Paul tells us that one night he was ‘caught up into the third heavens’ (heaven), and saw things that he cannot even utter. (2 Cor 12)
Paul had seen things and heard things, that others had not. His vision of reality, therefore, of life, was different. He had glimpsed life hereafter, and also had a powerful gauge on how real, how imminent, how absolutely eternal it was… This affected Paul’s relationships with everyone, his priorities, his attitudes, his zeal. Just read Philippians 3:8-14, and feel the wind in his sails… You, my friend, have seen Jesus. You believe and know he is the Son of God, and all authority in heaven and earth is his. (John 6:13:3, Mt 16:16-17) The truth is, this ‘revelation’ is upon you, not under your control. Jesus said to Peter, ‘No man has revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven.’ (Mt 16:17) You see. You know. This revelation of Jesus has poured eternal life over your soul, and marked you ‘safe’ for all eternity. But here on earth, it also carries a ‘cross’. You can’t pretend you don’t see what you see. You just can’t. This is not an admonishment, just a reality. Sometimes I struggle in my life, in moving and grooving in social and work circles that are not Christian. My struggle is that I’ve seen the map of history. I know that everything ‘serious’ here, is not as serious as Jesus being King of the heart of a person. Nothing. For this reason when Jesus looked out over the people, he wept and said, ‘If you only knew this day what would bring you peace…’ (Luke 19:42) Jesus walks with us. We don’t have to stress or fear. We can and must walk in and through this life with Jesus, and with people, until we find ourselves walking through the gates of heaven. Jesus himself prayed that we would not be taken out of this world, out of this mission field, but that we would be protected in the mission. (John 17:15) We’re here to do battle, and yet to cast all our anxiety on the Lord to carry! (1 Pe 5:7) I just want to ‘validate’ your struggle in this brief reflection. That’s all. It’s not easy to do this life with a ‘cross’ on our back. It’s tough. There’s a constant ‘mis-fit’ with secular life and the values of this world. Two very brief words: (1) Don’t deny your true identity in Christ. (in other words, don’t give in to the pressure of being ‘separate’, and try to assimilate. You’ll become lukewarm, my friend, and that’s dangerous water – Rev 3:16) (2) Don’t get stressed! Yes, you’re in a battle, and it’s uncomfortable, unpredictable. But the war is won! It’s effectively over. We’re on the home stretch to glory! (Pr 4:18)
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AuthorPeter Walker. Archives
March 2022
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