Reconciled by the Riches of his Glory 3.   20th – 23rd November 2012 Kampala Uganda

3. The Father of Glory and the Powers of Evil

Introduction

This study deals with one of the most difficult topics in scripture, the spiritual conflict between the Father of glory and the powers of evil.

What makes this topic so difficult is our human tendency to exaggerate someone else’s evil and to minimise our own. This is a problem both in those parts of the Church which deny the reality of Satan and demonic powers, and those who treat the devil as almost equal and opposite to God in power and influence.

It is impossible however to move towards the full and final reconciliation of all things in Christ without dealing with the subject of spiritual conflict, and in a setting like this, treating the subject at the highest level.

To understand spiritual conflict, far above the level of our own individual, family, community and cultural levels, is not something that can be attained by or intelligence, it requires revelation from heaven.

My eyes were opened “all things” at the end of a week of prayer in 1994 (6 a.m. to 6 p.m. for 7 days). This was a week of insights and developing friendships; but the final day was extremely difficult. Some people left the meeting claiming that “nothing was happening”, one brother crashed the prayer time, claiming that the leaders were “elitist”, the spiritual pressure was so great that I had to pray with my face down on the carpet holding on for dear life. Then the Lord gave me a scripture to seek him through; “repent then, and turn to God, so that your sins might be wiped out that times of refreshing might come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you –even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore all things, which he promised long ago through his holy prophets.” (Acts 3:19-21). At this point I had a clear insight into the heavenly position of Jesus, under him were all the different spheres of society and culture, politics, education, arts, business, media, health, justice and so on, and he was restoring godly order to each one.

This formed a prophetic call on my life, particularly to see Jesus take his role as Head of the marketplace (cf. Eph 1:22-23). More importantly however, was the revelation of the exalted status of Jesus “at God’s right hand, with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.” (1 Pet 3:22).

If we are to understand who we are “in Christ” and the authority we have in relation to the powers of evil, we first need to know where the Father has placed Jesus.

The Clash of Fatherhoods

The Place of Christ

One of the regrates and most neglected truths of the whole Bible is the ascension. Jesus’ life and death occur on our place, the ascension however is beyond us and requires personal revelation; ““Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?”” (John 6:62 ESV).

In the New Testament there is an inner connection between our awareness of Jesus “going up” and the breadth of his authority. The apostles see Jesus “taken up into heaven” (Luke 24:51 cf. Acts 1:9) by the glory of the Father.

Not all the New Testament apostles physically saw Jesus being taken up into heaven; but all had a witness to his heavenly status. Stephen saw “heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God” (Acts 7:56), Paul received a “heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19), the author of Hebrews teaches how Jesus “passed through the heavens” (4:14), and the whole book of Revelation pivots around Christ in the throne room of heaven (Rev 5:6 etc.).

Christ’s own prophecy that the Holy Spirit will “come upon” the disciples making them witnesses to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8) awaits the ascension of Christ. “Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out that which you now see and hear.” (Acts 2:33). What Jesus prayed for on earth has been fulfilled, ““And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.”” (John 17:5 ESV). The promise of Jesus to the Church can now be realised, ““I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.” (John 14:6).

Awareness of the heavenly status of Jesus and what this means for the Church is especially concentrated in Ephesians. “and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.” (Ephesians 1:19-21 ESV). The most important passage for our theme is in chapter 4,  “Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.” (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.)” (Ephesians 4:8-10 ESV).

The statement, ““When he ascended on high he led a host of captives” (Eph 4:8), presents Jesus’ return to heaven as one of an all triumphant divine warrior.

The importance of the ascension can be described in Jesus own words to a group of offended disciples,  ““Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?”” (John 6:62 ESV), that is, ““And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.”” (John 17:5 ESV).

Jesus re-entry of Jesus into the immediate presence of his Father, “far above the heavens” (Eph 4:10) means that Satan and his angels have been “thrown down to the earth”, they are now no longer in a position of being able to accuse the people of God before his throne (Job 1:9; 2:5; Zech 3:1). Cf. “who is the head of every rule and authority” (Col 2:10).

Ephesians however understands that whereas Jesus is completely victorious in heaven, there is still a battle happening for the souls of people on earth. For us to successfully engage in this conflict we must be clear on the divine plan and strategy in relation to restoration and reconciliation, and on the limits God has placed on the powers of darkness.

The Nations and the Powers

Paul teaches, “every family in heaven and on earth” is named by the Father (Eph 3:14). This means that in the original purpose and plan of God angelic and human communities were called together in love and unity.

This seems to be the meaning of Deuteronomy, “When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God.” (Deuteronomy 32:8 ESV). Since in the Old Testament the “sons of God” characteristically refers to angelic powers (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7) it seems that every people group had an attending angel. No doubt these powers were to serve the wisdom and might of God is his care for the nations.

The Bible teaches however a history of rebellion amongst the heavenly beings. Genesis recounts an angelic rebellion when the “sons of God” transgressed their proper boundaries and sought to intermingle with human women (Gen 6:1-4). Similarly, the book of Daniel records how the angelic messenger to the prophet and the archangel Michael are opposed by “the prince of Persia” (10:13, 20). This “prince” appears to be a supernatural power resisting God’s will for the people of Israel. It is God’s wisdom and power that is contended over by the evil forces. This is an attack on his sovereign Fatherhood.

At the beginning of Ephesians 2 Paul tells how before the Ephesians became Christians they were spiritually joined to these rebellious forces; “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:1-2 ESV). Satan and his angels (Rev 12:9) were able to enlist humanity in their struggle to break away from the fatherly love of God. Fallen humans, like fallen angels, are “sons of God” who have become “sons of disobedience” committing in their hearts the ultimate sin of patricide (father-killing).

According to Ephesians, there are “the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” (3:10). These seem to be the evil forces which oppose the kingdom of Christ in our midst, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12 ESV).

In the Old Testament we see another connection between nations and evil forces; “They sacrificed to demons that were no gods, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come recently, whom your fathers had never dreaded.” (Deut 32:17 cf. Ps 106:37). Paul warns the Christians in Corinth who tried to mix their new faith with old religious practices (syncretism), “No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?” (1 Corinthians 10:20-22 ESV). Since the identity of a nation was tied up with the god whom they worshipped, the demonic power behind the worship of idols was always corrupting the original call or vocation that God had placed on each people group.

Satan hates the thought of people from all nations ruling with Christ and worshipping the Father forever (Revelation 5:9-10), and will do whatever he can to corrupt the image of fatherhood upon the earth.

The One True Father

In the New Testament the Father is the primary initiator of the plan of salvation; “one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:6 ESV cf. 1 Cor 8:6)

It is the Father who has endowed us with Christ with supernatural favours, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places,” (Ephesians 1:3 ESV).

The Father is called, “the Father of glory” (1:17), he is the one who has “a glorious inheritance in the saints” (1:18), he raised Christ “from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places” (1:19), “And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,” (Ephesians 1:22 ESV)

It is God the Father who “even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:5-7 ESV)

In turns of the final purpose of reconciliation, Paul, in addressing the gentiles (ethnoi), sees the goal as the access we have to God the Father through Christ, “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.” (Ephesians 2:13-18 ESV)

This is the “mystery” of God; “This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” (Ephesians 3:6 ESV)

The climax of Paul’s emphasis on the role of the Father comes in his description of prayer, “For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:14-19 ESV)

God’s Fatherly Purpose for the Nations

Paul’s great prayer to the Father as the one who names “every family in heaven and earth” means that there is an essential link between God’s fatherhood and every identifiable community. Both human i.e. “earthly” communities, and angelic i.e. “heavenly” bands, have their origin and nature from the Father. In saying that these groups were “named” by God Paul sees their existence and purpose an assertion of the fullness of the Father’s wisdom and sovereignty.

These “families” are not just collections (aggregates) of angels and p[eoples. “Family” harks back to God’s great salvation promise to Abraham, “in you shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Gen 12:3). This is a promise fulfilled for us in Jesus through the preaching of the gospel (Gal 3:8).

Other parts of scripture broaden our understanding of the saving plan of God for families and nations. (“Nation” in scripture refers primarily to an ethnic group, rather than a political structure, such as the modern nation-state.  For example, since it was estimated that before white settlement there were 250 Indigenous languages in use, there were 250 nations in Australia.)

Paul states that God has always had a saving plan for each people group; “And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,” (Acts 17:26-27 ESV). The climax of the passage is intimate, “for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’” (Acts 17:28 ESV).

In Ephesians one Paul prays that his readers will understand what it means to be God’s children, “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,” (Ephesians 1:17-18 ESV)

The book of Revelation gives us a broad insight and panoramic view of what “the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints” will look like at the End; “And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” (Revelation 5:9-10 ESV). The emphasis on “for God” and “to God” means that the ultimate direction of our ministries as priests and kings is towards the Father.

God has a destiny for the nations that shall not fail. Revelation speaks of the climax of history involving the nations in this way, “And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honour of the nations.” (Revelation 21:23-26 ESV). Since the redeemed are the heirs of the kingdom in Revelation (1:6, 9; 2:27; 3:21; 5:10; 20:6; 22:5), the “kings” of this passage are ordinary believers.

Each redeemed nation will bring from its store of historical and cultural experience, submitted to the Lordship of Christ, treasures of grace and creativity. Somehow, all the spheres of marriage, family, music, business, learning….will be perfected by the power of God and become part of our joint eternal home.

All the different people groups in heaven, black, yellow, brown, red, white, African, Asian, European…will mutually enrich one another with their testimonies of God’s unfailing love in the particularities of their own cultures, languages and communities.

This presents a great challenge to our present earthly life. We are called to live together in love as obedient children as “members of the household of God” (Eph 2:19; 1 Pet 1:14). God’s family, all acknowledging one God and Father (Eph 4:6) , images on earth what it will be like in heaven.

God’s voice from the throne urges us on as it triumphantly declares, “The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” (Revelation 21:7 ESV)

However, the language of “conquering” implies serious conflict and reminds us that our place in God’s plan is constantly opposed by evil powers.

The Church and the Powers

In this great struggle between God and Satan a special vocation is given to the Church. This is outlined by Paul in the same passage where he prays to the Father of the nations; “This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel….To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 3:6, 8-10 ESV)

“The mystery” of which he speaks is that there is now one people of God, Jews and Gentiles, united in Christ. “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”(Galatians 3:26-29 ESV cf. Col 3:11). Together, we share the same glorious future as one family.

Paul’s insight into “the mystery” reaches back before God’s covenant with Israel to his eternal plan. God as “the creator of all things” had one plan for creation that included even “thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities” (Col 1:16) bringing him glory through Christ. It is not possible that any evil power is strong enough to prevent the revelation of God’s mystery. This manifestation will still happen, angels and humans will see the wisdom of God, but since the rebellion of angelic powers “in the heavenly places” this will be revealed not with their cooperation but through their conflict with the Church.

This message about God’s mystery is deeply meaningful to me personally. When I was in Argentina in 1995 I had an opportunity to visit the Iguassu Falls and to seek the Lord there. At one point I felt moved to ask the Lord to speak to me about “the mystery/secret of Christ” (Rom 16:25; Eph 1:9; 3:4, 6; Col 1:27; 2:2; 4:3). Ascending to the top of the hotel room shortly before dawn I could see that the whole area was covered with mist from the falls. As the sun came up I began to see patterns in the mist, they were all the same wherever I looked, the colours of the rainbow formed brilliant concentric circles.

This experience has both a natural and spiritual dimension that goes back to the Church and the powers of evil. It is “through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” (Eph 3:10). This is not an activity of the Church, we do not actively preach to evil powers, it is a communication to the forces of evil through the very nature of the Church. The existence of the Church is an ongoing witness of God’s wisdom to the powers.

The expression “manifold wisdom” appears only here in the Bible. It is a word however related to Joseph’s “robe of many colours” (Gen 37:3, 23, 32). Paul’s use of the term refers to the beauty, glory and splendour of God’s multifaceted wisdom in redeeming all the nations through Christ with their diverse histories, languages and cultures. This is like a marvellous spectrum or rainbow of grace radiating through the heavenlies.

The rainbow in the Bible is a powerful symbol of God’s limitless grace, e.g. when God hangs up “his bow” in the clouds he means his bow of war has been put at rest and he will no longer pour out a catastrophic judgement that will threaten the nations with complete annihilation (Gen 9:1ff.). I have had many experiences of rainbows communicating God’s grace in different places in the world. It is as the Church across the world lives in unity and harmony despite our manifest differences that the power of God’s plan to be the Father of all peoples is revealed to the principalities in the heavenly places. The impact of such a revelation is profound. Let me explain.

When Jesus appeared on earth his presence traumatised demonic forces, “And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God.”” (Mark 1:23-24 ESV); “And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” (Matthew 8:28-29 ESV). Cf. “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8). This trauma happened in the presence of Jesus before he spoke a word of authority. What shook the powers of evil to the core was the intensity of Jesus Sonship.

In recognising the presence of the Holy Son of God the demons became immediately aware that they themselves lacked a father to provide for them an inheritance. Satan is no true father; he is a false father who has no ultimate plan to provide for his children. His only future, and so for all who follow him, is “the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt 25:41). “  The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” (Matthew 13:38-42 ESV). The presence of true and faithful sonship carries a verdict that condemns the powers of evil to final destruction.

When the Church lives in the unity of God as a holy family, “for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26-28 ESV) spiritual breakthrough must follow because the satanic host is sent into disarray because they see the triumph of the plan of God before their very eyes. The challenges to live in such oneness are however numerous.

Remember what Paul says, “having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,” (Ephesians 1:18 ESV), “For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.” (Ephesians 2:18 ESV). There is for us only one Father, “the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 15:6; 2 Cor 1:3; Eph 1:3, 17, 5:20; 2 Thess 1:1; 1 Pet 1:3).

Purifying the Nations

Fear and prejudice between national groupings first came to my attention when visiting Hong Kong and China in the early 90’s, it was not unusual for Chinese residents to call white people Gweilo, which literally means “white devil”. Then I remember God bringing to my attention the attitudes of different nations to each other on a trip to Argentina in 1995. I was quite shocked when walking through Auckland airport in New Zealand to read on a T shirt for sale, “I support the All Blacks (N.Z. rugby team) and anyone who’s playing against Australia.” Naturally the thought crossed my mind that lots of New Zealander’s must have felt insecure when they thought about the size and wealth of Australia compared to their tiny land. It was in South America itself that the Holy Spirit challenged me about my own attitudes to a larger and more powerful nation. I kept on running into an American at the conference I was attending, and I couldn’t stop my negative comments about his mannerisms. In the end the Holy Spirit convicted me of my sinfulness and I asked his forgiveness. This brought about a great release in my life.

I think most Australians no less than Americans, British or whoever, are very confused into thinking their own country is the, “Greatest nation on earth”. I have a Scottish friend who’s now been in Perth for a long time. As soon as she arrived there people were asking how she could ever have put up with the weather in Scotland. There is no “greatest nation”, there is only praise and thanksgiving for the blessing of the nation God has called us to be a part of. (Suspicion of Igbo by other Christians in churches in Australia has contributed to church splits I am aware of.)

If you came to our city you would find there are churches who call themselves Chinese, Vietnamese, Burmese, Indian, Aboriginal, Romanian, Hungarian….churches filled with white South Africans, or Sudanese, Burundi’s, Zimbabweans, Nigerians  and so on. There are some practical reasons for this but there are also some spiritual reasons that can be traced back to the influence of demonic powers.

Behind all discrimination against other people groups is fear that someone different from us will take advantage of us. There are some white Australians I know who say, “You can’t trust Africans.” No doubt this is due to their contact with a few unscrupulous African people; I have met some African Church leaders in Australia who quite frankly seem always to be angling for money; but there are a lot more white Christian leaders who I discern are as preoccupied with power and influence as anyone. Jesus bluntly tells us how we should treat people.

““You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.””(Matthew 5:43-48 ESV). A proper Christian attitude to any other national group must be one of unconditional blessing; not one of criticism or competition. Only through love can we image the true character of our Father in heaven.

I find it easy to think of people groups who have come to Australia in my lifetime as “foreigners”; to adopt an attitude of blessing to then all requires humility. One of the reasons why the traditional Christian nations of Europe, North America and Australia have lost so much spiritual blessing is our arrogance. We are the inventors of science and technology, English, democracy, capitalism, the ones God used to take Christianity around the globe. The Lord spoke to me once about these things and said, “These people love to rule but they hate to be ruled.” The answer to such arrogance  must be a spirit of servanthood and humility, “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:6-7 ESV). Arrogance and pride never come from the God and Father of Jesus, and are always a manifestation of the spirit of the antichrist.

Paul puts the relationships between people groups in the context of both our shared inheritance and spiritual conflict when he says to the Colossians, “May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:11-14 ESV)

As an apostle Paul is called “to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.” (Rom 15:16). As a genuine spiritual father of many peoples (1 Cor 4:14-15) he longs to see the day when men and women from every nation will be part of the eternal family of God. This is no easy task, it involves suffering.

This is why Paul said; “So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory.” (Ephesians 3:13 ESV cf. 2 Cor 1:6). I have met various ministers who love to call themselves apostles, but in many of them I see no real evidence that they are true apostles because they do not seem to suffer for their spiritual children.

Jesus himself said to his confused disciples, ““O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:25-27 ESV). Suffering is the way to glory of God’s new future. “          It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say:“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.”For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:2-4 ESV) .This vision of the End can only be achieved through suffering on account of the gospel.

At the end of his teaching about the reconciliation of all things in Colossians, Paul  explains how this reality works itself out in his life and ministry, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me.” (Colossians 1:24-29 ESV) .The apostle is not saying he adds anything to the death of Jesus, but that the reconciling power of Christ’s sacrifice is released through him on behalf of the Church by means of his suffering.

Connecting this back to our foundational theme of the glory of the Father, the reality of a future glorious inheritance with Christ in God is unveiled as we suffer that others might be honoured; “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” (Romans 8:16-17 ESV); “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.” (2 Timothy 2:8-10 ESV cf. 2 Cor 4:17); “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you.” (1 Peter 4:12-14 ESV)

Whilst I have been rather critical of many elements of contemporary Western spirituality, things have been different in the past. I remember that the first missionaries to West Africa used to take their own coffins with them on the boats from England, their life expectancy was so short. I was on the South Pacific island of Tonga some years ago for a Prayer Assembly, one day we were all bussed to the site where some of the first missionaries had been beaten to death (and eaten?). As we stopped and prayed, led by local Tongan believers, it was a very holy moment. God never forgot the sacrifice of those early missionaries, and Tonga became one of the most Christian nations on earth.

Application and Conclusion

How will “the manifold wisdom of God” “be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” “through the church” (Ephesians 3:10 ESV)? Only by means of our shared “struggle” together for the sake of the gospel (Phil 1:30) that all nations without exception might share with us in the eternal inheritance of the Father (Eph 1:18).

This “struggle” is one with the spiritual conflict of Ephesians 6, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” (Ephesians 6:12). Spiritual triumph at the highest level and across the broadest horizon can only come as we work together at whatever cost to see people groups from “every tribe and language and people and nation” (Rev 5:9) immersed in the splendour, honour and beauty of salvation that Christ offers us in bringing us to “the Father of glory” (Eph 1:17).

The glory of the Father is to loved by his children, whatever the cost to them. Jesus fully bore that cost for us, when he went to the cross enduring the anguish of hell for us. Satan’s children want a life of blessing without cost; the end for them is destruction. It is as Christians suffer for righteousness sake (Matt 5:10; 1 Pet 3:14) that the world will know that the only true Father is the Father of Jesus.