Lent Day 11: Three Things

On this eleventh lenten morning, I am grateful to be awake and alive. 

I am further thankful that not only am I granted the honor of interacting with individuals from all walks of life in the physical sense, I am also surrounded in a spiritual sense by fellow living Christ-followers and a great cloud of witnesses -- men and women of faith who have already gone on to be with the Lord. Together, both the people in this life and those who have passed on inspire me to surrender anything and everything that hinders my fruitfulness in the Lord.

Indeed, total surrender to Christ is the objective of Lenten thought.

So, I thank you for joining me on this journey. As we continue to look forward to Easter and the powerful joy that comes to us through our Risen Lord, three things of importance come to mind: 

-  the Word of God 

-  the work of God  

Faith in CHRIST alone!

-  the people of God

Let us unpack these three things:

John 1:1 speaks of the first one, 

“In the beginning was the Word, 

and the Word was with God, 

and the Word was God.” 

On the second, John 6:29 enlightens us in this way, 

“The work of God is this: 

to believe in the One He [the Father] has sent.” 

And of the third one, Peter says, 

“ . . . you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, 

a holy nation, 

a people belonging to God, 

that you may declare the praises of Him 

who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light. 

Once you were not a people, 

but now you are the people of God; 

once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”

1 Peter 2:9-10, NIV

Armed with the above knowledge, how could we not be gratefully spreading joy all over the place in all of our interactions? Furthermore, how does attending “church” or being a part of a local body of believers keep these three fires burning?

In answer to the first question, the Bible shows us how God uses His Word, His Work, and His people to impart joy. Acts 8 describes how Saul was once an influential opponent of the gospel. He persecuted the church so fiercely that untold numbers of Christ-followers were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Though utterly unaware, God used him to propagate the gospel even before he became Paul because the scattered believers preached the Word wherever they went, unearthing joy on their path. Might we pray that God would convict our hearts to share God's Word similarly in our respective corners, whether at home, in the neighborhood, or the workplace, regardless of our circumstances?

"So send I you by grace made strong to triumph

O'er hosts of hell, o'er darkness, death and sin

My name to bear and in that name to conquer

So send I you, My victory to win.

So send I you to take to souls in bondage

The Word of truth that sets the captive free,

To break the bonds of sin, to loose death's fetters

So send I you, to bring the lost to Me."

-- Extracted from So Send I You, Margaret Clarkson

The Bible addresses the second question by depicting the local church as a physical representation of God's temple/tabernacle—a place that brings together God’s Word, His work, and His people. In Ephesians 2:19-22, Paul mentions some terms to that effect: 

a) We are God's people and members of God's household

b) We are built on the foundation of the Word of Christ as the chief cornerstone

c) We are built on the foundation of the Word (spoken by the apostles and prophets)

d) We are a building that is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord

e) We are a construction project (being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit)

"Let it be said of us

That the Lord was our passion,

That with gladness we bore

Every cross we were given;

That we fought the good fight,

that we finished the course

Knowing within us

The pow'r of the risen Lord."

-- Extracted from Let It Be Said of Us, Steve Fry

Can we say that our prayers focus on the Word, the work (belief in Christ), and the people of God? Can we say that the local church provides a laboratory experience for all Christ-followers and seekers to experience and receive the Word, the work, and the people of God in a biblical way? Can we say that, when we are scattered in our respective homes, neighborhoods, jobs, and the like, those around us can sense the joy inherent in God’s Word, His work, and His people? 

Let us ask God to keep our fire burning:

Lord Jesus, we are so very humbled by Your grace, so overwhelmed by Your love. You have ladled us up from the swamps of sin and brought us to Your kingdom of light. What an honor it is to be entrusted with Your very Word! What a sweet mercy it is to be charged with the task of surrendering everything that so easily entangles and, instead, trusting Christ to be the sole source of our salvation! What security it is to be Your precious possession, Your people, Your priesthood! Be glorified in us as the goodness of Your work within us give rise to Your worship! In Christ's holy name, we pray. Amen!