Revise Us Again

1. Revise Your Understanding of God's Voice

God communicates His mind to His people through three major ways: Torah (Law), Prophets, and Wisdom.

Three modes of divine communication. The ancient Hebrews divided the Old Testament into three sections: Torah (Law), Prophets, and Wisdom Literature. These represent the three primary ways God speaks to His people:

• Torah: Focuses on God's enduring moral principles
• Prophets: Challenges people's response to the Torah
• Wisdom: Provides knowledge gained through experience

Each mode has its own dangers if not balanced by the others. A church focusing solely on Torah may become legalistic, while one emphasizing only prophecy might be unstable. Wisdom alone can lead to empty philosophy. Embracing all three forms allows for a more complete understanding of God's will.

2. Beware of Christian Code Language

"Let me pray about it" is Christian code language for "No."

Decoding hidden meanings. Christians often use specific phrases that have underlying meanings different from their literal interpretation. This "code language" can lead to misunderstandings and unfulfilled expectations:

• "Let me pray about it" frequently means the person has no intention of following through
• "God told me" is often used to justify personal desires or avoid further discussion
• These phrases can become a way to avoid honesty or make simple matters unnecessarily religious

By recognizing and revising this code language, Christians can communicate more authentically and reflect the integrity that is part of their new identity in Christ.

3. Recognize Different Spiritual Conversational Styles

Understanding an SCS, either your own or that of another, is not a cure-all for resolving a disagreement over a spiritual matter.

Three main styles. Spiritual Conversational Styles (SCS) are specific sets of assumptions and goals people employ when communicating about spiritual matters:

1. Charismatic SCS: Emphasizes personal revelation and spiritual experiences
2. Quoter SCS: Relies heavily on quoting Scripture to settle disputes
3. Pragmatic SCS: Focuses on what works practically in real-life situations

Understanding these styles can help believers:

• Avoid talking past each other in theological discussions
• Recognize the limitations and strengths of each approach
• Learn to listen and communicate more effectively across different styles

4. Embrace the Full Gospel of Christ

The goal of the gospel is not to get you out of hell and into heaven, but to get God out of heaven and into you so that He may be displayed visibly and glorified in His creation.

Expanding the gospel message. Many Christians have a limited understanding of the gospel, focusing primarily on salvation from hell. A fuller gospel includes:

• The reality of an indwelling Lord: Living by Christ's life within us
• The greatness of Christ: Understanding His eternal nature and cosmic role
• God's eternal purpose: Focusing on God's intent rather than human needs
• The new humanity: Recognizing that it takes God to be truly human
• Christ as the center: Emphasizing Jesus as the gravitational pull for all aspects of faith

This expanded view of the gospel leads to a richer, more transformative faith experience that goes beyond simply avoiding hell to embracing the fullness of God's plan for creation.

5. Redefine the Felt-Presence of God

God is always present in the life of a believer–-whether one actively feels His presence or not.

Presence vs. perception. Many Christians struggle with feeling God's presence, but it's important to distinguish between:

1. The reality of God's presence: Always with believers, unchanging
2. The felt-presence of God: Perceptible sense of God's nearness
3. Deliberate consciousness of God's presence: Actively setting one's mind on God
4. Background consciousness of God's presence: Unnoticed awareness

Key points:

• Feeling God's presence is not a measure of spirituality
• Seeking such feelings can be counterproductive
• The secret to spiritual formation is being consciously aware of God's presence
• Practices like Brother Lawrence's "practicing His presence" can help cultivate this awareness

6. Avoid Being Captured by the Spirit You Oppose

Those who judge the motives of others are simply revealing what's in their own hearts.

Recognizing self-betrayal. Throughout church history, individuals and movements have often fallen prey to the very attitudes they initially opposed. This phenomenon manifests in several ways:

1. Judging motives: Projecting one's own insecurities onto others
2. Creating fellowship tests: Excluding genuine believers based on arbitrary criteria
3. Deifying unique contributions: Making personal insights more important than Christ
4. Refusing diversity: Demanding uniformity in thought and practice
5. Embracing self-righteousness: Believing oneself to be more spiritual than others

To avoid this trap, believers must:

• Remain humble and open to correction
• Embrace diversity within the body of Christ
• Keep Christ central rather than personal insights or experiences

7. Trust in God's Unseen Endings

When you are going through the dark night, remember: It's not the end. It's only the beginning.

God's pattern of restoration. Throughout Scripture, we see a consistent pattern in how God works:

1. He takes away the first to establish the second
2. His beginnings often start with darkness or evening
3. What appears to be an ending is often a new beginning

Examples from Scripture:

• Creation: Evening precedes morning
• Job: Loss leads to greater blessing
• Joseph: Pit and prison lead to palace
• Jesus: Death leads to resurrection

This understanding helps believers endure difficult seasons, knowing that:

• God is always in control
• Darkness often precedes new light
• What God establishes is always better than what He takes away

8. Strip Down to Christ Alone

I believe the Lord desires to revise the work of His Spirit in the lives of many of His children today.

Refocusing on Christ. Many believers, particularly those from Charismatic backgrounds, need to revise their understanding of the Holy Spirit's work:

• Move beyond seeking spectacular manifestations
• Focus on Christ rather than spiritual experiences
• Embrace a more authentic, unassuming expression of spiritual gifts

Key revisions:

1. Recognize that the Holy Spirit's primary role is to reveal Christ
2. Be cautious of humanly engineered hype and showmanship
3. Evaluate spiritual experiences by their fruit in character transformation
4. Let go of artificial religious language and practices

By stripping away unnecessary trappings, believers can experience a purer, more Christ-centered spirituality.

9. Expand Your Vision of Christ

Jesus Christ is richer, larger, and more glorious than any of us could ever imagine. And He comes to us in ways that make it tempting to reject Him.

Embracing a larger Christ. Many Christians limit their understanding of Jesus based on their initial encounters or denominational backgrounds. To grow spiritually, believers must:

1. Remain open to new revelations of Christ
2. Recognize that He often comes in unexpected ways
3. Embrace diversity within the body of Christ
4. Avoid building monuments around particular insights

Practical steps:

• Cultivate a spirit of poverty: "Blessed are the poor in spirit"
• Engage with diverse expressions of faith
• Be willing to let go of familiar understandings to gain new insights
• Remember C.S. Lewis's words: "Every year you grow, you will find Me bigger"

By continually expanding their vision of Christ, believers can experience deeper spiritual growth and a more vibrant faith.

Last updated: November 7, 2024