Invitation To Dance With Love

So, last week, when I read a blog like so many I’ve read before, that shamed, blamed and while truthful on some details fell very short of loving, I deeply longed for someone to just stand up and re-frame the entire conversation. I kept thinking, “Where are the champions who can see the real issue here and look at this in the real light?”  I wanted someone to call up the best, not the worst.  At that point, Papa said, “What about you, December?!”  And...here we are!

Right now, God’s heart is deeply vesting in rising up His children in honor, unity and love with Him and people.  It is the literal hallmark of His Kingdom on the earth. It is the glorification of Jesus, in fact.  While that is His agenda – many of His people are busy pointing fingers at each other (and the entire world) in anger.  All the while the enemy is laughing with glee. When you really look at it – the enemy is the ONLY one who wins in this when people indulge in tearing each other down.  It’s just a continual repetition of the consequences of the fall.   He has strategically focused the attention of people on other people as the problem and objects of blame, shame, contempt, disgust, constant turmoil and unrest.  He has deceived even those who love the Lord into looking at others (even within the body) as objects of shame, contempt and rage.

Don’t get me wrong – bad behavior is not acceptable on any side of this (I no way endorse it).  Even Christ overturned the tables of the money changers and confronted the Pharisees.  But, he also died for them and from the cross asked God to forgive them because they did not know what they were doing. Maintaining a relentless focus on only the symptoms of a well-known problem has continuously proven it is not the way to solve it.  Christ died to reverse all that the fall brought about and God’s Kingdom is unfolding in ever greater measure to bring light and life where darkness and death have reigned. 

The blog post I read recently (Your Husband Doesn’t Have to Earn Your Respect – by Matt Walsh) focused on women’s failure to respect men and in fact culture’s failure to as well.  I do not argue with this – it is true, men have been disrespected and portrayed in ways untrue and wrong.  Matt talks about the crisis level this has come to and reasons why men act out with poor choices due to disrespect.  He describes in great detail the problem and what should be instead.  What he does not do is talk about the underlying cause and how God’s word tells us to address it.  Saying over and over what “should be” is not the same as godly wisdom and instruction.  In fact, who has ever changed the mind of someone on the opposite side of their argument through putting them down?  Please, if you’re out there – raise your hand high because I want to talk to YOU!!  And truly, I’m not just talking about Matt here – I’ve seen plenty of women do the same in posts as well - tearing men up. Heck, people in general love to tear each other up over everything! It is repetitive, tired and just causes people to hide, defend, and find more ways to protect. Display of contempt re-entrenches each side in their own position more deeply. After all, most attack is about fear, control, manipulation and protection in the first place!  Humans feel entitled to defend their own bad behavior in light of someone else’s bad behavior.  Beloved, we are each accountable and answerable for our own actions and choices (and we’ve all made very bad choices – each of us has).  While much of this attitude may stem from the disappointment people have in others, unfortunately, focusing on other’s faults blinds us to the opportunity and responsibility we have within ourselves (If you want to make the world a better place take a look at yourself and then make a – change ~ Michael Jackson). 

All of us are on a journey and need compassion and help on that journey.  We also need to recognize that we NEED others.  Others (even oppositional ones) are part of US.  They are not just disposable, inconsequential, objects of oppositional contempt.  We need to recognize the truth and extend compassion and forgiveness to others as we do to ourselves (don’t we somehow get over it in time and let ourselves off the hook? Even when we’re disappointed at times - we justify and move on).  We need to recognize that, hard as we try, we can’t make ourselves to be our best selves – why are we so much more violently intractable with others when they can’t either? We do not have to embrace wrong behavior to embrace another person (even ourselves).  So many get twisted and stuck in their own pain and wounding that they truly believe that only distance, control and manipulation through blame, shame and contempt will keep them safe, protect them and somehow set right those terribly wrong individuals.  Truly, seeing, supporting and calling up the best in others and encouraging them to unite and commit to grow for themselves in Christ into their very best self is the amazing opportunity that we have here, instead.  And, most importantly, personally committing in Christ to intentionally do the same ourselves!

I had scriptures come to mind when I thought about how God thinks about all of this.

Romans 12:21 “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

Matthew 10:16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”

Ephesians 6:12  “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places."

Matthew 5:38-48 “Here’s another old saying that deserves a second look: ‘Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.’ Is that going to get us anywhere? Here’s what I propose: ‘Don’t hit back at all.’ If someone strikes you, stand there and take it. If someone drags you into court and sues for the shirt off your back, gift wrap your best coat and make a present of it. And if someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously. You’re familiar with the old written law, ‘Love your friend,’ and its unwritten companion, ‘Hate your enemy.’ I’m challenging that. I’m telling you to love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer, for then you are working out of your true selves, your God-created selves. This is what God does. He gives his best—the sun to warm and the rain to nourish—to everyone, regardless: the good and bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that. “In a word, what I’m saying is, Grow up. You’re kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God-created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.”

Galatians 6:1  “Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself.”

1 John 4:18  “There is no fear in love [dread does not exist], but full-grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and [so] he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love [is not yet grown into love’s complete perfection].”

Beloved – let us be diligent, wise and indulge God’s heart of love and hope and not our wounding and misperception that somehow we can shame or coerce others into doing the right thing.  If people want to be right with full blown indignation and contempt – it can be done and is done daily, ad nauseam.  But, God has chosen and modeled a different way. His people will manifest that they belong to Him by shining His heart.  It is true that people will still make their choices – outcomes are not up to us.  But, fear never overcomes fear – only love can do that.  Our job is not to make others behave – it is to display and invite them into the glorious divine dance with Love.  And Love – Love amazingly does all the rest.

Utterance

I recently heard a teaching that sparked a continuation of a discussion I’ve been having with God.  A friend, Pastor Mark Dahle, gave a great talk recently, “If You Want To Do Something, You Have To Start”. You can check it out on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmwReWHDYxE

Along with going through the gift of prophesy (encouraging, building up and consoling others) which I really believe is huge in the Body of Christ right now – he also touched on the gift of Tongues.  Though all of Mark’s talk was very helpful, the tongues portion of the talk really caught my attention and got me started talking again with God about aspects of this that seem to be on His heart now for what He’s doing in regards to unity in the Body.

For many years I wanted the gift of speaking in tongues, but I didn’t like the “weird” aspect of it. I was too self-conscious about it feeling I could not do it right and was just too foolish in trying.  In an effort to make myself more comfortable with it I attended groups regularly that were helpful in inviting others to learn speaking and interpreting tongues.  They were friends and were not pushy about it at all, however, I still could not bring myself to engage it, even among friends I trusted.  I kept holding the longing to be free to speak in tongues in my heart and one day - finally, while I was alone - I asked God for the gift and told him that I was dedicating my mouth to His use and that I would move forward in doing it believing that He would guide and direct me in the use of this for Him, no matter how I felt about it.  That’s when I finally did begin speaking in tongues - in private in a room where no one else was and no one could overhear.  I actually spoke initially in a language that sounded (to my ears) like a human language.  I don’t know what language it was – sounded sort of Native American or an Asian form of some kind.  I did this for about 30 minutes and it became ok for me privately.  However,  I did not use it again privately or publicly until a few months later when I was in a group of believers in Jesus who began spontaneously singing in the spirit together in worship.  It was very natural and normal when that happened and I actually felt very free to engage in that moment of corporate worship.  There were no people there checking to see if others were interpreting or worrying about anything but responding to God.  It was a group of like-minded followers who were just enthralled spontaneously by God’s presence and responded with singing in other languages and with their own music as well.  Each brought their own words, melodies and harmonies.  I had never heard something like it before, though I have been in places where it has happened since.  It so connects in a way appropriate to the awe inspiring glory of God.  He is creative and honors creativity.

I speak in tongues from time to time.  It’s not a badge of honor and it doesn’t make me a better Christian or person. It’s not a set routine thing, but happens usually spontaneously -  mostly something done in private.  I have heard many variations of the types of languages – some sound human, some not like any human language I know of.  I like singing in tongues in my car when I worship.  Sometimes when I’m in worship in a group I’m prompted to speak in tongues during the time others are singing.  People can’t hear me, so I go for as long as I am prompted.   Sometimes I speak in tongues under my breath silently while praying for someone.  I have also interpreted tongues, where prompted, in settings where someone is speaking in a group.  I have only once had the interpretation of my own words given to me.  I am sensitive to those who are fearful of tongues.

I find something interesting in the bible about languages and where different ones began and why they began.  From Genesis 11 it says, “Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.  As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there…Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves’…The Lord said, ‘If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.  Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.’  So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.”

So, people had their plans - to build a city with a tower that reached to the heavens in order to make a name for themselves.  And God had His plans, from Genesis 1, “So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them;  male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”  It looks as though men came into conflict with God in their goals.  The unity that people had at the point where they began to go their way is something that God dismantled.  He confused their language so that they could not understand one another and work together, but were scattered in accord with His original plan for them.

In the times we now live in, as I mentioned before, God is doing something very special regarding unity. Since people have already been scattered all over the earth, it is time to come into unity of purpose in God over the earth.  It is a huge theme on God’s heart and something that has been drawing various very diverse parts of the Body of Christ together in amazing ways.  He is also using languages to reach different people.  Something not spoken of very frequently, but was used by God to reach hundreds of people on the day of Pentecost was the use of tongues to reach each person hearing in their own language about the mysteries of God that were being spoken by those under the influence of the Holy Spirit in Acts. This is another use of the gift of tongues - to reach others in their specific language through the Holy Spirit’s guidance and pouring out.  This is reversing the confusing of languages to unity in God with His agenda.  God’s people have to get over their fears of tongues in order to walk in this. God legitimately uses this to reach people with His truth.  Heavenly personal language for building up our spirit is good and important, but, there is this additional practical use of tongues that God has in store for unifying nations in His truth.  We have to see this and press in to God’s leading on it.  Just sayin!

Again, no better time to live than now in my mind!! Love pondering this – there is more, so much more. Thank you God – bring us into the fullness of understanding this gift and your use for it in glorifying you in the way you always intended!