Tuesday, December 14, 2010

A Call to Real Freedom

Jesus went about teaching the Kingdom of God. The main message and theme of John, the Baptist was the Kingdom of God. Paul towards the end of his life in Rome where he had spent 2 years, preached about the Kingdom of God and the King Jesus Christ. Jesus whenever he spoke to His disciples and to the crowd talked about the Kingdom of God.
 In the Old Testament, the Hebrews who were slaves in Egypt talked about the Promised Land flowing with milk and honey, the dream land. Before they could enter this land Moses had to free them from the power of the Egyptian King. Egypt represented another Kingdom where slavery was the lifestyle-oppression, violence, exploitation, hard work, injustice and slave drivers dictating how the slaves should live. People were helpless and had no voice against the mighty power of evil. All they could do was to cry out to the God about whom they had heard- the God of their fathers. They had no personal experience of this God, just a memory and a promise. 400 years is a long time to be disconnected and to take up the evil lifestyle of the alien country even though their souls longed for something called freedom. It is difficult to know what freedom is if one has never experienced it and is born into slavery. The only life they can desire is the life of the slave masters. From being oppressed to becoming oppressors.  Moses had the hard job convincing these slaves about the Real God Jehovah and undermining the powers of the Egyptian Gods. Ultimately through the death of the first born, the Egyptians and their King Pharaoh, the Exodus began. It also meant the sacrifice of the lambs by the Hebrews representing their own death, the price they also had to pay to come out of Egypt- a sign of mercy- God substituting the human life with the life of a lamb. In fact all the Hebrews too died on that day to the life of slavery. Freedom also required that they take part in the life of the lamb by eating it and covering their homes with its blood. The blood was a sign to both the angel of death and to the Hebrews that freedom required a price, the death of an innocent animal on their behalf. The unleavened bread showed that they need to put on an uncorrupt lifestyle and bitter herbs represented that of the bitterness of slavery. So the death of the lamb started the beginning of their walk to freedom.
            . Their identity as the liberated people became a reality as they crossed the Red Sea where they experienced the death of the evening of their own freedom. Their walk through the Red Sea became the sign of them being chosen once again to be a different people group. Till now Moses had not spelled out the new laws of the Promised Land nor the life style they needed to embrace. The initial exuberance of joy soon began to fade as they faced the difficulties of the life ahead and slaves take a long time to experience true freedom. They continued to experience the goodness of God and His provisions but soon the delay in reaching the Promised Land and the inconveniences of the way brought out the old habit patterns of the inner soul. They began their grumbling and complaining and longed for the old life style. In the end most of them perished before entering the promised land- a sad end to a good beginning. This story repeated itself throughout history. Most of the liberated people in the midst of trials choose to go back to the old life style. Very few longed to enter the Promised Land. External freedom does not guarantee internal transformation. God too experiences this agony and promises another event where “His very own life will be implanted in the Human soul.”
            Jesus came to inaugurate this event. He talked about the Kingdom of God as a present day reality with a future fulfillment. He shared about the life in this Kingdom, its values, life styles, above all the language of love that is the hallmark of the kingdom. His initial step was to free us from the spiritual power of the Evil slave master. Jesus recognized the Devil as the one who controlled and blinded the minds and hearts of the people all over. The Devil controls and manipulates them through his agents and keeps humans in fear and under the spell of superstition. He encourages them to have religion and shifts their focus to materialism and power games. He gives them a sense of freedom but it is glorified slavery. So Jesus had to reclaim humanity from the power of the evil one. He became an exchange. He bought us back from the evil by offering himself as the price. Our initial freedom cost him, his very own life. God’s love for us was so great. He gave the second person of the Trinity whom he called His son to be the ransom to the Evil master to redeem us. This took place in the supernatural realm but was represented in history on a mountain called Golgotha on a cross.
            At the same time our death was incorporated in that glorious death. Just like the Hebrews slaughtered the lamb on their behalf and accepted the death of the lamb by taking part in the eating of the flesh and anointing their homes with the blood, representing their death to the life of slavery and penalty of their sinful life paid by the lamb. God put the sin of the whole world upon Jesus as our sin bearer on the cross. We can only take part in this event through faith. To believe that Jesus took my sins and freed me from eternal death is my salvation.
            These two events were accomplished by God without our help or initiative. Its God’s plan of freedom from slavery. (trust you are still with me!) Now we enter the Red Sea called baptism saying goodbye to the past recognizing that the death of Jesus meant our death and the resurrection of Jesus is our resurrection to new life. We are still in the same world run by the defeated evil one. He is still the ruler even though we are bought at a price. He continues to convince people that he is in charge. If there is no faith in Jesus then we’ll continue to live in slavery even though we are freed. Our lifestyle shows whether we believe in Jesus and what he accomplished. Just like the Hebrews who had so much ‘egypt’ in them even after they crossed the Red Sea. Inspite of all their experiences of miracles and God’s visible power and presence, their hearts had not changed. Their enthusiasm and joy lasted only for a short time.
            Jesus spelled out the lifestyle of the Kingdom of God for those who believe. It is radically different from the current worldly system. He shocks us with his almost impossible lifestyle, attitude and values. But the big difference is what he promises. His indwelling in us is to empower and enable us to live His Kingdom life in the evil world. It is tough but possible. This brings both extremes of joy and pain. Pain is a result of the enemy’s perseverance and also a result of experiencing death to self and the old life style.
            Jesus reminded us that we are made for better things. We are to be eagles living as the king of the sky enjoying the freedom of space and pure air. We are made to think high and live at a different level, in another dimension.
            Life in this world is not the end. There is another world waiting for us. Everything pure is only there. But we are here to learn a new way of living and speaking. We are in a school of learning. Imagine a foetus in a mother’s womb for 9 months. Most of his or her organs have no use inside this dark world called the womb. There is no light, no sound, nothing to smell, no beauty around. Just an uninteresting world. Yet, slowly the foetus is developing organs in the silence of the darkness. Everything the baby is developing is preparing for a life outside the womb where every organ has a purpose and fulfillment. There is beauty to behold, music to be heard, flavour to be tasted, land to walk on, things to be touched, thoughts to be made and food to be eaten. If the baby decides to come out earlier than expected, then life becomes hard. He becomes a misfit and feels awkward and needs a lot of help from others. Freedom is restricted and dependency becomes the norm.
            If I want to go and live in another country, the first thing I ought to learn is the language and accepted behavior pattern of that country. If I don’t then I will feel awkward, miserable, misunderstood and basically will feel lost.
            Now Jesus tells us about another land far away where God reigns. But it can be experienced and tasted even now. The language and the lifestyle of that land are so different but one can learn some of it here so we will not feel misfits or embarrassed once we reach there. This language of love is spelled out by Jesus through many stories and discourses and above all through his life. The more we look at his life and practice the language of love it will be easier of us to taste the life waiting for us. We can transform our little world and make it the Kingdom of God. As Jesus promises to live in us through faith and through his spirit, we are given power and reason to embrace this new lifestyle. The Kingdom of God is a community living to express the life in the Kingdom. Jesus is the King and we are His subjects. The Devil is no more our ruler and we have the power to say ‘no’ to him. We can unlearn our old slave lifestyle and take on the new lifestyle of Jesus. It will take time. No one graduates from school in one day or in a year but definite progress is made. We can check this by evaluating ourselves against our master’s words. We can develop friendship with others who are in the Kingdom and continue to learn the language of love and become a body of light and salt. As we live in this world we are constantly bombarded with thoughts and ideas from the evil one who controls the system of this world. He has enough support from the majority of people who still give their allegiance to the evil one as the unseen master through ignorance. Many of his suggestions find a chord in our old lifestyles and it is easy to become victims of this manipulation again. So we need to keep vigil and in times of pressure not to conform to the patterns of this world system. We can use the power of prayer that will release God’s goodness and give us strength to overcome these evil schemes. We are already given much wisdom through the words of Jesus and when we face temptations prayer is the means by which God unleashes his power. God wants us to use our power and privileges as His children to stand against the evil one and his worldly system. Fellow kingdom subjects can join in this war of prayer. We need to constantly remind ourselves and each other who we are, who owns us and what we are here for. We can affect heaven and change can be set in motion in people’s lives. We need to be aware of the cosmic war for our souls. Every scheme of this world takes place to draw our hearts and minds towards destruction. It is camouflaged but deep down it promotes hatred, selfishness and death. Staying with Jesus in the Kingdom lifestyle alone promises abundant life and inexpressible joy. So let us prepare ourselves for this higher life where we will find our true freedom. Jesus personified the kingdom of God and if we want to know how the kingdom of God looks like we can look at Jesus. We who have experienced the joy of being redeemed and forgiven and have tasted the life in this Kingdom ought to take active steps in making the message attractive and real.

            What are the benefits of living in the Kingdom?

We have peace with God and with one another and with oneself.
There is no guilt or shame of the past as we experience forgiveness of all our sins, wrongdoings and feelings.
We experience victory over habits that are damaging and have the power to say ‘no’ to the evil ideas and plans.
We have a sense of freedom to love God and a desire to be in His presence and a greater desire to do His will.
We enter into a relationship with God as our Father and begin to understand his ways and be able to communicate with him.
We have a sense of identity and security in God, we are loved by God and accepted by him as his beloved children.
Jesus not only becomes our savior and our Lord but our friend and teacher.
The Spirit of God becomes our guide and counselor.
 We are promised a life of joy have the privilege to suffer for God’s sake.
We come to know the vanity of life here and the meaninglessness of materialism, so we hold on to eternal life and the hope that is waiting for us. The Kingdom life is a life of contentment and a life of sharing and receiving and a life of accepting the mysteries of life along with its paradoxes, yet having the assurance of God’s intimate presence as a gift.
The Kingdom life is a life of grace, a thankful heart for all the wonders of life in the universe. It sees the design and beauty and complexity and purpose in everything.
In Kingdom life one experiences the generosity and the greatness of God and also his utter humility and openness towards creation.
In Kingdom life we become partners with God to reclaim the lost both in nature and in humanity from the defeated Devil. We feel responsible to shine in dark places and bring flavour to life through our own lifestyle.
Kingdom life is a life of rest. All my longings continue to find its rightful place and its fulfillment in God and his promises.
 In Kingdom life I am challenged to be a servant who serves others. It’s a life of kindness and patience towards my fellows. It is a life of compassion and understanding where we see people through Jesus’ eyes and do what He will do in any situation. It is non-judgmental yet desires the best for others.
Kingdom life is a life of true passion. This passion is kindled by God’s love and also by hatred towards sin and evil. It is awakened whenever one encounters the image of God being distorted and devalued. This anger directed towards evil becomes a motivating force to do something to redeem the situation.
The Kingdom of darkness competes for all the good in the Kingdom of light by producing counterfeits. Spirituality is replaced by religion. Love is replaced by selfishness. God is replaced by money. Permanent values are replaced by temporary convenient glamour. Servant hood is replaced by manipulative power.
The Kingdom life is the great reversal and Jesus of Nazareth came to inaugurate this through His life, death and resurrection showing that this is the business of heaven.
As we are in the war zone we will face all kinds of trials and difficulties. We are not immune from the effect of war. Our minds will be affected and go under a blanket of depression, doubts and anxieties. Our bodies will be affected with sickness which may have no treatment. Our pain may not have any relief. We may experience the agony of broken relationships. The world may hate us and the Devil may tempt us. Inspite of all these, our faith in the living God and His presence will be enough to take us to the shore. Many casualties of this war can disappoint us. We are called to behold The Man and trust in His keeping power. Through it all we learn the language of love, “Jesus’ language” and are prepared for the ultimate life with the triune God of love in eternity. This hope does not disappoint us. We become more than conquerors and shall be called the over-comers.
Those who live in darkness find it difficult to imagine light and the effect of light. Slaves find the concept of freedom rather frightening. Religious people find spirituality disturbing. So in his exposition of the message and the reality of the Kingdom of God Jesus used familiar human stories and the wonders of nature to give some insight into the heavenly realities. His parables are meant to communicate one or two main truths. Too much reading and interpretation will distort the core message. Some of the parables Jesus explained to the disciples. He also challenged the crowd to see and hear in the right way. The Kingdom of God has a small beginning but it has the power to spread and grow. It has a built in power to expand.
The Kingdom of God is a priceless pearl, a wedding feast. Missed opportunities, underserved grace, full of surprises and shocks, mercy and judgment both in its perfection will be revealed on the final day. The Kingdom of God is already here with the coming of Jesus. Where two or three are gathered, it has the power of light and salt, and leaven and fishing net and a mustard seed. It can dispel darkness, give flavour to life, prevent decay and influence society and provided shelter to many and be fruitful. It also reveals the ugliness of life around, the corruption in society, the hatred and violence. It has the power to attract seekers and the oppressed and the wise. It also evokes violence from those who oppose truth. As Kingdom people worship in truth and in spirit they influence the decisions in heaven. This frees God to act on behalf of his people. They have the privilege to shake the very foundations of hell and paralyze the enemy. Unity in the Kingdom is crucial. Again when two people agree, prayer power will be unleashed in the spiritual realm. We are not called to make a United Kingdom of both God and the Devil but many try to bring these two opposing ideas and realities and work out a middle way. Jesus said it is impossible. So why waste our time? It’s futile.
 There is a day of reckoning on the final day of history. Sheep and goats, wheat and chaff, good and bad, all will be separated and God’s justice will prevail. Till then all will be mixed. We do not have the authority to judge and categorize people. It is not our job.
 There is nothing common between light and darkness, life and death, hope and despair, heaven and hell, God and Devil. We have the freedom to make choices and live with its consequences. Love makes sense only if the possibility of not loving is present within the framework of genuine freedom. God alone is unfree in this character. Created beings need to become unfree through choices to embody the eternal truth and values. So ultimately they have the potential to be like God in his perfection.
The Kingdom of God is a call to believe and make choices that will have eternal repercussions. Jesus stands at the temple, in our hearts, in the streets and cries out, “If anyone is thirsty for this Kingdom let him come”. What a call from slavery to freedom. What will be our response?

Jesus and 'the Temple'

Today I read from John’s gospel about Jesus going to the Jerusalem temple (John.2) and His actions there. When the Jews demanded an explanation for His authority to do such a thing Jesus talked about His body. This made me think about my body, the hardware that keeps and protects the software!
When the sense of holiness is removed, the temple is another structure, however beautiful and appealing it may look. Its stone, timber, a bit of gold and silver for decoration and fabric for covering. We can marvel at the time and investment put into it and feel very proud of the structure. Jesus walked into this set up and saw it as a place to rob people and to hide from reality. He saw a profit driven industry specialized in lies. The place became a stinker. Instead of the aroma of the incense, it was filled with the smell of animal waste.
He demonstrated radical cleansing! And this was not appreciated and this sealed His destiny.
He talked about His Body in this context. Yes the body you and I have- the flesh and blood that walks and talks –the mind that thinks and the heart that feels. The physical temple only represented the real temple - you and I. Jesus saw it as a house of prayer - open to all and for all. My body is the sacred sanctuary where worship and intercession for humanity should find its home. Even though this body is subject to decay, one day it will be resurrected and transformed. It is not a cheap biological tool to rob people off their dignity, worth and energy.
It’s the abode of the Holy Spirit and its where Jesus and Father are waiting to come and make their home. It is where the triune God finds intimate communion with me –a place of Peace, Joy and Love.
Now what does Jesus find as He makes His way to this temple, this body?
Animal life?         
A life full of meaningless exis
A life lived at the level of instincts- at the sensual level.
A life in the dirt.
Materialistic life?
All talk is about money and more money.
All concerns are about what can be bought, what profit can be made
What investments to make             
How to avoid tax, how to multiply, what is new to spend money on…..            
A life constantly seeking for sure security, power, prestige and pleasure.
A life busy with covering up fears and purposelessness.
What do I feed my body with at all levels?
What do I take in and what comes out?
When God is no more a reality or the Passover loses its meaning, life in the body becomes a burden and aloneness becomes restlessness.
The emptiness of a prayer less life is filled with noise and clutter.
The golden calf and the goddess Lakhmi replace the living God.
Preoccupation with the external at the cost of the internal leads to alienation-a divided house
Jesus has nothing to do with this misuse.
He whips it out-no compromise. He over turns the money world and chases the animal world-- to where it should belong-Out side!
All short cuts to convenience and easy life need to be faced with ruthless honesty.
The Body is not a place to hide from the inner and outer realities of evil.
The purity and the holiness of the temple-my body- needs to be maintained for the purpose for which its made-communion with God.
What a challenge to live an uncontaminated life
Out of this understanding alone flows my vision of the other bodies around.
It can only come if there is a zeal for God’s view of life in this body.

Laji's Cortical Reflections

God’s word, or…

I am getting a bit tired of all the interpretations and commentaries of the scriptures by preachers and teachers of ‘the word’. I feel disturbed by the sheer cerebral exercises that abound in the Christian world.
Why do we find it so difficult to accept and understand the word as it is presented? Why do we have so many interpretations? Is it because we do not want to simply obey it and are trying to find a way to avoid obedience? Is it just a business to gain more wealth? If there is no monitory gain how many people would really write? I wonder!

The person of Jesus

I want to look at the person - the Man Jesus. This is how he was seen by most of the people in his time. A carpenter from Nazareth, Mary’s son. Then he began to do things that slowly changed some of their opinions. During the three years Jesus did various things:
·         Jesus performed miracles and wonders
·         Jesus had encounters with various normal people
·         Jesus taught by straight talking and through parables
·         Jesus demonstrated through His actions
In the book of Acts, Peter said, “Jesus - a man accredited by God through miracles, wonders and signs”. God gave credit, honour, glory and declared that Jesus was special - His beloved Son.
So the purpose of the miracles that Jesus did was primarily for the disciples to have faith in Him. (John 2:11) These things are written for us to know and believe that Jesus is the Son of God and receive eternal life (John 20 30-31)
What about the Man himself? How much did He know to start with? If He emptied himself of divine nature (omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence) and took the form of a man, then his position and ability was very similar to Adam in his un-fallen state. Then how did he know all that he knew?
As a child he heard the stories of his people and God’s dealings from his mother. Year after year he went to Jerusalem to attend the Passover festival and watched and discussed the meanings of those rituals. Every Sabbath he listened to the scriptures read in the synagogue. He spent time with the written word and had times of reflection.
As the days went by a greater awareness of God and his purposes began to crystallize in His mind. A picture began to emerge like a photograph in a darkroom. The hidden messages over the centuries began to make sense and he found his roles and goals in those words. In the OT he found The Code—not the Da Vinci code (!) but the Nazarene Code. It was all about how to live and how to die
He found the pieces of the puzzles of his life in each book. In fulfilling those identities he found the purposes of his life. He enacted the bits and pieces of history and made history. In history he saw His story. The meaningless stories of the past became meaningful history.
Jesus said it again and again – that the scriptures had to be fulfilled.

The Word of God…

The word of God spoken by God in the past had power and creative life of its own – waiting to accomplish what it was sent to do. The word is referred to as the seed – something with potential to bring life. All those words, promises were buried in the scrolls waiting to become alive and real in the chosen one.
Jesus became that person who made the word FLESH. Now those meaningless disconnected words became a walking and talking reality. The Man found all those words and he became the MISSION of those words. Both the Word and Man found each other. Spoken word became Living word – a life centered on the purposes of God. The Man had no other interests than fulfilling the words spoken. All his moments were defined by the word. He became ready and the word made him ready.

Revealed…

The one who came from God longed to reveal God. He became tired of all the mis-representations of God by religion. So He began His teachings to reveal the true heart and mind of God. He presented a radically different God – absolutely unbelievable to the religious kind.
Ever Loving and Waiting Father
A God who is tender, non-judgmental, forgiving, crazy and true
A God whose promises are outrageous and shocking:

Abundant life, Overflowing life, Full life,
Eternal life, Joyful life, Sacrificial life,
Dignified life,  Fearless life,
Secure life,  Blessed life.

Then he dies and is brought back to life. He continued to make promises. The biggest of them is Jesus, His Life and His Spirit, are mine. This looks like an impossible offer. Can this be true? Do I dare to believe this? It’s a very personal offer, a gift. His life can be lived out just like He lived. Breathe In and Live out Christ. What a Challenge to us in the 21st century!
His Father, my father
His Spirit, my spirit
His Love, my love
His Life, my life
His Style, my style
The scripture is written to generate faith that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God and in believing in Him I may have His Life and all that this means. So instead of avoiding the central issue, I need to face it. 

Become flesh... to me

Now what does it mean? Yes I believe that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe that I have eternal life. Now I need to find my role and goal in this world. Just like Jesus, I need to look at the Word. I need to allow the seed to take root in my life so that His words may find a home in my being. His words need to become Flesh in my world. I need to learn to think and feel and act likes Him. I need to unlearn my old ways of relating to God and people. Jesus is the most loving person. This means that I have the potential to live a life of real love. He lives in me and as I interact with him thru his words, His spirit can form Christ in me. Jesus talked about eating and drinking him – a remarkable way of describing our daily diet. This changes my outlook on so-called bible studies. It is not for more intellectual knowledge and stimulation but for living the way he lived.
When I read the miracles of Jesus, I need to look for a new revelation of God’s character that Jesus displays.
When I look at His personal encounters, I need to look at my life and listen to His challenges.
When I read straight talk, let me not come with excuses. When I read the parables, let me enter the mysteries of God and His ways.
When I read about his passion, let my heart be softened by his love.
I need to be soaked in him so that in my encounter with the world outside, Christ is displayed and experienced. It means acceptance and rejection. It’s a call to enter into His life fully. All that He experienced will be my experience also. I may fall away like the disciples in many areas but slowly and steadily, I will be transformed to His image. I will never fall out of grace – this is His promise.

What an exciting offer!

He has put us in families and societies to learn this new lifestyle. I have a lot of unlearning to do and I find it hard. It is easy to live the way I always lived. But I know the deep restlessness and unhappiness that it brings. I want to look at all of life to express the life of Jesus. Every encounter with people is an opportunity to love unconditionally. Every day is a new day to know my Father’s love. Every opportunity is a chance to live the message of The Kingdom of God.
The simplicity of Jesus is amazingly attractive. Do I have the courage to leave everything and follow the lover of my soul?

Monday, December 13, 2010

Questions and Quest

Do theologians know all the answers? Whatever they seem to know and talk about is based on the scriptures, which is available to me also. How much of what they say is just interpretation and commentary? Why should I accept all these thoughts and teachings of the theologians as right and believe  what they say as its true meaning. They speak as if their interpretation reveals the exact mind of God for me.
So let me have my thoughts as I think about the word and what make sense to me. I can be wrong in my interpretations. But then who can claim to have got it right in every way? We all see dimly and our knowledge is partial. We are in the dark most of the time hoping for a greater clarity. It doesn’t change some of the facts; especially who Jesus is, what He has done and my faith in Him. I am totally mixed up. I do not have noble thoughts and desires all the time. It is not in me to be good all the time. Striving to be perfect only leaves me exhausted and depressed. I need some one higher, superior and perfect to sort me out and show me the way. I will never make it to the kingdom of God on my own. I do not buy the idea of karma. It does not work for me. I continue to be a casualty in this chaotic cosmos. In this battlefield, we are all targets. No one is safe and nothing can be predicted. The only thing that does not change is God’s word and His principles.
The battle
If you are on God’s side, the spiritual battle is greater. God’s children are not exempt from attacks or dangers. There is no special protection guaranteed. We are all in this war. We need to know whose side we are on and whom we are fighting. The enemy does not follow any rules. He does not follow terms and conditions of war or UN resolutions. He attacks the mind, emotions and the body. He creates confusion, disunity and doubts. He knows the weak areas in each person and exploits that especially at the moral level. Our addictive behaviour pattern becomes the handle for him to control us. He disguises as a friend and an angel of light. He promises instant relief and good feelings. His main strategy is to take away our love for God and love for each other and get us pre-occupied with ourselves. Once we move toward seeking our own satisfaction, he makes us his puppets.
Wealth and beauty
He charms us with glittering toys and candies and traps us to worship his counterpart – Lakshmi-the god of materialism. Once we are attracted towards her, it’s almost impossible to get out of her clutches. We begin to rationalize all that we do to avoid the inner pain and drivenness. Many give up and give in to the enemy. The temptation to be an ally to the enemy for short-term benefit and comfort is powerful. We can take advantage of grace, but somehow God prefers to give us this freedom of choice than control us to do His will. I am just glad that the eternal God found me hurt and broken in the battlefield. He took steps to rescue me and rehabilitate me. I am still recovering. It’s all His doing and I am glad for this extravagant grace. I am still shocked by this love. How long it will take to recover, I do not know. But His promises and His presence are there as a healing balm. So let me go on with my thoughts. Fellow failures and victims are welcome to share in this journey of my soul.
Scripture - years and years of revelation/history/man’s struggle with sin and with life, all looking for some relief, trying to make some sense, their longings and doubts expressed, hopes and fears faced, evil exposed, big chunks of events missed, then finally a story about one man for me to look at and put my faith in. All previous revelations and future interpretations are to be judged and seen by what this one man re-reveals.
GOD - this person, the Spirit - One or Many?
Was there a time in the timeless eternity - before the beginning of the beginnings that God existed as one unity of persons called HE? Everything was in Him. There was a Today when the Father “brought forth”, “begot” the first-born, someone from within Himself. He spoke out the Word from within Himself  “one shall be two” and a separate Being took a special form. Like a cell splitting to form another equal; the same thoughts and feelings, same character, yet different. This begotten identity is called the Son of God and was always hidden in God. As John says ”The one who was in the bosom of the father” the Father decided to let the Son  exist as a separate person, a bit similar to Eve who was always in Adam. She was taken out of Adam. Even though the Son of God was equal with God the Father, He was not supreme. Jesus said that The Father is greater than him. Jesus was given a status higher than all creation and all angels. He shared everything except the ultimate authority, which the Father alone held. The Holy Spirit, the person that gives life to all, the very essence of God who makes us divine, the life giver and the revealer of truth who communicates also proceeded from the Father.
Both the Son and the Holy Spirit, find their origin if it can be said that way, from the Father. God the Father is referred to as the Eternal Spirit, the immaterial pure light, the One whom no one can see. Out of Him He gives a portion of His Spirit, His life to us. Both the Son and the Holy Spirit, in a way are subordinate to the Father. They share the same glory, the same purpose; their unity is unimaginable, yet total freedom to be different. Love and Light enveloped the three persons - the triune God. So, to all human understanding, they are one.
The Son is also called the wisdom of God and the Word. The Holy Spirit is called the power of God and the counselor. The Father is the initiator of all activity. The triune council shares the dreams and is ever willing to act on behalf of each other. The Son talks of the father and the Spirit reveals the Son and the father affirms the Son. There is no rivalry or domination but a willing, loving submission and even acknowledgment of the Father as the final One on the throne. The Son has the special gift to take up human form to become flesh and blood, to enter the world. There was no need for the Son to be begotten if there was no need for redemption. This capacity was not a built-in, out of control destiny but a choice, a decision for love’s sake. To give up even for a moment such privilege to be in the eternal Godhead council is something unthinkable for the Son. Yet the Son was willing. He was humility personified. The Holy Spirit too decided to move in and live in humanity. The Spirit can indwell humans. One day the Father Himself will make His dwelling among us - the triune God with men and women.
Equality with God
When Paul wrote to the Philippians about the Son of God, Jesus Christ, he talked about the possibility of equality with God as something that could be grasped. Was there a possibility within the Godhead for either the Son or the Spirit to become the supreme? Maybe Paul was thinking about the archangel Lucifer who desired to be God, to take that supreme position. Maybe there was a time when all angels were asked to worship the Son. There was something special about the Son; superior to angels, greater than Moses, the great High priest for a special purpose. This was conceived in the Father’s mind in eternity. The Father also gave the name ‘Lord’ to the human Jesus. It’s the Father who raised Jesus from the dead and brought him back from hell, from the clutches of the evil one and made Him sit at the right hand of His throne and gave Him all authority. Yet the Son submits Himself to the Father. There are things only the Father knows. The Son limits Himself to what the Father permits. There is no grasping or seeking what is not given. This dynamic submission is the epitome of love and this we will never be able to fully understand.
Incarnation
This perfect union and sharing yet submission and obedience to the Father by the Son is difficult to comprehend. So when the Son took up humanity and was given the name Jesus He emptied Himself of His rights and His privileges, His omnipotence, His unapproachable perfection and His omniscience. He allowed himself to be shrunk to be a zygote and confined to Mary’s borrowed womb. It was the Holy Spirit that put the genetic material together and implanted it in the womb. God made Adam’s genetic material from the earth and fashioned him and breathed His life into the clay, the Holy Spirit fashioned the second Adam out of nothing material. This heavenly Man limited Himself and took upon humanity; a new beginning, born of the spirit yet human, with all the limitations of an earthly being. He was a complete man with the possibility of falling, just like Adam, through choices. Heaven paused and the Father watched the Son of God living like a Son of man.
The devil became curious and decided to try to make Him fall many times. Whatever the first Adam was capable of as a perfect man, Jesus became that. If this was not so, it would not be fair to expect us to imitate Him or be like Jesus as the scripture challenges. He even expressed himself as our brother. The second Adam had to learn by obedience, what was required and how to live. He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and empowered by the same spirit. He learned of His identity and His mission from scripture. He did not automatically know it. He grappled with the word, found His picture, understood His story and became the Word. He walked with God just like the sinless Adam before the fall. After thirty years of ordinary living, the Father declared for the first time, “You are my beloved son - I am well pleased with you”. What a statement from the Father who looked all over His creation for centuries to find one person who whole-heartedly loved and obeyed Him. God was satisfied and ready for the rescue operation of all His other children.
His Story
It looks like the Old Testament was written and preserved for the Son of God to know His mission. The history of humanity became His story. As Jesus read the scriptures and meditated on them, he experienced the struggles, the dreams, and the longings of man. He discovered His manifesto. He received knowledge and wisdom from the scripture. He understood the suffering required, the rejection, the pain to fulfill his mission. What the Old Testament prophets experienced partially, He endured fully. In fact most of His teachings were already there in the OT. He reinterpreted it and made them real and life giving. He went beyond the letter and showed the spirit behind the words.
It was all about Love - love for God and love for people; nothing more, nothing less. Yet people had missed it and converted real love into rituals and traditions. Jesus talked to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus –“the whole scripture testified of Him”. He fulfilled the aspirations of people in the process of living out the word; He accomplished what the first Adam could not - absolute trust in the goodness of the Father. Jesus had no other desire, no other plan except what was given to Him. 1,500 years of random revelations, the cries of God’s people, He put together and found His role as the Son of Man, Saviour of the world, The Ransom.
There was something about Him in each of the Books and many of the prophetic utterances. He also knew the mind and working of the enemy. He allowed that rat to be part of His group. Jesus had nothing to hide, unlike the first Adam who looked for fig leaves to cover him. He could invite His betrayer to watch and see. Again it was there in the scripture, His birth, His place of growing up, His work, His suffering, His death, His sinlessness, His resurrection, His second coming, all hidden away in the scriptures. He searched the scriptures and found Himself. He had to defeat the enemy and free us. He had to take our sin and save us. He had to live a model life and show us the way. He had to defeat death and take away our fear. He had to shatter our ideas of God and reveal a Father to us.
Jesus accepted worship from people when He was on earth, but He always talked about the Father as the giver of all good things. He taught us to pray to the Father. There is no direct teaching, neither by Jesus nor the apostles to pray to Jesus. Prayer is always directed to the Father in the Son’s name, through the Holy Spirit. Even though Jesus accepts our worship and thanksgiving, the instruction is to pray to the Father. Worship and adoration and thanksgiving, the triune God receives and accepts.
The Father
Somehow the Son desires that we learn to address the Father with our requests, our needs. He wants us to get to know the father and develop an intimacy just like He has. We are asked to seek the Father’s will and His Kingdom. There seems to be a distinction at this level. Jesus talked about Himself, His role, and His union with the Father as something unique. He said, “He who has seen me has seen the Father”. He talked about oneness in purpose and in character. If there is only oneness without the otherness why mention it. Why would we need all the separate persons in the Trinity?
When Jesus came and dwelt among men, heaven was not empty of God. The Father still occupied heaven. So the Father is a separate being. The Father does not obey the Son, but the Son listens to the Father. It is the Father’s will that needs to be accomplished, so the oneness that Jesus talked about is at the level of desire, purpose and character, not at the level of personality and personhood. God made the proclamation that man and woman are one. We know they are different, but there is a oneness that surpasses physical differences. It is separate in identity, but there is no contradiction or competition in purpose and in living out all the thoughts and plans. The unifying factor is LOVE; giving of oneself to the other, a willing surrender, openness, and transparency, giving and receiving, a dynamic ever flowing dance. This love fills and unites the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, keeping the relationship alive, creative and full of joy. That’s why it says God is love - this feeling for the welfare of the other, this commitment to work towards the best and make the other beautiful in every way. There is adoration and longing to be in each other’s presence. This absolute relational unity, we can never know this side of eternity, but we are called to participate in a limited way. One day we too can enter this triangle of love - where we are known as we are, enveloped by love, totally immersed in the love of God, the grace of the Son and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. This is the blessing that awaits us.
Search the scriptures
As Jesus discovered His blueprint for life, we too can find what is required of us from the scripture. We too can get the wisdom to live, how to live, what to say, where we should put our trust, what pleases God, what will destroy us, how the devil works, his ways of damaging us, what is worth living for, all revealed in scripture. It talks about human nature through examples of people who lived years ago. It shows us what we are all capable of, both good and bad; and how in the midst of all that happens to us we can either come closer to God or move away and seek our own relief. Jesus found His vocation, God’s promises, developed trust in God’s word. What was revealed became His delight. Hidden away in scripture were the loneliness and the helplessness that He had to accept and experience. He saw his role as the Lamb, the Shepherd, the Bridegroom, the Servant, the High priest, above all as the One who crushed the head of the serpent. He also saw the destructive power of death and the hope in the resurrection.
To defeat the enemy He had to enter his territory and become vulnerable. All He had was the word. He had to experience the abandonment of God, being forsaken by God, for our sake He became the price, the ransom. The incarnation was needed to represent humanity. The One, who was higher than the angels, became a little lower than the angels, to redeem humanity. The One, who was from the bosom of the Father, became a babe in Mary’s arms to taste what it means to be a man living in a sinful world, to listen to the cry of the people, to experience the effect of darkness all around, the bondage of sin and the devil. This second Adam had the power like the first Adam to dominate the world around, to stand against the evil one. Every act of Jesus was in a way “undoing the works of evil”. He rebuked sickness, he freed demon-possessed people, He raised the dead, and He gave dignity to disfigured humanity. What the devil distorted, He restored, including nature. He rebuked the wind, calmed the sea and pronounced peace.
Exalted Son
When it came for personal reckoning, He submitted to the schemes of the devil, which the devil unleashed through people who were under his control. Jesus faced the enemy, the pain, and the rejection as part of the plan that was in scripture. He drank the cup to enter the eternal darkness on our behalf and pay the wages for humanity’s sin. In that moment, He became the exchange. The wages of sin, the eternal separation from the Father needed to be experienced. He embraced even that for our sake. Doing God’s will and God’s love for man kept this experience the supreme priority. He tasted both physical and spiritual death on our behalf.
The second person of the Trinity died. Being forsaken by the Father was unthinkable. He became sin. He entered the gates of death alone, yet taking all of us with Him. We were with Him in that act. This is all God’s work. We can only believe and accept this - one single, perfect life as the ransom for all humanity.
In Psalm 18 David describes the agony of hell that awaited Jesus. The Father could not abandon His beloved Son to the grave or see decay. Even in that utter desolation, amidst the sneering of the enemy, being bound by cords of death and destruction, Jesus continued to trust the Father and cried out to Him. God the Father acts. In the stillness of night, He broke open the gates of hell, shattered the chains and made a mockery of the devil and brought back His Son and exalted Him above every name. One day every knee including the knee of Lucifer will bow to this eternal man. Jesus is the everlasting MAN in heaven. He is not there as the second person of trinity, but as our representative. On earth he represented The Father. In heaven he represents us. His giving up of his status was forever. His incarnation was for all eternity. He is what the father gives… a name above all other name, all authority, the Lordship over all creation, holding the keys of heaven and hell. Even in this exalted position, he submits himself to his father.
For us to make scripture real and find our blueprint we need to start with believing what Jesus has done. It is at this point of trust that the spirit of God begins to indwell our hearts and make the word real to us. As we look into the word He will open our eyes to reveal His purposes for us. There is general grace available to all especially in a book like Proverbs. For anyone who is interested to live a decent life, wisdom is given but this is different from being saved. God’s grace is given to all, even to those who reject Him and to those who don’t feel their need of Him. Father let the sun shine on all irrespective of their belief. He has also given general grace to make it through life even under the slavery of the devil with the hope that some will seek Him. But those who are tired and are disappointed with life, He extends His invitation to come and find rest in what He has done. This greater grace is also available to all. It is up to us whether we want to be satisfied with general grace or to drink from the spring of living water that He so lovingly offers. The triune God is waiting for us to say, “Yes” to this invitation.
Jesus came from the father. He shared life with the father. This knowledge of the Father’s Heart and His character gave Jesus the passion to do His will. He could subordinate all other desires and passions because He saw and experienced the Father’s heart and was one with His purposes.
Poor in spirit
How can we identify with this aspect of Jesus? How can we have such passion for the Father that all other desires and passions are next to nothing and take less priority and energy? It is not possible to see the father. But then Jesus came to reveal this unseen Father to us. He said that he represented the Father. He is the image of the Father, the exact replica. Yes, God looks like Jesus!
If we can see Jesus from the scriptures and enter the experience of him just like the disciples, then faith can be translated into reality. This is what John said about the whole purpose of writing the stories and events of what happened. It is possible to have fellowship with the father and the son. The Holy Spirit is given to take us into this real fellowship with the Godhead. The hope of the gospel is this possibility of ongoing transforming relationship where we are known and we too know who God is. We need to behold The Man Jesus and fall in love with him. He is alive and this makes all the difference. We are not called just to intellectualise what he said or taught. It’s not about a new philosophy. We are called to be passionately in love with him.  The Holy Spirit pours God’s love into our hearts and love is generated in our hearts for Him and all that he stands for. We will face more and more trials and tests and temptations and through it all we will discover the meaning of grace and God’s forgiveness and all-embracing love.
Instead of being guilt-driven and seeking self-perfection, we will be at rest in his love that knows all and accepts all. This becomes the cleansing that frees and liberates us from ‘karma’. He has gone before us and intercedes for us. It is love that changes us, not rule-keeping and fear. Anyone who tried it honestly can confess that it’s impossible to keep the law or be good. We can go through life out of fear, fear of punishment. This may serve for a while in getting the satisfaction of having some credit. But the soul will be restless and condemning us. We will always be short of perfection and purity. Ultimately we need grace and this is what the gospel is all about. Without this grace, we have only karma and the wheel of life and reincarnation - the hopeless, never-ending cycle of life and death with no guarantee of escape. In a Fatherless world of religion, this is the best option and somehow the human spirit cannot fully accept this option. Our stubbornness may not allow us to be humble enough to accept our inability to be good. Pride will block our need for God and move us towards self-improvement. Once we get tired of self-efforts there is a possibility of coming to Jesus. He said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they shall inherit the kingdom of God.” It’s a definite promise; a message with hope. There is a way out of the wheel and Nirvana.
If anyone is thirsty
This glorious message, the message of freedom has been edited, controlled and manipulated by the church over the centuries. Religious leaders of Christendom distorted this grace and made it into another power tool to dominate people and have wealth in their hands. The followers of Jesus became more lawgivers, watchdogs and less gracious than their master. Instead of welcoming broken people, the church sat in judgment, eating the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The church built barriers and blocked the door to freedom, spending all its energy talking about darkness instead of shining as lights.
It’s time to behold The Man and find once again the nail-pierced outstretched arms that long to embrace. The devil is so unhappy with anyone who dares to abandon himself or herself to this embrace. He will try to stop and distort the message and put doubt in the mercy of God. Many are victims of his deception. The church listens to the devil more than it heeds the saviour. We have a choice to make. Jesus cries out “If anyone is thirsty, let him come”. What an invitation compared to the calculated, organized, materialistic approach of both the devil and the church, as we know it. It’s time to repent of our hardness as church-lovers. We need to become God lovers and that’s why Jesus came - to take us back to Him.
Learners All
As children of God, we enter the school of learning. Together with others, we learn the language of love. We unlearn past ways of relating to God, people and the world around us. We have too much garbage with us from the past, and it’s a long process of unlearning. Our system rebels against this radical change and its new way of thinking and evaluating. Our mind needs to be renewed and our emotions to be refined. We need to take on attitudes that are Christ-like. So our coming together as a group week after week or day after day is to allow change to take place. Unfortunately, we have a tendency to be judgmental of others’ behaviour and habits. This ungracious attitude becomes the stumbling block for genuine love and acceptance. Unless we see our own failures and how gracious God has been, we will never extend compassion to others who are struggling and continue to be victims of warfare. Church is not for academic knowledge of God or to analyze the sins of others. It’s a home where the life of the Trinity is experienced. It’s where the world needs to see Jesus as a living reality. It’s not a place for show-business and mammon worship. It is the place where truth is proclaimed in love. It’s where sinners are embraced and given a taste of heaven. It’s not a place to control, manipulate and condemn strugglers. We need to get out of the judgment seat and allow God to be God. He knows whom He has chosen and He will complete what He has started in each person. We do not have to be so possessive of people. Our calling is to reflect Jesus and bring people to the throne of Grace in prayer. We will fight the enemy but not people. Church should be a place of healing and not a place that causes deep wounds. How much we need to see Jesus. Let us behold this MAN.
                                               

Jesus and sex

In Heb 4.15 it says “we have a high priest who has been tempted in every way just as we are”.
As I read this I wonder what the temptations that Jesus faced were. Yes, the devil tempted him in the desert with power, wealth and position- all with out pain. But what about sexual temptations which we are all so familiar with each day and every moment. Did Jesus face these? If so how did he overcome these? I realize that all of us are not tempted in all areas with the same intensity. The devil must have tried every opportunity possible to make Jesus fall and discredit him worthy of being the sacrifice.
The New Testament portrays Him as a strong healthy man, an adult with enough testosterone to make Him alive and attractive. Did he feel desires welling up in his mind and in his body? Did he feel aroused in the company of women? - There were enough of them around him. Did he feel attracted to the opposite sex like any other man? Were there moments of longings for a touch, an embrace, a kiss and sexual intimacy?
Tempted like any man? I believe yes. Jesus was fully alive to all the feelings that we are endowed with. Jesus was not ashamed to share all the God given feelings and desires. It was not in having them but in using that He showed what a real man is made of.
Yet with out SIN… At this statement we part paths with him. How was it possible?
I believe that Jesus had a sense of His calling even at an early stage in his life. He understood from the scriptures the meaning and purpose of sex within the context of marriage. He did not come to settle down and have a family. He came exclusively to die a sacrificial death. To accomplish that purpose he had to put aside the wonderful gift God ordained – the institution of marriage and sex. But sexual desires are there as part of our human make up. How did he cope with this drive?
I am called to consider Him and fix my eyes on Him -His person. I am sure that Jesus listened to the stories of His ancestors and saw the effect of sexual sin- the effects of going out side the God ordained boundary. He looked at Abraham, Lot, Jacob and Judah. He looked at strong men like Samson and wise ones like Solomon. He saw the effect of the sexual passion in Amnon.
He also heard the story of Joseph, his courage to say ‘No’. An awareness of God and respect for the other made it possible for Joseph to walk away from a trying situation. Where men failed, a slave triumphed. Looking and meditating on the lives of real people Jesus made choices. To say “No” to instincts meant saying “Yes” to God and His ways. Sex is not the ultimate entertainment. He showed that Man can live with out sex and can be fully alive. It is not a must for fulfillment. It is possible to keep this body as the temple of the living God and find greater joy in other activities. He found the proper place for His body in God’s plan.
As Jesus grew up He was aware of the local gossip about His birth - the names others called Him or referred by. We are familiar with these in our own situations- the nicknames, the whispers, the side glance and sarcastic comments. I wonder whether He rushed to His mother for clarity about His birth. Was His birth illegal? Was He an unwanted child of promiscuous sex? He looked at his mother and heard the stories of the angels, the shepherds and the wise men. He heard about the courage of His foster father Joseph and his loyalty. May be Elisabeth shared some secrets with him. Yes He knew all about the people of His town and their life styles. He did not allow either the labels to become His identity nor to label others in retaliation. He did not waste time in getting approval from others. He stood tall with His convictions and His call. He chose to love all. He saw the sufferings and pain of women- the loss of value and dignity, the shame and exploitation of the most beautiful creation in God’s world. He witnessed how men and law treated them. He decided to treat them differently because He had a higher view of them.
I also believe that Jesus was taught by either of His parents in sexual matters. There is a fantastic picture of a real son talking about his father in Prov4.3 “When I was a boy, still tender, he taught me”. He taught me many things especially about sex and describes it in chapters 4, 5 and 6. Solomon talking about David I presume. David taught his son about the trappings of sex and its temptations. Jesus was taught this from the scriptures as he grew up. He saw the truth of the verse ‘Can a man walk on hot coals without his feet being scorched’ (we may talk about wearing shoes or rubber to disprove the truth) He took seriously the advice about not lusting in the heart. Pro 6.25
At this point I wonder how many fathers-evangelical, spirit filled and theologically right-got the courage and commitment to talk to their sons when they are tender about sex and God’s view of it. How important it is to install the right and wrong sexware before they download it from somewhere else! Yes, about the body changes, the desires, the drives and the temptations! We prefer to leave it to school and magazines to do this vital teaching. As I look back I realize that I had no input from my home in this area of my life and I grew up totally confused and misinformed. There was so much of fear and unhealthy curiosity.
Yes, Jesus a man full of life knew the boundaries and He knew how to discipline Himself.  Hebrew 12.4 talks about the ‘struggle against sin’ and the fact that none of us really resisted it to our limit. In today’s context it’s all about avoiding pregnancy and infection rather than a higher reason. Jesus hid God’s word in His heart and found strength to face the temptation. It was a joyful submission to His father’s will - not a grumbling one. He knew the fleeting moments of pleasure from the history of His forefathers. He also knew the sense of inner rightness and peace that a disciplined life brought. Heb- 12.11.
In spite of knowing and being taught, Solomon failed absolutely and repeatedly. But we have some one greater than Solomon. Jesus alone could embrace His sexuality and remain perfect with out sin. In fact He went a step further and said that sexual sin starts in the mind. It is more than physical and it needs to be tackled at this level. So much grace is available to us to overcome this addiction with sex.
No one is capable of living this pure life. Let us not act as if we do. We are dust and corrupt. This is why Jesus came and lived it on our behalf. Keeping you and me in mind, He said ‘no’ to this temptation and became my redeemer. There was nothing in Jesus that the devil could use against Him. (John 14.30)  I can only live in His righteousness. What I cannot do He did for me and I embrace His purity as mine. All my sexual sins and fantasies find it’s cleansing in His blood. It’s a call to start again afresh in His grace. It is not a calling to feel superior like the Pharisee or to become judgmental and withhold love. It is a call to see our need of Him even in this area more than ever before. It’s a call to have the mind of Christ as I look at the opposite sex. It’s a challenge to see my body and the other’s body as the temple of the living God. It’s a call to see others through His eyes and feel with His heart and love like He loved. So let us behold this Man. He is a model for us. Come boldly and receive grace upon grace. Let us talk to Him about our heart matters as we recline close to Him in the security of His unconditional love.