Are you a FLATLANDER?

The most difficult people to interact with are the ones that I call “flatlanders”. They are the narrow-minded ones, the ones that are convinced in their own mind that they are right on the strength of their “own truth”, or what they have decided “works for them” and that becomes all of a sudden their universal truth. And unfortunately, a narrow mind and a wide mouth usually go together. “A fool uttereth all his mind…” (Pro 29:11).

There are a lot of things that we do not see in the physical realm. Air waves and radio waves and TV signals are not seen with the natural eyes. Yet they are all around us. Such it is with the living world of forever rather than the dying world of now, the everlasting realm of eternity rather than the temporary space of time, the fascinating dimension that is largely unseen by us in mortal flesh, rather than this mundane plane which is so temporary.

The Bible calls the flatlander, the “natural man” who refuses to believe that anything such as the spirit world could possibly exist, simply because he’s never seen it or been there. “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him” (1Cor 2:14). And so he says, “There just ain’t no such thing”-simply because he never saw it before.

Even if it were possible to show it to him, it would be so beyond his two-dimensional understanding that he would probably be like the old country farmer, who was told about the giraffe the first time, and he said, “There just ain’t no such thing!”

The Bible tells us to set our affection on things above–Heaven–not on things on the earth, for the things which are seen are only for a time, but the things which are not seen are eternal (Col 3:2; 2Cor 4:18).

All God’s children of faith since the beginning of time have been looking for an unseen world, a “city which has foundations” -eternal foundations- “whose builder and maker is God” (Heb 11:10). Not having received all that God had promised them but having seen those promises from afar, they remained strangers and pilgrims on the earth because they sought a better, heavenly, country. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, and He has prepared just such a place for them, the awesome Heavenly City, New Jerusalem, which will come down from God, out of the heavenlies, to rest on planet Earth (Heb 11:13-16; Rev 21:2-3).

But God’s invisible Heavenly kingdom is already in operation and existence, here and now! It not only surrounds us, but is within us. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luk 17:21). And he also said, “the Kingdom of God is at hand” — that means right here and right now. (Mk 1:15)

My wife and I have lived in a number of countries, and of course, there are so many cultural differences all over the world. But whenever you start talking about other cultures and the way they think and operate, some people just fritz. Americans are perhaps the worst when it comes to understanding the rest of the world. They are so centered in their lifestyle and in the consumption of media that everything else is “weird”.

Some of our children also have traveled extensively, and when coming to the USA, they found it difficult to simply start a conversation and have one ask “where are you from?” –or “where were you born?”, it would open such a can of worms, since most people have never gone out of their little town. And sadly, they consider everything outside of their box, almost non-real.

It is the same with the things of the spirit. Nowadays, it has become nearly illegal to talk about God in some countries, it’s just not “politically correct”. Kids don’t hear about God in school, they don’t go to church, and even if they did, they’d get so little feeding and in the end, most people are not aware of the fact that there is a REAL spiritual world around us.

The bible talks about “unspeakable joy” and “peace that passeth all understanding” and “joy inexplicable”... Wow. Who, in this world can offer such things? But they do exist. Those who live by the principles of the kingdom get to taste those things.

Yet, there is a famine for love in the world. The heart of man is the same all over the world. People are yearning for love. Searching for True Love, the kind of love that will add that missing dimension to their life. Jesus said “give and it shall be given unto you, and by the same measure that you give, it shall be given unto you.” (Lk 6:38). Happiness is rarely something that comes to you. It’s when you give it to others that you get it.

That message is so different from what we are taught in the world today, especially in this ‘gimme’ ‘gimme’ generation. Yet, all those of us who have lived a life of giving can testify of that “unspeakable joy” that comes with loving God and Loving his fellow man. We have had a taste of the “peace, that passeth all understanding” that the Word of God promises. And we somehow have resources of love and understanding that seem inexhaustible.

So many in the world today are quick to criticise or question that God exist or the veracity of God’s Word, and yet, when that Word is lived out, we all experience those feelings of fulfillment, of true happiness and satisfaction that comes not from gathering for ourselves, or seeking our own.

When we share God’s love, we are able to forgive because we have been forgiven so, we are able to suffer long because He suffered long for us. We are able to be kind and not be easily provoked, and we are able to rejoice in the truth. We can bear all things, and we can endure all things, because God’s love never fails.We are no longer pushed along, but we are driven, inspired and downright lit up!

That is the reward of God’s servant, and it all starts with caring… And from caring to participating, and from “getting involved” to giving and from giving… we become that seed, the corn of wheat which falls into the ground and dies, and then brings forth much fruit.

All these biblical principles are TRUE and they WORK. But to ‘talk the talk’ is not sufficient. But the one who walks it out gets the RUSH, like Jesus did.

The world of the spirit is one of almost unlimited, so much larger and greater than this world of the physical wherein we live. And that is why it is so difficult for the “flatlanders” to understand the things of the spirit.

Jesus was trying to explain the things of the spirit to a doctor of the law who was trying to comprehend those things with his carnal mind. And he said “that which is spirit is spirit and that which is flesh is flesh” (John 3:6). Because “the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. (Rom 8:7). The flatlander could not possibly begin to understand it nor those who believe in those things of the spirit. Ours is a whole new world, marvelous and magnificent, that the flatlander does not even know exists, simply because he cannot see it.

The fact of the matter is that the dear little Flatlander, in his pride, hates to admit that there’s anything beyond his level. Poor fellow! How limited his vision, how narrow his realm, how restricted his scope of operation! Since he can’t go anywhere else, he just hates to admit that there is anywhere else. And he is particularly furious with anyone who claims to have been lifted up into that other world and caught a glimpse of what is beyond his own little domain. But just because he doesn’t believe in a realm that is invisible to him, that doesn’t make it not so!

To dismiss the entire spiritual realm like that would be just as absurd as if you were to say, “I don’t believe that New York City or London exist because I’ve never seen them or been there.”           The Bible is full of evidence, stories and positive declarations of the existence of this fifth dimension, the spirit world.

Some of its immortal characters, having passed on into it through death, even came back to tell us about it. Others were lifted up into the realm of the spirit to get a brief glimpse or vision of it, and many received messages from there.

And you can know too! If you really want to know the truth and are willing to admit that others have something you haven’t got but would like, and if you will humbly confess your limitations and ask God to help you find that whole new world, you too can know the indescribable joys, the beautiful scenes, the delightful sounds, and the ecstatic feelings of that marvelous heavenly realm! It’s such a wonderful, happy place; it’s “out of this world”! You’ll love it!