"Dem Bones"

T.G.I.M.

W.O.F. Moverment / Part 7 

Last evening as the Farmer and I walked with Aslan to feed the critters at the barn we were talking about the valley of dry bones. I know, we have some interesting conversations. 

I said, "How many times have you heard Word of Faith and prosperity preachers say this well-known passage from Ezekiel 37 means that God wants to resurrect your dreams or goals or some "dead" portion of your life and bring you to "greatness?" 

The Farmer said, "Can we not talk about Word of Faith anymore? I just want us to talk about the Bible from now on and how "beautiful" it is." The Farmer doesn't use the word "beautiful" too often; he was repeating and mimicking what I said because I use the word "beautiful" quite a bit especially when I refer to a biblical truth I've learned. 

"I get it," I told him. I couldn't help but think that that's another "shoot" of the word-faith movement: "The Bible is a book about us." 

When word-faith preachers eventually get around to actually opening the Bible in a sermon, they typically just read a verse or two, never expositing large passages of Scripture, just a verse to fit disjointedly into their twisted theology. Usually their messages contain lots of stories about themselves and what God has done for them or how they've exercised their faith and God has raised them to "greatness" or prosperity or health or success. 

It's called "eisegesis" - reading one's self into the text, but I'm reminded of a clearer definition I heard recently: "narcigesis." 

I know what the Farmer means because after awhile, the word-faith jargon gets old. Hearts opened to the Truth don't want to go back to the thorns and thistles. When I traced the history of the word-faith movement, I only took it back to the late nineteenth century, but all false teachings, if we kept following its jagged trail, would land us smack in the Garden of Eden. We're all prone to having our itchy ears scratched with these annoying nettles. 

At our heart's core, we want to be our own god. We want to be the one calling the shots because in our minds, we know what's best for us. We want to be the hero of the story. That's the human condition, the sin Jesus, the true Rescuer, came to redeem us from. 

And only green pastures can satisfy us. Sheep may nibble on unhealthy, empty fodder, but sooner or later, they're going to get hungry for the real deal. 

My sheep enjoy bread. I don't give it to them too often, but sometimes I swing in the discount bread store and pick up a farm barrel of expired loaves and stash it in the freezer. Kids love to feed bread to the flock. 

However, as much as the sheep may enjoy the loaves of bread at the time, it never satisfies and sustains them like green pastures. When I lead them to a fresh field, through the gate and out of a field they've eaten past the nub, they about run me over to get to the green grass. 

That's how I think about the Farmer, and all of us believers, stampeding to get to the Truth because we know it's the only thing that truly satisfies our souls, sustains us through the harsh seasons of life, and strengthens us into the army of God. We are always tempted with the bread of selfishness, but sooner or later, we're hungrily reaching for the Truth: 

The Good News that in our sin, not because we were great, but in our sin, Christ died for us. The perfect life he lived here on earth is now imputed to us as if we lived it, when we confess our sins, repent, and put our trust in him. We become clothed in his righteousness. 

And one day, when He calls our name, sinews will lay upon us, skin will cover dem bones, breath will overtake the death within us, and we will stand on resurrected feet. 

Because the Bible is a book about Jesus. 

That's the Good News! 

💜

 "And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you will know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD." ( Ezekiel 37:14 ) 

"Jesus said to her, 'I am the resurrection and the life.Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me, shall never die. Do you believe this?'" ( John 11:25 ) 

Happy Monday, Friends! 

Archive photo of the Farmer with his first bull calf