Pinhole Perspektiv

A Life Ravaged by the Gospel, Never to be the Same

This past year of being in Cape Town and plugged into a local church has been one of the best in my life on many fronts. My walk with and understanding of God has been revolutionised, slowly throughout the year and it was only recently that I believe God revealed how He has been working in my life over the course of this year.

God revealed to me how up until this year, my relationship with him was a functional contractual agreement I had made with Him. I had accepted Christ as the Son of God, confessed my sins and need for a saviour and had thus ‘accepted’ the Lord. However, I had since moved on from this basic understanding of a need for a saviour and was now onto pursuing the more glamorous aspects of Christianity. I saw the whole process as ladder that you climb, starting out by believing and ‘receiving’ Christ, and then acquiring some spiritual gifts, firstly tongues and then some others if you are really good. Once you are noticed by your elders/pastors you are then recognised for your greater spirituality and made a deacon. You then continue to function as a deacon, getting more spiritual as you go along, until hopefully you are deemed worthy for eldership. This was the highest accolade to achieve within the local church. Once you became an elder, you were obviously spiritual enough to be operating in gifts such as prophecy,  hearing from God, teaching and preaching etc.

This was how I saw the Christian life. It was how I had seen it done in the churches around me and it seemed to make sense. My brothers are two of my greatest role models in so many areas. For years I have looked up to them for their spiritual maturity and wisdom. I had always wanted what they had, but believed that it would all kick in once I reached the age of 20 or so. I would suddenly be downloaded with a bunch of skills, be really spiritual, attend prayer meetings, get recognised and climb my way up the corporate spiritual ladder to greatness.

However, this year, God has done an amazing work in my life. I have been exposed to the truth of the Gospel and its relevance to our entire lives, not just the day we realise we should accept Christ as our saviour. The Gospel is central to everything we do. It is the motivation behind all that we do. Christ and the work on the cross is not just a major event in history that becomes a once off major event in our lives. It is the central pillar from which we are to base our existence and our lives.

It is the first time that I can honestly say that I love Jesus. Before this year, I would secretly cringe when I heard the name ‘Jesus’.  The name conjured up a childish, Sunday school image of Christianity, which I thought was beneath me. This I believe is the epitome of blasphemy. My contractual understanding meant that I had moved on from ‘Jesus’ and was now seeking the higher things of ‘God’. However, this year I have been exposed to the truth of the Gospel, the centrality of the cross and supremacy of Jesus. I now know that the reason for living is not to be a good Christian, preach to the nations or operate on a higher level of spirituality. Our sole purpose for living is to worship God and bring glory to his name and that of his Son, Jesus Christ! When this is the ultimate aim and goal for your life, when Jesus is made the main thing, every other ‘desirable’ thing finds its place and serves this greater mission.

I am falling more in love with Jesus and learning to love him more as the weeks go by. I can now for the first time, join Paul in saying, “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes”.  I want to live for Gods glory. I want his name to be made famous. I love exalting Him above everything in and out of this world. I love declaring the finished work on the cross and the majesty and supremacy of Jesus Christ!

Ironically, I believe some of the greatest acts of blasphemy occur within the greater church. Peter Howard Browne mentioned that blasphemy is not when in the movies someone says, “Oh my God”, but I believe, like myself, when we enter into a contractual agreement with the maker of heaven and earth, agreeing to accept our need for a saviour and then seeking to climb the ladder of prestige and glamour. This is the ultimate ego-trip, because in the eyes of so many it is seen to be honourable! We fool ourselves into thinking we are being ‘good Christians’, yet we have totally forgotten the centrality and supremacy of the Gospel and Jesus Christ. That, I believe is what God meant by taking the Lord’s name in vain!

I realise that this is my testimony! I now have one I can share and proclaim to the glory of God. When previously asked to share my testimony, I would have to go through the years and find experiences I had with God, times I felt like He was speaking to me and share those moments. This was because the work of the cross – whilst I knew to be true – was not true for me. I believed it, but I hadn’t let it become the central feature of my life and thereby transform me. This has now changed. In the boat, once the disciples saw Jesus calm the storm and seas, they realised who He was and all they could do was worship him! A true revelation of who Jesus Christ is can only result in awe and reverent worship!