I wish there was some way to show people that there is much more going on than what they see. We limit ourselves by what we can see, touch, smell, hear and taste, as if our five senses is all there is to reality. But there is so much more going on than what we realize. There is so much more than what science can explain. There is so much more to you than you realize at this moment.
How can a Christian not believe in witchcraft, ghosts and evil spirits? How can we laugh at the paranormal and say people who believe in it are crazy? Have you read the Bible?
- Balaam - who accessed God through divination (Numbers 22)
- Witch of Endor - a medium whom Saul went to (1 Samuel 28)
- Ghost of Samuel - brought up by the witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28)
- the countless demons Jesus cast out, just to mention a few things
God said not to have anything to do with this stuff, not because it isn't real, but because it is real and it destroys people. It is part of the darkside and it exists.
I bring this up, not because it is our topic today, but because I want to make my point that there is more going on than this limited physical existence we experience every day. I don't write about the dark stuff for the same reason the Bible doesn't go into details: My purpose is to glorify God, not lift up evil. I only point this out because I want you to know that God is using you to teach angels.
Yes, you, a member of the Body of Christ, the Church, are being used by God to teach his wisdom to all rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms. Those are the ones that you cannot see with your eyes, touch with your hands, smell with your nose, hear with your ears, or taste with your tongue, but they are there and you are God's object lesson:
His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Ephesians 3:10-11)
God kept his plans so close to his chest that not even the authorities in the heavenly realms knew what he was up to. Yet, through us, mere clay vessels, God is displaying his glory and making known his wisdom to angels. They are looking in on us with awe as God reconciles us, his enemies, to himself and then glorifying himself through us. I don't know, maybe we are too enamoured with the decaying delights of this world to understand the awesomeness of this, the thing that even the angels find amazing.
I just want you to know, as you wake up and get going in this normal day of yours, that you are a walking object lesson of God's wisdom today. You my friend are a trophy of grace. You are a clay vessel containing the glory of God. You are the object of our Father's affection. You are even the Bride of Christ. As you live your typical day, with your typical friends, in your typical town, with it's typical delights, realize you are far beyond typical to the authorities of the heavenly realms. They are watching you with wonder at the great things God has, is and will do through you. May others see the glory of Jesus in you today.
Showing posts with label mystery. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mystery. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
The Danger Of Being Entertained
Sometimes we consider our church pretty boring. It's not as hip and exciting as some of the churches out there. Sometimes we wish there was a way to make Bible reading and Bible study more interesting. If only we could dress it up somehow and repackage it; a lot more people might get into it. Sometimes we are a bunch of spoiled children who have been over stimulated by this world and have lost all spiritual sensitivity. We have no idea how absolutely fantastic our church and Bible are.
When we come into our churches we are looking to be entertained. We look for the wrong type of value in our experience. What we should be realizing is that we are about to look into the great mystery of our God and what he has done. We consider, "Yeah, yeah, I know already. God loves us, yada yada yada". We have this attitude because we look at the results without understanding the roots of it.
Do you think that apostle Paul found this boring? Was he looking for entertainment value as he suffered for it? I think Paul woke every morning with a sense of excitement and urgency because of what he had to share and teach to people:
This grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. (Ephesians 3:8-9)
Look at that wording: the unsearchable riches of Christ. Guess what? Through the revelation that has been given those riches are now searchable to you every time you open the Word of God. Not everyone can see it. You have to have Jesus to have the Spirit and it is the Spirit who gives us understanding. That's us, understanding that mystery of God and are able to tell other people about it.
Paul's job was to make plain the administration of this mystery. How is it possible for us, who were not a people to become a people? How is possible for us to receive salvation? How is it possible for us to be possessed by the Holy Spirit? How is it possible for us to be in the presence of God? These things were unknown before. The people of Israel did not enjoy what we enjoy today. This mystery was kept hidden in God until now, revealed in this age of grace.
What is available to us now was not available to even the prophets. They could only look in on it, from a distance, write about it, long for it; this thing that we consider dull and lacking entertainment value. Do you not realize that Jesus said the least of us, so the one with the smallest amount of faith, is greater than John the Baptist. As great and important as John was he did not get to enjoy what we have today.
This world with all its sensuous delights, with all its entertainment value, its bright lights, loud noises, and time wasting activities, is dulling our spiritual senses. It is overwhelming and distracting us. It is ruining our palate so we can no longer distinguish between junk food and the riches of Christ. If church is boring and the Bible dull you need to ask Jesus to clean your palate so that the things of this world become dull and uninviting, and the things of God explode with excitement in you. I think we can all do with a little palate cleansing.
When we come into our churches we are looking to be entertained. We look for the wrong type of value in our experience. What we should be realizing is that we are about to look into the great mystery of our God and what he has done. We consider, "Yeah, yeah, I know already. God loves us, yada yada yada". We have this attitude because we look at the results without understanding the roots of it.
Do you think that apostle Paul found this boring? Was he looking for entertainment value as he suffered for it? I think Paul woke every morning with a sense of excitement and urgency because of what he had to share and teach to people:
This grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make plain to everyone the administration of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. (Ephesians 3:8-9)
Look at that wording: the unsearchable riches of Christ. Guess what? Through the revelation that has been given those riches are now searchable to you every time you open the Word of God. Not everyone can see it. You have to have Jesus to have the Spirit and it is the Spirit who gives us understanding. That's us, understanding that mystery of God and are able to tell other people about it.
Paul's job was to make plain the administration of this mystery. How is it possible for us, who were not a people to become a people? How is possible for us to receive salvation? How is it possible for us to be possessed by the Holy Spirit? How is it possible for us to be in the presence of God? These things were unknown before. The people of Israel did not enjoy what we enjoy today. This mystery was kept hidden in God until now, revealed in this age of grace.
What is available to us now was not available to even the prophets. They could only look in on it, from a distance, write about it, long for it; this thing that we consider dull and lacking entertainment value. Do you not realize that Jesus said the least of us, so the one with the smallest amount of faith, is greater than John the Baptist. As great and important as John was he did not get to enjoy what we have today.
This world with all its sensuous delights, with all its entertainment value, its bright lights, loud noises, and time wasting activities, is dulling our spiritual senses. It is overwhelming and distracting us. It is ruining our palate so we can no longer distinguish between junk food and the riches of Christ. If church is boring and the Bible dull you need to ask Jesus to clean your palate so that the things of this world become dull and uninviting, and the things of God explode with excitement in you. I think we can all do with a little palate cleansing.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Why You Understand And Others Don't
Have you ever wondered why you can understand things from the Bible and other people can't? Have you ever wondered why you know things in the Bible are absolutely true while others reject it as false? Have you ever wondered how anyone could ever dispute the truth of the Bible when it is so plain and clear? It's because it isn't plain and clear to them.
Something we keep forgetting is that we read the Bible through the Holy Spirit. These aren't just words to us because the Spirit makes it life to us. He has already written God's law on our heart so when we read the truth our spirit confirms it because it is already in us. The Spirit gives us more than knowledge of the word, he gives us understanding through personal revelation of the Word. This is the reason the world reads and cannot understand, because they do so without the Spirit of God.
It is nothing more than words to them. Just words.
That's why they will not allow us to dispute their claims with the Word of God because they cannot accept it as truth. It is the reason disputing or trying to reason with someone without the Spirit is such a waste of time and energy. The only thing we can do for such people is bless them with kindness, patience and love. Their salvation is not by our argument but by the conviction of the Holy Spirit. In saying this, anyone who is under conviction can be swayed by the Word of God.
This is another great blessing we have been given and that we can celebrate today. In fact, God has let us in on this, his great mystery. You may shrug your shoulders at it because to you it is old news but when understood by the Spirit of God it is incredible news:
And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. (Ephesians 1:9-10)
Most of the world is beating its head against the wall trying to get people to stop killing each other and polluting the planet. They put so much energy into the effort to get people to understand the preciousness of God's creation, although they leave God out. They think a clean environment and world peace is the great goal to work towards. But we know, due to man's sinful nature, these goals will never be attained, and that we are rushing toward a difference conclusion.
We know this because God has revealed the truth of it to us. Yes, we can read the Words of the Bible and have that knowledge, but we also have an understanding of the truth because of the Spirit of God in us. So we warn the world and they mock us. Don't be discouraged.
Look up!
The thing I want to encourage you with is that we have been blessed by the revelation of God's great mystery. It is more than knowledge. It is more than words. It is the conviction of the truth that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Be grateful and encouraged that we have been blessed with such a revelation of God's mystery.
Something we keep forgetting is that we read the Bible through the Holy Spirit. These aren't just words to us because the Spirit makes it life to us. He has already written God's law on our heart so when we read the truth our spirit confirms it because it is already in us. The Spirit gives us more than knowledge of the word, he gives us understanding through personal revelation of the Word. This is the reason the world reads and cannot understand, because they do so without the Spirit of God.
It is nothing more than words to them. Just words.
That's why they will not allow us to dispute their claims with the Word of God because they cannot accept it as truth. It is the reason disputing or trying to reason with someone without the Spirit is such a waste of time and energy. The only thing we can do for such people is bless them with kindness, patience and love. Their salvation is not by our argument but by the conviction of the Holy Spirit. In saying this, anyone who is under conviction can be swayed by the Word of God.
This is another great blessing we have been given and that we can celebrate today. In fact, God has let us in on this, his great mystery. You may shrug your shoulders at it because to you it is old news but when understood by the Spirit of God it is incredible news:
And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment—to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. (Ephesians 1:9-10)
Most of the world is beating its head against the wall trying to get people to stop killing each other and polluting the planet. They put so much energy into the effort to get people to understand the preciousness of God's creation, although they leave God out. They think a clean environment and world peace is the great goal to work towards. But we know, due to man's sinful nature, these goals will never be attained, and that we are rushing toward a difference conclusion.
We know this because God has revealed the truth of it to us. Yes, we can read the Words of the Bible and have that knowledge, but we also have an understanding of the truth because of the Spirit of God in us. So we warn the world and they mock us. Don't be discouraged.
Look up!
The thing I want to encourage you with is that we have been blessed by the revelation of God's great mystery. It is more than knowledge. It is more than words. It is the conviction of the truth that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Be grateful and encouraged that we have been blessed with such a revelation of God's mystery.
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