Hey Don...
Wheeee.... And you arent rude. I am open to honest and sincere input.
Some disclaimers:
First off, I am still processing this, and trying to wrap my head around it. I though I made it clear in there, but I might have missed that.
Second, as far as "out of context" I make no claim to subscribe to anyones personal exposition of scripture, or bias. I (like everyone else), loves proof texting when it suits me, and totally disregards it when I dont like it. Anyone who thinks they truly exegete well and doesnt miss context when it suits them is deceiving themselves! LOL.....
The only verse Im pretty sure I used out of context was the Revelations, and that, along with almost all the other references, was for metaphor, or symbolism, not theology. Thats important here, because I am not trying to build a theology or a message, simply stating som ething, and using examples and symbols of other verses that I found interesting.
It is odd to me the Paul, John and Peter use the symbol of a lion with regards to appetite and pursuit (leopards and tigers, bears, rodents and all sorts of other things are good symbols too for voracious and yucky critters, and some of them are around Israel) so I included it.
If I am trying to make a theological point with some of the other scriptures, and they are out of context, let me know, because maybe Im getting screwy.
Actually, this idea might be closer to a "Health and Wealth" message (not gospel, puhleeesseee) than anyone is comfortable with. It wasnt intentional, and yet I think there is some of it that sounds parallel. My paradigm includes the reality that some of the "Faith" message is actually true, but some of it gets dsitracted or too focused on certain things. Im that way with fundementalists, and charismatics, and all the other isms and ists and icss in the body. One add-on I need to make clear is, we are responsible for our sin, and sin has consequences. God does forgive, and gives Grace to the humble, but we still have the results. We reap what we sow. But in Christ, I am forgiven,a nd can stand confident in front of Him, and ask for HELP to fulfill my part. As I do that, I am clean and clear, and the rest is someone elses.
The main point here is, there is something bigger and more decisive in our walk than what we think. There is a lot more to this idea than I presented already, and I hope it will distill itself more. But think through this part:
1. God DID come to set people free, including deystroying the works of the devil (Im thinking John 10, numerous Isaiah passages etc..)
2. When He was here, He literally demonstrated it, and then facilitated the disciples to do likewise (interestingly enough before they even knew how to pray!).
3. He commanded us to follow Him in many ways, including loving HIm, loving one another, and going forth making disciples etc...
But my head/heart/mind (hopefully all the things Im seeking to know and love Him with) are beignning to peel back something, and seeing some underlying principles, one of which is JUSTICE.
Not only have I suffered at the hands of myself, my choices, my sin etc... I have also suffered at the hands of others. And behind all of it (ALL OF IT) is sin, and behind all the sin is the invitation of Satan.
Satan tempted Eve and Adam, and then they chose. For all sorts of reasons, (none of which are explicit in scripture, but we extrapolate things like Free Will, and the nature of Love and obedience) God allowed it. But it is unjust. The enemy, using the Law, stumbled us. We bit into it, but he presented it.
We were NEVER designed to live in sin, and the consequences are terrible. We arew ripped off from the true experience, purpose, life etc... that we were designed to have. We were LIED to, and WE CHOSE it. However, it was false.
Not only did we get ripped off, but so did God. God designed me for intimacy with Him, tobe loved by Him, and in His heart, He wants to be loved by me. All the sin in my life, caused by me, or thrust upon me, has one big result. It cuts me off from the very purpose I was designed for, and strangles me. And both God, and I are getting stolen from.
Interestingly, God is not mocked. Not ultimately at least. We know people do mock Him day and night, but scripture says He wont be mocked. I think it is is obvious that God designed something for His special use (Paul talks about that in Romans I think), but it gets hijacked, and used for something totally different. That is a theif.
But God wont ultimately be mocked. So what does that mean. I think the Law is perfect, and the Law convicts me of sin, and brings me to Justice, which then the Blood of Jesus fulfills. But once that occurs, the Law is my ADVOCATE, because it was designed with Justice in mind.
My sin is now taken care of, and now my part is to contend for Gods purposes (my little list up above). Now the Law works in MY FAVOR. anything I have done is atoned for in Christ, and I walk out my part with His help. Anything done againt me (or Him) I can bring as a petition to Him, and He who wrote the Law, is the Judge as well. He also is the ONE who enacts Justice on our behalf. He DESIRES Justice, and will eventually even come Himself and MAKE IT HAPPEN all the way down to even things like envrionmental issues.
Thsi is rambling on and on, but my point is that it isnt a name it and claim it scenario int he classic sense, but it is a point where I am beginning to realize God WANTS to do something, bith He and I have been injured in this, and positionally only He has the power currently to restore anything to righteousness. My part is to go before Him, and admit my part, be cleansed, and then ask Him to do what He wants to do. Just like in the Promised Land, He then gives me the way to walk, and give me His power to do what He wishes. But the enemy is bound by the law just like I was, and now the LAw is my advocate against him.
Dont know if I make any sense, and I know there must be lots of spelling errors. what do you think?
Woman who refuses to get vaccinated denied transplant
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To see the religious exemption 6 part series visit this website and it is
located in the menu at the top of the page: http://torahlifeministries.org/
2 years ago
2 comments:
That is the longest response I ever read. I may have to break it down a little.
I initially found the verse you lead in with (Proverbs) to be a little stretched. But this is most likely because I tend to lean toward the practice of a Hebrew literalist (this is taking the words and their meanings at the lowest common denominator and working out from there. For instance we can take the word “call.” Today it can mean to use a phone and call someone. But to the Jews in ancient Palestine it would mean either to yell [call out to God] or petition. The “to yell” or “call out” is the lowest common denominator, so start there.) I apply this to my exegesis as well. Where this gets fuzzy is with the doctrine of illumination which I subscribe to against some peoples better judgment. This means I allow the Holy Spirit to tell me what the scripture means (many mainline denominations discourage this, especially Catholicism).
The other hard part is when we subscribe to Sola Scriptura, or our own interpretations of scripture (thank you Martin Luther you anti-Semite for this doctrine.) I am borderline on this one. I believe it is important to read the scriptures (the most radical, like the Catholic church and a handful of others, stand against it) and interpret it. But I also believe in falling under the authority of a wise godly person (read pastor, mentor, parent etc.) to aid in the interpretations. This is just a system of checks and balances.
For instance, I was involved in a community where this did not happen and I given oddball prophecies everyday. I had to weigh many of them, but nobody was checking these poor kids and guiding them through their prophetic gifting. These same kids (I use the term kids loosely because some where in their twenties) would pull the darndest things out of the Bible. Some of them were so sure a verse in Isaiah was about the hot chick across the room and how God had destine them to marry, and then not marry them. Like I said, this is the bad part of Sola Scriptura. And it is more common than you would think.
So I say that to say this. When I read your post (with no context behind it none-the-less!) I was like, OH NO! It’s TBN! And to tell the truth, I have enjoyed reading your blog for the last month, and I am not even charismatic! I think health and wealth is where I lose my ability to keep my views to myself, so when I read that, I was a little saddened and had to open my big mouth. To tell you even more truth, I still do not agree 100% (I do not believe we are bound by the law, just ask my tattoos and bald head, plus I do not believe I am bound because I am a Gentile even though I do act the hypocrite when I eat Kosher only and celebrate the festivals) but like I said, it’s a good read; even if I am not a fan of Mike Bickle and disagree with your views of the Church.
But your passion to find Christ and learn about him is astounding! There is a cool, compassionate heart (or so it would seem, you could just be a really good liar for all I know, I love the internet.) behind your writing and I encourage you to keep it up!
Thanks for your response to my comment.
-Don-
You would probably find that we connect far more about certain things than you would imagine. Im careful on the web, as I had no clue until recently that people read it! LOL. So I am a little restrained, because some people have “hot buttons” that shut things down right away.
Im not a fan of Sola Scriptura as you state it. I have had to rely on the reality that Holy Spirit, as stated in scripture (lol) will lead me into all truth, via illumination, other scripture, or using other people. Im sure I miss it sometimes, and it is clear we need the WHOLE BODY working together, or I miss it. The main debate with everyone is what THAT means.
Kind of like people agree we need “church”, but we all argue about WHAT it is. Same to me with scripture, and illumination, and then interpretation, and then application.
Im a fan of Mike bickles, but Im not sure how that ever came accross on here. What I am really enjoying is hearing Mike teach a lot of things that I have previously experienced directly. It is very comforting to know that things are coming to the Body, and werent some unique concept to any one of us. Besides the fact his enthusiasim is just totally contagious....
Also, I don’t believe we are “under the law” with regards to sin. However, Im beginning to think the Law is far bigger and much more comprehensive than we think it is. It isn’t just the part of “you sinned, you broke the law”, the Law is underneath all creation. I think there is something to this, but my current understanding, and the common teaching is the Law is about sin. I think the Law is perfect, complete, and has nothing to do with bald heads or tattoos. In fact, Love (as taught by Jesus) fulfills the Law, so what is the Law truly?
Im wrestling with all this, and unfortunately processing it publicaly. Thanks for your kind and thoughtful responses, and your heart.
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