Veiled

Chapter 3
The "already, not-yet" kingdom of God is "veiled versus visible...The really good news is that in Jesus the new order (His kingdom come) is already among us, but in a veiled, hidden form." That made me think of the spiritual warfare that is going on all around us and yet, we are so blind to it.  Then my mind jumped to me...how much of me is veiled to me?  God sees me through Jesus blood, pure, the woman I could be here on this earth if I would just completely surrender to him.
Father, your illuminating light is starting to break through the veil around me.  Give me the courage to tear back the curtain and let that light shine on me.  My "already, not-yet" is more like "not-yet but stretching toward." And most days, "not even close."  Thank You for letting this warrior-waif serve in your kingdom-now-and-yet-to come.

OCCUPY EARTH!

Pg 44 - "We mere human beings are given the privilege of inviting in God's glorious future.  We are given the privilege of asking heaven to invade and occupy the earth."

Occupy Earth is our prayer!  "Lord your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven!"
Ok, now I am confused.  My whole upbringing in the western church has taught me the exact opposite of what Jesus teaches us to pray.  I was raised in a non-denominational church - then spent some time in a charismatic church - worked in a Baptist, Covenant, Presbyterian, Lutheran and non-denom. church all through high school and college as a janitor.  One teaching/outlook all these denominations had in common......."To Hell with the earth, it is all about getting out of here (earth) and getting to Heaven!"

Sadly, my posture and attitude reflect the crass quote above.  At times I don't want Jesus' Kingdom to invade the earth.  I want out of here!  I want a place of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control!  And so does Jesus!  So He teaches us to pray, "Father OCCUPY EARTH like you OCCUPY HEAVEN!  Father bring heaven down to earth so that the nations might be saved!  Father invade the earth with your Kingdom so that the inhabitants might know love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control!

We need teachers, parents, and mentors praying this prayer that Jesus taught us to pray.  We need the Father to invade and occupy Jim Elliot Christian School.  Our focus in mentoring students shouldn't be, "How do we prepare them for the world out there," but rather, "How do we prepare them for God's ongoing invasion of the earth with His kingdom!"

Jesus taught us to pray this way - "Father your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven!"

God Appeases Himself

I'm still stuck on the concept of God doing what only God can do.  It both fascinates and puzzles me because now I can see it in so many ways I never realized before.  I am doing a Bible study by Kay Arthur and in it there is a statement close to this: Reconciliation is unique to the Christian faith.  Every other religion teaches that man has to appease God.  Biblical Christianity teaches that God appeases Himself, supplying what is necessary to reconcile us to Him: His Son's blood for forgiveness of our sins.  I never made that particular comparison to the world's thinking and God's doing.  God appeases Himself! Awesome!

“Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." Your Kingdom Come - Rule without Rival - Chapter 3

Your Kingdom Come -- As I read in chapter 3 about us partnering with Jesus through prayer to usher in His Kingdom, two passages of scripture popped in my head.   The first scripture that popped was John 12:31-32  – “Now is the judgment of this world, now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I when I am lifted up will draw all people to myself.”

I’ve always marveled at this scripture because in these two verses alone Jesus proclaims judgment, announces a massive cosmic shake up of the principalities and powers of darkness, and publicizes the most outrageous evangelism claim which is that this crusade will “draw all people to himself.” He covers a lot of ground in a few words here. WHOA!  

Even more outrageous to me is how he pulls off judgment, casting out, and drawing all people.  He accomplishes these incredible spiritual upheavals by being stripped and beaten and nailed to the cross.   In short, he reveals his utmost power and authority by dying for prideful punks in weakness and shame.  [Adding insult to injury – he offers this declaration of spiritual victory just after stepping off a donkey –(not the preferred mode of transport for kings asserting their ultimate authority.)]

The other scripture that came to mind while reading and thinking of John 12 was Isaiah 53.  Isaiah offers a visceral biography of creation’s king when he prophesies,

“He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
    and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
    nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
He was despised and rejected by mankind,
    a man of suffering, and familiar with pain.
Like one from whom people hide their faces
    he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

Surely he took up our pain
    and bore our suffering,
yet we considered him punished by God,
    stricken by him, and afflicted.
But he was pierced for our transgressions,
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
    and by his wounds we are healed.
We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
    each of us has turned to our own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
    the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted,
    yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
    and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
    so he did not open his mouth.
By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
    Yet who of his generation protested?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
    for the transgression of my people he was punished.
He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
    and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
    nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
    and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
    and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.
After he has suffered,
    he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
    and he will bear their iniquities.”

These passages lead me to a prayer: Dear god, Thank you for revealing love’s highest glory and love’s greatest power through Jesus.  God I try to avoid it and pretend many times it’s not true but in this moment I can see just a little that the glory of love, the power of love, and your Kingdom of love are most intensely and visibly seen in one eternal place and one eternal time…..the cross.  God, often I forget or deny that if I want to encounter love in its purest form, then I need to have the courage to see Christ and Him crucified.  And Lord, I need to see Steve Mann and him crucified.  God, give me the courage and the wisdom to put myself in a sacred place of laying down my life for others so that I can commune with you, and with Jesus, and your Holy Spirit as a child in the image of your Son – dying, in love, for a lost world.  From the very beginning you willed to make me in your image.  Help me to see the freedom in letting you accomplish this promise. 

Thank you for unleashing your spectacular power unto salvation on Good Friday.  Thank you for inviting me to participate in “your kingdom come” by bidding me to take up my cross daily. 

Amen. 

Steve's Most Terrifying Prayer Request...... Glorify Your Name

A day has yet to go by in my life that I don't marvel that Jesus defines the hour of His glory as ascending to the throne of the cross. 

Calvin pictures the scene this way - "For in the cross of Christ, as in a splendid theatre, the incomparable goodness of God is set before the whole world.  The glory of God shines, indeed, in all creatures, on high and below, but never more brightly than in the cross." (38)  

Darrell Johnson describes the stunning glory of the cross when he writes -  "Because in giving his life for the world, in emptying himself in servant love, the nature and character of God is fully manifested for the entire world to see."  (39)

When by grace, I can just glimpse a little bit of Christ's complete & passionate commitment on the cross to His unfaithful, abusive bride, I am awestruck & breathless.  The power & glory of His body broken for me when I was faithless crushes my knees.  His absolute mercy shatters my rebellious soul.  

Thanks Jesus for being the perfect revelation of love.  

Thanks Jesus that you inspire me by Paul to consider, "Don't you realize, that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's spirit lives in you!"

Jesus -- I timidly offer you this most uncomfortable & terrifying prayer - "Jesus, would you make me in your image of perfect love?  And glorify your name?"

Amen.  

Father, hallow your name!

"Jesus is inviting us to enter into the deepest passion of God's heart; "Father, hallow your name." - pg. 33.
The gentle reminder the author gave me was refreshing.  I can't hallow God's name on earth like it is in heaven- only He can!
"On earth as it is in heaven"
Only the Father and the Son know the reality of heaven.  I do not...yet...so Jesus teaches us to pray, "Father, bring the reality of heaven to earth!
The Father can hallow His name like no one else.   An incredible clarity comes upon me when I view life through the lenses of the Father hallowing His name vs. me hallowing His name (I should say- me attempting to hallow His name).

I echo the author's opening remarks, "What a great gift Jesus has given us in the prayer!"

Father, You Make Yourself Real

I was so caught off guard by the explanation of "let us hallow your name" in chapter two.  I am humbled to realize that this is another example of asking God to do what only He can do. I want to be part of the process of giving glory to God but I am not able to actually glorify God the way it should be done.  That thought is both humbling and freeing. "Only you can display the glory of who you are. O Father, you do it." (page 32). And help me to play my part!