Relating to a Dimensionless God: The Conclusion

Continued from Relating to a Dimensionless God: Part 1...

"My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKJV)

...One day, the most gloriously peculiar thing began to happen. It all started when the Sphere once again entered flat space fully. In flat space, the Sphere appears as a circle, just like everyone else, except it is the only perfect circle without a single irregularity. Yet, it maintains its properties as a sphere existing beyond the dimensions of flat space. Therefore, we see that the Sphere exists as fully circle and fully Sphere at the same time.

The Perfect Circle points out some of the most obvious imperfections of many prominent irregular circles, beckoning them to draw near again to the Sphere. In fact, the Perfect Circle slowly begins to reveal that he is the Sphere! However, except for a very few, most of the irregularity ridden circles despise the Perfect Circle, convinced that he is not indeed as perfect as he claims and certainly not their Creator the Sphere! Eventually, all but a few imperfect circles come to hate the Perfect Circle and plot to kill Him, but they cannot, for they have no power over the Sphere. Instead, inexplicably, the Perfect Sphere/Circle submits Himself to erasure and allows the irregular circles to erase his apparent imprint on flat space. The sinister, perfectly irregular entity has never been nearer to the Sphere than now, cackling and insulting the Perfect Circle until finally the last of him is erased from flat space. The last Perfect Circle. The only Perfect Circle. Gone.
...

But what is that?! Something previously unseen! Has that been there the entire time or did it just appear? Flat space is not alone! Below it are two more sheets like it! But they seem as peculiar as flat space in many ways. The bottom layer is black space, and in it is the imprint of multitudes of very irregular circles, almost unrecognizable as circles…yes, their irregularities seem to be amplified compared to those in flat space. But between black space and flat space exists a most wondrous red space. And look! There! The Sphere! It is now residing in red space, perfectly cross-sected just as it once was in flat space! And it seems to be surrounded by a great number of circles…but wait, these circles are all perfect…and at times they occupy the same red space with the Sphere, such that they are indistinguishable from each other and the Sphere. What is this place? A place of restored perfect unity not seen since the very beginning!
...

Back in flat space, the Perfect Circle looks as erased as any circle ever has been...except those in flat space still don’t comprehend that his nature is truly a sphere, external to the 2D flat space that he in fact created. Even still, flat space has never seemed so irregular, so ugly, so full of certain and utter erasure. That is, until the most amazing thing happened…

It is the third day since the erasure of the Perfect Circle, the Sphere in flat space. Suddenly, MMMP! The Sphere slams the black and red spaces together against flat space! And just as suddenly, the Sphere appears again in flat space, a perfect circle! But there is something different, the Sphere is different…no, he is the same…but his appearance is now red. He seems to have somehow connected the perfection of red space with flat space!

A few irregular circles that once followed the Perfect Circle come near and seem almost magnetically attached to him, yet most of the flat space circles stay far away. In only a short time, the Sphere leaves flat space again, to the disappointment of the circles that had clung so closely to him. But again, a most peculiar happening: all who had connected to the Perfect Circle after His erasure have been changed…they have received his red color! What could this mean? They do not fully know, but it becomes apparent that those who know the Perfect Circle can be easily distinguished from those who never knew him.

Furthermore, slowly, but surely, all irregular circles that have been colored red begin to lose their irregularity. It is almost imperceptible…but yes, it is there! The irregularity is being healed! Meanwhile, as the healing, not-so-irregular circles mill about, some irregular, non-red circles begin to have contact with the red ones and they too become red. Others never become red. It is all a bit mysterious, but the red circles recall the Perfect Circle’s instructions to “Go and make red circles of all nations. I am with you always, to the very end.” As mysterious as it sounded, it seems to be true! That by simply carrying the Red Gift of the Perfect Circle, they have the power to share his healing Red Power with all who will receive it. What an amazing course of events!

Something good seems to be happening to these still irregular spheres with the Red Gift, because they are becoming less irregular every day. As good as that may seem, most shockingly, these red circles still begin to fade or suddenly disappear from flat land...the same as all irregular circles, whatever their color. But as they are erased, we see the red space receive their image—but look, this is perhaps the most amazing part! They are instantly transformed to a perfect red circle! And in the center of the red space? The Sphere, in majestic perfection and glory.

All circles that have not received the Red Gift at erasure are transferred to the black space, never having received the only passage to red space that comes through the Perfect Circle alone. Conversely, as many as have received the Red Gift at erasure are transferred to red space. In the black space, all irregularities are enhanced...in fact, they are perfectly irregular, just as the dreadful, perfectly irregular entity that now resides in the center of black space. In the red space, all irregularity is gone. And amongst them is the Sphere, the Perfect Circle, and the Red Gift is everywhere. In fact, they have all come to occupy the same space, such that you can no longer perceive one circle from another, nor any circle from the Sphere...they are as one! All circles are as one, and the Sphere is as one with all circles. Perfection, just as it was created in the beginning.

All praise to the Sphere, the Perfect Circle, and the indwelling Red Gift. All praise to God the Father, Jesus Christ our Savior, and the Holy Spirit of God. Forever and ever. Amen.


*Disclaimer: I acknowledge that this metaphor is not theologically perfect, omitting some of God’s character, and imperfectly representing other parts of his character. It is meant to articulate a greater perspective and help to understand God, Creation, Man, Sin, Heaven, Hell, Substitution, Intercession, and Sanctification…but it is not meant to explain each of them fully.

Relating to a Dimensionless God: Part 1

"My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKJV)

Borrowing the old preacher's metaphor of humans as two dimensional circles and God being a three dimensional sphere, I am inspired to build upon that imagery more thoroughly, for I believe that it is useful for understanding, if only slightly better, man's relationship to and infinite God.

We exist in a three dimensional world, four if you count time, as some do.  If there is a supreme God, then He created this three dimensional world and time itself, therefore being superior to any created dimension.  We cannot adequately describe anything that exists in dimensions beyond ours (though many have fun trying, and I enjoy the genre of movies and stories that spring forth from such creative thought); therefore, we may seek to build our understanding in reverse, placing our world anecdotally as the highest dimension and exploring the relationship to a created world with fewer dimensions.  We can then take our understanding of that scenario and place ourselves in the perspective of the world of fewer dimensions, God in the "world" of greater dimensions, and understand more fully our relationship to God.

Imagine a sphere existing in open space.  There is a sphere and nothing else but black space.  This sphere sheds what looks to be an outer covering and spreads it flat in the open space below.  Peculiarly, this sphere enters into this flattened out used-to-be-covering, such that it perfectly cross-sects the sphere.  MMMP!  A burst of light and the paper is gloriously stained.  The sphere moves sideways in the flat space, leaving behind the imprint of a perfect circle.  But that is not the end of this peculiar scene.  The sphere and this created circle have a strange interaction, with the ability to occupy the same space such that the sphere and the created circle cannot be distinguished from one another.  Even still, even greater peculiarity awaits.

Next, the sphere extracts a small portion of the created circle, such that it fades ever so slightly.  With this small extracted ink-like material, the sphere moves sideways in flat space and MMMP!  Another circle is created.  Now there are two circles and the flat space cross-sected sphere existing together, each abiding in the same flat space, with the ability of full overlap such that they are indistinguishable from one another.

If that wasn't intriguing enough, what happens next is quite disturbing.  Another entity, three dimensional and of abnormal shape...in fact, perfectly irregular if there ever was such a thing, with no two sides the same length, no two angles the same, and honestly ugly compared with the perfect circles...this entity descends to newly created flat space, entering such that it cross-sects just as the space did with the sphere.  This entity lacks the Mmmp! power to create its image in flat space...but this perfectly irregular entity has other, sinister power.

The perfectly irregular entity begins to encroach upon the two perfect circles.  The entity convinces the circles that if they allow it to be a part of their circles that they will know what it is like to be three dimensional!  They can become just like their creator, the sphere, he says.  Further, he says that the sphere does not want them to share that privilege, but that he can grant it, if they will embrace him.  Tricked, both spheres embrace the perfectly irregular entity.  Mmmp!  What's that?!  Horrifically, the once perfect circles look at themselves and see large, jagged imperfections!  They are still circular in nature, but their borders are characterized by irregularities.  "What a terrible thing has happened!" they cry, as the perfectly irregular entity cackles and flees the scene.

The sphere comes near.  The once perfect, now irregular circles seek to hide themselves, but they cannot.  As the sphere comes near, it becomes painfully obvious that with their jagged irregularities, they can no longer occupy the same space as the sphere.  The sphere desires to share the perfect unity again, as do the circles, but without being made perfect again, they simply cannot.  In fact, the sphere now withdraws itself such that it is no longer perfectly cross-sected by the flat space, but instead maintains a tangential relationship with constant contact to flat space, but much less intimate space sharing. The sphere, though unable to unite with the irregular circles as they once did, remains near, guiding them as closely as their irregularities allow. However, the irregular circles inexplicably begin to slowly fade.  This is quite disturbing and they grieve as they realize that only by their prior unity in flat space with the sphere were they able to remain fully vibrant in color.  But they are helpless against the fading that slowly persists.

The imperfect circles begin to multiply and multiply, until much of the once seemingly infinite flat space becomes occupied with imperfect circle after imperfect circle.  They find, heartbreakingly, that the circles they produce together carry imperfections, and no perfect circle is ever seen again.  Still, the sphere remains near to the imperfect circles that will remain near to him.  He never leaves, yet no circle, nor the sphere itself experiences the blissful unity they shared in the beginning.

Even worse, since receiving irregularity, the spheres seem to continually fade until one day they completely disappear, never to return again!  Furthermore, that dreadful, perfectly irregular entity continues to wreak havoc, amplifying the irregularities of the once circular that remain the farthest from the sphere.  Interestingly, the perfectly irregular entity dares not come near the sphere.  Worst of all, the perfectly irregular entity wields what every circle fears most: The Eraser.  Suddenly, and without warning, circles are erased, never to be heard from again!  It seems that whether by slowly fading away or suddenly, all circles are erased in time, and the cumulative irregularity of the flat space circles continues to grow. In fact, some circles become so jagged, so marred, that they are hardly recognizable as circles at all, much more closely resembling the perfectly irregular entity that seems to be at the root of everything imperfect in flat space.

With such irregularity and separation from all that was once perfect, many circles lose hope.  But others remember the promise given by the sphere throughout their generations: the promise of one that has the power to restore the circles to the sphere.  But when?  How?  And so they waited...

...To be continued...

Find the Conclusion here: Relating to a Dimensionless God: The Conclusion


*Disclaimer: I acknowledge that this metaphor is not theologically perfect, omitting some of God’s character, and imperfectly representing other parts of his character. It is meant to articulate a greater perspective and help to understand God, Creation, Man, Sin…but it is not meant to explain each of them fully.

Life Is Good

Life is good. My life is good. But I really mean that life itself is good.

Is your life good? It can be. Today.

Over the past several weeks, it seems like I have come to greater realization of the abundance of blessings in my life. Some were new ones that I am so thankful for, and some have been there all along but I’m just now starting to recognize and appreciate them. Truly, I thank God for these many blessings.

Adding to my thanksgiving is knowing where I’ve come from. If you know me or have read some of my blog posts, you’ll know that I went through a very difficult period in my life just 2 short years ago. In this struggle that was both emotional and physical, I nearly died. That is not an exaggeration—my body nearly failed me as I lost 40 pounds from a 170 pound frame that had only about 5 pounds to give. If you know me or have read my blog posts, you’ll also know that in the height of this trial and both the emotional and physical pain that coursed through my body on a daily, hourly, even on a continuous basis…in the worst moment, I prayed a very sincere prayer and asked if God would let me die and join Him in Heaven right then. He did not…He made me stay here. And through that I realized that He had purpose left for me, and that it was actually better for me and His kingdom for me to remain here for at least a little while longer. Additionally, I realized that He is my Father in Heaven and I am His son, and that if a son asks his father who loves him to come home, one of two things will happen: either the father will say yes and the son will come home, or the father will say no and come to where his son is. For me, it was the latter. I knew in the months that followed that my Father in Heaven had come to me in my cry to come to Him, that He was already there, and that He remains with me forever, on earth or in Heaven.

Life is good. In the land of the living.

I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. - Psalm 27:13

God has faithfully restored my body to health in the months and years since the days described above. I feel healthier now than possibly ever before. He has reached into the pit and rescued me. I pray that many will see and fear the Lord and praise His name (Psalm 40:1-3). I pray that many will seek not just His restoring hand, but His face…intimate relationship with a true Friend, Savior, Father, Master, and Creator.

Through the trial, my spiritual restoration is eternal. And although I was physically restored, today I got some bad news from my doctor. It appears that my body has received irreconcilable damage from the disease that riddled my body 2 years ago, a non-communicable disease that is now under control, but that it appears I will never fully recover from. I don’t have to tell you that this was very hard to accept. But I can also tell you that even if the worst comes to me, life is good because of my Savior. In fact, the terrible news has inspired me to write to you today.

Life is good. Everlasting life is even better.

Adding to my thanksgiving is knowing where I’m going. Heaven. A place with no more crying, no pain (Rev 21:4). A place of absolute oneness with our fellow man, and absolute oneness with our Savior Jesus and Father God (see John 17). A oneness well beyond our imaginations of physical splendor with gold streets and perpetual sunshine and everything we love on this earth.

Life is good. Life with my Savior Jesus Christ is good.

It’s easy to see at this point that there is one common reason why life is good in the dichotomy of circumstances described above: Jesus Christ and a relationship with Him. Not merely knowledge of Him. Certainly salvation. But it doesn’t stop there—it is knowing Him and being with Him that makes life good. Knowing Him and being with Him makes us rejoice in great trials (James 1:2-5). Knowing Him and being with Him makes us rejoice in thanksgiving and praise in times of great blessing. Knowing Him and being with Him is the essence of anything and everything good in my life, in your life, and in our lives to come.

Life is good. In all circumstances, in all things.

I submit to you that life is good in and of itself, as it is the breath of God breathed on you and me. We live with His blessing of life everyday and don’t even realize it. Do you know that by being born and made alive by His hand, you now have the opportunity of eternal life in perfect love and oneness with an almighty God? That by being made alive, regardless of your choices thus far in life, you have the opportunity to choose Him right now and have an everlasting relationship with Him? That by being made alive, simply being born onto planet earth, you can now be a son of God? Life is good. In the worst circumstance, life is good. If you have a Savior.

There are 4 types of people:
- those without a relationship with a Savior who have terrible circumstances
- those without a relationship with a Savior who have great circumstances
- those with a relationship with a Savior who have terrible circumstances,
- those with a relationship with a Savior who have great circumstances.

For the latter two, life is certainly good. I have been in both situations and can attest that life with my Savior is good.

Now for the arguments about two different types of people. First, those who have no relationship with the Savior, but their circumstances are great. You might say, “Life is good for them. You just said their circumstances are great.” Indeed. So you are measuring the goodness in life by circumstances alone? Think about a man who is traveling down a river in a boat with those he most loves. It’s a beautiful day, perfect temperature, they have every type of food and drink they would like, and the mood is fun. But what this man doesn’t realize is that there is a waterfall a half-mile downstream, and if he doesn’t start rowing to shore right in this moment, he will never be able to overcome its current before reaching the falls. Would you say that life is good for this man? His immediate circumstances are certainly good. But in being so caught up in the immediate good things, he has failed to take care of himself or his family by looking ahead and mapping out the river…and he is leading all of them to their death. Now imagine that this man had been told of the falls by others and was even offered a map…maybe he even took it…but he never read it. Maybe he even flipped the map open once or twice, but never really studied it at all such that he could see the dangers ahead of him. We might call this man irresponsible. But the fact of the matter is that we are this man for most of our lives. We have been told of Heaven and Hell, we’ve been offered a Bible. Have we ever opened it to read it…have we studied it? Or are we so content with our “good lives” that nothing else seems to matter so much?

For the man who rejects God’s Word and Jesus Christ, life is not good. Life led to the eternal death of Hell. And once there, he would trade every good thing he ever had in this otherwise “good life” in order to avoid that final outcome. He would curse his life as being worthless and the cause of every eternal torment.

Now for the second argument: “What about those who have the worst circumstances, even if they have this “Savior” you claim to know? What about those who are utterly beaten, broken, raped, or any other worst thing you can imagine, but are still living through it. Is life good for them?” Indeed, their circumstances are far from anything good. My heart feels anger and it breaks for those in situations like that. This one is tougher. I’ll let you know that my heart has recently been stirred for those in just that situation, especially those who do not yet know my Savior. There are literally millions of children as young as 7 years old around the world who are slaves to sex-trafficking. These girls are taken captive and initiated through daily beatings, starvation, and daily raping by multiple men. Once their will to fight is broken, if they do not kill themselves first, they are placed into life-long sex-slavery, receiving multiple gruesome abortions per year until they are rendered barren or ultimately die of an AIDS related disease before reaching middle-aged adulthood. This is one of the worst circumstances I can think of. For them, life turned bad. But what if they come to know a Savior who gives everlasting life in Heaven, and beyond that, He brings His presence to them right where they are in this moment? What about the children of these women who escaped abortion and have been rescued out to live abundant lives with this Savior? When these women see their daughters rescued, and even moreso when they themselves come to know a real Savior, in Jesus Christ, I tell you wholeheartedly: life is good again.

You may still argue with my paragraph above. But I want you to know that I have worked with an organization called As Our Own that rescues the daughters of such enslaved women. We have seen great transformation in the lives of these precious little girls who have been rescued from the same plight of their mothers into a loving family and into the body of Christ. I cannot convey to you what that looks and feels like…I am not capable of describing to you the joy of seeing it with your own eyes. And these women still enslaved have light in their eyes again, if only a glimmer at the start. I have seen the eyes of many enslaved women—as part of our work, I have been to the brothels! I can tell you that death looked back at me as I made eye contact with the vast majority of these women. But in the eyes of a woman with a little girl being cared for by As Our Own, there was the only light I could see in that terribly dark place.

And even for those who have not come to know our Savior, life in and of itself in the beginning was good. For they were born into the opportunity to have eternal life in Heaven, regardless of circumstances here on earth. Even for the man in the spiritual boat who rejected and refused to listen to God’s word—the map—whose life turned into a road to Hell…even for this man, life was not the bad thing. His life was originally good…not because of circumstances, but because of his opportunity to choose to be with God forever. So we see that circumstances do not change the goodness of life. The goodness of life is found only in our Savior Jesus Christ. While we were innocent children, life was good, the opportunity still in front of us to choose Him. Once we have chosen, life then becomes supremely good or life becomes our curse to Hell. However, so long as we are still alive, we have that choice! We can choose for life to be good, and for our lives to be good, this very day. Even the man who was trapped in the current and only feet from the falls could cry out to a Savior. Not a common savior or simply a good Samaritan—no, he could not be helped in the physical world at that point. His salvation would require a supernatural event…the river would need to stop flowing or he would need to be plucked out of the boat by some supernatural force. The blood and resurrection of Christ, the Son of God, has this supernatural power that we need in order to be saved by grace into oneness with a perfectly holy God. There is no natural antidote to our sin. There is no logical path. We require something supernatural, something beyond ourselves to be able to be one with our holy God and Savior. The fact is this: all of those other people who tried to hand this man a map and tell him of the waterfall—they only know because they themselves were in that same boat. They know because they themselves had to cry out to a Savior with hope of rescue, supernatural rescue. Not one of them were in a situation in which by their own strength they could overcome the current of sin. No, each one of us has come to the point of the waterfall, gripped in sin, hopeless of rowing our way to Heaven’s safe haven. Once there, those who called on the name of Jesus have been saved, and in reply we now seek to tell those who have not yet come to know the fierceness of the current of sin, the depth of the fall to Hell, or the glorious relationship with our Savior when we do call upon Him.

This is your opportunity. This is your future. This is your present. You have the choice. I pray that you choose the good life right here and now, and the good life that is everlasting. I pray that you come to know the life that is good with Jesus our Savior. Amen.

As Our Own & Salvation - Popcorn Christian Church - Feb '11

I had the pleasure of speaking with Popcorn Christian Church in Springville, IN yesterday. They are the church in which I grew up, and they supported me on my recent mission trip to India with As Our Own. The "video" below is of the message I gave to convey my newfound appreciation for my personal salvation through Christ...a greater appreciation as a result of teaming up with As Our Own. I hope that you might gain a renewed love of Jesus and those He seeks to rescue, as well.