Picture It!

"The picture-it method of Bible study is useful because the Bible is full of stories.  In this method, you put yourself into the scene of a biblical story as if you are an active participant.  Then you ask yourself, "How would I feel if I were involved in this situation?  hat would I say?  What would I do"  When you do this, God's Word becomes flesh in your life, and it'll change your life."
Rick Warren... @ purposedriven.com

Is this how" God's Word becomes flesh?"

Really?

According to Rick Warren it is.

Apparently, this idea of the Word of God  "becoming flesh"

  is about you putting yourself into the stories in the scriptures,

 (any of them you like.)

Remarkable.   

 I mean, considering that Jesus is the very Word of God,

 and that as such he was born into humanity as a man 

and that he died upon a cross for the sin of of humanity, and rose again...

 it is quite remarkable that a "Christian pastor"

 would teach this about the word of God becoming flesh in you

by you simply imagining yourself in the story, any story, in the text.  It is as if he is teaching that 

our flesh and blood can somehow attain to the kingdom of God, 

which is not the way it is at all.

It is as if he simply made up this so-called "method" of meditation

 and is instructing both Christians and would-be Christians,

 to believe it as he tells and instructs his hearers to 

 imagine themselves in the Bible's stories 

and tells them that this is how the Word becomes flesh.

This is not true.  Jesus is the word made flesh.  Not you.

He says, "...That's a truth that you can apply today--all because you stepped into the words of scripture and let it become "flesh" in your life.  You can do this with any character in the story or any story in the Bile.  It'll change how you read your Bible."

Rick Warren

Yes, Rick Warren, ( the change agent,) wants to" change " how you think , PERIOD.

Wherefore previously you might have thought (or been taught or even taught others) 

 that Jesus was the Word made flesh as it reads in this chapter of John...

he would like you to think otherwise...

and have you  imagine yourself

 as that Word of God, made flesh.

Strange.

If you listen to Rick, then soon you will be using,( rather than believing) the Bible,

and using it to exalt yourself into higher realms of consciousness....

 or at least imagine yourself  there, and instead of believing the bible is about Jesus, 

 you will believe that the Bible is not only all about YOU, but simply a nice

 collection of stories to be used for your own daily

  imagination/meditation exercises into higher realms of consciousness.... 

(remember those breath-prayers.)

 Before long, you will be just like Jesus, imagine yourself as God and 

 falsely believe you are the word of God in your flesh.

  He has an acronym for it too...

S.P.A.C.E.  P.E.T.S.

Space Pets?

This notion and term comes from the Rick Warren Bible Study Methods Book, 

subtitled, Twelve Ways You Can Unlock God's Word.

He is using it in his 40 Days in the Word study too.

Is it really up to you to do the unlocking?

Is God's word hidden from you?

  The premise of Rick, after all, is that you use his "method"

to "unlock" what is locked up.

Odd.... 

You see, God gives wisdom like he gives grace... freely to all who ask.

God is also in the business, you might say of revealing himself, truth, his Word,

 his Son, and even "mysteries" to those who simply ask,or seek, or knock.  

(Matthew 7:7)

Not only that but the apostles have set forth

 the truth and the scriptures quite plainly...

preached to the whole world and even 

written the Bible  in nearly every language ever spoken by man.

Yet, Rick sells this "Picture-It" method

 of "meditation" as a key,( one of many) to unlock God's Word

 as something biblical.

 In essences though, "Picture It" is just another form of what is known as guided meditation... 

where you visualizing things you imagine in your mind's eye...

and place yourself into the scenario prescribed by you or by someone else.

It is a "spiritual," exeercise, perhaps,

 but quite contrary to simply hearing the Word 

and  reasoning and thinking as a

 human; reading, hearing and understanding

 what the scriptures say and knowing they are real.

and right, and true and good....

 not imaginary or  imagined.

They are historical and real... as is his salvation of mankind through the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ.

Which reminds me of a verse:

2 Corinthians 4: 1-5

Therefore seeing we have this ministry,

 as we have received mercy, we faint not;

 But have renounced the hidden things 

of dishonesty,

 not walking in craftiness,

 nor handling the word of God deceitfully;

 but by manifestation of the truth 

commending ourselves to every man's conscience 

in the sight of God.

But if our gospel be hid,

 it is hid to them that are lost: 

In whom the god of this world 

hath blinded the minds 

of them which believe not,

 lest the light of the glorious gospel

 of Christ, who is the image of God, 

should shine unto them.

  For we preach not ourselves, (or our own books and Bible Study methods)

but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves

 your servants for Jesus' sake.