20 May 2024
Let's wrap up Bailey's book, Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes.
We make philosophical distinctions, statements that separate us from the world. We believe and proclaim the gospel, a collection of things inherently "impossible" by human reckoning. The fundamental reason is that we do not rely on human reckoning to arrive at our message.
Do you understand that the words of our message do not contain the message? The message is a spiritual connection, direct and individual. If people have dead spirits, they don't get the message. The words won't change that. The words are not the message, but serve to indicate the message. The words are merely a manifestation in context, nothing more.
Nor is the message a matter of intellectual thoughts. Our message is the miracle presence of God Almighty, and His truth bypasses human intellect, logic and reason. Rather, it enters the spirit and heart, and dictates to the mind what it must think. This is why we teach that the law codes in the Bible are for the flesh; they are not inherently spiritual. They prepare the flesh to receive the ineffable truth of God.
The message is not data; the Spirit of the Lord is far above data. The message is a personal living interaction that transcends data and intellect. God does not speak to minds, but to spirits and hearts. Flesh cannot see God, and the intellect is mere flesh.
For this reason, we can confidently assert that any doctrinal teaching can never be the truth itself, but merely an approximation. We are seeking to breathe our lives into it so that it can walk in this world. It will ever be no more than one individual expression; it is utterly impossible for any mere human to contain in their minds, much less express through their flesh, the absolute truth of God. No one human, nor group of humans, can make a valid claim to declaring truth binding on others.
Kenneth Bailey said as much himself in the book we have just finished surveying. None of us can hope to do better than approximate what fits our context. We can find inner peace with God; we cannot bind others to our personal peace. We will always hold for ourselves some things that simply cannot work for others.
A universal message to all mankind is utterly impossible, except when we understand the message as a Person -- Jesus Christ. The gospel message was not His words, but that He is the Word. We dig through the context of His words, seeking to find the Person. It is when we commit to Him that we are at peace with His Father.
From the very first Catacomb Resident post on Blogger, I have asserted that the best I can do is share my testimony of how God works with me. I cannot tell you how He will work with you. Rather, I have insisted that you must find Him for yourself. In my writing, I seek to awaken your own sense of conviction, to find God for yourself.
Thus, there are two channels of communication. I write words to provoke thoughts in the human mind, but the real message is on that invisible channel of the Spirit Realm moving in your spirit. If God awakens your spirit, then you might be able to discern Him via my words. Then again, you might not, and there's no guarantee that we will agree. Rather, that spiritual channel is the prerequisite for my writing to have any effect.
Of all people ministering the gospel message, I am fully aware that my writing is for a very limited audience, a small subset of the Elect. It is of no use for non-elect souls. It will do them no good at all. I have been sent to touch everyone I can, but I expect a response from very few. And I will hail and greet those who seem to operate on that same spiritual level, regardless of the particulars of their message. They will reach souls I cannot, as I reach those they cannot. It's all good.
Bailey helped us to see some things we had missed in God's Word. He helped us to dig out more of the cultural context of Jesus and His ministry on earth. As such, I'm quite sure he would be content that God has used him. It's not necessary to buy into every detail of his material; he said that himself. We are blessed.
Comments
Dolin
This is the truth I've been trying to explain to my friends. It's not just going to Heaven, it's a life we can live now, without sickness and emotional garbage. We take life waaay too personal. We tend to "put on" our emotions and live by them. That's not who we are anymore, we now live by faith. Whatever problems arise, if we are truly in Christ, they really don't matter. This is folly to most. Your post nailed it.
R
I appreciate all the hard work you do. You are a regular stop for me on the web. Thank you.
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