The Face of Christ.

I am astounded at the truth that I have the ability, with Christ radiating in and through me, to help unlock and reconfigure another persons understanding of God! Think about this ... Everything I do as a Spirit-filled believer either promotes or diminishes peoples' revelation of God. This is remarkable and sobering.

Well, you may be thinking - Ryan, how do you get to this conclusion? Simple really ... In John 14 Jesus reminds Philip that He is the Face of the Father; moreover, the author to the Hebrews explains perfectly in chapter 1 that Jesus is the exact representation of the Father in every way. Now this Face of the Father, Jesus, resides in every believer. In Colossians, Paul rightly explains Christ as 'in us, the hope of Glory'. Furthermore, His Presence and residence in us enables us to be transformed into His likeness, that is Jesus' likeness, from one degree of Glory to another. Therefore, it is agreeable to say that as He is within us and we are becoming more like Him in reflection and likeness, we are also reflectors of His likeness!

Now, it has been said countless times that we are the hands and feet of Jesus - we all agree with this. Could it also be that we are the face of Jesus too? I think so. How many times have you said 'when people see me I long for them to see Jesus'? This is not a fanciful, super-spiritual statement; it is truth and it is power! As I said previously, this is remarkable in privilege and weighty in responsibility!

What does this mean for us or how does this impact on who we are and what we do?
1. The little acts of Grace count! Never before have I truly grasped that my Spirit-led acts of kindness, from a warm greeting to a hug or words of encouragement or honour, have great bearing in helping the recipient know and perceive the wonder of God. We have this one dimensional perspective that all revelation happens in moments of personal devotion or worship. Not true - nature reveals the wonder of God (Ps19) and so do we!! Our momentary encounters with people can, and should, have a dramatic impact in shifting peoples' deformed view of God to one that is truthful. Wow! I am all the more convinced that when I reflect Jesus, and hence Father, in my actions I create an opportunity for the recipient of a simple act/word to grasp a deeper aspect of God Himself!
An example ... The word 'honour' is rooted in the word 'glory' in the Bible. In essence, the Biblical emphasis of glory is twofold - a weight or imprint and to have an opinion! Now when we have God's opinion regarding someone and we share that with them we impress upon them God's likeness and create and opportunity for them to perceive as God perceives. That person is shaped by words of honour which shapes them into a person of glory, reflecting Glory. Such a simple truth with such powerful results, and all through the vehicle of interpersonal relationships! My little acts of grace count, and remember that actions speak a thousand words!!
2. Community counts!
Under God, we need each other in communities called church to help us have an increasing revelation and understanding of who God is! Such is the enormity of the grandness of the Face of Jesus that we require the many reflections of Christ around us to enhance our knowing of God. I love the fact that one person will remind me of the fact that God is a Mighty Warrior, and then another next to me will whisper of His romantic intimacies as God the Lover. We see this in the way people worship, pray, preach, lead worship, communicate with people in fellowship ... The list goes on!
I find it crazy when people say they love Jesus but don't need the Church. Such people become rather one dimensional let alone parochial!

Now many of you may be fretting as you read this saying 'Ryan, the Holy Spirit leads us into the fullness of truth!' Bravo, you are right! But such is the beauty of God that He would design us in such a way that as we live together, intentionally in step with the Spirit in community, we subtly and subsequently create an atmosphere of revelation that is an accessory to the primary Person of Revelation, the Holy Spirit, through the Living Word!

Let us look to reveal the Father through Christ the Son in us, by the power of the Holy Spirit in every little way we act, speak and engage amongst people, whether in the church or in Costa. Then we will see the scales fall from peoples' eyes and the evidences of joy appear as they grow in their knowing of the Living God!!

Huge love,

Ryan

Observations and Anticipations

Wow, what a whirlwind these last few months have been! I thought moving nation and house with little children was intense enough, but moving several hundred people 5 miles to a new home in SW London is another ball game altogether. From the logistics to the spiritual aspects, it is an altogether different kettle of fish. Ha, but Grace prevails in it all and here we are ... several weeks into our 'amazing space' with so many stories to tell already, still sane, and very much full of God and with 'great expectations' for what He has in store for us!

I would love to give you an inside track to some of my observations over this last while; some of the nuances I have noticed in captaining a team and a church through an historic move ...
I have seen how people are explosively unlocked by vision and purpose - a vision and purpose that terrifies people to the very inner parts. As we know "Without vision, people perish" and this is also true in its converse state ... people flourish when they have something huge and remarkable to live for. Now, there is nothing hugely adventurous about moving to a landmark building in SW London, is there!?!?! But more than bricks and mortar, the adventure is about what is behind the bricks ... people's lives! And I have seen young and old in the KingsGate family come alive to a new level as they have seen the vision of what Father has planned for us. People want to give their lives to something so inspiring that it rips them out of the cautious and conservative Christianity that plagues Churches throughout the world. This past season has been a breeding ground for such dangerous vision. It is dangerous in that all lesser, self satisfying, man-centred thrones now have targets on them ... and they are all getting blasted!!
I have also noticed that God has designed every one of us to dream, and dream big! When we dream in colour and ditch the mundanity of the various shades of grey we so often tend towards, we begin to step into the realm of faith and we know that faith pleases God. We can become overly theological about a statement like that in Hebrews, but I liken this to my son sitting me down and rambling passionately about all he wants to do even at his young age. There is never a moment where I walk away without a smile on my face and a greater determination in me to ensure that he remains bold, courageous and passionate about those little dreams that will become the stepping stones to him becoming a world changer. During this time, this God-given venue has given many people permission to dream like children. I love it!! and our desire as leaders is to facilitate these dreams as far as we possibly can. Keep dreaming!!
I have observed many more matters this last while from a willingness to serve, to an increased heart for outreach in our prime situation, but what inspires me and satisfies me most absolutely is that increasing numbers of people are getting that HIs Presence with us is what counts the most. We have a mind blowing new home, but this space without His defining and distinguishing Presence will soon become another monument to human effort that appeals to people in a humanistic way and we will no longer be a vessel of noble purpose living to usher in His life-transforming Kingdom Gospel!

I have many great expectations and anticipations for us as KingsGate going forward. I am so thankful that we have been gifted this brilliant facility to help administrate the dreams and vision that many people have been envisaging for ages. I look forward to us evidencing greater measures of Revival in many, many lives being radically saved and all of us in KingsGate becoming more and more passionate for our one true love, Jesus. I also look forward to significant bridges of contact and service being established within spheres of politics, business, social service, arts and media, sports, etc. in such a way that we can serve society for the sake of Reforming the way people think, live and behave. I cannot wait to see us plant and establish, both locally and internationally, new beach heads of Kingdom Life called churches, and various expressions of local church, that usher in the Kingdom, life by life.
But my all time greatest desire is that we will quickly become a house of such radical love for God and all people, where every person in KingsGate is deeply compelled by Christ's love that we all live beyond the crippling bounds of obligation, fear of man, and living for the plaudits of man, so that we become a church of dangerous, adventurous, courageous 'laid down lovers' where there is no one too difficult to love, no outsider too wicked to embrace, no nation too far to reach, no obstacle too fierce to overcome, no sickness and disease too advanced to see healed ... This is my passion, such an army of love raised up and released on a waiting world!!! As I write this, this army is already rising within KingsGate ... the dream is becoming a reality, fast.

Keep going for it people - keep living passionately and intentionally for Jesus ... He alone is worth everything we have to give!

Hugest love and blessings, and be sure to read my next update on our remarkable time in India ...