In the early days after Jesus' time on earth, a Jewish lawyer and fundamental religious fanatic made it his mission in life to rid the world of this new cult called "Christianity" and erase the name of 'Jesus' from any place of honor in the history of Israel. He was granted authority to arrest, and in some cases, even execute those who publicly claimed to follow Christ.
It was on one of these very trips - to the city of Damascus, that the risen Lord Jesus chose to make a special appearance to this man called Saul, blinding him with a great light and speaking audibly to him. This encounter took away his sight, his confidence, and shattered his understanding of everything he had ever believed. Now blind and shaken to the core, Saul stumbled into Damascus where he would meet with a follower of Christ who prayed for God to restore his sight, and help him better understand who Jesus really was and how to follow him properly.
Saul listened.... and obeyed. He became known as Paul, and was counted among Jesus' apostles or special emissaries to the world. He became the apostle to the gentiles (the non-Jewish world), while the other 12 apostles focused primarily on the nation of Israel. Many of Paul's letters were recognized as inspired Scripture and comprise the majority of our New Testament books. The Scriptures say that Jesus revealed many other things directly to Paul - a unique privilege indeed. It must have been in one of those personal revelations that Paul was given the following glimpse into the coming great day of Judgment:
"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father."
Philippians 2:9-11
How can we comprehend the power of this moment? Every living soul that was ever created - all mankind and every angel assembled in one place around the great throne of God. And then it happens.... Jesus, the Lamb of God and Risen Lord appears and like a powerful gust of wind over an endless field of wheat - every individual bows down and falls to their knees - a wave of worship that stretches as far as the eye can see.
And then together - every tongue speaks the truth that is now eternally obvious - "Jesus Christ is Lord!"
For many of us, those words will be easy to shout out. It will be our victory cry and a sweet reward for keeping the faith when it seemed impossible to remain faithful. For other it will be the first time those words crossed their lips - and maybe their last words they speak before descending into the lake of fire.
Can you picture the utter shock and fear on the faces of every atheist and all those who used the tongue God gave them to mock Jesus? And what about the horror of those relatively nice neighbors who chose to believe false teachings because they trusted their family or religious leaders to know the truth? What about your co-worker who might have gladly accepted Christ if anyone would have taken the time to tell him the good news?
We know that day is coming because His Spirit lives in us and confirms that reality. Until that day comes, we worship in anticipation of seeing Jesus face to face. It is my prayer that when we gather together for worship, we experience His glory and feel presence so powerfully and tangibly,... that we can almost smell and taste His presence. I want our worship services to be real connection with God each week and a rehearsal for that first Day in Heaven when we all bow at the powerful name of Jesus and worship together around the Throne.
For His Glory,
Dave Swanson
It was on one of these very trips - to the city of Damascus, that the risen Lord Jesus chose to make a special appearance to this man called Saul, blinding him with a great light and speaking audibly to him. This encounter took away his sight, his confidence, and shattered his understanding of everything he had ever believed. Now blind and shaken to the core, Saul stumbled into Damascus where he would meet with a follower of Christ who prayed for God to restore his sight, and help him better understand who Jesus really was and how to follow him properly.
Saul listened.... and obeyed. He became known as Paul, and was counted among Jesus' apostles or special emissaries to the world. He became the apostle to the gentiles (the non-Jewish world), while the other 12 apostles focused primarily on the nation of Israel. Many of Paul's letters were recognized as inspired Scripture and comprise the majority of our New Testament books. The Scriptures say that Jesus revealed many other things directly to Paul - a unique privilege indeed. It must have been in one of those personal revelations that Paul was given the following glimpse into the coming great day of Judgment:
"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father."
Philippians 2:9-11
How can we comprehend the power of this moment? Every living soul that was ever created - all mankind and every angel assembled in one place around the great throne of God. And then it happens.... Jesus, the Lamb of God and Risen Lord appears and like a powerful gust of wind over an endless field of wheat - every individual bows down and falls to their knees - a wave of worship that stretches as far as the eye can see.
And then together - every tongue speaks the truth that is now eternally obvious - "Jesus Christ is Lord!"
For many of us, those words will be easy to shout out. It will be our victory cry and a sweet reward for keeping the faith when it seemed impossible to remain faithful. For other it will be the first time those words crossed their lips - and maybe their last words they speak before descending into the lake of fire.
Can you picture the utter shock and fear on the faces of every atheist and all those who used the tongue God gave them to mock Jesus? And what about the horror of those relatively nice neighbors who chose to believe false teachings because they trusted their family or religious leaders to know the truth? What about your co-worker who might have gladly accepted Christ if anyone would have taken the time to tell him the good news?
We know that day is coming because His Spirit lives in us and confirms that reality. Until that day comes, we worship in anticipation of seeing Jesus face to face. It is my prayer that when we gather together for worship, we experience His glory and feel presence so powerfully and tangibly,... that we can almost smell and taste His presence. I want our worship services to be real connection with God each week and a rehearsal for that first Day in Heaven when we all bow at the powerful name of Jesus and worship together around the Throne.
For His Glory,
Dave Swanson