GREAT CHANGE IN THE CHURCH
Great change is indeed coming to church-life, as we know it. Multitudes of believers find a fresh expression in a smaller home environment rather than the clumsy impersonal big building context (Often spelt, contest!). What needs reformation though, is not the size or structure of church expression, but the content of its message! Unless the fundamental ingredient of our understanding of the finished work of Christ is grasped by engraved spirit revelation, the smaller compact package of the home-church will soon become the same baggage that neutralised and paralysed believers for ages. ‘A little leaven leavens the whole lump’ says Paul in Gal.5:6-10. He clearly refers to religious tradition, in this case, circumcision that represents personal contribution and performance in order to distinguish and qualify the individual. Even the slightest emphasis on personal effort and contribution, nullifies the faith that grace reveals, and makes gratitude phoney. Any presence in our belief, even insignificantly small, of something we still have to do in order to obtain favour from God nullifies the power of the cross and puts us back under the law of performance. ‘While we compete and compare with one another we are without understanding’ 2 Cor.10:12.
Most Christians do not have a problem with the fact that Christ is revealed and received by faith, the problem comes with the practical walk which so easily becomes cluttered by all the performance-related emotions that the law triggers, such as boasting, competition, guilt, fear, suspicion, sin-consciousness etc. Any form of doing not inspired by the revelation of grace results in dead works! It is the faith-inspired and faith-sustained walk that triumph in life! Gal.3:2,3.
Faith is fuelled by revealed value; (Gal.5:6) love sees that something has happened to mankind in Christ that is of far greater authority and consequence than what happened to humanity in Adam’s fall. Rom.5:14-21, 2Cor.5:14-21. It is also as much superior to the prophetic shadow sustained by tradition, as the child that is born is superior to the placenta that held and sustained the seed and foetus of promise. Col.2:8,17, Gal.4:1-10. Faith understands that the conclusion of grace is mankind’s inclusion in Christ.
Part of a booklet by Francois du Toit
www.mirrorreflection.net
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
JESUS - TO BE CONTINUED
JESUS - TO BE CONTINUED
His death, resurrection and ascension did not conclude His ministry, but ignited and multiplied it in us! We are not only included in His death and resurrection, but also in His ascension, ‘He raised us up with Him and made us sit with Him in heavenly places!’ Ep.2:6. The grain of wheat that would feed the nations did not abide alone, but fell into the earth and died and brought forth much fruit! John 12:24. The dawning of this truth in the understanding of the believer will revolutionise the church! The ecclesia of God is His voice and expression in the earth! His building, His workmanship, His tabernacle, His abode, His image, His presence known and read by all men! His original blueprint-word made flesh. Ordinary lives communicating an extra ordinary impact! John G Lake wrote, “The struggle of the centuries has been to free the soul from narrow interpretations. The world is still waiting to see Him as He is, Jesus the magnificent, Jesus the giant, Jesus the compassionate, Jesus the dynamic, the wonder of the ages. Take the shackles off, let Him have a chance to bless mankind through you without limitations!” Be renewed in the spirit of your mind! Ep.4:23. Paul makes this statement in 2Cor.6:12, “You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections!” And in 1 Cor.4:8 he says, "Already you are filled! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings (It is not Paul's teaching that made us who and what we are, it was Christ's obedience) Would that you did reign!" What an awesome privilege to discover and indulge in a truth that has always been. "It is not a new doctrine, it is the Word that has been from the beginning, yet it is new, for that which is true in Him is true in us!" 1Jn 2:7,8.
NEWS FLASH! “Two uneducated fishermen heals a man who was a cripple for more than 40 years! Such was the immediate impact that 5000 men believed!” Acts 4:13. In the time of the early church no written Bible existed for decades and the majority of the people were illiterate, yet the Word increased and the number of disciples multiplied greatly. Acts 6:7. Paul sees with conviction the future of the Word documented not on tablets of stone written and interpreted by human opinion, neither preserved in millions of copies of Bibles and libraries of literature in every translation and language, not even in Christian broadcast and television, but the image and likeness of God engraved by the Spirit of God on tablets of human hearts; lives reflecting the same distinct quality of spirit character that was displayed in the life of Christ; “known and read by all men!” Wow! What an audience, what an impact! I like that, not confusing the masses, but including them! The true light that enlightens every man has come. 2 Cor.3:2,3,18, John 1:9. “With the open statement of the truth, we appeal to every man’s conscience!” 2Cor.4:2. All of our Christian effort through the media and through organised church regardless of how many people we involve, only carry as much impact as the next person we present mature in the full stature of Christ!
The eternal Word, the Word that was from the beginning is now also the final Word, all the imagination of God’s sacred thought, culminating in one man, Jesus, now multiplied beyond count to reveal every man as fully included in God’s love dream. Heb.1:1,2. The prophet Habakkuk saw that the revelation of righteousness by faith would be so clearly communicated, that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. “Write the vision, make it plain upon tablets, so that he may run who reads it.” Hab.2:2,4,14. Nothing will mobilise the individual more, than realising the truth of their spirit identity, their innocence and union with God. Righteousness by faith is not a new, compromised set of rules, but the mirror reflection of God’s image and likeness redeemed and revealed in man. Gen.1:26. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, what it was that met our gaze and the touch of our hands. Yes, life dawned! Beloved I am not writing to you a new doctrine, this is the Word that was from the beginning, yet it is new, in that which is true in Him is also exactly true in you! He has given us understanding to know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true!” 1 John 1:1,2, ch.2:7,8, ch.5:20.
Part of a booklet by Francois du Toit
www.mirrorreflection.net
His death, resurrection and ascension did not conclude His ministry, but ignited and multiplied it in us! We are not only included in His death and resurrection, but also in His ascension, ‘He raised us up with Him and made us sit with Him in heavenly places!’ Ep.2:6. The grain of wheat that would feed the nations did not abide alone, but fell into the earth and died and brought forth much fruit! John 12:24. The dawning of this truth in the understanding of the believer will revolutionise the church! The ecclesia of God is His voice and expression in the earth! His building, His workmanship, His tabernacle, His abode, His image, His presence known and read by all men! His original blueprint-word made flesh. Ordinary lives communicating an extra ordinary impact! John G Lake wrote, “The struggle of the centuries has been to free the soul from narrow interpretations. The world is still waiting to see Him as He is, Jesus the magnificent, Jesus the giant, Jesus the compassionate, Jesus the dynamic, the wonder of the ages. Take the shackles off, let Him have a chance to bless mankind through you without limitations!” Be renewed in the spirit of your mind! Ep.4:23. Paul makes this statement in 2Cor.6:12, “You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted in your own affections!” And in 1 Cor.4:8 he says, "Already you are filled! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings (It is not Paul's teaching that made us who and what we are, it was Christ's obedience) Would that you did reign!" What an awesome privilege to discover and indulge in a truth that has always been. "It is not a new doctrine, it is the Word that has been from the beginning, yet it is new, for that which is true in Him is true in us!" 1Jn 2:7,8.
NEWS FLASH! “Two uneducated fishermen heals a man who was a cripple for more than 40 years! Such was the immediate impact that 5000 men believed!” Acts 4:13. In the time of the early church no written Bible existed for decades and the majority of the people were illiterate, yet the Word increased and the number of disciples multiplied greatly. Acts 6:7. Paul sees with conviction the future of the Word documented not on tablets of stone written and interpreted by human opinion, neither preserved in millions of copies of Bibles and libraries of literature in every translation and language, not even in Christian broadcast and television, but the image and likeness of God engraved by the Spirit of God on tablets of human hearts; lives reflecting the same distinct quality of spirit character that was displayed in the life of Christ; “known and read by all men!” Wow! What an audience, what an impact! I like that, not confusing the masses, but including them! The true light that enlightens every man has come. 2 Cor.3:2,3,18, John 1:9. “With the open statement of the truth, we appeal to every man’s conscience!” 2Cor.4:2. All of our Christian effort through the media and through organised church regardless of how many people we involve, only carry as much impact as the next person we present mature in the full stature of Christ!
The eternal Word, the Word that was from the beginning is now also the final Word, all the imagination of God’s sacred thought, culminating in one man, Jesus, now multiplied beyond count to reveal every man as fully included in God’s love dream. Heb.1:1,2. The prophet Habakkuk saw that the revelation of righteousness by faith would be so clearly communicated, that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. “Write the vision, make it plain upon tablets, so that he may run who reads it.” Hab.2:2,4,14. Nothing will mobilise the individual more, than realising the truth of their spirit identity, their innocence and union with God. Righteousness by faith is not a new, compromised set of rules, but the mirror reflection of God’s image and likeness redeemed and revealed in man. Gen.1:26. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, what it was that met our gaze and the touch of our hands. Yes, life dawned! Beloved I am not writing to you a new doctrine, this is the Word that was from the beginning, yet it is new, in that which is true in Him is also exactly true in you! He has given us understanding to know Him who is true, and we are in Him who is true!” 1 John 1:1,2, ch.2:7,8, ch.5:20.
Part of a booklet by Francois du Toit
www.mirrorreflection.net
Monday, October 17, 2005
THE SON OF MAN IS THE SON OF GOD
THE SON OF MAN IS THE SON OF GOD
God’s eternal Word is wrapped up in our sonship. Jesus is now the full expression in one Person of all the fragments of God’s thought concerning man’s true identity and redemption, as communicated in the law and the prophets. “In many and various ways He spoke in glimpses to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken His heart to us in a son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the ages. He is the brilliant reflection of the glory (the original opinion) of God; He is the exact engraved signet-character of the essence of God’s Person. He is the force of the universe and sustains everything that is, by His utterance! Everything that exists finds its significance in Him! His mission was to restore mankind to innocence by blotting out their sin. Having accomplished this Himself, He now occupies the throne room of God’s majesty! His very Being represents our innocence! Once and for all He freed us from a sin-consciousness! Heb.1:1-3, Heb.9:6-14, Heb.10:1-3,10,14. In Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’ Col.2:3,9,10. (His incarnation unlocks the secret code that unveils the mystery of man’s inclusion in Christ. His death proclaims the fact that “we have died and our lives are now hid with Christ in God.” Col.3:3) He is the theme of scripture! God associated us in Christ before the foundation of the world! Ep.1:4. ‘It is from Him that we take our origin’ 1Cor.1:30. Knox
It is such a glorious thing to discover that the true context of scripture is not its historic or even traditional setting, but a reality of far greater relevance, our sonship! Heb. 1:1,2. All of scripture finds its relevance only in its relation to the revelation of Christ as truly representing mankind; He is our true identity! “You search and ponder the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me.” John 5:39. Scripture points to Christ and Christ reveals us! “ And we all, with new understanding, see ourselves in Him as in a mirror; thus we are changed from an inferior mindset to the revealed opinion of our true Origin. 2 Cor.3:18. When we read Scripture in the light of redemption, the Bible becomes a new Book. “The letter kills, but the spirit gives life, My words are spirit and life.” John 6:63. The Bible confused and divided more people than any other book yet its spirit-message remains eternally intact in one man, the Word that became flesh, He reveals every man! “If you continue in My Word (The Word that was from the beginning, the Word that is God, the Word that became flesh and dwells in us) you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free, whom the son makes free is free indeed.” John 8:31,32,36. Mankind’s freedom is in discovering their true sonship! This is the truth as it is in Christ. Ep.4:21. “As He is so are we in this world.” 1John4:17. To know the truth about ourselves as it is revealed in Christ is what frees us to be who we are. He is not an example for us but of us! The only faith that is worth pursuing is the faith of God; what God believes concerning us concerns us, and deserves our undivided attention. God’s faith is on display in the Person, the life, death and resurrection of Christ. God believes in our inclusion in Him! ‘Faith comes by hearing; the kind of hearing that imparts the revelation of Christ.’ Rom 10:17. (See RSV)
To give prominence to any scripture outside of its true context, the revelation of Christ in you, is to wander into distraction and error. “See to it that no one makes prey of you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to worldly principles (popular and accepted rules and regulations) and not according to Christ, for in Him there is all of God in a human body. He alone defines our completeness!!” Col 2:8-10. See also v 16-23, all the types and shadows of the Old covenant are now superseded by the greater reality, the new creation in Christ! “The law is but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities.” Heb.10:1. “We are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus. He created in Himself one new man!” Eph.2:10,15, Also 2 Cor.5:14,16,17.
Part of a booklet by Francois du Toit
www.mirrorreflection.net
God’s eternal Word is wrapped up in our sonship. Jesus is now the full expression in one Person of all the fragments of God’s thought concerning man’s true identity and redemption, as communicated in the law and the prophets. “In many and various ways He spoke in glimpses to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken His heart to us in a son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the ages. He is the brilliant reflection of the glory (the original opinion) of God; He is the exact engraved signet-character of the essence of God’s Person. He is the force of the universe and sustains everything that is, by His utterance! Everything that exists finds its significance in Him! His mission was to restore mankind to innocence by blotting out their sin. Having accomplished this Himself, He now occupies the throne room of God’s majesty! His very Being represents our innocence! Once and for all He freed us from a sin-consciousness! Heb.1:1-3, Heb.9:6-14, Heb.10:1-3,10,14. In Him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge’ Col.2:3,9,10. (His incarnation unlocks the secret code that unveils the mystery of man’s inclusion in Christ. His death proclaims the fact that “we have died and our lives are now hid with Christ in God.” Col.3:3) He is the theme of scripture! God associated us in Christ before the foundation of the world! Ep.1:4. ‘It is from Him that we take our origin’ 1Cor.1:30. Knox
It is such a glorious thing to discover that the true context of scripture is not its historic or even traditional setting, but a reality of far greater relevance, our sonship! Heb. 1:1,2. All of scripture finds its relevance only in its relation to the revelation of Christ as truly representing mankind; He is our true identity! “You search and ponder the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me.” John 5:39. Scripture points to Christ and Christ reveals us! “ And we all, with new understanding, see ourselves in Him as in a mirror; thus we are changed from an inferior mindset to the revealed opinion of our true Origin. 2 Cor.3:18. When we read Scripture in the light of redemption, the Bible becomes a new Book. “The letter kills, but the spirit gives life, My words are spirit and life.” John 6:63. The Bible confused and divided more people than any other book yet its spirit-message remains eternally intact in one man, the Word that became flesh, He reveals every man! “If you continue in My Word (The Word that was from the beginning, the Word that is God, the Word that became flesh and dwells in us) you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free, whom the son makes free is free indeed.” John 8:31,32,36. Mankind’s freedom is in discovering their true sonship! This is the truth as it is in Christ. Ep.4:21. “As He is so are we in this world.” 1John4:17. To know the truth about ourselves as it is revealed in Christ is what frees us to be who we are. He is not an example for us but of us! The only faith that is worth pursuing is the faith of God; what God believes concerning us concerns us, and deserves our undivided attention. God’s faith is on display in the Person, the life, death and resurrection of Christ. God believes in our inclusion in Him! ‘Faith comes by hearing; the kind of hearing that imparts the revelation of Christ.’ Rom 10:17. (See RSV)
To give prominence to any scripture outside of its true context, the revelation of Christ in you, is to wander into distraction and error. “See to it that no one makes prey of you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to worldly principles (popular and accepted rules and regulations) and not according to Christ, for in Him there is all of God in a human body. He alone defines our completeness!!” Col 2:8-10. See also v 16-23, all the types and shadows of the Old covenant are now superseded by the greater reality, the new creation in Christ! “The law is but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities.” Heb.10:1. “We are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus. He created in Himself one new man!” Eph.2:10,15, Also 2 Cor.5:14,16,17.
Part of a booklet by Francois du Toit
www.mirrorreflection.net
Sunday, October 16, 2005
LIFE DAWNED!
LIFE DAWNED!
Sixty years after he last saw Jesus in the flesh, John, now in his nineties, reflects on the mystery that was revealed which transformed his life from an illiterate fisherman to a saint. He spent most of the latter part of his life (about 30 years) living in Asia Minor and more specifically at Ephesus, much of Paul’s emphasis in teaching therefore reflects in John’s writing. This he did either from Ephesus or from the Isle of Pathmos where he spent a few years in exile. (Compare Col.1:15-17 to John 1:1-3,16-17, 1John 5:20.) He understands that the Word has both an eternal origin and destiny that could never be confined to an isolated island or experience, neither could the Word be trapped in human doctrine or tradition. No inferior translation or interpretation could reduce God’s original intent. The authentic integrity of God’s thought would forever be preserved and celebrated in the incarnation; human life would be the uninterrupted future of the Word.
Notice how often John uses the word, ginomai, meaning birth or origin: ”In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things came into being (Gr.ginomai, from genos, to give birth to) through Him; and nothing has any authentic existence outside of their origin (Gr.ginomai) in Him. In Him was life and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness could not comprehend it. (Greek: kata+lambano, to seize upon, to grasp) The true light that enlightens every man has come into the world. The world was made (Gr.ginomai) through Him, yet the world knew Him not; He came to His own, and His own received Him not. (Gr.para+lambano, to grasp, associate with) But to everyone who by faith, comprehends Him to be their true origin, (Gr.lambano, comprehend, grasp, identify with) in them He confirms the integrity of their son-ship, (Gr.didomi, in this case to give something to someone that already belongs to them, thus to return) the fact that they already are His own, born from above, they have their beginning and their being in Him!’ (Gr.eksousia, integrity, legality, authority, legal grounds.) Jesus has come to reveal man’s true sonship; He vindicated our origin and design. ‘And the Word became (Gr.ginomai) flesh and now tabernacles in us!’ John 1:1-14. “We are not preaching a new doctrine, but the word that was from the beginning; yet it is new in that what is true in Him is equally true in us!” 1 John 2:7+8. In Him we discover that we are not here by chance or accident, or by the desire of an earthly parent, neither are we the product of a mere physical conception; we exist by the expression of God’s desire to reveal Himself in the flesh. His eternal, invisible Word, His Spirit-thought, became (Gr.ginomai, be born) flesh. James says: ‘Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth…if any man hears this word, he sees the face of his birth as in a mirror, he sees himself as he is from God’s point of view.’ Jm.1:17,18,23.
God never compromised His original thought. The word became flesh and has taken up residence (tabernacled) in us, and we gazed with wonder and amazement upon the mystery of our inclusion in Him; (theaomai to gaze upon, to perceive) We saw His glory (Greek, doxa, the display of His opinion), the glory as of the original, authentic begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.’ (The original mind, or opinion of God, preserved and now revealed in Christ. He is both the ‘only begotten’, monogenes, as in the authentic original mould, as well as the first born from the dead. Col.1:18, 1Pet.1:3) We have grasped that He is the revelation of our completeness. ‘And of His fullness have we all received, grace against grace.’ (Gr.garin anti garitos, grace undeserved) ‘For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. He who is in the bosom of the Father, the only (original, authentic) begotten of the Father, He is our guide who accurately declares and interprets the invisible God within us.’ John 1:1-5, 9-14,16-18. “The Word that was from the beginning, what initial reports concerning Him have reached our ears, what we indeed bore witness to with our own eyes to the point that we became irresistibly attracted to Him; what it was that met our gaze and the touch of our hands, yes, life dawned! (Gr.psallo, to touch the string of a musical instrument, thus resonance) The same life that was with the Father from the beginning, now dawned on us! The infinite life of the Father became visible before our eyes in a human person! This life now finds expression in a fellowship union with the Father and the son that is without limit or interruption. In all these years since the ascension of Jesus, John continues to enjoy unhindered friendship with God and desires to extend this same fellowship through his writing to every believer, “so that joy may be yours in full measure.” 1 John 1:1,2,4.
Has the rain a Father?
Who begot the drops of dew?
Who birthed the morning?
Caused the dawn to know its place?
Have you comprehended the expanses of the earth?
Have you comprehended their origin?
He knows you by name
His design is His claim
He boldly declares, “Measure Me”
Have you measured your heart?
Have you measured the volume of your being?
He has chosen you to accommodate the fullness of His dream
Have you comprehended? He is at home within your heart,
A dwelling built within you without walls.
Take My love to its conclusion.
Take My love to every man,
Count the stars, count the sand
Measure the nations in My Hand,
Come on now, measure Me
I fulfil your eternity. (Author unknown-reference from Job 38)
Part of a booklet by Francois du Toit
www.mirrorreflection.net
fdt@mailbox.co.za
PO Box 1428
Hermanus South Africa 7200
Sixty years after he last saw Jesus in the flesh, John, now in his nineties, reflects on the mystery that was revealed which transformed his life from an illiterate fisherman to a saint. He spent most of the latter part of his life (about 30 years) living in Asia Minor and more specifically at Ephesus, much of Paul’s emphasis in teaching therefore reflects in John’s writing. This he did either from Ephesus or from the Isle of Pathmos where he spent a few years in exile. (Compare Col.1:15-17 to John 1:1-3,16-17, 1John 5:20.) He understands that the Word has both an eternal origin and destiny that could never be confined to an isolated island or experience, neither could the Word be trapped in human doctrine or tradition. No inferior translation or interpretation could reduce God’s original intent. The authentic integrity of God’s thought would forever be preserved and celebrated in the incarnation; human life would be the uninterrupted future of the Word.
Notice how often John uses the word, ginomai, meaning birth or origin: ”In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things came into being (Gr.ginomai, from genos, to give birth to) through Him; and nothing has any authentic existence outside of their origin (Gr.ginomai) in Him. In Him was life and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness could not comprehend it. (Greek: kata+lambano, to seize upon, to grasp) The true light that enlightens every man has come into the world. The world was made (Gr.ginomai) through Him, yet the world knew Him not; He came to His own, and His own received Him not. (Gr.para+lambano, to grasp, associate with) But to everyone who by faith, comprehends Him to be their true origin, (Gr.lambano, comprehend, grasp, identify with) in them He confirms the integrity of their son-ship, (Gr.didomi, in this case to give something to someone that already belongs to them, thus to return) the fact that they already are His own, born from above, they have their beginning and their being in Him!’ (Gr.eksousia, integrity, legality, authority, legal grounds.) Jesus has come to reveal man’s true sonship; He vindicated our origin and design. ‘And the Word became (Gr.ginomai) flesh and now tabernacles in us!’ John 1:1-14. “We are not preaching a new doctrine, but the word that was from the beginning; yet it is new in that what is true in Him is equally true in us!” 1 John 2:7+8. In Him we discover that we are not here by chance or accident, or by the desire of an earthly parent, neither are we the product of a mere physical conception; we exist by the expression of God’s desire to reveal Himself in the flesh. His eternal, invisible Word, His Spirit-thought, became (Gr.ginomai, be born) flesh. James says: ‘Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth…if any man hears this word, he sees the face of his birth as in a mirror, he sees himself as he is from God’s point of view.’ Jm.1:17,18,23.
God never compromised His original thought. The word became flesh and has taken up residence (tabernacled) in us, and we gazed with wonder and amazement upon the mystery of our inclusion in Him; (theaomai to gaze upon, to perceive) We saw His glory (Greek, doxa, the display of His opinion), the glory as of the original, authentic begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.’ (The original mind, or opinion of God, preserved and now revealed in Christ. He is both the ‘only begotten’, monogenes, as in the authentic original mould, as well as the first born from the dead. Col.1:18, 1Pet.1:3) We have grasped that He is the revelation of our completeness. ‘And of His fullness have we all received, grace against grace.’ (Gr.garin anti garitos, grace undeserved) ‘For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. He who is in the bosom of the Father, the only (original, authentic) begotten of the Father, He is our guide who accurately declares and interprets the invisible God within us.’ John 1:1-5, 9-14,16-18. “The Word that was from the beginning, what initial reports concerning Him have reached our ears, what we indeed bore witness to with our own eyes to the point that we became irresistibly attracted to Him; what it was that met our gaze and the touch of our hands, yes, life dawned! (Gr.psallo, to touch the string of a musical instrument, thus resonance) The same life that was with the Father from the beginning, now dawned on us! The infinite life of the Father became visible before our eyes in a human person! This life now finds expression in a fellowship union with the Father and the son that is without limit or interruption. In all these years since the ascension of Jesus, John continues to enjoy unhindered friendship with God and desires to extend this same fellowship through his writing to every believer, “so that joy may be yours in full measure.” 1 John 1:1,2,4.
Has the rain a Father?
Who begot the drops of dew?
Who birthed the morning?
Caused the dawn to know its place?
Have you comprehended the expanses of the earth?
Have you comprehended their origin?
He knows you by name
His design is His claim
He boldly declares, “Measure Me”
Have you measured your heart?
Have you measured the volume of your being?
He has chosen you to accommodate the fullness of His dream
Have you comprehended? He is at home within your heart,
A dwelling built within you without walls.
Take My love to its conclusion.
Take My love to every man,
Count the stars, count the sand
Measure the nations in My Hand,
Come on now, measure Me
I fulfil your eternity. (Author unknown-reference from Job 38)
Part of a booklet by Francois du Toit
www.mirrorreflection.net
fdt@mailbox.co.za
PO Box 1428
Hermanus South Africa 7200
Thursday, October 13, 2005
WE ARE INDEED HIS OFFSPRING
WE ARE INDEED HIS OFFSPRING
“Ascribe greatness to our God, the Rock, His work is perfect!” Deut.32:3,4. “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.” Ep.2:10. “For in Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, all things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things and all things share their common origin and identity in Him.” Col.1:15-17. The Gospel cannot reveal a redemption or reconciliation of lesser implication than this: “For He has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of His will, according to His purpose which He has treasured in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and on earth.” Ep.1:9,10. “Everything that exists in heaven or earth finds its perfection and fulfilment in Him.” (Phillips translation) “All this is God’s doing; camouflaged in Christ as it were, God personally reconciled the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them.” 2 Cor.5:19. The same perfection declared and celebrated in the Sabbath of Genesis 1 and 2 is now revealed in redemption and becomes the urgency of our appeal to humanity, to enter God’s rest, to see what God sees in order to co-know with Him and thus to cease from their own labours! Zeph.3:17. We cannot afford to see less in salvation than what God sees in it! “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” Heb.2:3. How can we exaggerate redemption, if the half was not told of Solomon’s wisdom and wealth? And Someone greater than Solomon has come! Luke 11:31.
In his famous address in Athens, (Acts 17) Paul reminds the Gentlemen of philosophy that the God they worship in ignorance is the God who made the world and everything in it, “being Lord of heaven and earth, He does not live in fancy decorated shrines made by man; nor is He served by human hands as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all men life and breath and everything. He made from one blood all nations of men to live across the whole earth. Even within their geographical boundaries of culture time and language, He is not beyond their reach; He is their true resonance! (Greek, psallo, to touch a string in order to make music) He is not far from each one of us, (He is not closer to the Jew than what He is to the Gentile!) for in Him we all live and move and have our being, for we are indeed His offspring.” He broke down every wall of division. Ep.2:13-16. Our origin in Him reveals our common identity. Heb.2:11. God is not the product of man’s best guess; He is bigger than religion’s biggest blunder or eloquence in their attempts to define Him. He is beyond extinction or threat and can never be reduced to either our clever or clumsy expression of philosophy or art. Our faith is not the fruit of our own invention or imagination, but the reflection of His initiative revealed in the person of Christ. God interrupted human history when for the first time since Adam, the brilliance of His image and likeness appeared again without flaw or distraction in the form of flesh, the exact expression of His character and Being. (Heb.1:3, Col.1:15,16, Col.2:9) “The age of ignorance is now concluded; this calls for a radical change of mind; God appointed a day and a Person through whom He would judge the world in righteousness and of this He has given assurance to all men by raising Him from the dead!” Acts 17:22-31. Mankind’s judgement fell on one man; His resurrection from the dead is the eternal testimony of their acquittal. He is the only one who qualifies to represent both humanity and Deity in one Person before the highest court of justice. “We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous, and He is the expiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 1John2:1,2. “He was put to death for our trespasses and raised because we were justified.” Rom.4:25.
Part of a booklet by Francois du Toit
www.mirrorreflection.net
fdt@mailbox.co.za
PO Box 1428
Hermanus South Africa 7200
“Ascribe greatness to our God, the Rock, His work is perfect!” Deut.32:3,4. “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus.” Ep.2:10. “For in Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, all things were created through Him and for Him. He is before all things and all things share their common origin and identity in Him.” Col.1:15-17. The Gospel cannot reveal a redemption or reconciliation of lesser implication than this: “For He has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of His will, according to His purpose which He has treasured in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in Him, things in heaven and on earth.” Ep.1:9,10. “Everything that exists in heaven or earth finds its perfection and fulfilment in Him.” (Phillips translation) “All this is God’s doing; camouflaged in Christ as it were, God personally reconciled the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them.” 2 Cor.5:19. The same perfection declared and celebrated in the Sabbath of Genesis 1 and 2 is now revealed in redemption and becomes the urgency of our appeal to humanity, to enter God’s rest, to see what God sees in order to co-know with Him and thus to cease from their own labours! Zeph.3:17. We cannot afford to see less in salvation than what God sees in it! “How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” Heb.2:3. How can we exaggerate redemption, if the half was not told of Solomon’s wisdom and wealth? And Someone greater than Solomon has come! Luke 11:31.
In his famous address in Athens, (Acts 17) Paul reminds the Gentlemen of philosophy that the God they worship in ignorance is the God who made the world and everything in it, “being Lord of heaven and earth, He does not live in fancy decorated shrines made by man; nor is He served by human hands as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all men life and breath and everything. He made from one blood all nations of men to live across the whole earth. Even within their geographical boundaries of culture time and language, He is not beyond their reach; He is their true resonance! (Greek, psallo, to touch a string in order to make music) He is not far from each one of us, (He is not closer to the Jew than what He is to the Gentile!) for in Him we all live and move and have our being, for we are indeed His offspring.” He broke down every wall of division. Ep.2:13-16. Our origin in Him reveals our common identity. Heb.2:11. God is not the product of man’s best guess; He is bigger than religion’s biggest blunder or eloquence in their attempts to define Him. He is beyond extinction or threat and can never be reduced to either our clever or clumsy expression of philosophy or art. Our faith is not the fruit of our own invention or imagination, but the reflection of His initiative revealed in the person of Christ. God interrupted human history when for the first time since Adam, the brilliance of His image and likeness appeared again without flaw or distraction in the form of flesh, the exact expression of His character and Being. (Heb.1:3, Col.1:15,16, Col.2:9) “The age of ignorance is now concluded; this calls for a radical change of mind; God appointed a day and a Person through whom He would judge the world in righteousness and of this He has given assurance to all men by raising Him from the dead!” Acts 17:22-31. Mankind’s judgement fell on one man; His resurrection from the dead is the eternal testimony of their acquittal. He is the only one who qualifies to represent both humanity and Deity in one Person before the highest court of justice. “We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous, and He is the expiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 1John2:1,2. “He was put to death for our trespasses and raised because we were justified.” Rom.4:25.
Part of a booklet by Francois du Toit
www.mirrorreflection.net
fdt@mailbox.co.za
PO Box 1428
Hermanus South Africa 7200
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
THE CELEBRATION OF PERFECTION
THE CELEBRATION OF PERFECTION
While doing boat-based whale-watching tours in Hermanus from 1997-99, I one day had the pleasure of hosting a very famous photographer. I could tell by the size of his camera equipment that he was not your average tourist. He explained to me that he needed to take only two photographs a year to cover his budget! I was thrilled to watch the artist at work. With fluent skill he would exchange lenses and film without missing a moment. On our way back to the harbour we saw a few hundred, maybe even a thousand or more, Cape Cormorants. The next moment they all took off in flight; the rhythm and unison of their wings were like ballet reflecting on the water. Our photographer was happily clicking away when suddenly he shouted: “I’ve got it, I’ve got it!” It was wonderful to witness the joy in the man’s face. He knew that he had captured a moment that would perhaps be worth more than all his equipment put together. I watched him relax and enter his rest and understood that the Sabbath was a celebration of perfection, rather than a break from a busy schedule to observe a religious ritual! Gen.1:31. While he was carefully putting his equipment away, I became absorbed by the thought of photography; magic moments of light, shape, colour and movement arrested and stored on film to be reproduced countless times on glossy magazine pages. These galleries would be appreciated in any culture or language, at any time in the future. I imagined how the artist would file these gems in a way that nothing would be lost of the original picture; regardless of what would happen to the prints, whether they be framed, forgotten or destroyed. Almost like words storing images of rare beauty to be repeated at any time in any language or thought.
In one of her classic novels, Gentian Hill, Elizabeth Goudge paints the picture of little Stella listening to her stepfather reading from the Bible: “All through the Book, even in the dreadful parts, the language would now and then suddenly affect her like an enchantment. The peculiarities of Father Sprigg’s delivery worried her not at all. It was as though his gruff voice tossed the words roughly in the air separate particles of no great value, and immediately they fell again transmuted, like the music of a peal of bells or raindrops shot through with sunshine and vista beyond vista of incomparable beauty opened before the mind. It was a mystery to Stella that mere words could make this happen. She supposed the makers of these phrases had fashioned them to hold their visions as one makes a box to hold one’s treasure, and Father Sprigg’s voice was the key grating in the lock, so that the box could open and set them free. That transmutation in the air still remained as unexplainable as the sudden change in herself, when at the moment of the magical fall her dull mind became suddenly sparkling with wonder and her spirit leaped up inside her like a bird…” (See ‘Weighing Words’ in ‘God believes in you’)
For the first time in the age of the universe, the invisible Creator would display His image and likeness in visible form. Genesis 1:26. The mould of brilliance and perfection would be preserved for eternity in the Word that was from the beginning, in spite of Adam’s fall. Solomon saw a glimpse of this in Prov.8:22, “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His work, the first of His acts of old, ages ago I was set up, at the first before the beginning of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills were I was brought forth, I was daily His delight, rejoicing before Him always.” Your original value, the way God knew you before He fashioned you in your mother’s womb, is still intact! Through the preaching of the gospel of truth, the magic of that eternal moment is revealed again in the face of Christ as in a mirror, so that the light of life might dawn in us and we may behold Him face to face, and that we may know ourselves even as we have always been known. 2Cor.4:2-7, 1Cor.13:10-12.
Part of a booklet by Francois du Toit
www.mirrorreflection.net
fdt@mailbox.co.za
PO Box 1428
Hermanus South Africa 7200
While doing boat-based whale-watching tours in Hermanus from 1997-99, I one day had the pleasure of hosting a very famous photographer. I could tell by the size of his camera equipment that he was not your average tourist. He explained to me that he needed to take only two photographs a year to cover his budget! I was thrilled to watch the artist at work. With fluent skill he would exchange lenses and film without missing a moment. On our way back to the harbour we saw a few hundred, maybe even a thousand or more, Cape Cormorants. The next moment they all took off in flight; the rhythm and unison of their wings were like ballet reflecting on the water. Our photographer was happily clicking away when suddenly he shouted: “I’ve got it, I’ve got it!” It was wonderful to witness the joy in the man’s face. He knew that he had captured a moment that would perhaps be worth more than all his equipment put together. I watched him relax and enter his rest and understood that the Sabbath was a celebration of perfection, rather than a break from a busy schedule to observe a religious ritual! Gen.1:31. While he was carefully putting his equipment away, I became absorbed by the thought of photography; magic moments of light, shape, colour and movement arrested and stored on film to be reproduced countless times on glossy magazine pages. These galleries would be appreciated in any culture or language, at any time in the future. I imagined how the artist would file these gems in a way that nothing would be lost of the original picture; regardless of what would happen to the prints, whether they be framed, forgotten or destroyed. Almost like words storing images of rare beauty to be repeated at any time in any language or thought.
In one of her classic novels, Gentian Hill, Elizabeth Goudge paints the picture of little Stella listening to her stepfather reading from the Bible: “All through the Book, even in the dreadful parts, the language would now and then suddenly affect her like an enchantment. The peculiarities of Father Sprigg’s delivery worried her not at all. It was as though his gruff voice tossed the words roughly in the air separate particles of no great value, and immediately they fell again transmuted, like the music of a peal of bells or raindrops shot through with sunshine and vista beyond vista of incomparable beauty opened before the mind. It was a mystery to Stella that mere words could make this happen. She supposed the makers of these phrases had fashioned them to hold their visions as one makes a box to hold one’s treasure, and Father Sprigg’s voice was the key grating in the lock, so that the box could open and set them free. That transmutation in the air still remained as unexplainable as the sudden change in herself, when at the moment of the magical fall her dull mind became suddenly sparkling with wonder and her spirit leaped up inside her like a bird…” (See ‘Weighing Words’ in ‘God believes in you’)
For the first time in the age of the universe, the invisible Creator would display His image and likeness in visible form. Genesis 1:26. The mould of brilliance and perfection would be preserved for eternity in the Word that was from the beginning, in spite of Adam’s fall. Solomon saw a glimpse of this in Prov.8:22, “The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His work, the first of His acts of old, ages ago I was set up, at the first before the beginning of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills were I was brought forth, I was daily His delight, rejoicing before Him always.” Your original value, the way God knew you before He fashioned you in your mother’s womb, is still intact! Through the preaching of the gospel of truth, the magic of that eternal moment is revealed again in the face of Christ as in a mirror, so that the light of life might dawn in us and we may behold Him face to face, and that we may know ourselves even as we have always been known. 2Cor.4:2-7, 1Cor.13:10-12.
Part of a booklet by Francois du Toit
www.mirrorreflection.net
fdt@mailbox.co.za
PO Box 1428
Hermanus South Africa 7200
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Flesh Bibles
How we freshly appreciate the wonder of God becoming flesh, as we think of all you God-filled people we met this weekend! To recognize the Father in one another has always been His idea. To recognize Him, need not be some spectacular event or some visible glow upon your head. We simply need to see from His point of view, for He recognizes His own image and likeness within each man. Have you ever wondered what God’s mirror looks like? When God looks at you, he looks into a mirror – He sees Himself! Jesus was a person so much like us, so ordinary, that the Pharisees had to pay someone to point Him out. Yet He said that if anyone saw Him they saw the Father. We do not need a new event, a more spectacular demonstration, to recognize the Father – we simply need a new appreciation of how He chose to reveal Himself. He chose man! His ultimate intention was never for His Word to be captured in a book, a doctrine, but to become flesh – to be expressed in human form. A blank piece of paper makes no contribution to the message written by the author – as living epistles, we can only let God – the author and finisher of our faith – write whatever He determined to write through our lifes.
You are designed for intimacy with the Father. There is nothing difficult or unnatural about it. This intimacy is not limited to a venue or dependant on a specific environment. It is not limited to an event or a specific time. God’s chosen moment of encounter is always NOW. Neither is this relationship in any way related to your contribution! Jesus did not say to the woman at the well that once she gives Him a cup of water, then He will take her contribution and multiply it and make it a fountain in her. Before she gave Him anything Jesus said: "If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water." If you know the generosity of God, you will never again be conscious of your own contribution!
At another stage When Jesus taught how to react to the reality of daily needs, He advised us to look at the birds that neither sow nor reap! The Fathers provision has nothing to do with your contribution! Jesus taught on sowing and reaping a another time, but in this context - the context of need – He advised us to rather place our focus on the Father’s goodness than on our contribution!
Let us summarize what we have said so far:
Our intimacy with the Father is:
· not restricted to a place, a venue or an specific environment.
· His time is NOW. Just like you can’t live on the memory of your last meal or the expectation of a future meal, you were not designed for mental encounter with Father, but a real partaking of His substance.
· not limited to our contribution.
You are His venue. Who you are, is the only environment necessary for encounter. Remember, this intimacy is with ‘I AM’ not with ‘I USED TO BE’ or ‘ I AM GOING TO BE’ He only knows of one appropriate time and that is NOW.
Let us now take a step deeper. The father does not intent your worship and adoration to be focussed on Him externally. He want you to realize and recognize and appreciate that the very qualities you adore in Him, He reproduced in you!
“ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect” Deu 32:3,4
Andre Rabe
http://eclesia.blogspot.com
You are designed for intimacy with the Father. There is nothing difficult or unnatural about it. This intimacy is not limited to a venue or dependant on a specific environment. It is not limited to an event or a specific time. God’s chosen moment of encounter is always NOW. Neither is this relationship in any way related to your contribution! Jesus did not say to the woman at the well that once she gives Him a cup of water, then He will take her contribution and multiply it and make it a fountain in her. Before she gave Him anything Jesus said: "If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water." If you know the generosity of God, you will never again be conscious of your own contribution!
At another stage When Jesus taught how to react to the reality of daily needs, He advised us to look at the birds that neither sow nor reap! The Fathers provision has nothing to do with your contribution! Jesus taught on sowing and reaping a another time, but in this context - the context of need – He advised us to rather place our focus on the Father’s goodness than on our contribution!
Let us summarize what we have said so far:
Our intimacy with the Father is:
· not restricted to a place, a venue or an specific environment.
· His time is NOW. Just like you can’t live on the memory of your last meal or the expectation of a future meal, you were not designed for mental encounter with Father, but a real partaking of His substance.
· not limited to our contribution.
You are His venue. Who you are, is the only environment necessary for encounter. Remember, this intimacy is with ‘I AM’ not with ‘I USED TO BE’ or ‘ I AM GOING TO BE’ He only knows of one appropriate time and that is NOW.
Let us now take a step deeper. The father does not intent your worship and adoration to be focussed on Him externally. He want you to realize and recognize and appreciate that the very qualities you adore in Him, He reproduced in you!
“ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfect” Deu 32:3,4
Andre Rabe
http://eclesia.blogspot.com
Sunday, September 04, 2005
Article Index Page
Jesus Christ and what He revealed:
- you miss the Point: it's all about me!
- getting to the point: Jesus is all about you!
- His initiative, our responce.
- The revelation of Jesus Christ.
- The Face of Christ
- Knowing Christ before creation
- The Inexhaustible Riches of Christ.
- Christ - the ultimate design
Intimacy:
- The Ultimate Experience
- Equality and Fellowship
- He's alive - in you!
- From God's point of view
- Christ In You: The Apostle's Secret
- The Central Secret of Union
- FleshBibles
The true identity of man:
- Your Beginning
- Your Creation
- God's opinion of you - Glory!
- Spirit Identity
- God, I'm amazing! The credit's down to you
- What are you worth?
- How important is your past?
- God's Higher Order of Man
Living It!:
- Faith
- Are you qualified to share Christ?
- Beyond the predictable
- Feedback from the 'Saturday Word Feast'
- Personal Freedom
- Set free from 'Christian' religion
- Beware of prayer!
Ekklesia - the called out ones:
- Ekklesia and Christ
- Knowing Christ before creation
- Revolution Part 1
- Revolution Part 2
- Understanding Authority Part 1
- Understanding Authority Part 2
- Understanding Authority Part 3
AudioBlogs:
Other:
- Could somebody turn the light on, please?!
- Beyond Doubt
- Prisons do not exclude God
- ‘n BLADSY WYN VIR ROYALTY
Monday, August 29, 2005
Ekklesia and Christ
Ekklesia and Christ
A flower blooming in your garden is a unique expression of many different ingredients such as the sun, water and earth. Although it is a beautiful expression of these qualities, the whole ecosystem that made this flower possible is infinitely greater than just this flower. The flower will soon fade and die, but creation continues.
When we speak about church, we have to look far beyond the local assembly, limited to time and space, that many refer to as church, before we can truly understand this. The local assembly is spoken of in scripture, but much more is said about the infinitely greater realities of which the local assembly is simply an expression.
We will therefore first look at the realities regarding ekklesia (church), beyond its temporal expression in a local assembly. Once these truths are grasped our expression of them will be much more accurate and beautiful. Trying to emulate the local assemblies we see in the N.T. without appreciating the realities that birthed these assemblies will leave us with lifeless, meaningless yet biblically correct assemblies! By this I mean the form will be there, but not the life. The appearance might be correct but the fruit will be missing as per the fig tree that Jesus cursed.
‘Ekklesia’ is the Greek word most often translated as ‘church’ in the New Testament. In plain usage it meant an assembly. Interestingly it is made up of two root words, the first being:
ek, ex
A primary preposition denoting origin (the point whence motion or action proceeds), from, out
And the second part being:
kal-eh'-o
to “call” (properly aloud, but used in a variety of applications, directly or otherwise): - bid, call (forth), (whose, whose sur-) name (was [called]).
It implies being named by our origin. From our origin proceeds a call; from our creator comes a claim upon our existence. Our Father names us and what He calls us is more valid than any other name or identity we might have adopted. Eph 3:15 reveals that all families/races/nations of man are named by the Father. The same words are used namely ‘ek’ (from whom) and the word named.
Eph 3:15 “Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named”
Firstly we have to say, based on this and many other scriptures, that The father’s call is for every person; his claim is upon all mankind for He knows their true identity; He is the origin from whom this call proceeds.
It then follows that those who respond to His call, those who acknowledge their true identity in Him become the manifested form of this ekklesia.
Jesus had a few things to say about ekklesia.
Mat 16:13-18 When Jesus arrived in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "What are people saying about who the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some think he is John the Baptizer, some say Elijah, some Jeremiah or one of the other prophets."
He pressed them, "And how about you? Who do you say I am?"
Simon Peter said, "You're the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
Jesus came back, "God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn't get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. And now I'm going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.
Can you see how the true identity of Jesus and the true identity of man is the revelation upon which Jesus builds His church. The Father revealed to Simon that the Son of Man is indeed the Son of God. He, however, only saw its significance in relation to Jesus. Jesus does not leave this here, but takes the revelation a step further. This is not only a revelation regarding the identity of Jesus, but also a revelation regarding the identity of man.
Jesus speaks very specifically to Peter regarding his identity. He starts by referring to him as “Simon, son of Jonah” With this Jesus confirms that he too is a son of man. But the he draws him into a deeper understanding of his identity. “You are Peter” ‘Peter’ meaning a piece of a rock. Jesus uses a different word the second time He refers to rock. He does not use the word ‘piece of rock’ but refers to the actual big rock from which the piece came. Isa 51:1 "Listen to me, all you who are serious about right living and committed to seeking GOD. Ponder the rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were dug.” Deut 32:3,4 respond to the greatness of our God! The Rock: His works are perfect.
Jesus challenges Peter to consider his own origin beyond his natural birth and come to the same conclusion concerning himself as the conclusion he came to concerning Christ, namely: the son of man (son of Jonah in this case) is also the son of God!
“Upon this rock” – the rock from which you were cut – your origin, I will build my church - the call of man’s origin. Whatever literal place is meant with the word Hades, there is also a very significant meaning beyond this. For the word is made of two words that mean ‘to see’ and the negative form of it. So figuratively it means ‘not to see’ or ignorance!
John 1:4,5 In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
Jesus came and lived a life as an open display of who and what man originally was intended to be. This open manifestation of life as it was intended, appeals to every man’s conscience because there remained in man a divine spark despite the fall. This same appeal is extended through those who responded to this call and so Paul writes concerning his life “but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God” (2Cor 4:2).
When Paul writes about this ekklesia in the letter to the Ephesians, he uses the picture of a body of which Christ is the Head. What he describes is not just a local assembly. He does not start with the form or the method through which these truths are expressed, but rather with the bigger picture of what it is really about.
God desires to express Himself! God wants a body! Your body is not some remote controlled object apart from your head. You are one. In this same way the Father planned, and took pleasure in this plan, and He chose man as the ideal container for Himself. Verse 18 reveals that God has an inheritance and that inheritance is in man! He designed us as the ultimate expression of Himself. How big, varied, deep, wide, broad and long is God’s expression of Himself? Can you measure Him? This must bring us to the conclusion that we should never seek to control, limit or define how God is to express Himself through the church, lest we make it an expression of ourselves rather than an expression of Him. The head, Christ, alone directs and inspires each individual part to do whatever He desires. How often have we tried to displace Christ with methods of our own making.
Ekklesia is so much more than the final expression of it in a local body. We will look at the local body later, but first let us see deeper into what ekklesia really is.
1Co 12:12 Even as the body is one, and has many members, but all the members of the one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
Christ is no longer an individual! Read 1Cor12:12 again and again until you see it. Christ now consists of many members, making one body. You are a part of what makes Christ, Christ. It is for this reason that we should never dishonour Christ by equating Him with an organisation. Only ‘that’ which is made in His likeness and image is able of expressing His likeness and image. When we speak of church we speak of Christ or at least a part of Christ and Christ is not an event or a program or an organisation made by human hands. He is a person in whom the fullness of the godhead dwells in bodily form.
Ekklesia from God’s point of view is not a temporary arrangement. Eph 3:19-21 reveals that God purposes to manifest Himself through us in ways we have not imagined and that this demonstration of who He is will continue throughout all ages to come.
Eph 3:1921 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.
Church as a local body is a temporal manifestation of real church which is eternal. Heb 12:23 shows that ekklesia includes the assembly of the spirits of just men. So church as God knows it, is not limited to the here and now. His church is eternal.
By Andre Rabe
http://eclesia.blogspot.com
A flower blooming in your garden is a unique expression of many different ingredients such as the sun, water and earth. Although it is a beautiful expression of these qualities, the whole ecosystem that made this flower possible is infinitely greater than just this flower. The flower will soon fade and die, but creation continues.
When we speak about church, we have to look far beyond the local assembly, limited to time and space, that many refer to as church, before we can truly understand this. The local assembly is spoken of in scripture, but much more is said about the infinitely greater realities of which the local assembly is simply an expression.
We will therefore first look at the realities regarding ekklesia (church), beyond its temporal expression in a local assembly. Once these truths are grasped our expression of them will be much more accurate and beautiful. Trying to emulate the local assemblies we see in the N.T. without appreciating the realities that birthed these assemblies will leave us with lifeless, meaningless yet biblically correct assemblies! By this I mean the form will be there, but not the life. The appearance might be correct but the fruit will be missing as per the fig tree that Jesus cursed.
‘Ekklesia’ is the Greek word most often translated as ‘church’ in the New Testament. In plain usage it meant an assembly. Interestingly it is made up of two root words, the first being:
ek, ex
A primary preposition denoting origin (the point whence motion or action proceeds), from, out
And the second part being:
kal-eh'-o
to “call” (properly aloud, but used in a variety of applications, directly or otherwise): - bid, call (forth), (whose, whose sur-) name (was [called]).
It implies being named by our origin. From our origin proceeds a call; from our creator comes a claim upon our existence. Our Father names us and what He calls us is more valid than any other name or identity we might have adopted. Eph 3:15 reveals that all families/races/nations of man are named by the Father. The same words are used namely ‘ek’ (from whom) and the word named.
Eph 3:15 “Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named”
Firstly we have to say, based on this and many other scriptures, that The father’s call is for every person; his claim is upon all mankind for He knows their true identity; He is the origin from whom this call proceeds.
It then follows that those who respond to His call, those who acknowledge their true identity in Him become the manifested form of this ekklesia.
Jesus had a few things to say about ekklesia.
Mat 16:13-18 When Jesus arrived in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "What are people saying about who the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some think he is John the Baptizer, some say Elijah, some Jeremiah or one of the other prophets."
He pressed them, "And how about you? Who do you say I am?"
Simon Peter said, "You're the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
Jesus came back, "God bless you, Simon, son of Jonah! You didn't get that answer out of books or from teachers. My Father in heaven, God himself, let you in on this secret of who I really am. And now I'm going to tell you who you are, really are. You are Peter, a rock. This is the rock on which I will put together my church, a church so expansive with energy that not even the gates of hell will be able to keep it out.
Can you see how the true identity of Jesus and the true identity of man is the revelation upon which Jesus builds His church. The Father revealed to Simon that the Son of Man is indeed the Son of God. He, however, only saw its significance in relation to Jesus. Jesus does not leave this here, but takes the revelation a step further. This is not only a revelation regarding the identity of Jesus, but also a revelation regarding the identity of man.
Jesus speaks very specifically to Peter regarding his identity. He starts by referring to him as “Simon, son of Jonah” With this Jesus confirms that he too is a son of man. But the he draws him into a deeper understanding of his identity. “You are Peter” ‘Peter’ meaning a piece of a rock. Jesus uses a different word the second time He refers to rock. He does not use the word ‘piece of rock’ but refers to the actual big rock from which the piece came. Isa 51:1 "Listen to me, all you who are serious about right living and committed to seeking GOD. Ponder the rock from which you were cut, the quarry from which you were dug.” Deut 32:3,4 respond to the greatness of our God! The Rock: His works are perfect.
Jesus challenges Peter to consider his own origin beyond his natural birth and come to the same conclusion concerning himself as the conclusion he came to concerning Christ, namely: the son of man (son of Jonah in this case) is also the son of God!
“Upon this rock” – the rock from which you were cut – your origin, I will build my church - the call of man’s origin. Whatever literal place is meant with the word Hades, there is also a very significant meaning beyond this. For the word is made of two words that mean ‘to see’ and the negative form of it. So figuratively it means ‘not to see’ or ignorance!
John 1:4,5 In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
Jesus came and lived a life as an open display of who and what man originally was intended to be. This open manifestation of life as it was intended, appeals to every man’s conscience because there remained in man a divine spark despite the fall. This same appeal is extended through those who responded to this call and so Paul writes concerning his life “but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God” (2Cor 4:2).
When Paul writes about this ekklesia in the letter to the Ephesians, he uses the picture of a body of which Christ is the Head. What he describes is not just a local assembly. He does not start with the form or the method through which these truths are expressed, but rather with the bigger picture of what it is really about.
God desires to express Himself! God wants a body! Your body is not some remote controlled object apart from your head. You are one. In this same way the Father planned, and took pleasure in this plan, and He chose man as the ideal container for Himself. Verse 18 reveals that God has an inheritance and that inheritance is in man! He designed us as the ultimate expression of Himself. How big, varied, deep, wide, broad and long is God’s expression of Himself? Can you measure Him? This must bring us to the conclusion that we should never seek to control, limit or define how God is to express Himself through the church, lest we make it an expression of ourselves rather than an expression of Him. The head, Christ, alone directs and inspires each individual part to do whatever He desires. How often have we tried to displace Christ with methods of our own making.
Ekklesia is so much more than the final expression of it in a local body. We will look at the local body later, but first let us see deeper into what ekklesia really is.
1Co 12:12 Even as the body is one, and has many members, but all the members of the one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
Christ is no longer an individual! Read 1Cor12:12 again and again until you see it. Christ now consists of many members, making one body. You are a part of what makes Christ, Christ. It is for this reason that we should never dishonour Christ by equating Him with an organisation. Only ‘that’ which is made in His likeness and image is able of expressing His likeness and image. When we speak of church we speak of Christ or at least a part of Christ and Christ is not an event or a program or an organisation made by human hands. He is a person in whom the fullness of the godhead dwells in bodily form.
Ekklesia from God’s point of view is not a temporary arrangement. Eph 3:19-21 reveals that God purposes to manifest Himself through us in ways we have not imagined and that this demonstration of who He is will continue throughout all ages to come.
Eph 3:1921 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.
Church as a local body is a temporal manifestation of real church which is eternal. Heb 12:23 shows that ekklesia includes the assembly of the spirits of just men. So church as God knows it, is not limited to the here and now. His church is eternal.
By Andre Rabe
http://eclesia.blogspot.com
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
No Seperation
I know that You are for me
I know that You are with me
I know that You are in me
Despite anything I might hear,
Despite whatever I might see,
No feelings, no fears nor doubt
could ever separate me
from this knowledge of Your love.
There are no contradictions
greater than Your confirmations
There are no lies
more persuasive than Your truths.
There are no voices
louder than Yours,
crying within me:
Abba Father
I am Yours.
By Andre Rabe
I know that You are with me
I know that You are in me
Despite anything I might hear,
Despite whatever I might see,
No feelings, no fears nor doubt
could ever separate me
from this knowledge of Your love.
There are no contradictions
greater than Your confirmations
There are no lies
more persuasive than Your truths.
There are no voices
louder than Yours,
crying within me:
Abba Father
I am Yours.
By Andre Rabe
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