Indagatio Veri

"Do not love the world nor the things in the world.  If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him (1 John 2:15)." This is a challenging and very definitive statement, but what does it mean to love the world?  Loving the world in this negative context, refers to the desire and pursuit of fulfillment therein. In other words, it is the belief that possessing, experiencing, and feeling things in the world will in some way sate an otherwise unsatisfied life.  Seeking satisfaction in the world means that we are not satisfied in God alone and therefore will never be content, even if we come to possess the thing that we desire. As we look into this issue further, it is not is a call to the Gnostic approach to life; which is to deny the physical completely to pursue only the spiritual.  God made the world and said that it was 'good', and we are given the blessing of enjoying this world; we just cannot become a slave to it.  Enslavement, being in b...

We are excellent at religiously regulating our lives around a set of principles and practices.  We do it all the time, and manage to hide behind all sorts of theology and practice; but nevertheless, it will not do.  There is something beautiful about being in Christ, a mystery of union that is only supernatural.  We need God to renew our minds so that we can step into a life of power and transformation that supercedes our 'normal' standards and experiences. So, what are we talking about here? Primarily that we are excellent at supplementing and compartmentalizing our lives.  We know intellectually many things about the Christian life and what it means to follow Jesus.  We have many phrases like wwjd, our faith journey, and learning to walk the Christian life.  I believe that many times these phrases are used out of an incomplete revelation that keeps us stuck following principles rather than living a life from the inside out. Let me try to explain that ...

It says in scripture that we shall be known by our fruit (Matthew 7:16). We also read that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23).  'Against no law' means that we cannot produce these fruits with our own effort. "For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit , nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit .  For each tree is known by its own fruit .  For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes form a briar bush.  The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart (Luke 6:43-45)." Pressure situations will always reveal the true nature of the fruit we bear.  We can put on a good show when things are going well, but it...

Jesus left the disciples with a prayer and a purpose of great weight and significance.  It is found in what is known as 'The Lord's Prayer'. "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven (Matthew 6:10)." This prayer reveals the reality that God's Kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, can manifest here on Earth; and this occurs when His will is done.  Kingdom implies a reigning or dominion, therefore God's kingdom exists wherever His will is being carried out. Jesus' own life was a perfect example of walking in the will of God, and we see the manifestation of heaven wherever He went. Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing, for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner (John 5:19). So what was the will of the Father for Jesus? What was He sent to do?  "The Spirit of the Lord is up...

The church has glorified the ministry of missions to an unhealthy degree.  "Missions", as I will define it here, is traveling  to a location, whether nationally or internationally, to do ministry.  There is a heightened awareness, excitement, and emphasis within the church today on missions; that could be defined as idolatry.  Many churches advertise their mission trips and sponsored missionaries on bulletin boards, emails, and bulletins. A significant amount of the congregations tithes go to different countries to fund all sorts of projects; and yet the state of the neighborhood that the church is in, remains unchanged.  Now before I continue, missions are a central part of Kingdom work, and I don't have any issue with international or national mission work; short term or long term; however, missions has become the high point of christian service, and it should not be so.  I will note, that these statements do not define every church...

"You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?  This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?  Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?  Did you suffer so many things in vain--if indeed it was in vain?  So then, does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?" Here, Paul rebukes the church because they took control of their own spiritual growth (Galatians 3).   They recognized that they were saved by faith, but got it into their heads that they needed to perfect themselves through works in the flesh.   Just like the Galatians, we too can fall into a pit of self-determined religious regulation; however, God wants us to give up control on our own spiritual growth and maturity. ...

There are many believers who go through deliverance, counseling, and or inner healing programs. I do not have a problem with this sort of intentional ministry, since it is really just teaching and discipleship; but there is danger in relying too heavily upon them for transformation. Many people experience transformation from these intentional prayer and counseling times; which is great, but I have also seen how many people come to depend on these programs to validate their faith and identity in God. They render the work of Jesus to an ongoing process rather than a finished work. I don't have a problem with the programs themselves, I believe that they are good, but our understanding about what goes on in these sessions needs to change. We are not people who are 'becoming who we are supposed to be', we are not adding on to who God has already made us; rather, we are 'realizing' who we already are.  These programs help to identify a lie and speak the truth, which...