"Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.'
-Luke 10:20
While I grew up going to church in the 80's, it wasn't until my senior year in high school that my eyes, ears and heart were opened to the gospel of Christ. I not only knew about Jesus, I came to know Him. I knew from the preaching of the word that I was a sinner damned to Hell and that Jesus Christ was the incarnate Son of God and died in my place at Calvary. I actually believed the gospel. My life began to change. I began to read my bible not to check off a list, but because I had a hunger to know the God who had saved me from Himself. That was an exciting time of growth in grace as I began to worship from the heart. I devoured the word and experienced Christian fellowship for the first time.
Not too many years after that I 'felt a call to the ministry.' After all, I had already taught on a few occasions and I had witnessed to the homeless near GA State where I was enrolled for my first year of college. I was therefore encouraged to attend Bible College by my pastor, so I transferred to one. That was was 28 years ago. Since then I've embraced the Reformed faith (while in Bible college), joined Reformed churches, graduated from a Presbyterian seminary (one that is 'truly Reformed’) and ministered in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church for the past 13 years. Yet in many respects, one could say that over time I've 'come full circle,' as we say. Not that I've become Baptist again (no disrespect to my Baptist brethren). No. I believe the Holy Spirit always eventually brings me back to 'keeping the main thing the main thing.' You see, there was a time in my Christian walk where I began to learn sound doctrine, the Bible, even a little church history, and something called the Westminster Confession of Faith. I began to think that being a pastor was all about living in a study, reading presuppositional apologetics and smoking the finest tobacco. (I know.) The the temptation then was to look down upon those who haven't figured out such things. In other words the temptation was spiritual pride, which manifests itself in many forms. It wasn’t the Reformed Church, it wasn’t Seminary, and it wasn’t the study of apologetics. It was my own heart. The Apostle put our pride in check when he wrote to the Corinthians, 'What do you have that you did not receive?' (1 Cor. 4:7). Or as our Savior put it in Luke 10:20, '...Rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.'
In Lk. 10:20, Jesus had already empowered and commissioned the 70 disciples to go out, preach His gospel and cast out demons. When they joyfully reported their 'success in ministry' to Him, He cautioned them not to take joy in the fact that Satan was being conquered, but to rejoice because their names were written in heaven. You see, like all Christians, they were the recipients of God's eternal and sovereign mercy. That was to be their focus. This text not only serves to correct the charismatic movement of yesterday, but the Reformed, and many other Christians of today.
Whereas I might take satisfaction in spiritual victories in my life, the acquisition of knowledge, or the positive fruits of my ministry, I should not focus so much on those things, as good as they might be. I should fall down on my face before the God of mercy and take great joy that He chose me (Eph. 1:4), that the Son of God 'loved me and gave Himself for me' (Gal. 2:20). All of this is to say that we should NEVER take our eyes off Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:1,2). Paul's passion was to 'know' Christ (Phil. 3:10), and prayed that other Christians would know the same love of Christ for them (Eph. 3:14-19). I suppose that some might say, 'Absolutely!' and at the same time be content never to increase in knowledge of Scripture or theology or Christian influence. In other words we can swing to the other side of the pendulum which would be just as grievous to our Lord, for He has commanded us to be salt and light, and to make the nations His disciples (Mt. 5; 28:18-20). (That includes our own advancement in discipleship, by the way.) We are commanded to 'grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ' (2 Pet. 3:18). The early Hebrew Christians were rebuked because they had been Christians long enough to teach others but themselves needed to be taught (Heb. 5:12). So it's not ‘either or,’ it's both. As we progress in the Christian faith and life, so too should our love for God, and in particular, our love for the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, ‘If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ,’ Paul writes, ‘let him be accursed’ (1 Cor. 16:22).
How does it go today with your Christian walk? Are you enraptured, yes captivated by the love of God for you? Do you ever rejoice that your name is written in Heaven? Do you marvel with the hymn writer, that He could 'save a wretch like me?' Or, are you like the Pharisee who prays, 'I thank You that I am not like other men,' (i.e., sinners)? It was the repentant tax collector who knew of his personal sin and thus called upon the God of mercy for forgiveness that went home justified (Lk. 18:14). (If you struggle with this, I encourage you to read one of the gospels prayerfully.)
May we all desire that good things come and at the same time greatly rejoice that our names are written in heaven. May we, like the Apostle Paul, never 'get over' Jesus!