Sometime in the first quarter of 2012, I felt that yes, finally, actually and finally, I was 'born again', this time truly and genuinely, according to the Scriptures in 1 Pet 1:23 and John 3:3.
And it was from then on that I began to see how the entire Scriptures weaved a beautiful tapestry of Jesus Christ, the 'Suffering Servant' depicted in Isaiah chapter 53, as the supreme Author of our eternal salvation.
More than merely the doctrinal content, I discovered something so awesome, and that is, indeed the Gospel makes Jesus so real in my heart, and of course that is only through the power of the Holy Spirit. We receive the Holy Spirit when we are led to Christ by the Spirit and the Word of the Gospel preached and shared.
Jesus is truly the essence of the Scriptures. And until we see Him right in the center of the Garden, as the 'tree of Life', we will miss him and fall for religion and ritual.
What bothers me no end is how much we DON'T get the precious and pure Gospel preached and taught to us from the pulpits of churches today.
How did we get to the place where we think that the Gospel is only for evangelism, and is insufficient for maturity in Christ?
Clearly, many who preach the Gospel, and do not preach Christ in our churches, do not understand what is meant by the 'width, length, depth and height of the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge'.
The Gospel of Christ Jesus is thoroughly sufficient to bring us with the power of the Holy Spirit, to a place where we are 'filled with all the fullness of God!'
So how? It begins with our prayer for His grace to understand His grace, and from thereon, from grace to grace, and grace upon grace to know Him more.
No comments:
Post a Comment