I spent the last week teaching a class of Korean doctoral students the subject of Islam in Los Angeles. It was a great blessing and opportunity since receiving my own doctorate early this summer. Those types of opportunities refresh my soul and fill the cross-cultural academic need in my life.
In the airport I sat next to an agnostic. On the plane I sat next to a Mormon. Needless to say I had some rather riveting and spirited conversation. One might think that I go into attack mode with these encounters but honestly, I have found that being a good listener has been my greatest weapon.
If there is one thing that I have learned as a teacher of Islam it is that most people have little if any true understanding of the religion or the people who practice it. It wasn't hard to teach this subject given what ISIL, Hamas, Hezbollah, and Al-Nusra are doing in the Middle East. The hard part was to have people look at this faith as they would their own.
Christians watch the news and become experts on Middle Eastern affairs but cannot speak intelligently about their own state of spiritual affairs. I'm not talking about an individual's state but the state of Christianity.
In tandem with my studies in Islam I have been engaged in mental self-debate with end-time writings, blood moon tetrads, raptures positions, and the status of possible prophetic fulfillment in my lifetime.
I have found, generally, that the average church going Christian knows as much about Christianity as he or she does about Islam. I know where the worshippers are, but where are the students? I know who watches every football game during the week but who is looking into the Word to find the answers to the above investigations? I know who can give me directions to all the great restaurants in Portland but who is giving me directions to strategic passages of Scripture that may unfold the deep truths of Jesus and his prophetic plan for this world?
Some people just choose to go about life and seek to be Jesus. Wonderful. I wish more people would aspire to such a goal. But to do this one has to be in the Word more than once a week. One has to be a student as well as a worshipper. One cannot live on a diet of milk when meat is the intended goal.
Perhaps its not the prophetic but some other subject. I'm looking to meet with parents of our youth on Friday nights and begin a "Parenting thru Proverbs" class. It has two purposes. Get parents the help, support, and answers they need to rear their children in a godly manner, and get them to find it in the Word themselves.
This whole idea of self-feeding was what Paul was talking about and what Andrew Murray was concerned about. Murray gives us four conditions of someone who is still stuck in the worldly mindset.
1. This person is in a protracted state of infancy. In other words, this person never seems to grow up spiritually. I was reminded of this when I attended my last high school class reunion. Some people are in larger bodies but they have really never grown up. Not only is this not healthy for the person, it is not healthy for those around him or her. A baby is always keeping others occupied with meeting his or her needs. Spiritual this person is always running to the pastor or church leaders for help. This person is always showing up at prayer meetings so that they can be the subject of everyone's prayer. Babies are consumers not givers. They have not yet developed to a place where they can feed themselves or help feed others.
2. A second sign of spiritual infancy or worldliness is that a person continuously fails to overcome sin.
This person keeps manicuring the weed but never pulling out the root. Love and peace are not the fruit produced but anger and discord are found on its tree.
3. The failure of sinning can be found in the spiritual gifts.
The fruit of the Spirit is literally "grace-gifts." One must have and experience the grace of God before one can exercise the gifts of God.
"A man may teach the Word beautifully, have social influence, and a large congregation but he may still be a carnal [worldly] man. This man may be a blessing to others and yet worldliness may still mark this man's life."
Just because a man is blessed does not mean that he is a spiritual man. A spiritual man is not a sinless man but one governed by the Holy Spirit. A carnal [worldly] man is governed by the world and cannot have hope of ever conquering worldly sin.
4. Carnality [worldliness] makes a man unfit for spiritual truths.
People admire and appreciate a pastor's message but if it does not change the heart and life, it is may mean that one is a spiritual babe and cannot understand the deep truths of God. [The preacher might be boring but if he preaches the Word faithfully the heart will respond].
Murray asks, "Why is the Church so feeble?" The answer: Milk is cheaper and easier to digest than meat.
I have been practicing a Jewish rhythm of reading the Scriptures for the last 6 months. I read early in the morning for about two hours. I read for an hour at lunch. I read before I go to bed. I started reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation in January and I am now on my third time through. It is amazing the blessing of insight that I have received since I have been doing this. Someone is saying, "You're a pastor. You get paid to read the Scriptures." My answer: "This is not for work. This is on my own time and for my own spiritual journey."
I want a deeper knowledge and experience with God and I cannot do that by being attached to the things of this world. The time is short. Jesus is returning. I want to be watching and waiting not having someone watching and waiting on me. I want to be a spiritual man.
The next posting will focus on how to do just that.
Thoughts?
