Human beings are emotional creatures. Because we are made in the likeness of God, we simply embody what is true of Him. The ekklesia that I am a part of is currently working on a project together that is seeking to discover the emotions of Jesus Christ contained throughout the scriptures. As Christ Himself said, all of the scriptures were written about Him. As a result, we are starting this project in the Old Testament.
As you may know, the relationship portrayed between the Lord and His people in the Old Testament is a bit complicated. It was an ‘on again, off again’ relationship that was based in misunderstanding. The Lord’s heart of love & affection for His people was misunderstood by them time and time again. This was due to the fact that humanity had been cut off from His life and heart after the incident in the Garden of Eden in which they chose to seek knowledge instead of life.
Instead of knowing His love and affection for them, they assumed the worst in His heart and motives. They did not trust that their nation could be led by Him alone as king, so they looked to a human political leader to lead them instead of Him. Instead of trusting Him to provide security for them, they regularly made alliances with others to protect them instead of Him. Instead of trusting Him to provide for their provision, they regularly turned to the false agricultural gods of the peoples around them to provide for them instead of Him. As a lover, this deeply grieved His heart. You can literally hear His broken heart through this one simple question that our all knowing God asked:
My people, what have I done to you, and how have I wearied you? Answer Me. (Micah 6:3, NASB)
If only they could know His heart for them, they would never question His love for them. Out of their brokenness, however, they continually lived in ‘survival’ mode. Their rejection of Him for more ‘tangible’ solutions was their self-defense mechanisms in full swing. Oh, how He must have longed to share His heart with them, but they simply could not hear Him. This emotion of God is personified in the person of Jesus Christ. This brokenness comes through loud and clear in this statement that Christ made while He was overlooking the city of Jerusalem:
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. (Matthew 23:37, NASB)
As I was pondering this emotion of Christ recently, I continually heard a song playing in the back recesses of my mind. Based on past experiences of hearing the Lord’s heart communicated to me through song, I decided to pay attention and listen to this song. When I did, I was caught off guard and stunned.
The song is titled ‘All I have’ by Jennifer Lopez featuring LL Cool J. In the song, I sensed the Lord revealing to me the similarities of Jennifer Lopez’s response to our own misunderstanding when we don’t live from a revelation of the profound love of Christ. The plea of the Lord to us also spoke very loud and clear through LL Cool J’s portion of the song as well. Please take a few minutes to listen to the complicated Old Covenant relationship in this song:
The New Covenant Solution
In my previous post, I wrote about the ‘new city’ that the Lord desires us to live in. City life can be quite terrifying and difficult if we don’t live from a revelation of the tremendous love of Christ.
- In order to truly live in the ‘city’ of God, we must cease from all our religious labors that are rooted in performance for the purpose of gaining approval.
- In order to truly live in the ‘city’ of God, we must see the heart & motives of Christ in our brothers and sisters, not the ill motives of their old nature that has already been put to death on the cross.
- In order to truly live in the ‘city’ of God, we must deeply know that Christ is the head of His Ekklesia. He is building this city. We cannot compete with Him for this position.
Ceasing from all of our religious labors, trusting the heart of Christ in our brothers and sisters, and laying down our need to be the ‘head’ and control others is only possible as we become aware of His tremendous love that He has extravagantly put deep inside of us.
May this awareness grow and abound in us all in the days ahead,
Jamal Jivanjee
I am encouraged by reading this, as the last 4 months a recurring thought that has been hitting me is not just the scripture itself, but His feelings behind the Word, so to speak.
I know what you mean brother. His heart behind the text looms very large indeed!
Brother, thanks so much for sharing this today! It’s exactly what the lord has been telling me for over two months.
Tara,
Sister, thanks for reading the post. I am being quite serious when I say that the Lord has used you personally to show me how deep His love is for us. I am thankful for you!
Jamal,
Thanks for writing another encouraging post brother. I’ve often thought about the relationship that God had with Israel in the Old Testament, and the emotion that you speak of. It’s interesting comparing those emotions that are so clearly evident in the Old Testament, with the statements that Paul makes in the New Testament. In the Old the relationship can be described as fickle, not on the part of God, but on the part of Israel. In the New it’s much different, particularly in Paul’s letters. He talks about nothing separating us from Christ’s love, about us being united with Him like a husband and a wife, of Him living inside of us, of Him making us a new creation, of Him viewing us as holy and blameless. It’s an amazing transition that occurs in scripture that I think many people miss, and you so accurately captured it, that this change is all due to Christ.
“Ceasing from all of our religious labors, trusting the heart of Christ in our brothers and sisters, and laying down our need to be the ‘head’ and control others is only possible as we become aware of His tremendous love that He has extravagantly put deep inside of us.”
Christ making us new, Christ dwelling inside of us, Christ’s love being our source, Christ’s life in us trusting Christ’s life in our brothers and sisters.
When we enter his rest, and abide in this new life we have been given, we are able to cease from living from our fickled selves.
Very well stated James! Thx for reading:)
“That is that there is only one way which respects the integrity and the independence of the other, and that is what we call in plain simple terms ‘marriage’. That is the only bond. Not power. Not dominance. Not control. Not coercion. Because if you only relate to me because I force you to, then I have not redeemed my loneliness any more than if you were just a computer doing what I program you to do. It is only if I allow you the freedom, but we create a bond between us, and the only bond we can think of that honors that is the bond that we call ‘marriage’, which is that relationship between two independent beings each of whom respects the integrity and freedom of the other, who nonetheless pledge themselves in a bond of mutuality, allowing each the space to be themselves but saying: “I will always be there for you”. And that is the relationship which Hosea calls ish as opposed to the relationship called ba’al, i.e. God as power. God as ish is God as a relationship. And here we come to the simple equation in Judaism: faith is a marriage. That is the only adequate analogy we have for it and that is exactly what the prophet said it was.”
SybilJean Wood
In your post, you mentioned a project the your Ekklesia is currently working on. That made me wonder, as I am always looking for new ways to see the Lord. I was wondering if you could please provide some more of the types of projects and exercise that you guys do that focus on Christ as center. I have gotten many ideas from Frank et el. Always looking for more ideas and new experiences in the Lord. Thanks in advance,
Chris
You said something that reminded me of The Perks of Being A Wallflower. It’s a movie that you should absolutely watch and enjoy.
Anyway, you said that in the Old Testament, the chIldren of Israel assumed the worst about what God thought of them. And this is an epidemic in the church today.
In the movie, the main character wants to show his loved ones that they deserve better than the abusive relationships they chose to be in. He comes to the conclusion that “We accept the love we think we deserve.”
It is so true of the body! We accept the love from God that we THINK we deserve. We put on guilt, condemnation, and shame because that is what we think we deserve from God. But, because of Christ and the New Covenant, we are loved, accepted, and in glory!
Love you, bruh!
Love you too brother. I need to see this movie!
Some very liberating truths right here for sure. Thanks for the post bro.