I discovered Donald Yamamoto has been living as an ambassador in Somalia since 2018. Friends of mine moved there to serve their people for a time. It is semidesert with landscapes of thornbush savanna. The nationals are clan-based and over half live a nomadic way of life. Decades of civil hostilities have destroyed its economy and infrastructure and split the country into various factions. I wondered what it might be like living as an ambassador and governed by the laws of two unique cultures.
Jesus lived in two entirely different cultures (Israel and the kingdom of God) at the same time modeling how we can do so. The Bible teaches every Christ-follower lives simultaneously in two worlds as Jesus did, the physical seen world and the unseen spiritual world. We must choose which world is our real world as an ambassador must do. Being raised in a physical culture, we often think of the kingdom of heaven as fantasy. But which existed first and will last forever?
It fascinates me to read in Genesis how God designed each human with the capacity to live simultaneously in two worlds. The Bible teaches God is triune (has three parts). It is noteworthy to read God said, “Let us [plural] make human beings in our image, to be like ourselves…” (Genesis 1:26, NLT2). Just as the Bible explains, there are three aspects of God, The Father, Son and Holy Spirit; He created man with three parts. Then the LORD God 1) formed the man from the dust of the ground [body]. He breathed the breath of life [spirit] into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person [soul] (Genesis 2:7, NLT2). Paul later identifies those three components of man as spirit (our connection with the spirit world), soul, and body (our connections with the physical). (1 Thessalonians 5:23) The Bible repeatedly calls us to live in both worlds and gives us illustrations of characters who did so, Jesus being the ideal model.
Interrupted by a paralyzed man being lowered from the roof. Jesus first said to him, “Son, your sins are forgiven” (Mark 2:5, ESV). The Jewish leaders present questioned in their hearts (unspoken) why Jesus would speak such blasphemies. The Bible reports, immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts?” (Mark 2:8, ESV). This illustrates the humanity of Jesus functioning in the seen world while the unseen Spirit whispered to Him what these men were thinking.
As we learn the practical difference between our soul and spirit, we will become adept at living in two cultures at the same time. We will be able to worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24) as Jesus commanded. It will enable us to make better daily decisions. If the idea of having a spirit is new to you, you will find it extremely rewarding to learn more about it and how to release its potential into your daily life. Learning to team my spirit with my soul has expanded my capacity to love and serve others in my physical world. It provides encouragement and inspiration when I can see my seen world through the lens of the Spirit in my unseen existence in life.
Powerful teaching words!