Head-dibs

If the Apostle Paul had his way, operating by the plan he had for his own life, he would not have been in the line of work for which he is famous. No, if he had his way, he would have continued on with religious zeal, killing Christians. But he did not get his way. “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” [2 Cor 3:5-6 ESV] Assume that we were able to construct our own spirituality: what guarantee do we have that we've got it right? How can our own spirituality be right if our own compositions are so different? The COEXIST bumper sticker is a lie because the gods represented there disagree with one other and the followers are not listening! Tolerate all you want: the god of my personal understanding (whoever he or she is) will always be greater than yours...

Paul uses contrast to help us recognize true spirituality. He examines the old against the new, the flesh in opposition to the Spirit, the Old Covenant (Mosaic law) counter to the Spirit of Life. God’s truth engraved in stone could only condemn as a law code under Moses; but, after the death and resurrection of Jesus, the Spirit of Life brought God’s truth to the heart. Externally, the law shows us where we fail to meet God’s perfect standard. Internally, His Spirit gives us more than enough to meet His requirements. This happens when we repent, are born again, putting off the old and putting on the new. Let’s examine the contrasts to test our spirituality: THE SUFFICIENCY OF THE OLD (SELF) VS. SUFFICIENCY FROM GOD “Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God” [2 Cor 3:5 ESV] In his defense, Paul doesn't think of himself as sufficient. Everything that has been accomplished by him has been accomplished by Go...

Probe Ministries answers how "critics of Christianity point to several parallels between Christianity and the myths of the mystery religions. However, a brief study of the legends reveals that there are few if any parallels to the life of Jesus Christ." . . . . A brief summary of a major section of the article demonstrates:  "First, none of the resurrections in these myths involve the God of the universe dying a voluntary death for His creation." "Second, Jesus died once for all (Heb. 7:27, 9:25-28), while pagan gods repeat the death and rebirth cycle yearly with the seasons." "Third, Jesus death was not a defeat but a triumph. The New Testament’s mood of victory and joy (1 Cor. 15:50-57 and Col. 2:13-15) stands in contrast to the mood of pagan myths which is dark and sorrowful over the fate of their gods. "Finally, Jesus’ death was an actual event in history. Christianity insists on and defends the historical credibility of the Gospe...

1. Is Christ the author of your spirituality or are you? Does your spirituality match what is on the mind of God’s Spirit? Who is the author and finisher of your faith? “And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,” [Hebrews 5:9]  " . . . looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of [our] faith,” [Hebrews 12:2] 2. Do you wrestle with spirituality because someone said you were a Christian or you came from a Christian home and you've been trying to copy others--and it feels empty? Are you learning to follow Christ as a disciple, learning from The Master or are you trying to figure things out on your own?  3. Has God reached your heart? If you've been “following your heart” and God has not been there, what is the basis of your assurance when it comes to your spirituality? How do you know your heart can be trusted when God says it is wicked ? 4. Is the Holy Spirit evident as writes out the script of your life? Are His fru...

Last post we considered spirituality as a construction of men--and some difficulties with that approach. Now let’s consider another option, that true Spirituality is a Composition of Christ. “You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God.“ [2 Cor 3:2-4 ESV] Paul highlights Christ’s accomplishment in the Corinthian church not his own. His spirituality and their spirituality are not self-generated but is provided by Christ. He uses the example of an epistle, a letter to explain how Christ is the source of true spirituality. First he says, “clearly you are an epistle of Christ.” (2 Cor 3:3) The author and sender is Christ. You are the expression of what is on His mind. This is Paul’s seco...

“Supposing there was no intelligence behind the universe, no creative mind. In that case, nobody designed my brain for the purpose of thinking. It is merely that when the atoms inside my skull happen, for physical or chemical reasons, to arrange themselves in a certain way, this gives me, as a by-product, the sensation I call thought. But, if so, how can I trust my own thinking to be true? It’s like upsetting a milk jug and hoping that the way it splashes itself will give you a map of London. But if I can’t trust my own thinking, of course I can’t trust the arguments leading to Atheism, and therefore have no reason to be an Atheist, or anything else. Unless I believe in God, I cannot believe in thought: so I can never use thought to disbelieve in God.” – C.S. Lewis, The Case for Christianity .

How do you know you are a spiritual person? I met a man who said he was Christian because he carried a Bible presented to him as a child--it even had his name in it! Spirituality is not constructed of human accomplishment and recognition. “I’M SPIRITUAL BECAUSE I SAY SO” Look carefully at how Paul describes his ministry: triumphant ( 2 Cor 2:14 ); the fragrance of Christ in every place ( 2 Cor 2:15 ); sincere ( 2 Cor 2:16 ). The Corinthian church had the idea that Paul was prideful, bragging about his personal accomplishments in ministry. Are these the words of a self-made man or are these the words of a transformed man? Paul asks plainly, “do we begin again to commend ourselves?” (2 Cor 3:1). How easy it is to fall into the trap of human accomplishment when it comes to our spirituality. If my spirituality depends on my “say-so”, then I believe the lie that I can create my own destiny. Here’s how I know I can’t create my own destiny: I can’t control my own body functions. Can...

Ok, so we watched "The Giver" the other night and as I was about to eject the DVD from the player, this happened: I blame the Knutson's. . If you get it, you must be a rug lover. If not, you are out of your element. You know, man? The Dude abides.

Comedian Brian Regan supposes: what if we played football the way we play chess? Here’s a question for you: How do you know when you are spiritual? Is there a definite way to know, or does one just “checkmate” their way in the spiritual realm? Some people say that spirituality is a personal matter, a matter that cannot be discussed. This is like playing football with chess rules. Others may say, “well, whatever god you believe in does not matter. We come from the same one." This is like saying "whatever meat you believe in. It all comes from the same chicken." “Success” sounds appealing when it comes to the outcome of our spiritual lives--but what does true spirituality look like? How do we recognize it? The best way to find out is by returning to our Creator and asking some hard questions of ourselves: What is my motive for wanting a spiritual life at all?  Why do I want to please God--if I do at all?  What does God say about my personal spiritual life?  H...

The U.S. Forest Service calls the Black Crest Trail the most rugged trail in the Eastern United States ( map ). We ascended this North Carolina trail from Bolen's Creek to Mount Mitchell in two days, summiting 10 peaks culminating in a total altitude change of 3,485 feet across 15 miles. This was the pinnacle experience of our lives, taking everything we had to give physically, mentally, emotionally--and the spiritual impact was not lacking. Makes me wonder "what's next?" Please enjoy our video below, or click on this direct link .

Ever hear that Muslims come from the line of Ishmael and were a result of Abraham’s sin? Who are the ones born under law as descendants of Ishmael (Galatians 4): Arabs or Jews? This half-hour podcast from the Zwemer Center discusses the Genesis, Galatians and includes an excellent summary of Tony Malouff's book, " Arabs in the Shadow of Israel: The Unfolding of God's Prophetic Plan for Ishmael's Line "  Listen to the podcast now.