September 2010 eLetter

In This Issue
THE SEVERE LIMITATIONS OF SPIRITUAL ADOLESCENCE – Steve Crosby
THE SEVERE LIMITATIONS OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE – Greg Austin

THE SEVERE LIMITATIONS OF HUMAN MOTIVATION

& INDIVIDUAL MINISTRIES – Don Atkin

REGISTRATION DEADLINE – SEPTEMBER 30

 THE SEVERE LIMITATIONS OF SPIRITUAL ADOLESCENCE
Steve Crosby
www.SteveCrosby.org

Several years ago my father experienced a dramatic transformation. When I was 16, he was
an idiot. When I was 40, the same guy was a genius. How did he become so wise? Must
have been a miracle. Of course, I am joking. I was the one who had grown up. I was the idiot
at 16 (and I’m still in recovery to this day!).

Even though “teen angst” is a complete fabrication of twentieth century psychologists, what
we have come to know as adolescence is a normal stage of growth toward functional
adulthood. There are qualities common to modern adolescence, and many of them are
unpleasant. A wag once quipped that we know that Isaac was not a teenager when he went
up Mount Moriah, because if he had been, Abraham would have killed him anyway . . . ram or
no ram!

Adolescents tend to:

• Know more than their parents about everything.

• Be ungrateful.
• Desire to make their own way, without help.
• Reject parental values, only to embrace them again later in life.
• View their parents as out of it, not cool, un-hip, hopelessly behind the times.
• View their sphere of life activity as all encompassing, as the most important thing in
the universe. They can be self-centered.

Perhaps the comic version of Abraham had the right idea!

The spiritual realm often reflects the natural.1 Individual believers and “restoration
movements” frequently pass through what could be called “spiritual adolescence.” This is a
time when people/things are not what they were, or they can no longer abide former
affiliations, but they have not fully realized God’s intention for their migration to the new thing.
It’s a delicate time, which requires much love and patience from all parties.

At the present time, it seems to me that there’s a great deal of adolescent behavior occurring
between individuals in the emergent church movement and the institutional church.2 It’s an
attitudinal family squabble associated with overall kingdom growth toward maturity.

In any renewal or reformation movement that is authentically on the divine agenda,

individuals in it tend to develop reactionary responses to their history—the “place” they just
left. They tend to see very little value in anything associated with the former affiliation. They
tend to view it in absolute terms of right and wrong: “They (the former affiliation) are so
wrong!” Those who remain in the former association are often viewed with disdain as not

1
1Cor. 15:46.
2
These descriptions are in adequate to cover every nuanced variation of expression.

2
being involved with the new thing God is doing.3 Those in the former association often feel
betrayed by those who depart.

Usually, if God’s grace is active and responded to, individuals normally grow out of this
phase, as the does the movement as a whole. The new thing eventually outgrows its
adolescence, as the individual participants experience the progressive transformation to the
image of Christ, becoming a blessing to all: those who depart as well as those who stay.

Eventually, the new movement begins to take on some of the same qualities and attributes of
the old association. The new thing becomes domesticated. The fire of God in one generation
becomes the flickering candle of the next. The adolescent oath: “I will never be like my
parents,” comes home to roost--spiritually. Yesterday’s judges become themselves judged by
today’s new generation of judges. The new guard eventually becomes the old guard and the
reactionary cycle of carnality in the pursuit of a spiritual ideal repeats itself.

There is something inherently smug with saying things like: “This is what God is doing!” as if
our miniscule mind could comprehend the full scope and significance of what God might be
doing in the earth at a given moment. Why not just enjoy whatever season and place we
happen to be in at the moment with the Lord, and forget the grandiose statements of how
significant that moment and place is in God’s grand scheme of things, simply because it is
our moment and place? It’s legitimate for any of us to enjoy and be excited about whatever
God might be doing individually in and through us. It’s not legitimate to project on others that
they must participate in the same thing, at the same time, with the same intensity and
passion as myself. In God’s grace, we are each allowed our own seasons of adolescence.

It often takes wisdom, patience, and love to embrace a natural adolescent. The more mature
party in a relationship with an adolescent bears the responsibility of manifesting these
qualities. If individuals in the emergent church believe themselves to be more grown up in
Christ, then let them demonstrate their superiority by excelling in love. If those in the
institutional church believe themselves to be more mature than those who depart the
institution, let them do likewise, rather than engage in adolescent debates with each other
about the superiority of where our posteriors may be positioned on a Sunday morning. Let
love be the testimonial witness of our spiritual acumen, not our meeting mechanics. It would
seem the kingdom would experience increase if all parties excelled in love rather than cycles
of spiritual sniping.

We can, and should, hold fast to our convictions and values, preaching and teaching them
vigorously. Out of deeply held convictions regarding Truth and our participation in Him, we
may not want to invest our lives’ energies within a certain framework or expression. We might
feel very strongly about these things. I understand. I have my own strong convictions. That’s
all fine. But in our interpersonal relationships, let’s stop adolescent indictments and
reactionary responses to one another.

Let’s leave behind adolescent behavior, attitudes, and judgments, and excel in love. Let us
love and serve one another wherever we might be in the season and plan of God for our
lives. Let us not assault one another with our “revelations” of this or that thing. Even an

3
Some would say, “requiring” of all “whole-hearted” believers, implying that people who do not make the change are
somehow less faithful to God’s purposes.

3
approach made with good intent will be viewed as a threat and rebuffed by those whose
drawbridge is up, and whose battlements are armed.

Love prevails. Love is patient. Love is kind. Love does not require being heard. Love waits for
an invitation. Love does not demand access without consent. Access to the human soul
without consent of the individual, is spiritual rape. We violate Jesus in one another when we
do so, regardless of how vital we think our understanding on a given topic might be and how
badly we believe it needs to be heard.

Just as each adolescent must ultimately live his or her own life, and the details of it cannot be
prescribed for others to follow, let’s allow each other the freedom to take our own spiritual
journey. There will always be someone “behind us” and someone “ahead of us” on the
spectrum of kingdom life. If we look behind or to the side with a demeaning attitude toward
someone whom we think “just doesn’t get it,” we can be assured that there’s someone further
along than ourselves who is looking back at us with the same attitude. Sow mercy. Reap the
same.

In the process of growth to full spiritual adulthood, it’s ok to leave the cradle. It’s not ok to kick
it on the way out, and to curse the hands that rocked it.

4
 THE SEVERE LIMITATIONS OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE
Greg Austin
www.GregAustin.org

The thirst for knowledge, to investigate and to discover, to reason and to find has lifted man
from his primordial beginnings to reach to the stars, to walk on the moon’s surface and to
search out the depths of the seas. The innate yearning for knowledge has served mankind
and has ended disease, increased the quality of life for billions.

By our twenty-first century on earth, the unquenchable need to know has catapulted mankind
into realms that previous generations could never imagine, let alone contemplate.

And in this amazing hunger to learn and to discover exists an Achilles heel of unseen
weakness and danger.

Because we must know, because we must probe and find evidence to support or destroy our
theories, we unwittingly establish ourselves as final judge and jury in the court of Truth and
Error.

When it comes to things spiritual and the concepts of our theology, the danger of needing to
know is exacerbated and the consequences of error are eternal.

At the extreme periphery of this need to know exist the fortune teller, the crystal ball gazer,
the palm reader and even the charismatic/Pentecostal excessive prophet. Each of these is in
business specifically because of a ready and perpetual market of seekers, of searchers for
knowledge and understanding.

Man has searched for ultimate reality, argued for or against the existence of a hidden Creator
from the second generation of humans to breathe earth’s atmosphere until now.

Adam and Eve, the first humans “knew” God. As early as Genesis 3 we find Eve declaring,
“God has said.” There is settled understanding here which indicates that Eve “knew” and did
not merely suspect or imagine God’s existence.

Far from denying the reality of God, shortly after her experience with the serpent and the tree
of the knowledge of good and evil, Eve and Adam heard the sound of the Lord God walking
in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence
of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.1

Yet subsequent generations would not share the intimacy that our first parents enjoyed with
God, and the question arose and was repeated by each generation, “Is there in truth a
solitary Creator God, and if so, Who is He, what is He like, How may I know Him?”

1
Genesis 3:8

5
Each ensuing generation spawned believer and unbeliever alike. Some would easily, readily
recognize a Life Force beyond the grasp of man while others would as readily renounce and
deny the existence of any Creator Being, whether that Creator was personal or impersonal.

Some would readily argue the perceived merits of the Creator or no Creator debate.
Intellectual stimulation is a healthy exercise. Pursuing, questioning, probing all produce a
greater body of knowledge.

But the danger of the pursuit of knowledge is no different in the twenty-first century than it
was at the dawn of life itself, in the Garden of Eden when the serpent beguiled God’s creation
with the suggestion, God knows that in the day you eat of it [the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil] your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.2

“The knowledge of good and evil.” Knowledge: It is an essential component of man’s journey
through time:

Knowledge gave man the ability to make fire, to sustain himself with food, to find
water.

Knowledge allowed man to construct a wheel to ease the burden of transportation.

Knowledge enabled man to protect and to defend himself from enemies, animal or
human.

Knowledge spawned the invention of the light bulb, and gave to man the means to
communicate around the world by use of a device smaller than the palm of a man’s
hand.

Knowledge caused man to conquer disease and to create a more comfortable and
safer environment for his existence.

What’s wrong with knowledge?

There are unknowable things in this world. There are depths which may never be plumbed,
heights which may never be reached. Were these limitations not in place, we would, as the
serpent promised, “be like God.” Unredeemed man chafes at this reality. Those alienated
from God disparage the thought that in the realm of knowledge exist unobtainable
ambiguities.

Man, without God desires to be God.

Paul indicates that the apostles were servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of
God.3 Notice, “stewards;” not those who necessarily understand or comprehend in a cognitive
sense, but “stewards” are those who manage another's property or affairs. The steward does
not necessarily have knowledge of every detail of another’s affairs, but manages those affairs

2
Genesis 3:5
3
1 Corinthians 4:1

6
in a faithful manner. The hallmark of the steward is faithfulness, not complete knowledge.

How then should we approach the unknowns of life, of God, of theology, of existence? We
must apply ourselves to know what may be known. We ought to diligently search the
scriptures to see whether these things be so.4 We must seek to understand what can be
understood. Pursue inquiry, chase it down every conceivable pathway, do not tire in the quest
to know.

But when we arrive at the unknowable, the unsearchable, the unobtainable, understand that
God creates a barrier beyond which human understanding cannot go. Were there no limits to
knowledge, not only would we become gods to ourselves, but we would have no need, no
use for faith.

Recall God’s pop quiz, given to Job. The Creator God asks Job a series of questions, the
answers to which are never revealed, never stated, simply because they are, to man,
unknowable.

. . . the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: "Who is this who darkens counsel
By words without knowledge? I will question you, and you shall answer Me. "Where were you
when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined
its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its
foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together,
And all the sons of God shouted for joy? "Or who shut in the sea with doors, When it burst
forth and issued from the womb; When I made the clouds its garment, And thick darkness its
swaddling band; When I fixed My limit for it, And set bars and doors; When I said, 'This far
you may come, but no farther . . .5

In spite of the deepest and most sincere intellectual inquiry; in the face of multiple lifetimes
given to the diligent search for truth, there remains an inviolable “You may go thus far, and no
farther;” there are God-engendered limits to our pursuit of and access to knowledge.

It is at this precise location, at the junction of desire and “no farther” that we come to the
place and the gift of faith.

The essential component of faith is trust, not knowledge. How can faith be demonstrated if I
know the end of a thing before it has happened? How can I have faith if I have already seen?

The Bible is clear: Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy
inexpressible and full of glory.6

Peter’s audience is comprised of Jews who had been scattered to the far reaches of the
Gentile world. When Christ was preached to them, although none had seen Him, they
received and embraced not merely the message but the Person of Christ, a Person they had
not seen. This is the essence of faith: It is found in believing; in relying on the evidence of
something we have not seen.

4
See Acts 17:11
5
Job 38: 1-10. The reader is encouraged to examine all of Job 38 for a more profound understanding.
6
1 Peter 1:8

7
We struggle and strain in our need to explain, to describe, to investigate and dissect and to
make perfect sense of all the things we say that we believe.

The effort of the flesh, the insatiable thirst to know becomes our chief and ultimate enemy:

The old hymn caught the substance well:

‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His word.

Just to rest upon His promise, And to know, “Thus saith the Lord!”

8
 THE SEVERE LIMITATIONS OF HUMAN MOTIVATION
& INDIVIDUAL MINISTRIES
Don Atkin
www.DonAtkin.com

The human effort of any man or woman finds its limit at the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil.1 Neither motive for doing good nor motive for doing evil may—in and of itself—find,
enlarge or destroy any aspect of the kingdom of our God and His Christ. Both the fruit of
good and the fruit of evil bear the seed of death for those who live by either form of
intellectual nourishment.

Yet, those whose lives are hidden with Christ in God,2 who bear in our bodies the marks of
the Lord Jesus,3 are privileged to carry His life4 to others, thus extending and expanding the
kingdom of God.

For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shown in our
hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be
of God and not of us.5

Understanding the excellence of the power of God, Paul didn’t get sidetracked or
unnecessarily drawn into controversy over matters that did not concern authentic kingdom
issues.

It’s true that some here preach Christ because with me out of the way, they think
they’ll step right into the spotlight. But the others do it with the best heart in the world.
One group is motivated by pure love, knowing that I am here defending the Message,
wanting to help. The others, now that I’m out of the picture, are merely greedy, hoping
to get something out of it for themselves. Their motives are bad. They see me as
their competition, and so the worse it goes for me, the better—they think—for them.

So how am I to respond? I’ve decided that I really don’t care about their motives,
whether mixed, bad or indifferent. Every time one of them opens his mouth, Christ is
proclaimed, so I just cheer them on!6

We are living in the midst of much confusion. However, we need not be confused. God is
not the author of confusion but of peace.7 We should not be so concerned about matters of
church government, structure and structures, that we want anything less than God’s highest

1
Genesis 2:16-17
2
Colossians 3:3
3
Galatians 6:17
4
Galatians 2:20
5
2 Corinthians 4:6-7
6
Philippians 1:15-18 TM
7
1 Corinthians 14:33a

9
and best for our brothers and sisters in Christ. We must remember that we, too, are on a
learning curve, and many of us have believed and practiced our faith in different ways in the
past.

We denominate ourselves whenever we attempt to define ourselves. Who among us is

innocent? Who will cast the first stone? The builder of the church,8 the author and finisher of
our faith9 carries responsibilities for the completion of His church. Our part is to trust and
obey, not leaning on our own understanding.10

Nor should we be unduly concerned about the political or economic environment of the nation
where we have been sent as ambassadors for Christ.11 The kingdom of God is not of this
world.12 Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom.13 Let’s get about the business of
seeking first His kingdom!14

Someone recently explained that suicide bombers rely more on their emotions than on logic.
That would also explain a great percentage of those who are at war with other believers.
Perhaps an even greater percentage of intramural warfare among saints is the product of
logic. Both unruly emotions and unredeemed logic find their origins in that infamous tree of
the knowledge of good and evil.

We should not find ourselves involved in deciding between good and evil. Such futility wears
out the saints. Jesus Christ is the Word made flesh.15 He alone divides soul and spirit, and
is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. There is no creature hidden from His
sight.16 Jesus knows what is the product of the new creation,17 and what is not.

Paul chose the cross and the resurrection life of Christ living in him: God forbid that I should
boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to
me, and I to the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails
anything, but a new creation.18

Every item of your new way of life is custom-made by the Creator, with his label on it.
All the old fashions are now obsolete. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious
and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean
nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ.

So, chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for
you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered,
content with second place, quick to forgive an offense. Forgive as quickly and

8
Matthew 16:18
9
Hebrews 12:2
10
Proverbs 3:5
11
2 Corinthians 5:20
12
John 18:36
13
1 Corinthians 15:50
14
Matthew 6:33
15
John 1:14
16
Hebrews 4:12-13a
17
2 Corinthians 5:17
18
Galatians 6:14-15

10
 completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear
love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other.19

It is normal and proper for our perspectives to be radically adjusted when contextualized by
our rightful placement in the body of Christ.20 This is particularly essential among those who
are responsible for equipping the saints for the work of the ministry.21 Rightly motivated
servant/leaders may be wrongly configured because of the absence of balancing gifts—
especially the absence of the foundational gifts—and therefore influence saints that never
mature beyond adolescence.

Multitudes of believers remain somewhere between infancy and adolescence today because
of sincere but unbalanced and incomplete solo leadership. We need one another if we ever
hope to present the fullness of Christ to His body in the earth. Only functional teams can be
relatively confident and competent in rightly understanding and teaching from Scripture.

The new creation finds its motivation in the Tree of Life—Jesus Christ—while interfacing with
other branches with whom the Vine joins us.

The mystery of His body will be revealed to a waiting creation as we embrace one another in
faith, hope and love.

19
Colossians 3:10-15 TM
20
1 Corinthians 12:18
21
Ephesians 4:11

11