Make Believe Love

Posted on December 24, 2024 by LovingLikeGod.com

The following is mostly from an email, sent to a hurting pastor some years ago.  I trust it will find resonance in your own heart.

This morning I received another revelation, and it came as I was thinking about your situation.  I was thinking about it in light of what my own experience has been.  Namely, (and I don’t think there’s ever been an exception) every time I have been at my spiritual best, I have been in the most trouble with others.

This morning this is the connection that finally came:

Jesus said, “Wait until you receive power.”  Of course the power He was speaking of was the promised Holy Spirit, Who would not only bring us the things that are His, but conform us to His image.

He said, in effect, “Don’t go anywhere or do anything until you hear from me.” (Who knows, perhaps if they hadn’t gone ahead and chosen Matthias, they might’ve been more open to receive Paul when the time came.)

Ok so far?  Now put this together with something else Jesus said: “I send you forth like sheep among wolves…”

When?

When the Holy Spirit comes.

Before that, He didn’t send them anywhere. On the contrary, He told them to wait.

Those who go without being sent aren’t sent by Jesus or The Holy Spirit— they are sent by “the world, the flesh, and the devil.”  So far from being “sheep among wolves,” they are, “wolves in sheep’s clothing.”

I would like to suggest even another word picture of the way it works, at least, if my experience is any indication.  Let’s call it, “a duck in a shooting gallery.”  I don’t know how many times I have felt like that.  This morning I finally realized that it is the same thing.  “A sheep among wolves” is like “a duck in a shooting gallery.”  “And you shall be my witnesses…”

The Holy Spirit fixes it so they can’t miss it.  When one of my sons got baptized in The Holy Spirit, another son said of what he witnessed, “He is the most convincing evidence for the existence of God I have ever seen.”

So who wants to be “a duck in a shooting gallery”?  Once we understand what’s going on, not many.  So the tendency is to get out of the gallery, shut down, or trade places with the ones doing the shooting.  I think all of these have been used as a kind of spiritual birth control.  I know, I’ve tried them myself, especially shutting down and getting out of the gallery.

I feel like I’ve tried everything, and none of it works.  Oh, it works as birth control, but the cry of my heart, and I think yours, is for children.

As a result, our calling is sure: “sheep among wolves,” or “ducks in a shooting gallery.”  That is the way Jesus sends us, and that is what the
Holy Spirit makes us.  That’s the way it was for Jesus, and He was careful to tell us that it would be no different for us.  He also told us to count the cost, and there it is…

‘Quack!!’

Part 2: The Cost

So here I am, 40 years later in Christ, still trying to get a handle on the cost. He said that is the first thing I should’ve done. Go figure.

A couple of years ago, around Valentine’s Day, I expressed it this way to a local pastor:

In Luke 9, it is written: “And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.” I believe that this way of expressing it was to fulfill the passage in Isaiah 50:7: “For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.”

Hebrews 2:2 says: “despising, or having no regard for the shame of the cross, Jesus sat down at the right hand of God.” It was Joy in his heart that made that possible.  He was beaten beyond human recognition, stripped naked, and hung up on a stick like a piece of meat, and he was not ashamed.  He won back what was lost in the Fall, nakedness without shame.  This was the first time since the fall that a man was naked before the one he loved, but without shame.  Since that time God has been looking for those who would receive His Valentine.  The problem is that the Love of God is so great that unbelievers think it’s not possible, and believers think it’s illegal.

His face was set like a flint to that end.  A “flinty faced lover,” who could have imagined such a thing?  If we are going to love like Jesus loved, we also will be “reckoned among the transgressors.”  What do you think?  Do you want to risk it?

Through our interaction, The Lord continues to give revelation. That’s not just help, that’s the kind of stuff He said He would build His Church on…

“They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night,”  Song of Songs 3:8.

I had already seen Luke 22:36-38. “Then said he unto them… ‘he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, ‘And he was reckoned among the transgressors; for the things concerning me have an end.’ And they said, ‘Lord, behold, here are two swords.’ And he said unto them, ‘It is enough.”

This is why Peter was armed in the garden of Gethsemane.  It was for fear in the night, fear that he would be reckoned among the transgressors, and rejected.

In light of what I had already seen about swords, and in light of my understanding that the flaming sword of Genesis 3:24 was for the purpose of keeping the way, rather than obstructing it, it appears to me that; one, Jesus is the way, and more specifically, the way was opened through His flesh, when He was beaten and crucified.  Remember, “… by abolishing in his flesh, the law which stood against us and was opposed to us, He took it away, nailing it to the cross.” or words to that effect; and two, the way back into the garden is through the cross.  In instructing his disciples to get swords, Jesus’ purpose was to fulfill the Scriptures that He might be “reckoned among the transgressors”.  The swords were not for the purpose of keeping Jesus from being crucified, (Peter’s heart) but for insuring that he was crucified.  The way back into the garden is through the crucifixion of Jesus. The swords were “to keep the way.”

What was in the garden?

Intimacy with God and each other.

Hebrews 10 tells us that, in His death the veil was rent from top to bottom, and explained that the veil was His flesh.  The shadow veil, the veil of the sanctuary had two cherubim embroidered on it, each with a flaming sword to “guard the way.”  Peter’s two swords were certainly “enough” to make the connection complete.

A couple of weeks after that at a “leader’s meting” in Charlotte, NC the topic came up again, and I was moved to say, “being wounded in the house of our friends is part of the process.”  It is the way that Jesus was perfected, and it is the same with us.  Someone was shocked enough to ask, “Are you saying that we’re supposed to be wounded in the house of our friends?”

My response;

“Where else?”

It is only in the house of our friends that we can get to know the difference between make believe love, and the real thing.  God’s kind of love doesn’t go away when “iniquity abounds,” Matthew 24:12.  Make believe love is for make believers, and God’s kind of love, the kind that knows the cross, is for true believers.

Make believers can be very convincing until they are willing to be in the house of friends.  That’s where the truth comes out.  We need to love one another deeply, because the first ones deceived by make believers are themselves.  We need to find out sooner rather than later, so we can repent now and avoid the rush.

The only thing that we have of value is the revelation of Jesus Christ that comes down from above, “…you are blessed Peter, because flesh and blood has not revealed who I am to you, but my Father in heaven...”  I hope you can put up with the liberty I have taken with that passage long enough for me to make a point.

Jesus said he would build his church on that revelation, the revelation of who Jesus is, that comes from above.  Notice, He didn’t say He would build His church on information about Him, but on revelation of Him.

Here’s the problem as I see it.  Each of us only has a part of that revelation.  It’s all about Jesus, but our individual hearts and minds are not big enough to take it, (Him) all in.  So we only know in part, and while some of the revelation overlaps—that is, what we have it in common—a lot of the revelation we have is very personal.  Our problem is that we tend to reject a revelation that differs from our own.

We think that we are big enough to have it all, but the truth remains, we only see in part.  Given our present difficulties with our ability to see, what we need is something to hold us together in the absence of a common vision.  That is called the love of God, the kind that knows the cross, the kind that’s good for enemies.

It’s quite clear that this is a lot to ask, even coming from Jesus, so, what we do is sacrifice the corporate revelation, the revelation of Jesus that is bigger than any one of us, the revelation that causes Him to increase and ourselves to decrease, and we substitute the vision of the leader. Call him “Church Planter, Bishop, Apostle, Prophet, Pastor, Reverend, Rector, Elder, Father, Elder Brother, Mother”… and on and on.  It’s still “the image”, oops, the “vision” of a man—not the revelation of Jesus.

We really ought to check our titles with the sheriff when we come into town, and strap on Love.  There’s no telling what we might see in one another, and having seen and loved it, (i.e. the Jesus in one another) even the world might see and believe.

At least, that’s the way I think it’s supposed to work, if John 17 isn’t just “whistling Dixie.” (Perhaps you can excuse me for that one.  I’m now living in the “Bible Belt”.)

So, to share the gospel, is to put people at risk of wounding.  To be “ducks in a shooting gallery.” This needs to be shared early on, and done so with the revelation that this is the only way we can get to know the Love of God.  Because, getting to know the love of God is what it’s all about, and God’s kind of love is not make believe.

Love!

  • By Jay Ferris, originally posted June 2012
Posted in J.Ferris: Reposts with Notes | Leave a comment

The Pond

Posted on December 17, 2024 by LovingLikeGod.com

The following thoughts were triggered at a men’s meeting I attended some years ago now. It was in connection with the John Eldredge book “Wild At Heart,” about the heart of a man, or the attempt to recapture what a man’s heart was meant to contain.

As per usual, I got something out of it that was not intended. No wonder I’m always in trouble. :-)

So here’s the deal:   

What I saw that evening was the New Jerusalem—the city with twelve gates and only one street—being a pond with twelve piers.

Jesus said, (speaking of the Spirit) “… Out of his belly will flow rivers of living water.”

The water in the pond is the Spirit.

The shore and beyond the pond is composed of fallen venues, paradigms, and even idols.

And those drawn by the Father venture out onto the vulnerability of the piers.

But one of the things that happens when walking out onto the pier is that systematic theologians, or their offspring, greet you as you are heading for the pond and take you on a detour. One of these ways is by offering a “confessional salvation,” or, like Apollos, only John’s baptism. In short, they cut you off at the pass and you are left without even knowing that there is such a wonderful thing as life in the pond. This is spiritual retardation at best, and spiritual abortion at worst.

However, occasionally there are moments and even conversations when those on the piers make that “leap” off the end of the pier, and experience something wholly other than the conversations, venues, paradigms, and idols from which they have come out.

Two or more meeting beyond the end of the piers are able to enjoy an intimacy in the pond, sometimes even including words, that is possible nowhere else.

But then the moment ends, and the participants find themselves back on their piers.

Wanting to reconnect on what they hope to be a more permanent basis, they walk along the shore until they come to the same venue or paradigm of others that they met in the water.

They rush to greet one another, only to discover that on the shore, they are totally incapable of making connection or even getting along.

Now, take this metaphor and add the “seasons of life” to such venues and paradigms, and the situation becomes downright impossible.

Love!

  • By Jay Ferris, originally published June 2012
Posted in J.Ferris: Church | 2 Comments

“Church,” Coping Mechanisms, and their “Healing” Practitioners…

Posted on December 10, 2024 by LovingLikeGod.com

By normal fundamental/evangelical standards, I “got saved” in a Baptist Church. And I don’t think it goes too far to say that “getting saved” has to be at least as important, or life changing, as “getting healed.”

About the picture: The twist in our tree (now bird feeder stand) happened when it was young. The good news, however, is that Jesus can straighten us out even when we’re old! :-)

But even so, I have a preference for the “saved” of Romans 5:10. My strong impression, gleaned from years of observation and experience is that God and Baptists have a rather significant difference of opinion as to what constitutes “church.” But I have to be careful that my personal opinion doesn’t become an idol, for present purposes, because we really do need to talk about the worship of dumb idols who cannot hear, speak, or straighten out a twisted tree.

Someone once said in my hearing that worship can be understood as “worth-ship.” It is to give worth or value (that properly belongs to God) to something or someone else. To worship a dumb idol, for instance, is to give value to something or someone. This isn’t to say we shouldn’t value one another. We just shouldn’t value them in ways that belong only to God.

Often this can be a very fine line, however. We have opinions, and so does God. But when we value our opinions more than the opinions of God, we are valuing dumb idols. (Have I mentioned that most of our idol problems are between our ears?) There is an increasing amount of this kind of false worship going on in our present day with all the “junior achievement religious experts” downgrading the scriptures to second place after their opinions. Have you noticed this?

Let’s just say we’re having a conversation here. You have an opinion, I have an opinion, and God has an opinion. All three opinions may be far removed from each other. That’s okay, just as long as we value God’s opinion more than we do our own. God’s opinion is that our conversations should only happen because we’re in love, which is required for “speaking the truth in love,” Ephesians 4:15. When we have these kind of conversations with someone, we grow up—not apart! But if we value our personal opinions too highly, both the person and God are shut out of our love-making. This is a big problem.

And this is the kind of problem I’m referring to when I said my personal opinion could become an idol. I don’t care much for Baptist as a system, but I don’t want to lock Baptists out of my heart or conversation. In the same way, I don’t care much for the “coping mechanisms” of any religious venue, because I see them as distractions from the work of the Cross, offered as alternatives to the work of the Cross, and given more value than the work of the Cross. My impression/opinion is that the Cross is more valuable than any and all of the “coping mechanisms” out there that is being offered as  a way of getting “saved,” “healed,” or “fixed.”

Perhaps I need to make a disclaimer here, which I do with fear and trembling. The healing I’m speaking about here is the one mentioned and quoted so often from Isaiah 53: “By His stripes we are healed.” I believe this included physical healing, but I don’t think it’s the focus of the context. (At the moment I’m reminded of the “Officer Crumpky” song from “West Side Story”) Anyway, everything else being equal, I try to avoid the use of physical coping mechanisms for healing, but when all else seems to be failing in that area, I will go there in a “New York minute.” It seems to me that physical healing has a greater tendency to require us to go someplace physical, and spiritual healing to a someplace spiritual.

It’s also important to remember that the healing promised in Isaiah 53 comes at a very high price—the stripes and death of God’s Son. (I think I may have posted my understanding of the purpose of the stripes some time back. You just have to know that God feels very strongly about this–so much so that He’s not pleased when we worship/value other places, systems, or coping mechanisms more than His ways.)

I would like to talk more often about this cost, and live in this cost as well. But in my experience it’s all very threatening to the spiritual and relational “coping mechanism practitioners.” Methods have become so highly valued in what’s calling itself church, that there’s little room for the Cross on the marquee. Again, in my opinion, that’s a problem. In God’s opinion, I should love—and I’ve been empowered to love—Baptists, Coping mechanism practitioners, and their groupies alike, even if I don’t care much for their opinions. I just have to watch that my opinion of their opinions doesn’t become a dumb idol.

What I’m saying is that God just may prefer to use what He calls church to get people saved, if only we’re willing to repent of what we’ve been calling church. (Still with me here?)

On that note, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of repentance going around yet, even in the “apostolic” or “prophetic restoration movement.” So God—gracious God that He is—occasionally sneaks into what’s calling itself “church,” and “saves” people. That’s very nice of God, but it can also be very confusing for us, because what’s been calling itself “church” has a very strong tendency to take that as some kind of validation. (There’s a lot of places we could go with this observation, but I’ll try to stay on task!)

As I understand it, the Cross was supposed to put an end to all that stuff.

The intimacy and relationship that God is after cost the life of His Son. The price for us is the same. When people don’t want to be intimate, that is symptomatic of a yeast infection. Meanwhile all the coping mechanism systems are offered to them at arms length, and with limited liability. That’s just not the way blood works! The blood of Christ is bad for business.

But, of course, that’s just my opinion. God’s opinion is the Cross: the answer for salvation and healing which can be seen from everywhere—if only we can stand on our tippy toes and peer over the skyline of man’s doing.

“When I was saved…” Aye! There’s the rub! Evangelicals and Liturgicals have grown so used to their “systematic salvation” methods, or to their own spin on “confessional salvation,” that far too often the result is spiritual retardation, birth control, or even abortion. At the point of spiritual fertility, perhaps even pregnancy, man is guilty of substituting a  delusional salvation instead. Do we really think that’s the way God does life? It sounds like we’re back to the subject of dumb idols again.

This even goes as far as “theophostic healing.” What if instead of getting saved and raised in an orphanage, (i.e. “what’s calling itself church”) God had placed you in a family instead? (That’s in the Book, by the way) What would happen as a result? Well, when it’s working right—dying right, I should say—relationships wouldn’t be dysfunctional, hypocritical, or prostitutional. The life coming out of them would be functional, authentic, and based on real love.

Perhaps I just need to cut to the chase. We need to “get a life,” and that life is in God’s Son. Everything else is idolatry.

Love!

  • By Jay Ferris, originally posted June 2012
Posted in J.Ferris: Church | 3 Comments