Heart Tracks - Behold, Believe, Become

"But Peter and John replied, 'Do you think God wants us to obey you rather than Him? We cannot stop telling about the wonderful things we have seen and heard.' " Acts 4:19-20

I heard fellow pastor Kerry Willis say something to the effect that we in the church are living pre-Pentecost lives in a post-Pentecost world. Beth Moore said that the reason we speak so little of Him is that we have seen so little of, and heard so little from Him. The reasons for all of this are many, but I think they can be summed up in something Eugene Peterson said about the Church. "We are living on an I-land." Our lives, families, fellowships, even ministries, revolve not around Christ the King, but the self as king. Chew on that a bit. In our desires, prayers, even works, who, in the end, benefits most? Many churches are making prayer a priority, but what is it we pray for? Healings, financial help, resolution of family conflict and dysfunction. None of these is wrong or evil, but in the end, aren't they mainly pleas for the Lord to make things better for us here? Even our acts of service and ministry can be and so often are, soaked in self-interest. Jesus told us to take no thought for our flesh life, but our self seems to often/always find a way to work itself into the picture. We all want to live post-resurrection lives, but to do so will involve a cross, His, and a death, ours. This is not an attractive invitation to the self and the flesh. So we stay trapped on the I-land and continue to live the pre-Pentecost life. We're saved by grace but live by the law. We're called to a life in the Spirit, but we're comfortable with remaining in the flesh.

So how do we enter into this life? First of course is that we come to His cross. Not for a visit or look-see, but to die. To leave our I-land. Until that happens, we will never enter into His fullness. But after that there is a lifestyle to enter into and its a constant day by day one. Some years ago a friend shared it in a teaching, and I share it now with you. Basing it on the book of Hebrews he said, "Persevere until you behold Christ in Scripture. Continue to behold Him until you believe in your heart that what is promised in Him is for you also. Steadfastly believe until you belong to the promise as a son to a Father. Then as you continue 'steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, you will be made to become what you already are in essence in Christ!' " We behold Him, and as we see Him as He is, we believe what He has promised us. We then become what He has already said we are. Behold. Believe. Become. Ephesians 4:15 is worked out in our lives as we "become more and more in every way like Christ." We enter into the fullness of His resurrection life.

At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came upon His Church. He has come. He does not have to come again. The question for our lives, ministries, fellowships is, are we living in a "pre" or "post" Pentecost world? Who are we beholding, believing, and becoming? 

Blessings,
Pastor O