To all the Thinkers:
To every thinker out there… This is one of those messages where I need to say something. This is because I am more afraid of what would happen if I ignore the Holy Spirit shouting in my soul….
So to introduce myself… I am one to those THINKING people, or a thinker you may say… A difficult thing to be when everything is about faith… How do we think, and yet still just accept some things? The short answer is… We can’t…
I tried the whole accepting thing… It just did not work… I needed to make sure this works for me… But here is what I have learnt on this… TRUE FAITH ALWAYS LEAVES A SIGN, IT IS ALWAYS ACCOMPANIED WITH ACTIONS…
You may wonder why I decided to write this… Recently I got a message from a friend (I will refer to him as “The Thinker”) that has this exact questions that I have seen so many times…. I will be using exerts from his message as the message is fairly long…
I quite recently found out that The Thinker statue, is a representation of the Original Adam… He is looking at humanity and wondering why it is that he messed up so badly by sinning… separating us from God…
A message from a Thinker…
Dreams & Goals
This is what Christians don’t understand, this is the problem with Christianity. This is what people like me, people who think for themselves, smart people, understand. We, each one of us, have dreams and abilities. We have been given talents and have practiced them and honed them, trained ourselves to excel in this life, because we want to achieve our goals and achieve the things that make us happy, whatever it might be. (The Thinker)
Although I believe there are many problems with modern day Christianity, I would like to say, I have also seen that there is a group of DISCIPLES that do not conform to these standards… We need to learn to not see the Church as Christianity, AND ALSO NOT TO LOOK AT OTHER PEOPLE AS THE STANDARD OF BEING CHRISTIAN…
What I have thought about a lot is what the church should be like, and the closest version of the true church is found in the book of Acts in the Bible. This version of the Church have long been forgotten as we got stuck in the traditions of our churches, which did not originate in the book of Acts. Torben Søndergaard, from The Last Reformation, did a lesson on the history of the church if you are interested in knowing more about it.
So let me get back to The Thinker’s statements above…
I have filled him with God’s Spirit, with wisdom, understanding, and ability in every craft to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze, to cut gemstones for mounting, and to carve wood for work in every craft.(Exodus 31:3-5)
I also have a little bit of a issue with the “things that make us happy”… Let’s look in the world today… people choosing to identify as an animal, or another gender, because it makes them feel happy… God does not make mistakes, hence when we do things like this, we are literally spitting in God’s face… Or maybe that is the plan with the current day media antics… The focus is prolonged negative news, to make us negative… Not really the world we live in, but we are apart of it… Good news, or rather God news is much more important that current day antics…
Well, if you do not know what antics mean… Here is a definition of it: funny, silly, or strange behaviour (Cambridge Dictionary)
I received this image a while ago as well:
Everything we see in the current day, is about distractions… And it fuels our anger, our fear and our frustration… Gossip to a friend, rather than to speak to God…
Let this sink in for a moment… How much of what we see is actually not in some way, just distracting us from an encounter that could change our lives for the better…
How many nights do we end up playing a game, watching Youtube, Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), Instagram, etc and find hours disappearing, because the next video is exactly the next distraction we needed… Mind you my Instagram has become Christian, all Christian content… And even though I do like it, it still steals hours… In which I could have done a bible study, or met someone who is in need of meeting God for the first time…
I am not saying that gaming and social media are bad, I am saying that too much of it, is a distraction…
Possibilities in this life…
Before you get in my face about this, these things are GOOD. They might be to help people by becoming a doctor. They might be to become an astronaut, in order to discover the rest of space, to broaden humanities horizons, which benefits all. Or they might be to become an IT professional, in order to make software that can help and brighten the day of millions of people. (The Thinker)
I would like to point out, all these are good… To the point, where it all becomes distractions… I personally love helping people, and I love seeing people’s lives better… And if I need to have a specific tool I agree… It is helpful to have it…
I come back to everything above… And also to a post, in which I mentioned why knowledge is important… Knowledge, who needs it?
But let us have caution… Like I mentioned above, not everything we input is good for us… It feel good to us, but it may not be good to us…
Going to a doctor is good, but it also keeps us from going to God first… Doctors are easy to get to, and the meds help quickly… Sounds like the generation we live in wants instant gratification… Need a movie, Netflix; need a game, Steam; need pain relief, go to a doctor… “I am hungry”, go to a McDonald’s for a quick fix… Everything needs to be fast…
And now there are things like ChatGPT, to make it faster… Why because these things keep us distracted…
Whether it benefits all, or not, is a matter of perspective… Some things benefit the creators more than the user, but if feels good to the user, so they are willing to accept the premise of it “benefits all”. As a thinker, I do not believe in a universal “benefits all” solution, otherwise, we are not all unique… Maybe, just maybe, this is the distractions that we are being programmed with to follow certain things we do… The Lego Movie comes to mind…
Christianity vs thinker
But no. Enter Christianity. It’s all about throwing your life away, becoming less of yourself, and surrendering all to Jesus, including these dreams and hopes and aspirations that make you who you are! Without them, you might as well chop of your arms and legs, and go sit in church and pray the whole day. In essence, you are expected to completely deny your life and everything you have worked for, forget everything about yourself, throw your dreams in the sea, completely crucify yourself, kill yourself, in order to do everything Jesus did. (The Thinker)
I understand The Bible says we must deny ourselves… And yes, I agree… But is this really all this is about? What if you surrender your dream to God, to see how God multiplies it and uses it not just for the benefit of people everywhere, BUT FOR HIS GLORY… The scripture in question is in Matthew 10:
“The one who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and the one who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And the one who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. The one who has found his life will lose it, and the one who has lost his life on My account will find it. (Matt 10:37-39)
Taking up a job, where you need to deny God to fit in, seems like a bad job… And not one you will find me working in… I was born to FOLLOW God… Submit to Him… We choose what we submit to… Our work, drugs, sex, etc… OR God…
And when we SUBMIT to God, we see that, instead of chopping off our arms and legs, He allows further reach… Instead of sitting in the pews, we are sent into a broken world, who needs Christ… People who are still plugged into the Matrix, still locked into the distractions, still stuck in a place where we find no satisfaction in what we do, because we do it for something that will one day perish anyway…
We need to look at eternal vs temporary fulfilment… A movie and social media gives your hours of pleasure, a book may give you days, a game sometimes weeks… Work may initially give you a purpose… BUT all of this is stuck in the temporary stage of fulfilment…
Let’s chat about the time of the Bible a little… David, who was King, started by being a shepherd.. All of Jesus disciples had an occupation, fisherman, tax collectors, etc… EVEN JESUS had a job… Jesus was a carpenter… He worked until He was 30 years old, in a mundane everyday job… In our case it may be a lawyer, programmer, athlete or whatever other profession you can think about…
Jesus and His disciples, gave up their professions, not because the did not need an income or they did not want to work, it was because the call of God was much greater than the call to do what they wanted…
Just last week I ended up at a youth group. I would have sat at the back, be silent and listened… But God moved at a youth group… Not by my choice, but because of my obedience in that moment in time… I do not look for the fame… None of the disciples looked for it… Mind you, when Jesus started there He chose the twelve, we now know at apostles… Many followed Him and at a point when Jesus said something many got offended, and left (see John 6)
We will be uncomfortable in some of the things God expect of us… But God is faithful in all that He does… We need only to trust Him… And in the process He will guide us towards what His plan is for us…
Christianity shows possible…
Not only is this impossible, but more importantly, the main problem is that you are unable to live your own life. You are not allowed to chase your dreams, not allowed to work hard so you can attain all the things your heart desires, not allowed to help millions of people, or to be who or whatever you wanted from childhood, because “you are not to gather things that rot and rust… But instead gather heavenly things.” (The Thinker)
What is the purpose of working hard, attaining your hearts desires and helping millions of people? When we do all these things, we are looking for fame, recognition and acceptance in a world where we are not supposed to fit in…
I love the whole idea behind the movie, The Matrix… I mentioned it above, but let me explain a little… We are all born in this world, The Matrix of sorts, we do what everyone expects and follow what everyone follows, because it is the acceptable thing to do… But once in a while, a Trinity or Neo gets a wake-up call, and this changes everything… The idea of what is acceptable falls away, and what is impossible becomes a norm… And we can not help but to want to see others experience the same freedom…
What makes more sense to you?
When you have money, you need more money to be happy… Many people hear about with lots of wealth, needs more wealth to be happy… Drugs wear off and you need a new fix… Sex lasts only a while and it is over… Pleasure is temporary in this world… Wealth is temporary… You need to be the “Top G”, as I hear some of the youth say these days… But all of this is just temporary… Facebook, Youtube, X, Instagram, if I do not get the likes, I need to work harder… It is all about acceptance in the world we live in right now… And in the end all of these things, end up bringing us hurt and pain…
But WHEN God moved at a youth group, l experience a joy that lasts… I see people who changed… I see a generation change… And that give me more peace than any financial transaction… Christianity does not block us from living a life, it gives us the ability to live our best life…
Christians are equipped…
This is why Christians are so inadequately equipped for this life, because they are indoctrinated to have this mentality that this life doesn’t matter, only the next one does. So every one of them can’t wait to die, so they can be with their master, Jesus. That’s very nice, but what about this life, this one and only life they have been given? They don’t care, they throw it away because they hope for the next one, which they believe will be a lot better. (The Thinker)
Now a verse of Paul comes to mind here… For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.(Phil 1:21)
But what is really the big issue in Christianity in regards to this? I have to say, I PARTIALLY agree with this… We look at a church, an unequipped people, a people looking for guidance…
But this does not mean that this people is hoping to die…. They need to learn to die every single day… Die to who they hear they are in the world… To die to the things the believe that are lies… Die to the indoctrination of a world, a life where we have a need, a need for something that we believe we need, and, WHEN we sacrifice that need, God will give it back… But HE WILL GIVE IT TO US IN THE WAY THAT IT IS SURRENDERED TO GOD…
But what I wonder about is if the thinker needs to understand equipping for this life?
I have quite recently seen how a group of people go out to see a world changed… A group who is not just EQUIPPED, BUT ALSO EQUIPPING more people… This group sees many a leader raised… And many a person reached… THIS IS THE PURPOSE, AS WELL AS THE RESULT, OF A EQUIPPED BELIEVER… TO MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS – This is equipping the christians…
Surrender
That might be the case, but why throw away your dreams, everything your father and mother worked for tirelessly, not to mention their parents, and theirs, and so on? Do you not see the flaw in this mental state? (The Thinker)
I have quite recent read John 10… And a specific verse has come up that I have not read in the past…
The reason the Father loves Me is that I lay down My life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.” (John 10:17, John 10:18)
What does this actually say is the question… We hear in church to lay down our lives for the Kingdom of God… But have we ever noticed this verse?
Jesus makes a few bold claims here…
First, He LAYS down His life – This is where Jesus takes whatever His life is, and GIVES IT TO GOD- SURRENDER/SACRIFICE
Second, “…in order to take it up again” – Why is this important is the real question for me… Why would Jesus need to “take it up again” after the surrender? The answer I got to was that God does not live our lives for us… He builds it WITH us… Meaning, we go and give up the work thing we believed in, AND WHEN WE TAKE IT UP AGAIN, We can see God at work where we are… Seeing people’s lives changed… But when we take it up again, we take it up as a surrendered life to Christ…
Lastly, He also says NO ONE CAN TAKE HIS LIFE FROM HIM – This is something to be important… It is something to note… It shows that our lives can only be given to a cause we find worthy… A person we see as worth our whole life… A country where we may lose our life, for the sake of one person getting to know WHO Christ is… The question is: ARE WE WILLING?
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength
The continuous state of “I can’t, but Jesus can”. No wonder everybody is so dependent on God, and so incapable of their own lives, cause they have been indoctrinated with this mentality for so many years, it has been ingrained in them completely and irreversibly. (The Thinker)
I have seen many a thing regarding this… Many times people live a “damsel in distress” life, “I need to be saved by someone”… Being a “damsel in distress” is all good for when you are in a real need, but living a life like that, that is a scary life to live… The problem with a “damsel in distress” life is that the “damsel” (be it male or female) could never meet someone to save them, how are they going to live their life then?
On the other end, living a life, where you are fully independent from everyone, creates isolation and also end up in a lonely life (I used to be this person, and to some degree I still am). The problem is that when you meet someone that does make your life infinitely better, you do not know what to do… And you start walking away slowly… AND back into isolation…
But this thing we need to look at is Phil 4:13, well let’s rather look at verses 10 to 13…
I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Phil 4:10-13)
So our situations could differ, and sometimes we may have need and sometimes we may have to much, but if we follow Christ, non of that does matter… We learn to live from Christ…
The “I can’t, but Jesus can” thing is however a thing that we need to talk about… Fact is, not all things are in our control… So we need to be able to adjust our lives in accordance to it… And sometimes this does mean that we need to move towards God… And ASK Him for the solution, because God can… Does this mean we do nothing? Absolutely not… It means that we go and spend our time with God, and allow Him to SHOW YOU what to do (What do you see the Father do?). After that, we do what we see the Father do… Then it becomes, “I DO, BECAUSE I SAW THE FATHER DOING”. This is the heart of relationship with God…
Regret of tomorrow
I will not bow down to this, and I will not throw away my dreams. This religion has stolen so much from me already, and I will find an answer for this. I will not be an old man, filled with regret one day, just like every other man who threw away his dreams. (The Thinker)
I have touched on the dreams… The major topic here is regret… But our dreams are not the issue, as I already mentioned, God gives us our dreams, or even better dreams, back and this we will not regret…
What do people regret in their old day?
I look through the list on The Top Regrets People Have at the End of Their Lives, and what I notice is that the biggest regrets are about relationship, about time, about others, about travels… Very much not anything regarding works etc…
People regret not taking a break, or not saying something to someone, more that they regret working more, and adding more time at work… This is what is important… When we realize what we see as important now, does not align with tomorrows important, that is where regrets fester…
How about we spend everyday looking towards what God has put in our hearts… How about we look to what is important in the next life, the relationships that make us wholeheartedly better… The friends that help us grow… And we start growing with them… When God is in the mix, and we end up having fun with people, that is where we see a future…
I would personally regret the person I missed out on, who needed to see Jesus… (Can one man make a difference?)
God’s plans
I have dreams, which I have worked and trained my whole life for, which my father and mother have worked their entire lives for. I will not throw away my life. And I will not surrender my goals and my dreams, because without them, I might as well just die right here and now. My purpose is not to help other people achieve their goals, I have my own too. This is why I chose to become an IT professional, and not a pastor. Not everyone can be a pastor, because then the world wouldn’t last one day.(The Thinker)
I have a few scriptures on this… When we look at our plans vs God’s plans, we may lose sight of the things that are important…
A person may have many ideas concerning God’s plan for his life, but only the designs of His purpose will succeed in the end. (Proverbs 19:21 TPT)
There are many devices in a man’s heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand. (Proverbs 19:21 KJV)
When we focus on our God dreams, we will see that our dreams will also be fulfilled… Because God has bigger dreams for our lives… Our purpose is not set up by our studies or training… Our purpose has been set by God, even before the studies… This includes our likes and dislikes having been set for exactly this reason… And our choices were likely set to have this already taken into account…
Purpose
Another thing I saw mentioned was pastor not being for everyone…
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. (Eph 4:11-14)
So what is the reason for this five groups of people?
“to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”
So if these five groups of people are operating in this, that means we are all being trained by them, thus we are all, as disciples, learning to do all of this. Thus a pastoral heart (or shephard) can be cultivated for the people around us… Thus we all can technically be in a pastoral role for someone… It does not mean you lead a church, it means you lead a person OR a group of people…
From one Thinker to another…
This feels a lot like it could be a part of the Book of Ecclesiastes in the Bible… I do like what Ecclesiastes says though…
“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2)
The teacher in this verse was believed to be the smartest man ever to have lived, well rather the wisest… And he was Solomon, whom was probably the biggest thinker out there… And he said, everything he had was meaningless… Everything in the world is meaningless…
Well let me just rephrase a whole blogs singular word usage… I spoke about Christianity a lot… But what exactly does this mean… When I speak of Christianity, I am not referring to each and every church-goer, denomination, self-proclaimed Christian out there… I speak of a man, or woman, who is fully saturated with God, allowing God to live through them… So that they can live their best life.. I am referring to the disciples, those who learn from Christ, those who walk like Christ and those who can say, just like Paul once did: “Imitate me, as I imitate Christ” (1 Cor 11:1)
In short, once you have experience the Love of Father God, a love like no father on this world could show, you will find yourself in a place where you know He does have your best interests at heart… I can for certain say, that God acknowledges, and even empower thinkers to be here… He enjoys the thinking process…
I am thinking about people like Moses, who in Exodus 33 was able to talk to God into staying with the Israelites…
We should not be scared to give up a way of thinking, for a better way… We should be more scared that our thinking is being manipulated by a system that is trying to control us… “Science” as great as it is, can also be a pain… Because, we who do not know it, can be fool by stuff “based on science” which may not even be the truth…
So in every bit of thinking, rather be a thinker that knows the person of Truth, God, than the theory of truth…