Monday 18 June 2012

Immersed in Revelation


Glory to God!

Yesterday we met in the Baptist Church in Eschersheim for a very special baptismal service. It is always such a joy to baptise believers in Christ and to proclaim their union with Christ's death, burial and resurrection. Hallelujah!

The Lord spoke to us about His desire to overshadow us with His revelation so as to conceive His Truth in our lives. Looking at the accounts of when God overshadowed His people (Moses - Ex. 33:22; Mary - Luke 1:35; Jesus - Matthew 17:5) we see that God's purpose in revealing Himself is to invite us to enter into the experience of that revelation. When God speaks or reveals something of Himself it is always for a purpose - it is not only to understand more about God but to experience God so as to know Him. God wants us to know Him. Those who know God can make Him known. John writes,

"Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love." 1 John 4:7,8

God wants His people to be enveloped or overshadowed (Gr. episkiazo) by His revelation so that they will know Him. The problem is that believers are too quick to be satisfied with knowledge about God rather than entering into the experience of the revelation and allowing God to overshadow and conceive the Truth in their lives. God takes His people from glory to glory as they respond to what He is saying step by step. When believers ignore or forget what God is saying, they cannot grow in their knowledge of God. The Lord wants His children to know Him and experience the deep things of God by His Spirit and it is only as we respond to His Word/ Revelation that He can overshadow us and conceive the deep things of God in our lives (1 Cor. 2:9-14). It is one thing to understand God's Word but another to receive His Word so that His Truth is conceived in our lives. John puts it this way,

"He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God....born of God." John 1:11,12

God reveals Himself with the purpose of overshadowing those who receive Him so that He can conceive His revelation in the believer's life. Then the believer will know God and make Him known. 

Quote of the week

"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you." Luke 1:35

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