He is unfathomable

One of the natures of God that we least think nowadays is that God is incomprehensible, meaning that we cannot fathom His depths or know His boundaries. We treat God like a familiar friend which is great because He has allowed it, but we should also stand in awe of Him. Yes, He has chosen to reveal Himself to mankind. Yes, He has further chosen to reveal deeper things to the New Testament believer. But Paul extols His inscrutability by crying out in Rom 11:33 - 'Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways'!
Now, this doctrine has great significance for the New Testament saint because we cannot just take things for granted. Or in other words, we cannot expect God to bow down to our understanding of Him. We cannot put God's principles above everything else and hold Him ransom to it. He need not always work in a way that we are used to. Sometimes we just have to admit that we do not have all the answers and bow down to Him any way. All our sick may not be healed.(Sometimes we just have to accept our Fanny Crosby -es and our Nicks) All our questions may not be answered. But we just have to glory in His immensity and His greatness. He is far above what our puny minds can handle. The mystics knew this too well. We are guilty of losing this truth altogether.

Thy Kingdom Come

God's kingdom is here on earth but it is an invisible kingdom. It has principles and purposes that are opposed to the world. It is built on submission and righteousness and eternal values. It has authority that the world knows nothing about. Our real test is in the spiritual realm before we can rule in the physical realm. The world says that sin is unavoidable while God's kingdom says otherwise. The world says sickness is normal whereas we are opposed to it. To enter the kingdom is one thing. To possess the kingdom is another. All of us have entered but few are enjoying its benefits. To be a subject of the kingdom is one thing. To reign with Him is another thing. 

We have to understand that we are not enjoying the full benefits of the kingdom by getting blessed on a physical level only. Most of us are warring against temporal issues like sickness or poverty all the time whereas the real battle is against defilement of the spirit or poverty of the soul. Paul's focus was not on what he had or did not have. He was warring at a different level. He claimed 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me'. What are we claiming today?

Whither apostolic teaching?

Ephesians chapter 2 verse 20 is a topic of increasing debate today with views on either end. One group of believers claim that every church should be built only by present-day apostles and prophets and only continued apostolic teaching (by apostles) can cause that church to grow. On the other side, we have believers who use that same verse to say that because the church was built on the foundation of the original apostles and prophets, we don't need them any more. We have to build above it since the foundations have already been laid and can be found in the teachings of Scripture. I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle. 

Every church in history (past or present) was not and need not be started by sent-ones. Apostolic teaching is not something that present-day apostles bring as something new. It is already given to us through master builders like Paul.(1 Cor 3:10) No one can lay a foundation other than what is laid. Every church need to receive revelation on the foundation that is Christ and built accordingly. It can be taught by present-day apostles who may work within the church (that they were sent to establish) for a period of time or by prophetic teachers whom God raises up within the church. It is foolishness to say that only apostles can bring apostolic teaching as if they hold the keys to it. Many of the so called apostles today make no mention of the cross of Jesus and its outworking. And what is worse is that they look for signs and wonders within the church among believers, instead of going out and doing it along with persecution that accompanies it. 

Apostolic teaching is already given through the Scriptures. It needs to be brought forth within the churches. God help the churches. We need miracles inside the church and signs and wonders outside the churches. The first is produced by teaching the believers to remove self-life and which allows the Holy Spirit to move in freedom and grace. The second is produced by the power of the Holy Spirit through apostolic and evangelistic giftings. e.g. Philip the evangelist.

Whom shall I send?

There are some words that always go together and you cannot do one and ignore the other. Trust and obey; Repent and believe; Surrender and receive. The same God who says ‘Come’ says ‘Go’. The same God who says ‘Receive’ says ‘Give’. Do we really think that one can happen without the other? We are either not seeing it or not willing to see it. One of the the most deceptive sides of our nature is self-centredness. It is deep down rooted in us. God the Holy Spirit alone can dig it up from inside ourselves.

Most of us are not hearing the cry from God – whom shall I send? After all our worship and all our adoration, what a tragedy if we fail to hear the ultimate purpose of God for our lives here on earth. Do you realize that after some time, stagnant water will cause a stink? It may look so clear and wonderful at the beginning but there has to be an outflow for the inflow to continue. We cannot ask to be filled if we are not prepared to overflow. Let us ask God to fill us to overflowing. Let us maintain a pro-active stance. Let us be eager for good works.

Dear God, why are you invisible?

"Now if God shows himself to me, just as if Santa Claus shows himself to me, I won't be an atheist,"- David Silverman, President of American Atheists. What an interesting statement. Why does God remain invisible in the face of such onslaught? Well, the first thing is that God is not at all far away from those who are actively seeking Him.(Acts 17:27) Secondly, He reveals Himself in so many indirect ways that it is a heinous sin to ignore such clear evidence. (Rom 1:20). Thirdly and most importantly, God has chosen to remain invisible because He wants man to make a choice to turn to Him in the same manner that man turned his back to God. If God revealed Himself now in His glory, man would turn to Him not out of choice but out of fear and compulsion. There would be no desire for God but only a servitude based on fear of destruction. Man has to give himself to God voluntarily out of love. (That is why it is so important to spread the message of God's love through Jesus).
               Also, when God finally reveals  Himself, it has to mean destruction for all the rebellious because there is no place for sin in the presence of a Holy God. David Silverman has to turn from his sin NOW if he wants to stand on his two feet THEN. The Holiness of God is going to blow him away on that terrible day when God reveals Himself to Mr Silverman. He won't be an atheist for sure.