12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
13 These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
We are called to be conduits of God's truth. In order to be effective in that, it's important that we develop a sense of how God is speaking into our hearts. Also, He will provide tools that we can use in order to more effectively share His message. So, we depend on God to give us the words to say and creative ways to say them. The Holy Spirit will guide us into truth and will enable us to live out God's principles so that we can appreciate and communicate what He has done in our lives.
We can be convinced that God will express His nature through us and use us to communicate truth, even through the tools that He has entrusted to us. 2nd Corinthians 2 says:
14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?
17 For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.
A replica of the Ark of the Covenant, a cup representing the Holy Grail from which Jesus allegedly drank, and more "religious" artifacts are on display in a museum in Washington, DC these days, but this exhibit might not be what you think.
“Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology" will be on display at the National Geographic Museum until January 3 and features 100 carefully crafted film props alongside real archaeological finds, according to a piece on the Religion News Service website.
There’s the golden Ark of the Covenant from the movie, “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” described as "the model for the container that housed the Ten Commandments, complete with two winged cherubs as described in the Old Testament."
There’s the cup representing the Holy Grail from “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.”
And, in the less Judeo-Christian sense, there are the oblong, translucent Sankara stones from “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” an imagined artifact based on symbols of the god Shiva.
It's called the Green Collection, the compilation of around 40,000 objects includes some of the rarest and most significant biblical texts and artifacts ever assembled under one roof. Highlights of the Green Collection include cuneiform tablets dating from the time of Abraham, Dead Sea Scroll fragments, biblical papyri and manuscripts, Torah scrolls, and rare printed Bibles.
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We can be convinced that God will express His nature through us and use us to communicate truth, even through the tools that He has entrusted to us. 2nd Corinthians 2 says:
14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.
15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.
16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?
17 For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.
A replica of the Ark of the Covenant, a cup representing the Holy Grail from which Jesus allegedly drank, and more "religious" artifacts are on display in a museum in Washington, DC these days, but this exhibit might not be what you think.
“Indiana Jones and the Adventure of Archaeology" will be on display at the National Geographic Museum until January 3 and features 100 carefully crafted film props alongside real archaeological finds, according to a piece on the Religion News Service website.
There’s the golden Ark of the Covenant from the movie, “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” described as "the model for the container that housed the Ten Commandments, complete with two winged cherubs as described in the Old Testament."
There’s the cup representing the Holy Grail from “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.”
And, in the less Judeo-Christian sense, there are the oblong, translucent Sankara stones from “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” an imagined artifact based on symbols of the god Shiva.
In the article, Peter Manseau, who holds a doctorate in religion from Georgetown University, is quoted as saying, "It’s not simply archaeology but the archaeology of the sacred, the idea that once upon a time humans had this immediate capacity to connect with something sacred.” He noted that sacred artifacts also excite people because they lend legitimacy to religious stories. As much as religion is a matter of faith, he said, these archaeological adventures are at some level quests for proof because sacred artifacts make religion “physical in a way that’s hard to ignore.”
The curator of the exhibit, Fredrik Hiebert, said his archaeology students loved the movies when he used to teach at the University of Pennsylvania. So when George Lucas, creator of the film franchise, reached out to National Geographic about an exhibit, Hiebert “took 20 seconds to say yes” to the proposal. He said, "I like the fact that George Lucas can entertain, make you laugh and make you think deeply about God, the afterlife and the past at the same time."
Of course, no one is to regard George Lucas as a theologian, although his two most well-known series contain elements of theology, from a Biblical presence in the Indiana Jones films to the idea of the "Force" and Jedi theology in the Star Wars franchise.
I do agree with Manseau that beholding what he calls "the archaeology of the sacred" can help to bring a sense of physical reality to the spiritual truths that we embrace. I remember the wonder I experienced when viewing the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit that was on display in Mobile a number of years ago. And, within 2 years or so, there will be a chance for people to participate in a sacred quest at Museum of the Bible in Washington, DC, which is now under construction.
This is an outgrowth of the work of the Green family, which owns and operates Hobby Lobby. According to MuseumoftheBible.org, the Green family purchased their first biblical artifact in November 2009 and they have assembled in only a few years what is now one of the world’s largest private collections of rare biblical texts, objects, and artifacts.
Museum Chairman of the Board Steve Green, who visited with me recently in Orlando at the International Christian Retail Show, is quoted on the website: "The Bible is the best-selling, most translated book of all time and is arguably history's most significant piece of literature," adding, "It has had an unquestionable influence on science, education, democracy, arts and society. This book has also profoundly impacted lives across the ages, including my own."
So, here's a great opportunity to actually see physical artifacts relative to our faith. Recognizing that Jesus said to Thomas that those who do not see, yet believe, are blessed, we still see that these physical expressions can help provide confirmation for our faith and can even be used as a tool for people to think more deeply about spiritual matters.
Because the physical, the tangible is important - the miracles of Jesus were tangible expressions that certified His divinity and led people to see that He was who He said He was. And, likewise, as people experience God with their senses, it can provide a powerful effect.
We recognize that God will use all sorts of tools to draw people to Himself. I saw that on display in Birmingham at the Franklin Graham Festival. A variety of musical styles, spoken word, sound and lights, video vignettes, and the powerful preaching of God's truth, laced with the truth of Christ, could be used to touch hearts. The ministry of Faith Radio is a tool through which God will speak and work in hearts and minds.
I can't say that I have met anyone who has been saved by viewing "Raiders of the Lost Ark." But, a viewing of that film could perhaps lead into a discussion of the Ark of the Covenant and it meaning. Or, thinking about the "Last Crusade" film and what makes a person truly "worthy" could actually stimulate some thinking about the redemptive work of Jesus Himself.
In summary...
Remember, there is spiritual information all around. We can be used as communicators to help people process that and convert it to Christian truth.
There are also physical tools that can help us and other experience the spiritual. We can use all that we have at our disposal in order to express the love and truth of Jesus.
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