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We’ve described ‘transformation’ as the
‘journey back to who were created to
be’. Transformation is about producing… - A
people called for his own name and glory. - A
people who would not only find life in him, but learn
life from him [require re-aligment/re-orientation]. - A
people who would willingly and routinely embody the
values of the Kingdom right here and right now, for the good of the world. - A
people who will find that kind of life as they
experience and interact with the personal and empowering presence of Jesus
in the person of the Holy Spirit. ● I
often think about my faith in terms of ‘generalities’--- who is God, how has
he attempted to reveal himself to us, what is he up to, etc. As
I ask myself those questions this week, I was reminded that there is a
“right way” and a
“way that seems right”. ●
Apparently, this ‘way’ is
not primarily directional, but
relational; meaning, God has not left us to ourselves to figure it
out; because we are pre-disposed to ‘other ways’--- convinced that,
eventually, all ways merge or intersect, we need guidance. ●
Guidance is paradoxical: we were designed for it, but we resist it; we
request it, but we ignore it.
Clearly, God is disadvantaged:
too firm, and it appears
manipulative or coercive;
too lax/lenient, it seems
ambiguous (unclear). So, God must offer us ‘the way’ without overwhelming us
or making us feel constrained [it must be compelling without being
constraining]. ●
As I rehearse the story of the children of ●
God has always understood that even the more spectacular expressions of his
presence (miracles) could easily be ignored or explained away and, in and of
themselves, would never be enough to ensure our loyalties [those things
often satisfy our curiosity, but only love can capture our hearts]. 1
Corinthians 10:1-5
“I don’t want you to be
ignorant of the fact that our forefathers were all under the cloud and that
they all passed through the sea. They were all baptized into Moses (became
identified with/became his people) in the cloud and in the sea. They all ate
the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink (not that it
wasn’t real, but that it was a provision of God’s abiding presence); for
they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was
Christ. Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them; their
bodies were scattered over the desert”.
►But, God has never been
content with a people who were just good at reading directions or following
signs; he has always longed for a people who know his heart.
►God knew that the only
way to restore and recover a disconnected humanity was to place within
them a desire for him that was somehow stronger than their urges toward sin.
►This obviously does not
come ‘naturally’ to us.
Nature determines our desires; nature determines what comes ‘naturally’ to
us. Most often, it is so instinctive and so innate that it easily goes
unnoticed, but it determines how you respond to everything [i.e. like fish
in the ocean: they don’t notice the water]. ●
Paul refers to it in Philippians 3:19, as one’s “belly” or “stomach”---
“appetite” (lit. Gr.
‘hollow’; the innermost part of a man, the heart as the seat of thought,
feeling, choice). It’s what explains our cravings, our tendencies, the
environments we crave, etc.
►So, your nature determines what you crave (pursue] in order to fill the
‘hollow place’ in your life. The process of transformation is nothing short
of the realization of a
new nature, new desires,
new tendencies… which is
nothing short of God’s very own nature in us. ●
We’ve
wrongly assumed that this old nature
can be ‘domesticated’ or ‘tamed’. Taming the nature requires
measures which are restraining, confining and prohibiting; external
constraints to ensure cooperation [it will eventually manifest itself].
Exposure to new environments, and to new programs and practices does nothing
to alter nature. ●
So, Jeremiah’s answer for the ‘deceptive heart’ in 17:9 is the ‘new heart’
of chapters 31-32, ensuring that, for the first time in our lives, our
hearts can be trusted.
It’s not that as Spirit-people, we now live from our hearts--- we
always have. At issue is, the type of heart from which we are living; from
which life proceeds. ●
As many of you are aware, the most prominent symbol in the lives of the
children of
►The story we live in
progresses this way:
~God delivers his people from bondage in
~They arrive at
~While Moses is receiving the instructions from God, the people craft a
golden calf [Exodus 32; bulls/calves were used in the
~Eventually, the construction of the tabernacle was completed with the
climax being “the glory (presence) of the Lord filled the tabernacle”
(Ex.40:34). ~ ●
What now? Their only hope was
that one day God’s presence would return to them. Since God’s presence had
always been associated with the tabernacle or temple, it only made sense
that when he did return, he would come back to ‘his ●
When we fast-forward to the writings of Paul in light of this OT story
[which Paul viewed as a cohesive continuation], he understands the Spirit’s
coming as fulfilling certain expectations:
1.
That the Spirit would be
associated with the ‘new covenant’ spoken of by the prophets [Jeremiah 31]
2.
That the Spirit would
“dwell within” God’s people.
3.
That the Spirit would be
associated with the imagery of the temple. ●
Paul wants us to know that
by the Holy Spirit, God has returned
to his people, to live not only among but in them and by his presence,
inspire them to live in a way that the Law itself could not produce. ●
So, Paul sets ‘side-by-side’ (2) ways of being in the world:
‘having the Spirit’ and
‘without the Spirit’ (1
Cor.2:7-16) and (2) ways of ordering your lives:
“according to the flesh” and
“according to the spirit”
(Rom.8:5-12). ●
So, when Paul uses the terms ‘flesh’ and ‘spirit’, he is not talking about
physical and non-physical. He is offering us contrasting ways of life.
“Flesh”, might be understood not only as all the ways in which we attempt to
find life independent of God, but the manifestations of such a life--- what
that life naturally produces. There are ‘built-in restrictions’ in this type
of life. It can only take you so far--- only to the point of satisfying your
own ‘urges’. ● Flesh is associated with death; being ‘cut-off from life’ (term used to express the condition of someone who is disconnected from God), spirit is associated with life and peace. Flesh is associated with hostility, stubborn self-determination; such a life, Paul says, lacks both the ability and willingness to actually please God.
Spirit
Because of the new person we have become, we are no longer obligated to the
‘dead-end life’, but now free to pursue the Spirit-empowered life. We are
now the kind of people who actually ‘want-to-want’ to order their lives
around God’s desires.
►The Spirit is dynamic
and lively and we are being called upon at every turn of life to reorient
ourselves according to those movements. It means that the Spirit is not
always predictable, but you can be certain that he is always moving us into
the “lifeless places”---- the places of brokenness and death to establish
life and order.
Imagine, then, the God-possibilities present in each of these encounters?!
“We have the mind of Christ…”
1 Corinthians 2:16 It
means that there is a way of life made available to us, only through the
Spirit, which actually allows us to know what God is up to in the world; and
not only to know, but to actually become part of the restoring process.
We are the place of mystery--- the place of “presence”; the common
made holy by God’s lingering presence.
Ezekiel 36:26-27 “I will give you a
new heart…”
No longer is God dependent upon persuasion as a means of guidance,
and he’s never been content with compliance (where he is just trying to get
you to do what he wants). What he desires is collaboration, for you to share
his heart; where you actually now understand what he desires and you find
yourself desiring the same things.
►Whatever the people
went to discover about God at the Temple, they should now find in us.
~Are we the actually the place of God’s perceivable presence? (is the
presence of God with you what distinguishes your life?) Can they find life
in you?
~Are we making God accessible to others? (are you helping to remove
barriers?)
~Are you interacting with others in ways which are welcoming? (reintegration
into community through visiting the temple)
~Are others finding in you a place of love of healing and forgiveness?
~Are we the place of intercession--- standing for God and with
the world at the place of it’s pain? (groaning)
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