Hear Him » thoughts

Identity revealed

Andre Rabe — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:42:08 +0000

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.

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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.

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Narrowness of experience

Andre Rabe — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:00:43 +0000

Another aspect of perspective is that one can get so close to an object, that it obscures one’s view from all else. For many, personal experience has become the ultimate authority and measure of truth – it is the only thing they’ll believe or place any confidence in. But there are few things that can skew our perspective more than personal experience. Let me explain:

In my early childhood – I was about five years old – we moved into a new house. Most of these houses in South Africa had big back yards and these made ideal playgrounds for small boys. We called it a ‘yard’ instead of a garden because it wasn’t really a neatly kept garden – it was more like a large enclosure. On the day we moved in I noticed something very tempting: the neighbour had a small orchard of mango trees in his back yard … and I loved mangoes. My dad must have read my thoughts because at the moment I noticed these trees, he said to me: “Don’t even think of going into the neighbour’s yard – there is a vicious dog guarding the trees”. That was a very disappointing piece of information as through the days and weeks that followed I witnessed the mango fruit ripening.

I often played in the back yard in the afternoons and felt terribly tempted by the ripe mangoes over the fence, however my fear of the vicious dog prevented me from even attempting to pick a mango. One afternoon, while playing, I became desperately ‘hungry’ and the fruit seemed particularly inviting. I nervously sneaked onto the fence at the far end of the yard to have a better look at the dog, but I couldn’t see the dog anywhere. I took my chance and jumped over the fence, grabbed a couple of mangoes and jumped back into my own yard. They were delicious!

It did not take me long to realise that there was no dog! The moral of the story is not about temptation or repentance or anything deeply spiritual like that. The point is simply that my experience of hunger was real, my experience of fear was real, but these real experiences were based on the lie that I believed regarding a vicious dog. The moment I realised that there was no dog the fear disappeared … and as a consequence so did the hunger. How many of our real experiences are based on lies? How different would our experiences be, if we believed differently?

The truth that Jesus introduces us to is of a much higher authority than our experience – it is a truth that is able to transform our experience. He wants to introduce us to a truth much broader than our narrow experiences.

“… my judgement would be true because I wouldn’t make it out of the narrowness of my experience but in the largeness of the One who sent me, the Father.”(John 8:16 MSG). If Jesus considered his own experience as narrow compared to a much greater reality, then we too might have to re-evaluate the importance we attach to personal experience.

In the same way as our personal experiences are to narrow to reveal our true identity, so too is our culture too narrow; our language too narrow; our society too narrow; our race too narrow; even our relationships, no matter how precious, are too narrow. He reveals that all the measures we’ve used to measure ourselves with are completely inadequate. “but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding” He shatters our illusions, but at that very moment He also brings to light the truth of our design. We are eternal beings, which means that anything temporal will not do justice to God’s estimation of our worth and He invites us to see ourselves from His point of view.

Define Yourself

Andre Rabe — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:35:09 +0000

Come on – how would you define yourself? Take a minute and think about it … maybe even write something down. Do it before you continue reading.

Most of us would start such a definition with a description of what we do, then add something about our background. The more time we have, the more detail can be added about our personal preferences, personality traits, our hopes and dreams etc.

I’ve made a shocking discovery. Any definition of ourselves that starts with ourselves, is invalid! I did not begin me, design me, plan me! All that happened even before the creation of this world.

“⁴Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. … ^11-12It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone.” Eph 1:4, 11-12

The only accurate way in which to define ourselves and understand ourselves is by what God does for us and thinks of us, not by what we do or think. I discover my value in the price He paid for me. I discover my significance in His thoughts toward me.

Rom 12:3 (MSG) Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. 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.

A sense of lack can only exist when our minds are on ourselves. Worry and fear thrives when when our focus is on ourselves.

Math 6:33,34 Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met. Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow.

My challenge is simply this – change your perspective; see things from His perspective. Don’t pay too much attention to what you believe or think of God, rather give your entire attention to what He believes and thinks concerning you!

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

Secret of Contentment – Now Available

Andre Rabe — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 18:32:10 +0000

New Book: ‘Secret of Contentment’

Thanks to all the friends who have reviewed and contributed thoughts to this new book – it has finally been published and is available for order.

For those in the UK, you can order directly. Simply fill in the form below. You can also order from any bookshop in the UK and most most bookshops in the US.

In other areas of the world please use Amazon.com or your local equivalent.

Available online:

The book is also available online, here: http://www.hearhim.net/connect/forum/secret-of-contentment

Here are some comments and an introduction to the book:

“Could not put it down. Thanks for reminding me of how God sees me and how effortless His favour and grace actually is – how much He admires me just because He wants to and not because I impress Him with my weak efforts. The pages are filled with the liberating good news of His love that runs contrary to the bad news of self-effort that is so often dished up in the name of good news. In a religious world of dos and don’ts, it is good to know that it’s not about what we do that’s attractive to our heavenly Father – He is already infatuated with us.” Deon Stevens

“What a joy to read this my brother. Beholding the truth as in a mirror is the mystery of Christ and our own true identity revealed in Him. I have no doubt that the Lord has birthed within you a wonderful revelation of Himself that He will continue expand upon you. I believe this message will be a blessing to the Church, opening up her eyes to the unseen majesty of the glorified Man in heaven, who alone is the unveiling of her true humanity. There are many things I could comment upon, in particular I loved the truth revealed by the ‘bottled at source’ anology – its imagery is beautiful. Also what you said about Paul’s revelation in Galatians, not pointing to him as the source but seeking to bring us to the undiluted Christ as the source, is a very discerning point. In fact I think this is the gift that you have given to the Body Of Christ, to bring her back to the source and origin of her birth and true identity which I believe is the very foundation that Christ seeks to build her upon. I pray that the Lord continues to unfold to you and all who read this, the riches of His grace towards us in Christ.” Roddy Young

Introduction:

Young lions lie down in complete satisfaction after feasting on their prey. Despite their great strength, they have no greater ambition than satisfying their most basic natural cravings. Most animals are content with little more than food, but man has an appetite that seems insatiable. Mankind has a consciousness of value that drives us to explore every avenue, to push every limit, to tunnel through mountains, to build habitations in space, to invent a microscope like the Large Hadron Collider that is 27km long, to peer into the smallest detail of matter, in search of information … meaning … something that satisfies beyond mere survival.

Despite technological advances and the comforts of a modern age, man’s appetite and search for contentment has not been diminished. We travel more, we eat more, we have more gadgets and comforts, and the worlds information is at our fingertips. To pay for it all we work longer hours, live more complicated and demanding lives, but do these things bring us any closer to the secret of contentment?

In approximately 60 AD, a man under house arrest, bound by chains to a Roman soldier, wrote the following: “I have learned the secret of contentment, whatever my circumstances.” In another letter he wrote: “As you read you will understand my insight into the mystery of Christ.”

It is this secret, this mystery that we explore in this book.

Order Form

A donation of £5 will cover postage anywhere in the UK & the cost of the book. I’ll also be sending a batch of books to India and Zimbabwe – if you want to contribute to that gift it will be greatly appreciated.

cforms contact form by delicious:days

Thoughts from the Weekend

Andre Rabe — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 17:13:33 +0000

Thank you all for making the weekend so significant. Discovering the wonders of Christ and the reflection of our own identity in Him is what our fellowship is all about. (Andre & Mary-Anne)

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Hi A & M and others,

It was such a lovely weekend with you all – I loved seeing old faces and meeting new – and such an encouraging time of just hanging out with the Truth, I came away feeling like this life is easy and light when you just look at things from God’s perspective.

Really enjoyed spending time just chatting around the fundamental things of Christ, who He is and who He says we are – Andre you were a real blessing sharing and reminding us of our position in the Word, before the foundations of time!! All the truths about His heart for us, particularly the one this morning about not trying to achieve his good favour by our behaviour but realising he is already impressed with us so we’re inspired to be impressive…! So many positive things came out of the weekend – thanks again for highlighting ‘all the good stuff’… we can never get enough of it.

Have a wonderful week everybody, enjoy the sunshine, hope to see some more of your faces again soon )

Abs

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Thank you all for a wonderful, wonderful weekend and all the hard work that you put in for everyone to enjoy such a truly blessed couple of days.

The weather was great, the teaching awesome, the companionship wonderful and (from William) the food was great!

God Bless and love from us all,

Elaine,Peter,Will and Kat

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Hi all!
Thank you for a lovely and amazing time of fellowship and teaching. I just love God’s people and being with them (you)!
I have been so blessed with the revelation that everyone is super-special and as valuable as Jesus Christ himself is to me because he or she is God’s child, born of God PLUS redeemed by His blood. Each person is worth loving and spending time with and praying for, so they can be reconciled to God through His kindness in us. (Even those I don’t feel deserve His outpouring of goodness and love because they choose not to believe, i.e Mr Dawkins.)
I have been loving my patients to bits today, prayed for an atheist journalist (Adam Rutherford- The Guardian) who is attending an alpha course (to prove his point that it is all nonsense) and I feel on top of the world. Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world. Hallelujah!!!!

Michelle

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It gives me great joy to read and reply to you and proclaim it out loud the experience we had with all of you.To know more of Christ and who we are in Him and His image in us and we furthering His mission was an eye opener.It was a very fulfilling experience and we long to fellowship with all those who were there during the meeting at YWAM center.It was like sitting at Jesus feet learning of the kingdom and knowing our identity.The most wonderful thing was a change that took place in me leading me to read his word and pray more.Surely His word has power to change lives and transform.We continue to pray for you and lets be in touch.We are waiting eagerly to see you after your Holidays. Halleluiah!

Leni and Sheeba.

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!

Extravagant dimensions of love

Andre Rabe — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:35:10 +0000

Our concepts of Him have been too small.
Our descriptions of Him have been too narrow.
We have undervalued what He accomplished in Christ, and we have been short-sighted in seeing it’s implications for the future.
He is better than the best thought you have ever had about Him.
He is closer than the most intimate moment you’ve ever spend with Him.
He is larger than our most lofty doctrines.

O, Father … enlarge us; expand our inner man; stretch our understanding to contain a more complete image of You.
that …we’ll be able to take in (together with all the holy ones) the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! (Ephesians 3:18)

As you do this Father we can’t but respond! We love You, we love You, we love You, for You first loved us.
We adore you for you first adored us.

Reveal Yourself Father, we pray. As you have promised, fill this earth with the knowledge of Your glory; pour out Your Spirit on ALL flesh. Make Yourself known, even to those who do not seek you. Be found even by those who did not look for you.

Can you sense the Fathers response? Yes, yes, yes! I will do it … even through you. As you refuse the limitations in spirit and in mind – limitation brought by the world, by religion by yourself, and simply let Me be Me in you, you will be my means of expression. I will think My thoughts through you. I will dream My dreams through you. I will demonstrate my love through you … and I will fill this earth will the knowledge of My glory.