To the friends from the New Age

Recently, people from New Age spirituality are regularly coming to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is a great change in their lives and they testify to it in the world they come from. One of the groups in which they talk about their faith with others from New Age is the group "Fiery Friends" (www.vurigevrienden.nl). They share with others what they have found in Christ.

On their YouTube channel they write, among other things:

"Fiery Friends is a collective of men and women brought together by our fervent faith in Jesus. Most of us have a background in the new age. Our first event 'Seeking Truth' was so enthusiastically received that we now organize several gatherings a year with one and the same goal: to share the Good News with spiritual seekers and people in the new age."

You should think of the rest of this blog as a kind of open letter.

Dear friends,

Fantastic to see that you have discovered the Gospel of the Lord Jesus, come to know Him and pass that Gospel on to others. Glad to see it and I pray for a rich blessing for you and over your testimonies; a blessing from the God, Who gave up His own Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sin.

As I was thinking a bit about you the other day, a history from the Bible came to my mind that might be significant to your situation. It is about the history of the people of Israel, how God delivered them from Egypt, the land of slavery. That history is partly similar to your stories.

The people of Israel delivered from Egypt

The histories of the people of Israel in the Old Testament are given to us as "examples and warnings" writes Paul in the New Testament (1 Corinthians 10:11).

The people of Israel had lingered in Egypt and eventually fell into slavery there. God heard their cries for help and delivered them from slavery as He poured out His judgment on Pharaoh and the Egyptians in the ten plagues. Just read through the history in Exodus, the first 15 chapters.

That the Israelites did not perish in the judgments is because at the tenth plague (the tenth judgment), when the Lord killed all the firstborn in Egypt, they were protected by the blood they had applied to their doorposts. It was the blood of a lamb they should have slaughtered. When the "angel of death" would see that, he would pass them by. That was the beginning of Passover, the Jewish Passover, which they would commemorate annually (Exodus 12:12-14).

Most importantly, they could be saved by the blood of an innocent lamb. It was something they would think about all their lives. This is also of great significance for the Christian.

God has clearly shown
how He redeemed them
and on the basis of which.

The innocent Lamb - the foundation

The foundation for redemption and deliverance from Egypt is the lamb they had to slaughter and whose blood was sprinkled on the doorposts. That was the only way in which the judgment of God, which would strike the Egyptians - would pass them by. God wanted them to keep thinking about this, which is why they had to celebrate the Passover every year.
Moreover, the people of Israel were later given very specific prescriptions for their sacrificial service to the Lord. All these sacrifices were so important to God that He calls them "My food" (cf. here). All of these sacrifices pointed forward to the great sacrifice that God Himself would make by giving His own Son to die on Calvary.

The New Testament tells us that Christ died for us: "(...) our Paschal Lamb too has been slaughtered for us: Christ." (1 Corinthians 5:7). We do not offer God physical sacrifices, but spiritual sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving (1 Peter 2:5). The thanks and praise of our hearts because God gave His Son as an atoning sacrifice for my sin and to the Lord Jesus because He wanted to be that sacrifice, that Lamb of God.

To put it very briefly, the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus is the basis for our relationship with God. But our daily thanks to God for that sacrifice of Christ is necessary to maintain this relationship.
Never forget and never lose that!

Read another article about it here: offering sacrifices of praise and thanks.
And here on: the core of the Christian life.

The people of Israel at Mount Sinai

When they leave Egypt they run aground off the Red Sea. Pharaoh and his army come after them to capture them and take them back to Egypt. But God makes a path for them through the sea and delivers His people, who can then make their way to the land promised to them by God.

So they come to Mount Sinai, where Moses is called to the mountain by God to receive instructions from Him for the journey to the Promised Land. Not only was it significant that the people there received "the words of God," but the circumstances were also significant.

God had chosen Abraham at that time to make him a great nation. Now Israel as a people had been delivered from the bondage of Egypt and was on its way to the land God had promised Abraham.
It was God's intention that the nations could see in God's people that the God of Israel was completely different from the gods of the nations. See, for example, Exodus 19:4-6.

There were two things that are important in God's relationship with His people that we are going to specify below:

• The fact that God is invisible and imperceptible to humans with or in our bodies.
• God gives His people His Word to believe

God is invisible

God is spirit (John 4:14) and physical people cannot approach Him to perceive anything of Him; it would mean their death. Moses was allowed to be with God on the mountain, but the people were not allowed to come closer. This is made very clear in Exodus 19.

"You must set a boundary for the people around the mountain by saying, Be on your guard that you do not climb the mountain or even touch the foot of it. Every one who touches the mountain will surely be killed. No hand shall touch it, for he shall surely be stoned or shot through with arrows.(...) And it happened on the third day, when morning came, that on the mountain there were thunderbolts, flashes of lightning, and a heavy cloud, and very strong trumpet calls, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled."  (Exodus 19:12-13, 16)

The people would not have taken it into their heads to come closer to the mountain or touch it, so terrible was what they could perceive of God.

But the gods we can experience

Yet the people - because they became impatient and did not trust Moses or God - had an irresistible desire to experience something of God. Therefore, with the help of Aaron, they made a golden calf which apparently included the necessary festivities for initiation. Probably they fell into a state of higher consciousness (see also here) and that's how they arrived at the verdict:

"This is your God, Israel, who led you out of the land of Egypt." (Exodus 32:8)

How completely opposite this was to what God said to Moses that they were not to make and serve gods for themselves (Exodus 20:3-5; 23).

In the Ten Commandments - and later in many more places, in fact throughout the Bible - God makes it clear that serving other gods results in His burning wrath. God is jealous when His people serve other gods (Exodus 20:5) and those who do so He will judge.
He even tells Moses that He will destroy them:

“They soon departed from the way which I had commanded them: they made for themselves a cast calf, they bowed down before it, sacrificed to it, and said, These are your gods, Israel, who led you out of the land of Egypt. (...) Now therefore, let Me proceed, so that My wrath may be kindled against them and I destroy them." (Exodus 32:8,10)

They knew of the gods, but not of God

You can marvel immensely at this event. You could almost say that this is an existential event, an event that is directly related to life and death.

This theme of serving the gods - or also called idolatry - is one that permeates the entire Bible. Until the last book of the Bible, it is not only about the salvation found in Christ, but also about its opposite, serving the gods.

We must remember that the people of Israel in Egypt actually served the gods of Egypt just as the Egyptians did¹. Moreover, there were non-Jews - 'a large group of people from all kinds of origins' - went with them out of Egypt².
So they were used to the pagan rituals and apparently they did not understand that the God who had delivered them from the slave house of Egypt was a different God. And even though God had warned them it did not penetrate.

God is completely different from the gods!

The first thing they did not understand is that they could not physically experience the God who redeemed them. They were not even allowed to approach the mountain. "The mountain burned with fire, to the heart of heaven" it says in Deuteronomy 4:11. Fire from heaven even so that they would not dare to come closer. Fire that would consume them if they did: "For the Lord your God is a consuming fire, an after-hours God" (Deuteronomy 4:24)³.

The second thing they did not understand is that this God who had redeemed them had not chosen an image as his dwelling place. For so it was in Egypt as with all the pagan peoples, that a god could dwell in a stone, an image or something else of matter. At least that was what they believed⁴. By performing certain rituals, you could then approach the god or he would approach you.
But that this God who had delivered them from Egypt apparently did not want you to come to him, they found that incomprehensible.

You may not approach Me as the nations approach their gods

Throughout the history of the people of Israel, as depicted in the Bible, idolatry has been a major problem again and again. Or in other words they constantly forgot that they could not experience God. Should they pursue that anyway, they did not "come into contact" with God, but with the gods of the nations, the demons.
God expressly commanded them not to approach Him in the same way that the nations approach their gods. (Deuteronomy 12:4 and 30,31).  

"(...) and that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, As these nations have served their gods, so will I do. You must not in regard to the LORD your God do as they do!"  

It has been a constant trial for the Israelites; the entire Old Testament bears witness to it. By the way, it is also a constant problem in Christendom, as the New Testament testifies. For example, in his first letter to the church in Corinth, Paul makes it clear that pagan religious views and practices have no place in the church of God (see, for example here).

Yet God is near 

So although we cannot experience God physically, it is not that He is far away; on the contrary.

When Moses recounts at the end of the journey through the desert what happened at Sinai, he mentions a very special statement of the Lord God.

"For what great nation is there where the gods are so near as the LORD our God is with us, always when we cry to him?" (Deuteronomy 4:7)

This is preceded by the mention that the people were given God's words: the ten commandments plus everything God communicated to Moses. That is God's word to them, written by Himself: "the finger of God.

God is the Creator of all things and He Himself sustains everything. He is so great that He knows each of us constantly and knows what is on our minds. It means He is literally near and He is constantly open to what we say to Him. The only "condition" is that we believe. As it also says in the New Testament:

"For he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He rewards those who seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6)

Then, when we include God's Word (the whole Bible), our dealings with God our Father and with the Lord Jesus come about. He speaks to us in His Word and we speak to Him about what He communicates to us in it; and we thank Him for it. This is how we come to know Him better and better. In reading His Word, He comes closer to us and it is as Paul wrote: "Close to you is the Word, in your mouth and in your heart." (Romans 10:8).

To believe is to trust in God and His Word

This is how the people of Israel were allowed to go through the desert to the promised land: believing in Him who delivered them from the slavery of Egypt. Trusting in what He said in His words and following them. Trusting that He is near and that they may call upon Him.

In doing so, they had to constantly remind themselves that they were not to fall back into their old habits when they served the gods of Egypt. God had strictly forbidden them to do so.

Much could be said about God's provisions and all that He blessed them with in the desert on their way to the Promised Land. About the Passover celebration, the bread (manna) He gave from heaven, the water He gave that followed them on their way, the column of cloud and fire that showed them the way, the tabernacle with the sacrifices and the service of the priests. It is too much to discuss here.  

God cared for His people and they were things they could see. All God asked of them was to serve Him as He desired, not falling back into their former, pagan habits.

The same is true for Christians today

These same principles apply to the Christian church that arose after Pentecost. Then people converted to God and believed in the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ. They came from Judaism and from paganism.

This gave rise to a clash described in Acts 15. The "solution" was in a letter from all the apostles to the congregations which first mentioned that they should 'abstaining from idol sacrifices' (Acts 15:29).

All New Testament epistles (except the Romans letter) more or less extensively discuss and warn against conceptions and practices of paganism.
In Corinth, pagan practices and beliefs had intruded that people had brought with them. In teaching his first letter, Paul makes clear the difference between what is "of the spirits" and what is "of the Spirit. He admonishes believers to be very careful when it comes to those who have a "weak consciousness" (1 Corinthians 8:7). The latter are in danger of falling back into their old habits.
These are highly serious admonitions that Paul writes down.

See here still some brief references to some important things Paul mentions in 1 Corinthians regarding "serving God or serving idols.

We are almost "done" with this letter and I hope you got through it. But before we close, I want to talk about these two things: The Mind and The Joy.

The Mind

Our mind is essential. Christian faith begins with understanding what God says. This starts small but if all goes well, understanding will grow. Moreover, understanding will also be followed by faith - trusting and holding true what the Word says - and obedience in response to what God says. Then we allow ourselves to be "blessed" by God and His Word has authority for us.
The mind is of great importance in our devotion and service to God. Paul mentions that this is "vear pleasing to God: your reasonable⁵ religion." (Romans 12:1). It means that service to God has everything to do with reason (with rationality).

Just a quick note in between. The Bible teaches that reason plays an important role in our "communication" with God. This is in stark contrast to how it works in the world. There you have to turn off your thinking and thoughts mainly through certain rituals, so that you enter a state of higher consciousness, where experiencing and feeling are most important.
In other words God's Spirit acts on the human spirit, while the gods/spirits of the world act on man's soul (and more specifically feeling), but not the spirit.

But, of course, it is not only the mind that is active. In the believer, the human mind is also at work and in/with the mind also the Holy Spirit of God. Thus you can imagine "cooperation" between spirit and mind whereby what we understand is also "processed" spiritually which results in spiritual understanding. This principle is shown very nicely in what Paul writes to Timothy:

“Think about what I say, but let the Lord give you understanding of all things." (2 Timothy 2:7)

Thinking is trying to understand what the words you read or hear mean. Usually that meaning is obvious, but sometimes you need to go a little deeper. Then you consider different possibilities and "question⁶ you as it were the text. In all this pondering, the mind - without being able to notice it physically - cooperates with the spirit/Spirit. Then you often receive answers to your questions from Scripture itself, and so then the Spirit of God works in us to confirm the truth of that Word in us. In this way, the Lord gives you insight through the working of Spirit and Word.

I think the understanding of how God's Spirit works in the human spirit and in his soul (mind) is really beyond our thinking. At best, we can only parrot Scripture that shows us certain aspects, without being given the opportunity to establish a conclusive theory about it.
Therefore, a few more texts that say something about this.

The Joy

That brings us to The Joy. For the spiritual life of a believer is not about keeping all kinds of laws and regulations. But is primarily about thanking and praising God the Father and the Lord Jesus for the Sacrifice made on Calvary for us sinful and lost people. It brings forth the joy of faith, through which we voluntarily "make spiritual sacrifices, pleasing to God through Jesus Christ" (1 Peter 2:5)

We rejoice in our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. There is no greater joy to be found in a human life than knowing Him. It is evident, for example, in the following texts:

• “In thee will I rejoice and of joy springing up, I will sing psalms to Your Name, O Most High!" (Psalm 9:3)
• “Though you have not seen Him, yet you love Him. Though now ye see Him not, yet believe, welcomes you find yourself with an ineffable and delightful joy (…)" (1 Peter 1:8)
• “Who do I have besides You in heaven? Next to Thee I will find nowhere joy in on the earth." (Psalm 73:25)

We rejoice in the salvation God has given us, even in difficult circumstances:

• “Give me the joy of Your salvation (...)" (Psalm 51:14)
• “(…) Surely then I will leap for joy in the LORD, me rejoice in the God of my Salvation.”
  (Habakkuk 3:18)

Finally, we rejoice in His Word to know Him more and live by it.

• "(...) but those are joy finds in the law of the LORD And contemplates His law day and night.”
  (Psalm 1:2)
• “Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who has great joy finds in His commandments.”
  (Psalm 112:1)

I close with the lyrics below. All the best to you! God's blessings to you!

"The God now of hope
May you be filled with all joy and peace in believing,
That you may abound in hope,
by the power of the Holy Spirit. . . . .
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Amen.
- Romans 15:13; 16:24 -.

Related articles
About the people of Israel at Mount Sinai - https://goddienen.nu/dit-is-uw-god-israel/
God is near - https://goddienen.nu/god-en-zijn-woord-zijn-dichtbij/#aioseo-de-here-god-is-dichtbij-geloof-het-maar
Lessons from 1 Corinthians - https://goddienen.nu/god-dienen/over-de-christelijke-kerk/beginselen-van-de-gemeente-van-jezus-christus/lessen-uit-korinthe/
God and His Word are near - https://goddienen.nu/god-en-zijn-woord-zijn-dichtbij/
Is God really good? - https://goddienen.nu/is-god-nu-echt-wel-goed-of-niet/
The core of the Christian life – https://goddienen.nu/en/serving-god/the-core-of-your-christian-life/
On the joy of the Christian life - https://goddienen.nu/heb-je-eigenlijk-wel-geloofservaringen/

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Footnotes

1. Ezekiel 23:3,8,19-21,27 and Amos 5:25,26 where it says they took gods with them through the desert. ︎
2. See Exodus 12:38 ︎
3. The phrase "God is a consuming fire" is used in the New Testament in Hebrews 12:29. ︎
4. See Jeremiah 10:14 and 51:17. ︎
5. reasonable = pertaining to reason, logic. 'logikos' ︎
6. Asking questions is an important part of reflection and understanding. The Lord Jesus also did this at a young age in the temple: "He sat in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. All who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and answers." (Luke 2:46-47) ︎