I have been in the ministry of spiritual growth for more than a decade now. I have taught in Sunday School, led small groups, worked in committees, occasionally been invited to preach and have even written a book on how to grow up spiritually. The entire focus of this calling on my life is to use the abilities which God has entrusted to me to help others growth up spiritually. For that is why I have been place here on this earth.
The process of spiritual growth is something both pastors and layman grapple with on a regular basis. We constantly look at the people under our care and try to crack our brains to figure out how we can help them grow up spiritually. We know there is so much more God wants them to experience, more of His power, more of His love, more of His freedom, more of His blessings, more of Himself. Yet as our Lord cried over Jerusalem, how God longs to bring those we lead into a higher level of spirituality but many are simply not ready, not willing, not concerned.
So what is the formula? There is none. What is the key? The answer - the leader. Who we are as leaders will determine those whom we lead. Spirit-filled leaders birth spirit-filled followers. Leaders who live in the flesh will simply achieve no spiritual growth in those they lead. For it is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh profits nothing. If there is to be revival in the lives of those we lead, then the revival must start with us leaders. For only when we live and preach and serve under the anointing can we help those we lead come into the anointing themselves. You can't bring those you lead higher than where you have gone yourself.
The implication of this on ministry is startling. If our focus on our ministry is head-knowledge of scripture, then we will produce followers with head-knowledge but little spiritual experience. If our focus is fellowship, then we will produce followers close to each other but no closer to God. But if our focus is to serve and lead them under the anointing of the Spirit, only then will we bring them into the experience of God who is Spirit, revealed in the person of Jesus Christ.
So before we run off to try to plan more programmes, start more committees, or attend more training, let us stop and come back to our God. For God is turning His spotlight on those who profess to be leaders in His church. Soon He will purge His church of flesh, or carnality, of the pride of human wisdom and ability. One by one, He will break His leaders, to refine us in the fire of trial till we come forth as pure gold, in the power of the Anointing. Just as Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness being tempted in every way by the devil, so God will brings His anointed ones through our own wilderness, the dark night of the soul that will burn away all pride in the flesh, all dependence on ourselves, to break us to a point of absolute surrender. And then, when there is no more pride, no more ambition, no more rights, no more reputation, He will start to pour Himself into us, to saturate us with His presence, His power, His Spirit. And only then, will we be leaders of the Spirit who can bring others into the things of the Spirit.
What is the cost of being a bible teacher? Consistent study. What is the cost of being a leader? Consistent death. The daily dying to ourselves. Are we prepared to pay the price? If we do not, the cost to those we lead will be unthinkable.
May the Force be with you
The Star Wars saga has just concluded. The final jigsaw in the puzzle of how young Skywaker is seduced by the Dark Side and degenerates into Darth Vadar, Lord of the Sith. The entire Star Wars saga presents a fascinating world in which high tech weaponry confluences with mystic religion. In fact, many of us get so enthralled with spaceships and lightsabers that we may not realize the powerful New Age worldview it presents. At the centre of this religious worldview is what is now commonly known as the Force.
The Force is essentially presented as a kind of metaphysical life-force that encompasses all of reality. Certain special individuals like Jedi and Sith are able to ‘tap’ into the Force and manipulate it to achieve special powers and abilities. Upon death, like Obi-Wan in Episode 4, the original first movie, the Jedi merges with the force and becomes at one with the universe. Within the force, there is the polarity of the Dark Side and the Light Side, ultimate representations of Good and Evil.
The concept of the Force is not new. Such religious ideas find its roots in the ancient eastern religions of Hinduism and Taoism. Like Hinduism and Taoism, the religion of the Force is essentially grounded in a Pantheistic world view. This is a world view in which all of reality is viewed as ONE. In essence, we are all connected to the universe and the universe to us. God, ie. the idea of the divine, is the universe and the universe is God. In Hinduism, the aim is to attain to Brahman Atman, the point of Enlightenment where one merges with the divine oneness of the Universe. The soul comes to the realization that it is actually one with the universe, and in doing so, becomes the universe. In Taoism, a similar worldview is presented. The Tao is essentially the force that binds the entire universe together. The Taoist seeks to be aligned with the Tao, for alignment with the Tao brings prosperity and longevity. From this stems the concept of Feng Shui. Just as the Jedi aligns himself with the force to attain to his supernatural powers, in a similar way the Taoist seeks to align himself with the Tao to bring prosperity and health. In the West, that very same Pantheistic world view has found popular reemergence in the guise of New Age mysticism. Old ideas in a new package.
The implication of a generation of Christians growing up on a diet of New Age mysticism presented throughout the Star Wars saga must be addressed. Already we are beginning to see the infiltration of New Age thinking into main stream Christianity. We see this especially in the doctrine of the Holy Spirit or “pneumatology” as it is called by the church. Developing correct pneumatology is especially important given the obvious metaphysical aspects of the Holy Spirit and His operation in the life of a believer. The same way a Jedi is led by the Force and this leads to the manifestation special abilities and powers, so when a believer is filled with or baptized by the Holy Sprit, the Holy Spirit manifests numerous supernatural powers through the believer like healing, miracles and prophesy (1 Cor 12). The biblical presentation of the Holy Spirit in analogies like “wind”, “rain”, “water”, “fire” lends even greater temptation to associate the Holy Spirit with a Star Wars like Force essence.
To develop biblically accurate pneumatology, we must therefore be mindful of the fundamental difference between the Holy Spirit and the Force. The first and most fundamentally is the fact that while the Force is grounded in pantheism, ie. all of existence is one, the Holy Spirit, is essentially God. And God and His creation are separate and distinct. While a Jedi can unite himself with the Force, we and God remain separate and distinct entities, each with separate and distinct personhoods. We will never become God or fuse with the Divineness of God. The separation between divinity and humanity, with the exception of the Incarnation, is a line that can never be crossed from our end. To seek to be God is the path that led to the downfall of Lucifer.
The next fundamental difference is that of Personhood. Within the Holy Trinity, there is Personhood. The Godhead acts, thinks, feels and wills. The Force as presented in Star wars, is by contrast impersonal. The Force does not feel, does not think, does not act. Such impersonality is also consistent with the Pantheistic world view. Because if all of reality of one, there can be no distinct personalities who relate to each other. God, in the Christian worldview is presented as Father, a divine being who loves us, adopts us, and calls us into intimacy of relationship with Him.
Perhaps a third and most fundamental difference is how a Jedi or Sith relates to the Force and how a Christian relates to the Holy Spirit. As with every New Age religion, the lure of the Force is the lure of power and supernatural abilities. A proponent trains himself to “tap” into the Force, thus availing himself to many wondrous supernatural powers, which he then manipulates for his own purposes. While the Jedi uses the Forces for the good of others and the Sith use the Force to further his own personal gain, it is the proponent of the Force who sets the agenda. He “uses” the Force. Those who enter into Christianity seeking such power will often find themselves easy prey to the demonic ways of the devil. A lust for power and abilities a complete antithesis to the way of Christ. The way of the Christian is one of dying to ourselves, of humility and surrender to the Lordship of Christ, the way of the suffering of the Cross. We do not seek to be something but, like Christ, make ourselves nothing. In the issue of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we do not set the agenda, the Holy Spirit does. We do not use or control Him, He uses and controls us. During the baptism of the Spirit, the Spirit saturates the believer with His presence and power, and manifests power as He chooses. We are not in control, the Spirit is.
May the Lord be with you.
The Force is essentially presented as a kind of metaphysical life-force that encompasses all of reality. Certain special individuals like Jedi and Sith are able to ‘tap’ into the Force and manipulate it to achieve special powers and abilities. Upon death, like Obi-Wan in Episode 4, the original first movie, the Jedi merges with the force and becomes at one with the universe. Within the force, there is the polarity of the Dark Side and the Light Side, ultimate representations of Good and Evil.
The concept of the Force is not new. Such religious ideas find its roots in the ancient eastern religions of Hinduism and Taoism. Like Hinduism and Taoism, the religion of the Force is essentially grounded in a Pantheistic world view. This is a world view in which all of reality is viewed as ONE. In essence, we are all connected to the universe and the universe to us. God, ie. the idea of the divine, is the universe and the universe is God. In Hinduism, the aim is to attain to Brahman Atman, the point of Enlightenment where one merges with the divine oneness of the Universe. The soul comes to the realization that it is actually one with the universe, and in doing so, becomes the universe. In Taoism, a similar worldview is presented. The Tao is essentially the force that binds the entire universe together. The Taoist seeks to be aligned with the Tao, for alignment with the Tao brings prosperity and longevity. From this stems the concept of Feng Shui. Just as the Jedi aligns himself with the force to attain to his supernatural powers, in a similar way the Taoist seeks to align himself with the Tao to bring prosperity and health. In the West, that very same Pantheistic world view has found popular reemergence in the guise of New Age mysticism. Old ideas in a new package.
The implication of a generation of Christians growing up on a diet of New Age mysticism presented throughout the Star Wars saga must be addressed. Already we are beginning to see the infiltration of New Age thinking into main stream Christianity. We see this especially in the doctrine of the Holy Spirit or “pneumatology” as it is called by the church. Developing correct pneumatology is especially important given the obvious metaphysical aspects of the Holy Spirit and His operation in the life of a believer. The same way a Jedi is led by the Force and this leads to the manifestation special abilities and powers, so when a believer is filled with or baptized by the Holy Sprit, the Holy Spirit manifests numerous supernatural powers through the believer like healing, miracles and prophesy (1 Cor 12). The biblical presentation of the Holy Spirit in analogies like “wind”, “rain”, “water”, “fire” lends even greater temptation to associate the Holy Spirit with a Star Wars like Force essence.
To develop biblically accurate pneumatology, we must therefore be mindful of the fundamental difference between the Holy Spirit and the Force. The first and most fundamentally is the fact that while the Force is grounded in pantheism, ie. all of existence is one, the Holy Spirit, is essentially God. And God and His creation are separate and distinct. While a Jedi can unite himself with the Force, we and God remain separate and distinct entities, each with separate and distinct personhoods. We will never become God or fuse with the Divineness of God. The separation between divinity and humanity, with the exception of the Incarnation, is a line that can never be crossed from our end. To seek to be God is the path that led to the downfall of Lucifer.
The next fundamental difference is that of Personhood. Within the Holy Trinity, there is Personhood. The Godhead acts, thinks, feels and wills. The Force as presented in Star wars, is by contrast impersonal. The Force does not feel, does not think, does not act. Such impersonality is also consistent with the Pantheistic world view. Because if all of reality of one, there can be no distinct personalities who relate to each other. God, in the Christian worldview is presented as Father, a divine being who loves us, adopts us, and calls us into intimacy of relationship with Him.
Perhaps a third and most fundamental difference is how a Jedi or Sith relates to the Force and how a Christian relates to the Holy Spirit. As with every New Age religion, the lure of the Force is the lure of power and supernatural abilities. A proponent trains himself to “tap” into the Force, thus availing himself to many wondrous supernatural powers, which he then manipulates for his own purposes. While the Jedi uses the Forces for the good of others and the Sith use the Force to further his own personal gain, it is the proponent of the Force who sets the agenda. He “uses” the Force. Those who enter into Christianity seeking such power will often find themselves easy prey to the demonic ways of the devil. A lust for power and abilities a complete antithesis to the way of Christ. The way of the Christian is one of dying to ourselves, of humility and surrender to the Lordship of Christ, the way of the suffering of the Cross. We do not seek to be something but, like Christ, make ourselves nothing. In the issue of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we do not set the agenda, the Holy Spirit does. We do not use or control Him, He uses and controls us. During the baptism of the Spirit, the Spirit saturates the believer with His presence and power, and manifests power as He chooses. We are not in control, the Spirit is.
May the Lord be with you.
How do I know it is God?
How do I know it is God? How do I know it is God speaking to me, speaking through you? The ability to hear and discern the voice of God and his leading in our lives and ministry is crucial if we are to fulfill his will. The famous apologist Ravi Zacharias said that there are no mass movements in church history. It only seems that way. At the centre of every movement is a man or woman who knows his or her God and where God is going. I fully agree. The great revival movements are simply occasioned when God works his purposes through a surrendered servant who is able to discern his voice and leading. As Henry Blackby wrote, we experience God when we work where he is working. We don't determine the agenda, he does.
How then do we hear the voice of God? Consider the words of Jesus in John 10:1-5:
"I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice."
"The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep." The first thing these verses tell us is that God does not play hide and seek with us. He does not come by the back door or is surreptitious in his communication. When he approaches us, it is direct and honest. Often, we are unable to hear his voice not because he does not speak clearly. But it is our human passions and selfish will that screams to drown out his voice. If we were simply to quieten our hearts before Him with the willingness to obey his voice at whatever cost, we will know the witnesses of the Spirit in our hearts.
This brings me to the second point. "...the sheep listen to his voice". The willingness to obey is a crucial criteria to hearing his voice. If we have already decided in our hearts a course of action, let us not deceive ourselves into trying to ask of his will. Strong preference in the area of decision making makes us resistant to hearing his voice simply because we are already closed to any other alternative. We must therefore be willing to listen, to obey, even if obedience brings us into a course that is difficult, or unpopular or painful. For that is the essense of faith, the faith surrender.
"He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." The third point is that the voice of God to us is always deeply personal. God speaks to us in a way that we are able to hear. He knows what we require for faith and his communication is designed for us and us alone. For this matter, God may speak to one in one way and another in another. But more crucially, his voice is always a loving communication in the context of an intimate and close relationship with him. He does not play games and require us to figure him out. He is intensely personal, his presence very close by, as he leads us into his path of righteousness.
"His sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." This brings me to my final point on this matter. It is out of close personal relationship with our Lord that we are able to recognise his voice. The more time we spend in his presence in prayer and worship, the more we will learn to know him. Discernment can only be built out of familiarity. Thus when someone speaks a word that purports to be of God, the child who knows his father will be able to discern whether it is truly from God. For the inner witness of the Spirit will rage within us to cause discomfort and unease when false prophesy is proffered.
We are at a transation point in church history. As the one who holds the seven stars in his hand speaks to his end-time church, he who has ears to hear let him hear what the Spirit is saying to his church. Lead us O lord, for we your sheep are listening.
How then do we hear the voice of God? Consider the words of Jesus in John 10:1-5:
"I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice."
"The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep." The first thing these verses tell us is that God does not play hide and seek with us. He does not come by the back door or is surreptitious in his communication. When he approaches us, it is direct and honest. Often, we are unable to hear his voice not because he does not speak clearly. But it is our human passions and selfish will that screams to drown out his voice. If we were simply to quieten our hearts before Him with the willingness to obey his voice at whatever cost, we will know the witnesses of the Spirit in our hearts.
This brings me to the second point. "...the sheep listen to his voice". The willingness to obey is a crucial criteria to hearing his voice. If we have already decided in our hearts a course of action, let us not deceive ourselves into trying to ask of his will. Strong preference in the area of decision making makes us resistant to hearing his voice simply because we are already closed to any other alternative. We must therefore be willing to listen, to obey, even if obedience brings us into a course that is difficult, or unpopular or painful. For that is the essense of faith, the faith surrender.
"He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out." The third point is that the voice of God to us is always deeply personal. God speaks to us in a way that we are able to hear. He knows what we require for faith and his communication is designed for us and us alone. For this matter, God may speak to one in one way and another in another. But more crucially, his voice is always a loving communication in the context of an intimate and close relationship with him. He does not play games and require us to figure him out. He is intensely personal, his presence very close by, as he leads us into his path of righteousness.
"His sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." This brings me to my final point on this matter. It is out of close personal relationship with our Lord that we are able to recognise his voice. The more time we spend in his presence in prayer and worship, the more we will learn to know him. Discernment can only be built out of familiarity. Thus when someone speaks a word that purports to be of God, the child who knows his father will be able to discern whether it is truly from God. For the inner witness of the Spirit will rage within us to cause discomfort and unease when false prophesy is proffered.
We are at a transation point in church history. As the one who holds the seven stars in his hand speaks to his end-time church, he who has ears to hear let him hear what the Spirit is saying to his church. Lead us O lord, for we your sheep are listening.
Why should I believe you?
The cry of the post-modern generation is always, "Why should I believe you?" As the church strives to reach out to the world, it is important that we understand the mindset of the generation today. Failure to do so will be catastrophic as the church will lose both its relevance and impact on our society. Changing mindsets calls for changing approaches. We face a generation that no longer accepts truth propositions because it is presented as such by someone in authority. The approach to both witnessing and bible study in respect of this new generation is therefore very different.
For the older generation when confronted with a truth statement such as "God is love", the older generation will tend to accept it as true even though he may not feel such. This lack of experiential verification or feeling is often dealt with by accepting that perhaps the person does not have enough faith to believe. The approach then is to build ones faith by the exercise of the will, the will to believe. The thought process is essentially "If I believe enough that God loves me, then I will feel his love." But essentially, feeling is subordinate to the assent to the truth, ie. it is true whether I feel it or not.
For the new and younger generation that is emerging, the fact that the truth proposition stems from someone in authority or seniority does not count for much. This is the generation of cynicism and the questioning of authority. What then does it take to convince a post-modern youth? The answer is - experiential verification. This is the thought process involved: "I accept truth based on something I can experience. If I cannot experience it, then it does not work and I will reject it as truth, no matter who tells me it is true."
To dismiss these traits as rebellious and un-Christian does not solve the problem. It only compounds it. To be relevant and to reach out to this generation, we must understand the prevailing mindset and deal with it. How then should we respond?
We must present a Christianity that works. We must present a God not just in words (concepts) but in power (reality). If we preach a God who loves us and to whom we can pray to, then we must ourselves be in an experiential loving and intercessory relationship with God. We must walk the talk. We cannot sell what we don’t have. If not, the youths of today will be quick to call our bluff. If we talk about victory over sin, we must be prepared to lead them into such an experience; and how can we do so if we have not gone there ourselves? Our worship must move from mere singing to touching the very presence of God. Our teaching must move from mere words to communicating the convicting voice of the Spirit. Our prayer meetings must move from mere petitions to prayers led by the Holy Spirit Himself who intercedes with moans and groans that words cannot express.
One of the crucial mistakes of conservative Christianity is the unhealthy suspicion and dismissal of spiritual experiences. The fear of abuse and suspicion of the unknown has resulted in all spiritual experiences being discredited as unsafe. The true Christian is lauded as one who believes even in the absence of any corresponding spiritual experience. This is not the Christianity of the bible. The presence and power of God was very real to the forefathers of Israel, prophets, the apostles and the early church. Yet in our anti-spiritual mindset, Christianity is often reduce to a concept, a creed, a moral philosophy will little spiritual reality. Such a Christianity is powerless and irrelevant in the face of the post-modern mindset.
If we as a church do not change to address the prevailing post-modern mindset, our churches will very soon go the way of the churches in Western Europe, where only the old attend to pass their days until they die.
For the older generation when confronted with a truth statement such as "God is love", the older generation will tend to accept it as true even though he may not feel such. This lack of experiential verification or feeling is often dealt with by accepting that perhaps the person does not have enough faith to believe. The approach then is to build ones faith by the exercise of the will, the will to believe. The thought process is essentially "If I believe enough that God loves me, then I will feel his love." But essentially, feeling is subordinate to the assent to the truth, ie. it is true whether I feel it or not.
For the new and younger generation that is emerging, the fact that the truth proposition stems from someone in authority or seniority does not count for much. This is the generation of cynicism and the questioning of authority. What then does it take to convince a post-modern youth? The answer is - experiential verification. This is the thought process involved: "I accept truth based on something I can experience. If I cannot experience it, then it does not work and I will reject it as truth, no matter who tells me it is true."
To dismiss these traits as rebellious and un-Christian does not solve the problem. It only compounds it. To be relevant and to reach out to this generation, we must understand the prevailing mindset and deal with it. How then should we respond?
We must present a Christianity that works. We must present a God not just in words (concepts) but in power (reality). If we preach a God who loves us and to whom we can pray to, then we must ourselves be in an experiential loving and intercessory relationship with God. We must walk the talk. We cannot sell what we don’t have. If not, the youths of today will be quick to call our bluff. If we talk about victory over sin, we must be prepared to lead them into such an experience; and how can we do so if we have not gone there ourselves? Our worship must move from mere singing to touching the very presence of God. Our teaching must move from mere words to communicating the convicting voice of the Spirit. Our prayer meetings must move from mere petitions to prayers led by the Holy Spirit Himself who intercedes with moans and groans that words cannot express.
One of the crucial mistakes of conservative Christianity is the unhealthy suspicion and dismissal of spiritual experiences. The fear of abuse and suspicion of the unknown has resulted in all spiritual experiences being discredited as unsafe. The true Christian is lauded as one who believes even in the absence of any corresponding spiritual experience. This is not the Christianity of the bible. The presence and power of God was very real to the forefathers of Israel, prophets, the apostles and the early church. Yet in our anti-spiritual mindset, Christianity is often reduce to a concept, a creed, a moral philosophy will little spiritual reality. Such a Christianity is powerless and irrelevant in the face of the post-modern mindset.
If we as a church do not change to address the prevailing post-modern mindset, our churches will very soon go the way of the churches in Western Europe, where only the old attend to pass their days until they die.
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