This Biblical Meditation will teach you …God’s Election First Draws Us to Himself and Secondly Sends Us into the World with His Power and Love!
Today, in the United States of America, is Election Day 2020. I cast an early ballot along with a record 100,000,000 other citizens of America. Men and women from “sea to shining sea” will vote, pray, fast, drink, shop, work and gather around TV’s much of the day. I woke up this morning stirred to write. The huddled masses will eagerly and fearfully await the election results for the President of the United States, Senate and Congressional winners. The 2020 election is the most consequential election in modern history. The horses and chariots of freedom and socialism are squared off across the geo-political landscape. Our immediate future will be drastically shaped by this election for better or worse. The inevitable demise of our nation is certain under God, as are all governments. Jesus will come again to render judgment on all nations “as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats” (Matt.25:31-46).
In the meantime, the believers in Yeshua, those Elected by God, are commanded to pray, watch, preach, worship, serve and occupy ourselves with His loving work until He comes again (Mark 13). Whether you are politically blue or red or purple (or orange for that matter) is of little consequence from a kingdom of God perspective. The real allegiance is determined by our “readiness” to meet Jesus. We are citizens of heaven, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil.3:20).
Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to be chosen by Jesus to be one of His apostles? The kingdom of God is not a democracy, it is a Theocracy. Jesus was not holding an Election Day atop a mountain in the Galilee and counting the ballots of the angels and spirits of “ just men and women departed” in order to determine who would be the Apostles of the Lamb. No rather, Jesus was consulting with the Father, within the Eternal Godhead, to choose out the Twelve from among the many disciples.
God’s election of us in Christ has the immediate results of the assurance of salvation. We know we have been chosen by virtue of the in dwelling Holy Spirit who speaks to our heart that we are a child of God and belong to Him. We do not have to wait for the votes to be counted over our lifetime. We are “in Christ” and He is “in you the hope of glory.”
The Gospel of Luke records this event in time and space in Chapter 6:12-16:
Choosing the Twelve
12 Now it was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer with God. 13 And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles: 14 Simon, whom He also named Peter, and his brother Andrew; and James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew; 15 and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot; 16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
17 And then Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a great multitude of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon, 18 who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled by unclean spirits were being cured. 19 And all the people were trying to touch Him, because power was coming from Him and healing them all. 20 And He raised His eyes toward His disciples and began saying, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God…”
Divine Election is a profound truth in the Sacred Writings from Genesis to Revelation. God chose individuals, Israel, tribes, kings, priests and prophets for special revelation and service in His purpose. In love, God the Father chose you in Christ (Eph.1:4-5)! You and I are loved by the Father, redeemed by the Son and sealed with the Holy Spirit for salvation yet to be fully revealed (Eph.1:3-14).
I pray on this Election Day you will experience the elevating and stabilizing assurance that you belong to the Heavenly Father by His choice! Further, the Father has a divine mission for you to undertake to make a difference in the sphere of your influence.
In Luke 6, the selection of the Apostles by Jesus underscores several truths about the nature of God’s elective love. Context is everything in the sound exegesis of Scripture. Luke 6 begins in a grainfield and ends with the eloquence of the Sermon on the Mount in the midst of a healing revival.
A Few Principles We Can Embrace from the Doctrine of Election:
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Election Emerges from Rejection: Luke 6 clearly records Jesus’ ministry among the Jews, especially in the Synagogues on the Sabbath, was creating a stir among the religious leaders. In the atmosphere of accusation and irrational rage, Jesus is prompted to begin the process of choosing and forming His apostolic team to become the very foundation of the church (Eph.2:20). The Apostle chooses the apostles. Rejection, opposition, false accusations and even persecution can be transformed into intercession, election and edification in love! Peter will later teach, “A stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief cornerstone” (1 Peter 2:4-9). The rejection and crucifixion of Jesus is the basis of our value and election. Our rejections in life submitted to God can often prove to be the most valuable lessons we learn.
(v7)Now the scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse Him… (v11)But they themselves were filled with senseless rage, and began discussing together what they might do to Jesus.
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Election Elevates our Spirituality (v12): Jesus climbed a mountain to find a place of prayer and solitude to select who among His disciples would serve as apostles. This reminds me of how Solomon’s Temple was built. The costly and gigantic foundation stones were quarried in the mines of Ancient Palestine apart from the Sacred Temple Mount. The sound of the chisel and the hammar were not to be heard in the Temple Mount. The intercessions of Jesus is where God selects us. This knowledge of His divine elective grace is what elevates us to choose the Father in our quest to select the best among the many good things we can say and do for His glory (Col.1:9-11). Our prayer life is an essential hidden place wherein the Father chips, chisels and shapes our lives into the likeness of the character of Yeshua. Jesus spent the entire night in prayer which points to the gravity of this decision. “Praying Through” until you get peace or hear the voice of the Father is a powerful building tool for His kingdom. The Elective Love of God has a rhythm of both “come” to Me and “go” with Me in My name.
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Election Isolates our Individuality in the midst of Community & Increases Our Sense of Belonging (vv13-16): Personally, Jesus privately chose and publicly called each of the 12 disciples by name. The word “chose” means to literally “to intentionally speak/call someone out”. This selection can happen privately or publicly. “This is My Son, the Chosen One, listen to Him” was spoken by the Heavenly Father in front of Moses, Elijah, Peter, James and John (Luke 9:35).
In the deepest sense, the truth of Election is not simply a doctrine or timeless principle… but rather, the Person of Jesus. God’s GRACIOUS CHOICE of us connects our person to His person in Christ.
Election precedes calling, and calling precedes sending. Apostles are “sent ones” with the authority and power of the one whom they represent. Obviously, we are not all called to be apostles BUT we are all called to be APOSTOLIC. Each of us is sent by God into our fields to work and serve His purpose. However, He also paired them up in teams of two and a broader apostolic community of Twelve among the larger circle of disciples. Election both distinguishes us in our personal worth but we also emerge in a community to thrust into purpose. Eventually, Jesus would send these teams of two out into the villages to practice what He was training them to do. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, knows us by name but calls us to live in a community. The Father’s choice of us is meant to ‘FUEL’ our love for Him and our fellow man.
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Election Levels the Playing Field & Releases Powerful Love (vv.17-19): The Scripture says Jesus, “came down” with the apostles and stood on “level ground” with the rest of the disciples and the large crowd from all over the Galilee region. God chooses us to be on the same level as others. Our election is never meant to exalt one man above another man in value. We are to stand eye to eye with humanity with the love, acceptance and forgiveness of Jesus in our hearts for every tribe, nation and people. Pride is juxtaposed to humility, having no ground in the kingdom of God. All God’s leader’s are called to be “bond-servants” , free will slaves to His Majesty. This humility and servanthood both attracts hurting humanity and releases the powerful love of God to deliver and heal. We are selected to serve with love and power in the name of Jesus.
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Election Positions Us to Bless (v20): Luke dovetails the narrative of Jesus’ selection of the apostles into the Sermon on the Mount. The Apostle Paul broadcasted in Ephesians 1:3-4:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love…
Our election in Christ is the fountainhead of all spiritual life. We are chosen in love to release a ‘eulogy’ over each other and hurt humanity. “Bless” literally means to ‘eulogize’. We don’t have to wait until somebody is dead to speak prophetic grace over their lives…we can start today! Jesus chose the apostles, Jesus chose you and I to stand on “level ground” with Him to bless and build on the firm foundation of obedience to His word.
46 “Now why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47 Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when there was a flood, the river burst against that house and yet it could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; and the river burst against it and it immediately collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”
The United States of America is being shaken by the Almighty God. The rage and violence is building all around us. Satanic anger and accusation is flooding the airwaves, our communities , and our government. Jesus warned us these days would come and HE CHOSE US TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE. We must now climb to higher ground…pray for love and power to fill our hearts…descend in humility to our fellow man…serve with power and love… and relentlessly teach the truth until He comes again!
Maranatha!!!