"Spiritual Understanding"

May 31, 2015                                         
John 3:1-17

Story: One of the pillars of the congregation stopped by my office just before worship to tell me he'd been born again.

You've been what? I asked.

Yes… last week I visited my brother-in-law's church, the Running River of Life Tabernacle, and I don't know what it was, but something happened and I'm born again.

You can't be born again, you're a Lutheran. You are the chairman of the board of trustees. He was brimming with joy, but I was sulking. Why?

Because spiritual renewal is wonderful as long as it occurs within acceptable, usually mainline, channels and does not threaten my understanding of God.
-Richard Lischer, Acknowledgment, Christian Century, March 3, 1999, 245.

Prayer

Many of us are looking to deepen our spiritual understanding. We read books…. There are isles in books stores devoted to all things spiritual. We go on retreats…. We seclude ourselves… Just the other day I saw a FB post from Pam Laity of a picture of the lake at their cottage… I suggested a pastoral visit was needed.

People of all strips are so interested in spiritual matters Oprah made millions highlighting a segment on her show… “Caring for Your  Spirit.” I often hear from people that they’re “Spiritual But Not Religious.” Though you might think these are one in the same… they’re really 2 different things in the minds of many people. And… we sort of see this with our bible story from John today.

We see Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader, searching for some answers to his spiritual questions. Perhaps he thought he had the religious part of his life down-pat, then this Jesus comes onto the scene and now he has questions. He knew the scriptures….He knew and kept the Law. By all accounts he considered himself a spiritual man. Yet Jesus, brings all he knows about God and spiritual concerns into question. This Jesus intrigues him and Nicodemus is drawn to Jesus. He saw with his own eyes some of Jesus’ miracles. He even acknowledges Jesus must be from God, because he couldn’t do the things he is doing if he were not from God. Then Jesus throws him for a big loop… “You must be born from above” some translations say, “You must be born again”. Not only being baptized with water… but from the Spirit as well. Nicodemus doesn’t get it… yet he senses something more than all the religious understanding and religious gymnastics he is familiar with.

Searching for spirituality is nothing new. Since the beginning of creation humanity has been trying to understand and to be and become like god.

Eugene Peterson states “that current spirituality like that of the ancients has fostered 2 qualities Transcendence and Intimacy. 

          Transcendence: There must be more that extends beyond me.

          Intimacy: A sense that deep within me there is a core being that is inaccessible.

He continues, “This is why we long for Transcendence and Intimacy, but these elements suggest spirituality must be conceived as something we think up and must do. So… humans continue to exhaust themselves all the while missing the point.”

What Peterson is saying, is that people seeking to find spirituality often have the tendency to try and make God into something of their own design they find fashionable.

I would like to share 3 ways we can deepen true spirituality with God.

1. Consider Creation

Jesus describes things of the spirit as “Wind that Blows.” And… Jesus uses creation to describe the presence of God. For Example…“Look at the flowers of the field & the birds of the air.” Look around you… see the beauty… There’s something mysteriously spiritual about creation… not in a pantheistic way… but a transcendence way that’s beyond our grasp. People who’ve been to the Grand Canyon tell me that it’s one of the most spiritual experiences they’ve ever had.

In 2004 I was living in Florida when the state was crisscrossed with 4 Hurricanes. On the last one we decided to stay even though it was forecasted to come right at us. We lived in a condo on the shore of the Indian River across from the space center and at the peak of the storm just before it hit land, at mid-night, and just before we lost power, it was reported at the space center 100 mph winds. At that moment I decided to go out to the river and experience what 100 mph wind was like. It was pitch black and you couldn’t see a thing as I trying to stand amongst the wind. And for a moment the wind became a spiritual event for me. The Hebrew word for wind is “Ruach” meaning “breath of God.” In that moment I was experiencing the breath of God… the wind of the spirit. It was also a pretty dumb thing to do as well.

Think about it for a moment… when we’re out in creation we seem less anxious… more content… less in a hurry… the heart is more open to the awesomeness of God.

 

2. Grow in Relationship with Jesus

Vs 16… “God loved you & me so much he sent his son to make that love known.”

Theologian Mark Powell says, “When we understand our spirituality as a relationship with Jesus our spiritual lives are grounded in a reality external to ourselves.”

In this way…Jesus is a real person… not someone or thing we make up. Jesus actually walked the earth, ate, drank, slept, died… not someone or thing we dream. Jesus was raised from the dead.

When Apostle Paul says,

“As all die in Adam, all will be made alive “in Christ” 1Cor. 15:22

“If anyone is “in Christ” they are a new creation” 2Cor. 5:17

Jesus says this throughout the gospels… “Believe in me” “Stay connected to me” “Have faith in me” “Everyone who has faith in me.” When you are “in Christ” you are connecting to the core of the spiritual experience. When you are “in Christ” you “Love Jesus.”

Which takes us to the 3^rd way… 3. Love Jesus, Follow Jesus

There’s no coincidence that Jesus asks Peter 3 times…“Do You Love Me?”

Paul tells the Gal. 5:22… “to put on good habits to be Loving, Peaceful, Patient, Good to Others, Faithful, and Self-Controlled. Don’t be jealous or conceited or claim to be better than you are.” 

In the end… Paul says, “If you want to change… embrace the Spirit of God and place him in your heart.” When we love Jesus we naturally follow Jesus. We do this by consistently practicing being in Community Prayer… Worshiping…Learning… Serving… Being in Relationships… and Being Generous. When we consistently practice these we begin to follow Jesus and we deepen our spiritual understanding. Essentially… Jesus is telling Nic and his friends if you want spiritual understanding… Love Me… Follow Me!

Closing:

Many of us get God and Jesus… The Spirit however… well… the Spirit is a great mystery to most of us and it often leaves us wondering and skeptical. Much like it did for Nicodemus and Jesus’ friends. Jesus says Vs 15, “Everyone who has faith in the Son of Man will have eternal life.” Faith my friends… is the key to opening the door to spiritual understanding.