Chapter 13 Meanings
The Boys/Wolves with Gold
The three boys with gold illustrate prosperity preachers, who hold money as the greatest treasure of all and see God as a means to attaining that treasure (rather than preferring God above wealth as the ultimate treasure).
They function in the story as dangerous wolves because prosperity preachers propagate deadly doctrines (Matthew 7:15). Love of money is one of the most powerful forces keeping people from God. One cannot be saved while loving money. But instead of rescuing people from that lethal love, prosperity preachers throw gasoline on the fires of greed.
The painful cure for the wolf bites (greed) is repentance. It is painful because it requires humility and letting go of cherished sins.
EXCERPT
| “You’re wondering about the gold?” said the first, holding his necklace. “It came from the cottage. Come with us, and we’ll show you how to use the cottage to get more gold than you ever dreamed possible.” “I was told I had to leave the gold to go to the cottage.” “You were told wrong. The Ruler—the one who built the cottage—is the wealthiest man in the high country, and he wants his people to be rich. That’s what the cottage is for. It’s the means through which he gives lavish gifts to his people.” “I’ve seen other children from the cottage. They didn’t have gold.” “That’s because they don’t have faith. If they would believe the gold is theirs and claim it, they’d receive it.” -p.108 |
QUESTION 1
Prosperity preachers teach that the goal is to be rich in this life. Evaluate that attitude in light of 1 Timothy 6:9—10 and Mark 4:19.
MY ANSWER
Sometimes God gives wealth to his children for them to enjoy. And when he does, it’s not wrong to enjoy it (as long as you do so without violating any biblical principles about giving, generosity, and kingdom priorities).
However, if getting rich is one’s goal, he is subjecting himself to untold spiritual danger.
One of the primary obstacles that keeps people out of the kingdom is wealth. To preach in a way that makes it sound like one can enter the kingdom while still loving money is a lie and the height of cruelty.
EXCERPT
| “Progress toward the cottage is impossible when your heart is enslaved to something else. Wolf bites inject poisons that incapacitate desire for good and cause you to love the wrong things. In this case, gold. We could no sooner carry you to the cottage than force a camel through the eye of a needle.” … “Even a person who is ostensibly childlike, if he turns your eyes to gold as your treasure, be assured—he is from the city, not the cottage.”– p.113,115 |
QUESTION 2
What do we learn from Mark 10:21–25 about the danger of pursuing money?
MY ANSWER
It’s possible to come to the point where you desperately want to follow Christ but find yourself unable to let go of the one thing you must let go of to follow him. Just as it’s possible to get into an affair and fall in love with someone other than your spouse, it’s possible to fall in love with wealth, destroying your marriage relationship with the Lord.
QUESTION 3
Is there anything in this world that threatens to impede your movement toward God?
MY ANSWER
I think the biggest danger for me at this point in my life is my investments. I’ve been trading stocks, and it puts my attention on gaining money every day for significant segments of the day. At this point I still believe what I’m doing is the wise course to take right now, but it’s a daily battle in my heart to keep my hope in the Lord and on spiritual things.
EXCERPT
| “You should have checked their tracks. You would have seen wolf tracks. Everyone’s true nature is exposed by the trail they leave. Even a person who is ostensibly child-like, if he turns your eyes to gold as your treasure, be assured—he is from the city, not the cottage.” -p.114 |
QUSETION 4
Jesus warned us to spot wolves by their fruit (Matthew 7:15—20). What are some examples of bad fruit that expose wolves in sheep’s clothing? See 2 Peter 2:1—19.
MY ANSWER
The most common traits false teachers tend to have in Scripture are pride, greed, and sexual immorality. I suspect that the second two are a result of the first. In their arrogance, they elevate themselves above accountability. And where people walk in the darkness of privacy, those sins are common.
QUESTION 5
As you look back at the trail you’ve left, what signs of the Holy Spirit’s work in you are evident?
MY ANSWER
The main sign I see is that throughout my life, I’ve made efforts to seek closeness with God and to please him. Those efforts have very often been weak and inadequate, but it has remained the primary focus of my life.
EXCERPT
| “They told me to trust the Ruler. Isn’t that the same thing you’ve been telling me?” “Their lie was not one of words, but of definition. It is true that faith alone is required. But faith is believing what is promised, not believing in what is desired.” -p.115 |
QUESTION 6
Faith is believing what God has promised. Presumption is believing what God has not promised. See Matthew 4:6—7 for an example. What are some other examples of times we confuse presumption with faith (expecting something from God that he hasn’t promised)?
MY ANSWER
Any time a person feels anger toward God because of something that happened, that person was expecting something from God that he didn’t promise. Most of the time this happens with things that God promises, but not in an absolute way in this life. God promises protection, joy, sanctification, and guidance. But none are promised in an absolute sense in this life. Sometimes we expect God to provide more of these than he does, or in different ways than he does.
This is especially true when it comes to God’s protection. Christians take God’s promises of protection to mean it is impossible for them to be deceived or to fall away, so they don’t take serious precautions against spiritual dangers.
EXCERPT
| “Your ability to believe has suffered two blows—one from the wolves, who make you trust in the wrong things, and another from the little ones, who infect your eyes with doubt. One prevents faith, and the other misdirects it.” -p.115 |
QUESTION 7
Contrast the way naturalists and skeptics damage your faith with how false teachers damage it.
MY ANSWER
The naturalists and skeptics damage my faith by introducing doubt—making me doubt God’s Word. False teachers damage my faith by making me believe God said things he didn’t say.
Jesus gave so many warnings about the danger of being deceived, it is something we must take very seriously. When our faith is strong, we can expose ourselves to false teaching without suffering much damage. But those ideas can hide away in our memory and resurface in a moment of extreme spiritual weakness, resulting in serious damage to our faith. We must not play around with wolves.
EXCERPT
| “They’re probably close. We need to stay alert.” “Who? … The little ones?” “No. Our battle is not against flesh and blood. Remember when we told you about the powers that control the little ones? … They are the enemy.” -p.114 |
QUESTION 8
Our struggle is not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:11—13). What is the difference in the way we fight spiritual enemies and the way we respond to flesh and blood enemies? See Matthew 5:44; Romans 12:21; Matthew 18:15—17; Ephesians 6:12-13; 2 Corinthians 10:4-5.
MY ANSWER
We love and pray for our flesh and blood enemies (Mt.5:44), and the way we defeat the evil in them is by means of doing good to them (Ro.12:21). Our primary concern is to bring them to repentance (Mt.18:15-17).
Spiritual enemies, on the other hand, must be wrestled, resisted (Eph.6), and their strongholds demolished (2 Cor.10).
QUESTION 9
We take steps to protect ourselves from burglars, muggers, and scammers. What kind of damage does a spiritual wolf do to a Christian who is not on his guard? See Colossians 2:8; 2 Peter 3:17; Matthew 24:10—13
MY ANSWER
Col.2 – They take you captive.
2 Pe.3 – They carry you away until you fall from your secure position.
Mt.24 – They cause your love to grow cold until you join the many who will fall away and betray and hate other believers.
QUESTION 10
What are some threats we must beware of? See Luke 12:15; Acts 20:30—31; Matthew 26:41; 1 Peter 5:8; Matthew 16:6.
MY ANSWER
Lk.12 – greed
Acts 20 – teachers who distort the truth to gain a following
Mt.26 – temptation—especially in times of physical weakness
1 Pe.5 – Satanic attacks
Mt.16 – Spiritual influence of hypocrites
EXCERPT
| The warriors had suffered defeat in the last encounter with Kailyn, Abigail, and Watson, even though the humans had been caught off guard. Now that they were alert, they would be near impossible to defeat -p.166 |
QUESTION 11
What does “staying alert” look like for you? See Matthew 26:41; Revelation 2:2; Ephesians 6:10—11,18.
MY ANSWER
In my case, the more victory I have experienced, the more at risk I am. The longer it’s been since I’ve fallen to a particular temptation, the harder it is for me to take it seriously. It seems like it’s no longer a danger, and my defenses come down. So for me, staying alert means realizing this and never letting up in my efforts to steer clear of temptation and preferring God’s presence to the rewards of sin.
It also means continually reminding myself that I have a formidable enemy (one who has defeated the strongest of men before me) who is working hard to destroy me.
QUESTION 12
Why does God allow the wolves among us? See Deuteronomy 13:1—3.
MY ANSWER
It’s to test our hearts, to expose how devoted we are to his Word. When we are deceived, it usually isn’t just an honest mistake. Something in our hearts wants to believe their ideas.
EXCERPT
| Watson frowned. “I have seen wolf bites like this before. Men have died of lesser wounds.” -p.112 |
QUESTION 13
On a scale from 1 to 10, how serious is the threat of the wolves in the passages above? And on the same scale, how serious would you say your precautions are?
MY ANSWER
They sound like a 10 to me. At my best, my alertness level is probably 7 or 8. But all too often it’s zero.
QUESTION 14
Clearly, we are far more vulnerable when we are not alert than when we are. What are some spiritual threats you need to be more alert to in your daily life?
MY ANSWER
Laziness, self-pity, vengeful attitudes toward hostile people, impurity, and apathy.
EXCERPT
| “You said the wolves injected poisons that make me love the wrong things. Is there … a cure?” “There is. But you must understand-the cure is excruciating.” “I don’t care how painful it is. … I don’t care about the risk. Without it, I’ll die anyway.” Watson met Abigail’s eyes and nodded. “He is ready.” -p.115 |
The cottage piece Abigail gave Adam to cure his wounds was a call for him to joyfully prefer the banquet (what Jesus has to offer) above all the lowlands (world) had to offer. This is the essence of repentance.
QUESTION 15
At what point is a soul “ready” to turn to God? See Jeremiah 29:13.
MY ANSWER
Anything short of wholehearted pursuit of God will be unsuccessful. People don’t come to God until they reach a point of such disillusionment with this world that they are ready to leave it behind completely.
QUESTION 16
If what God offers is more satisfying than sin, why is repentance painful? See Luke 22:61-62.
MY ANSWER
It’s excruciating because it doesn’t happen until we become brokenhearted over how we have offended God.
EXCERPT
| “You are already dead. And if you truly die, only then can you live. The cure will destroy the part of you that is dead. Then you can have life that will heal your wounds.” -p.115 |
QUESTION 17
in what sense are unbelievers “already dead”? See Ephesians 2:1-2; 1 Timothy 5:6; 1 John 3:14.
QUESTION 18
If unbelievers are already dead in one sense, in what way are they put to death when they come to faith in Christ? See Romans 6:6-8, 11-12, 7:9-13.
MY ANSWER
I hold the third view. I believe it solves the problems of both the other views and fits the argument of Romans best.
Q. 19 – Interesting. I’ve never studied Romans 7 in depth, but it’s always seemed to me that this passage is clearly describing Paul *after* he’s been converted. I’ve never even considered it another way.
I guess the way I’ve always considered it is a fourth alternative to what you offer above: that of sanctification. The vestiges of the sin nature, though dying away, are still present and will never be fully eradicated so long as we’re living in this fallen world.
As believers, yes we desire the good! But there are still traces of impurity in our hearts, even though they’ve been transformed. Like if I’ve stared at the sun too long, even if I close my eyes, I can still see it. As believers, we’ve “closed our eyes” to sin, but the impression left by it is still “visible.”
So, when Paul says he desires the good but cannot do it, I don’t think he’s referring to anything and everything that we may colloquially call “good,” but rather that perfect *standard* of good found only in Jesus Christ. He desires that which is *perfectly* good, but knows he’ll never taste it this side of eternity.
This constant awareness of the vestiges of our sin nature, and yearning for that perfect good, and the ever-present desire to be “delivered from this body of death” are all hallmarks, I believe, of the sanctification process. We see we’re not where we started from, yet we’re also not yet where we desire to be.
Q. 17 – Unbelievers are already dead because they’re still under the curse and penalty of sin. This curse manifests itself by the soul living for this world, being selfish and self-indulgent, and unloving.
Q. 18 – When a person becomes a believer, they “die to death.” That curse in them that condemned them to death is now lifted through repentance and forgiveness. The power of sin that once controlled us and colored how we see and respond to everything, is now made subject to the greater power of the Spirit within us. We are given new hearts, ones that aren’t subjugated to sin, because these hearts have the power of life within them (Ex 36:26).
As Paul Tripp says, “The power of sin has been broken, even if the presence of sin remains.”
So that’s how the “power” of sin is broken – through repentance and forgiveness. How to deal with the “presence” of sin, well, that’s the second book, lol!
Q. 15 – At the point you describe in the book – when the soul knows it will die without God, then it’s ready, because it’s only at that point that it will seek God with its whole heart.
Q. 16 – Hmmm. It seems to me repentance is not painful in the sense of having to give up something you greatly value, because true repentance only occurs when the soul finally realizes that the value of God surpasses all else.
Rather, at least in my experience, repentance is EXCRUTIATINGLY pain because the soul finally sees itself for what it really is, and finally realizes the extent and significance of its betrayal against God. In other words, the pain of repentance is the pain of GRIEF and HEARTBROKENNESS. Being humbled is painful. Our pride is very sensitive, so when it shatters, we feel intense pain.
My favorite band of all time is Thrice. They have incredibly deep and thoughtful lyrics full of profound theology. One song, “Digital Sea” describes a guy finally being overcome by his sin and losing his soul. The song uses the analogy of a sailor succumbing to the lure of the sirens’ call only to realize after it’s too late that he was betrayed. Here are two stanzas:
“I woke, cold and alone
Adrift in an open sea
Caught up in regrets
And tangled in nets
Instead of your arms wrapped around me
And I wept, but my tears are anathema here
Just more water to fill my lungs
I hear someone scream
‘God what is it we have done?’
A song from somewhere below
Deadly and slow begins
Both sickly and sweet
Now picking up speed
Ushering in the world’s end
And the ghost of Descartes screams again in the dark
‘Oh how could I have been so wrong?’
But above the screams the sirens sing their song”
The two lines, “God what is it we have done” and “Oh could I have been so wrong” are incredibly painful realizations.
But here’s the beauty of repentance: EITHER WAY our soul will realized this treason and we will cry out those lines. The difference is do we realized before death or after death? As painful as it is to realize it this side of heaven, at least we have hope on the other side of it. Can you imagine how painful it must be for those poor souls who never realize it until they stand before God in judgement after death and realize that it’s now too late? I shudder at the thought.
God, may this motivate me towards evangelism. Amen.
Q. 14 – Lately, I have become very complacent in my prayer life. Satan has claimed a great victory over me when he gets me to stop taking prayer seriously! In particular, my praying over, for, and with my wife has suffered greatly. By me not praying, almost by definition I’m not being alert! As C.S. Lewis has described, I’m behind enemy lines but am not tuning in to the dispatches from the home front, so I’m not aware of the latest strategies of the enemy. Oh dear! Please pray for me in this area!
Q. 13 – based on the repeated warnings a Scripture, I’d have to say the threat is a 10 of 10. There is *real* and *dangerous* spiritual warfare going on!
Honestly, I would say my precautions are probably about a 6 or 7. I always try to be discerning about what I’m hearing from teachers, and honestly I get very unsettled in my spirit when I hear something false. This is one of the reasons I take my study so seriously and have a passion to teach – First because I want to really *learn* it for myself and make sure I get it correct, and second, based on what I’ve learned, I want to correct error and ensure people are learning the proper doctrine.
But even after considering all that, if the threat is a 10, and my guard is at best a 7, I guess I should be doing more. Probably what I need to do is continue to look inward. Even if I’m on my guard “intellectually” against wolves, am I cognizant of the subtle influence they’ve had on my heart? Every time I respond sinfully to any given situation means, in that moment, I’m believing a lie. I need to train my heart to really love and trust God’s word so that my heart influences my choices at every single point, instead of letting my flesh hold sway.
Q. 12: As your verse points out, I think false teachers are allowed by God as a test. They are always trying to draw my heart away from God. Am I going to follow? Which thing does my heart *really* desire the most? Am I going to take the excuse to follow riches or something other thing because it’s dressed up in spiritual clothes, and thus I have an excuse or can somehow plead ignorance? That’s what the wolves would like me to do. Will I fall for it?
2 Timothy has really given me a lot think about this subject as well, so I have a lot more thoughts, but I think, for the sake of brevity, I say only this in addition:
I think false teachers create a division, which allows “a line” to be revealed and gives us the opportunity to decide, plainly, on which side of the line we stand. My thinking and doctrine can sometimes be muddled or fuzzy without me realizing it. So once I’m presented with clear teaching that is either 1) or 2) bad (but both are clear), suddenly what may have been unsettled or unrefined in my mind is now forced into clarity. Which argument will I choose? I no longer have the luxury of not taking a real position.
Q. 11 – Wow, these are hard questions to answer! Actually, they’re easy because I know exactly what I want to say and I have a A LOT of thoughts regarding each one. My challenge is keeping it short. I’ve typed out all this long stuff then realized it’s too long to post here. See, I’ve already wasted a paragraph on this very unnecessary explanation.
I’ll try to be as succinct as I can. In 2 Tim 2:15 Paul tells Timothy to “present himself to God, as one approved.”
I like to think of “presenting” myself to God as if I’m being subjected to inspection for the purpose of passing a test, for “approval.” I think of like a pumpkin contest at the county fair. Those that enter the contest “present” their pumpkins, knowing they will be closely inspected, and those that pass will be “approved.” I want to win the blue ribbon after God’s inspection.
But not in a legalistic or works-based sense.
Just as the president needs to be inspected by a doctor in order to make sure he’s fit to carry out his charge to lead the country, so we must submit ourselves to inspecting gaze of God to make sure we’re *spiritually* fit to carry out our spiritual charge.
So I always try to be mindful of verses like Ps 139:1, 23-24; 1 Pet 5:8; and Heb 3:13 and 4:16. As soon as I feel the spiritual “sniffles” coming on, I RUN to the doctor! I don’t wait to see if it will get worse or not, because I know it will! At the slightest moment of temptation or sinful response, I need to submit myself to God’s healing gaze.
By trying to keep this principle at the forefront of my mind, it allows to remain alert for the slightest spiritual attack.
Oh, another key verse that informed my thinking on this is 2 Tim 4:1-2 – I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
Q. 10 – Wow, it’s good to be reminded of these warnings. What I noticed we need to be aware of and on alert against:
All covetousness
Men speaking twisted things to draw us away
Entering into temptation
Our adversary the devil who is on the prowl
Leaven of Pharisees and Sadducees (false teachers)
For the return of the Son of Man (not on alert against this, but in preparation for it)
Those who oppose the gospel
And it’s interesting that while some of these warnings are to the crowds, most of them are to the disciples themselves, which means we as believers need to take them seriously.
Q. 8 – Ah man you beat me! I spent all day on this one. And yes it’s too long again, so no need to read it all. The real value for me is not whether anyone reads it, but in spending the time in study and considering these things. Thanks again for this blog.
Okay, here goes:
Based on these verses, wolves can deceive us, capture us, carry us away with error, cause us to lose our stability, fall away, betray one another, and hate one another. Wow! That is one dangerous list!
So my mind got to thinking about why and how these terrible things could occur if we listen to false teachers. I wasn’t really sure what “elemental spirits” meant in Col 2:8, so I started looking it up, and I went down the rabbit hole, lol!
Bottom line, here’s the conclusion I’ve come to, and it has to do with titles. Wolves are wolves and they cause those negative attributes because if we listen to them, we call ourselves by the wrong title, and thus do the wrong things for the wrong reasons.
I might have this all wrong, but it seems a major reason Paul wrote Colossians (with Timothy) was to combat what he talks about in verse 2:8 – how not to become captive to philosophy and empty deceit, according to human traditions and elemental spirits of the world.
Therefore, because this was his goal, he introduces the letter by appealing to his title – Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God. So he gives his title in verse 1, and then in verse 2 reminds them of *their* true title – Saints!
Titles, when properly applied, clear up any confusion about what that person is supposed to do. If my title is mechanic, then I know what I’m supposed to do – fix cars. If my title is pilot, then I know what I’m supposed to do – fly planes.
So through Paul’s title – Apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God – he knows WHAT to do as an “Apostle” (govern the church and teach and write with authority), and WHY he’s doing it (“by the will of God” – Paul does what he does because GOD put him there). Therefore, because Paul was living up the title that *God* had given him, he was square in the midst of God’s will because he knew what to do and why he was doing it.
And he says all this because he wants set up a contrast between how the Colossians *should* be living as Christians, against how they’re *actually* living now. How they’re actually living now is according to human tradition and the elemental spirits of this world – that is, they’re listening to false teachers (wolves) and thus are living according to the wrong titles, worldly titles.
The Colossians forgot what to do and why they were doing it. If I understand the historical context correctly, I believe they were worshiping angels and seeking to add something to work of Christ, and they were doing it to seek escape, or puff themselves up and to look good in front of men and trying to earn their salvation. What they should have been doing was worshiping Christ alone, and working to bring God glory.
So Paul, by calling himself an Apostle, presents the perfect example to them. There are a lot of titles he could have been known by.
He gives us many that world could give him in Philippians 3: Pharisee, Hebrew of Hebrews, Zealot, Blameless Under the Law.
A title he could give himself: Tent Maker, Chief of Sinners.
He could have given himself any of these titles and so lived by them. He would have known what to do to live out each one. If he had chosen any of these titles, Paul, the church, and the very world would have turned out much differently.
But Paul chose a different title. Because his concern was the will of God, he chose the title that GOD HIMSELF gave him: Apostle. Because he lived by this title, he knew what to do. And because he sought the will of God, he knew why he was doing what he was doing. He was called to be an apostle! He was not called to be a Pharisee, a tent maker, or chief of sinners. As long as he lived under those titles, he was doing the wrong thing. But as soon as he took on the title that God gave him, he knew what to do and why he was doing it.
Just as Paul uses an appropriate title for himself, so he reminds the Colossians of their proper title in 1:2 – “To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father.”
SAINTS. FAITHFUL BROTHERS. IN CHRIST. Paul reminds the Colossians of who they really are. He addresses them by the title that GOD has given them! If you are in Christ, you are SAINT!
So if it’s true that if we know our title, we know what we’re supposed to do, what does a “Saint” do? I think the answer is later in the book in 3:12. There, Paul says, “AS GOD’S CHOSEN ONES, HOLY and BELOVED…” So we know then, at the very least a Saint is three things: 1) Chosen, 2) Holy, 3) Beloved.
So when Paul calls the Colossians saints, he is reminding them of the title by which God views them. So if whenever I lose my way, or I try to find satisfaction in some thing, or relationship or experience, or if I start to take on the identity of a title given to me by the world or that I’ve given myself, or of a false-teacher-wolf, I need to remember the title God has given me and what that means.
If I am in Christ Jesus, I am a SAINT! That means that I am chosen, holy, and beloved:
CHOSEN: To be a saint, means I have been chosen by God. I am not lost. I am not forgotten. I am not a mistake. I am not an afterthought. Regardless of what my life was like growing up, regardless of any mistakes I may have made in the past, I am not defined by those things. God chose me, God formed me, and God Himself purposed my very life and wrote each one of your days in His book (Ps 139:13-16).
HOLY: I think there’s a lot more to this one than I’m saying here, but for now I think we can at least say this. Regardless of whatever else it may mean, and it whatever ways it may be greater than even this, holiness is *at least* being set apart. As a saint, God has set us apart from the world, for His divine purpose. If I’m not mistaken, the words “holy” and “saint” are the exact same Greek word – “Hagios.” And I believe that word literally means “sacred,” or “set apart for ceremonial use.” We, as children of God, because of Christ’s work, are holy saints, set apart so God can use us as tools of his ministry. Is that how I view myself? Is that how I’m living? Well I’m a saint, so it should be.
BELOVED. Agapao. An object of God’s agape love. Wow. This brings us back to Psalm 63:3 and God’s love being better than life, so I won’t repeat all that here because this is already waaaay too long.
Bottom line, what kind of damage does a spiritual wolf do to me when I’m not on my guard? HUGE DAMAGE! I forget my true title – the title GOD gave me! I instead take on a cheap title of the world and then live up (down) to that cheap and fake substitute, forgetting that I’m chosen, holy, and beloved, and forfeiting all the benefits thereof.
Great stuff! Thanks for this Austin
Q. 8 – For some reason, something a pastor once said has always stuck with me. It was a very simple statement and relatively familiar concept, so I’m not sure why it stuck, but it definitely did. He said, referring to Ephesians 6:12:
“The person you think is your enemy is not your enemy. They are held captive by the enemy.”
When I remember this truth, my thinking is transformed. It’s only when I forget it that I begin to respond unbiblically.
Responding Biblically, in the ways described in all the verses you mention, can be hard to do if it becomes simply a matter of the will. When I’m caught up in anger or frustration or hurt, trying to “love my enemy” seems almost impossible.
But when I remember that they are held captive, and my battle isn’t with them, but a spiritual one, suddenly everything is put into perspective and compassion floods my heart.
I verse I always strive to live up to (and fail *OFTEN*) is Mark 6:34, “When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them, because they were like a sheep without a shepherd. And he began to teach them many things.”
I love this verse, not only for what it says by itself, but even more considering its context.
After a very long day of ministry (which, as I know you know, can be very tiring!) and, after not even having had a chance to eat all day (Mark 6:31), Jesus had just learned that John the Baptist had been beheaded. This greatly distressed him. In Matthew’s account, he says that Jesus wanted to withdraw to a desolate place (Matt 14:13), doubtless to grieve, pray, cry, rest, refuel and recharge.
But of course when they got in the boat to withdraw, the crowd saw them and ran to where they were going and met them on the shore.
So here is Jesus, who after a long day of ministry that was so busy he didn’t even have a chance to eat, and is just told very bad news. Understandably, He just wants to get away by Himself and rest. But instead of getting His much desired rest, He is interrupted by a large crowd that had followed Him.
I can certainly imagine how Jesus must have felt, at least to an extent. He is tired, He is hungry, He is grieving. He just wants to retreat, to be alone with His disciples and to rest. He just wants some peace and quiet. As He’s on His way to this restful place, doubtless looking forward to it, as He approaches shore He sees a huge crowd waiting for Him. He will get no rest after all.
If I were in his shoes, I probably would have become angry and viewed the crowd as my enemy, because they were standing in between me and the thing I most desired at that moment, rest.
But thankfully, the thing *Jesus* most desires is to shepherd his people. He sees the spiritual implications. Instead of becoming angry, he heart is filled with compassion and he gets to work. What a lovely, beautiful example.
And for me personally, my only hope of *ever* living up to that, is if I remember Ephesians 6:12 and that my “enemy” isn’t really my enemy, but is held captive by the true enemy. Typically for me, it’s only in this context that my mind is the proper frame to think the correct thoughts, and thus respond with correct actions.
Great insights!
I’ve been thinking about this over the weekend. I think your quote from the book is perfectly accurate from my perspective. Naturalists and skeptics try to destroy faith by injecting doubt, whereas false teachers destroy it through misdirection.
When I was a young ignorant Christian, I was afraid to read atheist blogs or books because I was afraid they might say something convincing and I would realize there is no God. Now, of course, I know that’s certainly not true, and the more atheist arguments I read, the stronger my faith becomes.
Also, when I was a young ignorant Christian, I didn’t have the discernment to know false doctrine from sound. I spent many years in a church belonging to the denomination of United Church of Christ, which, as I’m sure you know, is *VERY EXTREMELY* politically liberal. I was taught very bad doctrine (when doctrine was even mentioned, which was VERY rare – it was typically just liberal political propaganda). Thankfully, God protected my faith and I was gradually able to see those wolves for who they were, and I left the church. But many have been trapped there, including, I’m very sad to say, my parents. It makes it hard to have theological conversations with them because they are now seemingly unable to see the truth of Scripture. (But I’m also very happy to report that I have an *excellent* strong and loving relationship with my parents!)
Q. 6 – For me, my biggest presumption was that “everything would work out okay,” (as I defined it).
I grew up very blessed. I was also naïve and presumptuous. If you had asked me, I would have told you I believed, and had faith in, God. But really I had faith in “everything working out okay.”
So when my life fell apart, and everything *didn’t* “work out okay” (again, as i’d defined it), my faith was greatly shaken and I even had a period where I was angry with God.
Therefore, God exposed that my faith wasn’t really in him, but in what I presumed God would do. This was a very hard lesson for me, but it was the sweetest and most precious I’ve ever been taught.
Know, I really know what “everything will work out okay” means, and it’s according to God’s standard not mine. So even if my life falls apart (and it has a few times since), I still have peace because I know God’s plan is better than mine and he knows what he’s doing and everything *really will* work out okay.
I have a very similar story. For me, it was the idea that if a church is committed to the Word of God, prayer, and fellowship, it will be a healthy church. Then when our church became overrun with wolves and was completely destroyed, it really shook my faith for a long time. Believing something God hasn’t promised is deadly, because when it doesn’t work out, you can try to correct the wrong belief in your mind, but your heart and soul is still wrapped around that belief. And the disappointment makes you wonder what else you believe with all your heart that you’re wrong about.
Q. 5 – I am 180 degrees different than I was before. More than that, because that’s only a two-dimensional analogy. What dimension is redemption, having a heart transplant? The 5th, 6th, 7th? The heavenly dimension? Whatever it is, that’s the degree to which I’ve been changed.
And it’s external and internal. I used to fit in perfectly with the world. I loved to swear and drink and live for myself. I was selfish, unkind, manipulative, angry, unforgiving, prideful, and blind to the things of God.
In God’s mercy, he changed me in an instant. I know it was was *Him* who called *me* because I was not looking for him *at all!* He literally snatched me from the pit, out of the blue.
I’ve mentioned it before, but it’s for this reason that Psalm 40:2 is an absolute life verse for me: “He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure.”
So when I look back on the trail that I’ve left, yes my footprints aren’t as big as I sometimes think they are. But the one thing I *ALWAYS* see now when looking at my trail, is that it’s purposeful. There is no slippage. He’s made my steps secure. I know who I am and I know Whose I am. I know where came from, why I’m here, and where I’m going. Not only do I know where to walk, but I know *how* to walk.
Sure I still make mistakes, but it’s not because I’m flailing or wandering as I was before.
Q. 4 – First let me say, the quote, “Everyone’s true nature is exposed by the trail they leave,” is AWESOME and I think it can serve as a perfect tagline to sum up the entire series. I absolutely love this concept! (And how you brought the concept of “feet” full circle with Abigail’s feet and the Ruler in Chapter 21 of Book 2 – HEAVY! But absolutely beautiful – but I digress, we’re not there yet!)
I think the most heartbreaking verses of the ones you mentioned are 2 Peter 2:18-19 – “They entice those who are barely escaping…” Oh my gosh. I fear for these wolves if they don’t repent. Can you imagine the judgement:
Someone realizes in their soul that something is wrong and so, as they should, seek out Christ and Christianity. Yes! They’ve almost escaped! They’re on the right path!
And then some slick prosperity teacher entices their gaze away, but the person probably doesn’t realize they’ve been tricked! As far as they know, they’ve escaped the world and have found Christianity. Where are they going to get sound teaching to come to know any better, unless God in his mercy exposes them to it through some other means?
As for the fruit of these false teachers, indeed that’s where we have to look. If you look at the “What We Believe” page for Lakewood Church of Joel Osteen, the words they have on that page seem to be orthodox. They say all the right things. They even mention Jesus dying on the cross to pay for our sins. But that’s basically the last you’ll ever hear Joel Osteen mention sin or judgement.
Everything he says after that puts all the focus on the person, and not on God. In that sense he’s just like all the other false prosperity teachers – just look where their eyes are and where they’re telling you to put your focus – it’s always either on them or on yourself, never on God. Sure they mention him, but they never hold him up *as* the treasure.
Q. 3 – For me, I think the thing that threatens to impede my movement towards God the most is simply comfort. When I’m uncomfortable, whether spiritually, emotionally, or physically, I typically have no problem drawing near to God. But when I’m comfortable, I find it extremely easy to just neglect God if drawing near to him means leaving my comfort.
This is a major problem. Because it means only when I have nothing to lose *anyway* will I draw near to God. But the moment my drawing near means I have to sacrifice comfort, I choose comfort instead.
OH NO!
This means I put God literally at the bottom of my priority list! I view God exactly as the rich young ruler – seeking him feels like a loss, because in order to do it, I have to give up the comfort which I actually value more!
For many people, wealth is the great deceiver, because it *seems* like wealth can provide great security and comfort, so it’s very easy to rely on wealth rather than God. So that’s probably why it’s a greater trap than other idols, because it more obviously can provide the kinds of benefits we seek.
For me personally, I’ve been on guard against relying on wealth, as it’s something I used to really struggle with, and God has given me victory over it.
But here’s the kicker: I’ve been so on guard against relying on wealth, I didn’t notice the sneak-attack that wealth’s close cousin, comfort, was launching against me!
I need to repent right now!
Q. 2 – I think we learn from this passage that once we attach our heart to wealth, it can be very painful to detach it. The young man went away sorrowful. As you discuss often, when our heart is attached to some wordly thing, the thought of giving it up in favor of Godly things seems like a loss. We’ll never have victory or enough will power if it seems like a loss every time.
One thing I’ve noticed about this passage and I’ve always wondered: Jesus tells him to keep the commandments, and he only mentions the last 6 which are neighbor-focused, but makes no mention of the first 4, which are God-focused. Also of note, in Matthew’s version, he notes that when Jesus says to keep the commandments, the young man asks, “which ones?”
Jesus’ answer is conspicuous by its “incompleteness.” Below is what I’ve always thought about this, but I’ve also never really studied it, so I may be missing something.
So it seems like this is a case of Jesus meeting him where he is in order to expose what’s in his heart. I suspect he had a touch of pride in saying that he’s kept all the commandments. But the fact that he had to ask which ones means he thinks it’s a works-based system or a matter of checking boxes.
Jesus quickly exposes him by pointing out the “one” thing that was still lacking: love for God. He still never mentions the first 4 commandments, but if the young man loved God, sorrow never would have filled his heart at the thought of following Jesus.
And ironically, I believe that if the young man had *truly* kept all the commandments, including the first 4 (or was even cognizant of them!), Jesus never would have told him to sell everything.
I love that about God! He truly never withholds any good thing from us. And the best thing for us is himself, so as long as he knows our heart holds him dear above all else, it’s then “safe” for him to allow us to enjoy his other blessings as well, ala Matthew 6:33.
My guess is Jesus focuses on the second table of the law because Jesus’ goal is to help this man see his sinfulness. It can be hard to spot areas where you sin in your relationship to God, but sins against people are more tangible and easy to see.
For what it’s worth, here are a few other observations about the list Jesus gives:
Jesus skips the first table, and starts with #6—don’t murder. Then #7, 8, 9, 10, then 5. That’s designed to draw attention to #5 (honor your father and mother). Earlier in the book, Jesus used #5 as an example of how the Pharisees were breaking God’s law when they thought they were keeping it (just like the rich young ruler).
Mark 7:9 And he said to them: “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! 10 For Moses said,`Honour your father and your mother,’ (there’s the 5th Commandment) … 11 But you say that if a man says to his father or mother:`Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban’ (that is, a gift devoted to God), 12 then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother.
This was an instance where they were breaking the 5th Commandment, and the reason they were breaking it was because of money. When your parents get old, keeping the fifth Commandment can get expensive. So they figured out a way you could be a good, solid, respectable Jew without having to take too much of a hit in your pocketbook.
Jesus already knew what was in this man’s heart.
Secondly, Jesus adjusted #10. Instead of saying do not covet, he said, “Do not defraud.” If you’re rich, you probably don’t think you have a big problem with coveting. You say, “I don’t covet my neighbor’s stuff—I’ve got my own stuff.” But defrauding—not very many rich people in that culture got rich without defrauding some folks along the way.
Jesus is doing everything he can to help this guy see how much of a lawbreaker he really is.
Also, one thing I’m learning about Mark is that he really does seem to place significance in numbers. In this case, we know that Jesus mentioned some other commandments as well, but Mark only includes six—one shy of the number of completeness. An incomplete list of God’s commands. A subtle hint that something’s missing. This list isn’t complete. And that sets us up for what Jesus tells this guy next. 21 One thing you lack One thing. Six plus one more equals seven. You’re at six; you haven’t reached seven. You’re lawkeeping isn’t complete—you still lack something (namely, the first table).
Wow! This is awesome! Thanks the additional insight. Man, Jesus is SO COOL!!!
Q.1 – The prosperity gospel really breaks my heart. It’s not just “misguided” Christianity, or “still-basically-good-except-wrong-on-a-few-points.” It’s 100% diametrically opposed to the Biblical Christianity. The verses you point out make it clear. I’m not sure how anyone in that camp can read 1 Tim 6:9-10 and still think they’re adhering to the gospel.
But much worse, is most of the people that follow these wolves *have no idea* that what they’re learning is not, in fact, the Christian faith. They *think* they’re Christians. They think that this is what Christianity *is*.
So when their life fails or they don’t become rich or they encounter some trouble they’re not prepared for, they’re response is, “I tried Christianity and it failed.”
The last two words of Mark 4:19 are utterly heartbreaking, “The cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it *proves unfruitful*. ”
Again, they’ll have thought they tried Christianity and will think it’s Jesus that failed them. Oh my gosh… so heartbreaking and frustrating and infuriating!
It really is heartbreaking–especially when you see how prevalent it is overseas. It just seems to dominate everywhere.