God says,
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”
1 John 3:2
Today, I would like to speak to you about pride and envy. Usually, as Christians, we do not think of ourselves as prideful, nor do we consider ourselves envious of others. However, during my life in Christ, I have encountered many situations when those I am sharing a truth with become offended at the suggestion that I know more or have experienced something they have not.
Most often, this type of uncomfortable conversation has taken the form of, “So you think you are better than me?” Most of the time, when that or something like that is mentioned, I am surprised, for that was not what I was trying to do at all, I was just excited to share something I thought was amazing or revelatory. When someone once told me I could be filled with the Holy Spirit and speak in other tongues like the believers in Acts, I said, “Of course! I want it!”
He gives gifts to all His children
I remember when a move of the Holy Spirit came to our church, others began to experience Tabernacles before I did. I, too, felt a twinge of jealousy and felt left out. However, rather than blame those being blessed, I simply did my best to seek God until He blessed me, too. Even though I felt bad for a short while, in reality, no one was looking down on me, because they were busy receiving His blessing themselves. Anything they said to me about it was simply to express their excitement about what they were experiencing in Jesus.
In the scripture I quoted above, we learn that it is not apparent to us exactly what we will become. However, Paul notes that when we meet Jesus, we will be like Him – we just don’t know exactly what that is yet. Therefore, it is obvious that we will change from what we are now to what we will become then. This implies growth and movement. Our lives in Christ are one of moving from glory to glory as we allow Him to fill us and live through us. We should expect change and embrace it as the normal, yet supernatural, course of our lives.
If I share an experience with you that seems amazing, it is not that I believe I am better than you; rather, I am merely excited to alert you to something incredible so that you may share it with me. Experiencing God is available to everyone according to the administrations of His Holy Spirit. Like a gift, it does not mean that the receiver is different or above the one who has not yet received it. It is simply a blessing and is to be shared with anyone who desires to partake of it.
What is happening in the world right now is that many natural things, on a worldwide scale, are shifting dramatically. Likewise, since the natural world often mirrors what is happening in the spiritual realm, our spiritual understandings must shift also, as God moves us forward. When someone says, “God is over here, come and see!” it is not to make you feel badly, but it is to alert you so that you can come and be blessed, too.
God says,
“For we know in part, and we prophesy in part:
1 Corinthians 13:9
In other words, our understanding of God is approximate, and as we progress in Him, we come to know Him better. This is why young Christians look to more established believers to mentor them and bring them up in their most holy faith. Few new believers feel badly when another speaks to them about God or introduces them to a further blessing in Him. As a body of believers, we should be similarly open and pliable to the Holy Spirit as He leads us from glory to glory.
Oftentimes, we are told by our leaders that we have a very complete understanding of scriptures. I have heard some even claim that the book of Daniel is largely figured out. Besides being wrong, this type of thinking leads people to resist new ideas that do not fit into their current theology. Thus, many become stuck at certain points on their path of spiritual growth and cannot mature due to their negative bias toward new revelation that seems to contradict what they already believe.
By His Spirit, I had to unlearn a lot
In my own life, I have been amazed at how much I have had to unlearn from my theological education. Many fundamental precepts that I was taught were the bedrock of my Christian faith were either wholly or partially wrong. However, during the time I was learning to be a theologian, I became puffed up in knowledge, feeling that I knew more than others, and thus I couldn’t be open to hearing what others testified about.
However, when God called me to a new understanding–when I began to listen to His voice and consider what He said by His Spirit–I began to gain a new understanding. Gradually, I became willing to examine concepts and experiences that were forbidden to me by those who taught me their dogma. I value my salvation, so I had to be fully convinced, over time, to change my beliefs. What you read on The Final Feast is a result of that continuing journey of discovery. I became willing to see things from a different viewpoint, which brought much greater clarity in a wide variety of areas. I share them with you, not because I am better in any respect, but only because I want you to experience God as intimately as possible, too.
Allow Jesus to lead you into all truth
Personally, I always assume that my finite understanding of my infinite Father is approximate. I am open to be led into all truth by His Holy Spirit. I feel it is okay to examine different viewpoints and experiences of others to see whether those things are true, trusting that my Father will protect me as I honestly seek His face. Those who have tried to place fear in my heart by warning me not to do this and not to look at that, didn’t believe that my Father was with me or protecting me. If I had listened to them rather than God, I would never have come to know Jesus and His Father in the depth and breadth that I do now. Trusting His Holy Spirit has been, and is, the best thing in my life by far. I am open to listening to their concerns, but only so far as I hear my Father’s voice speaking through them.
I can testify to you that what we assume to be the settled dogma of Christianity is anything but. Very few of the foundations of the normative church are in alignment with true Christianity. We are in much the same situation as when Jesus came to the temple and found it had been turned into a place of commerce rather than a house of prayer. When we come into a revelation of Jesus as He truly is, it will take a lot of trust in Him to leave behind our livestock pens and money-changing tables and return to true worship.
Lastly, as people testify to you about the wonders of the world to come, listen and consider. Like Nicodemus, test how those things could be true before you reject them. Trust in your Father’s voice in your heart and stomach more than in the reasoning of your natural mind. Realize and embrace the fact that God gives you permission to come into a new understanding as you are led by His Spirit.
Amen.