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Dear Dear Cronos,

I feel constrained, pressed in my spirit to add . . .

As Scripture notes . . .

God’s ways are higher than our ways.

God ranks things differently.

Even when we think we are applying God’s Biblical rankings in Biblical, logical ways . . . we still miss it.

We miss it because we are finite.
We miss it because we are NOT God.
We miss it because we are mortal.
We miss it because we see such a microscopically tiny portion of the whole.
We miss it because we are flawed, egotistical, proud, stubborn, selfish, prissy, focused on our ‘IN-GROUP’ stuff, brittle, . . . human.

We can’t help but miss it even when we do our best to be Biblical, Spirit-filled, led of Him, kosher, righteous.

We can’t manage that—certainly in our own strength.

We do poorly at best even flowing our best in The Dance with Him.

I think there’s a major lesson in that. As Christ noted . . . we are NOTHING apart FROM HIM.

As Peter demonstrated in his denial . . . we can be flowing along with God and His priorities and The Dance one moment and abjectly in satan’s camp the next.

God demonstrated throughout Scripture His habit of slicing diagonally across all human sensibilities and perspectives—even those HE, GOD, had cultivated.

He has a habit of demolishing ALL our tidy little boxes because

HE’S BIGGER THAN ALL THAT—ALL THAT—BIGGER, MUCH BIGGER THAN EVERY LAST EVEN MASSIVE COLLECTION OF TIDY LITTLE BOXES.

Along the way there are mysteries . . . sometimes seemingly mutually exclusive mysteries—though there’s nothing mutually exclusive from HIS ALL KNOWING, TIMELESS, HEAVENLY perspective.

That’s one reason I TRY to extend grace in the face of startlingly different Christian perspectives and seemingly mutually exclusive contradictions.

Of course, logic is useful and often vital. Yet, our finite logic is still NOT HIS LOGIC.

I think one example is the Biblical evidence for two mutually exclusive concepts from our finite perspective—free will and predestination. Both are evident in Scripture. Our finiteness has no solution. Folks in their rush to be linearly logical cleave to one or the other and pretend the other side is all wrong.

No. The Bible is on both sides. I choose to stand with Scripture and wait for God to sort out the seeming mutually exlusive aspects IN HIS TIME, IN HIS WAYS.

In terms of the Pentecostal stuff . . . most of the naysayers have never experienced anything close to the more dramatic experiences a huge percentage of Pentecostals have. Given those experiences, MOST such Pentecostals couldn’t imagine going back to a frozen chosen mentality or Christian life.

And, I think it’s somewhat like the healing thing. Many congregations are convinced such ended when John finished Revelation. Not surprisingly such congregations don’t experience many healings. I’m not sure why they even pray for their sick loved ones.

On the other hand, in Pentecostal congregations, not everyone is healed—yet—that day will come. However, when they approach God expecting and believing He will honor His word accordingly . . . on occasion, HE DOES JUST THAT.

He doesn’t shove healings down the throats and prissy theologies of the frozen chosen groups. He’s also not an automatic vending machine in the Pentecostal circles.

Therefore what?

Humility is in order. He honors humility a lot.

And He absolutely requires the freedom to be God and do things HIS WAY, IN HIS TIMING, AND HIS CHOICE OF CONTEXTS AND CONTINGENCIES.

Emphatic assumptions and presumptions are hazardous regardless of the theological/denominational label folks put on them or that they arise out of.

Bless you this Thanksgiving.