From rigid to fluid, from controlling to releasing authority.
Your understanding of authority will either be a liberating, releasing and empowering insight or a bondage that limits your expression and keeps you enslaved to the opinions of others. The probability that all of us have seen the perverted form of authority is great. Authority is one of the most abused subjects in the Word, and that’s why we need to see it from God's perspective.
God is love; His power and authority can only be understood in the light of that truth. It is the love of a father that motivates him to share more and more of his resources with his children. As a father longs for his children to be empowered to act and speak with integrity, so our heavenly Father desires to share His powers with us. No parent wants to nurture a child in such a way that the child never learns to think and act on his/her own. Parents want their children to mature in such a way that resources and power can be entrusted to them. Love is therefore the motivating force out of which authority develops.
The God-kind of authority is the means by which God enables, releases and empowers us to become all He knows we could be. His authority is not used to control but to entrust; His authority does not limit our expression but draws out the most creative abilities in us. His authority does not even look like any authority we have seen before; it simply looks like love in action.
Those who enjoy friendship with Father do not fear his authority, because it is just another expression of His love. To trust His authority is easy for we know and believe the love He has for us. The difficulty for most is how to relate to authority in other people. How does He communicate His authority through other people. The reason for this becomes clear as we discover in God's Word the two ways in which authority is communicated.
Most only know of one type of authority and that is the hierarchical type, where God delegates authority to one level that re-delegates it to another level etc. But there is another type! The difference is as broad and definite as the difference between the old and the new covenant.
Lets first hear what Jesus had to say about this:
Mat 20:25 - 28 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.
Here Jesus introduces us to the first way in which authority is manifested. Let’s call it the organizational or hierarchical type. He describes it as authority 'over' or dominion 'over' indicating that it is bound to a position which in turn is bound to a level. Now the most significant words in this passage that we cannot miss is: '..it shall not be so among you..' Did you get that? IT SHALL NOT BE SO AMONG YOU.
Jesus introduced a whole new way in which His authority operates among us. Whereas the organizational type of authority was bound to a position and therefore whoever filled the position had the authority, independent of his character, this new type is linked to a function or task. Let's call it organic or fluid authority for now.
To illustrate this, I'll use Paul's metaphor for the church, which is a body. If you decide to move your fingers, you don't first communicate the thought to your arm, which in turn communicates it to your hand, which in turn communicates it to your fingers. That’s ridiculous. Every part of your body is directly linked to the head and is well able to receive instructions directly. There are no 'positions' of greater authority through which these instructions need to be filtered to find out if they really came from the head. There is only one authority and that is the head. He empowers certain parts of the body to do certain tasks. That authority does not continue to reside in that part of the body, neither does it elevate that part over other parts. The parts of the body are equal among one another.
So much still needs to be said about this, but this article is just an introduction to the concept of organizational versus organic authority. Meditate on it; it is so rich. Tomorrow we will delve deeper into the differences and start looking at the practical ways in which it was experienced among the believers of the New Testament.
By Andre Rabe
andre.rabe@gmail.com
http://eclesia.blogspot.com
Monday, July 04, 2005
Sunday, July 03, 2005
Bit of news
We are leaving today for Birmingham. Tomorrow ( monday), Eugene is competing in a national athletics event, after winning the regional javelin competition. So next article will probably be Tuesday.
Thursday, June 30, 2005
From God’s point of view
From God’s point of view.
In a previous article called ‘Being conscious of our union with God’ we looked at various scriptures and word pictures regarding that union. Last night as I was lying in bed, just before I drifted off, the following words of Jesus came to mind: “Whatever you do to another person, even the lowest person, you did it to me and whatever you didn’t do for them, you didn’t do for me” Mat 25:40,45.
Can you see the extreme to which He identifies Himself with man? This unity is not some theoretical, symbolical and religious concept. From God’s point of view, He is intricately one with man. Whatever is done and said to you – He takes personally. How we treat others is how we treat Him!
Now if this causes guilt or feelings of obligation to treat others better, we have missed the point. It is how we see others that determines how we treat them. Seeing precedes doing. Our conduct is changed when our thinking is changed. Paul said it this way:
“Christ's love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do. Our firm decision is to work from this focused centre: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat.
He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own.
Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore.
Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! “
2Co 5:14-17
Just as Christ’s death included all men and changed their state before God (2Cor5:19), so we too should see man in a new light; no longer judging people on any other standard but this truth. The truth that they were created by God, in His image and likeness, no matter to what extent they have perverted that image.
A coin that is lost still retains its value. A man that is lost still retains his value. Even if a person lives under the influence of the father of lies, in truth there is only one creator and one Father that gave birth to us all. (Mal 2:10) This is Paul’s appeal to the pagans in Athens (Acts 17). The fact that they are lost and worship many gods does not prevent him from saying that they are the offspring of the true God. Can you see that Paul’s view of humanity changed? He no longer had an insider vs. outsider mentality. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ. (Col 3:11)
With this new view of one another, our esteem and appreciation of one another will completely change. Every person is a unique expression of God Himself; therefore, I value that person in that light.
Philemon 1:6 That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
In all people I acknowledge the image of God in which they have been created. In those who have responded to the call of God, I acknowledge a restoration of union with God.
In the same way that I become conscious of my union with God, I am now conscious of God’s union with others. I don’t see another believer as an individual in isolation. Our fellowship with one another now includes the appreciating of ‘Christ in you’.
By Andre Rabe
http://eclesia.blogspot.com/
andre.rabe@gmail.com
In a previous article called ‘Being conscious of our union with God’ we looked at various scriptures and word pictures regarding that union. Last night as I was lying in bed, just before I drifted off, the following words of Jesus came to mind: “Whatever you do to another person, even the lowest person, you did it to me and whatever you didn’t do for them, you didn’t do for me” Mat 25:40,45.
Can you see the extreme to which He identifies Himself with man? This unity is not some theoretical, symbolical and religious concept. From God’s point of view, He is intricately one with man. Whatever is done and said to you – He takes personally. How we treat others is how we treat Him!
Now if this causes guilt or feelings of obligation to treat others better, we have missed the point. It is how we see others that determines how we treat them. Seeing precedes doing. Our conduct is changed when our thinking is changed. Paul said it this way:
“Christ's love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do. Our firm decision is to work from this focused centre: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat.
He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own.
Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore.
Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! “
2Co 5:14-17
Just as Christ’s death included all men and changed their state before God (2Cor5:19), so we too should see man in a new light; no longer judging people on any other standard but this truth. The truth that they were created by God, in His image and likeness, no matter to what extent they have perverted that image.
A coin that is lost still retains its value. A man that is lost still retains his value. Even if a person lives under the influence of the father of lies, in truth there is only one creator and one Father that gave birth to us all. (Mal 2:10) This is Paul’s appeal to the pagans in Athens (Acts 17). The fact that they are lost and worship many gods does not prevent him from saying that they are the offspring of the true God. Can you see that Paul’s view of humanity changed? He no longer had an insider vs. outsider mentality. Words like Jewish and non-Jewish, religious and irreligious, insider and outsider, uncivilized and uncouth, slave and free, mean nothing. From now on everyone is defined by Christ, everyone is included in Christ. (Col 3:11)
With this new view of one another, our esteem and appreciation of one another will completely change. Every person is a unique expression of God Himself; therefore, I value that person in that light.
Philemon 1:6 That the communication of thy faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus.
In all people I acknowledge the image of God in which they have been created. In those who have responded to the call of God, I acknowledge a restoration of union with God.
In the same way that I become conscious of my union with God, I am now conscious of God’s union with others. I don’t see another believer as an individual in isolation. Our fellowship with one another now includes the appreciating of ‘Christ in you’.
By Andre Rabe
http://eclesia.blogspot.com/
andre.rabe@gmail.com
Wednesday, June 29, 2005
God, I’m amazing! The credit’s down to you
God, you’ve picked me over and you know me,
intricately;
You’ve sussed me out; you know me, intimately;
You forecast my every move; my body, brain, my big, big
mouth!
You know all my tendencies, my habits, my times:
Before I’ve even said it, you’ve worked out if it rhymes;
Your armed guard stands around me, above me, below
me;
You’ve put your arm around me: you know me;
My head doesn’t have the capacity –
It’s Overload City, this “YOU and me”!
But whoa! Hey, what if I fall, go AWOL, try to lose it
all?
What do I do to hide from you? How do I outrun
The one who’s faster than sunshine?
Shuttle me to Saturn? Fine! You’re waiting for me there!
Use the cover of dawn for camouflage? You’re there!
Get reborn, other side of the world, even off the map?
Your arm’s around me: you’ve found me, surround me.
Hit the lights! The darkness bites and I hide from you:
No difference – God’s vision don’t dim;
Your arm’s around me: you’ve found me, surround me,
For you made me: I ain’t no whim;
You double-stitched my DNA, hand picked my brain
The very next day,
Made some room in my mother’s womb, and hey! I’m
away!
God, I’m amazing! The credit’s down to you;
I’m incredible: nothing to edit or review!
Everything you do fills up our wonder-tanks,
And I know I’m wonder full. So thanks!
On the production line I’m not kept back from you;
In the secret places I develop as you view.
My design’s on the drawing board; you come and take a
Look,
And the work that I’m to do’s already written in your
book!
Your ideas, your plans – beyond priceless to me;
The scale’s huge, so awesome, like dew-drops in the
sea.
Try and list them – it’s easier to count the sand grains on
a beach;
I wake up and enormous God is there, within my reach!
Psalm 139 :1-18 by Rob Lacey (The Word on the Street)
http://ecclesia.blogspot.com
intricately;
You’ve sussed me out; you know me, intimately;
You forecast my every move; my body, brain, my big, big
mouth!
You know all my tendencies, my habits, my times:
Before I’ve even said it, you’ve worked out if it rhymes;
Your armed guard stands around me, above me, below
me;
You’ve put your arm around me: you know me;
My head doesn’t have the capacity –
It’s Overload City, this “YOU and me”!
But whoa! Hey, what if I fall, go AWOL, try to lose it
all?
What do I do to hide from you? How do I outrun
The one who’s faster than sunshine?
Shuttle me to Saturn? Fine! You’re waiting for me there!
Use the cover of dawn for camouflage? You’re there!
Get reborn, other side of the world, even off the map?
Your arm’s around me: you’ve found me, surround me.
Hit the lights! The darkness bites and I hide from you:
No difference – God’s vision don’t dim;
Your arm’s around me: you’ve found me, surround me,
For you made me: I ain’t no whim;
You double-stitched my DNA, hand picked my brain
The very next day,
Made some room in my mother’s womb, and hey! I’m
away!
God, I’m amazing! The credit’s down to you;
I’m incredible: nothing to edit or review!
Everything you do fills up our wonder-tanks,
And I know I’m wonder full. So thanks!
On the production line I’m not kept back from you;
In the secret places I develop as you view.
My design’s on the drawing board; you come and take a
Look,
And the work that I’m to do’s already written in your
book!
Your ideas, your plans – beyond priceless to me;
The scale’s huge, so awesome, like dew-drops in the
sea.
Try and list them – it’s easier to count the sand grains on
a beach;
I wake up and enormous God is there, within my reach!
Psalm 139 :1-18 by Rob Lacey (The Word on the Street)
http://ecclesia.blogspot.com
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Beyond the predictable
Beyond the predictable
It should not surprise us, if God’s guidance does not follow conventional wisdom. In fact, don’t expect His guidance to conform to your own sense of logic. We can so easily put barriers around what we are familiar with and exclude anything beyond these barriers as unacceptable. We have an affinity to the safety we feel within these boundaries. The voice of God has, throughout human history, shattered the narrow, confined ways in which men expected Him to think and speak.
To truly hear what He is saying, we have to open ourselves up to ideas far beyond the reach of our natural intellect. Paul spoke about this in the following way:
1Co 2:8-13 The experts of our day haven't a clue about what this eternal plan is. If they had, they wouldn't have killed the Master of the God-designed life on a cross.
That's why we have this Scripture text: No one's ever seen or heard anything like this, Never so much as imagined anything quite like it-- What God has arranged for those who love him. But you've seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you. The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along.
Who ever knows what you're thinking and planning except you yourself? The same with God--except that he not only knows what he's thinking, but he lets us in on it. God offers a full report on the gifts of life and salvation that he is giving us.
We don't have to rely on the world's guesses and opinions. We didn't learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we're passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way.
The following is an account of the Lord’s leading, that we found rather surprising, to say the least.
In the beginning of 2005, I knew within my spirit that God was directing us into a fresh adventure. Although I was excited in my spirit, my mind was searching for what this meant. As I searched for answers and guidance, a multitude of questions formed.
Have you asked lately, whether all the activities you are busy with are part of what our heavenly Father wants for you? We so easily slip into routine and become comfortable with the predictable.
Change is not always easy; radical changes can be frightening. In an attempt to justify our then, present situation, I reasoned that it was the result of obeying God and so shouldn’t need to change. All this just lead to more questions. I knew, deep inside, that decisions had to be made, but I could not clearly see what they were. In desperation for clarity, I called out to the Lord to guide me into all truth and show me things to come, as He promised He would. (John 16:13)
He started giving me specific guidance. Some of it I know was for me alone. More importantly He gave me insight into knowing His guidance that I believe will be as relevant to you. The specifics were for me alone, but the heart of it is relevant to all and that is why I’m sharing it.
The first thing He said was: “Assume nothing”
I knew immediately what He meant. So often we assume that what we are doing is His will, because we do it with good intentions or for a good cause. The greatest enemy of reaching the best in life is the temptation to settle for what is good and acceptable.
Sometimes our present situation is the direct result of us obeying the direction God gave us earlier. But God moves on. And if we don’t, we get numb by falling into a routine lifestyle; we pacify our conscience with the memory that we once obeyed God. The intimacy He desires with us is a rich awareness of our union, not a vague memory.
ASSUME NOTHING. To me, it meant that nothing in my life was to be automatically validated as right. I had to ask some pertinent questions like:
· Am I in the right career? No matter what I’ve achieved or what the future prospects are, is this what my Father wants me to occupy my time with?
· Am I supposed to be in the church that I’m currently part of? Am I effectively reaching other people through my involvement, or has this become just another activity to pacify my conscience; to numb my spirit even further from hearing His call from within. Does the way in which I fellowship with believers, mobilise or neutralise my witness?
· Am I where I am supposed to be…
The list goes on. You need to ask your own relevant questions. ASSUME NOTHING. The Lord did not ask me to evaluate each activity and then make a verdict. No. The heart of His request was that I should not consider anything as unchangeable, and open myself to whatever He directed me into.
Why don’t you go ahead and do that right now; just say: “Father, I know that You have my best interests at heart. You love me with an awesome love and I love You in response. Now Father, however you lead me; whatever You request; I want to do it. I’m willing to change anything; start anything; stop anything. I am yours and You are mine – we are one”
His second instruction was, to stop focussing on what I did not know and start focussing on what I knew for certain. There are some basic, unchangeable truths concerning our purpose on earth, (the way in which we spend our time here) that are the same for all – without exception.
You will find these in Mt 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-18, Luke 24:46-49
These are the truths He gave me as absolute certainties:
· We have been commissioned and authorized to…
· GO to all nations; into all the world and….
· make disciples, teaching them to observe all things that Jesus taught us..
Jesus promised to:
· be with us
· signs will follow us
· we will be supernaturally protected
· we will heal the sick and deliver the oppressed.
These are the most fundamental, basic instructions that Jesus left us with. They have never and will never change.
A few months ago I ministered at a YWAM school on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. After the week of teaching and demonstration, Mary-Anne (my beautiful wife) pointed out to me that every example I used to illustrate the supernatural working of God was in a situation where we were busy ‘going’. We have at times, as I am sure many have, become comfortable in just sitting in an organized church, smiling at all the other comfortable brothers and sisters. It subconsciously makes us comfortable to see other believers ignoring the great commission and being as ineffective as we are. Surely they can’t all be wrong! Subtly our reference for doing what is right is no longer what Jesus commanded, but what everyone else is comfortable doing! Although these settings are useful to a degree, to build relationships, the supernatural confirmations do not readily occur in such environments.
Now ‘go’ does not necessarily mean another country, although you should not close yourself to the idea. To ‘go’ can be as close as your next conversation.
The above insights lead to some radical changes in our lives. The questions I asked the Lord were not to clarify some intellectual issue; they were fundamental in how we were to live. Now, the Lord might lead you in a completely different way, but the following are the changes that resulted in our lives:
We decided that we would always be ‘going’ - for the love of God compels us. (2 Cor. 5:14) No matter what our occupation or work situation; the greatest reality in our lives is our union with Christ.(Col.3:3) This ‘going’ can happen in 3 different ways, namely:
We personally go to a place that God directs us to, to minister Christ to them. Secondly, we develop material that can be sent all over the world to minister Christ in places where we personally can’t even be. These articles are part of that material. Thirdly, we financially support those who are ‘going’ as well.
After this was settled in my heart something happened that I never dreamt possible! It was one of the hardest decisions in my life. I realized that my involvement in the church I was part of, was neutralising my witness, not mobilizing it. This was particularly hard as we were part of the team that originally started this church and helped build it. We were not particularly attached to the organization that was built, but more to the wonderful people we developed friendships with.
Please allow me the following analogy – it might sound rude at first but the principle is sound: Manure is a wonderful substance when it is used as fertilizer. It is spread all over the ground and brings much needed nutrition to the soil. However, when it is heaped up, it starts rotting and smells awful. As Christians we sometimes get too ‘heaped up’; losing the essence of our fellowship, and simply gathering together because that's the thing to do. I know it’s a nice, comfy and warm environment but we often don’t realise that, in our comfort, we are rotting. That is maybe why the vast majority of the world’s population don't go near the organized church; don’t attend the formal gatherings in holy buildings. For them, it has a very distinct, unappealing odour.
Now it’s interesting for me to note that the great commission was not: “All the world should go to church.” NO! Let us remind ourselves what He said: “…You GO into all the world. “ What part of ‘GO!’ do we not understand? Two thirds of ‘GOD’ is ‘GO’!
As I said before, to go might be as close as your next conversation. So, we decided to rather spend time developing material, or conversing with people who are not attending church, than routinely and thoughtlessly attending meetings. Oh, of course we still fellowship with believers – that’s part of real church – and a part we never want to miss, but our fellowship is spontaneous and real. As important, is the fact that we have the time and opportunity to mingle with those who don’t attend organized church.
2Co 5:14 Christ's love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do. Our firm decision is to work from this focused centre: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat.
2Co 5:15 He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own.
2Co 5:16 Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore.
Our focussed centre is Christ, His work that included all. This leads us to more than an intellectual conclusion, it leads us to intimacy; a love between me and Christ that grows to the place where it compels me to include others in it as well.
2Co 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
Anything that inhibits the simple and natural expression of your union with Christ is not worth having! It is so easy to change our focus to other things, especially if they are religious or good things. The simple truth is this: Fellowshipping with God will excite you to the extent of wanting to include others in that same experience. It is an intimacy that does not need to be pumped up occasionally, but it is an experience that releases a fountain of life in you. Your desire for fellowship with other believers will then be motivated by the desire to share this abundance. Meetings will no longer be an artificial life-support-machine that keeps you barely alive. Our meetings can no longer be designed to manage, control or keep the participants dependant. No. Our dependency is on nothing and no-one else but ‘Christ in us’. He is our life source.
The truths that lead to these changes are these:
· Assume nothing
· Stop focussing on what you don’t know; focus on what you do know for certain.
· Get back to the simplicity of this Gospel and don’t get involved in anything that distracts you from that purity.
Paul, on more than one occasion thought it necessary to remind people not to lose their focus. Here are some examples:
Col 2:8-10 Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that's not the way of Christ.
Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don't need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realise the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him.
When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.
Col 2:20-23 So, then, if with Christ you've put all that pretentious and infantile religion behind you, why do you let yourselves be bullied by it?
"Don't touch this! Don't taste that! Don't go near this!"
Do you think things that are here today and gone tomorrow are worth that kind of attention?
Such things sound impressive if said in a deep enough voice. They even give the illusion of being pious and humble and ascetic. But they're just another way of showing off, making yourselves look important.
Let us put these illusions of being pious, these religious pretensions, these empty traditions and superstitions behind us. Let us allow Christ to become our centred focus and guard that focus with all your heart. Realize that He is the fullness of all you could ever desire.
By Andre Rabe
http://eclesia.blogspot.com/
andre.rabe@gmail.com
It should not surprise us, if God’s guidance does not follow conventional wisdom. In fact, don’t expect His guidance to conform to your own sense of logic. We can so easily put barriers around what we are familiar with and exclude anything beyond these barriers as unacceptable. We have an affinity to the safety we feel within these boundaries. The voice of God has, throughout human history, shattered the narrow, confined ways in which men expected Him to think and speak.
To truly hear what He is saying, we have to open ourselves up to ideas far beyond the reach of our natural intellect. Paul spoke about this in the following way:
1Co 2:8-13 The experts of our day haven't a clue about what this eternal plan is. If they had, they wouldn't have killed the Master of the God-designed life on a cross.
That's why we have this Scripture text: No one's ever seen or heard anything like this, Never so much as imagined anything quite like it-- What God has arranged for those who love him. But you've seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you. The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along.
Who ever knows what you're thinking and planning except you yourself? The same with God--except that he not only knows what he's thinking, but he lets us in on it. God offers a full report on the gifts of life and salvation that he is giving us.
We don't have to rely on the world's guesses and opinions. We didn't learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we're passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way.
The following is an account of the Lord’s leading, that we found rather surprising, to say the least.
In the beginning of 2005, I knew within my spirit that God was directing us into a fresh adventure. Although I was excited in my spirit, my mind was searching for what this meant. As I searched for answers and guidance, a multitude of questions formed.
Have you asked lately, whether all the activities you are busy with are part of what our heavenly Father wants for you? We so easily slip into routine and become comfortable with the predictable.
Change is not always easy; radical changes can be frightening. In an attempt to justify our then, present situation, I reasoned that it was the result of obeying God and so shouldn’t need to change. All this just lead to more questions. I knew, deep inside, that decisions had to be made, but I could not clearly see what they were. In desperation for clarity, I called out to the Lord to guide me into all truth and show me things to come, as He promised He would. (John 16:13)
He started giving me specific guidance. Some of it I know was for me alone. More importantly He gave me insight into knowing His guidance that I believe will be as relevant to you. The specifics were for me alone, but the heart of it is relevant to all and that is why I’m sharing it.
The first thing He said was: “Assume nothing”
I knew immediately what He meant. So often we assume that what we are doing is His will, because we do it with good intentions or for a good cause. The greatest enemy of reaching the best in life is the temptation to settle for what is good and acceptable.
Sometimes our present situation is the direct result of us obeying the direction God gave us earlier. But God moves on. And if we don’t, we get numb by falling into a routine lifestyle; we pacify our conscience with the memory that we once obeyed God. The intimacy He desires with us is a rich awareness of our union, not a vague memory.
ASSUME NOTHING. To me, it meant that nothing in my life was to be automatically validated as right. I had to ask some pertinent questions like:
· Am I in the right career? No matter what I’ve achieved or what the future prospects are, is this what my Father wants me to occupy my time with?
· Am I supposed to be in the church that I’m currently part of? Am I effectively reaching other people through my involvement, or has this become just another activity to pacify my conscience; to numb my spirit even further from hearing His call from within. Does the way in which I fellowship with believers, mobilise or neutralise my witness?
· Am I where I am supposed to be…
The list goes on. You need to ask your own relevant questions. ASSUME NOTHING. The Lord did not ask me to evaluate each activity and then make a verdict. No. The heart of His request was that I should not consider anything as unchangeable, and open myself to whatever He directed me into.
Why don’t you go ahead and do that right now; just say: “Father, I know that You have my best interests at heart. You love me with an awesome love and I love You in response. Now Father, however you lead me; whatever You request; I want to do it. I’m willing to change anything; start anything; stop anything. I am yours and You are mine – we are one”
His second instruction was, to stop focussing on what I did not know and start focussing on what I knew for certain. There are some basic, unchangeable truths concerning our purpose on earth, (the way in which we spend our time here) that are the same for all – without exception.
You will find these in Mt 28:18-20, Mark 16:15-18, Luke 24:46-49
These are the truths He gave me as absolute certainties:
· We have been commissioned and authorized to…
· GO to all nations; into all the world and….
· make disciples, teaching them to observe all things that Jesus taught us..
Jesus promised to:
· be with us
· signs will follow us
· we will be supernaturally protected
· we will heal the sick and deliver the oppressed.
These are the most fundamental, basic instructions that Jesus left us with. They have never and will never change.
A few months ago I ministered at a YWAM school on the gifts of the Holy Spirit. After the week of teaching and demonstration, Mary-Anne (my beautiful wife) pointed out to me that every example I used to illustrate the supernatural working of God was in a situation where we were busy ‘going’. We have at times, as I am sure many have, become comfortable in just sitting in an organized church, smiling at all the other comfortable brothers and sisters. It subconsciously makes us comfortable to see other believers ignoring the great commission and being as ineffective as we are. Surely they can’t all be wrong! Subtly our reference for doing what is right is no longer what Jesus commanded, but what everyone else is comfortable doing! Although these settings are useful to a degree, to build relationships, the supernatural confirmations do not readily occur in such environments.
Now ‘go’ does not necessarily mean another country, although you should not close yourself to the idea. To ‘go’ can be as close as your next conversation.
The above insights lead to some radical changes in our lives. The questions I asked the Lord were not to clarify some intellectual issue; they were fundamental in how we were to live. Now, the Lord might lead you in a completely different way, but the following are the changes that resulted in our lives:
We decided that we would always be ‘going’ - for the love of God compels us. (2 Cor. 5:14) No matter what our occupation or work situation; the greatest reality in our lives is our union with Christ.(Col.3:3) This ‘going’ can happen in 3 different ways, namely:
We personally go to a place that God directs us to, to minister Christ to them. Secondly, we develop material that can be sent all over the world to minister Christ in places where we personally can’t even be. These articles are part of that material. Thirdly, we financially support those who are ‘going’ as well.
After this was settled in my heart something happened that I never dreamt possible! It was one of the hardest decisions in my life. I realized that my involvement in the church I was part of, was neutralising my witness, not mobilizing it. This was particularly hard as we were part of the team that originally started this church and helped build it. We were not particularly attached to the organization that was built, but more to the wonderful people we developed friendships with.
Please allow me the following analogy – it might sound rude at first but the principle is sound: Manure is a wonderful substance when it is used as fertilizer. It is spread all over the ground and brings much needed nutrition to the soil. However, when it is heaped up, it starts rotting and smells awful. As Christians we sometimes get too ‘heaped up’; losing the essence of our fellowship, and simply gathering together because that's the thing to do. I know it’s a nice, comfy and warm environment but we often don’t realise that, in our comfort, we are rotting. That is maybe why the vast majority of the world’s population don't go near the organized church; don’t attend the formal gatherings in holy buildings. For them, it has a very distinct, unappealing odour.
Now it’s interesting for me to note that the great commission was not: “All the world should go to church.” NO! Let us remind ourselves what He said: “…You GO into all the world. “ What part of ‘GO!’ do we not understand? Two thirds of ‘GOD’ is ‘GO’!
As I said before, to go might be as close as your next conversation. So, we decided to rather spend time developing material, or conversing with people who are not attending church, than routinely and thoughtlessly attending meetings. Oh, of course we still fellowship with believers – that’s part of real church – and a part we never want to miss, but our fellowship is spontaneous and real. As important, is the fact that we have the time and opportunity to mingle with those who don’t attend organized church.
2Co 5:14 Christ's love has moved me to such extremes. His love has the first and last word in everything we do. Our firm decision is to work from this focused centre: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat.
2Co 5:15 He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own.
2Co 5:16 Because of this decision we don't evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don't look at him that way anymore.
Our focussed centre is Christ, His work that included all. This leads us to more than an intellectual conclusion, it leads us to intimacy; a love between me and Christ that grows to the place where it compels me to include others in it as well.
2Co 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
Anything that inhibits the simple and natural expression of your union with Christ is not worth having! It is so easy to change our focus to other things, especially if they are religious or good things. The simple truth is this: Fellowshipping with God will excite you to the extent of wanting to include others in that same experience. It is an intimacy that does not need to be pumped up occasionally, but it is an experience that releases a fountain of life in you. Your desire for fellowship with other believers will then be motivated by the desire to share this abundance. Meetings will no longer be an artificial life-support-machine that keeps you barely alive. Our meetings can no longer be designed to manage, control or keep the participants dependant. No. Our dependency is on nothing and no-one else but ‘Christ in us’. He is our life source.
The truths that lead to these changes are these:
· Assume nothing
· Stop focussing on what you don’t know; focus on what you do know for certain.
· Get back to the simplicity of this Gospel and don’t get involved in anything that distracts you from that purity.
Paul, on more than one occasion thought it necessary to remind people not to lose their focus. Here are some examples:
Col 2:8-10 Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that's not the way of Christ.
Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don't need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realise the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him.
When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.
Col 2:20-23 So, then, if with Christ you've put all that pretentious and infantile religion behind you, why do you let yourselves be bullied by it?
"Don't touch this! Don't taste that! Don't go near this!"
Do you think things that are here today and gone tomorrow are worth that kind of attention?
Such things sound impressive if said in a deep enough voice. They even give the illusion of being pious and humble and ascetic. But they're just another way of showing off, making yourselves look important.
Let us put these illusions of being pious, these religious pretensions, these empty traditions and superstitions behind us. Let us allow Christ to become our centred focus and guard that focus with all your heart. Realize that He is the fullness of all you could ever desire.
By Andre Rabe
http://eclesia.blogspot.com/
andre.rabe@gmail.com
Monday, June 27, 2005
Unconventional wisdom
God didn't send me out to collect a following for myself, but to preach the Message of what he has done, collecting a following for Him. And he didn't send me to do it with a lot of fancy rhetoric of my own, lest the powerful action at the center--Christ on the Cross--be trivialized into mere words.
It's written, I'll turn conventional wisdom on its head, I'll expose so-called experts as crackpots. So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn't God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God….While Jews clamor for miraculous demonstrations and Greeks go in for philosophical wisdom….Christ is God's ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one…. Human wisdom is so tinny, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can't begin to compete with God's "weakness."
God's wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don't find it lying around on the surface. It's not the latest message, but more like the oldest--what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene. But you've seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you. The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along. Who ever knows what you're thinking and planning except you yourself? The same with God--except that he not only knows what he's thinking, but he lets us in on it. God offers a full report on the gifts of life and salvation that he is giving us.
We don't have to rely on the world's guesses and opinions. We didn't learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we're passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way.
The unspiritual self, just as it is by nature, can't receive the gifts of God's Spirit. There's no capacity for them. They seem like so much silliness. Spirit can be known only by spirit--God's Spirit and our spirits in open communion. Spiritually alive, we have access to everything God's Spirit is doing, and can't be judged by unspiritual critics.
Isaiah's question, "Is there anyone around who knows God's Spirit, anyone who knows what he is doing?" has been answered: Christ knows, and we have Christ's Spirit.
This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it's out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory. It's that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less.
I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God's great mystery.
All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and nowhere else. And we've been shown the mystery! My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You're deeply rooted in him. You're well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.
Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that's not the way of Christ. Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don't need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.
Entering into this fullness is not something you figure out or achieve. It's not a matter of being circumcised or keeping a long list of laws. No, you're already in--insiders--not through some secretive initiation rite but rather through what Christ has already gone through for you, destroying the power of sin.
So don't put up with anyone pressuring you in details of diet, worship services, or holy days. All those things are mere shadows cast before what was to come; the substance is Christ.
Don't tolerate people who try to run your life, ordering you to bow and scrape, insisting that you join their obsession with angels and that you seek out visions. They're a lot of hot air, that's all they are. They're completely out of touch with the source of life, Christ, who puts us together in one piece, whose very breath and blood flow through us. He is the Head and we are the body. We can grow up healthy in God only as he nourishes us.
So, then, if with Christ you've put all that pretentious and infantile religion behind you, why do you let yourselves be bullied by it?
"Don't touch this! Don't taste that! Don't go near this!"
Do you think things that are here today and gone tomorrow are worth that kind of attention? Such things sound impressive if said in a deep enough voice. They even give the illusion of being pious and humble and ascetic. But they're just another way of showing off, making yourselves look important.
So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ--that's where the action is. See things from his perspective. Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life--even though invisible to spectators--is with Christ in God. He is your life.
(1Cor 1:17,19,20,21,24,25 2:7,10-16, Col 1:26-28, 2:2-11, 16-23, 3:1-3) MSG
http://eclesia.blogspot.com/
It's written, I'll turn conventional wisdom on its head, I'll expose so-called experts as crackpots. So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn't God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God….While Jews clamor for miraculous demonstrations and Greeks go in for philosophical wisdom….Christ is God's ultimate miracle and wisdom all wrapped up in one…. Human wisdom is so tinny, so impotent, next to the seeming absurdity of God. Human strength can't begin to compete with God's "weakness."
God's wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don't find it lying around on the surface. It's not the latest message, but more like the oldest--what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene. But you've seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you. The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along. Who ever knows what you're thinking and planning except you yourself? The same with God--except that he not only knows what he's thinking, but he lets us in on it. God offers a full report on the gifts of life and salvation that he is giving us.
We don't have to rely on the world's guesses and opinions. We didn't learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we're passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way.
The unspiritual self, just as it is by nature, can't receive the gifts of God's Spirit. There's no capacity for them. They seem like so much silliness. Spirit can be known only by spirit--God's Spirit and our spirits in open communion. Spiritually alive, we have access to everything God's Spirit is doing, and can't be judged by unspiritual critics.
Isaiah's question, "Is there anyone around who knows God's Spirit, anyone who knows what he is doing?" has been answered: Christ knows, and we have Christ's Spirit.
This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it's out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, therefore you can look forward to sharing in God's glory. It's that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less.
I want you woven into a tapestry of love, in touch with everything there is to know of God. Then you will have minds confident and at rest, focused on Christ, God's great mystery.
All the richest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are embedded in that mystery and nowhere else. And we've been shown the mystery! My counsel for you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You're deeply rooted in him. You're well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.
Watch out for people who try to dazzle you with big words and intellectual double-talk. They want to drag you off into endless arguments that never amount to anything. They spread their ideas through the empty traditions of human beings and the empty superstitions of spirit beings. But that's not the way of Christ. Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don't need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too. His power extends over everything.
Entering into this fullness is not something you figure out or achieve. It's not a matter of being circumcised or keeping a long list of laws. No, you're already in--insiders--not through some secretive initiation rite but rather through what Christ has already gone through for you, destroying the power of sin.
So don't put up with anyone pressuring you in details of diet, worship services, or holy days. All those things are mere shadows cast before what was to come; the substance is Christ.
Don't tolerate people who try to run your life, ordering you to bow and scrape, insisting that you join their obsession with angels and that you seek out visions. They're a lot of hot air, that's all they are. They're completely out of touch with the source of life, Christ, who puts us together in one piece, whose very breath and blood flow through us. He is the Head and we are the body. We can grow up healthy in God only as he nourishes us.
So, then, if with Christ you've put all that pretentious and infantile religion behind you, why do you let yourselves be bullied by it?
"Don't touch this! Don't taste that! Don't go near this!"
Do you think things that are here today and gone tomorrow are worth that kind of attention? Such things sound impressive if said in a deep enough voice. They even give the illusion of being pious and humble and ascetic. But they're just another way of showing off, making yourselves look important.
So if you're serious about living this new resurrection life with Christ, act like it. Pursue the things over which Christ presides. Don't shuffle along, eyes to the ground, absorbed with the things right in front of you. Look up, and be alert to what is going on around Christ--that's where the action is. See things from his perspective. Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your real life--even though invisible to spectators--is with Christ in God. He is your life.
(1Cor 1:17,19,20,21,24,25 2:7,10-16, Col 1:26-28, 2:2-11, 16-23, 3:1-3) MSG
http://eclesia.blogspot.com/
Being conscious of our union with God
Being conscious of our union with God; how does one communicate such an awareness? It is an experience that I am so keen to share with others. But is it possible to reproduce this awareness through the use of words? Which words… what expressions do you draw on to contain such an experience?
In an attempt to accurately communicate this truth, in such a way that the actual experience will be reproduced in the hearer, I have one great advantage. And that is that I do not have to rely on words alone; I have more than words! I am not attempting to communicate something totally foreign or impart something totally unknown in the hearer. I am simply awakening a deep seated yearning, already present within every person. Therefore, my words do not have to contain the experience (and thankfully so, because I have not found words great or numerous enough that could). My words are simply catalysts that stir into action, that which is already present in every man. Jesus referred to words as seeds. Can you imagine a massive oak tree in a seed? The seed is out of all proportion to its eventual form. A seed and a tree almost seem to have no similarity at all. So don’t underestimate the power of words, just like you should not underestimate the power of a seed. Words are able to ignite in us something much greater than the mere meaning of the words.
The irresistible appeal of truth.
Paul speaks of our appeal to every man’s conscience (2Cor.4:2) There is a consciousness in every man of our original union with God. No matter how far a person might stray; how twisted a man becomes, there remains an undeniable awareness that He created us; that we originated in Him. Mal 2:10 Don't we all come from one Father? Aren't we all created by the same God? Eze 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine. Psa 22:27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.
Act 17:27,28 .. indeed He is not far from each one of us. For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also certain of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring.
Do you realize that Paul said this to unbelieving pagans! He told them, even before they made any commitment, that they are the offspring of God and that God is not far from each one of them!
Can you sense what a bold and irresistible appeal we have. Man was made to respond to the call of God; the call that He now echoes through those who have already responded to it. The seed of God, although dormant, is present within each man. Our words create the environment for that seed to germinate in. When Jesus came into the world, John says He came to His own. Even though they did not recognise Him, they were still His own. (John 1:11)
‘Dormant’ can be defined as an inactive or resting condition in which some processes are slowed down or suspended, but it is expected that this condition will change! Can you sense the expectation of God? Can you see why we can be very confident in our appeal?
Authentic, raw Christianity
The purpose of this writing is to create an environment in which we will become aware of our union with God. The truth is designed to stir that primal memory in man, the memory that we came from the inside of God Himself and were created for fellowship with Him. The examples I will draw from, are the lives of the first believers; some of those 120 who were gathered on the day of Pentecost. The time period is the immediate few years that followed the resurrection.
What is it that made their witness so effective, that they were accused of turning the world upside down?
The good news is about a reality in us
Let’s imagine some aspects of their experience of Christianity in comparison to ours. At this stage (the years following the resurrection) they have no Bibles! In fact it would be decades before any of them bothered putting anything on paper! They also don’t have much access to the Old Testament scrolls, and even if they did, more than 90% of them are illiterate. But none of these facts are hindrances to enjoying the reality of fellowship with the God, who came and made His home in them. In the light of this union, the paperwork seems utterly irrelevant. Don’t get edgy! Don’t try and read into this, all types of things I am not saying. We still love the scriptures, for they articulate and reveal the reality of what happened in us. But the substance is IN US! The scriptures are simply a reference to the reality of Christ in us. This awareness was the single most defining quality of their Christianity, and should be of ours also. The place in which we meet with God is now IN US. We have so often tried to change this venue.
John 5:39,40 "You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you'll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren't willing to receive from me the life you say you want."
Spontaneous fellowship without limitations
What else would they experience differently; what else can we learn from them? Well, there are no institutions or organizations that represent the church. In fact, to think of church as an organization would be as foreign and far from their thinking as it possibly could be. In fact they are probably unaware that it even matters, how they meet together. The focus now is much more on ‘WHY’ we meet, than on ‘how’ we meet. Much later, there would be some practical advice written in letters, but once again, it did not seem to be important enough to document for decades. And once it does get mentioned in letters, it is by no means a definitive guide or a complete list of instructions. It simply touches on a few key areas. WHY? Because that is not the issue! If the Almighty Creator of the universe came to indwell you; become one with you, it kind of makes everything else fade into insignificance.
If, determining how to organise meetings, was an activity too insignificant for them to spend much time on, then developing a hierarchy of religious leaders would have been blasphemy! I mean, that is part of the good news; the fact that Jesus did away with the religious hierarchies. Those hierarchies were apparently such an issue to God that the Father Himself got involved and tore the curtain that stood between the people and the most Holy place (the place in the temple where He met with man). This, He did to extend a wholesale invitation to all men to approach Him without fear and without mediators. There is only one mediator and that is Christ Himself. (1 Titus 1:5)
So what do we see up to this point? We see people overwhelmed by the reality of God’s love; the awareness of their union with Him. We see lives that have been transformed, not by a new religious order, or a modified religious hierarchy, but by a message that awakened and reminded them of their origin. A message that was more than a promise, but a revelation of Christ in you – the reality of all you could ever hope for! (Col 1:27)
Surprised by His lavish goodness
Once these truths were received by people, it found expression in a great variety of ways. Interestingly, there are no attempts to limit these varied expressions; no desire to formalise any meeting or stifle the spontaneity. Friends met spontaneously; people witnessed without a program guiding them into how, when and where to do it. There were no formalised steps to salvation or ritualistic prayers. The apostles themselves were surprised at times, at God’s eagerness to just lavish His goodness on anyone. His apparent lack of discrimination caused a bit of concern among some disciples.
Act 10:34, 44 So Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality…While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.
Peter did not even finish his speech; he had no opportunity to give an invitation. God sees faith, not raised hands.
One with God
Decades later when some start documenting these events, there is an ever present theme throughout these writings; an awareness of this awesome truth that God has made His abode in us. It’s an awareness of union with Him that is so rich and strong that it frightens many who read it. There is nothing in their writing that tries to explain away this union or justify distance. Those who are frightened by these truths have spent much energy and theological thought on trying to describe the separation that remains between us and God; trying to find methods of differentiating between us and God. Any explanation that brings an awareness of distance does not share in the same spirit which we find in the N.T. The New Testament writings overflow with a rich awareness that God has restored the union He always desired. Here are a few of those phrases:
Joh 17:11,22,23 … that they may be one, even as we are one… The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
Gal 2:20 I no longer live, but Christ lives in me, and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Col 3:2 Keep your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth.
Col 3:3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Eph 3:19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.
1Co 6:17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
1Jo 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ
Col 2:9, 10 For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
And ye are complete in him
2Pe 1:4 through which He has given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, so that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature
These pages overflow with a consciousness of our union with God; an awareness of such intimacy that we are no longer able to differentiate between His spirit and our spirit. They make no attempt to explain their statements, in a way that would allow any knowledge of distance. The fellowship they speak of is not some inferior acquaintance of a transcendent God that lowers Himself to our level; rather, it is the glorious reality of God raising us to His level and transforming us into His image to enjoy a union of equal quality.
I can no longer think of myself in isolation; I am no longer an individual; I am a union. I have lost myself in this love affair. In beholding Him I have found my true self; my one-with-God-self.
By Andre Rabe
http://eclesia.blogspot.com/
andre.rabe@gmail.com
In an attempt to accurately communicate this truth, in such a way that the actual experience will be reproduced in the hearer, I have one great advantage. And that is that I do not have to rely on words alone; I have more than words! I am not attempting to communicate something totally foreign or impart something totally unknown in the hearer. I am simply awakening a deep seated yearning, already present within every person. Therefore, my words do not have to contain the experience (and thankfully so, because I have not found words great or numerous enough that could). My words are simply catalysts that stir into action, that which is already present in every man. Jesus referred to words as seeds. Can you imagine a massive oak tree in a seed? The seed is out of all proportion to its eventual form. A seed and a tree almost seem to have no similarity at all. So don’t underestimate the power of words, just like you should not underestimate the power of a seed. Words are able to ignite in us something much greater than the mere meaning of the words.
The irresistible appeal of truth.
Paul speaks of our appeal to every man’s conscience (2Cor.4:2) There is a consciousness in every man of our original union with God. No matter how far a person might stray; how twisted a man becomes, there remains an undeniable awareness that He created us; that we originated in Him. Mal 2:10 Don't we all come from one Father? Aren't we all created by the same God? Eze 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine. Psa 22:27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the LORD, and all the families of the nations shall worship before you.
Act 17:27,28 .. indeed He is not far from each one of us. For in Him we live and move and have our being, as also certain of your own poets have said, For we are also His offspring.
Do you realize that Paul said this to unbelieving pagans! He told them, even before they made any commitment, that they are the offspring of God and that God is not far from each one of them!
Can you sense what a bold and irresistible appeal we have. Man was made to respond to the call of God; the call that He now echoes through those who have already responded to it. The seed of God, although dormant, is present within each man. Our words create the environment for that seed to germinate in. When Jesus came into the world, John says He came to His own. Even though they did not recognise Him, they were still His own. (John 1:11)
‘Dormant’ can be defined as an inactive or resting condition in which some processes are slowed down or suspended, but it is expected that this condition will change! Can you sense the expectation of God? Can you see why we can be very confident in our appeal?
Authentic, raw Christianity
The purpose of this writing is to create an environment in which we will become aware of our union with God. The truth is designed to stir that primal memory in man, the memory that we came from the inside of God Himself and were created for fellowship with Him. The examples I will draw from, are the lives of the first believers; some of those 120 who were gathered on the day of Pentecost. The time period is the immediate few years that followed the resurrection.
What is it that made their witness so effective, that they were accused of turning the world upside down?
The good news is about a reality in us
Let’s imagine some aspects of their experience of Christianity in comparison to ours. At this stage (the years following the resurrection) they have no Bibles! In fact it would be decades before any of them bothered putting anything on paper! They also don’t have much access to the Old Testament scrolls, and even if they did, more than 90% of them are illiterate. But none of these facts are hindrances to enjoying the reality of fellowship with the God, who came and made His home in them. In the light of this union, the paperwork seems utterly irrelevant. Don’t get edgy! Don’t try and read into this, all types of things I am not saying. We still love the scriptures, for they articulate and reveal the reality of what happened in us. But the substance is IN US! The scriptures are simply a reference to the reality of Christ in us. This awareness was the single most defining quality of their Christianity, and should be of ours also. The place in which we meet with God is now IN US. We have so often tried to change this venue.
John 5:39,40 "You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you'll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren't willing to receive from me the life you say you want."
Spontaneous fellowship without limitations
What else would they experience differently; what else can we learn from them? Well, there are no institutions or organizations that represent the church. In fact, to think of church as an organization would be as foreign and far from their thinking as it possibly could be. In fact they are probably unaware that it even matters, how they meet together. The focus now is much more on ‘WHY’ we meet, than on ‘how’ we meet. Much later, there would be some practical advice written in letters, but once again, it did not seem to be important enough to document for decades. And once it does get mentioned in letters, it is by no means a definitive guide or a complete list of instructions. It simply touches on a few key areas. WHY? Because that is not the issue! If the Almighty Creator of the universe came to indwell you; become one with you, it kind of makes everything else fade into insignificance.
If, determining how to organise meetings, was an activity too insignificant for them to spend much time on, then developing a hierarchy of religious leaders would have been blasphemy! I mean, that is part of the good news; the fact that Jesus did away with the religious hierarchies. Those hierarchies were apparently such an issue to God that the Father Himself got involved and tore the curtain that stood between the people and the most Holy place (the place in the temple where He met with man). This, He did to extend a wholesale invitation to all men to approach Him without fear and without mediators. There is only one mediator and that is Christ Himself. (1 Titus 1:5)
So what do we see up to this point? We see people overwhelmed by the reality of God’s love; the awareness of their union with Him. We see lives that have been transformed, not by a new religious order, or a modified religious hierarchy, but by a message that awakened and reminded them of their origin. A message that was more than a promise, but a revelation of Christ in you – the reality of all you could ever hope for! (Col 1:27)
Surprised by His lavish goodness
Once these truths were received by people, it found expression in a great variety of ways. Interestingly, there are no attempts to limit these varied expressions; no desire to formalise any meeting or stifle the spontaneity. Friends met spontaneously; people witnessed without a program guiding them into how, when and where to do it. There were no formalised steps to salvation or ritualistic prayers. The apostles themselves were surprised at times, at God’s eagerness to just lavish His goodness on anyone. His apparent lack of discrimination caused a bit of concern among some disciples.
Act 10:34, 44 So Peter opened his mouth and said: "Truly I understand that God shows no partiality…While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word.
Peter did not even finish his speech; he had no opportunity to give an invitation. God sees faith, not raised hands.
One with God
Decades later when some start documenting these events, there is an ever present theme throughout these writings; an awareness of this awesome truth that God has made His abode in us. It’s an awareness of union with Him that is so rich and strong that it frightens many who read it. There is nothing in their writing that tries to explain away this union or justify distance. Those who are frightened by these truths have spent much energy and theological thought on trying to describe the separation that remains between us and God; trying to find methods of differentiating between us and God. Any explanation that brings an awareness of distance does not share in the same spirit which we find in the N.T. The New Testament writings overflow with a rich awareness that God has restored the union He always desired. Here are a few of those phrases:
Joh 17:11,22,23 … that they may be one, even as we are one… The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
Gal 2:20 I no longer live, but Christ lives in me, and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by the faithfulness of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Col 3:2 Keep your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on the earth.
Col 3:3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Eph 3:19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God.
1Co 6:17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
1Jo 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ
Col 2:9, 10 For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
And ye are complete in him
2Pe 1:4 through which He has given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, so that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature
These pages overflow with a consciousness of our union with God; an awareness of such intimacy that we are no longer able to differentiate between His spirit and our spirit. They make no attempt to explain their statements, in a way that would allow any knowledge of distance. The fellowship they speak of is not some inferior acquaintance of a transcendent God that lowers Himself to our level; rather, it is the glorious reality of God raising us to His level and transforming us into His image to enjoy a union of equal quality.
I can no longer think of myself in isolation; I am no longer an individual; I am a union. I have lost myself in this love affair. In beholding Him I have found my true self; my one-with-God-self.
By Andre Rabe
http://eclesia.blogspot.com/
andre.rabe@gmail.com
Friday, June 24, 2005
Thursday, June 23, 2005
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