Fire On Your Head

“The LORD reigns, let the peoples tremble;
He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake!
The LORD is great in Zion,
And He is exalted above all the peoples.
Let them praise Your great and awesome name;
Holy is He.” -Ps. 99.1-3

How delightful and awe-striking that we should be invited to commune with the God who shook Sinai, and whose presence causes the heavens and the earth to tremble!

Psalm 99 sounds the note of a most happy contradiction, that God is utterly holy, that creation itself cannot bear His presence, but that He calls us to press in, not only to a slight experience of His presence, but into a living communion with Him. He wants us to be “among His priests,” and to “call on His name.” He will purge and purify the sin from our lives, and enable us to walk on the heights of worship and true praise. All of this catapults the Psalmist (and those who hear him rightly) into an outburst of joyous declaration, “The LORD reigns!” Are we being gripped and thrilled along with the Psalmist?

Hear Spurgeon:

Let the chosen people feel a solemn yet joyful awe, which shall thrill their whole manhood. Saints quiver with devout emotion, and sinners quiver with terror when the rule of Jehovah is fully perceived and felt. It is not a light or trifling matter, it is a truth which, above all others, should stir the depths of our nature.

(The Treasury of David: Vol. 4, Charles Spurgeon: Funk & Wagnalls Co., 1881, p. 385)

The Psalmist uses language that resurrects thoughts of the Sinai theophany (when the Lord actually appeared on the mount), but gloriously engages all the saints with a call to the same kind of worship that Moses himself experienced.

The portrayal of the divine epiphany exhibits the features of the Sinai theophany. When God appears in his majestic power a tremor runs through the whole world; the nations tremble and the earth quakes- an involuntary indication of the terrible and sublime power of the God of Mount Zion over the whole world. The poet discerns the holiness of his God in this pre-eminent and comprehensive power which causes everything that is created to tremble. And the involuntary witness which the trembling nations and the quaking earth bear in the presence of the holy God constrains the poet, too, to call upon all men to praise the holy name of God, the revelation of which had taken place in the course of the theophany and which is therefore present in the poet’s mind in all its greatness and terrifying power. Fear and trembling and respectful joy here jointly represent the spiritual atmostphere which is created in the congregation by the advent of God.

(The Psalms: The OT Library, by Artur Weiser; Westminster Press, 1962; pp. 641-642)

Whatever induced this burst of joyous praise and reverent worship in the psalmist, it brought to him the same sense of awe that he imagined to have been the experience of Moses and the ancient Israelites at Sinai. He was gripped with the fear of the Lord, gasping over the glory of God’s goodness, and he called out for the saints to tremble, praise, and worship. He was seized by a “fear and trembling and respectful joy” as his heart was jolted by the holiness and mercy of the Lord.

I think it’s fair to say that the common boredom, dullness of heart, moral compromises, addictions to entertainment, paralyzing depressions, and other ailments in the Body of Christ can all be attributed to the fact that we are not setting aside ample time to behold the God of Sinai, the God of the Psalmists, the God of the prophets and the apostles, the God of creation.

Oh, friends! He reigns! Clear the debris and clutter from your schedules. Plow through the blockades that keep you from the secret place. Shut off the computer if need be. Unplug the T.V. Take the phone off of the hook. Nothing else is more crucial than this: That we, as the people of God, would come into the vital revelation of the greatness of God in His holiness and love. Broken cisterns are easy to come by, but the fountain of Life can only be experienced when we forsake all the other diluted waters. God will meet you in the secret place, the reward will be beyond description, and your joy will be full. He waits for you, even now.

“Exalt the LORD our God
And worship at His holy hill,
For holy is the LORD our God.” (v. 9)

Ephesians 6a

I. Strength in the Body

1. 1-4 Strong Families: For the Body to be strong, the families that make up the body must be strong. Husbands are the heads of the family just as Christ is the head of the Church. Husbands must be the spiritual leader of the family. If the husband and the wife lead the children with love, then the children will want to obey all that the parents ask of them. Their motivation will be more out of love and respect–not wanting to let their parents down–than out of fear of punishment (although that is necessary as well, but not frightful). This is not only  fulfilling but also honoring the parents’ command. Just as with his wife, the father must nurture the child: punish when it is due, but not unjustly or out of rage, and always in love. This will make the child convicted of sin and not mad at the punisher. This will hold the family together and make a stone for building a strong fellowship of believers.

2. 5-9 Strong Relationships

a) Serving Others (5-8):Everything we do is a witness. When we are under someone’s leadership, we should serve them the way we expect to be served. We must offer good service and good stewardship of that which they entrust to us. How can we be trusted with the mysteries of heaven if we cannot be trusted with earthly responsibility? Act as if we are serving Christ, because that is ultimately who we are serving. Do not just serve because you have to, but do it as unto the Lord. We must sincerely want to do a good job pleasing the person in charge and our Lord. All that we do, we do before God. Whatever we do in His will, we do for Him.

b) Leading Others (9):This is where having a strong home can develop a strong community. If a man has his home in order, then he will be a strong servant and strong leader. In the same way he leads his house he can lead others. Just as he does not lord his authority over his wife and kids, he does not lord it over his servants either. Love them and seek to bring out the best in them through encouragement and discipline. Do not over work nor mistreat them. Both they and you serve Jesus, so fear God.

II. Strength in the Spirit Part 1

1. 6:10-17 The Armor of God

a) The Strength of His Might (10): Remember it is He who strengthens us in our inner man. Our strength comes from Him (3:16). “The Lord strong and mighty (Psalm 24),” lives in us and gives us the strength to overcome, not only in the natural, but also in the supernatural. We are strong in the Lord when our walk is strong (4:1).

b) Full Armor (11): The strength of his might and us being strong in Him is the basis for putting the armor on if we are going to withstand the plans and attacks of the enemy. [Example: 1 Samuel 17 -  David defeated Goliath because he fought in the Spirit. In v. 39 David removes the armor and lays down the sword given to him by king Saul, because David already had his spiritual armor on, and that is all that he needed to defeat Goliath.] Every piece of the armor is important and must be on if we are going to stand.

c) Struggle in Heavenly Places (12): This is a much debated verse as to the context, doctrine, and theology of its meaning and interpretation. In context with this study this is a observation of the language and descriptions used in scriptural context. This is not a dogmatic theological statement of a stance on the exact rank, placement, and identity of the spirits in heavenly places. [The descriptions below are my opinion based on my personal studies.]

We can misunderstand easily here as Christians if we lose sight of the spiritual battle and take out the fight on people. Although we deal with flesh and blood everyday we must stay spiritually focused.

Against the rulers: There are four different levels of spiritual forces listed here that we struggle against. Some people develop whole hierarchical doctrines here of demonic rank. I am not going that route. There is a clear distinction made here: It seems to start at a lower level in the former part of the verse, then lists “spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” in the latter, which appears to represent the higher level of demonic activity. Rulers obviously rule over something. They seem to be under others here, at the lowest reference. Paul likely is listing them in ascending order. They may represent a locale, or areas of thought–perhaps thought processes of a particular kind that influence different situations and understandings.

Against Powers: These seem to be over rulers, possibly controlling several locales or regions; strongholds such as small philosophies or minor factions of false religions and cults.

World Forces of Darkness: These have “world” authority and move ranks and states, and even countries. Also they may control major areas of worldwide influence such as MTV, pornography and mental issues such as depression.

Spiritual Forces of Wickedness in the Heavenly Places:These are the “principalities and powers.” They control entire strongholds in the spiritual realm, such as; false religions such as Islam–a spirit of religion that denies a relationship with Jesus–as well as the spirits of death, murder, and suicide. Also, major world thoughts such as evolution. They have the ability to persuade masses of people into believing a common lie that will prevent them from believing the Truth. Theses are commanders of the demonic armies. They control the lower forces in the locales, and they may influence the main deception of the evil intent or empire’s agenda or “schemes (11).”

The theme throughout this teaching has been that we are seated above these powers. We will be better prepared to defeat the enemy by understanding his tactics. I do discourage studying anything satanic however, the Holy Spirit will guide us in the wisdom and power to over come these obstacles that try to slow the powerful advancement of the kingdom of heaven.

I do not subscribe to the “heavens are brass” or the “airways are cluttered” with demons common teachings. We have direct access to the Father. Our place is way above their place and Paul specifically made this clear early on in the book, so we would realize our position before he even mentioned the position of the demonic.

Ephesians Part 1: Introduction

Ephesians Part 2: Chapter 1

Ephesians Part 3:  Chapter 2

Ephesians Part 4: Chapter 3

Ephesians Part 5: Chapter 4a

Ephesians Part 6: Chapter 4b

Ephesians Part 7: Chapter 5a

Ephesians Part 8: Chapter 5b

Ephesians Part 9: Chapter 6a

Ephesians Part 10: Chapter 6b & Conclusion

Ephesians Part 11: Heavenly Places

“O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the crannies of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom.“ Song of Solomon 2:14-15 (ESV)

I originally wrote an article on this a number of years ago specifically about the insights I had at that time about the effects of praying in tongues, but with the revelation and insight into this Bridal paradigm God’s giving me lately–and to flow with the articles I’ve been posting in the last few months–I couldn’t help but feel that a re-working and revisit to this subject were necessary.  Especially in light of our spending significant time lately reflecting on truths of Christ based in the Song of Solomon and talking about “love being more excellent than wine”.  I have always had a profound revelation from this passage about the way speaking and praying in tongues builds up the believer and helps them overcome in their life and ward off the foxes and demons trying to ruin the work of the Spirit in our lives.

The whole book, whether you read it allegorically or just as a song, is about the love between the Bridegroom and His Bride.  We can glean from it in more specific and personal ways for our individual journeys with the Lord, and not just the collective Body of Christ.  When I read these simple yet profound verses in the Song, I’m compelled to think of passages like the following in the Gospel of John:

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in Me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. (John 15:1-8 emphasis mine)

We go to the “hiding place”, signifying a place of privacy, but more specifically that of intimacy with Christ in our relationship with Him.   It speaks of letting Him hear our voice, hence re-enforcing that you can’t only think your prayers, but He desires to hear it out of our mouths as well.  Click here for more articles on the importance of confession and just what it is exactly.  Hearing our voice is also applied to our worship of Him.

The Hebrew for the word “ruin” in S.O.S. 2:15, is Châbal: A primitive root; meaning to wind tightly as a rope, or to bind, specifically by a pledge. It also means figuratively to pervert, or destroy; also to writhe in pain, especially of parturition.  The English Standard Version I quote from uses the word spoil, which shows the same concept.

The foxes represent the devil or demons, and could also be applied to our flesh and our carnal leanings & tendencies.  I believe it represents both: in our own neglect of our relationship with Christ, the opportunity is created for outside spiritual and demonic schemes to come in when we’ve let our guard down through neglect or lack of personal devotion.  In either case, if the foxes are not dealt with at this time, they will cause more damage and be more difficult to overcome.  When we’re growing and the vineyard is in bloom and ripe, THAT is the time they are the most vulnerable and sensitive.  Little foxes can destroy the vine that yields fruit. They do this by gnawing and breaking the little branches and leaves, and the bark, by digging holes in the vineyards, and so spoiling the roots by eating the grapes, and any other way to hinder the growth of the vine.

Our First Fruits

What are vineyards for? Grapes.  And what are grapes used for?  To produce wine.  Chapter 5:22-23 of Galatians lists the fruit of the Spirit, and these are some of the evidences there will be in our lives if we’re intimately connected to the vine, we’ll produce fruit and become more like Him whom we’re beholding and Whose image we’re being transformed into. Though many times different symbols are used in different ways in Scripture, the vineyard is often a type or a symbol of the Church in the New Testament, Israel in the Old Testament, and just the people of God in general. And of course, if you’ve been reading my series on “Love, the More Excellent Way” you’d already be familiar with examples of how wine is correlated with the work of the Holy Spirit, and used in chapter 1:2, and 4:10 in the song as representative of GOOD things and finer pleasures of this world.  The devil is always seeking to destroy us in any way he can.  He desires to ruin the work of the Spirit, in our lives individually and collectively as the Body of Christ, and there’s no better way to do it than at the foundational root level, like the foxes seek to do to the vineyard.

More specifically, we know one symbol for the Holy Spirit is new wine–which is made from fresh just-picked grapes, and the passage here in Song of Solomon talks about how the foxes ruin the vineyards that are in bloom–when they’re young, tender or sensitive.  Most plants and trees require that you remove the first fruits as soon as they appear, and then after that the fruit appears in larger size and more quantity.  But if it’s not obtained properly in that first fruit stage, the tree will never grow properly and yield very much fruit–in other words, will never realize its full potential.  I’m sure there’s a sermon in that on giving God our first fruits with all things in our lives, but that’s another post.  Suffice it to say, it’s the first fruits the foxes are trying to spoil, so the vine never comes to its full potential.  Therefore it’s at this crucial moment the foxes must be stopped from doing any damage or else it will be irreparable and the young one in Christ may not fully recover from the damage caused.

Intimacy with God

God calls us through this passage to the hiding place in the rock (the Rock Christ Jesus) and wants to see our face and hear our voice.  This is indicative of prayer, and definitely indicating intimacy.   Viewing these verses in that lens, we see that going and being alone with God and praying, we’ll wind up “catching those foxes” that ruin the Spirit’s work in our lives because we’re bound to them instead of walking in freedom.  When the vineyard is getting watered with the Word of God (Eph 5:26), then the things of the Spirit, such as the gifts and the fruit, and new wine revelation will flow, and it’s THIS the foxes try to destroy, stop or pervert and prevent from happening.

If you are struggling with fleshly tendencies, or overcoming habitual sin, experience and my understanding of this passage encourages me to encourage you to go be alone with Christ and ‘behold Him’ in this manner. Doing so will help you catch the foxes in your life that spoil the work of the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit in turn will help you grow strong in your inner man to overcome these areas.

Notice how it states in verse 14 that He loves the sound of her voice, so what better thing to be offering up with our voices than tongues since according to Romans 8:26 we don’t know what we ought to be praying?  Jude 20 mentions praying in the Holy Spirit to build ourselves up in the the most holy faith.  Another way of saying it, is that praying in tongues builds up the inner man and helps keep those foxes from spoiling the vine.  Jude was writing to the early Church–which was young and still in formation like ‘tender grapes’–to contend for the faith because false doctrine (foxes) had gotten into the Church and was rendering it powerless at this crucial moment in its history.  Early on, while the Body of Christ was still young and getting established, much like the vineyard with grapes in bloom in spring time–was the most sensitive and important time for false doctrine to be weeded out from spoiling things.  So the remedy to that is verse 20, praying in the Holy Ghost. Praying in the Spirit is our inoculation against false doctrine (the foxes) because it is how the Holy Spirit teaches us.

The Apostle John stated in his epistle: “I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing [of the Holy Spirit] that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.” (1 John 2:26-27, emphasis mine, and parenthesis mine).  The Holy Spirit, and abiding in Him IS the way you’ll avoid and be protected from deception.

So the application of this teaching?  Be intimate with Christ, and pray a whole lot in tongues as well. Not only will it help with your understanding and revelation of the Word of God, but it will help crucify your flesh and overcome the foxes that are holding us back.  As you dwell in the pure Word of God and allow it to ‘water your vineyard’, it will result in wine being produced.

The Holy Spirit is more easily able to flow through those who are intimate with Christ.

Related posts:

What Are You Feeding Your Tree?

How’s Your Connection To The Vine?

My response to Pat Robertson’s comments

I don’t usually write opinion-editorials for Fire On Your Head, and usually save them for my personal blog, but I feel the need to share some thoughts on the Earthquake in Haiti–but specifically the public comments made by 700 Club host Pat Robertson. I also realize if one listens to the context he spoke his comments in, he didn’t specifically say this disaster was judgment, but I’m using that title for this post because it’s the subject matter I hope to tackle–although insufficiently–even though lengthy as this post will be–I’m unable to cover everything needed to grasp this–so when leaving comments, please keep in mind that, yes, there are plenty of things I’m overlooking or not tackling. A book wouldn’t be enough to cover this stuff! So we’ll tackle a few things to make my point. After all, I’m just sharing my opinion.

I’m not going to repeat the same things as Albert Mohler said in his excellent article “Does God Hate Haiti” where he Scripturally contradicted much of what Robertson said, without mentioning his name at all. Maybe he wasn’t even referring to the controversy, but that’s how I and many others on Facebook took it when we re-posted it. I also read a very excellent response by Donald Miller, on why so many of us are drawn to the personality of a vengeful mean-spirited judgment-happy God. Heck, many in evangelicalism and in the liberal media to boot are all pouncing on Robertson’s latest ill-timed comments in the wake of a disaster, so why am I sharing my own?

I will assure you I’m NOT about to speak ill of Robertson other than to say I think over the years he has increasingly lost his relevance in our culture, by the repeated things he says publicly that may have a lot of truth to them, but are almost always said at the wrong time. I’m just using this latest controversy of his, and the fact many of us are well aware of the earthquake in Haiti to talk about stuff like this and ask serious questions Christians have struggled with all throughout history. But in showing respect to Dr Robertson, many Christian television programs and networks owe their livelihood to people like him who’ve paved the way with the CBN television network and The 700 Club show. The picture selected for this article of Robertson on the cover of TIME magazine in 1986 is selected as a way of indicating the influence he has had in his ministry and career. I’d like to show honor for what he’s accomplished. However, he’s not right all the time. Remember Job’s friends who tried explaining away why Job was going through such hard times, waxing eloquent in their theology, but God himself stepped in and rebuked them! I want to be careful with our explanations of things in case that’s just what they are–wrong.

A few years ago a school board in a county in Pennsylvania rejected teaching intelligent design alongside evolution and he proclaimed that sometime in the next year a natural disaster would occur because they rejected God. He was among the first after Hurricane Katrina to correlate the disaster to the city’s wickedness, even though as others pointed out–the French Quarter–the area known infamously for Mardi Gras celebrations–was untouched, but yet many lower income families were the ones who lost their homes. I could give many more examples, usually revolving around the alleged evidence something is judgment from God–to give examples Dr Robertson has said publicly, and many Christians probably would agree with him but just not the timing of his comments.

His comments not only cause the enemies of God to scoff, but damage others who hear them and don’t understand them. I also realize Robertson’s spokespeople released a statement on his behalf clarifying “Dr. Robertson never stated that the earthquake was God’s wrath,” and that “They have sent a shipment of millions of dollars worth of medications that is now in Haiti, and their disaster team leaders are expected to arrive tomorrow and begin operations to ease the suffering.” And praise God for all that aid! However, most people don’t know or really care about the aid, since all they know about are the comments Robertson continues to make with such ill timing.

I also read a blog by an self-proclaimed atheist who is currently located in Haiti, saying in his post that upon crawling out of rubble and realizing other colleagues didn’t survive, that part of him thanked God even though he didn’t believe in Him. Then at the end of his post he clicked to a news article about the Pat Robertson controversy and stated this was some kind of proof (or excuse) for why he’d remain an atheist.

What Does The Bible Say About God’s Judgment?

Since the nature of my post is an Op-Ed, obviously I won’t be able to cover every single point of Scripture. Natural disasters and accidents get people talking and thinking about such matters, so let’s take a BRIEF look but a specific passage of Scripture and concepts come to mind.

First of all, most people head to Old Testament Scriptures for their perception of this God who sends hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and so on, when people are wicked. But even then, we’re not given sufficient information on why specific things happen. We look to God’s dealings with Israel and Babylon, and wicked nations, and point to the God of wrath for our conclusions on his dealings with the human race. However, Al Mohler pointed out in his article:

Why did no earthquake shake Nazi Germany? Why did no tsunami swallow up the killing fields of Cambodia? Why did Hurricane Katrina destroy far more evangelical churches than casinos? Why do so many murderous dictators live to old age while many missionaries die young?

If sin and wickedness by the inhabitants are the reason natural disasters occur, then we have to explain why it’s not a consistent explanation all throughout world history for scores of other disasters or lack of them. As well, would it hurt our pride to admit the New Testament Scriptures (post-Christ’s work on the cross) don’t seem to really deal with this subject? We’ll get to the work of Christ on the Cross to pacify the wrath of God in a moment.

There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5, ESV, bold emphasis mine)

Jesus answered by pointing out the victims in these situations were no worse sinners than people such calamities had not happened to. He tells them however, unless they [those listening] repented, they will all likewise perish. Keep that in mind as we will come back to it. He didn’t say the victims were reaping what they’d sown. He didn’t say there are generational curses back in their family line for so many generations that had never been renounced. He didn’t say there must not have been enough righteous people like Lot to avert judgment. He didn’t say “nobody did a good job spiritually mapping the place and taking down every stronghold through prayer and flag waving.” He didn’t even touch that kind of stuff.

The following paragraph, one that’s probably separated in your Bible translation with a new sub heading, goes on to say:

And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”(v. 6-9, bold emphasis mine)

Jesus continued the point he was making about those calamities with the comments that followed, and was not changing the subject as our subheadings might subconsciously make us think. I believe the vinedresser represents a type of intercessor standing in the gap between God and man, and tying this into why the tower fell or why the Galileans were killed in such a way as to have their blood mixed with pagan sacrifices. It’s one thing to react to a calamity and offer help and practical aid. It’s another thing to callously go on our TV shows or go on our blog sites and explain why the calamity happened in the first place–but what about the rest of us–who aren’t in the spiritual habit of interceding for nations, praying for other saints and for the Gospel to be spread in various places? What about those of us to whom God speaks something to for the purpose of praying against it, as intercessors? Are there any of those such saints in Haiti or any other nation on a fault line miles underneath its soil (that’s another explanation–earthquakes tend to happen in regions where they are likely to happen!).

Jesus didn’t answer the why to their question, and dealt with other more important aspects of this calamity.

We Are Way Too Simplistic in Dealing with Heavy Issues

I have a hard time with some of the prophetic declarations people so easily throw around these days about God judging nations. It’s the opinion of this author that many of these perceptions stem from peoples’ own frustrations about other peoples’ wickedness. I also believe we as Christians are way too simplistic about things like evil, and natural disasters. I don’t say this because I pick and choose Scripture I like and don’t like, and like God’s mercy but not his judgment or something–but because I find some of the stuff popularly believed by modern ‘prophets’ and many Christians whose perception of God is so vindictive He’s looking for an excuse to wipe us out–I find a lot of that contradicted in the New Testament by the work Christ accomplished on the cross.

The more I study the judgment day of God, the more I’m compelled to see that it’s a day or fixed point when He will judge [the secrets of men's hearts] (Romans 2:16-17) So if Christ accomplished a way for us to be redeemed from the wrath of God, and there’s coming a day when all will be judged once and for all, where do we come up with ideas that in the meantime, when something goes wrong it’s somehow related to God judging for sin? Natural disasters happen. Things happen to loved ones and we’ll never know or understand why. We may question God when it looks like He did or didn’t do something. We know that all of creation underwent a curse as a result of man’s sin, and the first Adam brought death, sin, and disease into creation–not just to mankind. That being said, the work of Christ on the cross that was meant to redeem mankind from the curse of sin, does accomplish what it was intended to. However, mankind is a creation with free will to reject Christ.

It’s this author’s understanding of Scripture that we as a people of God cry out to Him in intercession, we can avert things in the natural such as disasters. I’ve heard remarkable stories of tornadoes avoiding churches where Christians were gathered praying and worshiping. But that being said, I don’t see Scripturally God sending the tornado. Sowing and reaping happens: the earth, creation is groaning, waiting for the revelation of the sons of God. As that day gets closer and closer, the more and more we will see it. But we aren’t given explanations as to where and why they originate. However, for discussion’s sake, I do remember Tommi Femrite teaching a very compelling teaching on intercession a few years ago dealing with how we can affect the actual land. Check it out here. Not saying I agreed with everything in it, but still worth a listen in light of this subject matter–heck you may like her explanations better than my article here.

Behind the Scenes

There might be a pillar of the community who’s an elder in the Christian fellowship he attends, and who runs a bank and gives sizable amounts of money to the poor. Not only that, but he selflessly helps old ladies cross the street every time he sees one. One day in the middle of winter he slips, falls and breaks his neck and spends the rest of his life in a wheelchair unable to move his arms or legs, needing to be fed and clothed. Meanwhile in the same community, a cussing, tobacco chewing, thieving adulterer and blasphemer–who’s constantly in and out of jail–survives a plane crash that otherwise had no survivors. He then goes on to survive a train derailment, which also had no other survives. Next, he walks away from an 18 car pile-up with not even a cut on his body. His apartment burns down and he walks out of the rubble unscathed. And worse yet, he even steals candy from little children when their parents aren’t looking in public playgrounds. Nobody can understand why the Christian man would have such a horrific lot in life when he seemingly was such an upstanding man, while Joe bank robber keeps dodging death.

That’s the point–we’re looking at THIS lifetime and details we can see with our natural eyes to make spiritual judgments of eternal matters. It could very well be, that like the vinedresser Jesus spoke of in Luke 13 pleading for mercy, that this Joe bank robber’s mother is a devout born again believer, interceding for him for 6 hours a day in her prayer closet, begging God to work on his heart so he could willingly submit his life to Christ. But he keeps winding up in situations where, if it weren’t for his godly mother fighting in prayer for his very soul–his life would have been required of him the first time he entered into peril.

Who knows? But that’s just a hypothetical example. It could very well be that stuff is going on in the spirit realm we’ll never know! I admit and realize there are no easy answers to things like this, and that’s why all this is just my opinion.

The Ultimate Issue

To get back to the Scripture I’ve chosen to use, at first glance it might seem as though Luke 13:9 leaves us hanging, as Jesus is interrupted in verse 10 by a demon possessed woman, and upon casting it out, the pharisees get on his case because it was the Sabbath. It would seem that Jesus left us listeners hanging and was interrupted. That is not the case, this was actually icing on the cake for the stuff he’d been teaching the crowd in the previous chapter. That being said, Jesus said “but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (v.3). That was the ultimate issue.

Don’t let Pat Robertson’s words bother you or cause you worry, let Christ’s words cause you concern if you don’t know Him personally:

“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! (Luke 12:4-5)

“But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (v. 39-40)

Just as Jesus Christ is returning to the earth at an hour when we do not expect, likewise we have no guarantee our lives won’t be taken at an hour any of us can predict. If your life were to end today, through natural disaster, accident or just plain ill health of some kind. Would you be ready?

“For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 2:12-16, emphasis mine)

Jesus Christ, God’s own Son, suffered the wrath of God that yours and my sins incurred. While we were yet dead in our sins, He died for us (Col 2:13). The only options are to either accept that He paid for our sins by His punishment–that was ours–on the cross, or wait for that day and be judged then ourselves. It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God when we’re His enemy (see Heb 10:26-31) Either way, that’s part of why I don’t believe natural calamities are from God as a judgment necessarily, but are a part of a fallen creation–ruined by sin–and we can hold back the floodgates so to speak by our intercession. But ultimately it’s foolish of us to speak of why some of these things happen. The ultimate issue, is one of more eternal significance.

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” (Eph 2:4-5)

For more discussion

About a year ago we did a series on the Fire On Your Head Podcast with author and speaker S.J. Hill. Attached below are the links to them:

Judgment and ‘Acts of God’

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The Mystery of Evil & Wickedness

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Has God Given Up On America?

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As some Fire On Your Head readers may have noticed by the direction of my recent postings here–a blog site intended to motivate readers towards revival–I’ve been focusing a lot in my own contributions to the site on intimacy with God, and His love.  I’ve personally been having a paradigm shift where I’m realizing unless we individually have a personal revival, there’s not much point in seeking global or national revival.

The reason and my motivation for taking so much time to do so is important.  If we’re going to see the fires of revival spread, then we need to understand what the fuel for that fire is: intimacy with God. And statistically and anecdotally speaking, many of us struggle in that one area of our lives.  Many Christians skip books like the Song of Solomon in their Bible because of not understanding Scriptures through a Bridal paradigm.  Or many of us have struggled in our relationships with our earthly fathers, and have a hard time viewing God as a loving Father.

At any rate, for whatever the specific reason, it’s not uncommon for many Christians to struggle with their intimate relationship with Christ.  I personally used to struggle with approaching my prayer and quiet time from a place of enjoyment, but instead out of duty and obligation, or out of the desire to find something to study so as to have good material to blog or preach about.  It took a long time for my stubborn heart to be open to the idea God was pursuing me; that God delights in me and wants to have a relationship with me just because He’d like to, not just because He wants to ‘use me’ to fulfill a purpose.

That all being said, one of the greatest revivalists in Christendom knew this secret to intimacy with God: Charles Finney, a man credited with being responsible for the Second Great Awakening.  He had a deep intimacy with God that most people don’t know about, which also is why He was so effective in ministry and revival.  I’ve been re-reading a favorite book of mine I got years ago called “Finney On Revival” by V. Raymond Edman.

Check out what Finney says of  his conversion experience:

…I returned to the front office and found that the fire I had made of large wood was nearly burned out.  But as I turned and was about to take a seat by the embers, I received a mighty baptism of the Holy Spirit.  Without any expectation of it or ever having a thought in my mind that there were such a thing for me, and without any recollection that I had ever heard of it mentioned by anyone before, the Holy Spirit descended upon me in a manner that seemed to go right through my body and soul like a wave of electricity.  Indeed, it seemed to come in waves and waves of liquid love, for I could not express it in any other way.  It seemed like the very breath of God.  I can recall distinctly that it seemed to fan me like immense wings.

No words can express the wonderful love that was shed abroad in my heart.  I wept aloud with joy and love, and literally bellowed out the unutterable fullness of my heart.  These waves came over me and over me, one after the other, until I cried out, “I shall die if these waves continue to pass over me!”  I said “Lord, I cannot bear any more”; yet I had no fear of death.  (p.34)

“At home, I soon fell asleep, but almost as soon awoke again on account of the great flow of the love of God that was in my heart.  Then I fell asleep again, and awoke in the same manner. Thus I continued till late into the night, when I obtained some sound repose. “(p.35)

One thing that interests me about the account of Finney’s conversion experience, is how much it underscores the God who was pursuing him.  God was after Him before He realized it to be so.  Just like Adam in the Garden, Abraham, Gideon, the Apostle Paul, and scores of other Biblical and historical men of God, the Lord was the one who initiated the relationship.  How much more so we could each look at our own salvation experiences and see God at work in the same manner!

He goes on to continue to describe a new baptism that he experienced again the following morning when he awoke, stating:

“In this state I was taught the doctrine of justification by faith as a present experience.  I could now see and understand what was meant by the passage  “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  I could see in the moment I believed all sense of condemnation had entirely dropped out of my mind, and that from that moment I could not feel sense of guilt or condemnation by any effort I could make.  My sense of guilt was gone; my sins were gone and I do not think I felt any more sense of guilt than if I had never sinned.

This was just the revelation that I needed.  I felt myself justified by faith…my heart was so full of love that it overflowed.  My cup ran over with blessing and with love…I could not recover the least sense of guilt for my past sins.  Of this experience I said nothing at the time to anybody.” (p.35, emphasis mine)

Later in his life:

In those days there came a profound desire to search out his heart and test his consecration to all the will of God. It was at that time that Finney had the soul-searching struggle of a deeper consecration than ever before, which included his dear wife and family. With utter and unreserved yielding to all that the will of God might be, he came to a perfect resting in that will as he had never known before:

“At this time it seemed as if my soul was wedded to Christ in a sense in which I had never had any thought or concept before. The language of the Song of Solomon was as natural to me as my breath. I thought I could understand well the state of mind he was in when he wrote that song; and concluded then, as I have ever thought since, that that song was written after he had been reclaimed from his great backsliding. I not only had all the freshness of my first love, but a vast increase to it. Indeed, the Lord lifted me so far above anything that I had ever experienced before and taught me so much of the meaning of the Bible of Christ’s power and faithfulness, that I often found myself saying to Him, “I had not known or conceived that any such thing was true.” I then realized what is meant by the saying, “He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.” He did at that time teach me infinitely above all that I had ever asked or thought. I had had no concept of the length and breath, and height and depth and efficiency of his grace.”

After that meeting with his Master, there never came to Finney the great struggles and protracted agonizing prayer over the will of God; rather he had come to a calmness and perfect confidence in the fulfillment of the divine will, and to say,

“He enables me now to rest in Him and let everything sink into His perfect will, with much more readiness than ever before the experience of that winter. I have felt since then a religious freedom, a religious buoyancy and delight in God and in His Word, a steadiness of faith, a Christian liberty and overflowing love that I had only experienced, I may say, occasionally before…It seems to me that I can find God within me in such a sense that I can rest upon Him and be quiet, lay my heart in His hands, nestle down in His perfect will, and have no worry or anxiety. (p. 54-55, bold emphasis mine)

Finney learned that only a few seem to understand the experience of rest in God:

“But in preaching, I have found that nowhere can I preach those truths on which my own soul delights to live, and be understood, except it be by very small number. I have never found that more than a very few, even of my own people, appreciate and receive those views of God and Christ, and the fullness of His free salvation, upon which my own soul still delights to feed. (p.55)

Father, don’t let us become a people who seek to mimic methods and styles of evangelists and revivalists of the past, but without an intimacy with You.  Grant us this understanding and revelation of rest that so few seem to understand and know about You.  Draw us into that deeper place, for only there will we have any efficacy in our labors for You–if they’re born of love and from the secret place alone with You.  Make of us a people who delight to feed on You and Your Word

Draw us in Father, for we desire to have it said of us that we are first and foremost a people who delight ourselves in You!

Amen

‘Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.’ -Lev. 10.3

The nations are perishing and the Church is languishing for want of the knowledge of God. This generation of American souls is largely ignorant of the God of the Scriptures, and we have been too preoccupied and distracted by this world to come into that knowledge ourselves. We have preached a hollow message that bears little resemblance to the revelation of God set forth by the apostles and prophets, and the condition of our nation testifies to it.

We have made light of sin, made the faith into a mere subculture, and the cities of America remain mostly unconvinced of the reality of God. We have not demonstrated His love and purity, for we have been functioning along the lines of the world, catering to self and living under the intoxicating influences of a consumeristic society.

This story of Aaron’s sons rattles our presumptuous definitions of God, and while it may seem unsavory or distasteful to consider, it is a vital portion of Scripture that needs to be reflected on. We need to reckon with passages like this until we break into a fuller understanding of who the Lord is, for if we pick and choose passages only of our own liking, we end up forming distorted views of God. Indeed, we all see in part, but to willfully neglect an aspect of who He is according to the Scriptures is to open the gate to deception.

I believe the message of His great love must increase and be shouted from the rooftops, but if He has also shown Himself as holy, and we fail to see Him as He has revealed Himself, what foundation do we have? His attributes are not categories that we can pick based on personal preference, as if the Bible was a menu at a restaurant. His traits are intertwined and tied up with His Person, and every revelation of God given in the Scriptures is a glimpse into His great heart. We cannot discard the portions that seem less appealing. If we do that, we have created our own view instead of receiving His. At best, our revelation of God will be a partial foundation, and that is not sufficient for a life of discipleship, nor will it hold in days of great trial and upheaval. We need to be rooted and grounded in His great love and purity, walking in the joy of communion and the fear of the Lord, for this alone will fit us to glorify Him in the day of His power.

He has revealed both His “kindness” and His “severity” for a reason (Rom. 11.22). It is not merely so that our systematic theology will be accurate. He has revealed Himself in this way because this is who He is, and to know Him and love Him as He is, that alone is eternal life.

Decades ago, A.W. Tozer wrote:

I refer to the loss of the concept of majesty from the popular religious mind. The Church has surrendered her once lofty concept of God and has substituted for it one so low, so ignoble, as to be utterly unworthy of thinking, worshiping men. This she has done not deliberately, but little by little and without her knowledge, and her very unawareness only makes her situation all the more tragic.

…. The world is evil, the times are waxing late, and the glory of God has departed from the church as the fiery cloud once lifted from the door of the Temple in the sight of Ezekiel the prophet.

The God of Abraham has withdrawn His conscious Presence from us, and another God whom our fathers knew not is making himself at home among us.

(A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy; Harper & Brothers, 1961; pp. 6, 49)

I am convinced that Tozer’s words are profoundly true of the Church in our times, and one of the chief reasons for this loss of majesty is that we have diminished- perhaps unconsciously- the sense of God’s holiness. We need a recovery of reverence, hatred for sin, and a baptism of fire to purge us of the arrogance and strutting that still marks too many of our lives and ministries.

There are wonderful teachings on the love of God in circulation, and I pray they continue to increase as our hearts enlarge in the experience of His kindness and compassion. But we are radically lacking a sense of His holiness, and since He is both loving beyond comprehension, and holy beyond description, the whole counsel of Scripture is essential for a true knowledge of God. Passages like this from Leviticus 10 provide a crucial vantage point for our understanding of Who God is.

Aaron’s sons, along with the people of Israel, had witnessed the majesty of God at the end of chapter 9. “The glory of the Lord appeared to all the people,” “fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering,” “and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.” (9.23-24)

Without a doubt, the scene was exhilarating, and the sense of God’s mercy and holiness was overwhelming for all who were present. Reverence and joy mingled within them, and the people fell prostrate with shouts of praise and awe issuing forth. What happened next is both devastating and sobering.

“Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.” (10.1-2)

We don’t know exactly what prompted Nadab and Abihu to perform what is recorded in chapter 10. Were they trying to reproduce the elation of the previous event? Were they wanting their names to be recognized before the people, rather than being jealous for the glory of God’s name? We don’t have the answer to every question here, but we do know that the fire they offered was not authorized by the Lord. It was offered in their “respective firepans,” and its source was of men rather than of God. It was “strange” and unholy, something “which He had not commanded them.”

It was so offensive to the Lord that “fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.”

At this point it is easy for our hearts to short-circuit. We lose touch with the raw reality of the Biblical passage. We cannot fathom the thought that the very fire of God Himself actually came out from the holy place and devoured the sons of Aaron. Our view of the Lord is casual and light, and the idea of judgment is foreign to most modern believers. If the idea of God’s wrath is agreed to in a credal way, it often bears a feeling of unreality, and the idea of judgment actually touching men on the earth seems fictitious or mythical.

But that does not discount the truth of the passage, and we need to realize that this is an actual historical event. It is not allegorical or symbolic, but a true piece of our heritage in the faith. It is meant to bring to us what it brought to Moses, Aaron, and the people of God; namely, a sense of His holiness, and an awareness that He does not tolerate sin, nor any activity that is carried out in His name that misrepresents His glory.

Just when we might have blamed the event on some demonic attack, Moses gives clarity to what has occurred.

“Moses then said to Aaron, ‘This is what the LORD spoke of when he said:
‘Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.’
Aaron remained silent.” (v. 3)

This event of judgment, which gripped the community of Israel with holy fear, is completely intertwined with the revelation of God in the Scriptures. It is just as much a revelation of His personality as was His washing of the disciples feet, His blessing of little children, and His raising of Lazarus from the dead. It is a revelation of God’s holiness, and it is one that we need desperately to recover. He is holy, and we cannot use Him for our purposes.

This hits home in a concentrated way in this present generation. Perhaps the fouls committed against the sense of His holiness are no more flagrant than in certain segments of the Charismatic Church, where charisma and gifting are often elevated while the Scriptures and the character of Christ are undervalued.

My heart aches in this hour of often flippant faith, when silliness and frivolity are equated with “liberty in the Spirit,” and when anyone with jealousy for truth and reality is accused of having a religious spirit.

When I see men placing a low value on the Scriptures, or labeling anyone with passion for the Word a “pharisee,” I tremble on the inside.

When I see men acting as if they are inhaling the Holy Spirit through imaginary marijuana joints, calling it “Jehovajuana” and claiming that they are “toking the Ghost,” I am mortified at the total loss of reverence for God. There is absolutely nothing holy about such activity! It is a deplorable and scandalous example of strange and unauthorized fire.

When I see men boasting of great power and bragging about the international influence of their ministries while the sense of His holiness is absent, it makes me apprehensive.

When a so-called “revivalist” can shed his wife and marry another woman with no Scriptural grounds, only to re-enter public ministry with the blessing of well-known leaders, I am filled with concern. This has happened many times over the years, and I am wondering where the standard of truth has gone!

I want to be merciful towards all men, but there has to come a point where the gullibility and lack of discernment are spoken against. I don’t think we are far from Tozer’s description, that “another God whom our fathers knew not is making himself at home among us.”

A few of my mentors have even encountered a trend among “worship-leaders,” where they will use profanity, or do other wild and crazy things in services, claiming that by this absurdity they are “shaking the religious spirit off of the crowd.” I cannot give words to how far we have fallen.

You may say that I have a religious spirit myself, but I cannot give my soul over to these expressions of spiritual activity that militate against the revelation of God that I have received over the course of my life in God. He is holy, holy, holy, and the line of revelation from Genesis to Revelation does not alter one bit. He is kinder and more loving than we can describe, but He is pure and just as well, His judgments have already touched the earth, and He is still slated to return as both Savior and Judge.

We do need to desire “earnestly” the gifts of the Spirit and the outpouring of His power. We need to be awakened more and more to the depth of His great love and compassion. And indeed, when the Spirit of God moves in power, things will happen that we cannot explain and that take us by surprise. But what has happened to the fear of the Lord?

I am convinced that our unwillingness to come into the knowledge of God, as the Scriptures have revealed Him, has produced the seedbed for our sub-apostolic Christianity. Before the cities of the earth will be “turned upside down,” we need to regain the majesty of the revelation of God Himself. We need to turn from sin and return to the God of glory, to the Scriptures, to prayer and fasting, to worship and obedience.

We have lost the sense of His holiness, and I fear the consequences are much worse than the immediate judgment of two priestly sons. The Lord has permitted many to veer off into their own ideas of Himself, even while chasing supernatural activity, and their stupor grows heavier the more and more men make light of sin and neglect the Scriptures. A widespread famine of the true knowledge of God is even more tragic than the death of Aaron’s sons. Entire movements are chugging along without a sense of His holiness, quite at home with sin, and so intermingled with the world that there is no “distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean.” (Lev. 10.10)

We cannot rightly value the kindness and mercy of the Lord if we have diminished the bright light of His holiness and the radical nature of His hatred for sin.

We are more like the 1st-century Church at Corinth than we realize, and the word of the apostle Paul is the same to us as it was to them. He did not doubt the validity of their gifts, nor did he consider them unbelievers. But he had serious correction to give as well, for they were veering off in the wrong direction:

“Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.’ Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.” -1 Cor. 15.33-34

Oh, for the true knowledge of God! For the joy of communion and the trembling of reverence! The salvation of Israel and the nations, and the raising of our sons and daughters depends entirely upon the measure to which we have come into the knowledge of God, as He truly is. He kindly invites us into the purity and joy of union with Himself, for which reason we have been saved. We need to be enlarged in His love. We need the sense of His holiness. May we hear from God Himself in this hour.

Lord, our lips are unclean, and we live amongst a people of unclean lips. We have failed to see You as You are, but You have been so gracious to give us the Scriptures. You have been so gracious to send Your Son. You are merciful enough to send us Your Spirit and to lead us into all truth. You have been so patient with us. Would you wake us up to the reality of Your holiness? We want to turn from silliness and deception, and to come into the apostolic faith of the Scriptures. Make us a people of humility, holiness, love, and power. Let us come into the sense of Your holiness, that a line of distinction may be drawn in the earth again. Let us know You as you are, and let Your name be honored and glorified above all.

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. Love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The man who fears has not been made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:16-18

In our first part of this series, we looked at how the love of God as motivation for operating in and serving with the Spiritual gifts was more important than any use of the gifts in and of themselves.  Our phraseology has been that ‘love [agape] is better than wine [works of the Spirit] but not excluding them as mentioned in Song of Solomon 1:2, and 4:10.   We’ve been establishing the context for which I’ve been saying those things: that the gifts and ministries of the holy Spirit are not either/or, but both/and and that true filling and operating in the Holy Spirit will also be characterized by love for God and for one another. Then in our second part, we looked at Ephesians 5:17-33 for another witness in Scripture about this and how it ties into the Bridal paradigm of the New Testament. Reading the first two parts of this study will be highly beneficial for proceeding further, but not necessary.  Hopefully we’ll destroy some misconceptions about the fear of God.  Let’s face it, how can we be intimate with someone if we’re afraid of Him?

The reason I’d like to look at these verses from 1 John for some reflection and meditating in this context of our series, is because most of us still view God with fear, instead of awe.  Many people feel obligated–myself included oftentimes to be completely honest–to obey God out of fear instead of out of love and appreciation of Him.  Many preachers I love listening to and reading emphasize the consequence of disobedience, and the consequences of sin, and talking about what we’ve been saved FROM, but they don’t nearly emphasize as much what we’ve been saved TO.  The side effect as a result, is fear, shame, and guilt motivating much preaching rather than obedience as a fruit of intimacy.

Love Instead of Fear as a Motivation For Obedience

In Revelation 1: 17 we read the Apostle John say upon seeing Jesus in all his glory in the verses preceding, that “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.” Most of us don’t finish the sentence and read Jesus’ reaction to this: “But he laid his right hand on me saying, “Fear not.” Even though Jesus is clothed in all his splendor–and the human heart’s reaction would be to be fearful of being struck by lightning or something of that sort–we are SAFE in the presence of the Savior.  He reaches out His hand, yearning for us to come near and not fear.

A friend of mine once remarked to me that most of us are so preoccupied with loving God with all our heart, that we forget to realize and accept how much He loves us. Author, speaker and teacher S.J. Hill says this:

Personally, I’m deeply troubled by messages that use the fear of punishment as a motivation for obedience. Jesus deserves so much better! In fact, if our obedience is not motivated by love, it’s not the kind of obedience Jesus is wanting from us in the first place. If some want to talk about God testing our motives, then let’s talk about the proper motivation for walking in holiness. Our obedience must be affection-based. If it isn’t, then it’s not true obedience at all. How can an obedience motivated by a fear of punishment in this life or the life to come really be pleasing to the Lord?

In my book, ENJOYING GOD, I write, “Passages such as 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 have been used to provoke individuals to radical obedience. However, what’s overlooked is John’s statement in 1 John 4:16-18 (Emphasis mine)

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The man who fears has not been made perfect in love.‘”  (v 18)

Most of us mistakenly view fearing God as the same thing as being afraid of Him.  How on earth could we be intimate with Him if we were afraid of Him?  How many children have had deep meaningful relationship with their earthly fathers if they were afraid of them–maybe growing up in abusive situations?  Afraid that at any given moment the father might fly off the handle and snap.  When you’re afraid of a parent, you’re not going to be close to Him.

We’re not going to spend eternity with God afraid He might wake up one day in a bad mood.  There won’t be some day in the year 5 million, where we hear a loud grouchy thunderous voice, and have fear instilled in us as we ask someone nearby ‘what was that?”

“Oh, that was God–He’s in a bad mood today!  Don’t look at Him wrong!”

Of course not!  He is the most pleasant person to be around, and our worship of Him should reflect that.

The fear of the Lord is more rightly translated as the awe of Him.  We are to be in as much awe and fascination of Him as possible.  The idea that He dwells in unapproachable light is not to be taken to mean HE is unapproachable, but that that is our reaction in holy fascination of His beauty.

Putting the Cart Before the Horse

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:21-23)

This is a very important and sobering concept and you might not have heard it put this way before, but hear me out: I’ve heard fear-based messages on this taught more times than not, using this passage to point out that just because people do things in the name of the Lord doesn’t mean they’ll be in heaven.  I don’t disagree with that, but I think it’s over-emphasized by most.  Notice the things mentioned–these people were proclaiming to Jesus that they were prophesying, casting out demons in His name, and performing mighty works which one cannot do in His name without being saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. They were boasting of all the great ministry they were doing in His name.  His response isn’t that he merely didn’t know them, but the text says never.  Not just because they didn’t know him, but because they didn’t know Him and then after the comma, in the same sentence He states, “you [are] workers of lawlessness“–or as other translations put this phrase–’workers of iniquity.’

I’d like to submit for consideration a different angle to view this from:  it’s not just that these people were workers of lawlessness or iniquity who this will be said to on that day when the sheep are separated from the goats, but that doing anything–even of the spiritual gifts–WITHOUT agape love and coming from a place OTHER than out of agape love and intimacy with Christ–is itself iniquity. Even when our motives are good, our righteous deeds are still as filthy rags (Isa 64:6).  Hosea 6:6 mentions how God desires mercy–or as some translations say loyalty–more than sacrifice, which could signify the ‘right’ religious rituals and activity. God wants us, and stands at the door knocking so that He may fellowship with us, first and foremost.  Anything ministry-wise that we will ever do effectively for God must come from a place of intimacy with Him.  It is such a reason as this that He will take one look at many, and say “I don’t know you.  In fact, I never knew you.“  It’s not that spending time in intimacy with Christ is important so that He won’t cast you aside on that day, but because NONE of the works you could ever do for Him to present to Him on that day will have any significance if they aren’t birthed from an intimate relationship with Him.

The point is not to put fear in our hearts for why we’re doing things for the Lord so that on judgment day we will not be cast aside as people He doesn’t know.  Rather, I want to encourage you to just focus on your intimacy with God first and foremost, and then take ministry and your deeds for the lord–your operations in the gifts of the Spirit such as the prophesying, healing and casting out demons like mentioned–let these things flow FROM your intimacy with Christ.

I speak from experience as well as just posing the question: how many of us rely on our works, our ministry, our deeds for God to replace our relationship with God? How many of us are so preoccupied and busy doing ministry, that we have no relationship with God? Friends, never allow yourself to get to a place where you’re too busy to spend time with the lover of your soul, because you’ve put the cart before the horse and are finding yourself too busy to spend time with him.

For further discussion on these matters, be sure to check out our most recent episode of the Fire On Your Head Podcast where we discuss love-empowered holiness and asked the question “Do Happiness and Holiness Mix?” with speaker and author S.J. Hill and missionary & world traveler Gregg Montella.

Download this episode (right click and save)