Hear Him » Intimacy

Eternity arrived in time …

Andre Rabe — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 05:00:07 +0000

Who better to define eternity than Jesus. He said: This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and the One You have sent – Jesus Christ. Eternal life has much more to do with God, our intimacy with Him, and the quality of life it produces, than it has to do with a long period of time.

There is an event that took place in eternity of such importance and magnitude that it overflowed into our time! This mystery was hidden for ages and generations … but then it happened: Eternity arrived in time; the infinite filled the finite; the eternal filled the temporal, the unknowable God revealed Himself in a way we can all understand. God became man! His mind was made known; His character unveiled; His opinion of you made clear. Like an ocean emptied into a pond, it filled and changed all time – out of all proportion to the fall of man, is the redemption of man. The Lamb, who was slain from the foundation of the world, was born and walked amongst us.

It is this singular event that gives meaning to all other time. It is only within this one event that all other events can find purpose. This event is God’s reference within our time by which all other events are judged. Only within relationship to this event can the temporal, changing, time-bound events find eternal value. Although this single event was concentrated in one individual, Jesus, it included all men. And although it happened before you were born, it has a greater claim on you than your own personal past.

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

Note: There is an email link embedded within this post, please visit this post to email it.

Be still

Andre Rabe — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 13:58:19 +0000

“Be still and know that I am God”

This is more than just being quiet, but a ceasing from all effort to try and gain His favour or approval, a knowing that He has made up His mind about us, before we could ever do anything to influence it. It is futile to seek to obtain something you already have! Rest, be still…and know.

Download the song Be Still.mp3

Be still and know that I am God, be still and truly know that I am God

Quiet your mind and your thoughts in Me
Let me reveal the depth of My word to you
Let me show you how it will meet your need
Rest completely in what I’ve promised and

Be still and know that I am God, be still and truly know that I am God

Perceive with certainty and understanding
Remove all doubt and fear and trust in Me
Let me touch you with my intimacy
Know completely, rest securely and

Be still and know that I am God, be still and truly know that I am God

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.

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’

Music

Andre Rabe — Sat, 19 May 2007 19:56:19 +0000

The download files below are high quality mp3 audio – about 8MB each.

The Mystery
Written by Mary-Anne Rabe ©2005

The mystery, hidden for ages and generations…but now revealed to His saints…which is Christ in you the hope of glory!Col 26,27 He disappeared from our midst, that we could return to our hearts and find Him there. (Luke 24:31)To look for God outside of man is to look in vain! His image and likeness is preserved in His workmanship – us “Ascribe greatness to our God the Rock! His work is perfect! But you have forgotten the Rock that begot you, the God who gave you birth. Deut. 32:3,4,18 Like Paul, we need to allow the revelation of the Son of God in us to separate us from the restrictive definition of our natural birth. This was his mission; to proclaim Christ in every man.

How great is our God the Rock
His work is perfect
He is the alpha and finisher of
our faith – it’s of God that we are in Christ

Christ in you is the hope of glory
Christ in you – the mystery
You’re in Him and Him in you
It’s the mystery revealed

Look deeper into His law of liberty
As in a mirror, you will see
His image reflected in you
You are born from above
in the light of His love

Guard your heart above all else
It holds the secret of your life
You’re not the product of your own works
You’re the radiance of the Father’s love

Original Design
Written by Mary-Anne Rabe ©1990

God preserved the blueprint of our original design in Christ and through the gospel reveals it as our life. The lost coin – though lost – never lost its value. What sin’s oppression could not change, was the image and likeness of God, in which we’ve been made.
This is the wisdom (pure, unmixed and undiluted) that God wants us to partake of.
It is from Him that we take our origin, through Christ Jesus whom God gave us, to be our wisdom, our justification, our sanctification and our atonement. 1 Corinth 1:30 Knox trans.

There’s a wisdom of a Godly kind
So pure and undefiled
It’s the knowledge preserved in the heart
Of one who new us and made us
From the very start

What sin’s oppression, could never change
Was the Father’s likeness in which we’d been made
Christ became for us wisdom from God
The unmixed knowledge of our
Original design

Now, hear wisdom, as she calls you
Beckons you from the highest hill
You’re invited to taste and see
For His love and His mercy are free

There’s a table that’s been prepared for you
A feast of fat things for you to enjoy
Feel the welcome of One who adores You
Feel at home in Your
Original design

Awakening

We have the more sure word of prophecy; and you do well that you heed it (focus on it), as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns, and the morning star arises in your hearts.2 Peter 1:19
But, it is the way you look, that makes the difference. James says, we behold Him as in a mirror…gazing intently into the perfect law of liberty, until the revelation of your inclusion in Him, dawns in your heart. We are not window shopping, looking at something outside of ourselves, but rather “beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, we are transformed into the same image.
2 Corinth 3:18

The light of Your life has dawned in my heart
Revealing the knowledge of the glory of God
As in a mirror, I behold You face to face
I’m changed into Your likeness
In ever-increasing faith

From glory to glory
Like the wake of dawn
Into your image
I am being transformed

Seated in Christ
Seated in the Son
Raised to new life
For all the work is done

I’m resting in Your goodness
Satisfied in love
I and my Father are one ( I am my Father’s delight )

For the rest of my days, I’ll appreciate
All of Your goodness, I’ll celebrate your grace!

Take this moment Written by Mary-Anne Rabe ©2005
‘We possess nothing but the moment; polish it like a jewel’ E.Goudge
Like God, cultivate the habit of embracing beauty – discover value.
Examine yourself… once you have discovered that He is there, which He truly is, then look beyond yourself and discover His image and likeness in every man…and then, with all your heart – awaken it by being who you are!

I take this moment,
To look within my heart, I find You there
Your love has captured me
Your favour it surrounds me,as a shield
How rare, how beautiful, are all Your thoughts toward me
How plentiful

I behold Your face in righteousness, I see
I’m satisfied when I awake in Your likeness

How beautiful You are,
My Father I adore You more than anything
I’ve ever loved before
You have made Your home in me, and now with every breath,
I’ll live and move and have my being in You

I take this moment, to look out at the world
There are people all around
How costly was Your love, poured out upon the world,
Though they did not understand
Your love in me compels, for I have judged that One has died for all,
Now we live in Him

Awake oh sleeper, arise from the dead
And Christ will shine His light deep within you

In your light (Ps 139:12 Prov 4:18,19)
Written by Mary-Anne Rabe ©1988
This was the first song I wrote; I was 18 and this understanding captured my heart, that every person was included in His death and resurrection(2 Corinth 5:14) and that a Day dawned in Christ , which knows no night. The rulers of the age failed to realise that the death of Jesus was not the death of an individual, but the death of mankind! 1 Corinth 2:7,8
He included everyone in His death, so that everyone could be included in His life!This is the substance of our message – this is the understanding we awaken in every man – that all may see.
In His light, do we see the light.

You’ve caused me to see in Your light, oh God
That One has died for all
And if One has died for all my God
Surely all have died, surely all have died

And even the darkness is as light to You
The night shines as the day
Darkness and light are both alike to You
You’ve dawned Your eternal day,
You have dawned Your eternal day

And the path of the righteous, like the rising sun
Shining bright unto the perfect day
Who needs the moon by night, the sun by day
You are our eternal light, oh God
You are our eternal light

And not of ourselves are we adequate
To communicate Your love
But of God are we in Christ
Epistles of Your grace
We are epistles of Your grace

Beyond Seasons Written by Mary-Anne Rabe ©2003
Before you did anything to impress or disappoint Him, He decided, that you are the focus of His love. Man exists to be in union with His Maker, for Divine companionship and encounter. He calls us to come away from a life bound by seasons, to an uninterrupted friendship with Him. In Christ, God dealt with every possible excuse man could have to feel separated and distanced from God.

Come away my beloved, for you know the winter’s past
The rain is gone, the flowers bloom
I will take you beyond seasons

Arise my love and come away
In my shelter, hide away
For I long to hear your voice and see your face

Come away, won’t you run away with me
Hide away with me My love
For your Lover is your Lord

Oh my Lord I hear Your call
Once again my heart is overwhelmed
How I love to see Your face
Within Your shelter I will hear Your voice

For Your love is sweet as wine
I’m captivated by Your smile
My Beloved, I am Yours, You are mine

I’ll come away, I’ll run away with You
Hide away with You my Love (x2)
For Your love is my desire

Be still Written by Mary-Anne Rabe ©2000
This is more than just being quiet, but a ceasing from all effort to try and gain His favour or approval, a knowing that He has made up His mind about us, before we could ever do anything to influence it. It is futile to seek to obtain something you already have! Rest, be still…and know.

Be still and know that I am God, be still and truly know that I am God

Quiet your mind and your thoughts in Me
Let me reveal the depth of My word to you
Let me show you how it will meet your need
Rest completely in what I’ve promised and

Be still and know that I am God, be still and truly know that I am God

Perceive with certainty and understanding
Remove all doubt and fear and trust in Me
Let me touch you with my intimacy
Know completely, rest securely and

Be still and know that I am God, be still and truly know that I am God

Think on these things (Phil 4:8) Written by Mary-Anne Rabe ©2005
Our thoughts are silent words that only God and we hear, but those words effect our inner man, our health and our joy and our total attitude. Noble, true, lovely, pure…we are not busy with wishful thinking, but with the realities of being raised and seated with Him in heavenly places. No grander thought can occupy my mind than the thought that I am the fruit and object of God’s thought.

Whatever is true
Whatever is noble
Whatever is just
Whatever is pure
Whatever is lovely
And of good report
Anything virtuous
Worthy of praise
Think on these things
Think on these things

Be anxious for nothing
But in everything
Give thanks always
For it is amazing
What happens
When Christ is the centre of your life
He is all things
He is all things

The things you’ve seen and heard, these do
And the God of peace, He’ll be with you
The things you’ve seen and heard, these do
And the God of peace will be with you …always

He’s the Prince of Peace who’ll guard your heart
He’s the Light of Life who’ll light your path
He’s my Father and I know His care
Every inch of my life, He holds within His hand.

Why do you worry Written by Mary-Anne Rabe ©2005
We cannot add to what God has achieved…what we can do is enjoy and appreciate a work well done in us! Phil 4:6; 1 Cor 4:7,8

Why do you worry about your life
What you will eat, what you will wear
Look at the birds, they are careless in His care
See the flowers, they don’t toil or spin.
How much more are you worth.

What do you have, that you have not been given
What can you add to your life
You’re already rich, you’re already full
You reign in this life through Jesus Christ
You’re complete in Him.

You are our reward (Prov 11:24) Written by Mary-Anne Rabe ©1990
On outreach in Swaziland, we became aware of what motivates God – abundance!
When the life within a fruit tree becomes more than what it needs to sustain itself, it produces fruit. It is this abundance of life in God that spilled over to produce man – and what compelled Him to redeem man. This same revelation inspires us to give our all, as we awaken every man, that one Father gave birth to us.

There is one who scatters abroad
It only increases
There is one who holds back what is due
It leads to poverty

Your provision inspires our lives Lord
As we give our all
We’re impelled by Your abundant mercies
You are our reward

Now to live is Christ and to die is gain
We scatter our lives Lord
For the Lord is our silver and gold
We’re content with what we have

By this truth, we awaken every man
That One Father gave birth to us
He desired a Godly offspring
Sons of His likeness

For this reason, our Saviour died
His body broken so that we might have new life

To know Him Lyrics by Andre Rabe, music by Mary-Anne Rabe ©2005
It’s simple! Don’t let anyone rob you from the simplicity that is in Christ. Everything there is to know about Him, He has revealed in His Son for us. Anything that stood between us and Him, He has taken out of the way in the Son… so discover Him right now, right here – you don’t have to look any further you don’t have to wait any longer!

To know Him is simple
No rituals to hinder
To know Him is simple
No levels through which to enter

To love Him is easy
No reason to draw back
To love Him is easy
No consciousness of lack

To reach for Him and find Him
is closer than you think
To reach for Him and find Him
It’s within you, this link

To see Him, close your eyes
Awaken to His inner light
To see Him, look within
His vision will ignite.

It’s easy, it’s simple:
Within you, right now,
Reach for Him, find Him,
Love Him, know Him now.

My liberty Written by Mary-Anne Rabe ©2002
I cannot but sing to the one I love, as my faith responds to what He has done. This is freedom – my liberty – to be a captive of His love.

I was blind, but now I see
By the grace of God
For His light has shone in me
I was lost, but now I’m found
In the love of God
For His mercy follows me

And now I sing to the One I love
My heart is filled with His delight
I rejoice in the One who’s set me free
His love, is my liberty

He’s the joy in every song
He’s my melody
For His love awakens me
He’s the eye in every storm
He’s my Prince of Peace
He’s the Rock on which I stand

Psalm 103 Written by Mary-Anne Rabe ©2000
Sometimes we need to speak to our souls…remind ourselves of what He has done in us!
Encourage yourself in God. “The communication of your faith will promote the knowledge of all the good that is in you in Christ Jesus.” Philemon :6

Bless the Lord oh my soul
Bless His Holy Name
And forget not all of His benefits
Bless the Lord oh my soul
Bless His Holy Name
And look what He’s done for you

Who heals all Your diseases
Forgives all your sin
Redeems your life from destruction
Bless the Lord oh my soul

Who crowns you with loving kindness
And tender mercies
Who satisfies your mouth with good things
That your youth is renewed like the eagle’s

Credits:

Mary-Anne Rabe: Vocals, guitar
Tony Drake: All keyboards, percussion, arrangements and programming
Andy Dalton: Acoustic guitars
Backing Vocals: Barry Buret

Recorded at Lightway Studios
Cover Design: Andre Rabe

For performances and booking requests contact:
maryanne.rabe@gmail.com
www.hearhim.net

Faith

Andre Rabe — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 09:12:00 +0000

Faith is one of the most attractive and contagious spiritual forces. Faith releases tremendous benefits into one’s life, for faith is the doorway between the spirit realm and the natural realm. Faith takes spirit realities and brings them into the realm of our experience, for our benefit.(Heb 4:2)

Rom 1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

â€œ…from faith to faith..â€ Our faith has its origin in God’s faith. His persuasion leads to our persuasion. When we see that which God is absolutely convinced of, faith is the natural response. Faith does not begin with effort from our side, but with simply seeing. What we hear and see awakens faith; what we do and say is the result of faith.

Faith and Presumption
There have been times where Mary-Anne and I have acted upon faith and the results were awesome. There have been other times where I acted on presumption and the results were close to disastrous. At that time the differences between faith and presumption were murky, but they have become much clearer. Let’s look at some of the differences:

True faith has nothing to do with my own effort. True faith is almost unaware of itself; it’s simply seeing. When your focus is on seeing what He sees, persuasion and conviction flow without effort and without constraint.

Presumption on the other hand has everything to do with my own effort and personal convictions. That’s why it normally follows a set procedure or formula. The missing ingredient however, is seeing together with God and being convinced of what He is convinced of.

I have realized that when I become too aware of the level of my faith and the way in which I express it, it is a sure sign of losing focus. When I focus on what God believes and set my gaze on what He sees, faith flows, grows, explodes without me even thinking about it. This focus changes my perception in a deep and intimate way. Presumption is cosmetic, shallow and does not flow from the spirit.

The faith of God.
Jesus exhorted us to have the faith of God ( Mark 11:22) Many translation have ‘ faith in God’. See Young’s literal translation. Here and in many other places the literal meaning is the faith OF God.
That is also consistent with Rom 3:17 that says it is from faith to faith. It also corresponds to the fact that faith is a gift (Eph 2:8) God does not want us to have an inferior faith to His faith. He desires to convince us of what He is convinced of!

The greatest reward of faith is not the circumstances it can change or the stuff we can attain with it, but it is the intimacy of seeing together with God; the oneness of knowing what He know; the friendship of sharing the same opinion.

The exceeding great reward of Abraham’s faith was not Isaac, but God Himself!

Our Father is so keen for you to see what He sees. He offers you the opportunity to see from His point of view. Life is so much more than what can be sensed through the five senses; don’t restrict yourself to to this natural realm. Become aware of His indwelling and allow Him to think His thoughts through you.

By Andre Rabe

http://eclesia.blogspot.com

andre.rabe@gmail.com

The Scriptures in Perspective

Andre Rabe — Sun, 21 May 2006 15:10:00 +0000

What a joy it is to develop relationship with a God that loves to speak! Our God is not silent, nor withdrawn. His voice is familiar and finds an echo within our own hearts. Scriptures is one of the ways in which He chose to reveal Himself, and how to discover His living voice, instead of dead letters, within the scriptures, is the focus of this writing.

Attitude is such an important ingredient in any relationship. Our attitude toward the scriptures greatly determines the value we find in them. The very definition of attitude implies a complex and delicate state that involves beliefs, feelings, and values.

Because of this I thought it best to start with a series of symbols or illustrations, which describe the Word of God. Many of the passages we’ll look at refer to the Word of God beyond just the scope of Scriptures, and I appreciate that God speaks in many ways, but the focus of this writing is specifically on discovering His voice within the scriptures.

Jesus likened the Word of God to seed. Seed is a marvel. An apple seed is not an apple tree, yet it contains within it everything necessary to produce an apple tree. The seed is the beginning, the promise, the container of a living ‘creature’ much greater than itself.

In the light of this, there are two obvious errors in the way we could value the seed. Firstly, because we recognise that the seed is not the apple tree, we could decide to discard the seed. It is not the actual product, so why waste time on it. We could contend that we have an apple tree, and therefore no longer need the seed. I think the error of that is obvious to all.
Secondly, we could place undue value on the seed. We could defend the integrity of the seed, spend quality time with the seed, study the seed, profess our great love for the seed and eventually worship the seed – as if the seed is the life it contains – it is not!

Jesus said that the word of God is like seed. Scripture is seed – it is the beginning, the promise, the container of a life much greater than itself. God’s eternal purpose was never for His Word to just become Scripture, but rather ‘flesh’. ‘And the word became flesh and dwelt amongst us’ Paul saw the same truth when he wrote to the Corinthians that they were ‘living epistles’. He places more value on them than on his letter! Paul intended for his letters to simply be the catalyst, or seed that would give birth to a life much greater than the seed. God intends for the scriptures to simply be the catalyst – the beginning of a relationship with Him that could never be captured in words. God desires to express Himself, not in the letters of a book, but in the lives of His children.

Jesus emphasised this same thought when He told the Pharisees ‘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!’

Can you see how we could place the Scriptures in a position of honour that blinds us to its actual message? Can you see how we could value the seed as if it is the tree?
In no way do we subtract from the value of scripture in this way. Giving scripture its proper value is also the highest value we can give it.

Scripture contains the Word of God, as such it is intended to function as a seed that would germinate within us and produce the actual fruit – a transformed life.

Again in Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians he warns about an approach to the scriptures that produces death! A seed that is kept outside of the environment in which it germinates can eventually die. So much preaching and teaching tries to impart knowledge and exhort people to gain more knowledge of scripture – I content that this produces more death than life.

Hear why and what John wrote: ‘I have not written unto you because you know not the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth … But the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true and no lie, and as He has taught you, abide in Him.’
His motivation for communication was not to inform or impart knowledge, but to stir up and confirm that which God Himself was teaching them (without his writing).

The Father has made available a relationship with Him, but so often people prefer a relationship with a book about Him. Why worship the manual, if Emmanuel – God with us and in us – is inviting you to encounter Him?

Obviously we value the scripture – the way it should be valued – as a catalyst, but placing it in the wrong position will hinder, rather than promote intimacy with God.

Perspective:
Let me give some examples of what Paul describes as ‘peddling the word of God’. I find the down-to-earth letters of Paul so refreshing compared to so much of our contemporary Christian writing. For instance, Paul doesn’t make a statement and then list 10 scriptures to support his point. It is so easy with concordances etc to find all the words that supports your point of view, yet this method completely ignores the actual message of the scriptures. It is with this perspective that I want to show some shocking facts about scripture. When we loose sight of the overall message, and dissect the scriptures into little verses it is amazing what we find.

Observation.
The Scriptures are often just an account of what happened and what was done. As such we can say that it contains the Word of God, but we cannot say it is the Word of God. For instance there is an account of how Paul and Barnabas had a disagreement and went their separate ways. This is not God’s Word on how to handle disagreements; it is simply an account of what happened. The message contained within the whole account is the Word of God, not isolated sentences.

Personal opinions.
We clearly see the different personalities and influences of the different times in the writings of the different authors of the Bible. As such it is clearly a human document, yet I also clearly see God’s message and dealings with man shine through all these writings, and as such I recognised that every part, every word is inspired by God. At one stage Paul clearly says that what He is writing is his own opinion and not God’s command! I think most of the writers, although not explicitly saying so, did not think of their writings as Holy Scriptures. This meant that those who read the letters did it with the full knowledge of the fact that there was a real fallible human behind these letters, yet they recognised the voice of God in the message.

Lies!
Let’s take the book of Job as an example. Often passages are quoted from this book as ‘the Word of God’, forgetting that within this same book, God rebuked them for what they said about Him in the book! Clearly, every individual sentence in the Bible is NOT God’s Word – It is the collective writings that contain His message.

All Scripture inspired by God:
Some find it difficult to reconcile this with ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God’. There is, however, no contradiction in saying that God included every word and sentence necessary to communicate His message. Although some of these sentences are personal opinions, and others accounts of lies – lies even about Him – He still inspired the whole story as the container of His message.
Perversion of the scriptures occurs when one does not understand the story and quote the individual verses as ‘The Word of God’ concerning a specific subject.

Of much greater importance than understanding how the writing of scriptures was originally inspired by God, is allowing Him to inspire your understanding of them! Never underestimate the power of a seed – the power within the scriptures. You have the one who created these stories within you … let Him reveal to you its true meaning.

Remember ‘the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true and no lie, and as He has taught you, abide in Him’

It is an awesome experience when God takes the truth contained within these stories, written long ago, and makes that truth visible and relevant to you personally. He delights in showing us what He sees. And seeing what He sees is called faith.

Scripture is an awesome catalyst to encounter God Himself, but don’t miss the forest for the trees – He is in you, hear Him; know Him; read Him.

By Andre Rabe

Flesh Bibles

Andre Rabe — Sun, 02 Oct 2005 20:24:00 +0000

How we freshly appreciate the wonder of God becoming flesh, as we think of all you God-filled people we met this weekend! To recognize the Father in one another has always been His idea. To recognize Him, need not be some spectacular event or some visible glow upon your head. We simply need to see from His point of view, for He recognizes His own image and likeness within each man. Have you ever wondered what Godâ€™s mirror looks like? When God looks at you, he looks into a mirror â€“ He sees Himself! Jesus was a person so much like us, so ordinary, that the Pharisees had to pay someone to point Him out. Yet He said that if anyone saw Him they saw the Father. We do not need a new event, a more spectacular demonstration, to recognize the Father â€“ we simply need a new appreciation of how He chose to reveal Himself. He chose man! His ultimate intention was never for His Word to be captured in a book, a doctrine, but to become flesh â€“ to be expressed in human form. A blank piece of paper makes no contribution to the message written by the author â€“ as living epistles, we can only let God â€“ the author and finisher of our faith â€“ write whatever He determined to write through our lifes.

You are designed for intimacy with the Father. There is nothing difficult or unnatural about it. This intimacy is not limited to a venue or dependant on a specific environment. It is not limited to an event or a specific time. Godâ€™s chosen moment of encounter is always NOW. Neither is this relationship in any way related to your contribution! Jesus did not say to the woman at the well that once she gives Him a cup of water, then He will take her contribution and multiply it and make it a fountain in her. Before she gave Him anything Jesus said: “If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water.” If you know the generosity of God, you will never again be conscious of your own contribution!

At another stage When Jesus taught how to react to the reality of daily needs, He advised us to look at the birds that neither sow nor reap! The Fathers provision has nothing to do with your contribution! Jesus taught on sowing and reaping a another time, but in this context – the context of need â€“ He advised us to rather place our focus on the Fatherâ€™s goodness than on our contribution!

Let us summarize what we have said so far:
Our intimacy with the Father is:
Â· not restricted to a place, a venue or an specific environment.
Â· His time is NOW. Just like you canâ€™t live on the memory of your last meal or the expectation of a future meal, you were not designed for mental encounter with Father, but a real partaking of His substance.
Â· not limited to our contribution.

You are His venue. Who you are, is the only environment necessary for encounter. Remember, this intimacy is with â€˜I AMâ€™ not with â€˜I USED TO BEâ€™ or â€˜ I AM GOING TO BEâ€™ He only knows of one appropriate time and that is NOW.

Let us now take a step deeper. The father does not intent your worship and adoration to be focussed on Him externally. He want you to realize and recognize and appreciate that the very qualities you adore in Him, He reproduced in you!

â€œascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock, his work is perfectâ€ Deu 32:3,4

Andre Rabe
http://hearhim.net/