I Can't Go Like This, I Have To Change...

Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.  Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, (1 Corinthians 15:50,51 NASB)

 One of the most difficult hurdles to overcome in seeking the glimpses of Himself God hid in Scripture is our ourselves.  I have things I want, things I've seen, things I've expected, and few of them correspond to my Master's perspective on things.  He sees things differently, and from a different perspective than I have right now.  That makes Him difficult to understand.

One of the things of which we seem unaware is our assumption that this place (i.e. the world or earth) faithfully represents what we can expect for the future.  Many here are telling us that this world is changing, and our future is uncertain.  Others claim that the changes are cyclical and it will all come around again to a better situation.  Even if it is cyclical, the number of beings and what they were doing was dramatically different in the last cycle, so the results will be different the next go around.  It always takes longer to dry more clothes.

What God inspired in Scripture says that there will be a new heaven and new earth.  Since we know so little of the 'heaven' (and I'm referring to astronomical heavens, not spiritual) there's little to gleaned from 'different'; we wouldn't even know really, other than what it looks like.  On the other hand, a new earth would be an enormous change for us.  Yet, we are so enamored and focused on this one, our lives here, and the next day.  It's all going to change.

This experience I pass through here is nothing to be compared to what I will know in heaven (or the new earth).  But I still rarely look past the next day.  I'm stressed about finishing the next two months well at work, year-end sales, deadlines, and goals.  That's not why I was created, and not to what my Master saved me.  It's not His purpose for my life, nor was it ever supposed to be my focus.  Yet, it's so distracting to me, that I can barely see past it.

We will all be changed, even if we don't all 'sleep'; we will all be changed.  This life, and these experiences, are not what make up what I look forward to.  In fact, Paul says in Romans 8 that all of creation groans waiting for the 'children of God' to finally be revealed; it's all waiting on us.  Everything is looking forward to a new existence; except for us.

Think about the waste of resources in that our Creator gives us minds that can imagine past this existence to new worlds, new vistas, and yet we won't.  He says that is what we have to look forward to, not this, yet we see only this because we choose to.  As believers and followers of Jesus, shouldn't we be looking toward His throne, His face, His voice?  Shouldn't we be looking past what is 'perishable' toward what will never perish?  Wouldn't that be a better use of our time and resources?  It would give us a hope which would baffle this place and people.

Reality is the term we use to refer to our actual experiences and situations; distinct from what can be imagined or 'dreamed'.  For Christians, those who claim Jesus as Lord, who believe He was raised from the dead, for us, reality is actually on the other side of whatever we can imagine or dream.  We are called into a new 'reality' redefined by the One who made us, lost us, then saved us, because He loves us. 

My challenge is to look beyond my current situation, and let the hope which results make enduring this reality much easier.  I let it happen.  All I do is focus on my Master's face, His throne, and His glory.  Then this stuff will fall into proper perspective for me.  Why would I think of worship as merely something I do on Sunday when I desperately need it all the time, just to make it through an hour at work?  I think I should be smarter than that.

Imperishable, Glorified, Powerful, Spiritual Existence...

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. (1 Corinthians 15:42-44 NASB)

I have a theory that whatever I can imagine of heaven, it will be even greater, more, better.  So, I have taken up the habit or 'spiritual discipline' of pushing the boundaries of what heaven will be like.   What I have taken as a model are various comments throughout Scripture on what to expect.  There aren't many, and Revelation is difficult to decipher in many places.  So, here's what I've come up with so far:

I imagine that we will know everything and everyone without hindrance, communicating without all the filters and baggage we have now.  So we will be able to communicate with all believers without limit in time or clarity. 

At the same time, or simultaneously, we will also have the complete face and attention of our Master.  We will see face to face and know fully even as we are fully known.  We will know 'prayer' in ways and to a depth we can't imagine now, again, without limits in filters or interpretation.  We will know the mind of God like we know what's scheduled on TV, simply by looking and asking.  Only He will engage with us as we engage with others now.

In the midst of this limitless communication, we will be worshiping the One True God, Creator and Master of all things and time.  We will be crying out, 'Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty; all the cosmos is full of His glory'.  We will witness the elders casting their crowns, the four creatures about His throne, and the innumerable throng before His throne all worshiping with a roaring singular, multi-tone, multi-lingual song, yet never without meaning or lack of understanding.  This activity will be without end.

Along with the activity of communicating, praying, and worshiping, will be a task and a challenge.  I consider it some sort of purpose to the glorified body we will have; something that will take eternity to accomplish.  In my imagination, I think of working within the Creation of my Master to influence free creatures to seek their Creator.  As if the 'missionary' charge of my Master would continue unabated as He continues to draw all creatures to Himself, reconciling all of His creation to it's intended design, yet freely.  This is perhaps where I've been spending most of my time imagining.  But I also recognize that it's only a piece of a whole.

I imagine all these things being true at once.  Without interruption in communication, worship, face-to-face prayer, and ministry all happening at once without regard to 'time' or 'place'; those two things will lose significance or relevance.  I imagine there will be no break in continuity between any aspect of life.  Life as we live it now in its temporal compartments will cease to have meaning, and those things we relegated to a weekly event or events will be the hub around which we live every other element of our lives; worship, prayer, and communing with the community of faith.  We will be church in every aspect of that term, both universal and local, without distinction or limit in time, space, or comprehension.

I would think that such a view would inspire to begin to implement such things into my life now, to the extent I can.  For instance, making church the priority it should have, communication, worship, prayer, and so on.  I should begin focusing on influence for my King's Kingdom as well, which should the corresponding activity to any of the other activities I've called church.  In this way, my King will have His will done here on earth as it is in heaven.  Can such things mingle in my life now?  If so, it may be time to extend my imagination even more. 

Three All In All Will Be One? Or Three?

But each in his own order:Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power.  For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.  The last enemy that will be abolished is death.  For HE has put all things in subjection under His feet. But when He says, " All things are put in subjection," it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him.  When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all. (1 Corinthians 15:23-28 NASB)

I had an interesting question posed last night.  At our Bible study, one lady asked what Paul meant by this last sentence in the above passage, because to her it sounded like, at the last, Jesus would cease to exist, like there would be just God and no 'Persons'.  This question had never occurred to me, partly because I don't question the Trinity, for me, it simply is the Nature of God.  I also didn't spend much time on this particular segment of Paul's argument because I avoid end-times discussions because people get so worked up about them, and we all know so little.

But having been asked, and really looking at this passage, beyond what I see on the surface with my assumptions, I see her point.  What does it mean that God will be all in all?  The Greek isn't particularly helpful here since this is precisely what it says.  Verse 28 doesn't have a lot of options for translating.  Verse 27, though, has both options and variants (but not significant ones).  In 27, Paul points out that 'everything', as in 'everything has been put under his foot', excludes 'the One having subjected everything to Him'.

That's where 28 comes in.  Regardless of your end-time view, the order depicted in verse 28 is that after Jesus has complete victory, He then subjects Himself to the Father.  In other places it says He sits at the Father's right hand; I believe this is essentially the same thing.  But it's the statement that 'God might be all in all' that led this lady to question.  It's a good question.  What does it mean that God will 'be all in all'?  Had it said, 'fill' she wouldn't have had the question, but is says, 'be'.  And it does say 'be', as in the verb, 'to be'.

One of the issues with simply taking this as an unfiltered statement is the popular belief in 'pantheism' where God is thought to be made up of everything.  So, the worship of whatever is still the worship of God.  Um, no, that doesn't work.  There is also 'panentheism' where God is understood to be 'in everything' but still beyond everything.  The degree to which His presence is thought to be a part of everything determines whether this is a problem or not.  Basically, if we don't look beyond the created things for God, we have a problem.  Panentheism is still a better option than pantheism, and it sounds vaguely like what Paul has written here.

Yet, I think what Paul is saying is not that 'developed' but really just that there will be no place God does  not 'own' or 'rule' or 'have a presence' or however you want to say it.  In other words, that once all enemies (including death) are destroyed, there won't be anywhere God is not.  John saw a vision of a "new heaven and a new earth", and perhaps this is, in a sense, the same thing.  I'm not for sure on that, but I think that we don't have to sacrifice the Trune Nature of God for Him to be 'all in all'.  In fact, we may find it easier to grasp God being all in all with His Nature intact.

The point I derive from such a discussion is that God, as He has revealed Himself to us, will remain, even when see Him face to face.  Or we will discover He is even more complex, but not less.  God is truly reality.  Everything else is 'shadow' and insubstantial compared to Him.  The reason we find that difficult to grasp is because we are so bound to our physical senses.  It used to be that humans had a 'spiritual' sense as well, and things were seen as part of a greater cosmic whole.  Now, we believe we have explained away such nonsense with science.  Which, of course, is nonsense.  We are part of a greater cosmic whole.  It's our ability to sense such a truth that has become dull.  One day, though, we won't need to wonder or imagine what it will be like, we will know and see.

So my takeaway from this is that even this teaching within this teaching of Paul points to my hope in  the resurrection, where I will witness the fulfillment of this teaching with whatever 'organ' my glorified body will use for sight.  The Triune God will complete His work, and I will worship Him along with an unnumbered throng before His throne.  So, one day I will have rest, real rest, not just 'a moment's pause' to catch my breath.  One day I will know peace in the presence of my Master.  One day...

Living As If Raised Into Something Entirely Different

So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. (1 Corinthians 15:42-44 NASB)

 One of the real problems with life on earth as a child of God is the whole, 'already-and-not-yet' aspect of that life.  On the one hand we are being transformed by the renewing of our minds, but on the other, we are still sinning.  On the one hand we are children of God, but on the other that truth is not yet realized.  We have the 'stamp' of the Holy Spirit's presence within us, but we are not yet in His presence.  We are still physical and earthly (or earthy), and not yet spiritual as we will be.

So a lot of what we are will be completed in the future.  In some sense this is frustrating, but in a much more powerful way, it gives us hope.  We are suffering, to whatever degree, through this life, but always looking forward to a future life without end in the presence of our Savior.  It's thinking about that life to come that makes this one bearable.  The assurance of that life, faith in the future, hope in what we will be overcomes the present problems and circumstances.

So, I read the description by Paul in this chapter, and much that is confusing comes to the surface.  In a sense, it will be like planting a seed, and the difference between the tree that comes up and the seed planted will approximate the difference between what I am and what I will be.  If I am a 'seed' now, what will I be like as a 'tree'?  How different, more complex, far more impressive will that life be?  Of course, Paul uses the metaphor of wheat or some other grain or something planted by a farmer.  So, perhaps it won't be an 'acorn/oak' comparison as much as a 'seed/corn' or 'seed/wheat' sort of comparison in my case.  Even in that instance, the change is profound.

And yet, it is so difficult to avoid being overwhelmed by this life, and the problems I face in this body.  Where's my perspective?  Why can't I see past my own nose to the future?  Is it because that's so far off that I can't imagine it yet?  Is it because that seems to have so little bearing on the 'reality' I'm going through now?  Aren't such statements faithless?  Don't they indicate that my 'substance of things hoped for' is insubstantial?  Where's my faith? Where's my assurance of what will be?  Where's my confidence in my Master?  Why would I doubt Him?  Why would I stopping looking forward and be so distracted by the here-and-now?  What's so stinking special about here and now that it can possibly eclipse what is to come?

I know, I want to be present for those with whom I live, that's it.  But wouldn't they be better served by my insistent hope?  Wouldn't that encourage them to also look toward heaven?  I know, it's so I can be more focused on the work of my Master's Kingdom here and now, that's it.  Yet my Master's Kingdom is also 'already-and-not-yet', so the future perspective and focus only enables me to do the work more thoroughly, and with a much better, more emphatic drive.  If I look forward to then, I won't get burned out now.

One of the most frustrating things about Paul is how he could be so driven and such an impressive example of ministry.  How did he do that?  Why?  How can he write such things, endure such things, and still be driven to go further, to speak to more people?  Because every day of his life, he was sure Jesus would return.  There was no reason to get married and settle down, because Jesus was just about to come back.  Time for Paul was always short.  Even though he was wrong, he was right.

For every generation of believers, they thought they were living in the last days.  For them, they were right.  One day Jesus will return.  And when He does He will find me doing something.  What I hope He finds me doing will be work for His Kingdom; my lamp lit, oil topped off, and wick trimmed.  Perhaps I will go to Him before He comes for me and everyone else.  Either way, will I be living looking forward or living looking around?  Will I be surprised to see His face, or will it be the relief and fulfillment of all my hopes and focus of my life? 

It's not that I want to 'leave a legacy', I want to live legendary.  It's not that I want to be a blessing to those around me, it's that I want my Master's blessings to be evident through me.  Those blessings are future hopes and future realities.  To the degree that I make those my emphasis, they will impact with force those around me in this time and place.  I will give a testimony of my hope I have within me.  What differentiates me from those dead in their sins is my hope, or at least it's supposed to be the difference.  What if they can't see that in me?  What benefit is that to them?  Where is the draw?  What is the difference that believing in and following Jesus makes?  If it's not the future, then what is there?  I can't claim victory over my present situation without a future victory in which to hope.  It must be there; it has to be, or else I have nothing to share.

If that sounds harsh, then read the previous verses, 12 through 19.  If there is no future, then there is nothing in the present.  Yet we focus so much on the present, we lose the context in which this present has any meaning.  Without heaven there is no point now.  Without a resurrection, death has no point, and therefore neither does this life.  So I am to focus on the resurrection, mine, and everyone's.  One day we will all be changed, and I must be seeking that day, that city unseen, that future hope which pulls me inexorably toward a Master calling me with a new name.  This day has meaning only as another step toward that glorious end.  May that shining glory, a reflection of my Master's face, shed light on my day today.

Humility, Ability, Swords and Armor

One of the things about Paul that always sort of intimidated me was his confidence in his own devotion.  In 1 Corinthians 15:10 he speaks of himself working harder than all the rest.  Even though he ends it with, “but not I but the grace of God with me” it still sounds like boasting, except I suspect he was right.  He seems like one of those people I run into from time to time who are so driven they reveal my own devotion for the poor sad façade it really is.  On the other hand, I need to be very careful here.  If I call my devotion sad and poor, I need to be careful to step on myself, and not on what my Master can and does do with me.

There are things I can control and am responsible for such as spiritual disciplines of one sort or another.  These things put me in greater availability to my Master.  As He uses me then things happen that have little to do with my abilities or condition.  I consider myself moderately successful in my past ministry, but not by the number of people saved, but by the effect I had on saved and lost alike.  I saw those apart from the church return, and I saw some never “churched” receive Jesus as Savior.  I was in the process of relationally reaching out to my community even when I was being undermined by some of my church leaders.

The success was not because of my ability.  What abilities I had and have lack the power of what my Master does.  I can “manufacture” somewhat something that looks vaguely like success.  But when my Master is the One succeeding, it is astounding.  So, I have to be careful where I point out my faults.  As long as they display my Master’s power and glory, I’m on the right track.  And I remain on the right track as long as I don’t tread on His power and ability.  I am not worthless, Jesus’ death proves that.  I am not worldly successful, though I have been blessed financially in this place (at least I think of it as blessed financially).  But I do have areas to work on in my life.

The areas where I lack are in my thorough devotion to my Master.  I let the influence of other people override the voice of my Master.  He makes divine appointments for me and I miss the out of fear of other people.  This is America, so it’s not fear of prison or physical harm either.  I clearly fear appearing foolish in their eyes.  What I can’t figure out is why I care.  I hardly know anyone here.  Why would I care what they think?  And even if I did know them, still, so what?  I used to be afraid of messing it up, but I have learned that my Master has that handled.  I act as more of a place-holder for the presence of my Master; it’s not my ability anyway.

So, my spiritual disciplines need to run more toward increasing my devotion to my Master, and practicing overcoming my fears.  That sounds deceptively easy.  I have always had more trouble attacking than defending.  But the gates of hell not prevailing against the confession of faith means it’s aggressive, not defensive.  I need to don my ill-fitting armor (on loan from my Master, so it doesn’t fit me well), grab my borrowed sword and shield, and get into the fray.  Okay, deep breath. One, two…THREE!!!  AAAAHHHHH!!!! (let’s hope this doesn’t end with a thud)

Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, November 30