Alexander Journal of Theology

Revival

2008-10-08T20:42:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd try to breathe some life into this blog with some comments on revival. I didn't really intend for the pun to find its way into this, but there it is.

I think the breath has been knocked out of much of what we recognize as the church. Institutional church seems to become either more and more corrupt, or more and more irrelevant. I'm not necessarily against institutional church, but honestly I'm more fascinated with the communal model as it is displayed in the Book of Acts.

Now, I go to a church with Pentecostal backgrounds. I, however, grew up in a Baptist background where the Book of Acts is rarely mentioned. From my Baptist heritage I was taught a love for the works of Paul and the centrality of the cross. And for that I am incredibly thankful. But I was never really taught much about Acts. And in Pentecostal circles Acts is of huge importance.

But I don't really want to discuss the Pentecostal view of Acts in this article. I instead want to simply focus on the ecclessiology in the book. The Church in the Book of Acts seems more like an informal community built on relationships than a strict institution. Surely there was a sense of leadership. Society simply can't function without a sense of who is in charge. But the concept of the Church as strictly an institution is foreign to the Book of Acts. The emphasis seems to be more on the family of God than anything else. The passages in chapters 2 and 4 that speak of the communal life of the Church can be quite shocking to the modern mind. We read our cultural beliefs back into the Bible too often, and in this case it would be incredibly easy to think of communism.

Isn't it interesting that our fundamental belief as Americans, that is of extreme individualism and pursuit of personal pleasure, stands directly opposed to this view in Acts? We see a community that puts the needs of others above the needs of self. We see leaders in the church who were not viewed as demi-gods, but as servants of Jesus Christ. Celebrity mentalities in the early church were strongly rebuked by leaders like Paul. We read of the warnings of the pursuit of wealth. We see people who believed in the supernatural power of God. We see massive revival.

In short, the Book of Acts presents us a picture of the true Church of Jesus Christ. And I argue that it looks little like the established, institutional church in America.

So here's my point of discussion. How do we as Christians in America walk the fine line of being the Church that Christ has called us to be, and yet do this through the institutional form that is the established vehicle of ministry in our culture?

How do we seek revival when everyone around us seems to only want a little religion?

Holy

2008-05-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

How many times do we use words, or reference concepts, that we've never truly examined for ourselves to discover what they mean? All too often, especially with religious words and ideas. So I thought it would be good to examine what I think is the most important word in all of Scripture. More important than love, or faith, or life, or any other word.

Holy doesn't just describe God. Holy is God. God is holy. The essence of God is perfect holiness.

Ok, that sounds good. But what does it mean? Let's dig in.

The first time the word appears in the Bible is in Exodus 3:5 - "Do not come near, take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground." Moses meets God for the first time, and immediately the scene is cast as holy. There's something going on here that is remarkable, and in this experience Moses recognizes the holiness of God and hides his face. He was afraid to look at God.

Why? Well, to understand we have to look at the word "holy". The Hebrew word used here is "qados". It carries a couple of different concepts. First, there is the idea of separateness. Otherness. Uniqueness. When used to describe God it means that God is truly one of a kind!

"I am the Lord, and there is no other,
besides me there is no God..."
Isaiah 45:5

"I am the Lord; that is my name;
my glory I give to no other..."
Isaiah 42:8

In my life I have learned one indisputable fact: there is a God, and I am not Him! How much trouble I would spare myself if I only remembered that! God is holy. If you were to strip every feeble attempt at defining the Indefinable One, His holiness would remain because it is at the very core of His being. Holiness isn't a way we define God. It's part of His very being. Think of it this way. If we were trying to define "human being", we wouldn't start with defining it as "life". Life is at the core of being human. It is the very essence of being human. You can't take something so deep and mysterious and use it as a simple definition.

Strip all attempts at defining God away, and His holiness still remains.

I intended on digging deeper into the concept of holiness, but I sense that I need to stop here and allow for some discussion. It's a deep subject, and some might consider what purpose might exist in such a seemingly philosophical and useless speculatory conversation. Theology is talking about God. That's basically what the word "theology" means. Every time we talk about God out of a sincere heart to grow in faith, we learn more about Him. His essence, His personality, His works, His desires for us... We grow in our knowledge of Him. Not cold, dead facts about religion or Christianity. You can't take the personal God and turn Him into an impersonal concept. That's foreign to biblical thought. God is ever personal, always desiring a relationship with humanity.

So I'm not going to post again here until we get some discussion going. I can rant, but that's not what I created this blog for. I want to spark some meaningful conversations about God. My desire is to help other people as they are on their journey of faith. And if perhaps you are someone who stumbled across this blog who might not see any usefulness or truth or relevance in Christianity, please offer your comments and observations. I'm seeking to inspire and encourage everyone on their faith journey... If I come across as harsh or unmoving on my positions, please realize that it's not a position that I wish to defend. But a very real Person. The great tragedy of Western culture is the myth that God is dead.

My desire is to paint a picture of a very real, very alive God. One who is brokenhearted over the condition of the world, and is still very much living and active in history.

And it all begins with His holiness. He is like no other. There is no god like Him. In truth, the other gods are illusions, creations of man which leave us dry. Actually, they are deceptions that come from the spiritual, supernatural dimension we so often ignore in the Western World.

My desire is that you would have a vision of a Holy God, a vision that transcends your religious upbringing and introduces you into a world you paradoxically secretly longed for, yet could never possibly imagine.

The Month of the New Word

2008-05-19T12:40:00.001-07:00

Hello all... In the spirit of what is happening down in Lakeland, Florida, I hereby declare this is the Month of the New Word... Here's how it will work. The Lord will speak 25,825 words per day to me, words I shall hastily transcribe. At the end of the month we shall have a new Bible. We won't have to worry about textual criticism or that annoying beast of hermeneutics. In fact, at the end of this New Word I shall write an appendix instructing each person who reads the book how to make it say whatever suits them. And, most important, how to write their own version the next time I arbitrarily enact a Month of the New Word. So be thinking about what you find wrong with the Old Word. The chance will finally be yours to change it!

(If you haven't heard of the "revival" that is currently happening in Lakeland, check it out. And then come back with your comments.)

Welcome to my Theological Lair!

2008-05-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

Since it is incredibly difficult to get published as a theologian (at least I'm assuming so... I've never actually tried!)...

I created the Alexander Journal of Theology - AJOT. Consider this a hybrid of a personal journal and a true journal of theology. I'll try not to bore you. Actually, I hope to inspire you to search out why you believe what you believe. That's my only goal. It's not to get you to completely agree with me. The goal is that if you disagree with me, you will equip yourself to answer the question for yourself.

So... until later... When I have time to post some things I've been working on...