I think there’s a truth the enemy of our souls dreads us ‘seeing.’ He’s OK with us formally ‘believing’ or ‘getting’ it, but He shudders in panic at the thought of us pulling back the curtain to truly ‘see,’ to truly put a stake in the ground and begin living out the fearsome truth. It’s a truth that renders him weak-kneed, pale with fear, blubbering like a baby. That pivotal truth is this: Jesus smashed through the age-old barrier of sin & death’s evil dominion over God’s children, liberating us to unstoppable, limitless, spiritual freedom. (did you just do ecstatic cartwheels at this big news, or did you just yawn a ‘Yeah, I already knew that! It’s nothing new, nothing to get that excited about!’)
The second possible reaction is the one the enemy cheers for, loves to hear, pats himself on the back for. The first, though, (even if, for physical safety, was limited to a mental cartwheel) is the one that the Kingdom of God cheers for. That’s the Kingdom’s anthem, the one that gets the angels all a-flutter.
I know, I know. I hear it. But we’re just normal, everyday, imperfect people. Is that so? Is that thought Biblical? Is that what Scripture says about us? I know I comforted myself with that cute little saying for a very long time while in hiding. But is that what Jesus communicated to his first disciples? Is that what he struggled and died for? It’s like that once-familiar saying, ‘Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven.’ JUST forgiven?
Jesus bellowed from the cross: ‘It is finished!’ His victorious death and resurrection gave first-ever access to the Holy of Holies, God Himself! That veil of separation was eagerly and forcefully ripped apart as an invitation – to us! Ritual sacrifices became obsolete in the face of the perfect, once-for-all sacrifice of the sinless Lamb of God. The arrival of our Source, God’s Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, indwelling us to the end of the age, changed every believer from that day to this!
A baby’s first steps are wonky, unsure, hesitating, usually followed by an undignified and sudden plop to the floor – but thrilling, cheered on, recorded if at all possible, bragged about. Why? Because they were evidence of the little one’s trusting his/her legs and sense of balance to do what they’d been created to do! And those halting, initial footfalls were a promise of the many more to follow! Just as a baby learns to overcome the anxiety of standing erect with no support at hand, so too, in our walk in the Spirit, we trust him for little things to start, and however awkwardly executed, we feel the courts of Heaven cheering our efforts, and, I believe, if we listen closely, we’ll also hear the enemy and his demons, screaming in terror and reaching for Aleve for the sudden pain at their loss. Nope. Not just forgiven. Not by a long shot. PD
Don graduated from Regent University in 1988 and moved to France for seven years, coming back to the US briefly to marry Sue in 1990. The work in France included working in a Christian School and helping plant a church before returning in 1995. He’s been pastor of Peninsula Vineyard since 1999. He enjoys counseling, especially married couples, traveling back to France (with Sue), reading, doing Sudoku puzzles and sleuthing out good, dark chocolate. Don serves as the senior pastor of the Vineyard Church Peninsula, in Newport News, Virginia.