Spiritual Dynamics: The Metaphysical Realities Explained

By Larry Burnett

The Re-Awakening Series:  A unique, hybrid (fiction / non-fiction) 2 book set.

          What will happen if these two books are read in their correct order?  Well first, Devil Whispers will paint a succinct and vibrant picture of the human experience in both the physical and spiritual dimensions – simultaneously.  And, in doing so, the book will easily transport the reader past the belief that human events are merely the product of a physical, cause-and-effect process. Indeed, this book will clearly show that the unseen dynamics of the spiritual dimension are the much more culpable animators of our days.

           This frank and challenging book is actually intended to do two primary things.  It is intended to freshly awaken a sense of positive desperation in godly hearts – a desperation which, in turn, energizes new levels of devotion, understanding, and intimacy with God.  And, it is intended to set the stage for the completing book in this set, Spiritual Dynamics. That book then pierces the religious gobbledygook and theological misdirections to reveal a clear view of that authentic redemptive journey which always attends true faith.

          The world is now living through a late and difficult hour in God's redemptive time-table – one in which America is actually imploding before our eyes.  Most still lay the blame for this on our dire political realities.  But here too, the more foundational cause lies within those unseen dynamics of the spiritual dimension.

          We are really failing because our populace, both religious and secular, has alienated God by our now widespread shallowness and disrespect.  As a result, He has taken a decisive back-step.  And now, absent God's active national guardianship, we are left staring at imminent collapse. These books were written to help avert that terminal anguish.  And, they have a real capacity to make a difference – if allowed to speak.

Spiritual Dynamics: (Non-fiction 160 pgs.) The Second Book

            Given the seriousness of the subject matter addressed by Spiritual Dynamics, you will probably be surprised by the tone of its approach.  It is not written in a heavy theological brogue.  Nor does it read like a doctoral thesis.  And, it does not employ an oppressive, "thou shalt" overtone. 

            Rather, this book is very purposely written in a more everyday language and a fairly light inflection to facilitate an easier flow of information.  And, regarding that information, Spiritual Dynamics is truly a fresh step forward as an explanation of the realities of the metaphysical dimension.  Indeed, this book has a tremendous capacity to broaden the reader's practical understanding and strengthen the consistency and durability of his or her devotion.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Freedom Bridge Press
• Release date: Aug 24, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201411909

Larry Burnett

Larry Burnett has been in Christian ministry since 1978. His formal education is in Biblical Literature and Pastoral Ministry.  Over the decades of his diverse ministry, he has pastored 8 established churches, started 1 mission church, and participated in 2 jail ministries.  He also served with a charitable ministry as a facilitator in the U.S. and actually building Christian Schools in Africa.                 He has also written prolifically over the years of his ministry.  His writings include numerous publication articles, denominational educational curriculum, Christian books (both fiction and non-fiction) as well as short stories and poetry.                 Larry originated Pilgrim Ministries in 1985 as his personal speaking and writing ministry.   And, The Back 40 Museum Website, has been the online platform for that ministry since 2007.  At the time of this writing, Larry is also still actively pastoring.

Book preview

~The Author’s Foreword

***

Please Read This First 

You don’t have to do so, of course.  But if you don’t, you go directly to jail.

And, you do not collect $200 for passing Go.

***

~0.1 Metaphysical:  Now there’s a word for you.  In the Greek language where Meta originated, one of its primary meanings was simply beyond.  Thus, the term is used here to denote that larger reality which exists beyond the physical dimension.

So, there is this physical dimension of life, which our physical senses and our intellect pretty well equip us to explore and even to grasp – most of the time, well, at least, some of the time.  And then, there is that more ethereal metaphysical dimension of life which is not nearly so easy.  Nevertheless – here we go!

***

So, it would seem that in the mind of modern mankind, the question has become, does God really matter in this now hyper-modernizing world?  With science, technology, and material pursuits so very ascendant, should we even care anymore about the divine purpose or the abstract concepts of that metaphysical (or spiritual) realm?  At the present, enormous level of life’s complexity and stress, do those things really still hold any practical relevance?

In truth, God and His purposes are all that ever do remain consistently relevant. This is true because of one invariable certainty. It is this. The conditions of the present are always short-lived.

Always, for better or worse, time sweeps the human condition irresistibly forward, on to some new present condition.  And, as it does so, only two things ever remain unmoved and impervious to this force of passing moments.  You guessed it.  It’s God and His agenda. All else is eventually swept away by that swift and relentless currant of time. 

So, indeed, the divine issues are the only issues which ever really do continue to matter. Thus, the truly smart move is to focus on what will endure to confront us tomorrow, and even in the tomorrow after that.

And so I write, at God’s behest me thinks, for any who do still retain their higher wits in this ever more tin-hearted world.  I write for any who still hear the divine call upon their heart above the screeching friction of shifting social structures. And, I write for those who, even at this late hour in human history, are willing to take in life’s bigger view.

My humble hope is to be truly helpful to those who are still tenaciously seeking answers to those supremely important questions (which far too many have now simply stopped asking).  And finally, I am inspired by those who are still enamored with that mysterious personal pilgrimage which restores our soul, our intimate friendship with our Creator, the goodness of our personal here-and-now, and the quality of our forever.

At the time of this writing, I have, myself, enjoyed that renewing journey for almost half a century.  And, across the course of that long path, I have discovered that it all simply comes to one thing. Indeed, it is about a durable and mutually fulfilling friendship – for both man and God. This is the real end game of all accurate Christian theology.

And, even after all the elements of my own journey – the formal study of high-sounding theologies, the real life struggles, the failures, the successes, the praying, the soul searching, the agonizing, the times of great joy, the mistakes, the apologizing, the surprises, the drama, the relationships (good and bad), the revelations, the impacts of aging, the technological advancements, and the just-in-the-nick-of-time rescues – I can find no better way to sum it all up than this. The magnificent work of Christ, in its ultimate purpose, is really only about enabling a spectacular League of Two between ourselves and our loving Creator.

It seems so obvious now, looking at it from this end. My redemption – as is everyone’s – was always only about awakening within me, through Christ, this trans-formative friendship. And the Living Christ has been, and is, even now, constantly deepening this amiable divine companionship.

He is ever expanding this comfortable oneness of heart with my Creator. And, this Christ-brokered heart-agreement has, indeed, over the years, become the strong matrix of our consistent friendship. 

So, my uncomplicated purpose for this writing is to provide a thorough, A-Z exposure of the beautiful workings of this life-transforming God encounter. My hope is to simply achieve a real clarity in the mind of the reader concerning the nature of this renewing odyssey of the heart.

Sadly though, most any religious writing can become fertile ground for unintended contentions. And, I fear these writings may not escape that sadness.  When the old timers and the religious insiders, for example, don’t recognize their seemingly canonized words and phrases, the language by which they learned, they are probably not going to be happy about that. And so, almost certainly, many of them will simply reject these writings out of hand, assuming them to be some new and illegitimate thing.

Neither will others be approving, who have tightly wrapped themselves in a pick-and-choose, patchwork kind of theological security blanket.  And, this often remains true even if greater coherence and clarity might be in the offing.  So doubtless, in the end, many of these, too, will almost certainly choose to simply remain safely adhered to their cobbled together religious clichés.

And, for many other reasons, more than a few may reject these ideas as far inferior to their own more familiar religious tenets.  Nevertheless, for all of these protests, the truth which Sir William exposed so many years ago remains true. Merely casting the rose into the fresh light of a more vibrant language has absolutely no impact on its immutable qualities.   And, so it is with this attempt to merely display, in the brighter light of contemporary language and references, the basic realities of the metaphysical dimension of our existence – and especially with regard to God’s redemptive agenda.  

The idea in this writing is certainly not to reinvent or pervert the workings of the divine rescue plan.  Rather, it is simply to freshly frame it - in order to better communicate its opportunity to these present times.

If you remodel your kitchen, it is still the kitchen.  It still does what kitchens do.  It simply has new colors, textures, and appliances which more easily interface with the contemporary eye. That is the essential intent for this writing. 

Like that new kitchen, this is simply a fresh conception of that original redemptive message – the redemption we have always known to employ the enjoined power of the Living Christ to enable the believer’s true and consistent heart-oneness with God.  And surely, to attentive ears, these troubled times cry out for an enhanced comprehensibility to facilitate an enlarged awareness of our message. 

And certainly, even a keen awareness does not guarantee the desired response.  But a lack of awareness definitely does guarantees a lack of response.  So, while carefully guarding its integrity, we simply must occasionally embrace an updated concept of our message.

Obviously then, to explore the merit of that freshness, it necessarily falls to the reader to be willing to lower, at least somewhat, the defenses you may have established to protect your religious status quo – or the lack thereof.  Most all of us harbor those security measures at some level, either to keep our existing perspective on God safe from corruption or, in the reverse, to keep God at arm’s length, altogether.  But, by their very nature, these defenses get in the way of new levels of discovery.

And certainly, caution has some obvious value here, at least in that former case.  Yet, perhaps it could be confidently moderated by simply remembering that, in fact, you, as the reader, are always completely in charge of the buy-in.  You, alone, decide what you will believe and what you will reject. So, there is really no need, at least at first, to fend off every less familiar exposure which may, after all, actually hold some real value. A truly fresh-eyes approach just necessarily requires a willingness to venture beyond the zone of the familiar.

And finally, very obviously, the world is in a huge hurry these days.  We seem to want to get to everywhere quickly, so we can’t stay anywhere very long.  Hence, surfing has gone from being a seaside pastime, to a world-wide way of life.  

But, in fact, some things still do deserve, and necessarily require, a reasonable amount of time and mental focus.  And, uh oh, woe is me, since I must, here, be the guy who reminds the reader that the subject matter of this writing, the metaphysical reality, is one of those things. 

So, in the vernacular of Captain Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek fame – full impulse - maybe.  But warp-speed?  That just simply won’t do here.   Therefore, it is my simple hope that every reader will give themselves permission to just relax and explore the issues of this writing with some curiosity and patience. 

Oh, and by the way, that going directly to jail thing that I mentioned earlier – just kidding.  But, that "no $200" thing – oh, that part was very true. Now, let’s go have a great time looking into some really interesting and important life-stuff.   –LB

Chapter 1:

~An Introduction

***

~1.1 It’s Not Just a Moment, It’s a Process:  I suspect you’ve heard differently – maybe forever.  So have I.  But, in fact, God’s plan to elevate the human condition through Christ involves a beautifully sophisticated, life-long process – not merely one tear filled conversion moment.  Certainly that moment when we first embrace the Lordship of Christ is a pivotal one.  But it should be understood, not as a terminal point, but as the gateway to a wonderful redemptive process. 

In what follows, you’ll see that life-changing renewal presented in the clearest terms. And this knowledge is, indeed, invaluable as it can produce a priceless result.  It can yield a vital and vibrant personal friendship with Almighty God – and from that friendship, an entirely new and liberated you. 

***

~1.2 On Friendships:  But there are friendships, and then, there are friendships. Obviously, some friendships are all that you would hope for them to be. But, there are also friendships which are hardly worth it.  I’ve had a few of those.  And, perhaps you can relate as well.

For example, some friendships are very high maintenance with very little pay back. Others are so shallow as to be meaningless, or almost so.  Still others are so pretentious that they actually become disconnected from reality. Obviously, all of these are just bad relational deals.  I’ve made a few of those.  And, I suspect you’ve... Well, ‘nuf said.

But, ultimately, God simply doesn’t go for this sort of relational deal.  That’s not to say that He won’t be quite patient in waiting for us to grow beyond these less noble offerings.  Certainly, He is patient with us in that regard.  Yet in the end, He will not accept such emptiness.  In the final analysis, He will only be approving of high quality, deeply meaningful, and mutually fulfilling relationships. 

Jesus makes this clear as, on one occasion, He predicted the ultimate outcome for those who would engage in such shallowness.  He indicated that, at the last, his response to such pretenders would be this. "I never knew you.  Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness."

That word knew becomes very important in this pronouncement.  In the original Greek language, that word for knew is genosco. It means, a deep and intimate knowing.  So, the problem Jesus was raising was the absence of a real depth and quality of relationship.  Thus, He makes it quite clear here that, ultimately, God simply doesn’t traffic in shallow.

***

~1.3 What the Larger World Is Missing:   When thinking in terms of the divine friendship, a simple fact escapes the uninitiated world, at least in real terms.  It is the fact that Christ truly is a living Savior.  Thus, He is a very vibrant and interactive Savior.  And, because He is so very alive, His character essence is fully available to humanity.  The simple reality which so wonderfully cheers some of us, and scares others of us half to death, is that the Living Christ is literally able to live in a symbiotic way within the character essence of devout believers.

And, in the privilege of this character integration, the devout believer is then afforded an invisible, but constant and very impactful, daily divine companionship with Christ.  And, through this personal integration with the Living Christ, we are enriched in a thousand ways every day – far beyond just the most immediate need of the redemption of our soul.

It means, for instance, we will never wake up alone, consigned to only our own puny inner resources with which to manage life or, when necessary, to face it down.  Instead, this intimate character integration with the Living Christ provides a truly enabling synergy.  And, this life changing connection is exponentially more formidable than a life lived merely under our own steam.

And, this deeply rooted friendship also means that we are not forsaken to humanity’s chronic inner darkness – whether that darkness takes the form of some latent and unexplained anger, or an ugly appetite, a blazing character flaw, or some unresolved guilt or insecurity, etc.  This high quality, interactive friendship with the Almighty means – it’s all solvable. 

And, then there is that divine inner voice.  Perhaps the most spectacular element of the divine