| << | Contents | >> |
God's Emerging City
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Those who show mercy will also receive it. This is a crucial ingredient in God’s designed highway to His city. We simply must have mercy on each other. We must have it for the one who rambles on too long in the meeting, for the one who sings off key, for the one who doesn’t get our humor.
Mercy basically means both kindness that is in excess of what would be fair and forbearance where it is not deserved. While we tend to think that treating each other fairly ought to be enough, mercy takes us beyond that. And if we think that others have not had much mercy for us, Jesus said that we should keep sowing it anyway. Heaven’s promise is that we will surely reap in due season if we don’t grow weary. The merciful will experience mercy; it is one of the laws of God’s kingdom. On the other hand, those who reject mercy for others will only discern the prevailing injustice of life and keep separating from others while they try to find those who understand them.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
The pure in heart will see God, active in His house; the others will focus on the imperfections and failures around them. Surely the flaws of mankind are everywhere to be found, even in the Church.
And when it comes to gathering together with God’s people, everyone comes with expectations. Of course, we tend to think that our desire more than anyone else’s expresses the Lord’s priority. In other words, we all come with a certain amount of spiritual baggage.
In these events, the Holy Spirit will sometimes take us in directions we did not expect. And when that happens, if our hearts are cluttered with impurities it can be easy to err and try to move everyone according to our expectations.
To be clear, times together with God’s people always have a combination of both the mind of Christ and the ideas of men. Obviously, we are still in transition to hear His voice more accurately. But sadly, there are many believers who simply fail to see Him in the midst of the mixture.
Obviously, some gatherings are clearly more powerful than others. Conversely, there are some that do not seem anointed at all. But even if we were to pick the one time together that bothered us the most, God was still there. And He was teaching us something of patience, forgiveness, mercy, and humility. The pure in heart see Him; the others just sit by and miss the point. They simply don’t get it. Those who have ears to hear will in fact hear.
The rest can easily fall into a spirit of criticism. How easy it is to point out to others how this one or that one missed what the Lord was saying. However, we are to come out of our times together having discerned the Lord’s redemptive heart for His imperfect people. True servant leaders will then help others recognize what He was doing among the saints. The pure in heart will be willing to put down at the foot of the cross their own agendas and desires. They will be willing to both pick them up and express them if the Lord so directs or leave them for another time. They simply want only what He wants. Purity of heart simply means there is no mixture (selfish ambition, jealousy, competitiveness, etc.) in their hearts.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.
Peacemakers are those who can look into a confusing and unsettling situation among imperfect people and bring the peace of God into the troubled waters. They are sons of God. All who are born of God are His children (Greek, TEKNON).
However:
...all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons (Greek, HUIOS) of God.
(Romans 8:14 NASB)
Jesus makes it clear that peacemakers in His kingdom are sons of God. These can bear and express the presence of Christ, the Prince of Peace, into troubled situations. We have great need for such spiritual men and women in God’s house. Such ministry requires both accurate spiritual insight to see what is actually going on and then the wisdom of God to help others to see it as well.
Blessed are those who are persecuted (Greek, DIOKO) for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.
The Greek word DIOKO means to put to flight. Blessed are those who have both been put to flight for the sake of righteousness and also on account of the Lord Jesus himself. Notice, there is persecution for the sake of righteousness (i.e., for receiving His gift of forgiveness and then living out the repercussions) and then persecution for the sake of Christ himself.
Rejoice and be exceedingly glad (jump for joy), for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Notice, Jesus spoke here of present not future great reward. While some believers tend to think only in terms of future honor when the trials of this life are over, Jesus was pointing to something else.
We are presently seated by faith in a spiritual realm referred to in scripture as the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). Those who learn to live in that realm while yet in this life, reap great rewards. This is especially applicable in times of trial and affliction.
There is great wealth to be found in the heavens, right now, in the midst of tribulation. And the implications are clear. We do not have to walk through such times reacting and expressing our self defense mechanisms. Our usual tendency under persecution is to defend our names, our reputations, and our ministries. But what we must remember is that we are not in the hands of men; we are in the hands of God. And He is our defense. How we respond at such times reveals much about where our faith really rests.
God’s present activity of integrating His people into oneness with himself and with each other will seem threatening to some who want the Church to reflect their definition of divine order. And persecution from the world is one thing, but it is especially painful from believers. Every time God moves in fresh ways, revealing new dimensions among us of His heart and of His purpose, opposition arises from those seeking to preserve their tradition. This seems to have been fairly constant throughout Church history.
But those seeking to be conformed to the image of Christ will not react to antagonism but will lay hold of the reward. And as they press on into newfound wealth in God, they will both recognize the unfolding dimensions of His grace as they also reap precious, even though costly, returns on the investment of their lives.
You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless (Greek, MORAINO), how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men.
(Matthew 5:13 NASB)
Because Jesus was talking here to His disciples, we see that it is possible to belong to Him and yet over time lose our heavenly flavor. The word that is translated tasteless here is translated as fool or foolish elsewhere in the New Testament.
Professing to be wise, they became fools (Greek, MORAINO).
Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish (Greek, MORAINO) the wisdom of this world?
MORAINO comes from the word MOROS from which we get the word “moron”. MOROS in turn comes from the word MUSTERION, which is translated “mystery”. All of life is a mystery to someone who is foolish. When they interact with others there is much they simply do not understand. In many ways, life does not click for them; it is mysterious.
In a parallel sense, the Kingdom of God has many mysteries. God has hidden many treasures of wisdom and knowledge from the proud so that He may reveal them to the humble. He has called us to seek through prayer and studying His word the eternal spiritual riches, the mysteries hidden in Him.
However, there are many Christians who have developed over time a complete philosophy of Christianity. They have formed a systematic theology that answers every question they can conceive. No matter what you ask them, they have already thought it all through. The problem though is that for many of these brethren, they no longer see the need to wait on God for fresh or deeper insight. If their reliance is no longer on the God of revelation but only on the revelation He has already given, the supernatural dimension disappears. As a result, God does not open to them His eternal riches because they already have their answers. While they may seem successful to themselves and others, something is lacking.
If we rely on what we have learned instead of on Him who reveals it to us, we will lose our heavenly flavor. While we may bring intellectual insights out of the Bible and impress many people with our knowledge, yet we will have lost the joy of discovery in the mysteries of God.
The Lord often sends us into situations to test us, whether we will rely on Him or on what He has revealed to us in the past. While He may want us to speak from the deposit of truth already in our hearts, sometimes He may not. “Lord, is there anything you want to quicken to me from what I have already seen or do You have fresh insight for me in this situation?”
When we step humbly into evangelistic, counseling, or corporate worship settings where we need fresh wisdom for pressing needs, God will open the mysteries and reveal His kingdom. Salty people have the flavor of eternity. Those who have lost their taste wind up being trampled under foot by men. In other words, the footprints of man’s ideas and agendas rather than the heart of God permeate their words and deeds. Thus, they become foolish even while looking wise to the undiscerning. And the Kingdom of God remains a mystery to them.
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
While verse 14 speaks of the Church being light in the world, verse 15 refers to illuminating a house. We are to bear God’s light into both situations. Not only are we to bring God’s radiance to a lost world, we are also to gather seeking His glorious presence to illumine our times together in His house. Both aspects are needed for us to function properly as His corporate city.
Bearing God’s solution to the present darkness around us whether in the church or in the world will require action.
Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
God shines His light through us as we do good works. What exactly are these good works? First, consider evil works. These are obvious. They are expressed through the lusts of the flesh, murder, robbery and other acts of lawlessness. Then there are dead works – the Scriptures say that we are to turn from these (Hebrews 6:1). These are not necessarily evil they just do not express God’s life – that is why they are dead. They originate not in Him, but in us.
On the other hand, good works will express His life and illuminate others, for His life is the light of men (John 1:4). What we do will then reveal Him and draw others to His kingdom. On the other hand, dead works will only draw attention to us. So again, what exactly are good works?
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
As we simply walk in our Father’s eternally designed will for us, He will illuminate the souls of others around us – whether Christian or unbeliever.
We are to be the light of God shining in the midst of this present world system. Do not expect the Republican Party to bring God’s illumination to the nations. Do not expect the political left wing or right wing to shine with Heaven’s revelation. The City of God is the light of the world.
The Lord is constructing His mountaintop city and it will not remain hidden. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. We do not have to advertise. We do not have to run ads in the yellow pages. We do not have to put up neon signs. As He integrates His people into His corporate visible city, the nations will not be able to disregard it. Unbelievers will not be able to ignore Him. They will either try to persecute, run away from, or else stream into this emerging Heaven designed project, but they will not be able to ignore it.
God intends to reveal Jesus Christ in greater clarity through His people than what we have known in the past. Heaven’s promise is that Christ will prosper in His rule over the nations. And because Jesus took the route of the cross, His success is guaranteed; indeed the ends of the earth are His possession.
Because both in His life and in His death, He revealed perfectly the nature of His Father, He is the One qualified to rule. If we would prosper as well, we must also learn His ways and receive His work of conforming us to His likeness.
All through the Old Testament period the only place where the glory of God could be found was in Israel; spiritual darkness filled the earth. But with the coming of Christ, there began a time of the slow but sure penetration of the nations with His glorious presence. Satan cannot prevent this eternally decreed plan from unfolding.
But truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.
In other words, the chance of God’s plan failing are about the same as Him keeling over from a heart attack! As surely as He lives, He will succeed.
Search Comments
This page has been visited 0035 times.
| << | Contents | >> |
10 per page