Easter Reflections and a Heavenly World View.
This time of year Christians reflect upon and rejoice in remembering the ultimate act of love. God sent His Son to redeem mankind and rectify a sinful people unto Himself. Jesus, who knew no sin, became the perfect sin offering, paying the price for all sin over all time so that sinful man could be cleansed and become children of God. God created mankind in His image as body, soul, and spirit, but sin was chosen and the spirit of mankind died. Many call this the Fall of Mankind. All who are born on earth are dead spiritually. Life is given at the time a decision is made to accept the sacrifice that Jesus made for us. It is the only way to acquire LIFE in the spirit. God raised Jesus from the dead, defeating Satan. Defeating death, hell, and the grave. Those who do not accept God’s gift of salvation remain dead in their spirit, unfit to be called children of God and unfit to live with Him. It’s a tragic thing to ignore the free and gracious salvation that Jesus offers to all who will believe in Him. Son of God. Perfect God and Perfect Man. Savior. Friend. Bridegroom. The Christian life is the most interesting and exciting life that one can imagine. It’s a life of endless possibilities in getting to know God, bringing heaven to earth supernaturally, and developing a deep love relationship with His children.
Christians have incredible privileges. One of them is that we are seated at the right hand of God with Christ spiritually. What does that mean? It means that as we live by our spirit, in communion with Holy Spirit; we are able to see what the Father is doing and know His Will. Obviously, His perfect Will is made known in the Bible. God has never changed, and His Word is the same from Genesis to Revelations. We are citizens of heaven, living as “strangers” on earth. God’s perfect plan is that we bring heaven to earth. If our world view is that we are purveyors of God’s Spirit, manifesting love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, and offering godly insights into the problems of mankind, what does that look like? First, we know that the answer to every person’s problems can be found in Christ Jesus. Period. God’s will is that none will be lost. Every person must have the opportunity to hear the gospel and decide whether to accept or reject salvation. Their spirit either remains dead or it is gloriously resurrected. Second, God set up people groups and tribes with boundaries and principles for living within those boundaries. Genealogies, tribal loyalties, and extended family are central to God’s plan for humanity. Parent-child relationships are to be held in high honor. The family inheritance of land was so important that no matter whether the person or the land was sold to another, every 50 years everything reset so that families and tribes retained their inheritance. Nations are important. Third, God’s fundamental unit for having children is a holy arrangement called a family. A great deal of information is given on how important it is to God that children be reared in holiness, of parents who honor sexual purity and the principles of love and mutual respect. Out of purity a man and a woman make a pledge to God to be devoted to each other for life. Every form of sexuality that is not according to these principles is hated by God. Why? Because the love of husband and wife is God’s model on earth of how God loves the church. Fourth, God a has a plan for every person. He forms each child in the womb, and He determines the time and place in which is person is born. The most serious judgment in the Bible came upon people who killed their children. God never changes. Nations that kill their children are judged. God is not concerned about legal personhood. He is concerned about His children from the moment they exist at conception. Fifth, righteousness and justice are the foundations of God’s throne. As His children we are to be purveyors of both. God expects us to care for the poor, heal the sick, and care for widows and orphans. God’s not into women’s liberation as some understand it. God cares for family. Ladder climbing and career building outside of providing for a family is meaningless. Men and women are to bear fruit in raising children and good works. Education and careers are not wrong, but it’s all in context of His ultimate plan. Sixth, mankind is given work to do. Each person has responsibility for themselves and their family as far as providing for the necessities of life. God hates lying, stealing, manipulating, and taking advantage of others. Each person has work to do to maintain a home and community. Not working when one has something to contribute is evil. Finally, of all people, Christians are blessed with an eternal relationship with God that transcends time. The moment we accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, God’s Spirit resides in us. In fact, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit reside in us. Through prayer and focusing our attention on heaven, even while we live here on earth physically, our spirit is in heaven, and we have limitless access to heavenly things, for God gives of His Spirit without measure. The limits we seem to experience are due to our lack of pressing into the things of God. Jesus says, “Come up here,” and we can.
One of the saddest aspects of this holiday to me is the lack I see in the church. Great choirs sing. Rituals are repeated. Traditions within families are honored. BUT the personal manifested PRESENCE of our Lord is rarely apparent. If you went to church Easter morning, did you see with your eyes or in your spirit Jesus walking around the room? Was the Presence of Holy Spirit so profound that you were overwhelmed? Did anyone among you get a rhema Word from the Father to share with everyone else? Did you KNOW in your own spirit that NOTHING can now keep you from being seated next to Jesus in heaven by your spirit man? As you praised the Godhead, did angels come and rejoice with you? Would you know it if they did? Dear ones………..there is SO MUCH MORE. Don’t let this Easter season pass without pressing in for the adventures of life prepared for you before the foundation of the world. Don’t settle for a “good service”. Don’t settle for earthly living, earthly praying, and earthly worship. Ask God now to show you HIS way, by The Word AND by His Voice directly into your spirit. Open your heart now to more of Him. By next Easter expect to see Him, hear Him, and rejoice with Him in person. You are an alien in this land. Set your heart on heaven.
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