Is our God to small?
One of the unfortunate elements
of the circumstances of life and its incumbent consequences is the predictable
and effortless development of a perception of God that is limited and characterized
only by our experience. The degree to
which grace, forgiveness, patience, commitment, longsuffering, boundaries, and
tolerance is conspicuously absent in the least and inadequately demonstrated at
best (even among the redeemed) is evidence par excellence by our underdeveloped
perception of God. Even as believers,
many of us are operating under our own steam with a smattering of religious
jargon floating along in the process. It
seems that as committed as some of us are to orthodoxy, we have neglected the
very teaching that enlarges our God and introduces and releases His limitless
power into our lives.
For quite some time now, the Holy
Spirit (who is the Person and Power that indwells true believers) has been
uncomfortably relegated to Charismatic/Pentecostal circles or others that are
nonconformist with regard to some of our beloved traditions. Matter of fact, The Master Himself had some fascinating
observations of the religious regarding traditions, “He answered and said to
them, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your
tradition? Thus you have made the
commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.” (Matthew 15) Furthermore, the kind biblical instruction that
enlarges God in the mind of the believer and that regards the Holy Spirit
typically is only mentioned otherwise in bible studies and fitfully in a scant
few personal interactions. The Apostle
Paul addressed this dismissive attitude with some very strong words to Pastor
Timothy in his second letter, “2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money,
boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without
self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of
pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its
power.” A casual view across the
expanse of this present cultural church can only result in an affirmation of
this truth.
Subsequently, we continue to deal
with all that comes our way with this aforementioned limited view and the
resultant pygmy perception of the Lord of Glory though the scripture clearly
teaches us to “Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh.
Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him
thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old
things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Cor 5) In the midst of all of our complaints and
misgivings about the church and what it is doing or not doing, we need to be
reminded that we are the church.
Therefore, if the church is ineffectual, this is partly due to our neglecting
its health by not being personally involved or being involved with a belief
system whose God is diminutive and insipid.
The very power that many of us deny by living life with a personal and
not biblical perception of God is the power and person of the triune God that
is graciously gifted to us at the monumental moment of the new birth…the Holy
Spirit.
Back in the day, some trucking
companies would install governors on the carburetors of their trucks that would
limit the driver’s ability to go faster than is safe. Many Christians live with “governors” in the
belief systems of their lives which limit their ability to rightly perceive and
acquiesce to the God who is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that
we can ask or imagine. “Lord, enlarge
the expectations of our faith commensurate with Your immensity, in Jesus name,
amen.”
