Thursday, July 11, 2024
A Heavenly Conversation
Imagine this conversation unfolding in the Heavenly Realms when God first created humanity. God, in His infinite wisdom, spoke with one of His greatest angels, revealing the magnificence and potential of His new creation.
"Have you seen the people I created?" God asked, a gleam of pride in His voice. "Do you see how they are created in our own image? Aren't they wonderful?"
The angel, awe-struck yet cautious, replied, "Yes, I see they are created in Your image, and that part of them is indeed wonderful. But they are weak and easily tempted. They are destined for a difficult future because of their free will, just like us, Your angels."
God smiled, a vision of the future clear in His eyes. "I created them so that one day they would live in unity with Us—I, My Son, and Our Holy Spirit. We will exist for eternity in communion and oneness, and it will be grand."
"But how can that be?" the angel questioned, confusion marring his exquisite features. "You know they are going to sin. Are You going to become one with sin? Are You really going to defile Yourself? God, You are just, so sin must have a price. The price must be paid. They are not destined to live in communion with You; they are destined to spend forever in Hell."
God’s expression turned solemn. "You know Hell was never created for them. Yes, you are correct, they will sin; they will all fall short of living in communion with Us, but I have a plan. I will send My Son to them, as a person, as one of them. They will call Him Jesus. He will live among them, sinless, and show them how to live. Then He will die on a horrible cross in their place for their sins. I will raise Him from the dead because He will be a completely innocent sacrifice. All who believe in Him and trust that He died in their place for their sins will become one with Him and one with Me, for He will have paid the price for them. He will have redeemed them."
The angel’s eyes widened with realization. "But then what becomes of us, Your angels? They will be Your sons and daughters as Jesus is. Are You saying they will rule over us?"
"Yes, Lucifer," God said gently. "You will have the honor of serving them as you have had the honor of serving Us. It will be grand for us all.”
Lucifer’s expression hardened and his features became even more marred. "No, God. I will not stand for it. I will not be ruled by these weak, disgusting humans that You have created and appear to love so much. Not only will I not stand for it, I know there are many other angels, legions of them, who will agree with me and refuse to serve them."
"Lucifer, if you choose to rebel, you and those who follow you will spend eternity in Hell.”
Lucifer sneered and snorted and finally responded, “I would much rather be tortured in Hell for all eternity than serve your detestable new creatures.”
God sighed, sadness in His eyes. “Do you really hate them more than you fear eternal misery?”
“I will embrace Hell with all my heart if I take even one of them with me.”
“I knew that would be your response, as well as the response of others,” God replied. “It saddens Me, but it is your right. You and your legions will, for a time, be cast down to Earth and rule there, making an example of what evil leads to. But eventually, you will all spend eternity in Hell, which I created for you."
"So be it," Lucifer sneered. "Under no circumstances will we serve these pathetic and disgusting humans. And because every one of them will sin, they will all be in my power. I only need to keep them from believing in the sacrifice Jesus makes for them. Then they can believe they are 'good people', but they will follow us into Hell, and they will spend eternity suffering miserably, as will we, but we will laugh at their suffering."
Introduction
I told you that story because, while it is just an imaginary conversation, it illustrates the reality of the world we're in and our real situation right now. Let's break this story apart a little bit.
God's Creation and Purpose
God clarifies why He created humans: "I created them so that they may one day live in unity with Us—I, My Son, and Our Holy Spirit. We will exist in communion and oneness, and it will be grand." This is the reason you were created. It's the reason every single human being is created.
Genesis 1:26: "Then God said, 'Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness.'"
John 17:21: "I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me."
The Reality of Sin
God is represented by a large container of pure water—He is infinite, eternal, and pure. Humanity, initially created pure in God's image, is represented by small glasses of water. Sin, symbolized by food coloring, enters the world and taints these glasses. No human, regardless of how little or much they have sinned, is pure enough to commune with God.
Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Jesus' Sacrifice
Jesus, fully human and fully divine, is represented by another glass of pure water. On the cross, He took upon Himself all the sins of humanity, represented by pouring the food coloring into His glass. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus offers us the chance to be transformed, to become pure again, and to commune with God.
The Urgency of Salvation
This is the reality for all humanity. We must recognize our sinfulness and hopelessness without Christ and accept His sacrifice to be transformed. If we don't, we remain defiled and unable to commune with God, which is essentially hell for all eternity.
"I have come to call not those who think they are righteous but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.” Luke 5:31 NLT
Satan's Strategy
Satan hates humanity and wants to take us all to Hell. He only needs to keep us from admitting we are sinful and need saving and from turning to Jesus to be transformed. His strategy is simple: make us think we're good people and surround us with noise, busyness, and confusion—what I call Satan's chaos.
God Is Calling - Satan Is Stalling
Christian Teams Excel's mission is to make the eternal situation clear, understandable, and easily passed on. We aim to set churches, businesses, and individuals free from Satan’s chaos so they can attract people away from this crazy world Satan rules and become countercultural Christians—radically different and radically excellent.
Call to Bold, Holy Living
We are called to be boldly different, as the early Church was boldly different. We are called to be holy, to stand out, and to live lives that reflect our faith in every aspect. This is not about blending in or avoiding confrontation; it is about living a grand adventure in holiness, being a beacon of light in a dark world, and standing firm in our commitment to Christ.
How Christian Teams Excel Helps
At Christian Teams Excel, we help pastors, business leaders, and individuals form small teams and give them modern tools and processes based on Christian principles. These tools help them discover their purpose, plan and measure progress, and provide each other with support and accountability. Our goal is to set people free from Satan's chaos and help them live out their God-given purpose.
Conclusion and Call to Action
If you feel caught in Satan's chaos and are called by Christ to do more, you have a choice. You can keep doing what you've been doing, or you can decide to do something radically different, countercultural, bold, and very Christian. Become a beacon of excellence, attracting those who are lost in this dark world, and show them the clear path to the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ and eternal communion with God.
Schedule a discovery call, join Christian Teams Excel, and explore our resources. Don't wait—God is calling, and Satan is stalling.