How Weird Are
You?
Posted:
09 Jul 2012 07:54 AM PDT
If I told you that your typical understanding of
holiness was wrong, would you keep reading this blog post to see what I’m
talking about? The title of this post may have already thrown you off, but
stick around for a few paragraphs and accept my challenge to be
weird.
I want to take a moment to challenge you
on being in the world but not of the world. It sounds clichéd, but
let’s take just a quick blog post to analyse what that means, and then ask
yourself, are you holy?
I was scheduled to teach/preach this in
our Oikos fellowship yesterday morning, and we’re focusing on characteristics of
God. When I was given a list with 14 different attributes of God, I felt like
zeroing in on the ones I love to talk about. You know, his mercy, grace,
faithfulness. But I felt the Holy Spirit tugging at me to tackle holiness
instead. Years ago this would have been an easy topic for me. Although some
people think I’ve swung the pendulum far in the opposite direction and teach and
preach ‘greasy grace’–which I don’t think I do–I was pleasantly surprised to
find some things in my research I had somehow never managed to see
before.
Greek Definition
The
word we use in the New Testament comes from 40
hágios – which as defined properly means different
(unlike), other (“otherness“). Holy for the
believer, means “likeness of nature with the Lord” because of being
“different from the world.”
The fundamental core meaning of
hágios is “different” – thus a temple in the 1st century was
hagios (“holy”) because it was different from other buildings,
for example. In the New Testament hágios (“holy”) has the
technical meaning “different from the world” because it’s
“like the Lord.”
As a result, hágios implies
something “set apart” and “different (distinguished/distinct)”
– i.e. “other,” because of its special nature and use to the
Lord.
Not The Same – Literally
God is different, not the same as who or
what? Anything and anybody in the universe. He is incomparable to anything or
anyone else. There is nobody like Him. No other creator. No other
saviour. He is unique, to put it simply. But those adjectives don’t
even begin to cover it, but I hope you get a slight
idea.
Sacrifices in the Old Testament were
unique–the designated animal was to be set apart and used only for the purposes
of worship to the Lord and was kept alive not to be eaten or for any other
purpose than to be sacrificed. The Israelites were to ‘set apart’ certain
animals as part the instructions Moses had given them for temple
worship.
Christians should be different because
from the rest of the world, as Paul said, we were bought at a price (I
Corinthians 6:20). God can make an item or person holy when He claims it or
becomes its owner. He purchased us with the most costly currency in all of
creation–the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. When an individual devotes or
gives an object to God, the ownership passes to God and since He is now the
owner, the object becomes holy. We ourselves are called to be set apart, ‘used’
for nothing else other than God’s purposes.
For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate
yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile
yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. (Leviticus 11:44,
English Standard Version)
As obedient children, do not be conformed
to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you
also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You
shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-16, ESV)
That price, Christ’s sacrifice, makes it
possible for us to be forgiven of our past sins and to receive the Holy Spirit.
But, if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His (Romans
8:9)
Are You Different?
Christians can easily quote how we’re “in
the world but not of the world”, but do we really keep mindful of that
in our jobs and daily lives? In our Facebook updates? If your unbelieving
friends looked at you, would they think you’re just like them, or would they say
you’re…weird? I don’t mean weird because you wear your underwear on your head
and your pants only have one leg, and you hide outside of governmental buildings
waiting to throw a pie in the face of your local congressman. I’m not talking
about something bizarre like that being the reason you’re defined as weird.
But that you’re different in what you live for, and what you derive satisfaction
and entertainment from.
I mean, by the world’s perspective, you’re
weird because you turn the other cheek instead of taking revenge. You let
others wrong you and don’t sue the shirt off someone’s back who wronged you.
You don’t just avoid all the obvious sins like drunkenness and sex outside of
marriage, but your behavior in all of your life is… weird. At least, to the
world, but not to The Lord.
Are you living a life set apart? Does His
holiness permeate your entire being and life? If not, then let me challenge you
to be weird.
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of
this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you
think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and
pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2, New Living
Translation)
Think different. Trust me, it’s the
weirdest thing you can do in this world.
Steve
Bremner is a missionary to Peru, called to raise up disciples who flow in the
power of the Holy Spirit. He is general editor of Fire Press, and also produces
& co-hosts its podcast called Fire On Your Head. Visit his personal site at
http://stevebremner.com
Be blessed and be a blessing
Click like - click share
www.triumphantministriestoowoomba.com
https://www.facebook.com/departtotheotherside
www.takingbackground.com
http://books.noisetrade.com/kathleenmalligan/personal-cleansing-workbook-26
Triumphant Ministries Toowoomba - Releasing Hearts
http://about.me/malligankathleen
You?
Posted:
09 Jul 2012 07:54 AM PDT
If I told you that your typical understanding of
holiness was wrong, would you keep reading this blog post to see what I’m
talking about? The title of this post may have already thrown you off, but
stick around for a few paragraphs and accept my challenge to be
weird.
I want to take a moment to challenge you
on being in the world but not of the world. It sounds clichéd, but
let’s take just a quick blog post to analyse what that means, and then ask
yourself, are you holy?
I was scheduled to teach/preach this in
our Oikos fellowship yesterday morning, and we’re focusing on characteristics of
God. When I was given a list with 14 different attributes of God, I felt like
zeroing in on the ones I love to talk about. You know, his mercy, grace,
faithfulness. But I felt the Holy Spirit tugging at me to tackle holiness
instead. Years ago this would have been an easy topic for me. Although some
people think I’ve swung the pendulum far in the opposite direction and teach and
preach ‘greasy grace’–which I don’t think I do–I was pleasantly surprised to
find some things in my research I had somehow never managed to see
before.
Greek Definition
The
word we use in the New Testament comes from 40
hágios – which as defined properly means different
(unlike), other (“otherness“). Holy for the
believer, means “likeness of nature with the Lord” because of being
“different from the world.”
The fundamental core meaning of
hágios is “different” – thus a temple in the 1st century was
hagios (“holy”) because it was different from other buildings,
for example. In the New Testament hágios (“holy”) has the
technical meaning “different from the world” because it’s
“like the Lord.”
As a result, hágios implies
something “set apart” and “different (distinguished/distinct)”
– i.e. “other,” because of its special nature and use to the
Lord.
Not The Same – Literally
God is different, not the same as who or
what? Anything and anybody in the universe. He is incomparable to anything or
anyone else. There is nobody like Him. No other creator. No other
saviour. He is unique, to put it simply. But those adjectives don’t
even begin to cover it, but I hope you get a slight
idea.
Sacrifices in the Old Testament were
unique–the designated animal was to be set apart and used only for the purposes
of worship to the Lord and was kept alive not to be eaten or for any other
purpose than to be sacrificed. The Israelites were to ‘set apart’ certain
animals as part the instructions Moses had given them for temple
worship.
Christians should be different because
from the rest of the world, as Paul said, we were bought at a price (I
Corinthians 6:20). God can make an item or person holy when He claims it or
becomes its owner. He purchased us with the most costly currency in all of
creation–the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. When an individual devotes or
gives an object to God, the ownership passes to God and since He is now the
owner, the object becomes holy. We ourselves are called to be set apart, ‘used’
for nothing else other than God’s purposes.
For I am the Lord your God. Consecrate
yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile
yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. (Leviticus 11:44,
English Standard Version)
As obedient children, do not be conformed
to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you
also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You
shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-16, ESV)
That price, Christ’s sacrifice, makes it
possible for us to be forgiven of our past sins and to receive the Holy Spirit.
But, if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His (Romans
8:9)
Are You Different?
Christians can easily quote how we’re “in
the world but not of the world”, but do we really keep mindful of that
in our jobs and daily lives? In our Facebook updates? If your unbelieving
friends looked at you, would they think you’re just like them, or would they say
you’re…weird? I don’t mean weird because you wear your underwear on your head
and your pants only have one leg, and you hide outside of governmental buildings
waiting to throw a pie in the face of your local congressman. I’m not talking
about something bizarre like that being the reason you’re defined as weird.
But that you’re different in what you live for, and what you derive satisfaction
and entertainment from.
I mean, by the world’s perspective, you’re
weird because you turn the other cheek instead of taking revenge. You let
others wrong you and don’t sue the shirt off someone’s back who wronged you.
You don’t just avoid all the obvious sins like drunkenness and sex outside of
marriage, but your behavior in all of your life is… weird. At least, to the
world, but not to The Lord.
Are you living a life set apart? Does His
holiness permeate your entire being and life? If not, then let me challenge you
to be weird.
Don’t copy the behavior and customs of
this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you
think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and
pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:2, New Living
Translation)
Think different. Trust me, it’s the
weirdest thing you can do in this world.
Steve
Bremner is a missionary to Peru, called to raise up disciples who flow in the
power of the Holy Spirit. He is general editor of Fire Press, and also produces
& co-hosts its podcast called Fire On Your Head. Visit his personal site at
http://stevebremner.com
Be blessed and be a blessing
Click like - click share
www.triumphantministriestoowoomba.com
https://www.facebook.com/departtotheotherside
www.takingbackground.com
http://books.noisetrade.com/kathleenmalligan/personal-cleansing-workbook-26
Triumphant Ministries Toowoomba - Releasing Hearts
http://about.me/malligankathleen
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