Biblical Christianity from Peter DeHaan

Hear God from the Bible and the Holy Spirit

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date July 24, 2012

Once when Jesus was wrapping up a teaching, he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” What exactly does he mean?

Hear God from the Bible

In our culture, we often consider “the word of God” to mean the Bible. So the common understanding is we need to read the Bible and obey it.

However, the part of the Bible about Jesus (the New Testament) didn’t exist at the time, so he couldn’t have been telling the people to read and obey something that hadn’t yet been written.

Hear God from the Holy Spirit

But since Jesus is both man and God, he could have used “hear the word of God” as a euphemism to mean “hear me.” While we can’t directly hear Jesus today, we can hear from the Holy Spirit he sent to us.

So maybe Jesus means he wants us to hear the Holy Spirit.

For some people it’s easy hear God and for others it’s nonsensical, while for the rest this is feasible but difficult and confusing and infrequent.

Yet, we may need to pursue listening to the Holy Spirit if we are to truly “hear the word of God.” (Learn how to hear from God.)

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Luke 10-12, and today’s post is on Luke 11:28.]

Read more about the book of Luke in That You May Know: A 40-Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, now available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags Bible, hear God, Jesus

Christian Living

Does the Timing of Prayer Matter?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date July 22, 2012

I believe God lives outside of the space-time he created. Therefore, he isn’t limited by time—as we are—so our prayers need not be bounded by time, either.

This allows me to pray for things after the fact; the timing of when I pray is not as critical as the fact that I did pray, at some time.

For example, if someone asks for prayer at ten o’clock, I can pray at ten (the best option).

Or I can pray in advance, anticipating what they will undergo (this is great if I’ll be busy at ten).

A third option is to pray afterwards but to pray as if the outcome is still undetermined (this is hard and I don’t do it often).

Once I told a friend, I would pray for her—and then forgot. A reminder of my forgetfulness was an email from her, which essentially said, “thanks for praying; things didn’t work out.”

Dismayed over my broken promise, I did my best to set aside my knowledge of the outcome and pray as if it hadn’t occurred. My faith, that my feeble prayer would be answered, was weak at best, but I did pray nonetheless.

About four hours later I received a second email, which negated the first. It basically said, “God is amazing; he has provided for me and answered our prayers.”

I can’t explain the two contradicting emails and don’t know the details. What I do know is that God answers our prayers—regardless of when we pray.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Bogged Down Reading the Bible?

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Tags prayer, space-time

Reviews of Books & Movies

Book Review: The Bone Box

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date July 20, 2012

By Bob Hostetler (reviewed by Peter DeHaan)

Set in present-day Israel, Bob Hostetler’s The Bone Box relates the story of Rand Bullock, a down and out archeologist whose life is a mess: widowed, estranged from his only daughter, a career in shambles, and seeking solace through alcohol.

Yet in the midst of this, he is given something to hold on to, something to capture his attention and demand his expertise: a two-thousand-year-old archeological mystery to unravel—and not much time to do so.

With aid from an unlikely partner, the younger and attractive police sergeant Mari Sharon, Rand’s interest is captured—in more ways than one.

Interspersed with this storyline is the parallel one of Rand’s daughter, Tracy, who expelled from college for her own alcohol infractions, goes on a different adventure, attempting to track down her distant dad in an unfamiliar land.

While their storylines do eventually merge, a third one, relating an intriguing historical fiction account of biblical Caiaphas seems destined to provide only background filler—or perhaps not.

Smartly written and abounding with credible, real-life descriptions of present day Israel, The Bone Box effectively transports readers to another culture, immersing them in the realities of archeology amidst a politically and religiously charged environment.

The genre of The Bone Box is part mystery, part adventure, and part thriller, with some elements of romance stirred in for added enjoyment.

Its short chapters make it even more of a page turner, urging readers to read just one more chapter.

[The Bone Box: A Novel, by Bob Hostetler. Published by Howard Books, 2008, ISBN: 978-1-4165-6647-2, 366 pages; $13.99]

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Tags Christian fiction

Peter DeHaan News

News Release: Peter DeHaan and Jerry Barrett Start Writers Group

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date July 19, 2012

The Kalamazoo Christian Writers critique group holds the first meeting and generates excitement.

Mattawan, Michigan, July 19, 2012—Peter DeHaan and Jerry Barrett have started a writers critique group, Kalamazoo Christian Writers (KCW), based in Kalamazoo Michigan. The first meeting was held July 11 at The Point, a non-profit community center located on the west side of Kalamazoo.

KCW materials, passed out at the inaugural meeting, state “Though this is a Christian writers group, there is no expectation that all our work must be ostensibly ‘Christian’ writing. Christians who write have a place in virtually every genre, market, and industry; we need to embrace and support that.”

“The response was great,” said cofounder Peter DeHaan. “We talked about the vision for the group, shared the critiquing process, and practiced on a couple of pieces.” Attendees were universally excited about the group and what it will offer to improve their writing and advance their careers.

For some time Barrett and DeHaan have been making an hour drive twice a month to take part in another critique group. When they realized the value of group critiquing and with the uncertainty of winter driving in Michigan, they began making plans to form a local group.

Though the two intend to remain connected with the first group, this new endeavor, KCW, will be their focus.

“The main value of a critique group is to help the writer to look at the window of the craft of writing not through it,” said cofounder Jerry Barrett. “The goal of critique is to help one another, as writers, to accentuate what is clear for the reader and to remove possible smudges on the pane.”

The critiquing process is scalable, so there’s no limit to the size of the group—and the meeting room is large enough to accommodate a much larger scope. Regardless of the number present, writers will split into manageable sized groups to maximize effectiveness and minimize time requirements.

Critiquing is best when done in groups of four or five, with everyone having a piece to share and everyone providing feedback.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Tags critique, writing

Bible Insights

The Power of the Finger of God

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date July 19, 2012

The phrase “the finger of God” occurs four times in the Bible.

The first is when the Egyptian magicians cannot duplicate the feats God is doing through Moses and they say, “This is the finger of God.”

The second and third times are when God gives Moses the Ten Commandments inscribed on stone tablets. What tool was used to etch the message in stone? None other than “the finger of God.”

The final use of the phrase is recorded by Luke. Jesus, when verbally sparring with his detractors, says his power to cast out demons is “the finger of God.”

So “the finger of God.” is sufficient to perform wondrous acts that cannot be duplicated, etch messages in stone, and empower Jesus to cast out demons.

If the finger of God can do all that, imagine what the arm of God can do—image what all of God can do.

Now that’s powerful.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Tags God, Luke, Moses

Bible Insights

Jesus Knew and I Don’t

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date July 17, 2012

In continuing with the story of Jesus driving the demon out of the mute man there’s an interesting phrase. It is “Jesus knew their thoughts.”

(In another account about Jesus, the Bible says, “Jesus knew what they were thinking.”)

This suggests a divine power as being a part of Jesus’ human existence. Perhaps this is why it’s been said Jesus was fully man and fully God.

This is a difficult concept to grasp. It’s hard to conceive of divinity and humanity coexisting in one entity. Logic would suggest Jesus could be either fully man or fully God, but he couldn’t simultaneously be both. Yet he was.

While it may be frustrating to some over not being able to understand this, I am not so affected. This is one more mystery of God, which cannot be fully grasped. It reminds me I am finite and he is infinite, I am limited and he is not.

God’s awesomeness allowed Jesus to be man and God at the same time. And when I think about this, I am in awe—and perhaps that’s the intent.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Luke 10-12, and today’s post is on Luke 11:14-28.]

Read more about the book of Luke in That You May Know: A 40-Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, now available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags awesome, Jesus, paradox

Christian Living

What Does it Mean to be a Prayer Warrior?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date July 15, 2012

How often have you heard the phrase “prayer warrior”? Have you ever attributed it to someone who prays a lot or prays with effectiveness?

Interestingly, those two words are not used together in the Bible.*

I wonder if the warrior metaphor is more a construct of modernity and a colonization mentality and not at all what God has in mind.

What if God doesn’t want us to be a prayer warrior? Perhaps he desires that we not “war” at prayer, but rather that we “love” at prayer—love him.

However, recall that Ephesians 6:12 says, our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, authorities, powers of this dark world, and spiritual forces of evil. This does indeed evoke an image of war.

Clearly a balance is called for. If we think of prayer as war, our focus is on the enemy, not God. I don’t think that’s what God wants (but the enemy may like the extra attention).

For me a prayer that devotes more words to warring against the enemy than to loving God is a prayer that is out of balance and focused on the wrong thing.

May our prayer focus rightly reside on God.

*The phrase “prayer warrior” is not found in the NIV, NLT, AMP, or NASB. Interestingly, occurs once in The Message, but in a negative context: “The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant,” Matthew 6:7.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Tags prayer

Bible Insights

The Power to Drive Out Demons

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date July 12, 2012

After Jesus is criticized for driving out demons, he addresses his detractors. In doing so he makes a curious statement. He asks, by whose power do you drive out demons?

Implicitly, Jesus was not the only one with the power and ability to drive out demons. In considering this, a bunch of questions come to mind:

If others were also driving out demons, why were the people so amazed when Jesus did it? Perhaps Jesus was more effective at it, did it easier, or exhibited more compassion, grace, and power.

Whatever the explanation, this was one more reason why people were drawn to him. He simply was like no other.

What was the source of their power? We could debate whether or not this power came from God. It certainly could have—or it could have been Satanic.

Recall when Moses was performing miracles before Pharaoh, for a while the magicians matched Moses using “their secret arts,” but eventually they could not.

In the people’s criticism of Jesus, they could have merely been projecting the source of their power onto him.

Is the power to drive out demons more normative and accessible than we believe? I think the answer is yes. Jesus did it, others did it, and therefore so can we.

Even though we may not see this happen, doesn’t mean it can’t. And that’s something to seriously contemplate.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Luke 10-12, and today’s post is on Luke 11:19.]

Read more about the book of Luke in That You May Know: A 40-Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, now available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags demon, evil spirits

Bible Insights

We Often Criticize What We Don’t Understand

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date July 10, 2012

Once Jesus drove a demon out of a man. The man had been mute, but when the evil spirit was exorcized, he began speaking.

The people should have been in awe of the power Jesus displayed. They were not.

Instead they chose to be critical. Some questioned the source of his power and others insisted he does another miracle as if the first wasn’t enough.

Things aren’t much different today. When someone comes along with a variant understanding of God, lives life in a different manner, or walks with a greater degree of spiritual power, the common response is criticism.

People tend to fear what challenges their status quo, to vilify what is different. They criticize what they don’t understand. It was done to Jesus two millennia ago and it’s still being done today.

Instead of looking for what makes us different, the better response is to focus on how we are the same. Pursue unity; avoid division. Celebrate diversity and embrace variation.

I think that’s what Jesus would want us to do.

[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Luke 10-12, and today’s post is on Luke 11:14-16.]

Read more about the book of Luke in That You May Know: A 40-Day Devotional Exploring the Life of Jesus from the Gospel of Luke, now available in e-book, paperback, and hardcover.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

Tags demon, evil spirits, Jesus, miracle, unity

Christian Living

What’s More Important, to Get Decisions or Make Disciples?

Post author By Peter DeHaan
Post date July 8, 2012

I recently read about someone who is credited with producing over 55 million decisions for Christ. That’s the most impressive number. However, I wonder if it’s the correct focus. He needs to make disciples instead.

Jesus didn’t tell us to go and make decisions—or to get people saved, to make converts, or to have people come forward at an altar call, raise their hands, or say the prayer—but to make disciples.

Making a disciple is much more difficult and takes a lot longer. It requires but minutes for someone to decide to follow Jesus, but a lifetime to become a disciple of Jesus. However, true disciples are what Jesus wanted.

It’s really an issue of quantity versus quality. And frankly, most people today are more impressed with quantity.

Millions of decisions may make headlines and garner attention and adulation, but it was just 12 disciples who changed the world.

Consider how you can make disciples for Jesus.

Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.

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Tags disciples, follower of Jesus