SOMETHING VERY BIG

SOMETHING VERY BIG

WE ARE APPRIZED THAT GOD MADE "the worlds" through our Lord Jesus Christ, and He is "Heir of all things" (Heb 1:2). The "glad tidings of good things" proclaim Jesus to be "Lord of all" (Acts 10:36). The Savior Himself confessed, "All things that the Father hath are Mine" (John 16:15). It is no marvel we are told of "The unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph 3:8).

INDIVIDUALS MUST CEASE TO THINK within the framework of their own persons. God's Kingdom is bigger than any one person being saved. Congregations must also extend themselves beyond the perimeter of their own fellowship. Salvation is not confined within geographical boundaries or regional provinces. Those who attempt to restrict the sphere or extent of Divine influence do greatly err. Remember, it was said of Israel, "Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel" (Psa 78:41). Restrictive thinking, particularly in the matter of salvation, is infinitely more serious than surface-thinkers dare to imagine.

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS THE CREATOR of all things. As it is written, "For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him" (Col 1:16). An expression like this does not conform to minuscule religious thought! "Invisible" things, together with "thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers" were created by Him, and for Him! His domain extends far beyond our fondest imagination, and we do well to stretch our minds and hearts to comprehend it. There are realms over which Jesus reigns that extend beyond the perimeter of human sensitivities. Yet, that dominion is not unrelated to our salvation! There is no aspect of "the Man Christ Jesus" that is unrelated to our redemption from the curse and preparation for the world to come! His reign is extensive because salvation is far-reaching in both its intent and implications.

JESUS SUSTAINS ALL THINGS. As the "Captain of our salvation," Jesus is the Sustainer of all things (Heb 1:3). As it is written, He is "upholding all things by the word of His power" (Heb 1:3). It is true, Christ sustains the individual, but His ministry is much larger than that. Having been "delivered from the power of darkness, and translated into the kingdom of God's dear Son" (Col 1:13), you are occupying the realm of "all things."

YOU ARE IN A WORLD DESTINED FOR DESTRUCTION. You are also in a moral universe, in which good and evil are locked in mortal combat. The god of this world is aligned against you, together with his diabolical hosts, including "principalities and powers, spiritual wickedness in high places, and the rulers of the darkness of this world" (Eph 6:11). These are some of the things that are "present." Besides this, there are "things to come," and the larger context of "life and death" (1 Cor 3:20-21).

IN ADDITION TO THESE THINGS, we are a miniature cosmos within ourselves. We have "another law," or principle, within our members, warring against the law of our renewed mind (Rom 7:23). Our natural "members" must be mortified through the power of the Spirit, because they are not subject to the Lord (Rom 8:11-13; Gal 5:24; Col 3:5). The Spirit and the flesh wage relentless war within us (Gal 5:17).

THROW INTO THIS SCENARIO that we "are come" to a society of staggering proportions. Included are all the redeemed currently "in the body" 2 Cor 5:6; Heb 13:3), the "spirits of just men made perfect," an "innumerable company of angels," "God the Judge," and "Jesus the Mediator of a new covenant" (Heb 12:22-24). We do well to stretch our minds and hearts to be more aware of these surroundings than those monitored by our fleshly senses. This aggregation of personalities are all alive, acutely aware of things transpiring in the earth. We are told of the martyrs, who laid down their life for Christ Jesus. They are portrayed in association with the heavenly "altar" aware that their blood has not yet been avenged (Rev 6:9-10).

BLOT FROM, YOUR MIND the notion that, in Christ, you have merely adopted a new pattern of living. You have been made to "sit together" with Christ "in heavenly places," surrounded by a moral cosmos in which intense activity is taking place. There is a sense in which we, like the Apostles, are "exhibited . . . as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men" (1 Cor 4:9, NASB). The battlefield into which faith ushers us is seen by both men and angels.

HOW IS IT THAT THIS COMPLEX spiritual environment has not been our undoing? Why has faith been able to survive the onslaughts of the evil one? It is because Jesus is holding everything together, sustaining it by the Word of His power. But this means more than merely keeping things from spinning wildly out of control. These things are all being upheld for the good of His people. To put it another way, the Lord is working "all things together for our good" (Rom 8:28). He is marshaling all Divine resources and power for your good, to ensure you remain a part of His eternal purpose. All of these "things" are being sustained in the interest of your salvation, and are realized through your faith.

– Given O. Blakely