by Marty Gabler

The large, sharp-toothed fish made a mad dash at the minnows only to be rudely awakened to the fact that there was a thick piece of glass between him and a much-desired meal. When a university was conducting some behavioral experiments, they put a Northern Pike in a tank to study his reactions to a set of predetermined circumstances. I have read that the Pike is a veracious eater and he strikes with lightning speed. The full-grown fish was first placed in the large experimental tank by himself. He stayed in the tank for several days and was allowed to swim about freely. After a couple of days of going without food, the researchers placed a piece of glass in the tank which divided it in half. On the opposite end of the tank from the Pike, they placed a couple dozen minnows - the Pike’s favorite food. As soon as they hit the water and began to move about, the Pike rushed at them with bullet speed. He crashed into the glass and was cast into a great deal of confusion. The hungry Northern gathered himself and made another sudden rush at the minnows and was again rudely halted by the glass which he could not see. After attempting several times to reach the minnows he so desired, the Pike gave up and swam to the opposite end of the tank and simply watched the delectable morsels swimming freely in the opposite end. The researchers then removed the glass partition and the minnows began to swim about the full length of the tank. Some of the minnows even bumped into the large fish but were allowed to go on about their ambling and maneuvering without being accosted. My understanding is that the fish died in that tank with food swimming all about him. It would seem that the behavioral discovery made in this particular instance shows us that if Northern Pikes are repeatedly denied access to their favorite food, their behavior pattern changes so radically that they will starve even once their ardent desire is granted (which in this case was access to a food source).

ALTERED BEHAVIOR

The experience the Northern had with the glass partition convinced him that it was time for a "paradigm shift." A paradigm is an example that serves as a pattern or a model. If a person has a certain type of experience in a certain set of circumstances, they will typically expect that very same experience each time they encounter that same set of circumstances. An older man once told me about a dog which he watched walk down a sidewalk on a daily basis. The dog would come down the same sidewalk every day at the same time. As the animal approached this man’s place of business, the dog would raise his leg and, in animal fashion, mark the large post which held up the sign advertising the services of the gentleman’s business. On one particular day, the electrically lighted sign had developed an electrical short to everyone’s surprise. The dog came down the very same sidewalk at the very same time and in typical fashion raised his leg and began to mark his territory. But on this particular day, the normal set of circumstances had been altered by unpredicted elements. When the liquid stream contacted the sign post the dog received a sudden shock. Much amused, the old gentleman allowed me to know that the befuddled canine never attempted to mark that post again. However, the dog would come down the street until he was somewhat near the post, look up at the post, completely cross over to the other side of the street, and after walking a few yards on the opposite side of the street, he would cross back over and continue his journey on down the sidewalk.

There are many experiences which we have in life that have altered our behavior. In a good many cases it is probably wise that we have learned from them. But in some cases we have allowed our experiences in particular situations to dictate changes to us which have in turn affected our destiny. Some of those effects will not be immediate but they hold long-term results for us. Some of us have had experiences where we have trusted God in certain matters and when expected results did not take place, we stopped believing God in those areas. There have been instances when we trusted in Christians and in ministers who let us down and we adjusted our behavior for future reference. There are people who were once convinced that they had a true prophecy from God or that they had received a burden or a vision from God that was their life’s call and nothing ever materialized on the matter. When that happens we determinedly embrace a "paradigm shift" and woe be to anyone who tries to talk us out of it. Once we were convinced that God’s intentions toward us were large but because we experienced a repeated hindrance, we now believe we never did hear from God. And like the Pike, when that which we ardently desired finally is swimming all about us, and even bumping up against us, we starve because we now believe in our experience more than we believe the word of the Lord.

AN UNEXPECTED FORM

How many times has the Word accomplished in our lives what it was sent to accomplish but it came in a form we didn’t expect? There is a story I have heard since I was a boy about a man who lived near a river. There came a great flood and the water rose up high on the house chasing him up onto the roof. He began to pray and cry out, "God rescue me!" A helicopter came and they called out over the loud speaker, "Grab the rope and climb up." He thanked them but refused because he was "waiting for God to rescue him." People came in a boat and he refused them also. Finally the rushing water swept the house away and him along with it and he drowned. When he got to Heaven, as the story goes, he was asked why he refused the helicopter and the boat which the Lord had sent.

Peter had yielded his life to God to be used in whatever way God desired and when God attempted to send him to Cornelius, a Gentile, Peter began to call all the things in the sheet "unclean." God sternly instructed Peter not to call unclean what He had called clean (Acts 10:15). In order to cooperate with an unprecedented move of God among the Gentiles, Peter had to let God out of the little box he had built for Him. God burst into Peter’s neat little paradigm and demanded change if Peter was going to be able to participate.

God uses prophecy to break into our paradigms. "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways," declares the LORD. "For {as} the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth, and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding {in the matter} for which I sent it. (Isa 55:8-11, NAS) His superior (and without limitation) thoughts break into our finite (and limited) thoughts and are therefore empowered to accomplish His purposes. We continually demand that God fit into our paradigm and God is continually trying to get us into His paradigm (Cf. Phil 1:6). Do you want a larger experience in God? Then you must allow God to enlarge your revelation. We cannot operate beyond our revelation.

It seems that God even had a tough time delivering Israel from slavery. You would think that anyone would want to be delivered from slavery and given half a chance, would take it. Whenever Israel came up against a tough spot, they wanted to go back to Egypt which obviously meant that they would be returning to slavery. They claimed that they wanted to return to the leeks and garlic they had eaten in Egypt. They presented the "leeks and garlic" argument as though that was something to shoot for in life. However, it wasn’t that it was a worthy goal to be obtained, it was that they had been jerked out of their 400 year old paradigm and and now things were just too different for them. Leeks and garlic should be merely garnishes, not a full meal. God was trying to get Israel to a land flowing with milk and honey and they were stuck with a taste for leeks and garlic. They were determined to stay on a diet of mere staples (bare necessities, basics) and God was trying to give them rich delicacies. They had to get past Num 25:1 (Shittim) and cross through Jordan and die to self’s paradigm. What self-imposed limitations can I die to today? What assumed limitations can I die to today?

THE PARADIGM OF THE WORD

How many times has the Word of God accomplished in our lives what it was sent to accomplish but it came in a form we didn’t expect? Ask the Pharisees what it is like to reject a Messiah who came from God but didn’t look just exactly like they required Him to look. We can look back on the Scriptures and ask, "How on earth could those dense people miss their Messiah?" Yet, we get our "law" refined, build our fences of containment on exact lines and add our personal little nuances to it; and by the time we get through and our disciples get through throwing their part in, we begin to call "this" and "that" "not God." It wouldn’t be near as bad if we would only say "this" or "that" is not of God but then we just have to go and say "he" or "she" is not of God.

The Scriptures will build bridges to the new paradigm we need if we will get back to biblical theology rather than traditional or experiential theology.

PLATO’S CAVE

One woman considers weeping through an entire service insanity and yet for another it is breaking through years of hurts and disillusionment to freedom. Laughing for one person is foolishness while for another it is the release of years of captivity in anger and bitterness. For one long-time Pentecostal the remark is, "What’s the big deal? I don’t see any purpose for gold dust." For a person who has only been walking with the Lord for a couple of years, they are greatly humbled and with tears running down their cheeks they ask, "Why would God love me so much that He would leave the residue of His Presence on me like this?" Some have spoken out against people who have jerked, sometimes violently, in outpouring meetings. Recently I jerked a number of times in a meeting. It was like a strong electrical shock and my arm and leg suddenly flew up into the air. I asked God, "What is this about?" He dropped into my heart a reminder that He is letting me know that I am not in charge.

RADICAL CHANGE

Though some of us desperately long for the routine of our lives to be radically changed, we are disturbed and consequently resistant when confronted with the acts of God's power which are required to change them. Our assumptions of what it will take and what we will stand for must be transformed by a divine encounter with the Holy Spirit. For all that we receive from God is by the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33; Rom.15:13 by the power of the Spirit).

So, in order for God to radically change the present state of the church and the present state of our personal lives, we must allow Him to forcefully break in upon us! There were 500 people who were commanded to wait for the Promise of the Father in Jerusalem. There were 380 who did not allow God to forcefully break in upon their lives and only got to read about the 120 who did.

BUILDING BOXES FOR GOD TO GET IN

One material we build boxes out of which we demand God to get into is our prayers. We pray in very specific terms and then expect God to show up and do that which is within the parameters of those terms. A most human tendency is to pray in such a way that we are ordering God around like we would a bellboy in some hotel. God is not just sitting around awaiting our orders. God is on the move (He is always dynamic and never static) and doing what He can to align us with His purposes. As mentioned earlier, how many times has God answered our prayers but the answer came in a form we were not expecting? There have been times when we have accused God of not answering prayer but then a year or so later we discover that He did. It just so happens that the answer came in a different wrapper or down an avenue we had not been looking for it to come down. From our limited perspectives, we cry out in with limited understanding and emotionally demand specifics of God - many of which He may not be able to agree because they are out of alignment with the principles of His Word. God will not get into alignment with fear or greed.

Our default modes are another way in which we present God with boxes for Him to maneuver in. We can come to some freedom, some fresh revelation that has us out and beyond where we have ever been, and be doing just fine as we go along the road of purpose. Then an unexpected, or a much feared, occurrence blows into the middle of the scene and stuff is flying up in our face obscuring our vision and throwing us off balance. The carnal thing we do so well at this point is: we fall back on old defaults. It is somewhat like this analogy: Say a man has only used an ax or a bow and arrow to meet the food needs of his large family. He manages to get a few animals now and then with his ax and his bow but it is very difficult hunting and he is not always successful. Then someone comes along and gives him a gun with plenty of bullets. Now he doesn’t have to spend as much time hunting and he is able to get the game he needs with much less effort. But one day, just as he is getting used to this new gun, he makes a mistake, it misfires and blows up in his hands and wounds him. After depending on the ax and bow for so many years and not being wounded by either one, he will most likely go into his default mode. He will throw the gun away and go back to his ax and bow even though the gun has proven to be a far superior means of obtaining his family’s needs.

EXPERIENCE = THEOLOGY?

In a circus environment there is not much room for eight ton elephants. Not only are these animals very large, they are also very strong and able to do a lot of damage if they get loose. There is a method which trainers use to keep elephants in a small confined area. It seems that there is a very good reason for huge elephants staying put in one little place with a little chain around their leg in the confines of a circus environment. All of this is done without great, thick cement walls and it takes very little room. When the elephant is a baby, a trainer drives a stake into the ground and puts a chain on the elephant’s leg and then attaches it to the stake. The baby typically does not like it and begins to pull against the chain but is unable to do anything about it. As he grows larger and stronger, he never tries to pull up the stake again because he was convinced at one point that it would do no good to try and get free. The moment he feels resistance, he relents. His experience becomes his theology.

CHANGING OUR PARADIGMS

God instructs us in Scripture to change our paradigms: Enlarge the place of your tent; stretch out the curtains of your dwellings, spare not; Lengthen your cords, and strengthen your pegs. For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left. And your descendants will possess nations, and they will resettle the desolate cities. (Isa 54:2-3 NAS) It is interesting to note that when we stretch out and enlarge our willingness to perceive, and hence ability to receive, then our descendants will be able to possess and accomplish what has not been possessed and accomplished in the past.

God will always be bigger than your theology. We will never have a theology big enough to fully encompass God. No matter how well built our little boxes are, no matter what fine intentions or materials have built them, they will never be big enough or good enough to contain all of God. His thoughts and His ways are above ours, so that tells me that as long as man exists, that he will constantly be amazed at the developing revelation of who God is and what His purposes are.

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