God's Strategy Meetings

If we could sit in on heaven, what would we see happening there? Dr. Wilkinson asks this question in his book "You Were Born For This." Most might answer that God is receiving worship from angelic beings. Is that all? Dr. Wilkinson writes,

"Any committee meetings going on up there?" I ask. "Strategy planning sessions?"

Folks laugh. They think I'm kidding.

"How about God? Does He do any work? What about God asking for opinions on important matters? Does Heaven have anything like an agenda for the day?" [1]

Wilkinson looks to a few passages in scripture to help his readers sit in on heaven. 1 Kings 22:19-22

Micaiah continued, "Therefore hear the word of the LORD : I saw the LORD sitting on his throne with all the host of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left. And the LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?'
One suggested this, and another that. Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said, 'I will entice him.'
'By what means?' the LORD asked.
'I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,' he said.
'You will succeed in enticing him,' said the LORD. 'Go and do it.'

In this passage, the LORD asks those in His presence "who will" do His will? Isaiah 6:8 says,

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me!"

Isaiah did not hesitate to offer himself as a candidate for accomplishing His purposes. He passionately replied to God's invitation.

John 5:17 says,

Jesus said to them, "My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working."

Wilkinson asserts that heaven, and events on earth, are inescapably linked together in innumerable ways. There are four "keys" he introduces in his book to help align readers to hear God's invitations and participate in delivering miracles. In the next post, those four keys will be discussed.

God's purpose for doing a miracle is always the same: to meet a person's need. [1]

[1] Wilkinson, Bruce & Kopp, David. (2009). You Were Born For This: 7 Kets to a Life of Predictable Miracles. Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah Books, pg. 31, 35.

An Everyday Miracle

By video, Dr. Wilkinson recounts a story from chapter two in his new book, You Were Born For This.

Dr. Wilkinson gives examples of many everyday miracles throughout his book. They are accounts of miracles he himself was involved in delivering, and also those that others were involved in delivering.

I praised God meditating on this true account of how ready God is to answer needs in miraculous ways as we serve Him.

"The Land of Everyday Miracles"

What if God wants to do a miracle for someone else, through you? Do you believe this?

Inside Dr. Wilkinson's new book (You Were Born For This Multnomah Books, September 2009) there is a total of one paragraph acknowledging the miracles of televangelism. He calls this territory "the Land of Signs and Wonders." This brief recognition comes without criticism or judgment. He wants readers to consider if there are any miracles in which God universally invites Christians to participate.

He contrasts this territory with what he calls "the Land of Good Deeds." In this territory, a Christian's obedience to God's commands and various biblical good works are the only sure ways to meet the needs of someone who is looking for a miracle. They doubt that God does miracles today, or if they do believe in miracles they are confused as to what God does and how they may participate.

Dr. Wilkinson explains the space between these two "Lands" in his book [1]:

What I want you to realize is that if you live in either land I've described, you've overlooked the most promising region of all. You see, between the dazzle of Signs and Wonders and the duty of Good Deeds lies a broad and promising middle ground.

In this book we call this in-between land the Everyday Miracle Territory. Here people believe that God wants to intervene--and does--in supernatural ways in human affairs on a regular basis. Here unmet needs are seen by ordinary people as golden opportunities for God to show up, and to do so through them, at almost any moment. They're not waiting for special powers for themselves or for God to part the skies on their behalf. They have experienced miracles and know beyond doubt that miracles are for them and others like them, right here and right now.

Christians who live in the Land of Everyday Miracles are by no means special in any way other than they have committed themselves to participating with Christ in His miraculous acts, and are prepared to hear His direction.

Dr. Wilkinson has a number of videos on the internet delving into his book, and you may view this one below further explaining "the Land of Everyday Miracles."

[1] Wilkinson, Bruce & Kopp, David. (2009). You Were Born For This: 7 Kets to a Life of Predictable Miracles. Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah Books, pg 9.

Biblical Feminism

I have never put these two words together, yet, in my life:

Biblical

&

Feminism

I really struggle to understand my own convictions of scripture on the role women can play in the church! This is my first attempt at describing just a small part of this vast, complicated and very controversial topic.

Let me go on from the vein of the statement I made in my last post, arising from 1 Peter 3 (vs. 1-6, which says:)

Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God. For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror.

In that previous post I wrote/said,

My interest is both a little more and a little less than 'teaching.' Where I feel myself to be is in 1 Peter 3, when it talks about how a wife lives before her husband. It says that if he does not obey the Word, she can live in such a way as to cause remembrance and evoke the deep meaning of Christ's principles, without words. The definition of the word 'chaste' from 1 Peter 3's 'chaste deportment' means 'to inspire reverence.' She knows that God is sovereignly conducting a grand display of Himself, and she is excited to be a small instrument in His hands. I fully expect, by faith, by my knowledge of how God uses His grace, by my understanding from the Word how God is totally and always engaged in redeeming through the simple and common stuffs of life, to be used in powerful ways in the every day, every day. God always gives these perfect 'coincidences.' I don't have to conjure or dream. He is just amazing, and He gives me material all the time to help put on display, or add richness to His expressed will as the Word of God reveals.

Let me stop right here and confess I do not believe that I have attained this! Firstly I do not always walk in faith, of course. Secondly, I do not have the gentle and quiet spirit that God says is so very precious in His heart. I do want to try and understand what I am reading, and I certainly at least want to understand what it is that God wants me to do as I live everyday.

I am aware that the LORD does not want the words of scripture to be only said aloud as if cold and lifeless and dead, but fully alive and vibrant and three-dimensional. He wants to use people like you and I to make His Word pop. Three years ago I wrote a blog post from a Sunday school lesson on 2 Peter 1:3-9

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

The name of that blog entry, was Add.

It may be my all-time favorite Sunday school lesson. The smallest word in this entire passage? That small word was the one that my pastor zeroed - in - on: "Add." He said that the word "add" in the Greek is the same root used in the word "choreography." Ha. That fully resonated with me. Living for Christ is very similar to dance. A dancer's job is to translate and punctuate the tone of the instruments and the meaning of the words so that the audience is (entertained) and drawn to meditation. As I look to Christ and His power I too can "put on" or "dance" or be a vessel of orchestration by God, for a life that says who Christ IS - so that I "will be kept from being ineffective and unproductive in my knowledge (2 Pet 1:8)" of the Word of God.

What kind of earthly teacher is the one who taught the students best? Is it the one who left the principles of the course dead and cold or learned ways to make them alive? Is it the one who told you the answer, and made the judgment in the first moments of communication, or, is it the one who waited to bring others along to get them to dwell in the material?

So who is truly leading who in 1 peter 3; the husband or the wife? I find it very interesting the calling God has given to wives. Did He call them to audibly declare the Word of God as an authority? No. But He seemingly has not removed her opportunity to "teach" - has He?? I have to deeply wonder. He has given us women the most profound and most effective avenue by which to "preach" "teach" "correct" "rebuke" which is all the things the Word of God does as a believer is supposed to employ those scriptures: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness..." 2 Tim 3:16

Even reading this, I don't feel like "teaching" is the point. Teaching is not the goal to which one should aspire. Fruit, is the goal, in context. Bearing fruit by the power of the Spirit, to me, is very much a choreography, to which the lost and carnal are eventually drawn to love Jesus Christ. People are like leaches when they see how free His grace is. There is no lack in abundance of opportunities to minister. The model given to women in the context of marriage, is the model in which I want to serve Christ in the church as a general focal point.

Well, this may be the end of "Biblical" "Feminism," for awhile. Perhaps in a few years I'll gain further clarity on this topic. As a celebration of this post, I'll leave a link to my favorite movie, whose themes are teaching, living, and fruit bearing... "The Dead Poets Society." I saw this movie when I was a teen. It was a tremendous instrument in the hands of God to quicken my heart to believe in Christ for salvation.

The Dead Poets Society

"You need a miracle"

I do. I think every person needs a miracle, do you agree?

I recently got to visit with Dr. R. He asked me "You are interested in teaching. Is that not true?"

I said, "It's both a little more and a little less than 'teaching.' Where I feel myself to be is in 1 Peter 3, when it talks about how a wife lives before her husband. It says that if he does not obey the Word, she can live in such a way as to cause remembrance and evoke the deep meaning of Christ's principles, without words. The definition of the word 'chaste' from 1 Peter 3's 'chaste deportment' means 'to inspire reverence.' She knows that God is sovereignly conducting a grand display of Himself, and she is excited to be a small instrument in His hands. I fully expect, by faith, by my knowledge of how God uses His grace, by my understanding from the Word how God is totally and always engaged in redeeming through the simple and common stuffs of life, to be used in powerful ways in the every day, every day. God always gives these perfect 'coincidences.' I don't have to conjure or dream. He is just amazing, and He gives me material all the time to help put on display, or add richness, to His expressed will as the Word of God reveals."

As I explained how I wanted to serve the Church in the same manner as a wife to a husband, Dr. R.'s mind began to pique. He asked me if I knew who Bruce Wilkinson is, the author of "The Prayer of Jabez." He has begun reading another new book by Wilkinson. It is called "You Were Born for This" (below). This book is about every day things and service to God with full anticipation to be used in a way that evokes others' subjection to Christ through our day-to-day availability to Christ.

Wilkinson's text is all about us delivering miracles to others. However I can't help but acknowledge, having finished this book, that participation with Christ in delivering miracles opens my eyes to how much God uses other believers so that I receive miracles myself.

I want to begin a small series of excerpts from Wilkinson's book, and they will be tagged with the essence of his subject matter: "everyday miracles."