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In the ESV Bible, the English word “church” is always used for the Greek noun ekklesia. It means “called out ones” and was used in Greek culture to refer to a town assembly. In classical Greek, it is functionally connected to another word, kerux, the messenger/herald (preacher) who would call the assembly together  and declare the government’s message.

“In Class. Gr., a public servant of supreme power both in peace and in war, one who summoned the ekklesía, the town gathering. This word, ekklesía, later was used for the Church. A kerux, messenger, was the public crier and reader of state messages such as the conveyor of a declaration of war.” (Zodhiates)

In the Greek translation of the Hebrew scriptures, the Septuagint, ekklesia referred to God’s people Israel in distinction from all other nations. In the New Testament, the term is used in two primary and important ways, the Church Universal, without reference to time or place, and the church in its local expression in a particular place and time.

“The term ekklesía denotes the NT community of the redeemed in its twofold aspect. First, all who were called by and to Christ in the fellowship of His salvation, the church worldwide of all times, and only secondarily to an individual church.” (Zodhiates)

Here is how Jesus used the term ekklesia.

“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18, ESV)

“If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” (Matthew 18:17, ESV)

It is important to note that in Jesus’ use of ekklesia, the idea of Universal Church is clearly seen in Matt 16 and the idea of a local church is indicated in Matt 18 with Matt 16 referring to the totality of the Church that Jesus himself will build and Matt 18 assuming that there is some local expression of this Church that is available and authoritative to arbitrate conflict.

“And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.” (Ephesians 1:22–23, ESV)

The totality of Jesus’ authority, “all things under his feet”, finds practical expression through his relationship of headship “to the church”. The phrase “which is his body” refers directly and overtly to “the church”. Likewise, “…the fullness of him who fills all in all” also refers back to the word “church”. The church is his body and the church is his fullness. The church is his strategy for filling all things.

Of course no single congregation of believers can function as his body, his fullness. These uses of “church” refer to the entire communion of believers in all times and places. But the idea of a Universal Church finds practical expression in the regular gatherings of believers in a locality. In the New Testament we find that these gatherings have a variety of expressions.

The church in a house.

“Greet also the church in their house. Greet my beloved Epaenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in Asia.” (Romans 16:5, ESV)

“The churches of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 16:19, ESV)

“Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.” (Colossians 4:15, ESV)

“and Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house:” (Philemon 2, ESV)

The church in a city.

“And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.” (Acts 8:1, ESV)

“The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.” (Acts 11:22, ESV)

“and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.” (Acts 11:26, ESV)

“Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.” (Acts 13:1, ESV)

“and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.” (Acts 14:26–27, ESV)

“When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them.” (Acts 15:4, ESV)

“When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch.” (Acts 18:22, ESV)

“Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.” (Acts 20:17, ESV)

“I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae,” (Romans 16:1, ESV)

“To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:” (1 Corinthians 1:2, ESV)

“Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace.” (1 Thessalonians 1:1, ESV)

We should also note that in Revelation 2 & 3, Jesus has John take dictation for 7 letters to 7 local churches in 7 specific cities.

The church, or the churches in a region.

“So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.” (Acts 9:31, ESV)

“But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead. But when the disciples gathered about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe. When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God. And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.” (Acts 14:19–23, ESV)

“And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.” (Acts 15:41, ESV)

“and all the brothers who are with me, To the churches of Galatia:” (Galatians 1:2, ESV)

What Stands Out.

As we study the use of the word church and the activities of those who are included in these local expressions of church, several things stand out. The church was identifiable, for it could be gathered. The church was structured and governed, for there were apostles, and elders. The church was a specific communion, for individuals were “in good standing” or, when needed, were removed from fellowship. The church was a place of worship, of the Sacraments (Eucharist and Water Baptism), of teaching, of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, of fellowship, of mutual service, of discipline (when needed) and of mission.

Are you part of such a congregation? If not, you need to be. It’s not about size. I attend a very large church of 20,000 people attending each weekend. In the past, I’ve been part of much smaller churches. But each congregation I’ve connected to would match the criteria of a New Testament church. Such connection and fellowship is an essential part of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

“not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25, ESV)

“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers,” (2 Thessalonians 2:1, ESV)

This gathering refers to two different but linked meetings. The first is the ongoing regular meeting of believers. The second refers to the final gathering of believers together when Christ returns. That the two gatherings are linked is clear, for the first, which deals with the ongoing regular gathering of believers, specifically mentions “the Day”, an overt reference to Christ’s return.

If you’re looking forward to the one, then don’t neglect the other. If you’re looking forward to the gathering of believers with Christ upon his return, then don’t neglect the regular gathering of local believers where Christ is in their midst.

We live in a day when it is increasingly stylish to “follow Jesus” without any connection to a local assembly of believers. Some may even try to talk you out of the need for such a connection. Don’t fall for it.

Yet we all have behavioral expectations. Every church or Christian institution I know of has categorized certain choices as inappropriate or off limits. In the Bible college I attended, we had all kinds of rules. Men weren’t allowed facial hair unless they were Jewish. We couldn’t grow hair past the top of our collars. We couldn’t walk on the grass. We couldn’t stay out past 11:00pm. Lights out at 11:30pm. No walking on the grass (clearly this one bugged me). No public (or private) displays of affection with girls. Girl had to wear skirts past their knees.

Was this legalism? Perhaps.

But if so, what might it mean to be free of legalism? Does trouncing on some freshly cut Bermuda Grass constitute freedom from legalism? For many it does. Because we think of legalism in terms of a particular set of rules, we tend to define freedom from legalism in terms of non-conformity to those rules. If your church doesn’t include instrumental music for corporate worship, then “freedom” means hiring a rock band. If your church doesn’t allow girls to show any skin below the chin, then freedom must mean the abandonment of such standards of modesty. The more skin the more freedom? Seems a suspicious trajectory if you take it far enough. But IF we define legalism in terms of rule keeping, this is the only definition of freedom available to us: not-rule keeping. But surely God has made us to be defined by more than what rules we do or do not follow.

What if legalism is something else altogether?

Paul tells as story in Galatians 4 about Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar. Through Hagar, Abraham’s son Ishmael was born. Through Sarah, Abraham’s son Isaac was born. They each represent one of two ways we can live before God. The two ways can be discussed with various terms: legalism/freedom, spirit/flesh, etc. The overall context of Galatians is Paul’s answer to the issue of legalism. Male believers in Galatia are being pressured to conform to Jewish law, specifically circumcision. This story lies at the heart of Paul’s response.

I find it interesting that the story isn’t about rules at all. It’s about source. The issue between Hagar and Sarah is that one relied upon what Abraham could do apart from God’s promise, provision, and power. The other relied upon God (though Abraham and Sarah obviously still had a role to play!).

Legalism is ultimately an expression of self-reliance. It’s not about rules. It’s about source. The problem with the Law isn’t that the Law isn’t right. It is. It just isn’t powerful. It can’t help you fulfill what it requires. It leaves you in the position of having to rely on self. Self-reliance is the root of legalism.

Once I recognize this, the issue of rules becomes a non-issue. If I’m truly legalistic (self-reliant), I can do so either as a rule keeper or a rule breaker. Either path, I’m relying on myself. If I conform to Bible Belt cultural mores concerning alcohol consumption or if I choose to adopt a more European approach–either way, if I’m relying on self I’m ultimately still bound in legalism.

On the other hand, if I’m looking to God(rather than my ability to conform to rules or my freedom to not conform) as my source, then there are very few rules that will bother me. His power enables me to follow any rule. This is the only model I’m aware of that makes sense of Paul’s actions. He wrote to the Galatians that if they submitted to circumcision then Christ would be of no benefit. This same Paul required Timothy to be circumcised in order to appease the Jews. Which is it Paul? Which rule should we follow? It’s not about that.

The Galatians were being asked to rely on their own effort to fulfill the Law. This isn’t congruent with Christ. Timothy wasn’t being asked to rely on his effort. His trust was in God’s power, promise, and provision. With God as his source, Timothy is free to submit to a great number of rather uncomfortable rules.

It’s all about source.

There’s no need to react to laws that prohibit by casting off all constraint. We are ultimately free to submit, to yield, to prefer others, to serve them. We can submit to rules, even unnecessary rules, without offense. This is true freedom from legalism.

In the previous verse, Paul categorized his audience as being made up of Greeks and Barbarians (to the Greek, anyone who isn’t Greek). In these verses the categorization is different–Jews and non-Jews. In either case, it’s evident that Paul feels a calling to preach this gospel to everyone.

I first remember this passage from a summer camp I attended with my youth group when I was in junior high. Our theme for the week was Not Ashamed. There were many tears at the altar as I, along with many of my friends, confessed to the sin of being secret Christians at school and secret sinners at church. We would no longer be ashamed of our faith. If memory serves, this was the camp where I first felt a calling to vocational ministry (though at the time I had no idea what that would entail). I’m quite sure that the promises I made to God at the altar that week were only occasionally fulfilled once we returned home.

These verses remain precious to me now, even as I’m still growing in boldness, even as I’m still trying to figure out what it means to be in vocational ministry.

For Paul, and for the saints in Rome, the unashamed declaration of the gospel that Jesus is Lord meant social and economic marginalization at best, and, on the pendulum’s darker side, boiling oil or being fed to the lions, for the entertainment of Nero and his exhilarated throngs.

The overall theme of Paul’s letter emerges here. This dangerous good news is worth the risk because of what it contains. God has finally revealed his righteousness. N.T. Wright uniformly defines “righteousness” as “God’s covenant faithfulness”. Read this way–God has finally revealed how he will be faithful to his covenant. The standard Reformed reading would be more like–God is finally made provision for the unrighteous to share in his own moral perfection. I’ve read some really good books arguing over which of these Paul intended. I think he meant both.

How is this gospel to be received? By faith. What will be the result? Those who respond with faith will become “the righteous”, those to whom God has displayed his covenant faithfulness, those who have been enabled to share in God’s own righteousness. Those who live. Life can be found in no other way.

—————–

Click here to learn about my new book Unveiled, The Transforming Power of God’s Presence and Voice.

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“I’ve learned that spiritual disciplines and right doctrine produce wonderful Pharisees but do not heal the broken,” Alan Smith. And that’s only chapter 1. #Unveiled

-       Kelle Branting

What I love about the book so far is how it’s confirming that I do indeed hear God’s voice. It’s so meaningful to hear someone else put into words what I’ve been experiencing in the last 6 months. Thank you so much for this book Alan.

-       Evan Agee

Alan, I just finished Unveiled tonight and wanted to thank you for writing it. I especially loved your thoughts about engaging our imagination during prayer and worship times, I’m finding that it adds a sense of anticipation to my prayer time that has been incredibly sweet. What I loved most about the book were the countless confirmations that I am indeed hearing His voice. Blessings on you and your family brother as you continue to be faithful. I look forward to getting to know you more throughout the course of eternity!

-       Evan Agee

Alan I’m in chapter 2. It’s a fantastic topic and book. Thanks for letting Holy Spirit lead you to write it.

-       Tammy Kling

Just started your book tonight. Wow, and oh my goodness. I can feel His presence while I’m reading and I’m only on the 4th chapter!!! Love it!

-       LeAnne Wadsworth

I need more books, I already gave them all away.
Great job Alan, your book really ministered to me. I never read books more than once, but I’ve finished yours and am looking forward to using it many times over in group studies. I can’t wait to see what God will do!

- Jon Pignatelli

Yeah your book is really good. I am only reading 2 chapters at a time because that’s really all time will allow most times. But really—that’s all you need to read at a time so you can get your heart wrapped around it. Good good stuff.

-       Jonathan Holmes

One of my favorite Alan Smith quotes from Unveiled is on page 219: “Faith is not about my effort to believe, it is about my surrender as a branch to the vine.” Thank you Alan. Your book has helped me understand so much!

-       Ann Fangio

Hi Alan, just finished Chapter 7 “Seated in Heavenly Places” and tears of gratitude could not be withheld while reading page 133 and of course the pages are almost all yellow from highlighting! Thank you for writing this book! I am so using it with clients soon!!!!!

-       Ann Fangio

Love this line from your book Alan: God seems very comfortable with allowing life circumstances to squeeze us uncomfortably (p. 52). BIG SMILE after reading that! I just finished Chapter 3 and almost the whole chapter is highlighted! Can’t wait to finish it!!!

-       Ann Fangio

UNVEILED…this book should be in the hands of everybody!!! Thank You, Jesus for using Alan in my life today to help me better understand the depth of Your love for me!

-       Ruth Menefee

At a ski lodge in Tahoe with my husband reading “Unveiled” by Alan Smith..all I can say is Tahoe is beautiful, but this book is life changing……seriously, get your copy today!!!

-       Kerrie Oles

Really enjoying “Unveiled” by Alan Smith

-       Steve Oglesby

I will spread the word; your book is life changing.

-       Cathy Ethredge

Hey Alan Jon turned me onto a copy going into chapter 2 feeling Blessed already.

-       Frank Vargas

Reading. Love it so far. Inspiring and enlightening. I’m thinking, Christmas presents!

-       Linda Osborne

Just got word from someone we gifted your book with yesterday…said she can’t put it down…hubs left for work this morning with it in hand…thankful for my own copy now that I can highlight and earmark!!!

-       Deborah Vinson

Just finished reading Unveiled today. Great read! It really spoke to a lot of things that I have been seeking God about lately. It also messed with me a little bit…in a good way. Thanks for writing it Alan.

-       Matt Schmuker

p.57 “Our experiences authoritatively shape our expectations and become obstacles obstructing our ability to allow the Bible to defind what is the norm.” I would read faster but it’s incredible statements of truth like this one that are causing me to go slowly through your book. Thank you!

- Cindy Snyder

Just finished ch. 4. Your exegesis/commentary on Eph. 2 is perhaps the best I’ve ever read. It’s really waking me up to new realities (at least my perception of them) about how God wants to reveal himself and speak to me. Good stuff.

-       Edward Jones

Close to finished, but will be going back to chew on the major points. So insightful!! Thank you.

-       Mike Smith

This is most definitely a book you will want to have! It just may be life changing for you!

-       Becky Synan

Twice during Israel’s wilderness wanderings, God provided water from a rock. In both instances, God’s people were encamped in a waterless desert. The first time (Ex 17) was toward the beginning of the forty years of wandering. The second time (Num 20) was toward the end. In both cases, the people, thirsty and fearing death, grumbled against Moses. They questioned Moses’ (and by extension, God’s) motivation for bringing them out of Egypt.

“But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”” (Exodus 17:3, ESV)

“And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.”” (Numbers 20:5, ESV)

At Horeb (the first instance), Moses sought God for direction. God instructed Moses to take his staff and go before the people along with the elders of Israel. God promised to appear before Moses on the rock, where he was to strike the rock with his staff and God would produce water from the rock so the people could drink. Moses named the place Massah (testing) and Meribah (quarreling). The idea of quarreling implies a legal contention. The people came together to make a case against Moses. In verse 7 it says they “tested the LORD by saying, ‘Is the LORD among us or not?”

At Kadesh (the second instance), Moses again sought God for direction. He and Aaron went together to the tent of meeting and fell on their faces before God. The scripture says that God’s glory appeared to them and the LORD gave them very specific instructions. This time, instead of taking Moses’ rod, they were to take the staff that was “before the LORD.” This referred to Aaron’s staff, the one that had miraculously budded after Korah’s rebellion when God had vindicated Aaron as a priest. Moses was to take that staff to the rock, but this time, instead of striking the rock, God instructed Moses to speak to the rock and God would again provide water. God provided water as promised, even though Moses & Aaron didn’t obey God’s instruction completely, but they were not permitted to lead God’s people into the promised land as a result. The LORD characterized their disobedience as unbelief and a failure to uphold God as holy before the people.

As I reflect on these two very similar stories, the context surrounding them captures my attention.

The first instance immediately follows the crossing of the Red Sea and the provision of manna from heaven.

The second story immediately follows Korah’s rebellion, where the ground opened up and swallowed up Korah’s household and God’s fire consumed the 250 men offering incense. When the people were offended at God’s judgment, a plague broke out killing an additional 14,700 people before Aaron was able to intercede and stop the plague. This was followed by God’s vindication of Aaron’s leadership when his rod miraculously budded as a sign confirming God’s unique calling upon his life as a priest.

It boggles my mind how a people could witness both God’s miraculous deliverance and provision, or God’s mighty acts of judgment, and so quickly move again into a place of complaining, unbelief, and dishonor toward God. It’s a good thing we never struggle that way.

Our need for God’s provision is real. There are times where we need water and all we have is a rock in the desert. We serve a God who is well able to provide. Yet still we grumble. We complain. We question his motives or even his presence. How often, I wonder, in the midst of present lack, do we quickly lose sight of our past experience with God. He has delivered us before, but in the moment of present struggle we can easily forget. He has provided for us before, but in the moment that reality easily fades from our consciousness. We have grumbled and complained before and that hasn’t gone well for us either. Thank God that this side of the cross God’s justice and wrath have been fully satisfied in Christ.

Do we sometimes think that if God would just appear, then we would believe? If he would just give us some kind of sign, then our doubts would vanish? If we could just get breakthrough this once, then the next time we need it, surely we wouldn’t grumble and complain again. Or would we?

What if Massah (testing) and Meribah (quarreling) don’t arise from our circumstances at all? What if our circumstances simply expose what was in us all along?

The most amazing thing to me is that even in the midst of our grumbling, God still gives us water from the rock. He meets our needs.

__________

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If so, you’re not the only one. Doctors tell us that a significant portion of illness is brought on by stress.

I run into people everyday who are overwhelmed by schedules, relationships, finances, job demands and any number of other pressures. It fascinates me, however, that I also run into people everyday who are facing those same kinds of circumstantial demands yet somehow able to avoid high levels of stress.

I love the analogy of a roller coaster. Everyone on the ride is experiencing a very similar circumstance, but not everyone has the same experience. Some are overwhelmed and terrified, while others are having the time of their lives. The difference is determined by perspective. If I’m overwhelmed it can very often be because I’m choosing the wrong perspective.

“The roller coaster analogy is useful in explaining why the same stressor can differ so much for each of us. What distinguished the passengers in the back from those up front was the sense of control they had over the event. While neither group had any more or less control their perceptions and expectations were quite different. Many times we create our own stress because of faulty perceptions you can learn to correct.” – The American Institute of Stress http://www.stress.org/topic-definition-stress.htm

We create our own stress. How? By the perceptions we embrace. A helpful study from Weber State University demonstrates that a trait they call “hardiness” is plays a huge role in determining our stress levels within various circumstances. (see: http://faculty.weber.edu/molpin/healthclasses/1110/bookchapters/stresseffectschapter.htm for more on that study.)

Hardiness is defined by three characteristics.

Commitment – I am deeply engaged in my present involvements. We live in a culture where people are largely disengaged from their present reality. We spend our lives wishing we were somewhere else and escaping to some other place. A man on the job wishes he was on the golf course. A man on the golf course is distracted by the unfinished to-do list at work. A stay-at-home mom fantasizes about returning to her career and escaping the demands of screaming babies. A corporate executive fantasizes about being able to stay at home and be with her kids. Our unwillingness to commit our full presence and engagement to our present circumstance sets us up to experience stress, no matter our circumstance. The underlying assumption of this perspective is that we are victims. We are powerless. We have to do this but long to be free to do otherwise. The answer to this is rarely to change your circumstances. The stress isn’t coming from the circumstance. It’s coming from your belief that you aren’t in control. That you HAVE TO be here and can’t be elsewhere. It comes from feeling out of control. Don’t change your circumstance. Commit. Engage. Be fully present. Take dominion where you are. Choose it. It’s what you were made for.

Control – I believe my choices will influence outcomes. Stress increases when my options are removed. I do this to myself simply by believing I have no options, that my capacity to choose is irrelevant. But this belief is itself a choice, one that is actually influencing my present experience of stress a great deal. The reality is that much of my present reality is simply the result of a long series of choices I have made–choices about beliefs, perspectives, and circumstances. I am responsible. My choices have produced the current state of affairs. I am powerful. Of course, things do happen that are beyond my control–bad things, terrible things, even evil things. But I still have a choice regarding my response, my outlook, my attitude, and my ultimate source. No one can take that choice from me. No one. When I choose to believe that I don’t have these options or that choosing them won’t matter I increase my experience of stress.

Challenge – I believe that life will require me to change allowing for growth. What I expect matters. If I’m moving forward into life expecting I won’t have to change or grow, I’m setting myself of for unmet expectations. I’m setting myself up for stress. If my present circumstances are pressing me to adapt and grow, and they always are, then my expectation will determine much regarding how I will experience this challenge. If I am anticipating the challenge, I can lean into the change and growth demanded. I can choose it. I can embrace it. On the other hand, if I am anticipating ease and comfort, I will be taken by surprise when life becomes difficult and I will resist internal change and growth, requiring my circumstances to change instead of me. More stress.

When I choose to inwardly disengage from my present reality, believe that I’m powerless within my present circumstance, and react with surprise when life demands change and growth, then I’m setting myself to be miserable on the roller coaster that is life.

I was made to take dominion not to be a victim.

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion..’” (Genesis 1:26a, ESV)

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In the modern West, we use the word “nature” to refer to the material universe that operates by cause and effect, independently of spiritual influence. We use the term “supernatural” to describe what is spiritual/ immaterial, from beyond the natural world. If we hold to these two assumptions, then a miracle occurs when the supernatural invades the natural. This way of seeing things can have great influence upon how we read and understand key scriptures.

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10, ESV)

If we read the above verse through the filter of our modern Western assumptions, we might understand “on earth as it is in heaven” as the supernatural triumphing over the natural. But what would happen if we adjusted our filter according to the following passages of scripture?

“By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.” (Hebrews 11:3, ESV)

“But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” (Hebrews 1:2–3, ESV)

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:1–3, ESV)

“Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.” (1 Corinthians 8:6, ESV)

“For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.” (Colossians 1:16, ESV)

From these verses it becomes clear that the material universe originates from and is sustained by the Word. The natural originates from and is sustained by the supernatural. The natural is, in its essence, supernatural. The visible is made from the invisible. When we view Creation through this set of lenses, the distinction between natural and supernatural begins to get pretty obscure. Heaven and Earth are both created realities. They were nothing. Now they are something because God spoke. Heaven and Earth are both supernatural. They are both ordered. They both operate by laws God has set in motion.

It is therefore insufficient to think of a miracle, that moment when Heaven invades Earth, as an expression of the supernatural triumphing over the natural, for the natural is itself supernatural. It is likewise incorrect to think of those aspects of our existence that are not obviously miraculous, our day to day material, cause & effect existence, as being merely natural. The material world itself originates from and is currently being sustained by God’s living and active Word.

I believe it is the modern Western view of things that works to limit many believers from experiencing the miraculous life promised and modeled within scripture. By relegating the spiritual to a reality disconnected from our material existence, and thereby defining the miraculous as a divine interruption of the norm, we position ourselves to only experience the miraculous abnormally. If, instead of seeing spiritual reality as a distant and disconnected reality that must interrupt the way our world normally works in order to produce the miraculous, we were to see the spiritual reality of God’s Word as the source and sustenance of every aspect of every moment of our existence, we would begin to see the supernatural in all things and, at the same time, begin to redefine the miraculous altogether.

Instead of defining a miracle as God working “here” from “out there” in a manner that violates the natural cause and effect processes that are actually His design, we begin to see a miracle as the supernatural work of a supernatural God within His supernatural material creation to accomplish His purpose. Heaven is working within earth to restore God’s original design. Everything is spiritual (heaven & earth). Some things are also material (earth). Some things are doing fine (heaven). Some things are broken and fallen (earth). God is at work redemptively within fallen material Creation to restore and heal; as a result, His will finds full expression on earth like it’s already expressed in heaven.