picking a fight or a new charismatic theology

Hey people, I'm back, the mood struck me, mainly because I needed to answer some questions and I thought maybe ya'all at the redpool could help me. Here it goes,

1. How do we save the world? The Bible says that we are to "Change our minds, because the kingdom of God has drawn near." (Matthew 4:17) That rule of God, in Jesus' mind at any rate, is characterized by saving the world (Luke 4:18-19) This is what he ends up doing when he lands on earth--- fixing stuff. In fact, it occured to me, that a culturally responsible translation of the word "Christ" is a "hero sent by God". How do we as "little Christs" (ie Christians) be little heros sent by God to save our world?

2. What does this mean for the gifts of the spirit? My friend Nathaniel says that the only thing miracles attest to are the Gospel of God, not our doctrine, nor our own level of quality in God. This Gospel of the Kingdom is the point and idea behind the miracles and crazy stuff that pentecostals claim God backs them up with. How do we get more of it? ie the most God is willing to give?

3. How can we be compassionate and Christlike to those God does not see fit to bless with the miraculous? How do we minister peace and no condemnation to the dying and the sick? None of this you didn't have enough faith crap now, that's a good way to have me go out of my way to kick you in the balls.... Seriously though, how do we be kind and compassionate to the dying while still, standing up for the possiblity that God could do something...

4. Are there any instances in the walking around, talking, eating, sleeping, studying life of an MSU college student like myself, where persons in my sphere of influence are possesed by demons and do not know it? How is one aware one is in this situation and how does one minister life and healing? I would assume it's not only screaming "get out in the name of Jesus" because the verse below deals almost specifically with virtue as the weapons of our warfare. How do we fight more and better, eh?

picking a fight with evil,

Daniel

ps... (new Narnia trailer at www.narniaweb.com.... ASLAN IS ON THE MOVE BABY!!!! YEAH!!!!)

December 9th 2005!


Finally, my brothers, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the stratagems of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenlies. Because of this, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having accomplished all things, to stand. Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; through every prayer and petition, praying in every season in the Spirit, being watchful to this same thing with all perseverance and petition concerning all the saints-- and for me, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel,
(Eph 6:10-19)

He is beautiful....

God is beautiful and real. I'm teaching in a couple hours at Visions BS and I feel like I'm starting to get into my style of teaching. I'm starting to learn how to teach, and it's my style and not anybody elses. I love that. It's God bringing out a dormant gift, one that I didn't think I had (and for a while, hated excercising.). I love how teaching is connecting with others on how God is beautiful and real in a way in which we all can see. God is beautiful and part of Him bringing the real Daniel out, so I can minister and extend the Kingdom of God, part of that is in teaching. I like that.

But I love Jesus.... My lover God.

Daniel

I wish I had more chutzpah....

I want more chutzpah. Bless God... one day!

Daniel

God is a lot more faithful than I...

I love God because he's a lot more faithful than I. I love Him because His growth is instinctive and real and deep. I love Him because he's more real than even I. I love Him because He lights my imagination on fire with characters and languages and friends and songs and love. I love Him because He screams in prophecy pregnant with destiny and study saturated with the love of friends. I love Him because He reads my stuff even before I write it. I love Him because He writes life on my heart. I love Him because he lights my imagination on fire with blazing trees of autumn that serve as signs to Heaven screaming LOOK UP! I love Him because He supports the spiritual gift of punching people in the head, including when I'm the one who deserved to get punched. I love Him because He invented ska music and revolutionary cries. I love Him because He is God and I am not. I love Him because before I criticize others he commands I look at myself, the one just as culpable (I'm not nearly as loud when I talk about the plank in my own eye, am I?) I love Him for my dancing off rhythm and a world of adventures and fun that don't require I do things because other people think I should. I love Him for helping me not care about what people think (when I can swing it). I love God because He is God and had defined His identity by His existence (as opposed to the gods I sometimes serve who simply aren't---- Ex 3:14). I love God because He likes to dance and swing and dip us through the universe in this great dance of everything. I love God because He is.

mad love redpool

Daniel

Savages of the Desert: The Savage God

Our God is a savage according to His definition, not ours.

God pursues us. He waits for us. He loves us. He died for us and He lives for us. Don't mistake me, we certainly aren't the point of creation (there are things much more powerful and good than our lives-- namely His). But in a way, we ARE the point. The Nativity happened because God wanted to invade the world and rescue his true love. The Incarnation happened because God loved us and wanted to meet us where we were at. The Cross happened because God didn't care what it cost Him, he would love us in His sweep-her-off-her-feet, breathless sort of way. The Resurection happened because nothing could restrain Him from His beautiful warrior princess (the Church). The Return will happen because God wants to reward this beautiful warrior princess for fighting valiently in His name.

God has a one track mind--- us. And yet this doesn't mean we should be focused on ourselves, we should be focused on God (and by implication others). This is the beauty of a couple in love, each trying to shift the attention to the other member until it escolates into a panoply of attention drawn to the other person. And that is love, when the only thing that matters is the beloved. Not you, not your money or your family or your education or anything else. Love is focus to an extreme degree and that focus is essentially savage. It doesn't listen to the those who try to stifle love, saying, "You must be prudent, that kind of thing just isn't done." The love of God doesn't listen to such protests, instead it gives everything and dies for what it believes about the beloved: that we are worth it. The love of God, the Cross, and all His dealings with human kind from Creation to the Return are marked by God not caring what happened or what lesser measures would or wouldn't work. That doesn't matter to Him because anything less than His very best would be unthinkable to Him anyway. God just gives up, walks up to the Cross and dies because He thinks we are worth it. For Him, nothing else matters--- nothing.

And that love, ladies and gentlemen, is the most savage force in all the universe.

Daniel

Savages of the Desert: the Savage's Battle

"Numquam pronunciare mendicam sed ego sum homo indomitus." I never tell lies, but I am a savage.-- William Wallace, Braveheart.

On the desert,

There's a reason that all the people who want to speak with God go to the desert," [he] said. "It's easier to see."

"But isn't it difficult, too?" I said. "Aren't there things you dislike about living here?"

"At first you don't like the fact that you can't get what you want when you want it," he said. "In the settled areas people are spoiled. I was spoiled. When you live in the city you can control everything. You control the temperature, you control the food, you control the water. In the desert, you have to take things as they are...."

"So why stay?"

"Because we don't control everything. When you live in the bubble, you see just what human beings make. When you live here you see things other people don't. It's difficult. Sometimes you get frustrated. You want to press a button and make things better. But you can't. I invite you in the winter, to see a flood, and you will see that we are not masters of the world. It's the most destructive thing I've ever seen, and the most beautiful."

"How is it beautiful?"

"It comes out of nowwhere. No signal. No warning. Just suddenly the skies open and the water starts to fall. And fall. In Avadot, just north of here, I saw water running so hard off the top of the cliff that it continued in midair for twenty meters before it fell to the ground. I almost cried. I knew all the things it was washing away. The Bedouin tents, the newly planted trees, the soil. But I also knew what it would bring in the spring." -- Bruce Feiler, Walking the Bible.

On God and Israel,

"God is not a stoic, does not teach stoicism, does not honor or encourage resignation or acceptance, and is, by and large, impossible to please. In each of these regards, Isarel is made in His image." --Bruce Feiler, Walking the Bible.

------------------

Our God is savage, according to His definition, not ours.

That quote from Braveheart comes from a scene where the evil King of England sends the beautiful French princess played by Sophie Marceau to try and connive William Wallace into surrendering his fight for the freedom of the Scotts. The queen offers Wallace titles and lands in England in exchange for his compliance with the foreign tyrant, an offer he promptly refuses. The queen's advisor, in what he thinks is a show of his intellectual superiority, tells the Queen in Latin that this savage is lying and that he can be bought. To this, Wallace replies back, in crisp, unexpected Latin, "Numquam pronunciare mendicam, sed ego sum homo indomitus." I never tell lies but I am a savage.

At first glance, this scene is inherantly contridictory. Savages do not speak Latin. Not only that, he proceeds to argue with the queen in her native French. Earlier in the movie, Wallace also speaks Italian, English and Scot's Gaelic. In the movie, Wallace knows the wisdom of the world, and still chooses the live of a warrior. It is almost as if Wallace lives as a savage because he is a scholar and not in spite of it.

This cuts to the definition (as if God speaks in definitions!) of the savage heart to which God has called us. As Christians, He has called us to live the life of a warrior. If you wonder at my claim you live in a war zone, look around you. Tragedy is the one human constant. Evil is the one thing every soul has experienced and participated in (to one degree or another). You still think your life is meant to be comfortable? I disagree, and I say we stand and fight.

I'm only barely talking about materialism here (I have no problem with money when I really think about it. My needs are provided for, Blessed be the Name.). No, the comfort I am talking about is the comfort of not loving, of not fighting for the people around you. If you are anything like me, it's so easy to just drift through life with the souls around you as a type of scenery that exists to hand you things and meet your needs. It's so easy to think of people as things instead of precious lovers of the Highest and True God.

People, men and women alike, must be fought for. Step out, take risks, impose, LOVE PEOPLE. The souls of men and women in your daily sphere depend on it. If you only talk to those who love you, the ones whom you expect to receive from, then are you really fighting the enemy or rabble-rousing in the camp? Sure, a little rabble-rousing never hurt anyone, but that's not why you are here. You are here to fight!

I pray you pick up your sword and fight this battle of the desert. I pray you win, and I pray you love (because Christ first loved) with all the ferocity of William Wallace quipping in Latin in the courts of the queen. If you are anything like me, then you have set down your sword and must go to retrive it. It lies adjacent the love-thirsty hearts of the men and women you meet everyday, waiting to be yielded. Go, fight, my love for THE love, nay, even the passion of the Savage God of the Desert compels us.

Next Time: Savages of the Desert: The Savage God

Daniel