Intimacy with God through Revelation

Why Pursue the Revelatory Gifts? 

In older posts I touched on the benefits of the revelatory gifts[1] such as the gift of prophecy. In particular the most important function of prophecy is its ability to edify the whole church. In this post I'd like to focus on the personal benefits of these gifts. The best result of pursuing these gifts for yourself is increased intimacy with God.  

Prophecy is inspired speech and is made possible only by the Holy Spirit, for the spirit of prophecy is the testimony of Jesus Christ (Revelations 19:10). The Holy Spirit came to earth primarily to glorify Jesus and testify about him. The word testimony comes from the Greek word martus, meaning an eye or ear witness ( and from which we derive the word martyr). As the One who testifies about Jesus, the Holy Spirit is the spirit of prophecy. Therefore prophecy allows us to know more about Jesus because the Spirit who has seen and heard him tells us about him.  Prophecy tells us what's on God's mind. Through it, we learn how he thinks, what he does, and what his secrets are (a.k.a "the deep things of God".)  In the Old Testament prophets were the ones who announced God's will because they were the only ones who could hear his voice (Ex. 20:18-21, Num. 12:6). "Surely the Lord does nothing without telling his servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7) "The secret of the Lord is with those who fear him" (Psalm 25:14). Prophets knew his secrets: they were his friends (Gen. 2:27, Is, 41:8). In the New Testament every Christians become the one who know God's business and therefore is his friend (John 15:15).  The heart of prophecy is this intimacy with him, a relationship that allows us to know him and testify "this is my beloved and this is my friend "(Songs 5:16). It is the birthright of every Christian to hear God's voice and to live a prophetic lifestyle through the Holy Spirit. All believers can learn from the Spirit and all believers can prophesy when the Holy Spirit , the spirit of prophecy,  is flowing through a room. Have you ever noticed that when a group of Christians get together to pray or talk about the Lord, some can't help but break into worship and exclaim his excellencies? That is the Spirit of prophecy at work,  but as we pursue the gift of prophecy, we actually increase the frequency of our prophetic experiences and the prophetic anointing in our own lives. With the gift, our experience of prophecy isn't limited to when the anointing is present in the room, rather we can access it at any time as our own gift. In addition, we are all given a measure of faith or grace in our lives and can ask to move up within our pre-determined level (Luke 17:5). Therefore, when you pursue the gift of prophecy you are asking for a higher level of prophetic grace in your life  (Romans 12:3) and when you receive that higher level, you can experience the benefits even for yourself.

    The last personal benefit of the revelatory gifts I will speak about is revelation.  The Word of knowledge enables us to receive information not discerned or figured out by our own mind but given by the Spirit of God.  The word of wisdom give us insight from the Spirit, often insight into problems, mysteries or the future. The gift of prophecy allows us to speak what has been revealed for the edification of others. It almost always comes with the word of knowledge and wisdom; if you have this gift, you will certainly have the others as well, thus making it an incredibly powerful gift.

"If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge" (1 Cor. 13:2)
"For we know in part and prophecy in part" (1 Cor. 13:9)



"What eye did not see and ear did not hear, and what never entered the human mind---God prepared for those who love Him".  Now God has revealed these things to us by the Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God...Now we have not received the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who comes from God, so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God." (1 Corinthians 2:9-12)

The wisdom you receive can give you insight even into our heavenly inheritance.  Ephesians 2:6 states we are already seated in the heavens. Our inheritance already belongs to us, albeit in the spirit realm.  Still Paul prayed the Ephesians would be able to experience this spiritual inheritance: I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the perception of your mind may be enlightened so you may know what is the hope of his calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of His power to us who believe, according to the working of his vast strength. (Ephesians 1:15-19)

The Greek  word for "know", ginosko, is about more than having an intellectual understanding, it about having an intimate understanding of something through lived experience. Paul doesn't want us to just know the facts about our inheritance, he also wants us to experience these facts. God is not limited by time or space, and prophecy deals with past, present and future realities. Through the Spirit of prophecy we can experience parts of our future. For example the Apostle John was caught up in the spirit and saw the day of the Lord (Revelation 1:10). Paul was also caught up in the Spirit and saw unspeakable mysteries in heaven (2 Cor. 12:2-4). Both of these men were able to see things well ahead of their time because the Spirit is given to us "so that we may understand what has been freely given to us by God" ( 1 Corinthians 2:12).

How to Receive



There are many ways we can receive revelation: it can happen through reading the bible, having a dream, seeing a vision, or getting a visitation[1] and much more. Of course what is revealed to should always match the whole counsel of God's word but there is still great diversity in how you can experience the Spirit's illumination. If the nature of the revelatory gift is intimacy, then you can position yourself to receive by asking for it and spending time with God. 

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you" (Matt 7:7) The prayer closet in Hebrew literally means an "inner room",  a secret chamber. It is the secret place of God (Psalm 91). It is through spending time daily with God in our inner room that we develop intimacy with him.  God inhabits the praises of his people (Psalm 22:3). Worship music and simply praying to God can literally bring his presence down. He is attracted by our worship to him and if the Holy Spirit is in your midst, you are more likely to experience a manifestation of his presence. You are more likely to be "stirred up" to prophecy (2 Tim. 1:6). This in turn will open the door for you to experience more of God. He may share his heart and tell you his secrets, he may teach you something new or allow you simply to bask in the glory of his presence. The revelatory gifts are   excellent tools for us to increase our intimacy with God because they enable us to know and speak more of God's heart, mysteries and will. Through this knowledge we get a clearer picture of who Jesus is.

Notes
[1] These gifts are wisdom, knowledge, discernment and prophecy. They are called revelatory because they come from the Spirit not ourselves. For this post I focus only on wisdom, knowledge and prophecy. [2] A visitation is God's presence or angels show up where you are rather the you going up to heaven to where they are.

Experiencing the Beauty of Heaven

   As a Christian, I'm told to set my mind on things above and not on things below (Colossians 3:2). A few years ago I did this often and lived in incredible joy.  I fixed my eyes eagerly on the horizon and scanned for Jesus's promised return (Hebrews 9:28). Over time, my eyes shifted downward, worried about everyday issues such as college, career and family. All of these things are good, but I soon learned they should not be the primary focus of my life. With all the anxieties of preparing for the future, I lost my zest for life and my attention to my Lord's return waned, but I could not understand why I felt so weighed down. This year after hearing a few church sermons, and being led by God to study the book of Revelation (which details the time of the end), I re-awakened to Jesus' return. In addition, I began to read a book called My Glimpse of Eternity by Betty Malz, which concerns the author's illness, death and resurrection after seeing the city of Heaven. With all this, I finally lifted my gaze up and God gave me an amazing, but simple revelation: This earth is not his best. All the hurt, suffering, and pain of the human experience leaves us unsatisfied. We all long for more, something better than this. Renown Christian apologist C.S. Lewis once said: 

If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world. If none of my earthly pleasures satisfy it, that does not prove that the universe is a fraud. Probably earthly pleasures were never meant to satisfy it, but only to arouse it, to suggest the real thing. 

King Solomon, the writer of the book of Ecclesiastes also said God " has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end" . God has a place of utter freedom and beauty for us, a place where there is no tears, pain or death. This place is heaven.  I feel blessed and wrapped in the most beautiful atmosphere when I think about heaven. I'm free in my spirit, I'm rising up. The air around me is dipped in hope and I'm like the sky, the bright blue freshness of the morning. When I think only of this world, I'm heavy, trudging along through the mud, but when I think of heaven, I feel the soaring anticipation of something pure, fresh and clean. This is what Jesus meant when he said  those who were not watching for his return were "weighed down" by the cares of life (Luke 21:24). The cares of life concern earthly things and being below, these things bring you with them to the ground. There's a reason mood is associated with direction. When you are happy, you are "up" and when sad you are "down".  Often you feel in the direction you are headed. Thus if you are on board to heaven because you have trusted in Jesus, why feel as if you are descending into the depths? Contrarily  if you have not trusted in Jesus but want to go to heaven, why stay on the path to hell? Instead let Jesus raise you up. None of us deserve heaven because we have all fallen short of God's standards; no one has ever perfectly lived the 10 commandments that God gave to Israel, which reflect his expectations for humanity---except for Jesus (Romans 3:10-20). God knows this and out of his love for us sent his son  Jesus to die on the cross so that whoever trusts in him would inherit eternal life. After Jesus died on the cross, he was resurrected three days later, appeared to his disciples, ascended into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of his Father. Jesus can come again at any moment for his people and to judge the Earth; believers who are alive when he comes will automatically be given a new, immortal body, while those dead will be resurrected into their bodies (1 Cor. 15:51-2). This will occur at the rapture, literally the "catching up", and is also called our blessed hope (Titus 2:13). You don't have to wait until you die or for Jesus to return in order to experience some of the beauty of heaven. 1 John 3:2 says that everyone who has the hope of seeing Jesus purifies himself just as Jesus is pure. So by dwelling on heavenly things, especially Jesus, we put some of the purity of heaven into our lives. And I myself can testify that it feels great. You too can have this same lovely, ethereal atmosphere , only, set your affections on things above and not below.

Desiring Prophecy

"Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy." (1 Corinthians 14:1)

 According to the verse above, prophecy should be the most coveted gift in the body, yet it is not.  In fact, many Christians have a distorted view of prophecy. They look upon it with either fear, confusion or suspicion. Sadly few understand what prophecy is at all. I've been studying this gift for about four years now and absolutely love it. In this post I hope to address common misconceptions and stir you seek the gift for yourself.

Understanding Prophecy

Prophecy comes from the Greek word prophéteuó.[1] According to Helps Word Studies, it can refers to forthtelling, (speaking forth the mind of God) or foretelling (speaking of a future event). Some think prophecy has to do with being able to hear God's voice. This is partly correct. In the Old Testament usually the only people who could hear God  were the prophets (Hebrews 1:1, Numbers 12:6). But this wasn't God original intention. Shortly after God delivered the Israelites out of Egypt they begged him, out of fear, not to hear his voice (Exodus 20:19).  Moses encouraged them not to be afraid and later unknowingly prophesied God's heart. "I would that all people were prophets and that God put his Spirit on all people" (Numbers 11:29) .  God would later promise through the prophet Joel to pour out his Spirit on "all flesh". He always desired his people have a personal relationship with him and be able to  hear his voice.  With the new covenant he accomplished just that. In these days  God speaks to us  through his son and not the prophets ( Hebrews 1:2). Thus all who have a relationship with Jesus can hear God's voice (John 10:27).  However God still chooses to use prophets under the new covenant, not as a barrier between himself and an individual believer,  but as a special form of ministry, a way of having us work together as a Body (Ephesians 4:11-3). Prophecy allows us to build each other up, receive confirmation we are hearing God correctly, and learn humility through receiving message from other believers. Thus prophecy is about not only hearing God's voice  but speaking to people for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3).  It is the communication of a message  from God to the church in order to edify it.  When I've felt discouraged or uncertain about God's plan for my life, God often has had other believers prophecy to me, sometimes through prayer, and they  would "reveal the secrets of my heart" (1 Cor. 14:25) : The things God showed them to say to me were exactly the things I had been asking him to confirm. Another way to see prophecy is to think of it as  inspired speech, Spirit breathed speech (2 Peter 1:21, 1 Peter 4:11). This inspired speech has the power to impart life to the listener and bring both the giver and receiver of the message incredible joy. "For the words I speak to you are Spirit and life" Jesus once said (John 6:63).  The times I've received prophecy have always put new life in me and energized my walk with God. I come away truly edified.

Embracing Prophecy 

 There are two common hindrances to prophecy in the Church: cessationism and skepticism. People believe either prophecy has ceased with the Old Testament or they believe it can happen today but are mistrustful of it.  To address the first barrier, while there is no new Scripture produced today this does not mean God has stopped talking or encountering his people. In fact the prophet Joel proclaimed in the last days God would pour out his Spirit on all flesh, and effectively encounter more people than in any point in history:

And Afterward
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men and women,

I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

I will show wonders in the heavens

and on the earth,

blood and fire and billows of smoke.

The sun will be turned to darkness

and the moon to blood

before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.

  
God declares people will prophecy until the great and glorious day of the Lord (a.k.a. the return of Jesus.) The last days began when Jesus ascended to heaven (Acts 2:17) and since he has not yet returned , we are still in them. Throughout history God has continued to save and fill people with his Holy Spirit so that we may be sealed and inherit eternal life (Titus 3:5-7).  Prophecy today gives us personal, and detailed guidance for our lives, as well as expounds upon what Scripture has already revealed. The Bible is the infalliable rubric by which we must judge all modern prophecies. God will not contradict himself and will never tell someone a prophecy that goes against what is in his Word. We can think of the Bible as an outline, and prophecy the crayons to color it in. The Word is the required textbook while prophecy, the supplementary materials.  When prophecy is handled correctly and used with the word of God it becomes a powerful tool to build up the church and therefore something that should be eagerly sought.  However many in the church actually despise prophecy out of fear and ignorance.  In some ways the mistrust of prophecy is understandable considering there have been plenty of individuals  who have abused this gift out of ignorance or  wickedness. There are also false prophets that lead many astray (1 John 4:1). Nonetheless, the apostle Paul commanded us:

"Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt but test them all; hold on to what is good, reject every kind of evil."( 1 Thessalonians 5:20)


The word contempt in the Greek is exoutheneo and means to ignore or despise [2]. It is our natural inclination to want to avoid something that causes us pain. If another believer has abused the gift of prophecy or if we have been victims of false prophecies, we are tempted to "throw the baby out with the bath water" and hate prophecies altogether. In addition if  we don't understand prophecy or aren't exposed to it, its easy for us to ignore it. But Paul's words demonstrate that our faith is not based upon what another person does or teaches but on what God says.  Therefore, regardless of false prophets and other's  mishandling of the gifts, we must eagerly desire to  prophecy. We only need to test everything against the word of God and hold on to what is good----  which leads me to a quick aside on judging prophecy.  Some believers apply the Old Testament criteria that a prophet be 100% accurate to the requirements for prophets under the New Testament. They are also quick to label others as false prophets.  Jesus came to fulfill the law not to abolish it but he did change how  some things are done. Prophecy in the New Testament does not work the same as in the Old, just as the  Sabbath Day in the Old Testament is not exactly like the New Testament version. In the Old Testament, again, prophets were the only way people could hear God's voice. But under the new covenant everyone can hear God's voice and thus it is not as crucial for prophets to be 100% correct---though prophets certainly should strive for that percent! As falliable beings, we only prophecy and know in part, and some prophets, especially the immature ones, will make mistakes; some of their prophecies maybe correct and there could even be a mixture of right or wrong in single prophecies. That is why Paul charges us to weigh carefully what another "prophet" says (1 Cor. 14:29).  False prophets in the New Testament will typically be wolves in sheep's clothing sent by the devil OR believers who really have not been called. The destruction of other people's lives, the exaltation of themselves rather than Jesus, and even the denying of Jesus will characterize the ministry of false prophets (1 John 4:1-3). As the Lord said, we will know them by their fruits. As a general rule, prophets who are consistently wrong are false, but it is important to note that  a few mistakes does not a false prophet make. Prophets should be allowed to mature in their gifting and be mentored, just as preachers and teachers are often allowed to do.

 

Pursuing Prophecy

It is important for the church to foster a healthy environment where prophecy is respected, tested and everyone encouraged to pursue it. Admittedly not all will "prophesy" and not all are called to be prophets (1 Cor. 12:29). You can prophecy without being an "official" prophet, just as you can teach  but not professionally be a teacher or preach the gospel without pastoring a church.  The office of a prophet (along with the office of the apostle, pastor, teacher and evangelist) is outlined in Ephesians 4:11. A person  in the office of the prophet is  given a higher level of authority and accountability than a person only with the gift of prophecy. He will operate at a higher level , a "professional" level if you will,  because he is given a higher measure of grace ( Romans 12:3-6, Ephesians 4:7) . Words about the future, warnings, or directions for a person's life are usually reserved for those in the office of the prophet.  It may take years of training before God officially installs a person in this position and allows the world to see him  "confirmed as a prophet of the Lord" (1 Samuel 3:20, NASB).  Still, the simple gift of prophecy is available to all believers and people can even have prophetic ministries without being prophets.  God said that we may all "prophesy" (1 Cor. 14: 5, 31) Because prophecy is so edifying for  the church we need to seek it. We pursue the gifts by continually knocking and continually seeking until the Lord opens the door saying yes or shuts it saying no. With this is in mind, let's pursue the way of love and eagerly desire the gifts, especially prophecy. In my next post I'll share a few more incentives for doing so.

[1] http://biblehub.com/greek/4394.htm
[2] http://biblehub.com/greek/1848.htm

Suggested Reading. I've found these books to be very helpful in either learning to hear God's voice or exploring prophecy:

Jacobs, Cindy. The Voice of God. Ventura, CA, USA: Regal, 1995. Print.
Eckhardt, John. God Still Speaks. Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2009. Print.
Seputis, Teresa. How to Hear the Voice of God in a Noisy World. Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2001. Print. 

Eagerly Desire the Spiritual Gifts

Where are the Gifts?

"Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy (1 Corinthians
14:1)

  We need all the Spiritual Gifts in the church. Most Christians who say they believe the gifts of the Spirit are for today do not pursue what are called the power gifts ( faith, healing and working of miracles) and the revelatory gifts (prophecy, discernment, wisdom, and knowledge). Save for those in the charismatic or pentecostal churches, many mainstream, American Christians shuts their eyes to these gifts. Roughly 100 million Americans consider themselves  to be "evangelical" [1]. Typically, evangelicals emphasize the need to be born again in order to enter the Kingdom of God, (conversionism), the need to spread the gospel (activism), the infallibility of Scripture (biblicism) and the importance of the crucifixion (crucicentrism) [2].  I affirm all of these beliefs, but some believers never move past these core tenets into other aspects of the faith. As you can see, evangelicals focus mainly on the cross but some forget what happens next: after the cross was a resurrection of power, and after that,  a baptism of the Spirit in power (Acts 1:8). 

Powerless

    Where is the power in American Christianity? Our churches are "dry", with administrations that retain  tight control over the services while the Holy Spirit is ignored, or worse quenched. Furthermore, despite Paul's words in Ephesians 4:11-12 prophets and apostles are non-existent, and pastors shoulder most of the burden to lead the church. According to Proverbs 29:18, where there is no revelation (prophetic vision) the people perish. This is true of churches that neglect the power and revelatory gifts. Because only some gifts are understood or welcomed, the Holy Spirit is restricted and limited: when there is no faith or expectation in a service, the Spirit cannot move freely and cannot do mighty miracles (Matt. 13:58). Therefore, the people metaphorically perish, unable to enter into the life and excitement these gifts would bring to the church. Contrarily, miracles abound in Argentina and across the African continent. These people are raised in a culture that affirms the spiritual world. They believe in the power of the supernatural because it is usually their only hope to overcome difficult circumstances. In contrast to these believers, we Americans are wealthy and well fed; we have so many comforts, opportunities and medicines it becomes easy to forget that God is a God of healing and miracles. Sadly, most evangelicals neither look a thing like the believers in Acts, nor do they desire to do so. "Casting out demons? Healing the sick---by the laying on of hands? That was for Jesus only---or that was for the apostles",  they say. But in Mark chapter 16,  Jesus said:

Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.

Functionally Cessationist?

  

Most of us, even cessationist theologians,  uphold the Great Commission. So why not the rest of this passage? Jesus says signs will follow those who believe (including you and me), not just the apostles.  Granted, a person may not experience all these signs, but he should at least exhibit one, whether it be driving out demons (something every believer can do) or experiencing some form of supernatural protection (v.18). All of the spiritual gifts and manifestations are important aspects of the faith that only few believers currently experience. This is in effect creates a powerless church, a powerless Christianity. When did Christianity become more about a preacher's eloquent words, or our own talents, rather than the Spirit's leading? Let's experience the Holy Spirit's presence to the full. Let's not act like cessationists. Our churches should encourage even the lowliest believer to desire all the gifts. The flock should be taught about gifts such as prophecy, exhorted about visions and dreams (Joel 2:28), encouraged to even believe God could do a miracle through them. We can no longer be double-minded. If we believe 1 Corinthians 12:1-11,  we must Stop being functionally cessationist--for as far as the Bible is concerned every gift  of the Spirit is in operation until we are perfected, until Jesus returns (Ephesians 4:11-12).  Whether God ultimately gives you these gifts is unimportant but it is the faith, the desire to see every gift flourish in the church that is required(1Cor.14:1). Therefore let us eagerly desire the gifts (by praying for them), especially those that build up the church (1 Cor. 14:12).  For the Kingdom of Heaven is not a matter of talk but power (1 Cor. 4:20).

[1] http://www.wheaton.edu/ISAE/Defining-Evangelicalism/How-Many-Are-There
[2] Bebbington, D. W. (1989) Evangelicals in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s London, Unwin

The Prayer Project: A Book Review

 One of the purposes for my blog is to help  Christians strengthen their relationship with God. I will do this occasionally through reviewing and recommending books that have either helped me, or contain great principles for cultivating intimacy with God. An important way to get to know God is by spending time with him. This is essentially prayer. The Prayer Project by Becka Goings is a great resource for learning how to pray and ultimately how to grow closer to God.

The purpose of this book is to encourage believers to make their lives a prayer project--to continue to grow in their prayer lives.  The book teaches the basics of prayer and is aimed at those who don't pray, but even if you have a strong prayer life , you can glean many insights from this work. It is concise, clocking in around 175 pages, but touching on almost every aspect of prayer you can think of. There are even prayers for the reader's spiritual and prayer growth at the end of each chapter. The strength of this book is its demonstration on why it is important to pray in the first place. According to the author, prayer is "conversation with God" and "intimacy with God Almighty" . Thus, a person cannot merely pray at dinner, during church service, or just with other Christians and expect to know God intimately. God wants alone time with us and our full and undivided attention. The Prayer Project aptly describes the reason why he desires such alone time with us:

" If you spend no personal time with God, you cannot say you know Him personally. We have friends, but there’s always that one friend we tell our secrets to.  The one we confide in; the one we’re real with. God longs to be this Friend." (19-20)

Thus, getting to know God personally requires personal,  private time with him.

  Another plus of this book is that the author gives examples of why God may delay an answer to prayer or even reject a prayer. Sometimes he requires we wait for a season so that he may test our faith or force us to seek him more deeply.  Other times he simply says no because we do not pray according to his will, or have the wrong motivation for asking (James 4:2-3). The flip side to this principle reveals the surest way to get an answer to prayer. Pray God's will.  Pray Scripture.  Because Scripture is God's word it is his will. The author emphasizes if believers pray Scripture, they will have power in their prayers and see tremendous growth in their lives.

  Overall, this was a wonderful book to read, well written and  filled with spiritual wisdom.  I highly recommend it. Make your life a prayer project.

Knowing God Intimately: An Introduction

  

   To the Christian God has many hats.  He is a master, friend, brother, father,  husband. These are more than just roles or descriptors of human relationships. These names reveal important aspects of who God is and what he does.  He gives life, he rules by nature of his sovereignty,  he tells us of his affairs, his son calls us brethren, and,  he jealously and passionately loves us (see 1 Corinthians 8:6, 1 Timothy 6:15, John 15:15, Hebrews 2:11, Deuteronomy 4:24 & Exodus 34:14 ). Because God  is infinite and is the source of all relationships, he can be all things to us at once; He can rule us as a  master but love us as affectionately a father his kids or a husband his wife. Like eating a  layered cake, we can experience and taste all the flavors of God simultaneously. Yet in order to even be allowed to partake of this cake, we must first acknowledge he is our master.  Jesus, the Son of God,  says "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me " (John 14:6) . It is only when we admit that Jesus is Lord, God, master, that we can have a relationship with God the Father and have him become all things to us .

   Some refuse to acknowledge there is a  God at all, let alone that he is master.  Others intuitively know he should be their master but are afraid to approach him. What they are afraid of , and rightfully so, is his great holiness. God has expectations for us---laws for us to follow. He gave us a conscience and we know it is wrong to do things such as lie, steal, kill etc. (Romans 2:15).  Because of his righteousness and holiness, God demands perfection and if you break even one part of his law, it is as bad as if you've broken all of  the law (James 2:10). Unfortunately, because our ancestors Adam and Eve sinned, we  have inherited this sin nature and are unable to walk perfectly before God ( Romans 5:12,  8: 7-8). However, God promised Adam and Eve he would give them a seed that would have ultimate victory over satan and death (Genesis 3:15).  Nearly 4000 years later, through Abraham and  the nation of Israel,  Jesus Christ was born.  He, the word of God, became a man order to live a perfect life in our steed.  God poured out his wrath against humanity onto Jesus and he resurrected him from the grave so that all who believe in him might be given a perfect nature and be resurrected to life. Thus, if you accept Jesus into your life, you can approach the throne of God with confidence  because your sins have been cleansed by Christ's blood ( Hebrews 4:16, Ephesians 3:12).  

    Despite this good news, there are Christians who have accepted Jesus as their Lord, yet do not know him as anything other than Master; they only scratch the surface of knowing God because they see him only through the eyes of fear.  It is good to fear God in some ways. After all according to a well known verse, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10 a). The Hebrew word used for fear is yirah and it literally means awe or "reverence". We are to fear God in the sense that we revere and respect him, rather than being terrified of him as if we were still unrighteous. In addition, we must realize the fear of the Lord is only the beginning of wisdom, meaning there is much more wisdom to be attained. God does not want us to merely reverence him but also to be fond of him; he wants us to get to know him informally, to have a sense of easiness around him as you would your parent, sibling or best friend. God wants you to adore him as a father, to curl up in his lap like a child ( Mark 9:36). As our husband he is fully committed to us and wants passionate love from us as revealed  through Ephesians 5:31-32 and allegorically through the Song of Songs. Thus, in order to know God truly we must move past the basic level of fearing him and become more acquainted with all his ways.

Throughout this blog, I will focus on revealing God as a father and husband because we find elements of him as friend, brother and master encompassed in these roles.  I have experienced these two realities regularly in my life and they are the most intimate pictures of himself he has given us.When this age is over we will experience the father and husband role of God more deeply than any other. Our eternal dwelling will be in our Father's house when we marry our Heavenly Groom (John 14:2, Revelations 19:7).   If you have never given your life to God, I invite you to do so now and if you are already a believer, who either is stuck with a frightening image of God or just want know him more deeply, I too invite you to the rest of the series.