Inverted Icebergs

An iceberg is a large piece of freshwater ice that has broken off from a snow-formed glacier or ice shelf and is floating in open water. Most icebergs have 10-20% of their mass exposed above water while the remaining majority of it mass is concealed ‘beneath the surface’ of the water.

An inverted iceberg Christian is one in which 90% of their Christianity is what others may see . . . 90% of their worship occurs in the church service, 90% of their Bible reading is done in the church service, 90% of their prayer life occurs during normal church service times.

Joel prophesied, ‘let the priest weep between the porch and the altar.’ For years, I have referred to the porch as that which is public and the altar as that which is private. Too often our altars (private Christianity) are dwarfed by our porches (public Christianity). It’s far to easy to be over-fruited and under-rooted.

Many failures in public ministry were due to a highly charismatic leader not having the character to support his gifting. Reverting the iceberg places the Christian in his/her right orientation.

The Titanic never touched ‘the tip of the iceberg’ . . . which, by the way, was the portion of the iceberg that was seen. No, it was what’s beneath the surface that caused it to sink. When a Christian is rightly oriented, focusing on internal spiritual growth as opposed to external emphasis, they possess the ability to ‘sink Titanic-sized’ problems while appearing to be completely un-moved, unscathed.

Let’s keep what’s ‘behind the seen’ deep and wide . . . let’s keep what’s beneath the surface attractive to Christ so that we will live lives that are pleasing to the Father and productive on earth.

Pastor Clifton LeJeune

Thinking Like A Snake

" . . . Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." This is a commandment. Jesus requires us to know the thought process of snakes . . . and to learn from them. This is interesting because we know that the serpent has been used as a symbol for satan and now Jesus is asking us to think like him?! Maybe we can learn something from ‘snake thought’.
1. Serpents know where to hide.
They are keenly aware of their environment and always have an escape route. (story of 4wheeler ride and finding snake that slithered into a tree trunk where a tunnel was located)
Eph 5:15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,
cir·cum·spect (sûr"k…m-spµkt") adj. Heedful of circumstances and potential consequences; prudent.
2. Serpents rarely attack unprovoked.
Don’t go out looking for a fight; at the same time, don’t back down when confronted about issues worth fighting for!
3. Serpents are cold-blooded - they know their weaknesses.
Serpents are extremely vulnerable to their environment. You’ll never find a snake swimming a river in the dead of winter. It is amazing how many Christians fall into moral sin completely aware of their surroundings and consequences. We must learn to be honest about our weaknesses and be proactive about protecting ourselves against them.
Here’s the text again, Mat 10:16 . . . be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
There are two ideas presented here that are linked by the conjunction ‘and’ - wise as serpents AND harmless as doves. Very few, if any, have ever been attacked by a dove. Doves spend most of their time in flight; therefore, doves look over, literally, most things. To be harmless as a dove could refer to one’s ability to overlook offenses.
Here’s the premise: NIV Prov 19:11 A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.
So there it is . . . one of the great keys to true spirituality lies in the ability to think like a snake so that you can soar like a bird. ;)