"Ok, so how do you rule the Beast?” “Well Jesus did it, by giving up his life.” “Wait, rule the Beast by dying?”
What I’ve written here first began from a question on salvation and what that really means. I think perhaps we all go through this, especially those of us that have grown up in a Christian family and environment. All of us need to personally make the decision to follow Christ ourselves. Growing up Christian does not make us Christian. Only the blood of Christ cleanses us once and for all, not the blood of our saved parents running through our veins.
I think this is the second or maybe even the third time I’ve had questions about my salvation. No, I'm not questioning whether or not I’m saved. What I mean is that I have gone about life, living it the way I thought was “good” and “right.” I’ve then come to a point — especially when I read the Bible for myself — where I realise that something isn’t quite “right.” I haven’t even shared the Gospel with anyone. Why not? “I’m too awkward, I don’t want to be rejected and I know that the Gospel isn’t popular with the world.” Ah, but who should even care about any of that? If you saw someone hanging off the edge of a cliff and you happen to have a rope in your hands, you would offer that rope to that person right?
Was my heart truly on fire for God?
Here is one verse that has convicted me from the first time I read it. This was the beginning of my search where God would reveal to me what it means to be truly changed for Christ…
15 I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! 16 So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.
- Revelation 3:15-16 (NIV)
This was me… lukewarm. I grew up in a Christian background and went through the motions of being a Christian like those around me. I followed the right things to the best of my ability — going to church, reading the Bible and leading kids at a Christian camp — but was my heart truly on fire for God? I guess the way I worshipped revealed my heart for God. I didn’t enjoy it, I was even lip-syncing to make it look as if I was joining in, but really I wasn’t at all. I concerned myself far too much on what others would think of me if they heard my voice.
I knew something was wrong with this picture, but I also must have known that if I wanted to change, it would mean I would have to get out of my comfort zone. I would need to actually go and share the good news of Christ and make disciples. “That’s not me though. I’m socially awkward, how could I ever be able to cohesively, without fear, share about Christ? I’m so pathetic. I wasn’t built like that. I can’t do it.” I wanted to escape to an isolated island far from all existence. I couldn’t bear the possibility of people actually having any kind of relationship with me. I held hatred in my heart against myself. Perhaps I’m over dramatising this to some degree, but these thoughts definitely occurred from time to time.
Then God spoke to me something quite similar to this verse...
1b ...I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
- Revelation 3:1b-3 (NIV)
As you read in my other posts, God brought me to the DTS and saved me. He took away that fear and replaced it with a fire. 18 months later and I feel that fire is beginning to flicker out. I have been making the wrong decisions and slowly pulling myself away from God when I need to seek Him all the more. This is why I must write this. Why I feel the importance to really knuckle down and read what it says in scripture on what salvation truly is. What it means for my life here on earth. Shouldn’t my fire be like Jeremiah’s?
But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.
- Jeremiah 20:9 (NIV)
How do you receive salvation according to the Bible?
After the event on Pentecost happened in Acts 2, some claimed these people to be drunk. This was until Peter stood up and addressed the crowd, telling them how God would pour out his Spirit on all people. How everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. He talked with them about Jesus Christ from verse 36 saying,
36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” 40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
- Acts 2:36-40 (NIV)
How do you receive his gift of salvation? Firstly of course you must believe in God and that Jesus Christ is the living Son of God. Realise that it was your sins that Jesus died for. It was your sins and your punishment that he took upon himself on that cross. He created all of creation and has all of this immense power, yet He loved you so much that he came to this earth as a human and died for you. If you actually stop and contemplate that for even a moment — especially that he did all this for the sins that you have committed — surely you must feel cut to the heart! I think that is quite important right? To have that deep desire that you need to change and ask, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Repent. Ask God to forgive you of your sins and turn from sin entirely. Be baptised. In other words, die to yourself. Die to your old life of sin and give your life entirely to living for Christ. Become a new creation, be born again. Do this in the name of Jesus Christ. “And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come!
21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
- 2 Corinthians 5:15, 17, 21 (NIV)
You might be thinking, “I’ve read and heard this sort of thing a thousand times already.” Ok, good, but I think this next verse is so important to consider...
21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
- Matthew 7:21-23 (NIV)
Now, perhaps this is talking to imposters where they are actually going against the Lord’s will, but I think to myself… I haven’t prophesied, driven out demons or performed miracles in his name. I don’t believe that we are commanded to do those amazing things, but he does say “only the one who does the will of my Father…” He gives us one particular command. Go and make disciples. Can I come before the throne of God and declare that to the best of my ability, that I have gone out into the world and made disciples? The answer is no. I think if there was some bar — (which thankfully there is no mention of this in the Bible) — that measured how well I committed myself to the great commision, I might give myself 5% full at the most.
God will never abandon you
If you read the Bible, you will discover that truly following Christ is certainly not easy...
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
- Matthew 16:24-25 (NIV)
18 “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. 20 ...If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also…
- John 15:18-20 (NIV)
If you want to truly follow Christ, you will be persecuted. But know that God will never abandon you and that this world is so so very short in comparison to the eternity that awaits us.
He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich stone of salvation and wisdom and knowledge, the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure.
- Isaiah 33:6 (NIV)
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
- 2 Corinthians 4:7-9, 16-18 (NIV)
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.”
- John 14:1-4 (NIV)
Fill my heart with your fire God
Burn For You. This song by Rivers and Robots has got to be my favourite song right now. How it relates to my personal calling and even just how it fits with what I’m going through right now. Here are some of my favourite lines…
“...my soul longs only for You … Oh Lord in the season of waiting, let my heart burn only for You … Wake me up from my slumber God. Fill my heart with Your fire God.”
“Burn For You was written about spending time in prayer and reading the Bible and preparing our hearts in this season of waiting for Christ’s return. It is based on the parable of the ten virgins from Matthew 25. The song was also inspired by a Bob Sorge talk about the importance of spending time in the word of God – which he referred to as ‘collecting wood and putting it on the altar of your heart’.”
I realise now that this is such an important parable for the Christian. We don’t know when our time on earth is up, or when Christ will return. One thing we do know, is that we must be at the ready all the time! Please go and read it for yourself and try to understand it. For me, I think this oil could represent faith. How it cannot just be split off and given away. It’s something that we attain ourselves in our own personal walk with God in his Word. That is why the Sunday church service should NEVER be enough for the Christian! We need to walk with God in every day and every hour of the week. The continued burning or fire could represent the Holy Spirit and cleanliness or blamelessness. It could represent the Word rooted within us and our deep desire for Him and to share Him with others. Do you know what is so cool about fire? Yes at times it can be harsh, but the fire of the Holy Spirit will always strengthen and refine you.
(Also note in verses 11 and 12 how it relates with Matthew 7!)
I want to be someone who yearns for you Lord. I want to truly live out your greatest commandment that you have given to all creation...
My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.
- Isaiah 26:9 (NIV)
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
- Mark 12:30 (NIV)
We should strip away everything in our lives that pulls us away from Christ and leave it behind for good.
“Ok, so how do you rule the Beast?” “Well Jesus did it, by giving up his life.” “Wait, rule the Beast by dying?”
“On the cross, he exposed the sub-human nature of our evil by letting it do it’s worst and then he overcame it with his divine life and love. Jesus’ execution was his exaltation.” “So Jesus is the first human to ever overcome the Beast and as a result, he can partner with God to rule the world.” “And so now, Jesus is summoning a new humanity into existence. One that can overcome the Beast in the same paradoxical way...” “...to rule the Beast by dying.”
- The Bible Project’s “Son of Man”
In conclusion, I write all this to share my conviction. My hope is that these words would not fall empty. I want to look back on this someday soon and say “I have now been truly changed for Christ. I am on fire for him now more than ever! I have made disciples and I’ve even baptised others.” Even if I have to face persecution. I want to say at all times that I am ready for Christ’s return.
I hope the same for you. I pray that the Holy Spirit would continue to change you and mould you to be more and more Christ-like each and every day as it comes.
16 This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? 18 Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.
- 1 John 3:16-18 (NIV)
Also have a read of Colossians 3:1-17 :)
