Monday, January 30, 2012

Faith and Expectation


Quantum physics states that a subatomic particle at a certain time has no state, but contains all states with certain probabilities. Only when observed a particle falls into a certain state. Which state depends upon the expectation of the observer as well as the measurement method. Will it be a wave or a particle?
New studies show that human creativity works the same way. Within subcontiousness everything is possible and thoughts are in indefinite stages. Only when oserved by consiousness they fall into a certain state, and they fall prey to the observation method and expectations of the person observing.
What do I mean by that?
Science often sees man as a rules engine driven by the sum of memories from the past. This they apply to body and soul. Body memories would include both trained movements like walking or strategies to relief pain, such as limping. Other things include basic needs like food, drink, and sleep to keep the rules engine going in the first place. Soulwise it's basic instincts, emotions, as well as memories in the more narrow sense like "this did not work last time, so it won't this time either".
If we define man like this, where is the difference to animals? It for sure is not reason, if that is only chemistry and rules application.
But there is a third part to man: spirit. Spirit is different as it does not know natural borders - just like subatomic particles and thoughts. It is the part that makes us an image of God.
Spirit is dead in most man. When Adam fell, that part died. And suddenly, the way to look at the world changed. And that happens again when we acknowledge the need of Jesus redemtpive work and allow Him to be Lord of our life. The spirit is revived and saved - made whole again.
But what changes in our world view? Maybe we can look at it as a change or redesign of our rules engine. Creative thoughts as well as impressions from within and without, when become consious, now pass through a different rules engine. There is an additional event fired when a new thought comes up: go through the spirit as well. This spirit has a basic set of rules, of which God says that He "will write it on our hearts". These rules look at thoughts from an eternal perspective, processes them through with the Holy Spirit ("when deep talks to deep"), and is far less limiting than our other actors on thought filtering. It has an other basic tendency - "yes and amen" instead of negativity, life instead of death, light instead of darkness.
Yet we have been living for such a long time with our two agents of decision making. They drove our life and are not very keen of loosing power. Paul says that we have been saved (spirit), are being saved daily (soul) by changing our mindset, and will be saved in an instance (body) when Jesus returns or we return to Him.
Changing our decision making process is by no means narrowing down our options. In the contrary, we start experiencing the creativity of God with no early negativistic road blocks such as "I don't feel like it", "how could that be", "it never worked", "I am not worthy or capable". Yet it is not easy and needs work to train my rules engine to change the weights on the rules, the priorities and sequence of application. As I said, we have long been trained.
Yet there is hope. Paul in Romans 7:19-20 says that if he is urged to do bad things, it is not him, but sin that urges him. We are not defined by our memories, we are defined by God: we are children of God. Therefore, when we accept Him, we can change sides. Instead of staying on sin's side, always ashamed of failure, giving in to excuses, and eventually giving up and/or blaming God ("you made me like this", "this is just who I am"), we can join God. Look at myself just like God does.
From God's viewpoint, my old nature is dead. It died 2000 years ago on the cross, as Jesus became sin - or let's say humanity - and died for us all. Therefore, my problems are long gone memories. No, I do not mean that I do not have any problems any more, no, those long gone memories, those lies about me, the facts that were true of this dead body called ego, these are my problems. Standing on God's side, seeing the truth about it, lets me confess in faith what is true: I am a new creation, and these memories, trained behaviours, emotions are facts of the past.
Easy? By no means. But we are not alone. God became man in Jesus to give us a perfect example. And just remember: He was all man! He gave us His Word, talking about all these men and women that came through and giving us great examples of great successes and failures to glean from. And even more than this. Just as Paul told the Corintheans to immitate him, there have been people at any time in history to immitate.
Look around, and you will find people God placed in your environment, especially your church, who do things differently and godly. They somehow do not seem to be limited or preconditioned on things. They spark an idea in your head: this can be done differently! Let them mentor you. Learn from the Word, books, and godly people.
And feed your spirit. Give it the energy to influence your other parts. Feed on the Word. Pray. Live in an environment that brings forth the best in you. Or as the Bible says it: do not forsake the coming together. That means: assemble as the church often. And have your spirit take authority and train your soul and body to behave godly: fast (that will get your body to listen), talk to yourself, build great memories, but also:
Expect! As we saw in the beginning, scientists measure what they expect. Expect God to come through. And your bill is not another piece of the road to bankrupcy, but another oportunity for God to brake through, another sign of your being blessed.
Nature is an external example of God's principles at work that we can learn from. As Paul said, nobody has an excuse that he did not know God as He reveals Himself in nature manyfold. For so many centuries scientists have believed that nature is based on simple rules, on memories (gene pools), and mathematical equations. Now they find that nature is determined by the observer.
The quintessence: you and God, you form your future - through faith and expectation. The measurement method: first and foremost a living and nurtured spirit, then a soul preconditioned through expectation, and a willing body by training. The view point: I am a new creation on God's side.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Old and New - External and Internal


The old covenant started with the promise of a child being born. And it panned out with a son being given. It started with a child being sacrificed. And panned out with a son giving himself for all. As it started it went.
The new covenant started with the promise of a child being born, the church. And it will go out with a son being given, fully given to the Lord, the sons of God. As you saw Him go, He will return.
In the old covenant, God married Israel at Mount Sinai and produced a son. In the new covenant Jesus married the church at the cross and Pentecost, and will produce a many membered son.
In the old covenant, everything was external. In the new, it is within. It is easier to understand what is going on within if we have an example that we can see with our senses.
Are there any more parallels? Tons of them. One thing that comes to mind is prophecy.
Much of the prophecy in the old covenant had an immediate fulfillment and a future one, many years, sometimes hundreds of years into the future. Could it be that this is true also in the new covenant?
When Peter said that "this is that", pointing to Joel and interpreting Pentecost as a fulfillment of his prophecy, Peter deviated slightly from Joel's wording. Joel wrote "I will pour out my Spirit", and Peter said "I will pour out of my Spirit". Pentecost was a partial fulfillment of Joel's prophecy, and there will be a time of the former and later rain together - in the future.
Jesus prophecied utter destruction during the lifetime of the generation listening to Him. Jerusalem and all old covenant elements or symbols that had become so religious and with the advent of the new covenant superfluous where destroyed 70 AD. A partial fulfillment. The 42nd generation, Christ (see my former post), is still alive and well, and there will be times as in the times of Noah. Yet the destruction will only be external in as much as everything that goes on in our inner being has its outflow into and consequences in the world. Two man on the field. One will die - the old ego - and one will be caught up to higher levels, seated with Christ. Identity, not locality.
As there was a strong, vivid, powerful, magnificent, eminent, wonderful (in its literal meaning) church back then, there will be the sons of God when this covenant and this age comes to an end. The whole earth is growning for the revelation of the sons of God.

Monday, December 05, 2011

Uneven Yoke

My yoke is easy and my burden is light. Mat 11:30
The yoke of Jesus Christ its easy because it is even. What do I mean by that? Both oxen in the yoke are of comparable size. Imagine one being much larger - the yoke would be very uncomfortable for any of the two.
Even though we like the utopia of being without yoke, what we call totally free, it is exactly that: an utopia. We are always in a yoke, namely the yoke of sin if not yoked with Jesus.
In this yoke of sin - independent of the shade - we are yoked unevenly. Be it humanism, addictions, egoism - it is all the same: self. We are to big for this yoke, ending up being the big bull of the two. Why this? All this only speaks to our flesh or soul, that is intellect and emotions. Our spirit is unsatisfied and unchallenged.
If we get yoked with Jesus, but do it half heartedly, we are the small bull in the pair. Phi 3:10-11 tells us that we can only experience the resurrection power in effect in Jesus' life if suffering with Him - dying to self. Not only accepting His provision - like Vashti - but also His purpose - like Esther.
Another way to see it: imagine we only accept God's grace in our lives. This will lead us to do whatever we want - greasy grace. Yet only knowing our identity in Christ will lead us into legalism as a way to keep our identity.
Being fully yoked with Jesus is to accept His grace - He has done it all, we cannot add a tittle. Yet also be aware of our identity as children of God, with the desire and obligation to mature and grow up.
Provision and purpose - the easy yoke.