Kingdom Transformation

At the end we will look at things differently. We will see that the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdom of our Lord. That perspective informs us in the here and now to see kingdom transformation opportunities everywhere. The Lord has placed us in communities that have the potential to be transformed. This is a recording that looks at God's incredible plan for transformation of clubs and societies, churches, communities and families. It lays out the roadmap that defines the process as the Lord takes hold of a community of people to enthrone himself and make them his own.

Kingdom Transformation 1 - Defining our Direction
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A second recording looks at how we can partner with the Lord in his plans for the world and the communities that we are a part of.

Kingdom Transformation 2 - Partnering with the Lord
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Kingdom Transformation Opportunities

Here is one of the big ideas of scripture. The kingdom grows by taking over and transforming the kingdom of the world. The kingdom of this world has become . . . the Lord’s and his Christ’s. That is a description of the end of it all. That is Christianity’s ultimate vision statement. And in the statements that follow we find a blow-by-blow description of the process by which this vision was realised.

Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, “We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. And the nations were enraged, and Your wrath came, and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.” And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened; and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm.

Revelation 11:15-19

The world stands as a crushing and uncompromising system that presses its members to conform or perish. We are called to not conform to it. Instead we are to be transformed. That is the encouragement we find in the opening verses of Romans 8. In this way, individuals are transformed from one kingdom to the other. I believe that this is true of communities as well, subsets of the world as a whole. The Lord wants to redeem each one. Individuals, communities, and eventually the whole system of the world . . . It will all be his!

An old rendering of Daniel pictures the kingdoms of this world being consumed by the Lord’s kingdom:

And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.

Daniel 2:44

We are used to thinking about the two kingdoms being in opposition, but it seems a new way of thinking to see kingdom potential every time we see an incarnation of the world before us. Where do we see the world at work? In nations, provinces with a ruling authority, clubs and societies, organisations, schools, mosques, churches and companies. In any organised group of people, more than likely we will see a system of conformity set up to control the group. Does that mean that any group that is structured is evil somehow? The answer is that we are not looking to condemn and find fault. We are not advocating anarchy or disorganisation. Instead, when we see harsh treatment and the restriction of freedom and self-expression, we can see a target for kingdom transformation. When the world, whatever it looks like, enslaves a group of people, it may be that we can partner with the Lord to see their release.

Faith and the Father

Faith is the substance of things hoped for. We can have hope that is little more than just that, or we can possess hope that is more than hope. Peter says that we have living hope - That is faith making our hopes have substance. We hope that that the Father is on our side, that he cares about the things that we feel are important, that he will hear and answer our prayers. When we have faith, not just trusting and hoping, but living alive to all that we hope for . . . then we are really living beneath the shadow of a benevolent father that loves us and lavished good gifts on us, all to ready to hear and answer.

First Things First

Following on from my last post . . .

Realising that I had a broken spirit, I tried to draw on scripture to understand what I was facing. I thought about how I had heard a sermon on the book of Nehemiah, a type or analogy of the fortification of the soul. Nehemiah, whose name means “comforter”, was a picture of the Holy Spirit in his ministry as he set up the bars and the gates of the soul and secured it from enemy attack. One of the points this preacher made was that at this time the temple was already rebuilt. The spirit was functioning well, and consequently the soul could be established. Well, my spirit wasn’t okay. I needed to go back in time and look at the rebuilding of the temple. To deal with my broken spirit the very short book of Haggai could serve as a guidebook.

My first observation from the book was a reflection on the intended order of our healing. It is not proper to be focussed on living in panelled houses when my house is in a ruin. It is spiritually out of order to fixate on the soul (the city) before our spirits (the temple) are rebuilt and restored. That said, there is a job to be done on the flesh prior to either of these. This is pictured historically in the release to return. Wounds were healed and chains were broken. The flesh makes our heart hard and dirty, and insensible to our spirits. A clean heart precedes a renewed spirit. The restoration of our hearts permeability to the flow of joy that comes via the Holy Spirit in our spirits, comes before the Lord acts on his spirit.

Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from Your presence

And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation

And sustain me with a willing spirit.

Psalm 51:10-12

In fact, it seems like the flesh is responsible for a broken spirit within us. In this verse, the sadness reflects a barren heart, a heart hardened so that joy flowing to us from God via our spirits is absent.

. . . when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.

Proverbs 15:13

Salvation comes and the Holy Spirit comes to dwell within our spirits. Depending on our individual history and the generational baggage that we carry, the fleshly calcification that blocks the flow of the Holy Spirit’s living water from moving out of our spirits and into our souls can vary markedly. We all are fallen and fleshly, but we don’t all bear the same wounds and the chains that initially bind us vary as well. The coming of the Holy Spirit into our spirits is an incredible event. There is a weight of glory that descends on us. He brings all heaven with him. And if our flesh blocks the release of all of that out into our hearts and souls and lives, then something gives. Our spirits cannot contain all of that without some kind of release valve. When our hearts are hard, our spirits are broken. This would explain why some new Christians experience an almost spontaneous filling of the Spirit and all that entails. Others, like me, seem to be confined to living with less of God’s glory and power in our lives. So we need to deal with the flesh problem before we restore our spirits. The flesh must be crucified, and then our personal temple in which the Lord can dwell can be repaired. Otherwise, our spirits would break all over again.

After the exile, the Jews never again suffered under the lure of idolatry. All of those substitutes, the Baals and the Asherah poles that tempted them away from authentic worship of Jehovah in the Temple, had completely lost their power. The idolatry that caused the exile was cured by it, and the Jews were prepared to restore their Temple and live again with it as the centre of their community.

So the order is important – First the flesh, then the spirit and then the soul. Trying to renovate our souls without addressing the problem of a broken spirit, leads us to hypocrisy. Without sufficient resources we choose the veneer of panelled houses rather than the authenticity of genuine materials. Acknowledging that we are poor in spirit leads to all the blessings of the kingdom of heaven, just as hungering and thirsting after righteousness results in us being filled.

Heaven Slipping Through my Fingers

It came as a shock to me to realise that I had a broken spirit! I had come to the place where I thought that my spirit was fine, and it was the disarray of my soul or the hindrance of my flesh that was the trouble. Surely this was the case. Was not the kingdom of heaven in my midst? Was not my spirit the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit? Months later I found myself confronted with the reality of scripture that plainly taught that, indeed the spirit could be broken. And I just knew that this was the case in my life . . .

Humbled, and feeling unexpectedly needy, I crafted a simple prayer based on the verses that had diagnosed my condition. These words I prayed daily, wondering how such a fundamental problem could be rectified in my life.

Lord, my heart had experienced so much sadness, and my spirit has been broken (Prv 15:13). As for a broken spirit, who can bear it? (Prv 18:14) It dries up the bones. (Prv 17:22) You would have my heart as a resevoir that hosts your Spirit and holy presence – A well of water springing up to eternal life. But I am cracked and broken in spirit and inadequate for that purpose. My filling ebbs away. But you do not despise our brokenness (Ps 51:17). You save those crushed in spirit (Ps 34:18). You can renew a steadfast spirit within me (Ps 51:10). You can sustain me with a willing spirit (Ps 51:12). I cry out to you with a heavy heart and wail with a broken spirit (Is 65:14). And I petition you and declare that it is into your hand that I commit my spirit (Ps 31:5) – to be healed and restored and renewed. Amen.

There was something that horrified me when I thought about my being a broken vessel that leaked the filling from heaven. I often have felt anointed. I have experienced the gentle touch of heaven. But how terrible to think that the Father had so much more for me and it was slipping through my fingers.

Power in the Blood

Think about the Passover. A bucket of blood is held in a father's hand. "Come on! Paint it on! Hurry up and paint it on, around the door and the windows. Don't miss anywhere." Who is speaking? That's right. It's little Kemuel's mother.She got excited about applying the blood, because she was aware of a terrible accuser just out of sight, standing over the life of her son. The blood took away some sort of legal right. The blood applied would negate the consequences of an accusation. It would save her son's life. If left in the bucket and unapplied, what was the use of that blood.

The blood of Christ when applied does something legally in the spiritual realm. It cleanses our history of sin and pain. Imagine being able to rewrite your history, all of those regrets gone, and the guilt and the mistakes. We can! Not physically, but spiritually it is possible. And the new revision is not read by the people around us. It is the one pored over by those dark accusers that wish to destroy us.

I was just on the Internet with my wife. We were trying to book a flight. We hesitated and then searched for it again and it was gone. It was so frustrating. The next best flight was much more expensive. What could we do? Absolutely nothing. It was there but now it is gone. That kind of frustration is what the accuser feels when we apply the blood. The opportunity is lost forever and all their best laid plans are void. The applied blood sends the accuser back to the drawing board.

The Blood of Jesus is precious. Over and over in the Bible we are told that it was the price of our redemption. That was a one-off transaction that brought us to God the Father. It is also a powerful cleansing agent. It cleanses us from our sins, day by day, in the here and now:

but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

1 John 1:7

What does that mean? Is it just that his blood was shed for us back at the cross and God remembers that and cleans our slate? No, two verses later we learn that we confess and then it is applied . . .

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

Putting the two together we might summarise it like this: If we confess our sins, the Father will forgive our sins and cleanse them with the blood of his son. That is not just remembering or looking at some kind of abstract ledger of our sins. He picks up some of the blood of Christ and applies it to our person. Our sins have stained our bodies and souls, and that stain is removed with a wonderful, heavenly detergent – the only agent that can remove such a stain!

That obnoxious “if” there bothers us. If we take action, then we will be cleansed and forgiven. What if we forget to confess one sin? Will that be enough to keep us out of heaven? Actually, it’s not about salvation or our eternal destiny. That is all secure through the work of that same blood when it was used to purchase us. The stain of sin and its eradication is about living well. Chapter 1 and verse 7 calls it walking in the light. We are real about our sin, the blood is applied and everything is great. We can also see it as living in victory:

And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

Revelation 12:10-12(ESV)

We sin and our accuser comes. He is conquered by the blood of the lamb. He has nothing to accuse us of, if we confess our sins, and they are subsequently washed with the powerful blood of Christ. At the end the blood of Christ will be the means of victory over the accuser. We in part, day by day, live out this victory when we live in the light. We will conquer him by the blood of the lamb. When we do this, we realise in part that awesome statement:

“. . . Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come. . .”

Revelation 12:10(ESV)

Essentially, we are talking about the process of continual and vigilant cleansing, so that we can walk in victory. Here the blood is seen as being applied by people rather than the Father:

. . . they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Revelation 7:14

Still the question lingers, “What if I am forgetful or lazy and don’t confess something?”

It follows that the accuser has something in our life to work with. If we hide it or deny our sin, the pressure of sin, its consequences, or the guilt associated with it can overcome us. 

If left too long, we may need someone who is living in the light to come alongside and facilitate our healing. The poison must be washed out of the wound. We must bring that moment into the light. Then the blood will be applied and the legal right of accusation silenced. The accuser will be overcome, guilt and fear will fade away and healing can begin.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.

James 5:15-17

The blood of Christ is powerful to break our chains and heal our wounds. Living under its cleansing influence is victory. Through it the kingdom of God comes into our life. Through it we live in the power and authority of Christ, who of course needed no such regular remedy for sin. Jesus said:

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

John 10:10

The application of his blood makes the difference between these two lifestyles – defeated and sick with grief and consequences, or living abundantly in victory.

Beyond Jekyll and Hyde's Potions

The mysterious case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde had been closed. When discovery of his shameful fall was certain, he had taken his life. There was enough evidence in the light now for those close to the case to understand completely what had happened. And the doctor’s letter had filled in whatever had been conjecture before. Poole and Utterson were sitting in a drawing room, discussing the case. Utterson, disturbed by all that he had seen and heard over these last days had retreated into hours of reading “dry divinity” in his library. Somewhere between two and three in the morning he had arisen with haste from his favourite chair, caught up with excitement with an idea. Now, some eight hours later, Poole had arrived at his invitation.

“You have been thinking, my friend. It seems exceedingly strange to receive correspondence from you after midnight. You are not known for such behaviour.”

“Yes, I apologise  This strange case has caused my head to ache with a certain sort of anguish. All my life I have been happy to separate the spiritual from the scientific. Jekyll was no saint, though a good man in the beginning. He was a genius though. He saw that the two could abide together.”

“We know where that left him – embroiled in villainy and dread, and ultimately dead.”

“I would be the first to admit that. My point is that he was right. He believed that evil and good dwell within us all. And he proved it with his horrifying experiment.”

“Yes, but where are you going with all this?”

“You see, Poole, I have spent the past week reading every volume in my library on the subject of religious transformation.”

“You were always partial to such works.”

“I agree, but I have never read them other than for pleasure and relaxation.”

“Utterson, surely you are not trying to be practical with such material.”

“Is that not the genius of my friend Jekyll?”

“Yes, but he was a scientist, and you are . . .”

“Like you, a passive commentator on other people’s achievements.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself, Utterson.”

“In any case, I have read and taken notes and things are becoming clear. The difference between Jekyll and Hyde was the difference between soul and flesh, as far as my volumes on divinity are concerned. And I can see that there is a process of weakening one or the other, to manipulate the dominant agent. My guess is that Jekyll’s potions worked directly on the flesh, one inhibiting it and the other strengthening its hold.”

“That makes sense, but I do not yet understand your excitement.”

“We have spent long hours working against this monster Hyde, only to find that he was . . . somehow actually . . . an incarnation of our good friend Jekyll. I have realised that you and I and everyone we see is the same. And this newfound practical divinity has brought to me a burning resolve . . .”

“You sound as if you have got religion, my dear friend.”

“Maybe. However, there is more to be said. You see, Jekyll’s potion to weaken the flesh fell short of the real potential to transform the evil into the good. This may sound strange, but God himself is on our side.”

“Pray tell.”

“In the Bible, Galatians chapter five: The Holy Spirit wars with our flesh. Romans chapter seven shows that our souls and our flesh are in conflict as well. You know – I do what I don’t want to and I don’t do what I do want to do. It seems that this Holy Spirit is on the side of our souls. Both are against the flesh, but the soul is powerless and the Holy Spirit powerful in the battle.”

“Bravo, bravo. Surely this is the most entertaining sermon I have ever heard. Preached my none other than my good friend, Reverand Utterson!”

“Poole, you may not be so far from the truth.”

“Really? Perhaps you go too far.”

“Maybe, you are right. But if our souls are good, I suppose some reflection of their original state before the fall, and if there is a means of defeating the fleshly dominion of mankind to release that good, I for one want to be a part of it.”

“Well said. But do we not stand the risk of being a casualty of the conflict. We know what happened to that good man, Jekyll, when he toyed with such mysteries.”

“I have no interest in his science, but the idea of practical divinity has entranced me. You see I have discovered that in theory, the Holy Spirit speaks for the human soul. He reads our heart and soul and speaks for us. He speaks for us to God, and I quote:

In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Romans 8:26-27

And I have concluded that he speaks to us in like fashion. He is the voice of our heart and soul when the flesh otherwise has it completly silenced. It follows that if we listen to the Holy Spirit and follow his lead we are doing what we really want, rather than living out the desires of an imposter, like that monster Hyde.”

“A most brilliant analysis, Utterson. I have heard of a wierd sect that meets over in West End. They practice this business of listening to the Spirit. Rumour has it that they are an undisciplined lot. They come mostly from the lower classes, but they have a number of worthy benefactors. It is quite the anomoly. Perhaps you should take a closer look. It might be quite amusing”

“Two nights ago I did just that.”

“Astounding. Pray tell.”

“Your choice of words, weird sect, might be appropriate. They are indeed strange. Their meetings were nothing like those we have experienced before. I interviewed a member before they began and he helped me know what to expect. He described the presence of the Holy Spirit that can be felt. And I have to say, I felt what he described and experienced some illumination on my life that I thought beyond the realms of knowledge. I really felt like I heard . . . what can only be described as . . . the cry of my heart.”

“Now you really sound as though you have gotten religion.”

“Indeed. I may have gotten into me something a little more powerful than Jekyll’s potions.”

Power of Attorney or Identity Fraud

Following on from the last post . . .

What is the Holy Spirit’s answer to the problem of our flesh always answering for us?

The children of Israel came up out of the Red Sea. They had just left Egypt and terrible bondage. They were emotionally scarred as a result of that time. All of their arguing and complaining and fighting amongst themselves that followed was an evidence that Egypt and Pharaoh had left a stain on their heart. They were like orphans, fighting for survival, as if they were still there. To interact with them was to communicate with that brokenness. It answered for them, but it was not really their true selves. The brokenness needed to be broken before they were ready for the blessings of the Promised Land.

We hear many stories of people in poverty that win big at lotto or in some gambling game. They become instant millionaires! Six months later it is all gone. What a tragedy. How could that happen? What were they thinking? The truth is that their brokenness was driving all their decisions. Their brokenness, which brought them into poverty in the first place and kept them there was being entrusted with a million dollars! Of course, it would choose to return them to their original state.

The Israelites could not enter straight into the Promised Land. If they had of, they would have quickly ended up as slaves to a new master – the Canaanites. Why? Because, in their brokenness they were still acting as slaves.

The Holy Spirit has the same answer for them and us. The first step to maturity is to learn to follow the cloud and eat the manna. He was not going to ask them what they wanted to eat or where they wanted to go. They wouldn’t have answered. They would have abdicated the answer to their flesh and brokenness. It was time for that brokenness to lose some of its power over them. The Holy Spirit effectively rendered it mute. All it could do was whinge and complain. He would never let it have its way.

If you find your brokenness answering for you, and if you are ready. Then you will find the Holy Spirit wants to take you on a journey where you learn to depend on him. It won’t be comfortable. Your flesh will cry out in despair. But deep within your soul will begin to feel again. You will find that deep down you were a little different from what you thought. Your desires were not those of your tormentor.

When the Lord calls us to submit to him and follow him unquestioningly, he is not trying to squash us underfoot. He wants to uncover the real you. In the short-term, he can’t let you make your own decisions, because you are not really making them. He will speak for you for a while in place of your brokenness.

“What?” you say, “Swap one person that speaks for me for another. What use is that?”

Actually the difference is vast. It is like the contrast between a power of attorney and identity fraud! The difference is that he has your best interests at heart. He wants you in the Promised Land. Your flesh wants you back in Egypt.

And it’s not forever . . .

The manna ceased the moment the Israelites entered the Promised Land in Joshua 5:12. The last reference we have to God leading them in a cloud is near the end of Moses' life recorded in Deuteronomy 31:15. As we mature, there will come a point where the role of the Holy Spirit directing and guiding us, gives way to the abundant life of the Father’s house.

Unfortunately, in the beginning, we are unable to speak and choose for ourselves. The question is: Which of these two will we allow to speak for us?

Don't Answer for Me

I have a dear friend who describes a time in her life when one of her parents continually spoke in her place. Someone would ask her a question, and before she had time to answer, another voice would cut her off. It was so frustrating. She was silenced. Someone else thought that they knew her. Perhaps they didn’t want her to make a mistake in her answer. Maybe it was so unconscious that they didn’t even know they were doing it. But it hurt. She wanted to cry out, “Hey, wait a minute. I have an opinion! Let me answer the question.” I guess to varying degrees it has happened to us all, and even though her case was extreme, we can feel the angst that she would have felt. Sometimes we have seen it done to other people. We feel like saying, “Can you hold on a moment? I asked them. I want to know what they think, first hand. That’s why I asked them and not you.”

We would all agree, I think, that the one who answers for another is a villain, and the one without a voice is a victim. Okay, there are some exceptions, but it is natural and proper that every person have their own voice. If this is a crime that stirs us up, what would you say if you learned that a hidden crime spree was taking place under our very noses? That sounds strange, but there is. And I would go so far as to say that someone is answering for you without you realising, not just once but all the time . . .

That got you interested, but what do I mean? Who do I mean?

Let’s start with someone else. Go to the nearest bar and find a drunkard and alcoholic. Ask him what he wants. What does he say? Nearly inevitably he replies, “Another drink would be nice, maybe two.” Think hard. Who is really speaking? Isn’t it his brokenness? Isn’t it his addiction and alcoholism? Somewhere deep within there is a mute soul with desires so deep and real. Slowly he has been rendered mute, and his brokenness answers for him.

Saint Paul was no low-living outcast from society. He had it all together, yet he had the same problem. In Romans chapter seven he describes his difficulty. He was doing what he didn’t want to do and not doing what he wanted to do. He called it his flesh. Sometimes it is also known as self. Paul is very clear that who he was different from this unwelcome intruder answering for him. He asks himself what he wants and his brokenness answers for him. Someone else enquires as to what he likes and doesn’t like. Again his brokenness speaks for him. How irritating. What could he do? He asks the question, “Who can get rid of this unwanted thing that keeps answering for me?”

Fast forward to today. Marketing campaigns and wealthy multinationals exploit this anomaly. Consumerism is out of control. Addiction is rampant. Obesity is everywhere. Perversion is accepted and becoming the norm. We are trying everything to satisfy our souls, but asking another to answer for us. As we feed our insatiable brokenness with the empty pleasures they demand of us, it just becomes stronger and more tyrannical. Our true selves become more oppressed and unhappy. And our brokenness will never let go, until it can drop us into the gutter.

This is not a statement on the evil of society. I am not against commercialism. This is not trying to convince you to stop sinning. I don’t want you to try harder, and please don’t misunderstand me and start feeling guilty. I am not trying to manipulate you or control you. My point is that someone else is. What do you really want. No, not you. Let them answer for themselves. You, yes you, what do you really want?

Isn’t that the most difficult question that you have ever had the pleasure of answering for yourself?

Discipleship: Purpose

Jesus spent three and a half year with twelve disciples. He seemed to be focussed on their progress and sometimes frustrated by their lack of it. How would you summarise his purpose and plan for them. There was some teaching, some prac, lots of hanging out with him. With those that are following behind us, what are we trying to achieve in their lives? How are we going about accomplishing that? What can we learn from the master discipler?

Jesus talked a lot about the Father, and the kingdom. I believe if we can pass on the Father and the kingdom, that is enough theory. And all that is left is loving those we disciple and allowing them access into our lives. Discipleship is the Father, the Kingdom and those hours. The Kingdom is a place, and a journey to that place. That place is also called the Father’s house and the Father is the real destination. The time we spend is an investment in another generation, as guides on that narrow way – We can lead because we have passed that way before.

As we disciple others our purpose is to:
·    Show them the Father;
·    Live the Kingdom before them;
·  Teach them the Kingdom;
·   Guide them on the Kingdom trail;
·    Help them to mature, step by step; and
·  Encourage them until they gain the Kingdom for themselves.

Caught Between Two Places

It happened to us recently . . . We were caught between two places. Moving out of our friends home, where we had been living for nearly nine months, and into a new house in a village. On the one hand we were trying to get the old place ready for our friends to return. At the same time we wanted to get established in our new home. So I would patch up the paint in some rooms at the old place, and come home to a growing list of stuff to do at our new home. Then there was a couple of days ago when we cleared out all of the shelves and brought all our books home. When they arrived, there was nowhere to put them. I had to put up some new shelves, so they had somewhere to go. When we worked on one place, the other would fall behind.

Jesus says some confusing things about the kingdom. The statements appear a little paradoxical . . .

He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it.

Matthew 10:39

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

Matthew 16:25

But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.

Matthew 19:30

So the last shall be first, and the first last.

Matthew 20:16

But when you introduce the idea of there being two places, it is not so difficult to understand. There are two places – The world and the Father’s house. They are in opposition and in competition. We have to choose. If we want to save our lives and prosper in this world, we will lose out in the other place. If we strive to be first in the kingdom, it will take all of our attention and the world’s recognition will slip from our grasp. We can dwell in one realm or the other. They are at war and we cannot sit on the fence. Where do you want to save your life? Where do you want to prosper and succeed? The question is not whether we can be first. The question is where we will pursue greatness and recognition. We are all caught between two places, just as much as I have been lately with our move to a new house. The Father longs to welcome us home and prosper us in his house. The world seduces us to spend all our energy and lifeblood in pursuit of its praise. It’s as frustrating as that. We just have to choose!

Women's Eyes

I am looking for something. It happens often enough. It might be the car keys or a piece of paper with an important phone number on it. I go from room to room, around the house, looking under things and opening every cupboard and drawer. Nothing. It isn’t anywhere. Naturally, I ask my wife for help. And as she hands it to me, in next to no time at all, she might say something like, “You have to look with a woman’s eyes”. I am left mumbling things under my breath and asking myself how that happened.

I thought of this when my wife was talking to me about her friend and her talk on the parable of the lost coin. She was using the parable to suggest that we need to be open minded in the way we look at God. After all, in that parable he is pictured as a woman. I think she may be making a little too much of that, I don’t know exactly. What I do know, is that the whole parable would not have worked if Jesus has used a guy in place of a girl. I can imagine the people listening to him. “Hey, teacher. Men don’t clean the house. We play dominoes, down in the square.” Jesus answers, “The day is coming, when those who marry a woman will clean, and with spirit. It is truth.” The crowd look incredulous.

The thing is, apart from the whole culture thing back then, men look for stuff with their commitment held in reserve. As I search I am formulating a plan B. If I don’t find the #?&% keys, then I will  take the bus or my bicycle. That would make me only . . . about ten minutes late. If I take the bike, I will need a backpack. Where was that backpack? If a woman doesn’t step in, the man will be so distracted by plan B, that it all becomes self-fulfilling and he will end up on the bicycle. Of course, the man may also feel compelled to take a trip to the local hardware store to purchase the correct tool for the job, to aid his search. He might return with a high pressure water blaster or vacuum, or a metal detector. That would happen only after he has carefully weighed up all the options.

So when Jesus was looking for a picture of the Holy Spirit he needed to use a woman searching and not a man. Otherwise, I’m sorry, but he could have left out the rejoicing part at the end. She looks with single-minded determination . . . with woman’s eyes, and with a funny sort of intuition that I don’t understand. Amidst the grime that you and I have been tainted with the Holy Spirit is looking for . . . well, he is looking for us. Who we really are has been lost, hidden beneath our brokenness. He has no plan B! He is undistracted. He knows what he is looking for and will stop at nothing. To him, you are so precious . The Holy Spirit will succeed, just as women tend to succeed when they are searching for things that have gone missing. He searches with women’s eyes, and that means there is hope for us all.

The Ultimate Flash Mob

It was the ultimate flash mob.  Normally a flash mob involves a bunch of very talented musicians and singers. They dress in everyday clothes and converge on somewhere like a shopping centre. Then it begins. One by one these apparently ordinary individuals start playing instruments or begin to sing. It is so unexpected. A crowd gathers. They are enthralled. The ordinary and the extraordinary converge.

This time, as usual a wonderful concert broke into an ordinary context. However, what was different for this flash mob was that the participants did not plan it before hand.It was so apparently random that they did not even know they were to be involved.

The crowd on the street when Jesus rode into Jerusalem just started cheering and clapping and waving branches and they all sang the same song together. That’s what happens when something in heaven works its way down to reaches us in the here and now on earth.

Isaiah 13:13 articulates this clearly. God shakes heaven and the earth shakes in response. It seems as though different things on earth resonate to different degrees with the vibrations of heaven.

Jesus was riding into Jerusalem which was a copy of the real Zion. We know it now as the father’s house, the home he had left some 30 years ago. In one week he would actually return home, but this was close enough to that to stir the Father’s heart. He got excited up there on his throne. Perhaps he stood and pointed out the situation to his archangels and gushed with pride for his beloved son. Twice before he had become so excited that his voice could be heard on earth – At Christ’s baptism and transfiguration. I suppose the Father and the hosts of heaven were cheering him on, and no doubt making a fuss and he rode into town. 

On earth, ordinary folks were stirred to worship. Their souls soared. Their hearts overflowed. Their bodies danced and waved branches and their voices sang. They were resonating to the tempo of heaven. In fact, if they hadn't responded, then, we are told, the rocks themselves would have. The earth must respond to the heartbeat of heaven. Incredibly, the rocks were more heavenly resonant than the Pharisees. What about me? Am I responsive to heaven’s atmosphere?

Christ sure was. I think he was eluding to this very thing when he said that he sees the father working and he works. He heard him speak and he speaks. We often think of this as very deliberate and voluntary. Maybe it was much more like the crowds on the day of the triumphal entry. It seems like an involuntary thing as the crowd were caught up in the moment. Perhaps they wondered what it was all about later in the day.

As we become more like Christ our resonance with heaven increases. We become particularly sensitive to the moods of the Father. He feels angry and so do we. He has compassion and we are also moved. He celebrates and we rejoice as well. Through us, the atmosphere of heaven can quickly and powerfully be felt on earth. His kingdom can come and his will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

A Pharisee, a rock, a random person on the street, or a devoted ally of heaven. We all must respond to what goes on in heaven. As for me, I want to be as responsive as I can possibly be. I guess that only happens by dwelling in the Father’s house – A lot.

And it gets me thinking . . . When we are truly moved to worship, something is probably going on in heaven and we are just part of the fallout. Revival must be the same. Great movements of the Holy Spirit must be a reflection of a heavenly reality. I feel like I want to tune myself to harmonise more with what is above. I want to be more like Christ, an undiluted extension of what is happening above . . .

Divine Deluge

Have you ever noticed that so many of the Christian musicians, songwriters and worship leaders that move us to worship seem fixated on the River. It comes up in their songs. They dwell there. They talk about it. It seems somehow personal for them, as if this river is part of their native country. Perhaps it is because the souls that lead us in worship must first worship for themselves. Their staple diet is inspiration. And this river bridges the gap between heaven’s joy and abundance and earth’s malaise. It carries something of paradise downstream. Some would say that is indeed the definition of inspiration.

Maybe we miss something if we abstract the river and treat it as a mere representation of something else. It’s not just theory. Ezekiel swam in it, and felt overwhelmed by its depth and power. It’s a real river – For most of us, most of the time entirely intangible, but this river is part of the unchanging landscape of heaven. It’s spiritual but real. A place to dwell in the spirit, and a place to be refreshed and revived.

When Christ touches our hearts in salvation, that awesome river flows with great power into our spirits. It is a testament to the resilience of the fleshly callouses that make our hearts hard, that they can withstand the pressure of this divine deluge.

Come with me to the river. In the shade of the thick foliage of the trees that line its banks, dwell with me awhile. Pluck a leaf from one of the trees. In your hand you now hold something with medicinal properties far surpassing anything found in earthly pharmacies. The leaves of the trees are for the healing of the nations. And that testifies to the character and potency of the River. The trees’ deep roots drink from that source and soak up its properties and power, until it oozes out of their leaves. Look and listen. This mighty waterway teems with life. I have never heard a worship song that celebrates the fish that leap from heaven’s great river.

Here is the thing – this river flows to us as an abundant source of healing, blessing provision and transforming power. It is a place to bring our pain and hurt and wounds. Shelter beneath the shade of its banks when the desert heat has become unbearable. This river brings heaven close when it otherwise feels so distant. Stoop down and take provision and sustenance from its waters. Go back to the barrenness of your circumstances with your hands full.

The river brings the kingdom of heaven within us . . . into our innermost being. It is yours and mine. We own the glory and wonder of the River because it flows with great power into our spirits. The shade of its banks, those healing leaves, and the provision that teems beneath its waters – They are all ours. A stretch of this glorious waterway is our very own – A gift from heaven.

I lived in want, so broken, and so exposed to circumstances. I nearly perished from thirst with the River always within my reach.

Childishly Simple

It is difficult. There is something about the Kingdom of God that is elusive. Ears are deaf to its invitation and blind to its whereabouts, yet it is near at hand. Tax collectors and prostitutes find it easier to enter, than do the wealthy and religious. The kingdom is hidden and costly to gain. It is a pearl of great price. Once discovered it causes us to choose between everything else we possess, and itself. We must sell all we have to gain it, but it is worthy of the sacrifice – A priceless treasure. The more we have of wealth and reputation in the world, the greater the sacrifice that must lie upon the altar. Hence the difficulty for the wealthy and respected. It is a treasure hidden in a field, discovered accidently and instantly bringing us to a conflict of emotions. It is irresistibly attractive and can be obtained, but how great the cost will be.

Salvation is not costly, and nor is it difficult. It was costly for Christ, and torturously difficult for him to obtain for us. It comes to us as a free gift with an open invitation. The cares of this World may compete to hinder our entry. We may not make those hard choices. I have married a wife. I have bought a team of oxen. I have purchased a field. Career or success, investments and relationships can hold us back. It is a choice between this world and the next, decided and experienced in the here-and-now. The choice is clear, but the sacrifice of turning our back on the World is painful. The choice is so simple that a child could choose correctly. In fact, we need to be like a child to overcome the difficulty of our choice . . .

“Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”

Mark 10:15

The Kingdom of God is a place. It is nothing short of paradise – The paradise of God the Father. It is his house – A wonderful place where he lavishes his blessings on us, from out of an abundant store. The World, another place, competes for our attention and our residency. Where will we dwell? To turn our back on the world is to leave empty-handed. All of our wealth, and all of our possessions must be laid down to leave that place. Our reputation is a garment that we cannot wear on the quest to find the kingdom. But the World is no real loss. It is a hard and oppressive system. It shows no mercy. “Conform or perish”, it declares to us. It squeezes us and manipulates us. Over our head a constant threat – Conform or lose your wealth and reputation. The Father’s house is a place of escape from the cruel tyranny of the World. Living under the regime is no life at all. The Father’s house is a place of pasture, and of abundant life. It is difficult, but also childishly simple.

Joy and Humility

We feel joy in our heart and humility is a state of mind. If joy and humility are linked, then we would expect that humility would lead to joy, and not the other way around. Why? Because we are used to thinking that our head comes before our heart. Joy and humility in the face of suffering were certainly connected for Christ. In fact, the joy set before him gave rise to humility. And that humility enabled him to endure shame that he despised and the pain of the cross.

Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Philippians 2:8

Jesus . . . who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2

I always thought that the Lord found humility to bear the Cross because of the promise of future joy in the eternal kingdom. It makes sense. Suffer through this and the reward will outweigh the pain of the moment. If this is the case, then humility now does lead to future joy. All is as we expect. But what if Jesus had already received the joy before the cross, and it bred humility and enabled him to endure his sufferings?

. . . Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross . . .

Hebrews 12:2

Christ, by faith, entered into the Father’s house. He is the author and perfector of faith. He blazed the trail there. Hebrews chapter twelve is encouraging us to enter in and draw near to the Father’s house, so that we won’t turn back and fall away. Coming to Mount Zion, the real place of worship, that so much other revelation was merely a copy of, brings us before the Father and his many blessings . . . love, joy, peace, &c. The Spirit brings us to the Father and the fruit of his work is that we arrive there and feel in our heart those blessings . . . straight from the source. That’s how we come to obtain inexpressible joy.

. . . you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith . . .

1 Peter 1:8-9

By faith we enter in, and the joy we receive, completely de-coupled from our circumstances, is difficult or impossible to express. The author to the Hebrews is encouraging his readers to follow Christ’s example and to enter in, receive that joy in the face of suffering. That joy produces a harvest of humility and endurance, to safeguard their souls. The transformation of the human soul proceeds first upon the heart, and then the mind and the will are affected.

Romans chapter twelve urges us to . . .

. . . present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2

First there is a battle and our flesh must lose dominion over us. This a battle for our heart to be free to feel again. Then another battle is wages and the World must be overcome and the Father’s house embraced. Within his walls we feel the blessings that he lavishes on us. The crushing, conforming pressure of the World grows weaker there. That allows our minds to be transformed. Finally the World’s dominion is broken. The ultimate result is that we approve the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Yes, the final transformation of our souls takes place in our will and desires.

So joy in our heart comes before humility in our mind. And humility precedes the will to endure. That was how it was for Christ and also for us. We don’t have to face the difficulties of life on empty, hoping that we can hang on and make it through for some eventual reward. Yes, the reward will come, but we have resources for the here and now. We can be equipped for the challenges we face in the Father's house. The joy he sets before us, that makes our heart burst, will go further. It will make the world grow dim in our eyes, which is essential for us to gin true humility. And as our hearts are full of joy and the mind of Christ and his humility is our state of mind, our will and desires will change. We will be able to endure . . . saying, "Not my will but yours be done".