Dear Church Member,
- Read - Isaiah 62:10-12
In this
chapter, Isaiah is talking about Jerusalem – the place God chose to reveal
salvation. In our day, this would be equivalent to Christ’s church (universal)
and the good news we share. It is a great chapter, full of hope, but I want to
focus on the last few verses.
Read verses
ten through twelve again. Go through the gates (go outside the city), build up
the highway, remove stones, and lift up a signal. Make sure there is nothing
keeping others from getting here. Make sure the world knows exactly how to get
to the place of salvation.
We aren't
supposed to come inside the gates of God’s Kingdom, find salvation and stay. That
day will come, the day we wait for, the day we will stay. But for now, God
sends us back out, outside these gates.
Though Satan
has dominion over earth, God still owns all of it. Satan had free reign for
years, and then Jesus showed up in his territory. Not only did Jesus show, but
He began to take back control.
“Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every
kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided
against itself will stand. And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against
himself. How then will his kingdom stand? And if I cast out demons by
Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your
judges. But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the
kingdom of God has come upon you. Or how can someone enter a strong man's house
and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man? Then indeed he may
plunder his house. Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does
not gather with me scatters.” (Matthew12:25-30)
Christ came down and began to plunder the
strong man’s house. And He left His church here to continue His work. We are to
go into the strong man’s house and make disciples – plunder the strong man’s
house.
- Perhaps this is why Christ gave us this promise: Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Matthew 16:16-19
The gates of
Satan’s dominion will not keep us out. We can go into the house of the strong
man through the power of Jesus name – through the power of the Kingdom of
Heaven, and we can bind him and take what is currently his – those lost and
dying in sin.
When we do
this, we can say we love God, because only
when we do this, do we love others like He loved us. As Christmas approaches,
remember, it’s not all about a little baby born. It is about our Savior,
exiting the gates of heaven and going behind enemy lines, sacrificing Himself
to rescue captives. There is no greater love than this – than someone lay down
his life for his friends.
Love God.
Love others. Go. That is your MISSION.
Follow Him with me,
Darin
No comments:
Post a Comment