GOOGLE SMART
In March of 2018, a team from Bethel School of Technology
gathered with about two hundred Google employees at Google’s headquarters for a session on the topic of: “ Furthering the Narrative around Christianity’s Impact in the Tech Space.
” Some of the brightest minds in the world were in attendance, including several Google team members who worked in the artificial intelligence (AI) division. The talk also incorporated a Q&A panel where our team addressed live questions posted by the attendees. It was a privilege and an honor to be a part of the thought leadership taking place that day. Still, though I was surrounded by some of the world’s most brilliant minds
who understood I.Q. (our minds), and E.Q. (our emotions), it quickly became apparent that none of them had ever heard of S.Q. (spiritual intelligence quotient). In other words, our team was surrounded by a lot of people, including Believers, that may have been “Google smart,” but were they spiritually aware?
ROYAL REALITY
I understand the world measuring intelligence by I.Q. and E.Q. However, witnessing God's people relegate their divine advantage of possessing an intelligence that’s boundless (S.Q.), I have to consider that many Christians don’t actually know what it means to have access to the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16).
The mind of Christ gives us a capacity for brilliance that is beyond our human intelligence. God intended for His people to be more than “google smart,” so that we can cut through the chaos of this age and walk in divine wisdom and supernatural solutions! This spiritual intelligence is not reserved for a select few prophets or "chosen ones." Instead, it's accessible for all Believers. Consider Peter’s words in 1 Peter 2:9: “ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. ” Did you catch that? Peter isn’t simply pointing out sound theology here, he’s revealing our profound reality as chosen children of the King— that we’ve been chosen, born for nobility, and we have purpose!
Furthermore, inhabiting this royal reality begins with being physically present and spiritually in-tune. In other words, as God’s holy nations, we take ownership of the life we have on earth by walking spiritually empowered, undoing the great injustices that take place on this planet. Remember in Matthew 10:7 when Jesus instructed the twelve disciples with these words, "And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’" Like the disciples, when we go forth to our families, our jobs, and our communities, we go empowered by the Holy Spirit and respond as spiritually intelligent solutionaries who bring about the Kingdom wherever we go. This is our royal reality!
The mind of Christ gives us a capacity for brilliance that is beyond our human intelligence. God intended for His people to be more than “google smart,” so that we can cut through the chaos of this age and walk in divine wisdom and supernatural solutions! This spiritual intelligence is not reserved for a select few prophets or "chosen ones." Instead, it's accessible for all Believers. Consider Peter’s words in 1 Peter 2:9: “ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. ” Did you catch that? Peter isn’t simply pointing out sound theology here, he’s revealing our profound reality as chosen children of the King— that we’ve been chosen, born for nobility, and we have purpose!
Furthermore, inhabiting this royal reality begins with being physically present and spiritually in-tune. In other words, as God’s holy nations, we take ownership of the life we have on earth by walking spiritually empowered, undoing the great injustices that take place on this planet. Remember in Matthew 10:7 when Jesus instructed the twelve disciples with these words, "And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’" Like the disciples, when we go forth to our families, our jobs, and our communities, we go empowered by the Holy Spirit and respond as spiritually intelligent solutionaries who bring about the Kingdom wherever we go. This is our royal reality!
JOU RNEY INTO S.Q.
As far as what unfolded for the team and I at Google headquarters that day, well, I went on to explain to the Google employees that higher education is relegated to training only our finite intellect,
while disregarding the infinite nature of our redeemed spirit-man. In other words, if they could activate S.Q. with Holy Spirit, the potential of their intelligence would become infinite! The results of the teaching were stunning as minds began to open up to what could be possible with God.
Watch the video below that I filmed that day to hear more about our experience as I processed our time at Google with Ryan Collins, CEO of Bethel Tech.
Little did I know at the time that this day was just the beginning of an adventure I would go on with God to discover the topic of S.Q., and I began to unpack the full teaching that I gave that day at Google with Holy Spirit over the months that followed. I wrote about the journey into the new world of S.Q. in the first chapter of my new book, which you can download for free here. What I want you to understand today is that you have the capacity for brilliance! The thrilling truth is that you have the mind of Christ and this means you have a divine advantage that sets you apart; you have the ability to thrive not just survive. That’s some good news right there! I encourage you to embark on a journey with the Holy Spirit and develop in this God-given gift that’s available to you.
In closing, if you’re considering purchasing my new book Spiritual Intelligence but you’re curious about what all is covered, a few questions I biblically unpack are:
- What are the five dimensions of spiritual intelligence?
- How can I build new neural pathways to supernatural thinking?
- How do I recognize my sphere of influence and the borders of my divine assignment?
- How will an increased capacity for spiritual intelligence transform my life?
- How do IQ, EQ, and SQ work together, and what does it look like to operate wholly in all three?
I hope you’ll check it out and embark on the remarkable journey of spiritual intelligence!
