Rejoicing is the Final Element for Successful Communing
We’ve been talking about deepening our walk with Christ by intentionally communing with Him. Two weeks ago, we talked about Release because we all have those habits, emotions, fears, or ideals that we cling to much too tightly.
Last week we discussed our choice to Rely. We examined the idea of Jesus as the True Shepherd as well as God as our portion. We learned our Lord provides, protects, leads, satisfies, and sustains us. God Almighty knows us by name and He is always enough.
The final element of communing is Rejoice. We could also dub it Fan Club Worship but Rejoice is easier to remember.
True Fans
Have you ever noticed fans? True fans are absolutely crazy! A wild sports fan will paint his face before going to an event, and dress in outrageous attire. I’m sure you’ve all seen the old TV reels of girls screaming in a frenzy over Elvis or the Beatles. In addition, some fans go to the extent of becoming stalkers and break into the home of their idol.
We call crazy fans, fanatics. We describe people as fanatical when they go overboard in their exuberance for something or someone. Fanatics fear missing anything having to do with the object of their outrageous affection. We need to become crazy fans if we desire to fully commune with God.
Fan Club Worshipers
We encounter a group of Fan Club Worshipers in the story of the Triumphal Entry found in Luke 19. They demonstrate six characteristics of a worshiping fan. If you are unfamiliar with Luke’s version of the story, here’s a link for your convenience: Luke19:28-40.
Fan Club Characteristic 1: Joyful praise
I love how the whole crowd goes nuts. Luke adds a detail about the crowd; it is made up of disciples. Consequently, we can envision a large group of people, who are all followers of Jesus. They seek to imitate Christ; they learn what He says is truth and they copy His behavior.
This group of fans was overwhelmed with all they had seen Jesus do, and they felt compelled to praise God enthusiastically. They were ecstatic over their experiences of God in action through Jesus.
Have you ever cut loose with jubilant worship? Have you ever been so overcome with who God is, what He has done, His power, majesty, and glory, that you can’t stop yourself from praising Him with exuberance? The more we commune with God, the more we experience moments when we desire to praise Him with absolute joy, even if our personal expression is quiet and reserved.
Fan Club Characteristic 2: Loud
Luke tells us the crowd praised God in loud voices. I’m captivated by this group of people that didn’t hesitate to talk about the goodness and greatness of Jesus, boisterously and with boldness. We don’t need to be obnoxious or noisy, however I believe we must praise God fearlessly.
When Jesus was first gathering His disciples, both Andrew and Philip confidently expressed praise for Jesus. As soon as Andrew discovered Jesus, he found his brother Simon and told him about encountering the Messiah. He boldly talked about Christ. Philip found his friend Nathanael. Nathanael gave Philip some push back, but Philip was not deterred. Philip challenged his friend to come and see (John 1:40-46).
When we commune with God, when we allow who he is to become who we are crazy about, our praise gets “loud.” We want to talk about Him and share who He is, just like a sports fan talks about her team, or a music fan brags about the tickets she purchased.
Fan Club Characteristic 3: Recount all the Best Moments and Miracles
I imagine there were those in the crowd who were recipients of a miracle, perhaps they were part of the 5000-eating lunch on the hillside. I’m convinced there were those in the crowd who knew someone Jesus had healed, possibly even the four friends who lowered their friend through the roof.
Can’t you hear all the chatter? One person tells of a miracle and another person responds with “I was there that day!” Then, another person speaks up, “That miracle really surprised me, so I got a few days off work and followed Jesus around for a couple of days. It was amazing!”
Perhaps even Zacchaeus was in the crowd. Unafraid of what others might think, he retold his story. He described how miraculous it felt to know Jesus accepted him, and how dramatically different his life now was.
When we commune with God, we experience miracles in our own lives. We may not go from crippled to running, but we are still miraculously different. Fan Club worship encourages us to recount our stories to each other. We detail to others how we’ve experienced God’s goodness. Plus, we proclaim our gratitude for God’s healing, provision, or encouragement. We even recount the precious moments when we are intimately engulfed by God’s love and grace.
Fan Club Characteristic 4: Bless the King.
The word bless according to Merriam-Webster means “to hallow or consecrate by religious rite or word.” It can also mean to praise, glorify, speak well of, and/or approve.
The crowd recognized Jesus’ importance and whereas they may not have understood He was God, they believed He came from God. They wanted to celebrate Him, and honor Jesus as one chosen by God Almighty. Jesus was greater than anyone else they knew, and they chose to make everything about Him.
I wonder at times if I seek to Bless the King in my everyday-go to work-do the laundry-buy the groceries-sleep-eat-and-watch Netflix life. Am I such a fan that I consistently consider God’s holiness and supremacy? Know what I mean?
Fan Club Characteristic 5: Declare Peace (in Heaven)
I’m convinced the crowd wasn’t fully aware of what they were saying as they shouted, “Peace in heaven” (Luke 19:38b). Luke is the only gospel that includes this line. I’m not sure why the others didn’t include these words, and I’m not sure why Luke included this phrase and not the chant of “Hosanna!”
How do these two phrases fit together? The word hosanna means save us. We know from the writings of Paul to the Romans that “since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1) In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he writes “For he himself (referring to Jesus) is our peace…” (Ephesians 2:14). (Italicized emphasis mine.)
Jesus’ death on the cross cleansed us from our sin and we are now free to enter God’s presence. Since Jesus has returned to the Father, our Peace really does now reside in Heaven. Plus, Jesus’ death and resurrection conquered Satan and he has now been judged. Jesus is victorious, all of heaven rejoices over the achievement of reconciliation, and so there is peace.
We must grasp the full value Jesus and His peace brings to us. We no longer need to be concerned with measuring up or being good enough. God’s grace, through Jesus, continually fills in the gap for us. Additionally, we always have direct access to the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. Furthermore, when we fail and sin, there is no condemnation; God freely offers us forgiveness, and grace upon grace.
Fan Club Characteristic 6: Give Glory
My favorite part of the Christmas story is the angels showing up to the shepherds. It delights my inner child to imagine the glory that shone all around. I love the crowd shouting, “glory in highest heaven,” and bringing that moment of heavenly celebration into their moment of honoring Christ as King.
The glory of God isn’t easy to define. It’s His splendor, and it’s His revelation. It’s His power and it’s His presence. It’s a celebration of who He is and it’s His crowning honor. It’s everything about God that is so much more than we can fathom.
In John 11:40, Jesus is speaking to Mary at the tomb of Lazarus. She has just told Jesus, “Don’t open the tomb; he’ll stink!”
“Jesus said to her, ‘Didn’t I tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?’”
John 11:40
Jesus tells us, just like He told Mary, if we believe, we will see the glory of God. We are offered the privilege of seeing all the “more than” of God Himself. God displays His splendor and magnificence through His goodness, kindness, and grace. We experience His majesty and splendor as He empowers us to live in ways we perceive too difficult or impossible. When we perform our daily tasks, our everyday to-do lists, to honor and please God, we encounter Him in all His fullness. His glory shines all around us.
Release, Rely and Rejoice
The three elements of communing we’ve been discussing over the last several weeks are not a series of steps. They are intertwining concepts. We flow from one element to the other in constant movement as we intentionally seek to connect with God at all times. The three elements are a resource enabling us to identify where we may have hit a wall in our effort to commune. They are words God can use as red flags, warning us when we aren’t listening well, or not living with confident faith. The three elements are reminders that our circumstances are not the measurement of a good life.
Our relationship with God~ knowing God, depending on God, serving and worshiping God ~that is our real life. We find our real life when we commune.
I recently read an article by Mark Batterson. In his article, Find an Overflowing Peace When You’re Running on Empty, he states, “The first tenet of the Westminster Catechism says that our ‘chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.’ We usually get the glorifying God part, but the enjoying part is harder to grasp. It’s the conviction that God’s ultimate goal and our deepest desire are one and the same thing. As John Piper writes in Desiring God, ‘God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.’“
When we commune with God, continually conversing with the Spirit while seeking to imitate Christ, we find our satisfaction in Him. This world just becomes the place where we live. Our life is found in enjoying and delighting in our Savior, Redeemer, Creator, Lord, King, and Friend.
Worship Photo by Edward Cisneros on Unsplash
