Hear Him » scripture

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feet on firm spiritual ground, but it’s not popular wisdom, the fashionable wisdom of high-priced experts that will be out-of-date in a year or so.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/

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

Download the podcast here: Behold and become.m4a

The mystery in a nutshell

Andre Rabe — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 21:30:24 +0000

I remember the excitement of the first time that I discovered that Christ was in me; the absolute fulfillment of knowing that there was no distance between us. That day God became to me, more that a philosophical concept; more than a religious being that I tried to get closer to, but He became to me the very essence of who I am; the God who chose me as His dwelling. God whispered to me .”..it is no longer you who live, but it is I, Christ, living in you; and the life that you now live in the flesh, you live by my faith..” Gal 2:20. I remember running to a mirror and leaning closer, looking deeply into my own eyes and saying “I can see You, Jesus – You are right there – in me.”

That awareness of Christ’s indwelling generated an inexhaustible energy within me to share Him with others also. I began sharing Christ with whomever and whatever stood still long enough to hear me. Naturally my classmates at school were the first to hear and see. From there it grew to neighbours and strangers. The witness I bore then and bear now is without any religious obligation; it is the fellowship that I enjoy with the Father that compels me to communicate. 1 John 1:3. I had absolutely no desire to simply change people’s opinions to agree with me, neither did I have any motivation to have them join my religious organization. NO! It was the reality of Christ in me that drove me to make others aware of the wealth that was within their reach also.

Many experiences can lose their thrill after a while, but the awareness of God’s indwelling only grows in its appeal and intensity.

What qualifies you to share Christ?
Speaking from the reality of an awareness of your union with Christ; the reality of a living relationship with Him, is irresistible and it is all the qualification you will ever need. Many of the disciples Jesus chose were illiterate! And the few who learned to write, did not bother putting anything on record until decades after His death and resurrection. The simple reason for this is that Christ in them was a reality of much greater importance to them than systematic theology.

Act 4:13 Now, when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and found out that they were uneducated and ordinary men, they were amazed and realized that they had been with Jesus.

Your qualification to share Christ has nothing to do with your education or social status – it has everything to do with your contact with Jesus.

Paul, the one apostle that could boast of his education and human qualifications had this to say about it:

Phi 3:7 The very credentials these people are waving around as something special, I’m tearing up and throwing out with the trash–along with everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ.
Phi 3:8 Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is insignificant–dog dung. I’ve dumped it all in the trash so that I could embrace Christ

I can’t really improve on that – read it again. If you have studied much and know the scriptures better than most you should maybe read it one more time.

Our confident appeal.
You see, if our appeal was to the intellect of man, then by all means get as much education and degrees as possible. And don’t stop with theology – psychology, sociology and philosophy could be very handy as well.

Or maybe our appeal should be to man’s natural desires. Then by all means you should make your Sunday services as entertaining as possible; make your message as un-offensive as possible and hope that your good looks and professional appearance draw some people into attending another meeting.

But if we desire to communicate the gospel of Christ, our communication needs to extend far beyond these superficial, shallow levels and stir up the spirit of man.

2Co 3:5 not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God;
2Co 3:6 who also has made us able ministers of the new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit makes alive.

Our aim is the spirit, not the head. The only person able to teach us this skill of hitting the target of the heart is God Himself.

2Co 4:2 but we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

Nothing has greater authority and ability to awaken the conscience of man, than another man walking in the truth; enjoying the reality of fellowship with God. No institution can teach you that. No one else can be intimate with God on your behalf – there is only one person capable of bringing you into the awareness of your union with Christ … and that’s you, simply yielding to Christ in you and believing what He says concerning you and Him.

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 of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2Co 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves;

If we look to any of our own characteristics as a basis for our qualification to share Christ, we miss the point. It is not the clay pot that makes the treasure inside valuable; it is the treasure inside that makes the clay pot valuable. This message carries within itself an authority that is undeniable. It’s when our appreciation of the treasure becomes dim that we try to decorate the pot. It’s when we take our focus off the message of ‘Christ in you’, that we become concerned with presenting the ‘pot’ – the container - in a slick, appealing way. What a joy to discover that our confidence is not based on our own ability to communicate, but on God’s ability to reveal himself – it is the content of this gospel that carries the faith of God and sets the tone for the faith response of those who hear.

2 Pet1:5 (Mirror Translation) Now that the stage is set to display life’s excellence, imagine the extreme devotion and focus of a conductor of music; (epichoregeo, epi, preposition, + chorus, chorus or choir or orchestra, + ago, to lead as a shepherd leads his sheep) how he would diligently acquaint himself with every individual voice in the choir, as well as the contribution of every specific instrument, to follow the precise music represented in every note in order to give maximum credit to the original composition; this is exactly what it means to exhibit the divine character. Before a performance the first violinist will give the exact note for every instrument to be finely tuned to that note, in the same way the faith of God gives that exact pitch. You are the choir conductor of your own life; study the full content of faith; you will find virtue there, and within virtue faith-inspired knowledge will voice its contribution. (There is a level of understanding that can only be accessed by faith. Heb.11:3, “by faith we understand that the ages were framed by the Word of God…)

This mystery has been kept in the dark for a long time, but now it’s out in the open. God wanted everyone, not just Jews, to know this rich and glorious secret inside and out, regardless of their background, regardless of their religious standing. The mystery in a nutshell is just this: Christ is in you, so therefore you can look forward to sharing in God’s glory. It’s that simple. That is the substance of our Message. We preach Christ, warning people not to add to the Message. We teach in a spirit of profound common sense so that we can bring each person to maturity. To be mature is to be basic. Christ! No more, no less. (Col 1:26-29 MSG)

Christ is in you! What more do you need? There is nothing more! All that can be done is to appreciate more, the reality of Christ in you!

The Original Motivation

Andre Rabe — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:07:22 +0000

In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
He was with God in the beginning.
All things were created through Him,
and apart from Him not one thing was created
that has been created. (John 1:1-2)

Imagine what John thought when he began planning this writing. Where does this story begin? Where and when did Christ begin? The Holy Spirit starts to reveal to him a beginning even before the first recorded scripture. Before “In the beginning God created” he sees “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”. He sees Christ in God before creation began. He sees Christ before sin entered the world. He sees Christ beyond the context of redemption. He sees Christ as the expression (Word) of God.

Let’s imagine this beginning, let’s allow the spirit of God to draw us, just like He drew John, to this place in which all things had their origin. Although no science can explain it, although the greatest minds have tried and failed to define it, God is confident that you are able to comprehend the unsearchable; to appreciate the motivation that gave you birth; to remember where you began. In this place there is no space, yet no limit; no creation, yet no emptiness, – there is only God in all His fullness. The one and only true God: a Union of multiple expressions. Within the diversity of this Union there is a free and explosive exchange of that which is most essential to God – love.

http://hearhim.net/wordpress/

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

His way of thinking

Andre Rabe — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 05:30:56 +0000

Isaiah:55:7,8
Let the wicked one abandon his way,
and the sinful one his thoughts; ….
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
and your ways are not My ways.”

Notice that having thoughts that are not His thoughts, is described as wicked and sinful – a way of thinking that should be abandoned. God never stated that such a condition is simply human, and therefore we should just accept it. No! He challenges us to forsake such low level thinking. He plainly says that if you don’t think like Him, you need to change your thinking!

He desires for you to know His thoughts and His ways. Not only does He desire for you to know His thoughts, but He also wants to teach you how to think as He does. Let’s look again at that scripture:

Isaiah:55:7-11
Let the wicked one abandon his way,
and the sinful one his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD,
so He may have compassion on him,
and to our God, for He will freely forgive.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
and your ways are not My ways.”
declares the Lord.
“For as heaven is higher than earth,
so My ways are higher than your ways,
and My thoughts than your thoughts.
For just as rain and snow fall from heaven,
and do not return there
without saturating the earth,
and making it germinate and sprout,
and providing seed to sow
and food to eat,
so My word that comes from My mouth
will not return to Me empty,
but it will accomplish what I please,
and will prosper in what I send it to do.”

Just like the rain and snow bridge the gap between Heaven and Earth, so His Word bridges the gap between His understanding and ours. He wants to saturate our minds with His thinking; He designed our imagination as fertile soil in which His ideas would germinate and sprout. The fruit of thinking His thoughts, is living His life.

Our Creator desires to be known; our Father wants to be understood, but His desire extends even further. He longs for meaningful companionship with a being that can think on His level; a being that is able to communicate boldly and comfortably in His presence. Such a being exists … it’s the one He created in His own image and likeness … it is you.

Discovering His thoughts has always been a pleasant discovery. He surprises me time and again with His goodness. My best imaginations are always overshadowed by much better realities, when I see things from His perspective. He is better, bigger, wiser, more thorough, more involved, more loving than what we could ever have hoped for. He is exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or imagine. He invites you right now to come and partake, to boldly come and commune with Him. There are no reasons to hesitate … just let Him surprise you with His goodness.

http://hearhim.net/wordpress/

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

The hearing ear and the seeing eye

Andre Rabe — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 05:00:33 +0000

No father desires a relationship with his children to be interfered with by a third party broker – speaking to his children via an interpreter. The Father, your Creator, desires a direct, open relationship with you personally. He is confident in the ability He gave you to hear Him and to respond to Him. “The hearing ear and the seeing eye, The LORD has made them both.” Pr. 20:12

Jesus, seeing the emptiness of religious festivals and rituals offered a much better alternative. “On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, he should come to Me and drink! The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.” (John 7:37-38). Jesus has more to offer than religious festivals and rituals; more than external sources of religious experiences. Once you partake of what He has to offer it becomes a source of overflowing life within you.

http://hearhim.net/wordpress/

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

Entirely new

Andre Rabe — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:14:11 +0000

In a sense this is what the scriptures want to do – open a door into an entirely new world – the world of God – a world which at first seems entirely different and unconnected to our own. The first priority of the scriptures is not to comment on your life, your subject, your idea, your doctrine or your world – it has much greater ambitions and purposes. Only once you have allowed yourself to be taken to this new world, and discovered yourself in the context of this new world, do the connections and implications for our world become clear. I can’t help thinking of the song: ‘A Whole New World’. Here are a few of the lyrics that fit this concept so well:

…A whole new world
A new fantastic point of view…

A whole new world
A dazzling place I never knew
But when I’m way up here
It’s crystal clear
That now I’m in a whole new world with you
Now I’m in a whole new world with you

A whole new world
Don’t you dare close your eyes
A hundred thousand things to see
Hold your breath – it gets better
I’m like a shooting star
I’ve come so far
I can’t go back to where I used to be …..

God wants to be more than an accessory to your world. His message is greater than a comment on your life. The scriptures have more to offer than a feel-good inspirational thought to help you through the day. As we read the scriptures, be ready to be transported into an entirely different setting, confronted by entirely new ideas, and transformed into an entirely new person.

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

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

The Crescendo (Chapter 6)

Andre Rabe — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:17:32 +0000

Throughout ancient times God spoke in many fragments and glimpses of prophetic thought to our fathers. Now, the sum total of His conversation with man has finally culminated in a son; He is the official heir of all things, He is after all the author of the ages. In Him everything finds their destiny. (Christ is the crescendo of God’s conversation with us.) He makes the glory (intent) of God visible in radiant reflection, He gives stature to the character and person of God. (Gen.1:26,27.)This final powerful utterance of God (the incarnation) is the vehicle that carries the weight of the universe. The content of His message celebrates the fact that God took it upon Himself to successfully purge and acquit mankind. Jesus is now His right hand of power, seated in the boundless measure of His majesty. He occupies the highest seat of authority.
Heb. 1:1-3 Mirror Translation

All the prophets bore witness and pointed towards an event; a person, in which the mystery – the fullness of God’s purpose – would be made known. It was not because of a lack of diligence that they only saw and spoke in fragments and glimpses, but because of the enormity of this revelation. There was only One who was worthy to open the seals; only One who would have the strength and wisdom to accurately reflect God’s original idea; only One who witnessed and was part of God’s original motivation to create. The prophets saw glimpses of the mind of God, but Jesus is the mind of God.

In no way does this belittle the prophets, but rather it emphasises the significance of Christ. The messages that came through the prophets had such rich variety, they were relevant in so many different generations and were communicated in such a diversity of ways, but they were all moving towards a climax – the crescendo of God’s conversation with man. The prophets spoke, wrote and sometimes used dramatic action to communicate their message – Jesus is the message. The prophets often spoke a word that was relevant for their generation, their time and situation – Jesus is the complete and eternal Word, always relevant, always fresh. The prophets bore witness to the reality and truth they saw – Jesus is that reality, is that truth. He is the very brilliance and light of God’s character and His aim is not simply to reveal truth to us, but to make us true. As we behold Him we are transformed into that same image!

The One who began it all, the Author of the ages, has not forsaken what He made. He is as surely the Lord of ‘destiny’ as He is the Lord of creation. The Creator is also the Redeemer. He has not retreated into being a distant observer, a purely transcendent God, but continues to be intimately involved, sustaining all existence, upholding the universe.

When John speaks about the Word that became flesh, He is saying that the very mind of God, the reason and very life of God was made visible, so that we no longer have to grope in the darkness, but know His thoughts towards us. He is the true or real light – the essence and reality of everything. If you want to know what God is like, look at what Jesus is like. Jesus said “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life”. In this one statement He identifies Himself as the ultimate reality, the mind of God revealed.

God’s Word is Jesus Christ. There is only one Word and only one mediator between man and God, the man Christ Jesus. All He has to say to us, He said in Christ. All He has to give to us, He gave in Jesus Christ, for in Christ, He gave Himself in all His fullness. Not only did He become man, but in His free gift of grace, He makes us like Himself. Our entire relation with God, happens within this Word. This is the Word that planned our existence, this is the Word through whom we were created, this is the Word that is our mediation, this is the Word that reveals the secret of our identity and the purpose of our existence, and this Word is our only hope and destiny.
The Word Eternal

Long before the first line of scripture
was penned on papyrus scroll,
the Word, unwritten,
existed as the mind of God.

Before the books were gathered
collated as sacred text,
the Word, intangible; invisible,
was planning, was ordering
the ages that were to come.
This Word predates the Bible,
this Word predates creation,
this Word is alive and active
and speaking still today.

“Heaven is my throne room;
I rest my feet on earth.
So what kind of house
will you build me?” says God.

What kind of doctrine could enfold Him,
What kind of information could define Him,
What kind of book could contain Him?

Yet, despite His boundless nature,
within His infinite wisdom,
He devised a crafty plan, by which
His thoughts, His intents
would fit themselves into
the form of a humble seed:
The DNA of His own life,
encrypted within the written Word.

And so began the writing
of that which we now call:
the Bible – the Scriptures.
Within the limitations; imperfections
of human words and human authors
God placed His eternal perfect seed.

A seed is not a tree;
the Scriptures are not our God,
Yet a seed is the beginning, the start -
provided with fruitful soil,
encouraged by water and light,
a seed gives birth to a being
much greater than itself.

His plan foresaw the day
in which this seed would blossom
no longer encrypted; no longer disguised
but fully expressed in the person
of Jesus – the Christ – the Son
The One who was in the beginning
revealed within our midst
Immanuel – God with us -
the Word became flesh.

His desire is still the same:
for His Word to break free of the boundaries
of letters and text and theories
and yet again, became flesh,
and yet again find expression in a person:
you – the chosen – the offspring of God.

So as we approach the Scriptures,
do more than read what is written -
listen to what is spoken.
So once again we can encounter
the mind, the voice, the person
who spoke long before
pen or paper were born.
(by Andre Rabe)
This Great Salvation
Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that would come to you searched and carefully investigated. They inquired into what time or what circumstances the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating when He testified in advance to the messianic sufferings and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you concerning things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. 1 Pet 1:10-12

When they inquired about the time to which all their writings pointed, the event that would be the fulfillment of God’s purpose and the release of His glory on earth, the Spirit of God within them pointed towards the sufferings of Christ. They realised that we ( those who came after the suffering of Christ ) would be the beneficiaries of this event. How many continue to search the scriptures, trying to find another prophesy that points to another time or event, and in the process neglect the greatest event – this great salvation.

The Jews divided time into two parts, namely: the present age, and the age to come. The ‘present age’ was subject to evil and the ‘age to come’ would be the perfect age in which God rules. In between these two ages they saw the ‘Day of the Lord’ which was, as it were the birth pangs of the new age. The writer of Hebrews is saying that the age of glimpses, fragments is gone and the age of completeness has come. The time of shadows and grasping in the dark has gone, the time of reality and truth has come. In Jesus “… the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining” and “you will do well to heed this word as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” (1John2:8, 2 Pet 1:19). Jesus is not just another messenger of ‘the present age’, but He is the Day of the Lord, giving birth to a whole new dispensation.

God anticipated a time and a person in which He would reveal Himself in such clarity and completeness, that for all eternity it would be known as the crescendo, the sum total of His conversation with man. Just as He spoke creation into existence, this declaration would once again be a word of such magnitude that it would give birth to a whole new creation. Just as He originally said: “let light shine out of darkness”, He would once again speak a word that would shine with the knowledge of the favour of God; a message that would radiate the character of God with such accuracy that it would dispel all darkness, destroy all ignorance of His love and leave man without excuse to remain distant. This event would mark the end of the old Adamic race, a race defined by the fall of man, and be the birth of a new humanity, a humanity which God reconciled to Himself, not holding their trespassed against them, a humanity defined by Christ – His final Word regarding man.

Identity revealed
In the face of Christ Jesus the eternal purpose of God, His original intent and thoughts towards man were made plain. This revelation destroys every false identity and unlocks the truth about us. The light that confronted Saul on the way to Damascus was both a destructive force and a life-giving encounter. The flaming fire of the presence of God eternally destroyed Saul, and simultaneously brought forth Paul – the true person that God had in mind since the beginning. As Paul continued to look into this light, he saw the face of Christ shining with the knowledge of the glory of God. As he looked deeply, he became aware of the real significance of Christ, a significance far beyond the miracles He performed, a significance far beyond the few years He spent on earth. He began to recognise, in the face of Christ, the true identity of mankind.

It is this insight into Christ which takes us beyond a mere historic appreciation of Him, into a present awareness of the One who lives; the One who represents my innocence at the right hand of God.

Jesus once asked: “Who do men say that I am?”. After His disciples gave Him all the current opinions and hearsay stories, He asked: “And you, who do you say that I am?”. There is an appointed time for you to move beyond popular opinion and come to your own conclusion. Can you hear Him asking you that question today: “Who do you say that I am?” Seeing Him for who He truly is, is not an intellectual exercise; it’s not simply reading about what He did or said. Even His disciples who were with Him did not come to an accurate conclusion about Him from observing Him in the natural. It was only when the Father revealed His own point of view to Peter, that Peter started to appreciate the real Christ. Jesus then immediately started speaking to Peter about his true identity – that He was a piece of a rock carved and originating in another rock. Reminds us of Is 51: “You who seek the LORD: Look to the rock from which you were hewn” In realising His true identity, you discover your own. “The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.” (Rom 12:3 MSG).

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory. (2 Cor 3:18 NAS). Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, is the reflection of God’s original thought about us, the means by which we were created, the mediator through whom we are justified and made blameless, the mirror in whom we see the truth that we were indeed created in His image and likeness.

Christ is the revelation of your true identity. “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.” (Col 3:4 NAS) The word ‘when’ in the Greek is in the present continuous tense. In other words ‘whenever’ is probably a better translation. The Mirror translation says it this way: “Every time Christ is revealed as our life, we are being co-revealed in the same glory (likeness and image of God) being united together with Him.”

More details of the book here: Secret of Contentment

Outrageous Love

Dawie Blake — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 20:03:47 +0000

(by Dawie Blake)

A life of happiness is one that finds its place in the outrageous & spacious love and excitement of God.

Listen to this…
All the tax collectors and sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. And the Pharisees and scribes accused him, saying: “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.”
Jesus immediately responds with no less than 3 parables to emphasize God’s view of the so-called “sinners”… these parables are key to understanding what motivates God.

He says: “What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’”

The term “hundred sheep” refers to the world with all its “sinners”, and the term “one” is an individual. This Man may have more than 6 billion sheep, but if one goes astray He will not count the 6 billion enough but immediately leave to go after the one! He will seek until he finds. Not give up after a week or 2 months or a year, but until He finds him. And when He finds him he is overjoyed and not angry with the sheep. He lovingly picks him up and carries him all the way home. He then calls all his friends and neighbours and celebrates his joy with them…

Now throughout all my observation and experience I have never seen or heard of a man motivated in this manner. Its, well, nearly ridiculous… placing so much value on the individual (and in this case the one who was the worst of the lot) to seek him, not giving up until he finds, not being angry at all, and then calling everyone he knows together in a huge celebration.

This, my friend, is what righteousness in God’s heart is about. Its not about doing right, but about placing the right value. “Sadok”, the Hebrew for righteousness, is the beam in a scale of balances. If God places you and your life on one side of the scale, what did He put on the other side to balance it out… no less than Himself!

You see, there was never another you. And there will never be another you. He only has one of you, if he loses you… he has lost you. For Him, you have equal value than Himself. He cannot be without you.

Jesus asks, “What man…” I don’t know of one with this outrageous love for us…
The last part of this parable was aimed specifically at the Pharisees’ twisted mindsets, “I say unto you, that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner that repents (Gr. metanoeo – to change your mind) than over ninety nine (so called) just persons that need (Gr. echo – the correct translation is to hold, posses or conceive…) no repentance (Gr. metanoia – change of mind)”.

Someone once said something that left a deep impression on me: “When Jesus hung on that cross, He didn’t die for a faceless multitude, but He died for you by name”.

Once I went out into the night alone and sought God. I became distinctly aware of Him saying to me, “David if you were the only one on earth, I would still die for you.”

For months though, I wasn’t satisfied with this impression alone, and there was a yearning within me to read it in the bible. I prayed and searched specifically about this. Then one day I was sitting on my bed and opened my bible where it says: “I am the Good Shepherd: the Good Shepherd gives his life for the sheep.” I read this, and then opened the bible directly at the above portion, loosely translated: “I am the Good Shepherd that will leave the ninety nine and go after the one”. If you put these two scriptures together we have this word confirmed.

(When next you have some study time, I recommend looking up the word “shepherd” in the New Testament…)

In order to clearly emphasize the principle Jesus tells the 2nd parable in Luk 15.

“Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbours, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost.’”

The Pharisee may think that a coin (a simple man) is worth nothing, but this special woman searches carefully until she finds it; and once again an outrageous celebration follows in the joy of the find. Likewise God rejoices in your intrinsic value.

Jesus felt so strongly about establishing God’s viewpoint against the Pharisees’ viewpoint of man that He told another radical parable.

Luk 15 from verse 11. This parable I found so rich with meaning … let it linger in your mind…
“There was a man who had two sons; And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.’ And he divided his living between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he wasted all his possessions with prodigal living.”

Young and without insight and knowledge this son may have lived in the home, but in his heart he was lost and living somewhere else. So the Father, seeking to find him, let him go…

“And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want. So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger!’”

So when the temporary dried up and his once confident, independence and control over circumstances could not satisfy or sustain him, the truth started dawning on him. He realised his foolishness and that his Father is the only continually sustaining source of life. He realised that this is where he belongs.

“I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants.”‘

Notice that although he sincerely repented, he still had a “sinner” and a slave mentality. He viewed himself as the Pharisees would have. They must have reeled with disgust at the thought of prodigal living and thereafter living with pigs!

And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.

Now it is very uncommon for Hebrew fathers to run. Woman and children ran, but not “respectable” fathers. What is more, is that the father was constantly on the lookout, scanning the horizon. He was the first to see him from a distance. There was only one thought on his mind, this all-surpassing treasure of His was found. Overcome by emotion he ran to embrace and kiss his son, not giving any popular opinions any thought.

And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

The son had his little speech prepared and delivered it. He valued himself according to his deeds, and therefore only expected the very least.

The father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’

Paul asks, “if He has given us Jesus, how much more won’t He give us all things?” Rom 8:

These parables all point to a single principle – how does God value and see you? If I can put the answer in words it would be that the definition of you is Himself and His love, not where you come from or what you have done.

Why does God feel so strongly about this one principle? Imagine building an intimate relationship with someone based not on value, but on guilt and a poor self-image! It will never work. Why do we fool ourselves thinking God who did everything to reconcile us to Him in blameless innocence (Col 1:22) takes pleasure when we feel sinful & unworthy? How can I build a relationship with Him feeling this way? It is nothing less than a false religious humility based on the original sin of “I am not, I must become”. And it disregards His accomplishments on the cross. True humility is to know my works or my past cannot help me, but He did it all, a perfect and complete work! Now I see as He sees, I know as He knows – I am enveloped in His love, His thoughts, His works, His joy – I rejoice and rest in all I am and have in Him, and that’s all that matters to Him.

—

Although the sheep or the coin or the son were lost, and may have been battered along the way, they never lost their value. Nothing can change it, not even you, and so nothing can separate us from His love. Nothing can change the cross – it happened and the result was final. Do you really understand what happened there? It is the single most important truth you will ever consider… make sure you do!

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