CROSSING OVER INTO NEW DIMENSION
Preamble: Crossing over into a new dimension or New Year is a life’s progressing event, a decision making period for individuals, families and organizations. It calls for serious preparations; preparation involves planning. Management concept reveals that many do not plan to fail, they simply fail to plan. Planning entails knowing who you are, where you are coming from; where you are now and where you are going. You’ve to appraise your past, what you have done and failed to do, to enable you abstract your strengths and weaknesses. Look at your capabilities and failures; those that you have done severally the same way and got negative results need change or new approach. You are to survey your environments and review your plans; find out what you need to reach your goal and how to achieve them. Consider what you have passed through [experiences] in the process, which guides your future decisions. ‘We live life once and if we plan it right, once is enough.’ Again ‘we live life forward, appreciate and learn from it backward.’ It’s therefore expedient that as we stand at the tussle of new dawn, a new beginning and New Year we need to get ready to face it. [i]You may not know what the future holds for you but as long as you know who holds your future, you are confident to move on with life without fears. [ii] Acknowledge God as the Creator of the universe and holder of your life and future; He has sovereignty over the whole world [iii] Practice God’s presence daily and trust in Him in all your ways; depend on his wisdom and leadings.
1. Pass through the Red Sea: “We were bunch of runaway slaves when we left Egypt but a new nation when we walked out of the Red Sea.” As we wander through the wilderness of this world, we could not come to Jordan until we crossed the Red sea. Salvation is breaking from your past: [i] dissatisfied with your past; [ii] leave it behind; [iii] look for better future that is solid, glorious and eventful. Matthew 11:28-30 says, ‘Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, I will give you rest; Take my yoke upon you, learn from me………my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’ Read also: [John 3:16; 6:37; Ezekiel 36:26].
Once the event of 2 Corinthians 5:17 happens, recipients are new creation, old things have passed away……the new is come. This change may not always be immediately physically realized but results in a transformed heart that leads to a transformed character that produces a transformed life (Romans 5:3-5). A regenerated individual expresses new love for God and His people [Matt 22:37-40], a heartfelt obedience to His commands [John14:15] and the Christ-like character traits Paul calls fruit of the Spirit. This is repentance that means a conscious decision to turn away from your sins and faith means turning to Christ to forgive your sins and be your all. When we receive Christ we must walk in Him [Colossians 2:6].
“Sin is not simply the wrongs we do to our neighbors when we cheat or hurt them but also the wrongs we do ourselves when we abuse our bodies. All sin is a root rebellion and offence against God.” [Gen 39:8-9]. Rev. R.C. Sproul says we sin because we are sinners and calls it “cosmic treason.” Our goal as believers is to seek what we can do to please God rather than ask God what He can do to please us. God had already given us His life for while we were yet sinners God in Christ Jesus died for us (Romans 5:8). Jerry Bridges describes Christian living as our responsibility for holiness. Too often we say we are ‘defeated’ by this or that sin. No, we are simply disobedient. “Christian life begins with obedience, depends on obedience and result in obedience.” Our Commander-in-Chief says, “Loving me means obeying me”(John 14:15). Weigh your love in balance!
2. Sanctify yourself: Literally means to consecrate yourself, separate yourself from the usual and the regular; to distinguish yourself from what you usual do [ Joshua 3:5]. Joel says, “Call a solemn assembly; gather the people, and sanctify the congregation.” To sanctify is to make holy; consecrate and dedicate to God and remove from the profane or secular or every common use. Ezekiel tells us how God sanctified the household of Israel: “I will sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness………..A new heart I will give you and a new Spirit I will put within you; I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.”[Ezekiel 36:25-26]. I will hide your words in my heart so I don’t sin against you [Psalm 119:11].
If you desire to have a walk, a fellowship or encounter with the Lord, you must not only cleanse, wash, purge yourself of contaminations, iniquities and misdeeds but also set yourself apart. God is Holy, perfect and righteous; his eyes cannot behold iniquities. His eyes are on the righteous from the beginning of the year to the end of the year. It does not matter who you are: poor or rich, slave or noble or a leader or follower; what you must have passed through in life’s journey [your past]. God is calling us to clean up and set ourselves apart because his presence is with us and will lead us. Holiness is loving God enough to obey Him and submit to Him alone. It means living out his command no matter the cost or outcome. It implies loving one another as God loves us; even when it’s against our personal interest; sharing his love even when it’s inconvenient. It’s everyday business of holiness. Sanctification is the progressive works of holiness that consist thinking as God thinks and willing as God will’s. This process requires discipline and perseverance and joint effort of both God and mankind. It’s a covenant and a joint responsibility.
God’s Role: Sanctification is primarily the work of God. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sins and sanctifies [John14:26; 17:17; Rom 8:9-11; 1Cor 2:12-13; 6:11; 1 Thess. 4:7-8]. Paul prays in 1 Thess.5:23, may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely. Heb13:20-21……God equips His children through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the one who works within us to change and sanctify us giving us greater holiness in life [1 Peter1:2; 2 Thess.2:13]. As we grow in sanctification, we walk by the Spirit, grow in Spirit, dwell in Spirit and led by the Spirit. We become more and more responsive to the desire and prompting of the Holy Spirit in our lives and character. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of holiness and therefore produces holiness in us.
Man’s Role: Covenant is between two parties. God does not only do his part, He expects, demands and commands us to do our part. Mother Teresa said our progress of holiness depends on God and ourselves – on God’s grace and our will to be holy. Our role is both passive and active. Passively we present ourselves to God as those He has brought from death to life [Rom 6:13]. Actively, we also put to death the deeds of the body [Rom 8:13; Phil 2:12-13] and work out our own salvation with fears and trembling for it’s God who works in us both to will and to work for his good pleasure. The passive role involves trusting and yielding to God, while the active role becomes obedience and faith in Him. If our sanctification is deficient, we won’t experience the joy and peace promised us [Romans14:17]. As Christians we must understand this joint responsibility for sanctification. Even though we are dead to sin because Christ died to sin for us and settled the ultimate victory, but daily as we live our lives, sin remains in our world and become a constant reality. That is why 1 John1:8-9 says if we say we have no sin we lie, but instead we should confess our sins and our God who is faithful and just shall forgive us and restore us unto Himself. Holy living [sanctification] demands constant examination of our actions and motives. But we must guide against self-righteousness and dip and skip [or use and drop] tendencies – a culture that has invaded the church. We see ourselves obeying the rules rather than obeying God; more concern with the letters of the laws than with the Spirit.
3. Follow the Ark: The Ark of God represents the presence of God. The sovereign God of the universe promised to pitch a tent, dwell in, with and go before us. The very heart of the relationship God has with his people demands cleanliness to dwell with Him [Lev 12:44; Exodus 29:44-45]. It’s this central theme that God spoke with Moses that He will dwell with His people and is embodied in the message of John’s gospel. “The word became flesh and dwell among us.” [John 1:14]. So because God in Christ Jesus came to pitch His tent among His people, we must sanctify ourselves and get ready for God’s leading and intervention.
By pitching His tent in our midst, God identifies with His people through His presence. But God demands something in return for His presence. He demands that we identify with Him – that we be holy because He’s holy. This is a command [not a condonement] for God cannot tolerate our indifference to His central command. Each time God wants to do a new thing, He gives a new instruction. At the Red sea, God performed the miracle single-heartedly but at Jordan He gives a new instruction and waited for those carrying the Ark of covenant to step from dry land into the ragging currents. We should be able to listen and follow God’s directions. At Jordan, God instructs the people to follow far behind the Ark so that everyone of the vast multitude could see their GUIDE – the Ark; they never passed through that way before.
The River Jordan not only separates the wilderness from the Promised Land, but also marked another distinctive change in the lives of the Israelites. Prior to crossing the Jordan there was a conflict resulting in defeat and after crossing there was a conflict resulting from victory? Even though we are cleansed from sins at our salvation [Red Sea crossing], but an ultimate Christian walk requires a daily cleansing [sanctification] and abiding in the blood of Jesus. On the day of crossing, everyone was to focus on the Ark of God. Through The Ark, God Communicated with His people where He manifests His glory. The Ark also represents the coming Messiah who would be a living revelation of God’s glory. In the new dimension, under the new covenant Jesus in His presence will guide us into the Promised Land. As with Israelites, we cannot see God’s glory until we have been cleansed first at Red Sea [salvation experience] and later sanctified daily in preparation for crossing our Jordan. Only then can we hope to see the miracle of God. Our God changes not but He changes human beings and creation; He still rewards faithful obedience with miracles.
4. Make a Memorial: After they have crossed the Jordan, God commanded a memorial. Set up twelve stones today to remind the people of the great miracle God has done before their eyes. Also in future, when their children ask what the stones stood for they shall tell them that the water of Jordan stopped flowing when the Lord’s covenant Box crossed the river. [Joshua 4:2-7]. God created us and knows our memories are so short; human beings forget so easily and are lukewarm in attitude. He instructed them to put in place a monument. In our days, we try to put things into place that immortalize our past; who we are and our achievements. We watch these in grave yards, on buildings, on bridges etc. Examples are: The Status of Liberty, the Bible in state/public Buildings, engagement and wedding rings, the blood on the door post, the Cross of Jesus Christ, the portraits of Revered Martian Luther King Jr, William Wilberforce, George Washington and Nelson Mandela, so on. The greatest monument engrave in a Christian is the Christ in us. He reminds us that we are sinners saved by grace; I mean just forgiven and given another chance.
5. Renew covenant responsibility: The land of Canaan was occupied by people: warring people whom Joshua and Caleb spied. They knew they had a treasure in the land and will do anything to protect and preserve their inheritance and source of livelihood. Whatever had turned their wealth boom into wealth doom is nothing short of sin. God favor and protection had departed yet they were living in their greed, covetousness, ego and gains. God has a right over His creation and had reassigned that land to His chosen people. However they need to remain steadfast in their duty post, abide with their Creator who had not only freed them from the Egyptian tyranny; led through wilderness and crossed Red sea and Jordan but now into their destiny [Promised Land]. They have to fight and conquer all the occupants to enable them possess the land. Some Christians do not know they shall fight to possess, subdue and have dominion on the land (Genesis 1:28b). The prophesy God made to you does not mean you have to fold your arms or go to sleep until you get it in the mail. We have to maintain our covenant responsibility: neither mingle, intermarry nor worship their gods. Be on the Lord’s side and trust Him in our entire endeavor; He will lead us through to possess the land and meet our destinies. Our year of fruitfulness, compensation and completion has come. Rejoice and be thankful.
Reach Evangelist Ogbonnaya, Godswill at: weefreeministries.org or P.O. Box 720035, Houston, TX, 77272