2 minutes late
Oh no I'm 2 minutes late!
This is what I was thinking when I noticed that the book club had already started. But thankfully it was on zoom so I was able to quickly join while I finished my chores for the night.
It's my first book club and it's the second weekly session of four total session. I was excited to join because the first session was enjoyable and I liked hearing other group members ask their questions and share insights from the book.
The book we're discussing is "Misled - 7 Lies That Distort the Gospel" by Allen Parr. This week we discussed Chapters 3 and 4 which dealt with false teaching around speaking things into existence and prophesy.
At first I didn't have much that I wanted to ask or contribute. But after taking time to re-listen/skim the chapters with some intention, I was able to jot some notes and draft some questions.
This is a practice of active reading (i.e., not passively reading) which all readers should do. After I did this, I was able to draft a single question for both chapters, and Allen did address it. So I'm thankful for that.
They wonderful thing about having book discussions is that there are greater insights and additional takeaways that can be gathered from the session than from just reading the book by yourself. And that's exactly what I got with this week's session.
I've made note of them in my bujo, but I also wanted to provide it here on the site so that it can be shared later. Here they are.
Proverbs aren't promises, they are principles
This is a takeaway for me is because I want to validate this statement made by Allen. If I can confirm and validate that this is true, then I will be better equipped to read and interpret the book of Proverbs in the Bible.
This statement has got me thinking - what is the criteria to determine if a statement in the Bible is a promise or not?
Like I wonder if there is a framework to be derived from scripture to identify a promise. As I type, I believe John Piper has a little book on the promises of God that I could leverage.
Another question to ask is the flip side of the inquiry - what is the criteria for determine something is not a promise? I think it is important to define both sides of the argument because it can provide even greater clarity.
It's not common for God to speak to us in our thoughts
This is big and I wrote a blog post [INSERT LINK WHEN AVAILABLE] about this for my personal example. But this comment really stood out for me because I've seen believers, including myself, come to a conclusion that God has say something to them through their thoughts.
Now I'm not saying God doesn't speak through thoughts, but to just believe that God primarily speaks through our thoughts is a bit foolish. He has given us the written word, and that's got to be the primary way he speaks. If he chooses to speak in other means, it should always match up with the word.
Assuming God has spoken through thoughts is also risky, because can't the enemy do the same? I mean, I'll be honest and say, that most of my thoughts are not godly so how can I definitively say God spoke to me in my thought, without submitting the thought to His written word? When I put it like this, it makes me more cautious and increases my desire and need for God's word, which I believe is healthy for all believers.
Advice for decision making
And finally, a comment on seeking God for direction and clarity.
I was really blessed by the guidance Allen gave when it relates to seeking God's direction for daily decisions or life changing decisions.
Sometimes we could be pray and ask God for direction on what option to choose and the options are 2 or more good things but we want to know God's choice. Allen had mentioned that we can over spiritualize things that God is actually allowing us to make the decision.
In shore, Allen's suggests that we should do the following if we have received specific direction from God.
- Continue to submit the decision to God in prayer
- Move forward in the wisdom that we already have
- Pray and ask God to shut down the opportunities if it isn't his will
This could be better explained in it's own blogpost so I've just summarized here. But essentially Allen encouraged us to not be paralyzed in our decision making because we are waiting on specific directions from God.
Instead of being paralyzed, he suggests leaning on God consistently in prayer and use the wisdom available to us (via the Bible and Christian community) to take steps in our desired direction. But to also pray that God prevent it, if he doesn't desire it.
I love that, and I think that was very good advice. We have a greater emphasis on God, his revealed word and prayer, instead of walking though life unsure and blind.