Reimagining Christ: Expanding Your View of Jesus
Most parents, at some point, have experienced seeing the absolute joy and glee on the faces of their children when they were brought to a candy or ice cream shop and saw the wide array of options they can choose from. Sometimes, the pleasure was so immense that it made them hop up and down, barely able to control themselves as they anticipated what was coming.
As adults, we don’t lose the capacity to be overwhelmed with the joy of awe; we just are more tempered in its expression. When the Queen of Sheba came to Solomon and heard his wisdom and saw his splendour, what she heard and saw left her breathless, and she had to confess that Solomon was much more than she imagined.
4 And when the queen of Sheba had seen all the wisdom of Solomon, the house that he had built, 5 the food of his table, the seating of his officials, and the attendance of his servants, their clothing, his cupbearers, and his burnt offerings that he offered at the house of the Lord, there was no more breath in her.
6 And she said to the king, “The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom, 7 but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it. And behold, the half was not told me. Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report that I heard. (1 Kings 10: 4-7)
A Greater Solomon Is Here: Christ
The New Testament claims that Jesus Christ is the Greater Solomon. The question is, does The Person and Work of Jesus leave us breathless? Is He more than we could ever imagine? Do you feel that after knowing Him for 10, 20, 30, 40 years you still haven’t scratched the surface of His unsearchable riches?
If the honest answer is no, (and it is for many) I give this encouragement. It is the Holy Spirit`s distinct ministry and pleasure to reveal Jesus Christ to you, to illuminate Christ and to give each man their personal experience of the Mount of Transfiguration – A Shining Jesus who takes your breath away. So that Christ Himself becomes All in All to you.
The Spirit`s Work: Glorify Christ
It is the Spirit`s job to lead you into all the Truth of who Jesus is so that you are overcome with the depth, height, length and breadth of our Christ and become liberated from more minor issues like constantly circling around particular church traditions, doctrinal distinctives, defending particular denominations.
The Spirit may lead you to gaze at His perfect and steadfast obedience to the Father, even to the point of death or He may draw your attention to His infinite humility of leaving the glory as king of kings to be born in a animal troft among the most unpleasant smells. Maybe He may lift your gaze to appreciate the great power of His death and resurrection that has now created a new humanity and is expanding, to create a brand new world! No one has ever died a death like that! The Holy Spirit is the one that will glorify Jesus and take all that is true of Jesus and make it real and wonderful to, in, for, and through you.
It`s Bigger Than Just Us
The ongoing discovery of the excellent glory of Jesus Christ goes beyond our personal growth. It also affects our witness to the world. John Wesley once said. “Light yourself on fire with passion, and people will come from miles to watch you burn.”
The more our hearts burn within us as Jesus is revealed to us in the Scriptures and in each other, the more the world will be drawn to a church whose Christ is like no other. Conversely, if He isn’t breathtaking and overwhelming to us who are His Bride, He won’t be seen as breathtaking and magnificent by unbelievers, who the Queen of Sheba is a type and shadow of.
So where do we go from here?
Get one or two other believers with you and ask the Spirit of the Lord to make Jesus shine in your hearts through His Word and His people. Ask Him to reveal the unfathomable wisdom, love, joy, peace, longsuffering, faith and knowledge that resides in our Lord, Jesus Christ and see what happens!
