Testimonies and Jesus
When I read the Old Testament stories I am often saddened
that those heroic and dedicated men and women had so little of God while a very
ordinary Christian person like me has so much. Abraham didn't know Jesus,
salvation or the New Covenant, neither did Moses, David, Esther, Ruth or Ezekiel. Yet, "All these people were
still living by faith when they died" (Hebrews 11:13,14). Christians are full citizens of the
Kingdom of God; and we fully share in all of Jesus’ inheritance.
My life is now embedded in Jesus' presence. Matthew 28:20 is
such a reality to me: "behold, I am
with you always". At so many critical times have I been aware of Jesus
being right there with me, understanding, sharing in everything. Whenever I
look back to a difficult time, or a very special time, I can see Jesus loving
me and being part of all my life. This is relational, not religious. (Note 1).
The 2015 school year is still new for my wife, Trish,
already there have been big changes at her school, some exciting and some
shocking. The upshot for Trish is that her rôle as Jesus' missionary there is
increasing. As each piece of news arrived, or each story unfolded I was aware
that our Jesus was right there, with Trish, and all that's before her, and with all the students and faculty,
indeed with the whole school. Present. Caring. Active. Involved. Our God. Jesus.
"God is love" (1
John 4:16). Love is who He is, He can’t be something else!
When I think on these things I'm surprised that I'm
surprised that Jesus is so closely with us. Sure, the Bible tells us again and
again that He's always present, and never not present! So why am I
surprised?
Some of the surprise comes from my church experiences; being
with hundreds, or even thousands, of people and everybody singing their hearts
out as though their love is falling into a vacuum; begging God to show up, to
bring His presence .. Where did all these songs come from? Don't the music people know? (And their pastors?) Jesus is already fully here, fully loving .. He is present with
each one .. He's in the room with us, singing too, worshiping our Father with
us. Joyous, glorious!
And faith. I am convinced that God is the only one who can
impart or grow faith. Don’t we get our faith from seeing His faithfulness? Our
own witness shows Jesus’ love and good work in our lives, as do the testimonies
of others, I have seen hundreds or even thousands of testimonies. Our faith does not bring
God into an event, He’s already there; His faith in His great eternal plan
ensures His faithfulness and His presence .. "I
have no regrets. I couldn't be more sure of my ground - the One I've trusted in
can take care of what he's trusted me to do right to the end .." (2 Timothy 1:12 Message).
And morality. Where does our morality come from? Certainly
not from our good will which lasts only so long as we can keep up our
motivation. Every year the media pundits talk about the massive failure of New
Years resolutions. We seem to be powerless to mend our weak or ratbag ways,
(except just occasionally). Paul was well advanced in his ministry when he
wrote Romans 7 about his inability to live as clean a life as he wanted to; "wretched man that I am" he
wrote in verse 24, "who will deliver
me from this body of death"? His only answer is Jesus. For me too; the
decrease in sin in my life is all attributable to Father God accepting me,
welcoming me into His family and giving me Jesus whose love and faith in me is
so constant and profound that I change and grow. Jesus places me in His Church
where I mix with people who love me in ways the world neither sees nor
understands. Hallelujah! (Note 2).
Jesus is called "Emanuel", "God with us".
More, He's not just with us, Jesus is in us (John 14:20). This is an
essential part of each Christian being a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). I
see myself as a radically changed person since Jesus came into my life:
• Firstly, Jesus
accepted me, this is still doing wonders for my lifelong problems with rejection
and striving to please.
• Secondly, He
forgave my sin, this happened quickly but took a long time for me to accept
into myself .. but in recent years I've been free from guilt and the burden of
sin; O how I love Jesus for this!
• Thirdly, He filled
me with Himself (John 14:20) and His lovely Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18); immediately
I grew in communication with God and in my awareness of His presence.
• Fourthly, I have
been given authority and power in the spiritual realm; this affects
everything in the physical world and in life. Everything! I share in miracles!
• Fifth, my dear
Jesus took away my heart of stone, and replaced it with a soft heart; I now
believe that I am a more gentle and compassionate person and am far more
generous in every way.
• Sixth, Jesus gives
me things to do, Works. It is always clear what He wants, initially in outline and
then details are also clear. I find that it is often scary as He wants me to go
beyond my present experience and to mix with people and learn new skills, but
it is always immensely satisfying. And Jesus does give me the
words to say (Matthew 10:19)!
A new creation? Yes. Perfect? Not yet. Growing? Certainly. Thank
you my always present Lord and Redeemer Jesus!
How can I put any one of these changes above any other? I can't.
They are all part of God’s plan to completely re-make me. I was originally made
in the image and likeness of God (awesome!) but now I’m becoming conformed to "mature manhood, to the measure of the
stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). New Covenant man.
"Encouraged" (Colossians 2:2). "Free to be free" (Galatians
5:1). "Filled" (Acts 13:52). "Christ in me
the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27)!
Favourite Scriptures
"God
chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of
this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1:27).
"And the
disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 13:52).
".. I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me" (2 Timothy 1:12).
"And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry
it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6).
Favourite Quotes
"For me, the beginning of sharing my faith with people began
by throwing out Christianity and embracing Christian spirituality, a
nonpolitical mysterious system that can be experienced but not explained" (Miller,
Donald. 2003. Blue Like Jazz:
Nonreligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality, 115).
"Christianity is a relationship with a living God who, as a
man as well as God, can be experienced – this experiential life is modelled on
marriage (or marriage on this heavenly relationship?). It is not an
intellectual assent to a set of ideas; it is not propositional" (Miller, Donald.
2003. Blue Like Jazz: Nonreligious
Thoughts on Christian Spirituality, 115)
"The theme of union with Christ is vital to an understanding
of what He has done. It is grounded on His union with us. It is foundational to
every aspect of our salvation" (Letham, Robert. 1993. The Work of Christ. Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 75-76).
Notes
1. The writer of
Hebrews reminds us that God told Israel "I
will never leave you nor forsake you"; we know from present day news
from the Middle East that these words are still true - God continues to protect
and keep Israel and His people there despite vast and hate-filled opposition on
every side.Praise Jesus for His love.
Amen
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Praise Jesus.
