THE LORDSHIP OF CHRIST & THE HOLY SPIRIT

Let’s have a “read and ruminate together” . . . 

1 Corinthians 12:1-3 “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be unaware. You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 

In verses one to three, the apostle Paul makes a clear case for the acknowledgment of the Lordship of Jesus over our lives to be a direct result of the Holy Spirit's work within. 

He draws an analogy of how we were led by dumb or inanimate idols; with how are now led by the Spirit. With this analogy Paul relates the interpretation of his thought. 

We are led by our own heart's allegiance and volition. 

We bow in obedience to the movings of the Spirit in and through “His Gifts of Grace”. Knowing the Holy Spirit will extend the claims and Lordship of Jesus to the lives of others, we know it starts in us . . .

Working at “living what I’m learning” . . .

These days my “dialogue with the Divine” is more on the listening side, than the talking-side. It’s not that I am “all talked out” . . . it is that my theology of God caught up with me a while back. I’m growing in knowing ...

Knowing . . . He reads my heart, knows my innermost thoughts, my resting and my rising. He’s all understanding and wise; yet He graces me by gifting His Spirit into my heart’s inner most chambers.  He, though knowing all about me is devoted to me . . .

I seek to listen to His words with humility and intent … my main prayer’s for grace; grace to live in the grace He is, and provides . . .

Church is functioning, not perfect community . . .

Paul’s statement of the local (or located) church’s reality is a universally relevant declaration of the church’s nature as community:

• “You will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God's household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth” (1 Timothy 3:15).

As community, the church is not merely the repository of correct doctrines, and exemplar of divinely desired human behaviors, it is a family of incarnation, interaction, and fallibility. She does not only hold to Spirit and scripture revealed truth, she realizes truth through interactive relationships which build up the life of Christ within an environment of community.

• “Speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work” (Ephesians 4:15-16.).

Church is functioning, not perfect community—being perfected, yes; perfected, not yet folks! How can I say that? Easy, I’m still in it, and so are you . . . cheers - JD

Don’t confine your worship . . .

Life is too short to not seek to love, worship and respond to God in all life situations.  Don’t confine your worship of “enjoying God” to services or rituals … worship God anywhere. 

• As we get older we need to shift the focus from hard work to God-work. 

• Slow down, enjoy God; some things in life are really not that important.  

• However, giving time for God and His goodness is not one of the aspects of any "cut-down list”.  

He’s not saying less church, he’s saying – more God in the common places of life. 

Don’t forget how close God is . . . 

Ruminating on the first day of 2020 . . .

Today’s the first of January 2020 . . .

The other day, (aka - last year), I read and ruminated on a  short-chapter entitled “Of Putting Up with Others Faults” in Thomas A’Kempis’ “Imitation of Christ”....

Passing on my rumination . . .

I have the capacity to prosecute in others what I cannot overcome in myself. 

As fallen humans, within ourselves we neglect strengths and defend our self-unchallenged weaknesses  

I hear A’Kempis speaking to me of patience as an alternative to intolerant negligence.  A patience that allows God’s processes, within others and me to, “have its perfect work”. 

Through patience I give others freedom to live, and myself – freedom to change; or at best endure! – JD

*Thomas À Kempis, 1373-1471 a Christian theologian, probable author of Imitatio Christi (Imitation of Christ); a devotional book that, with the exception of the Bible, has been considered the most influential work in Christian literature . . .

Behaving like a Baptist: Ruminating on Rumination

Preamble

My lifelong or long-life ecclesiastical journey twice passed through Baptist faith community. 

Those two journey-legs were separated by thirty-three years of living and serving within a Pentecostal faith community; I “came home” in 1997 . . .

 

Oh, BTW – for a couple of years in the late 1980’s, I went to seminary . . . a Pentecostal student at a Baptist seminary in Denver, Colorado . . .

Prepare to think with me

One day, seeming out-of-the-blue one of my seminary Profs stated; “Baptists ruminate . . . ”

“Interesting . . . ?”

Thinking his statement over, chewing reflectively, crystallising the impact of his words, and summarising their focused implications, I mumbled to myself; “shock, horror I’m still a Baptist inside, the default-behaviour is still inside me! I’m not an allegedly intelligent Pentecostal, I’m still a Baptist" . . .

Yes, we Baptists ruminate . . .

We read, listen, think, summarise, interact, and respond to ideas, perspectives, and communication from Biblical sources (aka preaching). Local and broader church forums are often characterised by debate or its 21^st century equivalent, reflection. We Baptists are a community of believers who don’t quickly embrace or subscribe to belief(s) without process. Our default-process is rumination.  The practice of turning a matter over and over in the mind, chewing the “cognitive-cud” by reflecting mulling over and over again; we don’t merely think, we think about our thinking. Rumination is a “vital-as” personal and communal custom in mission-centred Baptistic life; it is the fuel-source for the practices of debate and reflection. We’re a people of Scripture and Spirit. Through rumination, debate and reflection we can relationally-process Word and Spirit into missional action and lifelong discipleship.

If you are thinking, yes but how; keep reading and ruminate with me . .

Try this passage for size . . . 

1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (MSG)

“Take a good look, friends, at who you were when you got called into this life. I don’t see many of “the brightest and the best” among you, not many influential, not many from high-society families. Isn’t it obvious that God deliberately chose men and women that the culture overlooks and exploits and abuses, chose these “nobodies” to expose the hollow pretensions of the “somebodies”? That makes it quite clear that none of you can get by with blowing your own horn before God. Everything that we have—right thinking and right living, a clean slate and a fresh start—comes from God by way of Jesus Christ. That’s why we have the saying, “If you’re going to blow a horn, blow a trumpet for God.” 

• Got some emerging thought and understanding from the text???? 

• Some "ruminant fruit"????

• Why not post it as a "one-liner" in the comments box . . . 

Chewing with Qoheleth and the Caterpillar

Lately I've been watching the progress of this year's crop of "our swan plant's temporary residents" -- so snapped them this morning . . . 

they are living, and continuously eating while in a trans-formative journey . . . 

just like us humans, who according to Qoheleth* in his wisdom-observations defines that eating, drinking and getting on with living is good within the trans-formative struggle called "life" . . . 

As I "chew-my-way-through life" do I live-life as intuitive, instinctive, or instructive . . . OR????

*The Book Ecclesiastes is presented as an autobiography of "Kohelet" (or "Qoheleth")

Fear of the Lord—Positive yet serious

Recently I read and reflected on the chapter entitled “Of Heartful Remorse” in Thomas A’Kempis’ “Imitation of Christ” – passing on my reflection . . .

The phrase “fear of the Lord” is positive language, positive through serious. 

When I consider the phrase through the term “holy awe”, its meaning becomes even more clearly focused.  

The question of positive response to the Lord by holding Him in holy awe is best understood “the Awesome of the heavens above is still awesome when He is within my life and experience”. 

 In this inner-knowledge my repentances, cryings and commitments to change, flow as “heartfelt remorse without regret, for they are grace from the awesome God – my Lord”.

As I re-read the above, I’m moving from reflecting to rumination – JD J

Election Day Saturday - Sunday the Sun will rise

New Zealand's national election day on Saturday won’t go away—it will occur and merge into the country’s national history. The sun will rise on Sunday, just an hour earlier.* Both events call for some considered action on one’s part. The first, decide to vote and vote your decisions. Secondly, change the time of any household clock or device that isn’t smart enough to do so for itself. Life will actively continue.

BTW the sun won’t actually rise at any time different to that which is normally does. My changing of clocks and devices, doesn’t rearrange universal reality—we live in an ordered universe. Neither will my voting; though both actions affect the rhythms in personal and national life.

“Election season”—a bit like “Duck season’s” limited, loud, and intense activity—now officially over, leaves us with questions and perspectives for living in the light of day. We live in a-time-of-questioning, not just through it. Some questions are common to daily life. Such questions either orient, or reorient us—their voice calling us to fresh considered action. For Jesus and His disciples questions worked that way in John 9:1-4 . . .

Passing by, they saw a man blind from birth . . . 

His disciples asked him: “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents that he was born blind?”

 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned—this came about so that God’s works might be displayed in him . . .   Jesus answered . . .

We must do the works of him who sent me while it is day . . .  Night is coming when no one can work . . . 

As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Our questions, often framed as alternative answers close us up to considering a different perspective of life and societal problems; Jesus answers “our or” with “His neither-nor”. He reorients to working together in the light He is in the world in which we are.

It’s daylight using time . . .

* NZ's Summertime daylight saving time commences 24/09/2017

React or respond; it’s over to you . . .

I’ve been reading; actually re-reading in some of Paul’s latter letters . . . 

               It’s gotten into ruminating . . . 

Have a read, ruminate, and “summary reflection” with me . . .

”I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Philippians 4:11-12

“But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that.” 1 Timothy 6:6-8

Grasping gratitude . . .

This morning, Raewyn; a ministry colleague, made a Facebook-post concerning the “spiritual discipline of gratitude” . . .

Got me thinking, looking, and finding . . .

Here’s what I found; a “portable rumination into my day" – its Monday in New Zealand . . .

“Gratitude, as a discipline, takes desire, commitment and a plan. Like any good discipline, it can free us from what is bad and free us for what is better. Gratitude can help preserve us from sin and form us for holiness.”

Fr Robert McTeigue, SJ ( Jan 04, 2017)

Praying and Church

Praying is the most common human practice for communicating with the Divine . . .  

Prayer occurs through all kinds of situations, experiences, and locations; one of them is at churches.  Not just in churches, but at churches.  You can go to a church and pray, if it’s open. You can go to weekly scheduled church services and participate through the liturgy’s prayers. You don’t have to go to church to pray, but you can pray there with others.

I, and maybe you have heard a statement like “you don’t have to go to church to pray; you can pray anywhere.” True. Yet praying is both personal and communal engagement of God by humans. The possible values of prayer are both instinctive within us, and inspired beyond us; the Bible and human history abound with accounts of prayer and praying; think about it. In the stories of the bible people pray personally, collectively, constantly, and commonly.  Personally we speak to and listen for God. Collectively our prayers are made for Divine intervention, and daily wisdom in life’s many challenging situations. 

Praying constantly isn’t quitting our work and life-responsibility to “just pray,” it’s not quitting on praying as a normative practice; remember while God who is not late, from our perspective often seems to miss an opportunity to be early! Keep praying. Both the Bible and historical stories of nations and whanau say, “Prayer is commonly practiced.”

Bear in mind you can pray without going to a church, but you won’t go to a church or its services without praying. That’s the norm of Christian faith. 

Praying is a normal human practice for communicating with the Divine.  

John Douglas - March 2017

Christian spirituality’s both intentional and normative . . .

Christian spirituality is the holistic relating of one’s entire life as understood, felt, imagined, and decided upon in relation to God as Father; united through Jesus Christ, and empowered within the Spirit’s indwelling presence.*

It’s characterized as, “the quest for a fulfilled and authentic Christian existence; involving a bringing together of the fundamental ideas of Christianity into the whole experience of lifelong-living on the basis of and within one’s Christian faith.”** 

It is dynamic, living, developing, evident, and nurtured. 

It is not self-perpetuating; it’s intentionally pursued and supported engagement. 

It’s the living and nurturing of a growing faith. 

Check it out in biblical narratives, spiritual growth is (1) normative, (2) intentionally nurtured, (3) behaviourally observable, and (4) modelled and mentored.

While you’re checking biblical narratives, pick up with Saint Peter’s words . . .

 “So don’t lose a minute in building on what you’ve been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can’t see what’s right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books”

 - 1 Peter 1:5-9  (Message Bible)

 

*John C. Douglas, “The Effectiveness of a Rule of Life as Growth Processing Framework in the Development of New Zealand Evangelical Church Leaders’ Spiritual Discipline Behaviors”. (Denver Seminary: 2013), 29

**Alister E. McGrath, Christian Spirituality: An Introduction (Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishers, 1999), 1. 

Being alone is good; being lonely, not so good . . .

As 2016 ends, and life continues—here’s some of what I’m chewing over (ruminating) this sunny morning . . .

I know we are social and gregarious creatures, afterall we are made in the image and likeness of three persons who have been “hanging out together eternally” . . .        yet sometimes I need to not just be or feel alone, I need to participate in aloneness in my Christian spiritual journey  . . . 

The aloneness of my spiritual journey is not a synonym for loneliness.    To grasp and be refreshed by being with Jesus (and the rest of the Trinity) I have a gift of aloneness that’s really an oxymoron … “how can I be alone, when Jesus declared He would always be with me?”  

Aloneness is not isolation or insulation for I can be with others and be alone from idle or destructive social-interaction.   The key is to "give time to others and energy to them from a heart that’s attracted to Christ, not distracted by the values of this world . . ."

• By “silence of speech” to be in the world, while not being of it.

• Being intentionally alone emphasizes being apart from others, but it does not necessarily imply unhappiness.

• The practice of being alone is commonly defined as “engaging the discipline of solitude.”

Murray Douglas - "Time alone at Haiti after the 2010 earthquake"

Have a co-ruminate with me . . .

Been getting ready for church (it's Sunday morning here in New Zealand), breakfast has happened, with nothing "pressing-to-do" I've been reading, ruminating, and summarizing my thoughts . . . I started with Psalm 90:12 . . . 

Why not read along, and have a co-ruminate with me . . . 

• Hey, you could even post (in the comments section below) your ruminating; not  merely a critique of mine, share your rumination with some of it's "meditative-voice" . . . 

Remember, "rumination is the fodder of meditation". It's thinking about our thinking, hearing what our thoughts are saying as we take listening-time in the presence of the One who said, "I will never leave you or forsake you . . . "

Cheers - JD

Life is Liveable it’s just not easy . . .

More than once in my life I’ve had folks say; “John, you would make my life easier if you only . . .” If you only is a common and almost universal saying of request.

In fact I’ve said the same words on a number of occasions to God. Like God, I don’t generally listen well to such requests.

Now, I know I can be difficult; don’t plan to be—just successful at being and doing so on “occasions”—difficult to live with and around. Also know that while at times the Divine One can be difficult, in not making my life easy. For example, “He is never late; though from my perspective He misses so many opportunities to be early.” Early would make for easy. Since we generally want easy, now is a good time; not tomorrow or one-day--now. We know “the idea of easy” wishes for a lifestyle that’s achieved without requiring great labour or effort; one presenting few difficulties.

Problem: Life is not meant to be easy; it’s designed to be liveable

• The unexamined life is not worth living - Socrates of Athens

•  My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life – Jesus of Nazareth

• For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better – Saul of Tarsus

Striving to make an easy-life-path increases frustration with self, others, things, situations, and yes-God. I can live with liveable, but easy is hard work.

Focusing on engaging one’s life as having liveability increases contentment with the journey toward one’s fulfilments. Simply we get a hold of grace.  More correctly, it gets a hold of us. Liveability requires learning to engage grace in frustrating times, and learning from the engagement.

Life is not meant to be easy; it’s designed to be liveable

Live it and love it before you leave it

Live it in ways that enhance, not limit the liveability of others

You can get money out of the bank . . . if you put it in first . . .

I recall from boyhood how my “sage father” a constant poser of questions dropped one of his inevitable, this is going somewhere questions; “Johnny, how do you get money out of a bank?” 

My young mind raced for imaginative, innovative, even a criminal response to the enquiry; but my simple comeback was, “how dad?” 

“Son, you first put it in” . . .

• Outcome requires investment. Its true there is no output without input. 

In our pursuit of spirituality capable of maintaining lifestyle marked by God’s abilities, strengths and enabling in our experience of the pressures of daily life, including hauntings of historic hurts seeking to make “re-runs” – we know we will need to make “withdrawals on banked grace”. One of the troubles with grace (there are more than one) is we know we don’t earn it, so how can we bank it? Is there any action we can undertake which enable a deposit we can make drawings against? Early Christians and those through the history of the faith have understood there is ... Christian baptism. Two summary statements (there are more) give us thought on the perspective of baptism as action we take to deposit God’s grace in our spirituality reserves.

• We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” (Romans 6:4).

• “ ... water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also--not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God's right hand--with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.” (1 Peter 3:21-22).

Sure God can “bale-us-out” ... no question, but who will really live well from a bale-out mentality? Better to have baptism in the bank. I’ve been thinking how Jesus gave his people baptism to be more than a personal milestone in spiritual pilgrimage ... been thinking over it as living grace-currency capable of bearing ongoing renewable interest. (JCD)

Monday’s gift, a Psalm 23 mindset . . .

It’s not merely morning; it’s Monday morning.  

After breakfast spent some time reading/reflecting with a pen in hand on Psalm 23—thought, “post this on yon blog” . . .

Hey, while it doesn’t read as in King James’ English, it still rhymes thinking. Rhymes are for ruminating. This morning I ruminated the "ancient shepherd rhyme" from “The Message Bible” translation’s paraphrase, and also “wrote-it-up-a-bit” myself . . .  

God, my shepherd! Looking at you, I yet again remind myself “I don’t need a thing.”

I’m not reminding you, I’m reminding me . . .

You have bedded me down in lush meadows; you find me quiet pools to drink from.

True to your word, you let me catch my breath send me in the right direction.

Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I’m not afraid when you walk at my side.

Your trusty shepherd’s crook makes me feel secure.

You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies.

You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing.

Your beauty and love chase after me every day of my life.

I’m back home in the house of God for the rest of my life.**

So God, thanks for two of your gifts . . .  

The “gift of Monday, and the “gift of my work”

. . . help me to be "minded" to give through what You have given 

**Psalm 23 as an amalgam of the Message Bible and the DPV

Have a laugh, think, and wise-up . . .

This cartoon got me thinking, ruminating actually . . . 

Its humour’s an easy one for me to think on, most of my flights around the country are "no-baggage-check-in's". While overall baggage check-in is down, I observe a high percentage (myself included) travel with their "stuff" with them in back-packs. One’s “on my back carry stuff” gets x-rayed, and examined. But, is it self-examined? Do I know what I’ve bought with me? What’s in the bag on the back is matter for scrutiny; security personnel look at on-screen shapes and patterns, asking occasional questions of us as we repack and move onto our destinations.

We travel with things on us and with us; things visible, and invisible—baggage. The invisible is not merely with us, it’s within us. 

Do we really know what's inside of us in our life-travels? We know there's seen baggage; we've got eyes for that; how do we “see the unseen emotional and attitudinal baggage on our back”? There’s unseen baggage; some of which is not only OK, its necessary and needed for our life-travels. 

Early Christian apostle, Saul of Tarsus’ rumination with the Corinthians connects with my previous paragraph. He was interacting with them on self-knowing and understanding, wisdom; simply, what “God-only-knows” (a common statement of my late mother) through the Spirit’s interactions with our spirits. Try doing some assisted reflective self-knowing—some ruminating . . . 

Hey, when ruminating about me or you, why not “chew-on-a-bullet-or-two”—here’s what the Corinthians* were offered . . .

·         The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along.

·         Whoever knows what you’re thinking and planning except you yourself?

o   The same with God—except that he not only knows what he’s thinking, but he lets us in on it.

·         God offers a full report on the gifts of life and salvation that he is giving us.

o   We don’t have to rely on the world’s guesses and opinions.

·         The unspiritual self, just as it is by nature, can’t receive the gifts of God’s Spirit.

o   There’s no capacity for them. They seem like so much silliness.

·         Spirit can be known only by spirit—God’s Spirit and our spirits in open communion.

·         Spiritually alive, we have access to everything God’s Spirit is doing, and can’t be judged by unspiritual critics.

Thot: While there’s often some unnecessary (or unresolved) baggage in our inner selves, most of what we travel with is highly necessary for our life-journey. Don’t just lose your baggage, evaluate and re-engage life through it—Paul infers “what we carry in concert with the Spirit, in fact carries us . . . "

*Bulleted selections have been excerpted from 1 Corinthians 2:10-16 (Message Bible)

JCD’s on a Geneva Journey: Rumination #5

Today was the last day of our ecumenical officers’ meeting at Geneva. A very busy day that started in the Bossey chapel where we worshiped together, it concluded with an evaluation session; evaluation of the week’s involvement and our own engagement in the varied aspects of the experience together.

Evaluation as normally conducted revolves around questions and responses. Not questions and answers, questions and responses; so the questions came. I was caught, more correctly challenged as I listened to the response of one of the delegates from Asia. The question itself was not the challenge, it was the way he made his opening comments of response.

The question’s request, “tell us one thing you have learned that you will now do differently.”

Our colleague said; “I have learned not to pack everything I’m carrying into my checked baggage.” 

We laughed knowingly . . . knowing his baggage had arrived 24 hours after he had. Then I heard my ruminator starting up, and saying—"JCD, don’t laugh; reflect on that statement—hear it as a word for considering . . . "

I could picture our evaluation as a “packing session”, packing the meetings’ content, experiences, equippings, learnings, and resources. Packing it all to take it home . . . take it or ship it?

So, while I have listed my range of change-ideas on paper, I’ve two not “packed in my checked baggage” – ones for ruminating on the journey home . . .

• What are they?

• Do you want to know?

Write me an email in 7 days, and I will gladly let you know in two paragraphs . . .