Three Sabbaths in One Week

Matthew 12:40, “for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days  and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

As Christianity celebrates Good Friday today, I wonder if any have ever considered that if Christ died on Friday, then He lied when He spoke Matthew 12:40.

No doubt the Hebrew day ran from sundown to sundown keeping with the literal word of Genesis where it says “and there was evening and there was morning, one day.” (Gen 1:5) But if Christ died Friday just before sundown and arose Sunday morning then He would have been buried Friday night, and Saturday night… not the “three nights” He said He would. But why do we have this tradition of Good Friday? Is Good Friday a misunderstanding, or was Jesus a liar?

I can assure you that Jesus is no liar, and therefore 99% of Christianity must have their theology out of place. In this particular case it has become globally disjointed because the interpretation of the Sabbath has been limited to be Friday evening until Saturday evening when in fact every holy day, every feast, every special offering days was considered a Sabbath. (Lev 23:32) It is in this understanding of the Sabbath that the true day of Christ obedience on the cross is revealed.

In a study of Leviticus 23 we can see that “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight is the Lord’s Passover.” (V. 5) We know from scripture that Jesus celebrated Passover with His disciples immediately prior to His death and this is where He instituted the sacrament of Communion. What is not written in Matthew, but what we know from Leviticus is the next day begins the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and it last for seven days with the first and last days being Sabbaths. “On the first day you have a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work… On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any laborious work.” (V 7 &8) ‘You shall rest… you shall observe a Sabbath.’

This seventh day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is the Sabbath they were trying to avoid when Christ hung on the cross, not the Sabbath of a Saturday. It is actually most likely that Christ died for our sins on a Wednesday. He would have been in the grave Wednesday night, Thursday day, Thursday night, Friday day, Friday night, Saturday day… arising from the grave on Saturday night which to the Hebrews is Sunday.

Look at the beautiful fulfillment of prophecy when the season of Easter is put in true context. Christ celebrates our sins being passed over because of His blood that was to be shed. And then the week of His arrest, torture, and crucifixion occurring in the midst of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread.  A feast that is nothing less than a type and shadow, a prophetic utterance of Christ and His sinless nature… without sin… without leaven. And when Christ role on earth ends, when the feast ends, we have a holy day of rest, a symbolic, prophetic entering of the grace of God. Simply beautifully, masterfully choreographed by the Father to eliminate any doubt about Who Christ is and His purpose.

Happy Easter to us all. 

The Godly Rich Man

Matthew 27:57, “When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, and who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.”

Walk out this thing called Christianity long enough and you will find that God will continuously allow you to have experiences and circumstances that seem to be for your breaking. Troubles, ill health, wicked people will appear having approached with such stealth it will leave you thinking they are directly from Satan himself. All the while Christ is there allowing you to see your weakness so that He might show Himself strong. Strong in calming the storm, strong in making the demon run away, or strong with snores coming from His sleep while He ignores the nuisances life can throw our way.

                           

No one is immune. This is life, and in it we have tribulation. I often say that it comes either in finances, health, or relationship.

Health is probably the most obvious of challenges to our soul and our faith, so I won’t tarry here. Finances seem pretty simple too. Jesus said the poor will always be with us, and that it’s harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God than it is for a camel to go through the eye of the needle, so middle class seems pretty safe. But is a rich man’s challenge to his soul and character the abundance?

“There came a rich man… a disciple of Jesus.”

Here is a rich man that has entered the kingdom of God. What challenges to his character did God allow? The apostle Paul had a thorn in his flesh that God said his grace would be sufficient dealing with it.

I meet many rich people. Some are very godly, giving, generous, caring people. Some are completely godless void of compassion. Others are in the middle, almost mindless in their pursuits… good people but spiritually somewhere between Atheist and in love with Jesus. But what are their storms of life that will force them to focus on Christ. Where will they find the limits of themselves with seemingly limitless resources to pleasure their self and money to buy their physical health?

Do they share a common storm in their relationships?

Jim Spivey told me the story of a billionaire. In short he trusted no one. Not even his wife and kids because everyone around him, included his family, wanted something related to money from him. So my heart today is on the godly rich men (and women) who live a life surrounded by ravenous wolves all looking to take a bite of their flesh. My heart is on the ungodly rich men who have become so calloused by men’s pursuit of them and the emptiness of only material riches that they have also lost… or never gained… sight of Christ.

Think of those people around you that have become successful financially. Are you a wolf clawing at them for your bite of meat? If you are rich, have you become calloused by the men pursuing you with selfish motives? Have you isolated yourself from the masses in ungodly self-defense or self-preservation?

Do you not know what I am talking about? Go to a large successful church and watch people pull on the Pastor. Watch the Pastor pull away. Oh it happens at small churches too, however in the small churches there is usually not enough honey (money, things, positions) to attract enough flies to make it a nuisance. 

Rich or not, Christ calls us to keep giving our lives away. If you are not rich, then purpose to not be part of the wolf pack. If you are rich, then purpose in your heart to find the end of yourself so that God can come through. Lay aside the mistrust, forgiveness, and cynicism. Embrace your community and like Joseph of Aramathea use your wealth and position to benefit the body of Christ. Let Him use those relationship challenges to shape your soul, and to reveal Himself more fully today.

Church

Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three have gathered in My name, I am there in their midst.”

My friend Jim Spivey, as he interacts with individuals or groups has this remarkable ability to facilitate, or allow the truth to come out. That truth is almost always spiritual, but somehow, some way the Holy Spirit interacts with him in these settings to reveal that truth in a very freeing way.

Secular physiologist might see one of Jim’s groups as group therapy. I consider it much more than that. For me, his groups Love Machine and Iwo Jima are church. And for those who are supposed to be there, I think most would agree with me. They are church for me because the Holy Spirit moves very freely and this murmuration of Him moving and using everyone always occurs. Second, it’s a gathering, and as such Christ being in our midst makes it a lot of what I consider church to be… basking in the presence of God with others. Thirdly, I consider it church because it is healing, or inspiration, or conviction for the soul depending on the individual condition.

People ask Jim how he “facilitates” the groups like that. Some… even Jim call it “Holding Space.”

And so here is what Jim describes as holding space. You tell me if this sounds like what church should be.

Quoting Jim Tolles, Jim Spivey says, “Some of the components are:

-          Letting go of all judgment

-          Opening your heart completely

-          Allowing others to have WHATEVER experiences they are having

-          Giving you complete undivided attention to another person or situation.

He goes on to say, “Those are really the key elements of holding space. You’re not trying to influence the situation in any way. You are not trying to fix it, win at it, or affect any kind of outcome…”

What I add to that is the question of, “Who are you holding space for?”

I think what makes Jim’s gatherings so great, so different, is I know in my heart that Jim is having these gathering for Jesus. The people that come may think it is for them, but I know it’s for Jesus.  Though Jim and I have never discussed this, I feel like when Jim meets with someone individually or as a group there is one goal in him. That is for Christ to shine through.

I remember my very first meeting with him… and I thought he was a whack job. Jim said, “I am here to listen and then to reflect Christ back.” The more I am around him, I see him as there to listen and allow Christ to reflect out of us all. He lets go of his judgments so that he can see all the wonderful manifestation of Christ coming out of everyone around him. He does it with an open heart, never wanting to box in God, or quench the Holy Spirit. He’s not afraid to let people be real, to express their fears and frustrations with four letter words or screams of pain, or even tears… joyful or otherwise.

And what makes it church most of all… is that we all try to give each other our undivided attention. “Try” being the key word here. Serving one another with an open ear and an open heart… not listening to a prepared message, and then being asked to live it outside. But being invited to live it on the inside, to be real, to be truthful, to celebrate the mercy and grace of God in our failures.

I go to meet with Jim, because in those experiences I am always meeting Christ. Not just the little Christ that Jim reflects, but the Christ that is in all the others, and most importantly the Christ in me.

Everyone is Wrong

Romans 3:9 & 23, “What then? Are we better than they… for ALL have sinned and FALL SHORT of the glory of God.”

I had this dream the other night and in it my pastor had shown me a book. Opening it up I read a couple of passages. One said, “self-serving is running to follow someone…”

Why do we follow people? Is it that we are trying to gain an upper hand in some arena? Do we follow a boss beyond our moral compass to gain wealth or promotion? Do we follow pastors to gain position or notoriety, to catch their eye with our piety or giving? Do we follow heroes in worship and hopes of being like them? Do we follow a President simply because he holds an office?

Paul pointed it out beautifully. “ALL have sinned and FALL SHORT of the glory of God.” We all have sinned in the past. We all will sin again in the future. And we all, even the greatest among us, even the most anointed of leaders fall short of the glory of God… and yet we follow them.

Peter, arguably one of the greatest apostles… a man who walked on water. The proclaimed founder or at least inspiration for the Catholic church in one moment was call the rock in which Christ would build His church, but moments later was told, “Get behind me Satan.” (Matt 16:23)

Ladies and gentlemen… the whole world is corrupted by sin and if we are following anyone other than Christ we are off the mark.

The writer of Hebrews said in Chapter 13:17, “Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls…” Paul said in Romans 13:1, “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.”

To all of which I say this for those privileged enough to live in America.  What is the governing structure in America?

It is a republic. Republic meaning a government by the people for the people.

And who, or I should rather say what is the Supreme authority in this country?

Do you think it is the President? Do you think it is the Supreme Court, or the Congress? Perhaps all three in combination.

The answer is neither. The Supreme governing authority in this country is our Constitution. The Constitution is the authority of Romans 13.  That is the governing authority we as Christians in America are called to follow, not a man. We were built to rule our own little pieces of the world. We were made to individually come into fellowship with God, not through a surrogate like a Pope or a pastor or President. And I say this even while having all the love and respect for my Pastor, and the many Pastors I know personally. But I do not “follow” them. I follow Christ. But a man being appointed to a position does not cause God to anoint him with some form of infallibility. 

I heard a story recently from a friend who devoutly follows Christ with all his heart, so much so he will move his family to the ends of the earth in obedience to Him. His father just the other day admitted to the son that if things on earth got really bad, if the apocalypse came (for those who are waiting for it) that his son is in a much better place of faith to survive it than he. You see the Dad is following his career.  This story ties in these thought to the murmuration I just read from T Austin Sparks. See if you see the connection.

“Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations. (Haggai 2:6,7)

It seems a terrible thing, even to think, but as we have touched so very much of what is called 'Christianity' we are bound to believe that, because vast numbers who call themselves Christian are in an utterly false position, and the system itself has become so largely an earthly, traditional, formal, and unspiritual thing, this worldwide shaking is quite necessary and will be eventually justified. If we were writing a treatise, we could show that what is called 'Christianity' is really the greatest enemy of Christ.

It will be seen that it is not a matter of substituting another and better system for an old and poor or bad one. ( It is all wrong and broken) Some people seem to think that it is all, or largely, a matter of the order, technique, and form, and if we returned to the "New Testament" form or order of churches, all would be well. The fact is that, while certain things characterized the New Testament churches, the New Testament does not give us a complete pattern according to which churches are to be set up or formed! There is no blue-print for churches in the New Testament, and to try to form New Testament churches is only to create another system which may be as legal, sectarian and dead as others. Churches, like the Church, are organisms which spring out of Life, which Life itself springs out of the Cross of Christ wrought into the very being of believers. Unless believers are crucified people, there can be no true expression of the Church.”

Unless we follow Christ individually, church will never be the Church, and church will never be anything more than a contaminated expression of a man’s or group of men’s imperfect hearts. Not a bad thing necessarily, just not God’s perfect plan for fellowship individually with you and me. In the end, they all, we all, it all will fail so that Christ and the Father can show once again their perfection over and above it all.

Remembering Rubbish

Philippians 3:8, “More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ.

As I was mowing my yard on Saturday the song "All I Need" by Kevin Prosch began to play through the headset of my iPhone. I cannot find it in video format from the internet anywhere but here are the lyrics.

I dreamed of a town that's built for souls
Lots of silver streets of gold
And there are no homeless there
For everyone that's there has a home

There will be justice in this land
Those valleys and rocks have not yet heard
And the cry of the poor will cease
For everyone is rich
We have You

And the floods the clear clean floods
That gushes from that throne of gold
And the water of life it's free to drink
And God it's worth the waiting for

You're all I need to get by
You're all I need to get by

You change my heart
This heart of stone
Become the anger of my thoughts
And when the pain won't go away
I feel Your presence near
You touch my soul
As the painter's brush consumes his dreams
I made my choice to follow You
For me to love yes this is Christ
And for me to die this is my gain
I live by faith in the Son of God
Oh but there are times when I have my doubts
I do not regret the things I've lost
For compared to You what have I lost

Lover of my soul
Creator of a clean heart
Oh lover of my soul
Look what You've done for me
Oh the recklessness of Your mercy
Oh the recklessness of Your mercy God

It was the one little line “For compared to You what have I lost…” that really threw me into deep reflection. I looked honestly into my heart and soul and wondered in prayer if I truly believed that. Do I believe that everything in that past that is lost, innocence, wealth, friendships… are nothing compared to the surpassing value of knowing Christ?

Do my current pursuits reflect Christ as greater than everything this world has to offer? Or do they show something lost in the past that I look back on and want to see again?

Certainly I have been wealthy, and I have been broke and wealthy is much much more comfortable. But how does that wealth compare to my relationship to Christ today?

Honestly, I would not change a thing if it meant to know Him less.

Do I still seek riches? Yes I do.

Do I still allow the other losses to cloud my thinking, shape my character, get between God and me? Yes I do.

But as I go forward I look back. Not to see what I’ve lost and complain, but to see how silly it was to worry about so many things in comparison to living relationship with Christ that I have today.

Perhaps one day I will learn that pursuing anything other than Him is pointless. Perhaps one day my reaction will always be love. But until then, like Kevin Prosch I am wholly dependent upon the Lover of My Soul to continue in His reckless mercy. 

Insecurity

Insecurity by Jessica Penfold

Romans 8:15, “For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’(Daddy)”

My friend Shawn invited me to lunch yesterday. To me it was kind of funny sense I had mentioned our friendship moments earlier in my blog. The lunch was not particularly important other than I like to share the inspirations of my writings, and to show the constant murmuration of the Spirit, and how God works everything together for good.

My body readily accepts invitations to lunch as it loves to eat. My soul readily accepts my best friend’s invitation because I know he will listen, and allow me to empty my heart, and he will always return with something to fill my soul. And my spirit readily accepts because I know that our conversation will always have a spiritual focus, and this is good.

And so we went to lunch. Shawn did not know this, but lately what God is dealing with in me is being positive. Seeing the glass half full instead of half empty... really nothing more than seeing the good that He sees.  Everywhere I go this lesson is murmurated. It comes from my youngest daughter, from my wife, from co-workers, from reading, from prayer…  it is everywhere in my life right now.

In the course of our conversation Shawn said something to the effect of, ‘the biggest problem with us (mankind/Christianity) is our insecurity. Look at Adam & Eve, it was insecurity that made them hide from God.’ At this point I momentarily disconnected thinking I have this problem solved. I have hundreds of blog post that in effect say don’t be insecure about going to God, don’t let sin keep you from seeking Him, trust that Jesus made a way to go regardless of condition… but when I quit gloating in my own mind that I have overcome insecurity I realized that my seeing the glass half empty, my expecting of a storm, my fears of my children’s futures are in fact my very own insecurities.

No sooner do I get back to the office and life proves that my negativities are in fact insecurities. Not insecurities with regards to my abilities. Not insecurity associated with my positions or abilities as a loan officer, a husband, a father, or even a minister. But my insecurity that God could never have me as a son. The scripture says we are not led by fear (insecurity) of a slave but by a confidence in being adopted children of God. Yet deep inside me there is this expectation that God is going to let me go broke, there is the expectation that I have to take care of my children into perpetuity. My negative expectation is that another storm will come, and I will fail again. And sure enough, a loan I have been working on for months that was to pay me $6000 blew up. I was counting on the money to pay necessities.

This is not the first loan I have had denied, it will not be the last. But that $6000 not coming strikes fear in me. It makes me think this is the month God lets me fall. This is the month all my needs go unmet, even in the sheer overwhelming evidence that He has NEVER left a need unmet. Why must I be so insecure? Why must I be so negative?

With my new book coming out called “God Heals” I have story after story of God healing other people from incurable aliments, and yet deep in my heart I do not think God would ever do it for me. Why? Why the insecurity?

I think the answer lies somewhere in my conversation with Shawn. Shawn said he wanted to overcome insecurity so that he could love more, so that he could more readily lay down his life for those around him. To that I responded with, the only way to love more is to be like Christ and the only way to be like Christ is to take a hard honest look inward and see yourself for who you really are, then look at Christ and see the difference in His perfection, and then allow Him to move and shape you that direction.

So I look inward, and I see these insecurities. I know they are nothing like Jesus, and so somehow, some way, I am going to surrender them to Him. Looking at Jesus I see the Son of God. And I, if only by faith at first, am going to begin to let go those false images, those insecurities and except the truth. That truth is God sees me as a son. And in so will never let me go, will never let me fall, will never let me starve.

My chest is already lighter, the air flows freely through my lungs… I have found His peace once again in the chaos. 

Anointed

2 Corinthians 1:21-22, “Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us in God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.

Coming from the full gospel, charismatic, evangelical flavor of Christianity I have heard the term “anointed” thousands of times to describe people, a message, a song, or even a place. From time to time my friends or my mother will send me a song from youtube or other source with the message that I have to listen to it because it is so “anointed.”

I think Kim Walker is “anointed.” I think Robin who worships at the church I am a member of is “anointed.” In fact the two songs below were anointed for me a couple of weeks ago in our Sunday service. But what does the term mean? What is the spiritual process?

I believe there is a misconception prevalent in the body of Christ that says anointed is used to describe a belief that a person, song, place has been set apart by God with perhaps a position or gift that ties the presence of God to that person, place, song, prayer, etc. The misconception relates the presence of God to the person, to the song, to the place. Reality is far different.

The spiritual reality is the presence of God is felt or sense, and then we as humans go looking for something to attribute it to. When in fact we are the ones who are anointed, and the experience of the presence of God was not because someone else was the carrier, but rather the environment was such that we were able to be aware of it. After all, the presence of God is abiding and in you at all times if you are saved. Connecting to it is where we all fail.

My friend Shawn Mullins led worship of years in a church that many claimed to feel the presence of God in what is commonly called revival. Shawn was attributed my many, including myself as being “anointed.” I would go to lunch with him after every service and talk about the wonderful presence of God in the worship, and many times he would say, “I didn’t feel a thing.”

Why is that?

In part I was in a place where distractions were minimized, where I was able to focus on the Spirit, and experience the presence of God. Shawn in his prayerful selection of songs, in his demanded perfection of the music and sound allowed us in mass to have as few distractions as possible. So we in mass became aware of God’s presence. Shawn on the other hand might be distracted by a musician off by half a beat. He could be distracted by a microphone not set perfectly.

Preachers come to town and big services happen. Why?

It is because people go expecting. They go with the distractions minimized. They go with purpose to experience God’s presence and as a result become aware of what is already there.

As I write this I am experiencing the presence of God. Is my writing anointed? No, but my awareness is heightened because I am focused on God.

Nearly 100% of the time when I am in the car alone I experience the presence of God. Is that because my car is anointed? No, it because I have found that a place to focus on Him and to be aware of His presence.

Ultimately I want to come to a place where that awareness is 24/7 regardless of distraction. I want to sleep in the storm with the awareness that Christ is sleeping in the same boat next to me. I am not even close to being there, but what I have learned is that I am anointed. I am established in Christ. I am sealed. I have the Holy Spirit as a pledge of a future in heaven face to face with the Father. The only difference between me basking in the awareness of His presence is in me, and whether I choose to focus on something other than Him.