A Disciple's Journey

Before the world began…

The Recovery of God’s Original Intention

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

Kings James Version

3 Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realm has already been lavished upon us as a love gift from our wonderful heavenly Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus—all because he sees us wrapped into Christ. This is why we celebrate him with all our hearts! 
4 And he chose us to be his very own, joining us to himself even before he laid the foundation of the universe! Because of his great love, he ordained us, so that we would be seen as holy in his eyes with an unstained innocence. 
5-6 For it was always in his perfect plan to adopt us as his delightful children, through our union with Jesus, the Anointed One, so that his tremendous love that cascades over us would glorify his grace—for the same love he has for his Beloved One, Jesus, he has for us. And this unfolding plan brings him great pleasure!

The Passions Translation

Ephesians 1:3-6

Nothing exists of its own will. Preceding every thing is the mind that conceived it and eventually created it. We are born into the world and without asking we are confronted with norms, cultures, ideologies that shape our lives and usually predispose us to a life of our own choosing, whether this choice is made directly by us or by others.

Even when people have a salvation experience, it is usually confined to the province of religion so that they can carry on with their lives without any drastic change to the general course of their lives. They have only learnt to be religious and to use their heightened sense of morality to navigate their way in life. And wherever they experience a contradiction or crisis in their behaviour that puts to shame their morality, they then learn to make an exemption for it and perhaps, perfect ways of justifying it or covering it from the prying eyes of fellow moralists.

This cannot be the intention of God for you. It is important to understand the blueprint for your life, not just before you were born, but before the foundation of the world. This blueprint will redefine your concept of life and destiny. Just like every meticulous architect builds strictly based on the building plan, such that there is nothing that eventually gets built that is not outlined in the plan. So also, the Father has a “building plan” for your life. What is that plan, for we must recover God’s Original Intention for our lives? 

The blessedness of God’s Original Intention 

First, we are briefed on our blessedness. This is a blessedness of adoption and dominion. This is where it all must begin from. You have a Father, who planned your life from start to finish and you are meant to function in your Father’s realm, which is called the heavenly places. All the allocation for the entire spectrum of your life are reserved for you in His realm. So, you must learn to live permanently in that realm, other than this physical, limited realm of ours. 

Unwrapping this package of dominion requires a vital relationship, an ongoing responsibility and a life time stewardship. This must be a vital relationship because as Father, He is the Source out of which we have been derived. You must never live or act independent of Him just like a fish cannot live or act independent of water. The software for accessing the heavenly places is your spirit inside you. The communion and fellowship you experience are for your renewal – inwardly mobilizing you towards the direction of His full counsel for your life. 

It is clear that there is a predisposition in you to seek for that which is beyond yourself. Coming to know God as your Father brings you into union with His Son Jesus Christ. This union gives you an ongoing responsibility of priesthood, where you minister to the LORD and you minister to others. Priesthood is first for your sustenance and growth before it becomes useful for serving the purposes of God beyond you.

The ultimate intention of God for providing the facility of dominion is to have all things be subject to Him on the earth and in the entire universe. That is, to have all things function according to the original design God had for them. Hence, He has created you in His image (a vessel to be filled with Him) and likeness (a growing conformity to His Person, Purposes and Principles). 

Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. Hebrews 2:8 KJV

And all must be put under him. He has done all that is needed to do to supply manpower for this takeover. His death and suffering on the cross as well as His life and sanctification are provisions to fit you for His mandate of dominion in your life and calling. And it is in union with Him that you will begin your adventure in all that has been written concerning you, that is, your predestination. 

You have been put here to live for the full counsel and thought of God such that your life and service enforce His will in the place (geography, demography, industry etc) where He has planted you. Wherever His reign has not covered, it is your duty and mine to enforce it by intercession and legislation. This is priesthood and kingship. My prayer life must establish His Kingdom where He has located me. My career and/or ministry must also be a strategic means of pulling down strongholds and systems while establishing the Purpose of God.

“And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 1:6 KJV

“And  hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.” Revelation 5:10 KJV

Next: The Goal of God’s Original Intention

Image credits: Ilya Panasenko on Unsplash, faithful on friday blog, Connection Church, Hungry Generation.