In Pursuit of Truth (5)

This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice in it and be glad! The past two months have been absolutely crazy, but God has been good and His Love is being in ever increasing clarity and intensity.

On the home front: Mariette and I did the Ride for Sight race some weeks ago. We enjoyed the new challenge and scenery, we also completed the race within a competitive time. Our eldest (Ivan) is still at Varsity and enjoying the student life, his thumb is healing well and the cricket season is drawing to an end; we’re thinking about accepting and offer for him to go play Club Cricket in England for five months. We’re really praying about this. Stephen is still enjoying life as ‘a salary earning man’; just the other day he joked about how much time he used to have for ‘whatever’ while still at school, now time has suddenly become a precious commodity. However, he still finds time for his drums and guitar and is improving as a musician on a daily basis. Our youngest (Warren) has recovered well from his injury and is doing extremely well in the high jump this year. Warren competed (in an age group above him) in our Provincial athletics last week and qualified to take part at the Nationals in two weeks’ time. You can just image our pride!

In our congregation, we are experiencing growth on all fronts and are so excited about what God is doing! Every day is a new day and we are seeing more, growing more in understanding and all round being transformed from one degree of glory to another. God is great!

To conclude our Pursuit of Truth; we will spend some time in the concept of sitting. Just to recap: the first chapters of Ephesians mentions us as seated with Christ in the heavenlies. In further chapters Paul talks about our Christian walk, i.e., living the Christian life; he paints a picture about what this life is all about and how it looks. Paul said that we should walk in His Rest; this rest being an understanding of what God had finished in Christ. This Rest implies a life lived not in our own strength, but a life lived from Christ as our source and centre. If you would like more info on this, feel free to mail me your questions – I’d be happy to chat about some more of this in detail.

Now we will spend some time on the last concept Paul introduces in the final chapter of Ephesians. Paul said that we should STAND. Countless sermons have been prepared on this one word, and from just as many perspectives. I would like, today, to put it into perspective; with the whole of Ephesians as our backdrop. You see, these concepts do not function independently from one another, there’s a definite chronological order to them and they are an inseparable unit! This you can only see when we look at Ephesians holistically. We are seated, therefore we will have a certain walk… We are seated, therefore we STAND. To separate these from one another will leave us with a watered down Gospel.

Ephesians 6:10-13 Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of his might. (11) Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. (13) Wherefore take up the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand.

In the holistic message, we cannot wrestle or stand if we’re not seated. What does seated mean again? We understand that everything (even me and all my shortcomings) was nailed to the cross in Christ, I now am the righteousness of God because I am in Christ (John 12:32, 1 Cor 1:30). Are you getting the hang of this yet? When can I stand unwaveringly before Evil? When do I triumph unequivocally against the Powers of Darkness? WHEN I AM SEATED IN CHRIST!! Nothing can be done in my own strength.

Ephesians 1:17-19 [For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him, (18) By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones), (19) And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength.

Ephesians 3:16 May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality].

It is true that God never leaves us nor forsakes us because when we stand, we do not stand next to Him, or even behind Him, we stand in Him! How many times have we thought that our stand depended on ourselves? Have I prayed, fasted or done enough in order to be able to stand? NO, NO, NO!! Our standing depends on one thing and one thing only: are we in Christ’s Rest? And another thing: since when does stand imply attack? “Stand” involves ‘to hold your ground’. Why do you think this would be? Why are we not told to attack when Evil approaches? It’s simple: Christ already won the battle. To attack implies a taking/taking back of something which does not belong to one self. But, to stand implies a holding fast to what is already one’s own.

1John 4:4 Little children, you are of God [you belong to Him] and have [already] defeated and overcome them [the agents of the antichrist], because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world.

Think on this and I will discuss more on this topic next time. One thing is very clear: God really loves us! Stop trying, and just receive what He has already given you!