by RobertCummins | Apr 27, 2016 | 17. Undone
Then Job answered the Lord and said, “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” ‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.’ “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You; therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:1-6)
God has just driven home a point to Job, which he will never forget, which is; Job’s thinking is horribly amiss. Here is essentially how God has made his point. Since I’m not 100% certain what a Leviathan is, I’ve borrowed from my own observations of salt water monsters – the barracuda. God asks Job,
“Can you catch a barracuda with a slip sinker and a crappie hook? Given that its teeth can snag another fish half its size and with its bite, snip it effortlessly in two, can you remove the hook with your fingers, if you were to catch it?”
God’s point to Job (and us) is; “No, you can’t, but your thoughts about me have been just as ludicrous. And, I would like you to now repent.” We might ask: “But how can I, filled with the Spirit, think errantly about God? His Spirit lives in me!” The truth is, I don’t know but we seem to do it effortlessly. I believe those who are called out of darkness into God’s marvelous light still have some residue of darkness tainting their thoughts. Normal Christianity entails a process of walking in the Spirit where we are purged of these lies. To us, Job’s life seems like a case of gross-divine injustice. If this is our thought, our hand may be in the barracuda’s mouth.
My good friend Gene Griffin wrote this brief essay after a season of meditating on the book of Job. Gene was once an overseer of young, very zealous hearts for Christ. Then, when some men his age were flirting with retirement, Gene flexed his brain muscle and followed God’s leading into the practice of law. It follows that I trust his heart and his mind. I share this with his permission. If you bump into an unfamiliar word, a few definitions are provided at the end of the essay.
Evil, Justice, Goodness And The End Game (Thank you Job)
God is self-defined as good and is therefore incapable of evil. Thus, if God orders or permits intentional harm or injury to another, it must be just, assuming He has the power to prevent it.
Is God bound by the laws of cause and effect? If all that God does and permits is an effect, what then is the cause? Is God permitted or capable of an original act that does not have an antecedent cause? And if the cause is with Him, can it arise from anything but His goodness? And if He is the only cause, then He is the cause of evil and cannot be just in His judgement of it.
Is man’s all-pervasive sin nature sufficient cause for all the divine effects of harm or injury that befall him from God’s intentional or permissive hand? And if man has a pervasive sin nature, what then can man ever do that will serve as a cause for God’s beneficence?
Surely then, God’s righteousness and man’s sinfulness places them in two different and incompatible orbits: God only capable of good and man only deserving evil.
Oh that there might be a bridge between them such that an injury to man would be an injury to God, and that a blessing of goodness to man would be a blessing to God; a bridge wherein man is stripped of his unrighteousness and God’s justice is swallowed in mercy.
And while God is the first cause, and the greatest cause, He is not the only cause in the universe; other sovereigns can initiate causation, even evil causation, and the toleration within limits of them by God serves the greater good – that man may come to know that not only is God good, He is the only Good. Had it not been for the fall of man this reality is one that man could never have apprehended for there he gained the knowledge of good and evil. In this, God has made evil to praise Him, and sin to become the servant of man.
So, what is the end of the matter? God is Good, and only good. And the only good, and all that man experiences whether from God as the cause, or from the hand of another sovereign, is intended to strip away every occluding sense-based reality in order that man may know in his heart that God is good and incapable of evil, and that His goodness is driven by His passion for love and communion, not a thirst for justice. He does not seek the sadness of the night (the cause) but rather the joy that comes in the morning (the effect).
Because we know that He is good, we pray. Because we believe, we endure. We begin our prayer with, “Thy will be done:” we end our prayer by “giving thanks in all things.”
Evil: Intentional, unjust injury or harm to another. Beneficence: the doing of good; active goodness or kindness; charity. Antecedent; preceding; prior. Sovereigns include all men endowed with the power of causation (choice), along with Satan and those who do his bidding. Causation: the action of causing or producing; anything that produces an effect; cause. Occluding: to close, shut, or stop up.
by RobertCummins | Apr 26, 2016 | 17. Undone
As Jesus was teaching the word of God to the multitudes, they pressed Him to the point that He had to get into a boat to avoid the crush. The vessel he adopted was Peter’s, a salty, leather-skinned Jew who knew about boats, nets, and fish. Little did Peter know that Jesus was about to provide an unforgettable object lesson for him and the first disciples.
As Jesus concluded His address, He set up Peter and his crew. They were bone tired and could have made a great case for disregarding a carpenter’s council on fishing, but at Jesus’ bidding they put out into deep water and let down their nets. We know the results: a stupendous catch and sinking boats.
This outcome is every fisherman’s dream—to catch so many fish that you and your companions are seized with amazement. Peter was so stunned that He asked Jesus to depart: it dawned on him (for some reason) that he was a sinful man. His conscience wasn’t stricken because he’d broken the fishing regs; he was shaken because he’d just been a part of a miracle, one effected by the mere words of a woodworker. But it was also beginning to dawn on him that this Jesus character was something far more than a carpenter. Peter saw that Jesus was a man of God and that (at least in his opinion) he (Peter) was not.
Jesus disregarded Peter’s stricken conscience and his request for Him to go away. Instead, he simply took the opportunity to let these first disciples know they would not be changing occupations—only the direction of their casts. He said
Do not fear, from now on you will be catching men. (Luke 5:10)
Broadly speaking, men catch fish in a couple of different ways. One method is the commercial/professional approach in which nets are used to go after large numbers of fish. The other way is to get something on a hook that will attract fish and cast it in their direction. In a sense, God uses the same methods. Historically, there have been occasions on which He has cast His net by way of revival into the multitudes and filled up the boats. In these seasons of awakening, the Spirit reveals so much of Christ to the heart that the fish practically jump into the boat of their own accord.
We are given some information about His desired catch in His Word. We are told that He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. If this is so, then why doesn’t God just cast His big net and haul-in everyone who is perishing—all who are elect? I can’t address this mystery with certainty, but it occurs to me that perhaps God is not just interested in catching fish. Perhaps He is also interested in making fisherman.
I woke up this morning at an unusually early hour thinking about fishing (in a sense). Maybe its because I’ve been fishing recently. I was with a guide who was instructing me in fly fishing. I actually made so many casts I could hardly lift my right arm without assistance from my left one. I say ‘in a sense’ because, I was thinking about how we go about fishing in the western church, the type of nets we use and the sizes of our catch. As I was surfacing from my half-sleep, this was the thought I salvaged from my dreams: “I think I know how we can catch more fish.” Here is the residue of my dream.
What if churches didn’t hire a chief fisherman who just casts his net once or twice a week to the same school of fish? What if churches chose more of a fishing guide who can cast a vision of everyone being the fisherman they were created to be? I ask these questions because I believe many of those who Jesus desired should not perish are slipping through our western church net. (I know this is contra-Calvinistic concept, but I’ll continue.) We need a net with finer mesh. We need more fishermen so that more casts can be made into different pools. My observations have led me to believe that the job of fishing was never intended as the sole responsibility of a few professional fishermen.
What if we actually caught the Master’s-vision of us as the fishers of men and the makers of disciples, who saw our relational networks and neighborhoods as the pools into which we’ve been called to cast? What if all those people who have been burned by—or have burnt out in—religion, or who have never heard, who would not feel safe in a traditional church, found safety in our company and in our homes? Or, here is a wild thought, in theirs? What if our friendship and love for Christ were so evident that it would bring healing and restoration to the geographic and relational spaces God has entrusted to us and wants us to personally take ownership of?
What if we also backed off on a gospel that is encumbered by a negative spirit that conveys primarily that, if it is rejected, it will send a person to Hell? While Hell and the fear of it are legit, how do they compare with Eternal Life and Love (i.e. Jesus)? Something has turned people off to the best news that will ever reach their ears. This makes no sense! Is that because these disinterested ones are the Esau’s, which God is on record as hating? Are these the hearts He’s hardened—the unfortunate and doomed non-elect? Have these fish really heard and seen the true gospel of Jesus Christ, that gospel that liberates men from fear of death and eternally weds their hearts to Christ and His kingdom? I often wonder how we can love God with all our hearts when the reason we asked Jesus in to begin with was our fear of Hell.
In the west many have heard the gospel’s words and phrases, but I wonder if many are not puzzled and put off by the indifference of those professing their election. Are we seen by the uncaught as anything more than a tax-exempt interest group with a moral political agenda that is waiting to be airlifted out of this hopelessly defiled planet?
I don’t mean to cast a universal blanket of condemnation over Christianity in the west, but I do see vast schools of fish evading the net. Even among the caught, I see significant numbers of fish actually leaving their schools. Is this by sovereign design by the One who desires that none should perish? I know there are pockets of life where Jesus is breaking out beyond the walls and programs of traditional church and into our culture, but I bump into something that troubles me—a heavily tainted view of God’s sovereignty that exempts us from concern for the lost around us. By default, it seems to paint a picture of God as one who only makes selective casts to elected fish, leaving the rest to perish. The reasoning (or rationalization) that may follow is that since God is doing the casting, who am I to argue with His accuracy? And anyway, I attend and support a church where the chief fisherman makes the casts.
What if the gospel we lived and preached was so hopeful and so inclusive that we could lean in expectantly toward all those in our networks with the awareness that they are beloved and treasured by God, created in His image, ones whom God is endeavoring to draw to Himself by way of us? What if, by way of our transformation, our winsomeness and joy, we portrayed that our Shepherd is indeed very good? What if, in light of God’s great heart, we adopted the childlike idea that, as far as it concerns us, people are not lost by design—they are simply not yet saved? We could presume the best about God’s heart and intentions and leave it to Him to do the sifting at the conclusion of time. Until then, we can go about our lives, loving and serving those He’s trying to attract through Christ in us, the best hope of a good catch.
What if our local fishing guides were to adopt the bold vision that we were to abandon altogether the idea of church as a place or something that we can attend and worked systematically to dismantle that notion? What if our local gatherings became the places where fishing reports were given and celebrations were held?
What if our chief fishing guides cast and nurtured a kingdom-sized vision of the Church that equipped all men to become fisherman-disciples, casting God’s love in word, power, and deed out into our existing networks? Coming into my view is a net of this type, sweeping through society, filling our boats (or homes) with so many fish that we too will be amazed.
God’s kingdom is like a fishnet cast into the sea, catching all kinds of fish. When it is full, it is hauled onto the beach. (my paraphrase of a familar kingdom parable)
This has become somewhat of a waking-dream of mine. I pray it may become our vision, that our vision becomes our reality because I believe people perish for want of a clear vision that gives God’s love the benefit of the doubt. I have a dream of overloaded nets and boats. Having a feel for the magnitude of God’s love, I am incapable of not imagining a day such as this when His Word has returned to Him having caught every fish to Whom He has cast.
Accordingly, I see Him, who will do exceeding abundantly beyond what we have asked or thought, doing even greater works through His Bride than He did while he walked the earth. In my dream, I see a large catch that breaks the nets and overflows the walls of our buildings and programs. I see them spilling over and being cared for in the relationally safe spaces created by the Church, so vibrant that, in observing it, men will be seized with amazement.
I see people so stunned by what they see that they, like Peter, are struck by their impoverished condition in light of the phenomena before them. I see a day when Jesus will be recognized as far more than a carpenter or the leader of a moral majority. I have a vision of you and I filling in the voids and coarse openings of the existing net. I see His nature being discovered afresh within us, revealing so much of Christ that He ultimately receives the attention and response due His name.
You might object, “This pipe dream would require messy, lengthy meetings to overhaul our current plans. We just worked through hours of contentious meetings discovering God’s plans for our church. What you are proposing would be massively complex at best and more likely impossible.” I disagree. It will be no more complicated than discovering Christ’s Life and loving our neighbors as ourselves.
All that is really necessary is to acknowledge God’s sovereignty. It is Him with whom we have to do, who has foreordained us to live within casting distance of specific ones whom He loves—the objects of His affection who are destined for mercy, not wrath. All we have to do is realize that (from God’s perspective) we are not really the Caster; we are that-something-on-a hook that has been called to attract God’s targeted fish. Simply being ourselves in-Christ is the designed action of the lure. This is our universal vocation—the essence of the good works He has prepared beforehand that we shall walk in.
Corporately speaking, we are that newly connected piece of the net whose mesh is becoming finer and finer so that not a single one He’s been given shall get away—not even the wounded or wild ones who are swimming apart from the institutional fish-schools. This is the waking dream that haunts me. Thank you for indulging the dreams of an older man.
Father, for Your name’s sake and for the benefit of those whom You love who do not yet know You, would you reshape Your kingdom net and cause it to be recast such that it is near to breaking. Prepare our hearts and homes for this catch. Equip us to become the connective strands which will complete your net. May the expanding territory of Your Son’s dominion in our hearts become such an effective attractant that it will draw all men to Yourself. Since we cannot be Your first disciples, may we be among the new disciples who get to go fishing with You. Thank You. Amen.
by RobertCummins | Apr 25, 2016 | 17. Undone
In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.” And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.
Then I said,
“Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.” Then I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?” Then I said, “Here am I. Send me!”
Isaiah stands out as one of the greatest men of God who ever walked the earth. Who else has seen the Lord, sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple? Have others seen Seraphim proclaiming, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory”? Has another’s mouth been touched by God’s fire? Before we place Isaiah in some exalted place, far above us, let’s pause and take note of what Jesus said about such men: Isaiah, along with the other prophets desired to see what we see, and did not see it, and to hear what we hear, and did not hear it.
Peter tells us that in regard to this salvation by grace, “the prophets made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but us.” Even the angels longed to see what we have in Christ.
If we trust Christ for our salvation and entrust ourselves to his care, our iniquity is taken away and our sins are forgiven. We have no basis for looking at Isaiah and thinking of him as a man on a pedestal. Our revelation exceeds his. Our experience can be as substantive as his. This great prophet may have had an encounter with God’s presence, but he was foretelling the day God’s presence would indwell us and become our life. Perhaps we should heed Peter’s council:
Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
If God wanted each of us to be caught up into the heavens as Isaiah and Paul had, it would be easy for Him to do. Those men didn’t qualify to be caught up into glory by their impeccable character. They were simply chosen to behold and to report so that we could experience a walk by faith, absorbed in the revelation of Christ in us—the hope of glory. You might protest, but I believe we are more blessed in believing, having beheld neither God nor angels. Keeping sober in spirit, fixing our hope entirely on the grace of God, preparing our minds for action—we will not be disappointed if the outcome of our lives is un-Isaiah-like.
Father, may we grasp the fullness of the mystery of Christ in us, that this world might grasp the extent of your love for them. May our hearts learn to revel in the glory that is in us in Christ. Lay hold of us, Lord, in new ways such that our minds are appropriately equipped for the kingdom actions you have given us to process. Destroy every enemy stronghold that would stand between you and the full reward of your suffering. May you hear from our surrendered mouths, “Here am I. Send me!” Amen.
by RobertCummins | Apr 25, 2016 | 16. Loved By God
Remember my affliction and my wandering, the wormwood and bitterness. Surely my soul remembers and is bowed down within me. This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. (Lamentations 3:19-21)
Our souls do remember and they are either bowed down or bowed up. Experiences are suspended in our memories and exposed to our wills where they become either roots of bitterness or sources of hope. Wormwood and bitterness are formidable enemies of the human spirit. They daily crouch at the door of every human life with devouring intent. The great men and women in scripture always prevailed in hope which was established as they walked out their days with hearts bowed down.
What does a bowed down heart look like? This might evoke images of one overly submitted to the inevitability of trial upon divinely appointed trial, one shoe dropping after the other, as though life is the gauntlet designed by God to bend our stiff necks in the right direction. From experience, I am convinced this orientation to life with God betrays wormwood’s infiltration. This soul is remembering its lot as a fallen creature and agreeing with Solomon, “All of life is futility and striving after the wind.” Solomon may have been the wisest man on earth; John the Baptist may have been the greatest of all men, but the very least of God’s reborn sons and daughters have legitimate claims on hope neither of these persons enjoyed.
Those in whom the Spirit has taken up residence (and is being allowed to express Himself) have an advantage these men did not enjoy. The Spirit always points to the Father and the Son. When the Spirit is allowed to do this, futility (wormwood’s claims) are undermined. Even if it seems we are wandering, our hand is being held by God. Those who persevere in life accumulate memories verifying God’s presence in their lives and they proclaim;
The Lord‘s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, for His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23)
I am awaiting GTN’s (God’s Television Network) broadcast where saints whose chairs or beds are wheeled to the microphone. They will give their account of the hope that is within them, after the proverbial shoe has inexplicably fallen. Perhaps a spiritual Giraldo Rivera will arise, taking the mic to places where free markets have not insulated souls from exposure to the harshness of life. Maybe there, he will find saints who have walked with Jesus, in a vacuum of material blessing, who will share with the world;
“The Lord is my portion, therefore I have hope in Him.” (Lamentations 3:24)
The heart that is bowed down looks more like a well-love child’s presumptuous heart. It does not instinctively presume the worst. It looks to its parent with innocence, anticipating good. The parent is the child’s true portion. The child’s hope rests with this person, whatever it encounters.
Father, you are our ultimate good in the presence of all life’s variables. Even when our grip fails, we discover your mercies are never ending. Each new day, may we keep wormwood at bay with our thanksgiving for Your great faithfulness. You Lord are our portion and cup. May our hearts be satiated in You. May they live to tell. Amen.
by RobertCummins | Apr 24, 2016 | 16. Loved By God
John got it, didn’t he?
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
The themes of Love and Life resonate powerfully in his gospel:
God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, as the propitiation for our sins, so that we might live through Him… We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. (from 1 John 4:9, 14-15)
But is John 3:16 and the doctrine of propitiation the extent of John’s legacy? By no means. Even before John’s gospel was assembled, he had become an intimate friend of God Incarnate, having rested his head on his breast. The revelation that was entrusted to John is much fuller than simply justification and assurance of life after death. John’s breaking news was that the God of the Old Testament (who was known for his judgements) is incredibly approachable and friendly. Although he understood salvation as well as anyone, John’s legacy to the church is so much more than John 3:16. It is about abiding in a transformational love that was to be the fruit of salvation and the credibility of the gospel. Listen:
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. By this the love of God was manifested in us. We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. (from John 4:7,9 and 16)
John understood the full gospel. He got it. But he raises a serious question; have others actually got it when they exhibit no evidence of transformational love? He is saying if we’ve got it—really got it—loving our brothers and sisters will be the evidence. He’s saying, if we are not loving one another, we don’t have it.
The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love… Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another… If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. (from 1 John 4:8,11 and 20)
John is saying (indirectly) that those who name the name of Jesus, who claim to have it, but don’t, are one of the major reasons (perhaps the greatest one) why others have not gotten it; essentially, they’ve never seen it. The following is from N.T. Wright’s commentary on this passage:
Only today I was talking to someone who, commenting gloomily on various experiences of actual church life, suggested that churches should have a ‘danger’ sign outside, warning people to expect nasty, gossipy, snide conversation and behavior if they came in. That sadly has always been a reality in church life. That is why, from Paul onwards, Christian writers have been at pains to insist that it should not be like that with us. The rule of love, I say again, is not an option. It is the very essence of what we are about. If this means we need some new reformation, so be it.
Wright goes on to say this:
In John’s prologue he says that “Nobody has ever seen God. The only begotten God, who is intimately close to the Father – he has brought him to light.” The meaning of that statement is striking; we don’t really know who ‘God’ is – until we see it revealed in the life of Christians. Until, that is, ‘his love is completed in us.’ What God launched decisively in Jesus, he wants to complete in and through us. As Jesus unveiled God before a surprised and unready world, so must we. Love is that important.
Is this even doable, I ask? Yes, answers Wright—for one reason:
He has given us of His Spirit. We can love, because He first loved us. We can obey his command to love our brothers not because we loved God, but because He first has loved us.
Wright proposed a reformation based on John’s declaration that “just as He (Christ) is, so are we within this world” and the reality that “love is a symptom of what Christianity is all about.” He believes that “Love incarnate must be the badge that the Christian community wears, the sign not only of who they are but of who their God is.”
I humbly echo Mr. Wright’s call for a “new reformation.” In my typical mode of discovery, I stumbled into a reformation a few years ago. I was looking for something I sensed I desperately needed. I chased reformation (or “renewal” or “revival” or whatever you’d like to label it) around the country until I finally came to a place where I prayed something similar in spirit to the prayer I prayed when I first met Jesus Christ. That prayer was essentially, “God I surrender. I’ve got nothing to contribute here but you can have all of me to do with as you like.” My prayer after this intense quest for more was essentially: “Lord, I see you doing things everywhere and in everybody. I’ve got nothing I am aware of to contribute, so I surrender to you. I have no idea how you might do it, but I pray that you would bring revival to my heart. I will wait for you there. I really hope to see you soon.”
God has answered and is answering this prayer. Most of what I write is an account of a fresh hope, which has come about through a process, not through an event (which I would have preferred). Middle with Mystery is my chronicle of that process. I mention my story here because it has been deeply influenced by John’s comments regarding fear.
By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. (from John 4:17-18)
Father, may your love break through our defenses and establish itself, for us to enjoy, for the world to witness. Amen.
