49 Lies
I Rejected When I Renounced Phariseeism
There is a sacred/secular split
Emotions are not of the Spirit
Don’t trust the counsel of others
Poverty is next to spirituality
It is wrong to seek vision
Don’t trust experiences
Trust my mind
Mark & Patti Virkler
A Devotional by
Contents
1 2 3 4
Introduction......................................................................................v Face to Face with My Phariseeism ................................................ 1 Replacing Rationalism with a Broadly-based Philosophy for Knowing Truth ....................................................... 9 Laughter, the Best Medicine ........................................................15
49 Lies I Rejected when I Renounced Phariseeism and Religion and Embraced True Christianity........17
Lie 1 – Trust in My Mind ...................................................................................19 Lie 2 – Distrust My Heart ..................................................................................21 Lie 3 – Eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.............................23 Lie 4 – Build Truth with My Mind and the Bible ............................................25 Lie 5 – Live Out of the Bible...............................................................................28 Lie 6 – e Anti-Christ Is the Powerful One ...................................................30 Lie 7 – e Risen Christ Is the Weak One .......................................................32 Lie 8 – Emotions Are Not of the Spirit.............................................................33 Lie 9 – Do Not Trust Emotions .........................................................................35 Lie 10 – Do Not Trust Experiences .....................................................................36 Lie 11 – Do Not Trust the Counsel of Others ...................................................38 Lie 12 – Test My Spiritual Experiences Against My eology.........................40 Lie 13 – ere Is a Sacred/Secular Split .............................................................42 Lie 14 – Money Is Evil or Secular.........................................................................44 Lie 15 – Poverty Is Next to Spirituality ...............................................................46 Lie 16 – Politics Is Evil or Secular ........................................................................47 Lie 17 – eatre, Dance and Pageantry Are Evil or Secular..............................48 Lie 18 – e Gifts of the Holy Spirit Are Not for Today..................................49 Lie 19 – We Are Not to Seek Spiritual Gifts ......................................................50
Lie 20 – Vision Is Not for Today...........................................................................52 Lie 21 – It Is Wrong to Seek Vision.....................................................................54 Lie 22 – Godly Dreams Are Not for Today ........................................................55 Lie 23 – e Voice of God Is Not for Today ......................................................57 Lie 24 – e Bible Is To Be Dispensationalized Away Into Other Ages, Making It Irrelevant to My Life .........................................................59 Lie 25 – We Are Not to Have Encounters with Angels.....................................60 Lie 26 – Take the Accuser’s Stance .......................................................................62 Lie 27 – God Is Always Beating on Me................................................................64 Lie 28 – Man is a Worm ........................................................................................66 Lie 29 – It Is Prideful to Reach for Leadership Positions ..................................68 Lie 30 – Love Justice...............................................................................................70 Lie 31 – Preach Biblical Law .................................................................................72 Lie 32 – Try for God ..............................................................................................74 Lie 33 – Set Your Will to Accomplish God’s Tasks............................................76 Lie 34 – Focus on Dying to Self ...........................................................................78 Lie 35 – Measure Ourselves Amongst Ourselves ...............................................79 Lie 36 – Sacrifice the Greatest Truth for Lesser Truths ....................................81 Lie 37 – Systematic eology is Superior to Narrative eology ....................83 Lie 38 – Test My Experiences with God Against My eology .......................85 Lie 39 – Accept the Spirit of Control as Biblical ................................................87 Lie 40 – God Helps ose Who Help emselves............................................89 Lie 41 – I Should Counsel Out of My Wisdom Rather than Divine Encounter...........................................................91 Lie 42 – I Should Stay Committed to Dead Religious Churches when the Spirit Is Leading Me Out...................................................93 Lie 43 – Church Leadership Revolves Around the Pastor.................................95 Lie 44 – It Takes a Lot of Effort to Find God .....................................................97 Lie 45 – I Have Truth for All Mankind...............................................................99 Lie 46 – I Am to Separate from ose Who Have Impure eology .......... 101 Lie 47 – Christians Cannot Have Demons ...................................................... 103 Lie 48 – Repentance Is a Negative Experience................................................. 105 Lie 49 – I Am the Final Judge of What I Say................................................... 107
Appendix – Four Keys to Hearing God’s Voice......................109
Introduction
e Problem with Old Wineskins
“Nor do people put new wine into old wineskins, or else the wineskins break, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But they put new wine into new wineskins, and both are preserved.” (Matt. 9:17 NKJ) Old wineskins do not work with new wine. New wine must be put into new wineskins. God has been doing a new thing by His Spirit for the last 100 years as He has brought half of christendom (1.1 billion out of 2.2 billion) into an acknowledgment of and a new relationship with the Holy Spirit. However, very often we have taken these new experiences and tried to fit them back into our old ways of thinking and living, and have found that they do not match. Either we must leave the old ways of thinking and living and enter new, possibly uncharted ground, or we will find our new walk with the Holy Spirit becomes lost and strangled by the old systems of thought which we have lived in for decades. is book is an attempt to tear down and remove the old wineskins or ways of thinking and living, and replace them with new wineskins that will hold and nurture and enhance what God is doing by His Holy Spirit. I am tired of seeing the moves of God in this century thwarted by our efforts to push them into old ways of thinking and living. We must identify any old ways which are actually demonic lies in our minds, and reject them, and replace them with the truth of God’s Word. I am convinced that the moves of God in this century have stalled and in many cases reverted back to religion because we have not properly identified the religious ways of thinking each of us have within ourselves and repented of these ways and thoroughly and completely rejected them. We have tried to put the new wine into old wineskins and brought death to the moves of God. So God moves again, because He is going to have a Church without spot or wrinkle. If it cannot be our generation, then it will be a future one. I want to see it come
I am convinced that the moves of
God in this century have stalled and reverted back to religion because we have not properly identified the religious ways of thinking each of us have within ourselves
vi
49 Lies I Rejected When I Renounced Phariseeism to pass in our generation, and I invite you to join with me in the renouncing of 49 lies of phariseeism which I have discovered. Will you join with me on a path toward true, living, vital Christianity? May God’s richest grace be upon you as you travel the road of life.
Face to Face with My Phariseeism
1
I grew up a well-tutored pharisee yet I didn’t know it. It never crossed my mind that there might be pharisees present in the twentieth-century church. I don’t know why it never occurred to me. ey were the number one problem Jesus faced when He walked this planet. Did I assume human nature had changed? Did I assume they were no more? I don’t know. I guess I just never thought about it. Well, I began thinking about it the day the Lord called me a pharisee in my prayer time. He did it by quoting and applying a verse to me which He had initially spoken to the pharisees. It was John 5:39,40: “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” ( Jn. 5:39,40 NKJ) When the Lord gave me this verse in my devotional time, I realized it was a true appraisal of my life. I did search the Scriptures! I did think life was in them! Of course! What other position would I hold as a born again Christian? e Lord was saying to me that I was not willing to come directly to Him. Well, of course not. I approached Him through His Scriptures. e Scriptures were the only true reliable standard for all of life. I lived out of the Scriptures. Yet He was saying I was unwilling to come to Him.
What do You mean: Come to You? Are You talking about direct inner experience? You know, Lord, I have been taught to distrust experiences. Experiences can lead one astray. Yes, My son, but so can your theology.
2 What! Who said that? I did. Who are You?
49 Lies I Rejected When I Renounced Phariseeism
I am the Lord Jesus Christ Whom you have been rejecting. What! What do You mean, rejecting? I preach and teach You, and have devoted my life to a study of Your Word. Yes, but you have not come to Me. What do You mean, I have not come to You? I accepted You as my Lord and Savior when I was 15 years of age. Yes, but did you come to Me? What do You mean? Did you experience Me? Well, yes, You came into my heart. What did it feel like? Well, feelings are soulish, You know, Lord, so I don’t look to feelings as a part of my relationship with You. Oh! Well, what did I sound like? Why, You don’t speak anymore in this dispensation. Everyone knows that. en what is happening right now? I’m not sure. I haven’t quite figured it out. is may be a familiar spirit talking to me or something like that. Oh, I see. Familiar spirits still talk to My children, but I don’t. Well, something like that. Does that make sense to you? I’m not sure. I never thought too much about it, You see. I’ve been quite busy serving You. Well, can we get back to the subject of your experience with Me? Sure, I guess so. What did I look like when you first met Me? I didn’t really see You. You know, we no longer see You in this dispensation. You no longer give vision.
Face to Face with My Phariseeism
3
Life is an experience where you see
and hear and feel
Oh! I understand. So you entered into a personal relationship with Me when you were 15, but you didn’t see Me and you didn’t hear Me, and you didn’t feel Me. What did you do? I have a relationship with You through the Word, You know, the Bible. Isn’t that exactly what I said to you in the first place? “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.” I guess so. So what are You proposing? at you actually come to Me and EXPERIENCE ME. But, Lord, experience can lead me astray. And theology can’t? You now have 2300 fighting denominations, who are all sure they are right and won’t even talk to each other. Is that the way to eternal life? Lord, I think I see Your point. Mark, life is an experience where you see and hear and feel. I am a Person Whom you also see and hear and feel. Do not try to separate Me from the experiences of life. I am an experience in life. Life itself is an experience. It is not a theology. It is an experience. You must learn to let it become an experience. You have sought to make it, and Me, a theology. However, I assure you, both are much more than a theology. Both are actual full experiences. Lord, it’s not really fair to apply a verse to me that was first spoken to the pharisees. Well, My son, if the shoe fits, put it on. But I am not a pharisee! I love You. So did they. But I serve You. So did they. But I worship You. So did they. But I love Your Word, and codify it and teach it to others. So did they. Lord, what are You trying to say? at you are a pharisee. Lord, I don’t want to hear that.
4
49 Lies I Rejected When I Renounced Phariseeism I know you don’t, My son, but it is still the truth. Whether or not you want to hear it makes no difference. It is still the truth.
So I decided to do a study on phariseeism just to see. I just needed to make sure I wasn’t a pharisee. I began by looking in my local Christian bookstore for a few books on phariseeism. I wanted to get an overall view as to what it was and what forms it takes in the twentieth century. And guess what - I couldn’t find any! Well, I actually did find one, e Pharisees’ Guide to Total Holiness, but it really did not give me any of the deep answers I was searching for. I could hardly believe it. Here we are with hundreds of thousands of books on the market and essentially none on the number one problem Jesus encountered as He walked this planet Phariseeism. I could hardly believe it. Could this be a major blindspot? Is there no phariseeism, or are we so caught up in it that we are not able to recognize it when it strikes us squarely in the face? I wasn’t even sure I wanted to think about it. is could open up a can of worms of unbelievable proportions. I was not sure I was ready for this. However, the next time I read through the gospels I decided I would look for the symptoms of phariseeism. I came up with a list of 40. I evaluated my life in light of them and found a fair degree of phariseeism within my own life. I was shocked and humbled. I went to the Lord in repentance and asked His forgiveness for the way I had been living. He forgave me and I went on to learn a new way of living, living out of Him rather than living out of a theology about Him. is book is the result of the changes He has brought in my life over the last 12 years as I have learned to hear His voice and trust His Spirit and see His vision. He has shown me that many of my foundations were faulty. Many had to be removed and replaced with a new set of foundations that were born of His Spirit rather than the reasonings of my mind. I invite you to take this walk with me. It has surely been painful and challenging, and yet extremely rewarding as I have peeled off the old wineskin of phariseeism and legalism, and discovered intimacy with Him through His Holy Spirit. May your walk be as rewarding as mine.
Here we are with hundreds of
thousands of books on the market and essentially none on the number one problem Jesus encountered as He walked this planet
God has birthed a firm conviction in my spirit that I am to hate and reject phariseeism with all my might. It makes no difference whether the phariseeism is in me or in someone else. Phariseeism kills. Phariseeism uses people and destroys them by placing burdens upon them which no one can bear. Phariseeism must be rooted out so the Lord can come back for a perfected bride. e Lord spoke into my heart recently saying, “Mark, phariseeism has totally rejected you. Now you are to totally reject it.” I now seek to bring as many as possible into true Christianity. May your life be set free in the power of His Holy Spirit.
Face to Face with My Phariseeism
5
Personal Response
Following is the self-check test on phariseeism which I developed last time I went through the gospels. Take it on yourself, not your neighbor, spouse or pastor. One of the traits of phariseeism is that they are always pointing out others’ faults rather than examining their own hearts. Another reason you would not want to tell someone they are a pharisee is because pharisees carry the spirit of murder with them. As they sought to kill Jesus, so they will seek to kill you. So unless you have a death wish, I recommend you not call a person a pharisee.
Symptoms of Phariseeism
Circle yes if you generally do or believe the following statement. Circle no if you generally do not believe or do the following statement. 1. I come alongside people who hold different positions than I do ( Jn. 16:7). 2. I come against people who disagree with me (Rev. 12:10). 3. When someone disagrees with me, I seek to discover the truth in what they are saying (Acts 17:11). 4. When someone disagrees with me, I seek to prove that they are wrong (Acts 17:11). 5. I find it easy to accuse and put people down (Rev. 12:10). 6. I look for ways to build people up and encourage them (I Cor. 14:3). 7. When I go to the Scriptures, I try to find verses that prove a person is right (Acts 17: 11). 8. When I go to Scripture, I try to find verses that prove a person is wrong (Acts 17:11). 9. I use the Scriptures to encourage people and build their hope in who Christ is in them (Rom. 15:4; Phil. 4:13). 10. I enjoy debates where I can try to trap my opponent (Matt. 22:15-40). 11. I try to phrase questions in such a way that I might have grounds to accuse a person, based on his answer (Matt. 22:15-40). 12. I try to show people the ease of living out of Divine grace (Matt. 23:4). 13. I help those who are burdened down (Matt. 23:4). 14. I like people to notice my religious deeds (Matt. 23:5). 15. I like to be honored by men (Matt. 23:6). 16. I like to be called by my full title (Matt. 23:7). 17. I instruct people in the many commandments that will help them become more holy (Matt. 23:13; Gal. 4:3). yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no no
6
49 Lies I Rejected When I Renounced Phariseeism 18. I am precise and demanding when it comes to obeying the rules I have established (Matt. 23:23). 19. I emphasize love and mercy more than I emphasize justice and rightness (Mic. 6:8). 20. I tend to overlook the little things while keeping my eyes fixed on the more important (Matt. 23:24). 21. I tend to get caught up in the little things and overlook the big issues (Matt. 23:24) 22. I devote more time and care to inner attitudes than I do to outer appearance (Matt 23:25). 23. I take more time and care on outer appearance than I do on caring for the condition of my heart (Matt. 23:25) 24. I think the harder I try to be good and right, the better I will become (Rom. 7) 25. I have discovered that when I stop striving and instead yield myself to the in-working power of Christ, He works more easily within me (Rom. 8). 26. I focus on containing the outside, yet my heart rages with evil within (Col. 2:20-23) 27. I see hypocrisy within myself (Matt. 23:29-31). 28. I tend to feel that life is found in the study of the Scriptures ( Jn. 5:39,40). 29. I feel that life is found in the experience of Christ ( Jn. 5:39,40). 30. I can see prophets in my community ( Jn. 6:42). 31. I seldom judge by outer actions alone. I try to look into the heart and perceive the heart motive behind the action ( Jn. 7:24). 32. I tend to judge by outer actions and appearances ( Jn. 7:24). 33. I try to destroy people (either verbally or actually) rather than love them ( Jn. 8: 37,40,44). 34. I live out of the voice and vision of God within me ( Jn. 5:19,20,30). 35. I live focused on the principles within Scripture ( Jn. 5:39,40; Heb. 12:2). 36. I trust the theology I have built (Gen. 2:16,17; Lk. 24:21-32). 37. I trust the flow within me ( Jn. 7:37-39). 38. I tend to say that those with whom I disagree have demonic influences in their lives ( Jn. 8:48; 10:20). 39. I find it difficult to be taught by those I view to be beneath me ( Jn. 9:34). 40. I tend to think that those of the persuasion of my particular church or group are the most right and most likely to make it to heaven ( Jn. 10:16). yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes no no no no no no no no no no no no no no
yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes
no no no no no no no no no
Face to Face with My Phariseeism
7
Nonpharisaical Answers
Grade yourself. Place a P next to every answer you have incorrect. en total the P’s to find any tendencies of phariseeism within you. Look up the supporting verses, pray over them and ask the Holy Spirit to heal any such tendencies within you.
1. yes 2. no 3. yes 4. no 5. no 6. yes 7. yes 8. no 9. yes 10. no 11. no 12. yes 13. yes 14. no
15. no 16. no 17. no 18. no 19. yes 20. yes 21. no 22. yes 23. no 24. no 25. yes 26. no 27. yes
28. no 29. yes 30. yes 31. yes 32. no 33. no 34. yes 35. no 36. no 37. yes 38. no 39. no 40. no
ink and Discuss
Read John 5:39,40. Have you ever thought of the question of phariseeism as being a relevant problem for twentieth-century Christians? Have you ever thought of it as it applies to your life? Did you take the self-check test on phariseeism? How did you make out? Did you discover any elements of phariseeism in your life? Have you repented and turned these areas over to the Lord to heal? Could Jesus have used the verses from John 5:39,40 to refer to your life? Are you unwilling to trust experience? Do you need to learn to trust it? Do you have comfortable daily encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ?
Replacing Rationalism with a Broadly-based Philosophy for Knowing Truth
2
Mark, you can trust the voice of My Spirit within your heart more than you can trust the reasoned theology you have built with your mind. ere You go, messing with my mind again. Lord, I have everything so neatly tied up and organized. If You make me go with my heart, the order is likely to get all messed up. I know. at is precisely why I am calling you to go with your heart: because I am the One Who leads your heart. You are the one who leads your mind. Remember I have spoken that I have given you a new heart and a new mind. Well, it is My heart and My mind. You now have the mind of Christ in your heart. Don’t you think that might be a bit wiser than your mind? Well, sure, I suppose so, but... But what? Is your mind all that brilliant? Are you all knowing? Are you all seeing? Are you all powerful? Are you all present as I am? No, and again I say no! So why do you want to lean to your own understanding when I have commanded you not to? I’m not sure. I will tell you why. Because you have been trained that it is the right way to go. But trust Me, it isn’t. If it were right, then only the mentally gifted could find Me. Only the mentally gifted could walk with Me in perfection and holiness. However, that is not My way. No, I have chosen to fill the heart of man with the mind of Christ. So now you are to come to the heart and live out of the heart. But I can mistake the leading of my heart also. And right you are. at is why I have given you several methods for confirming the leading of My Holy Spirit within your heart. First of all, of course, you will find Me confirming the leading of your heart by showing you confirming examples in Scriptures. When you come to Me in prayer and ask Me to confirm your leading through Scripture, I will. I will illumine verses and
10
49 Lies I Rejected When I Renounced Phariseeism principles from Scripture to your understanding. ey will be the verses I give to you, with the understanding I give you of them. But Lord, can’t I still be wrong? Can’t it be my own interpretation rather than Yours?
Yes, My child, it can. at is why I have given you another counselor, and that is your spiritual counselor with whom you share your heart heck the purity of the root by and life. It is the one or the ones I have placed over you in the Lord. In the multitude of counselors there is safety. I have not called you to examining the purity of the fruit walk alone. I have called you to walk with others. One can put a thousand to flight, but two can put 10,000 to flight. When you team up, you multiply your effectiveness tenfold. erefore, do not walk alone. Receive counsel from those who are around you. Submit yourselves one to another in the fear of the Lord.
C
And when you ask for counsel, do not ask for their advice, because their thoughts are not My thoughts. eir ways are not My ways. No, you are going to them to ask them to pray and seek My face and share with you what I have spoken to them about you and the situation. us you have the leading of your own heart confirmed through the leading of your counselors’ heart also. us it is no longer you walking alone without adequate covering. It is you walking under the umbrella of protection I have given you. Finally, My child, allow Me the honor of speaking back to you through a revealed understanding of life. You see, you can test truth by what it produces. Does a fig tree produce thorns? No! So you can check the purity of the root by examining the purity of the fruit. If the fruit is rotten, so is the root. You can always discern the root by the fruit. is is an important principle in life. is is a key principle of life. Much can be learned about the root by examining the condition of the fruit. By doing so you will find many defiled roots, which My children have been living out of. You do not have the wisdom to examine the fruit of life yourself. It is only I who can disclose to you truth from the examination of life’s fruit. You see, when Habakkuk looked at life in Habakkuk 1, he was quite convinced that life was not fair and that I was not anywhere around. However, when I told Him what I was doing and he could see and hear with spiritual understanding, he perceived that I was around and that life was fair. So you see, My son, you do not have enough wisdom to know what life is speaking back. No, only I can interpret the meaning of life. For example, when one finds himself in the wilderness, is it because I have led him there, or is it because he has led himself there? Only I know the answer to that. at is why you must come to Me and let Me explain the meaning of life to you. Lord, I think I see. It is You who must explain all. And You will explain all and confirm all through many avenues. You will illumine my mind. You will illumine my heart. You will illumine the Scriptures. You will illumine the counsel of others and you will illumine my understanding of what life itself is speaking back to me. at is exactly right, My child. And I will speak to you directly through dreams, visions and revelation which you are to write down and live out of. Now you see that life is not based on the mind or the heart. It is based on Me speaking to both the mind and the heart, and confirming it through many other means also.
Replacing Rationalism with a Broadly-based Philosophy for Knowing Truth
11
So now you have a much broader methodology for establishing truth. It is broader than rationalism. It is broader than mysticism. It is broader than humanism or hedonism or biblicism or believism. It is broader than all these put together. ese are only small, incomplete parts of My truth. My truth is much grander than all of these put together. And My Word teaches this grand scheme, so the one who will come to My Word, unprejudiced and unhindered, will find more than all of life can offer put together. He will find full and abundant life. My Word teaches this methodology for establishing truth. It is not you who teaches it. It is My Word. It is not My Word that teaches that one is to live out of My Word alone. No, that is the perversion of religion. at is what the pharisees did when I walked this earth. ey taught laws and rules for life. I lived interaction with the Holy Spirit. Many of them rejected My approach to life. I rejected theirs. ey called me of Beelzebub. I told them they were of their father the devil. We did not mix. You cannot mix water and oil any more than you can mix My Holy Spirit with religion. You must accept one or you must the accept the other. You will either live out of yourself and your interpretation of My Word, or you will recognize that you are not wise enough to live life on your own and you will ou see only the light for the come to Me and I will lead you through My Holy Spirit. e choice is yours. However, remember they do not mix. If you try to mix them, path you are on you will end up in religion because whatever is not filled with light becomes the dwelling place of darkness. Darkness and light do not coexist together. Do not mix My Spirit with your efforts. You will end up with an Ishmael. You will not have an Isaac. en you will only have heart ache. You can know things by their fruit.
Y
Yes, Lord, I understand. Lead me away from religion and into relationship with your Holy Spirit. Let me abide in y holy hill. Let me walk in y ways. Let me delight in y paths. Lead me into the place of understanding, my Lord and my God. Lord, then will I see clearly all things? No, My son, you will only see that which I allow you to see. You see only the light for the path you are on. Each one is on a path to Me. However, each path is a bit different because each child is a bit different. Each one is at a different place on his path of life, and therefore there are many contradictions in life. Only I understand them all. Only I unravel the complexities of life. You are not able to do so. And you need not do so. Indeed you have not even been asked to judge another man’s servants. It is before their master that they stand or fall. So the wisdom I give to you, I give to you and you alone. True, if I have called you to shepherd others, then I shall give you wisdom for them also. But mostly the wisdom I give to you, I give for you and for the place on the path that you are on. erefore, walk in meekness one before another, because blessed are the meek. ose who think they know all have already fallen because I resist the proud, and give grace to the humble. So walk preferring one another, sharing the testimony of where I have you and letting others share the testimony of where I have them. You see, even for your own life, you see through a glass darkly. You do not see all. You only see that which I allow you to see. So you know in part and you see in part, but at the end of the age you shall know all. erefore, be content in the bit that I show you and do not be arrogant. But walk humbly one before another, preferring one another above yourself. And I shall be with you always.
12
49 Lies I Rejected When I Renounced Phariseeism I offer to you a new paradigm for establishing truth built around six pillars. It is as follows.
Ojective and Subjective Flowing Together
Within the Framwork of Life and Community
LOGOS
MIND
OTHERS
HEART:
Sensing
Feeling
EXPERIENCE OF LIFE
Truth is discerned as my mind and my heart seek the word while listening to the Holy Spirit, the counsel of others and the experience of life.
You will see that in this new paradigm for seeking out truth, rather than utilizing simply my mind and the Bible, I am utilizing:
v v v v v v v
my mind the Bible my heart the Holy Spirit within my heart the counsel of others the experiences of life while asking the Holy Spirit to work through the counsel of others and the experiences of life, as well as illumine the Bible to my heart’s understanding.
Now, rather than seeking to discern truth based on only two resources (my mind and the Word), I am using at least six resources. Since I am building on a broader foundation, do you think I have a better chance of arriving at truth? I do! First, to support each one with Scripture:
e Mind
“It seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent eophilus.” (Lk. 1:3)
e Bible
Replacing Rationalism with a Broadly-based Philosophy for Knowing Truth 13
e Bible
“And they said to one another, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?’” (Lk. 24:32) “But just as it is written, things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him. For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.” (I Cor. 2:9-11) “In the multitude of counselors there is safety.” (Prov. 11:14)
e Holy Spirit
e Counsel of Others
e Experience of Life e Heart
“You shall know them by their fruits.” (Matt. 7:16)
“And immediately Jesus, aware by His spirit that they were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them....” (Mk. 2:8)
ink and Discuss Personal Response
How many of the above have to line up before I am convinced I have truth? All of them. And even then, I realize that we see through a glass darkly (I Cor. 13:12).
Read the following verses and discuss together how knowledge is received in each verse: Lk. 24:32; Acts 2:17; II Tim. 2:15; Prov. 3:5; I Cor. 2:9-11; Mk. 2:8; Phil. 4:7; Matt. 7: 16; Prov. 11:14. What is your paradigm (system) for establishing truth? How many pillars is it built on? What are the pillars? Is your system supported by Scripture? Does it go beyond Scripture to the traditions of men? (One theologian who taught in a Bible college gave me his system for interpreting Scriptures, and when I asked him for Biblical support for the system, he could not think of any. It brings to mind Jesus’ indictment of forsaking the commandments of God and teaching as law the traditions of men.) Would you be comfortable adopting the paradigm for establishing truth spoken of in this chapter? Why or why not? Does it have safeguards built in it? What are they? Would these safeguards be enough? Did the pharisees have a different approach for establishing truth than Jesus did? If so, what were the differences?
In Acts 15 we have the first theological dispute of the early church which is recorded in Scripture. How was it settled? Can you tell from the way they settled it what their methodology for establishing truth was?
Take a topic of potential disagreement for your class, and seek to solve it using the paradigm for establishing truth recommended above. After or during your discussion, be sure to bring the voice of the Holy Spirit into the conversation through a journaling exercise. en have participants share their journaling. (Note the process of journaling is taught in Dialogue With God and Communion With God by the same authors. You may also see Appendix A for a short overview on journaling.) Possible discussion questions may include, Is Christian rock music okay or is it to be rejected? Are the gifts of the Holy Spirit for today, or have they been discontinued? Does God want to restore dance and pageantry and drama to the church?
Laughter, the Best Medicine
3
“A merry heart doeth good like medicine.” (Prov. 17:22) “He who has a merry heart has a continual feast.” (Prov. 15:15) Mark, laughter is a central part of life. It is critical to health and well being. erefore, do not take yourself too seriously. Even as you write a book which wars against the demonic stronghold of phariseeism and religion, laughter is still the best medicine. It is always good to be able to laugh at yourself. Lord, I know this. Please give me the gift of humor. I will, My son. Just come to Me and ask and it will be yours. I give all good gifts to those who ask. So ask and receive that your joy may be full. Lord, I ask now for the gift of humor for the rest of this book.
Life is indeed humorous when you
look at it from the right perspective
And so you shall have it. Watch and see the salvation of the Lord. It will help you to remember that you are not attacking anyone else. You are sharing your own personal struggle, and your fight to overcome satan within yourself. Now, as you tell your story you are not attacking other people, but you are trying to get them to attack satan within themselves. erefore, it is important to always keep a right focus. is focus brings life. All other focuses will bring death. Were not religion and self-effort in all My children whom I chose, who eventually did great and mighty works for Me? Did I not have to first work religion and self-effort out of them before I was able to use them? Did I come against them as I was working this out of them or did I come alongside them, to encourage and strengthen and support them while they were struggling with themselves? I came alongside them. I encouraged them. I strengthened them. I am the Comforter. It is satan who is the accuser. Be certain you never take the accusative stance as you write. Write from an attitude of self discovery. Let humor flow within it. Because life is indeed humorous when you
16
49 Lies I Rejected When I Renounced Phariseeism look at it from the right perspective. A little bit of humor helps the bitter pill go down. And this is a bitter pill for many people. So come to Me and I will make your story humorous. I will put laughter in your bones, and many shall laugh with you while they are radically transformed by My Holy Spirit. Now come, My son, and let us dance together, as we write the rest of this book. Yes, Lord.
49 Lies I Rejected when I Renounced Phariseeism and Religion and Embraced True Christianity
4
49 Lies I Rejected when I Renounced Phariseeism
Lie 1
Trust in My Mind
19
God gave you a mind, use it! Of course, why else would I have a mind if it wasn’t for me to use? May I suggest an alternative? Now Who is this talking? It is the Lord. Okay, what is Your alternative? My alternative is that I gave you a mind so I could flow through it and guide your thought processes. I gave you a mind for the same reason I gave you everything you possess: so you could give it back to Me and let Me flow through your various capacities. You are to give your heart to Me, aren’t you, and receive a new heart? You are to give your mind to Me and receive a new mind. By that I mean that you are to no longer live out of yourself, but you are to come back to the experience in the Garden where you were an expression of Me. You lived out of Me, the One Who created you. It was satan who tempted you to live out of yourself. However, I never intended it to be that way. I intended for you to live and move and have your being in Me. I intended for you to be a branch grafted into a Vine. I intended for My thoughts to flow through your thoughts and My ways to become your ways. I intended for you to be an outworking of Me, not to live on your own as so many have chosen. Well, Lord, how do I give my mind back to You for You to use? I do acknowledge that my thoughts are not Your thoughts and my ways are not Your ways, and that if I use my mind myself I will only end up with my thoughts. How do I get Your thoughts? Several ways. First, of course, you find My thoughts and My words and My ways throughout Scripture. ere you discover how I have interacted with My children down through the centuries. However, do not fall into the trap of thinking that now that you have discovered some of My thoughts for other people’s lives, you now know exactly what I am saying to you. No, life is very complex. Far too complex for you to figure out. And My ways and My thoughts are high above your thoughts. ere is no way you could comprehend all I know. erefore, you must constantly come to Me to discover what I am saying in the particular situation you are facing and living in. If you try to figure out which of My previously spoken words apply, you will often be in error, because I am constantly doing a new thing in your life, because you are constantly growing and changing. erefore, you must know what I am doing in your life at this particular stage of growth and what I am saying to you today. My leading is for the day you are living in because I have many purposes in many lives which I am working out simultaneously. You could never begin to comprehend all the moves I am making in all the lives which your life touches, so you must come to Me to discover what I am doing and what I am saying.
20
49 Lies I Rejected When I Renounced Phariseeism You cannot live out of My past written words to you or to others living before you or alongside you. You are to live out of My spoken word to you for the day you are living in. Is that not what My Son did? Did He refuse to do anything on His own initiative, but only that which He saw and heard Me doing ( Jn. 5:19,20,30)? Yes, that is what My Son did. Go and do thou likewise. Now back to the subject of using your mind. When you let Me use your mind, I guide your thought processes through spontaneous thoughts which light upon your mind. is happens when you keep your mind open to Me and the creative flow of My Spirit within you. You see, I speak as the effortless flow of thoughts within you. ey bubble up to your mind when you are still and not striving, but relaxed and quiet before Me. erefore, as you walk through life, you are not to walk in the self-effort or striving of your own mental activity, but you should pray without ceasing. In other words, you should be constantly open to the flow of your heart within, because I am constantly flowing within. And for the one who hears Me, his life shall be full to overflowing. Creative wells shall spring forth. Creative inventions shall spring forth. Creative healing shall spring forth. Creative, life-giving counseling shall spring forth. All that I am shall spring forth from his heart and mind. He shall be complete in Me. He shall be Mine and I shall be his. So, Lord, You are saying if I relax my own thought processes, and walk and think and live in a relaxed posture, the creative, life-giving, healing flow of your Holy Spirit will bubble up within me spontaneously, and I can live in that? Exactly, My son. Well, that makes life easier. Yes, that is what I said, My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Wow, it really works when you work it right! at is what I have been saying for years. ank You, Lord.
Personal Response
Okay, Lord, I come to receive from You. I will not use my mind myself, but I will give it over to You to use and flow through. I will stay open to spontaneous flow as I walk through life, and allow the spontaneous flow of your Holy Spirit guide my thought processes. I will lean not to my own understanding but in all my ways acknowledge ee. I give my mind to You so that You can use it and flow through it. ank you, My son. at is why I gave you your mind in the first place.
ink and Discuss
Read Proverbs 3:5,6. Have you been taught to trust your mind? Have you been taught to live out of your mind? Have you been taught to test your religious experiences with your mind? Have you been taught that God gave you a mind, so use it? If any of the above have been true in your life, how do you sense God calling you to change? What changes will you have to make in your ways of living and approaching life in order to flow with the changes God is seeking to make in your life? Will it be easy to make this change, or difficult? What can assist you in making these changes?