The fire of the Spirit comes not to expose the weaknesses of those the Father loves, nor to punish them for their failings, but to heal them, to cleanse and purify their hearts, and to make them whole.
Chris, we need more teachings on this. Bible studies, where we can get alone with God and in groups and inculcate this teaching on our hearts.
I am watching your TheoCon from last weekend. I have to go slow, then absorb. Come back.
I love your books. I wish written studies accompanied them. It’s so important that I and many others I know write about what were learn, especially these hard deep things that are so outside the norm. If I don’t it’s like the hit my brain and slide off for lack of a better metaphor.
Thanks for this post. This touches on a lot of personal pain from past church teachings for me. The emphasis was so strongly on the tendency of humans to wander into evil unless they erected massive guardrails to keep them from straying. That no one should trust their intuitions. It was fear of losing my faith that kept my devotion alive.
Surely our hearts can be self-deceptive, but they can also be places of deep beauty. I remember you talking on a podcast about the difference between our shallow and deep heart, and that struck a chord with me. If our deep heart is the place where we commune with the spirit, that really is at the core of everything we know. Even our trust that scripture is true has to come from that deep and wild place.
Thank you for looking at both translations and leading us through. Jonathan Pageau did a fascinating podcast on Peter son of Jonah and how Jesus called him to be the rock on which the church is built. He draws parallels to the Jonah story and how Peter also visited the depths. It might be worth your time. I know you’re busy…but there’s drive time…https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488?i=1000673868219
The heart being Jacob-like makes me think of Jesus saying to Nathanael “Here is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” Or “Here is an Israelite in whom there is no Jacob.”
Israel and Jacob being one person…Is this a way of distinguishing between the deep heart and the shallow heart?
Thank you Bishop! So very good. HUGE Blessings! I'm reminded also of the words of John the Elder in his First Letter, "By this [the living, self-giving, active, life-giving, abiding Love of God, who is Love and has a Heart] we shall know that we belong to the truth, and assure our heart before Him: That if our heart should offer condemnation, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things" (3:19-20).
Ahoy! Just listening to your TheoCon lecture now and caught that you referenced this text. It makes me feel good to know that my inferior, mediocre mind is in some measure aligning with your superior brilliance. :-)
The fire of the Spirit comes not to expose the weaknesses of those the Father loves, nor to punish them for their failings, but to heal them, to cleanse and purify their hearts, and to make them whole.
Chris, we need more teachings on this. Bible studies, where we can get alone with God and in groups and inculcate this teaching on our hearts.
I am watching your TheoCon from last weekend. I have to go slow, then absorb. Come back.
I love your books. I wish written studies accompanied them. It’s so important that I and many others I know write about what were learn, especially these hard deep things that are so outside the norm. If I don’t it’s like the hit my brain and slide off for lack of a better metaphor.
Thank you for all you do.
Thanks for this post. This touches on a lot of personal pain from past church teachings for me. The emphasis was so strongly on the tendency of humans to wander into evil unless they erected massive guardrails to keep them from straying. That no one should trust their intuitions. It was fear of losing my faith that kept my devotion alive.
Surely our hearts can be self-deceptive, but they can also be places of deep beauty. I remember you talking on a podcast about the difference between our shallow and deep heart, and that struck a chord with me. If our deep heart is the place where we commune with the spirit, that really is at the core of everything we know. Even our trust that scripture is true has to come from that deep and wild place.
Yes! Beautifully said. The Lord has a heart, and he is perfectly at home in our heart, especially at its wildest.
Thank you for looking at both translations and leading us through. Jonathan Pageau did a fascinating podcast on Peter son of Jonah and how Jesus called him to be the rock on which the church is built. He draws parallels to the Jonah story and how Peter also visited the depths. It might be worth your time. I know you’re busy…but there’s drive time…https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-symbolic-world/id1386867488?i=1000673868219
Thank you, Katie! And here are the lectures I gave on the heart this past weekend if you're interested: https://www.youtube.com/live/0-S_6BuLyUE
Thank you so much. I am interested! And thank you for bringing yesterday’s talk back to the church’s use of that passage. It helped a lot.
The heart being Jacob-like makes me think of Jesus saying to Nathanael “Here is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” Or “Here is an Israelite in whom there is no Jacob.”
Israel and Jacob being one person…Is this a way of distinguishing between the deep heart and the shallow heart?
I was trying to get at that in this piece: https://www.instagram.com/p/CkSP_iQMQ3G/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Thank you Bishop! So very good. HUGE Blessings! I'm reminded also of the words of John the Elder in his First Letter, "By this [the living, self-giving, active, life-giving, abiding Love of God, who is Love and has a Heart] we shall know that we belong to the truth, and assure our heart before Him: That if our heart should offer condemnation, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things" (3:19-20).
Ahoy! Just listening to your TheoCon lecture now and caught that you referenced this text. It makes me feel good to know that my inferior, mediocre mind is in some measure aligning with your superior brilliance. :-)