God has a thing for mountains!

March 3, 2009 in Christian Life with 0 Comments

God apparently has a thing for mountains. In his creation they clearly stand out, both geographically and conceptually. “Before the mountains were born, before You gave birth to the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity, You are God.” (Psalm 90:2). 

Abraham ascended Mount Moriah, the mountain upon which Jerusalem would later be built and Jesus would be offered, to offer his son of promise, Isaac (Genesis 22:14).

It was upon the Mountain of God, Horeb in the land of Midian, that Moses would be summoned to do his greatest work of all (Exodus 3:1). Aaron, Moses’ brother, would be told by God to reunite with Moses upon the same mountain to help the deliverance cause (Exodus 4:27). Later, upon Mount Sinai, God issued the law to Moses. There he remained for 40 days, in a uniquely special association with God!

David described God as a “mountain,” His “mountain” to be exact (2 Samuel 22:3; Psalm 18:2). A relationship with Him would be spoken of as life on God’s “holy mountain” (Psalm 15:1). So we shouldn’t be surprised that the dwelling place of God’s house in his kingdom would be spoken of as a “mountain” (Micah 4:1-2; Isaiah 2:2-4). You see, God apparently has a thing for mountains!

To understand Him and see Him for who He really is, we must go to the mountain of His house! This is the place unto which all are summoned to find Him. So life, the life with God, is really about ascending his holy hill and dwelling there. The implications are profound. Dwelling in “the house of God” is generally thought of as dwelling in heaven itself, but it’s really a lot more than that. 

More to come tomorrow!

Imagery That Doesn’t Resonate

March 2, 2009 in Christian Life with 0 Comments

Western-Cwm of Mount Everest

For two Sundays now, I have used the “mountain of the Lord’s house” imagery of Micah 4:1-2 and Isaiah 2:2-4 as the basis for coming to know the God of salvation in His Kingdom and Covenant. The similar prophecies from contemporary prophets were pivotal to first century Jews, but to people of our era, they just don’t seem to resonate. In fact, for some of us, these passages have been nothing more than proof texts for when and where the kingdom would be established.

To prove a point, I asked the audience, “If you saw your obedience to the gospel as a kind of “ascension” to the mountain of God’s house, please raise your hand.” Not a single hand was raised. Why?

To be sure, mountain imagery hardly resonates with Texans. In other geographical locals, where mountains are a part of the landscape, such imagery might be more customary, but not so here.

Also, something can be said about the context of the Micah and Isaiah passages. They home in on the transition between Jewish and Christian covenants. For first century Jews, they were statements of meaning into which they could personally relate. God’s house had been the Jerusalem temple, but a new spiritual house would be erected. The temple or “house” imagery would naturally have spoken to them, but not so much so to us.

The great challenge is to find if we can help give this imagery meaning to us. I am convinced, due to its lack of significance, that something is woefully lacking in me. So for my own soul’s benefit, I am in the process of ascending God’s mountain, because I do not want to miss out on something that God might have intended for me to behold as I better come to know him.

Quote of the Weekend

February 28, 2009 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

In response to the question, “How can one keep the law?”, Dallas Willard suggests,

Jesus well knew the answer to this question, and that is why he told those who wanted  to know how to work the works of God to put their confidence in the one God had sent (John 6:29). He knew that we cannot keep the law trying to keep the law. To succeed in keeping the law one must aim at something other and something more. One must aim to become the kind of person from whom the deeds of the law naturally flow. The apple tree naturally and easily produces apples because of its inner nature. This is the most crucial thing to remember if we would understand Jesus’ picture of the kingdom heart given in the Sermon on the Mount.”


Dallas Willard

The Divine Conspiracy

Evangelism

February 27, 2009 in Evangelism with 0 Comments

In my files are stored away a number of different quotes that I have collected over the years concerning different subjects. Several months ago I discovered one that I used in a lesson on evangelism. I  know nothing of the one who said it, nor do I remember exactly how I got it, but it goes like this: “Evangelism is one beggar telling another beggar where to get bread.” Such us true because “evangelism” is the spreading of good news. Where to find bread is “good news” to a beggar.

We shouldn’t be surprised that Jesus would use “bread” in a number of different analogies. What can compare to his “bread of life” analogy in John 6: living bread, bread from heaven, the bread of God, bread of life? It was powerful imagery!

Every so often, I find myself in discussions with others about what Italian food restaurant offers the best bread as an appetizer. Right now, Romano’s Macaroni Grill is on top of my list. That on several occasions I have found myself in the middle of such discussions, that were not started by me mind you, tells me that bread has an amazing appeal to our appetites. It’s good! If you, too, have a thing for bread, and I mean good bread, then the news of what you can get at Romano’s Macaroni Grill  is good news.

But the good news of the living bread of Jesus is better. In fact, it’s an unfair comparison, but hopefully it might help us see what we can get in Christ, one beggar to another!

Risk

February 26, 2009 in Uncategorized with 0 Comments

The internet is a wonderful tool and an excellent medium through which to communicate. Web sites, blog sites and the like open doors for world-wide expression. But with open doors comes also the potential for people to freely come in and out as well. And they do. That’s the risk of utilizing a venue like this. People can come in, express affirmation or dissent, and then walk away. Often they do so under the protection of anonymity. 

That there are those who scour the internet, looking to dig up dirt on others, is difficult to deny. I have had to deal with them and so have many others. Once again, that is the risk that’s taken in utilizing a venue like this.

In the past, I have been relatively sporadic in my usage of my own site, for this very reason. Why bother when all you draw are hecklers hiding in anonymity? Now others with whom I am very close are experiencing the same. It’s embarrassing on a number of different levels.

But I refuse to let a commiserable minority exercise that kind of authority over me. Base tactics are for base people. That’s the kind of thing the Pharisees sought to do to Jesus. It’s what happened to the infant church. So we shouldn’t be surprised when similar treatment is received by those striving to be His disciples.

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