Yet Not I But Christ Through Me

Yet Not I But Christ Through Me

by | Aug 5, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“What gift of grace is Jesus my redeemer
There is no more for heaven now to give
He is my joy, my righteousness, and freedom
My steadfast love, my deep and boundless peace”

Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me, City Alight

“ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Philippians 4:13, NKJV

One of the greatest dangers of the so-called ‘prosperity gospel’ is that it is not congruent with the full context of Scripture.

I have heard often from pulpits around the world that God wants you to be rich, He wants you to be healthy – He wants you to be successful and prosperous in all things. The result is a generation of Christians who feel condemned, lost and alone when the eggs of life aren’t sunny side up.

God does not want us to be successful and prosperous in all things – He wants us to know Him and delight in Him in all things.

This is a very important distinction.

In his letter to the Philippians Paul makes it clear that he has seen the good and the bad of life – “Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:11-13)

Tim Keller shared the following thought: “One of the main ways we move from abstract knowledge about God to a personal encounter with him as a living reality is through the furnace of affliction.”

It is in our weakness that we see and know the glory, strength and power of Christ.

The Christian life is hard. It is a race, it is a battle, it is marathon and a war waged. It is about endurance. It is about perseverance. It is about pressing on, leaning in and pushing through.

Christ did not come to remove the reality of trial and tribulation from our lives, but to show His strength in these situations – that we may know Him in all things, be content in all things and endure all things even unto death, holding fast to the hope, courage and peace we have in Him.

As Elisabeth Elliot said: “The secret is Christ in me, not me in a different set of circumstances.”

Many of us have, or will, at some point make a vow to a spouse along these lines – a promise to have and to hold , for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death does part.

This is a beautiful snapshot of the the Christian life. God promises to have and to hold – for better, for worse, for richer and poorer, in sickness and in health – to love and to cherish FOREVER.

The difference in the vow the Bride (Church) makes to the Bridegroom (Jesus), and vice versa, is the fact that DEATH has been removed from the equation.

We will still have the better and the worse, the sickness and health, the richer and poorer – but death can no longer do us part.

He will have and hold, love and cherish His Bride for all eternity.

Because of this I can face tomorrow, I can do all things, endure every trial and tribulation that might come my way, press on, lean in and push through – content in all things – knowing that my Maker is my Husband. Knowing that He has me in the palm of His mighty hand. Resting in the knowledge that no matter what, come what may, He will not let go.

He will have and hold, love and cherish His Bride for all eternity.

Prayer: Oh Lord, what a privilege to know that I am Yours. I belong to You. My life is in You. Thank You Jesus for Your love, Your mercy and Your grace. Be my strength in weakness, my joy and my courage. Be my righteousness, my freedom and my deep and boundless peace. My future is sure in You. Help me endure and persevere – my eyes set firmly upon You. Go with me in this day and hold me forever in Your mighty, careful and loving hand. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Walking With Jesus: The Gospel of Action (Mark 1:1)

Walking With Jesus: The Gospel of Action (Mark 1:1)

by | Aug 5, 2024 | Bible Studies, God in the Details, Walking With Jesus

“The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God…” (Mark 1:1, NIV)

Many times new believers have asked me where to begin their reading of the Bible – and the answer is always the same. Start with the book of Mark.

It is not only the earliest of the Gospel accounts but also the simplest and the easiest to read. 

It is the shortest account, but also the most action packed. It gives us a good idea of who Jesus is – not necessarily what He taught, but how He walked.

Although Mark had never walked with Jesus himself, he worked closely with Paul and served as an interpreter for Peter. 

An early church historian, Papias, who was the Arch Bishop of Hierapolis, and who lived around the same time, recalls how Mark had collected and recounted all the stories and memories of Peter in his own account. 

Peter was a man of action – and thus it comes as no surprise that Peter’s most vivid memories would revolve around the things that Jesus DID. 

Where Matthew portrays Jesus as the King of Heaven come, Mark very much shows us the Jesus who steps down from His high and exalted place to serve the lost and disenfranchised, the broken, the battered and burdened.

His style is blunt and to the point. A Gospel of Action.

It has been estimated that book of Mark was written and distributed between 60 and 70AD, a time of great persecution in the church. It is further speculated that Mark wrote this Gospel from a prison cell – with the sole purpose of encouraging the persecuted church to stand firm in their faith – devoting a large part of his account to Jesus’ own example of martyrdom, as well as many references to the cost of discipleship.

Mark shows us how Jesus defied the corrupt religious and political authorities of His time, how He stood up for those in need, how He acted as liberator and saviour, followed through with courage and conviction – never faltering – unwavering in His mission to the very end.

The book of Mark was very much written in a time of crisis for the persecuted believer to see Christ, to know Him, to see His face – to identify with Him and learn how to follow in His footsteps.

If you find yourself in a time of crisis today – whether it is a crisis of faith, identity, purpose – or any other storm you might find yourself in – I urge you to walk with Jesus through the book of Mark.

Get to know Him as the One Who Takes Action – the Right Arm of God stretched out, the Mighty One Who Saves – our Healer, our Saviour, our Liberator – the Chain Breaker – Promise Keeper and Light in the Darkness.

Get to know Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God.

Get to know Jesus as the Face, the Grace and Embrace of God.

Your life will never be the same.

Reflect:

  1. At this point in our study, what do you know about Jesus? What is the image you have in your mind when you think of Him?
  2. If we are called to be imitators of Christ (Ephesians 5:1), how does your answer to the previous question affect your everyday walk in the world? How does your current concept of who Christ is reflect in your daily interactions with those around you? How does it affect your daily activities?

Prayer: Lord, as I start my journey, walking with You through the Gospel According to Mark, give me clarity of mind, give me clarity of understanding – show Yourself to me. As I walk with You through Your Word, teach me Lord to live like You. Give me a richer, more compelling view of who You are and what You came to do. As I journey with You Lord, bring me to a place where I can stand in the resurrection power of Your Gospel – revive me Lord, restore me, stir up in me an excitement and a zeal for Your Kingdom. As I read this Gospel of Action, let my heart be called to action as well. As I see You in the Scriptures, let me show You to the World. In Jesus Name. Amen.

I Thank God

I Thank God

by | Jul 17, 2024 | Devotionals, Worship Reflections

“Wandering into the night
Wanting a place to hide
This weary soul, this bag of bones
And I tried with all my mind
And I just can’t win the fight
I’m slowly drifting, oh vagabond
And just when I ran out of road
I met a man I didn’t know
And he told me
That I was not alone”

I Thank God, Maverick City Worship

““I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God.”

Luke 12:8, NIV

Jesus came to show us The Way. He came to show us the model life, to give us an example according to which we can pattern our lives.

In Luke 12, in a passage where Jesus shares warnings and encouragements with those who would hear, He makes it clear that it is required of us to share the good news of His Gospel with others.

Jesus placed great emphasis on sharing the Gospel. Even in Luke 12 He admonished us not to fear those who can kill the body and after that do no more, but to rather fear God – for He has the authority over life, death and everything in between and beyond.

Jesus tells us to acknowledge Him publicly.

The Greek word here is ‘homologeó’ which most properly means to ‘speak the same, to agree.’

Jesus tells us to be like Him.

The confession here then is not one made merely by the lips – our public acknowledgement is not done through mere and mortal words – but is a practical manifestation of the belief in our hearts.

We share the good news of His Gospel primarily through presence.

I overcame drug addiction – not through preaching, teaching or even prayer – but through the presence of dear friends who had gone through the same.

We often overlook the power of being present in the life of another. We always want to talk, but very few of us want to walk with the downcast and downtrodden.

We all want to share our insights, but very few of us know how to just sit with the sad and defeated.

Many people sit in our churches week after week – they listen to the sermons, they participate in the worship, they read the word, the attend the prayer meetings – they do their disciplines at home – yet they see no change in their lives. This does not make them ungodly or lacking in spiritual wisdom – but it does show us where we are lacking in discernment when we look past them and neglect to reach out. How many invisible brothers and sisters are in our church?

By the same token I have seen, many times, the real world difference it makes when we as people connect – when we go and sit next to that person and community starts to form.

When, instead of competing for status or esteem we start complimenting and completing one another.

Man was not meant to be alone. Christianity wasn’t meant to be a club, it was supposed to be a community.

One of the main reasons Jesus healed so many people in His ministry here on Earth was to restore community. Disease, illness and infirmity were seen as a sign of present or inherited sin and affected your standing in the community. If you were sick, cripple or disabled you were an outcast – ostracised and pushed aside.

Jesus’ main objective in healing these people wasn’t simply to restore them to health, but to restore them to community.

So that they would no longer walk alone.

But it is not enough for us to only reach out to the loner sitting in the back of the church.

The main point of Jesus’ ministry was that the sinner is just as much our brother as the pharisee. The fact that they are far away does not diminish the love the Father has for His errant and lost children. God is married to the backslider. He loves all His children – but a lot of the time we don’t.

Are we the love of Christ to the loner, the loser, the lost and the blind? Do we care for the unseen, the unheard and even the unknown as Christ cared for them?

Or do we push them aside because of their sin sickness? Ostracize and cast out those who are unchurched and unwashed?

The song ‘I Thank God’ by Maverick City starts with a testimony – the story of a lost and lonely vagabond who encounters a man of flesh and bone, one who says: “You’re not alone!”

Maybe if we start thinking more like Jesus, living the testimony of His love by showing His love to the world we will see more testimonies being written in our midst. We will see our churches growing instead of shrinking. We will see people healed of their sin and shame as they realize that they don’t have to live that way anymore.

But how will they know if we don’t live out the truth of God’s Word among them?

What will we show them today?

How will we acknowledge Christ – not just through preaching – but through our presence in the world today?

Prayer: Lord, help me be a beacon of light in a dark and dying world. Help me show and not just tell them of Your love, mercy and grace. Help me Lord to see past the sin and shame of others and to love them like You loved me. Give me a heart that longs to journey with the backslider, patience that surpasses understanding – a heart and mind like Yours, oh Lord. Help me be present in the lives of others, and may my presence be Your presence in the midst of an unbelieving generation – so that we may see a great awakening in our community, our country and even the world. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Tabernacle Typology 3: Precious Metals

Tabernacle Typology 3: Precious Metals

by | Jul 11, 2024 | Bible Studies, Christological Reflections, God in the Details, Tabernacle Typology, Typology

Ex. 25:1-9: (KJV)

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, “Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair,And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood, Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.

According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.”

As we have explored in previous reflections, every aspect of the Tabernacle points to Jesus in some way or form.

As St. Augustine said: “In the Old Testament the New is concealed, in the New the Old is revealed.”

All the nuances and finer points in God’s divine scheme are displayed in the Tabernacle, from the materials used to the staves, hooks and rods, and even the large, durable coverings – everything has a purpose.

In the four versions of the Gospel the hidden importance of such seemingly mundane things are exposed, and we can see Christ portrayed in the Tabernacle as the Son of Man, the Last Adam, The Son of God, the Spotless Lamb slain for our iniquities and transgressions!

The first of these finer points we will look at concerns the precious metals – gold, silver and bronze – used in the construction of the Tabernacle.

Metals like gold and silver have long been considered valuable by people groups across time and space – history and geography – and have often been used as a store of value, a sign of wealth and even power.

Another consideration is the fact that these metals were all taken from the ground, from within the Earth – and so, just as we need to mine the Earth to procure the wealth in it we will need to mine the text of the Bible to gain the wealth of knowledge, wisdom and revelation attached to these precious metals – the true spiritual value of these materials hidden in the incarnation of Jesus, just like its physical counterparts are hidden in the Earth.

Gold was used in the construction of the ark, the Cherubim, the table of showbread, the candlestick and the altar of incense.

It is generally used in the Tabernacle as an emblem of divinity, the revelation of God in the Lord Jesus, Immanuel, God with us. It also speaks of our faith in the Word of God, which is Holy and Perfect.

Silver was the only material not obtained by a voluntary contribution, but by a levy of a half-shekel on each adult Israelite. (Ex. 38:25-26). The silver was used for the bases of the sanctuary and the bases of the veil, also for overlaying, filleting and the making of hooks and sockets.

Silver was the only material not obtained by a voluntary contribution, but by a levy of a half-shekel on each adult Israelite. (Ex. 38:25-26). This tax was ordained, collected as a ransom for the soul, the price of atonement. (2 Sam 24:15, Ex. 30:11-16). The Silver also reminds us of Christ, and His suffering on the cross – the price of our atonement. The sacrifice He made for us, laying down His life. Silver was also exchanged for our salvation, our atonement. (Matt 27:1-10).

Finally Brass was used for the Altar of Burnt-Offerings and the Laver, amongst other things. The Hebrew word means ‘copper’ or ‘bronze’ as is evident from Deut. 8:9: where the metal is said to be hewn from the mountains. It is also what their weapons were made of.

Polished brass was often used as mirrors – and it is in the mirror of Christ’s righteousness and strength that we do introspection. It is typical of judgment and suffering (Leviticus 26:18-20, Judges 16:18-22, Jeremiah 52:8-11), but also stability and enduring strength, just as iron is the emblem of overcoming strength (Deut 33:25).5 Thus it reminds us of God’s judgment over sin, the suffering of Christ for our atonement and the Holy Spirit, enduring and forever. (Zech 4:6, Eph 3:16)

As we continue our study of the Tabernacle and its typology this basic understanding of the precious metals will help convey a deeper and more compelling portrait of Jesus and His Great Work here in our midst.

Reflect:

1. Thinking about the precious metals in this meditation, what other qualities can possibly point to Christ and His Kingdom Come? Can you think of any other uses of these metals in scriptures – whether symbolic or literal – and how it speaks about Christ, His Kingdom or the New Life of the Believer?

2. Write a short Gospel presentation based on one of these precious metals using it to convey a message about the life and sacrifice of Jesus, the working of the Holy Spirit or the life of the believer.The presentation should not be longer than 3 to 5 minutes and should be easy to share.

Prayer: Lord, let my faith be refined through the Fire of Your Spirit into something more precious than silver and gold – burn away the impurities of my own understanding and show me what it is I need to learn so that I might be more like You. As I study and as I go deeper into Your Word – let it be like a mirror of polished brass through which I can do the necessary introspection and discern ever more Your plan and purpose for my life. Refine me like gold and silver so that those in my life might see Your beauty in my life. Strengthen my faith, like copper and brass, that I might stand strong against the opinions of the world and see You in all things. From You are all things and to You are all things. You deserve the glory. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Tabernacle Typology 2: Let Them Bring An Offering

Tabernacle Typology 2: Let Them Bring An Offering

by | Jul 11, 2024 | Bible Studies, Christological Reflections, God in the Details, Tabernacle Typology, Typology

Ex. 25:1-9: (KJV)

And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, “Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.And this is the offering which ye shall take of them; gold, and silver, and brass,And blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine linen, and goats’ hair,And rams’ skins dyed red, and badgers’ skins, and shittim wood, Oil for the light, spices for anointing oil, and for sweet incense, Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod, and in the breastplate. And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.

According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it.”

God is the creator of all things, the creative genius, weaving together the seams of reality, painting the skies, and letting His song flow through all of creation.

In the Old Testament type of the Tabernacle we find a skillfully composed portrait of Jesus and His coming Kingdom. Each material used in its construction had a specific divine purpose in the design, God’s design for the salvation that was to come (Heb 8:1-5, and see Ex. 25:8-9).

The Tabernacle is seen by many commentators as a sign, an emblem; a symbol of God’s habitation among men – the coming incarnation of Jesus and the subsequent indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

It is interesting to note that according to Maimonides, the main purpose of the Sanctuary was to wean the Israelites from idolatrous worship and turn them towards God. If we examine, for example, the account of the Golden Calf (Ex. 32), we see that the Israelites, like most people, are easily discouraged and seek physical evidence to support their faith, usually in the wrong places. To them, at that time, God had been revealed through Moses, and now that he was gone they needed a new deity, a new revelation of the divine. The sanctuary was there to remind them of God’s presence in their midst, to reassure His chosen people. Just as His Holy Spirit brings revelations of God to us today, so they also needed a revelation, reassurance and affirmation.

The Tabernacle, in many ways, re-enforced the laws which Moses had been commanded to set before the children of Israel. It also symbolised the fact that, when God wanted to abandon them, rather than destroy them, He forgave them, and He went on with them (Ex. 33).

God gave very specific instructions concerning the construction of the Tabernacle, as well as the materials that were to be used. In Exodus 25:2: the Lord says: “Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.”

This offering was a freewill offering, not a mandatory one. He also says that the offerings that are to be received are gold, silver, brass, blue, purple and scarlet yarns, fine linen, Goat’s hair, ram’s skins dyed red, badger skins, acacia wood, oil for the lamps, spices for anointing oil and for sweet incense, Onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and breastplate.

A lot of this was plunder brought out of Egypt (Ex. 3:21-22), goods given by God, being given back for the glory of God. The beauty of this is in the concept of self-sacrifice. A spontaneous movement in oneself to do something, out of one’s free-will, not forced participation, but a decision to act not just on behalf of your own good, but for the good of your community according to the Will of God. Thus the Tabernacle is also a symbol, the embodiment, of love, gratitude and surrender to God’s will – for no other reason than the love of neighbor and above all the love of God.

The Tabernacle, for us as modern believers, is an invitation to participate in His presence.

We give what God has given us – our breath, our time, our lives – so that He might dwell in our midst and be glorified. We give what God has given us – with all our love and all our strength – so that God might inhabit our lives and that His Kingdom might come in us and through us, reaching, restoring and transforming the world around us.

Reflect:

1. In thinking about the materials listed in Exodus 25, what are some of the things these components might represent in regards to the coming of Jesus and His Kingdom?

2. In Exodus 25 God commands Moses to take up an offering to build the Tabernacle. What resources do you have available and how can you better use them to expand God’s Kingdom and Habitation amongst His people?

Prayer:

Lord, receive the offering I bring today. As I lay it at your feet – my breath, my time, my life – give me more of You. As I pour out myself before you, come and pour Yourself into me. Come tabernacle in me. Come and live, come alive, in me so that I might be a beacon of Your presence in a hurting world – Your hands and feet. Come and have Your way in me. In Jesus Name. Amen.