The Cross – The Eternal Passion of God

Posted on 04/30/2012 by

Have you ever woken up from a vivid nightmare in a cold sweat, your heart beating out of your chest, and your mind and emotions reeling from the intensity of the ordeal you just “lived” through? I have, and it is one of the worst experiences in life.

For some people who have lived through real traumatic life experiences, this can happen somewhat regularly. The nightmares they tend to have, however, relate not to some subconscious fantasy but to what they have actually lived and suffered through. This is especially traumatic as they emotionally and mentally “relive” actual events they had previously endured. How powerful dreams can be in creating and recreating experiences, and to bring us into genuine emotional and mental engagement with them as though they were real.

Memories also work this way, though often they are not quite so clear and vivid.  (At least mine don’t tend to be! :-) ) The more clear and vivid they are, however, the more we can “relive” an experience. Some memories are powerfully etched on our minds, and as we revisit them, the feelings and emotions of the moment all come rushing back.

In reality, all that we experience in our natural life is experienced in the mind. Our conscious and subconscious brain processes all of the vast quantities of information supplied from the physical body, and this is how we experience life.  Sights and sounds, tastes and smells, pain and pleasure, are all mental phenomenons that become our experience of reality.

The Eternal Mind and Heart of God

Now all of this has relevance to our comprehension of our glorious God. If these things are true for us, how much more so are they true for the eternal, omniscient God.

Consider for a minute the following attributes of His:

Our God is “eternal”. He, therefore, stands outside of time, beholding all things, past, present and future in the comprehensive NOW. All things in time are simply part of God’s eternal PRESENT. He is the “I AM” who inhabits eternity.

A. W. Tozer in His book “The Knowledge of the Holy” says, “God dwells in eternity but time dwells in God. He has already lived all our tomorrows as He has lived all our yesterdays.” (Pg. 45.)

Secondly, our God is  “omniscient”;  “…His understanding is infinite.” (Psalm 147:5) He is perfect in knowledge. All that can be known is presently and perfectly “visible” within His infinite mind. Nothing past, present or future can be added to His knowledge, and nothing can be diminished, lost or taken away. The “past” and the “future” are as clear in His mind as the “present” is, for they are all “present” in Him. 

This is almost incomprehensible to us who are hedged in by time. We can recall the past in part through memories, and can dream and imagine fancifully into the future, but only the present is vivid and “real” to us. This is not so with the I AM. God perfectly experiences all things that have ever existed, do exist, or shall exist in His creation, from beginning to end, simultaneously and presently.

Stephen Charnock, the Puritan pastor and theologian, in His classic work, “The Existence and Attributes of God” says, “God, therefore, knows no more now than He did before; and at the end of the world, He shall know no more than He doth now; and from eternity, He knows no less than He doth now, and shall do to eternity. Though things pass into being and out of being, the knowledge of God doth not vary with them, for he knows them as well before they were, as when they are, and knows them as well when they are past, as when they are present.” (Vol. I; pg. 460-461)

In addition to this, our God is also “Love”. Along with the infinite, eternal knowledge that fills His Mind, there is also a corresponding emotional reality that fills His Heart. The God who is perfect in knowledge, is also perfect in LOVE. His Heart feels, His Heart cares, His Heart longs, His Heart rejoices, His Heart sorrows, His Heart is satisfied, His Heart breaks. All that is present in His Mind, is infinitely and inextricably connected to His Heart, and He experiences the fullness of both perfectly in the eternal NOW.

There are many ramifications to this truth about God, but I would like to focus in on one of the most significant of them all; one that stands at the center of God’s eternal purpose:

The Cross

I remember being on a long trip a number of years back and musing on the cross as I was driving.  Part of my meditation was that I was wondering how the eternal justice of God was fully satisfied for all men, and for all time, by Christ’s sufferings and death on the cross. I wondered how the temporal sufferings and death of Christ actually “balanced the scales” of the eternal judgment of God for sin. When sin is judged with eternal punishment, how could Christ’s temporal punishment for sin suffice as just payment? Honestly, it didn’t fully add up in my mind.

Then I felt the Lord open my understanding and speak to my heart, “It is not the duration of the sufferings in hours or days, but the depth of the sufferings that needed to be accomplished. The duration of the suffering is not measured by time, but by eternity.”

I realized at that point that the cross, from God’s perspective, is an eternally present reality to His Mind and Heart, outside of the limitations of time. I realized that whatever the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit experienced in the sufferings and death of Christ on the cross are as present a reality to them now as they were then. God does not even have to “remember” them, as if they are something in the past to recall, for they are as present to Him now as they were when they took place.

Likewise, before time even began, before creation was spoken into being, the vivid reality of the nails piercing Christ’s hands and feet, the bloody sweat dripping from His brow, the agonizing breaths, the parched dry lips, the sword piercing His side; the weight of sin and the forsakenness of Christ by the Father were as experientially real to God as the day Christ hung on the cross.

Even into “eternity future”, the infinite perfection of God’s knowledge of the holocaust of the cross shall never dim. Such a thing would be impossible. 

Steven Charnock again says, “All things are past, present and to come in regard of their existence; but there is not past, present and to come in regard of God’s knowledge of them, …” (Vol. I; pg. 285)

Such “knowledge” of God, furthermore, is not merely technical, sterile, dispassionate, factual “head knowledge”, but rather infinitely real, experiential knowledge that is inextricably connected with God’s Heart as well as His Mind. Whatever God experienced in the moment of Christ’s sufferings, He fully experiences in the Moment of His eternal Now.

When God in His eternal counsels, therefore, established His eternal purpose, knowing that it would include the cross, He did so knowing that the sufferings of the cross would be an irrevocable, immutable present reality within Him forever.

This was something I had never considered before. The cross took on a significance for me at that moment that became exponentially, exceedingly far greater than anything I had ever conceived of it to be. I realized that the sufferings of Christ at the cross, and of the Father and of the Holy Spirit (spiritually, relationally, and emotionally), were not merely a temporal event, but an eternal reality perpetually known and experienced without diminishment. It could be no other, given the infinite nature of the Triune God.

The Eternal “Passion” of God

I initially titled this post, “The Cross and the Eternal Sufferings of God”, but I changed it to “The Cross – The Eternal Passion of God” because I wanted to not merely focus on the sufferings aspect of this eternal reality of the cross, but also to include a greater fullness of its meaning as it relates to the infinite desires and emotions of the Heart of God. The word “passion” communicates both of these meanings.

“Passion” originally and literally means “suffering”. This is why the sufferings of Christ leading up to His death are called “the passion of Christ.” As we have already touched on, all that the Father suffered in His Heart as He poured out His wrath for the sin of mankind upon His very own Son, and all that rent His Heart as He experienced the separation between Himself and His Eternally Beloved, as Jesus drank the Cup of Judgment to its dregs, is forever experienced, without diminishment, in the Heart of the Father. All that the Son endured and experienced, both in His divinity and in His humanity, leading up to the cross, on the cross, and whatever He experienced in soul and spirit as His body lay in the grave, is permanently present to His infinite Mind and everlasting Heart. The same is true for the Holy Spirit, who was not only present on that day, experiencing the infinite details of the horrors of Calvary, but also eternally knows them by the same Divine  attributes of the Father and the Son.

Because of the immutable perfections of God’s knowledge, the temporal sufferings of Christ, are in reality the eternal sufferings of God,  the eternal “passion” of God.

“Passion” not only means “suffering”, however, but is also is used to describe intense, ardent, and even vehement emotion. It is used of overwhelming feelings of both love and anger, desire and hate. Our God is a God of intense, ardent and vehement emotions. He is a God of infinite Love, a jealous God, a consuming fire. He is a God of anger and wrath against sin, corruption and death. He is a God of unspeakable joy, pleasure, glory and satisfaction. These are the ardent Passions of God’s infinite Heart, and all of them are gathered up and come to bear full force upon one central point: the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here the fullness of God’s Love is manifest and displayed. Here the fullness of God’s anger and wrath are likewise unleashed. Here all that God desires finds its hope of fulfillment. Here all that God hates finds its ultimate demise. Here unspeakable joy, glory, pleasure and satisfaction are released as the Lamb of God cries out His triumphant shout, “It is finished”. Herein is the summing up of all Passion, infinite and eternal. The vortex of God’s emotions eternally whirl around this central point, for it is the unceasing and unfading reality to the One whose Name is “I AM”.

* * *

I began this post talking about how dreams can cause us to both mentally and emotionally experience things as if they were real, which are not presently happening to us. This is the closest human analogy that I can think of to help us connect with God’s experiential knowledge of all things at all times. His knowledge, however, is not a dream, it is real, and it is present with and in Him always.

In contemplating these things, therefore, I believe it is without exaggeration to say that the cross, and the passion of God that is bound up with it, are more immense and profound than anything we have ever imagined them to be.

May we take time to think on these deep mysteries of our glorious God, and ask Him to give us greater wisdom and insight into them by His Holy Spirit.

* * *

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“The Call of Deep Unto Deep”

Posted on 04/16/2012 by

“The Call of Deep Unto Deep”

by John Wright Follette

File:LightningVolt Deep Blue Sea.jpg

* * *

Down in the depth of my nature

Where the issues of life are born,

From that unknown mystical realm,

Surviving through ages of storm,

A call is forever rising–

But its language I cannot speak.

It was born ere I had being,

‘Tis the call of deep unto deep.

* * *

Our mother tongue here is awkward,

For no words can fully express

The needs in the depths of nature,

In bondage to sin and distress.

Our hearts in their depths sorely ache;

They hunger; they call; and they seek–

Then silently wait an answer

To the call of deep unto deep.

* * *

Down deep in the heart of our God,

In mystical regions sublime,

In the Godhead’s holy council

Long before our world or our time,

An answer was fully prepared

Every pain, every ache to meet,

In Christ, God’s only begotten,

Is answer to deep unto deep.

* **

The Answer indeed was the Word,

The Word when expressed was the Son.

Oh language of God how profound!

In answer what more could be done?

The heart of our God is hungry,

His portion, His people to seek.

“l thirst,” was cried by the Answer-

‘Tis the call of deep unto deep.

* * * * * * *

This poem is a sample of a new section that I have added to the blog called, “Creative Expressions”. I have posted a selection of song lyrics and poems there, each of which captures and represents a unique facet of the burden of this blog. Some of these are originals, and some are the works of others, but all of them have a special meaning, not only to me but to what I believe the Lord desires to express through this blog concerning His eternal purpose, the centrality of His Son, and of the calling of the Church in these last days. I’d like to invite you to explore this section with that in mind. The main page for this section gives a little background to each piece. Please click here to go to “Creative Expressions”.

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The Cross – The Unlevel Playing Field of Satan’s Defeat

Posted on 04/06/2012 by

Here’s a question for you: “If you were God, how would you deal with the rebellion of Satan?” I know for me, it wouldn’t be much of a big deal at all:  “I am God, I am holy, and he is not. I brought him into this world, and I can take him out.  And, hey, it might just teach the rest of the angels not to get any big ideas either.” Zap. Done.

Obviously, that is not how God chose to do it. Once again, His ways are not my ways.

So, how did God choose to deal with the rebellion of Lucifer?

First let’s look at the nature of his rebellion:

“You said in your heart, “I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” (Isaiah 14:13,14)

Pride filled the heart of this archangel; “I will ascend…” marked his spirit.

Now, God being holy, just and omnipotent could have easily judged him on the spot and removed him from His presence forever;  … but He didn’t.

It really does beg the question, “Why?”

Well, let’s consider for a minute what would have happened if He had immediately executed judgment on Satan. What would that have done to the atmosphere of heaven?

Prior to this, all of heaven was filled with glory, praise, adoration, worship, love, awe, beauty, unity, harmony and holiness. The angelic host worshiped and served God because of His unspeakable Majesty, transcendent Holiness and infinite Love. Peace ruled.

Lucifer’s uprising interjected something foreign, alien, disrupting, corrupting.

Had God, the omnipotent Creator, responded in swift and final judgement, the atmosphere of heaven would have instantly and forever changed. God would have become, at that moment, One not simply to be reverently and lovingly adored and served, but One to be eternally terrified of.  Angelic worship and obedience would become permeated with a sense of fearful servitude out of pure self-preservation. Love and wonder would not have fill the air, but a pervasive, inescapable sense of  dread.

This is not the heaven that God desires, nor will have. His challenge, therefore, is to deal with this rebellion without undermining the loving, joyful, peaceful relationship He has with the rest of His creatures. Lucifer must neither through his rebellion, nor through the outworking of his judgment, spoil the very nature of heaven.

For God to accomplish this, His Plan would not be played out on an un-level playing field, tipped in His favor, with He as Creator, and His Opponent as created; with He being infinite in power, and His Opponent,  limited in power. It would be another way.

But it would not be easy!

In order to level the playing field, He would refrain from exercising judgment directly upon Satan Himself, but instead, qualify another, upon specific moral grounds, to judge His Contender. Such a one would, at bare minimum, need to be subject to the same type of limitations of a created being, as Lucifer, and would need to be subject and vulnerable to the same type of temptations to pride and self-exaltation, as Lucifer was, and yet overcome! Such a qualified being would thus earn the moral ground upon which to  receive God’s authority to judge Satan who had given in to the same temptations of pride and rebellion.

This would constitute a level playing field. And this, I believe, is what we see in the Garden of Eden, with Adam. That could be developed more fully, but that “playing field” was not actually God’s final plan. He is going for something even greater; He is not only shooting for justice, but also for an excelling display of His Glory.

His Ultimate Plan, therefore, is to un-level the playing field… fully in favor of His Enemy. If He triumphs on that field, then there is exceeding Glory … and indisputable Justice.

His Grand Design would be to send His Son into the arena not on a par with Satan, but as a man, made “a little lower than the angels” (Psalm 8)… a little lower than His Opponent.

“…we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels…” (Hebrews 2:9)

In this Plan, God would place His Son under an immensely greater degree of temptation to self-interest and personal gain than Lucifer ever had, so that by His triumphing over the ultimate test of temptation, He would unquestionably qualify, as the Son of Man, to be the judge of Satan’s rebellion.

The Son of Man would not merely overcome by being content with His position, and not striving for a higher place, as Lucifer did, but He would decisively overcome by fully embracing the complete opposite spirit than that of “I will ascend”.

This opposite spirit that was in Christ Jesus is expressed most clearly in Philippians 2:6-8:

Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing: taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross”

As such, He counters and conquers Lucifer’s ascending spirit at every point:

Instead of, “I will make myself like the Most High”, He “did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,”.

Instead of “I will ascend…”, He “made himself nothing:taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.”

Instead of “I will sit enthroned”, He “he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross.”

No further in the direction of descent could He go. No further from the spirit of “I will Ascend…” could He remove Himself.

For every “I will…” challenge to the Father by Lucifer, Jesus Christ, the Son of Man,  countered and overcame with an even greater “Thy will…” surrender to the Father. To every to striving, “ascending” thought of Satan, Christ countered and overcame with an even greater yielding, “descending” thought and action.

Ultimately, ON THE CROSS, He humbled Himself, denied Himself, emptied Himself, surrendered Himself, submitted Himself, and offered Himself to the utmost possible degree and so fully and finally triumphed, overcame, conquered, prevailed, and qualified!

The blood that He shed became the eternal symbol and the sign of His decisive victory!

“It is finished!”

“And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven seals. Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?’ And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll, or to look at it. So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it. But one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.’ And I looked, and behold,  in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.” (Revelation 5:1-7)

The Lamb has overcome, and all authority to judge has been placed in His hands as the Son of Man, the Qualified One.

“…the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son.”

“…He has given Him authority to judge because He is the Son of Man.” (John 5:22,27)

Now when the angels look upon the Omnipotent Creator, the Holy One, they do not quake in eternal terror and serve Him out of inescapable dread. Now the atmosphere of Heaven is one of awe-struck wonder and inexpressible glory to the God who would go to such unimaginable lengths to not only righteously judge His enemies, and purge His creation from their rebellion, but also to do so through the power of humility, weakness and suffering. Such is a God whom His finite and frail creatures can love, trust and worship with exceeding joy and reverence forever and ever.

“Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: ‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!’

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: ‘To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!’ The four living creatures said, ‘Amen,’ and the elders fell down and worshiped.”

Revelation 5:11-14

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This matter of the work of the cross in regards to judgment is but one facet of the whole message of the cross. I’ve chosen to focus on it on this day of Good Friday as a means of viewing the cross from just one more angle, maybe one not previously considered or recently contemplated. The work of redemption through the cross, and of sanctification through the cross, are facets that should be focused on with rich meditation as well on this day, and every day. May God bless you as you continue to “Behold the Lamb”!

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Christ the Center – Pt.6 : “The Process of the Purpose”

Posted on 03/30/2012 by

In this meditation, I would like to offer a vision for the progressive unfolding of God’s purpose as it is outworked in and through His people. I will be drawing on the content of the previous five posts in this series, “Christ the Center”, to illustrate the process by which the Purpose develops and finds its fulfillment in and through the Church. It is essential that we not only know God’s end, but we also know God’s ways and means of arriving at His end. A knowledge of this process is especially significant for the Church at the end of the age as God heads all things up towards a climax and a culmination. The overcoming remnant of His people will need to be fully in-step with the Father in the outworking of His plan in these last days.

From the last post, we saw that the end of God’s desire and purpose is that all things would be regathered as one in Christ, summed up and headed up in Him (Ephesians 1:9-10), and that through Christ’s redemption, headship and dominion, all things would ultimately be subdued and brought back unto the Father, “that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:28) The Church, in the eternal purpose, is to be the firstfruits of the fulfillment of this purpose, and the instrumentality, as the Body of Christ in union with the Head, to bring this purpose to full consummation throughout all of creation. In order for the Church to be a fit vessel unto this end, God’s purpose must first be worked into her, and then it will be out-worked through her unto all of creation. This is the Lord’s great work in this hour.

So we must ask ourselves,

“How is the eternal purpose first worked into us as the Body of Christ, and then worked out through us to all of creation?”

This is possibly the greatest question that we could ever ask!

I would like to lay out a six-fold process by which the Lord takes us from beginning to end in the fulfillment of His desire for His church in His eternal purpose. This process must take place, concurrently, on two levels, individual and corporate. These two dimensions of the Lord’s calling cannot be separated. As we consider these six phases of the “process of the Purpose”, therefore, we must apply them first to our own hearts as individuals, and then do what we can to promote them in the corporate expressions of the church that we are in.

So, with God’s “Christ-centered” end in view, where does this process begin, and what are its stages?

Revelation

God always begins His works by shining forth light. The old creation began on day one with God saying, “‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3) The “new creation” begins in our hearts when, as Scripture says, ” … God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” (2 Corinthians 4:6) “Revelation” comes by the illumination of God’s light. This is where this spiritual process begins. Revelation is also that which continues to feed and fuel each phase of this process that follows after it. The degree to which we make progress in each of these phases rests almost entirely upon the degree of revelation that we increasingly receive from the Father of the centrality, supremacy and significance of Christ and of the Church in the eternal purpose.

In Part 2 of this series I spoke about the “creation parable” of the sun being the center of the solar system even as Christ, the Son, is the center of God’s eternal purpose and plan. Everything that God does revolves around His Son. The main point of this post was to illustrate how desperately we need to have a fresh, heavenly revelation of the Son of God as to His centrality and His immensity.

Just as Copernicus had, as it were, a natural “revelation” of the sun being in the center of the solar system, so we need to have a Spirit-wrought revelation of the centrality of Christ in all things. We, likewise, need to have a staggering unveiling of the immensity of Christ as to Who He really is from a heavenly perspective. How different He is in reality from what we, from our earthly view, perceive Him to be. When God shines His light into our hearts and reveals the heavenly significance and magnitude of the Son of His Love, everything changes. Our center shifts. He no longer revolves around us, we revolve around Him, and His immensity dwarfs us into true humility and reverence before Him.

The corporate expressions of the church, likewise, need this radical, paradigm-shifting, Copernican-style revelation of the centrality and immensity of Christ if they are to be vessels fit to fulfill God’s purpose in the earth. Churches who are merely centered in themselves, and relate to the Son as if He revolves around them fall far short of their purpose and calling and ultimately become obstacles to God’s heavenly purpose. This revelation is most needed among the leadership, and faithfulness to “the heavenly vision” will be paramount for church expressions to transition into the next phase of this process.

This Christ-centered, heavenly revelation in our hearts,  and in the churches corporately, is the beginning point of God bringing us into alignment with His eternal purpose, which centers in His Son. Even as the Copernican “revelation” was the foundation and precursor to the “Copernican Revolution” in history, so this Christ-centered revelation is the foundation and precursor to what comes next in this process.

Revolution

God’s purpose in giving us a heavenly revelation of the centrality of His Son in all things is to reorient us entirely to a new center. When this new center is in-wrought by the Spirit, everything begins to revolve around a new loci. Christ becomes to us central and supreme in all things. Whereas in the past many secondary matters arrested our attention, occupied our labors, and satisfied our desires,  now only Christ possesses this preeminent place in our hearts.

As was expressed in Part 1 of this series, we become like the clay that is thrown down in the middle of the potter’s wheel and begins to revolve around the center point of the wheel. The Master Potter’s hands press us in and around the center point of the wheel until all “eccentricity” is worked out. Everything becomes oriented to the new center. It is radical, and it is “revolutionary”.  This is a most difficult, yet absolutely essential, phase of the process. Until the clay is fully “centered”, it cannot be fashioned into a vessel on the Potter’s wheel. Until we experience a Christ-centered revolution in our lives and in the church corporately, where all things begin to revolve solely around Christ the Center, we cannot progress to the next phase of this process.

Reformation

As the individual vessels of our lives and the corporate vessels of the church become fully centered on the “wheel”, revolving solely around the Lord Jesus Christ in all things, the Potter can then begin to re-form us into the vessels that He truly desires. We were formerly pots that had been oddly shaped by man’s hands off the potter’s wheel, but now God wants to refashion us into beautiful, symmetrical vessels for His glory and purpose.

Only clay that is soft and pliable can be re-formed in the Potter’s hands. That which is dried and hardened is unfit for reformation. Such pots are either set aside, or they must go  through a long soaking and re-wedging process before they are fit to be re-centered and re-formed on the Potter’s wheel. It is at this very point that the Church is most apt to resist the Lord’s process, being too rigid and set in its ways to conform to change. The longer a vessel has been in use, the more resistant it can become. Only those vessels which fully yield themselves to this Christ-centered reformation, however, will be fit to progress to the next phase of this process.

Restoration

God is fashioning His chosen vessels,  conformed to His Son in all things, that he may have fit containers for the fullness of His Son. This is our high calling in the eternal purpose of God as the Church. Paul spoke of, “the church, which is His body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:22-23). He also said, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ.” (Colossians 2:9-10). We are likewise, called to attain to “the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13) . The end of God’s desire for the Church is the fullness of His Son to be contained (re-stored) and displayed forth in and through His Christ-centered, Christ-conformed corporate vessel, the Church.

In Part 3, we saw that Christ fulfilled the definition of the word “center” as: “A person or thing that is the chief object of attention, interest, activity, or emotion.” This describes the Beloved Son in the heart and purpose of the Father. The Church is to be the Christ-shaped container of this “chief object” of His love. When the vessel is formed according to Christ, and is overflowing with the fullness of Christ, she will fulfill God’s purpose of restoration in these last days. Those who experience this Christ-centered restoration will be used mightily of the Lord in the next phase of this process.

Revival

When multitudes of the Lord’s people, and the restored corporate expressions of the Church become vessels of the fullness of Christ, they will be filled to overflowing with the LIFE of God. The restored remnant of the Church will be fully alive and will be fully life-giving. God desires to not only fill the Church with the fullness of Christ, but to flow out through the Church the very LIFE of Christ to bring salvation, healing, restoration, and revival (LIFE) to the nations.

In Part 4, we saw how Christ is the Mediator and Instrumentality of all things related to creation, redemption, the Church and the Kingdom. We saw how He is comparable to a Fountain through which, in which and by which all things come forth into manifestation according to the will of the Father. As the Church is filled with the fullness of Christ, all of the Father’s works will come forth through Christ in and by the Church. She will be the vessel through which the Life of God will flow to bring a Christ-centered revival to the world. This, I believe, is God’s desire for the end of the age that all things may culminate in the final phase of this process of God’s eternal purpose.

 Recapitulation

The Lord is heading all things up to a climax and a culmination in His Son. This is expressed most clearly in Ephesians 1:9-10:

“And He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment–to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.“

As was shared in Part 5, all things are being recapitulated: headed up, summed up and unified in Christ, the “Main Point.” According to the definition given in this post, He is the “Center”: “A principal or important point of concentration; the nucleus around which things are gathered or to which they tend; an object of attention, action, or force; as, a center of attraction.” (The Online Plain Text English Dictionary)

The ultimate calling of the Church is to be the instrumentality through which Christ fulfills His work of recapitulation in the universe. In order for her to fulfill this calling, however, she must first restore the headship and unity of Christ within herself. This will only be possible if she will fully embrace and progress through the phases of the process unto that of “restoration”. Once Christ has been fully restored to His central and supreme place in all things, the Church will then be sufficiently equipped to co-labor and co-rule with Him in the ingathering of the final harvest, and the subduing of all things under His feet (i.e. under His Body.) His overcoming Bride will be intimately and intricately involved with the Christ-centered recapitulation of all things in the fullness of times.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This then is the Christ-centered “process of the Purpose”: revelation, revolution, reformation, restoration, revival and recapitulation. The Father will not fulfill His purpose apart from the Church, the Bride and Body of His Son.  In contemplating these things, then, we are left with just two questions, “What does God require of me personally?”, and “What does God require of us corporately?”

All God is really asking is that we yield ourselves fully to the phase of the process that we are presently in, and ask Him to do that work fully within us, both individually and corporately, so that we may progress to the next phase.

Would you search your heart and ask the Lord to reveal where you are truly at in this progression? Will you yield yourself as soft and moldable clay in His Hands to become a fit vessel for His purpose? Would you join with others in your circle of fellowship to see this process advanced in the corporate Body of Christ? The signs of the times are all around us that the culmination of this age is near at hand. God is restoring His end-time vessels.  May we be among those who are thus prepared for His Purpose.

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Christ the Center – Pt. 5

Posted on 03/17/2012 by

We come now to the last definition for the word “center” that we will consider in regards to the centrality of Christ. This is a powerful and fitting last definition for it leads us to consider the culmination of God’s eternal purpose in and through His Son. This final definition, taken from The Online Plain Text English Dictionary, is:

“A principal or important point of concentration; the nucleus around which things are gathered or to which they tend; an object of attention, action, or force; as, a center of attraction.”

In our previous meditation we saw how all things in the eternal purpose and are “out from” (“ek”) the Father as the supreme Source. We also saw how all things come “through” (“dia”), “in” and “by” (“en”) the Son as the Mediator and Instrumentality of the Father in the outworking of His eternal purpose.

In this meditation, we will see how all things return to, gather around, and concentrate back in the appointed “Center”.

To help us unlock this truth, we will use the fourth “key”, the little Greek word “eis”.

“Eis” is a primary preposition denoting motion into, unto, to, towards, and for.   When used in Scripture in relation to the eternal purpose, it indicates that movement in which all things are heading towards, being drawn, moving, gathering, concentrating, consummating, and culminating in a central and final destination. In this regard, it is found in Scripture applying to both the Son and the Father, as we shall see.

All Things Are “Eis” the Son

The primary place this key word “eis” is found in relation to the Son, in the outworking of the eternal purpose, is Colossians 1:16:

“All things were created by (“en”) Him and for (“eis”) Him.” 

This is, indeed, a little key, and yet it unlocks an immense door of understanding. Christ, the Son of God, is not only the Agent of creation, He is also the Heir of creation.  Not only do all things come through Him, in Him, and by Him (“dia” and “en”), all things also culminate into Him, unto Him and for Him (“eis”).

Hebrews 1:2 says:

“…in these last days He [God] has spoken to us by His Son,whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe.”

As “heir of all things”, all that exists in creation, seen and unseen, has been given by the Father to the Son as His allotment and possession to enjoy and to administrate as He wills. Along with the legal right to the inheritance, He has also received administrative authority over the inheritance. After the resurrection, Jesus said,

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18)

“All authority” has been granted to govern and administrate “all things” that have been been given unto Him as His inheritance. Paul, speaking of the resurrection of Christ by the Father said,

“… He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything…” (Ephesians 1:19-22)

The Son, who willingly emptied Himself, became poor, made Himself of no reputation, became the lowest of servants, was obedient to the Father in all things, and poured out His soul unto death, is now the resurrected Lamb, “standing in the center of the Throne” (Revelation 5:6); the Heir of all things, and the Head of all things.

“…all things are for  Him.” (Colossians 1:16)

We further see this movement “into, unto, to, towards, and for” in one of the clearest Scriptures in the New Testament concerning the eternal purpose, Ephesians 1:9-10:

“And He [God the Father] made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment–to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ.“

Here, in the culmination of the ages, Christ is the center point of concentration. All things are gathering “together in one” (KJV) and “summing up” (NAS) in Him. The Greek word, used to express all things being brought “together under one head” is, “Anakephalaiomai”. It has as its root a word meaning, “head”, “a principle thing”, “main point”, “a sum”. Marvin Vincent, a New Testament Greek scholar, in his work, Vincent’s Word Studies of the New Testament, interprets its full meaning as:

“…to bring back to and gather round the main point.”

Christ Jesus is the “Main Point” in the eternal purpose of God.

If we go to our present definition for the word “center”, we see how it perfectly it is suited to describe the Lord Jesus Christ as the Center of God’s purpose:

“A principal or important point of concentration; the nucleus around which things are gathered or to which they tend; an object of attention, action, or force; as, a center of attraction.”

This accurately and beautifully describes Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Main Point, the Center, the Sum, the Heir of all things, the Head of all things, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.

All things Are “Eis” the Father, “Dia” the Son

“For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in (en) Him, and through (“dia”) Him to reconcile to (“eis”) Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through (“dia”) His blood, shed on the cross” (Colossians 1:19-20)

Even as all things come out “from” the Father “through” Christ, so also all things are ordained to return back “to” the Father “through” Christ  through His work of redemption, headship, and dominion. As all things concentrate and consummate back into the Son, they are brought through Him, in Him and by Him unto the Father.

“Then the end will come, when He [Christ] hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. … When He has done this, then the Son Himself will be made subject to Him who put everything under Him, so that God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:24-28)

“The end” will consummate ultimately in God being “all in all” through the comprehensive outworking and manifestation of Creation, Redemption, the Church, and the Kingdom through, in, and by His Son. In this glorious “mystery”, the Father has ordained His Beloved to be central and supreme in all things. In union and co-operation with Him, the eternal purpose of the Father will be accomplished.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

This series of posts, concerning “Christ the Center”, is but a cracking of the door of understanding into the depths of the eternal purpose of God. How vast an expanse lies fully on the other side of that door! How we need the eyes of our heart enlightened, through a spirit of wisdom and revelation, to know more fully “the mystery of His will” (Ephesians 1:9), and “the mystery of God, namely Christ” (Colossians 2:2).

May God grant it by His grace.

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!

How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!”

“For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.

To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”

~ Romans 11:33,36 ~

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Christ the Center – Pt. 4

Posted on 03/03/2012 by

As we explore further the centrality of Christ, I would like to offer a small set of “keys” which can help to unlock much of God’s Word concerning “the mystery of His will”, God’s eternal purpose. One thing about keys is that, although they are small, they can unlock and open large doors. The understanding of God’s eternal purpose and of the centrality of Christ within it are not just large doors, they are immense doors.  The small set of keys that work to open them up are four little, seemingly inconspicuous, Greek words:

“ek”,   “dia”,   “en”,   &   “eis”

In this meditation we will use the first three of these keys, and in the next, we will use the fourth.

As we look at the definition for the word “center” for this meditation, we will use the first three keys to help unlock our understanding of the centrality of Christ as:

  “A point of origin, as of influence, ideas, or actions.”

The first of these “keys” is the little Greek word “ek”. This word in Greek is a primitive root denoting “origins” (Strong’s), and is often translated, “out”, “from” and “of”. In relation to the eternal purpose of God, the word “ek”  is used in Scripture exclusively in relation to the Father. This little key unlocks for us the deep and mysterious truth that in God’s eternal purpose, “all things” are “out”, “from”, and “of” the Father as their Source.  He is revealed in Scripture to be the Origin of “all things”.

A verse that clearly declares this truth is 1 Corinthians 8:5. The literal “Expanded Translation”, by Greek scholar Kenneth Wuest, expresses it beautifully:

“Yet to us there is one God, the Father, out from whom as a source are all things and we for Him,”

The words “out from…as a source” are the literal translation of the little word “ek”. This verse clearly states that “all things” originate with the Father, and are out from Him as their “source”. This word “ek”, therefore, is a primary key to understanding the role of the Father in the eternal purpose as the Source and Origin of all things.

The next key that we will look at is the little word, “dia”. This word is a primitive root denoting “the channel of an act” (Strong’s), and is primarily translated as “through”. When we take this key and see where it is found in Scripture in regards to the eternal purpose, we see that it is primarily used in relation to the Son. The Son is revealed to be the “channel”, or the Mediator through which all things come into existence in the eternal purpose.

We turn again to Kenneth Wuest’s Expanded Translation of 1 Corinthians 8:5 and focus on the second half of the verse:

“Yet to us there is one God, the Father, out from whom as a source are all things and we for Him, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whose intermediate agency all things exist and we through Him.”

Here the words, “through (whose) intermediate agency” , and also “through”, are the literal translations of the Greek word “dia”. It is “through” Jesus Christ, as the Father’s “intermediate agency”, that “all things” come into existence. This word “dia”, therefore, is a primary key to understanding the role of the Son as the Channel and Mediator of “all things” in the eternal purpose of the Father.

We will now consider the third key, the little Greek word “en”. This is a primitive root denoting “a (fixed) position”, with the implication of “instrumentality” (Strong’s.) It is often translated as “in” and “by” in the New Testament. The word “en” , as with “dia”, is found in Scripture primarily in relation to the Son in regards to the eternal purpose. Not only are “all things” “through” (“dia”) the Son, “all things” are also “in” and “by” (“en”) the Son as the “fixed instrumentality” of the Father for the accomplishing of His eternal purpose.

In Ephesians 3:11, for example, where “en” is translated as “accomplished in”, we read:

“…according to his (the Father’s) eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

 The eternal purpose is “accomplished in  (“en”) Christ Jesus our Lord.” He is the fixed instrumentality of the outworking of the eternal purpose in all things.

Furthermore, in Colossians 1:16-17, where “en” is translated “by”, we read:

“For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;”

Jesus Christ , the Eternal Son, is the means, the method and the way by which the Father accomplishes His Divine Will. All things are mediated, channeled, executed, administered and dispensed through the Lord Jesus Christ as the fixed instrumentality and intermediate agency of the eternal purpose.

The Father, therefore, does nothing but that He does it “through”, “in” and “by” the Son of His Love. When the Father wills to create, He employs His Son, the Word. When the Father wills to redeem, He employs His Son, the Lamb, the High Priest. When the Father wills the Church, He employs His Son, the Second Man, the Bridegroom, the Head. When the Father wills the Kingdom, He employs His Son, the Son of Man, the Lamb, the Lion, the King of kings. This is the central and supreme place and vocation ascribed to the Son of God in the everlasting economy of God.

This little Greek word “en”, therefore, is a second primary key, along with “dia”, to unlock the revelation of the position, purpose and function of the Lord Jesus Christ in the eternal purpose.

          

According to the three keys that we have looked at so far, “ek”, “dia” and “en”, we have come to understand that in the eternal purpose all things are “out”, “from” and “of” the Father as Origin and Source; and all things are “through”, “in” and “by” the Son as Mediator and Instrument of the Father.

How immense are the doors that are opened up by these three little “keys”!

We now come to our present definition of the word “center”:  “A point of origin, as of influence, ideas, or actions.” ? How does the understanding that has been “unlocked” for us reveal the “centrality” of Christ  in this way?

First, we must recognize and acknowledged that in the highest sense, it is the Father who is the supreme “point of origin, as of influence, ideas, or actions.” All things originate with Him and are out from Him as the Source. That being said, however, in relation to the dispensation,  manifestation, administration and consummation of the eternal purpose, the Father has delegated the central and supreme position and role to the Son. Everything channels  and is executed through Him.

To illustrate the centrality of Christ in this regard, let us  consider a fountain in the center of a reflecting pool. The source of water is hidden and comes from elsewhere, but the dispensation of the water is in, by and through the fountain. All that fills the pool flows in, up, and out through the one central fountain. Jesus Christ is the Central Fountain of all of Creation, Redemption, the Church and the Kingdom. Everything has come, is coming and will come through Him, in Him, and by Him.   He is, in this sublime position and role, the “point of origin, as of influence, ideas, or actions.” He is the Center of all of God’s Ways (“influence”); He is the Center of all of God’s Wisdom (“ideas”); and he is the Center of all of God’s Works (“actions”). The Father does nothing but that He does it through, in and by His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

How great and glorious is this Son of God!

It has “pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell”,

and that “in all things He might have the supremacy.”

Colossians 1:19 & 18

Have your eyes been opened to see this Jesus?

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Special Thanks to Frank Viola

Posted on 02/27/2012 by

A special thanks to Frank Viola for hosting a “Shameless Promotion Day” through his blog, “Beyond Evangelical.

Please check out this post on Frank Viola’s blog: N.T. Wright Interview: “Simply Jesus” & Wright Responds to Critics . This is a post that Frank would like to have widely read.

thanks.

David

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