Let me show you the implications of this. As long as the heir is a minor, he has no advantage over the slave. Though legally he owns the entire inheritance, he is subject to tutors and administrators until whatever date the father has set for emancipation. That is the way it is with us: When we were minors, we were just like slaves ordered around by simple instructions (the tutors and administrators of this world), with no say in the conduct of our own lives. But when the time arrived that was set by God the Father, God sent his Son, born among us of a woman, born under the conditions of the law so that he might redeem those of us who have been kidnapped by the law. Thus we have been set free to experience our rightful heritage. You can tell for sure that you are now fully adopted as his own children because God sent the Spirit of his Son into our lives crying out, "Papa! Father!" Doesn't that privilege of intimate conversation with God make it plain that you are not a slave, but a child? And if you are a child, you're also an heir, with complete access to the inheritance. (Galatians 4:1-7, The Message)
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I thought as a child, I understood as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. (1 Corinthians 13:11 [KJV])
When I came in to work at the TV station this morning, I started a conversation with my co-worker Ray to follow up on a thought he had put into my head the previous Friday following production. The question he asked me was this: “As Christians, are we supposed to operate in delegated authority, or inherent authority? The body of Christ, as I see it, is so busy operating in ‘delegated’ authority, as in a chain of command, that we don’t realize, both individually and corporately, we ought to be operating in ‘inherent’ authority because it is part of our ‘inheritance’ as heirs of the Kingdom and joint-heirs with Christ.” When he asked that question, he asked me to ponder that over the weekend, and the next time we got together (which was today,) we’d discuss it further. So, as we parted ways on Friday, I did indeed begin to work that over into my mind, asking the Lord, “If this is the way it’s supposed to be, show me how to walk this out… How should this apply in my everyday life?”
From that point, I’m amazed as to how He’s answered me, as first, He spoke through our congregation’s co-pastor in her sermon this past Sunday, entitled “Crisis: Identity Theft”, (based in 1 Peter 2:4-10,) where she stated that most Christians are not operating as they should in the body of Christ because they simply have no idea who they really are in Christ, and that “many are perishing due to the lack of knowledge.” (Hosea 4:6) Then, for the last few days, I’ve been listening to my Bible on CD to the book of Acts, observing as I’m listening to how not only the disciples/apostles who had been side-by-side with Jesus, but to all those that believed, not only preached the Good News of Jesus with boldness, but because they understood who they were in Christ and the authority that they had been given, were able to perform many signs and wonders. So, it was this mindset that I brought into work with me today as I approached Ray and told him he had infected me… He and I sat down and began to discuss it further, and I commented on how God has used several different moves from the 19th Century on as He was in the process of restoring the gifts of the Spirit to His body, beginning with the First and Second “Great Awakenings”, to the Azusa Street revivals (largely regarded as the beginning of the Charismatic Movement, with signs and wonders being performed,) to the recent moves of God that we can see and witness today. But then I remarked, “You know, it’s such a shame that a lot of us in the Body of Christ not only don’t know who we are and how we’re supposed to be, it’s almost as if we don’t want to know; we’ve gotten so comfortable with the way things are, we don’t want to grow up,” and as soon as I said that, the Spirit struck me with this thought: “ARE WE A BUNCH OF ‘TOYS ‘R’ US’ KIDS?!?” For those of you who have no idea what I’m talking about, let me recite for you the jingle:
“I don’t wanna grow up, I’m a ‘Toys ‘R’ Us’ kid,
They’ve got a million toys at ‘Toys ‘R’ Us’ that I can play with…
From bikes to trains to video games, they’re the biggest toy store there is… (gee whiz!)
I don’t wanna grow up, ‘cause, Baby, if I did,
I couldn’t be a ‘Toys ‘R’ Us kid… (more games, more toys, oh, boy!)
I couldn’t be a ‘Toys ‘R’ Us kid!
Do you see the correlation here with the text for tonight? There is such a desire in the heart of God for His children to grow up and reach full maturity so that they can operate in the things that He has already prepared for us to walk in. (Ephesians 2:10, Jeremiah 29:11) But, as any good parent knows, if the child has not reached a certain maturity level by the time they should be old enough to legally operate in what’s already theirs by inheritance, it gets withheld back until they either come into maturity, or it has to go to someone else by default. Consequently, the Word of God also tells us in Romans 8 that “the Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. And if we are children, then we are heirs; heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ; so that if we suffer with Him, we may also be glorified together.” (Romans 8:16-17 [MKJV]) Moreover, the world is waiting on us!!! (“For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God.” – Romans 8:19, NASB)
So… my final question tonight as I close is this: WHAT ARE WE WAITING ON? IT’S TIME TO GROW UP!!!
Running toward maturity,
Cedric (Pastor Ced) |
