Greater Glory in The Spirit

"Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory."(2 Corinthians 3:7-11 ESV)

 WE SHOULD BE SO STOKED ABOUT THIS PASSAGE!  It's probably unprofessional to use the word "stoked" in generally serious blog about scripture, BUT SO WHAT?!
(all caps is a problem too...)

If the glory that made Moses' face so overflowing with God's presence that the Israelites couldn't look at him was incredible (and of course it was), then what kind of awesome holiness are we dealing with here?  What do we do with the knowledge that Jesus, in His resurrection and new covenant, is doing a work of even greater glory than the giving of the Commandments or splitting the Red Sea?????

WE CELEBRATE WITH CHRIST!  Jesus Christ poured out His Holy Spirit and the magnitude of that ministry is too big for man to comprehend, and it's too big for the darkness to overcome!

The one comparison that REALLY BLOWS MY MIND is when Paul says that the glory of righteousness and the Spirit is so overwhelming that it not only SURPASSES the ministry of death and condemnation but it makes the former glory look like NOTHING!

A believer's heart should fill with joy, knowing that God has invited us (and even used us) to show the universe how great and glorious He is.  He never weakens or shrinks in magnitude. You could say that God only ever seems BIGGER AND BETTER as He continually reveals His plan and love for His children.   AWESOME!

One last thing that I think is worth mentioning:  this passage reminds that there WAS in fact glory in the older ministries of the Law.  The wording of "ministry of death" can be a bit off-putting, but we need to remember that the Law did reveal how bad we are at following God's commands (and that essentially equals a death sentence, and rightly so).  Humanity had no right to forgiveness and death and condemnation were wholly within God's righteous judgment of a wicked people.

BUT EVEN IN THE OLD TESTAMENT God showed His unparalleled Grace and constantly forgave the Israelites.

So if God was doing a mighty and wondrous thing then, how much more so must the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus rock the very core of reality?

GOD IS MIGHTY, GOD IS JUST, GOD IS LOVING, AND HE IS THE MOST GLORIOUS THING IN, AROUND, AND ABOVE ALL REALITIES!

Give Him the Glory and praise Him today people!  HE'S DOING MASSIVE STUFF AND YOU'RE A PART OF THAT MINISTRY!

Glory to Glory

If you follow any of my musical updates or if you've been to any of the worship events I've played in the last year, you've probably heard my song "Glory to Glory".   The track, which is about to be released as a single from the upcoming "Dusty Stages" album, is much more corporate than most of my songwriter music (thus making it great for singalong worship).  And even though this particular song is not my first choice in style, at least for my own compositions, the theme of the piece is hugely important in shaping how I've viewed my walk with Christ.

The title phrase comes from the King James Version's take on 2 Corinthians 3:18 which reads:

"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."

A more modern and literal translation (the English Standard Version) reads:

"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."

I believe God calls His adopted sons and daughters to spend intensely personal time in His presence, something I know I need to be seeking more on a daily level. It is my understanding that Jesus desires the kind of trust and peace of relationship that He had with Moses (Exodus 33:11) for ALL OF HIS CHILDREN.  The presence of God, that place where we see His power and love and SELF reflecting as if from a pool, is where we who believe can soak up the glory of the Creator and take it out to the world!  We can grow from each visit to His presence and radiate His love from our face, just like Moses coming down from Mt. Sinai (Exodus 34:29)

The compelling image, this grace-fueled molding into the image of God's glory, has been a hugely gravitational force in most of my Christian journey.  As someone that learns well through experiential and tactile study, I desire a fierce and personal encounter with my Savior. Hearing about something God was doing or something He could do was never enough for me, I wanted (and still want) to see Him move for myself, in all of His manifestations. Not that I'm not excited about victories I witness in other peoples' testimonies, I just get CRAZY EXCITED to see the Holy Spirit move in new ways in my own story.

Thinking back to my very formative high school and college years, there was always a groaning urge to do bigger and better things with the Lord.  If I had prayed and healed 2 people, I wanted to pray for 10 the next time.  If a C.S. Lewis book like "The Screwtape Letters" changed my understanding of God for the better, I wanted to read EVERYTHING by Lewis or any of his friends.  During these periods, there was nothing I wanted more than to see more of God

However, in recent months I've been struggling to remain confident in the aforementioned passion. As I mentioned in past blog posts, Brandy and I had been without a true home church until the beginning of this summer.  The lack of fellowship, combined with a period of laziness in personal study and daily prayer, brought me to a place of grumbling and woe-is-me guilt.  

BUT, thanks to great conversations with a church staff that quickly and sincerely loved on Brandy and I, we've truly come out of a rut through the ministry of the Maryville Vineyard church family.

For the first time in what seems like an embarrassingly long while, I feel that healthy and beautiful urge of God's Spirit to seek Him out in each moment of the day.  Though not every hour feels like a new glory to glory discovery, I can gratefully say that the Lord is calling to me louder than in months past (that or my ears aren't clogged with distractions).

In my work, in my music and new album, in my marriage, and in my church-life, I am genuinely ready to reach heights of ministry that my wife and I have yet to see!

WHICH BRINGS ME TO MY LAST THOUGHT:
We cannot let ourselves, as believers saved through grace, despair in moments that seem dark.  No matter how long our stumble, the tie that is God's salvation and love does not vanish because of our human imperfections or weak moments. We don't have to crawl back to a point we once knew, Jesus picks us right back up and into His pace the moment we repent. 

And sometimes you reach the next peak of glory through the valley of the shadow of death, so don't give up when looking at your circumstance or position, but instead ask God to shine light and show you where is wonderfully formative glory can be found.

Thanks for reading or listening, and thanks for any prayers for my family's ministry.  Let me know if you ever need to talk or pray.