Intimacy with God without Pretense

Introduction What troubles me more than anything is that we have overlooked God, as the heavenly Father, his Son, and the Holy Spirit, and missed out on knowing him for what he does for us. I’ve realized that my love for others was mostly dependent on what I received from them—whether I received attention, gifts, or an act of kindness, I felt good, and I received more than I gave. The same was true with my relationship with God. God was good because he healed me or brought a relationship together or met a financial need. Jesus saved me, and the Holy Spirit was my help. I have a deep appreciation for the arts and a high esteem for artists. From cooking to gymnastics, the skillful display of one’s passion is awe-inspiring, but what many people experience with their senses is only an expression of the artist. Detail, intricacy, and breathtaking beauty are pushed to the ultimate degree in God’s creation; love, passion, and life-giving sacrifice are pushed to the ultimate degree for humanity’s redemption. Who is this God? Who is his Son? Who is the Holy Spirit, really? I want to know them. I don’t care if I understand how it fits together. I just want to know the one that all of this came from. To know him is to trust him, to worship him, to pray to him. He is the hero who saved us, the Father who loves us, and the true friend. He wants to be close to us even more than we want to be close to him. As expressed in the Song of Songs 1:4 “Draw me we will run after thee … we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the upright love thee.” Furthermore, Romans 12:1–3 exhorts us: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For seven years I adhered wholeheartedly to the faith and prosperity teachings, which were ever so popular at the time. For the first three years of that time, I spent countless hours listening to and studying teachers of that movement. I learned the verses and was eager to teach others the doctrine. Even though I was dedicated pupil to God’s Word and strictly adhered to the principles of faith, I was missing out in my walk with him. I had become so focused in my belief that I would incorporate verses of Scripture into every conversation. For instance, when someone would greet me with a simple “How are you doing,” my reply would be to partially quote Revelation 21:27, Ephesians 1:13, and Colossians 1:13. “Signed, sealed, and delivered: my name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, I am sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, and I’ve been delivered from the power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of his dear Son.” My response was clever way to memorize Bible verses, but it could be condescending to a brother or sister in Christ who was just extending a friendly greeting, especially if someone had difficulty memorizing verses. Nonbelievers just did not get it. The faith, healing, power of God, and Scripture memorizations were exciting for a young man (when I was between eighteen and twenty-one), and I enthusiastically embraced them. There was no better feeling than to have God use me and to know it. However, my focus was in the wrong places. But God is gracious and patient, allowing us to grow and make mistakes. He will bring us back around in his time and set our feet upon a rock. Although I thought God had to respond because of all the Scripture that I could quote, he locked me in and taught me some valuable lessons that have been pylons to my walk with him for many years now. At twenty-six years old, I was a traditional Pentecostal with an emphasis on faith, healing, and prosperity. I had done about everything I could do in church except be a pastor, so I became the youth pastor for the next two years. During my second year as a youth pastor, the senior pastor’s future son-in-law became the associate pastor. He later became the senior pastor, and my wife and I became worship leaders. His pastorate was not long because of school, which he continued to earn his PhD and write a systematic theology for pentecostalism. His ministry marked a pivotal point in my life as a Christian. He challenged the congregation to know what they believed and why they believed it. Doing so may sound like old hat, but I urge you to do it. Don’t just look up a verse or two to back up your beliefs; rather, actually take the time needed to establish a substantial, credible knowledge base from the Bible capable of supporting your convictions. Doing so is like losing weight. Diligence and consistency over time win out, and it does take time. It is written in Hebrews 5:12 “For at a time when you should be teaching, you have need for someone to teach you again the principles of the oracles of God.” I wonder if we as Christians realize to what degree our beliefs have been undermined by cultural influence? What are you sure of, and from what do you derive your certainty? Psalm 11:3 reminds us: “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” In 2 Timothy 1:12, the apostle Paul said that he knew the one he believed in. I was good at supporting some of my convictions, but even something as basic as salvation was lacking in my repertoire of verses, so I started from square one and used Hebrews 5:13–14 and 6:1–2 as a starting place. “For everyone that uses milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongs to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection [spiritual perfection, maturity], not laying again the foundation of dead works, and of faith toward God, of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.”