We are the Body of the King of Kings (1 Cor. 12:27). We are the Bride of the Lord of Lords (Rev. 19:7). We are beloved (Deut. 33:12). We are the beloved (1 Jn. 3:16). We are the beloved children of the Father of Creation (1 Jn. 3:1). We are no longer orphans (Jn. 14:18). We are adopted (Eph. 1:5). We have an inheritance (Eph. 1:14). We are chosen (2 Thes. 2:13) and set apart (2 Cor. 6:17): a royal priesthood (1 Pet. 2:9), a holy people (Heb. 12:10). We are deep wellsprings of living water (Jn. 7:38). We are the temple of the Living God (1 Cor. 3:16). God’s will for us is to be loved (1 Jn. 4:10), to walk in His light (1 Jn. 1:7), and to pour out His life into the world (1 Jn. 2:17), dead in it’s transgressions and sin (Eph. 2:1), making disciples of entire nations (Matt. 28:17). We are revolutionary. We have what the world needs (2 Cor. 2:14). We are called to be firebrands.
But we are a people who lack vision. Why? God has enough wisdom to give liberally (Ja. 1:5), and He delights in giving good gifts to His children (Lk. 11:13), but are we even looking? Do we ever ask? God doesn’t expect us to walk blindly. He doesn’t want us to try to live off of some dull, shallow revelation of His Word that someone explained to us once. He wants us to find our own flame. It was for the Joy that was set before Him that Christ endured the cross (Heb. 12:2). It was the Glory before His eyes that sustained Stephen through his stoning (Acts 7:55-56). It was the ability to boast in Christ that kept Paul despite the thorn in His flesh (2 Cor. 12:9). Ask God for vision. Ask for purpose. I dare you.Let’s stop building our faith around what we’ve never seen. Let’s believe God for greater things than seem possible. This morning, my pastor posed a challenging idea that I’ve thought about all day. In Acts, Scripture says that Peter was so walking in the Anointing of the Holy Spirit that his shadow was healing people (Acts 5:15). Imagine his vision for the church of the future. He probably said something along the lines of “WOW! Even my shadow is healing people. Our old tissues are delivering people from demonic strongholds (Acts 19:12). This is crazy. I can’t even imagine when we’ll begin to see the greater things that Jesus promised us (Jn. 14:12). What I’d give to see what the Church looked like in 2000 years. God’s glory really will fill the Earth like water the seas (Hab. 2:14).” What would Pete think if He saw the American church? What would he think about a legalistic religious order that hates the sinners that Jesus came to save and tries to control the government with quasi-moralistic ideologies? What would he say about a Church that has rewrapped and shelved the Gift that Jesus personally promised him? I bet he’d be surprised to find the Church (of which He is the Rock) has changed into one that looks a lot more like the religious group that crucified his best friend than the freedom that Jesus modeled and promised. I imagine He would be grieved to see the Holy Spirit forgotten and explained away. Let us put away unbelief. Let us stand in the Faith of Christ.
I think it’s time that the Church began to walk out Christ in Me, the Hope of Glory (Col. 1:27). We carry abundant life (Rom. 5:17). We have the fulness of Joy (Col. 2:10). We live under a grace covenant (Eph. 2:8). Why have we not saved our whole city? The gospel initially spread so fast. What changed? It doesn’t make sense. We need to ask our Father for Faith. We need a better understanding of the Greatness of Jesus and a keener sense of the smallness of satan (1 Jn. 4:4). You see, sin is no match for my Jesus’ love. Darkness flees at the glance of His eye. Atheism crumbles before His matchless affection. Disease and brokenness are redeemed at the touch of His finger. Hearts are healed by His laugh. Nothing has changed except us. And technology. It should only be easier now that the entire world is only one day away. So let’s believe God for the fulfillment of the great commission in our generation. Let’s pray, intercede, and fast for the plans of Jesus for this age. We wouldn’t believe the things He has planned for our days, even if we were told. (Hab. 1:5)
So... Go and light your world. Go make disciples. Go.
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