Many churches emphasize imitating Christ, memorizing His words, and seeking to live a regenerate life. None of these aspects are bad but devoid of the quintessential ingredient: knowing God and having a relationship with Him, the result is man made religion (Colossians 2:23, Mark 7:7-9) and philosophy rather than a living faith.
Jesus Himself said, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3). This is not gnosis, to know about Him and His teachings, but more than that to know him personally and relationally which is ginosko or epignosko. This is considered so crucial to Christ our Lord He says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:21-23). Many speak in Jesus’ name and do wonders, but the importance is knowing God. Let me frame it like this, the whole point of Jesus coming to earth and dying a excruciating death was to save us correct? Yes, to remove sin, death, and hellfire, but there is another word Paul uses, “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:18). Yes, there is a pointing to the saving us, that is God loved us (John 3:16), and what He wanted in addition to rescuing us from both deaths is to have a close friendship on the level of a bride and bridegroom with us. We tend to focus on the good news being salvation from sin, death, and the second death (hell) by Jesus. This is true and worthy, but there is a reason that is tethered to it too, God destroyed sin’s power of separation with God so He could commune and connect with you today, tomorrow, and forever in heaven and the coming New earth (Revelation 21:1-53). Jesus saved you from hell not to just leave you be and let you muse to yourself and others about His words, but to connect with Him literally! He tore down the separation between us and God, “And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit, At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split,” (Matthew 27:50-51) and “And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus.” (Hebrews 10:19). Yes the gospel is Jesus is our Savior, He saved us from sin, death, and hell, but it has another purpose to it: God wants to be with you, to have a cup of coffee, to meet in worship, in prayer, and other ways. Jesus let his flesh be torn and died to be with you now! Not just in eternity! You can connect to Christ right now, just reach out in prayer, worship, or talk like you’d do at a coffee shop! He is there! The Holy Trinity wants to bond with us, not abandon us to a script and wait till we are dead to hang out!
I think it is a real tragedy that the greatest Bridegroom hung on a cross for His bride, and it is many who make up that bride: we the saints, “ Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God,” (Revelation 19:7-9), are content to do works, missions, penance, and philosophize over His words, but refuse to join Him on the honeymoon and each day thereafter! How utterly tragic that many of us fall into workaholicism of religion like men or women who on dates with their spouses play on their phones, answer calls, email, and texts for work when they should be bonding with their spouses, in same way we should be bonding with Jesus but we keep busy with our pious works, trying to be perfect when He was perfect for us, a spotless lamb; we’d rather scale walls He already toppled and resurrect old testament corpses of doctrine than be satisfied being in His arms and accepting the better covenant, “But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.” (Hebrews 8:6); part of what makes that covenant better is we no longer are relegated to a long distance relationship and have to follow laws to be able to maybe face time God, now we have God living in us (1 John 4:15) and there is no separation and distance between us and our Lord!; no need for temples or altars or curtains to hide God’s face, for the curtain was torn down! (Matthew 27:51). If the devil cannot prevent you from placing your faith in the Lord God Jesus Christ Son of God, he will make sure you never go further than getting saved (Romans 10:9-10), the enemy will do all to make aure you never know God in a relationship which is the point! God did all He has done to be with us, then, now, and forever!; hence Immanuel means “God With Us.” The Feast of Tabernacles is a celebration of God Tabernacling with us, that is being with us! And this is possible because Christ lives in you, and you in Christ, “Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them,” (John 14:23), “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me,” (Revelation 3:20), “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come,” (2 Corinthians 5:17), “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 8:1), “All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God,” (1 John 4:15), “For God wanted them to know that the riches and glory of Christ are for you Gentiles, too. And this is the secret: Christ lives in you. This gives you assurance of sharing his glory,” (Colossians 1:27), “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him,” (1 John 4:16), “In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him,” (1 John 4:9), “So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God,” (Ephesians 3:17-19), “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him,” (Romans 8:9), “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,” (1 Corinthians 6:19), “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you,” (Romans 8:11), “Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16).
God is right there in a Christian believer, we carry Him in our person like The Ark of the Covenant, only we are ourselves unique and individual persons with God in Three Persons living in us not some freshen box! How thrilling that should be! And yet the point of why we celebrate Easter gets lost, God wants to be with us, “I saw no temple in the city, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. And the city has no need of sun or moon, for the glory of God illuminates the city, and the Lamb is its light. The nations will walk in its light, and the kings of the world will enter the city in all their glory. 25 Its gates will never be closed at the end of day because there is no night there. And all the nations will bring their glory and honor into the city. Nothing evil will be allowed to enter, nor anyone who practices shameful idolatry and dishonesty—but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.” (Revelation 21:22-27). Its all about knowing God, that is why He died and rose again, to conquer Sin and Death, so we can be with The Lord now and forever! There is no waiting period anymore, no need to be a High Priest, we can enter God’s presence now! Its time to get to purpose of why He died, it wasn’t just to make a kingdom, He could forge one with a snap of his fingers, it was to make us His Kingdom, “Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.” (Revelation 1:5-6). God doesn’t want kingdom of dead stones and gold, but us! For He loves us and wants to know us. A living kingdom, a living family, and living bride! Like the Song of Songs, we are his beloved, “I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine: he feedeth among the lilies,” (Song of Songs 2:16). Amen.
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