Friday, October 28, 2005

The temple in my heart

I was watching the Jesus movie the other day, why? Mainly because I was curious about it. I had never seen it before and was interested to see the tool that had been spreading the gospel in so many countries for the last few years. It was older and of poorer quality than I thought it would be, kind of like some of those old spaghetti westerns I used to watch when I was a kid. It was neat to see how God could use something so weak and evidently low in production values to spread the “good news.” It just goes to show that He can really use anything too fulfill His wonderful will.

Anyway, let me get back to the reason I started writing this.

When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me."

In the film, when it came to the part where Jesus was throwing the money changers and crooks out of the temple, it occurred to me that, as we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit, does zeal for His house still consume Him?
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
What I’m saying is do I daily remember that I grieve Him when I conform to the lifestyle of the world. Usually I find myself too caught up in the here and now to pay much attention to what I’m subjecting my Lord too. I know that He’s everywhere and already knows everything, but is that an excuse we use to then live as we wish? Do I love Him enough to tell myself, enough John. The time has come and gone for me to carry on with worldliness. And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).
Perhaps that is why I’m writing this… because His Spirit in me is turning over the tables of greed and idolatry in my heart. I love the idea that He is changing me, and molding me, conforming me into someone more like Him. Kind of like when two people come together in marriage and the wife starts taking on the characteristics of the husband, or the husband that of the wife. In a similar way we are the bride of Christ, and receive the blessing of taking on His characteristics. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. I adore the idea that Jesus loves me more than I could possibly love anyone. A love that would have been beyond the reach of creation except that He gives it to us. His love is so deep for me that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Wow! Does the Spirit of God grieve for me that much! Do my sins hurt Him like when a man cheats on his wife, or a wife ignores and despises her husband. Am I such a foul and loathsome creature when I betray the love of the eternal all-powerful, ever existing, God? Lord, please forgive me for when I betray your love! A love I don’t deserve and could never earn.
But He is so good, and in the end nothing can separate me from His love in Christ Jesus. Praise the Lord, all of you who have found such mercy and grace! Praise the Lord, you who receive the everlasting love of their Creator!
Praise the Lord, sing and shout in every land! For Great is the Lord and worthy to be praised!

5 comments:

Keller said...

JMS says, "I love the idea that He changing me, and molding me, conforming me into someone more like Him. Kind of like when two people come together in marriage and start taking on the characteristics of EACH OTHER as they submit to each other."

I don't agree with that statement in the context of our relationship with God. If Jesus started taking on my characteristics, the world would be a pretty brutal place.

However, I do agree with the general flow of your thoughts. I see a pattern in your thinking lately which is good. It seems that a zeal for holiness is stirring in your heart. Maybe it is your "holy discontent"... don't quell it.

gospeloflove said...

Yeah I see your point Kyle. However, that's not what I was going for. I didn't mean that our union with Christ was the SAME as a human marriage where we both benefit from EACH OTHER. I just meant that it was LIKE one. In the similarity that we take on His characteristics "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."
"what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."

I guess the problem came from me trying to shorten this one in an apparently ineffective way. I'll try to rewrite that part to better convey what I was thinking.

Anonymous said...

ahhh boys' don't you see he did become like us out of love... Jesus was a man, a human ...taking on our likeness, although not in our sin, but true man as adam was created - that's a big concession out of love don't you think.
Okay so it's a playing with your words a wee bit maybe. I just wanted to say if the picture of marriage is good enough for God it's good enough for me.

I think it's so great that marriage on earth is a picture of true marriage - That between the Church (indwelt by the Spirit) the bride that He is perfecting...and Jesus, our Messiah and the only perfect Man, and how is he perfecting her? By Her imitating Him. "Be imitators of Christ, therefore"... remember that one?? The Bride imitating the groom.
Beautiful.
Also I love this verse - we who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lords glory... I think sometimes, Christians try to veil who we are because we don't want to be found by the world to be hypocrites, "how can we be called a hypocrite if we aren't acting all pious." But actually, to me that is the hypocrite, because of the life of the Holy Spirit in me, I am being transformed into the likeness of Christ!! My face should be unveiled, reflecting the Lords glory. People won't like it, because it shines light on sin... maybe even the sin that clings to me... but to try an pretend that Christ's glory hasn't made me different from the next person - to me that would be the ultimate hypocrasy. I must embrace the consecration... the seperatedness. Phew... why am I always so long winded in my comments... maybe I should get my own blog... but I'd never have time to write in it because I am always commenting on others.

gospeloflove said...

Grace, wonderful points! Kyle how could YOU have have not seen that!?!... I trusted you! (just kidding). Thanks for the comments

Keller said...

No point in arguing with semantics. At least now I know who God's Grace is!