Meditations of a Woven Theologian

I am hesitant to call myself a Theologian, it sounds a little arrogant, so I am going to let you judge whether or not I deserve that title.  I am not sure how one gets the qualifications.  That is not the point of my blog, so you can drop a quick comment, but let's not focus on what the qualifications of theologian are.

You probably know that I call myself a Wovenist, I have written some blogs about it and shared it in some comments.  Dave Miller's recent blog on SBC Voices got me thinking more and more about it.  The reason I call it Woven Theology is because it's the weaving of man's responsibility and actions and where they interact with God's Sovereign design and plan.  Man exists inside of time while God transcends time.  There is a point where God's eternal attributes interact with man in time.  It's those points which we argue, because we view the different aspects and think for them to be contradictions, when in essence it a merging of the temporal and the eternal in a beautiful moment.

What I have been meditating on is much of what happens after the moment of salvation.  We often think that Salvation is God's work and Sanctification is man's work.  The scripture doesn't teach that, the Bible teaches that He who began a good work in you will bring it too completion.  Philippians 1:6 say so.  So if Salvation and Sanctification is God's work what is my responsibility?  After all, if Woven Theology is the intersecting of God's power and my responsibility, I must have some right?

First, let me tell you what I don't think our job is.  I don't think it's our job to go 'discover God's will for our lives'.  We don't need to go out and find what God has for us, God will take us where He wants us to go.  We are not out to find God, to earn God's favor, to amuse or appease God.  God is taking care of that part, He has the plan and He has a plan for me.  So what do I do.

As I read through the scripture, here is what I see.  The revived spirit in man, the part that is born again out of Salvation works in and with and through the Holy Spirit to achieve Godliness, righteousness and find God's purpose for our lives.  The fruit of the spirit grows up in us and we follow God in Christ.  We follow Christ like water follows a riverbed.  We flow, we move with ease in the cause of Christ.

Here is the problem.  Flesh.  We still have flesh and it clings to us and pulls us and moves us out of the riverbed and we cease to flow and we stagnate.  I think many Christians, many churches are in this place where they have stopped moving and started to stagnate.  We try to get flowing on our own power, and we can't.  We can't get moving, we can't find life we just sit there and become frustrated.  (I know, I am using we again, and you all hate that.  When I say "we" I am talking about me and the people with me, so if you are with me, you are part of 'we'.  If you think I am insane, then you are not 'we' you are. . . 'they' I suppose.)

We try so hard to make our lives work, not realizing we are working on our own because we are not in the banks.  We are in the works of the flesh.  You know them, they are in Galations 5:19, and Paul leaves us a door open, this is not an exhaustive list.  He says "and things like these".  My flesh struggles with strife, jealousy, anger, envy and even though it's not on the list, pride.  I think pride is our biggest work in the flesh, because we want to do it on our own.  We want to follow Christ on our own two feet, to pull ourselves up.  We say "no one ever gave me anything, I earned what I have" so we decide we are going to earn our own sanctification.

Here is where I find myself.  My own pride to follow Christ on my own is keeping me from really experiencing Christ in that powerful river of The Spirit.  My own desire to do good is keeping me from doing good.  My good deeds are filthy rags because they are my deeds and I put my faith in them.  I have my faith in my ability to follow Christ.  It's a slick and a tricky deception.  We want to please God, we are to please God, we are suppose to live for God, it's not so much if, it's how.  How do we please God?

On one hand, I can try to please God on my own.  Do it better, faster, grow in maturity, read my Bible, pray, go to church, study, go to seminary and become a pastor or a leader, and then look back at all I've done and say "God, are you pleased with me?"  If I have done all this without faith, the answer is "no".  The Pharisees, they worked hard, studied and knew the law, but they were stagnant held back from the river by the wall of flesh.

Here am I, in the year 2012, and I want to be better.  I am frail, I am fragile and I can't do it on my own.  I have tried to be better, smarter and faster.  I have gone to seminary, read all the new books, listened to sermons, gone to conferences and tried and tried and tried.  God is not pleased by all my self effort, because at the center of my effort is me.  In all of my goal to get better, what am I trying to get better at?  Loving God?  Do I really want to be closer to Him, or do I want to be better FOR him?  Sometimes I feel like I am more of a campaign manager for God, working in a city far away trying to get people to vote for Him, but never really knowing Him.

I want to get back to the river.  I want my flesh to get out of the way, I want to stop being envious of those with a great ministry, I want to stop being angry and bitter at those who hurt me.  I want to let go of the pride that thinks it needs to be done my way.  I want to let go of the hurt that springs up when I see someone doing better than I am doing.  Pride and envy, they need to die so I can live.  I have to crucify my flesh, and the only way to do so is to intersect God in a real way on this path, to become woven with Him.

So I have my responsibility, to get my flesh out of the way.  I am praying, I am fasting, I am seeking and knocking.  I am confessing, I am repenting, I am crying out and I feel movement again.  I feel like I am moving towards something greater, and my heart once again has life.  I feel like my life is being woven into a greater tapestry that I may become less and He may become more.

I find this isn't popular.  There is no way to chart it, graph it, put it on paper or show results.  I can't document it, I can't budget for it, and most importantly, I can't control it.  I have a hard time explaining it, I can't share it, I can just testify to it.  I feel like I have found a truth, but I can't make anyone else believe it.  I have discovered that I too, like Paul am a wretched man, but Jesus Christ can save me from this flesh.  Are you part of "we"?  Are you with me, in this boat of self effort that seems to be sinking faster than you can bail?  Are you feeling like your spiritual life is a breeding ground for mosquitoes?  Let's stop trying to be Godly and seek to be fleshless.  If we become fleshless, we can live in the Godliness that we already have in Christ Jesus.  It's time to live out of who God made me, and not who I am trying to make myself.  Are you with me?

The Depths of Biblical Truth

I recently drew this illustration in discussion of problems in the church today.  You see, all too often we have painted the Bible as a simple story book.  It has become shallow, surface readings and quick interpretations.  We have forgotten about context, culture and we certainly have no clue how to exegete.  We have gone into the sea of Biblical truth up to our waist, and assumed that the whole expanse of Biblical truth is only waist deep.

In reality, we need to become equipped.  Like a scuba diver learns the equipment and is trained how to go deeper than any weekend shoreline splasher could dream of going.  They dive deep into the depths, seeing and exploring things that he previously never dreamed existed.

We must learn how to ask the right questions.  What is this passage saying to the original audience?  What do the words mean in this culture, what is really being said here?  What does this mean in the context of the rest of the scripture, how does this change my life?  Why did God choose to have this passage in the Bible, why do I need to know these things which seem so insignificant?  What do i need to do in light of what I am learning?

As we begin to pour ourselves into scripture and really get into the depths, we will learn greater and more valuable lessons each time.  We must spend time with other learners who are taking the same journey and learn to really get down into the deep water to find the pearls in the depths.

Theological Lessons for auto repair

The theological lessons from auto repair are many. For example, I think when Ezekiel spoke of a wheel within a wheel, he saw a wheel bearing inside a hub. Well maybe not, but I learnedly a solid lesson on prayer and patience. While trying to get my torque converter seated yesterday, I didn't have the room to get my hands inside. I couldn't get the transmission to move back any farther, so I asked God for help. A still small voice came to me and said "twist it" so I did. Transmission slid back perfectly. I was then able to get my hands inside and with much rejoicing, seat the torque converter. I am a long way from being done, and I am learning patience while I continue to work on the truck.  Our God is faithful and hears us with all matter, big or small, spiritual or automotive.

A Review of "Afraid to Believe in Free Will" By Carl E. Begley

I review books often, so I decided to read one that was on the opposite viewpoint of where I stand.  I believe in the will of humans and the ability to make choice, but I reject the idea of "Free Will", because I believe the human will is in bondage, we are slaves to either sin or Christ.  We are driven by our depravity or by the Holy Spirit and are not neutral and do not have the ability to choose in every situation.

That being said, I was hoping for a strong argument for the concept of Free Will.  I didn't get it, at all.  This book has some counselor and physiological mumbo jumbo, mostly which I understand.  None of it was convincing.  The author basically said, "you make choice, so you must have free will, now here is why everyone else is wrong".  He didn't make a case FOR Free Will, he made cases against those who opposed it.  I was not impressed with this book, don't waste your time.  If you want to read something on Free Will, find something with a stronger theological base.  This was just acrobatic babble.

Are you Encouraged?

Are you encouraged?  Do you feel like you are encouraged?  Why or why not?  I will tell you what it is for me, who I spend my time with and how I spend that time will leave me feeling energized or drained.  When I am around people who share my joys and my passion, who want to help and they affirm me, I feel encouraged.  When I am down and they share with me, support me and help lift me up, I am encouraged.  When I find people who challenge me, talk through things with me, listen and share, I am encouraged.

On the other side, we often find ourselves with critical individuals who are quick to point out our short comings.  They are often demanding, short tempered and demand everything to be to their standard, which few can achieve.  These people cut is down, tear us down, beat us up and leave us feeling worthless.  They are critical of our passion, want us to conform and be more like them, and leave us feeling drained and exhausted.

For the most part, people won't be this cut and dry, but you know when you leave a social interaction if you are feeling drained or energized.  If you life, you need some draining people to push you, to challenge you and to help you really take some long looks at yourself.  On the other hand, they should not be the bulk of the people you spend time with.  You should also surround yourself with those who encourage you and lift you up.  We all need a Barnabas or 2 or 5.  Make sure in your life and ministry, you have supportive people who pray for you, encourage you and really care about you.  There will be plenty who don't.

March Blog Madness

My blog readers, my blog has made the March Madness List on SBC Voices.  Please head on over to SBC Voices Blog Madness and vote for my blog!  Thanks everyone!

Post Fast Reflections

I have been out of the Daniel Fast for a while, and my diet is mostly back to normal.  I have added a little more fruit, but the biggest difference is the amount of sugar I have continued to cut out of my diet.  It doesn't mean I don't succumb once in a while to the tasty treats, but I have decreased my overall sugar consumption.

On the spiritual side, I realized how I have to change my outlook.  When I started the fast, I noticed how I missed the things I couldn't have, especially caffeine.  My body told me that I went from 2 to 3 cups a day to 0.  Post-fast reflections, I realize how much I depend upon the approval of others, like a drug to my ego.  If someone is disappointed in me, if they don't approve, if I feel like I have let them down, it causes me a large deal of anguish.  Why?  Pride and ego mostly, but also because I need to learn to have more sufficiency in God.  I depend way to much on others to make me feel like I have worth or value, but I have value in God.  I put way too much emphasis on if the people at church approve of me.  that is not to say that I shouldn't strive to be the best at what I do, but at the end of the day, I am secure in God's love.

As I look back at the fast, I think it was a great experience.  I may do it again someday.  It didn't go as I had planned, it didn't have the effect I thought it would, but I am learning more about myself.  I am seeing my frailty for what it really is, and seeing the areas where I need to continue to work.  I hope on your journey with God, you are finding new revelations about yourself as you draw nearer to Him.