| << | Contents | >> |
The Coming Increase of Christ in His House
Two thousand years ago when God revealed His righteousness in Christ, Israel failed to recognize the time of their visitation. As a nation, they did not submit to Him and they sought to establish their own righteousness. Today, the Church faces the same option. Will we yield to the Lord, His work and His timing, or will we launch on His behalf works revealing our strength and ingenuity? This begs some questions. Is Church history about God’s Kingdom or ours? Will it be His glory or ours revealed among us?
Frankly, we need to answer these questions correctly. History is not about man; it is about God and His work among us. At the end of history, we will not be marveling at the great accomplishments of educated people; we will be in wonder at God’s glorious grace that enabled His people to do great things. When we view His finished work among us, it will be His glory beautifying us. History is His story.
Even today, we must recognize His priorities if we would have accurate spiritual insight. We must be impressed with what impresses Him and we must detest what He hates. When rich men brought bags of money into the temple, many were impressed while Jesus yawned. Then when the widow brought in her small gift, Jesus cheered while most missed the point. In other words, it is possible to experience the Lord in a particular event and wrongly interpret His priorities. What a tragedy─to encounter Him and to not know Him. So what is the solution? We must humble ourselves to learn His ways.
Israel had experienced much history with the Lord, but many had failed to learn His ways. As a result, when God’s righteousness was revealed in Christ, they did not submit (Romans 10:3). The miracle of the incarnation is that God himself walked among His people; the great tragedy was that most of them did not receive Him. But to as many as did so, to them He gave the right to become His children. Submission to God’s righteousness had to do with properly receiving Him as He was revealed among them. Today, such surrender remains the key to a spiritually fruitful life.
Paul informs us that Christ himself is God’s righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30). We experience Him as such when we repent of our sins and receive Him and His rule in our lives. On this, evangelical Christians agree. God then receives us as His own people because He has cleansed us by His blood and filled us with His own holy presence. How awesome is this precious gift of righteousness that was purchased for us at so great a cost to Him.
But righteousness is more than a gift given; it is a fruit grown (Hebrews 12:11). God not only gives spiritual birth to a people, He then works to conform us to His likeness. The fruit of His work in us is to be an increase of His love, kindness, goodness, and so forth (Galatians 5:22-23). He has purposed that the fruit of righteousness would develop in the Church.
Such is the Holy Spirit’s ministry. He is working to bring forth in us a visible increased expression of Christ. Such growth will only come as we embrace the Cross, as we turn from our desires and welcome His. When we do so, others will see in us a little less of the nature of man and a little more of the nature of God. He does this work in us so that He can entrust influence to us in the lives of others.
But who should influence the Church the most? Should it be those who are the most powerful speakers? Or should it be those who consistently embrace the Cross? Highly influential leaders who have not first submitted to Calvary as a lifestyle have done much damage in God’s house.
We simply do not need more “ministries” holding forth good ideas on what we should do next. What we do need is less of man and more of Christ. May He increase in His house and help us all to decrease in the process.
Yet with all the spiritual mixture evident in God’s house, we are still confronted by His righteousness in the lives of believers around us. How are we to submit? The question is simple when the Scriptures clearly articulate His will in a particular situation. We will yield to His Word.
Perhaps He might even make His desires known to us through a dream or a vision. Often though, other believers will claim to speak to us on behalf of the Lord. At this point do we submit or not?
If one claims to speak for God but only reveals his own heart, he brings an element of spiritual control. Too often, people claiming to speak for the Lord have both misrepresented Him and brought damage to others.
Because mistakes have been many, the temptation is to try to escape the learning process. But we cannot. God will still address us through those around us. Recognizing and submitting to Him is crucial if we want to keep from making the same mistake as Israel.
When Paul preached to the Thessalonians, they recognized that something greater was occurring than merely a man speaking his own mind. In receiving him and what he said, they received the Lord.
For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe.
But not all speak with the same spiritual clarity as Paul. How do we keep from coming under the control of others in the Church? One of the main differences between true Christianity and certain cults is our freedom to make practical personal decisions with a clear conscience. As adults we have many daily choices to make. Sometimes those around us will disagree with our course.
So the question remains. Should we be accountable to others in the local church? Some who have answered in the affirmative have not been totally pure in their motives. In order to bring others into submission to themselves, they have strongly promoted the accountability of believers to appointed leaders. Often, such an approach has resulted in a legalistic definition of church order, the imposition of men’s ideas, and the commensurate loss of believers’ freedom to personally hear from God.
So how should this work? In normal Christian relationships, accountability is not imposed; it is freely offered. When we truly love others, we offer them our hearts. We open up and become vulnerable to their thoughts and ideas. Because they are important to us, what they think about certain decisions we are making becomes important to us as well. In seeking their counsel, we become accountable.
How about Christian leaders? Are they left out of the equation? They are if they expect people to submit to them based simply on their holding a position in the Church. In that case, they are misrepresenting spiritual authority, which is not positional like secular authority. I do not have authority over another in God’s house because I hold a position of leadership. But if by the grace of God He sends me to speak to someone, I go with the authority to represent Him. Inherent in the word I bring, will be the enabling grace for the hearer to do what He is saying. That is why the gospel is not just about God’s power; it is His power (Romans 1:16).
How we need a restoration of true spiritual authority in God’s house. Not only must believers submit to the grace of God in those who lead, but godly leaders must also love His people and be as vulnerable to God’s grace in them. No one is exempt from submitting to the righteousness of God.
Spiritual authority is not about getting people to respond to us; it is about helping them to respond to Christ. As we are filled with His presence, and function according to His grace, those around us will have the opportunity to submit to Christ, the righteousness of God.
Israel failed two thousand years ago to submit to His righteousness and they missed their Messiah. We also will miss Him in our generation if we fail to recognize Him in the lives of those to whom He has connected us.
Search Comments
This page has been visited 0009 times.
| << | Contents | >> |
10 per page