Over the Christmas period I read The Jesus of Suburbia by Mike Erre. It was an interesting read, and the more I think of it, quite appropriate considering the Soliton Sessions theme of ‘Dangerous Living‘ next month. (Jesus of Suburbia is subtitled ‘Have We Tamed the Son of God to Fit our Lifestyle?’) Here are some of my thoughts from it:
“Daniel waited three weeks for an answer to his prayer because the angel sent to answer Daniel was opposed for that time by demonic forces.” (From Daniel 10:12-13)
Maybe sometimes unanswered prayer isn’t that God is holding off, but that the devil is attacking harder? (Not always I know, as Mike notes, but sometimes we under-spiritualise stuff) Puts a new twist on the verse ‘God is not slow to act as some understand…’
“If somebody asks me, “Hey, how’s your walk with Jesus?” I immediately want to tell them about my prayer life and quiet times, but I don’t want to talk about my driving or how I talk with my wife when I’m angry with her.”
Our whole lives are influenced by who we follow. Jesus is just as interested in my driving and how I react to my little brother as he is in my prayers. Makes me think of the concept of shalom – the presence of wholeness, completeness. Jesus is interested in it all.
“The critical issue today is dullness. We have lost our astonishment. The Good News is no longer life changing. It is life enhancing.”
(M. Dawn)
How true this is. Oh that we would see a glimpse of God as he really is. Oh that our hearts would be awakened to the glory of a God who is so beyond our comprehension, so beyond our imagination, so beyond… just beyond. Beyond us.
Mike Erre also made this comment:
“One of the most fundamental mistakes many commentators make in understanding the book of Revelation is forgetting that the book would have made sense to it’s original audience. Its symbols, imagery, and hundreds of Old Testament illustrations would have been readily understood by Revelation’s first-century hearers.”
Can anyone shed some light on this for me, is it true? Would the imagery in Revelation have been so easily understood in their culture?
Yes, I believe it would. I can’t give many examples, but I recently wrote an essay on the letter to the church at Laodicea. You know where it says about God wishing they were either hot or cold – well that is referring to the springs of Hieropolis, which was a neighbouring town. The springs would cascade down the cliff to Laodicea, and by the time they got all the way down, they were luke-warm, and if you drank the water you would vomit…
And also, in the same letter, Jesus says they should use eye-salve – Laodicea was well known for producing eye-salve; it was a big medical centre.
I’m sure there are lots of other examples in that letter and in other sections of Revelation. We don’t know unless we study into it 🙂
Dave, thanks for that! Helped immensely. I think I may go look up some books or something to see if I can find out more, would love to know more… can you recommend anything?
emma would you mind emailing me at shawnbashor at hotmail dot com, I dont have your email address and wanted to send you something i didnt want to post up in public. thanks, Shawn
What an awesome post. Can’t believe I haven’t visited earlier. I “recognize” you from Scott Hodge’s blog. I go to the Orchard. Anyway, yeah, I have been learning this for about the last 4 years or so. The subject keeps coming up about the life-changing Jesus instead of the life-enhancing Jesus. I look forward to the awesome things that I will have eyes to see now. God bless.
Joni – great to have you visiting! I had an awesome time hanging out with Scott and some other guys in the Orchard community when I was there in August, love the ethos of the church! I’m glad you were able to relate to the post and be reminded again of how great and beyond our comprehension this glorious God of ours is!