Monthly Archives: November 2011

The Shack

13 Sunday Nov 2011

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As I was in our Spanish Church today, Conquerors of Heaven, I was meditating on Father God, telling Him I wanted to hang out with Him, I was brought back to a book I read called, “The Shack.”

Now “The Shack” is a controversial book (2006), but to me it brought me closer to Father God.  It also opened up my mind to the relationship the Trinity probably shares. It’s very unorthodox and many religious people are conflicted with it.  ”The Shack” asks us to see Father God as a large African-American woman, yes woman, who calls herself Elouisa and Papa, Jesus Christ is a Middle-Eastern carpenter, and the Holy Spirit physically manifests itself as an Asian woman named Sarayu.  I am not going to go into the reasoning of why the Trinity is described this way, only to say I understand why the author did it.  I don’t only understand, but because Father God was depicted as this person, I am now closer to Him.

Why was I brought back to this book this morning?  In “The Shack” the relationship MacKenzie has with the Trinity is so inviting.  When I read it I asked God, “Could I have a relationship like that with You?”  He answered, “Do you know what you’re asking?” There is always a price to pay; a sacrifice to make… ask James and John (Mark 10:35-40). Now when I enter into His presence I am often taken back to “The Shack”.  Why?

In the basis of “The Shack” there is a death and a deep sorrow and unresolved pain in Mackenzie’s life.  There is a blood stained spot in this place where his daughter was murdered.  Mack is asked to revisit this place of pain and to be confronted with his anger towards God; in the end to bring healing and closure so he can move forward in life with a new love for God, the Father.

When I go into the presence of my Father, I have to face a death in order to pass into the deeper relationship.  Yes, it’s obvious, I have to face the death of my precious Savior, but in order to have the deeper relationship with the Trinity, I have to see the blood stained spot as my death.  I have to die every time I enter His presence (Galatians 2:20) in order to go higher and breather deeper. In my death, I give into His precious touch operating on me to replace hidden agendas, to heal broken pieces of my live, and to trust what touches my life is from Him with good reasons. Even if I don’t fully understand all God does, as I die daily (sometimes hourly) I am able to enter into a place labeled ‘for dead people only’.  Dead to me, means alive to Him…  alive to Christ’s agenda for me; to His fresh presence full of life, laughter and purpose; and alive to His warmth as He reaches out to give me an assurance that no person on earth can… He’ll never fail me and He is in love with me.

So today in my time with Him, as I walked into the shack I noticed once again my blood stained spot of death with a smile on my face and a welcoming Hand reaching out to me…

If you are interested in some of the controversies of “The Shack”: http://windblownmedia.com/about-wbm/is-the-shack-heresy.html

Romans Reviewed 1:1

12 Saturday Nov 2011

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Why Romans?

It is the basis of our salvation.  It is the foundation of the depth of our perception of what Jesus did for us and the freedom of our walk in Christ. It’s actually our play by play book of how to transform our lives from flesh to spiritual. If we get saved and live a life without knowing Romans, then we are unable to grow in the understanding of our inheritance, in the great expanse of our destiny and in the fullness of our power and influence here on earth.

It really is a story book fairy tale.  We haven’t a clue what is before us in this life.  Paul opens the door for us in Romans and we take a peek of what God has for us; it’s up to us to walk through and perceive what is right before our very eyes, not our physical eyes, but the eyes of our spirit.

Paul, the author of Romans, wanted to visit the Christians in Rome.  He had heard of their convergence with Christ and wanted to disciple them into the “More of Christ”, but unfortunately he couldn’t get to them, so he did not fuss over what he couldn’t do, he did what he could do and picked up pen and put it to papyrus.

ROMANS ONE

Read the complete chapter of Romans 1

            1Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God,

Paul is a servant of Jesus Christ by a “suddenly” conversion.  He was so tenacious in his beliefs in Judaism that he didn’t notice the brief but distinct change that took place with the birth of Jesus.  The Jews (mainly Pharisees and Sadducees) were staunch believers in the Law.  They were so caught up in the Law that they missed the Fulfillment of the Law. Saul, belonging to the sect of the Pharisees, was quite aware of the new system spreading among the Jews.  He was NOT going to let this new move continue, so he went out, with permission from the High Priest, and persecuted this new breed of Jews.  Unbeknownst to him, he was killing his God’s people (because his heart was right but not his mind).  So with a clear blow to Saul, Jesus knocked Saul off his high horse and turned this tenacious man into a servant of the Most High God. He was called at that moment to be the apostle Paul and was separated from everything and set his eyes on one thing: the gospel of God.

There is so much to say in this one verse… we have to see this precious people; Paul in his passion was loyal to the Law; he was passionately persecuting the very people he was to be related to.  He was cocky, trying to persuade God how righteous he was.  He was not going to let anyone change the Law; his passions where in the wrong place.  Instead of asking, ‘God have things changed?’  He went about in his “knowing” God’s will, but God’s ways had changed with the coming of Jesus; the change they had written about so many times in Old Testament scripture.  The “Fulfillment” of the Law, Jesus, had come so they no longer had to live out the letter of the Law.  This change was a Change of Law to Grace.  Paul was religious, his religion had blinded him from the truth because religion binds up.  When Paul was knocked down, he became a servant.  No longer cocky, but now reserved to do what God said.  That doesn’t mean he didn’t try to do his own thing, it meant that when he did, the Spirit would remind him Who was in charge and being a servant, Paul would be subservient to what the Spirit said.  Paul was not perfect, but he was teachable.  Paul was separated to walk the Truth of the Gospel.  A sermon in itself; we too need to be separated from all things and have our eyes set on one thing~ Jesus and the Cross!

Taking an Honest Look: Are you religious like Saul was? Are you persecuting people unneccesarily because you think you are helping God? Meditate on this verse and then list some ways you too can become separated to Jesus and the Cross.