Conquering

"He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches." [Rev. 3:21-22]

The thought that we have to overcome or conquer can at times be overwhelming. It becomes that way when we think that we have to do it all alone. However, Jesus told his disciples that his yoke was "easy". Yet, in the sermon on the Mount Jesus tells his followers in Matt. 7:14 that the "gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Another paradox! The yoke is easy, but the way is hard. How can this be?

One of the more neglected passages is Jesus's statement that "I came to cast fire on the earth." [Luke 12:49] What is that fire? There is a stirring deep in the bones of a believer that comes when a child of God falls on one's knees and offers to invite God to come and live within one's heart by the power of Holy Spirit. Trusting God to deliver us grants to a mature believer spiritual ears and eyes that allows one to see the work of the kingdom. To test that insight, it should create renewal and lead to service. If it bears "fruit" then the effect can be seen in the lives of people.

I hear so much emphasis on the sermon. We must understand that while public worship is important, it is only important if it is the beginning of a process. The matter of chief importance is the steady continous ministry of all of the members of the church. The call is to get ready for ministry. This cannot be learned in a 25 minute sermon on Sunday morning. I think that when the Holy Spirit descended on the apostles at Pentacost, it appeared visably as "tongues of fire" [Acts 2:3] and produced great boldness in the proclaimation of the gospel and the life of the early church. We need to pray for renewal and for God to send his "fire" upon us! The picture is that the fire empowers and allows a believer's heart to set another on fire when it comes into contact with the heart of a non-believer. That is how we conquer! God in us. It is not just a nice idea or paradigm. It is the ultimate reality of the Christian way.