May she wait no longer.
I came away from this experience with a couple of thoughts.
One of them being: Why have I never heard anything like this before?
The other: How can we ensure that this upcoming generation never loses sight of this truth?
We have done much harm to our understanding of our Heavenly Father. Speculating what He is actually like, and completely missing the revealing of the Father in Jesus. Not only that, but we have done much harm to our understanding of ourselves. Clearly misinterpreting Scripture to back up a flawed belief about humanity. And not taking into account the finished work of Christ. These two things coupled together has kept the church in an endless cycle of trying to discover our purpose. Missing out on the most basic understanding. We were created to be sons.
Isn't this what creation is longing to see? Isn't our liberation meant to free the Earth as well? Knowing that every time someone is awakened to this reality and begins to walk in their sonship, the earth is brought into more and more freedom. What do I mean? Look back at the curse in Genesis. The earth was brought into subjection as well. What happened to Adam and Eve happened to all of creation. Jesus coming to redeem man was to release us from bondage. So that we, in turn, would release creation.
As I was thinking about all of this, I was hit with the awareness of how we handle callings and gifts within the church. We have believed that when someone has a particular calling or operates in a particular gift that this is there purpose in life. I would disagree. This isn't an assignment, but a privilege. Our purpose is to be sons. But it is our privilege to relate to our Heavenly Father through our calling or gifting. It's a way to know Him more intimately, to see Him manifest in our life, and to reveal Him to others. We were created to be sons. As sons we are His image and likeness in the Earth. This is our purpose. My role in life as a pastor and teacher is to reveal more of Him in us. What a privilege!
Many have asked what it means for the sons of God to be revealed. We (the Church) tend to say that this speaks of a person's salvation experience. But I'm not sure that is the case. It's one thing to be awakened to Jesus' death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. It's quite another thing to awaken to your sonship. There is a huge difference between the phrase children and sons in Scripture. We have all been given the privilege of being called children of God [see John's letter to the church]. It's the Holy Spirit within us that reveals our sonship. Therefore, sons are those who have stepped into their maturity. Taken their place within the family. Those who understand their role and purpose. As a child, Jesus knew that He needed to be about His Father's business. At His baptism the Father declared His Sonship. Which created great excitement in the Earth. Imagine what takes place each and every time we step into who we were created to be.
Which brings me to the Helser picture and quote. "When we sing who He is, we remember who we are." Allow your worship to be a springboard. A meeting of hearts. A time to remember. Don't think of worship as the 15-45 minutes before the preaching. This is time with Him. Time that should be more than just a few minutes on Sunday morning. Take time to reflect upon the goodness of our Heavenly Father. Enjoy His presence. And watch as He transforms the way you see yourself.
Creation waits...FOR YOU!
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