Our True Self

In this post I am looking at what it means to discover and live into the reality of our True Self. I was recently asked by a friend about what I believed with regard to the reality of sin and us being ‘sinful’. My reply was that I believe in the reality of sin in the sense that we have free choice and can choose to act according to our self-interest at the expense of others and our relationship with God. What I don’t subscribe to is that the deepest reality of who we are is ‘sinful’.

The Genesis account of creation starts with describing mankind in a state of grace in the garden. It speaks of us being created in the ‘image of God’. I believe that reflects the primary reality of who we are at the core of our being- our ‘True Self’. This is also an expression of our purpose. Our primary purpose is to manifest the image of God we are created to be. The passage also indicates that originally mankind was called to rule over creation in union with God.

The problem is that through both the reality of sin and our becoming wounded we move into a state of being separated from both God and our True Self. We can only come to live into the reality of manifesting the image of God by dealing with these two hurdles. The Christian Church has come to focus almost exclusively on our separation from God; and has lost the reality of our separation from our True Self.

The Christian mystics attest to the fact that our deepest self is a unique reflection of God and is in union with God. The Universal Church has to a large degree lost touch with that reality. This is especially true in Calvinism, with its emphasis on mankind’s sinfulness and the ‘depravity of mankind’. People are constantly told: “You are bad! You are bad!” That is a destructive perception of reality and penetrates to a deep level of a person’s consciousness. It results in a person becoming trapped in guilt and shame. Guilt has to do with what we have done wrong. Shame is at a deeper level of being. It has to do with who we are. Constantly experiencing an awareness of guilt moves the person into a state of shame. It is an awareness (self-perception) of being ‘bad’.

A story is told about what happened when Catherine of Genoa discovered the reality of her ‘True Self’; and that she was created in God’s image; and her deepest self was in union with God. She ran through the streets of Genoa shouting over and over at the top of her voice: “The deepest me is God! The deepest me is God!” Everyone thought she was crazy. When that awareness finally becomes a reality to us, it changes everything. Nothing can ever be the same again.

Contemplative prayer, and the spiritual journey we undertake through it, moves us to face and reverse the two hurdles that confront us. It confronts us with both our sin and our wounds; and enables us to grapple with them. It is a movement towards coming into union with both God and our True Self. The early church had an awareness that next to knowledge of God is self-knowledge. The two realities are interlinked. As we move towards union with God, we discover who we are. The alternative is also true. As we discover in greater measure who we are, we come to a deeper awareness of who God is. I have come to believe that we can only truly discover who we are in and through relationship with God. Outside of this relationship we only have a ‘False Self’. This is an ego-identity; what I find helpful in calling our ‘social identity’. I believe that this is not who we really are. However, most people are trapped in the illusion that their social identity is who they are. In this and following posts I want to move towards dispelling that delusion.

The problem is that to undertake this spiritual journey it necessitates embracing mystery. A necessary precondition is that a person opens themselves up to embrace mystical reality. Without this no spiritual journey is possible. Herein lies the rub. This is drastically at odds with our very rational Western society. Everything we are taught to believe in militates against this. This is a stumbling block both within the wider society and the Christian Church. People have been socialized into adopting a rational, secular worldview. Christians often live with inner disorientation and divided minds because of this. They have spiritual schizophrenia. Dealing with this is difficult. It is easier to live with our False Self.

The harsh reality is that if we live out of our False Self we will never truly be fulfilled or satisfied. At a deep level of being we ‘know’ that something crucial is missing. We are alienated from the most essential reality of who we are. There is a huge void at the core of our being. It is that awareness that spurs us on to pursue the pilgrimage towards discovering who we are. Yet, to undertake this journey requires great courage. Richard Rohr, one of my most significant mentors, contends that it is most probably the most courageous thing we will do in our lives.

Thomas Merton said that the work of a monk is to confront his inner dread. This is a profound expression of what our inner journey entails; and why so many people avoid it. For me this ‘dread’ covers our experience of being wounded as well as our own infidelity. It also includes our inability to love and receive love. Merton says that those who do not do so will be beset by spiritual disorientation and boredom. They will never know true inner peace or experience fulfillment. Unless a person faces their inner dread in order to access and live out of their True Self they will experience an inner void and vacuum that nothing else can fill.

Questions for reflection;

*Do you accept the difference between your False self and True Self?

*Have you confronted your inner dread?

*Are you in touch with the reality of your True Self?

Responses to Jesus

 In this post we are going to consider how different individuals and groups of people responded to Jesus.

In a previous post we saw how the Pharisees and Sadducees denied that Jesus was who he claimed to be and believed that his power came from Satan. They did not want to acknowledge that he was the Messiah that the Jews were waiting for because that would mean giving up the power and authority that they had in their community.

In contrast to this we can first look at the story of Herod Antipas and his response to John the Baptist that we find in Matthew 14:1-12. Herod was king and therefore had power and authority. Now Herod had married Herodias, the former wife of his brother Philip. Despite Herod being the king: “John kept telling Herod, ‘It is illegal for you to marry her.’ Herod would have executed John, but was afraid of a riot, because all the people believed John was a prophet” (Matthew 14:4-5).

 However, Herod’s hand was forced to kill John. At a banquet Herodias’s daughter had performed a dance that greatly pleased him and he made an oath before everyone that he would give her anything she asked for. Herodias persuaded her daughter to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a tray. Herod was reluctant but did not want to lose face by backing down; and so gave the order for this to happen.

At a later stage when Herod heard about Jesus and the miracles he was doing he thought that he was John the Baptist risen from the grave. He believed that only a prophet such as John could do these things. Looking at this scenario it is clear that Herod recognized that both John and Jesus shared an extraordinary power and authority. John had the courage to confront him, the king, face to face and tell him that what he was doing was wrong and contrary to the will of God. John answered to a higher authority than the king. He was under the authority of the True King, who was the ruler of the Kingdom of Heaven. All earthly power and authority was subject to the rule of this King.

Jesus came down to earth as God in human form to usher in the Kingdom of God (Heaven). He too was a man under authority; the same authority that John was under. Jesus and John were cousins; and shared kinship by blood. But the more important kinship they shared was that they were both son’s of God. They both derived their status, power and authority from that reality.

John was a social non-conformist who operated according to a different script than that of the other members of his social group. He did not live by their norms or rules; but danced to the tune he heard played by a flute that the other people could not hear. He was tuned in to a different frequency besides the one that they could hear. He chose to listen to the wonderful music he heard on this frequency rather than to the discordant, harsh sounds that his compatriots responded to. This inevitably led to confrontation and censure.

In any society not obeying the rules of the game led to social sanctions being applied to foster social control. Operating outside of the accepted norms and rules created social upheaval, which needed to be suppressed, at all cost. These sanctions ranged in severity depending on the perceived threat to the status quo. John’s head therefore ended up on a platter. Exactly the same happened to Jesus. He too was a social non-conformist; even more so than John. Therefore it was almost inevitable that he would share the same fate.

Although John and Jesus were similar, there was an important difference. The Pharisees and Sadducees got it wrong when they ascribed the power Jesus had to the work of Satan. Herod also got it wrong by believing that Jesus was a prophet. Jesus was God come in human form. There was a vast difference between Jesus and John, which John clearly recognized. He said that he was not fit to tie the sandals of Jesus.

Although the response of Herod and the Pharisees and Sadducees was different the central issue in both cases was common. This central issue was the exercise of power and authority. The ultimate question is always: “Who is in control?” That is at the heart of the reality of the Kingdom of God. Two thousand years later very much has changed, but that central issue still remains the same. The issue of control cuts across every aspect of our human existence.  

I have to constantly ask myself: “Who is in control of my life?” This is firstly at a personal inner level, but also radiates out in concentric circles to the wider social reality I find myself in. I have chosen to live in the Kingdom of God and that has enormous implications. Am I tuned into and listening to the music of the flute played by Spirit of God; and dancing to it in freedom? Or am I marching to the warlike drum of my society; and operating out of anxiety, fear and hatred?

Unfortunately, given what we have seen, there are inevitable implications if I listen to and dance to the music of the flute. I too am now kin to John and Jesus; and am an adopted son of their Father. To the degree that I choose to listen to and dance to this music I can anticipate and expect a social backlash. It is sobering to reflect on the fact that if this is not the case, am I really hearing and dancing to this celestial music from the heavenly realm?

Questions for reflection:

·         Who is in control of your life?

·         Can you hear the music played by the Spirit of God?

·         What does it feel like when you dance to this tune?

Blaspheming the Holy Spirit

In my previous post I briefly touched on the fact that Jesus said that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is unforgivable. I want to explore this in greater detail. He stated in Matthew 12:31-32:

“Every sin or blasphemy can be forgiven- except blasphemy against the Holy spirit, which can never be forgiven. Anyone who blasphemes against me, the Son of Man, can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven, either in this world or in the world to come.”

Wow, heavy stuff!!!   I have always found this very intriguing. What does blasphemy mean and why the differentiation between blasphemy against Jesus and the Holy Spirit? Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary gives the meaning of blasphemy as: “the act of showing contempt or lack of reverence for God.”  The question is why is this forgivable in the case of Jesus, but not for the Holy Spirit? I have struggled to understand this. Furthermore, what are the implications of this for us in the here and now?

After wrestling with these questions what came to me was the difference of role that Jesus and the Holy Spirit played in the Godhead. Jesus came to live among us as the image of the invisible God. He became man and took our sin upon himself when he died as a sacrifice for us on the Cross. He freely chose to be mocked, scorned and brutalized on our behalf. He chose to be the sacrificial lamb who redeemed and ransomed us. He was the rejected stone which became the cornerstone. That was his chosen role; and because of this blasphemy was part of the awful package he accepted.

In contrast to this the Holy Spirit was sent as the crucial mediator between men and women and our Father. Jesus told his disciples when he was preparing them for his departure that the Holy Spirit would be sent to them in his place when he left them. The Holy Spirit would be their comforter, counselor and guide. His many roles included leading them into truth; convicting them of sin; and empowering them for ministry. Without the Holy Spirit performing these roles in the lives of people, there would be no ministry at all; and the Kingdom of God would not be present and active on the earth.

Given this reality either ‘grieving’ the Holy Spirit or blaspheming him effectively severs the link between men and women and our Father. When that link is broken then nothing can happen on a spiritual level. It is not possible to experience the indwelling presence of God or be led and empowered by him. There is no guidance, counseling or conviction of wrongdoing. A person without a conscience is a danger, to himself and others.  A person then finds him/herself in a spiritual vacuum or desert. Being cut off from the presence of God is effectively an experience of hell on earth. Whilst Hell might be a place, it is primarily a state of being. Choosing to reject and blaspheme the Holy Spirit is choosing that option. It applies to both this world and the one to come.

The implications of this are just as relevant for us today in the second decade of the 21^st C as it was in the time of Jesus. The person and work of the Holy Spirit is absolutely vital. It is in and through the Holy Spirit that we find the way, truth and life that Jesus came to bring us. It is vitally important to realize that without the Holy Spirit there is no power for change and transformation of any kind.

The problem we face in Western society is that we have drifted into rationalism and secular humanism. It is the ‘Spirit of the Age’ that we live in. In this climate of understanding there is a general disregard for any form of mystical reality. Understanding of the realities of life has been reduced to physical and chemical forces at work. The basic presuppositions of this Spirit of the Age preclude accepting any notion of the person and work of the Holy Spirit. By default this understanding blasphemes the Holy Spirit because it: “shows contempt or lack of reverence for the Holy Spirit.”

This understanding has filtered down into the Christian Church as well. Throughout history the Spirit of the Age has come to be reflected in the understanding of the Church. Christians often live with divided minds and spiritual schizophrenia. What their society has taught them about natural reality is seriously at odds with what they read in Scripture. How do they resolve these conflicts? What or who do they believe? These are very real, serious questions. I have a degree in social science, which I received from a very liberal university. So I know about the struggle. It was extremely difficult for me to resolve this conflict. This is where the person and work of the Holy Spirit comes to the fore. Without the Holy Spirit it is impossible to find truth and resolve these radical discrepancies in understanding.

The problem is that if we choose to block the leading of the Holy Spirit and trust what we are hearing on an inner level of being, we are effectively grieving the Holy Spirit. We have to choose to be open to hearing what the Spirit is saying to us, despite our society’s insistence that this is nonsense.  This is not easy; but if we do, it is life transforming. It enables us to see the reality of our life through very different glasses. It also gives us access to the same power that raised Jesus from death. This is no small matter. This is the power that Jesus used to heal people and cast out demonic spirits. By choosing to be open to the movement of the Holy Spirit who lives within us, we too can be channels of healing and deliverance. This is really mind-blowing.

Questions for reflection:

·         What do you believe about the Holy Spirit?

·         Are you being open to listen to and follow the direction of the Holy Spirit?

·         How has the Holy Spirit been at work within you?

 

 

By What Power?

We find in Matthew 12:38 Jesus being asked by some teachers of religious law and Pharisees to give them a miraculous sign that he was from God. His reply was that only an evil, faithless generation would ask for such a sign. To properly understand this one has to see it in the context we find it in Scripture. The stage for this was set after Jesus had set free and healed a demon-possessed man who could neither see nor talk (Matthew 12:22). The crowd who witnessed this was amazed and people began to ask whether Jesus was the Messiah that they had all been waiting for. Responding to this the Pharisees said that Jesus was able to cast out demons because he received his power from Beelzeboul, the prince of demons (by implication from Satan).

[John Todd, the ex-wizard I mentioned in my last post affirmed that in the present day occult structure the ruler is Satan/Lucifer; and he has a prince who he called ‘Beelzebaal’. He said that when he was a practicing wizard Satan had appeared to him in the guise of Lucifer (the angel of light). After being saved out of the occult he was opposed by Satan in his true guise. Jesus acknowledged that he is the ruler of the world. When Jesus was tempted by him after his baptism he was offered “the nations of the world and all their glory” if he knelt down to worship him (Matthew 4: 8-9).]

Jesus countered by pointing out that any kingdom, city or home divided against itself would fall. If Satan is casting out Satan, he is fighting against himself. His own kingdom would not survive. He also said that their own members cast out demons, so these members would judge them for what they were saying. He proceeded to say that if on the other hand he was casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God had arrived among them.

He illustrated this by saying that you can’t enter a strong man’s house and rob him without first tying him up. Only then could he be robbed. Likewise, Satan needed to be bound before anyone could be delivered from his power; to be set free and healed. In the story we began with in which the man was healed from being unable to see or talk we see a clear connection between demonic influence and being physically incapacitated. Being released from this influence resulted in healing.

After being involved in the healing ministry of our Church and wrestling with issues of healing and deliverance, seeing things in terms of a direct causal link is problematic. In a general sense all sickness is a result of the fall from grace of humanity. As such sickness and death has been released into the world. All people are prone to it. There are many different causes, which I am not going to enumerate here. For instance, some sickness has viral causality and is randomly spread from person to person.

 In certain cases however direct causal links can be found between a person’s belief and behaviour and the sickness or demonic oppression that besets them. Careful spiritual discernment needs to be undertaken in each case to establish the root cause. It entails prayerful listening to the Holy Spirit and waiting for specific guidance. Under the direction of the Holy Spirit, and in the power inherent in the name of Jesus, people can be both healed and set free from demonic influence. This power is available to the children of God and is indicative of the fact that the Kingdom of God is in their midst.

In the passage we have been looking at Jesus also declared that anyone who was not helping Jesus was opposing him; and anyone who wasn’t working with him was actually working against him. He added that anyone who blasphemed against the Holy Spirit would not be forgiven. This is heavy stuff that needs to be taken seriously.

People (myself included) often wonder why we do not see the kind of healing and deliverance ministry being exercised today as was evident in the time that Jesus exercised this ministry. Jesus gave the answer to this in what he said here. To put it in a nutshell, it comes down to two words- apathy and unbelief. I have to actively choose to both believe what I read in the Scriptures about healing and deliverance; and then act according to it. This is made very difficult today because our society is so rationalistic and everything I have been taught to accept as being true militates against this. To accept what the scripture is telling me I have to disregard and ‘unlearn’ a great deal of what I have been taught since my childhood. I have to see reality in a totally different way. It ultimately involves a massive paradigm shift. The question is: “Can I do this?”

The problem is that if I don’t do this I am also not “working with Jesus” and am effectively working against him, even though I don’t mean to. In some sense I am aligning myself with the Pharisees and ‘grieving the Holy Spirit’ by not believing that he can, and wants to, heal and set people free. I am therefore not making myself available for this to happen. The Lord has set the created order in place in such a way that he usually only works through human instruments. I have to ask myself whether I am willing to put my hand up and say: “Here I am, use me!” For this to happen I need to fully and wholeheartedly dispose myself to exercise the power of God; under the direction of the Holy Spirit; so that the Kingdom of God will be revealed. Before Jesus gave himself up to be crucified for us he told his disciples that he expected them to carry on doing what he did. I have to ask myself whether I am prepared to do what he did; by his power?

 

Questions for reflection:

·         Do you believe in the power of God at work today?

·         Do you believe that the Lord heals and sets people free from demonic influence today?

·         Do you want to believe this, but have inner resistance?

 

Hidden Knowledge

In my previous post we saw that Jesus always taught using parables. These were short stories which had a hidden meaning. Jesus told his disciples that they had been permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven but others had not. To those who were open to his teaching more understanding would be given, and they would have an abundance of knowledge. But to those who did not listen, even what they had would be taken away from them. In this post I want to explore this further.

In Proverbs 1:7 it says,

 “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. Only fools despise wisdom and discipline.”

This was written by King Solomon, who is acknowledged as being one of the wisest people who have ever lived. Great people came from all over the world to listen to his wisdom. In the verse quoted he links two things with knowledge and wisdom- ‘fear of the Lord’ and ‘discipline’. The ‘fear’ he is speaking of should be seen as being awe and reverence, rather than dread and foreboding. It has to do with an appropriate attitude of reverence and respect for the Lord who has created all and is over all. It also relates to being in right relationship with the Lord in terms of submitting to being disciplined by him. It entails being obedient to his commands and requirements. It was because Solomon had these necessary attitudes that the Lord chose to give him this great wisdom and knowledge. They were gifts in response to them.

Even though Solomon lived a very long time ago nothing has changed in this regard. If someone chooses to adopt similar attitudes of reverence and respect and submit to the discipline of the Lord; and live in humble obedience to him, then they too can expect to be given wisdom and knowledge. Jesus intimated as much to his disciples. Before he gave himself up to be crucified on our behalf he told his disciples that he would send the indwelling Holy Spirit to lead them into truth. The Holy Spirit would be their teacher and guide. This applies to us in the 21^st C as well. As we saw last week, Jesus said that the ‘secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven’ would be revealed to his followers. If we earnestly seek this knowledge in humble obedience, we will receive it; because it has been promised to us.

We have to now consider what happened to King Solomon. Because Solomon had chosen to seek wisdom God gave him gifts of wealth and a long life as well. The problem was that Solomon became greedy. He is famous for building the Temple to honour the Lord, but he outdid the Temple with the palace he built for himself. It took seven years to build the Temple and thirteen years to build his palace.

Solomon was also disobedient. The requirement of the Lord was that the Hebrews should not take foreign wives because they would influence the men to worship foreign gods. Solomon first made an alliance with the Egyptian Pharaoh and married his daughter. He then went on to marry very many foreign wives that he lusted after. In fact he had seven hundred wives and three hundred concubines. It must have been exhausting trying to keep them all happy. Sure enough, he started to worship their gods, as the Lord warned would happen. He therefore crossed over into spiritual darkness.

In the 1970’s John Todd was a high-up practicing wizard in the USA. He was on the Grand Druid Council, which oversaw the occult activity in that country. It comprised the thirteen top occult practitioners. He was saved out of witchcraft and became a practicing Christian; and was very influential in providing the Church with inside information as to how the occult system operated. He attested to the fact that King Solomon had been one of the most important wizards in history. As much as he had written significant portions of Scripture, after he crossed over to the dark side he also made important contributions to occult literature. He wrote many of the black magic rites and instructions on occult practice.

There is clearly a fine line between pursuing hidden wisdom and knowledge and moving into the dark realm. Solomon wanted to gain wisdom and knowledge which was beyond the scope of what is available to us as children of God. He was ultimately seeking power and control and to be like God. He followed in the footsteps of the dark lord that he came to serve. The problem was that he had to literally sell his soul in order to get it.

 We too have to make this choice. Jesus clearly spelt out that we cannot serve two masters. If we choose to not live with attitudes of reverence and respect, fearing the Lord; and living in disobedience, we will not be given access to the ‘secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven’. We will by default be excluded from receiving the blessing of God. If we choose to pursue the hidden knowledge of the dark realm we are putting our lives at risk and are committing spiritual suicide. The short-term gain that we may receive is far outweighed by the reality that we literally have to sell our soul to get it. My own experience has shown me this is no idle threat.

Questions for reflection:

·         Are you living with attitudes of fearing God and being open to his discipline?

·         Have you been given access to the ‘secret knowledge of the kingdom of God’?

·         Have you crossed over to the other side and want out?