Forbidden by the Spirit

I've been thinking a lot about closed doors lately. Closed doors aren't what we typically want. When we have an opportunity (or THINK we do), seek God's will and receive a firm "No" as the answer despite our fervent prayers...well it typically isn't cause for celebration. Instead the focus often turns to ourselves.

"What did I do wrong?" or "Why is God punishing/holding out on me?" tends to be my default reaction when a door slams shut in front of me. If only I hadn't sinned so badly this week or if only God really loved me maybe the answer would have been different. So when the next opportunity comes, it's time to shape up and be on "best behavior" so that we'll somehow be worthy of the carrot God seems to be hanging out in front of us.

That doesn't seem to be how God decides to open or close doors in the Scriptures. Instead of seeing closed doors as God's punishment or petulance, the Word paints a picture of God working for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, which is to become conformed to the likeness of His Son [paraphrase of Romans 8:28-29]...even (and especially) through closed doors.

The Apostle Paul, the author of those words, knew from personal experience what it was to not be able to proceed in the direction that he wanted to go. On his second missionary journey Paul wanted to go to Asia and Bithynia. I'm sure that he had grand plans for the people there and that he was excited to be bringing the gospel to these people who so desperately needed to hear the Truth.

Acts 16 tells us that the Paul and his companions were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to go to Asia and that the Holy Spirit did not permit them to go into Bithynia (v 6-7). If ever there was a set of closed doors, it was on that mission trip: Plans A and B right out the window! If I were in Paul's shoes I think I'd have been just a bit confused. Didn't God want Paul to be preaching and spreading the Word? Why would the Holy Spirit keep them from doing ministry like that?

In a message called "The Need of the Hour," Dawson Trotman shared his interpretation of these events:

Paul found closed doors, but closed doors to him weren't the problem. I believe those closed doors were used of God to show him the open doors he was to go through next.

Closed doors are closed because God has another door that He wants us to go through. It turned out pretty well for Paul: instead of either of his first two plans, he and his companions ended up going to Macedonia. Their stops on this second missionary trip included the cities of Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, and Corinth. Sound familiar? The churches that were planted as a result of the doors into Asia and Bithynia being closed resulted in at LEAST five epistles (Philippians, 1 and 2 Corinthians, and 1 and 2 Thessalonians) and perhaps the strongest and most faithful church that Paul planted (the Berean church is described in Acts 17:10-12).

When God closes a door in front of us, we have two options: we can either question God or we can submit to His sovereignty and trust that this closed door is an expression of His mercy rather than His judgement. Which will you choose?

*Bump*

Apologies for the amount of time it's been since the last update. It's not as if the blog has slipped my mind-I've been very aware that time has been slipping by without a new post. It's just that I sit down to write...and nothing comes out.

It's not as if nothing has been happening-God is moving visibly and powerfully in the ministry here in Long Beach and in my life and the lives of those close to me. I think that the problem has more to do with the vision for the blog and the purpose or function that I see it fulfilling (or lack thereof). So again, apologies.

I haven't given up on this forum for my thoughts, ideas, and updates! In fact, I've had several thoughts for upcoming blog posts even as I've written this update (as proof, here is the subject of one particular future blog that you'll see soon: Aaron or Joshua?).

I'll leave you with this: God has been speaking into my life through Psalm 39 recently. There's just something about David's cry of anguish and (more importantly) his response to his circumstances that resonates with me right now. Verse 7 has been a key verse for me for over a year now:

"And now, Lord, for what do I wait?

My hope is in You"

That's my prayer currently: God, may I wait and hope in You.

Phil 1:29

"For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake, not only

to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake..."

Crossing the Jordan

The specific period of wilderness that I was in the midst of is over. I can say this with confidence due to several confirmations either directly from the LORD or through those that are attuned to His will and who have spoken truth and insight into my life.

Deuteronomy 8 is a chapter that has spoken deeply to me recently. This chapter is Moses' address to the people at the end of their 40 year wandering in the Sinai Desert before they crossed into the Promised Land. He explains that God had a purpose for this time-a purpose of testing to expose what was in their hearts and a purpose of provision so that they would have no one else to give credit to other than Him.

"You shall remember all the way which the LORD your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, that He might humble you, testing you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not...He led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water; He brought water for you out of the rock of flint. In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that he might test you, to do good for you in the end."

~Deuteronomy 8:2, 15-16

I am currently living in Long Beach, finally able to participate in the Navigator ministry at Cal State Long Beach! (although I also am still partially focusing on raising funds) It is a great joy to be able to more fully join in with the work that God is doing here on the campus at CSULB and I am eager to get into the rhythm of things.

However, just because I have left the wilderness and have something new before me does not mean it will be any less difficult or trying. The book of Joshua tells the story of Israel's conquest of Canaan. This was not an easy task-the people that lived there had no intention of giving up the land without a fight. Leaving the wilderness did not mean an end to Israel's troubles, it just meant new problems were facing them.

Both surviving in the wilderness and conquering Canaan were impossible tasks without God-and that is exactly why God commanded Israel to do those tasks. Joshua 3:9 says: "Joshua said, 'By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that He will assuredly dispossess from before you the [enemies in Canaan].' " It was purely by God's might and strength that the Israelites conquered the land. It will be only by His strength and His grace that anything I do here at CSULB will succeed.

God, I need you just as much (if not more) right now then I have in the past few weeks-help me to remember that. Be with me, go before me, and continue to chip away at my faults, my pride, creating in me a new heart.

Hipsteranity

I love Jesus. And V-necks.

A while back my good friend Steven blogged about an article from Christianity Today that he read. It's focus was Hipster Christianity, which I will refer to from now on as "Hipsteranity" because I don't want to keep typing that out. His opinion, which I agree with, was that the article didn't do much other than describe the phenomena. There wasn't much application or analysis-just description.

Today I ran across another article that describes Hipsteranity, this time from RELEVANT magazine. The ironic thing is that even though it's written by the same author I find it to be far superior. Why? Perhaps because he is writing for a different audience the author actually makes an attempt to categorize different aspects of Hipsteranity into positive and negative categories.

I'm curious to get some feedback about the article. For those of you that have read the original also, did you find this article more interesting/insightful? What of the conclusions that the author reaches? Is his comparison of Hipsteranity to a certain second century heresy apt?

Point A to Point B

I ran across another great quote that really hit me where I'm at today and that I'd share:

"I tend to live the way I drive. I want to get from point A to point B in the shortest amount of time and by the easiest route possible. But I've come to realize that getting where God wants me to go isn't nearly as important as becoming who God wants me to be in the process. And God seems to be far less concerned with where I'm going than with who I'm becoming."

~Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson

Trampling Out The Vintage

I'll be updating soon with a few more thoughts on wilderness and what God's been teaching me this past week. Isn't it funny how God works through circumstances that we would never have even thought of Him using...

Anyways, the point of THIS post is to share a pretty amazing quote that I stumbled across:

God’s call has nothing to do with personal sanctification, but with being made broken bread and poured-out wine. God can never make us wine if we object to the fingers He uses to crush us with.

If God would only use His own fingers, and make me broken bread and poured-out wine in a special way!

But when He uses someone whom we dislike, or some set of circumstances to which we said we would never submit, and makes those the crushers, we object. We must never choose the scene of our own martyrdom. If ever we are going to be made into wine, we will have to be crushed; you cannot drink grapes. Grapes become wine only when they have been squeezed.

-Oswald Chambers

wow...just...wow. Powerful words.