The Prize, Part Two: Reaching Ahead

Last Thursday, I started looking into a passage that has blown my mind: Philippians 3:13-14. We looked at forgetting what is behind us, leaving behind our past lives of sin-loving and troubles. But, for what? Continuing what I said last week, we have storms in our rearview mirrors, but what is in the windshield? What are we driving toward? And how are we driving? Are we speeding toward a destination, or are we on a joy ride? Well, let's look into the passage, and take a look.

"...But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God's heavenly [or upward] call in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 3:13b-14, HCSB

2. We are reaching forward for what is ahead

When I think of reaching forward, I think of straining for a remote. You know those times when the remote is on the ottoman or on the floor, just beyond your reach? You strain, reach, stretch and do everything you can to reach the remote. Your entire being is consumed with grabbing that remote, all while not actually leaving your seat.

You strategize. You use any tool at your disposal. You critically think, and you may even enlist assistance. All of you is focused in on the goal, and nothing will stop you until you achieve your desire.

Does this look like your pursuit of God and your future with Him? Are you straining for the glorious eternity before you with our great Lord? Do you reach forward, wanting nothing more than Him?

We often need a focus shift. We have a glory with God ahead of us, and we often get distracted. We pay attention to the color and patterns of the ottoman or floor without zeroing in on the real goal: getting to the remote, a future with Him. We must become consumed with what is ahead, using whatever means necessary to get there.

We will stretch to draw nearer. We will use tools, such as God's Word and prayer, to get closer. We will involve others who are also focused on our goal, leaning on their assistance as we all strive for the end.

The question is: are you reaching forward for the goal, or are you sitting back and hoping that the remote will come to you?

On Thursday, we will look into what exactly we are reaching forward

You And Your Slavery

"For I will take you from the nations and gather you from all the countries, and will bring you into your own land." -Ezekiel 36:24, HCSB

In this verse, God is speaking to the Israelites, telling them that He will bring them back to their homeland. But why aren't they there already?

Israel, for the uninitiated, was a hot mess during biblical times. They were a constant roller coaster of spirituality: some years they were on fire for God, and other years they were worshipping idols and hosting child sacrifices.

Due to their foolishness of turning away from worshipping God, they got taken captive by the Babylonian empire and were enslaved in a foreign land. Idiots, right? Don't speak too soon.

We're very much the same. We are often foolish. Just think with me: how often do you have a reason that you don't worship and chase after God?

"I'd read my Bible more, but I'm really busy..."

"I'd pray more, but I don't really know how..."

"I'd go to church on Sunday mornings, but I had this thing on Saturday night..."

You may not have had one of those exact excuses, but I promise you've had at least something similar at some point in your walk with God. Probably in the past few days, honestly. We all have.

These foolish excuses do two things: they pretend that our relationship with God doesn't need priority over everything else (and He is worth infinitely more than anything else in our lives, I promise), and it lowers our defense against evil.

You see, God is our Shield. He says that all over the book of Psalms. When we stop pursing Him and put other things over that pursuit, then we lower our Shield in the middle of battle. Lowering a shield in battle is NOT a good idea.

The forces of darkness are always looking for one of His followers to lower their shield and become vulnerable for an attack. They will strike, and without a tried and true relationship with God, we will fall. We'll become enslaved to a sin, incapable of freeing ourselves.

Israel couldn't save themselves from captivity, and neither can we. Both groups of people need God. Fortunately, Ezekiel 36 continues.

"I will also sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean. I will cleanse you from all of your impurities and all of your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will place My Spirit within you and cause you to follow My statutes and carefully observe My ordinances." -Ezekiel 36:25-27, HCSB

Beautiful. Not even beautiful; this is beyond words. We foolishly turn from God, which leads to our enslavement to darkness. And yet, God is a God of freedom. Not just literal freedom of the flesh, but freedom of the heart. He wants His people to be saved and to have new hearts. He wants His people to be clean. He wants to give us His Spirit to free us to follow Him, and to kick sin to the curb.

Is this the year that you allow God to give you a new heart? Maybe you still have a heart of stone, and are turned away from Him. Maybe you're already a Christian, and just need to be reminded that our God has saved you from sin, so quit re-enslaving yourself. Regardless of your situation, run to Him. Run to our God and turn from foolish ways of ignoring Him. Make 2013 a year where you are dedicated to following Him.

We were dead, and now we are alive. We were enslaved and foolish, but now we are free. Remember that. Embrace that. Live your life based off of that.

-Inspired by Louie Giglio's talk "Main Session 1-Passion 2013"

She Will Be Saved Through Childbearing

"But she will be saved through childbearing, if she continues in faith, love and holiness, with good sense." -1 Timothy 2:15, HCSB

This verse states that women receive salvation by having children. That is the only verse that I am aware of that specifically says how women are saved.

Also, it appears that having faith in late childbirth will often provide with amazing offspring and salvation all the more. Look at Sarah, Abraham's wife: she waited for a child until she was old, and her son was Isaac. Rebekah: Joesph. Hannah: Samuel. Elizabeth: John the Baptist. So.. girls, wait as long as you can. Have faith that God will provide a child, and through His gracious giving of a child, you'll be saved. The longer you wait, the more likely your child is to be a prophet.

Ok, so that is completely untrue. The way to salvation is not childbearing for women, nor is their faith increased and their possibility of having an amazing prophet increased by waiting until old age.

So, what was the point of that opening? It is an excellent way for us to see the danger of looking at certain verses without the context and truth of the entire Scripture in mind. It is extremely unwise to randomly read verses of Scripture and try to decide their meaning without looking at the rest of the Bible. Just think: if a friend of mine and I can take 1 Timothy 2:15 (which is a difficult verse with many interpretations, one of which [that I most agree with] saying that all women are saved spiritually through the most important birth of time, Christ) and make it into an whole new doctrine of salvation, just think about what else can happen. Almost any verse can be twisted to say similarly crazy things. We must, as rapper Trip Lee says, "keep the Gospel in mind." Every verse in the Bible is meant to come back, somehow, to the cross. All of Scripture is about Jesus and His unfolding plan of salvation to sinners. We must keep that as a focus when reading Scripture.

So, here are a few helpful hints that will help you avoid inventing doctrine or jerking verses out of context:

1. Have a solid study Bible. A good study Bible will have cross-references and study notes to help you see the verse you are reading in the light of other Scripture.

2. Read the passages before and after the verse you are reading. For instance, 1 Timothy 2:13-14 talk about Adam and Eve, and Eve's sin. This, in conjunction with "saved through childbearing" seems to allude to the prophecy in Genesis 3:15, when God told Satan, Adam and Eve that one of Eve's children (Christ) would come and defeat the sin that Eve just started. By reading the passages before and after, you will get a better feel for what the author of the verse is really saying, not just what you think.

3. Keep the Gospel message in mind. If the verse seems to go against another verse that states a Biblical truth, then you probably are not focusing in the true message of the verse. We know that 1 Timothy 2:5-6 states that Christ is a ransom and mediator for all, and Acts 16:14 tells about the conversion of a woman to faith in Christ via God's opening of her heart, not having a kid. There is overwhelming Scriptural evidence that all people, man and woman alike, are saved through faith in God's grace. Thus, my above explanation of 1 Timothy 2:15 is false. We must keep the Gospel at the core of our Bible study, or we remain vulnerable to misinterpretation.

When God Looks Like Cousin Itt

Recently, I listened to a message by Won Kwak, lead pastor at Maranatha Grace Fort Lee in Fort Lee, New Jersey. In the message, he was talking about the part of the Trinity that we often forget: the Holy Spirit. As he was discussing the Spirit, he said that we often look at the Spirit as an "it" instead of what the Spirit of God is. Specifically, he said we think of the Spirit as Cousin Itt, and I love this analogy. So, let's watch Cousin Itt real quick, and then look into how we wrongfully view the Spirit as such (This is a 10-minute video, so feel free to watch from 2:26-4:52 just to get an idea of Itt).



Ok, so let's look at how Cousin Itt is like the Holy Spirit. First, we look at the Holy Spirit as an "it." We tend to think of the Spirit as a mystical wind that blows around and messes up our hair. Much like Cousin Itt, we don't know exactly what the Spirit is, really. We just look and stare, afraid to go near and discover the truth.

"19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" -Matthew 28:19, HCSB

Here in Matthew, we see Jesus, the Son of God and part of the Trinity of God, referring to the Spirit as equal with the Father and Son. If the Father and Son are both God, and the Spirit is equal to them, then the logical conclusion is that they are all three God. The Spirit is not an it, but a He. He is as much God as the Father and Son. That makes a huge difference. No longer is the Spirit a tool of God, but He is God. That gives Him ultimate power and makes Him deserving of ultimate respect.

Second, the Spirit is heard as gibberish to the outsider, much like we can't understand Cousin Itt. Until you learn to speak the language of the Spirit, you cannot understand it. How do you learn the language of the Spirit? Just like Cousin Itt: you're part of His family.

The Sciptures are inspired by the Spirit (2 Peter 1:21), so therefore they are the Spirit's words, written by man. The only way that the Scriptures can be seen as the living, applicable life-changing Word of God is through the Spirit revealing the Truth to us (2 Corinthians 2:10-13). And who does the Spirit work through?

"14 All those who are led by God's Spirit are God's sons." -Romans 8:14, HCSB

Those who have the Spirit leading them are the family of God. Just like Cousin Itt, the family of God understands the Spirit through the Spirit helping us understand.

Finally, we view the Spirit as a moody visitor like Cousin Itt: sometimes helpful, sometimes complaining; sometimes here, sometimes gone. This couldn't be any different.

"19 God is not a man who lies, or a son of man who changes His mind. Does He speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?" -Numbers 23:19, HCSB

God is never changing, and the same applies to the Spirit. Once the Spirit is guiding you, you have a permanent guide. He will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5), and the Spirit will even live IN you (1 Corinthians 3:16). He won't change His mind about you. He won't just come for a visit. Once you have the Spirit of God, you always have Him.

Will you remember that, or just think of the Spirit as a foreign gust that doesn't consistently blow the same way?

For more on the Spirit and His awesomeness, check out Forgotten God by Francis Chan.