Skip to main content

Bursting forth ...

image
In recent years I have been in the habit of following a Bible reading programme that takes through the whole bible in a year. This has been a very profitable discipline which, if nothing else strikes you in this blog, I commend to the reader!
This year I have been following a schedule that goes through the bible in chronological order and recently I arrived in the new testament after about nine months of following the rise and subsequent decline of the people of Israel. It is within that context that I am beginning to read through the new testament and, as a result, I have been struck afresh at the new life of Christ that comes bursting forth in the pages of the gospels in the same way as Jesus Himself came bursting forth into His creation about 2000 years ago! The stirrings of prophetic utterance after almost 400 years of silence, the word and the Spirit issuing forth the good news of the gospel and the coming of the Kingdom .... awesome!
To marvel from this fresh perspective at the wonder of the message of salvation through faith is such a blessing. In particular, to read again just how good the good news is!
One example, take John chapters 3 and 4.
The starting point of being born again (3:3) of the Spirit of God (3:5), in order to join in the work of mission (3 :14) through worship and word so that others too might enjoy the blessings we have received.
To experience the lavish love of God, which motivates the asks of the Son on our behalf (3:16) to deliver from darkness to light and from death to life, into relationship with our Father in heaven.
To be blessed with the anointing of the Spirit which is given to us without limit (3:34) such that we can enjoy eternal life.
Now as we move into chapter 4 we can trace how the teaching that Jesus gives in chapter 3 are then worked out in the experience of the samaritan woman in chapter 4.
Jesus cuts through the mess of her life to offer her a spring of living water that wells up to eternal life (4:14), remembering back in chapter 3 that when the Spirit is given it is given without limit.
So, why do we say we thirst? Here are some thoughts:
1/ It might be that we have not received the gift of eternal life, and the spirit without limit in the first place. This is the first step ... receive by faith and give your life to Christ.
2/ It might be that we have not fully understood all that Jesus has promised that new life is ... that we content ourselves to nibble at crumbs when there is a feast to be enjoyed.
3/ It might be that our expectations are shaped more by our experience, or by anecdotes or poor theology, than by the word of God and the teachings of Jesus ... in which case we need to adjust ourselves to the word rather than the word to ourselves.
4/ It might be that there is some disorder in our lives that needs to be put right - this might be sin, fear, wrong priorities ... by putting things in godly order, according to His teaching, then we sense the 'flow' of the eternal life again.
As I read these verses through again recently it was great to have the mind renewed and refreshed with the truth. Trust you might experience that for yourselves too!
Press on!

Comments

Post a Comment

Feel free to add comments or ask questions:

Popular posts from this blog

Labels

Who are you? I have never been a great fan of labels when it comes to describing members of the body of Christ. eg. he is anglican, she is Baptist, they are Charismatic, etc. etc. I remember once causing a man to become increasingly hot under the collar when he asked me who I was? To which I replied I was a disciple (follower) of Jesus. He was meaning which Church did I attend (presumably so he could classify me and decide whether I was bona fide or not) and my answer did not bring him peace, but I refused to go any further.  Why? Because, as I said, I am not a great fan of labels, but also because for me there is a very important distinction between primarily identifying myself with Jesus and identifying myself with Church. Of course, I recognise that by becoming a follower of Jesus I become part of the body of Christ, but that can be very distinct from being a member of a Church. To me this is the crucial difference between vibrant faith and dusty religion.  ...
1 comment
Read more

Homes I have lived in #3

This year I am celebrating my silver wedding anniversary ... Just for something to do I have begun to sketch all the houses we have lived in during that time. So here is house number #3 On our return to the UK we were faced with the question that faces all people in transition, what next? For us, we were encouraged by our friends to investigate further training and opted to spend a year with Kerygma ministries. We joined with a group of some 20 other people from various different cultures and backgrounds to join the ministry led by Dr Bob Gordon, based at Drayton Hall near Norwich. We spent one year here, between September 1993 and July 1994.   Significant events that took place here included: Suffered reverse culture shock, as I grappled with the transition from life in a mudhut in Africa to life in the UK in a Manor House! (Struggled with the amount of money being spent on a sign that was being placed outside ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Does God really lead us?

  Often as evangelical believers we talk about the concept of ‘calling’ explaining it along the lines of God speaking to his people, sometimes this is narrowed even to the experience of a special, select ‘few’ and limited in scope to those who are engaging in full-time Christian ministry. The following are some notes I prepared for a talk: Firstly, I would like to say that most Christians would believe that God communicates with his people, and that this may happen in many different ways. What is of utmost importance is that it does happen. We are in relationship with a Living God, who we call Father, and who communicates with us His creation and covenant people.   God communicates in a number of ways and one special way in which He leads and guides his people might be termed a vocation or calling and it’s this particular aspect of His communication I want to focus on.   So what is the calling? Who is called? And what are we called to? The whole i...
Post a Comment
Read more