Holy Hormones Bible Study: Teaching — If your book isn’t a buzz, it’s not the Bible.
THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT! OR WAS IT GOD?
Do you hear voices?
WHAT IF GOD TOLD YOU TO DO SOMETHING?
(HE NEVER ASKS)
THE dread of preachers
That people misunderstand what is actually written in the Bible is one of the dominant themes on this Medium platform.
A bit of Hollywood drama
In a 1967 movie, “The Dirty Dozen,” the late Telly Savalas played a character, Archer J. Maggott. He was on death row waiting to be hanged because he was a serial killer of . . . how shall I say it? . . . Ladies of Negotiable Virtue. An extract from the script shows him justifying himself because he was the instrument that God chose to clean up the world.
A bit of actual drama
I have a friend who in his younger days, along with his 5’1’’ wife, had a calling to become a prison visitor in a place as vile as any prison, anywhere. It was built in Victorian times.
Over many years they had no problem — especially his wife, Kay, who had the inmates eating out of her hand. He told me of another woman on the other side of the continent who started visiting a similar prison and was almost killed by an inmate not long after she had started.
Three people doing something for God. Why the difference?
TIME OUT:
This post continues the theme of Abraham, Isaac and the Akedah. It is about hearing from God, which is what happened to Abraham.
You would have seen quite a number of very, very good articles on this topic during your Christian Walk, why another one? Only because the subject had been mentioned in the list of propositions about the veracity of the record in the Bible, which has been covered elsewhere but demanded a deeper look than what was presented there.
As is usual with my posts there was lots of detail, which, at least to me, opens up the treasure chest of what the Holy Spirit has written, but there was something missing in this case. There was the usual, “‘Do this …,’ ‘Do that …,’ if you want to hear God better.” But Yehovah isn’t one of Pavlov’s Dogs Who will scratch my itch if I follow a formula. Like Job’s buddies, the scriptures presented were not incorrect but, in this instance, they were lifeless.
Then my Dove Stable Mate, Diane Mary Markey, published Experiencing God’s Presence and His Love. If you haven’t read it, please do yourself a favour. She spoke of Liquid Love and the Heavens opened.
Liquid Love, the Oil of the Spirit!
If you read PRAISE’N’WORSHIP Give the occasional compliment and sing a few catchy tunes? It will cast the LIGHT on what follows. If not, I suspect you will be using the low beam light.
Now, back to business.
We’re back.
In a word, the difference was WORSHIP.
I don’t know how Telly’s character was informed that God had chosen him as an agent of death. (I imagine it would have been a [small ‘g’] god.) Also, I have only an inkling of why the unfortunate prison visitor decided to do what she did — she was following the teachings of Jesus.
But I do know why my friend and his wife did what they did.
The Holy Spirit spoke and they recognised His Voice. (Of course there is more to the story. It may pop up again.)
If you have read PRAISE’N’WORSHIP you will be aware that Praise is you AND God. Worship, however, is ONLY God — Spirit to spirit. It is your spirit drowning in the Oil of the Spirit — His Liquid Love. (I was going to say, “figuratively,” but this is God so I’m not sure if that is the correct expression.)
WORSHIP IS ONE OF THE PLACES WHERE YOU HEAR HIS VOICE.
IT IS WHERE HE DOES HIS BEST WORK.
It is written in John 10:26–28 || But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.
Remembering the Pavlov’s Dogs analogy, the Holy Spirit will not come when you ring the bell. He will rise up within you when He decides. (He is always seated on the Mercy Seat in the Most Holy Place in YOU, His Temple.) However, He has given the Pattern that we must follow before He is prepared to manifest Himself. It is detailed in Leviticus Chapter 9. If you eagerly search for it, you will find it.
What has this to do with Abraham?
Abram → Abraham was a man of Worship.
Through the ups-and-downs of the 50-odd years of his Sanctification it is recorded that Abram/Abraham built at least five Altars, Worshipped at least five times, and spoke face-to-Face with Yehovah we don’t know how many times.
Further, his servant, Eleazar (Genesis 15:2) was a Worshipping man. (Genesis 24:26–52)
It was during this time, after a shaky start, that Abraham learned how to recognise God’s voice and, most importantly, trust Him.
In-depth study of the narrative of the transition from one name to another is useful but, for now, casting LIGHT on the conversations recorded over this three day journey to the alleged crime scene, it is obvious that Abraham saw that it was God’s problem, not his. He expected both he and Isaac to return, as is written in Genesis 22:5 || And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”
The simple answer is written in Hebrews 11:17–19 || By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called: Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received (G2865) him in a figure (G3850).
Received: G2865 — komizō = to carry, bear, bring to, to carry away for one’s self, to carry off what is one’s own, to bring back.
Figure: G3850 — parabolē = Illustration, example.
That is, Isaac would be received in a tangible form which could be carried away. Not in a “figurative sense” as many versions interpret. “Figurative sense” could mean that Abraham would fondly remember Isaac in his heart after the funeral. The Achilles Heel for that line of reason is that fond memories do not father children.
It is an argument that comes from viewing the passage through the dim, natural, light. Need any more be said?
Types of formal worship
The Church has combined two types into one service on Sundays; Temple Worship and Synagogue Worship. It should not be essential to explain the difference. Both are necessary but if, for any reason, only one can be managed — the one to forfeit is the Synagogue.
Having no Theological qualifications I’m open to correction but, it seems to me that what is wrong with today’s church is the question, “Where do you fellowship?” If there was more, “Where do you worship?” I suspect the world would be a better place and the Church would be growing. If it is Christ Who builds His Church, why is the church in decline? It is not the Pews who must honestly answer that. It is the Pulpit. (Of course there are exceptions. Yehovah always has His Remnant operating under the RADAR.)
Of course, this line of argument would be void if The Written Word of God is only some words written about God.
The forgoing evidence has not been presented to convince any reader but to allow a personal decision to be made. There is much more to know about this subject. Perhaps you’ll pay another visit, sometime.
All Glory to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
(We all have a plank in our eye. It’s bigger than we think.)
