Worship

“To You” by Maverick City Music, featuring Chandler Moore and Maryanne J. George

Scripture

“So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” -1 Corinthians 15:42-44,57-58 (ESV)

We find ourselves at the day after a major history-shaping election for the United States. I write this prior to knowing the outcome, which keeps us in a solid place of one true thing: no matter who wins, our president will need a strong and healthy Church!

This has been a year of shaking, and what has been most shaken, in my estimation, is the Church of Jesus Christ. God is removing, re-establishing, reckoning, and reviving His precious Bride. He is getting us ready to meet Jesus face-to-face. He is getting us ready to run into the harvest field with Him. These are days of shaking off everything that easily entangles and setting us free to GO with our hearts set ablaze with the fire of the Spirit. This year has been glorious on so many levels. It’s a pregnant pause of preparation that we have desperately needed, and Jesus is running to meet us here!

Thus we begin a four-part devotional series based on the 1 Corinthians 15:57-78 Scripture because it is so pertinent for us right now. Today we will dive into what it looks like to be steadfast in the Lord! But first, a little context.

Understanding the Context

Paul was writing 1 Corinthians to a church that was absolutely a mess! Paul wrote the book of Corinthians from Ephesus. He had been receiving reports from people on what was taking place in the church at that time. I had to laugh to myself because all of the issues sounded all too familiar to the church in America today!

• They were divided along party lines.
• There were issues of sexual immorality.
• There were litigation issues among the believers.
• How about extramarital sexual unions? Yep!
• Sacrifices were made to idols.
• People ate the Lord’s Supper with disregard for what it even meant.
• There were divisions among believers as many were polarized in their opinions.
• Paul was encouraging them to prophesy and speak in tongues, which is a popular discussion today.

Paul gets all the way through 14 chapters, and Chapter 15 becomes the most theologically meaty chapter of the whole book. And our Scripture for today has the most compelling context from which this verse is built upon. Paul is reiterating the true identity of our spiritual resurrection. As we have been buried with Christ, we have been raised with Christ. So all he writes in verses 42-44 is true of us today spiritually, and will be true of us when Jesus comes for His Bride. Paul sets the vision before the church, essentially saying, “Here is your true identity and the vision before you: Jesus is coming back!”

In order to get to the verses at the end of the Chapter 15, we have to understand what was in Paul’s heart. All of a sudden, all the crazy he was addressing comes into view; it funnels down. It was as though the clouds part, and his words of vision fall on this letter to the church in Corinth. Listen, you stand firm in the gospel—it was your salvation (1 Corinthians 15:1-2), but you also stand in victory! Death has been defeated. But not only that, Jesus is coming back for His Bride, and we’ve got to get this reality in view! I almost hear the words of John 9:4—work while it is still day with eyes on the coming resurrection!

The Meaning of Steadfast

And then come these words: “Therefore, my beloved brother, be steadfast … (1 Corinthians 15:58, emphasis added).”

To be steadfast actually denotes to sit, to be settled and established. We are seated with Christ. It comes out of a place of rest—not striving and straining, pacing and fretting. It’s from your seated position in Christ and being firmly established in Him.

This is your firmest position: seated in Christ, established in Him, dwelling in the shelter of the Most High God. Nothing can snatch you from Him. No one can render your identity and inheritance in the Lord null and void. You are bought and sealed. It’s a done deal. But the sanctification of becoming like Him is where we find ourselves in this moment. And let me tell you, He responds to hunger. He responds to even a mustard seed of faith from one who says, “Jesus, take me deeper.”

You are “steadfast” according to your spiritual position in Christ. You are “in the Lord.” He is coming back for you. So therefore, what is truest today for those whose gazes are fixed, who are longing for Him and expectant of His coming? What is true for the army of women God is raising up in this hour to carry revival?

“Our Father delights in, takes pleasure in and is favorably inclined towards us: we are His children. You who fear the Lord and honor His name, be so encouraged. The Scripture declares that books of remembrance are being written for you who fear and honor the Lord’s name. You are a prized possession of the Lord. You are a treasure worth more than all treasures of the earth combined. The Lord delights in you. The Father is favorably inclined toward you. Lift your head, raise up the banner, for His banner over you is love.” -Christina McCracken, “Live for That Day”

From this theological position, you get to thrive. The abundance of Heaven is at your disposal. We are learning how to pray into and access all that Christ has given to us. This does not mean we are not pruned for increase. This does not mean we don’t experience pain as we move from glory to glory. We are being aligned with what is true of us so that we live out of this reality. That is why it is vital to do this spiritual journey of dependency and worship and intimacy with one another. We spur each other on in our life with Christ.

A Personal Testimony

My dear friend, Susan, is battling for her life as cancer has invaded her whole body. She wrote a devotional for me in the midst of her suffering. This is part of her testimony:

“The only constant in my life was the Lord, and He showed Himself to me as El Shaddai—God Almighty. He met me in the dark nights when pain prevented sleep, and He comforted me with that knowing in my spirit that He was there and wouldn’t leave me. His beautiful and kind presence was what I clung to when there was no one else who could grasp the agony of my affliction and bring peace. I found His sufficiency to be more than what I needed. I know I have grown in my relationship with Jesus over the past two years, and there is more to discover. He only limits Himself in that which He is willing to share based on how much of Him I am willing to know.”

Remain Steadfast

I want to invite you in this moment to take a minute, take a deep breath, and create a space of stillness. I want to invite you to visually see yourself tucked into Christ, standing with Him on the waters edge of an endless ocean. You and Jesus standing there together. His arms are around you, and His eyes are filled with love. He looks at you (can’t you just see His precious face) as He beckons you to the invitation of a lifetime:

Will you dare to dive into the expanse of Who I am and all I have for you?

You are looking with Him at that enormous ocean lapping your toes. It’s an endless ocean where you get to scour the depth of the goodness, power, love, and truth of our Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit. Do you want it? It’s yours for the taking. It’s an invitation to adventure and intimacy like nothing else. Will you dive into this ocean and go where you’ve never gone before? I promise, it’s worth it! He will be with you, there’s nothing to fear.

I just gave you a vision for what I actually experienced with the Lord in 2008. The scene I just shared was what I saw and the words I heard in my spirit. And it was an invitation that required faith to say, “YES.” But, I knew He was trustworthy. And He still is pursuing my heart and your heart. He wants all of you, and I bet you want all He wants to give you. Let’s become the strong Church God intended for His Son Jesus. Let’s give Him permission today to do what only He can do in and through our lives for the sake of His Kingdom and purposes.

I will see you this week in small groups. Please visit www.eastwest.org/arise to find out what small groups are available.

I bless you in the name of Jesus with a depth of desire for Him like you have not yet experienced! So much awaits you! He’s running.