, the realization hits that what they are trying to build just doesn’t compare to the former Temple of Solomon. The older folks were crying over the bad attempt.

The word from the Lord was to understand the outer structure was not what was important. The glory to come would be greater. This would, of course, be looking forward to the coming of Messiah. Messiah would be in this Temple area, so he would usher in something far greater than anything Solomon had accomplished.

As I read this text I reflect on some conversations I’ve had in the past week regarding experiences with God. I’ve had those moments and struggles in my own life, and I am trying to walk through these times with some college-age students right now.

The struggle goes like this: We have a very powerful time with God and there is a time in our lives when we would spend hours in prayer or hours in the Word and for several months we were having amazing experiences with God. Then, life happened. We went off to college, got jobs, etc.

But instead of realizing our walk with God is dynamic, we keep reaching back for that exact same experience. We don’t allow for life changes.

“Why can’t I seem as close to God as when I was in ______.”

We keep looking for that same feeling.

What we need to understand is that a greater glory can actually come into our lives. The dynamics of God walking with us may change, but it may just get sweeter.

I am a Pentecostal and grew up Pentecostal. When I was in high school I could get up at 5 in the morning, watch Jimmy Swaggart, go over to the church to pray for an hour, and then head to school. I would walk and pray and shout my praises and shout my rebukes at the devil, etc.

In college I didn’t get the same amount of time so I felt like I was drifting. What I learned was that season change. The walk with God can get deeper. The glory can be greater.

As a Pentecostal it is now odd to write that the most powerful experiences with God I have ever had have been in silence. And it is true. (To this point.)

Several years ago I was part of a three day silent retreat led by a director who helped us walk through the struggles of quieting our souls before God. Then, about 18 hours into the roughly 36 hour experience, God came down. I experienced his presence in such reality I get goose bumps just writing it. I wept uncontrollably for hours as he poured his abundant love into my life.

Since that time I have had the privilege of going on several more silent retreats. I have found a wonderful retreat center about an hour from my home that is dedicated to silence.

At this point in my life, I can almost set an alarm for when God will show up. It is so overwhelming. The experience is so breathtaking and beautiful I simply can’t describe it. His glory is far greater right now than when I was 16 or 17.

Here’s the thing: even that may change in the next few years. But I can’t worry over my method. I simply look for him and find a new way to understand his glory.

Do not despair if how you walked with God is not the same as a few years ago. It need not be that way. Something new can happen. A greater glory can come.

Posted in Spiritual Formation, Spiritual hunger and tagged , ,
28 Jan 2012

The Willingness to Give Up the Distractions

When the Kingdom of God invades your life there is a decision to be made. The disciples hear the call of Jesus in Mark 1 and by the time he calls to them, they have determined he is worth it. They set aside the distractions of nets, and boats, and servants. Jesus was worth their full attention.

The Kingdom comes calling. The Kingdom invades our world. Are we ready to give up the distractions to give him the attention he deserves? He is worth it.

16 As Jesus passed alongside the Galilee Sea, he saw two brothers, Simon and Andrew, throwing fishing nets into the sea, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,”he said, “and I’ll show you how to fish for people.” 18 Right away, they left their nets and followed him. 19 After going a little further, he saw James and John, Zebedee’s sons, in their boat repairing the fishing nets. 20 At that very moment he called them. They followed him, leaving their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired workers. (Mark 1:16-20, CEB)

Posted in Common English Bible, Spiritual Formation, Spiritual hunger and tagged , , | Leave a Comment
27 Jan 2012
2 Comments

Does It Get Old?

I love sports, and I LOVE the Kansas Jayhawks in basketball. On my bucket list is going to a game at Allen Fieldhouse once before I die. Just once. I was in there one time years ago. Roy Williams was in his first season. They had won the national championship the year before. A friend and I walked into the fieldhouse for a practice. We were promptly chased out. Didn’t matter. We looked at each other and said, “Was that cool or what?”

But a game… I would LOVE to get to a game.

Duke is another school passionate about the game. I’ve always equated Duke with crazy fans. This article seems to indicate it is just not the same anymore. Students aren’t filling up the student section any more. Top ten program. Fans aren’t coming. The author of the article speculates it’s because things get old. Chants are the same. Songs are the same. (Even winning is the same.) So… are fans bored?

The article sparked another thought in me: Do we get bored of the Kingdom of God?

Do we reach a point where we think: “Same songs. Same Bible. Same church (or series of churches).”

So… we… yaaaaawwwwwnnnn.

Does the Kingdom get old? If it does… why? And if it does… do we change up the routine? Or… hold on now, this may shock you… is it US?

Nawww… couldn’t be us. It MUST be the worship team… or the pastor… or the Bible… or…

You know what? For some reason, if we’re “bored”, or things so to have slipped into a rut, and we keep on looking… and searching… and not finding any solutions with outward stimulus… the answer just may be us.

WE may need to get right back into that Word… right back into that worship service… right back on our knees… and stay at it until we understand what may be wrong inside… not outside.

Just. A. Thought.

12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; 
      reap faithful love; 
   break up your unplanted ground, 
      for it is time to seek the LORD, 
      that he may come 
      and rain righteousness upon you. (Hos. 10:12, CEB)

 

Posted in Common English Bible, Spiritual Formation, Spiritual hunger and tagged , , ,
27 Jan 2012

Demons and Authority

In Mark 1 there is the story of Jesus casting out the demon in the synagogue. While we focus on the power encounter, Mark focuses on the authority. Twice in the same story he mentions the authority of Jesus to teach.

22 The people were amazed by his teaching, for he was teaching them with authority, not like the legal experts.

27 Everyone was shaken and questioned among themselves, “What’s this? A new teaching with authority! (Mark 1: 22,27, CEB)

When we walking in the authority of the Kingdom, the enemy recognizes it. Jesus never went hunting for a power encounter. Power encounters found him.

The apostles never went hunting for power encounters. So it is with us.

When we are walking in the authority of the Kingdom, our priority is Matt. 6:33. Whatever happens after that is something we are truly prepared for. We need not worry or fear. The tools have been given.

When the people of God show up and are walking in authority, just know that sometimes that means the spiritual waters stir. Don’t seek it out specifically. And don’t shy away from it when those waters stir.

Posted in Common English Bible, Holy Spirit, Prayer, Spiritual Formation and tagged , , | Leave a Comment
26 Jan 2012

Longing for Home

The end of Revelation is a picture of longing. Paradise is restored. The tree of life that was guarded in Genesis is now found in the city of God. From its leaves come healing for the nations.

It is home. These verses make me long for the home I know I have, yet have never visited.

Come, Lord Jesus.

1 Then the angel showed me the river of life-giving water, shining like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and the Lamb 2 through the middle of the city’s main street. On each side of the river is the tree of life, which produces twelve crops of fruit, bearing its fruit each month. The tree’s leaves are for the healing of the nations. 3 There will no longer be any curse. The throne of God and the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 Night will be no more. They won’t need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will shine on them, and they will rule forever and always. (Rev. 22:1-5, CEB)

Posted in Common English Bible, Spiritual Formation and tagged , | Leave a Comment
25 Jan 2012
5 Comments

The Leading of the Spirit

12 At once the Spirit forced Jesus out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among the wild animals, and the angels took care of him. (Mark 1:12-13, CEB)

The Spirit did not lead very softly. The same Greek word for “force” is the same word used to talk about Jesus casting out demons.

We may not always understand that “force.” I have met many who do, and the stories they tell are amazing. When there is a compelling of the Spirit they know it.

One missionary I knew was under the direction of the Spirit to go to a village hostile to the gospel for several days. Every day he went they would physically harass him in some way. He would often come home bloody. The next day the Spirit would compel him to return to that village and stay at the task.

In so many ways we are just too soft in our culture. It is so hard to rise up and sense a compelling Spirit leading us into hard areas to go through something so necessary. Jesus was “forced” into a wilderness experience that empowered him for ministry.

Where are those areas in our own lives where the Spirit is truly compelling us… driving us… to move into a whole new realm of spiritual depth and insight?

Posted in Common English Bible, Holy Spirit, Spiritual Formation, Spiritual hunger and tagged , , ,
24 Jan 2012
2 Comments

Our Faith Can Hold

The end of 2 Peter 1 is a powerful reminder of the faith delivered to us. The witness of those who carefully witnessed the glory of Christ, and those who came before who heard from God, stand in history as something to which we can anchor our faith. It is a powerful passage to reflect on!

16 We didn’t repeat crafty myths when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Quite the contrary, we witnessed his majesty with our own eyes. 17He received honor and glory from God the Father when a voice came to him from the magnificent glory, saying, “This is my dearly loved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 In addition, we have a most reliable prophetic word, and you would do well to pay attention to it, just as you would to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Most important, you must know that no prophecy of scripture represents the prophet’s own understanding of things, 21 because no prophecy ever came by human will. Instead, men and women led by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. (2 Peter 1:16-21, CEB)

 

Posted in Common English Bible, Spiritual Formation and tagged ,
22 Jan 2012

Repetition is Necessary

In a “been there, done that” world, one of the great habits of the Christian life (and the Church world) is to go back over something. We’re not very good at it, but the habit is built in.

In the tradition of the Church world going back centuries there is the repetition of the Lectionary readings. The gospels are visited every year and the story of Christ is told through the reading of the gospels every year. Other portions of the Bible are to be read aloud in a schedule every year.

For those who don’t fall along the “liturgical” lines of Christianity, it is still a good idea. There are some who will follow a “one year Bible” format. It is good to lock in the big picture on a regular basis.

Peter was not afraid to keep repeating things to his audience. It was necessary. Repetition helps establish new patterns. We need to find new paths for our walk of faith and those paths need to be set in our minds, our spirits, and our practices. Repeat early and often!

Years ago I was studying through the Book of Acts personally. When I finished that particular study I prayed and asked the Lord what book I should study next. I clearly heard the response: “Acts.”

I asked, “Why? I just did Acts!”

The response was gentle, but direct: “You didn’t get it that time. Do it again.”

“GET WHAT???”

There wasn’t an answer to that question that day. So, I pulled out a fresh notebook and off I went into Acts again. This time I found the Spirit waiting for me at a particular point and my life at that point hit a new level of understanding and prayer. I “got it” that second time around.

We need to be willing to stay at the task. Don’t think your reading of some book of the Bible one time earlier last year was enough. The Spirit may prompt you to get after it again. Rinse and repeat.

12 So I’ll keep reminding you about these things, although you already know them and stand secure in the truth you have. 13 I think it’s right that I keep stirring up your memory, as long as I’m alive. (2 Peter 1:12-13, Common English Bible)

 

Posted in Bible Study, Common English Bible, Spiritual Formation and tagged , , | Leave a Comment

Post Navigation

← Older Entries
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 34 other followers