Spiritual Truth

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.”-1 Timothy 3:16

Physical reality is complicated – to the degree that even the most basic college chemistry course must tackle abstract concepts like orbital theory for even a basic understanding of reactivity. It may be frustrating trying to tackle these subjects, but most students understand from the beginning that the subject matter is inherently difficult. It would be absolute nonsense to discount the reality of chemical reactivity simply because it is difficult to comprehend. If we all assume that physical reality is complicated by its nature, why should spiritual matters be any less complicated? It seems that when it comes to spiritual truth, we all demand simple answers for difficult subjects – and if a simple answer can’t be provided we are inclined to dismiss spiritual matters altogether. If we had taken this same approach to our understanding of physical truth, we would still be in a stone age.

Spiritual reality is by no means less complicated than physical reality, because physical reality was itself derived from spiritual reality. That is to say, the very substance of matter came forth from a spiritual substance. Scripture tells us that, “…the things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”-Hebrews 11:3 In a sense you could think of this ‘spiritual substance’ as being the raw material for the ‘physical substance’ we call matter. From a high level physics standpoint, this conclusion really isn’t as outrageous as it might initially sound. It is fairly well understood within the mainstream scientific community that in order for our universe to exist, there must be other coexisting higher dimensions. The reason for this is simply that our universe as a closed system can’t exist without any external source of energy.

This concept of a closed system may be understood by comparing our universe to a giant matchstick. At the beginning of Time the match was unlit but had the greatest amount of potential energy for reactions in the future. Think about all the energy required to run the stars, form the galaxies, and shape worlds. The moment the match was lit, the universe began to ‘burn out’ as it were. Although the ‘total amount’ of energy in the universe has remained the same since the beginning of time, the remaining potential energy for future reactions has decreased with time. Eventually like a burnt out match the universe will come to a point of equilibrium, where there is no energy remaining for future reactions. Looking at the universe like this however is quite troubling, besides for the fact that it places a distinct beginning and ending point to the universe.

If the universe really is like a giant matchstick, then how did the matchstick itself come into existence? As a Christian that is not a difficult question to answer, but most scientists will use every precaution to invoke anything that remotely sounds like ‘God’. A much more popular view is that matter has always existed – and that there is something ‘outside’ the universe in the form of other dimensions that has somehow fed energy into our universe. Either way you look at it, in order for our universe to exist there must be something ‘outside’ of it that has enabled or enables it to exist. As a follower of Christ, I have always found it humorous how ‘spiritual’ my fellow scientists suddenly become when discussing these matters – after all what difference is there really between ‘other dimensions’ and ‘spiritual reality’!

When it comes to spiritual truth, the Apostle Paul wrote, “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” – 1 Cor. 12:12 God knows us far better than we are able to know Him, and our understanding of Him will always be at best dim. However, even though we can’t see clearly through to the other side of the glass – we can see clearly enough to know He is there! If we want to know what God is like, we need to look no further than to Jesus. Jesus was the One who fed the multitudes, healed the sick, and laid His very life down for our sake.

Radical Reality

I will never forget the effect that Donnie Moore and Radical Reality had on our little ‘cow-town’ of Tulare, Ca. a little over 15 years ago now… In a sense Tulare was your typical town supported by agriculture, with very little for the average teenager to do aside from lounging around and knocking cows over in the night (actually, we preferred to ‘teepee’ our friends’, and occasionally enemies’ houses). One of the most popular community events was the annual ‘bell game’, where the two rival high school football teams would compete for the coveted ‘cow bell’ of victory. At the time however, my cynical view of the town and life itself had been challenged by a recent and life changing encounter with the Holy Spirit. 

There really is a whole lot to be said for the concept of ‘spiritual rebirth’, but it must be experienced in order to be truly understood. Even though I had heard all that stuff about being ‘born again’ before, what I experienced had the effect of changing the way I viewed myself and the world – as if I were a new person. Like a newborn child, the world once more was a place filled with wonder and awe – because for the first time I was looking at the world through a spiritual lens. When I heard that my youth group was going to be hosting a Team called ‘Radical Reality’ I was immediately drawn to it, because the name reflected my new understanding of the world… reality really was ‘radical’. 

Radical Reality was going to be visiting the two rival high schools of our town, and afterwards have a special meeting for all who wanted to attend later that night. When I walked into the high school gym during the daytime assembly I immediately sensed the presence of God moving through the room, and knew that for this Team, ‘Radical Reality’ wasn’t just a name. At full volume the Winans song ‘It’s Time to make that change’ blared through the speakers – and I once again resolved in my heart that I wanted to pursue the radical reality that only God could reveal. The message of the Team was simple and inspirational, everyone is special and has unique value. While not directly sharing about God, the performances of the Team were more than enough to draw people to the meeting later that evening. 

What happened that night is unlike anything I have ever seen in a public school setting… I saw students, parents, and teachers alike kneeling in the aisles of the auditorium to receive Christ as their Lord and Savior. Local churches were immediately filled with new families who had collectively made decisions for Christ, and the entire community as a result began to feel like a different place altogether. Just as the excitement and laughter of a newborn brings joy to a home, our town felt revitalized – it was a place where you would actually want to live! 

The events that happened in my home town will forever be imprinted on my heart because they demonstrated the most important truth any of us will ever know – there is more to reality than the things that are seen. There was nothing about Tulare that physically changed – but there was a spiritual change that impacted the way I saw ‘reality’. As the years have passed since then I have come to realize more and more that the key to experiencing that ‘radical reality’ is the gift that Jesus offers us, the Holy Spirit. There is nothing that God wants more than to pour out His Spirit in our lives, but we need to desire and pursue Him! Jesus said in Luke 11:13, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”