Myers-Briggs Continued: The Preferences and Scripture

December 22, 2010 in Natural Things with 0 Comments

The E-I Preference and Scripture

I do think that we can find good examples of how Jesus valued both the inner world of ideas and the outer world of people and things in the Bible. In John, chapter 5, we find an example of how He valued the outer world. In this same passage, I think there is also evidence that Jesus’ great compassion for people came out of a rich inner world that He cultivated with the Father. Jesus visited the pool by the sheep gate and found a large group of disabled people. “One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, He asked him, ‘Do you want to get well?’” (vs. 5-6) Jesus healed this man and then encouraged him to “stop sinning” in verse 14. This is one of many examples of how Jesus experienced compassion for the people that He met and the things that were happening around Him. He actively engaged in the external world of people and things.

In the same chapter of John, we also learn that Jesus does “only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.” (vs. 19) This suggests a close relationship between the Father and Son that He has cultivated in His inner world. Luke 5:16 tells us that “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” It seems that Jesus and the Father exchanged ideas and contemplated possibilities together during these times when Jesus withdrew and spent time in prayer and reflection. This was how He knew what to do when He engaged with the external world.

I believe that we, like Jesus are called to cultivate both our inner and outer world, not just the world that we prefer. As an introvert, I can tell you that I would be more than happy to spend all of my time in prayer and worship at the House of Prayer and then spend quality time with my family or a small group of close friends with what is left over. I think that most introverts could easily become monks and just live in the world of spiritual reflection and the supernatural. But, we would miss incredible opportunities to bless the world around us and share with others the profound mysteries that God reveals to us in our inner world. I cannot speak to the experience of the extrovert, but I imagine that they could spend all of their time interacting with people, actively changing the world for God. But, without taking the time to quiet their hearts and their minds and attend to their inner world, they might miss the voice of the Holy Spirit and the incredible ideas that He wants to take root in them. I hope that we can encourage each other to stay engaged in both worlds and to faithfully cultivate people, things and ideas.

The S-N Preference and Scripture

I am hoping that God will open my eyes to see how the S-N preference appears in the Bible, but I cannot think of any specific verses at this time. I think that one way we can see this play out is in how people perceive God. People who prefer sensing will probably prefer to focus on the literal message of the Bible. They will emphasize the actualities that Scripture gives us. People who prefer intuition are more likely to read between the lines of the Bible to the possibilities that God offers us through Scriptures.

I think of the book “The Case for Christ” when I think of the S preference. This book offers all kinds of historical and Scriptural support to defend Christianity. It presents lots of information that has been clearly organized. I never felt that interested in reading this book because Christianity made sense to me and just seemed right. (Again, I would remind you that I am an N). But, I have friends who prefer to perceive information through their senses and they found this book to be very helpful and a wonderful resource. I also think of Paul defending “The Way” to the Jews using the Law and the Prophets. Again, I suspect that this approach would be very valuable for those of the S preference because it presents a wealth of information in a clear way.

When I study the bible, it usually just makes sense. What I observe there is consistent with what I have already observed to be true in Scripture and in my life. God’s character across the Bible seems consistent to me. There are themes that reappear throughout the books of the Bible and everything ties together nicely when you follow the greatest commandments: to love God wholeheartedly and to love people as you love yourself.

The F-T Preference and Scripture

I think that we can find examples of Jesus making judgments using both the Feeling and the Thinking process as we read the Bible. He was regularly questioned by experts in the law and his answers demonstrated that He has a tremendous ability to reason and think logically. Jesus understands the Law and how it should be fulfilled. In Matthew 12, Jesus successfully refutes the Pharisees’ argument that it is unlawful for his disciples to pick heads of grain to eat on the Sabbath. He also heals a man’s hand to demonstrate the He is Lord of the Sabbath and that it was designed for man’s good, not just God’s glory. In each case, the Pharisees argument is unsuccessful in the face of Jesus rebuttal. We also find examples of Jesus making judgments with intense feeling, as in John 2:13-17 when Jesus makes a whip out of cords and then drives everyone out of the temple courts. In Matthew 14:14, Jesus had compassion on the large crowd and then healed their sick. In Luke 19:41, Jesus weeps when he sees Jerusalem and thinks about their impending destruction. Though He would have known that it was just and the logical consequence of their wicked behavior, Jesus is moved to tears because of His incredible love for His chosen people and city.

I think that this difference in making judgments also plays itself out in the church when we discuss the authority of the Bible and personal prophetic experiences. As Jesus said, “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matt 4:4) Scripture is the authority that God has given us for righteous living and we should understand it to be His very words for us. We also see a pattern throughout Scripture of God speaking to the prophets about what He intends to do. “Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7) It would seem that prophecy has to be authenticated by Scripture, but God uses both to speak to His people. In a similar, but lesser way, feelings and thoughts should both be considered in making a decision.

The J-P Preference and Scripture

We cannot perceive and judge at the same time. Most people prefer one process over the other in dealing with the outer world. Those who prefer the perceiving attitude choose to shut off their judgment and avoid making a decision in case new evidence appears. Conversely, those who prefer the judging attitude choose to shut off their perception and make a decision regardless of whether or not new information may become available.

I think of God’s conversation with Abraham about Sodom and Gomorrah when I think about the perceiving attitude. In Genesis 18, God is preparing to deal with Sodom and Gomorrah because of their grievous sins. Abraham is concerned about this judgment and keeps asking God for more information. God is patient with Abraham and answers his questions to reassure him that this judgment is just. Both Sarah and Abraham focused on the actualities of their barrenness and laughed when God told them that they would have a child in their old age. (Gen 17:17, 18:12) This possibility was too hard for them to imagine in the face of their circumstances. I wonder if Abraham and Sarah preferred the perceiving attitude.

When I think of the judging attitude I think of Peter. Jesus called to him as He walked along the water and invited Peter to “fish for people” (Matt 4:19) Immediately, Peter left his nets to follow Jesus. The Bible gives other examples of Peter responding to events in a judging attitude. He rebukes Jesus when He begins to talk about what will happen to Him in Jerusalem (Matt 16:22), disowns Jesus three times after swearing that he would die before doing that, cuts off the high priest’s servant’s ear in the Garden of Gethsemane and jumps into the water to swim to Jesus when He appears to Peter after His resurrection. In almost every account involving Peter, I see a man who was most comfortable making decisions.


Lifestyle Issues

December 6, 2010 in Offense with 0 Comments

Lifestyle Issues

 

What does an appropriate lifestyle look like for a godly leader? Paul discusses “meat sacrificed to idols” in his letter to the Corinthians as well as some general principles in his letter to the Romans. There are many lifestyle variations within the body of Christ and I believe the basic principles that Paul provides can be applied to most, if not all, lifestyle related questions.

All believers, whether they have a leadership role or not, are called to be holy (1 Pet 1:15-16). Jesus gave His followers this command, “And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23).
 And Paul would later say, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me” (Galatians 2:20).

In essence, we have no lifestyle rights as believers. And yet, we are called to live in the world (John 17:11;16). So what is appropriate? Since we have no rights, lifestyle questions become issues of personal freedom that God can give or remove or restore at anytime. We don’t have a right to any lifestyle.

God does provide guidance in the scriptures. We are obviously not free to sin (Rom 12:1). Some freedoms can become ‘encumbrances’ and we need to escape those (Heb 12:1). These will not be the same for everyone and God will speak to each of us concerning our personal ‘encumbrances’ (Gal 5:16).

The big issue with a freedom is the potential for that freedom to become an idol or encumbrance. Idolatry is allowing any created thing to become more significant than our devotion to Jesus. Some idolatry may cause physical destruction of one kind or another but all idolatry has the potential to kill the soul (Gal 5:19-21). Almost anything can become an idol or encumbrance and the best preventative measure is the fasted lifestyle (Mat 6:17). In addition to its’ other benefits, it allows us to check in and limit our freedoms to make sure that one freedom doesn’t get away from us and become and idol or encumbrance.

Paul noted, “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). And Jesus said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God’”(Matthew 4:4).

Some will choose to avoid a freedom so that it never has the chance to become an idol, addiction, or encumbrance. Though avoidance may be the only way to effectively manage a clearly identified sin or addiction, the normal approach is to exercise self-control and pursue the fasted lifestyle with wisdom. This moderation in exercising freedoms often turns out to be a much harder choice than mere avoidance,

There are at least four freedoms where God provides very clear directives. These are money, sex, food and alcohol. None of these things are bad in and of themselves. But all of them can be and often are abused. Fortunately, God provides additional instruction for exercising these freedoms. We give away our money freely. We keep sex in marriage – one man with one woman. We abandon gluttony. (Interestingly the Hebrew term for glutton ‘zalal’ has the sense ‘to be light’ which can be translated ‘worthless’ or ‘careless’ or even foolish.) And we avoid drunkenness. Keeping sex in marriage is the most straightforward. The others require personal discernment. God gives special warnings to leaders concerning three of these freedoms (1 Tim 3:1-8) but they apply to all – leaders and non leaders alike.

God does not provide specific instruction on the amounts or timing of freedom. This is left to the individual’s discretion. Not all the brethren will be able to appreciate the freedoms available. The one with the freedom is not to use his freedom to cause a brother to stumble or pass judgments on his choices and the one without the freedom can’t pass judgment either (Romans 14:1).

Paul writes, “Now accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions. 2 One man has faith that he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats vegetables only. 3 Let not him who eats regard with contempt him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats, for God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to judge the servant of another? To his own master he stands or falls; and stand he will, for the Lord is able to make him stand.5 One man regards one day above another, another regards every day alike. Let each man be fully convinced in his own mind (NAS, Romans 14:1-5).”

Paul uses the term “weak in faith”. This appears to imply that the “weak in faith” need to grow up in faith. Paul addresses the theological concern in his Corinthian letter. All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify (1 Corinthians 10:23). We have freedom, but pursuing profitability and edification take wisdom and thoughtfulness.

In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul had the opportunity to give a clear prohibition for consuming any meat that originated in a pagan sacrifice before it came to the local butcher, but he did not. It is clear that participating in pagan sacrifices whether to gain meat or not is prohibited (Rev 2:14; Acts 15:20,29) and if the topic of “where the meat came from” comes up in the conversation with an unbeliever (1 Cor 10:29), then because of the unbeliever’s conscience, that meat should not be eaten.

To us, a complete and comprehensive ban on meat would have been simpler and easier to administer. It would have been easier to call leaders, or “up and coming” missionaries, or forerunners to abstain from meat. But Paul never provided a universal ban. Accommodation for the weaker brother appears to be in the context of a “one-on-one” relationship rather than a community or regional standard. Otherwise, there would be no freedom. For there will always be a brother somewhere with a weakness for something which the entire Church of Christ would need to abstain from to avoid offense. With the advent of technology, we can be literally connected around the world. When Paul deplores the way the Corinthians are practicing the “Lord’s Supper” in chapter 11, he does not mention meat. If the community as a whole needed to take a stand on meat sacrificed to an idol, this would have been a great place to share that correction along with the more serious issues that he addressed.

Drawing the line of demarcation is hard. Mistakes can be made. Paul’s discussion on “meat sacrificed to idols” is a good example. Paul did not want a weaker brother to fall away from the faith because of Paul’s personal freedom to eat meat sacrificed to idol.

Paul was concerned about the outdoor café connected to the pagan temple where meat was directly received and served (1 Cor 8:10). It would be easy for the weaker brother to see you there. But Paul notes that going to the meat market is fine – as long as no one makes a comment on the origin of the meat. The market would be very public and visible to the weaker brother. It most likely sold completely tainted (sacrificed) meat (1 Cor 10:25). And Paul wasn’t concerned about eating meat at an unbeliever’s house unless the topic was brought up. Meat served at the unbeliever’s home would most certainly originate either directly or indirectly from the pagan temple. Surely a weak believer would be suspicious of what was happening when Paul went off to dinner at a pagan’s home! Obviously, God will have to help each of us discern how to draw and redraw our lines.

Will there be reproach over issues of freedom or degrees of freedom? The answer is yes. It is unavoidable. In the past Christians have tended to make loud noises about some freedoms that should be reviled and eliminated while ignoring the careful management of other freedoms. We must pursue Christ wholeheartedly, manage all of our lifestyle choices actively and be gracious to one another. Show great care with weaker brothers, but avoid the legislation of freedom which the scriptures do not appear to demand. In the end, we will all give account (Romans 14:12). In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.

Romans 14:22
22 The faith which you have, have as your own conviction before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves.


 

The Supernatural vs. the Natural

December 4, 2010 in Supernatural Things with 1 Comment

Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. This is an amazing and challenging truth. This seems to be one of the truths that God desires to emphasize through the Rock River House of Prayer. As people begin to feel stirred to pursue a fasted lifestyle and commit to the HOP they often get excited to operate more in the supernatural. Passages like Joel 2:28-29 get us all fired up:

It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; and your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on the male and female servants I will pour out My Spirit in those days.

We want to be taken up to the third heaven like Paul and we want to operate in signs and wonders like the apostles. In our zeal for the supernatural we can feel tempted to abandon or dishonor the natural. But, this is not consistent with the example that Jesus set for us.

I have been reading Know What You Believe by Paul E. Little and I found portions of the third chapter entitled Jesus to be incredibly relevant to this conversation. I have included several passages here:

The deity of Christ is woven into the fabric of everything he said and did! Those who heard him understood and confirmed his claim to be one with God. The things he did were affirming evidence that his words were not clever deceit or the babblings of a demented person.

Jesus was not only fully God; he was also fully human. This is a vital aspect of the person of Christ. If he were not fully human, he could not have represented us on the cross. Also, he could not be the High Priest who comforts and strengthens us. As a man, he has gone through our human experience (Hebrews 2:16-18), and he is fully able to understand and sympathize with us. That is an astonishing truth. (pg. 58)

Christ’s humanity was as real and genuine as his deity. We must maintain belief in both, emphasizing neither at the expense of the other. (pg. 60)

If both Christ’s humanity and his deity must be maintained and emphasized equally, then I think that our natural and supernatural processes should be maintained and emphasized equally. We do not want to over emphasize the natural and risk indulging our naturally sinful nature and giving in to the lusts of our flesh. But neither should we overemphasize the supernatural by focusing too much attention on spiritual encounters and manifestations of the Holy Spirit.

I think that there has to be a balance between the two processes within is. We, like Christ, should be in the world, but not of it. Being in the world implies that we are invested and engaged with the natural world of people, relationships, work and cultivating. Being not of this world implies that our eyes are fixed on Jesus and we are looking toward and preparing for the day when His kingdom will finally come to earth.

I think that a lot of us struggle to find this elusive middle ground between the natural and the supernatural. I know that I fall into one camp or the other very easily. When I go too far into the natural camp, I feel overcome by my desires and the shame that accompanies them. I want to quit and be ruled by my feelings. I focus so much on my sin that I forget just how perfect and powerful Christ’s sacrifice was. I start to think that maybe the cross of Christ and the sanctification of the Holy Spirit isn’t enough for me. I almost always need the Holy Spirit to breakthrough this condemnation and remind me of who God says I am in Christ in order to escape.

My forays into the supernatural camp are different, but equally unbalanced and troubling. Here I become so focused on trying to obtain the supernatural experiences and manifestations I desire that I begin striving to earn them. I start to think that if I can just pray enough and fast enough and study the Bible enough and wait on the Spirit enough and desire intimacy with God enough and cultivate enough faith, then I will get what I want. I power through the disengagement that I feel in my heart and tighten up my discipline to accomplish my desire. I start to spiritualize and misinterpret natural things that happen in my life, like thinking that God doesn’t want me to go somewhere because I cannot find a parking spot or he doesn’t want me to step out in faith in an area because I am feeling natural fear in response to the risk. At that point, I really need a healthy dose of the natural because I am incorrectly reading the “word of the LORD” in the minutia of my life.

So, although I have found it incredibly challenging to maintain a healthy balance between the natural and the supernatural, I continue to ask God to grant me this. And, I think that this is something that He wants for all of us. We should be tent-makers and use the skills that He has given us to contribute in a meaningful way. Each of us is a part of a natural family and/or the family of God. These are important natural relationships that we need to pursue and invest in. We should do all of these things as unto God, for His glory and the good of our neighbor. Intimacy with God should be the foundation of everything that we say and do in the natural world as well as what undergirds the cultivation of our supernatural gifts.

Offense

December 4, 2010 in Offense with 0 Comments

I think that offense is one of the biggest tools that God uses in our sanctification. I have been more and more offended as I have pursued increasing intimacy with God, especially since I committed myself to ministering before Him in the House of Prayer.

Initially, I thought that I was operating in greater discernment because I was so much more aware of how other people were sinning. I thought that maybe I was growing in the prophetic and God was increasing my words of knowledge so that I could edify the body through prayer and encouragement. Then, I started feeling offended by other people’s sin. Their issues were bothering me, they were attacking people important to me and I disagreed with their opinions. Their behavior hurt my feelings and the feelings of those around me. I started feeling frustrated, discouraged and angry. I wanted to tell all of these people what was “really happening”, which was how their sin was causing problems for everyone else and they really needed to take care of that. I would have happily gone to everyone and torn them to shreds with my tongue and the “discerning” words that I was hearing.

Since then, God has been showing me how He is using offense to expose my sin and purify my heart. When someone attacks me or my family or someone that I care about, I feel defensive. I want to argue with them and beat them over the head with my perspective. I want to find Scriptures to show them just how wrong they are and put them in their place. God is teaching me how to stop and search my own heart first.

I have noticed that Matthew 7 can be very true of me. Sometimes I am so concerned about helping my brother with the speck in his eye that I fail to notice the log in mine. I think I do this, in part, for self-protection. If I focus on what is wrong with you, then I don’t have to attend to what is wrong with me. But, I have also noticed that when I ignore what is happening with me, the sin that I am avoiding confronting in myself is often the only thing that I see in other people. I struggle a lot with fear and anxiety and I keep seeing how people all around me are also struggling with fear and anxiety. “For in the way that you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.” (Matt 7:2) It is almost as though God’s response to my refusal to deal with my log is to keep reminding me of it everywhere I go. He allows every person I see to poke at it and offend it until I allow Him to remove it.

Now, when I want to judge someone for something, I am trying to first ask myself if I am struggling with the issue that I want to accuse them of having. You may not actually have an issue with fear or anxiety. That might just be me projecting my sin onto you. Or, it may be that we both have an issue with fear or anxiety. In which case, we can go to God together to ask Him to remove the logs from both our eyes. We can confess our sins to one another and pray for one another. We can hold each other accountable to walk in freedom in that area and to lean into Jesus when we are tempted by that area in the future.

Sometimes I don’t think that the offense is meant to expose our sins and purify our hearts. I think that God also uses offense to help us to walk in humility and dependence on Him. I think that God sometimes allows us to be accused of things that we are not doing. He allows attacks on our character and our choices because it reminds us that it is not about us. This protects us from pride so that we can be pure vessels for God’s ministry. These offenses give us an opportunity to make Jesus our defender and to allow Him to change false perceptions about us.

But, these are painful experiences that leave me feeling grieved, betrayed, scared and confused. I almost always want to quit and find somewhere to hide out until I feel safe. I think that these are the times when God most wants to see and connect with us. He wants to be our Abba in these moments; to pull us into His arms, remind us of how much He loves us and to reassure us that His opinion is really the only one that matters. These are the experiences that will help me to come up from the wilderness leaning on my Beloved. (Song 8:5)

So, if you think that God is calling you commit yourself to the HOP, then be ready for lots of offense. I would anticipate feeling offense in almost every relationship. Just remember that God loves you and wants to transform you to the image of His son Jesus. He is a good Father who works all things for His glory and your good. Remember too that He is preparing His bride. He is purifying the body of Believers through offense in their relationships and bringing them into greater unity as they humbly and righteously respond to these offenses. I think that we must continue to seek each other’s good even as we feel offended and to always look for ways to go lower and walk in the humility that Jesus walked in. We must commit to being friends of the Bridegroom and building up His bride even when our hearts get hurt in the process because we know that our hearts will be whole when they unite with His at the end.

My dad, Laird Pearcy, suggested a few additions to this topic that I found to be helpful and challenging. Here are his comments:

As part of my normal QT sequence, I reread Isaiah 53. I prefer to think of this chapter as the Jesus chapter but I suspect that application is broader than I would like to consider – namely we will have an intentional shared experience with Jesus. Isaiah 53:3 3 He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

God provokes us to take offense.  He wants to see what kind of love we have.  Will we only tolerate what we understand?  Is love sufficient to cover what we don’t understand?  Will we give in to offense? This is the root of John 6.  The idea that we needed to eat the body and drink the blood of Jesus confused everyone, but Peter and the true disciples were willing to stay in spite of their confusion.

If Jesus was acquainted with grief and despised by men and we want to be like him, then we should not be surprised if we experience grief and offense in our relationships. If we are praying and asking the Holy Spirit to conform us to Jesus’ image (Rom. 8:29), then we should expect to be treated as He was treated.

What kind of love do you have? Proverbs 10:12 tells us that “hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs”. 1 Peter 4:8 tells us, “above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins”. Does your love cover the kind of wrong that is created by conflict? Does your love cover over a multitude of sins and allow you to keep loving others deeply even when they have offended you? I think that this is the kind of love that Christ wants to develop in us and He uses offense to cultivate and strengthen it.

You Worship What You Value

December 2, 2010 in Worship with 1 Comment

“Worship is simply about value.

The simplest definition I can give is this: Worship is our response to what we value most. That’s why worship is that thing we do. It’s what we’re about on any given day. Because worship is about saying, “This person, this thing, this experience (this whatever) is what matters most to me…it’s the thing I put first in my life. That thing might be: a relationship, a dream, friends, status, stuff, a name, or some kind of pleasure. Whatever name you put on it, this thing or person is what you’ve concluded in your heart is worth most to you. And whatever is worth most to you is—you guessed it—what you worship.

Some of us attend the church on the corner, professing to worship the Living God above all. Others who rarely step inside the church doors would say worship isn’t a part of their lives because they aren’t ‘religious.’ But everybody has an altar. And every altar has a throne.”

So, how do you know where and what you worship? It’s easy. You simply follow the trail of your time, your affection, your energy, your money, and your loyalty. At the end of the trail you’ll find a throne; and whatever, or whomever, is on that throne is what you worship.

Sure, not too many of us walk around saying, “I worship my stuff. I worship my Xbox. I worship my job. I worship this pleasure. I worship her. I worship my body. I worship me!”  But, the trail never lies. We may say we value this thing or that thing more than any other, but the volume of our actions speaks louder than our words.

In the end, our worship is more about what we do than what we say.”

Louie Giglio, The Air I Breathe: Worship As a Way of Life You Worship What You Value p. 10-11.

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