Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Tag: worship (Page 1 of 2)
In this writing I am hoping to share a fresh perspective on the Gospel of Jesus Christ that has been truly life-changing for me. However, it is only fresh for me as an attempt to look at the whole bible as one sweeping epic story about God and His Creation. The New Testament, beginning with the 4 accounts of the life and message of Jesus are in fact a continuation of that story. The more we understand what went before Jesus came in the First Century, the more we can appreciate the depth, the breath, the length and height of God’s wonderful plan for us! There is of course a basic simplicity in Christ. We can easily overcomplicate things, and we certainly have in the past. The simple truth is that God is love. The purpose for each of us is to love Him with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
It only became complicated when disobedience and sin entered into the picture. No matter how hard we try to ignore the problem, it refuses to go away. We may not understand how and why we all follow the sad example given by Adam and Eve, but the overwhelming evidence is that we have. That is what makes the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Good News that the Kingdom of God has come through Him to be not only Good but GREAT News! When we understand God’s plan from the beginning, and that the process of restoration has already begun, we can find great hope and strength from this understanding.
God wants to open our eyes to see beyond present world circumstances. That is not always easy for us to do, just as loving is not always as easy as it sounds. We need to have our minds renewed by the power of the Holy Spirit and the engrafted Word of God. Peter, a leading apostle of Christ, wrote that the prophecies given beforehand in our Old Testament did not come by human desires or impulses, but special holy men were empowered to speak as the Holy Spirit moved upon them. (2 Peter 1:21.) Referring also to the Old Testament, the apostle Paul stated that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV) Do you believe that the very same Holy Spirit is active in believers today to open our eyes and minds to the scriptures concerning God’s great plan for all?
It is in these ancient scriptures where we learn that God intended to have a family on this earth to reflect His image and to rule the earth in His stead. It is also where we learn of His plan to restore us after the fall to that original purpose. In Genesis 12 He promised Abram that his descendants would become as many as the sands of the seashore or the stars in the heavens, and that through them, all the families of the earth would be blessed. Finally, through many of the prophets, the promise of the the Messiah was revealed. He would atone for our sins, give us new hearts and minds, and bring peace to the whole world. Then the knowledge of the glory of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea!
Previously we looked at times and places where God would meet with His people in special way, in a special place and time. The Tabernacle in the Wilderness and the Temple at Jerusalem were very important in the life of Israel for hundreds of years. Finally God Himself appeared in human flesh. (John 1:1, 14, 2 Corinthians 5:19, 1 Timothy 3:16, Hebrews 1:1-3). Jesus even claimed that He was the true Temple of God, and that no longer would Jerusalem represent the primary place of worship. (John 2:18-21, 4:24). This of course offended many. But others rejoiced to learn of this freedom that was now available to them.
There is a saying that “in the Old Testament, the New Testament is concealed, but in the New Testament, the Old is revealed.” Also: “In the Old Testament, Christ is concealed, in the New Testament He is revealed.”
The further we go into the New Testament, the entire picture from the Old Testament moves from black and white, to full living color! Jesus did not intend to be the only one to be “born of God!” (John 1:10-13). In one instant He made this very clear. When some Greeks were looking for Him, His response was this: “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it; and he who hates his life in this world shall keep it to life eternal.” (John 12:24-26 NASB)
It was of primary importance that Jesus would become “the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29). The Cross actually removed the barrier that kept us from becoming who God had all along intended us to be!
Hebrews 2:5-12:
“It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. 6 But there is a place where someone has testified:
‘What is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the angels;
you crowned him with glory and honor
and put everything under his feet.’
In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.”
(NIV)
So Jesus has made the way for us to join Him in Sonship. We too can become “born of God!” He was the “firstborn of many brothers (and sisters).” (Romans 8:29) Paul, expanding on the Temple metaphor declares to believers in Corinth: “Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17 NASB). He also refers to the collective body of believers — NOT the church building — as the Holy Temple of God!
Ephesians 2:18-22:
“for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”
(NASB)
How can people so casually read these words and not want to jump up and shout for joy? Two thousand years ago Jesus proclaimed that the time had come for the Kingdom of God. He called people from all walks of life and later through His apostles from all nations to join Him in His Kingdom, to be delivered from their sins and to enter into a new life of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit! Even now we can cast off the old life and become new in Christ! He is sharing His very nature with us! Maybe it is time for God’s children to abandon the old excuse, “I’m only human.” If Christ is in you, you are human, but much more than that!
Grace is not given to us to excuse us of our failures, but to empower us in Christ! We can do all things through Christ Who strengthens us. His Kingdom begins in you and me. Today, on this very planet, God wants to meet with humanity. He already has a place set aside for that. Not a building made of bricks, concrete or wood. This temple is composed of redeemed people who are not yet perfect, but on their way to perfection — perfection as God sees it. If you are His, you are the light of the world! A city set on a hill that cannot be hid!
There is so much more to come, but only as we follow on the path.
Proverbs 4:17-18:
“For they eat the bread of wickedness
And drink the wine of violence.
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
That shines brighter and brighter until the full day.”
(NASB)
I love Christian gatherings. That was not always true in my younger days. Then in my early twenties I was humbled by circumstances in my life to the point that I came to a greater level of surrender to Christ. At that point I was drawn to other believers with whom I found more in common than before. The meetings we had in the church building were very exciting, powerful and encouraging. We were in a time of what some call revival, others might call a “move of God.” Many believers that I knew outside of that fellowship were also experiencing a new awareness of the presence of God in their lives. It was a time that I will never forget. In this environment, evangelism is free and natural. Who wouldn’t want to share joy such as this?
Since then I have never lost the desire to gather with other people who love God. There have been many painful times, for sure. Close friends have suffered illnesses like cancer, others experienced divorce or loss of a child. When people become close through their faith in Christ, they learn to “rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” There is also the pain of separation. Sometimes families move away from the area. Sometimes they are called to serve elsewhere. Sometimes strong disagreements can cause separation. Like I said, there are many painful times, but still I have never lost the desire to gather with the people of God. Over the years I have been exposed to various concepts of what a meeting should be like. I have learned to respect the patterns and traditions of others for the most part, as long as Jesus Christ is at the center.
There have been times when my entire week has been centered around the church I am a part of. I am not saying that is necessarily a bad thing. I have been in close communication with others involved in the planning of meetings. Much of this time helps to build relationships among us. Having often been a part of the group that provides the music and leads in the singing of praises, I know how much time that can require. Other times I have had the privilege of teaching, and I need to invest in preparation for that part of the service.
Getting together in men’s and women’s groups and small group bible studies during the week have been also normal for my wife and me. One of her favorite aspects of Christian fellowship is in teaching children about God and the bible on Sundays and during summer Vacation Bible School. Other opportunities have come along for us to serve at senior centers and homeless shelters and we are blessed in them.
All of this can and should be beneficial and a part of life in the Kingdom of God. At the same time I can see the possibility of some misconceptions here. Is this all there is that constitutes what we read about in the bible of life in Christ? Could everything become too focused on that one event on Sunday morning which is over after an hour or so? Think for a moment. In the bible, the people of God always had meeting times. In the New Testament, they were highly motivated to gather because of Christ. Yet there is very little of our modern forms seen in the Old or New Testaments. Have we enshrined our traditions, however wonderful they might be, while limiting other possibilities?
Everywhere we read about the need to serve one another, to build up one another in Christ, to love one another. Nowhere are we encouraged to always gather together around one man or woman to hear only what one individual has to say. In Paul’s writings it was always about everyone having a gift from God by which others can be served. He even describes a gathering where everyone could take his or her turn at sharing what God has given to them.
The greater danger is in placing too much control in the hands of a few individuals. It is true, some are more experienced than others, but we are all a part of His Royal Priesthood, called out of darkness into His marvelous light. These days, many are learning about other valid expressions of Christian community. They are finding the freedom to serve in the gifts that the Holy Spirit has placed within them, without rejecting the true call to unity in Christ.
They are meeting in parks, restaurants, in their own homes, or anywhere that serves His purpose for them. They do not need the support of an ancient denomination or their bank accounts to “plant a church.” They are the church, the community of born-again believers in Christ. They know who they are in Him, and do not need a name or someone with a title to approve of them.
More importantly they need to understand their total and utter dependence upon their Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Only by humbling themselves before Him can anyone find true fellowship as His body, the fulness of Him Who fills all in all!
Recent Comments