JUNE 28

MEGA RETURN POLICY: More & More

Today we are talking Mega RETURN policy. 

We’re not talking about getting a refund within 14 days for something we bought at a store. We are talking THE RETURN OF CHRIST! Speaking of businesses making it possible to return purchased goods, generally the notion of “money-back-guarantee, no questions asked” is perceived as the optimum policy. With God, there’s no need for money back because what he’s guaranteeing he paid for!

Caleb will speak to more in-depth next week in Part II of this topic, including on what some call “the most preposterous belief in Christianity”! Oooooooooo. Today, I’m going to highlight the two keynote factors of our policy and dig into the overall PURPOSE of Jesus’ return. 

So, the two key Mega return policy items are: 

  1. Jesus’ come back will happen - It is our "#Blessed Hope that we should look to and encourage one another with

    Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ

  2. If there is an aspect of scriptures which is yet future, the bottom line is that we will know fully and accurately what will actually happen and what it will actually look like when it happens. 

This is important because there are all sorts of end-times obsessed people, date setters, deniers…a full gambit of interpretation. 

Some advocate that their perspective should be listened to because of the amount of time they spent studying, including the notion that a significant amount of their study went on well into the night even the small hours of the morning. While it’s definitely Biblical to study to show ourselves approved, the length of time that we study in itself doesn’t either make our study conclusions accurate, or reliable. Interestingly in Psalm 127 we are specifically warned against long hours into the night if those hours are in our own strength 

Psalm 127:1-2
Unless the Lord builds the house,
They labor in vain who build it;
Unless the Lord guards the city,
The watchman stays awake in vain.
2It is vain for you to rise up early,
To sit up late,
To eat the bread of sorrows;
For so He gives His beloved sleep.

Yes, Jesus prayed all night and there is certainly a part for watching and studying through the night Biblically  But it’s important whenever we study and how long we study that our conclusions, our theories, our hypotheses line up with the full counsel of the word of God.

THE PURPOSE

Hebrews 10
19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and having a High Priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Jesus’ return is is a MAJOR reason to gather more and more 

Gathering is key to soul winning, 50% of the “GO” - God’s a God of the full house (house should be full

Luke 14:23 “And the lord said unto the servant, Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.”

Major things we need to do is get prepared (virgins, rev 19) - gathering is part of preparation for Christ’s return 

As we gather we are satisfying the Lord’s heart. Growing in our capacity to engage heart to heart with God together - that’s what we’re preparing for.  As we grow in our transformation, our glory will be more (2 Cor 3:18), but more particularly we will have a greater capacity to serve the congregation and help facilitate holy convocations

God wants to increase our heart for more and more different types of people, our capacity to relate, serve them and disciple them. - This is an engagement, it’s serious stuff, there is going to be a wedding and we need to be prepared!  GREAT NEWS FROM REV 19:7 is WE WILL BE - let’s not take it for granted, to be prepared you must go through the preparation process. 

Occupy till he comes - the importance of occupying is that in order to have the wherewithal to gather, we need resources. Occupying territory means you have resources together and can utilize them for the purposes your occupation is designed to achieve - GATHERING 
Luke 19:13 And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.

I’ve been chewing on the first portion of Exodus for a while and found it to be interesting timing because the “first mention” in scripture of a Holy Convocation is actually in exodus. This week as I was reading, these two verses popped out to me again. 

Exodus 3:11-12

11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 
12 So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

God spoke to Moses and gave him a monumental mission. Moses’ response is crazy relatable - “uh God...why me?”

God’s response in the beginning of verse 12 is interesting. He doesn’t directly answer Moses’ question, He doesn’t tell Moses why He picked him at all, doesn’t affirm Moses’ character, personality attributes or capacity to do the thing, instead He affirmed He Himself as God and that He would be with Moses in this huge task. His presence would be enough 🙀

My question for myself as I read this was: How often do I focus on myself - my own sight, strengths, limitations, perceptions, assumptions, experience, thoughts and feelings when grappling with what I know God is speaking to me about, rather than realizing that it’s God that’s asking, He’s with me and it’s never been about me or what I can do, He loves to stoop down and make us great!

Then the second part of verse 12 has another interesting situation. God tells Moses that a sign that God truly had sent Moses would be that once Moses completes the task of getting Israel out of Egypt, he would come back to the mountain and serve God there. 

We tend to get so caught up in the process that we MISS the purpose. While God was saying this, a bush was on fire but not burning and a voice was coming from it. Then, God turned Moses’ stick into a snake, gave him and healed him from leprosy, and God did miracles so great and terrible and wonderful in Egypt that people today question whether this story ever happened or is simply myth!!! But God never said to Moses that these wonderful things were signs God had sent him, He said that the sign God had sent him would be that when Moses was done He would come back to the mountain and serve God! 

God’s miracles are not done as the be all and end all of what He is wanting to do. They are always part of the process. It’s awesome when people get healed, delivered, raised from the dead, have visions/dreams, receive a prayer language, speak in other tongues, interpret tongues, receive miraculous provision and so on, but ALL OF THESE THINGS aren’t the end of what God is doing, He uses these things to get our attention and/or reveal an aspect of Himself to us in the hopes that we would understand His purpose and meet Him.  Ultimately, God’s processes always lead to His desire for relationship. 

God’s end game wasn’t that Moses would lead Israel and Smite Egypt, that was the process to set Israel free so they could be with God and SERVE HIM.  In this instance, something that’s not mentioned but we can understand from the fulness of the story of what happened with Moses is that when God is talking to Moses, He’s speaking to an individual but when Moses comes out of Egypt he is now the leader of a nation and they were to COLLECTIVELY serve God. What if we saw the reality (great, good, bad, and ugly) of our daily lives as an opportunity to ask God “how are you using this to grow my relationship with you and your holy nation (the church)?” 

Gathering is obviously key to God’s purposes. And as mentioned from Hebrews 10, we’re meant to do it as we see the day of Jesus approaching. Not because of fear. But triumphantly!!!

Luke 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

It’s the blessed hope

1 Thessalonians 413 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

HOLY CONVOCATION - First Mention: Egypt!!! https://www.blueletterbible.org/search/search.cfm?Criteria=holy+convocation&t=KJV#s=s_primary_0_1 

GREAT CONGREGATION: https://www.blueletterbible.org/search/search.cfm?Criteria=great+congregation&t=KJV#s=s_primary_0_1

Megamorphic Church