Now You Shall Be Real

Here are my notes for today's preaching.  It's a kind of summary of many things that have already been said this week.  It's based mainly on Second Samuel 11:25-12:14 though just before the sermon we read Luke 7:36-8:3.  The audio from 11:00 a.m. preaching is available by clicking here (mp3 - 21 minutes including the Luke 7-8 reading.)

People who have been forgiven, people who’ve been released from demons, people who have been brought out of darkness—people like that are generous to the point that we might wonder why.

In today’s gospel (Luke 7:36-8:3) there’s a focus on generous and thankful women. The woman who pours her affection on Jesus’ feet, the women who provide for Jesus and his disciples out of their own resources. I wonder if Chuza, for example, the husband of one of the women who gave money so Jesus could carry out his ministry—I wonder if Mr. Chuza approved.

After all, generosity and thankfulness, they need to be kept under control. Let’s not be unreasonable!

But it is unreasonable thankfulness that is poured on Jesus! It’s praise to the highest degree, praise that doesn’t fit here…—we’re too well behaved.

But when you know the amazing grace of God, when you know that YOU are forgiven and LOVED no matter what, when you KNOW the height and depth of your SIN and know you are LOST but that Jesus has FOUND you and will TREASURE you forever… then you shall be FILLED with praise. And, in praising God, you shall be real.

There’s an old children’s story about becoming real. In the story an much loved stuffed animal has become real to a child… and the animal says this: “By the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.”

What’s the key to being real for you and for me? Many times we live fake lives. This week at a funeral we shared a song from Emmylou Harris about how we so often go around “bottled up inside”? How is it that we can become real, pouring out our thankfulness like the women in our gospel? There are two keys really—the first is admitting and confessing our sins—and the second is God’s free gift of forgiveness. These keys are illustrated in the story of King David. Let’s look over there for a minute… Second Samuel 11…

By the way, the worship and music committee decided something you should know. Beginning in September we won’t be using bulletins that have the scripture lessons printed on them. We encourage you to bring your own Bible, or to use the one in your row.

Anyway, in Second Samuel 11-12 we have a story about King David. It would be good to read the whole story, chapters 11 and 12. In this story King David takes his neighbor’s wife, just because he can, he covers up that sin, and, when the cover-up doesn’t work, he has her husband killed. The woman is Bathsheba. Her husband is Uriah—a foreign soldier far more honorable than the king himself.

What has happened in this story, before the prophet Nathan comes to David, is that David is living a lie. He is no longer being real. He has retreated from reality. He has barricaded himself in lies and violence. He is lost and he does NOT want to be found.

Read the story in Second Samuel 11. Imagine yourself having used power and influence to push your way. Imagine yourself not wanting to be found out. Imagine the loneliness as you watch every word and plan every detail to keep yourself protected. Unfortunately, many, many people live in lies today.

Can you be real when you’re living in lies? No. You’re as artificial as a toy—controlled and manipulated by demonic fear.

Is there hope! Yes! When God comes to you as He did to David, and when you allow the Word to push you out of your hiding place, so you take off your mask, step out into the light, and LIVE!

And you will be SO grateful, SO thankful, you just might not be able to control yourself. You will shed tears. You will shout for joy. You will be generous. You won’t be able to blend in with the crowd anymore. But it will be worth it—stopping your fake life, you will be REAL!

Today, in this house, as you hear the Word of God, as you let God speak about how you are hiding from God, and as you know that you are LOVED anyway, no matter who you are or how you are, you can stop being false. You can find the real you that you think you lost a long time ago.

I love this story of Nathan and David. In 2nd Samuel, at the very end of chapter 11 it says “The thing that David had done displeased the Lord…” The “thing” David had done was not just the original sin of taking his neighbor’s wife—it was the cover up—the lying—the murder. All of that became ONE thing, one stronghold, that kept David trapped.

So, like God sent MOSES to Pharaoh in Egypt; like God sent JESUS to that sin-filled woman in Luke 7 to set her free, the Lord sends Nathan to David…” … and like a top notch spiritual warrior Nathan gets around David’s defenses… Equipped with God's Word and God’s own wisdom, Nathan disarms David. Through the prophet Nathan God presents David with parable. The parable tricks David into pronouncing judgment on himself. Like the tyrant judge he is so used to being, David speaks his own judgment: "The man who has done this…” The rich man who stole from the poor man so he could party and serve his guest… David says “The man who has done this deserves to die."

David is caught. With that statement of truth David steps out of the stronghold that he has been building for himself. With that true judgment David steps out into the light, and the Word of God roars “YOU ARE that man.” YOU, David, who took Uriah’s wife… you are the man. You are the man who deserves to die for your sin. You deserve the condemnation of God.

The remarkable thing is that David doesn't retreat at that point.  He doesn't go running back into hiding.  He doesn't put up more excuses.  The Lord speaks to David about his sin… and, miracle of miracles, David listens! David must have known that Nathan was God’s man. David does not shut his ears or close his eyes. He doesn’t run back into his shelter of lies.

David hears the truth… "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I anointed you king, I rescued you from the murderous hand of Saul, I gave you his house and his wives… and if that would have been too little I would have added more! WHY HAVE YOU DESPISED THE WORD OF THE LORD to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah with the sword and have taken his wife… now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house."

God’s Word lays out the REAL consequences of what David has done. Amazingly, David does not hide. He deals with what is REAL.

This is David’s moment of truth. He doesn't run away.  He agrees with the Word of God.  He does what we all must do if we are to be real people with real lives. He says, in verse 13… read what David says… “I have sinned against the Lord.”

And when we do not hide, please say those words with me… “I have sinned against the Lord.” it’s the only way to be free and real and new

Then, when we don’t hide from God’s Word that convicts us of our sin and our cover-ups… then we can hear a still more excellent word. …This is later in that same verse, verse 13… These things come one on top of another.  There's not a moment's gap between them.  Nathan said to David,
“Now the Lord has put away your sin.” Say that with me… “Now the Lord has put away your sin.”

This is the promise—we know this is true because of what Jesus has done on the cross—when we admit our sin—when we stop running and hiding and covering it up—then God comes with his healing and renewing and life giving WORD. But it’s only when we admit our sin. It’s only when we stop running away.

Now there are consequences that sometimes even go down through the generations.  This is true in human life.  But the ultimate penalty is taken away.

Today, now, in this house, it’s time to step out of your fortress, your stronghold of lies and cover-up. It’s time to come clean. It’s time to be real.

Sometimes it’s just when things feel the absolute worst worst, when we’re in the depth of conflicts and trouble, when we’re at the end of our ability to cope, that’s when God’s Word comes to heal and cleanse and raise us from the dead.

Because of Jesus, you never need to be afraid of the truth. Say this with me "Because of Jesus I never need to be afraid of the truth."  Jesus has taken every sin, every guilt, every shame. He has dealt with it and it is gone. Now you can come. Now you can be REAL.

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Spiritual Battle (part 4)

I'm surprised that I haven't gotten any negative responses on the many posts related to Spiritual Warfare since Time to Pray back on May 10.  When I started writing about this and even titled a few of those posts "Spiritual Battle" (part 1, 2, 3 and now 4) thinking it might provoke some discussion.  I know there are some readers out there.  There have been a couple positive comments; over on facebook (username "stevekarl") there have been some comments and "likes," but, mostly it's been silence.  Maybe people are just taking it all in.   Maybe this topic just makes people's eyes glaze over.  Who knows?

There's a spiritual battle going on in Second Samuel 11:25-12:14. (We'll be reading this on Sunday.)  In this story, King David's soul is lost.  He took beautiful Bathsheba for his own pleasure, conspired to cover up his adultery and effectively killed her husband, the loyal soldier Uriah.

By doing this, David betrayed the purpose of God.  God had raised him up from obscurity and gave him power and influence so others could be blessed with him as their king.  Instead, several times, and most notoriously in this incident involving Bathsheba and Uriah, he uses his power to pursue advantages for himself.  When he did that, he was lost.

But God loves lost souls.  To rescue them, God prepares spiritual warriors.  The principle spiritual warrior is God the Son himself, Jesus Christ.  In the case of King David, the warrior is the prophet Nathan.  Equipped with God's Word and divinely inspired insight, Nathan disarms David.  The misuse of power was David's downfall--but David still knows right from wrong.  Through the prophet God presents David with parable.  The parable tricks David into pronouncing judgment on himself:  "The man who has done this deserves to die."

Spiritual warfare makes us face the truth.  It's not pleasant, but it's good to be real, to have our fake, false façades demolished.  Like the Velveteen Rabbit, we might ask "Does it hurt?"  Of course it hurts.  The Word of God lays us bare and makes us face what we do not want to know as sinners: the truth. But, like the the wise "Skin Horse" character in the Velveteen Rabbit story knows, "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."  It's good to be Real.  It's good to face the truth.

In the story of David and Nathan, God wins!  David surrenders with these words: "I have sinned against the Lord."  Because David surrendered, he is known as a Bible hero.  Because he surrenders to God, he is a hero, even though his life is riddled with sin.

When God comes at us, it's always good to give in.  That's how God saves our souls--by defeating us, by breaking us, by not letting us escape--by making us be "Real." And then, because of what Jesus has done, by taking our sins on himself, we are given a priceless gift in exchange--forgiveness--full and free.  We do not need to carry our past sins anymore.

So, let me ask: What in your life is a "spiritual battle" right now?  How is God not letting you escape?  How is God pursuing you with his Word?  Let him win!  Even if it hurts, it's worth it!  God's future, God's reality--It is so good!

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Spiritual Battle (part 3)

As I've been reading through the battles of Joshua, I recognize this truth:  The key to success in spiritual warfare is surrender.  Surrendering to God.  Letting Him have his way.  Submitting to Him means success.  Resistance to His will means failure.  This happens over and over again.

This means, in the spiritual battles today, God's people never manage or manipulate or try to "run" things to ensure success.  If we rely on any human strength, if we rely on our own schemes and plans, we will fail.  Success never comes when we do things with power.  We surrender to God as we surrender to His Word.

So we pray, pray pray.  Tomorrow night we meet for prayer at 6:30.  It's the most important thing we do.  Submitting to God in prayer.  If we want God's Will to triumph in our lives, there is nothing else we can do.

We read from Psalm 119 tonight at Baccalaureate.  As we gathered with our high school soon-to-be graduates and their families, as we wish success for them, we realize that it only comes in submitting to the Lord and His Word.

Here's the Psalm:

⁹⁷ Oh, how I love your law!
    It is my meditation all day long.
⁹⁸ Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
    for it is always with me.
⁹⁹ I have more understanding than all my teachers,
    for your decrees are my meditation.
¹⁰⁰ I understand more than the aged,
    for I keep your precepts.
¹⁰¹ I hold back my feet from every evil way,
    in order to keep your word.
¹⁰² I do not turn away from your ordinances,
    for you have taught me.
¹⁰³ How sweet are your words to my taste,
    sweeter than honey to my mouth!
¹⁰⁴ Through your precepts I get understanding;
    therefore I hate every false way.
¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp to my feet
    and a light to my path.
¹⁰⁶ I have sworn an oath and confirmed it,
    to observe your righteous ordinances.
¹⁰⁷ I am severely afflicted;
    give me life, O Lord, according to your word.
¹⁰⁸ Accept my offerings of praise, O Lord,
    and teach me your ordinances.
¹⁰⁹ I hold my life in my hand continually,
    but I do not forget your law.
¹¹⁰ The wicked have laid a snare for me,
    but I do not stray from your precepts.
¹¹¹ Your decrees are my heritage forever;
    they are the joy of my heart.
¹¹² I incline my heart to perform your statutes
    forever, to the end.

Whether we are high school graduates or older or younger, when we do not conform to God's Word, we fail. We can debate any issue, but we must do so on the basis of God's Word, or we will fail. Success only comes in submission and surrender to the Lord through His Word--the Word as centered and known most clearly in Jesus Christ. I know no other way.

*REMINDER added Thursday, June 3 - "Spiritual Battles" are NEVER against other people.  The main "enemy" is our own fear and anxiety, and our own reactions to those feelings.

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Rescuing Rahab

This is actually part of the Spiritual Battle series, but it's a bit off topic. It does come from my reflections on the book of Joshua as I've talked about before, but this is more a part of how to deal with how God prevented "collateral damage" in the destruction of Jericho.

The part I'm focusing on is from the 6th chapter.  This follows a horrible scene--the universal judgment of God--death--comes down on every inhabitant of Jericho except for the family of Rahab.

Who is Rahab?  Why is she saved from the destruction?  What do we know about her?  I'm not an Old Testament scholar, but I do know three things.

1. Rahab is a prostitute--why, we don't know.  Many women fall into prostitution because they are just desperate.  Desperate especially in a society that provided no options for women who were not married.  For most, it's a trap that they find themselves in with few options they can find for themselves.
    
2. Rahab helped God's spies.  You can read that story in Joshua chapter 2.  She hid the spies and told them the truth they needed to know.  In turn, she asked for protection for herself and her family.  She was incredibly brave and resourceful.
    
3. The spies went back to Joshua, the captain of God's people, and God's people kept their word--they rescued Rahab from destruction and gave her a place to live.  Eventually she joins God's people fully and becomes a great-great-grandmother of King David and an ancestor of Jesus.  She is listed among the examples of faith in action -- See Hebrews 11:31 and James 3:25.

Here's the quote that depicts the rescue:

Joshua 6
²² Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the prostitute’s house, and bring the woman out of it and all who belong to her, as you swore to her.” ²³ So the young men who had been spies went in and brought Rahab out, along with her father, her mother, her brothers, and all who belonged to her—they brought all her kindred out—and set them outside the camp of Israel. ²⁴ They burned down the city, and everything in it; only the silver and gold, and the vessels of bronze and iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the Lord. ²⁵ But Rahab the prostitute, with her family and all who belonged to her, Joshua spared. Her family has lived in Israel ever since. For she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

We can apply this story by understanding it spiritually.  The city of Jericho, with its walls, is a "spiritual stronghold."  A "spiritual stronghold" might be a family or a town, corporation or government that is hiding evil behind its walls--keeping secrets.  Rahab the prostitute might be a family member or "whistle blower" who lets someone on the outside know what's going on.  Joshua, the spies and the people of Israel are those who know the truth of God and are ready to stand against lies and evil so many in this and future generations can be set free.  In the story of Jericho Rahab bravely hides the spies and, when the fortress of evil finally is overrun, partly because of the truth she has made known, she is rescued instead of being destroyed.  She becomes a hero of faith.

I believe there are many people like Rahab in our lives today.  Many times they bring painful, inconvenient truth to our attention. Many times they have suffered the oppression of the strongholds they live in.  Many times they are far from innocent.  Still, following this story, such people deserve to be protected and taken to safety while situations of injustice and oppression are obediently and forcefully addressed according to God's Word.  They should not be left to just fend for themselves.

What do you think?  Who is a "Rahab" in your life?  Who has come to you with truth that points out what you needed to know?  Who do you know that needs protection, rescue, safety?  How can you pray?  How can you act on their behalf?  Can you let them know how brave they are?  Can you let them know they are not alone?

As I've mentioned before, all of this "spiritual warfare" stuff is new for me.  Let me know what you think.

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Spiritual Battle (part 2)

As I'm reading through the Old Testament book of Joshua, I'm looking for clues as to how to wage spiritual battle today against evil in the world today.  Though I understand that "battle" language is dangerous in some ways--the new ELW hymnal leaves out battle hymns like "Onward Christian Soldiers"--the New Testament is absolutely clear that we do not fight other people as if they were our enemies.  Instead, our enemy is spiritual--the "spiritual forces of wickedness" that continually fight against everything good.

The first battle story in the book of Joshua is the "Battle of Jericho."  There is no "fighting" in this story except by God himself--just like in the Exodus (See Ex 14:14)--the only one who fights is God himself.

That is one principle of Spiritual Warfare.  We do not fight.  No matter how hard things become, our task is to keep still and pray, only "doing" when it's clear the "doing" is commanded by God.  Guidance for that is found in the scriptures--centered and interpreted by what Jesus Christ has done for us on the cross--what he has done for us through his immeasurable love.

In the Spiritual Battles of this life, we rely totally on the power of his Word and his shed blood,  We pray, we listen for God's direction, we pray some more, and then, relying on God's Grace, we act.  In Spiritual Battles, we lay our lives on the line with no defense or offense other than what God provides.

Read Second Corinthians 10 and Ephesians 6:10-20 and let me know what you think.

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What About This?

One of the Bible passages assigned for Sunday, May 16, begins like this:

"One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. ¹⁷While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, ‘These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you^* a way of salvation.’ ¹⁸She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And it came out that very hour" (Acts 16:16-18).

What are we to make of this?  The Apostle Paul released a slave from bondage!  But look how he did it!  It was an act of powerful deliverance.  Just by speaking, in Jesus' name, the powers of God were released and the "evil spirit" that was binding that young woman and annoying Paul--that spirit left her "that very hour."  This upset not only the spirit, but the owners who were making money at her expense.

What are we to make of this "supernatural" stuff.  Are there such things as evil spirits?  I wrote about this just after midnight yesterday in a post entitled "Reasonable But Beyond Our Sight."  Jesus dealt with the spiritual world on a regular basis during his ministry.  The first Christians did too.  Can we easily just ignore it?  I don't think so.  I think it is good to be aware.  Not to be "impressed" or obsessive about evil and evil spirits, but, not to be ignorant either.

We Lutherans have pretty much lost any awareness or belief in the powers of darkness.  It just seems so spooky and unreal.  Normally we push it aside as unenlightened, superstitious, a relic of pre-scientific times.  I'm not sure that is wise.

We ought to be aware that many Christians are continuing, or reclaiming, the ministry of deliverance similar to what Paul did in Acts 16.  I came back to the church and heard my initial call to the ordained ministry through a "charismatic" church and conference.  I've seen the fruit of programs like "Alpha" that include teachings about the supernatural.  That's part of what we've been learning and praying about at the prayer school this week.  This wing of the Christian church is reclaiming a part of our Christian heritage that has been covered over for a very long time.  I'm still processing what it means for me.

Here's a small part of what we learned today.  I think it is a very interesting theory.  See what you think.

Until about 325 AD Christians regularly experienced miracles, healings and deliverance from the powers of evil.  This changed when Christians made a compromise with the Roman Empire.  The church was institutionalized and was given political authority but at the same time took on some non-Christian qualities.  For example, from that time and after the major Christian festivals were connected with pagan holidays.  This seemed to be connected with the end of supernatural ministry among Christians except in isolated areas far from Rome.  The Irish benefited from the miraculous missionary work of Saint Patrick, for example, who, according to what I learned today, was not a part of the Roman Catholic Church.

Okay... take a deep breath... there is more...

According to what I learned today, the "pagan" influence, tied with some of the institutions and traditions of Christianity, not only tied the hands of "ordinary" Christians (non-clergy), reserving ministry for just a few, it also brought actual "strongholds" of evil spirits, such as the "spirit of divination" referred to in Acts 16 into the mainstream culture of the church.  These spiritual forces of evil--which are named in the Bible--have inhibited or limited the Christian experience of the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit, making the church lack joy, love and power.  In the end, these things have made the church into a self-serving institution.

That's just a bit of the theory we're learning here.  I'm not sure what to think.  But I have seen evidence of God's power at work in prayer in ways that can't be explained by mere positive thinking.  I have also seen people suffer terribly from what seems to be organized and powerful evil influences.  So, I will continue to learn, and continue to pray.

And (another deep breath here!), when I see someone suffering under what just might be an evil spiritual influence, why wouldn't I do as Paul did, taking the authority of Jesus to bring peace and freedom to one of God's beloved children?  Or do I think I'm so much wiser and sophisticated that none of this "supernatural" stuff could really be true?  If we are dedicated to setting people free from physical slavery, why not from spiritual or emotional bondage?  After this week of prayer school, I think I'll be ready, when it seems clear enough, to take action instead of standing meekly by.

In any case, I will always preach Jesus first.  I won't get sidetracked from the shining center of the Christian faith: Jesus Christ and his love his grace and his peace.  This area of the "supernatural"--which Martin Luther knew was real--it can be overemphasized.  We always need to focus on Jesus first.  Every prayer, every act of charity and service, every part of daily life, AND every release from bondage--every good thing comes because of what He has done in his saving death and victorious resurrection.  Nothing good comes from me.

As always, I encourage you to respond.  Part of the purpose of this blog is to share so you, my brothers and sisters in Christ, can correct me, push me, and share your own questions, so together we can serve our Lord. Comment below or talk with me in another way.

May the peace and power of our Lord Jesus and his Holy Spirit be with you always.

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How Can We Be One?

In John 17 Jesus is praying that we would be one with him and with each other.  He prays that he would be in us and that God the Father would be in him so that those who are joined to him may be "completely one."

Jesus prays this.  He does not command us to be one.  I think that's because we can't do it on our own.  It's too hard.

Unity is God's work, nor ours. To attain it, the best thing we can do is to follow Jesus' example and pray.

One of the ways that the John 17 prayer of Jesus is answered is as we understand "Spiritual Warfare." We are studying this in some detail this week, but the basic understanding of conflict as "spiritual" instead of personal is very helpful.  Knowing about Spiritual Warfare, we see that our conflicts are never against other people.

Christians know they have been rescued from their own sin by God's grace.  Because of that, we look at all people as equally beloved of God, precious treasures of God for whom Jesus gave his life and blood.  God's Word teaches us that there is a battle to be fought, but it is not with other people.  Instead, our battle is "against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil..." (Ephesians 6:12).

If we're honest, we see those forces of evil in our own lives even more than in the lives of others.  After all, we know ourselves best!  How then can we reject one another and go off into our own little camps? How can we hate one another and be angry with one another when we recognize how precious others are in the sight of God? There are times when temporary separations are needed for protection and repentance, but we never do that with anger. We may feel sorrow or pain, but we recognize the others as no more and no less in need of God's grace than anyone else, including me.  The goal is always renewed unity in the grace and peace of God.

So what do we do with anger against injustice and cruelty?  How do we stand up against what we believe is evil?  The scriptures counsel us to put on the "full armor of God" to do spiritual battle against evil, whether it's found in ourselves or in others.  The "armor" consists of truth, righteousness/justice, the good news of peace, faith, salvation/freedom, and the only offensive weapon, the Word of God (Ephesians 6:14-17).  Then, the Bible says, we pray.

The way to unity is through praying and taking on God's armor against spiritual enemies.  When we realize that, and when we accept that, we can stand beside others as brothers and sisters and fight no more.

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Reasonable But Beyond Our Sight

It's late at night after the second day of the "prayer school."* On Tuesday we moved on from the basics of prayer to teaching on "spiritual warfare" prayer against evil forces.  Not only did we learn, we also prayed.  We prayed about things I've never spent much time thinking about.  We prayed for divine protection in the realms of the spirit.  We prayed prayers that take the "binding and loosing" authority from Matthew 16:19 quite literally.  I'm still running it all through my theological filters.

Here are a few quick thoughts before I go to bed--thoughts directed at my own skeptical self and at others who doubt the reality of things beyond what we can see with our own eyes. Though some of these things I'm learning here may be hard for me to accept when I get back home, there are reasons to pay attention to spiritual reality and learn how to deal with it:

1.  Anyone who prays is betting that there is a "spiritual reality" beyond what we can discern with our senses.

2.  Anyone who trusts Jesus as his or her savior from sin and its consequences is a believer in spiritual reality.  Otherwise trusting in a 2000-years-ago sacrificial death and resurrection would make no sense.  Christians believe that changes were made in the spiritual realms because of what Jesus did.

3.  The scriptures clearly state that Jesus and his disciples believed in the reality of spiritual beings such as God, angels, the devil and demons.  Can we throw out those beliefs and remain true to the Christian faith?

4.  When we experience unexplainable goodness or, on the other hand, has come up against situations where evil seems to be deeply entrenched, it is not unreasonable to think that we are encountering spiritual realities of goodness or evil.

5.  If God is "personal," that is, if God is anything other than a mindless "force of nature," and if God creates people with personalities, it's not unreasonable to think that God could also have created other personal beings, beings that may, like God himself, not have physical bodies, but, instead, be spiritual in nature.

6.  If prayer makes a difference in the lives of people here on earth, why couldn't it also make a difference among those who we cannot see?

I'm asking these questions because we're learning at this "prayer school" about prayer that deals with things far beyond the things we think about on an every day basis.  This world view takes the Bible seriously.  I'm still working this through, still praying and discerning, but I'm not ready to throw it out.

Of course, as we were warned in a presentation before Tuesday's main teaching, it's easy to put too much emphasis on angels and demons.  It's only part of the story.  But, if the scriptures and Jesus are correct, it's not a reality that we ought to ignore.

What do you think?  Comment below or email me anytime.

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*see yesterday's post

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