Hosanna Restoration Church

For the most part, churchgoers would not recognize this scripture as a mystery. In the natural sense we can brush over it, say amen and move on to the next chapter! But it seems to me that if the Apostle Paul declared it to be a great mystery perhaps we should do a little more than brush over it. Since it is Christmas, and Christmas is about Christ, this seems like a good time to at least consider what makes this a mystery.

Often times, church folks are a little put out by the way this holiday is treated. We can’t even agree among ourselves as to what is right. This in itself is a bit of a mystery! Why in the world do we want to fight over how to celebrate the birth of Christ? This does not do much to spread the good news to those who do not know the Lord. Let’s not forget that the reason Christ came was so that people could know Him as savior. For this reason it is important for us to grasp this mystery with an ever-increasing understanding.

It is not enough to just read this and say, “Sounds good to me!” This needs to be deep in our innermost being. If it is, then it will overflow in our lives. These truths that seem so obvious to us on the surface, truly are a mystery to a world full of people who just do not get it. The only way they will get it is if we will receive it until it overflows from our lives. There are a whole lot of people who are just waiting for someone to show them that this is all true.

Jesus is not some myth made up by men. He was God who became man. He walked this earth, was crucified, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven. When this is overflowing in our lives, then all of the good news can manifest along with it. If we don’t get this, then the rest is just not comprehendible. It remains a mystery!

This week God gave me an illustration of trusting Him for all things. I was pondering the mystery of rewards in heaven and thinking I did not know what I would need them for. I figured we would all just share everything. After all, it would be easy to just give everything away, when we knew everything would be replaced. I felt like God said that in heaven we would finally completely understand having all things in common. I also got the impression that we could and should trust Him that way now. Then I got this picture of a generous toilet! A toilet never hesitates to flush for fear of not having more water! Stay with me here. I know toilets do not think and that they just flush when we hit the handle. That is what they are made to do. Even if the water is off, they will still pour whatever they have right on cue. Sometimes we even have one that just keeps running, and never shuts off. In the natural we see this as wasting water, but as God gave me this thought it was generous rather than wasteful.

Many in the world may see our faith as a waste, but still others will be won by our generosity of pouring out the Christ that is in us. We will just be doing it naturally when the Holy Spirit hits our handle! This fullness does not come from a nodding acknowledgement; it comes from holding these truths as the source of our very lives. This is without question the great mystery of our faith. The more we live it the less it is a mystery.