Category: Christ

TADB 18: His Story-The Coronation (Act 6)

Drum roll please!  The curtain opens; the audience rises; the coronation is about to begin.

We have been looking at the great cosmic drama through the lens of the angelic audience as depicted in Eph. 3:10.  The Son of God has been revealed in:

  •  Act 1:  The Incarnation
  •  Act 2:  The Demonstration
  •  Act 3:  The Crucifixion
  •  Act 4:  The Resurrection
  •  Act 5:  The Ascension

Now we begin Act 6  The Coronation

The angels marveled as they witnessed the expanding revelation of the wisdom of God.  They saw the Son of God invade human history and through that drama, many of the multi-faceted aspects of God’s nature were revealed in a whole new way.  Aspects they had not seen before were observed through the personal experiences of God’s family of faith.  The angels responded with adoration, worship, and praise.

At the ascension several historic events took place.  One is that the Son of God returned to heaven as the eternal God/man to be forever linked to humanity.  Another is that out of His love for His redeemed family, Christ became their High Priest and sent His own Spirit to dwell in each one providing power as well as the down payment on their vast inheritance.

But wait; there is more!  The curtain has opened for Act 6:  His coronation.  The audience stands in awe as the ascended Christ steps into the spotlight of heaven and takes His seat of authority with the Father.  He is given authority over the cosmos and all the powers and entities it contains.

This may not be a big deal to us, but it was in heaven.  It was this preeminent role that Jesus casually referred to when He gave the eleven apostles the “Great Commission” (Matt. 28:18-20).  It is this defining moment that the New Testament writers refer to when they admonish Christ followers to live according to the new kingdom.  The common phrase of the coronation of Christ is “He sat down at the Father’s right hand”.  The term does not imply inaction but rather divine authority.

The ultimate plan of God is revealed in which “He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Eph. 1:20-21 NASB).

Jesus, the Christ is now the Lord/King.  It was the Kingship of Christ that permeated the message of the gospel from the very beginning days in Jerusalem.  Peter in his initial sermon said, “This Jesus God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, … let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ–this Jesus whom you crucified” (Act 2:32-36 NASB).

Paul states the application of this truth.  “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.  For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Col 3:1-3 NASB).

As the Son of God returns to the heavens and takes control, the angelic audience rejoices.  Never doubting His power or authority they now see His leadership through a clearer lens of grace, mercy, and love.  While they are taking it all in, they are also perplexed…baffled at the response of the family of faith on earth.  Confused at their casual indifference to the King and his kingdom.

They cannot understand why this new family of faith, having been given a new birth certificate (born into God’s family) and a new passport (citizens of Christ’s kingdom), live as though they are still trapped in the domain of darkness.  Don’t they know who they now are?  Don’t they realize that their permanent address has changed, that their home country is now the kingdom?  Don’t they understand that when they stand before God, He will not ask them, “Why should I let you into my kingdom?”  But rather He will simply look at their passport and say, “Welcome home”.  The crucifixion and resurrection guarantees their new birth certificate and the ascension and coronation guarantees their new passport.

Christ now sits at the right hand of the Father.  The Servant has become King…the Lamb the Lion.  The kingdom is firmly established and hope is guaranteed.  The Church has a Head and everything in heaven and earth is subject to Him…forever. Although His rule is currently invisible on planet earth, it is very real both in the heavens and in the hearts of His Family.  But the day is coming when what is hidden will become visible, what is hope will become tangible, and what has been promised will be delivered.

TADB 017: His Story (Act 4 & 5)

As the curtain comes up on Act 4 the spotlight is shining on a rock wall in a quiet garden.  This scene is unique as it doesn’t begin with Christ’s presence but with his absence.  We are not sure whether the audience knows what is about to happen or if they are as surprised as people in the story.  Certainly no one on stage has a clue.

Act 4:  The Resurrection

As the scene opens, three brave but cautious women approach the grave where Jesus was buried a few days earlier.  In their enthusiasm to finish treating the body of their crucified friend, they had not considered two huge obstacles:  a Roman guard and a massive stone.  But when they arrive they are overjoyed to see that both are removed.

When the women enter the tomb, however, their joy turns to surprise, confusion, amazement and fear.  Returning to town they report the empty tomb and the angel’s word of the risen Jesus to the apostles.  Surprisingly the women are not met joy and belief but with skepticism and adamant denial.  The resurrection of Christ was not last on the disciples’ list of possible outcomes, it wasn’t even on the page.  Later when Mary Magdalene told them that she had actually talked to the risen Christ, Mark says the disciples refused to believe it.

Over the next month, not only does the news spread, but the risen Jesus appears to around 500 of his followers in person.  Some believe right away, others need more convincing.  The apostle Thomas was one of those hard to convince.   His sight preceded his faith.  From now on, faith would precede sight.

Our angelic audience had to be astonished when the resurrected Son of God appeared still in the form of Jesus of Nazareth.  They had never seen anything like it. He looked like Jesus.  He took up space, talked, and ate, but he also moved with ease in and out of the natural physical dimension.  Could it be that the risen Jesus, the Christ, is now the first born of a whole new kind of family, the first of many?

One thing is certain.  The Son of Man has conclusively demonstrated that he is the Son of God.  Surely no one could doubt it now.  Paul, reflecting on the magnitude of this scene writes, “His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, (is) Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 1:1-4).

The angelic audience sits in wonder as the Son of God is revealed as victorious over the great enemy of death.  The final sacrifice for sin is now complete.  No more annual temple offerings.  It has been done once for all and forever.  His power is demonstrated, his deity affirmed, his kingdom is established. Victory is complete, death defeated, continuity guaranteed and life is now eternal.

The resurrected Christ becomes a watershed moment in history.  To most it is foolishness, but to a few it is the hope of the future.  This moment becomes a core part of the good news announced to a pagan Roman world.  When the philosophers heard Paul speak on Mars Hill, it was the resurrection that drew a line in the sand; some thought it ridiculous, others were curious, and a few believed.  Nothing has changed in 2000 years!

Act 5:  The Ascension

In this scene the curtain is closed but on the front of the stage the disciples are gathered around the risen Christ in serious conversation.  As they are discussing what the next scene will hold, Christ removes their ethnocentric lens by informing them that they are to be his witnesses starting from Jerusalem and extending to the entire world.  While the disciples reflect on the enormity of the mission, Jesus is “lifted up” and disappears from their sight.

The disciples leave the stage rejoicing while the curtain opens onto another dimension called heaven.  What is now center stage is foreign to humanity, but very familiar to our angelic audience who celebrate as they observe heaven receiving back the Son of God.

Only a few men have been given a glimpse into this dimension.  Stephan when he was being stoned, Paul when he had his vision, and the apostle John in the book of Revelation.

But what surprises our angelic audience is not that the Son of God has returned to heaven, but that he has returned still identified with humanity.  He remains the God/Man in his resurrected form.  The Son of God has chosen to remain identified with man even to the point of retaining the scars of his crucifixion.  Humanity has now entered heaven for the very first time.

The angels remember Jesus saying, “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” and they realize that the giving is more than just for a brief moment in history, more than the separation on the cross…he was given forever.  From the incarnation to eternity the Son of God would be wrapped in humanity.  Jesus has chosen not to return to his pre incarnation state of glory, but to remain identified with those who will become his family.

The once for all sacrifice is carried into the Holy of Holies by Christ, the final High Priest, and presented to the Father.  The sacrifice is complete, finished.  The ascended Christ becomes the representative and intercessor for his expanding family of faith in heaven.  Now each one can come boldly …with confidence …at any time …in his name.

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.  …Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:14-16).

In the final moments of this scene one more momentous event takes place.  The Spirit of Christ is released to be the Son’s representative on earth living in the hearts of his new family.  It fulfills Jesus’ promise made in the upper room not too many weeks earlier.  The Spirit is now sent to bring power into the lives of men and women of faith:  to testify, remind, empower, and guarantee their place with him forever.  After the ascension, following Christ is no longer a matter of personal determination but an abiding cooperation with the indwelling Spirit of Christ.

Luke ends his gospel and begins his book of Acts with the ascension, telling us that

  • At the cross the disciples were scared, confused and apprehensive
  • At the resurrection they were surprised, amazed and excited
  • But at the ascension they were filled with joy

In this scene God’s manifold wisdom is revealed as humanity enters heaven announcing:

  • The incarnation has no expiration date,
  • His sacrifice is accepted,
  • Reconciliation is possible,
  • The Holy Spirit is personal,
  • Intercession is direct, and
  • Christ is an elder brother.

Once again the heavenly audience sits in silence as they ponder the significance of all that has happened.  Can anyone ever again doubt His love for humanity or question his delight in the expanding family born through faith?  And as they ponder, they wonder what is still to come.

TADB 016: His Story-Demonstration/Crucifixion (Acts 2 & 3)

 Act 1:  The Incarnation

 Act 2: The Demonstration

In this next act the Son of God, now called Jesus, is revealed as a servant, fulfilling the portrait of a servant introduced by Isaiah the prophet hundreds of years earlier.  But now the heavenly audience sits in quiet amazement as they watch the prophecy take on reality.  The Creator of the universe, the One who spoke the entire universe into existence is living in obscurity, doing the work of peasants and common laborers just to make a living.  They watch him get tired, hungry, sweaty, and blistered.  But the hardest is to watch him be mistreated, rejected, and misunderstood.

The Apostle Paul reflecting on this scene years later writes, “who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,  but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant” (Phil 2:6-7).

Throughout this Act, truth walks in a body, light enters darkness, mystery takes on clarity, and power takes on poverty.   For thirty some years, omnipresence takes on space, omnipotence gets tired, and grace walks in sandals.  The angelic audience sits, wondering when Jesus will finally unleash his power, reveal his identity, and vindicate his glory.  How long will this humiliation go on?

Yet as Jesus lives out his humble life demonstrating patience and gentleness and serving rather than being served, something more is taking place.  On the surface he is our example, but at a much deeper level, he is our substitute.  He is living in total alignment with his Father’s will.  He lives as the second Adam in the way the first Adam should have.  His total obedience to the Father will give him the right to represent all of humanity and become the substitute for their unrighteousness.

“He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).

During his short 30 plus years on planet earth, Jesus never traveled far from his home town.  He spent most of his time among the poor and common people of a small but contentious nation that was a PS in the grand Roman Empire.    He never wrote a book, trying for the most part to stay out of the view of the politicians and religious elite.  He mostly taught about the arrival of the kingdom of God and what life in that kingdom looks like.  His message was as counter cultural then as it is now.  It was received with curiosity and skepticism.  Yet he boldly claimed that this kingdom was now accessible, he was the only doorway to it, and he was the rightful ruler of it.

The crowds, initially curious, even amazed at the authority of his teaching, took every opportunity to have him heal their sick, cast out their demons, and serve them a free meal.  They hoped that he would eventually use his power to liberate their nation from the oppression of Rome, giving them the peace that they had so long been waiting for.  They were willing even to promote him from rabbi to king if he would only do it now.  But as it became frustratingly apparent that a physical kingdom was not his agenda, they turned on him, accusing him with made up crimes and charges.

The angelic audience watches with increased anxiety as this scene goes from bad to worse.  The storm clouds are gathering.  They are realizing that if the plan is to gain a broad market for his message, it isn’t working.  Opposition mounts. The religious rulers are obstinately set on getting rid of him.  The few friends and followers he has are scared, confused, and unpredictable.  Then just when it seems like it couldn’t get worse, it suddenly did.

Act 3:  The Crucifixion

Act 3 lasts only a few days.  However, the impact of this defining moment will be felt at a cosmic level for ever.  In the natural 2-dimensional world, an obscure rabbi is unjustly accused and murdered for religious blasphemy.  Maybe a big deal to a small religious sect at a brief moment in time, but certainly not something that would be remembered very long or change the direction of history.  Caesar could…maybe.  Alexander the Great for sure, but not this one they call Jesus.

Since the Jewish leaders no longer have the right to use capital punishment, they threaten the Roman magistrate with possible insurrection.  They claim that the rabbi Jesus has been announcing his right to be their new king.  That did it.  Pilot gives in to their demands and after a beating and phony trial, Jesus is crucified on a cross outside the city of Jerusalem.  By all rights, this should finish the story.  He lived.  He died. The end.  Even his friends, as they put his body in a borrowed tomb, felt the disappointment and end of what was once a ray of hope.  Maybe in the future some will see him as a good man with a big heart or even a decent example to emulate.  He certainly had some great one liners and stories worth remembering.

But on a higher, spiritual dimension, this defining moment was the fulfillment of a masterplan laid out in the eternal mind of the Trinity before the earth was formed.  The Son of God becomes Jesus, the Son of Man, who then becomes the Savior of the world.  The accumulative sin of humanity is placed on the innocent, perfect Lamb of God.

Paul reflecting on this scene a few year later said, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8).

The ultimate “coup” is pulled off, rebellion is contained, the final sacrifice is made, sin is consolidated, God’s wrath is expiated, and the Trinity experiences separation.  At the cross God’s love meets His holiness in a brilliant display of grace.  Creation is liberated from the curse of sin and the bruised heel has finally crushed Satan’s head.

The angelic hosts never saw it coming.  They had never seen such a display of undeserving love.  Now grace takes on a new dimension, mercy is redefined, and love becomes iridescent.  They could hardly wait for the next Act to begin.  “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s Coming!” 

TADB 015: His Story-The Incarnation (Act 1)

The gospel is a story, a drama of epic proportions.  It is the revelation of God in and through his Son the one we call Jesus, the Christ, the Lord (Romans 1:1-3).  It is His Story.  What may surprise us in this drama is that it is not about us.  We are not the focus.  We are not even the main audience.  The Apostle Paul tell us what is really going on.

“I was chosen to explain to everyone this mysterious plan that God, the Creator of all things, had kept secret from the beginning.  God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display His wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.   This was His eternal plan, which He carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord” (Eph. 3:9-11NLT).

This perspective on what God is doing seems quite different from what is talked about on most Sundays.  Paul reveals that this great drama is about revealing God’s Son: who he is and what he is like.  The invisible (but real) spirit world is the audience, watching what is being played out on planet earth, comprehending with increased wonder God’s wisdom and glory.  And we, the one part of his creation that was made in his image, are the supporting cast!  We are being used to display (make comprehensible, glorify) his nature in all of its dimensions.

In our broken and sin infected world, we are the means by which God is displaying the depth of his glory and wisdom.  The angelic world is watching in amazement and we, for a brief moment in time, get to experience it.  It is not about us, but it is through us.

It may be humbling to realize that we are not the focus of this great drama.  We are in the play to illuminate the incredible nature of the Author and Director of the Story.  This concept is counter to our current narcissism where our overt mantra is:  “It’s all about me”.  This defiant chant has echoed down the halls of history to the present day.  The Bible begins the Story with the tragic fall of humanity into the “it’s all about me” declaration.  Yet the hope of the Christian faith is in its ability to deliver us from the slavery of our self-orientation and isolation to alignment with Christ under His loving authority.

Now playing:  His Story

From the theater of heaven, the angelic audience is looking at a small but special planet in a vast cosmos.  This planet and the activity on it are central stage for the continued revelation of the vast wisdom of God.

Reading the program for this cosmic drama we discover:

  • It is written and directed by God the Father
  • The music is performed by the Holy Spirit
  • The central character with the starring role is the Son of God, the second person of the trinity, the one called Jesus, the Christ, the Lord.
  • The setting and background is the created cosmos
  • Earth is center stage: a significant, pale blue planet in the vast sea of the universe
  • Supporting cast: All of humanity and in particular those called God’s family of faith

The drama consists of seven acts depicting the defining moments in the revelation of the Son of God.  Time can be described as either linear (chronos) or as a special moment (kairos).  A kairos moment is not measured in hours, days or years but as a period/season where something significant happens.  It could happen in a few seconds or over a lifetime.

The unfolding drama is made up of critical kairos moments (scenes) in which the Son of God is revealing who he is, what he has done, what he is doing, and what he will do.  Some of these moments are relatively short in duration (chronos time) while others happen over long periods of history.  In each kairos moment God is revealed in Christ from a different viewpoint, with different names, allowing us to experience his multi-dimensional nature.  Although he is always the same and never changes, his character becomes more obvious with each defining moment, giving us a complementary picture of the Son of God that together forms a grand, composite portrait.

 Prologue

The Old Testament is the background for what we are about to see.  Creation, the conflict between God and Satan played out in the Garden of Eden, the Patriarchs, the nation of Israel as a special people, all serve as the backdrop to the drama that is about to unfold.

Act 1:  The Incarnation

As the curtain is pulled back and this scene opens, our heavenly audience witnesses the eternal Son of God taking on humanity in an obscure little hamlet called Bethlehem.  They collectively break into song and applause while on stage only a few people even notice: just a few blue collar shepherds, a small band of curious scientists, and one irate, paranoid king.

Years later the Apostle John, tells his version of the grand Story.  “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).  The Apostle Paul commenting on this scene writes, “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body” (Col 2:9).

The angelic audience is amazed as they witness eternity becoming an embryo, deity taking on humanity, glory becoming a shadow, perfection becoming vulnerable, greatness disguised by obscurity, and infinity clothed in mortality.

“God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son … He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature” (Heb. 1:1-3).

The Son of God now calls himself the Son of Man, but his common, given name is Jesus.  Jesus is the English version of the Hebrew name Yeshua….a common name related to Joshua.  Whenever this name is used, it reminds people that the eternal God took on human form and became one of us.

The defining moment of the incarnation reveals the compassionate heart of God that had planned from eternity past to give up his natural expression of glory to become one with those who had rejected him.  His Love now becomes iridescent as it is diffused through the prism of humanity.

(Coming next:  Act 2 and 3)

TADB 013: The Law of Unintended Consequences

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids was a 1989 American science fiction family film produced by Walt Disney Pictdures.  It tells the story of an inventor who accidentally shrinks his and his neighbor’s kids to a quarter of an inch with his electromagnetic shrinking machine.  It is a whimsical adventure built around the law of unintended consequences.

Today I believe we are experiencing the unintended consequences of “shrinking” the gospel message as evidenced by the disparity between the normal Christian life presented in the New Testament and what is being demonstrated in our culture today.  Polls consistently reflect that a high percentage of Americans self-claim to be “born again”, but they show little statistical difference in values, morals, and behavior from those who don’t.  This embarrassing contradiction has been true for so long that it is accepted as the new normal.

One cause is certainly the lack of spiritual training and discipleship, but I wonder if there is not a more systemic issue.  I wonder if the epidemic of spiritual complacency regarding living a kingdom lifestyle goes back to our concept and presentation of the gospel message.

The term “gospel” simply means “good news”, but good news about what?  Gospel is a headline in search of a story (content).  There are a lot of gospels out there, but what is the gospel that is the power of God for salvation that requires faith and sets us free to live the eternal kind of life found in his kingdom?

When the New Testament writers use the term gospel they normally follow it with a prepositional phrase that gives it content (a story).  The most common one is some variation of “the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God”.

The book of Romans is the most complete presentation of the gospel in the New Testament.  In his introduction to the book, Paul makes the claim that he is an apostle set apart for the gospel.  But the gospel of what?  To Paul the gospel was not just a headline, it was a message, a story…about Someone.

Paul, a bond-servant of Christ Jesus, called as an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God…concerning His Son… Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom 1:1-3).  Paul continues in verse 16, “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation” (KJV).

In Paul’s opening presentation of the Gospel, he identifies three core aspects of the identity (story) of the Son of God:

Jesus:  The incarnate Son of God:  a real flesh and blood person in the lineage of David

Christ:  The anointed Deliverer:  the One to bring redemption to a broken world

The Lord:  The final Authority:  King, Master, Ruler

The New Testament gospel is the good news about the Son of God who is called Jesus, the Christ, the Lord:  the one who has made life in his kingdom accessible.  It is about him. It is more than a doctrine, it is his story…the whole story.

The first four books of the New Testament are called “Gospels”, each giving a portrait of the incarnate Son of God.  Together they present a composite picture of who he is from before creation to the final judgment.

In his book, Darwin’s Black Box, Michael Behe (biochemical researcher and professor at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania) introduced the concept he calls “irreducible complexity.”  In simple terms, this idea applies to any system of interacting parts in which the removal of any one part destroys the functionality of the entire system. An irreducibly complex system requires each and every component to be in place before it will function. The mouse trap is a simple example of irreducible complexity.  The mouse trap has five working parts each of which must be present for the system to work at all.  Remove one part and the whole mechanism is inoperable.

So what is the “irreducible complexity” of the gospel?  If the gospel is the good news about Jesus, the Son of God, then what about Jesus do we need to present (or believe) for the gospel to be operable?  Could it be that in our attempt to make the gospel marketable and simple in a soundbite world, we have actually “shrunk” it beyond its critical complexity, resulting in unintentional consequences?

What about Christ is optional to know, believe, or present?  Most of us would quickly react to a “liberal” gospel that presents Jesus as simply a good Teacher.  However, what is our response to a gospel that presents him as a good Teacher plus the sacrifice for sin?  Is that enough?

The gospel of Christ on the resurrection side of the cross is a composite of all that is true about him from Creator to final Judge.  When we shrink the gospel message to a few concepts, however important they are, we create a dichotomy between evangelism and discipleship that was never intended.  The result is discipleship becomes an elective and kingdom living an option.

Question for reflection:

How should the current cultural drift from a Judaic/Christian world view affect how we present the gospel of Christ?

TADB 009: Free but not automatic

The simple free throw in basketball is as old as the game itself.  One of the few things that has not changed over the years and is the same at every level of play.  It has always been 15’ from a 19” basket.  Close games are often won or lost by the free throw.  However, free means uncontested not automatic.

Knowing Christ is similar to the basketball free throw.  The privilege of knowing Christ on the resurrection side of the cross is made possible by grace through faith in the person and work of Christ.  Paul refers to this new connection as Christ “in us” and we “in him”. This new reality offers us an opportunity that must be developed.

Knowing the infinite God of the universe may sound wonderful, but it takes effort, practice and skill over time if it is to be realized.  Jesus, along with the other New Testament writers, taught and modeled how this relationship is developed.  In a previous blog I mentioned that Jesus connected knowing him with eternal life.  He made eternal life to be more like a verb than a noun.  Paul challenges us today to take action.  Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called (1Timothy 6:12 NASB).

The process of knowing Christ is similar to how we grow in our knowledge of any living person.  There are four critical elements to “knowing” someone including Christ.

  • Mutual respect
  • Consistent dialogue
  • Shared experiences
  • Authentic transparency

Mutual respect

Respect is foundational to knowing and ultimately to loving another person.  The Psalmist reflects on how God views the people he has created.  What is man that You take thought of him…and care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God and You crown him with glory and majesty!”  (Psalms 8:4-5 NASB).

Part of our challenge in knowing Christ is to understand and accept what he says is true of us who are part of his family of grace.  John states we are children of God (I John 3:1-2).  Paul says we are saints.  But what do we say?  Do we think of ourselves as worms or wonderful, vile or valuable, sinners or saints?

Equally important is what we think of Christ – not only in theological terms such as omniscient, omnipresent, and omnipotent, but regarding everyday life.  Most of us have a mental picture of Christ as the good Shepherd, but do we respect him as the person we would take with us into the boardroom or classroom….even picture him teaching a course on physics or psychology?

Dallas Willard identifies this as a major problem for discipleship:

What lies at the heart of the astonishing disregard of Jesus found in the moment-to-moment existence of multitudes of professing Christians, is a simple lack of respect for him.  He is not seriously taken to be a person of great ability.  But how, then, can we admire him?  And what can devotion or worship mean if simple respect is not included in it?  (The Great Omission p 19).

Developing an accurate picture(s) of the nature of Christ is the foundation for respect and true knowledge of him.  (Topics for future blogs).

Consistent dialogue

No friendship develops without mutual and consistent conversation.  It reveals what is on the mind and heart of another person.  Close down dialogue and you shut down the relationship (as most married people know too well).  Without consistent and mutual dialogue with Christ we may have a good theology but a shallow relationship.

We usually understand that prayer and Scripture form this dialogue.  The challenge is to develop this dialogue on a consistent and personal level.  The alternative is a “911” God who we call only when we are in trouble and Scripture becomes a Chilton’s Auto Manual that we look at only when something breaks.

 Shared experiences

Friendships are built one experience at a time.  Being together, sharing adventures, joys, heartaches, and sometimes just the daily routine, builds a relationship.  Shared experience creates a history of trust that can transcend time as evidenced by fraternities, sororities, military units, and sports teams.  As we trust and obey Christ in our daily lives our relationship with him will grow in scope and depth.

Mutual transparency

Christ does not promise to share his heart with casual observers.  Jesus told his disciples:

I no longer call you servants…I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you  (John 15:15). 

A study of the training of the twelve apostles reveals that Christ gradually revealed his heart as the disciples became closer to him.  His first invitation to the disciples was, “Come and see”.  By the time they were in the Garden of Gethsemane, they saw deeply and intimately into the heart and passion of the Savior.

Knowing Christ is a wondrous gift, but it must be developed.  The initiative and the means are from him, but he waits for us to act, to open the door and invite him into a relationship of KNOWING.

Reflection:

What practice (spiritual discipline) do you need to develop that would allow for a deeper relationship with Christ?  What would be a next step to make it happen?

TADB 008: Knowing is more than knowledge

For several months I was having a spiritual conversation with a physician friend of mine.  One day in frustration he said, “I don’t get it.  You (and those like you) talk about a personal relationship with Christ.  That doesn’t make sense to me.  How can you have a “personal relationship” with God?”

His response surprised me and made me think how casually I use that term without thinking about it or explaining it.  It does sound strange.  No other religion claims that its followers can relate to God in a personal way.   Wanting to explain the concept, I realized that the phrase “personal relationship” is not used in Scripture….but then neither is the word “Trinity”.   Although the words are not used the concept of relating to God on an individual and personal level is everywhere.  It would be presumptuous, even preposterous, if it were not taught as a reality.

Since this idea is so central to discipleship, let’s stop and see how it is developed in Scripture.

“Knowing” is a term in the New Testament that carries the idea of a personal relationship.  The Greek word is GINOSKO and Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words explains it like this:

GIN0SKO (GK) signifies “to be taking in knowledge, to come to know, recognize, understand,” or “to understand completely”.  In the NT (ginosko) frequently indicates a relation between the person “knowing” and the object known; in this respect, what is “known” is of value or importance to the one who knows, and hence the establishment of the relationship.

Jesus refers to knowing him as eternal life.   “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).   The implication is that eternal life is more of a relationship than a place, beginning at the moment of our new birth and lasting throughout eternity.  What if eternal life is the relationship we establish now and the essence of our future life in the new heaven and earth?

So how do we know Christ?  What does knowing mean when dealing with God who is both transcendent and invisible?  The Bible even talks about the possibility of knowing him as we would a personal friend.  How is that possible?

We can better understand the meaning of this relational knowing by comparing it with other things we know.

We can know a rock, for example, by studying its composition.  A microscope, chemicals, and diligence can reveal a great deal of knowledge about a rock.  Geologists can give us the history of the rock, how it was formed, and what it can be used for.  But though well informed, we would not claim to have a relationship with a rock.

Knowing a real person who lived in the past is another form of knowing.  A biographer is one who studies and writes about the life of an historic person so others can know about him or her.  Based on the reliability of the historic records used by the biographer, others can get a reasonably accurate picture of that individual.  But even with all that knowledge, the knowing is not on a relational, personal, or experiential level.

The biblical idea of knowing Christ (God) is more than knowing his composition (character and attributes) or the historic story line (the biblical account).  Rather knowing Christ is similar to how we would know another living person except, of course, that he is invisible.

There are four critical elements that are needed to have a personal relationship with another individual as well as with Jesus Christ.

  • Mutual respect
  • Consistent dialogue
  • Shared experiences
  • Authentic transparency

There is a danger that our knowing Christ is more like how we would know a rock or an historical figure.  We study and marvel at his attributes.  We explore his story down through the biblical records and become familiar with what he said and what others said about him.  But we may fail to personally know him through developing a life on life relationship.

In our next blog we will explore the above four relational dynamics in more detail.

For further reflection:  Think about the implications of the following presuppositions:

  1. God is knowable and delights in being known (1 John 3:1)
  2. God has made it possible to know him through the second person of the Trinity (John 1:18)
  3. Knowing God is possible but not automatic (Matt. 7:22-23)
  4. Knowing God involves revelation, faith, reason, and relationship (Eph. 1:17-18)

TADB 007: Beyond National Geographic

The pursuit of knowing Christ must be a firsthand, personal experience.  There is a wide difference between what is true and what we know is true, between what we say is true and what we embrace in our hearts to be true.  The Scripture tells us what is true about God, but only by experience can we know it for ourselves.  God is not satisfied with our second-hand knowledge; he wants us to know him personally.

“O taste and see that the Lord is good” (Ps 34:8).

The testimony of the saints down through history is that God is good.  But we don’t “know” it until we experience it (taste it) through defining moments in our own life journey.

Growing up in mid America in the 1950s, we rarely traveled outside of the state.  The interstate highway system was just being built and traveling cross-country on 2 lane highways was slow and dangerous.  One year our family got a subscription to National Geographic magazine.  The slick layout and colorful pictures was an immediate attraction to me.  I am not sure I ever read any of the articles, but I sure looked at the pictures.   National Geographic took the eyes of my mind to places I never thought I would see in person:  places like the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and Glacier National Park.

The following summer my parents announced that we were going to make a road trip to California.  Five of us piled into a 1952 two-door Chevy and headed west on “Route 66.”

Along the way we stopped and saw places we had seen in National Geographic.  I remember looking down from the edge of the Grand Canyon and standing next to a giant Sequoia tree thinking, “The pictures were great but no comparison to seeing it myself.”

In some ways the Scripture is an inspired National Geographic magazine.  It gives us snapshots of men and women in biblical history who encountered God and discovered something about him.  We read the text and vicariously gain a picture of the reality of God as it is illustrated in the lives of the saints of old.  However, that knowledge was never meant to be a substitute for our own experiences.  We, too, should be taking our own pictures and writing our own stories about our personal encounters with God.

John, one of the apostles who walked with the incarnate Son of God, wrote about this principle in his first letter,

From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in—we heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands.  The Word of life appeared right before our eyes; we saw it happen!  And now we’re telling you in most sober prose that what we witnessed was, incredibly, this:  The infinite Life of God himself took shape before us.  We saw it, we heard it, and now we’re telling you so you can experience it along with us, this experience of communion with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:1-3 MSG)

John is telling us that he encountered Christ firsthand.  Now he wants his experience to be ours, taking our own pictures and writing our own story.  Too often as Christians we are just reading or telling other people’s stories about their encounters with Christ.  We have not stepped out by faith and tasted the reality of God though our own experience and story.

The familiar story of Peter walking to Jesus on the water is as amazing to us today as it must have been to the other eleven men sitting in the boat.  I am sure they told this story often as they sat around their family dinner tables.  We may be hard on Peter for his lapse of faith when he took his eyes off Jesus and focused on the storm – resulting in more than just wet feet.  But only one out of the 12 ever actually walked on water!  Peter knew firsthand what they could only talk about.

The apostle Paul summarized his spiritual journey in Philippians 3 when he said, “… I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (Phil 3:8).  The “all things” were not just his past claims of righteousness but included his present success of ministry.  Paul was not content with his original understanding of Jesus.  He wanted to continue to personally know him in a deeper way both in experience and knowledge.

Along our journey of discipleship, we will encounter storms that threaten our boat.  The stories of how others met Jesus at their point of need serve as good catalysts to strengthen our faith and give us hope.  However, they can never substitute for our own personal encounters with God.  It is vital that we, too, “taste and see that the Lord is good.”

Reflection:

Think of a defining moment in your life when God showed up.  How did he do it and were you surprised?  What is the picture of God that was created by that encounter?

TADB 006: What’s in a name?

I recently went into the hospital for an outpatient surgery procedure.  I found it interesting how much effort went into insuring they had the right person.  Initially I was asked for my picture ID along with answering personal questions like date of birth, address, etc.  I was then led into the pre-op area where, while checking my stylish wristband, they again questioned me regarding my identity.

Once in the surgery room with all the staff and doctor in place they again asked me my name, DOB, and why I was there.  Then they took a vote!  Really.  One nurse said, “Do we all agree that this is the person he says he is?”  The last thing I remember was their unanimous confirmation.  Understandably, it was important that they had the right person not just the right name.

Although they confirmed my name, they still knew nothing about me as a person.  My name is simply a label that differentiates me from the other 7 billion people on planet earth.   It functions like a relational social security number.  Your name is also very important, but it doesn’t tell me anything about you.  (I would know more about you if you told me your nickname!)

In contrast, names were more than just a label in the biblical culture.  Names carried meaning that often described the person.  Sometimes they were prophetic regarding a future role or at other times, they might simply describe a person’s character.  For example, in the New Testament the disciple we know as Peter (rock) was originally called Cephas (stone).  Jesus gave him a new name that described Peter’s future role as a spiritual leader.

The second person of the Trinity has many names and each one forms a significant portrait of who he is.  The over-arching name is the Son of God which emphasizes his divinity and his eternal relationship within the Trinity.  We could say the name Son of God is like the clothes line on which all the other names hang.  Each of those names is critically important for our faith because it reveals something about the Son of God.  Each one gives a clearer understanding of who he is making it possible to know him and grow in our discipleship on the resurrection side of the cross.

For example, on the resurrection side of the cross the Son of God is referred to as the Lord Jesus Christ which contributes three portraits describing who he is.  The name Lord implies his authority.  The name Jesus or Jesus of Nazareth is the portrait of the incarnated Son of God living among men.  The focus is on his humanity.   Those names are generally understood.

The name Christ, however, is often misunderstood as it is used as though it was his last name rather than a unique portrait of who the Son of God is.  The name Christ is the Greek equivalent to the Jewish word Messiah and puts the focus on his being the anointed One.

Currently the name Christ is probably the most common description given to the Son of God with Jesus being a close second.  However, each of those names gives us only a single portrait of the real person behind the name.  In order to avoid misunderstanding and subsequent error, we must keep the composite of all the portraits in mind.

Jesus said, “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full” (John 16:24).  Jesus wasn’t referring to his name as a label but to his total person.  He wanted them to pray on the basis of his character, authority, and power, keeping in mind all that entails.

The names for the Son of God are portraits of who he is – not labels.  They are a critical way for us to know Christ.  They deepen our understanding and help develop our faith and trust in him.  We will discuss more names of the Son of God in future blogs as we continue to develop a multi-dimensional, composite portrait.  For the purpose of this blog, however, I will use the name Christ as the general name for the Son of God on this side of the resurrection.

Question for reflection:

What portraits are formed in your mind when you think about the names of Christ given in Isaiah 9:6?  In what way do those portraits affect your journey of knowing Christ?

“And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace”

TADB 004: Discipleship and the Theory of Everything

The Theory of Everything (TOE, for short) is the long-sought after expression (equation) to explain the nature and behavior of all matter and energy in existence.  This simple and illusive equation “would allow us to read the mind of God.” (Michio Kaku, theoretical physicist, City College, City University of New York)

Albert Einstein, considered to be the greatest scientist since Isaac Newton, desperately searched for 30 years to discover this grand theory…unsuccessfully.  Others have followed in his steps.  Some have given up while others claim that the “superstring theory” (whatever that is) is now the final answer.  But what if the ultimate explanation of everything is not a formula but a person?  What if the theory of everything is not a short equation but Christ, the eternal, second person of the trinity?

You may not have spent much time struggling over the TOE, but you probably have asked about the overarching theme of the Bible: the golden thread that holds life all together.  How you answer that question forms a lens through which you will look at Scripture and interpret life.  For some the thread is personal redemption.  For others it’s mission, God’s holiness, his kingdom, or his glory.

As we consider the adventure of discipleship, I would suggest the evidence indicates the overall theme of Scripture and life to be the revelation of God in Christ.  The Bible is a story of progressive revelation with the New Testament writers revealing the second person of the Trinity (Christ) as the ultimate focus from creation to the final revelation.

As we move along in the timeline of the Bible, God is revealed with greater clarity as Christ takes center stage (Heb. 1:1-3).  John records Jesus saying to the Jews in his day, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life;” (implying …or whatever else you are looking for) “it is these that testify about Me” (John 5:39).

Paul explains, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.   For by him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things have been created through him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Col 1:15-17).

After developing the role of the ascended Christ, the writer of Hebrews addresses the practical, real time application to our journey of faith when he says, “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith” (Heb. 12:1-2).  Among Paul’s final instructions to Timothy is the statement, “Remember Jesus Christ” (2 Tim 2:8).

Even the last book of Scripture begins with the words, “This is the revelation of Jesus Christ”.  Then serving as a warning to every succeeding generation, the angel commends the church at Ephesus for their work for Christ, but rebukes them for their loss of love for him (Rev. 2:4).

It is not a trite thing to say that discipleship is based on the relational centrality of Christ, the second person of the trinity, the Son of God.  He is the focal point of this great epic drama we find ourselves in.  Mission, redemption, kingdom, etc., all flow out of our understanding of Christ, who he is and what he has done.  Discipleship on the resurrection side of the cross puts Christ as the focus and the explanation of everything.  He is the lens through which we see and understand everything else.

Our challenge in discipleship is to make Christ the center and keep him there not just as a cliché, but as a practical reality.   When Christ is the Explanation of Everything (EOE/TOE), everything else fits.  When other things (even good things) slip into that position, eventually something gets distorted.  Our greatest privilege, opportunity, and calling between the resurrection and his final revelation is to discover and know Christ, the One who is and was and is to come.   It is out of our relational intimacy with Christ that transformation, mission, and everything else flows.

Questions for reflection:

  1. What are some ways the Scripture expresses the centrality of Christ? (Heb.1:1-3; Rev, 1:8; John 1:1-3; Phil 2: 9-11; Isa. 9:6-7)
  2. What are some of the “good things” that can slip in and usurp Christ’s centrality? (Rev 2:1-7)