Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, I truly tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. Matt 18:18-19
I will give you the keys of the kingdom, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Matt 16:19
I have never noticed these verses before! But what an insight into some significant questions on how we go about our business on Earth – we can call the shots in partnership with God. God is giving his followers the authority to make new interpretations of the bible and that somehow God is involved with that process.
To bind something means to “forbid” it, to loose something means to “allow it”. The rabbis of the day used to practice this binding and loosing all the time – in relation to the Torah. Rabbis had great authority in their communities– as did Jesus, and Jesus passed this authority onto his followers and effectively onto us.
So God encourages us to argue and wrestle with the text of the bible – to question everything and to come up with our interpretation with the guidance of God. We are encouraged to do this in community – as a group – 2 or more – with God.
This once again raises the importance of living a “with-God” life, to read the text, to read the notes on the text AND to pray and meditate – to listen and to be guided for what is right for our community!!!
The early believersChristians had to do this when it became aparent that Gentiles were being transformed by God and becoming christians– those who were not Jewish. This was a big problem because it was “unlawful for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile” (Acts 10:28). So some Jewish leaders got together and argued it out, debated it and came to the conclusion that “it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to impose on you no further burden than these essentials:” (Acts 15: 28, the whole of Acts 15 explains the process).
Rob Bell speaks of this decision the believers made in his book Velvet Elvis; which I think is really important.
“They are making a monumental decision in the history of Christianity, and the best they can say is that it seems like it is the best decision? It seems good to them and the holy spirit? They don’t claim to have an absolute word from God on the matter; they at best claim guidance from the holy spirit of God, but they even hold that loosely.”
This is great! We need to remain humble in our decisions, be open to the fact that we might not have nailed the first time – not for decisions to be set in concrete for the rest of our existence but to work out our interactions with people and with our earth - with our God.
I wonder how much more of a tolerant, loving, peaceful community we would be if we used the keys to the kingdom a little more seriously…
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Friday, May 23, 2008
Meditate
This book of law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to act in accordance with all that is written in it. For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall be successful. Joshua 1:8
Back in the days of Jesus, the rabbis would expect their students to memorise the Torah. They would start at the age of 6 and have it memorised by the age of 10! The first 5 books of the Bible! It is not uncommon for Jewish Believers to memorise the whole old testament. I find that beyond belief! I find it hard enough to memorise single verses. The Torah can mean “teachings” or simply “way”. The Jewish population consider the Torah to be the way, truth and life. Sounds familiar! I am in awe of their dedication and discipline to memorise this text.
To me the verse above makes an important point, as we get very familiar with sections of the bible, it should then be meditated on, allowing God to speak to me about what it means to my with-God life, my inner life and my interactions with my environment. It seems that perhaps the bible isn’t meant to be interpreted without the assistance of God – meditation.
Willard writes “Then the things that come before us during the day come in the presence of God’s illuminating Word. Light dwells within us and enables us to see the things of life in the right way”(Pg 127 The Great Ommission). In your light we see light. Psalm 36:9
Psalm 1 is another passage of text which points to this important spiritual discipline.
Back in the days of Jesus, the rabbis would expect their students to memorise the Torah. They would start at the age of 6 and have it memorised by the age of 10! The first 5 books of the Bible! It is not uncommon for Jewish Believers to memorise the whole old testament. I find that beyond belief! I find it hard enough to memorise single verses. The Torah can mean “teachings” or simply “way”. The Jewish population consider the Torah to be the way, truth and life. Sounds familiar! I am in awe of their dedication and discipline to memorise this text.
To me the verse above makes an important point, as we get very familiar with sections of the bible, it should then be meditated on, allowing God to speak to me about what it means to my with-God life, my inner life and my interactions with my environment. It seems that perhaps the bible isn’t meant to be interpreted without the assistance of God – meditation.
Willard writes “Then the things that come before us during the day come in the presence of God’s illuminating Word. Light dwells within us and enables us to see the things of life in the right way”(Pg 127 The Great Ommission). In your light we see light. Psalm 36:9
Psalm 1 is another passage of text which points to this important spiritual discipline.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
SexGod
I recieved this book in the mail yesterday (after ordering it of course). I haven't started it yet but I did read the intro (have a couple of other books to get through first). The author is Rob Bell. Here is a paragraph out of the intro;
Sex.God. They're connected. And they can't be seperated. Where the one is, you will always find the other. This is a book about how sexuality is the "this" and spirituality is the "that". To make sense of the one,we have to explore the other
And that is what this book is about.
Sounds great already!
I spend a large amount of my work time educating on the subject of sexual health, the more I learn about it, the more I realise how dominant sex and sexuality is in our lives, I have absolutely recognised the link between sexuality and spirituality.
It makes sense and it is re-assuring that God is involved in this too. As I draw into a "with-God" life, it pleases me to know that I will learn more about my sexuality - relationships, intimacy, physical being, emotions etc.
Sex.God. They're connected. And they can't be seperated. Where the one is, you will always find the other. This is a book about how sexuality is the "this" and spirituality is the "that". To make sense of the one,we have to explore the other
And that is what this book is about.
Sounds great already!
I spend a large amount of my work time educating on the subject of sexual health, the more I learn about it, the more I realise how dominant sex and sexuality is in our lives, I have absolutely recognised the link between sexuality and spirituality.
It makes sense and it is re-assuring that God is involved in this too. As I draw into a "with-God" life, it pleases me to know that I will learn more about my sexuality - relationships, intimacy, physical being, emotions etc.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Laubach
Here is the story of a man by the name of Frank Laubach who went about seeing if it were to be possible to connect with God every minute. It seems this had an amazing effect on his life, on his compassion for people, his drive to combat poverty and oppression and the way he related to people - the example below relates to the Moro people. Below are some exerts from an article written by Willard -all quotes from Laubach.The full article can be read here
"All during the day, in the chinks of time between the things we find ourselves obliged to do, there are the moments when our minds ask: 'What next?' In these chinks of time, ask Him: 'Lord, think Thy thoughts in my mind. What is on Thy mind for me to do now?' When we ask Christ, 'What next?' we tune in and give Him a chance to pour His ideas through our enkindled imagination. If we persist, it becomes a habit."
After much practise and time, this happened.......
"I let my tongue go loose and from it there flowed poetry far more beautiful than any I ever composed. It flowed without pausing and without ever a failing syllable for a half hour." This brought him a deeper awareness of God in beauty and in love.
"This concentration upon God is strenuous, but everything else has ceased to be so!"
Willard....
That was especially true of his relations to the Moros, who, seeing the difference in him, took him entirely into their hearts and lives, loving, trusting, and helping him without regard to their cultural and religious differences. Two of the leading Muslim priests went about the area telling their people that Laubach would help them to know God. He never pretended to be anything but a follower of Jesus, but he studied the Bible and the Koran with the priests and the people and prayed in their services with them. Observing this, one priest said, "He is Islam," He replied, "A friend of Islam." But the Islamic emphasis upon constant submission seems to have been one factor prompting him to develop his way of being in constant contact with God.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Joy
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" Philippians 4:7.
My last post touched on Davids state of "joy". I described this as a state of being rather than a emotion.
The verse above indicates that the lives of those who were listening were having difficulty, perhaps suffering and struggle (the verses before 7 outline this and put it into better context). We only have to look at history, look at people we know(both believers and non-believers) to know that this is so. In fact the bible seems to indicate quite clearly that taking Jesus seriously almost guarantees that our lives will be difficult.
It seems that drawing into a "with-God" life brings with it a peace and joy which will be robust enough to withstand pain, suffering, struggle. It will guard my soul, heart and body as I weather the storm. Comforting thought.
Usually when my life goes pear-shaped, I drift away from God. Perhaps this is because I haven't been practising "keeping the Lord always before me" for very long. Perhaps as I get better at doing this, I will be more likely to have a soul that is conditioned to peace and joy - whatever the situation.
"The peace of God, which transcends all understanding". With God comes a lot of mystery.
My last post touched on Davids state of "joy". I described this as a state of being rather than a emotion.
The verse above indicates that the lives of those who were listening were having difficulty, perhaps suffering and struggle (the verses before 7 outline this and put it into better context). We only have to look at history, look at people we know(both believers and non-believers) to know that this is so. In fact the bible seems to indicate quite clearly that taking Jesus seriously almost guarantees that our lives will be difficult.
It seems that drawing into a "with-God" life brings with it a peace and joy which will be robust enough to withstand pain, suffering, struggle. It will guard my soul, heart and body as I weather the storm. Comforting thought.
Usually when my life goes pear-shaped, I drift away from God. Perhaps this is because I haven't been practising "keeping the Lord always before me" for very long. Perhaps as I get better at doing this, I will be more likely to have a soul that is conditioned to peace and joy - whatever the situation.
"The peace of God, which transcends all understanding". With God comes a lot of mystery.
Water
"Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, 'Out of the believer's heart shall flow rivers of living water.'" Jesus. John 7: 37-38
Awesome words. It makes my hairs stand on end when I read this. Can't say I feel this way - I'm a believer!! Again, this passage - spoken by Jesus - shows me that there are some amazing things to discover as I move towards a "with - God" life.
My last post spoke of David's heart being glad, soul rejoicing, body resting secure. As his inner life started to transform, did his outward life "flow rivers of living water". I hope it did. It really sounds like this "flowing" is a natural consequence to the inner life being transformed. Awesome.
It strikes me that joy (what David was feeling) is a state of being rather than an emotion. I guess it very much like "positive mental health", "a state of good mind", "balanced?". But it encompasses the heart, soul and body. As a Youthworker, I teach kids that our minds and our bodis are inter-connected - an affect on one "knocks-on" to the other and vise-versa (e.g. negative stress causes me to get tight shoulders). It seems that David knew this quite clearly.
Awesome words. It makes my hairs stand on end when I read this. Can't say I feel this way - I'm a believer!! Again, this passage - spoken by Jesus - shows me that there are some amazing things to discover as I move towards a "with - God" life.
My last post spoke of David's heart being glad, soul rejoicing, body resting secure. As his inner life started to transform, did his outward life "flow rivers of living water". I hope it did. It really sounds like this "flowing" is a natural consequence to the inner life being transformed. Awesome.
It strikes me that joy (what David was feeling) is a state of being rather than an emotion. I guess it very much like "positive mental health", "a state of good mind", "balanced?". But it encompasses the heart, soul and body. As a Youthworker, I teach kids that our minds and our bodis are inter-connected - an affect on one "knocks-on" to the other and vise-versa (e.g. negative stress causes me to get tight shoulders). It seems that David knew this quite clearly.
Mind
"I keep the Lord always before me;because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure" Psalm 16: 8-9.
Interesting and solid words spoken by David - a king. and what a discovery for him!
This might be the first and most basic thing I need to do as I strive towards living every minute of my life in community with God.
But life gets busy, I get pre-occupied with things, work, jobs around the house, spending time with the kids, friends, family, making love? - the list goes on - how about when I'm feeling anrgy, happy, annoyed, sleepy, sad. I guess there is no time in my life nor any activity which God isn't interested in or wants to be part of.
This would have been the same for David, or any other follower of God throughout the ages, David has come across a secret - an important "practice" in seeking God. I can share in this secret - David's story can be mine too.
I am amazed at the passion I hear in the verse - his heart being glad, his soul rejoicing and his body resting(interesting that he sees his heart, soul and body as seperate things). Perhaps signs that things are working for David in regards to discovering the secrets of the "with-God life".
And to me practise is the key to getting this idea happening. Like any discipline, whether it be swimming, bike riding, reading, writing, running, surfing - I need to practise it. I can't expect to get it worked out first time around, it takes days, weeks, months, years to master things.
So hear I go, I'm going to practise "keeping God before me".
Interesting and solid words spoken by David - a king. and what a discovery for him!
This might be the first and most basic thing I need to do as I strive towards living every minute of my life in community with God.
But life gets busy, I get pre-occupied with things, work, jobs around the house, spending time with the kids, friends, family, making love? - the list goes on - how about when I'm feeling anrgy, happy, annoyed, sleepy, sad. I guess there is no time in my life nor any activity which God isn't interested in or wants to be part of.
This would have been the same for David, or any other follower of God throughout the ages, David has come across a secret - an important "practice" in seeking God. I can share in this secret - David's story can be mine too.
I am amazed at the passion I hear in the verse - his heart being glad, his soul rejoicing and his body resting(interesting that he sees his heart, soul and body as seperate things). Perhaps signs that things are working for David in regards to discovering the secrets of the "with-God life".
And to me practise is the key to getting this idea happening. Like any discipline, whether it be swimming, bike riding, reading, writing, running, surfing - I need to practise it. I can't expect to get it worked out first time around, it takes days, weeks, months, years to master things.
So hear I go, I'm going to practise "keeping God before me".
Fruit
"By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things." Galatians 5: 22-23.
Here I see what I can expect to manifest in my heart and soul as I learn a life "with-God". I guess you can say these are some of Gods charateristics which will "rub-off" on me. Once again, these things would certainly be hard to pratise and master without Gods guidance.
Another verse which shows an interesting insight is;
"A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit" Matthew 7: 18.
My inner life is exposed through my outward life / actions. This is profound to me. It's no good pretending to be nice, do the right things, accept people, show compassion, patience, generosity etc. What will show will be a reflection of my inner being (soul). So I have get back to getting my inner life in order - this is more inportant than anything else in regards to learning the "with-God" life.
So how do I go about seeking this learning, being taught to love God, love my neighbor and taste this fruit???
Here I see what I can expect to manifest in my heart and soul as I learn a life "with-God". I guess you can say these are some of Gods charateristics which will "rub-off" on me. Once again, these things would certainly be hard to pratise and master without Gods guidance.
Another verse which shows an interesting insight is;
"A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit" Matthew 7: 18.
My inner life is exposed through my outward life / actions. This is profound to me. It's no good pretending to be nice, do the right things, accept people, show compassion, patience, generosity etc. What will show will be a reflection of my inner being (soul). So I have get back to getting my inner life in order - this is more inportant than anything else in regards to learning the "with-God" life.
So how do I go about seeking this learning, being taught to love God, love my neighbor and taste this fruit???
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Beginning
"Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, and with all of your soul, and with all of your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself" Luke 10:27.
Wow - what a huge ask. An absolutely massive undertaking - overwhelming. How do I go about loving God so much especially when He seems so far away sometimes - and love all people...those who cause serious pain to others, those who just seem so unloveable. IMPOSSIBLE!!
And that's the whole point - this would have to be my "most important" verse and aspect to living a life "with God" because without God - this verse IS impossible to achieve. This verse tells us what we must cultivate in our hearts and souls -not so much as to what we must do - as this would be like "trying to be nice" and failing miserably.
To love God / neighbors is the ultimate to what God wants for us - nothing is more important, as we are designed for this function "created in God's image" - our souls desire this allignment. As I cultivate my heart and soul towards this goal, I hope to discover something quite amazing....
It is this quest which I am on.
Wow - what a huge ask. An absolutely massive undertaking - overwhelming. How do I go about loving God so much especially when He seems so far away sometimes - and love all people...those who cause serious pain to others, those who just seem so unloveable. IMPOSSIBLE!!
And that's the whole point - this would have to be my "most important" verse and aspect to living a life "with God" because without God - this verse IS impossible to achieve. This verse tells us what we must cultivate in our hearts and souls -not so much as to what we must do - as this would be like "trying to be nice" and failing miserably.
To love God / neighbors is the ultimate to what God wants for us - nothing is more important, as we are designed for this function "created in God's image" - our souls desire this allignment. As I cultivate my heart and soul towards this goal, I hope to discover something quite amazing....
It is this quest which I am on.
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