"These men who have turned the world upside down have now come here... They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying there is another king, named Jesus!" (Acts 17:6-7).
The evidence is so overwhelmingly convincing that a jury of our peers, most assuredly, would be unanimous in its decision. Even the court of public opinion would find it difficult to rule contrary to the facts in this case. There should be no disputing the absolute and irrefutable truth that is clearly evident for all to see. I believe that you too will resolutely agree that the Kingdom of God is flat out—strange. It's different. It's supernatural! It's unusual and surprising in a way that can also be unsettling and hard to understand. How could it be otherwise? It can't, because it turns the world upside-down with its message of a risen King! It is, after all, a Kingdom Story written by an author who is omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, omnibenevolent, infinite, and eternal.
With unlimited creativity at His disposal, nothing is too hard or impossible with God! Whether you believe that to be true or not, you're about to discover just how radically creative He can be. In this authentic tale, truth seems stranger than fiction as God reveals, in a refreshingly new way, the heart of His Gospel message. I must warn you, though, that the following events may appear strangely foolish to the world: "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong" (1 Cor. 1:27). "Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men" (1 Cor. 1:25).
Before officially beginning this narrative, I consider it most advisable to first give you a practical idea about its unique nature. This, I believe, can best be done with a recent and very popular catchphrase that perfectly applies here. It's spoken by the actor Jonathan Roumie while portraying Jesus on The Chosen television series. It accurately describes the following events: "Get used to different!"
There is nothing more different from the ordinary than when a miracle occurs. We're simply not used to witnessing an extraordinary event of divine intervention. When miracles transcend the laws of nature, they just don't seem logical. And it's logical to assume that some miraculous Bible stories will appear more fiction than fact—events that stretch the imagination and clearly reflect a distinctive, dumbstruck level of absurdity. It's not at all hard to doubt the truth when truth appears ridiculously unbelievable and certifiably crazy.
What better example of this than the story of Balaam's talking donkey found in Numbers 22:21-35? This is where it says, "The Lord opened the mouth of the donkey," and she spoke. Try reading the full account of what happened, and I think you'll agree that unless you believe in miracles and the supernatural, it's difficult to take a story like this seriously. This is especially true if the first thing that comes to mind is the voice of Eddie Murphy speaking for the hilarious donkey character in the Shrek movies.
Whether you do or don't believe that God can and did allow Balaam's donkey to speak, then maybe, in this case, you'll be convinced of how God used a talking (VeggieTales) tomato named Bob to take part in revealing not only a big idea but also fulfill a dream of his creator. If you're not familiar with VeggieTales, it's an animated children's series created in the early 1990s by Phil Vischer and Mike Nawrocki through their production company, Big Idea Entertainment. Each show presented either a Bible story or life lesson from a biblical worldview. While a cast of vegetables telling Bible stories may sound ridiculous, it was a BIG hit. When the theme song plays at the beginning of each episode, Bob says "Have we got a show for you." And they certainly did! In this real-life tale, Bob shows up by making an important cameo appearance along with his best friend, Larry the cucumber.
In Phil Vischer's book Me, Myself, & Bob, he asks the question, "Have you ever had a dream?" He then goes on to say, "Boy, I sure have. I wanted God to use me to make a difference in the world. I wanted somehow to single-handedly offset all the lousy messages immature rock stars were packing into their music videos on MTV. My dreams got a bit more specific as I got going, of course. I wanted to make movies and TV shows filled with biblical truth. I wanted to build a theme park. I wanted to create the next Disney. Be the next Disney." Vischer's dreams were greatly succeeding for a time, until they didn't. Then—bankruptcy! For his full story, I recommend you read his book. It's a good one! It also includes a valuable life lesson we can all learn from about letting God lead you into a whole new life by putting God first.
While Vischer's dreams for VeggieTales and Big Idea Entertainment died, his delightful creation of Bob and Larry were still destined to be used by God for a higher purpose. Their message to children that "God made you special and he loves you very much" was not meant to be silenced. That's especially good news for Bob because, according to his creator, "...Bob had ambition. The first words that ever came out of his mouth were, in fact, 'I have a dream...' Bob was a dreamer. Bob wanted to change the world. Like me.'"
Vischer's idea for using a tomato, he said, was a thought that "popped into my head." The same thing occurred for Larry the cucumber. Where did these creative thoughts come from? Were they from his own imagination or inspired by God? I can tell you this much: from the beginning, God had a special plan for Bob—a starring role he was destined to play, in an act of Providence.
How about you, have you ever had a creative thought just pop into your head? At one time or another, most everyone has. But what about an idea that comes seemingly out of nowhere, like out of the blue, leaving you questioning its origin? The author Philip Van Doren Stern experienced something like this in a most unusual way. He says the idea for what later became one of the most beloved Christmas movies of all time, It's A Wonderful Life, came to him while shaving.
He recalls, "On Feb. 12, 1938, to be exact, that morning while I was shaving, I got an idea for a story. The idea came to me complete from start to finish—a most unusual occurrence, as any writer will tell you, for ordinarily a story has to be struggled with, changed around and fixed up. After I had finished shaving, I sat down and typed out a two-page outline, which I dated." The rest is now history, repeating itself every Christmas season on television like a recurring Groundhog Day with Bill Murray. With its message of hope, faith, love, family, enduring friendships, and answered prayers, it's almost guaranteed to put anyone in the Christmas spirit.
I regrettably can't be sure of the exact date, as Philip Van Doren Stern was about his idea. However, it was sometime in November of 2002 that I also received an idea in an unexpected way. I would describe it as an instantaneous computer download to my mind—a fully formed, creative message that I knew came straight from God. I've put the message I received into the form of a picture below to show you just what it looks like. Now, I'm about to reveal that there is much more than meets the eye. But how can you know, or reasonably believe, that this message was from God and not my own imagination? Can it even be proven to be from Him? I'll let the facts speak for themselves.
It was the year before I received my idea that I did some theological digging, which laid the groundwork for something extraordinary to happen. This is when I first heard of Calvinism, also known as Reformed Theology. It's a major branch of the Protestant Reformation based on the teachings of John Calvin. I spent months reading several books on the subject and learned about the five points of Calvinism, which include: (1) Total depravity, (2) unconditional election, (3) limited atonement, (4) irresistible grace, and (5) perseverance of the saints. If you're not familiar with Calvinism or any of these terms, don't worry. What follows is a refreshingly different and surprisingly eye-opening way of looking at the first of his five points. While we wait for Bob the tomato, our headliner, to make his grand appearance, let's take a snapshot of total depravity, see what we have, and then look at how it fits into the big picture.
Christian apologist and author Dave Hunt, in his book What Love Is This? - Calvinism's Misrepresentation of God, writes that total depravity, as defined by the major Calvinistic creeds or confessions, states: "That man, because he is spiritually dead to God 'in trespasses and in sins' (Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 2:13), is incapable of responding to the gospel, though able to make other moral choices. The Westminster Confession of Faith declares: 'Our first parents...became dead in sin, and wholly defiled in all the faculties and parts of soul and body...wholly inclined to all evil...Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation... being altogether averse from that good, and dead to sin, is not able by his own strength, to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto.'"
Hunt explains that "Calvin and his followers have declared in the clearest language that man is unable to believe the gospel, to turn to Christ or to seek God or good: 'He is free to turn to Christ, but not able.' Inability is certainly the major view...Talbot and Crampton write, 'The Bible stresses the total inability of fallen man to respond to the things of God...This is what the Calvinist refers to as total depravity. Palmer calls the doctrine 'the most central issue..., what Martin Luther even said was the hinge on which the whole Reformation turned.' As a consequence of the above, the Calvinist insists that regeneration must precede salvation: 'once he [the sinner] is born again, he can for the first time turn to Jesus...asking Jesus to save him.'"
World-renowned evangelist Billy Graham, in his book How To Be Born Again, makes a compelling case against the complete spiritual darkness of total depravity. He says that "God created all of us in His image; everyone is answerable to the light that He revealed to them. How can a just God condemn people who have never had the opportunity of hearing the gospel? The answer is in Genesis 18:25: 'Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?'"
Graham says that "God's nature will bear witness of a divine power and person to whom everyone will answer. On the other side, God's justice will be exhibited against those who fail to live up to the light that He has given them. In my lifetime, I have heard of many instances in which people have been given insight into the 'eternal power and divine nature' of God, without the benefit of a Bible or an evangelistic crusade...Paul says that God has seen to it that all people everywhere possess basic knowledge of Him, His attributes, power, and divine nature. Through what they can observe, and through their consciences, they can respond to Him if they wish."
For everyone yet to respond to Him, their spiritual condition is critically dire but has not declined beyond saving. Like a patient on life support, hope remains of turning the corner from death to life by responding to the treatment of the Great Physician and to the light of their salvation. It was Jesus who spoke about the light when he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). The Apostle John said, "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men" (John 1:4). And "There was the true light (Jesus) which, coming into the world, enlightens every man" (John 1:9). Having been enlightened by Him, no one remains in the total darkness of their sinful depravity and is thus able to turn to God and be saved. Total depravity, it turns out, is no longer total. The following events will fully explain and illuminate why this is true.
Having educated myself on Calvinism, I was driving to work one morning while thinking about a recent Wednesday night class at church where the doctrine of Calvinism was discussed. Its reformed tradition is well regarded by many as the truth, but I believed it contained major doctrinal errors that misrepresented the Gospel of Christ. I asked God to help me correct them. Then, I thought of the first student killed at Columbine High School, Rachel Scott, and of a prayer she had written in her journal. She wrote: "I want heads to turn in the halls when I walk by. I want them to stare at me, watching and wanting the light you have put in me.... I want heads to turn now." It was exactly at that moment when I received an inspiring and exhilarating answer to my own prayer. It was a eureka moment! A megabyte download of inspiration—an idea, a message—that I knew came straight from God. (Special Note: The title to my November 11, 2020, post on Columbine, Heads Will Turn, was inspired by Rachel's prayer.)
I've already shown you a preview, in the form of a picture, of the idea I received. Now let's take a look beneath the surface. To do that and properly set the stage for what comes next, it will help if you are familiar with this two-and-a-half-minute scene from The Wizard of Oz movie. It's the moment when Dorothy meets the Tin Man. If you've never seen it before or want to refresh your memory, you can watch it here:
When Dorothy and the Scarecrow first meet the Tin Man, they rescue him by applying oil to his rusted parts. Now able to move freely, Dorothy declares to him, "Well, you're perfect now." The Tin Man replies, "...Perfect? Oh—bang on my chest if you think I'm perfect. Go ahead—bang on it!" When Dorothy bangs on his chest, the Scarecrow says, "Beautiful! What an echo!" The Tin Man confirms his chest is empty because the tinsmith forgot to give him a heart. He's all hollow. He's like an empty kettle! His desire for a heart has Dorothy suggesting that he join them on their journey to the Emerald City to ask the Wizard of Oz for a new heart.
With the introduction of the Tin Man and our understanding of his empty predicament, let's now take another look at this picture to see exactly what we have, or don't have.
In order to grasp the big idea of what you're looking at, I need you to perceive this not as an ordinary picture or photograph, but actually as a spiritual template—a pattern of what man looks like after having fallen into sin. Beginning with my November 2, 2019, post, Beyond Believing, I have taken you on a journey of discovery. You have learned all about the left side of the picture with its darkened corner. I've shown you the meaning of the symbolism of its illuminated turning digital clock face, the computer hard drive, and the reason why there's a dark empty corner below. Now, most importantly, I want you to notice that the corner was never completely or totally dark. There has always been an illumination, a light in the darkness!
Imagine, for a moment, the Tin Man standing in that same corner. Do you see how he fits the mold exactly? He's like a movie actor's body double, a stand-in for the previous symbolism. His head has a mind consisting of intellect, reason, knowledge and consciousness. It replaces the former symbolic head consisting of the illuminated digital clock face and computer CPU. Also, the Tin Man's empty chest is a perfect substitute for the dark and empty corner below. This resembles our own spiritual template—a two-part symbolic pattern consisting of what should include both a head and a heart. While the Tin Man is empty and hollow without his heart, we too are spiritually empty without a heart for God.
By not having a heart for God as we should, we're left with a hardened and sinful heart that remains in spiritual darkness. This overwhelming darkness is graphically described in the following verses: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). "For from within the hearts of men come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery" (Mark 7:21). "For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts" (Romans 1:21). With a heart like this, it's no wonder that, like the Tin Man, we too need a new heart. "For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved" (Romans 10:10).
I'll admit, this is a lot to take in with all its symbolism. So here is something that I hope will make it much more relatable. On February 13, 2003, three months after God gave me the "downloaded" idea of the Tin Man, I submitted a Letter to the Editor of the Florida Baptist Witness newspaper. Although the first letter wasn't printed, over three years later, my second letter was published on July 20, 2006. Here is the full text of the second letter, which will put the symbolism into perspective. I've also included a partial copy of the newspaper.
Dear Editor,
In the June 22 article: "Two seminary presidents discuss aspects of Calvinism," with R. Albert Mohler Jr. and Paige Patterson, the two men agree to disagree, but which of their viewpoints is correct? The Gospel cannot be one or the other, to pick and choose the version we like best. The Gospel can only be considered for what it really is, Good News to be proclaimed to all, so that all may be saved from their sins.
For example: Everyone is familiar with the "Tin Man" in the Wizard of Oz who wished for a heart. He was caught in the rain and rusted. His tarnished tin would no longer allow him to move. Likewise, according to Calvinism, man is rusted by the corruption of sin and unable to turn to God.
The Tin Man represents everyone who lacks a heart for God. Even though he has a brain (unlike his scarecrow friend) he, like us, has a void in his chest that only God can fill. According to the Apostle John, all of our minds have been spiritually enlightened by God to have a knowledge of Him for, "There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man" (John 1:9). In John 1:4 he also states regarding Jesus, "In Him was life, and the life was the light of men." The Apostle Paul in Romans 1:19 states, "Because that which is known about God is evident within them..." It is God who takes the total darkness of sins depravity and turns on the light, shining into every man the knowledge of God.
The Tin Man recognized his rusted condition, just as we are aware of our sin. For "if we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:8-9). We are all like the Tin Man in need of the oil (Holy Spirit) and need only ask in order to receive. Jesus himself said, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" (Luke 11:13).
Once freed from our rust (sin) we receive a new heart. But, instead of following the yellow brick road to the Wizard of Oz, we follow the red blood-stained path to Calvary's cross and to a Savior who loved us first.
When my Letter to the Editor was published, the Tin Man had been a significant part of my life for almost four years. He had become like an old friend. While he often occupied my thoughts, I never could have imagined how he was intricately woven into God's Providential plans for the future. And then, seventeen months later, something remarkable happened—a grand reappearance, orchestrated in a most unusual and miraculous way through VeggieTales.
It was the end of December 2007. During a Christmas ski vacation with my family, we visited the Cornerstone Christian Bookstore in Boone, North Carolina. There, on display, was a brand-new VeggieTales DVD titled The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's: The Story of a Prodigal Son. And who graced the front cover? None other than the Tin Man (a.k.a. Larry). That, in itself, was quite a surprise. But it was something else entirely that amazed me beyond description! It's something only God could have put together. Take a look at the DVD cover below and see if you notice what it was.
If nothing jumped out and grabbed you like it did me, it's probably because you have the wrong last name. No offense intended, but to fully understand what hit me, watch this following four-second video clip of Bob introducing The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's. Listen closely, because you'll hear him perfectly pronounce my last name, Haas. That's right, even though the spelling is slightly different, Bob says my family name.
This left me in awe at how God had given me the Tin Man idea five years earlier, knowing full well it would eventually lead to not only Larry playing his role, but also a lovable tomato named Bob saying my family name. That The Wizard of Oz would become The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's. I told you to get used to different! That is, except for the fact that Bob and I both have the same first name. God definitely has a sense of humor! But seriously, or more importantly, where was all this leading? Before I answer that question, it's important that I first take you back to the very beginning and show you the genesis of the original idea that formed the foundation for this entire storyline. What you'll discover is not your everyday or ordinary idea of creativity, but a purely inspirational idea that was credited to the "Great Author," God!
It was two years after the release of The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's that Evan I. Schwartz authored a book titled Finding Oz: How L. Frank Baum Discovered the Great American Story. It was here that I learned how Baum came up with his idea for The Wizard of Oz. This is how Schwartz described it: "Years later, asked how he came up with this story, Baum in an interview described his extraordinary moment in the simplest terms he could. 'It was pure inspiration,' he said. 'It came to me right out of the blue. I think that sometimes the Great Author has a message to get across, and He has to use the instrument at hand. I happened to be that medium, and I believe the magic key was given to me to open the doors to sympathy and understanding, joy, peace and happiness.'"
The idea for The Wizard of Oz came to L. Frank Baum so suddenly that he states, "I grabbed a piece of paper that was lying there, and I began to write. The story really seemed to write itself. Then, I couldn't find any regular paper, so I took anything at all, including a bunch of old envelopes." He may not have realized it at the time, but the resulting structure to his story was almost identical to the structure of the prodigal son story in Luke 15:11-32. Phil Vischer realized this similarity when he considered making a VeggieTales version of Jesus' parable. It was a great match. By creating The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's as a parody of the Wizard of Oz, he knew it would transform the original prodigal son story into a valuable lesson much more entertaining for children.
When I discovered how the Great Author, God, had been involved from the very beginning in crafting this entire storyline, I was even more in awe of how the pieces were put together for a divine purpose. None of this was random happenstance! Even the VeggieTales great detective, Sheerluck Holmes (a.k.a. Larry), would deduce that luck wasn't a factor. It was not sheer luck but intelligent design and extraordinary acts of inspired Providence that the Tin Man now stands in the corner as our symbolic representative. With him, we can easily see ourselves much more clearly than we did with the former illuminated digital clock face. We can also relate to his rusted condition just as we are, in essence, rusted by the corruption of our own sin. And, just like him, we too are in need of a new heart. Now, let's get back to where I left off.
In this next picture, I want you to see that not all tin men are created equal. We are much like one and not at all like the other. The following scripture from Exodus 32: 7-10 puts this difference into context. The scene takes place when the Israelites become impatient with Moses, which happens quite often. They notice he is long delayed in coming down from his mountaintop meeting with God while receiving the Ten Commandments.
"Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, 'These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.' 'I have seen these people,' the Lord said to Moses, 'and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.'"
This scene, at first, has God completely disavowing himself from the people who are in rebellion against Him. He tells Moses, "Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt." God denies having anything to do with them. They are not His people; they are Moses.' In fact, God wants to completely destroy them. Fortunately for them, Moses advocates on their behalf by reminding God that He Himself brought them out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand. They were His people, a part of the promise made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to multiply their descendants as the stars of the heavens. If He killed them as intended, the Egyptians could say they were led into the mountains with evil intent to destroy them. "So, the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people" (Exodus 32:14).
It's important to note that this is the first time God calls the rebellious people stiff-necked, and it won't be the last. What better way to describe a people that have corrupted themselves? They have turned away from Him, turned away from His commandments, and turned instead to false idols. They are stubborn and refuse to repent and turn their heads back to Him. They are justifiably called stiff-necked!
Years later, with a new generation, things haven't changed much. "Yet through all His prophets and seers, the LORD warned Israel and Judah, saying, 'Turn from your wicked ways and keep My commandments and statutes, according to the entire Law that I commanded your fathers and delivered to you through My servants the prophets.' But they would not listen, and they stiffened their necks like their fathers, who did not believe the LORD their God" (2 Kings 17:13-14).
When you look at the picture comparing the two tin men, it's clearly evident that only one can be considered stiff-necked. That's great news for Larry who, as a cucumber, gets a pass. He doesn't even have a neck. That's not-so-great news for the rest of us, but it doesn't have to be. When the other Tin Man was caught in the rain and his metal was corrupted by rust, it completely stiffened his neck, just as sin has likewise corrupted and stiffened our own necks. But when God uses the term stiff-necked to describe us, it is not a rusted-solid and immovable condition like the Tin Man. Being stubborn does not mean stuck! God repeatedly calls everyone to repent from their sin and turn to Him because we are able!
Stubbornness, according to the dictionary, is "having or showing dogged determination not to change one's attitude or position on something, especially in spite of good arguments or reasons to do so." Being stubborn is also defined as difficult to move. Difficult, though not impossible! But what happens if we change "dogged determination" to "donkey determination?" We all know how a donkey can be stubborn, but what about our favorite talking Donkey from Shrek? How stubborn can he be and what lesson can we possibly learn from him? Well, let's see...
In the first Shrek movie, we're introduced to Donkey as he is making a desperate plea to his owner. He is panicked and fearful because a reward has been placed on his head along with all the other fairytale creatures. He is being turned in to collect the reward when he pleads, "Please, don't turn me in. I'll never be stubborn again. I can change. Please! Give me another chance!" When his owner learns that a talking donkey is good for ten shillings, she tries to force him to speak to the paymaster. He, of course, stubbornly refuses!
Donkey doesn't have a chance of never being stubborn again. Likewise, neither do we. Real life is not a fairytale, and it's true that our inherited sin nature will never allow us to be completely without our stubborn character. When Donkey says he can change, maybe he can, but it's not likely it will last long. Now, what about us? Can we change? If not, persistent stubbornness will eventually lead to God's wrath. "But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. He will judge everyone according to what they have done" (Romans 2:5-6). "A man who remains stiff-necked after much reproof will suddenly be shattered beyond recovery" (Proverbs 29:1).
When the Tin Man was rusted solid for almost a year, he couldn't move. His joints weren't only stubborn; they were stuck. He recognized that his rusted condition was hopeless. He couldn't free himself. He needed help. I can only imagine how he felt, believing all was lost. Then help did arrive with the appearance of two strangers who would become friends. When he barely managed to mumble a desperate call for the oil can, at last he was rescued. He was freed! How then will we too be rescued from the rusty corruption of our own sin and receive a new heart? Who will save us? Who must we turn to for help? Who can we call upon to come to our aid? The answer to these essential questions is this: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13).
It's good news that we have a friend, a Savior, who will rescue us. It is Jesus, who said, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you" (John 15:13-14). The great 19th-century preacher, Charles H. Spurgeon, describes how Jesus rescues us from our sin: "The great doctrine, the greatest of all, is this, that God, seeing men to be lost by reason of their sin, hath taken that sin of theirs and laid it upon his only begotten Son, making him to be sin for us, even him who knew no sin; and that in consequence of this transference of sin he that believeth in Christ Jesus is made just and righteous, ya, is made to be the righteousness of God in Christ. Christ was made sin that sinners might be made righteousness. That is the doctrine of the substitution of our Lord Jesus Christ on the behalf of guilty men."
This next picture from my previous post, Like Him!, symbolically shows what Spurgeon calls the heart of the Gospel. It visually reveals the transformation that takes place when we are born again. It is only by Jesus' substitution and his imputed righteousness that we, like a mirror, are without spot, streak, smudge, or blemish, and are fully redeemed and restored to His perfect image and likeness. The right side of the picture and the full meaning of its symbols were described in my last post to reveal the Church as the gloriously radiant Bride of Christ who, I must say, isn't only glowing but is dazzling, and she is immeasurably loved by her Bridegroom! While the outward appearance of her image is spectacularly stunning as she perfectly reflects the glory of God, it's what can't be seen—the inward heart and spirit for each of her many members—that we now turn our attention to.
When I ended my last post, I said that this follow-up would further reveal the mystery of being born again by looking at what happens to us on the inside. Now let's take another look at the left side of this picture, but this time imagine it as an ultrasound image of what we look like before being born again. If you're new to Beyond Believing and haven't yet read any of my earlier posts, it's important to know that the corner itself is our starting point. That's because we all deserve to be in the corner, much like a Dennis the Menace who's gotten himself into trouble, "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3;23).
In reading an ultrasound, the first step is to be familiar with the anatomy of the image. We already know that the illuminated clock face and computer CPU represent the head of our figure. The Tin Man was a stand-in that showed how the head has a mind consisting of intellect, reason, thoughts, knowledge, and consciousness. He has a brain, unlike his scarecrow friend. Now I want you to notice, as I mentioned earlier, that the corner was never completely or totally dark. There has always been an illumination, a light in the darkness! While the head or mind is illuminated, the body and heart remain in spiritual darkness, or empty and hollow like the Tin Man.
What the ultrasound remarkably reveals is the application of life saving assistance by the Great Physician who does not operate in the dark. For, "there was the true light (Jesus) which, coming into the world, enlightens every man" (John 1:9). It is the light of Christ that is a shining beacon of hope, revealing that we have not been completely abandoned to the darkness and depravity of our sin. If we are to ever turn the corner from death to life, we must respond to His treatment by responding to His light as it illuminates our minds. It is this same light that Billy Graham recognized that we are all answerable to, even those who have never heard the Gospel.
What then is the light of Christ, by His illumination of our minds, leading us to do? What is Jesus Himself calling us to do? What has His light empowered us to do? And ultimately, what should our response be to His light? What must our response be to Him? The answer to all these questions is: Turn! Don't be stiff-necked! Don't be stubborn! "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect" (Romans 12:2). We must turn away from our sin and turn to Him! That's the symbolic reason for the illuminated corner clock turning and having the ability to turn. It's time to turn by repenting and believing the Gospel before it's too late!
Speaking through the symbols, which now include the Tin Man, God is clearly saying that if you will turn to Me in repentance and faith, "I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will remove your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and to carefully observe My ordinances..." (Ezekiel 36:26-27). Upon receiving a new heart and His Holy Spirit, it's now possible to fulfill what Jesus desires most from each of us: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37).
In my July 25, 2020, post, Turn the Corner, I described the corner's turning clock face as also representing the turnabout of the prodigal son in Jesus' parable (Luke 15:11-32). When the son finally came to his senses, his dramatic turn back to his father was depicted by the change in the illuminated numerals on the digital clock that matched Hebrew Lexicon numbers representing both (1511 cut-off) and (1121 Ben - meaning "son"). The two numbers 1511 and 1121, in their digital form, are 180-degree, U-turn, mirror images of each other. When the clock did an about-face, it represented turning the corner in repentance away from a life of sin, "cut-off" from his father (God), and turning back to Him as a beloved "son."
Now let's try something completely radical and see what happens to the clock symbolism by flipping it on its head. That's right, turn it upside down! When God finally overturns the kingdoms of this fallen world and replaces them with His Upside-Down Kingdom, the world will be turned right-side up as depicted in the picture below. When that happens, the son's Hebrew Lexicon number 1121 is an upside-down 1151.
Having turned his life around and had his world turned upside down, the son has been completely transformed. He is a new creation. Not only has he received a new heart and spirit, but a completely new Kingdom identity. This is revealed by his new Hebrew Lexicon number, which comes from the root word of his earlier number (1121 Ben - meaning "son"). By turning it upside down, it gives us the number 1151, which is defined as Ben-ammi, literally meaning "son of my people." In recalling the earlier story when Moses received the Ten Commandments, this is important. This is when God first called the Israelites stiff-necked and referred to them as Moses' people. In the Upside-Down Supernatural Kingdom of God, when the son has returned to his Father, he is now identified as a "son of my people." It can't get any better than that! Can it? But our VeggieTales friends Bob and Larry may disagree, and I believe they're right.
The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's is likewise a story about a prodigal son. And before the final credits roll at the end of the show, Bob and Larry discuss not only what their story teaches us about God, but how it applies to our lives and what God has to say about it in His Book. Bob says, "What Jesus was telling us in His little story about a father and a son is that God's love has no limits. It goes on forever. No matter what you've done, no matter how far you've run away, you can always come back to God. And when He sees you coming, He'll pick you up and He'll just keep hugging you." Bob and Larry then reveal to the audience, as seen in the picture below, an applicable Bible verse on a computer named Qwerty. The chosen verse says it all!
It is only by God's providential hand that I too have something that speaks to the heart of this story, and it comes from something I was led to discover the year following the release of The Wonderful Wizard of Ha's. That's when the actor Kirk Cameron published his autobiography, Still Growing. In his book, I was pleasantly surprised to read his description of being born again and becoming a member of the family of faith. What he wrote, I believe, makes a wonderful ending to this True Tale About Two Bobs, God, and Big Ideas.
Cameron wrote that on the set of his 1980's hit sitcom, Growing Pains, he "had earned a reputation as the prankster who planted stink bombs under the audience seats, greased doorknobs and hid crew members' cars in bushes. I initiated practical jokes, laughter, ribbing and the sarcastic comments that flew around stage like the evil monkeys on The Wizard of Oz. My fellow cast members affectionately named me 'Devil Boy.' But I had recently become a new man. I had stepped from the house that had fallen from the twister and it had changed my entire world from black-and-white to Technicolor. Once there, no matter what Dorothy or the Wizard said, I realized I couldn't go back."
If you too want to let God change your entire world, you can do it right now by making the most important decision of your life: a decision for Christ! If you haven't done it yet, choose to ask Jesus to come into your life with this simple prayer that I'm quoting from billygraham.org.
"Dear God, I know I'm a sinner, and I ask for your forgiveness. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow Him as Lord, from this day forward. Guide my life and help me to do your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen."
If you prayed that prayer, there is joy in both heaven and on earth as you are welcomed into the family of faith and the Kingdom of God!
The next post titled Jesus Revolution - Behind the Scenes Part I begins at:
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