I cannot ever get very far from talking about either intimacy and/or discipleship in these posts because I see so little evidence of these in the western church. I am not alone in this, of course, and I "discovered" some new allies this past week (who have been saying this much longer than I). So here's a review of yet another book!
It all started when at J.P. Moreland's suggestion in Kingdom Triangle I ordered (I thought!) Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard (J.P. says this is the one book above all others he would recommend). I popped on Amazon and clicked what I thought was the book and checked out. But when my order arrived I discovered that I had clicked on the wrong link. There in the Amazon box was a book entitled Renovation of the Heart in Daily Practice by Dallas Willard and Jan Johnson. I was not pleased but didn't send the book back since it at least contained portions of what I had wanted :-)
So I set the book aside...until last Friday. During my Papa time I sensed Him nudging me to read this little paperback--the whole thing--on that very day. After a brief argument about all I needed to do, I complied. I cannot tell you how glad I am that I did. This book now moves to my "highly recommended" list. It confirmed a great deal of what I am sensing and saying and challenged me as well about issues of the heart. The book takes "bite-sized" portions of Dr. Willard's book and adds a brief reflection and exercise that helps the reader apply what is being said. It really works well, at least it has for me.
As you may know, Dallas Willard contends (rightly) that everything begins with the heart (hence the title, eh?). Consider now with me, both comments by him and Jan Johnson and see if you catch "the heart" of what they are saying. (from Renovation of the Heart in Daily Practice by Jan Johnson and Dallas Willard. Copyright 2006, all rights reserved. www.navpress.com. Used by permission.)
Our lives are a result of what we have become in the depths of our being -- what we call our spirit, will or heart. From there we see our world and interpret reality. From there we make choices, break forth into action, and try to change our world. That is why the greatest need of collective humanity is the renovation of our heart....
Spiritual formation for the Christian refers to the Spirit-driven process of forming the inner world of the human self so that it becomes like the inner being of Christ himself. To the degree in which spiritual formation in Christ is successful, the outer life of the individual becomes a natural outflow of the character and teachings of Jesus. Christian spiritual formation is focused entirely on Jesus. Its goal is conformity to Christ that arises out of an inner transformation accomplished through purposeful interaction with the grace of God in Christ. Obedience is an essential outcome of Christian spiritual formation (see John 13:34-35; 14:21). (part of Dallas Willard's words in Chapter 3, "Change Me on the Inside," page 15).
Jan Johnson then writes the following wonderfully practical (and piercing) reflection.
When we say phrases such as, "He caught me off guard," or, "That bad word just slipped out," we refer to the truth that our outer actions aren't accidental -- they mirror our character within. When regrettable words "slip out," we didn't have time to dress up what was in our heart before it came tumbling out of our mouth. Unsavory thoughts leak out in objectionable words and behavior. Such "slips" reveal publicly the private inner workings of our heart. Jesus explained that "out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45, NIV).
Our task, then, is to cooperate with God and being changed on the inside so that we take on the personality of Christ. As we let what is stored in our heart be transformed, we behave as Jesus would behave.
If our insides are renovated, what comes out of us will bring about peace and righteousness. We won't have to try to love. Unloving thoughts and actions simply won't occur to us, just as loving ones will begin to spring up without our awareness. We will smile at an enemy automatically. It won't occur to us to argue. Instead, will pray inwardly for the disagreeable person in front of us. To cooperate with public greed or dishonesty will offend us to the core, and we will find ourselves unable to do it. (page 16)
There is much more treasure in this book, some of which I may share in later posts. But for now, if you do well at learning through reading and especially if you haven't read much of Dallas Willard, I recommend getting this book.
I welcome your thoughts.
Tom, one of Abba's children
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
My Father's Generation: The Great Ones
Last week I encountered one of the "great ones." My neighbor across the street has had her father and mother visiting them for a few weeks, and I had an opportunity to talk with Bill, her 80-something father one afternoon. By the time I was done listening to him I had tears in my eyes for a number of reasons and I walked away fully aware of why Tom Brokaw entitled his book about this generation "The Greatest Generation."
You see, Bill was in the Air Force during World War 2, and he told me some of his stories and talked about the price that his generation had paid to secure freedom for succeeding generations. He specifically talked in detail about the Normandy invasion (D-day) and his role as an Air Force photographer, etc. As he did so, I was stunned at the cost in lives that was paid on just the first day of the invasion that eventually set Europe free. Although historians are not agreed on exact figures for casualties, there is agreement that several thousand allied troops died on just the first day of the invasion. And total US military deaths for WW2 approached 300,000 and the total for deaths (civilian and military) from WW2 is about 61 million people! I knew these facts at one time, of course, but they were just facts for a history exam until I got older! Now as I hear my father or people like Bill talk about things like the Great Depression and World War 2, I marvel at the strength that men and women of this generation exhibited.
So I have pondered what made my father's generation so great. I don't have a lot of answers to this, but I do know this: my father's generation was the last values- or principles-based generation in in the Western world. They were the last generation to believe that there were things worth dying for and that the good of the whole outweighed one's personal fulfillment, rights, etc. Beginning with my generation, western culture shifted to what J.P. Moreland and others call a "thin culture" (see his book, Kingdom Triangle). A thin culture is not values/principle-based, but instead focuses on individual comfort, pleasure, happiness, etc.
So what does this have to do with simple church? Well, I am not sure, but I do know that the Kingdom of God has always been based on values and that unless those values (i.e., the character and will of God) inform and shape our behavior we will be indistinguishable from the culture around us. I also know that many voices are predicting much suffering, even for the western world, in the days ahead (economic collapse, famine, terror, etc.). Will the believers in the generations following The Great Ones be able not just to survive but shine like stars under such circumstances? We will, if we heed Andrew Murray's words (from his book God's Will: Our Dwelling Place).
"The first concern of most Christians in trouble is to be delivered from it. This may not be the most important thing to be concerned with. The one great desire ought to be: in nothing to fail in knowing and doing the will of God. This is the secret of strength and true nobility in the Christian life."
Thank you, Bill (and Dad), for leaving a legacy and paying a price that few alive today can fathom. May we who follow move out of our thin lives into the path you purchased with your lives.
Tom, the least of Abba's children
You see, Bill was in the Air Force during World War 2, and he told me some of his stories and talked about the price that his generation had paid to secure freedom for succeeding generations. He specifically talked in detail about the Normandy invasion (D-day) and his role as an Air Force photographer, etc. As he did so, I was stunned at the cost in lives that was paid on just the first day of the invasion that eventually set Europe free. Although historians are not agreed on exact figures for casualties, there is agreement that several thousand allied troops died on just the first day of the invasion. And total US military deaths for WW2 approached 300,000 and the total for deaths (civilian and military) from WW2 is about 61 million people! I knew these facts at one time, of course, but they were just facts for a history exam until I got older! Now as I hear my father or people like Bill talk about things like the Great Depression and World War 2, I marvel at the strength that men and women of this generation exhibited.
So I have pondered what made my father's generation so great. I don't have a lot of answers to this, but I do know this: my father's generation was the last values- or principles-based generation in in the Western world. They were the last generation to believe that there were things worth dying for and that the good of the whole outweighed one's personal fulfillment, rights, etc. Beginning with my generation, western culture shifted to what J.P. Moreland and others call a "thin culture" (see his book, Kingdom Triangle). A thin culture is not values/principle-based, but instead focuses on individual comfort, pleasure, happiness, etc.
So what does this have to do with simple church? Well, I am not sure, but I do know that the Kingdom of God has always been based on values and that unless those values (i.e., the character and will of God) inform and shape our behavior we will be indistinguishable from the culture around us. I also know that many voices are predicting much suffering, even for the western world, in the days ahead (economic collapse, famine, terror, etc.). Will the believers in the generations following The Great Ones be able not just to survive but shine like stars under such circumstances? We will, if we heed Andrew Murray's words (from his book God's Will: Our Dwelling Place).
"The first concern of most Christians in trouble is to be delivered from it. This may not be the most important thing to be concerned with. The one great desire ought to be: in nothing to fail in knowing and doing the will of God. This is the secret of strength and true nobility in the Christian life."
Thank you, Bill (and Dad), for leaving a legacy and paying a price that few alive today can fathom. May we who follow move out of our thin lives into the path you purchased with your lives.
Tom, the least of Abba's children
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Duty or Delight? Reflections on the H2H Conference
Okay, so now I am back from the House2House Conference and some have asked for my reflections on what took place there. Before I write this entry, though, I ask you to keep two things in mind. First, because I was part of one of the workshops I wasn't able to experience the other workshops so my perspective is rather limited. Second, I am unashamedly biased towards everything in life and ministry flowing from ever-increasing, experienced intimacy with Jesus (I know this isn't much of a surprise for those who read this blog!). Now for a few reflections.
First, the attendance at this conference was encouraging for two reasons: it was "sold out," and there were lots of first timers. I have been attending this conference for about 4 years and this is the first one I have experienced where there were so many new folks (that I can recall, at least). The move towards simpler expressions of life in the Kingdom is clearly reflected by this, I think.
Now as to the conference itself, one of my friends described it in terms of two very clear streams (and I borrowed his terms for the title of my blog--thanks, Kent!). One stream focused on intimacy with God as the source of everything (delight), the other stream focused more on a highly missional, "git er done" mentality (duty). Note that in spite of my previously mentioned bias, I honor and respect those who advocate the latter approach--I just can't go there myself! Note also that any attempt to describe things with only two words will inevitably miss lots of details. Many who are "missional" also advocate intimacy, and as you know, all who are truly intimate with Jesus are "on mission" with Him. Nevertheless, there was a clear emphasis one way or the other throughout much of the conference which many folks noticed.
Papa has helped me to get to a place where I can rejoice in the good in both streams, I think. So I was thrilled to hear the stories from Dennis Balcombe of what God has been doing in China for years and years. It was good, too, to hear that in many ways there is a new openness to the church in China. And hearing Wolfgang Simson talk about the Kingdom of God as central to what we are about was good and confirms what many are hearing God say about returning to the proclamation of the Gospel of the Kingdom. And Frank Viola was gentle, poignant and concise in his presentations. We can all see Jesus continuing to work wonderful new things in Frank.
But for me, the most encouraging parts of the conference came from Paul Young's times of sharing. It was like having The Shack visit us in person! Paul was totally transparent with us as he described the main character, Mack, as representing himself as an adult and Missy as that part of him that died as a child (and Paul had a lot die in him as a child!). He also told us that The Shack describes over the course of one weekend encounter with God what in actuality took him 11 years to live out! He also told us that the "shack" represents the broken places in our lives that we hide from others and that we are afraid to go into. God in His kindness, however, works in each of us to get us to our own shacks, and when we finally get up the courage to take off our veneer and go through the door of our own shack, we find Papa there in the midst of all the pain and garbage.
It's hard for me to describe what was happening in the room (and in our hearts) while Paul was sharing. It was as if Father were opening our hearts, removing the thin veneer that "church people" wear far too often and delving deeply into the most wounded places in our lives. I can't tell you how many people I personally prayed with who were basically "wrecked" by the tender yet persistent probings of the Holy Spirit. It was as if God released an atmosphere of transparency that exposed our brokenness. I prayed with person after person--men and women alike, and I saw Paul and others doing the same during breaks, etc.
At the heart of what was happening, I think, was the real "revolution." It's a revolution that goes far beyond how we "do church" or where we "do church" or even beyond "being the church." It's a revolution of love, a discovery that most of what we have called "Christianity" is a poor and weak parody of the Kingdom of God which is a Kingdom of love and freedom beyond comprehension. This revolution is a revolution of intimacy with God that I and many others have described and predicted (many have done so for far longer than I and with much more eloquence than I--Wayne Jacobsen comes to mind here).
As this revolution unfolded before my eyes, I remember thinking that I was actually seeing the answer to the prayer "Let your Kingdom come; on earth as it is in heaven." May whatever was started there during that time grow and increase until it becomes an unstoppable stream of love that cannot be restricted. May it forever sweep away human effort, religion and striving from the face of what we call "church"!
One final comment. We all received huge insight into how Paul Young lives out this simple, intimate life in Jesus during our workshop. While we were on the platform during the workshop Paul was actually texting a woman who was in great distress--in total, horrible crisis. Paul's compassion for this lady, his prioritizing care for her as she teetered on the brink of suicidal despair, said it all to me! As we prayed and received updates from Paul about this lady we were all drawn into the drama of a God who IS love and who can stop a "relational church workshop" (the largest workshop of the conference!) to care for one of His very precious and hurting daughters--amazing! I saw God as I have never seen before when I read The Shack, and I relived in even more vivid colors that revelation as we were drawn into God's love drama with the simple yet brilliant, firm yet gentle man, who wrote his life into a story for his children and then lived it out for us as he cared for someone he had never met.
So...the bottom line is that you may want to order the conference DVDs. For now, the reflections of Abba's least child are ended!
Stay lost in Papa's love,
Tom, the least of Abba's children
First, the attendance at this conference was encouraging for two reasons: it was "sold out," and there were lots of first timers. I have been attending this conference for about 4 years and this is the first one I have experienced where there were so many new folks (that I can recall, at least). The move towards simpler expressions of life in the Kingdom is clearly reflected by this, I think.
Now as to the conference itself, one of my friends described it in terms of two very clear streams (and I borrowed his terms for the title of my blog--thanks, Kent!). One stream focused on intimacy with God as the source of everything (delight), the other stream focused more on a highly missional, "git er done" mentality (duty). Note that in spite of my previously mentioned bias, I honor and respect those who advocate the latter approach--I just can't go there myself! Note also that any attempt to describe things with only two words will inevitably miss lots of details. Many who are "missional" also advocate intimacy, and as you know, all who are truly intimate with Jesus are "on mission" with Him. Nevertheless, there was a clear emphasis one way or the other throughout much of the conference which many folks noticed.
Papa has helped me to get to a place where I can rejoice in the good in both streams, I think. So I was thrilled to hear the stories from Dennis Balcombe of what God has been doing in China for years and years. It was good, too, to hear that in many ways there is a new openness to the church in China. And hearing Wolfgang Simson talk about the Kingdom of God as central to what we are about was good and confirms what many are hearing God say about returning to the proclamation of the Gospel of the Kingdom. And Frank Viola was gentle, poignant and concise in his presentations. We can all see Jesus continuing to work wonderful new things in Frank.
But for me, the most encouraging parts of the conference came from Paul Young's times of sharing. It was like having The Shack visit us in person! Paul was totally transparent with us as he described the main character, Mack, as representing himself as an adult and Missy as that part of him that died as a child (and Paul had a lot die in him as a child!). He also told us that The Shack describes over the course of one weekend encounter with God what in actuality took him 11 years to live out! He also told us that the "shack" represents the broken places in our lives that we hide from others and that we are afraid to go into. God in His kindness, however, works in each of us to get us to our own shacks, and when we finally get up the courage to take off our veneer and go through the door of our own shack, we find Papa there in the midst of all the pain and garbage.
It's hard for me to describe what was happening in the room (and in our hearts) while Paul was sharing. It was as if Father were opening our hearts, removing the thin veneer that "church people" wear far too often and delving deeply into the most wounded places in our lives. I can't tell you how many people I personally prayed with who were basically "wrecked" by the tender yet persistent probings of the Holy Spirit. It was as if God released an atmosphere of transparency that exposed our brokenness. I prayed with person after person--men and women alike, and I saw Paul and others doing the same during breaks, etc.
At the heart of what was happening, I think, was the real "revolution." It's a revolution that goes far beyond how we "do church" or where we "do church" or even beyond "being the church." It's a revolution of love, a discovery that most of what we have called "Christianity" is a poor and weak parody of the Kingdom of God which is a Kingdom of love and freedom beyond comprehension. This revolution is a revolution of intimacy with God that I and many others have described and predicted (many have done so for far longer than I and with much more eloquence than I--Wayne Jacobsen comes to mind here).
As this revolution unfolded before my eyes, I remember thinking that I was actually seeing the answer to the prayer "Let your Kingdom come; on earth as it is in heaven." May whatever was started there during that time grow and increase until it becomes an unstoppable stream of love that cannot be restricted. May it forever sweep away human effort, religion and striving from the face of what we call "church"!
One final comment. We all received huge insight into how Paul Young lives out this simple, intimate life in Jesus during our workshop. While we were on the platform during the workshop Paul was actually texting a woman who was in great distress--in total, horrible crisis. Paul's compassion for this lady, his prioritizing care for her as she teetered on the brink of suicidal despair, said it all to me! As we prayed and received updates from Paul about this lady we were all drawn into the drama of a God who IS love and who can stop a "relational church workshop" (the largest workshop of the conference!) to care for one of His very precious and hurting daughters--amazing! I saw God as I have never seen before when I read The Shack, and I relived in even more vivid colors that revelation as we were drawn into God's love drama with the simple yet brilliant, firm yet gentle man, who wrote his life into a story for his children and then lived it out for us as he cared for someone he had never met.
So...the bottom line is that you may want to order the conference DVDs. For now, the reflections of Abba's least child are ended!
Stay lost in Papa's love,
Tom, the least of Abba's children
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Why is it important?
Okay, I confess...I am using a post from the House2House blog for their upcoming conference this weekend. I am co-facilitating a workshop on "relational Christianity" with Neil Gamble, Frank Viola and W. Paul Young (The Shack). Should be an amazing time! And since I doubt that my "viewing audience" has seen the other blog, I am posting here what I wrote there :-)
So why is it so important to get this “relational Christianity” thingy right? (Do you think the phrase “Relational Christianity” is redundant? Is there an “non-relational” version! Sorry, couldn’t resist!). So why is it so important to live first and most in intimacy with God, then in healthy community with one another which both lead to effective mission? Some of my thoughts are below.
Regarding intimacy with God. This is from my journal not too long ago.
I am now fully convinced that it was Jesus’ awareness of His Father’s love that enabled Him to live the trusting, completely dependent life that He did. And a life of trusting dependence is absolutely essential to becoming like Jesus. No one becomes like Jesus by trying to apply His teachings or follow His example.
Rather we become like Jesus by allowing Jesus to live His life in and through us. Our part is not to try harder, but to trust more and more deeply, and to surrender more completely to His loving guidance and power. Paul sums up both how to live loved and how to have Jesus live His life in us in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Notice how Paul personalizes Jesus’ love and sacrifice for him: “who loved me…” His deep personal experience of God’s love for him is what enabled him to live “the crucified life” – a life by which Jesus lived out His life in Paul.
Regarding healthy community. Consider that Jesus stated that the one thing that marks us as His people and above all other things validates the message of the Kingdom is healthy relationships! See John 13:34-35 and John 17:20-23.
Regarding mission that flows from intimacy and healthy community: Wow, I could write a lot here (indeed I have written a long paper about this one!). In a nutshell, Jesus was the most “missional” person ever to live, but He stated over and over that He did nothing on His own initiative. John 5:19 NASV says: "Therefore Jesus answered and was saying to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.'" And Jesus ministered from within a community (as did the Apostle Paul). Do we think we can improve on how Jesus did things? And do we really think our mission will have authenticity and power if we embark on it on our own initiative? Yet how many believers do you know who can honestly say, “I do nothing on my own initiative”? I rest my case... :-)
May grace embrace you, love overwhelm you.
Tom, the least of Abba's children
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Deep Wounds, Deep Healing
Charles Kraft wrote a book with the title I have listed for my blog this time. The title describes in a phrase my experience with Ellel Ministries in Western Canada July 20 through August 3.
Peter Horrobin, the founder of Ellel Ministries (which started in England many years ago) writes the following in Healing Through Deliverance, Book 2.
It is easy to understand with the hindsight of many ministries how wise some sectors of the early Church were to insist that people went through deliverance ministry after conversion and before baptism and Church membership. In some parts of the world, this is still common practice.
They knew that unless the converts were delivered of both the demonic powers that had controlled their own pagan lives and those that had come down the generation lines, they would end up with a demonized Church that would quickly assume an attitude of compromise with the world and would decline into patterns of spiritual death and religious routine. I believe there would be a far stronger Body of believers if this were normal practice throughout the Church today.
Unless the leaders of the Church embrace an active and ongoing deliverance ministry, I believe that every move of the Spirit of God will, in time, be quenched from within through demonic pressure. It is small wonder, therefore, that Satan so opposes and seeks to discredit the deliverance ministry, for if the Church is being obedient in preaching the Gospel, healing the sick and casting out demons, the Body of Christ will be a force that cannot be stopped from within or without.(pp. 94-95)
In recent years I have ministered to many elderly Christians, some of them with well known and established ministries. In the confidence of the counseling room, they have shared their inner problems, and some have been brokenhearted over the way they have had continuous struggles with temptations, often of a sexual nature, that they have been powerless to fight off. In many cases, such people have never understood that they are not just fighting temptation from without, or their own fallen flesh nature, but are struggling with demons within that have never been recognized. It is impossible to fight an enemy whose identity is never recognized.
How Satan must rejoice when Christians are taught that they cannot be demonized. No other teaching gives such rights to the enemy to walk all over the saints of God unrecognized and unchallenged. What a relief it is for people to realize that the thoughts and temptations they have battled with for years have an origin that can be dealt with through deliverance. (pp. 99-100)
My experiences during the two weeks of training bear out what Peter writes. Because the western church especially has been woefully ignorant about the need for deep healing and deliverance, many folks--even leaders--have lived with unnecessary battles raging on in their minds. I was one of those leaders. There were generational issues and things from my childhood and things from my "wilder days" that were buried deeply within me. They didn't affect me much, and as Charles Kraft says, any "critters" in there were quite miserable because of the intimate walk with God I have been pursuing, but nonetheless they were there. Looking back at my life up to this time in Canada, I have become painfully aware of how "captive" I was in terms of caring about what others thought of me, or in terms of being intimidated by strong personalities, of ministering many times out of my need rather than God's direction, etc. But the freedom I am now experiencing is so great that I would gladly pay the price many times over. And it was a price, believe me. I have never been so broken, so humbled, so dependent on others, etc. But somehow I also knew that it was safe to be that way, and humbling myself to whatever point was necessary was easier because of that safety. I am deeply grateful to God for the integrity and kindness of the Ellel leaders and staff!
Was the experience perfect? Of course not--nothing human will be perfect. I would have preferred an adult learning approach to the training (10 hours of lecture is a lot to endure in one day!), and I came away with more questions than answers in some areas. I also noticed a tendency in me to be fearful for a time after the training because of the intensity of what was happening and because of the focus on what the enemy is up to, etc. But I have by the grace of God shaken off the fear and am returning to the childlike joy that Father calls all of us to.
Where from here? I don't know for sure, but I am more convinced than ever that we all need to be able to set captives free and make that an integral part of making disciples. Papa God will show me/us more as needed.
Grace and joy to you,
Tom, the least of Abba's children
Peter Horrobin, the founder of Ellel Ministries (which started in England many years ago) writes the following in Healing Through Deliverance, Book 2.
It is easy to understand with the hindsight of many ministries how wise some sectors of the early Church were to insist that people went through deliverance ministry after conversion and before baptism and Church membership. In some parts of the world, this is still common practice.
They knew that unless the converts were delivered of both the demonic powers that had controlled their own pagan lives and those that had come down the generation lines, they would end up with a demonized Church that would quickly assume an attitude of compromise with the world and would decline into patterns of spiritual death and religious routine. I believe there would be a far stronger Body of believers if this were normal practice throughout the Church today.
Unless the leaders of the Church embrace an active and ongoing deliverance ministry, I believe that every move of the Spirit of God will, in time, be quenched from within through demonic pressure. It is small wonder, therefore, that Satan so opposes and seeks to discredit the deliverance ministry, for if the Church is being obedient in preaching the Gospel, healing the sick and casting out demons, the Body of Christ will be a force that cannot be stopped from within or without.(pp. 94-95)
In recent years I have ministered to many elderly Christians, some of them with well known and established ministries. In the confidence of the counseling room, they have shared their inner problems, and some have been brokenhearted over the way they have had continuous struggles with temptations, often of a sexual nature, that they have been powerless to fight off. In many cases, such people have never understood that they are not just fighting temptation from without, or their own fallen flesh nature, but are struggling with demons within that have never been recognized. It is impossible to fight an enemy whose identity is never recognized.
How Satan must rejoice when Christians are taught that they cannot be demonized. No other teaching gives such rights to the enemy to walk all over the saints of God unrecognized and unchallenged. What a relief it is for people to realize that the thoughts and temptations they have battled with for years have an origin that can be dealt with through deliverance. (pp. 99-100)
My experiences during the two weeks of training bear out what Peter writes. Because the western church especially has been woefully ignorant about the need for deep healing and deliverance, many folks--even leaders--have lived with unnecessary battles raging on in their minds. I was one of those leaders. There were generational issues and things from my childhood and things from my "wilder days" that were buried deeply within me. They didn't affect me much, and as Charles Kraft says, any "critters" in there were quite miserable because of the intimate walk with God I have been pursuing, but nonetheless they were there. Looking back at my life up to this time in Canada, I have become painfully aware of how "captive" I was in terms of caring about what others thought of me, or in terms of being intimidated by strong personalities, of ministering many times out of my need rather than God's direction, etc. But the freedom I am now experiencing is so great that I would gladly pay the price many times over. And it was a price, believe me. I have never been so broken, so humbled, so dependent on others, etc. But somehow I also knew that it was safe to be that way, and humbling myself to whatever point was necessary was easier because of that safety. I am deeply grateful to God for the integrity and kindness of the Ellel leaders and staff!
Was the experience perfect? Of course not--nothing human will be perfect. I would have preferred an adult learning approach to the training (10 hours of lecture is a lot to endure in one day!), and I came away with more questions than answers in some areas. I also noticed a tendency in me to be fearful for a time after the training because of the intensity of what was happening and because of the focus on what the enemy is up to, etc. But I have by the grace of God shaken off the fear and am returning to the childlike joy that Father calls all of us to.
Where from here? I don't know for sure, but I am more convinced than ever that we all need to be able to set captives free and make that an integral part of making disciples. Papa God will show me/us more as needed.
Grace and joy to you,
Tom, the least of Abba's children
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Healing and Discipleship
I am currently in Canada for two weeks of training by Ellel Ministries Canada West on Healing and Discipleship. It has been an encouraging, humbling and stretching time. Ellel Ministries has an approach to discipleship that is wonderfully close to what I am discovering to be true. They very much believe that healing (in every sense of the word) is essential to discipleship. However, since I am not finished with my time up here, I will wait until my next post to write any more reflections on my time here. For the rest of my blog, I share a few thoughts from a paper I wrote about healing and discipleship for last year's House2House conference. As always, I welcome your comments.
First, ponder this verse for a moment: Luke 6:40 (my paraphrase) “A disciple is not above his/her teacher, but everyone who has been restored and mended so as to be fully prepared will be like his teacher.”
I recently heard Randy Clark describe his grandfather’s conversion as one in which his grandfather was miraculously and instantly set free from addiction to alcohol, abusing his family and marital unfaithfulness. Yet recently I have prayed for several young and not-so-young pastors to be set free from demonic strongholds of rage, lust, etc. Why didn’t grandpa need deliverance and inner healing whereas these other leaders did? Perhaps grandpa did need more work and we just don’t know about it, or perhaps the Gospel was more accurately presented and/or there was more power. (see 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5). But whatever the reason, the fact is that today many believers seem unable to live the Christian life with power and fruitfulness without going through inner healing and deliverance.
Now consider this thought to ponder from a leading Baptist pastor from Argentina.
It is impossible to move ahead in our separation from evil without inner healing. Why? Because sin is nothing more than accumulated frustration that we try to resolve in ways contrary to the will of God. For example, a woman who has not had a good relationship with her father—a relationship which should have taught her that she is loved and valued—may seek affirmation in numerous sexual relationships with different men. Such a woman is seeking for the father she never had. Similarly, the man who was raised in extreme poverty may seek to resolve that sense of destitution and thereby develop an extremely ambitious and greedy personality…. A daughter of God who from childhood felt as if she never measured up to her sister may become the instigator of constant confrontations and divisions in her local church. These are just a few illustrations of the ways in which sin is unresolved frustrations seeking to satisfy itself in the wrong ways.
All these situations come to our attention as sins, such as fornication, unrestrained ambition, greed, lack of submission, or a spirit of division. What we often end up doing is implementing disciplinary measures for those who fall into these sins. We read the appropriate biblical demands. We give them counsel to not fall into the same sin again. We warn them about the risks they are running. We pray for them. And we apply some kind of punitive ecclesiastical measure to them. We do all this to show them the demands of holiness and to help them live out the demands. Yet we are only working with the manifestation of the problem.
The result of this kind of approach is that the people continue to fall into the same sin all over again. Even in the best of cases, though they will stop committing those sins, they will end up seeking to resolve their frustration through other sinful means. We have worked with the consequences of the problem—the sin—but we have not addressed the causes. We are asking for purity from people without healing their wounds. To demand holiness without healing is to push people into guilt and frustration. Therefore, it is necessary to have those encounters with the healing power of the Lord in order to live in holiness. The result is that these basic needs or wants in our personality are resolved by means of the healing grace of God and never again through sinful means.
Confession of sin, an indispensable element for sanctification, is not that moment in which we finally change God's mind and convince him to forgive us. Rather it is the moment in which our minds are changed so that we clearly see our need and accept God's forgiveness. That is healing. St. Augustine said that we must hate the sin and love the sinner. Holiness is not only hating the sin, but also loving the sinner in me. I need to love me enough to seek to heal my past in such a way that I will stop repeating the same mistakes and stop hurting myself. The great men of God were great saints when they saw themselves as great sinners who needed healing. The test of knowing how holy I am in my life is not how close I feel to God according to my conduct, but rather how aware I am of my need for him.
Quoted from "Inner Healing to Live in Freedom," in Power, Holiness and Evangelism, compiled by Randy Clark, article by Dr. Carlos Mraida, co-pastor of Central Baptist Church, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The expulsion of demons was a normal part of the extension of the Kingdom of God.
• Jesus (many, many passages!)
• His disciples (Matthew 10:1, Luke 9:1-2)
• Other (All!) believers (Luke 10:19-20; Mark 16:15-18; Philip in Samaria, see Acts 8:4-8)
It’s feasible that because the early church made deliverance a part of the proclamation of the Gospel, deliverance after conversion wasn’t usually needed. See, however, Acts 5:3 (Satan had filled the heart of Ananias), Acts 8:22-23 (Simon’s heart was full of bitterness and captive to sin).
And the following scriptures are all addressed to believers!
Ephesians 4:26-27 Giving the devil a foothold—written to believers! And “don’t sin by letting anger gain control over you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a mighty foothold to the Devil. (NLT)
Ephesians 4:31-32 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (NIV)
Galatians 5:19-21 19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (NIV)
After the NT period, the early Church often made deliverance part of the pre-baptism preparation of new converts, and there are reports that demons would often leave as the persons were being baptized!
Inner Healing, too? Yes! See Isaiah 61:1-3—one of the things mentioned is healing the brokenhearted.
The point of all this, of course, is that making disciples needs to include a level of healing that the Church in all its forms tends to neglect. But that is changing, I think.
More next time.
Stay lost in His love,
Tom, the least of Abba's children
First, ponder this verse for a moment: Luke 6:40 (my paraphrase) “A disciple is not above his/her teacher, but everyone who has been restored and mended so as to be fully prepared will be like his teacher.”
I recently heard Randy Clark describe his grandfather’s conversion as one in which his grandfather was miraculously and instantly set free from addiction to alcohol, abusing his family and marital unfaithfulness. Yet recently I have prayed for several young and not-so-young pastors to be set free from demonic strongholds of rage, lust, etc. Why didn’t grandpa need deliverance and inner healing whereas these other leaders did? Perhaps grandpa did need more work and we just don’t know about it, or perhaps the Gospel was more accurately presented and/or there was more power. (see 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5). But whatever the reason, the fact is that today many believers seem unable to live the Christian life with power and fruitfulness without going through inner healing and deliverance.
Now consider this thought to ponder from a leading Baptist pastor from Argentina.
It is impossible to move ahead in our separation from evil without inner healing. Why? Because sin is nothing more than accumulated frustration that we try to resolve in ways contrary to the will of God. For example, a woman who has not had a good relationship with her father—a relationship which should have taught her that she is loved and valued—may seek affirmation in numerous sexual relationships with different men. Such a woman is seeking for the father she never had. Similarly, the man who was raised in extreme poverty may seek to resolve that sense of destitution and thereby develop an extremely ambitious and greedy personality…. A daughter of God who from childhood felt as if she never measured up to her sister may become the instigator of constant confrontations and divisions in her local church. These are just a few illustrations of the ways in which sin is unresolved frustrations seeking to satisfy itself in the wrong ways.
All these situations come to our attention as sins, such as fornication, unrestrained ambition, greed, lack of submission, or a spirit of division. What we often end up doing is implementing disciplinary measures for those who fall into these sins. We read the appropriate biblical demands. We give them counsel to not fall into the same sin again. We warn them about the risks they are running. We pray for them. And we apply some kind of punitive ecclesiastical measure to them. We do all this to show them the demands of holiness and to help them live out the demands. Yet we are only working with the manifestation of the problem.
The result of this kind of approach is that the people continue to fall into the same sin all over again. Even in the best of cases, though they will stop committing those sins, they will end up seeking to resolve their frustration through other sinful means. We have worked with the consequences of the problem—the sin—but we have not addressed the causes. We are asking for purity from people without healing their wounds. To demand holiness without healing is to push people into guilt and frustration. Therefore, it is necessary to have those encounters with the healing power of the Lord in order to live in holiness. The result is that these basic needs or wants in our personality are resolved by means of the healing grace of God and never again through sinful means.
Confession of sin, an indispensable element for sanctification, is not that moment in which we finally change God's mind and convince him to forgive us. Rather it is the moment in which our minds are changed so that we clearly see our need and accept God's forgiveness. That is healing. St. Augustine said that we must hate the sin and love the sinner. Holiness is not only hating the sin, but also loving the sinner in me. I need to love me enough to seek to heal my past in such a way that I will stop repeating the same mistakes and stop hurting myself. The great men of God were great saints when they saw themselves as great sinners who needed healing. The test of knowing how holy I am in my life is not how close I feel to God according to my conduct, but rather how aware I am of my need for him.
Quoted from "Inner Healing to Live in Freedom," in Power, Holiness and Evangelism, compiled by Randy Clark, article by Dr. Carlos Mraida, co-pastor of Central Baptist Church, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The expulsion of demons was a normal part of the extension of the Kingdom of God.
• Jesus (many, many passages!)
• His disciples (Matthew 10:1, Luke 9:1-2)
• Other (All!) believers (Luke 10:19-20; Mark 16:15-18; Philip in Samaria, see Acts 8:4-8)
It’s feasible that because the early church made deliverance a part of the proclamation of the Gospel, deliverance after conversion wasn’t usually needed. See, however, Acts 5:3 (Satan had filled the heart of Ananias), Acts 8:22-23 (Simon’s heart was full of bitterness and captive to sin).
And the following scriptures are all addressed to believers!
Ephesians 4:26-27 Giving the devil a foothold—written to believers! And “don’t sin by letting anger gain control over you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 for anger gives a mighty foothold to the Devil. (NLT)
Ephesians 4:31-32 31 Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (NIV)
Galatians 5:19-21 19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, 21 envy, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. (NIV)
After the NT period, the early Church often made deliverance part of the pre-baptism preparation of new converts, and there are reports that demons would often leave as the persons were being baptized!
Inner Healing, too? Yes! See Isaiah 61:1-3—one of the things mentioned is healing the brokenhearted.
The point of all this, of course, is that making disciples needs to include a level of healing that the Church in all its forms tends to neglect. But that is changing, I think.
More next time.
Stay lost in His love,
Tom, the least of Abba's children
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Lighting Candles Instead of Cursing the Darkness
I have an amazing friend, Michele Perry, who let's her light shine in one of the darkest places in the world: war-torn and war-weary Sudan. Michele started and oversees an orphanage and outreach center in Yei, in Southern Sudan. Check out her main web page here. Michele recently sent me the following story, and I wept and wept as I read it. It is an incredible story about a man none of us have ever heard of whose faith in Jesus and love for others gives perfect expression to the title of this blog (Michele's life does the same!). Weep with me as you read the following story and let Jesus talk to you.
John Okello, brought five children by faith and he taught me a lot this week. His story undoes me. He is one who will have crowns in heaven none of us can fathom. He doesn’t have to say word. John shines with love and compassion. What I heard floored me. This young man knew more about being light in darkness than most people I know combined. I was deeply humbled. He had light radiating from his pained appearance as he described the journey he had been on with the five children that were seated behind him in our front yard. By the time he was done, I about told the kids to move into my room with me.
Five children from four families all orphaned by recent fighting in their home area along the Kenya border with Sudan in Eastern Equatoria, Didinga by tribe and language. He had been their sunday school teacher. Their church had disintegrated because of a corrupt leader and the 20 children in their care were now destitute. It was the only church in the area, that is unreached. And we are likely adopting it too. Anyone who has this much faith and heart is someone I want to be in touch with.
He had traveled hundreds of miles over five days with five children not even related to him by faith in search of help for them. He had used all of his own resources. Jesus told him to come to Yei and he had heard of us. What could I say BUT yes? It was all I could do not to cry as I saw his heart for these children. He went to a government orphanage in Juba on the way but said even if there was space; he would not want to leave them there. They didn’t love Jesus and he wanted these children to be loved and grow up loving Him like he did.
We literally do not have space physically for even one more child in our present facility. Our staff groaned because they know me too well by now. We are taking the brother and sister, Lakoma and Naonya, to live with us and doing everything we can to help find alternative placements for the three remaining boys in the community. Lakoma and Naonya would be especially hard to place because their family was working for the northern government and their parents killed while working for the arabs. Hatred extended to all related unfortunately, even the most innocent.
In the face of poverty, violence, fear, the unknown with next to nothing but his faith, this dear man gave all he had to follow Jesus clear across a war-torn nation to find a better life for these five children. I couldn’t turn him a way… now seven year old Naonya’s bright smiling face lights my day up every time I give her a hug or smile at her and Lakoma’s gentle ways with the little children here remind me of our Papa’s gentleness with us. Our mamas and children have grown so much too. They all responded with great joy in welcoming a new tribe to our home- we want every tribe to be with us here loving Jesus they said. That is not common sentiment here.
This Friday I leave for Canada for 2 weeks of training with Ellel Ministries West Canada. I am glad for the opportunity, but sometimes I wonder... It's good to wonder, isn't it! Papa, search me and help me when I grow up to be like John Okello!
Grace to you,
Tom, for sure the least of Abba's children!
John Okello, brought five children by faith and he taught me a lot this week. His story undoes me. He is one who will have crowns in heaven none of us can fathom. He doesn’t have to say word. John shines with love and compassion. What I heard floored me. This young man knew more about being light in darkness than most people I know combined. I was deeply humbled. He had light radiating from his pained appearance as he described the journey he had been on with the five children that were seated behind him in our front yard. By the time he was done, I about told the kids to move into my room with me.
Five children from four families all orphaned by recent fighting in their home area along the Kenya border with Sudan in Eastern Equatoria, Didinga by tribe and language. He had been their sunday school teacher. Their church had disintegrated because of a corrupt leader and the 20 children in their care were now destitute. It was the only church in the area, that is unreached. And we are likely adopting it too. Anyone who has this much faith and heart is someone I want to be in touch with.
He had traveled hundreds of miles over five days with five children not even related to him by faith in search of help for them. He had used all of his own resources. Jesus told him to come to Yei and he had heard of us. What could I say BUT yes? It was all I could do not to cry as I saw his heart for these children. He went to a government orphanage in Juba on the way but said even if there was space; he would not want to leave them there. They didn’t love Jesus and he wanted these children to be loved and grow up loving Him like he did.
We literally do not have space physically for even one more child in our present facility. Our staff groaned because they know me too well by now. We are taking the brother and sister, Lakoma and Naonya, to live with us and doing everything we can to help find alternative placements for the three remaining boys in the community. Lakoma and Naonya would be especially hard to place because their family was working for the northern government and their parents killed while working for the arabs. Hatred extended to all related unfortunately, even the most innocent.
In the face of poverty, violence, fear, the unknown with next to nothing but his faith, this dear man gave all he had to follow Jesus clear across a war-torn nation to find a better life for these five children. I couldn’t turn him a way… now seven year old Naonya’s bright smiling face lights my day up every time I give her a hug or smile at her and Lakoma’s gentle ways with the little children here remind me of our Papa’s gentleness with us. Our mamas and children have grown so much too. They all responded with great joy in welcoming a new tribe to our home- we want every tribe to be with us here loving Jesus they said. That is not common sentiment here.
This Friday I leave for Canada for 2 weeks of training with Ellel Ministries West Canada. I am glad for the opportunity, but sometimes I wonder... It's good to wonder, isn't it! Papa, search me and help me when I grow up to be like John Okello!
Grace to you,
Tom, for sure the least of Abba's children!
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