Not long ago, I went out with two Romanian pastors and a handful of friends including my Psalm class teacher. First the Psalm teacher talked – stories of his visits in Romania, of near-arrests, of making a treasured Romanian hymn book available again. He spoke of teaching poetry in Romania and giving silent sufferers a voice through writing their own poems and reading them aloud with each other. Miracles.
Then one of the Romanian pastors began to tell his story – tired of hearing of people being raised from the dead and about healings in India and Africa. He and a few others began to pray for God to do the same in Romania. Then story after story after story of God’s answer there – a long list of deaf ears being opened, cancers leaving, … Miracles.
Think these two pastors are on the same page? Yes, and no. The Psalm class pastor is brilliantly studied, knows Hebrew, has depth of compassion that makes him cry easily, and is wary of charismania. The Romanian pastor is no-nonsense, asks God to do whatever He wants, and owns “charismatic.” These are their differences, of course.
What they share in common, though it’s expressed very differently individually, is holy passion and life-commitment/serving in the Kingdom of God.
I love to zoom out and recognize this tie. Whether or not it helps them have a conversation instead of talking independently about what matters most to them, I can’t say. Last night it was turn-taking monologue. But I saw Jesus.
I see Jesus in my Psalm pastor – feeding the sheep, giving them a voice (how many pastors actually do this?), and suffering along with the people he loves because Jesus loved them first. I see Jesus in the Romanian pastor. Originally from Dallas, travelled to Romania for what was supposed to be 3 months, now turned a lifetime. He’s found his flock, the people he carries in his heart before God, the nation he desires to see firsthand the healing power of God. Both of them are burning the oil of the Spirit.
The metaphor runs out fast, but I was thinking of each of them earlier like height and depth. Psalm pastor is depth – getting grounded in the details of Scripture, looking at the Bible-snowflakes under a microscope to see the beauty and intricate order within, serving this discovery as a feast, and unlocking hidden pain. The Romanian pastor is height – asking God for lamps on lampstands, visible miracles, demonstrations of the Spirit’s power (1 Cor. 2:4,5).
On a larger scale I see both of these men as representatives of whole denominations and branches of the church. One gives beautiful attention to scholarly understanding. The other to pushing into living Bible history today.
Unlike certain denominations, both are personally open to the core of what the other seeks. I know the Psalm pastor is open to God’s intervening power. And I heard the Romanian pastor quote Scripture so frequently and easily, it was evident he’s not Biblically illiterate (as the charismatic reputation can run).
But I wanna think a bit more about the height and depth thing just for fun. Because I see these strengths not as exclusive and competing for value, but as expressions of Jesus. Like the churches in Revelation that were each individual, requiring different messages from Jesus, I imagine that branches/denominations of the church have their unique gifts and shortfalls. Some have depth; some have height. Some are practiced in holy meditation on God’s Word; some write popular praise anthems. Some produce scholars; some train and launch fireballs.
Foundation is essential. Depth. Knowledge of the Word of God, the Bible. Some churches are good at this. Without it, whatever height built on top can’t be stable when earthquakes quiver. But if foundation is the only goal, building may only extend out and not up. Foundations alone provide no lookout over the landscape beyond. It’s possible to be so grounded that you forget the fields ripe for harvest and the greatness of Love winning over hardened criminals and misfits.
You could take the deep/high metaphor and fly with it – literally. I think there are certain people groups in the church who are like – “to heck with foundations; we’re just gonna manufacture hot air balloons!” They get all kinds of perspective and travel by fire like Elijah, but how long can you live in a hot air balloon really?
Take a turn yourself with the metaphor… What’s your church like?
Ultimately, we need both depth and height. Imagine this – they’re both hand in hand in the Bible!! One doesn’t exclude the other. From cover to cover – same God showing wonders and calling deep. He’s not afraid of heights, nor does He have to hold His breath when He deep-dives. He’s good at both. Because He’s God and He’s the Bomb. Speaking of bomb, I think that’s what He likes to do with our small ideas of what He does and doesn’t do.
Hebrews 6:19 (NAS): “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul” – there’s the depth. “… One which enters within the veil…” – there’s the height. We GOTTA have both because Jesus is BIG.
Watch out for depth. Watch out for height. There are risks in both. You can get so educated, you freeze-dry God. You can fly so high, your crashes are explosive. The point is JESUS. “… Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:39 (NIV)
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