This is the discussion page for chapters 3-4 of the novel, Escape from Paradise.
WARNING: Lots of spoilers. It is recommended you finish the novel before joining the discussion if you are planning on reading the book. If you are not planning on reading it, you are still welcome in the discussion. It is not necessary to have read the book to benefit from the Bible study questions.
Each weekday I will post a Bible study question related to the passages of Scripture I was trying to teach in the story. Please don’t hesitate to post your answers in the discussion. Your point of view may be just what someone else needs to make it click.
Before I explain the meanings from chapter 3, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Any ideas on what the following parts of the story mean in the allegory?
1) The Collapsing City
The Golden city represents the world. The fact that it is collapsing illustrates 1 Corinthians 7:31, which says, “This world in its present form is passing away.”
Specifically, it’s the gold that is disintegrating and burns those who touch it. This illustrates James 5:2-3. “Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire.”
2) The Sending of Kailyn
The fact that Kailyn was sent to call Adam home represents the Great Commission–God sending his people to reach the lost. The children that venture into the city are missionaries.
3) Receiving a New Name
This is to illustrate 2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! The old name represents the old self which we must continually strive to throw off (Ephesians 4:22).
4) The Assignment Room
This represents all God’s work equipping his saints to engage in spiritual warfare and carry on the work of God’s kingdom. It includes receiving a spiritual gift (represented in the story by weapons), as well as various other ways God prepares and equips us, many of which are quite painful.
EXCERPT:
| Within seconds, the sickening boom arrived. So many buildings had fallen lately that the sound had become familiar. It knotted Adam’s stomach. So much suffering. There was hardly ever a building collapse that didn’t bring the little girl’s words back to Adam’s memory. “The gold is cursed.” Was the city doomed? -.p29 |
QUESTION 1)
1 Corinthians 7:31 says this world in its present form is passing away. What are some implications for your life? (Be specific.)
MY ANSWER:
This morning when I got up for my prayer time, I rushed it because I have such a full schedule today and I was eager to get started. Many of the things that feel so urgent won’t exist 1000 years from now and will have very little impact on eternity. I wonder if I sacrificed something of far greater value for something of lesser value.
My daughter is trying to teach her 4-year-old daughter, Sadie, about how to use her money for things of lasting value. Sadie had saved her pennies and wanted to spend her money on an arcade game at the grocery story that had a claw to pick up prizes. My daughter assured her, “You won’t win. It will be a waste of your money.” Sadie spent the quarter anyway and, sure enough, didn’t win.
The next time they were at the store she had saved up some more money. She walked right past the claw game. My daughter showed her some toys she could buy that would supply ongoing fun. Sadie decided on a balloon.
I think I’m a lot like Sadie when it comes to eternal treasures.
EXCERPT
| “With all their knowledge of the properties of metals, why can’t the Great Ones discover what’s causing these collapses?” -p.35 |
QUESTION 2:
Our culture puts inordinate trust in scientists, experts, and government. Reflect on how successful they have been in slowing this world’s decay or staving off God’s judgment. See Revelation 6:15; Daniel 4:29—32.
MY ANSWER:
The question answers itself. The idea that all our modern technology has slowed moral decay or staved off God’s judgment is laughable. If anything, all our amazing modern “wisdom” has plunged us further into darkness than ever. The world is so proud of how enlightened we are in modern times and how vast our knowledge is, yet there is still human trafficking, murder, theft, war, and every other sign of societal decay.
EXCERPT:
| “The healing properties only work if it is your own gold. Touching someone else’s gold has the opposite effect. It will burn your skin.” -p.31 |
QUESTION 3
To illustrate the burning effect of coveting, see 1 Kings 21:1—4 and 2 Samuel 13:1—2. What insights can you glean from Hebrews 13:5, 1 Timothy 6:6—9, and Philippians 4:11—12 about how to become more content?
MY ANSWER:
Heb.13:5 – We often concern ourselves with how we are using our money, but this verse warns us about something much more basic—the love of money. Step 1 in finding contentment is fighting against deadly loves in our hearts (for money or any other earthly thing).
It also helps to remember God’s promise that he will never leave or forsake us. A child isn’t awake at night worring about whether he’ll have a place to live in the coming years. He just assumes mom and dad will take care of it. If we could foster that way of thinking about God, it would go a long way in helping us find contentment in what we have now.
1 Tim.6:6-9 – This passage provides numerous insights for contentment. First, by showing that contentment itself is great gain. The person who is content is the richest person in the world because he has everything he needs to be happy (as long as he also has godliness).
Secondly, The fact that I brought nothing into this world is a reminder that God is capable of supplying my needs. How could a naked newborn with no money, skills, education, or anything else possibly survive? God saw to it, and he can continue to do so.
Thirdly, the fact that I’ll take nothing with me when I die puts the importance of “stuff” into perspective. I won’t be needing all that stuff where I’m going.
Fourthly, the desire for riches can bring untold misery into my life.
Php.4:11-12 – Happiness has nothing to do with whether I am well-fed or hungry. And I can achieve contentment, even in times of great deprivation, through Christ who strengthens me.
EXCERPT:
| “How do you treat injuries in the high country?” Adam asked. “If there’s no gold, then—” “Oh, there’s plenty of gold,” Kailyn said. “But we don’t need our own gold. Once you get your new name, anyone’s gold can heal you. And you don’t even have to touch it. Just seeing them enjoy their own gold heals your wounds.” -p.113 |
QUESTION 4:
Envy is when you feel distressed or unhappy because of the good fortune of someone else, such as a co-worker getting a raise. What virtues should a person pursue to push envy out of his heart? See Romans 12:15.
MY ANSWER:
In a word, love. If I love the person who had some good fortune, I will be genuinely happy for them. If hearing of their windfall makes me unhappy because I didn’t get it, it shows I love myself more than I love them. I can train myself to love more by reminding myself, whenever I feel envy, “Rejoice with those who rejoice.”
QUESTION 5:
For those with children, what are some ways a parent could teach this principle to a child who is prone to be unhappy when a sibling receives something special?
MY ANSWER:
When our kids were little, we made a game out of it. We explained to them that when a person is unhappy at someone else getting a good thing, that’s envy, which is really bad. The kids actually had fun spotting it. Whenever someone had that response they would point and say, “Envy!” like they found an Easter egg or something.
We also purposely avoided always giving them all the same things. Some times one would get a cookie and the others wouldn’t, and we would teach them to rejoice with those who rejoice.
That impacted their behavior. They really did learn to be happy when a sibling got something they didn’t get.
QUESTION 6:
We all naturally tend to rely on our income and savings for financial security. What insights can you glean from 1 Timothy 6:17-19 and James 5:1—3 about how to overcome this tendency?
MY ANSWER:
From 1 Tim.6:17-19
- Wealth is “uncertain.” It’s far less reliable than it promises to be. So putting my eggs in that basket is a dangerous way to live, because there’s no telling when my safety net will disintegrate.
- God has proved his generosity and reliability and his desire for me to enjoy his gifts, and is far more reliable than money.
- The more often I give money away, the easier it will be to train my heart not to cling to it as a hope.
- When I exchange dollars for eternal treasure laid up as a firm foundation, that will help me stop trusting in the dollars and trust more in the firm foundation.
James reminds me that wealth is subject to the same laws of decay as everything else in this cursed world. And if I’m attached to it, it will drag me down with it (eat my flesh like fire).
I also urge you to read the answers to this question in the comments. There are some great insights!
BEGIN CHAPTER 4
EXCERPT:
| “I was sent for you … by someone who knows why you snuck out of the city in the middle of the night—and who wants you to come home to your family.” -p.41 |
QUESTION 1:
At this stage in your life, what do you believe your role is in fulfilling Christ’s commission in Matthew 28:18—20? Be as specific as possible.
MY ANSWER:
- Leading my family and helping raise my grandchildren in the fear of the Lord
- Living a godly life in my neighborhood and at work and seeking opportunities to share the gospel with the people around me
- Contributing 3% of my income to missions
- Share the gospel with people I counsel on Groundwire
- Proclaiming the gospel in my Bible study, podcast, and writing
- Praying daily for the lost and for God to raise up harvesters
QUESTION 2:
Why do you think Jesus prefaces the commission with the remark about his authority in verse 18?
MY ANSWER:
It is to give us boldness. People are often reluctant to call people to repent and follow Christ because they think they have to first earn the right to do so. Jesus wanted us to know that we already have the right and the responsibility because he has all authority, and he has commissioned us.
QUESTION 3:
When a blind man calls out to Jesus for mercy in Mark 10:46—50, instead of going to the man himself, Jesus sends his followers to call him. This serves as a model for how Jesus uses us to bring people to him today. What insights can you glean from the way they called the man to inform how we should go about calling people to Christ?
MY ANSWER:
First, we learn from their excitement. They sound like they are thrilled to be able to deliver this amazing news to the guy.
Second, we learn from their message. It begins with “Take courage!” No matter what misery the person is in, we can promise salvation, refuge, strength, and a thousand other blessings.
Next, they said, “He’s calling you.” We are motivated by the knowledge that Jesus wants that unbeliever to come to him. We don’t have to say, “Maybe he’s calling you.” Or “I think he’s probably calling you.” We can guarantee it.
Finally, they called for action: “On your feet!” They didn’t just say, “He’s calling you, FYI.” They said, “On your feet. Get up and go to him.” Our job is not just to let people know the information of the gospel, but to call them—command them to take action and go to Christ. We tend to be so timid, but we have full authorization to command people—Get off your backside and go to him.
EXCERPT:
| “Everyone who goes through the cottage gets a new name.” “I like my name.” “Of course you like the name you’ve always had, because you’re still the person you’ve always been. But when you become a new person, your old name will no longer fit and you will come to hate it.” … “You won’t lose your identity. You’ll gain it. Your identity is corrupted. When it is renewed, you’ll be what you were created to be.” -p.44 |
QUESTION 4:
What changes does the Bible say take place in a person when that person becomes a Christian? See Ephesians 4:24; Ezekiel 11:19—20, 18:31; Romans 6:4—13.
MY ANSWER:
Eph.4:24 – He is created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Ezek.11:19-20; 18:31 – He gains a new heart that is eager to obey God’s will.
Ro.6:4-13 – He is not longer enslaved to sin and now lives for God.
QUESTION 5:
What are the characteristics we were created to have? See Colossians 3:10; Ephesians 1:4; 2:10, 4:24; Titus 2:13—14.
MY ANSWER:
Col.3:10 – Renewing knowledge that conforms us to God’s nature
Eph.1:4 – Holiness and blamelessness
Eph.2:10 – Carrying out good works
Eph.4:24 – God-likeness, righteousness, holiness
Titus 2:13-14 – Purity and eagerness to do what is good
QUESTION 6:
What changes do you remember taking place in your life when you became a Christian?
MY ANSWER:
I wish I could remember. I came to know the Lord at a very young age, and, sadly, I don’t remember the event.
EXCERPT:
| “Adventure has higher stakes. The potential for great joy comes only when pursuing things of great value. But that means exposing yourself to the risk of great loss. Fun has little risk of loss and provides only the shallowest gain.” -p.45 |
QUESTION 7:
What are some examples of how the Christian walk brings joy that surpasses the shallow thrills of entertainment, but also brings more profound sorrow than the world’s sorrows? Consider Psalm 4:7 and Romans 9:2—3.
MY ANSWER:
The world’s joys compare to ours like the thrills of a toddler to those of an adult. Kids are ecstatic when they get a piece of candy or a new toy. But it’s a shallow joy. Moments after jumping up and down and squealing for joy, they might be wailing in sadness because of a scraped knee or loss of a toy. That sorrow is also shallow, as a few minutes later they might be laughing again. They aren’t capable of deep joys like a couple feels on their wedding day, or deep sorrows like a parent who loses a child and understands what death means.
In a similar way, the world’s joys, whether it be marriage, a job promotion, or financial windfall, are shallow. They are connected to temporal things. Our joys, on the other hand, are far more profound because we rejoice over much greater, eternal realities.
And our sorrows are also deeper. Worldly people only lose temporal things, but we understand eternal losses.
EXCERPT:
| “I can show you the way home, but it’s not an easy path. Not everyone makes it.” -p.46 |
QUESTION 8:
What are some dangers that threaten to keep us from making it to heaven? See Luke 14:25—35.
MY ANSWER:
Failure to prefer Jesus above family or one’s own life, refusal to give up everything for Christ, or loss of saltiness.
The Assignment Room
EXCERPT:
| Neither of the men would have survived the battles in the lowlands without the training. And the war to come would require strength, skill, and whatever weapon Abigail was learning to use in that room. Another of Abigail’s screams penetrated the door. Both men looked again at the sign: Assignment Room. Every room Watson had explored in this building had served to prepare him for the war, but none had been more painful—or more crucial than this one. -p.48 |
QUESTION 9:
The word translated “discipline” in Hebrews 12:11 refers to training. What are some examples of how God’s training in your life has been painful—but also effective in preparing you for his work?
MY ANSWER:
One way was by allowing something I poured ten years of my life into to be a catastrophic failure.
For years I prayed for humility, but I didn’t realize how deeply pride was ingrained in my heart until all my “successes” turned to failure. When that happened, it felt like my life had been a waste, and only then did I realize how much pride I had been taking in my apparent successes. I still have a long way to go in learning humility, but at least now I’m aware of a battlefield of pride that I wasn’t even aware of before.
We’ve already talked about some of these, but here the excepts that I highlighted from Chs 3-4.
p. 27 – “He returned to the city empty, frustrated, and lonely.”
p. 28 – “It seemed his thoughts were clearer when he was away from the city.”
p. 31 – “Adam now understood why George preferred bands over gold worn some other way. Though they looked like handcuffs, they were really the opposite.”
pp. 35-36 – “If they’re so brilliant, why can’t the prophets figure out what’s causing these collapses? … This is a problem in the city they built. They should know why this is happening. Can’t you see what’s right in front of your face? Look around. Obviously something’s wrong.”
p. 44 – “Of course you like the name you’ve always had, because you’re still the person you’ve always been. But when you become a new person, your old name will no longer fit and you will come to hate it.”
Weird, again I had more that I didn’t include for some reason. Here they are:
p. 29 – “Adam looked just in time to see a giant dust cloud rising in the place where a beautiful golden high-rise had stood moments earlier.”
p. 29 – “There was hardly ever a building collapse that didn’t bring the little girl’s words back to Adam’s memory. ‘The gold is cursed.’ Was the city doomed?”
p. 31 – “After a few minutes of contact with the [gold] band, the wound had healed.”
p. 31 – “The healing properties only work if it is your own gold. Touching someone else’s gold has the opposite effect. It will burn your skin. Take these and keep them with you.”
p. 32 – “Having them on his wrists made them easy to apply to an injury while leaving his hands free.”
p. 32 – “He knew it would be weeks before the burning in his hands would subside, and the longer he did this, the worse it would be.”
pp. 36-37 – “He knew something was wrong with the gold, but whenever he tried to think it through, a fog darkened his mind. Why couldn’t he think?”
p. 37 – “The peaceful gurgling of the creek soothed his soul. He didn’t want to leave it.”
p. 37 – “He needed to get outside the city and think.”
p. 38 – “He recalled how this world once seemed half real to him. Why was that? Half real compared to what? This is the only world he’d ever really known. And yet, something was wrong.”
p. 41 – “I was sent by someone who knows why you snuck out of the city in the middle of the night, and who wants you to come home to your family.”
pp. 41-42 – “Not magical, but powerful. And beautiful. It has colors that… well, they’re hard to describe to someone who hasn’t seen them. But I promise you, when you see them, you’ll never be the same.”
p. 42 – “If it existed, why wouldn’t he have seen it all these years since the pond? If it were clearly visible from the pond, and the pond was only a few minutes’ walk from the south orchard, surely he would have seen it the many times he searched that area.”
p. 42 – “I know it sounds silly, but when something is on my mind, it seems like I can think more clearly when I get away from the gold.”
p. 43 – “I see a place where thousands will wake up in a few hours and scurry around in a frenzy, accomplishing nothing. We move things, count things, buy, sell, work, rest – and we build beautiful buildings that fall on us, and we die.”
p. 43 – “It’s not because you’re tired. It’s because you can see now. You’re right about the gold. Being near it does cloud your vision. You’ve been out here, what, an hour? And you can already see how pointless your life is.”
p. 44 – “Everyone who goes through the cottage gets a new name.”
p. 44 – “You don’t lose your identity. You gain it. Right now, your identity is corrupted. When it is renewed, you’ll be what you were created to be.”
p. 45 – “‘The city is obsessed with fun, not adventure. That’s because fun is safe. Adventure isn’t… Because adventure has higher stakes. The potential for great joy comes only when pursuing things of great value.”
p. 45 – “But I must warn you. Attaining great gain also awakens dangerous enemies.”
p. 46 – “I can show you the way, but it’s not an easy path. Not everyone makes it.”
p. 46 – “I’ll be honest. Finding my way home is something I gave up on some time ago.”
p. 48 – “Neither of the men would have survived the battles in the lowlands without the training.”
Ch 4, Q 9. Wow, this is such a heavy question. God’s discipline and training process he’s used in my life has certainly been very painful. Extremely painful.
I have a lot of examples I could give, but here are just a couple of quick instances: I remember I prayed for compassion a long time ago when I was in my early 20s. Little did I know that in order for God to grant that request, he would need to utterly break my heart. God knew that was the only way I could understand true compassion.
Another example is I prayed to God to help me love my family better. Very similar to you Darrell, I was blind to how *unloving* I actually was until God showed me what *true* love actually looks like. And it turns out it’s sacrificial. God teaching me to die to myself daily was (and is) an extremely painful lesson.
But the key to this answer is in the question – Darrell you asked, “How has God’s training been painful – but also *effective in preparing you for his work?* ”
And for me, I know that I simply wouldn’t be effective in the ministry God has called me to if I didn’t have compassion and didn’t understand what Biblical love actually means, from an experiential perspective.
I’m reminded of several quotes:
I believe it was A.W. Tozer who wrote, “It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply.”
An article I read on Desiring God said, “Only men with scars can preach a Savior with scars to sinners with scars.”
And finally, 2 Corinthians 1:4 says, “He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
Quite simply I can’t comfort those in affliction with *God’s* comfort unless I myself have personally *received* God’s comfort. And the only way for him to comfort me is to allow me to be wounded deeply.
Q4.9: Learning to manage depressive and anxious thoughts. Over the last 10 years or so, in two churches, I have helped lead the church in prayer in various ways. During these times I have had strong battles with depression, easily given into my feelings and listened to the lie of the enemy entertaining self-deprecating thoughts. Through a weekly prayer letter I send out with a devotion on a section of scripture, God taught me so much about myself and His self. It was hard as I felt justified with my self-deprecating thoughts not realising how dishonouring this was to God. As I wrote each prayer letter to encourage the church, I felt God was speaking to me in greater ways than maybe the church was receiving it. I was challenged and disciplined in my thinking. God’s word was saying one thing, but I was doing another. Although this was hard, at the same time so rewarding in drawing closer to God. By God’s Grace we can manage this in my life and I am in a much better space to encourage other saints in our church in prayer. He is sufficient. Joy in Him is a great strength.
Q4.8: It can be costly to all we hold dear in this earthly life. For some, following Jesus they are rejected by their families, beaten, persecuted, imprisoned, and even put to death. The fear and the pressure of this can cause some to deny their faith in God.
In my country I have never seen or experienced such opposition to the Christian, however, Christians in my country are more pulled away by the pleasures of this world, the lure of money and an easy life as though that is the goal we should attain to. This can lead Christians to become weak and apathetic in their faith.
On one hand I can see the enemy using fear through persecution to push people away from God and on the other, lust for worldly pleasure and comforts to draw people away from God. Both are deceitful and dangerous traps for the Christian.
Great point Dean. In another context, Jesus lists things like land purchases, marriage, and a new cow as things that can keep people out of heaven (Luke 14:16-24).
Ch 4, Q 6. There were a lot of changes that occurred in my life once I became a believer.
Probably one of the most obvious from an onlookers’ perspective is the Lord instantly cleaned up my language.
I had a very foul mouth, cussing almost every other word. I did it without thinking. I was just the way I talked. It had become a *deeply ingrained* habit.
Literally overnight, God showed me how ugly it was and instantly changed my desires. My language changed in a blink. It was awesome!!
And I want to emphasize the point: deeply ingrained, muscle-memory-type habits don’t just go away. Typically to have victory, one has to put forth a great amount of effort with discipline to train yourself into a new habit. Change is gradual.
But not this one. God performed a beautiful minor miracle, blessing me with something obvious to point to as confirmation that he had changed my heart.
There are many others, but this is one of my favorites. It generates love in my heart for God just thinking about it!
A great testimony Austin ?
Ch 4, Q 1. At *this stage* in my life, how am I fulfilling the great commission…
Hmmmm.
Avoiding the long story, I used to be very deeply and intimately involved in ministry, so it was very easy for me to answer that question.
But now, I don’t do any of that.
So how do I fulfill my role in the great commission when I’m not actively involved in ministry anymore?
Basically, I just try to be authentic in everything I do, and try to develop good relationships with everyone I encounter. That way, when an opportunity for gospel conversation comes up, they’ll know I’m not try to “sell” them anything.
I simply and humbly tell them what I believe and why.
It’s my prayer that they will see my sincerity, and that I’m not someone with whom they need to have their guard up, and so perhaps they will be willing to at least deeply think about something perhaps they’ve never thought of before.
So basically I just try to live in a manner where 1) I don’t forfeit my credibility and 2) I always take other people seriously and really try to listen to them and hear their perspective first.
If I get these two right, hopefully they know I’m a safe person to have these conversations with.
Q4.7: Paul is a great example on both of these takes. In Phil 3:8 he counts all his worldly gains and fames as rubbish in order that he may gain Christ. Knowing Christ is of far more value to him than any of his accomplishments. And as you mentioned in Rom 9, Paul longs for the salvation of his brothers, even to the point of losing his own salvation if that would gain theirs.
His deep love for God is inspiring, and we can see the overflow of this in his deep love for his brethren. We can see in his experience; the shallow pleasures of the world do not fulfil him, and he no longer looks to them to satisfy his hunger. The joy and satisfaction of God is far better.
As I consider your question, I think it is because the joys and sorrows of a Christian are joys and sorrows of eternal value. This carries far more weight than something only temporary.
One key example is the joy of seeing someone become a Christian and have their eyes opened by the Holy Spirit to the reality of who God is and who they are in Him, we celebrate with them. On the other hand, we are deeply concerned for others not yet convinced of the Truth, especially those close to us, and would deeply grieve if they pass from this life having never known God.
Q4.4: What beautiful scriptures. Our old self is crucified with Christ. We receive a new heart and new spirit. We are set free from sin. We are alive in Christ.
I have a little story to share here. Something I read a while ago but always comes to mind when considering someone being set free from sin.
Imagine this. You are a destitute and condemned man, locked away in the prison of a king. But one day, the king decides he will not only forgive you for your crimes but also adopt you as his son. So, he sends a messenger to the prison, and you are summoned to the King. The first thing you need to do is accept this gift and leave the prison for the palace. When you get there the king clothes you in royal robes and seats you on the throne beside him. But having lived the life of a poor criminal, you are unable to talk, act or even think like a prince. You still behave like a destitute man, and this causes you to doubt whether you really are a prince. But the king is at pains to reassure you that your status as prince does not depend upon your performance but upon his choice. You must learn now to think and act like a prince because you are one. You didn’t earn your status; it was given to you. The work of learning to live up to your position is in response to the sovereign grace of the king. The bestowal of the position leads to the work of change, not vice versa. Likewise, you cannot attain the status of being a child of God any more than you could become the Prince of Wales by submitting a good resume. Status is something that God gracefully bestows upon us. It is for us then to respond by learning to live up to the position that we have been granted by grace.
Matthew Jacoby.
Q4.5: Col 3:10 – we put on the new self who is being continually renewed in true knowledge in the image of Him (Christ) who created the new self.
Eph 1:4 – holy and blameless in His sight.
Eph 2:10 – created in Christ for good works.
Tit 2:13-14 – Full of expectant hope at Jesus return. Enthusiastic for doing what is good.
Q4.6: Initially I saw Jesus reflected in true believers, this drew me to Him. The scriptures come alive; it was so exiting. I was underlining just about everything I read, couldn’t get enough.
Later on in life, the overwhelming love and presence of God. When this truth went from my head to my heart I was blown away. With that, the grace of God. My critical spirit to the church fell away and I could love them with God’s grace.
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4.3 – Bartimaeus asked Jesus to have mercy on him. First Jesus loved the man because He stopped to listen and instructed His disciples to go to the blind man, then He showed mercy by healing his blindness. The Lord calls us to love and show mercy in tangible ways – to go and speak face to face with the lost (not just write a check), to be hopeful and encouraging as we lead the lost to our Savior (as stated above), etc.
Q 4.3: Jesus may call anyone, from the richest to the poorest. In this case, the rejected of society at the time, people way out of our comfort zone. It says, “many rebuked this man”. I am not sure if any of those were Jesus’ disciples, but maybe. However, when Jesus asked His disciples to call the man, they obeyed, and they did so with encouragement. “Take heart”, or “take courage, Jesus is calling for you”. For me this encourages me that, when I have opportunities to call people to Jesus, to do so with love for they are called by my Master, wanted by Him. Who am I to distinguish any different?
I agree with Dean. Based on these verses, it seems we should present the gospel as great news.
Often we frame it in such a negative light: “You need to repent – SINNER!”
How foolish of us! Instead we should rejoice on that person’s behalf – “Wow! You’re so blessed – the Master Himself is personally calling for YOU!!!!”
4.1- After the opportunity to live abroad as missionaries, we came home with a new mindset – to continue a Cross-centered, cross cultural lives. We moved into a neighborhood and attend a church that is close to living cross culturally. Before C19, we were part of Neighborhood Transformation (an urban arm of CHE) and hope to begin again as restrictions are loosened. The goal for ministry is to follow Christ by disassociating with the comfortable and stepping into other people’s discomfort, fulfilling another command to ‘love our neighbors’.
4.2 – Dean already answered it very well!
Q 4.1: As a father, sharing the Truth with my children and encouraging them to delight in God.
As a prayer leader for our church, encouraging the saints to delight in God through prayer.
As part of the prison ministry, sharing the Gospel with men on the inside.
As part of a home group, encouraging my brothers and sisters in Christ to invest their lives into God more and delight in Him.
As a member of the community, seek opportunities to share the Truth where applicable and generally live out a God centred life.
Q 4.2: By Him saying this as the greatest authority, the command that follows has the greatest weight behind it and must not be ignored by His listeners and followers.
I had another question related to the James passage. The last part of verse 3 says, “You have laid up treasure in the last days.”
But of course prior to this, everything he’d been saying up to that point was to show how their wealth was an illusion and it wasn’t real treasure. So I’m a little confused by that sentence.
He must not be meaning real treasure. So is he talking about God’s judgment but somehow calling it “treasure?” Is he referring to the wealth they think they’ve accumulated in this life?
I think it’s this second one, because he goes on to talk about all the wages the rich person as withheld. So maybe he’s saying, “You fool! You’ve laid up earthly treasure for yourself by dealing selfishly and unfairly. Don’t you realize we’re in the last days, and storing up this “treasure” will profit you absolutely nothing?”
But again, I’m not sure I’m thinking about it right.
I think your second interpretation is correct. James is using the word treasure to refer to earthly treasure. But the rest of the sentence makes it clear that he means for us to see that word in quotes–so-called “treasure.”
Q6. The theme common between the two example passages you give seems to be a contrast between the uncertainty of wealth and the certainty of God. So as for overcoming the tendency to *rely* on our income, I guess we just really need to come to see it as *un*reliable. That can be very hard to do.
I remember when I first became a Christian, God had to use a very severe trial to expose to me the unreliability of this world’s justice system. At the time, there was no question my faith and trust were put in this world. I was relying on the police and lawyers and courts to ensure everything got sorted out correctly. Needless to say that did not happen.
It was a *VERY* hard lesson, but one of the most precious I’ve ever learned: the institutions and hallmarks of this world WILL fail you. They are a product of the fall just like everything else, and beyond that, they were never *meant* to be our security. Our trusting in them is just another product of the fall.
So back to the verses, how do we really expose our wealth as unreliable? I think the James passage is interesting. It seems to be written in the perfect tense, meaning it’s already happened. It’s as if he’s saying, “don’t you see it? Your wealth has already rusted and rotted away! It’s not really there!”
So for me personally, if I can somehow come to really see that my wealth is an illusion, just like the reliability of the justice system, then I’ll really *get it*.
I’ll definitely have to think on this some more to try to find the practical implications of this, or how we can use it be *actually* effective against being deceived by our wealth in real life.
Whether financial security or home security or health security, the passages written by James & Paul remind us what not to-do, which are beneficial to us spiritually, and serve as a witness to the world. Additionally, I’ve been focused on 2 Cor 3:4-5, which remind me that my sufficiency is in Christ alone, then Holy Spirit keeps me confident and content.
Q6: Interesting texts. From Timothy I can see the encouragement to be “rich in good works and be generous, willing to share with others.” I like the word “rich” there. Rich in good works over rich in money. We can choose to give to others of our wealth, but even then, we can set a limit. I’ll be generous to this point and then no more. I know God would expect us to be good stewards of our finances but, I think it can be a fine line between being a good steward and being selfish with what we have. I have to check my attitude, am I as happy, if not happier, to be rich in good works instead of rich in a healthy bank account?
James on the other hand gives us a warning of being too content and secure in our wealth. It questions whether we are storing up earthly treasures which will rot and decay, over eternal treasures. This is an area I have to check myself on frequently. Living in a western country where the majority of our people are rich with houses, cars, clothes, food in abundance and more to spare, money in the bank and extra for leisure – I don’t really know what it means to live without as many of our brothers and sisters in India are currently experiencing.
Your first point about the Timothy passage made me think of a statement I once heard. It was something like, “in Heaven, you only get as much as you’ve given.”
I suppose we could debate the theological accuracy of that, but it’s kind of a good prompter for how we should think of our riches and generosity.
So you saying, “be rich in good works” is great way to measure our wealth. Who cares how much “gold” we have. How rich are we in good works?
Q5. I honestly don’t know. I think this is something I struggled with when my kids were younger.
I suspect it has something to with identity, and teaching them that they are their own unique person and they get treated uniquely.
I think if this idea can “land” in their hearts, it may somehow be the key.
I think this because this seems to be how God deals with me regarding envy. Those times I remember I’m his, for a purpose, and I’m right where I’m supposed to be are the times I struggle least with envy.
But ultimately, I’m not sure. I think I’ll have to wrestle with this one for a while.
Q4. I like the reference to Rom 12:15 and what Dean said. But I’m going to add to it by suggesting a specific virtue someone can pursue to push out envy is fasting.
Through a chain of connecting verses in the Bible, God eventually brought me to Deuteronomy 9:18. This is Moses speaking,
“Then I lay prostrate before the Lord as before, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all the sin that you had committed, in doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger.”
This verse is referring to the golden calf incident from Exodus 32. Normally we associate the golden calf incident with idolatry, but I believe envy and idolatry are closely related. In Psalm 106:16-20, the Psalmist describes two incidents together, even though, elsewhere in Scripture, these incidents were wholly unrelated.
First in vv. 16-18, he mentions the rebellions against Moses from Numbers 16. Then in vv. 19-20 he mentions the golden calf incident from Exodus 32. I believe the Psalmist puts these otherwise unrelated incidents together because the cause of them was the same, they forgot God – Psalm 106:21, “They forgot God, their savior.”
So envy and idolatry both stem from the same heart problem: forgetting God. So as Moses teaches us in Deuteronomy 9:18, the solution to forgetting God is remembering him. And what better way to remember him than through fasting, accompanied by dedicated prayer?
It seems fasting and prayer solves both problems of envy and idolatry, because they’re both centered around wanting the wrong thing.
Fasting forces our body and our mind, and eventually our spirit to recognize those things that really matter, and who is really the source of all good things. By going without physical nourishment, we are reminded of our dependence on God for both physical and spiritual nourishment.
Fasting and prayer both force us to take our eyes off of those things we wrongly desire, and put them back on God where they belong.
I’ve found that envy and idolatry can hide in forgotten recesses of my heart so that I may not be consciously aware that they are there. But thankfully, through fasting and prayer, God often reveals those things to me so that I may repent of them. Now I just need to actually *do* it!
Wow. Fascinating answer. I never would have thought of that. Great food for thought.
Q5: Initially to lead by example as a parent. When someone in the family is honoured or blessed with something, then we as a family all celebrate together with them. Making a show of sharing in this joy and encouraging other children in the family to do the same is a good example. Soon enough these, triumphs and celebrations will be shared amongst all the children. We could also share from scripture examples and teaching such as Rom 12:15 of how it is important to celebrate with one another and how this can prevent sinful attitudes. Then, when away from the parents encouragement, hopefully the child may develop these loving habits on their own.
I love the idea of celebrating others’ triumphs. This is something I really need to learn to do more.
Q4: Rom 12:15 is a good answer to this question. Investing in the life of another out of love is a great way to take the focus off yourself. In past times of depression which is extremely self-focussed, when an urgent need of another arose, I was instantly pulled out of my own thoughts and needs and applied myself to helping the other.
“Investing in the life of another out of love.” I love the wording you chose for this… “investing.”
This idea of real, Biblical love is something I think I’m only just now starting to understand: it’s VERY. HARD.
This is such a big topic worthy of its own discussion, but long story short, God almost took my marriage away from me because I didn’t know what it meant to truly love my wife. Let’s just say Luke 9:23 was finally made real to me. True love is sacrificial.
So before this trial, I would have enthusiastically nodded along with this statement, “Invest in the life of another out of love,” while not having a *clue* what that really meant.
Now I know that you’re exactly right – it’s a great way to take the focus off yourself. In fact I would say that’s the *only* way anyone could ever do it – I can’t be focused on my self if I’m truly loving you, and I *can’t* be truly loving you if I’m still focused on myself.
So again, to understand this and get it right, is incredibly deep and complex and is a different topic than this question, but this is where your answer caused my mind to go.
Not sure I have it sorted exactly right, but at least I’m no longer completely oblivious that the mystery even exists.
Q3: For me, I see that in this world, my body (my costume) has some needs. For that I will need some money, some food and clothes, things that will satisfy these needs my costume has. However, my costume is not the real me, as it too will one day pass, so things that satisfy the costume are not designed to fulfill me completely.
But godliness actually is a source of great gain when accompanied by contentment [that contentment which comes from a sense of inner confidence based on the sufficiency of God]. 1 Timothy 6:6.
The real me that will live on with God for eternity, cannot be satisfied by mere trivial things of this world (no matter how hard I have tried) but can only find it’s fulfillment in God. Only God can satisfy the needs of the inner man, only He can fulfill the innermost desires of my soul.
I love everything about this answer!
I like it too, although I would offer one caution. It might be going a little too far to call the body a mere costume. I believe your body is part of the real you. God designed us to be physical beings. And the body is not temporary. It will die and decay, but then that same body will be raised incorruptible and will be part of who we are forever.
But I do agree with the overall point. My physical needs in this life are fell less significant than my spiritual needs.
Darrell, I hadn’t considered our earthly bodies not being temporary before. I expected that when we die and are raised again at the resurrection, we will receive a new body.
44 it is sown a natural body [mortal, suited to earth], it is raised a spiritual body [immortal, suited to heaven]. As surely as there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. 1 Corinthians 15:44
53 For this perishable [part of us] must put on the imperishable [nature], and this mortal [part of us that is capable of dying] must put on immortality [which is freedom from death]. 1 Corinthians 15:53
Interesting, I hadn’t really thought of it this way either. I thought of it as, certainly our bodies are a part of us, created specially by God, and so are intrinsically worthy of honor.
But at the same time, our bodies aren’t the core of what makes us human. If I was forced to only pick one, I would definitely choose to feed and nurture my soul over my body.
(A moment of reflection – I’m currently *not* forced to choose, so am I still taking as much care to nourish my soul as I do my body? I’m not sure I can say yes. Hmmmm.)
So yes, I think there’s something there: we don’t want to fall into a gnosticism-type, the-created-order-is-evil kind of heresy, but I would have to agree that these bodies, as honor-infused as they are, are relics of the old, and I long for the day when we get our new, glorified bodies!
Wow, thanks guys! This is the type of deep, theological discussion I really enjoy and am edified by.
First, I would point out that Jesus, who is the prototype for resurrection (Col.1:18, Rev.1:5) rose in the same body in which he died, complete with scars. That’s why the tomb was empty.
Second, the passage you mentioned says, “IT is sown a natural body, IT is raised a spiritual body …” To what does the pronoun “it” refer? It must refer to the same thing in both cases, namely, our current body. It’s not that my current body is discarded and God creates a new one. Rather, by current body is “sown” like a seed and is raised with new attributes.
Thanks for clarifying.
Q3. I haven’t studied this, but based on what I glean from the Scripure examples you give, the antidote to envy seems to be God’s presence.
I imagine it has something to do with our affections, and how the further we get from God, the corrupted our desires become.
I’m reminded of a quote from C.S. Lewis from (I think) Weight of Glory (and I’m paraphrasing), “He who has God and everything else has no more than he who has God only.”
Without God’s presence, we’re always striving to fill that emptiness, so we crave what others have and become envious of them.
But with God’s presence, our hearts are already full, so things are allowed to be what they were created to be: tools, covering, shelter, sustenance, etc. Our joy is found in God so we don’t need to try to wring joy out of those things.
And the wonderful irony is that when our affections are properly affixed on God, he often chooses to give us great joy through those things anyway, ala, Matthew 6:33.
That’s a great way to put it. I need to spend some time thinking about that.
Q2. I think of the elites’ “modern” and “scientific” practices, done in the name, they claim, of morality and the “greater good.”
Not 60 years ago eugenics was the accepted, settled, socially-appropriate science of the day. Before that slavery. Today it’s abortion and population control in the name of staving off climate change.
The absurdity of it would be laughable if it weren’t so utterly tragic and heartbreaking.
While their goal is to slow the decay, the *only* thing in which they’ve succeeded is in heaping up God’s judgment; far from staving it off, I fear they’ve only accelerated it.
I pray we’re Nineva, but I fear we’re Sodom. Either way, come Lord Jesus!
Q1 – without sounding irresponsible (we pay our bills on time and avoid going into debt) we don’t prioritize building a giant nest egg. Much of our income is spent on missionary support and evangelism. Finally, the personal implication for me is to join Kailyn in ministry and witnessing.
Q1: Considering this, I couldn’t think of anything directly implicating me, but maybe I’m on the wrong train of thought. However, thinking indirectly the verse in Rom 8:22 came to mind:
For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
On a physical nature some examples that come to mind are climate change, the multiple pollutants destroying our planet. On a social and moral level some examples are the breakdown in relationships due to the abuse of what “true marriage” is, same sex marriages, introduction of multiple genders, abortion, to name just a few. To see this way of thinking also invade and impact the church is also so sad and destructive on a spiritual level. We could talk about the abuse of money, fame, and power which in some way or other affect us all. It’s a big topic.
Q1. Not sure if I’m thinking about this the same way you’re meaning, but the fact this world is passing away affects me greatly; it’s pretty much always in the back of my mind, and thoroughly affects how I think, by keeping pretty much everything in perspective.
This world is not my home and this life is not ultimate reality. Therefore, specifically:
A) That helps me not get overly concerned or anxious about world affairs or politics. The Bible said this was going to happen.
B) It provides urgency about loving my family and raising my kids the right way, and loving and witnessing to my neighbors. BECAUSE this is not our ultimate reality, we MUST therefore be on a mission here. John 17:15-18 has really influenced my thinking on this, especially when I want to complain about life being hard or give up. Jesus says, “I KNOW it’s hard! But I’m purposely sending you *into* the world! You have a mission, now GO!”
C) I don’t have any biological children (my kids are actually my stepsons). Sometimes this grieves me or causes me to wonder “what if,” but when I remember this world is passing away anyway, thoughts of “legacy” or of keeping my family name going are put into perspective. In the grand scheme of things, I don’t care about leaving “my mark” on this earth. “Preach the gospel, die, be forgotten.”
There’s definitely others besides just these three.
I like what you said about not worrying about leaving my mark on this world. That’s a temptation for me–to think about that rather than focusing on making a mark in heaven that will have eternal results.
Collapsing City – beginning of ‘birth pangs’ and at the same time, this judgement is evidence of God’s grace, moving people away from their sin and calling them/us to follow Him
Sending Kailyn – Holy Spirit reaching ‘those who are being saved’, reminding people of sin, righteousness and judgement (Jo 16:8)
Receiving a new name – spiritual rebirth, transformation by becoming a new creation
Assignment Room – like the other writers this seemed more complicated, but I suspect this represents what believers experience along the path to bearing fruit, letting go of past attitudes and behaviors that cause unbelievers to stumble, perhaps some trials that strengthen us and grow perseverance
1) The Collapsing City:
Could it be that if we build a life on the riches of this world as our security, our foundation, it is inevitable it will collapse? Matt 7:24-27 – And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. Matthew 7:26
2) The Sending of Kailyn:
Is this God sending Kailyn through the prompting of the Holy Spirit to speak into Adam’s life. God uses His children (as fallible as we may be) to carry out His work in spreading to Gospel to all. As Austin says, this may be to a large crowd at times, but sometimes one on one with a more specific message.
3) Receiving a New Name:
Yes, as the book mentions and as Austin suggested, I would go along with the change of identity also. The putting of the old man/self and putting on the new is mentioned many times in scripture (Colossians 3:9-10). This is good for us to keep in mind. We have a name and identity for our “costume” so to speak, but the real me is who I am in Christ. This person lives on forever when my costume fades away.
4) The Assignment Room:
As with Austin, I’m not really sure on this one either. Is it to do with the changing of identities? The pain of letting go of the old man and putting on the new man? Or is it the receiving a spiritual gift from God? To receive a gift of God we need humility; we must be shed of all pride, this can be a painful experience.
4) I can’t even. This is so deep and so true and so profound and so beautiful, that there is no way I can begin to put my thoughts down in any coherent manner.
Someone else will need to start, lol!
(I accidentally posted this in the wrong spot the first time).
Although I will also add, at this point in the book, I had *no idea* what the “Room of Delights” would come to represent.
3) I thought of this as representing the new identity you assume when you become a believer. Once we become citizens of this new kingdom, we start to become who God really created us to be, and our new name will now be one that actually perfectly describe us.
2) I’m assuming you mean by this Kailyn seeking Adam out at the creek specifically, and not her “general” appearance in the city.
I guess I thought of it as God’s effectual call to believers.
Kailyn speaking to the city in general represents the general call that every human hears (hence us being without excuse on judgement day).
But her seeking Adam out represents the Holy Spirit’s specific call on the hearts of believers, without which, we would never become believers (wew would continue to ignore the general call like everyone else).
One slight addition to your thoughts–I would suggest that God’s general invitation to all humanity can also be individualized. By that I mean God might send a Kailyn as a missionary to deliver the gospel to you specifically. But that doesn’t mean his effectual call is also operating on you necessarily.
That’s how I was thinking of Kailyn being sent. She represents missionaries in the story, who become all things to all men to reach some.
In fact, in the original version of the story, which was more fantasy oriented, Kailyn actually changed forms according to what was needed–a dog, a bird, a snake even (a good snake).
1) I’m very curious to hear others’ thoughts on this, as I couldn’t quite pinpoint it to any satisfying degree.
I suspect it’s a picture of the fallen world and our modern understanding of it. That is, it’s gold which can represent (among other things previously discussed) the “best” of this world. According to evolution, we should be constantly progressing, so at every successive point, this world should be the best it has ever been.
But as is *patently* obvious, that’s not true. Something is clearly wrong (the collapses), yet nobody wants to acknowledge there’s a ghost in the machine.
Great point. The critics of Christianity complain about the problem of evil, saying, “If there were a good God, he would never allow such a horrible world.” And out of the other side of their mouth propagate evolutionary theory, which, like you said, would require that the world is far better now than it was centuries ago.