I listened to Heidi Baker preach a few weeks ago and I though to myself, "Whoa. I'll have what she's having." She said her prayer was that she'd be like salt, that her preaching would cause a great thirst in all who heard her. God heard her prayer and responded. Her message wrecked me. Walking away I felt an ache in my heart for more of God – grateful for everything he's given me, eager to unpack it all.
Over the last month I've listened to teachings by several people who, like Heidi Baker, preach from a place of great joy and excitement. The common thread in each of their hearts is a focus on what has already been done and what has already happened. Not what I did yesterday or last year or what happened to me as youngster, but what Jesus did at the cross and what happened at the resurrection. These folks stand unabashedly on the foundational truths of Scripture and, with conviction, live their lives from that place.
When we read through the New Testament and come to topics such as resurrection, inheritance, the kingdom of God, power, healing, fullness of life, joy, contentment, and the fact that God has deposited His Spirit in our frail human bodies, we are way too quick to gloss over the wonder of what we have been given in Christ, of what He has given us by giving us Himself.
Talk to some about this and they will say, "Yeah, yeah, yeah, awesome. I learned all of this in Sunday school. Super. Let's quit with all the spiritual stuff and talk about something interesting." When pushed to think about this, though, I think we too often get caught in the trap of asking the question, "If all of this is really true then what the hay, man? Why don't I see it in my life? What about me?"
This "if" can be fatal to faith. From this place we begin throw accusations around, both at God and at ourselves. "He must not be who He says He is," or "He's holding out on me," or "I don't qualify," or "I'm doing everything wrong." And before long we become cynical and doubtful when reading the Bible, which opens the door to the reinterpretation of Scripture through the filter of our own understanding and the wisdom of the world (which, according to God, is foolishness).
In my opinion, since we seek the wisdom of heaven, a better set of questions to ask are these: "Since this is true, what are the implications? Jesus, since you are called Truth and since you are The Word of God, will you help me to receive You now as the Truth?" In this way, rather than accusing God of lying/cheating us, and rather than shaming ourselves into a prison of self-hatred, we ask Him for help. We take a position of humility in confessing that the understanding we have at any given moment is limited. We look to God as the source of infinite wisdom who loves to lavish us with everything that is His, and say to Him, "Thank you for the faith You've given me; can I have some more? Thank You for the understanding You've given me can I have some more? Whoa, God. Wow. You said it, so I believe it…and where I don't please help me out."
In Jesus' ministry He confronted the finite things of earth with the infinite realities and the truth of heaven. Why is it that we try so hard to confront the realities and the truth of heaven with the things of earth?
Maybe your not a Heidi Baker fan. That's fine. I'm not saying to sit at the feet of Heidi Baker (or any man or woman) and pray that God would help you to receive what he/she is saying as true. I'm saying open up the Bible, take your seat at the feet of Jesus, and inivite Him to confront what is false in your heart with the truth of who He is. Bring what the preacher says to that place and ask Him what He says about it. I'm also not advocating the laying aside of the intellect; I'm saying to embrace your intellect in humility and use it as you engage with Jesus, who is The Word of God, as you sit at His feet reading the Bible.
So this is where I am, frequently asking the Lord as I read and as I pray, "since this is true, what are the implications?"
Since the God of eternity really became a zygote in the womb of a woman…
Since He really walked the earth…
Since He really loves me…
Since He really gave himself up to be brutalized and killed on my behalf…
Since I was really crucified with Jesus…
Since He was really resurrected, is really alive, and is really seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven…
Since I was really raised up with Him…
Since I have really been transferred out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of God's beloved Son…
Since the Spirit of God really dwells within me…
Since I really am a son of God, and if a son then a co-heir with Christ…
Since Jesus really is coming back…
And I ask in faith, knowing God has given us His Spirit.
"For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man exept the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God" (1 Corinthians 2:10b-12)
"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you" (John 16:12-15)
