“if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
Let’s do this God’s way. Not let’s do this my way.
We step back into corporate worship and church with some fear and trepidation.
We sense the call for a newness and change and yet do not see clearly what the changes are.
God is revealing the need to return to the joy of a simple gospel that we love whilst we look only upon His face as we connect back into the community of the body.
Instead of getting in the way, to give Him freedom to do it as He needs to do it and to resume being satisfied and not discontent in that alone. It is not done by works.
“he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,”
We need one another physically in our church community to mould and form the complete body. Our own preferences are of insignificance compared to our individual significance in the body. Christ’s bride is His joy and pride.
The only letters of resignation that need to be written are our own where we resign from irritation, resign from dissatisfaction, resign from fleshly expectations and preferences, resign from making demands.
We have no right to be angry or dismissive of His church, bride, pride and joy.
We have to be satisfied with God’s sovereignty.
All of Him and less of me. Yes, with dreams and expectations but in the knowledge that they will be a mere shadow of what His are!
We are not here to grumpily demand but to gracefully accept and enjoy His vision and provision knowing that His desire is for our pursuit of relationship with Him and to be engulfed in His love.
Discontent rifts us further apart from the very thing we desire and opens the door to the enemy.
“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
It is hunger for more not a whip that will drive us closer to encountering the Lord.
We know Jesus deserves more and the challenge is in knowing what to do about that. The basics are to be cautious about everything that stops us encountering Him.
Any form of division, separation from each other, pride in hierarchical promotion instead of inclusion alienate the Spirit. Distraction from being connected and image bearing. Barriers that separate us from the mystical union from which we radiate His glory to set others free.
We are in a time where past experience and encounter are not sufficient to transform us. Half filled lamps instead of topped up lamps are the requisite to being ready and in the right time.
“And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.”
Jesus’ gaze is deeper. His longing for His bride is intense.“His call to come up here.” “To come away with Him.”Our previous longing for Him is not enough.
Our restlessness is symptomatic of feeling homesick for Him and the glory of God.
The desire to bring down any constructions that come between the transformation of the bride and the kingdom that He desires are rising in us.
Ties that bind us to the flesh or worldly we want to loose to free us to step into the spiritual and kingdom realm where we see and unite fully with Christ and each other corporately.
The illustration shows the body of the church moulding together in the light of Christ, emanating and reflecting the light of Him and His bride that He loves and desires and pushing back the darkness.
Three Scriptures that come to mind:
“he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,”Titus 3:5 ESV
“So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”1 Peter 2:1-5 ESV
“And the foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ But the wise answered, saying, ‘Since there will not be enough for us and for you, go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ And while they were going to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast, and the door was shut.”Matthew 25:8-10 ESV
The song Look To Jesus. Phil Wickham
https://youtu.be/daSrSJuxGh8
Lessisgreater 