The Perfecting Church

As we acknowledge God’s prophetic declaration of greater in 2022, we must also recognize our need for increased surrender and humility. Like John, we too have a destiny to glorify Christ our King—He must increase, we must decrease.

We live in an ever-changing world with ever-changing circumstances. The tendency can be to anticipate what’s next, look to others who’ve faced what we face or who’ve accomplished what we hope to accomplish. But looking to do what’s been done or to mimic the choices of others rarely leads to the greater works Jesus has in mind for us. If we’re going to live as He intends, moving from good to greater, it’s going to require a different kind of faith.

Jesus came to restore us to the Father. He revealed this truth to His disciples when they asked Him how to pray and He answered – “when you pray say our Father.” We see Jesus’ intent to restore us to the Father when Simon Peter discovered who Jesus was – “blessed are you Simon Bar-jonah because flesh and blood didn’t reveal this to you but my Father in heaven.” Jesus was unveiling this truth yet again, as He prepared for the cross. If you’ve seen me -- you’ve seen the Father. Jesus came to restore us to the Father and through that restoration -- greater works.

When we place our dependency, hopes and expectations in things that are subject to change, we invite heartache and disappointment into our lives. Sadly, we often end up attributing those heartaches and disappointments to Jesus’ failure to come through for us. But Jesus does not exist as a way to give us the good life we’ve envisioned for ourselves. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life – He brings us into a life that is far greater than anyone could conceive or accomplish apart from Him.

Jesus eulogized Himself with the text long before anyone ever used it to eulogize a loved one. This entire chapter helps us to understand how Jesus intends for us to live in this temporal, transitory, ever-changing world. What Jesus’ closest followers see as the end of all the good they’ve dreamed of and given their lives for is really the beginning of something greater -- something Jesus has dreamed of and given His life for. #Greater2022.

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law…” “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born, I set you apart and appointed you…” What is true of Jesus…what was true of Jeremiah, is true of all of us. We were known by God before the foundation of the world and we have been sent into this world. Too often, we cry out for God to take us from the very thing He has sent us to. Everything in our lives looks and feels different when realize we’ve been sent to this world — we don’t come from this world.

Selah, rest and interiority are gifts from Jesus. They’re exit ramps, delivering us out of the disordered priorities, passions and pursuits of this world – and on-ramps taking us into the finished works we’ve been created for before the foundation of this world. Selah, rest and interiority are keys in helping us to fulfill our call to collaborate with God.

God has made us with His hands and He holds us in His hands. We are at our best when we surrender to the beauty of that design – handmade and handheld. We are at our worst when we busy ourselves trying to do what God has already done. Selah is about acknowledging and accessing the finished works of God in ourselves and in this world.

Interiority is the very real terrain within us that can’t readily be seen – our thoughts, our feelings, our inner struggles, our dreams, our hopes, our self-knowledge. We often have a hard time living in touch with our interior-selves because the world around us is consumed with surface living. Many believe what we gain on the outside, will somehow address what we leave unaddressed on the inside. But what is addressed on the inside empowers us to address the surfacy world around us.

Too often the pace of our days is dictated by external demands that cause us to strive for success, but Jesus offers us a different rhythm in His divine invitation to selah. This is not a mere suggestion, but a prescription for the abundant life He ordained for us as we cease our grind and embrace the grace of the Father.