Reaching For the Life of God in Christ is to Know Him in Depth

To know Christ in depth and to manifest Him in His fullness in our lives is the goal for which we should aim.  It is the high price of the calling of God in Christ Jesus. It is not the ultimate of God, but as we eat of His word, and digest the truth, then He will draw back the veil and reveal more of the glory and beauty of the Christ. If you are of His fold, you will hear and recognize His voice, and you will know that you are being introduced to deeper truth.

Our pursuit is after Christ, rather than knowledge just for the sake of knowledge. We seek to know Him in His fullness, reaching for the life of God in His person.  It is in Him that every limitation and impossibility turns into possibility. There have always been men who walked in a realm beyond the limitations of their time and generation. While most believers feel that they have to settle for the status quo and even seem satisfied with whatever is made available to their generation, there are some who are spiritual pioneers, who reach beyond the general bench mark.

Enoch was such as man for his generation.  The Bible says: “Enoch walked with God and he was not, for God took him.”  (Genesis 5:24)  It had been almost a thousand years since Adam had walked with God in the garden. After the fall humankind had only promise of death. The earth was filled with violence and the ungodliness of human kind was a stench that reached to heaven.  In the midst of this, Enoch believed that he could reach beyond the limitations of his generation and walk with God. Hebrews 11: 5 says that Enoch pleased God. It also says that he was a man of faith, and by faith he was translated that he should not see death. This was something unheard of in his generation and since then.

We learn in Jude 14 that “Enoch prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all.” .“ Enoch was only the seventh generation from Adam and he lived in a day when one can hardly find half dozen saints, let alone ten thousand. Yet, he looks far beyond his own day, and saw into the great day of the Lord when the saints of God would execute a great victory over evil in the earth.

Today our day is evil.   A time of death, war, famine, and pestilence will take the lives of millions. The outlook is very dark. Even today those who know their God will do great things and break glass ceilings sealed of our generation in spiritual exploit.  Noah had never heard Enoch’s prophesy. He had never heard Adam tell of the wonders of the garden of Eden. He was born at a time when the wickedness of humankind was so great it was causing God to repent that the He had ever made them. There seemed no hope for humans. The word of the Lord had been spoken. “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth.”  Judgment seemed inevitable. Noah had no one to encourage him in the way of righteousness, nor a five-fold ministry to help perfect help.

Noah would not settle for the lot of other humans.  Genesis 6:8 says: “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord “.  There have always been those who stand out from of the world. This man was an outstanding example. Ezekiel 14:14 lists him as one of the three who could deliver their souls by their righteousness. Hebrew 11:7 says that Noah was a man of faith, and that he believed the warning of God concerning things not seen as yet, and became an heir of the righteousness which is by faith. And it was not only himself he was interested is saving, but the Bible says that he prepared an ark, “to the saving of his house” as well as the inhabitants of the beast realm.

Enoch and Noah heard from God.  They found grace in the eyes of the Lord.  They refused to be held down to this realm of sin and judgment.  They pressed towards the work for the price of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.  If you cannot receive such a word, walk where you must, but let the pioneers of faith press on in God.  They cannot stop until, like Noah, they step out into a new earth, full of the righteousness of God.

Elisha was a young man, the son of a judge.  He was strong, husky and a hard worker.  He had a good future, and would have been able to have a nice farm and a nice family.   One day while he was plowing with twelve yokes of oxen, and he with the twelfth, the prophet of God came by where he was working and cast his mantle over the boy.  His life was immediately changed.  He had heard the call of God for a higher calling.  He left his oxen and began reaching far beyond the limitation of humans.

Elijah was the greatest prophet of that day, but he was very unpopular with the government.  In the natural wisdom it was not an easy choice for Elisha to make.  But God had chosen wisely.  He had picked a man to succeed Elijah.  This was a large calling and required a man of daring faith.  Elisha was that man.  His ministry did not start in a blaze of glory.  He began by being a servant to the man of God.  He washed the dishes, the clothes, and the prophet’s feet.  He carried the wood and built the fire and did all the other necessary, but menial jobs while Elijah spent time seeking the face of God.  This is where many men fail their calling.  When the ministry turns out to be less than spectacular, they decide to go back together to something else.  But Elisha kept plugging ahead on his way to the double portion God had for him.  If it took faithfulness, he would pay the price.  Whatever it took, he had a spiritual stubbornness that made him determined to go all the way.  He had heard from God.  Nothing else mattered.

Elisha received no encouragement in following Elijah.  Everywhere he went the sons of the prophets tried to discourage him.  His answer was: “Hold your peace”.  Even Elijah tested him, three times, but his answer was always, “As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee”.  There was none to encourage him.  All he had was his determination to see this thing through and receive that which he felt belonged to him by virtue of his calling in God.  Finally, they crossed Jordan.  He had just seen a tremendous miracle by the hand of the prophet.  It was time to get his inheritance.  The question comes: “Ask what I shall do for thee”.

Here is Elisa, a young man standing with Elijah who had stood before King Ahab and judged the nation of Israel.  He is the one who had spoken the word that withheld the rain for three and a half years, and then had stood alone against 400 prophets of Baal and defeated them with a mighty demonstration of the power of God.  Ask, says the prophet, and in response Elisha cried out, “I want twice what you have from God”.  He received twice and so much of the life of God that he caused iron to float, poison pots to be nutritious, the dead to be raised to life again, and the ditches to be filled with water.  He healed the leper, fed a multitude on a few loaves of bread, and a handful of corn, and caused the widow’s pot of oil to flow until her debts were paid.  At his word barren women brought forth sons, and he captured an entire army single handedly.  And when he finally goes to be with the Lord, his body still has so much of the life of God in it that a dead corpse that is accidently thrown in the grave on top of him comes to life and goes running off.

Do you think you can bankrupt heaven?   Well, think again.  Think with the mind of the Spirit, and come up with a heart full of faith.  Rise above your circumstances.  Don’t be bound to the limitations of your generation.  You don’t have to stand and stagnate in the status quo.  You can reach into that which God hath prepared for them that love Him.

To do so you must pursue after Christ, know Him in His fullness; and every human limitations will be turned into limitless possibilities.  Reach for the life of God in Christ.  There lies the double portion Elisha asked for, and it is all in Christ.  Go get it, the beloved of God.

T Cyprian Kia

The Centrality of Jesus Christ and Our Spiritual Gifts

     When we try to understand God’s message to us and live in accordance with the will of God, we turn to the Scriptures for guidance. In them, God is disclosed in the person of Christ Jesus. Our Lord as the Almighty Creator, whose nature is love and who has given to humankind all that is necessary for holy living. Holy living that is graced by the Spiritual gifts of faith, hope and love.

      “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on My behalf.” (John 1:39). Through the Scriptures we gain the spiritual understanding and strength required to live in harmony with God’s purposes. It teaches us that God has ordered the world for God’s own purposes. God has appeared in the world in Jesus of Nazareth, “reconciling the world Himself” (2 Corinthians 5:19). This means that all our grace gifts are not the central point, but the person of God as revealed in Jesus Christ, our Savior, is. In His loving kindness He bestowed upon us His redeemed, graces to co-labor with Him in His mission.

     In music, art, athletics, or politics it is customary for gifted people to call attention themselves. Actors treasure their certain calls; artists revel in their exhibitions; athletes save their newspaper clippings; politicians enjoy when their admirers make glowing speeches about them. God’s gifted people; that is all of us who know Jesus personally, should work form motivation different from these. It is the honor of Christ that we should seek. The applause must go to Him and not us. We must not hug the credit.

     This is especially true in the exercise of the gift of speaking. As stewards of God’s grace, as servants doing His work in His power, we cannot preach a message of our choosing. Whoever speaks, Peter instructed, should speak “as one who utters oracles of God” (1 Peter 4:11). What are these oracles? They are the promises and requirements of the living God who has made Himself known to us in Jesus. This side of Bethlehem’s stable, Golgotha’s cross, and Jerusalem’s empty tomb and God’s oracles about Jesus. He is God’s final Word to us. Our speaking them in the Spirit’s power must center in Jesus words and deeds. His worship is what we proclaim; His glory is what we covet “in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:11).

      Not our pet persuasions, not our private hunches , not our own religious aspirations, but Jesus Christ to whom all glory and dominion belong is the theme of our preaching and teaching when we do it in the power of the Spirit. To cultivate the gifts of the Spirit we focus on Jesus. After all, the reason God sent His Spirit was to make Jesus known. Entertaining with grace, serving with dependence and speaking of Christ with assurance are the gifts of stewardship. They are to be performed not just with skill, but with poise and gracefulness. This significance of love, the importance of humility, the centrality of Jesus Christ, without these whatever gift we try to cultivate will rot before they ripen. Christ’s church will suffer from malnutrition.

      Giftedness and arrogance are arch enemies, as hostile towards each other as giftedness and selfishness. Gift and pride do not belong in the same sentence. Peter knew that and, therefore, urged his readers toward humility with words like these “ whoever renders service, as one who renders it by the strength God supplies” (1Pet 4:11). That last line slams the door on pride. What we do as believers in service to others we do in “the strength which God supplies.”

      Humility is important for a number of reasons. First our ability to render significant service is a gift not an achievement. Good service takes selflessness; it means setting aside what we might prefer to do to in order to give attention to the needs of others. Jesus illustrates this gift, with the towel and basin, when He washes His disciples’ feet (John 13: 1-20). Such serving does not come naturally to us. We would rather be waited on than to wait on others. Humility is important for a second reason: service is not only a gift; it is a gift of God. This makes it both precious and purposeful. Its purpose is powerfully stated by Peter; “in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ” Peter 4:11). Washing feet, cleaning house, doing shopping, preparing food, bringing flowers are all to the glory of God! Daily chores that we do for the helpless and regular tasks that we perform in the church have the highest possible dignity because they make God’s glory known and bring joy to His heart.

     When we take credit for what we do it becomes easy them for us to look down on those we serve. In such a situation, service becomes our work, not God’s. Our purpose gets served, pride, self-satisfaction, public acclaim, not God’s. All of life goes out of kilter, and service becomes a liability to the church instead of an asset. Whatever polishes human glory tarnishes God’s glory. To let that happen is an unspeakable mistake. Cultivating God’s spiritual gifts calls us to honor the importance of humility in all we do, to put it better, in all He does through us. As good stewards of God’s varied grace, we draw on the grace He abundantly supplies. We have only one aim; to do the Master’s bidding. That means doing His work His way.

     God stewards are different from glamorous stars. They are not a law unto themselves; they are bound to the Master’s rule. Those rules insist that in whatever we do, we do for Him. We do it with three great realities in mind; 1) love, 2) humility and 3) the centrality of Jesus Christ. Cultivating spiritual gifts takes more than training and practice of doing; it takes training and practice of being. Christian character is an essential part of Christina service. In God’s program no one is gifted enough to be acceptable; neither generosity nor even martyrdom, the ultimate gift, accounts anything with God unless love is the motivation (1 Corinthians 13). God’s gifts are jewels whose beauty and brilliance are marred if their setting are tarnished.

     It is for this reason that Peter viewed hospitality as an attitude, as well as, an act. It could not be done well if it was done grudgingly. An open door must be matched by an open heart. Warm bread tastes best when spread with a warm welcome. Nothing makes a guest more uncomfortable than to know that they are just being tolerated and not truly received. The same grace and generosity with which our heavenly Father has swung the door wide open and ushered us into the heart of this family circle must mark those who have the gift of hospitality. Act and attitude must be in harmony.

     “The end of all things is at hand; therefore keep sane and sober for your prayers. Above all hold unfailing your love for one another, since love covers a multitude of sins. Practice hospitality ungrudgingly to one another. As each has received a gift, employ it for one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace. Whoever, speaks, as one who utters oracles of God, whoever renders service, as one who renders it by the strength which God supplies; in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong glory and dominion forever and ever “. Amen (1 Peter 4:7-11)
T. Cyprian Kia

Our Conception of God Determines Our Dedication

The hundred and twenty men and women who gathered at the upper room on the day of Pentecost understood themselves as living out Christ Jesus in their lives. They lived, acted and walked, expressing Christ before the watching world. Their response to life’s situations was always in obedience to God’s intent of it (Acts 5: 24; 4:19). They were curious in exploring the depth of His love and person. To them it was a discovery of His love and person involved in something much larger and more glorious than they ever dreamt. They were passionately consumed with the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ was their love and their lives were totally centered around Him as their Head (Acts 1:8-15; 2:1-4).


All these are unlike what many see as the Christian life to be today. The Christian life, to many today, is merely about a list of things to do; winning souls, helping the poor, learning theology, studying doctrine, mastering the Bible, deciphering eschatology, praying more, attending church services, praising and worshipping, doing spiritual warfare, exercising spiritual gifts, hearing God’s voice; imitating Christ, and engaging in good works. Above all, it is also about endless activities that they are taught are the center of God’s will.

In a piece written by Frank Viola, we are reminded that “all the above had an end in view that went far beyond giving people a celestial fire insurance policy, bringing in the last great harvest, or changing the world for Christ.” Speaking further he said, “Being a Christian had taken on a completely new meaning. That meaning has to do with something bound up inside the beating heart of God. The Christian life was no longer about me and what I could do or should do. Neither was it primarily about others; the needs of human beings becomes secondary.” Yes it is all about Christ (Psalm 115:1) (2008, 11-12).

De Vern Fromke described this stage of human relationship with God as living in God’s viewpoint and sharing of the yearning of God’s heart beat. He said, believers should grow daily in their experience of the Christian life until they attain the fullness of Christ. Such an experience with Christ is not an overnight attainment or an act of human effort. It takes one’s willingness to walk daily in the full submission to the presidency of the Holy Spirit, a moment-by-moment submission.

It would seem that both apostles, Paul and John, lived in God’s viewpoint and shared His yearning father heart whose desire is to move the believer from childhood unto young manhood and unto fatherhood.

In the first epistle to John, John exhorted:
“I write unto you little children…”
“I write unto you young man…”
“I write unto you fathers…” (1 John 2: 12-14).

As a child, we are most alive to what we can receive from God. No one is alarmed when “little children rejoice in what their Savior has wrought for them in giving personal forgiveness and in providing a relationship with God the Father. Yet there is reason for concern when after many years they remain “little children” who live only to be ministered unto and who are mostly alive to the blessing, benefits and gifts they can receive.” They only interpreted God’s working as it related to them to their only welfare, their victory, seeking to move God around their little center.

Next are those who have matured unto young manhood. They have overcome the wicked one, and are strong, and the word of God abides in them. Through experience they have moved from defiance to the offence: instead of running from, they are now overcoming the Wicked One. At this stage one would feel a sense of “I have arrived at last”. They are centered in activity for the Lord as though their instrumental calling was more important than their expressive calling. The ultimate goal of our salvation in Christ is to have Him within and express his love outwardly.

The last stage in the growth process is to be a father. Here the believer’s walk with the Lord has led to spiritual fatherhood. The believer is suddenly awakened to something quite wonderful. As little children, “we recognized Him (God) as our Father in a begetting relationship, as “young men” we honored Him as our father in a governing relationship; but now as “fathers” were are one with Him in His fatherhood. Through an intimate identification we have an expressive relationship. We come to share a union with His Spirit, purpose, desire, vision, and dedication. The depth of God’s heart and His yearning now becomes the only goal that motivates us in life, and shapes our daily experience (2001:9-10).

Suddenly everything becomes about Him and His ultimate purpose. In other words, the Christian life is Christ and nothing more, nothing less. It is not an ideology or a philosophy, neither is it a new type of morality, social ethic or worldview. The Christian life is the good news that beauty, truth and goodness are found in a person. True humanity and community are found on and experienced by connection to that person—the Lord Jesus Christ.

We should all ‘seek Christ, embrace Christ, know Christ’ because to do so one will have touched Him who is Life. This is needful since in Him resides all truth, values, virtues, and gifts in living colors. Beauty has its meaning in the beauty of Christ. Only in Him do we find all that makes us lovely and lovable (Sweet and Viola 2010: XV). Ultimately the Christian life is Christ Himself.

T Cyprian Kia

Speaking Like a Godly Woman

     In Matthew 12:34 we read “…For the mouth speaks that which fills the heart.” Our words reveal our character. What is in our hearts will soon be expressed by our lips.


     Unkind words, gossip, lies, flattery, boasting, anger, slander, craftiness, shouting and cursing are all to be put away because we are now in Christ. “But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the Head, even Christ” (Ephesians 4:15). Our instruction as to speaking in a godly manner is in Ephesians 4:29 “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification, according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” Even apology cannot erase the destructive influence of unwholesome words.


     At the ladies Bible study a few weeks ago, one sister told us she was riding in the car with her daughter who was driving. They were suddenly cut off by another driver almost causing an accident. She said she then heard a very quick outpouring of expletives and profanity proceeds from her daughter’s mouth. She could not believe the intensity or the choice of words. Her reaction was one of shock, disbelief, and embarrassment so that she couldn’t say anything for a moment. What should we speak in similar situations? We may be at the apartment potluck, or work, or with the family and want to respond in a godly manner. We can speak the truth in love that we are not comfortable when our Savior’s name is spoken so disrespectfully. Let’s not be holier-than-thou but have the courage to speak out in love, and remember that it may turn into an opportunity to witness for Christ.


     Then we come to the OMG expression that has pervaded our language as a response to anything and everything by everyone, of any walk of life, any religion, believer and unbeliever. Any situation or circumstance will bring this quick response, and it is unknown exactly what the speaker means when he says it so loosely. We as godly women can choose not to use this expression which takes the name of God in vain. The Psalmist said (17:3) “I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.”


     Most trouble is caused by what we say: wrecked homes, broken friendships divided churches. Therefore, it is imperative that we have a clean heart, so that the words will be wholesome reflecting God’s light. Man must depend upon God to control his thoughts and their expression. So then Philippians 4:8 says “Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.” Keep our hearts and minds clean thinking on these things, so our words may reflect the beauty of Christ and be pleasing to Him. With our tongue we can pray, praise Him, share and teach the Word.


     “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O lord, my rock and my Redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

 Joy Ann Kia