Hear Him » Intimacy

Behold and Become

Andre Rabe — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 12:23:45 +0000

There is nothing that has the ability to transform our lives as much as how we hear and what we behold. What we hear determines what we see and we become what we behold. Beholding truth makes us true.
“That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes; that which we have gazed upon, and our hands handled, concerning the word of life” (1 John 1:1)
Can you see how the tangible experience of God’s presence starts with what we hear. There is a natural progression from hearing to seeing to gazing to touching.

What we hear
The Word John speaks about is not the latest fashionable ‘revelation’, but rather that which was from the beginning. In Christ, God’s original thought was preserved since the beginning. The destiny of this Word was always to become flesh. This Word cannot be contained in books … not even sacred books. Paul said it this way: We, of course, have plenty of wisdom to pass on to you once you get your feet on firm spiritual ground, but it’s not popular wisdom, the fashionable wisdom of high-priced experts that will be out-of-date in a year or so. God’s wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don’t find it lying around on the surface. It’s not the latest message, but more like the oldest—what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene. (1 Cor 2:6-9 MSG)

Would you agree that the Word that was in the beginning, that was with God and that was God, was not a book but a person? The truths contained within the scriptures point towards The Truth, which is a person, not a book! In Jesus’ days there were many who highly revered the scriptures, yet completely missed its message. Jesus said to the religious scholars of His day: “You have your heads in your Bibles constantly because you think you’ll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you, and you aren’t willing to receive from me the life you say you want. (John 5:39,40 MSG) How often still do we hear messages, backed by many scriptural references, filled with formulas and principles yet oblivious to the person – Christ in you. He still desires to find expression, not only in a doctrine or a teaching, however eloquent they may be, but in a person – in you.
This Word is original not invented last week. This Word is eternal, not seasonal. Even before time as we know it, God made up His mind about us. “… He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world …” (Eph 1:4) Before we did anything to impress or disappoint Him, He knew us, chose us and uniquely identified us in Christ. Christ came to show us what God originally saw in us, that cause Him to take such interest in us.

How we hear
Jesus said: Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away. (Luke 8:18) There is a way of hearing that will enrich you greatly and there is a way of hearing that will rob you.

Prior to this statement Jesus told the parable of the sower to illustrate some of the different ways of hearing. He likens the Word of God to seed … seed that is received (heard) in different ways and consequently produces different levels of fruitfulness. I want to liken the progression of hearing, seeing, gazing and touching that I mentioned above to this parable of the sower.

As the sower goes out to sow, some seed falls along the way on a path – it produces no fruit. For me this speaks of casual, careless ‘hearing’. The path is not ready for nor receptive to the seed. I would say that this is a person that never really heard the message.
Then there is the seed that falls among the rocks. There is a bit of good soil there and so the seed does sprout, but because there is no depth it withers quickly. Often, in the excitement of hearing this gospel, the first response is: what shall I do; how do I apply it? People want to move directly from first hearing this good news to trying to change everything around them. However, it is vital to hear in such a way that what you hear starts changing what you see. Otherwise the excitement might be short lived because as soon as you ‘see’ a contradiction the whole experience withers. This person is at the hearing stage, but has not heard enough to start seeing.

In each of these illustrations there is a progression in the intensity of ‘hearing’ and a consequent progression in the fruit it produces. The next example is a person who hears and having some depth, they allow the word to sink in, to change the way they see. Because of this, the seed sprouts and begins to bear fruit. Yet they allow other seed, other words to have an equal place in their lives. This Word is not yet the ultimate word in their lives, it has not captured their exclusive attention yet. Consequently, the seed is not as fruitful as it could be.

“As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.” This is the person who hears and embraces what they hear. This is a way of hearing that captures the persons heart. Embrace this word until you find yourself inescapably embraced by it. The soil does not have to make the seed grow – the seed spouts and grows of its own accord. The soil simply needs to provide an environment for the seed to remain. Jesus once said: “If you abide in me and my words abide in you, you will bear much fruit”. ‘Abide’ does not take much effort. It speaks more of rest that activity.

What we have seen and gazed upon
As we heed this word, as we give our ears, our attention, we’ll begin to see. “which we have seen with our eyes; that which we have gazed upon”. John uses two variations of the word ‘see‘. The first is ‘horao’.
Strongs define it as: Properly to stare at, that is, by implication to discern clearly; by extension to attend to.
The second word is ‘theaomai’ and it is a more intensive form of the first word, meaning: A prolonged form of a primary verb; to look closely at, that is, by implication to perceive.
Again the progression is evident. Look until you see beyond the obvious. Look beyond the surface and allow the true meaning of this word to captivate your attention. Continue to gaze ans soon you’ll find this word becoming a tangible reality.

There is no method, technique or process that has a greater ability to transform our lives than simply gazing into this mystery, seeing in it the face of our birth, allowing our attention to be captivated by it. Let me be clear. when I speak of being transformed, I do not mean becoming something that you are not. This transformation is a restoration to the original.
And all of us, as with unveiled face, continued to behold as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transformed into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another (2Cor3:18)
But friends, that’s exactly who we are: children of God. And that’s only the beginning. Who knows how we’ll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we’ll see him—and in seeing him, become like him. (1 John 3:2-3)

Can you see in these how ‘transformation’ is linked to ‘beholding’? Once we start seeing the truth of God’s opinion of us and excitement fills our hearts, the first response should simply be one of adoration – lets see more; let’s look more deeply, let us gaze upon Him. Such adoration will awaken the appropriate response.

Doers of the word, not just hearers
“But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror; for he looks at himself, goes away, and right away forgets what kind of man he was. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who acts—this person will be blessed in what he does.”

The word ‘doer’ is so much richer than many translations bring across. It’s the same word from which we get ‘poet’.
‘poietes’
a performer; specifically a “poet”: – doer, poet.

It speaks of inspired, passionate expression. When this word is declared as it should be, you’ll hear much more than ‘do’s and don’ts’, you’ll see the face your origin as in a mirror. The secret to accurate ‘doing’ of this word is in accurate ‘seeing’. It is the one who looks intently and continues to look, that finds inspired expression – expression birthed from what he sees.

With that in mind I enjoyed the following translation:

Look and continue to look,
the perfect, complete, and eternal freedom.
Listen; listen intensily;
listen in such a way that it bursts forth in inspired expression.
Allow what you hear to awaken the poet in you;
allow what you see to awaken the artist in you.
Then act; act in the full conviction of what you have seen and heard,
and you will will find delight and affirmation in your action.
James 1:25 (translated by Andre Rabe)

http://hearhim.net/

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…now that you know God, or rather are known by God

Andre Rabe — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 09:00:52 +0000

What I want to declare to you is not a truth that, in the first place, you can comprehend or apprehend … but a truth that apprehends you, comprehends you. This declaration is about creating an opportunity for the truth to get a grip on you. This declaration is at best the opening of a window which reveals a landscape, a sight far greater than can be comprehended at once. When God reveals Himself the inevitable response is awe … adoration. If you think that you can take a hold of and possess what you see, then you haven’t seen God – you’ve seen something far inferior.

If, in all we say, we simply inform one another, help one another to better order our concepts of God, then we have failed in our communication. The power of our testimony lies not in what we know, but in who knows us. “…now that you know God—or rather are known by God” (Gal 4:9). To know God is of immeasurable value, but there is something even more valuable, even more astounding: we are known by Him! I believe that this gospel is much more than an orderly human doctrine of God; this gospel is the power of God unto salvation. This gospel originates in the heart of God and both its declaration and the faith it stirs are gifts of God – not inventions of man.

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Awake (a visit to India)

Andre Rabe — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:17:09 +0000

Have you ever seen the wonder and excitement in the eyes of a young child at the discovery of something new? You might even remember what it felt like when the world was still an unexplored mystery. Every day we wake up in a world we did not make, in a solar system that supports our existence without any direction or guidance from us. And no matter how much we think we know, we have barely begun to discover the wonder of all that is around us.

It’s so easy to lose this sense of wonder. We get busy. We get occupied with the familiar. Before we know it, we are bound to routine. Unconsciously we come to the conclusion that there is nothing new. Childlike excitement disappears, and often it gets replaced by cheap thrills. Survival replaces abundant life.

But from time to time something happens that jolts us; shakes us; awakes us. Our senses are aroused and we witness life again the way we were always meant to witness it. It can be the simplest event: the smile of a baby, the roar of an ocean, a kind word, a harsh word, or walking down a street you never walked down before.

These moments interrupt our slumber and remind us again that there is so much more. The past week was such an event for me. I came to India as part of a group on a 10 day work assignment and thankfully I also had a few days for myself over the weekends. The first Monday was a public holiday and together with a few work colleagues we went on a city tour of Mumbai. There were masses of people everywhere and the slum shacks were build to the edge of most roads. The tour guide informed us that there were, officially, 18 million people in this city, but unofficially the figure was closer to 22 million. Then, pointing to some of the slums, she said something that stuck with me for the rest of the day: “it’s because these people don’t count”.

Our first stop was the city ‘laundry community’ where thousands of items of clothing are hand-washed every day. I missed most of the explanation and information given by the guide as I was pre-occupied with a few small children who were simply delighted to say hello to someone who would at least make eye contact with them. In their smiles and sparkling eyes I started to recognise something … something that counts for plenty.

Street after street was filled with activity and masses of people. Through all the hours we traveled we did not find one quiet location. And in face after face I witnesses the same spark, the same quality, the something that counts for plenty.

The day flew by. We arrived in the surreal environment and luxury of our hotel. Back in my room I started writing a quick note to a few friends, intending to just give them a summary of the day’s sights and sounds. Suddenly I was overwhelmed. Face after face, street after street flashed through my mind and I realised that each one counted – each one meant everything to their Maker and the spark of their origin is still so visible in them. In the midst of dire circumstances and a filthy environment, their value far transcends their surroundings. The enormity of their value, and the enormity of their ignorance of this truth was simply overwhelming.

As I wiped tears from my face and tried to compose myself, I realised that an hour had passed and I had hardly written anything in the email. I hastily tried to capture a few of my thoughts with inadequate words.

Although the wonder and mystery of God can be recognised in all creation, no creature gives clearer definition to who God is, than the creature He named: “My image and My likeness”. No matter how corrupted and how perverted man becomes, the image and likeness of God, although suppressed and dormant, remains an indestructible quality of what makes us human. And nowhere do we find a better definition of man than in the person of Jesus Christ. Eph 4 calls Him the measure of a perfect man.

The mystery and wonder of God is not some vague or fanciful philosophy. This mystery found concrete context and focus in Jesus Christ.

Jesus. There is nothing vague about Him. We can date His birth and visit the town in which He was born. You can dip your feet in the river He was baptised in and eat fish from the same lake from which He ate fish. He was no mysterious, holy-man who lived his life in seclusion or dedicated his time to sacred meditation. No! He went to weddings, laid hands on lepers, argued with the religious and embraced children. He demonstrated that human life counts in whatever place or state it is in. He got His hands dirty with everyday people, affirming their value in the very context of their ordinary living.

How often have we missed an encounter with God because we looked for something spectacular and ignored the sparkling eyes of a person right in front of us. Did Jesus not say: “what you do to the least of these, you have done it unto me”. Jesus challenges us to see Him … to see God, in the least of people. Jesus demands more than theoretical and clinically clean pursuits of spirituality, He demonstrated that true spiritual treasure is found in earthen pots – in involving ourselves in the ordinary activity of ordinary people.

Paul’s revelation of Christ did not drive him to a monastery. He did not try and escape the difficulties, the muck and the mundane that is so abundant in real human lives, but he wrote: “We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. … We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken. What they did to Jesus, they do to us—trial and torture, mockery and murder; what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives! Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus’ sake, which makes Jesus’ life all the more evident in us.” 2 Cor 4:7 – 12

Letting Jesus live in us, is not an escape to an environment of tranquil serenity, it means reaching out and getting involved in the troubled, confused and ordinary lives of people. When John writes about God’s final habitation, in the book of Revelation, he does not write about idyllic natural scenes or majestic cathedrals, but He likens God’s eternal home to a city – men and woman and children living their lives is where God chose to live! He emphasises this point by saying: ” …and I saw no temple there”!

That’s exactly what Jesus did. He didn’t make it easy for Himself by avoiding people’s troubles, but waded right in and helped out. “I took on the troubles of the troubled,” is the way Scripture puts it. Even if it was written in Scripture long ago, you can be sure it’s written for us. God wants the combination of his steady, constant calling and warm, personal counsel in Scripture to come to characterize us, keeping us alert for whatever he will do next. May our dependably steady and warmly personal God develop maturity in you so that you get along with each other as well as Jesus gets along with us all. Then we’ll be a choir—not our voices only, but our very lives singing in harmony in a stunning anthem to the God and Father of our Master Jesus! So reach out and welcome one another to God’s glory. Jesus did it; now you do it! Rom 15:3-7

The story of this visit to India will not be complete without writing about Bangalore. After a week of long days and late nights working in Mumbai, my colleagues returned to London, while I went on to Bangalore. Dawie Blake put me in contact with some believers in Bangalore and over the weekend we met at a local restaurant. I was so encouraged to hear how these young men met Jesus while at college, and how their new found treasure has influenced and brought many others to the knowledge of Christ. Although they have opportunity to move abroad, which seems to be the ambition of many young people, their passion is to see this gospel reach India. What a joy to know that God is revealing Himself in India – the hearing ear and the seeing eye, God has made them both. The earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of God.

I’ll leave you with one last thought:

But make sure that you don’t get so absorbed and exhausted in taking care of all your day-by-day obligations that you lose track of the time and doze off, oblivious to God. The night is about over, dawn is about to break. Be up and awake to what God is doing! Rom 13:11

God’s opinion of you – Glory!

Andre Rabe — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:10:00 +0000

This may seem an odd place to start our study of God’s opinion of us, but even so, the study of the word ‘glory’ is essential to scripturally understand this truth. We have used this word in so many different ways, and indeed, the bible itself uses it with variations in its meaning. The core meaning, however, can be traced throughout.

Lets first look at the Hebrew word for glory (kaw-bode’, kaw-bode’) It comes from the word that simply means weight. What on earth has weight got to do with glory!
Let’s find out:
The root word weight is neutral, but then develops into two distinct directions; the one very negative and the other very positive.
On the negative side we find: burdensome, grievous, affliction.
On the positive side: honour, praise, glory.

Enough of the technical analysis; what does it mean in plain English?
Well, if I say something bad about you, something so weighty that it hurts you inside, then I’ve grieved you. Grief is the intense (weighty) sorrow caused by the loss of a loved one. On the positive side: When I say something so good about you, something that carries such weight and substance that it lifts your spirit, then I’ve honoured you. It is an honour that connects the giver and receiver in an intimate way.

Let’s look at how this glory or honour is exchanged between God and us. In the Old Testament, the glory was often manifested as a cloud. (Ex 16:10) The glory of God is His very essence, it is His absolute goodness. It’s a goodness that is so good that ‘badness’ cannot exist in its presence. This is why God hid Himself in a cloud in the O.T. – to protect the people He loved. But to say that His glory is His goodness is far too vague; let’s drill down a bit deeper.

What makes God so good? The first record we have of man experiencing the goodness of God is in Gen. 1:28 (See ‘The ultimate experience’)
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them.. The word blessed (baw-rak) is defined as an act of adoration such as kneeling.

Man’s first experience was the overwhelming display of God’s favour and adoration! The desire within man to worship God was birthed by this experience of God’s adoration – the only appropriate response is to reflect back the adoration He gives.’

God is love and His love for us is so weighty; carries such substance that it is the greatest honour we could ever receive.

‘This sounds like God is honouring us! Should we not be honouring Him?’ are the questions many may ask.
1 John 4:19 We love him, because he first loved us.
- Our love is our response to the love He gives us.
- Our honouring Him is our response to the honour He gives us!
- Our praising Him is our response to the praise He gives us!

The only appropriate praise, honour and love we can give Him, is reflecting the praise, honour and love He gives us!
Now lets look at the New Testament word for glory namely doxa:
Thayer Definition:
1) opinion, judgment, view
2) opinion, estimate, whether good or bad concerning someone
2a) in the NT always a good opinion concerning one, resulting in praise, honour, and glory

Let us re-read a few scriptures with this in mind:
Joh 17:22 And the glory(the good opinion, praise and honour) which thou hast given me I have given unto them; that they may be one, even as we are one;

2Co 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory (the good opinion, praise and honour) of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from (a lower degree of ) glory to (to a higher degree of) glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.

2Co 4:6 Seeing it is God, that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory (the good opinion, praise and honour) of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

The good news is that God favours you! He has done everything necessary in Christ to have a good opinion of you; to demonstrate His love towards you without hindrance. Glory! God no longer tries to hide this glory from us; on the contrary, He wants as to look straight into it. His opinion of you is the weightiest issue of life. No matter what you thought or think of yourself, His opinion is more valid; carries more weight and His opinion of you is good!

There might be many issues in your life that contradicts this good opinion; you might experience many things that tries to disqualify you, and emphasise your need for change, but beholding His opinion(glory) has the power to transform you and your experiences.

As you continue to look into His face; beholding His glory; you will soon start reflecting that same favour back to Him … and to others.

By Andre Rabe

Constrain Him!

Andre Rabe — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 10:52:45 +0000

Based on Luke 24

A few days after the cruxifiction of Jesus, two disciples were walking to a town called Emmaus. The events of the past two days were fresh in their minds and naturally formed the basis of their conversation. However, the meaning of these events eluded them – truth is rarely found on the surface, on the mere appearance of things.
A third traveller joined them – Jesus Himself – but they did not recognise Him. Jesus did not immediately reveal Himself or offer His opinion on the subject. He was interested in conversation, not one-sided instruction.
Verse 17: And He said to them, What is this discussion that you are exchanging between yourselves as you walk along? And they stood still, looking sad and downcast.

Cleopas answered and gave a factually accurate description of events. But we can see that their perspective of these events left them with the wrong conclusions: they were sad and downcast. Faith lifts us to a place where we can see from God’s point of view.
Jesus sees the same events, but from a different perspective:

verse 25-27 And [Jesus] said to them, O foolish ones [sluggish in mind, dull of perception] and slow of heart to believe (adhere to and trust in and rely on) everything that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary and essentially fitting that the Christ should suffer all these things before entering into His glory? Then beginning with Moses and [throughout] all the Prophets, He went on explaining and interpreting to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning and referring to Himself.

It is significant that at this point, Jesus once again refrains from simply revealing Himself. Instead He considers it important for these disciples to understand the scriptures … thoroughly! The journey was about 7 miles (12 km) so they had time for a comprehensive discussion. Perception, understanding, insight is obviously part of God’s strategy for us to encounter Him – it is part and parcel of the experience of Christ. Had He simply revealed Himself, without engaging in conversation, without expounding the scriptures and without presenting to them a completely new point of view, their experience of Christ might well have been more shallow, not engaging their whole being.

Verse 28-31Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them.Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.

Our Lord so often surprises us with His initiative and goodness, with His willingness to do exceedingly abundantly above all we can ask or imagine. But there are times when He wants us to push the boundaries, to constrain Him, to seek, that we might find, to ask, that we might receive, to knock until the door is opened, to go further than the hour Bible study, or the mid-week fellowship. He desires to draw us into a place of intimacy that exceeds the norm, the usual, the familiar.

After He opened the scriptures, He made as if He was going further – it was up to them to constrain Him. How often does the Lord open the scriptures to us, and our hearts burn within us … and we stop there … we allow the greater revelation and encounter to pass by. Constrain Him! “But they urged and insisted, saying to Him, Remain with us” (AMP) Push beyond the usual – this is not religious effort, but an energy that has its origin in the heart of a lover. We love Him because He first loved us. Allow His initiative to stir more than a response – allow His initiative to birth initiative in you. Constrain Him to abide, until He opens your eyes to see Him with a clarity that surpasses anything you’ve seen before.

As I conversed with the Lord about the August weekend, He reminded me of the truths in these scriptures. It will be an opportunity for us to go beyond the usual and abide with Him until we see Him more clearly than ever before. As Jesus started by exploring the scriptures, we too will start by seeing how all these words point toward Him. But I know we will go further than our opinions and studies and allow Him to lift us to a place where we see things as He sees them and where we encounter Him as He desires to be encountered. You can fill in a booking form by clicking on this link.

But don’t wait till them – constrain Him now, seek Him now – He is so ready for encounter with you.

the Word of God is not chained

Andre Rabe — Sun, 24 May 2009 17:14:19 +0000

Never underestimate the effect of this Word in and through you. Never disqualify yourself from the full benefit of what God made available for your enjoyment. The enemy will try anything to persuade us that we are disqualified from both enjoying and proclaiming this relationship with God. Distraction is His ultimate strategy.

Even what we consider ‘ministry’ could be a distraction from God’s point of view! Let me illustrate. A couple of days ago I casually started thinking about the ways, methods and resources we use to ‘promote’ this gospel – everything from the weekly fellowship, the occasional weekend function, books, CDs and internet site came to mind. It wasn’t long before I found myself comparing what we did, with what I knew others were doing. The moment that happened a sense of inadequacy came! My first reaction was: I’ve got to do more!

But God is so faithful. He reminded me of this scripture: “…when they measure themselves with themselves and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding and behave unwisely” 2 Cor 10:12 (AMP). He then pulled my attention off others … and off my own efforts, onto the one and only measure that accurately reveals me – Christ: the revelation of my value.
…until we all attain oneness in the faith and in the comprehension of the full and accurate knowledge of the Son of God, that [we might arrive] at really mature manhood (the completeness of personality which is nothing less than the standard height of Christ’s own perfection), the measure of the stature of the fullness of the Christ and the completeness found in Him. Eph 4:12

Seeing Him is the most captivating and satisfying experience. It has nothing to do with ministry in the first instance – it has everything to do with enjoying Him and enjoying others from this perspective. Promoting this gospel is not the aim – it is the natural consequence of delighting ourselves in Him. If your understanding of this gospel does not motivate you to include others, then you have not seen & enjoyed what God intended. The love of God is not a passive force, but a compelling force. It compelled Jesus to offer the ultimate sacrifice – His own live. It compelled Paul … it compels anyone who understands it.

Imagine the thoughts and temptations presented to Paul, while in prison. Prison was as shameful then as it is now. Even though he knew his innocence, the situation he found himself in undoubtedly would have closed some doors to him. And even the doors that remained open to him were unreachable because he was shut behind a cell door. It must have seemed as if all opportunity to declare this gospel was taken from him. He had no internet access! Not even the printing press was invented yet. It was him alone, isolated … with the greatest revelation of the love of God ever known. That revelation was the source of his confidence – the Word unveiled in his heart could not remain hidden even while He was imprisoned. In one of His letters he wrote: “For this Gospel I am suffering affliction and even wearing chains like a criminal. But the Word of God is not chained or imprisoned!” 2 Tim 2:9 The integrity of this message, not what people thought of him, is what gave him unwavering boldness to speak about that which he enjoyed – an enjoyment not hindered by circumstance. ” … for I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am …I have learned in any and all circumstances the secret of facing every situation, whether well-fed or going hungry, having a sufficiency and enough to spare or going without and being in want.”

Never ever, for whatever reason, allow your focus to be diverted from this message that produces intimacy with our Creator, to any other message. For I am persuaded beyond doubt that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Nothing else is worth taking your attention off this inexhaustible truth.

Prisons do not exclude God
By Madame Guyon (imprisoned for her faith)

Strong are the walls around me,
That hold me all the day;
But they who thus have bound me,
Cannot keep God away;
My very dungeon walls are dear,
Because the God I love is here

They know, who thus oppress me,
‘Tis hard to be alone;
But know not, One can bless me,
Who comes through bars and stone;
He makes my dungeon’s darkness bright,
And fills my bosom with delight.

Thy love, O God, restores me
From sighs and tears to praise;
And deep my soul adores thee,
Nor thinks of time or place;
I ask no more, in good or ill,
But union with thy holy will.

‘Tis that which makes my treasure,
‘Tis that which brings my gain;
Converting woe to pleasure,
And reaping joy from pain.
Oh, ’tis enough, what’er befall
To know that God is All In All

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Predestined

Andre Rabe — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:28:42 +0000

I am in awe at God’s involvement in our lives. That the God who created this universe would be so mindful of us will never cease to amaze me. What is man that He would take such interest in us? What does He see that captivates His attention?
He knows my every thought … before I think it. He knows my every decision … before I make it.
He knows my destiny … before I reach it. All my days were planned before there was even one of them.
Even the seemingly insignificant events – when I sit and when I rise – are the focus of His attention. I don’t think Jesus exaggerated … but he must have come close when He said that the Father keeps count of my hair! – can that really be? I’m the apple of His eye, the object of His interest.

God, you thought of me, planned me, designed me and skilfully wove me together
You planned my days, shaped my environment, orchestrated every event and created every opportunity
and now you skillfully guide me to walk in the good works which You have prepared.
You continue your work within me, as you inspire my desires and influence my will
to do your good pleasure and confirm what you predestined.

It’s difficult to articulate such intimacy. In fact, David wrote in Ps 139 that such knowledge is simply too lofty to grasp.
The concept of God’s initiative and our personal freedom has made a profound impact on me. There have been decisions I made … or thought I made, which in hindsight were actually God orchestrating a series of events that lead me to specific conclusions. Jesus’ disciples made very difficult yet determined decisions to follow Him. At times they were persecuted for this decision. It was a decision that they had to re-affirm a number of times. When one pays such a high price for a decision, one can become very proud and defensive of its value. They must have been shocked when Jesus spoke to them and said: “You did not choose me, but I chose you. At first I don’t think they even heard the last part of that sentence; all they heard was: “You did not choose me”. I can just imagine what some of them thought:
What does He mean “You did not choose me”! I gave up my fishing business; I lost some dear friends …etc. because I chose to follow Him. And now He has the audacity to tell me that I did not choose Him.
…but as the years passed, the second part of that sentence became the greatest assurance and source of unflinching confidence, as they began to understand the depth of the wisdom and skill of God to orchestrate all things.

It is comparatively easy to argue that God organises events in such a way to lead us to make right decision. But what involvement does He have with us when we miss the mark – make wrong decisions?

Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend into heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
If I take the wings of the morning,
And dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
Even there Your hand shall lead me,
And Your right hand shall hold me. Ps 139:7-11

David speaks of a situation in which he is fleeing from God’s presence; avoiding His Spirit. Even in this place of rebellion, he still sees the hand of God leading him! Obviously God does not delight in us missing the mark; He does not lead us to do wrong. He provides a space in which we can make our own decisions. A master chess player does not manipulate the will of his opponent. Each player is able to make their own free choices, yet the master arranges the pieces in such a way as to leave but one conclusion. In a similar way, our Father has provided a space in which we are free to make our own decisions, but He is the mastermind behind every move drawing us closer to His ultimate purpose. I have often been unaware of His activity, only to see it at a later stage when the distance of time gave me the necessary perspective. It is this confidence that I carry not only for myself, but for every person; for all humanity. God has created a space in which we are free to make our own choices, but the conclusion is inevitable.

The example of the chess game is relevant when thinking of Gods interaction with us when we appose Him, but when we come to the place of seeking His will in all things, the relationship changes drastically. We move from being opponents to being co-workers – my will is no longer just my own. I am so grateful that “… it is God that is at work within you(me) both to will and to do His good pleasure …” Phil 2:13 My will is no longer an independent force in which God has no influence. He is actively busy influencing my desires, inspiring my will, and strengthening my decisions.

Attraction

Andre Rabe — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:55:30 +0000

What is this strange … yet familiar attraction
this awareness of Your person that draws me beyond myself
Its not a desire for pleasure or any type of reward
its a hand upon my spirit that pulls me toward
a consciousness of our union
without distraction

What will You say …
Where will You take me …
You are utterly unpredictable yet completely dependable
and I revel in this uncertain security
Uncertain, because You continually surprise me
Secure, because I’m at home in Your embrace

The more intimate our acquaintance
the greater the intrigue
of Your boundless person and infinite mind

Here I belong; here I will abide
I found the secret of satisfaction
yet there remains this mysterious magnetism
to explore Your height and depth,
to open my spirit eyes as wide as You

And as I experience a vision of Your greatness,
I expand beyond the narrow confines
of earthly logic and my natural mind
to perceive what cannot be understood
and know for certain what cannot be explained

Inexhaustible

Andre Rabe — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 10:58:23 +0000

No Exaggerations!
The queen of Sheba heard about the fame of Solomon. Stories regarding his wisdom and wealth were so amazing that she felt sure they were exaggerated! So, she decided to go and see for herself. Here is part of that story:
“The queen of Sheba heard about Solomon and his connection with the Name of GOD. She came to put his reputation to the test by asking tough questions. She made a grand and showy entrance into Jerusalem–camels loaded with spices, a huge amount of gold, and precious gems. She came to Solomon and talked about all the things that she cared about, emptying her heart to him. Solomon answered everything she put to him–nothing stumped him. When the queen of Sheba experienced for herself Solomon’s wisdom and saw with her own eyes the palace he had built, the meals that were served, the impressive array of court officials and sharply dressed waiters, the lavish crystal, and the elaborate worship extravagant with Whole-Burnt-Offerings at the steps leading up to The Temple of GOD, it took her breath away. She said to the king, “It’s all true! Your reputation for accomplishment and wisdom that reached all the way to my country is confirmed. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself; they didn’t exaggerate! Such wisdom and elegance–far more than I could ever have imagined.” (1Kings 10:1-7 Message)
Matthew 12:42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
If the wealth and wisdom of Solomon could not be adequately described; if it was impossible to exaggerate, how much more impossible is it, to exaggerate what we have in Christ. We cannot make too much of Him. And the treasure we have found in Him cannot be fully appreciated by simply hearing about it; it is a treasure that needs to be handled and experienced to find a sense of what it really is. 1John 1:1: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life”
Opening the Window
Hearing (or reading) is but the first step into an experience much greater than what can be captured in words. Our words can simply point towards this experience, but can never capture it. Let me illustrate: Imagine sitting in a hot, humid room with all the windows closed. The air is stale and breathing is unpleasant. Then, someone opens a window and a breeze brings in a fresh fragrance. The cool movement of air revives your body and soon the stale atmosphere is forgotten. This window opens into a space infinitely greater than itself.
This is what God-inspired words do. They simply open the window for the Spirit or wind of God to blow and bring refreshment. God-inspired words create an opportunity for encounter with God Himself. This encounter is infinitely greater than what can be captured or explained in words. Much of theology and much of Christian writings are centred on trying to capture this fresh wind. Instead of opening a window by simply pointing to realities greater than themselves, these formulas and definitions attempt to capture the wind by closing the window. But as soon as the window is closed the wind ceases to be wind; the refreshing that came from it becomes a memory and pretty soon the same stale air fills the room once again.
Read the Word of God with this in mind; read this book with this in mind. These words refer to a reality greater than themselves. The substance is Christ Himself, and the intimacy He has in mind can never be understood by mere words alone; your spirit needs to connect with His. These words simply open a window and point beyond themselves.
Obviously we will use our minds in loving the Lord, but never forget that loving Him with all your heart precedes loving Him with all your mind. Matthew 22:37 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”
Paul’s ever increasing revelation of Christ
Paul’s love affair with Christ was clearly growing throughout his life. If we read His letters in the sequence in which he wrote them, we find that His insight into Christ grows with leaps and bounds. His focus never gets diversified, rather, he sees more and more of the meaning of all things in Christ.
Lets look at his initial experience of Jesus and how it grew.
Acts 9:3-9: “But in going, it happened as he drew near to Damascus, even suddenly a light from the heaven shone around him. And he fell to the earth and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?
And he said, Who are you, lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom you persecute. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.
And trembling and astonished, he said, Lord, what will You have me to do? And the Lord said to him, Arise and go into the city, and you shall be told what you must do. And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, indeed hearing a voice but seeing no one. And Saul was lifted up from the earth, his eyes were opened, but he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. And he was three days not seeing, and did not eat or drink”
In a letter to the believers at Corinth, he gives us further insight into this experience. 2Corinthians 4:6 “For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
Just as in creation God began it all, so also our encounter with God begins with His initiative. A revelation of Jesus Christ is a gift from God. So much preaching has focused on man’s decision for Christ; man’s faith in Christ; man’s repentance. Here we have an example of God’s initiative to reveal Himself to man, in this case Paul. Paul’s response was based on Jesus’ initiative. Paul did not need any teaching on repentance, or how to have faith, or making a quality decision. The revelation of who Jesus really is, was all that was needed to draw from Paul the appropriate response. If, in our declaration of the gospel, we once again make Christ the focus; if we place our confidence in God’s ability to reveal Himself rather than placing our confidence in man’s faith, we will see genuine conversions as in the case of Paul. Conversions not based on popular Christian formulas, but based on a spontaneous response to ‘the light in the face of Jesus Christ’.
We have changed the natural consequences of seeing Jesus into conditions for seeing Him. There are no conditions you can meet for God to reveal Himself to you. You can simply respond to His initiative. Romans 10:20: And Isaiah boldly says, “I was found by those who were not looking for me; I was revealed to those who were not asking for me.” Isaiah 65:1 “I gave access to them that asked not for Me, I was at hand to them that sought Me not; I said: ‘Behold Me, behold Me’, unto a nation that was not called by My name.”
God is ready to reveal Himself even to those who do not seek Him! I remember the words of a beautiful song: “You are the rarest of treasures, yet so easy to find”
Paul gives us a further insight in Galatians 1:15,16: “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, to reveal his Son in me.”
How different is Paul’s language from today’s believers. His testimony is not: “When I made a decision for Christ then He …” or “when I came to repentance then God …’ No, he has the order completely reversed! He begins with “when it pleased God…to reveal His son in me”. He starts with the initiative of God, and his response is not even spoken about as a wilful decision - it’s just mentioned as a consequence! (Be careful of making the consequences the conditions!)
In this book you will find the same: I don’t place much emphasis on how man must respond, or the importance of man’s contribution, simply because there are truths of much greater importance. God’s initiative, what He did before you were even born, is the focus of this writing. Obviously our response is valuable, but I acknowledge that it is spontaneous and natural if Christ is revealed. My confidence is not in my ability to accurately capture spiritual revelation in words, but rather in God’s ability and desire to reveal Himself to you personally. A revelation of Christ is, therefore, the direction these words point to, the window it opens. If I have to teach a person how to respond to such a revelation, that person obviously did not have a revelation of Christ. It is dead religious traditions that need to teach its followers how to respond. An introduction to the living person of Christ needs no artificial protocols.
The light in the face of Jesus Christ is the light that blinded Paul. It is interesting to find this same Paul saying “While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. “2 Corinthians 4:18
In the three days of natural blindness that followed, Paul started seeing with a clarity beyond his wildest dreams. God began to reveal His Son in him. He saw a reality within himself that was greater than anything outside of him. Later he wrote: ‘So that we henceforth know no one according to flesh; but if even we have known Christ according to flesh, yet now we know him thus no longer.’ This time of natural blindness was obviously also the beginning of seeing spirit realities regarding God and man that remain hidden to those who do not know how to draw revelation from within.
T. Austin-Sparks expresses it as follows:
“I can understand now why Paul was revolutionized. He saw the face of Jesus Christ. He did not simply see a blazing light on the way to Damascus. He saw the significance of Jesus of Nazareth in the glory – the Man whom he had probably seen in Jerusalem… the Man whom he had hated – had loathed – as a blasphemer, as an apostate… the Man whom he thought had been rightly handled and given His due when He was crucified.
He saw that Man… and what that Man meant as installed in heaven at God’s right hand; and there broke upon him something of the significance of Jesus Christ, as he saw the face of Jesus in that eternal, universal, and spiritual sense – that all-inclusive sense. Out from that beholding – for he never stopped beholding inwardly the face of Jesus – there grew and grew the explanation of history, the explanation of the race, the explanation of man, the explanation of human destiny, the explanation of the Cross… this unveiling of things which no man could ever know by reason or study. There came out into the heart of Paul the knowledge of what went on in Divine counsels in eternity of old. It was all seen in the face of Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ interpreted everything – explained everything – revealed everything.”

In one of Paul’s last letters, the letter to the Philippians, we see that his adoration of Christ did not weaken through the years. On the contrary, we find in this letter his most expressive desire to just know Christ more. Think of it … he spent his life exploring the depths of Christ and his ultimate wish remains: “That I might know Him more”! This is not a revelation that we grasp, categorize, and file with all our other neatly ordered doctrines; this is a revelation that grasps us, consumes us, until we say “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me”. It’s a revelation that takes you beyond individual life, into union life. Can you sense the call of Christ within you … inviting you to union with Himself? Can you sense His cords of love drawing you into a deeper understanding of Him; a spiritual understanding not a mental one? He is so ready to reveal Himself to you in a deeper way than what you have ever experienced before.

Chapter 2 from ‘Adventures in Christ’

Saviour

Andre Rabe — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 11:31:19 +0000

This past week my family and I were on holiday on the Cornwall coast. I simply expected to enjoy a relaxing time, but it was a Divine appointment in which God drew me to Himself in a surprising way.

We explored a few of the coastal towns and came to a place called St. Ives. Set on an idyllic coastline and blessed with a characterful town, it was everything I hoped Cornwall to be. As we walked the quaint cobblestone paths, appreciating the cottages and ancient buildings all around … I became strangely aware of an … an emptiness!

Now, feelings of emptiness or any other negativity is not something I tolerate. I would normally just turn my mind on Him and return to a place of peace and rest. As I silently prayed, I sensed that what was happening was something He initiated. He was giving me an experience of emptiness … exactly the opposite of the fullness one experiences in His presence.

In the midst of all the beauty … even in the company of those I love, I became aware of such meaningless emptiness. He showed me what life is like without Him. Without Him the idyllic coast was reduced to nothing more than dirt and water. The beauty drained from every scene. The picturesque cobblestone paths and cottages became nothing more than dirty streets between old buildings.

The crowds of excited holiday makers, roaming through town, suddenly lost all their energy – all seemed like such meaningless activity – no value; no purpose … nothing without Him.

The Lord pulled me back from this place of despair and I enjoyed many precious moments with the family. I knew that He was teaching me something very significant and from time to time I would again have some experience that reminded me of the hopelessness of everything without Him.

The lesson was brought to a conclusion on the trip home – a seven hour journey. God reveals much about Himself by the names He chose for Himself. I was reminded of the name ‘Jesus’ – the Greek form of the Hebrew Joshua, which means Saviour.

Matthew 1:21She will bear a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus , for He will save His people from their sins [that is, prevent them from failing and missing the true end and scope of life, which is God].

I began to appreciate Him as Saviour in a way that overwhelmed me with gratitude. In the midst of emptiness, meaninglessness and purposelessness, He is indeed my Saviour.

The most delicious meal, set in a perfect environment would fail to stir an appetite … without Him.
The simplest of meals, satisfies … with Him.
A life of great achievement would be nothing more than wasted activities, meaningless pursuits and purposeless existence … without Him. But with Him, seemingly insignificant moments become eternal treasures. He saves my live from emptiness. He saves every moment from insignificance.
Our highest and best thoughts, even our thoughts about Him, would be nothing more than empty philosophy; self-deceit … if they were without Him, without His warm and personal presence.

But He did not leave us to and by ourselves, to guess and grope in the dark after some idea of Him. No, He came – the Word became flesh and revealed the thoughts of God – grace upon grace; truth upon truth – substance that dispels all emptiness. He Himself became the truth of my thoughts, the substance of my dreams.

“Everything of God gets expressed in him, so you can see and hear him clearly. You don’t need a telescope, a microscope, or a horoscope to realize the fullness of Christ, and the emptiness of the universe without him. When you come to him, that fullness comes together for you, too.” Col 1
Saviour … Jesus,
Thank You, thank You, thank You.