Welcome!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Today: God has a dream!
Passage: 1 Peter 1, Ephesians 1
1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To God’s elect, strangers in the world, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, 2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood: (1 Peter 1: 1-2, NIV 84-emphasis added)
Peter was addressing God’s elect-the scattered Church, who were also strangers in the world (unlike in the U.S today)
There is so much in that one verse-enough for a whole year!
Today, I am just touching on God’s dream only
We all have our own dreams; we never talk or even think if God ever had/has a dream
If God created us in His likeness and image, it is possible that He has a dream too
And that dream is all about us; God’s dream is about His people- His Church
It was proclaimed in the Garden of Eden itself
Even as Adam sinned, God’s dream was still there
Where Adam failed, there was Jesus!
If we don’t fulfill God’s dream for us, someone else will!
The Church was birthed in the blood of the lamb
So, Jesus did not want the Church to be detached from Him
The Church of Jesus-called out and separated for Him, has God’s seal of love upon it
Like a mother looking at her new born and watches every step of his/her growth, God is watching you and me
Someone who has invested in shares/stocks will watch the market every day
Where your deposit/investment is, that is where your heart will also be
The heart of Jesus is with you and me all the time
We are His investment, His inheritance
18 I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. (Eph 1: 18-19, NIV 84)
The whole of Ephesians talks about it
When Jesus told Peter that He will build His church (Mat 16:18), Jesus claimed the complete ownership of the Church
Jesus is one with the church; He is the head, the Church His body
That is the mystery Paul is talking about, as he talks about marriage-the two shall become one – Eph 5:22-33
The state of the apparent (visible) Church in the U.S today is miserable
During the time when Jesus came into the world, the Jewish community in Jerusalem was having a very difficult time; Roman imperialism on one side and divisions within Judaism on the other, everyone was involved in something or the other
But we see two elderly people, Simeon and Anna, who were not into any of that; they went into the temple, spent their time praying and listening to the word, waiting for the messiah (Luke 2: 25-38)
They saw the glory of the Lord; their dreams were fulfilled
What is your greatest dream in life? Make a sincere examination and answer that question
God has a dream, an expectation for you, just as you have a dream about yourself/ your children
God bless your day
BG
Prayer: Lord, help me to understand your wish for me, my family and the Church, and be part of fulfilling that dream. Amen