The Complex Language of God

Man it is hard to understand God. Or so I have been told. I mean, how could I understand “GOD“?!?! He is just too Great, Powerful, Overwhelming, Vast, Tremendous, Incredible, Spectacular, Glorious, Holy, Divine, Pure, Righteous, Marvelous, Magnificent, and Complex to ever be understood by us mere humans, right?

Through out my life I have been introduced to many opinions about the complexity of God. It seems darn near impossible to be able to communicate with Him. So many people have differing opinions on how to hear from God. Most say that you need to be a Christian to hear from Him. A lot say that you have to pray. There is the argument that says you can not know what God wants unless you have read the Bible. I often see people who do not “go” to church treated as though they can not know who God is. Of course the major argument is that you can not know God unless you have accepted Jesus “into your heart”. But, many would like to know what that means?

Because we have so many different opinions on how and what it takes to communicate with God, we have even more opinions on what we think God wants us to do. Many Christians would say that the answer is found in Matthew 22:34-37:

Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question:

“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

What does that MEAN though? I feel that many people use this passage as an excuse to waste their lives by putting their potential on hold while they try to “hear” from God. To me, what they are looking for is right in front of them.

I feel as though we spend so much time making God be so Great and Powerful that we look past one of the greatest qualities of God. I realize that God is a Great and Powerful God and He has earned all the adjectives I wrote at the top of the post. But, I do not choose my God above all the rest because I am awed by the Power of Him (at least “power“ in the common sense of the word). The quality that most impresses me, is my God’s Humility.

I serve a Humble God. A God who washed His Disciples feet. A God who has told us to love our neighbors as ourselves. A God who is relational, and know-able.

I would agree that Jesus is a complex God and that we will never be able to understand His infinite wisdom. But, I think that God’s language is clear. He wants us to be humble as He was. God wants us to use our lives to walk out the commandment of loving our neighbors as ourselves, I think that it is one in the same as loving Him.

When God tells us to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind, He is telling us to carry out the second commandment of loving our neighbors as ourselves. If you love God you will be showing love to others. It is not too complex at all.

A Lesson From Pixar

I think we as a society can find many lessons from the Animation Studio Pixar. Pixar is a studio I have looked into, with great detail, for the past few years. They are the most successful film studio of this decade. They have come out with ten movies, all of which have been hailed both critically and publicly as great successes.

Pixar has not failed. They have pushed the boundaries of film making and dared to do the unconventional, with nothing but success to show from it.

Many have asked the question, “What is the key to Pixar’s success”? The CEO’s and Producers of Hollywood have seen the vast amounts of money Pixar has brought in, through the popularity of their films, and they want a piece of the pie.

The secret however, is something that money can not buy. When Andrew Stanton, director of Pixar’s Finding Nemo and Wall-E, was asked about the secret of Pixar Studio’s success, the answer was simple, “What is best for the film?” That is the question that Andrew says, guides the studios every move. There is one core Visionary (the director) who has an idea on a film that he wants to create, and nothing will get in the way of making that vision come to be a reality.

Unlike typical Hollywood, it is not lust for profit that guides the Pixar Studio. Nor is it popularity, safe/conventional storytelling or power from the higher ups, that directs Pixar’s path. The Pixar Studio is guided by Vision.

Pixar is successful because they are not worried about money or what critics think. They are not in the business for the popularity or even the big buck. They all want to create something great, and are willing to put the time and effort into making this Vision come to pass.

Most of the film business can not have the success Pixar has, because they are too caught up in profit and safe reliable storylines. When you put money first you are not able to take risks, you do not open yourself up to what the actual film needs. To let Vision come first you need to be willing to let go of the control.

I have seen through the years, a lot of similarities between the Church and typical Hollywood. The audience is who both Hollywood and the Church rely on for money. When you are guided by money, you tend to want to take the safe rout. A Pastor usually tries to stick to a typical yet safe message just as Hollywood tries to come out with the safe love story that will attract a broad audience. There is also a need for control.The need to have control is a typical thing you see in both Hollywood and the Church as well. This is perfectly understandable, I mean if you need to worry about, salaries, rent, and keeping an audience, you want to have a certain amount of control and know that you will survive the jump.

The problem is that the Vision sometimes asks us to jump without looking. Vision sometimes requires us to have a blind faith, and be willing to sacrifice everything to accomplish the goal.

The Pixar studio has been told many times that movies like Toy Story, Ratatouille, and Wall-E would be their undoing. Pixar dared to create unique stories and go place never gone to before, and with that came the possibility that no one would follow. But they chose to jump anyway.

They jumped because they were following something that could not be calculated, something that required dedication, the willingness to work together and follow the best ideas no matter where the source came from.

Let us learn from Pixar. Let us truly follow Vision no matter the destination or what we will have to question. The only thing that will bring on revival and freedom is a dedication to Vision that surpasses our human need to be safe and goes for the calling that God has given us.

Revival

I often am told about Revival. I have been told that is usually comes in great gatherings and during Church conferences. This might be true. But it is not where it starts and it can’t be were it ends.

I think that revival is crying out in ALL of us. I see it while I am walking by people on the streets and I feel it in the Schools and Churches. They are calling for something they do not yet have. Most of them are crying out for something they do not yet understand.

I have realized that revival is meant to be far more then just a short term thing. Revival must be something that lasts. Something that doesn’t just change the outside but changes the heart of an individual.

Often the philosophy of this nation is that, “The bigger, the Better”, when it comes to revival. We also need to be told again and again that revival is coming. I actually hear more about revival coming then see it when it actually comes.

Revival is the restoration of life. This is a powerful notion. But, revival is often called for more then it is really wanted.

If you encounter TRUE revival you will need to be able to do something that the world has all but given up on.

You will need to wake up.

“Waking up”, is a harsh notion. If you truly wake up and choose to LIVE, you will have to be willing to see how DEAD the world is. Imagine the scene in “The Matrix”, Neo (the main Character) seeks revival and chooses to wake up from the program he has been put to sleep under. When Neo wakes he is devastated to see the millions of people who are still asleep and he finds that he is week and defenseless because he had never actually used a muscle in his body before. This is often the case with true revival.

Often I want to choose to stay asleep, then I won’t need to see the genocide in this world, you won’t need to care about the millions of woman choosing abortion. If you choose to stay asleep you will be able to forget about the kid who is not excepted. If you stay dead you are able to avoid conflict and debate and you are able to drown out the cries of this nation.

When you are asleep you don’t need to truly worry about your gifting. There is no obligation to learn more and get better at what you do. Criticism is easily neglected and fluff (or false praise) is all that matters.

I often think of God and how he is the DEFINITION of LIFE. I often think of how sad things might make Him. To see the world and see the true pain millions are going through because of starvation. To see the hearts of men giving up on those in need.

With LIFE you must be willing to feel and this can be a very painful thing.

There have been many of those days that I have woken up energized and ready to go. I have felt like I could change the world and move mountains with my faith. I have felt like I could speak to nations and cast vision throughout the land. But the feeling isn’t the actual revival.

I think Revival is being alive enough to be able to see, and being willing to do something about what you see. When you truly choose to be REVIVED, you will be able to find your vision and you will be able to see what God has for you. The problem is that REVIVAL calls for action in the good times and bad.

You are alive so you can do something on this earth. Because you are alive you are subject to feeling. You will be able to feel the greatness of life along with the sorrows of life. No matter what, you still must choose to pursue your calling and bring action to your words.

Revival is the only thing that can bring on true change. If you choose to be revived you will find that life can be fulfilling. There is a power in being able to truly feel, truly see, and TRULY be able to make a difference.

Revival is like a spark. With a spark you can light a nation.

Selfish Christianity

For some reason we have been taught that Revival is supposed to make us “feel good”. We are supposed to see the true power of God, in having the lame walk and the blind see by us merely touching them. “The true power of God”, is shown by what we can do for others, without really needing to put the effort into getting to know them or finding out what they truly need. We base, how powerful God is, by how much we can feel Him and how helpful He is to us.

God and Revival, my friends, has become a very Selfish thing.

Because we have made God and Revival be about us, we are not able to have a consistent faith. It is true that you can go to Church or a few big conferences and get all hyped up about God. But, the “spiritual high” is not what keeps the boat floating. When we make God be about, us being able to “truly feel” Him, we put a limit to what He can do.

Many people have shouted out for Revival and have told me that they want nothing but to follow God. If that is truly the case, the answer is easy. Bring Revival and follow God. Nothing is holding you back. The only thing it requires is selflessness. Jesus explained many times in the Bible, that He is about helping others. No matter how bad it got, Jesus stayed true to His word and chose to be selfless and sacrifice it all so that He could help us.

When we stay true in our faith during the storms as well as the clear days, we will start to make a difference. Our heart MUST be set on the people who need help, no matter how bad the weather is for us.

At the lowest of points, will you have the faith the move forward? True Revival does not stay in a building or just last for a few days. Revival is about the every day life you lead. Revival is about pushing yourself to get better even though the world is trying its best to keep you numb. When we are more interested in serving God then ourselves, Revival will come.

So many people seem to be standing around looking up in the air convinced that soon they will see the “Miraculous Power of God”. I look up and just see the sky, but when I look around I begin to see people crying for help. Few seem to be helping them however, most Christians I talk to, are just too worried that they will miss “God”.

Why do we let “God” get in the way of the people who need our help? When a young woman comes to our door with a baby in her hands asking for help, do we tell her to, “go to God with your problem“? This is an example of where the world and Christianity is at. The world is in desperate need for help, but we often do not want to get involved. We tell them to go to Church or tell them that We will “pray” for them, but we rarely do anything.

God Wants us to be His hands and feet. He is crying out for you and me to do something for those that need help. But often, it seems, we ignore God. We often use the Church and God as an excuse not to get involved. We say that these people will get better when Revival comes. We often think that we must wait and “pray” for it to get here. Revival is already here, it only requires us to step up and choose to walk in our faith.

Your faith is not measured by how many physical healings you see or Church services you go to. It is about the actual change in your life. Your faith is measured by how much you are willing to give to God no matter how hard it is or where it takes you.

Let us not just look for God in the parting of seas or moving of mountains. Let us see God in the true changes of peoples hearts, after you choose to get involved. Let us make the Church be about feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless, rather then just the Sunday Church service and weekly youth group. God is so much more then a quick “high” or occasional healing. Revival and God, is about a consistent walk in the true calling of your heart.