Thoughts about the Awakenings

March 8, 2023 

I am excited about my new book, forthcoming sometime late this month? That is just a projection, and I am working cleaning up the manuscript, and fixing errors on the book cover. I chose the title, "America's Awakenings" for it. Jonathon Edwards wrote books defending the First Awakening, which I realized was too emotional for the times. I started wondering about the other awakenings, knowing almost nothing about them though I had been a Christian for decades, and an avid reader.

To my surprise, I found out that every awakening had its emotional excesses. I was no longer surprised by the lack of willingness to write about them. People were evidently just fearful to write about such emotional moments. But in my seventy years I have noted that people are often emotional and rarely rational. Does God not clearly see that and answer us according to our needs?

I go to great lengths in my book to state my Baptist background and stress that I am not charismatic. I have no doubt whatever that emotions are seized upon and ruthlessly used by the enemy. But I also recognize that God has long been working through emotions- remember the seventy that were gripped with prophesying? They included Saul, who evidently lost all reason while he was caught up in an emotional state. 

Tell me what you think. Finding that emotions were used of God so often in the awakenings was a game changer for me.

Pat

So You Think You are Important?

 

So I was reading a Robert Parker “Spenser” novel recently, and I found an intriguing scene in which Spenser is observing a Hollywood man with a pinky ring in a restaurant, with, of course, a pretty woman by his side. His ostentatious manners, bragging about his recent trip to Europe, and his deplorable treatment of his waiter, all lent to the very realistic scene of a self-made man. I remember sitting next to pompous people who seem to have a deep love relationship with themselves, and I guess we, as humans, have had this problem a long while (See Narcissus).  Reflecting on this scene, I thought about the many people who do literally think the sun rises and sets on their whims.

At the extreme of the selfish spectrum are the murderers, for what can be more selfish than taking away someone else’s life, but there are many of our society who are not that extreme. Rather their selfishness is forged one quiet link at a time, eventually building a chain that would make Ebenezer’s ghost jealous. Their outlook is on themselves, and they never bother to notice what they miss by such a selfish focus. I do think that C.S. Lewis had it right in his caricatures of sinful people—such people even manage to perform acts of charity from a selfish basis.

It is not that man cannot do good; it is that the good is never done from the right mind set. Love of God ought to drive every one of our actions. Lewis perfectly captures the wrong motivation of people in The Great Divorce. A mother may love her son, but in the end, unless the love is properly placed under God, it is not love at all, but an extension of the mother’s selfish person. I do confess that I find this most hard to see when I look at others, but the Bible tells us that God looks on the heart rather than on the outward appearance. Now we usually see that outward appearance, and seldom do we catch more than a glimmer of what is going on inside. In that day, we shall see God as he is, and perhaps we will see the hearts of those in rebellion against God clearly, for the first time.

But that thought should be very scary; I know it is to me. The idea of God opening up my life, and seeing all the secrets of my heart, the heart that I know all too well, that idea is frightening to me. I use that fear to drive me to live this day, the only day that I have control of to live for God. I cannot change my sins of yesteryear, nor even of yesterday, and I do not know what the uncertain tides of the future may bring, but I can take the now, this present day, and turn it towards worshipping and loving my God.

It is almost as if success breeds failure. Men, charmed by the constant success of life with its growing potency, are lifted up to dizzying heights far beyond the common man. Yet, that lifting up, that soaring beyond expectation—is the very thing that damns their souls irrevocably. I read something recently where someone was praying for his children—not that they should be rich and famous, but that they should be righteous.

But it is an uncommon person who has the wisdom to seek first righteousness. Many of us seem to get lost in the details of life—as if the pressing needs of daily living quench the youthful quest for righteousness. I look at someone like Elvis, and I thank God that I do not have his wonderful talent for singing. You might at first be bewildered at my thankfulness, but I look at the enormous temptations that came to a young man with his immense success. Wine, women, and song were literally his to do with as he would, and his dismal record in living his life illustrates that the temptation was too much. I do thank God that I did not have to face those temptations; it is the very rare young person who finds himself strong enough to remain as a young Joseph, fleeing from acts of unrighteousness. I look at the Bible, and I understand when it says give me neither riches nor poverty, not riches lest I look on my wealth and forget my God, not poverty lest I forget and curse my God in my need. May God give us our portions, and the wisdom to be satisfied with them.

I have noticed the same thing in presidents. What man is there that does not become irrevocably conceited and proud by the time he reaches the highest office in the land? How much better that he should learn righteousness before power! Both Coolidge and Truman seem to be men capable of steering their own characters through the morass of entanglements that come from too much power. But in the many other biographies of presidents that I have read, it seems to me to be the exceptional president who is able to put his character and integrity before the temptations of power.

Luther pictured any man coming to the Bible, and being changed by the Word of God as God would have it. He pictured a people of priests, actionable and responsible before God, made righteous by faith alone, and that frightened the aristocratical church as badly as anything Luther ever did. Their very power base, largely founded on unrighteousness, was threatened by the idea of common people becoming priests. If people could go directly to the God to be made righteous, what power would remain to the church? I see the power of the church being so twisted that those who did read the good news of the Bible reeled in horror at the atrocities of the church. Luther was just one of many who were appalled at the things done in the name of Christ. I do wonder if the greatest deed that Luther and Calvin and the other great reformers did was to make the Bible available in common language for everyone to read. No longer did common citizens have to depend on the church to find out what the Bible said.

So what of the Bible? What does it say to those of us who dwell overlong on ourselves? The Bible teaches us that we have nothing of merit where we can stand before God. The answer is simple wisdom: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” Someone once remarked that the next time you think you are invaluable, put your finger in a bowl of water, and then take it out, seeing what impression you have made. Our value in ourselves is absolutely nothing. Some wise man once observed that you and I are a bunch of zeroes until we get behind the right One. And, it is at that point that our only value, our only worth, our only conceit should reside. I am behind the right One.

When we at last come to the realization of our utter worthlessness before him, is it not ironic that at the same point he declares our worth? For who else has the Incarnation come, but for man? Chafer¹ reminds us that at the cross, God declared the price of man to be higher than anything conceivable, as God himself willingly endured the judgments against man, and that God stretched himself even more than at Creation, paying the highest price, namely giving his all, that you and I might be redeemed. There was no greater price that God could have paid—he did everything possible for us in delivering himself to the cross. Now that is grace!

Yes, you are important! Made that way by God, but you only find that importance in him, and if you are going about, prideful over being that self-made man, you are missing everything that would define you as important. If you are such, you are in danger of being a zero who is never going to get behind the right one.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

 

1. SCRIPTURE discloses the fact that the power and resources of God are more taxed by all that enters into the salvation of the soul than His power and resources were taxed in the creation of the material universe. In salvation God has wrought to the extreme limit of His might. He spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all. He could do no more.

Chafer, Lewis Sperry (2008-07-19). Grace (Kindle Locations 447-449). Taft Software, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

Can I Trust the Bible?

 The Christian Bible. Is it what it claims to be? Is it really the communication of God to man, through 40 different and distinct authors, over the incredible period of about 1,500 years? Well, this short answer is not meant to cover all the reasons why the Bible earns our complete trust, but there is a wonderful book that has been out for many years, called, Evidence that Demands a Verdict, by Josh McDowell. I would recommend it for your delightful study, if you wish to study the reasons the Bible is reliable. Nevertheless, I would like to point to some of the most unusual features of the Bible that might make it highly trustworthy.

First, I would like to point out its collection into one book is unknown when compared to any other book. Forty different authors wrote over a period greater than 1,400 years to make this book. Prophets and priests wrote parts of the book, this book that we call the Bible. Kings and slaves wrote part of this book, and musical people and wise people wrote part of this book, and religious leaders and religious zealots wrote part of this book, this book that we call the Bible. Songs and poetry fill this book, but prophecy and narratives also fill this book. We even find fishermen and tax collectors filling this book, this book that we call the Bible. From every avenue of ancient culture, from every person, from least to greatest, from the enemies of Christ to his best friends, we have a collection that is united in one purpose. All Scripture is pointing to the grace of God which is in Christ Jesus. Jesus himself proclaimed, “Search the Scriptures, for in them you think that you have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me.” No other book could ever compare to that!

Second, the prophecies of the coming Christ border on spectacular. To name just a few: he was pierced for our sorrows, he was born in Bethlehem, he fled to Egypt as an infant, that out of Egypt he was called. These prophecies are one of the most amazing parts of the Bible. Josh McDowell does a fine job of documenting the prophecies in chapter nine of his book, and I do not want to repeat it here. There is an interesting story about probability that I do recall from his book. Mathematicians took just eight of the several score of prophecies and tried to figure the odds of eight prophecies coming true. The odds were compared to covering the state of Texas in two feet of silver dollars, with one dollar marked, and then releasing a blind-folded man to randomly pick that one marked dollar. Spectacular is not a big enough word to describe all the Christological prophecies that were fulfilled. John, the apostle, spoke of himself in third person, saying of his gospel, “The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.”

Third, there is what I term the seamlessness of the Bible, and by that I mean its continuity. Remember that it was written by 40 different writers over a period of approximately 1,400 years. The really strange thing is that a single-themed book would, or could, be produced. Yet, when I read the Bible, that is exactly what I find. A great many themes are started in Genesis, and completed all the way in Revelation. For instance, sin separates man and God in Genesis, but in Revelation, Jesus brings that separation to an end. The tree of life figures prominently in Genesis, and we see it again, all the way to the end of the book, in Revelation. The earth is new in Genesis, old and passing away in Revelation, with a new heaven and a new earth to be revealed. God clothes Adam and Eve after their sin, and in Revelation, the saints are clothed in white robes, signifying the righteousness of God. A single author is what it takes to unify all these themes, and though there were 40 writers, I think that we are forced to the conclusion that there is but one Author. Paul, the apostle, signified the veracity of scriptures famously, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”

The last testimony of the reliability of the Bible is in the millions of lives that have been changed by it. Look at Chuck Colson, who had a complete turnaround in his life when confronted with the Bible. Oh, you say, that is just one man. But any astute student of history will tell you that every generation has had its Chuck Colsons. Every generation has been filled with people who have found something in this great book which forever changes their lives. Look at the world around you, and tell me which book is forbidden in many countries of the world. Which book cannot be taught in many countries, and which book can you be thrown into jail for even owning? The testimony is from both those who have learned to love the Word, and those who hate it to such a point that they would ban it. Millions of lives have been separated by the words of this book, and I find that most persuasive as to its reliability. Peter tells us of the testimony of his disciples, “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” 

Reliable? Yes! Foundational? Yes! A Stumbling Block? Only to those who willfully disregard God’s message. Perhaps it’s time to take up the Bible with a new eye. Or at least a renewed eye—taking a fresh look at an old message. Maybe God does have something to say to you, and maybe it really matters enough for you to pay attention.

So you want to know what I believe?

          Just take your Bible and open up to any verse. Read the verse. Ask yourself the question, “Now I wonder what Pat would say about this verse.”

 

          You may rest assured that Pat indeed believes the verse. 

 

          “But what sense does Pat believe the verse?”

 

          I would answer to you that I believe it in the plain simple sense, trying to read it just as it was written.

 

 

          But you might ask, “What about difficult things like the trinity?”

          

          My answer is that I read my Bible. I find that Jesus claims to be equal with the Father, that the Holy Spirit is God also. I believe.

 

          “But that’s absurd,” you say. “You have to explain the triune nature of God somehow, because it is so important.”

 

          “If it is so important, then why did God Himself not explain it to us?” I answer. “Maybe, just maybe, He desired that we trust HIM for what we cannot explain.”

 

          “Oh,” you say. “I never thought of that before. You are saying that we should trust God for what is not explained.”

 

          “Exactly,” I reply. “The Scriptures tell us many things about God. We can build a systematic theology based on agreement of many of these things. Many of the early creeds did just that. But when we try to build out a systematic theology too far it becomes much more problematic. Just look at the disagreements between many of our godly historical figures.”

 

          You say, “But I am a bit dubious. Perhaps you can help me with other examples.”

 

          “I would be glad to point to another example. What is heaven like? I find myself, particularly in my older age, thinking of how God is going to make our lives. If I read my Bible right, we are to live with Christ (Paul says reign) in Jerusalem someday. We will partake of the water which is everlasting, and live with Him eternally. I often find myself, and hear others also, speculating what that life is going to be like. But too much speculation is not good for it goes beyond the ken of Scripture. If I go too far in assuming what that life will be like, I am sinning.”

 

          “How do you mean it goes beyond the ken of Scripture? I can see how one might get carried away. The Biblical allusions to heaven are many, and I like to dream also.”

 

          “Easy. Scripture says, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” We will not know the extent of the wonderful estate God has prepared for us until we get there. 

 

          “I chose this example deliberately, because it is rather easy to understand. Jesus tells us that he goes now to prepare for us “many mansions”. But we do not know what that means. I suspect that God has some rather tremendous surprises in store for us, but what they are I cannot guess. I rather think that God desires his children to be surprised.”

 

          “Okay, I get it. You are saying the mysteries of God sometimes need to stay His mysteries until the time comes “when we shall know even as we also are known.” Do you have more examples?”

 

          “Yes, you are getting exactly what I am saying. There are many other examples in the Scriptures where men of God have greatly differed over the years. One is the ordinance of communion. Some older churches think that communion is partaking of the actual blood and body of our Lord. Others think the passage is meant to be taken symbolically. But I read, “This is my body which is broken for you”, and I believe.”

 

          “So which viewpoint do you choose, the older church model, the symbolic model, or the one between?”

 

          “I say to you that it is not necessary to choose one of the viewpoints. It is necessary for me to believe what God says. I find it very easy to believe Him, because I assent to doing so, and I do not want to go beyond the scripture. Perhaps the Catholic view is correct, perhaps the Lutheran, or perhaps the symbolic. God asks us to simply do the ordinance, believing His scriptures. This I aim to do.”

 

          “Oh I see. You are saying that you should again let God decide how it is—rather your job is to have faith in the ordinance. Do you have another example?” 

 

          “Yes, an example that I think most Christians will readily see. In my neighborhood, a very rich man has paid for billboards all over town proclaiming the Lord’s coming to be on a certain date in May. This particular soul has once before proclaimed the date of the Lord’s coming, and though shown to be wrong, has evidently not learned his lesson. Jesus himself clearly teaches us that “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Jesus is careful to tell us signs and that we will know the “season” of his return, but the Father has reserved to himself that date that the Son shall return. Many saints of God have gone astray when they have picked dates for his return, and they have always been wrong.

 

          “Simply put, the Bible says that Christ will return as a thief in the night, and Paul tells us that we shall all be changed in a twinkling.  Again, it is my job to believe the Scripture and not to go beyond it. He is coming as “a thief in the night” and we saints are responsible to know the season of His coming, but not the day. “For no man knows the day.”

 

          “So are you saying we shouldn’t have developed creeds?”

 

          “No, not at all. I am saying, though, that there are many areas of Bible study that are unclear; sometimes the more we work to clear them up with our understanding, the more harm we do to the total of Scripture. God says it; that should be more than enough for the believer. I have a wonderful quote from A. W. Tozer on the same subject:

 

It is a sure road to sterile passivity. God will not hold us responsible to understand the mysteries of election, predestination and the divine sovereignty. The best and safest way to deal with these truths is to raise our eyes to God and in deepest reverence say, "O Lord, Thou knowest." Those things belong to the deep and mysterious Profound of God's omniscience. Prying into them may make theologians, but it will never make saints.

 

We believers have a main job: to preach the gospel to every person with the full expectation that many will hear the Word, believe, and begin to discover the deep love of God for themselves; it ought to be more than enough to keep us busy. “Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.”