Page 191 - "I read the Revelation not to get more information but to revive my imagination."
Page 200 - What's the response to Revelation 8-11? "First, we need to repent." "Second, we need to intercede (for others.)" "Third, we need to commit to prophesying, to declare, 'Thus says the Lord'."
I'm not sure what "prophesying" and "declaring" looks like but I painfully relate to what Revelation 10 reveals about what it FEELS like.
Darrell suggests at the start of chapter 8 and at other places in DOTE that "the best way to FEEL the message of 8-11" is to read it aloud. Before you read it aloud and before you seek to preach your friends and family to the heart of Christ READ THE FINE PRINT!!!!
For me, here's how Christ message FEELS when I humbly surrender to it ---
For me, here's how Christ message FEELS when I humbly surrender to it ---
When Christ leads me to His heart and when Christ pushes me to declare His truth, the message is sweet; however, the beauty and purity of His unconditional love and acceptance sickens this messenger (me) because it exposes the putrid, half-hearted self-possessed slob of me while working the message (gospel scroll) through the messenger (me).
The more I see His heart, the sicker I feel.
To eat the scroll and declare the meaning is to be sifted by grace.
I can think of dozens of movies and sci fi flicks to illustrate this next statement but I am going to leave them out of the picture -- I FEEL that the truth is - we taste that the Lord is good and consume His gospel but the reality is (and in this case John FEELS the reality) the gospel consumes you. You don't work it. It works you.
To summarize, a poem -
The better I preach.
The better I preach.
The sicker I feel.
So let's have scrolls for every meal!
So let's have scrolls for every meal!
Or. . . . the gospel tastes delicious; however, it takes all of chronos and perhaps a few sweet moments of kairos to digest.
Amazing Grace how sweet the taste, that sickened a wretch like mE!!!!!!!!
I absolutely love it when I check the blog periodically and get excited as I see a post I haven't read yet. Then I read the title, "Preaching and Puking - Gospel Num Nums" and I know immediately that this post is from Steve Mann and I'm in for a doozie.
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First off, I love that you're getting in touch with your Kino side Steve. And this totally rings true for me in my life. (There goes my auditory) The more I recognize just exactly how holy Yahweh is, and what holy means, the grosser I feel about my sarx (flesh)
The thing that's been rattling around in my head in this section for me though is what comes just after your second quote. As a royal priesthood we are also called to bless one another. These words can't seem to get out of my head this week, though I would never want them to either.
Yahweh bless you and keep you,
Yahweh make His face shine upon you,
and be gracious to you;
Yahweh lift up his countenance on you,
and give you peace.
Eric - the other side of nausea is having my heart broken over what breaks Christ heart. To reveal His mercy is to embrace the lost and the least. It is to be perpetually uncomfortable with the suffering and disenfranchised. Being constantly convicted and broken over the suffering and disenfranchised on the surface appears gross and disconcerting and yet is is the rhythm of eternity. It is the song of Christ's new world order. So much of nausea is body broken in love over things I otherwise would have ignored if Christ hadn't swept me away in His dance. So much of nausea as you suggest is BLESSING because we've been blessed. So much of nausea is loving because we've first been loved.
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