Concept vs. Reality

Over the past few weeks I've been dwelling on what I believe to be the major disconnect in those of us who claim to be "Christian" in America today.  My last blog talked all about glory.  Glory simply means weightiness or thickness.  According to this, we can say that a boulder has more glory than a feather.

In American churches today we are blessed with arguably the deepest theological teaching in the world.  We have churches on every corner and can access to any sermon you could ever dream of online.  While there are other countries that are closed to the Gospel and Bibles are illegal we are blessed with freedom to learn and follow our beliefs with little objection.  With all of the teaching and sermonizing we have heard it's easy to let it all go straight to the head as another "concept".  We know all about God as a concept.  God is good.  God is righteous. God is faithful.  God is healer.  God is savior.  God is powerful.  God is eternal.  We know these concepts.

The problem is that when you know God as a concept...you are heavier than him.  He is lighter than you.  When you know God as a concept you have more glory than Him.  You can twist him and turn him into what you want to be.  We hear it all the time.  "The god I know wouldn't do that".  "The god I know wouldn't call me to go somewhere that is unsafe".  "The god I know wants me to be happy".  "The god I know would never have caused this natural disaster".  When you only know God as a concept, you distance yourself from the God of the scriptures.  We say, I'm smarter than God's revealed himself to mankind (Moses, Joseph, Job, John, Paul, James) for 4,000 years.   I've always loved James 5:17 because it says that Elijah was a man just like us.  Do you believe this?  He caused the rain to stop for over 3 years, was fed by ravens, and resurrected a dead child all in 1 Kings 17.  In chapter 18 Elijah calls God's fire from heaven to burn a bull on top of soaked wood and stood up to 450 prophets of Baal.  Do you believe he was just a man like us and that God could use you just like this?  Is God the same God of the Bible??

If you come to church on the weekends but it does not affect they way you live the rest of your week you only know God as a concept and a reality. When God is a concept and not a reality how you treat your neighbor doesn't change.  When He's a concept and not a reality how you steward your money doesn't change.  When He's a concept and not a reality how you talk about others when they aren't around doesn't change...BUT when He becomes our reality it changes everything.

Once you understand the reality of the glory of God you CANNOT walk away!


p.s. I encourage you to read the Word as a reality this week.  Some good ones are: james 1:22, 1 cor 1:10, eph 4:26, ch 6, Matt ch 6 and 28:19-20.  Also, you can read The Blueprint by Jaeson Ma if you want a present day example of following God as a reality.

Are you jealous?

Over the last few months of training in Atlanta and especially during this last week God has really challenged my devotion to Him.  While visiting different places of worship including a hindu temple, buddhist temple, and mosque the reality of worship that goes on around us and all over the world really hit me.  The question I have been asking is, "Am I truly jealous for God to get the worship He deserves and do my actions show it?"  Not only should we be interested in worshipping Him, but we should crave others to worship the King and perfect Creator of the universe.  Shouldn't we be hungry for our Savior to get the respect and honor and reverence He deserves?   Piper says it well, "Missions exists because worship doesn't."  We were made to worship.  All creation was made to worship.  The problem is that many times worship can be directed at many things apart from God, called idols.  To name a few, we worship money, comfort, family, security, education, sports and movie stars, entertainment, food, and even ourselves. Luke 19 tells us that if we fail to worship God, the very rocks will cry out.  

Isaiah 45 is one of the most powerful passages ever written and displays the reality of who God is!

⁵ I am the LORD, and there is no other;
   apart from me there is no God. 
I will strengthen you,
   though you have not acknowledged me,
⁶ so that from the rising of the sun
   to the place of its setting
people may know there is none besides me.
   I am the LORD, and there is no other.
⁷ I form the light and create darkness,
   I bring prosperity and create disaster;
   I, the LORD, do all these things.

¹⁶ All the makers of idols will be put to shame and disgraced;
   they will go off into disgrace together.
¹⁷ But Israel will be saved by the LORD
   with an everlasting salvation;
you will never be put to shame or disgraced,
   to ages everlasting.

 ²⁰ “Gather together and come;
   assemble, you fugitives from the nations.
Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood,
   who pray to gods that cannot save.
²¹ Declare what is to be, present it—
   let them take counsel together. 

²³ By myself I have sworn,
   my mouth has uttered in all integrity
   a word that will not be revoked:
Before me every knee will bow;
   by me every tongue will swear.
²⁴ They will say of me, ‘In the LORD alone
   are deliverance and strength.’”
All who have raged against him
   will come to him and be put to shame. 

So, are you jealous???