When I wrote this as a blog post, it was on topic, but not the post I was planning. God slammed a verse into my face, so that I couldn’t ignore it, and change my whole outlook on this subject.
“Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.”Jeremiah 6:16 KJV
This is a surprisingly accurate picture of a chunk of the modern church world. I opened a book this morning with an entirely different idea of what this topical post was going to be about. The first thing I read within this book was that verse. And I almost flipped out, because it ties in so well to what I’m writing on today.
Church traditions are good things. They are there to enable us to be blown about in the Spirit Wind as we flow in Him. But unfortunately, these days, the traditions become more of a hindrance, binding us to the church itself, and bringing us into subjection of the pastor who will rule us, instead of serve like Christ.
“The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.”
John 3:8 KJV
We must be born of the Spirit to enter into the Kingdom of God, and in order to spread the Kingdom of God, we must be like the wind, flowing with the Spirit. Jesus gave Himself that we who believe would have eternal life. He gave us Heaven as our final destination, but He also did so much more. He brought us into the kingdom of Heaven as it exists around us, and within us.
“And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.”
Luke 17:20-21 KJV
Too many people, altogether too often, want to ditch the Mystics within Christianity simply because they are wild cards. Their experience doesn’t sit within the bounds of what is considered right by those who lead in many churches. What the verses in Luke seem to be hinting at, is that you’re not gonna find the Kingdom of Heaven outside of yourself, by observing, but rather within yourself, through contemplation. This is but one aspect of Worship, but a very important one nonetheless. This passage carries a hugely Mystical overtone from our Saviour. In Corinthians, we are told that our body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. Here we are told that the Kingdom of God is within us. He who has ears, let them hear! How can you read these things and not understand just how incredible and mystical they are?
A huge portion of the modern church community is bound to traditions, that were meant to enable the Kingdom. They cling to phrases like: “He is a God of order, not of Confusion, which is what happens when we don’t follow the traditions.” This comes from another verse that was taken out of context and granted a poor exegesis. Another time and another post.
We are told to be all baptized with the Holy Spirit, and Filled with Him. We are told also to seek the Old Ways. So, for a Spirit filled believer, the old way is what, class? The way of the Prophets of the Old Testament. A life in prayer and worship, and supplication, and intercession, and preaching.. etc..
Yes, God says in Isaiah that He will do a new thing. That new thing statement is in reference to the prophecy of Joel and the Power we see in the book of Acts. He suddenly opens it up to everyone who will believe. That and that alone is the new thing. In other words, He opened up the Old Way to everyone.
-Calanon
Thoughts of an Exile 