All of us have burning issues that stir us to want to see change in creation, people, organizations or our environment. The language that often follows these burning issues goes like this, 'if we don’t do something about this NOW, then we are going to reap the dire consequences later' & coupled with that, 'these are the areas and these are the things that we need to put our resources, energy and time into without delay.' So, we asked ourselves two questions on Sunday:
1. What do you think the burning issue is on God’s mind and heart?
2. What does God want us to put our resources, energy and time into?
The Burning Issue on God’s Heart
The burning issue on God’s heart is that we might know Him for who He really is. This seems to be the cry of His heart from Genesis until Malachi, since the time of the Fall when our understanding of God's goodness was distorted and our relationship with God, one another and creation was disturbed. In John's gospel, God makes himself known through Jesus by what he says and does: through inviting two disciples to come and hang out with Him (1:37-49), by turning water into about 1,000 bottles of the best wine (2:1-2) [wine is a symbol of God's generosity in the OT, for example, see Isaiah 25:6-9]; talking to Nicodemus about being born again (3:1-21); talking to the Samaritan woman at the well and revealing his true identity (4:1-25); healings, feeding the 5,000, walking on water (5:1-6:21), going to the Feast and crying out on the last day about "rivers of living water" for "whoever believes in me" (7:1-39). And so we could go on. No wonder John writes that "For from his fullness we have all received grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known" (John 1:16-18).
God not only wants us to know Him but to also be known by Him:
“But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?
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To the church at Laodicea, Jesus says, "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" (Rev. 3:20). There is an invitation to intimacy, to know and be known in this picture of eating a meal together.
Application: Take time to thank God for making himself fully known to us through Jesus. Why don't you invite Him to "eat" with you, as you go about your daily life tomorrow. For the rest of this week, start off your day by reading Psalm 139: 1-18 and finish with an evening prayer using verses 23-24.
2. What does God want us to put our resources, energy and time into?
Sadly, it can take disaster to cause us to wake up to the times we live in. When the worst earthquake South Africa ever experienced 50 years ago, on September 29th, 1969, people in Tulbagh cried out to God because they thought that the end of the world had come. Post 9/11, President George Bush told Americans we now live in a "new country" where all have a "new responsibility" as citizens and that the question that Americans had to answer now was "how should we live in the light of what has happened?" The first lady, Laura Bush, also touched on the theme of a "new America" earlier in the day. She said up until September 11 there had been a "self-indulgent" air in the country. Now a new, kinder mood was evident, with people reaching out to touch strangers. George Bush's speech, which was flagged before its delivery by White House sources as historic, was said to have the twin aims of recognizing the "new heroes" in American life, such as the post office workers, public health workers, rescue workers, police officers and firefighters, at the same time as reminding Americans to be constantly on the alert. It was said that 'the world will never be the same again.'
It's interesting that these thoughts are similar to what Jesus expressed when he started his ministry 2,000 years before 9/11!! A new covenant was being introduced, a new and "better country" (Heb. 11:16) to look forward to, and a new outlook required (Mt. 4:17; chs. 5-7). With the arrival of the King from heaven, the world would never be the same again. A new first love, first loyalty and first longing was required (see the text we used, Mt. 10:34-39). IOW's, a "new responsibility as citizens" of the Kingdom of Heaven. The "new heroes" were the ordinary "Blessed are the poor in spirit" types. The question that we all have to answer since Jesus arrived is "how should we live in the light of what has happened?" There is no longer space for a "self-indulgent" approach but a servant-like response to walk as Jesus did, in love towards God, fellow Christ-followers, neighbours and enemies. And Jesus urges us to "be constantly on the alert." The world could never be the same again, not because of some disaster or burning issue but because God declared a new day, the arrival of His Kingdom in a new way on the earth requiring a turning away from the old ("Repent") and embracing the new life ("...for the kingdom of heaven is at hand..."). The cross and the resurrection forever changed the way we see the world and live in the world.
So, what does God want us to put our resources, energy and time into? The Gospel! The Gospel deals with the core issue of our hearts and the offer of life. The Gospel enables us to know God for who He really is and to be known by Him! How could 120 frightened men and women before Pentecost, within the space of 300 years, see +- 55% of the Roman Empire come to Christ? Because each one took the Gospel to heart, each one burned with a passion to spread the fame of his name.