I just finished reading Rebecca Brown’s book, Becoming A Vessel Of Honor*, and one of the things that challenged me was the question of whether or not I trust God. Her stories are incredible, to say the least, and the revealed power of God is unquestionable. In one part, she says that God asked her whether she was going to believe Him or, essentially, call Him a liar. That hit home for me, because I often question whether God will do things. I call Him a liar when I don’t act on the truth that He states. For example, if He says He forgives us, and then we act like we’re still under condemnation, then we call Him a liar. More challenging, if He says that He gives us authority and armor so that we can stand against the attacks of the enemy, and we don’t use it or we question if it works, then we call Him a liar. I struggle with this a lot. I wonder if He delivers me when He says He does, I wonder if He will provide when He promises He will, I wonder all kinds of things even though they’re things He promises. So do I believe Him? If I say I believe Him, do I act as though I believe Him? Do I trust His word and live out my redemption, my deliverance, my provision? Ouch. What about you? * affiliate link
Just a couple of thoughts from the church service today that I wanted to record before I forgot: Believe the truth – I may know the truth, but I don’t always believe it or live it. My challenge is to believe the truth even if it’s difficult, because if I believe the lie then I let the enemy win. This includes believing that YHWH loves me completely and passionately. Enforce the victory – YWHW has already won the battle. When I struggle with demonic influences and strongholds and curses, I’m not trying to win a victory. I am enforcing a victory that has already been won. Seek God first and above all – The Bible says that if I seek YHWH first, then all these other things will fall in line. While He does ask me to ask Him for things, my focus shouldn’t be on those things, it should be on Him.
Isn’t it interesting how the truth changes over time? You’d think that the truth is the truth and doesn’t change, but you’d be wrong. Or rather, you’d be right, but our definition of the truth is wrong. For example, Genesis 1-3. The truth is that there is more to that story than what we get told in Sunday school, church, or the media. Reading it in English barely scratches the surface of the intricacies and implications hidden in the Hebrew words. Or, take a more controversially “known truth” about the early “church.” There’s the truth we learn, that they removed themselves from Judaism, threw out the Torah, and started building congregations in pretty buildings. Okay, maybe not quite the pretty buildings, but you get the idea. And then there’s the truth of actual history where they were followers of the Way, a so-called sect within the Hebrew community, who meticulously followed Torah, observed the Sabbath, and celebrated the Festivals with the rest of the community (until around 300AD when things started to change). Pretty shocking, right? Nearly heretical! Why? Is it so hard to believe that Yeshua followed Torah? He was, after all, Hebrew. He did say that He didn’t come to abolish the Torah but rather to fulfill it. Is it that we are trained not to question our teachers? Not to question tradition? Not to question “inspired” Words that have already been subtly tweaked to reinforce “the truth”? As a teacher, I find that my students rarely question what I say (scary thought, considering what some people tell them). I find that I rarely question people I trust. I never dreamed of questioning the status-quo of what I had been taught at home and at church until Skip Moen stepped into my church and turned my world on its head. Maybe I was the only one in the entire congregation whose foundations cracked, rippled, and shifted that day, but God’s not worried about how long it takes for light to break through. He’s incredibly patient. So, the question is, “What is Truth”? Or perhaps, “Who is Truth?” And then, two more questions: How do you know? and … Do you really want to know? Read Dr. Skip Moen’s post on Paul’s statement that he has “kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7). Read more here >>>
Psalm 119:30 I have chosen the way of truth; Your judgments I have laid [before me]. Truth. That’s what I seek. What is the truth in this jumbled mess of religion? What is the truth in the light that is breaking through the darkness? I have been taught “truth” only to find out that it’s not the whole truth (or rather that it has been manipulated by politics and social pressures of ages past). Truth. The Hebrew word for truth (‘emuwnah) means faithfulness, fidelity, steadfastness. I have chosen fidelity; I have chosen the way of God’s steadfastness. His judgements are His justice, His decisions in law, His manner, custom, and plan. I’m still learning because my eyes are newly open. Yet this is a path I want to walk. Interestingly, David doesn’t say why he has chosen the way of truth or laid out God’s judgments. In fact, the next several (many) verses are all declarations of what he has done or chosen to believe. There is few statements that include “yet” or “for” and they almost all continue with “I hope in” or “I trust in”. He doesn’t believe or choose because of what God will do for him. Rather, He focuses on the nature of God’s words and judgments (which is a reflection on His character – who He is). Perhaps this is an example of what it means to love God for who He is rather than what He does. Can I say those things? Can I make the declarations that David makes about obedience, love, trust, truth, and seeking? If not, what keeps me from them? Oh YHWH, I seek Your truth in the confusion. I want to walk in the Truth You give and not that which the world creates. Teach me Your ways that I may walk in them; show me Your truth that I may truly see. Side Note: I was scrolling through the comments on a post today, and it’s really interesting (sadducees vs. pharisees, messiah ben Joseph and messiah ben David, and more). Check it out >>>
One thing that I’m learning is how to dig out the meaning of a word in Hebrew. I’m not always sure if I’m doing it right, so I don’t know if I always make sense. Skip challenged his class to look up the words in John 17:17 which says, Sanctify them in your truth. Your word is truth. Sanctify, in Greek, means “the separation of the believer from the world in his behavior”, so it’s about a change in behavior that shows a believer to be different. The Hebrew equivalent, “qadash” means to be separate. Truth is from the Hebrew “emeth” which means firmness, reliable, stable. In other words, it’s something that can be depended upon, it doesn’t move or change. Word is from the Greek “logos” which is the Hebrew equivalent for “dabar.” This word means “speech, sayings, occupation, and manner.” Interestingly though, the Greek “logos” was a word created in 600BC and means “ordering principle of the universe that stands for divine reasoning and is present everywhere” and is sometimes condensed into meaning “rational divine power that orders and directs the universe.” This is the same word used at the beginning of John when he says that “In the beginning was the Word…” (John 1:1). So in the beginning was a rational divine power that orders and directs the universe. And that rational divine power was God and was with God. I thought the meaning of “logos” was quite different from the meaning we usually give it. If this definition of word is used in the context of this verse, it’s saying that God’s plan for and direction of our universe (which includes us) is reliable and unchanging. Jesus asks God to set believers apart from the world, our behavior signifying that separateness, through the fact of His reliability and unchanging nature. In other words, because God doesn’t change, because His plan and direction of the universe (and subsequently our lives) is reliable and stable, we can act differently than those around us who see the world as chaotic and shifting. Maybe it’s similar to when David calls God his Rock. Or maybe it’s more like this: Set them apart (by how they act) in your reliability and stability (divine plan and direction of the universe). –> Set them apart in your rational and divine plan for and direction of the universe which is reliable and stable. Either way, it’s really interesting to figure out what the original meaning of the words are because it lends a whole different light to the verse. I’d love to have a copy of the Theological Workbook of the Old Testament because it goes into much more depth about the context and use of the the words. It’s going to take a while to wrap my brain around the implications of that verse. I’m still new to this figuring stuff out, so if you think I’m completely off base here, that’s okay. You’re welcome to say so in the comments… but I’m not going to be able to get into a deep theological argument, considering I have no formal training in this and am just now learning my way around all these tools.
1 Corinthians 4:3 What about me? Have I been faithful? Well, it matters very little what you or anyone else thinks. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. This certainly speaks to my heart! I find myself frustrated by what others think of me or craving the approval of others for what I do. Here Paul makes it pretty clear that it doesn’t matter what other people think. It matters what God thinks. And God sees everything, down to our motivation, so the truth will come out. I may get frustrated because I get an unfair review at work or because something didn’t turn out the way I wanted to (or got twisted after the fact), but even though we should be doing our best, it’s really only God’s opinion that counts. That’s kind of comforting because it’s frustrating when you get knocked down for something that you didn’t do or that wasn’t your fault. God’s got your back. His review, His judgement is all that matters. And I love Paul’s last statement. “I don’t even trust my own judgement on this point!” That’s great! I can totally see Paul throwing his hands up in the air as he says this. And it’s true. It’s certainly easy to lose perspective and a sense of what really happens in our defensiveness. Then everything is distorted. Hence the reason that I’m not God, neither are you, and neither are they. And, He’s really all that matters in this case. David asked God to be his defense and defend him against people who spoke out unfairly and with lies against him. And here, Paul does the same thing, reminding the Corinthians that God will judge based on the heart and the true motivation and story behind it all. That’ll be interesting!
Celebrate Church had a guest speaker this Sunday, Pastor Allen Speegle, who was awesome! He made several points that hit me. The sermon was about faith and love. 1. Romans 12:3 – God has dealt to every man the measure of faith. Pastor Allen pointed out that it says “the” measure of faith, not “a” measure of faith… That means that everyone gets the same amount of faith. It’s just that some people tap into more of it. We all have faith, it’s just exercising that faith that we all do at different levels. 2. Faith is my confidence in and response to someone who believes in me. My God believes in me unconditionally. I can make decisions that will affect how my friends and family see me, be there isn’t a single decision that I can make that will change how God sees me (especially since he knew about all my decisions long before I ever made them). Because God’s belief in me and love for me will never change, I can trust Him. 3. Uncertain times may change our plans and how we get there, but it doesn’t change the vision that God has for our lives (where we’re going, our destination). It also doesn’t matter how much I’ve failed, if I’ve been bruised, or if I’ve made mistakes; it still doesn’t change God’s view of me or His vision for me. We may change our opinion of Him, but He won’t change His opinion of me. For example, Jesus told Peter that he’d deny Him three times but the next thing He said was to not let his heart be troubled. Jesus answered, “Die for me? I tell you the truth, Peter—before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me. Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home.[j] If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?[k] 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. (John 13: 38-14:3) Even though Peter would deny Him, it didn’t change that Jesus wanted Peter with Him in heaven. Even though Peter would deny Him, Jesus told Peter not to be troubled about it. Imagine if Peter had focused on his failure. He might never have gone on to be the Rock of the church and to spread the gospel to so many people! Momentary failure doesn’t change God’s vision for our life. That is SO cool, especially for those of us who have made mistakes… 4. We tend to see God as some great disciplinarian who comes down hard on us and gives us really tough punishments for our mistakes. But, imagine a parent. If that parent punished their child by breaking his/her legs for not obeying, we’d throw them in jail for child abuse. We know that that’s not right! So, how come we think God will do something like that? We don’t see God IS love. God loves us and isn’t trying to figure out how to hurt us the most when we make mistakes. Those are my interpretations of what Pastor Allen said. Very awesome. So faith is seeing God as love and seeing myself the way God sees me and knowing that I am loved and valued by God unconditionally. I love the way he put that. Thanks Pastor Allen!