Don't nail Him down... again.

I’m in Acts now, and I started noticing something. In 2:17,21, and especially 39 (depending on translation) and in 3:25-26, Paul alludes or perhaps prophesies the coming ministry to the Gentiles, yet he himself apparently doesn’t realize the import of his own words until, of course, chapter 10 when he sees his vision and goes to the house of Cornelius. This is after, I might mention, that Philip baptizes an Ethiopian Eunuch.

This is not a criticism of Paul, it is a recognition of how limited our understanding is and how broad the scope of God is. I have to keep this in mind! Even Peter, who said out of his own mouth what God was getting ready to do, didn’t get it! He was blind to the prophesy spoken out of his own lips by his preconceived notions of how God operates. And the same can be said of just about any other prophesy. After all, NO ONE EXCPECTED JESUS TO DIE! Is that not amazing? The single most important act in prophesy and NO ONE GOT IT!

Moral: Keep your eyes and ears open to God, and…

I was about to write that we should be quick to abandon any notions we have about God which seem to be disproved. But this too can be dangerous! So…

Better Moral: Keep your eyes and ears open to God, and when something SEEMS to conflict with what you believe to be true, file it away for later use. Allow the Holy Spirit to reveal how seemingly contradictory truths fit together, or which one is actually false.

Ahh… and this outlines the way I find God operating most often in my life: not with formulas we mechanically fallow, but in a rich and complex flux of continuous growth. He changes the “rules” constantly to broaden and deepen our understanding of Him and His Will.

So don’t nail Him down, man. Er… Don’t nail Him down again.