Tag Archives: God’s children

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Christian Life, ,

We often hear or read that history is “His story”. When we think about it, how true that is from God’s perspective.

However, God isn’t only writing, He has already written a massive story, the first page before time and the last page after the end of time. His story covers everything relating to this earth from its re-formation in Genesis 1 to its restoration in Revelation 21.

He tells us what was happening in the heavenly realm before He breathed out the first word of creation at the beginning of time. However, we must research carefully and picture the story from the snippets of information scattered throughout the Bible. This makes the story more interesting, like putting together a jigsaw puzzle to see what the big picture is about.

Let me say that I don’t have all the details of the story. Perhaps I have what I need to help us uncover the plot.

We can attach many themes to the Bible, but the one theme that stands out above others is the story of salvation – God’s plan to rescue creation from the threat of total destruction. “Creation” means, first, His human creation because we are the focus of His attention. Second, natural creation has a big part to play in His rescue plan.

‭Romans 8:20-22 NLT‬
[20] “Against its will, all creation was subjected to God’s curse. But with eager hope, [21] the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God’s children in glorious freedom from death and decay. [22] For we know that all creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.”

Why does God want to rescue and restore everything He has made? Despite the horror of what has happened since sin came into the world, God still desires a human family of sons and daughters to live with Him forever and to share in the administration of His world.

He did what was necessary to deal with the sin problem… punished His own Son in our place… forgave and removed our guilt and restored in us His own presence, the Holy Spirit. He also set about restoring His image in us, distorted by a rebellious nature that demands attention and does everything to satisfy its own selfish desires, so that we become like His Son.

He supervises all our circumstances to teach us how to trust His love and to submit to His authority. He tests us, with hardships and difficulties, to examine our progress towards His goal.

Sometimes we feel like clothing in a tumble dryer, tossed around by inexplicable hardships that leave us frustrated and bewildered. Is this really God? How can I be sure that He is still in control?

The way we interpret these happenings will determine our progress towards God’s goal. Lose our trust in God and we continue to flounder in uncertainty and insecurity. Keep our eyes on the bigger picture, and our struggles fall into place, start making sense, and keep us on track with God’s plan.

Paul gives us a good rule-of-thumb to help us see things from God’s perspective…

‭Philippians 3:12-14 NLT‬
[12]”I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. [13] No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, [14] I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.”

Forget what has happened in the past and what’s happening now and press on in faith and patience towards the goal of God’s perfection. He is with us in this purpose. He promised to finish what He started.

‭Philippians 1:6 NLT‬
[6]”And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

‭2 Corinthians 4:18 NLT‬
[18] “So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”

So, the things that happen to us only make sense when we take the long look. Today may be dark and dismal but the bad times won’t last forever. Our future is bright with God’s promise of glory in His presence in resurrected bodies and the nature of Jesus perfected in us.

ALL CATEGORIES INCLUDED

Christian Life, ,

ALL CATEGORIES INCLUDED


“I am writing to you who are God’s children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus. I am writing to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning. I am writing to you who are young in the faith because you have won your battle with the evil one. I have written to you who are God’s children because you know the Father. I have written to you who are mature in the faith because you know Christ, who existed from the beginning. I have written to you who are young in the faith because you are strong. God’s word lives in your hearts, and you have won your battle with the evil one.”
1 John 2:12-14 NLT

John addressed his letter to all categories within the readers, young and old, mature and immature, those who were starting out on their journey with Jesus and those who had been on the road for a while. All had place in the family of God, and all had already embraced the truths that brought them to where they were.

Newborn children of God were held secure by their knowledge and experience of the forgiveness of sin. O, the joy of the sin-burden lifted and removed forever. Gone the dark cloud of guilt shame, and fear hanging over their heads! No matter their chronological age, they were new inside, beginning their new life in the joy and freedom of reconciliation to the Father.

Together with this new-found freedom came the strength to continue, to grow up and mature in Christ. They had won the battle over Satan’s control through faith in Jesus. They had embraced the message of salvation; God’s Word had come alive in their hearts. They were securely on the road to maturity as long as they persevered on this way.

To those who had been on the way for a while, John wrote to encourage them in their pursuit of God. As Jesus had prayed on the eve of His death…

“And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.”
John 17:3 NLT

…So, John wrote his letter to help them to know by experience the reality of Jesus’ life in them. Knowing God, knowing Jesus, is the essence of eternal life.

Knowing about the Father and the Son is never enough. Peter urged his readers, in his second letter, to…

“… Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ….”
2 Peter 3:18 NLT

To grow in grace and knowledge is to participate in all the blessings, benefits and training in the salvation God has provided through His Son. As we submit to the Lord Jesus in all the ups and downs of life, we learn His ways, we experience His grace and love, and we get to know Him.

“Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to your truth! Grant me purity of heart, so that I may honour you.”
Psalms 86:11 NLT

For both “newborns” and mature believers, John’s desire is the same, to encourage them to know God and to have fellowship with the Father and the Son, and God’s people by living in the light of His truth.

Did You Know (1)

Apologetics, , ,

DID YOU KNOW (1)

…That intercession is not a “spiritual gift”?

It’s amazing to me that intercession has become the special ministry of a select few instead of the privilege of every child of God. What is even more astonishing is that it is now, according to some, both a title and a calling. Is there any verse or passage in Scripture that confirms this idea? I have yet to find one.

In fact, the Bible says the opposite. Prayer (and intercession is one kind of prayer) is the honour and privilege of all God’s children.

I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer without anger and disputing (1 Tim 2: 8).

The Greek word for “men” here is aner which refers specifically to males. Does this mean that only men may pray? Paul affirms in Gal. 3:28 that there is neither … male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. We assume, therefore, that prayer is the privilege of all God’s children regardless of colour, culture, or gender.

Although people of every religious persuasion “pray”, there is no true prayer outside of God’s family. Prayer is the way God’s children who are flesh and blood and live physical lives in a physical world, interact with the Father who is spirit and dwells in the unseen realm.

Prayer is the only way in which we can communicate with Him. Physical we may be, but we have His Spirit within us. We relate to God spirit to spirit as His sons and daughters. Our spirits communicate with His Spirit who interprets our prayers to the Father.

Prayer is a mystery. Through intercourse with God, which the Bible calls “prayer” we participate in the realm of the unseen, hearing the voice of the Spirit within us and responding with or without words to the one who knows us more intimately than we know ourselves. We participate in the “groaning” of the universe which, like the human race is also under the curse of sin, awaiting the completion of the redemption Jesus accomplished on the cross.

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies…

…In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans (Rom. 8:22-23; 26)

It seems, then, that prayer is far more intense than simply talking to God. Prayer is the child’s participation with the Father in our role as “rulers” over His creation and the outworking of His purposes to bring about the restoration of all things.

Prayer is the role of God’s sons and daughters who are members of His family and citizens of His kingdom. Prayer enables us to work with Him to carry out His will on earth and bring in His eternal kingdom. Prayer is not the attempt of worshippers, as the pagans do, to manipulate God to do what we want or to appease Him through fear so that he will not destroy us.

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children (Rom. 8:15-16).

Does any other religion, including the cults which have corrupted the truth, offer an intimate relationship between their god and his devotees as father and children? In what way do pagan deities offer their devotees the opportunity of participating with them in the fulfilment of their eternal purposes? Do pagan gods have any plans? Where is their religion taking them?

Of course, there are no answers to these questions. There is only one God in whom all history is wrapped up and makes sense. God not only began history – He will also conclude history as He determined in the beginning.

Rev. 5:1-9 describes the scene in heaven where the scroll of history could not be opened until the Lamb stepped forward. No one knows the meaning of history outside of Jesus. He is the only one who can interpret history according to God’s purposes.

Prayer is the all-encompassing way in which we commune with God. Prayer has many facets – what Paul calls “all kinds of prayer” – and pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests (Eph. 6:18a). He enumerates the “all kinds of prayer” in his instructions to Timothy.

I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone… (1 Tim. 2:1).

Did you notice that intercession is included in the “all kinds of prayer” and that all God’s people are to engage in intercession as part of our resistance to the enemy?

Why, then, is intercession singled out and made a ministry for some when we are all instructed to pray for all people, and especially for God’s people (Eph. 6: 18b)?

Prayer in all its facets is the privilege and obligation of all God’s people because it is the way God has ordained for us to have personal and intimate fellowship with Him.

Scripture is taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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