Let He Who is Omniscient Speak First

"My words are but a futile attempt to express truth with nothing but lies, for lies are all I can produce when I do not know all."--Steven Sleight

"You are either omniscient or an artist.  You either know all or know nothing thus you must create everything."--Steven Sleight

"Ye without sin cast the first stone.  Ye with all knowledge state the first truth.  With this I conclude that all matters of truth and justice be left unto God."--Steven Sleight

I read Velvet Elvis Repainting the Christian Faith by Rob Bell and an idea came to mind about the history of the church: Why do we even paint?   Also, What is it that we are painting?  Could be we are mere artists attempting to create a vessel of truth?  It is quite possible that what we have made as the house of God has nothing to do with Him and is vacant of His very presence, but since this is our grand piece of construction, we cannot let it fall even if there is no strong tower within.  

Too often churches and people focus on form and function when it comes to crafting a church and evangelistic programs.  I wonder if form and function are even necessary at all if we have the backing of God Himself.  If He is behind our purposes and ideas we do not even need a single material, for He will provide.  

See many would deduce this to be madness, I just considering taking a step in faith, an honest one if you will, for how can I both have faith in Him that He will provide what is needed yet at the same time go about blazing my own path in His name?  If He wills it, it will happen no matter how much I participate, thus I must not exert myself, for the work would be only of my own doing.  

Take this into evangelism and it creates an interesting picture.  In telling others about God all we must do is be the light.  That is it.  There should never be a need to repaint the faith in order to gain more people.  Yet that is the problem, our motive is gaining people and not living according to God's will.  We try to reap the harvest of our own labors, and that being so how can we then say it is not ours but God's?  Same is held true with doctrine.  We continue to paint picture after picture, but none of them are God.  My idea is to stop painting; God will show Himself if He wills it.  But our dilemma is we are imperfect humans are too impatient to wait for God.  We are too selfishly concerned with our eternal circumstances to go to God on His terms, so we paint pictures of God that are more applicable to our pallets.  So I say we stop doctrine and just begin to listen for God to reveal Himself.  Some may say, "The devil may trick us how will we know it is God without doctrine?"  Well, by faith we must hope that God is greater than the devil, for if He is not then He is not God.  That's what baffles me, people worry so much about the devil sweeping up people from God like the pied piper, thus they say stay away from secular things, for "it's from the devil."  Yet is not God and His grace far more powerful than the things of the devil?  Well, doctrine says God is all powerful, so if He is so, stepping out without doctrine guiding our every footing is not a bad idea for God can catch us.  I am not advocating abolishing doctrine, I am only stating that there must be more than mere proofs from the Bible that establish the reality of God and who He is.  The other establishment I would say is a journey of growing in faith with God Himself; a relationship with Him throughout the context of life; the good and the bad.  This however is not simply attained like knowledge which is the purpose of doctrine, but developed through experience.  

In all this is just my painting, for I just like the rest of mankind am flawed and unless this is divine inspiration, this is none other than my mere opinion of the truth and not the truth itself.  You want the truth ask of God not of me for as a mere man I know nearly nothing, only what God has willed to reveal to me.  I feel with the painting idea we limit ourselves to the truth.  Yes there may be some truth within the painting, but there also is some truth within lies.  That is in all what we do, we lie to ourselves thinking that our little glimpse of God is the whole thing.  I am not advocating that all religions are true, but rather all are imperfect views of God and are limited.  Each one does address the question of whether God exists, thus there is a recognition that something is wrong with the human condition; something is incomplete.  The thing is unlike many in the Christian field I would venture to say we shall never fully begin to comprehend who God is until we see Him face to face; and even then it is questionable.  Honestly, we as humans are incapable of ever reaching God, thus His Son came down in the flesh not only to die in our place, but to reveal to us a bit of who God is.  It is only through God's revelation that we can know God, for Jesus even said, "I am the way, the truth, and the light.  No one shall come to the Father accept through me."    

Spread too Thin?

It's odd how we attacked Iraq in the first Gulf War for invading Kuwait yet when Russia is invading Georgia, we are resorting to diplomacy.  So I guess I am confused because it seems our methods of overcoming conflict depend upon geographic location.  Based on precedent we should be invading Russia.  I don't know how that will work out with our current occupation of Iraq. I shall revise this post when I have time to research, but so far I leave you with only my thoughts on the situation.  So I've done some research and it turns out that Georgia began the conflict by trying to regain control of Ossetia.  What is interesting is it seems Russia has used this as an excuse to take over much of Georgia.  Ossetia simply wants its independence, but since it is divided among the two countries of Georgia and Russia that does not seem to be a possibility.  This conflict reminds me of the situation the U.S. had with the numerous Indian tribes it encountered in the expansion to the west.  These countries could take similar measures that the U. S. did and create reservations within their own country lines for these various nations.  I do not recommend make the mistake we did though with relocating the nations.  

Truth is something that evades us unless we are properly introduced

-Steven Sleight

It works Fitzgerald

Before I go on with this short history, let me make a general observation– the test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.
One should, for example, be able to see that things are hopeless and yet be determined to make them otherwise. This philosophy fitted on to my early adult life, when I saw the improbable, the implausible, often the "impossible," come true.

                                                                                                          -F. Scott Fitzgerald

It works, for when man declares a truth, he must, due to the fact that he knows not everything, admit that he is not ultimately infallible, that is unless he is God.                                            -Steven Sleight

Thus as Picasso said, "Art is a lie which makes us realize the truth." and thus everything is a work of art, even the subjects of theology and philosophy, that is unless it is work of God.     -Steven Sleight

Man in his statements must strive to be true, yet at the same time, in realizing the reality of his limited perception, acknowledge that his utterances are likely false in an omniscient light, thus Fitzgerald, it works.  -Steven Sleight

Two sides of the same coin :The emergent and evangelical church

This is a response to "How to Know When the Emerging Church 

Shows Signs of Emerging in Your Church" by Roger Oakland on the website:www.understandthetimes.org

"God’s adversary does not want mankind to understand the simple message. His plan is to deceive the world. If he can blind people from the gospel or convince them that they believe the gospel when indeed they do not, his plan has been successful. Throughout the ages, countless billions have been duped, either rejecting the truth, or believing that they had believed the truth when instead they had been deceived."  -from understandingthetimes.org

We are not capable of making the choice in salvation due to the fact that we can be "convinced that we believe the gospel when we indeed do not."  The choice is not ours, but has been set before us in His plan.  In order for God to be all sovereign, the calling of the saints cannot be thwarted by meager deceptions by His adversary.  So either God's will is subject to the deceptions of His adversary, or the idea that we have the choice in the matter of salvation is a fallacy.  If God's truth has no power over the deceiver, then how can it be of any value?  Truth would sheerly be no different than the lie if the two are equal as they are in the dualistic ideas prevalent in most Christian theologies.  God and the devil would simply be two sides of the same coin: one evil, one good; one true, one false.  It is God himself who shall reveal himself to man in His word and through His creation, not man's interpretations of the two based on his reason and intellect, for if it were the later, any being bearing any form of reason would choose God, but that very same reason can lead him astray.  Sometimes God's will lies far beyond the cognitions of human reason and rationale, thus in those times, God alone must lead the way.  Why else was Jesus the first to walk on water and Peter only the first to follow?

"The postmodern mindset moves beyond the rational and the factual to the experiential and the mystical. In other words, in the past it was possible to know right from wrong and black from white. In the postmodern era all things are relative to the beholder. What may be right for you may be wrong for someone else. There is no such thing as absolute truth. The only thing that is absolute is that there is no absolute."-understandthetimes.org

It was possible in the past to know good from evil if we let out the possibility of other perspectives and relied singularly upon our individual reason, but in the course of history mankind has discovered of his fellow man, that he too has a brain, thus two opposing opinions are both the same in their source: human perspective.  Sure we all have different angles in life, but all are similarly skewed by the nature of man.  It is very possible to have absolute truth in relative world: There is an absolute truth, but we all relatively have a fragment of it.  There are two absolutes to absolute truth: God's truth is absolute and man in his finite intellect cannot absolutely grasp it.  Only through God's intervention can we grasp the absolute.  

"One of the main indicators that something has changed can be seen in the way the future is perceived. Rather than urgently proclaiming the gospel according to the Scriptures and believing the time to do so is short, the emphasis has now shifted. No longer are “signs of the times” significant. The battle cry is very different. A major emphasis among evangelicals is the idea that the world can be radically improved through social programs.

This concept, while on the surface may sound very good, has some serious biblical implications. According to the Scriptures, there will be no kingdom of God until the King arrives. All the human effort man can muster up will fall short of bringing utopia. In fact, according to the Scriptures, fallen man will lead us further down the road to a society of despair and lawlessness just like it was in the days of Noah.

Thus, this purpose-driven view of establishing global utopia may be a plan, but it is “driven” by humanistic reasoning and not led by the Holy Spirit."-understandingthetimes.org

The cry of, "urgently proclaiming the gospel according to the Scriptures and believing the time to do so is short," is a concept that,"while on the surface may sound very good, has some serious biblical implications."  For just as, "the idea that the world can be radically improved through social programs." is a human effort, so is the former cry.  Both are futile for, "All the human effort man can muster up will fall short of bringing utopia. In fact, according to the Scriptures, fallen man will lead us further down the road to a society of despair and lawlessness just like it was in the days of Noah."  It does not matter if man is "urgently proclaiming the gospel according to the Scriptures and believing the time to do so is short," or believing, "the idea that the world can be radically improved through social programs." man cannot save man, but only God through His Son has the power and sovereignty to do so.  He works through us, so we labor in vain unless He builds the house.  "Thus, this purpose-driven view of establishing global utopia may be a plan, but it is “driven” by humanistic reasoning and not led by the Holy Spirit." , no matter if it is emergent or evangelical.  

Pastors and church leaders who get involved in such man-driven programs can usually be identified by certain characteristics:

• Sound biblical doctrine is dangerous and divisive, and the experiential (i.e.,mystical) is given a greater role than doctrine.
• The words "biblical doctrine" and "experiential" can easily be interchanged to switch the argument from the evangelistic side to the emergent side.  Both sides just attack each other, so really both the Bible and experience are necessary to the Christian faith, for the Bible is most vivid when in the context of experience, just as an auto repair manual is most effective when in the hands of a mechanic who has experience with cars.
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• Bible prophecy is no longer taught and is considered a waste of time
• The problem with most evangelistic prophecy is it is often taken out of the context of scripture and applied to current events in culture, thus it appears to be used to motivate social and cultural revolution taking advantage of people through the key element of apocolyptic fear.
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• Israel becomes less and less important and has no biblical significance

Again this leads to people having superstitions about Israel.  It is used in America to motivate Christians to have concern for Israel out of fear rather than out of Christ-like love.

• Eventually the promises for Israel are applied to the church and not Israel (Replacement Theology).
• Galatians 3:26-29  "26You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus,27for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
• Bible study is replaced by studying someone’s book and his methods
• The same was done for years by the modern evangelical movement.  Many read C.S. Lewis, MacArthur, Sprolls and countless others rather than the Bible.  In the past, the Bible has been replaced by Christian writers in the evangelical movement just as it has by writers in the emergent movement of the present.  Also, tenants of faith have been taught with more importance than the very Scriptures they were quoted from. 
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• Church health is evaluated on the quantity of people who attend.
• This has always been the case since the beginning of the institutionalized version of the church.  When the focus of a church is maintaining a mass, the health will always be deduced from quantity and the motivation of spreading the gospel will also be of fear and not of love.  The institution, in fear of disintegrating, instills in its members a zeal to others into the mass, thus maintaining its existence.  The effect is much like the video tape in the movie, The Ring.  
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• The truth of God’s Word becomes less and less important
• The truth of God's Word has been distorted by the tongues of men over the course of history.  So much has been said in the name of God's truth, but not much of what has been said contains God's truth.  All that has been said simply speaks in the name of His truth, but God in His sovereignty has revealed His truth against the contrasts that are the words of man.  The Word of God is a light that shine brightly among the dark words of man.
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• God’s Word, especially concepts like hell, sin and repentance, is eventually downplayed so the unbeliever is not offended.
• The evangelicals on the other hand use concepts like hell and sin to frighten the unbeliever into superficial repentance motivated by fear.  Both sides are the same in that they overplay and underplay various concepts of  God's plan of graceful redemption, thus both distort the Word of God for their own purposes, yet God in His sovereignty works around the errors of man.

I am skipping the spiritual formation and transformation portion because I am aligned with the author for the most part on his views of this phenomenon.  I will say though, that just as the Word of God is now becoming less important, thus leading to mysticism, the higher emphasis upon the words of evangelical figures over the Word of God in the past has lead to many heresies also, such as the high emphasis on external righteousness, whether genuine or superficial. 

Signs the Emerging Church is Emerging

There are specific warning signs that are symptomatic that a church may be headed down the emergent/contemplative road. In some cases a pastor may not be aware that he is on this road nor understand where the road ends up.

Here are some of the warning signs:

• Scripture is no longer the ultimate authority as the basis for the Christian faith.
• The centrality of the gospel of Jesus Christ is being replaced by humanistic methods promoting church growth and a social gospel.
• More and more emphasis is being placed on building the kingdom of God now and less and less on the warnings of Scripture about the imminent return of Jesus Christ and a coming judgment in the future.
• The teaching that Jesus Christ will rule and reign in a literal millennial period is considered unbiblical and heretical.
• The teaching that the church has taken the place of Israel and Israel has no prophetic significance is often embraced.
• The teaching that the Book of Revelation does not refer to the future, but instead has been already fulfilled in the past
• An experiential mystical form of Christianity begins to be promoted as a method to reach the postmodern generation.
• Ideas are promoted teaching that Christianity needs to be reinvented in order to provide meaning for this generation.
• The pastor may implement an idea called “ancient-future” or “vintage Christianity” claiming that in order to take the church forward, we need to go back in church history and find out what experiences were effective to get people to embrace Christianity.
• While the authority of the Word of God is undermined, images and sensual experiences are promoted as the key to experiencing and knowing God.
• These experiences include icons, candles, incense, liturgy, labyrinths, prayer stations, contemplative prayer, experiencing the sacraments, particularly the sacrament of the Eucharist.
• There seems to be a strong emphasis on ecumenism indicating that a bridge is being established that leads in the direction of unity with the Roman Catholic Church.
• Some evangelical Protestant leaders are saying that the Reformation went too far. They are reexamining the claims of the “church fathers” saying that communion is more than a symbol and that Jesus actually becomes present in the wafer at communion.
• There will be a growing trend towards an ecumenical unity for the cause of world peace claiming the validity of other religions and that there are many ways to God.
• Members of churches who question or resist the new changes that the pastor is implementing are reprimanded and usually asked to leave.

Again I would love to go through these one by one and point out the idiocies, but I will simply point out that this whole argument just positions the opposing ideas as the opposite of truth with no logical argument other than the fact that it is not in line with the evangelical way of thought.  What I will say is that the author is right in stating that history repeats itself, for the emergent church is taking on the same form of thought as the evangelical church: that man can make people go to church without the help of God's intervention.  All the emergent church does is attempt to go up the very hill the evangelical church stumbled down in failure, only they go at it from a different angle.  I must add a disclaimer.  This examination of this article took only 3 hours, so there may be many spelling and grammatical errors.  Also, some of my ideas may not be fully articulated. I apologize.

The Eulogy of Blind Charlie Blue

It was his moment, his final time to shine, his last farewell ride. His meter has expired, his body spent, to his final resting place, to home he went. His story is our story only his has been finished, ready to tell, ready to sell to all those who hear. Listen to his tale, but do not cry, for only on earth did Blind Charlie Blue die. This occasion is not of grief, but of joy, for the Lord Jehovah our God is who took our boy. 

Can I hear an Amen? 
Amen!

This bit is true of our boy blue, he was blessed by the Lord. There ain’t be no other like our fellow brother who could do the slide as good as Brother Blue. An’ he did it with lack of pride too. Oh Charlie Blue, what is it now that you do? Is you playin’ fo’ the almighty Lord an’ his angels too? I asure ya he is. 

Can I get an’ Amen?
Amen!

Blind Charlie Blue warn’t a disciple from the start. It took awhile for the good Lord to change his heart. He began playin’ on an ol’ cigar box as a kid. He be playin’ all day an’ up into the night, yes that’s right, that what he did. The slide never left his finger; he’s even wearin’ it to the grave. He lived on the street corners, earnin’ what peoples gave. When he was a teen he meet his first love, a sunburst archtop he named Ol’ Krafty; the two were snugg as a hand ina glove. He traveled the crossroads, Ol’ Krafty at his side, Playin’ bars and street corners, just drifting in life’s tide. The good Lord blessed this blind man and gave him time to roam. Then he came to us and made this church his holy home.

 Can I hear and Amen?
Amen!

Charlie Blue look at you; all dressed in your brown, blue and white. A feather in brown hat and stripes from head to toe, dressed for the occasion, boy you ready to go. Boy, look at you, aint you a sight. A handsome brother, ready to go for the light. It is a glorious thing. Look, you even have your slide on your pinky as if your ready to make Ol’ Krafty sing. Boy, we is gonna miss you, Blind Brother Blue. We gonna miss hearing the gospel in your true delta blue tune. We know it is the best for you, the good Lord has called your name, but without you the Big Easy ain’t never be the same. We wish we could send with you, Ol’ Krafty at your side, but he too did not make it the night you had died. That night was of the devil, dressed in pale hoods shouting “white pride!”, but on that night the good Lord protected you and gave power to your stride. The last words I said to you were “My Georgia’s still inside!”, then you ran into the flames Lord Jesus as your guide. I witnessed my first miracle that night, Blind Charlie Blue, Lord gave you your sight! You came back coughing with my baby, and I could not believe it, Oh the chills that it gave me. Here came Blind Blue not walkin’ with a cane. He looked at me with dark black eyes as the skies began to rain. And when we looked eye to eye, it was then that I fell down and 
cried,for Charlie Blue had gone an’ died. So Brothers and Sisters let our your moan, but don’t freat too long ‘cause someday we’ll all be goin’ home. When ya’ll are done and your tears are dried, let’s go take Brother Blind Charlie Blue an’ his guitar Ol’ Krafty fo their last farewell ride. 

“Soon and very soon he is gonna see the king”, began to play as the coffin was shut and shoulder by six strong black men. The preacher held Georgia in his arms as he lead the procession out the door. The echos of, “Haleighlujah, haleighlujah he is gonna see the king,” traveled over the smoldering ashes of the church and into the streets of the French Quarter as the congregation flooded the streets like an estuary at high tide. They arrived at one of the many cemeteries in the Big Easy and the singing stopped as the end was now here for his last farewell ride. It had been raining and stopped when his bodies final home hit the ground. The singing started up again as the shovels made their final pound. The songs of celebration in the Big Easy that night never came to an end. The congregation was so joyful over the journey of their friend. 

A single voice could be heard nearing the pearl gates. It was Blind Charlie Blue singing, “Haleighluhjah, Haleighluhjah I have come to see my King!” His voice was then blended into the multitude of voices coming from heaven as Blind Charlie Blue caught sight of Peter, the heavenly guide. And that was the end to Blind Charlie Blue’s farewell ride. 

Be Still

Class of 2008, our challenge is this: in the steps that lay ahead of us, we will face many trials, but in our trials we must be still and know that He is God.

The passage I am speaking to you from, is Psalm 46, and it goes like this:

“God is our refuge and our strength, 

an ever-present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, 

though the earth give way 

and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 

though its waters roar and foam 

and the mountains quake with their surging.”

We need not worry, for we have God our Father to rely on, in the turbulent world we are entering at this moment.  The mountains we settle our lives on will fall into the sea, but God is there for us as our refuge.  As we move on to the next stage in our life, the many things we find security in will be stripped away.  We will no longer be able to rely on earthly parents consistent presence, for we will be miles away at college, our friends, who we have grown so close to over the years, will be on various campuses with the same fears.    We cannot rely on the people God places in our lives, yet it is through them, God shows us His love for us, just as it is through us He shows His love toward those around us.

I must skip ahead in Psalm 46 for the sake of time, but I shall continue from verse seven:

“Yahweh Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

Come and see the works of Yahweh,

the desolation he has brought on the earth.

He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;

he breaks the bow and shatters the spear, 

he burns the shields with fire.

“Be still and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.”

God allows us to encounter distress, but he has a purpose in that, and it is peace and rest. 

Often we are unable to see God’s purpose for the trials of our lives, because we can only see so far into time, and since He is the creator, His perception is far greater than ours, thus we are then challenged to do the following: Be still, and know that he is God.

We must remember in all that we encounter in the lifetime ahead, to allow God to actually be God in our lives, especially in the hard times, which are by far the hardest moments for us to relinquish our control over to God.  We must have perseverance in our trials, and we must step out in our faith, for then we shall have joy in the Lord.  When we are still and let God calm the waters of our lives ahead, we can step out in faith for Him, out of the boat that sinks about us in the storms of life, and into the waters, held up by nothing but His hand, for that in the end is all that is needed, the rest God shall provide.   We are like a child thrown into the air by our Father.  This is a  playful act that develops a bond of trust between the parent and child.  When we are in the air during our lives, when our feet are far from solid ground, when we are possibly upside-down, we must be still and know that he is God, he will catch us when we fall.  It is then and only then that we will find joy in our trials as our class verse says, for God is always smiling on us, and only when we trust in Him, can our spirits be calm enough to grant us the chance to return a smile back to our Father.  

So class of 2008, our challenge is, to Be still, and know that He is God, we need not worry about the steps that lay ahead, for he has walked on water ahead of us, and beckons us to follow him.  Smile at your Father in heaven, for as I speak He is smiling upon you; Be still and know that He is your God, God is within you and you will not fall. 

  NOW MEET THE CLASS OF 2008.