Jesus appeared to the disciples after the resurrection in various forms. He appeared to Mary Magdalene so that they might take Him for a gardener. Very ingeniously these manifestations of Jesus are to our minds are difficult to penetrate.(He appears as a gardener). The gardener plants seedlings in prepared soil. The soil must exert a physical and chemical influence so that the seed of the plant can grow. Yet this is not sufficient. The warmth and light of the sun must be added, together with rain, in order that growth may result.The seed of supernatural life, of sanctifying grace, cleanses from sin,so preparing the soul of a man,and man must seek to preserve this life by his good works.He still needs the supernatural food,the body of the Lord,which received continually, develops and brings to completion of life the life.So natural and supernatural must unite to the realization of the holiness to the people. Man must contribute his minimum work of toil,and God gives the growth.Truly the seed,the talent,the grace of God is there,and man has simply to work,take the seeds to bring them to the bankers.So that we “may have life abundantly.”
Come As You Are and Be Transformed By The Mystery of God – Gospel Focus
1) Come (Matthew 11:28)
“ Come to Me, all you are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest”
For a person to receive what Jesus has to offer, they must be willing to come to Him first and place their trust in Him that He did everything for them on the cross. When Jesus says I will give you rest, he is not talking about making you able to sleep, but a spiritual rest. A person will one day either rest for all eternity in heaven or experience separation from God in hell, which is anything but rest.
2) As You Are(Luke 15:21-24)
“ And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to the slaves, Quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet; and bring the fattened calf, kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found. And they began to celebrate.
In this book The Prodigal God, Tim Keller hits a truth home about what true Christianity is all about. As humans we always believe we have to do something to win someone’s approval or acceptance. This is also the case with many false religions or distorted views of Christianity. The Pharisees were all about the law and doing what was in their minds to please God, when the entire time they had it wrong. To be clear, there is nothing wrong about doing what is right, but when it is to earn favor with God, we are missing what the gospel is all about. God loves us and wants us for who we are, with all our dirt. He wants us to come just the way we are and place our faith in Christ for perfection.
3) Transformeθ(Romanc 12:2)
“ And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is acceptable and perfect.
One of the recurring themes on the website is that of growth or transformation seen in that of a plant or butterfly. For a person to be changed by God’s Word and The Holy Spirit, a person cannot be a mere spectator, but exercise such things as faith in God, submission/obedience to the spirit and practice good spiritual disciplines such as prayer and reading His word; which produces growth. A butterfly or plant starts off simply as a worm or a seed and flourishes into something that shouts out life, change and beauty.
4) The Mystery of God(Mark 4:11, Colossians 2:2-3)
“To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables.”
“…resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in Whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Simply stated the Mystery(s) of God generally refers to spiritual truths that are veiled unless the Holy Spirit brings light to them. The specific mystery Paul was talking about in the last verse was God’s plan of salvation in Christ. One of the main ways Jesus taught was through parables. Again parables are simple teachings that have a spiritual underlying to them that can only be understood with the help of The Holy Spirit. I am paraphrasing, but in one of Oswald Chambers devotions in My Utmost for His Highest, he says a person can spend hours trying to think their way through spiritual matters or truth, when a single moment of obedience will make all things clear. If a person wants to understand the Mysteries of God, they must rely on and be obedient to the Holy Spirit. The power of the gospel lies within the fact that spiritual truths being worked out in a believer’s life has the power to change one’s life.
