Spiiiiiiiiritual Warfare!

Open up the doors and let the music play

Let the streets resound with singing
Songs that bring Your hope
Songs that bring Your joy
Dancers who dance upon injustice

Do you feel the darkness tremble
When all the saints join in one song
And all the streams flow as one river
To wash away our brokenness

Open up the doors and let the music play... Let the streets resound with singing!!! Wow! I never realized the beauty and importance of those lyrics until I spoke with a friend from Life Pacific College. He and I got some coffee one day and just soaked in each others spiritual "steak," and that day he shared a vision with me which I then payed it forward. I wont share his entire vision, but I will share his statement that relates to this blentry (blog entry... (c) Joey Salas, 2009).

He said (paraphrase) that he wishes that we, a body of Christ, would wake up, not get too strung up about the perfect structure for recruiting more students and so fourth, but that we would get.... "strung up" about having our campus chapel imitate the tent of meeting in the OT (God's presence would chill over the tent for forty days-forty nights and that entire time, people would praise and worship God). And that alone would draw people near.

What a blessing!!!! To be so close to at least some sort of physical contact with the Holy, Powerful God. What a blessing that is.... right?

I attended church this past Sunday (1/25/09) and I was so excited to be there. It was my first time there in a few months and I was so stoked to see the significant growth of the church. In fact, the church was so packed that a few others and I was asked, by an usher, for the first time in my experience to scoot the boot down a couple seats so that we could accommodate another family to sit down. Seriously so amazing!

As the worship continued second after second, I continued, second after second, to humble myself before the Lord so that my spirit would be sensitive to the Spirit, which then I would be able to worship at the throne.

Second song came and I was gone... "Our God is mighty to save, He is mighty to save..." Man! The worship band was kickin' it that day... together, sounding good, sounding loud. That song ended and we were asked to sit down. I don't like sitting and standing and sitting and standing because it reminds me too much of Catholic service. That's an entire new blentry on its own. Anyways, the worship band started playing the third song and I started looking around due to the intense pilates exercise. I was truly thrown off because I was seriously so stoked about the number of people at that service, but also, I was just people watching.

Here we go... I asked Churck Norris to give you all a swift kick in the face. As I was people watching during worship, that's when it dawned on me (Norris swift kick now!) ... spiiiiiiiiritual warfare was going down. In my opinion, spiritual warfare is anything that is not of God. Lying, pornography, idolatry, pride, etc. And, in relation to my revelation at church, numb-ness. Nearly every person that I saw was numb. Numb to the Spirit. Numb to the worship. Numb to the last commandment that Jesus gave in Matthew- the great commission. Dumb... whoops. Numb!

But on a separate subject (sort of related)... I've always been kind of at a pickle with worship. I think if we're truly in submission to the Spirit, we would automatically praise and worship ecstatically. That could either be dancing, hands up, kneeling, lying, or resting. I'm not the judge of people's passion and authenticity during worship, but as King David worshiped, there was dancing and rejoicing. In Samuel, soldiers were sent to kill David. The soldiers found David worshiping (I'm assuming with others) and the soldiers started praising the Lord.

I'll end with this thought. There is numbness during worship and charismatic worship. I agree that what matters is the heart and I believe that one CAN worship in all circumstances (dancing to laying down in complete silence). But from personal experience and talking to others about worshiping in complete silence, if someone is truly pressing into the heart of Jesus and submitted to the work of the Spirit, we will be drawn to worship in other ways just as David worshiped Father God.

Rest

My heart is in motion.

Complete, yet searching.

Perfectly created with a set of desires/emotions like no other.

Pursuing only God knows what.

My heart constantly turns... empowered with His righteousness... eager for the end...

In pursuit for the end... not for an ending, but for life.

I believe. I follow. I submit.

Broken, I live for Him.

Blessings continue to come.

They come like children skipping in a rain storm;

Consecutive drops drenching every inch of their body.

Trials also arise.

I pray for my guard to always be up

Because the second my guard falls, the enemy will attempt to destroy.

But I do not tremble at the feet of a trial.

For I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

My heart is in motion.

Constantly turning...

Rejoicing...

Hurting...

Complete.

For as I am made in Christ Jesus, it is in Him that my heart can rest.

ἐλπίς

This year so far has been a rough season of my life. Yea, "rough" tends to have a negative connotation, but I enjoy a season of life that is "rough." In my opinion, rough is a season that can quickly be adjusted. Back to what I was saying...

Until recently, I felt like I was at a two hundred mile, constant pace. I was not going through the motions. I was playing catch up. Life felt like that because of God's calling in my life. Since finals in Spring at OC, things went crazy. I went to East Asia for six weeks... applied (while in EA) and was accepted to Life Pacific.... proposed and got engaged to Hanna (after returning from EA)... left to Life Pacific for Bible College... and homework, homework, homework.

~ Just a normal day in East Asia chillaxin with my best friend, Jackie Chan.

~ My beautiful fiance, Hanna, and I on the coast of Oregon. This is when we announced to her entire, immediate family that we were engaged. Dude, I was SO nervous... I was more nervous to tell her family then ask her Rents for her hand.

~ Broomball during Welcome Weekend (?) at Life Pacific. F3 OWNS!!!!

But thanks be to God for sending His Spirit to touch my heart tonight, for the blessings in my life (Life, Family & Friends, Hanna, etc.), and the HOPE we have in JESUS.

In Romans 5:1-8, Paul writes about hope, our character, and Jesus. In the beginning, Paul writes that having justified faith through Christ, we have peace with God because of Christ. Paul then tells us to rejoice in our sufferings because suffering produces perseverance that leads to character, which ends in hope.

I love this next verse… "And HOPE does not disappoint us because God has poured out his love in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." When I read this verse from the NIV, I thought to myself that hope doesn't let us down (disappoint us). But that is not what Paul is saying here. KJV contains the precise translation, "And hope maketh not ashamed…" Paul is speaking of dishonor and that is why he goes on writing about Jesus Christ dying for the ungodly and powerless because by the Holy Spirit and Christ's death, we have a hope that wont bring shame.

Paul then goes on a random side note that Christ died for the weak, the powerless, and the ungodly. Echoing that verse Paul states that rarely will a human die for a righteous person. In response, Paul writes a 1.0 version of the John 3:16, 3.1 version, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

The original meaning of hope that Paul is using here is to have a heart and mind that is worshipful in the midst of suffering. Apostle Paul was a great example of living in hope throughout the New Testament.

Did you think to yourself that, "wow, that was a random, side note also?" Well, there's importance in understand the meaning of the hope that Paul is referring to, but that was a side note.

Paul didn't go off on a random, small bunny trail like I mentioned earlier. Paul was simply saying that because of what Jesus did for us (5:6-8), we must put our hope in Him. Hope wont bring shame. Hope, by the aide of the Holy Spirit, will lead us to the throne. And after reading these verses, the Holy Spirit tugged on my heart and said, "Son, this season you need to put your hope (worship in the midst of suffering) in Christ."

"… but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." – Romans 5:3-4, NIV

Top of staircase = Sex?

I was reading my previous blog and while reading it, I started to think about other scriptures engraved in my memory that were related like Galatians 5:22 or 2 Peter 1:5-7. The scripture that I focused on last blog was Romans 5:3-4, which says, "… but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." – Romans 5:3-4, NIV.

I eventually ended up with this thought. I wonder if God really likes cake or the idea of it. Paul writes in other letters using this "cake structure" like Galatians 5:22, 2 Peter 1:5-7, and a few other places.

Now God's form is not structured, but I do believe that God's work can be some-what structured. For example, the book of Leviticus is very structured. God commanding Abraham to sacrifice Issac includes some sort of structure amidst the sacrificial process. Another example is the book of Revelation. When Jesus has completed his second-coming, those who will be saved will be working in a city and praising God. There will be structure to the work that will be in Heaven. And there will possibly be structure with our worship to God.

Although I really like the idea of cake, a staircase seems to be a more appropriate fit to this epiphany of mine. I believe that if we want to be more like Jesus, we have to understand the structure and importance of staircases.

I remember when I used to wrestle in tournaments, at the end of the battle, the top three would be crowned. Third place would step up one, second place would take two steps, and first place took three steps. When I placed (took top three), I would complete the appropriate amount of steps I had to so I could take ownership of my deserved level. After Father God was finished and completely satisfied in His creation, He crowned Adam with the "highest" ownership over all creation.

Another example is in Genesis 11- man built a tower streaming up high to the heavens. I imagine that there would be some sort of "staircase" on that tower. And like I wrote earlier, Paul writes using a "staircase" type of structure for certain verses like the fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22, 2 Pet. 1:5-7) or hope (Romans 5). For some odd reason I really get fired up with these verses. Perhaps it is because of my history as a wrestler and understanding the feeling of being victorious and knowing that I have fought well to the top. Who knows...

I remember watching a weird, romantic comedy with Jack Nicholson a couple years ago. I don't remember the name of the movie, which is probably good because I don't think it is a good enough recommendation. Anyways, in this movie, Jack plays a character who is married/dating, and at an old age, he wants to continue having sex with his wife/girlfriend. But he's so old that he could have a heart attack during their "multiplication" time. I forget who the character is in the movie, but I believe that a doctor is there to help the man (Jack) get healthy so that he can have sexy-sexy with his wife/girlfriend. The epic scene is the doctor brings Jack to a staircase on the beach. The doctor then challenges Jack... If He could run up the staircase without falling over and dying, that would affirm that he is physically capable of having sex again.

Hebrews 12:1, the author writes about running a race so that we can persevere. For Jack Nicholson's character, in order to persevere to have sex, he needed to run up the stairs. I believe that there is a "staircase" theme intertwined in the verses above. And I believe for us, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we must persevere with our every day faith so that we can live righteous, holy lives. We must run up the stairs, win our race in partnership with the Holy Ghost, and humbly rest in our godliness.

Our Savior Speaks

To me, hearing God speak is like an Etch A Sketch.

If you are wise, careful, obedient to not shake and "break," you will have a clear result.

If you manipulate the toy, put your own "twists," are not careful with it, your final result will be nothing but a blob of confusion.

God gave me an Etch A Sketch (predicament) about a month ago. He told to me shake away all the blur (pray) to get a blank picture.... Then, I was to carefully hold the Etch A Sketch (be patient and obedient), while He twisted the nobs to create a visual masterpiece. After He finished, I was to show everyone His creation (actively and obediently pursue His message).

March 4th, God "sketched" a masterpiece into my "Etch A Sketch;" my life. He has never spoken so clearly to me.

God provides purpose. God gives grace. Our Savior speaks.