...Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard,
neither have entered into the heart of man,
the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him.
But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit:
for the Spirit searcheth all things,yea, the deep things of God.
1 Corinthians 2:9-10
What can one say to someone who hurts in ways outside of our own personal experience? Be it physical or emotional pain, many a time we find ourselves at a loss as to how to comfort or encourage…
“I understand what you are going through”?
But we sometimes don’t.
“Time will heal. Things will get better”?
But they sometimes don’t.
What can possibly transcend seemingly insurmountable boundaries of circumstance and experience to connect with others? In spending time with a friend suffering from a terminal illness in the past month, I have discovered the privilege of friendship linked by a common Saviour, the preciousness of never running out of “things of God” (i.e. spiritual things) to talk about, and the power it holds. For what matters, teetering at the brink of death on a daily basis? What else can bring bona fide hope and cheer? Paul talks about these mysterious “things of God” that exhibit real power and glory in 1 Corinthians 2…
Prepared…for those who love Him (v.9)
The “things of God” are only available and freely given to those who love Him. Those who reject Christ cannot accept or understand spiritual things, which are “foolishness to [them]” (v.14). In his gospel, John says that people will continue to reject Jesus because they fear that their evil deeds will be exposed (John 3:19-20) as acknowledging Christ involves being confronted with the ugliness of our sin.
The “things of God” are reserved for those who love Him with the kind of love He demanded – a loving with all our heart, all our soul, and all our might (Deut 6:5). When we first discover Christ for who He is, like first love, our heart soars and we want to know more of Him and spend time in His presence. But over and above the heart flutters, Jesus demands complete allegiance and commitment demonstrated by a willingness to do whatever it takes to follow Him – to make uncomfortable changes in our lives, to make unpopular choices, to trust Him even when we cannot see our next step.
Revealed…through the Spirit (v.10)
The Holy Spirit is the source of revelation through which God discloses to us the “things of God”. For who else knows the very thoughts of God, save for God the Spirit Himself? A transforming work takes place when the Spirit indwells us; “we have the mind of Christ” through Him (v.16).
With the recent teachings on the work of the Holy Spirit during “Acts of the Apostles” by Dr. Tan Wai Choon and “Spiritual Formation” by Dr. Jim Grier, I am prompted to ask myself if I have been marginalising the Spirit by robbing Him of the glory due Him for everything that He is doing in my life. After all He is my power source in the face of weakness and temptation; He is my guide in turning away from my old ways to embrace God’s way; He provides the illumination in understanding the word of God and opens my eyes to behold the mysterious spiritual “things of God”. There is no way that I can love God the Spirit any less than God the Father and the Son.
Spoken…with power (v.4)
In knowing the “things of God”, we speak of them in words taught by the Spirit. We will speak of the incredible things which “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man” (v.9), in proclamation of the testimony of God. Such will be what will draw others to Christ – the beauty and power of Jesus in us. The seed of evangelism can be planted in the people we come into contact with daily by radiating a confidence in possessing true meaning and purpose in life, and living by it. They may not know what it is at first, but they will know that there is something different about us, and by God’s grace, will be intrigued and even hunger to find out what we know to be a relationship with our El Shaddai, God All Sufficient.
Fellowship between believers is brought to a different level because we are able to talk about spiritual things and the things of God that transcend the boundaries of circumstance and experience, while conversation with people still outside God’s kingdom are limited by the blinkers of this earthly life. Let us then purpose to claim this privilege by fellowshipping as a body of Christ in the “things of God” not just during Sunday service, but at any opportunity – sharing the work of the Spirit in our lives to encourage one another, and speaking with the power of God so that we may point others to Christ.
