[This continuation has been in draft mode for the past couple weeks -long weeks with a cold, stress, and some personal wrestling. Letting God lift you back up on the horse and heading out with the wagon train is a wonderful, refreshing experience. We are not yet meant to be Settlers. We are on an adventure, a rescue mission of love. Heaven has not come down yet, it will, and I believe soon. But I leave the "soon" up to God. I'm so anxious to write about again about the book The Shack. Our life group is going through it and looking at God through Scripture and this creative novel. It's been so wonderful. I've been puzzled by those who DON'T just dislike the book, but feel compelled to write against it and use their platforms of influence to attack it. I mentioned not relating to Frank Peretti's book "This Present Darkness" in an earlier blog (I dislike the book a great deal), BUT I've never put it down when preaching or attacked it in writing. I have seen God use it to touch other friends' lives. It's a novel too and I hesitate to apply apologetical questions and require it to give definitive, proof-texting, type descriptions of God. I want to reply on one of my blogs to these attacks but must "cool" down a bit and listen to God's plan for this hothead. I most likely will blog on it, as the author of "The Shack" will be coming to Living Hope in July! But for now, let's try and finish my MASKS acronym.]
So I've been blogging about "false identity" and I've been doing this acronym called MASKS. It's taken me like 600 months to try and finish it, so if you're older than 29 you may need to jump back to my earlier blog and refresh.
Money
Appearance
Skill
Knowledge
S (still to come)
I've never struggled with trying to wrap my sense of value around my IQ. In fact I was told at the end of high school that I would have a hard time finishing even a 2 yr. degree at a community college. I did, in accounting, and then went to work with my father in his businesses. I returned about four years later and finished a BA in theology, with a minor in Biblical languages (Greek). I then went to Michigan and finished a M.Div. (Masters of Divinity). That's when I realized that the knowledge mask can sneak up on you in various shapes and forms.
I got bit by thinking I knew a lot about God. I loved to debate with other "believers" about theology, ethics, and Bible truth. I loved to discuss "free will" and "Calvinism." I thumbed my eternal nose at those who were blinded by 1,600 + years of darkness in history. I felt sorry for people who worshiped traditions and theories that were never part of Scripture.
I WAS BLIND to my mask of spiritual knowledge. It hurt me very badly. One of the ways this false mask got glued to my face is that I never saw how much I was trying to play the Holy Spirit's role in others' lives. I was so worried about others misrepresenting God that I felt compelled to correct them. I would point out how what they said was not in sync with the Bible. The end result was very consistent. They seldom, if ever, saw "the truth" but instead became even more entrenched in their "error." I no longer had the same influence on them (at least not in a positive way) and everyone around us were drawn into attitudes of negativeness.
I've seldom seen people in Biblical swordplay come closer as friends, or even understanding something in a new way. There is almost NEVER a positive result from such apologetics. So why did I get so sucked into this cover-up? (Isn't it wonderful to say "I'm no longer bitten by this snake!" Ha!) I believe I was so concerned about others being "lead astray" that I didn't realize the sense of value I was deriving from "playing God." This is not to say there isn't a time and place (and way) to share with others God's love, His plan. But as I was re-reading a review by a "big time" cyberspace Christian blogger I felt the mask reappear.
How does the Knowledge mask grab you? Any attempt to use things, or my abilities to measure value will always result in a performance-based relationship, not one of love as a gift!
Christians, I fear, are too often bitten by this false sense of superiority because of their "it's-all-figured-out" theology! God is so close to us - He will be our best friend, AND God is so different, so beyond us, that we will always be in a "mystery" relationship of total "awe" because God is beyond all that I could ever think, dream, imagine, or even believe! God IS GOD and I am not! To think that a God so vast that I can never understand Him is able to come so close and relate in my human ways so that I can love, trust, and grow a friendship with Him forever! Wow - ONLY GOD!
There's only one "letter" left in our MASKS of false value - Status! I'll share with you my "Rolex".
So I've been blogging about "false identity" and I've been doing this acronym called MASKS. It's taken me like 600 months to try and finish it, so if you're older than 29 you may need to jump back to my earlier blog and refresh.
Money
Appearance
Skill
Knowledge
S (still to come)
I've never struggled with trying to wrap my sense of value around my IQ. In fact I was told at the end of high school that I would have a hard time finishing even a 2 yr. degree at a community college. I did, in accounting, and then went to work with my father in his businesses. I returned about four years later and finished a BA in theology, with a minor in Biblical languages (Greek). I then went to Michigan and finished a M.Div. (Masters of Divinity). That's when I realized that the knowledge mask can sneak up on you in various shapes and forms.
I got bit by thinking I knew a lot about God. I loved to debate with other "believers" about theology, ethics, and Bible truth. I loved to discuss "free will" and "Calvinism." I thumbed my eternal nose at those who were blinded by 1,600 + years of darkness in history. I felt sorry for people who worshiped traditions and theories that were never part of Scripture.
I WAS BLIND to my mask of spiritual knowledge. It hurt me very badly. One of the ways this false mask got glued to my face is that I never saw how much I was trying to play the Holy Spirit's role in others' lives. I was so worried about others misrepresenting God that I felt compelled to correct them. I would point out how what they said was not in sync with the Bible. The end result was very consistent. They seldom, if ever, saw "the truth" but instead became even more entrenched in their "error." I no longer had the same influence on them (at least not in a positive way) and everyone around us were drawn into attitudes of negativeness.
I've seldom seen people in Biblical swordplay come closer as friends, or even understanding something in a new way. There is almost NEVER a positive result from such apologetics. So why did I get so sucked into this cover-up? (Isn't it wonderful to say "I'm no longer bitten by this snake!" Ha!) I believe I was so concerned about others being "lead astray" that I didn't realize the sense of value I was deriving from "playing God." This is not to say there isn't a time and place (and way) to share with others God's love, His plan. But as I was re-reading a review by a "big time" cyberspace Christian blogger I felt the mask reappear.
How does the Knowledge mask grab you? Any attempt to use things, or my abilities to measure value will always result in a performance-based relationship, not one of love as a gift!
Christians, I fear, are too often bitten by this false sense of superiority because of their "it's-all-figured-out" theology! God is so close to us - He will be our best friend, AND God is so different, so beyond us, that we will always be in a "mystery" relationship of total "awe" because God is beyond all that I could ever think, dream, imagine, or even believe! God IS GOD and I am not! To think that a God so vast that I can never understand Him is able to come so close and relate in my human ways so that I can love, trust, and grow a friendship with Him forever! Wow - ONLY GOD!
There's only one "letter" left in our MASKS of false value - Status! I'll share with you my "Rolex".
2 comments:
Great to have you back, your blog was sorely missed by those of us out in the hinterlands. OK, just the suburbs. But your words are welcome regardless.
I enjoyed your thoughts on the smug superiority of some Christian folk. I especially get a kick out of the "Saved" who look at the "Wicked", who are having all that fun, and gleefully smirk to each other about how the evil will eventually "get what's coming to them". Everlasting burning in in the molten lakes of hell for the pleasure of a mere moment (I'm not a big believer in that concept of hell, but that's a different discussion). Not too mention those who scour the headlines for hidden clues so that they can trumpet their apocalyptic escatology and arcane timelines to impress the flocks and scare the great unwashed.
Not sure that's what it's supposed to be about. No one, no matter how pious, knows everything. No matter how much they strut, preen, and preach it to the choir. I don't think Christian's have all the answers. Just a better idea of where to find at least some of them...
Once again, welcome back to Blogtown, Bruce. Try not to stay away so long again.
Dear Elijah,
Don't know if you came out of the cave to encourage me or down from the Candy-in-fire Mt. but thanks for the encouragement and amazing use of words - of course I agree with EVERYTHING U say!!!
I think it best for me to simmer another day before I write my apologetic in support of "The Shack." I've got a book waiting for you - just let me know when and how to get it to you (if you don't like it, no worries, you will go straight to HELL - that was a joke!)
Thanks again
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