Spiritual Growth #3 – Memorial Day for the Living

In Part or Full?

2014 K Bay, Hawaii

This Memorial Day Weekend, our Christian ‘ohana were reminded that God is the God of the living—and that “the living” also included our Christian relatives who are no longer with us physically!

During the week leading up to the Memorial Day Weekend, three family members shared that they were visited by the spirits of family who passed. One was visited by her father-in-law; a second was visited twice by her husband; and the third by his dad and brother-in-law. The difference with the last visitation was that his brother-in-law is still alive and living in a different state!

Christians, whose walk is presently “in part”, are probably freaking out or calling us unkind names. No problem. If you continue to grow until that which is perfect comes, then you too will be blessed to experience a walk that is full. We forget that the unity of the Spirit recognizes no division between the spirits of Christians in heaven and the spirits of Christians on earth:

There is one body and one Spirit…one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Eph. 4:1-6 NIV).

We were all saved by grace through faith. So although death may separate us physically, we are still connected to such a precious spiritual fellowship (kŏinōnia, partnership) that surpasses earthly understanding!

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All rights reserved. Scriptures marked “NIV” are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved; Greek definition from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible “fellowship” - #2842 kŏinōnia, koy-nohn-ee’-ah; partnership, i.e. (lit.) participation.

Spiritual Growth #2B– Judge Sin, not Culture

So. of Lanai looking towards Maui (courtesy Smith, 2013)

In Part or Full?

Our judgment must be right judgment based on Spirit and truth (John 14:17; 16:13; 1 Cor. 2:15); and not on favoritism and appearances (John 7:24; Rom. 2:1; 14:10-13; James 2:1-4 NIV).

For instance, we’re told not to judge a brother/sister concerning meat and drink (Rom. 14:2, 3, 17). Since God is not an idiot, neither should we be! It’s obvious that we’re not supposed to judge culture—just sin!

“Lucky we live Hawaii”. Growing up in the islands among multi-ethnic societies, we’re bound to experience multi-ethnic cultures—even the westernized one—so what might look “scary” to a westernized Christian at a “come to Jesus meeting” does not look scary to us. Hawaii has Samoan Christian churches, Chinese Christian churches, Hawaiian Christian churches, Jewish Christian temples, Japanese Christian churches, etc. The operative word is “Christian”.

So, while Scriptures teach us that God forbade Israel from making covenants and marriages with foreign nations (Deut.7:1-4), that does not hold true for Christians from different cultures. We are not “foreign nations” because Christ Jesus has made us all one (Gal. 3:28)!

It’s time to wake up from our “in part” understanding of Scripture, and accept all Christians fully, just as Christ accepted YOU (Rom. 15:7 NIV)!

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Scriptures are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge 1769. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scriptures marked “NIV” are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved