Down Periscope

Reflections on the life of faith with Tom Bowen

In Wednesday night’s Bible study on the New Testament book of 1st Corinthians, I related a story about life aboard a nuclear submarine.

We had to constantly learn, and then apply what we learned by doing drills every day. In the same manner that our crew trained for any and all situations, we as believers must do the same. We read our instruction manual (the Bible) to learn of Jesus, the Spirit, and God the Father. Then we must apply what we learn.

Aboard my first submarine a thousand miles from home, the torpedo room reported that the last man was out of the escape hatch. Our captain watched in the periscope as that last man floated away. “Down Periscope,” the captain ordered. “Maneuvering put us on the bottom,” came the next order. It was followed by “Rig for silent running.” We were to stay silent on the bottom of the ocean for three days.

A fully trained Seal Team had just left our submarine for a special mission. They relied on our crew of ninety-six to be fully trained for our part of this top-secret mission.

Romans 15:4-5 reminds us that,

“Everything written in the Scriptures was written to teach us, in order that we might hope through the patience and encouragement which the Scriptures give us. And May God, the source of patience and encouragement, enable you to have the same point of view among yourselves by following the example of Christ Jesus.” (GNT)

Paul tells us in 1st Corinthians that we can learn to transition from fear to faith. He also tells us that we can learn to transition from panic to patience.  We can also learn to go from our human wisdom to the secret wisdom of our God with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Through our activity, we found that everyone needed instructions to piece together various puzzles. We needed instructions. We needed help from others. We had to rely on the experiences of others. We found out that not everyone learns the same way. Just like on a submarine, it takes a team working together. Ephesians 4:16 puts it this way:

“Under His control all the different parts of the body fit together, and the whole body is held together by every joint with which it is provided. So when each separate part works as it should, the whole body grows and builds itself up through love.” (GNT)

But, how do we access what God knows?

“Who has known the mind of the LORD, or has taught Him as His counsellor?" is the question Isaiah asked. (Isaiah 40:13)

“Who has known the mind of the Lord and Who shall instruct him?" was Paul's question to the Romans. (Romans 11:34)

Paul asked the same question to the Corinthians. With the same question appearing three times, we knew it was important.

We were able to find the source of God’s secret wisdom, for Paul disclosed the most amazing truth; “But WE have the mind of Christ." (1 Corinthians 2:16)

We have the indwelling Holy Spirit. This Spirit gives us access to the mind of Christ.

The Spirit gives us a taste of heaven, a glimpse into His glory, an understanding of His heart of love, and the amazing truth that God (our Father) desires to save mankind from their sin and bestow on us privileges that are beyond our understanding.

We listed these privileges in our class:

1. Access to God’s Grace

2. To be rich in all things

3. To be rich in speech

4. To be rich in knowledge

5. Access to God’s blessings

6. Salvation to the end

7. Faultless when Jesus returns

8. Called by God

9. Fellowship with Jesus Christ

Three days Jesus was in the grave, but he did not stay there.

Three days our submarine was on the bottom of the ocean, but we did not stay there. We came to periscope depth and recovered every one of the Seal Team members. Our training and their training made it possible.

God’s training in our lives will make our next mission as a church successful.