Advanced Concepts

The Word of God is like a lion. You don’t have to defend a lion. All you have to do is let the lion loose, and the lion will defend itself.
- Charles Spurgeon

Advanced Concepts

Advanced is a relative term. When it comes to the obvious reasonableness of faith, all the more so these days. For our purpose here it includes identifying, understanding and answering life's greatest questions, as well as addressing our most pressing problems. It also denotes a unusual level of honesty in admitting the serious and precarious nature of our mortal existence.

Advancements are not made by the intellectually timid or those easily distracted. There's a price to be paid in the pursuit of excellence and perhaps even more so when pursuing the invisible, immaterial Tri-Omni God of the multiverse.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

- Matthew 24:35 GNT

The Bible's Hall of Fame of Faith notes many ringing victories of the giants of scripture. Hebrews 11:6 explains:

"But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him."

Diligence too can have many meanings. Its use in this passage is all inclusive encompassing a passion for truth, the willingness to work through disappointment and a zeal for God.

Facing the spiritual challenges and dilemmas devastating humanity is not for the faint of heart. Many experts and laymen have tried and failed. Others make a show of doing so but quickly opt for comforting platitudes and principals, cherry picked verses and man made prophesies.

Whole philosophies and theologies, denominations and doctrines are pieced together with partial or half truths. While the bottom half a jar may hold some water, is it enough to quench the rabid thirst of mankind? A jar cleaved down the middle holds nothing.

Vessels of Honor

Paul warns that we choose the extent we are useful to God, others and ourselves:

"But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honor and some for dishonor. Therefore if anyone cleanses himself from the latter, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified and useful for the Master, prepared for every good work." 2 Tim. 2:20-21

The same passage in The Message puts an ever finer point on it:

"In a well-furnished kitchen there are not only crystal goblets and silver platters, but waste cans and compost buckets—some containers used to serve fine meals, others to take out the garbage. Become the kind of container God can use to present any and every kind of gift to his guests for their blessing." 2 Tim. 2:20-21 MSG

Scripture abounds with prophetic advice for our times. After two millennia the Israelites as the church of their day had degenerated from the glories of the Exodus to the horrors of the Exile. Like Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, Ezekiel constantly preached the need for real repentance and warned of catastrophic judgment should God's people continue their rebellion. Here, as in so many passages, the ignored prophet reveals God's lament over the lack of qualification among even the best and brightest when it comes to understanding what He requires:

"Even common people oppress the poor, rob the needy, and deprive foreigners of justice. I looked for someone who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land, but I found no one. So now I will pour out my fury on them, consuming them with the fire of my anger. I will heap on their heads the full penalty for all their sins. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”

Again the same passage in the Message brings home the true seriousness of our situation:

"'Your priests violated my law and desecrated my holy things. They can't tell the difference between sacred and secular. They tell people there's no difference between right and wrong. They're contemptuous of my holy Sabbaths, profaning me by trying to pull me down to their level. Your politicians are like wolves prowling and killing and rapaciously taking whatever they want. Your preachers cover up for the politicians by pretending to have received visions and special revelations. They say, "This is what God, the Master, says..." when God hasn't said so much as one word. Extortion is rife, robbery is epidemic, the poor and needy are abused, outsiders are kicked around at will, with no access to justice.'"

"I looked for someone to stand up for me against all this, to repair the defenses of the city, to take a stand for me and stand in the gap to protect this land so I wouldn't have to destroy it. I couldn't find anyone. Not one. So I'll empty out my wrath on them, burn them to a crisp with my hot anger, serve them with the consequences of all they've done. Decree of God, the Master."

Understandably most of us avoid sorrow. Besides being painful, scripture explains worldly sorrow kills. However, this same verse declares godly sorrow brings life.

Even so, with more pleasurable endeavors surrounding us few risk traveling the path less taken. Few have the faith and hope to diligently seek God when confronted with His holiness and wrath. Few pay the price to search out and endure the full weight of scripture concerning the conditions the Bible places on Christians. Few have discovered the importance of the virtue of the fear of God in regards to approaching God.

Of the few with developed prayer lives only a fraction study the topic exhaustively or even consider the list of a requirements for successful prayer. Far from comprehensive, R.A Torrey's "What The Scripture Teaches" introduces the subject in his chapter on Who can pray so God will hear.

Trail Blazing

Prophetic Christians appreciate the essential importance of both the genuine fruit and gifts of the Holy Spirit. Both on an individual and corporate level. In regards to prayer, they are inspired by the Spirit to undertake the art of intercession, harmonizing with creation as together we groan to experience the trinity of God's glory. Such sorely needed men and women recognize the Bible was written by and tells the stories of people who cultivated and experienced great revival. Saints, while no doubt our betters, still offer encouragement and counsel to even such as we.

A sentiment captured by a few lines from Alfred Tennyson’s Ulysses:

“Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are —
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”

Literature and life about with examples of circumstance demanding the foolish and weak put on wisdom and strength. In the movie, “The Edge” Anthony Hopkins famously forces Alex Baldwin to man up in regards to killing a blood crazed giant grizzly with a sharpened tree limb. Shamed by ancient rights of passage of natives who did as much, Baldwin’s bid to continue shouting the truism, “What one man can do, another can do” until he believes.

Our current spiritual need of Pentecost’s fire, coupled with life's hardships and uncertainties, join to create a desperate need to touch and be touched by the Eternal. Throughout history, for better and worse, this innate desire has translated into living faith. Often inspiring both the best and worst of humanity. Heavenly and hellish acts of the religious fill annals. Within and without the Church, saints and sinners feel driven, committing the deeds of angles and devils. All while striving for a happiness few can define.

Without the fullness of the Spirit, mankind anthropomorphizes God and Scripture, reshaping both in our image. Sin, in its lusts for pleasure and wealth, sex and drugs, crime and violence, etc. are heaped, generation after generation, into the void of the human soul. A quantum vacuum at once infinitesimal and immense, fleeting and eternal. Filled with aspirations and cravings satisfied by nothing less than the abiding presence and glory of God.

Within modern Christianity, while much conspires to create a wish for revival, amazingly little genuine effort and resource are expended in it's pursuit. This is not to say that books and audios, events and conferences, don't abound on the subject. TV and radio, podcast and apps promote and promise it. Yet, all such effort combined is merely a drop of water in an ocean of often misdirected religious activities and tradition. Given the considerations already addressed, clearly these activities have been far from successful.

A good question is why? While legalism is anathema to Churchianity, honest realism is invaluable. If only a fraction of a percent of Christians are seriously seeking God, our chances of collectively pleasing Him are small. Doing so to the point of initiating another outpouring like Pentecost are minuscule, given we've merited judgment not further blessings. Here again, the prayer of Admiral Chester Nimitz comes into play, “God grant me the courage not to give up what I think is right even though I think it is hopeless.” The pursuit of which may be reminiscent of Winston Churchill's famous mindset, "Success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm."

Pursuing revival equates to pursuing God. The same God we are so greatly offending. Such an endeavor is quantum in nature. When we draw near to God He draws near to us. If we do so acceptably. We pursue Him, yet He pursues us. Either for the sake of mercy or judgment. We desire Him, yet He originates and/or frustrates this desire.

This is particularly true when we’ve continually “insulted the Spirit of Grace.” In ever new and greater measure. Knowingly or not.

As the ultimate Author of Hebrews, God encourages us to not grow tired or loose heart in our effort to press through until we are "filled with all the fullness of God!" He reminds many have done so before us:

"Do you see what this means—all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running—and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it..." Heb 12:1-2 MSG

Faith is meant to make Victors out of victims. Such faith begins with comprehending our place before God and learning to acceptably "come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."

Advance Concepts

Please click a link to view the following articles:

More information

In the Red Dropdown Icon you'll find resources that we hope will both stimulate and facilitate your pursuit of and understanding of the God of the Bible. To get started simply place your cursor on a category of interest and see where it leads. You can also join the discussion in a variety of ways including posting comments to God Blogs as well as making comments or asking questions by email or text.