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It’s wonderful how thoughts are triggered, and the stimulation of those thoughts having the potential of launching us into further discovering and embracing life and what that encompasses, rather than merely surviving or existing.
What I’m pondering isn't something confined to any particular demographic – just to anyone who has 'flesh'! There are some who would say that those of us who are being awakened to His finished work are speaking against the 'holy place' (the institutional buildings) and the Law (scriptures). But in fact we are not railing against anything; rather, we are addressing the fact that there is a failure to 'recognize' the new thing that God has done and it is this: the geographic location (temple, building) has been replaced with Him being present within us as Life, ‘Do you not recognize that you are the temple of God?’, and the law/scriptures have been fulfilled in Christ-the Word.
There is no shame attached to any of us having limited objective understanding on any matter, especially in regards to those wanting to know the ‘ways’ of the Lord better. But it is a most critical matter when I (we) choose to limit our understanding because of fear of thinking ‘outside the box’ or outside of what is normally accepted as ‘truth’. Without being malleable, teachable, and receptive to further and broadened understanding and insight which is only possible (in my opinion) because of the Father’s love, we will take the posture of being combative, argumentative, and challenging.
Here is an example of what I am considering, and hopefully the setting will further illustrate what I am trying to flesh out.
Two of Paul’s traveling companions on his missionary journey were a couple named Priscilla and Aquila, a husband and wife team that made a living along with Paul in tent-making. For all intents and purposes these were two very ordinary unobtrusive people, but what was operating within them was not ordinary at all. This extraordinary insight and understanding they had regarding a ‘more perfect way of the Lord’ was in my understanding, a byproduct of them learning of the Father’s unconditional love, ergo, living loved. Nothing about this couple indicated they needed an opportunity such as this encounter with the ‘mighty’ Apostle Apollos, to inflate their languishing egos or to be recognized as VIPs in disguise!
These words from Proverbs epitomize the spirit and teachable attitude I sense within this man named Apollos:
If you correct those who care about life, that's different—they'll love you for it!Save your breath for the wise—they'll be wiser for it; tell good people what you know—they'll profit from it. Skilled living gets its start in the Fear-of-God, insight into life from knowing a Holy God. It's through me, Lady Wisdom, that your life deepens, and the years of your life ripen. Live wisely and wisdom will permeate your life; mock life and life will mock you.
The fruit of Apollos’ choosing - to move beyond his limited understanding and not choosing to ‘limit’ his thinking because of fear - had the result that the message of who the Christ is was able to penetrate even deeper into the hearts and minds of many.
With the ever-increasing experiential knowing of the Father’s love, I am beginning to see how totally ludicrous it is for me (due to fear) to pick and choose to listen to only those brethren of my liking who can further expound and deepen my awareness of this awesome God and Father.
It is my opinion that the glue that appears to stick so many of us together is more a fear-based thinking versus faith working through love. First and foremost within my own life, along with any member of the body of Christ, I am longing and eagerly anticipating a time whereby we believers can mutually be open and receptive to the Father’s loving correction, freeing us to come into the ‘fullness’ of all that God the Father has for the church which is His body.
Rich
What I’m pondering isn't something confined to any particular demographic – just to anyone who has 'flesh'! There are some who would say that those of us who are being awakened to His finished work are speaking against the 'holy place' (the institutional buildings) and the Law (scriptures). But in fact we are not railing against anything; rather, we are addressing the fact that there is a failure to 'recognize' the new thing that God has done and it is this: the geographic location (temple, building) has been replaced with Him being present within us as Life, ‘Do you not recognize that you are the temple of God?’, and the law/scriptures have been fulfilled in Christ-the Word.
There is no shame attached to any of us having limited objective understanding on any matter, especially in regards to those wanting to know the ‘ways’ of the Lord better. But it is a most critical matter when I (we) choose to limit our understanding because of fear of thinking ‘outside the box’ or outside of what is normally accepted as ‘truth’. Without being malleable, teachable, and receptive to further and broadened understanding and insight which is only possible (in my opinion) because of the Father’s love, we will take the posture of being combative, argumentative, and challenging.
Here is an example of what I am considering, and hopefully the setting will further illustrate what I am trying to flesh out.
Two of Paul’s traveling companions on his missionary journey were a couple named Priscilla and Aquila, a husband and wife team that made a living along with Paul in tent-making. For all intents and purposes these were two very ordinary unobtrusive people, but what was operating within them was not ordinary at all. This extraordinary insight and understanding they had regarding a ‘more perfect way of the Lord’ was in my understanding, a byproduct of them learning of the Father’s unconditional love, ergo, living loved. Nothing about this couple indicated they needed an opportunity such as this encounter with the ‘mighty’ Apostle Apollos, to inflate their languishing egos or to be recognized as VIPs in disguise!
These words from Proverbs epitomize the spirit and teachable attitude I sense within this man named Apollos:
If you correct those who care about life, that's different—they'll love you for it!Save your breath for the wise—they'll be wiser for it; tell good people what you know—they'll profit from it. Skilled living gets its start in the Fear-of-God, insight into life from knowing a Holy God. It's through me, Lady Wisdom, that your life deepens, and the years of your life ripen. Live wisely and wisdom will permeate your life; mock life and life will mock you.
The fruit of Apollos’ choosing - to move beyond his limited understanding and not choosing to ‘limit’ his thinking because of fear - had the result that the message of who the Christ is was able to penetrate even deeper into the hearts and minds of many.
With the ever-increasing experiential knowing of the Father’s love, I am beginning to see how totally ludicrous it is for me (due to fear) to pick and choose to listen to only those brethren of my liking who can further expound and deepen my awareness of this awesome God and Father.
It is my opinion that the glue that appears to stick so many of us together is more a fear-based thinking versus faith working through love. First and foremost within my own life, along with any member of the body of Christ, I am longing and eagerly anticipating a time whereby we believers can mutually be open and receptive to the Father’s loving correction, freeing us to come into the ‘fullness’ of all that God the Father has for the church which is His body.
Rich
2 comments:
I love that reminder that WE ARE the temple. That is so much more clear to me now, than it was in my days of institutional religion. As many times as I've heard it, within that setting, I never "got it". I still thought the "church" (institution) was it. Now I see He was trying,even then, to break us of that thinking. Hoping we would see that WE were it, all along, not some building or system. Wow! What a difference freedom makes!!
free spirit,
I so appreciate your contribution and freely sharing of the Father's working of grace in your life, it so resonates within me as I too am wanting Him more than anything.
I love the line from the movie, 'The Shadow' with Alec Baldwin~"A clouded mind sees nothing," and isn't that an interesting thought?
Meaning shadows have no substance (much like the Law) and yet they seem to have been permitted to eclipse the substance of experiencing Papa's 4-ever love for us in the now.
In my opinion it has nothing to do with so much of my previous walk-journey with my Father, 'learning truths' but in fact I/we are learning of Him who IS the Truth, Way and Life...wow!
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