Monday, August 11, 2014

Zoe Life


When the preacher is talking about life and sin, God and being blessed, we see that our lives, as we are living them from birth, are not really a blessing. Instead, we realize we come up short. Our eyes need to be opened to see ourselves in God's light and  then, we realize we are sinners.  Being born again means that we accept Christ's sacrifice for us and exchange the lifestyle we were living for the new life that God is going to help us walk in.
Lets talk about the life that God wants us to walk in; the life that belongs to God that becomes ours when we cross the doorway of Jesus and enter into a relationship with Christ.
It is not a duration, because this life is not limited by time, nor hindered by death. It is not a possession but rather an infilling -- God once again breathing His life into us.
 
Many of us, here today, don't truly understand living the abundant life that God wants us to live. Many are barely surviving. The influence of the" pre-Jesus life" still hinders the post-Jesus living. It is a shame and a tragedy that very few Christians have experienced the abundant life that Jesus came to bring us. The abundant life I am referring to is the life living the will of God.
Please do not get it confused with the, 'I will make money crowd, the I will drive a Lexus, build a $500,000 dollar house, exceed my income, hit the mutual funds lottery' crowd! No, it is not that.
It's living in the will of
God and His will for your life crowd. A great example of a zoe life is the missionary doctor in the news the last couple of weeks, Dr. Kent Brantley. He is the doctor who has contracted the Ebola virus working with the people of Liberia. For him there is no money, car, house or lottery that can fulfill him and his purpose found in God, except by being on the mission field, in the totally bankrupt environment of Liberia.
In John 10:10, Jesus says, "I am come that they might have life,'. The word life used there is referring to the Greek as, 'Zoe'.  Zoe life is life in a fuller God-directed and satisfying way.
Do you remember the illustration Jesus used of the rich young ruler? The dude had everything and he boastfully told Jesus that he lived a life totally dedicated to the Law, but his one desire was to have eternal life. Well again the word 'life' in the original Greek language is zoe. It is the same word that is used in the Gospel of John when Jesus said,  "In Him (Jesus) was life (zoe), and the life (zoe) was the light of men."  Zoe is the very life of God. It is the essence of His being. It is the personification of His (Jesus) character. It is that which can only be received from Jesus because (pay attention to this) because He (Jesus) is the point of its origin. Since its fountainhead is Jesus Himself, then as it flows out to you  it will be His very plan and purpose for you.
When we were born we were given bios (physical) life.  When we are born again, we are given this  zoe life. Until we cross the threshold of Christ and enter into a relationship with God through Jesus, we may be physically alive but spiritually we are dead.  Jesus goes on to quantify this life as He says, "and have it to the full" (John 10:10). Depending on the translation you use, the word that is translated "full" in the NIV may be translated "abundantly," or "fullness," or "overflowing" in other versions of the Bible. But what is meant by this word? "Have it to the full" means to have a super abundance of a thing. To be a follower of Jesus, to know who He is and what He means, is to have a super abundance of His life. There is a new Spirit driving our vitality, a new spiritual meaning, a new spiritual energy, a new spiritual purpose, a new spiritual significance, a new spiritual outlook, a new hope, a new joy, a new spiritual life! check out 1 Cor. 2 & 3, it will be a blessing, also Gal.4.
Seriously, read these Scriptures. Don't take my word for it - stop and ask God, the giver of life, to open your eyes to this "life of fullness in Him"; this zoe life.