For what seems like forever, I've been wrestling with what it is that causes such division in the church today- especially my Army. I have felt like I was just on the verge of understanding it, but like deja vu- it seemed momentarily familiar, but quickly faded. So I continued to wrestle and pray that God would bring the insight I needed to make sense of it all. I believe I have been praying with only similar results for years.Recently, in search of specific unrelated information for a future blog, I came across this article. After all this time, I think I may finally have my answer. Please click the link to read this short article before you read on.
Word and Spirit: Two Camps in Need of Each Other
As you can see to the right, I have borrowed another A. W. Tozer quote from this article to add to my "about me" block. I include it here as well:
"But I would bring everything to the test of the Word and the Spirit. Not the Word only, but the Word and the Spirit. 'God is spirit,' said our Lord, 'and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth.' While it is never possible to have the Spirit without at least some measure of truth, it is, unfortunately, possible to have a shell of truth without the Spirit. Our hope is that we may have both the Spirit and the truth in fuller measure." - A. W. Tozer
Here's the problem as I see it- there are too many of our people who unfortunately fall into the latter grouping. Have no doubt about it- they are saved, yet they still lack an understanding of who Holy Spirit is, what He does and how He does it. They are therefore afraid of what may happen if Holy Spirit is allowed to actually do what He wants. This, as opposed to what they are comfortable with Holy Spirit doing. Please understand, there is a vast difference!
Here's the truth: I am not always comfortable with what Holy Spirit wants to do in and/or around me. But because in my spirit I know I can trust Him, I can let go of my own desires to control my situation (and therefore God) and my own fears of what I will "have to go through." I can actually let God, via His own Spirit, do what He knows to be the best in any given situation.
Yes, I may have to sit with a terribly painful burden in my heart for a particular person, but I know my pain, poured out on their behalf, will bring about God's desired plan for them.
Yes, I may have to humbly repent of some specific junk in my life that God wants to clear away, but I know the humility it takes to do that will bring about God's desired plan for me.
Yes, I may have to go apologize to someone for something I said, but I know what it takes to do that will bring about God's desired plan for me AND for that other person.
You see, when all we know is The Word, we do not have a complete picture of God. Don't take me wrong here- The Word is very important; it is one the four sides to that quadrilateral we Wesleyans hold so closely to. In fact it is the most important and foundation of them all. However, there ARE other sides we ignore at our spiritual peril.
It is also important for some to understand that The Spirit cannot stand alone without The Word either. Come to think of it, there are plenty of facets to our spiritual lives that are good in and of themselves, but fall woefully short of the complete picture if we allow them to take the first and ONLY place in our spiritual walk. Even God has three facets to himself and does not stand alone.
My brain is exploding with tangents and possibilities here which could make this entry huge! Perhaps that's one reason I haven't been blogging a lot lately- I've got SO much to say, I don't know where to start without writing voluminous material.
Suffice it to say for now, the Word and Spirit factions within our church body cannot continue to operate unto themselves without the other. We really do need each other.
"Can't we all just get along?"
4 comments:
The most vital thing I read here and what speaks to me as the truth of the need was your penultimate sentence: "We really do need each other."
While the established church struggles with its effectivity, the broken come and go longing for someone to simply minister Jesus to them. To feed them, to love them, to include them into the family of God. If they find it, they remain and grow and become ministers of what they received, if not, they remain broken and move on. Oh Lord, give us your heart. We really do need each other.
I agree I just want to add. Jesus warned us about this around two thousand years ago. after he cast out a demon in Matthew 12:22-28. He said a "every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined..." I believe he was not only correcting the pharisees but warning us. If our camps are divided and not joined together ans we don't bridge the GAP then we won't be able to stand against the enemy as effective as we should. You can't have one with out the other and be effective.
I was pretty hard towards spiritual stuff when I was younger, because I'd seen/heard things/stories that freaked me out as a kid and wanted nothing to do with it. Knowing I needed to stay away from the occult and spiritists etc, I tried to shut out any kind of supernatural existence, besides the knowledge of a Creator God, and a Savior in Jesus. When people talked about songs like "He walks with me and talks with me" I figured it was either allegorical or they were nuts. It took a few close friends who I knew and trusted and knew they weren't off their rockers to start sharing some of their experiences for me to start trusting that God still can and does move supernaturally today. Sometimes it's a simple thing like getting a phonecall from someone you had just been thinking about, or having a dream and then seeing it played out in reality over the next few weeks/months/years. I still find myself trying to put limits on God, but I know in the pit of my soul that if He was able to create the earth and all it's creatures including us, and has the kind of grace and compassion and love to forgive and cleanse us through Jesus' life example, than nothing is too 'out there' for Him. Thanks for the thoughts, Doug. It's good to hear what's inside your head again!
You worded that nicely, Aurora. Sometimes it's hard to explain one's movement from a particular spiritual place to another, but you said it well.
Ah, my blogging (what's in my head). Thanx for your encouragement- I need it at the moment. Things have been tough in a major spiritual area and I am trying not to be negative about it. Sometimes it's just better to not write at all. {sigh}
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