The Time and Place

In moments like this, as I sit here in reflection of the past weekend, there is a bittersweetness that impacts my shepherd’s heart. I KNOW that there were many of you greatly impacted by the masterful ministry you were presented with by the precious Holy Spirit. I believe that impact will fuel your resolve to be a doer of the Word and not a hearer only, which will usher powerful and joyous opportunities into your future. This is huge in my heart because the sincere desire of my heart is to see YOU, Beloved, obtain the great and precious promises that belong to you through the Finished Work of Christ. These few priceless hours sitting under deeply anointed teaching as we were honored to receive create an unprecedented occasion for radical blessings to be realized and real.

This also eludes to an undeniable and undervalued truth that I pray we all submit to more and more in the coming days of this Great Awakening. This particular truth is also a solidified doctrine that spans the entire width of the scriptures and impacts every Bible character and all of the billions of lives their stories have touched. This principle is neither good nor bad as it relates to righteousness, and is universally available without respect of persons or performance. If one knows this is a genuine part of the construct of the fabric of our existence, then it can be utilized to great blessing and advantage. It can also be ignored leading to painful and repetitive misery.

Galatians 4:1-7 ESV

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by his father. In the same way, we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

I have chosen this passage because this doctrine is tied to the divine type of spiritual freedom that only comes from our life in Christ. What is simply annotated here is that even the most wealthy, secure, and accepted, “heir,” to a throne of dominion or influence cannot officially ascend into that pre-established position until, “the date set by his father.” At first glance, this seems like it is some arbitrary birthday being insinuated, but upon closer inspection, we can see an important part of that ascension process is connected to the words, “fullness of time.” These words are that doctrine I have been eluding to, and that truth is one of the most priceless of all revelations one can obtain in life.

This is where I internally wrestle with my preacher identity as to how much and how deep I can wade into these vast waters before folks get nervous about the unending waves that can stir up anxiety even in the best swimmer. Under this struggle, it is better to say just enough to clearly outline the principle, but also not too much in order to yield to the artistic process of filling in the details between you and your Father through intimacy and conversation.

Here is an excerpt from “Barnes’ Commentary”:

But when the fullness of the time was come – The full time appointed by the Father; the completion (filling up) of the designated period for the coming of the Messiah. The sense is, that the time which had been predicted, and when it was proper that he should come, was complete. The exact period had arrived when all things were ready for his coming.

What is being established through this phrase is that there are very specific, divinely designed, eternally weighty, and personally coordinated moments that are arranged by our Father for us to arrive at. In these moments there is a culmination of favor, grace, provision, revelation, and success. In these, “fullness of time,” junctures the right people are aligned with the right purpose, with the right assets, with the right attitude, with the right wisdom, with the right direction from heaven to accomplish something that could only be achieved, with that vast array of dynamics in perfect alignment. This is of utmost importance for any child of God who sincerely desires to have what was ordained for them. I pray this is as riveting for you as it has been for me.

Countless times, I have reflected back on the impossibility of being in the right place, at the right time, with the right people, to hear (and know) the exact right thing… but with God, impossible things are made possible. These ethereal things are so, so precious… because they were fashioned in heaven with heavenly substance. This truth should compel us to rightfully discern our every moment, the people around us, the activities we engage in, the thoughts we entertain, the words we hear, and the opportunities that arise. If we submit in humility to this reality, the direction and quality of our earthly life experience will take on sacred attributes. This is real living… not the superficial and artificial joke that the carnal folks experience in their drudgery and zombified version of life that they have been deceived into succumbing to through melodic worldly pied pipers.

In the above passage, we should take notice of how the scriptures interpret the scriptures. The term, “fullness of time,” coincides specifically with, “the date set by his father.” That is important, Beloved. God stands outside of our linear, sequential timeline and can therefore choreograph moments in a way that would scramble our gray matter if we tried to organize all the pieces and players. When you authentically know the heart of your Good Father, that statement becomes an assurance accompanied by perfect peace. He loves us, oh how He loves us, and, therefore, is planning moments that exceed even our greatest imaginations. This is how I look at our services, gatherings, koinonia, and interactions.

Also annotated in this passage is our necessity to mature into readiness for that moment and place. This speaks to whether we allow ourselves to develop the capacity for what our Father wants us to experience and become. Sadly, many (if not most) believers are too distracted with shiny objects, entertainment, the toils of life, self-centeredness, and the middle-class rat race to engage with the transformation process necessary to obtain these celestial gifts. It is interesting to consider that God aligned the whole universe, including the past, just to present us with one of these finite moments… and then we could miss it because we were really crushing it on “Candy Crush” this afternoon. If we would live our lives on His purpose, we will have a life of greater purpose. Greater purpose also includes greater quality.

Ephesians 1:9-12 ESV

… making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory.

It is our destiny, a pre-destiny, to obtain this glorious, mysterious, and high purpose.

Will you determine to live your moments in this way from now on, dearest Beloved?

I already miss you,
Steve