Colossians 2:6, John 11: 38-42, 2 Corinthians 4:7, 2 Samuel 24:24

Paul Critchley

(Preparing for the Glory of God)

In my own journey and in my opportunities to share in all sorts of gatherings, particularly those focused on prayer for revival or transformation, I've heard much talk of 're-digging the wells', 'coming to the river', 'springs of living water' and the like. In this context of a cry to God for the outpouring if His Spirit I was captivated by these words of Charles Spurgeon which he penned in the context of Colossians 2:6: 'So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him'.

'The life of faith is represented as receiving - an act which implies the very opposite of anything like merit. It is simply the acceptance of a gift. As the earth drinks in the rain, as the sea receives the streams, as night accepts light from the stars, so we, giving nothing, partake freely of the grace of God. The saints are not, by nature, wells, or streams, they are but cisterns into which the living water flows; they are empty vessels into which God pours His salvation. The idea of receiving implies a sense of realization, making the matter a reality. By an act of faith Jesus becomes a real person in the consciousness of our heart. But receiving also means grasping or getting possession of. The thing which I receive becomes my own: I appropriate to myself that which is given. The Son of God has been poured into us, and we have received Him, and appropriated Him. What a heartful Jesus must be, for heaven itself cannot contain Him!

If heaven can't contain Him, It's unlikely we can, but I think there's something in the act of digging, something about an active expectation of Him coming that will attract God's attention. I sense it's like a signal to Him that we want to be prepared and positioned for more of His kingdom.'

So I got to thinking how, in Spurgeon's terms, we could dig a cistern, if you like - a container for His glory.

Two of the keys for me would be Prayer and Worship. The kind that comes before God with an expectant heart but also just cries out because of the value we place on spending time talking and singing to Him but also allowing Him to talk and sing back to us.

There is also, I believe, a dynamic of practical service. Ways of outworking what we see in the servanthood of Jesus, displayed in our giving out, our waiting on others. Our willingness to sacrifice our time and our resources for a greater cause.

I'm sure there are many other things that could become part of our preparation but I'm adding faith to my Cistern construction. For me, it's faith that has been built on the remembrance of how He has stepped into my life to bring change in desperate circumstances. How He has been rock solid for me and my family as we have chosen to put our trust in Him. All this increases a capacity to accept that He wants to find a place for His glory, for His kindness and His presence.

We can see throughout history, events that have highlighted occasions for God to increase faith and expectation for us. There is a particularly amazing biblical example in John 11: 38-42 where Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. "Take away the stone," he said. "But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odour, for he has been there four days." Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me."

Jesus knew the potential for life and glory in the Lazarus situation but He also knew that we needed to hear and see it in order for our faith perspective to be enlarged.

As well as what we are able to do ourselves in terms of preparation for the 'MORE' of His kingdom we should remember that when we said yes to Jesus He poured (and is still willing to pour) His spirit into our fragile vessels.

2 Corinthians 4:7 says: But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

I'd like to interpret the words 'all surpassing' as 'Extra-ordinary'. The reality is that Christians have God's 'extraordinary' life in them and it's a priceless treasure that's worth holding and taking care of.

As I write, I am reminded how our lives are easily damaged and how we need to take care of our lifestyle before him. How easy it is to lose what we have by not maintaining our daily walk. We have a saying where I live, in Stoke on Trent, or 'The Potteries' - Jars of Clay can become Cracked Pots. There may even be some damage here and now which the Master Potter might deal with if we'll allow Him. I think it's also significant that when Mary poured out her perfumed oil onto the feet of Jesus. It came from a jar, an alabaster jar. She poured out onto Jesus what was so sacrificial to her. What an example of worship to follow. David put it like this:

2 Samuel 24:24: 'I will not offer to God my sacrifices that have cost me nothing.'

God has invested so much into us and whilst He loves to use this as blessing for us because of His love for us, there should also be an outworking. A potential to share something of the glory He has freely poured into us.

In recent years I've had the awesome privilege of being involved in two amazing city wide missions where night after night, week after week, God visited our towns and His people with an increased measure of His presence and His glory. During these times we were regularly invited to 'come into the river, go deeper, drink more'. Amazing times of encounter with Jesus. The danger for us in this is pursuit of blessing or, if you like, chasing the gift rather than the giver. Whilst we absolutely need His Spirit and His embrace, the purpose is to be a blessing.

As we prepare and dig a container for His presence, as we recognise His spirit in these vessels let's also remember that the overflow is for community and social transformation. It was in the middle of all this that I had a strong picture of God's people coming to that river with buckets. That we were to be carriers of His glory and that we were to take it to the streets that the water would splash from the containers (us) and everywhere it landed bring transformation.

These are times for us to prepare, times for us to enlarge our capacity, to make ready our vessels that we might experience and share the reality of the Jesus who comes to expand our vision of His Kingdom at work.

Keep digging!