It’s no longer business as usual for the world and certainly not for the Body of Christ. The days of sitting by the sidelines are coming to an end. Our focus on the blog this year will be on some of the battles we will have to contend with this decade as Christians.
So far, we’ve looked at The Battle Of Sight and The Battle Of Imposters.
This month we look at The Battle Of Feasts & Tables.
But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Ephesians 2:4-7 NKJV
I was listening to this sermon by Christine Caine and she said something in relation to the Scripture above that struck me. We’re already in the highest position we can attain (in Christ); the only place for us to go is down.
Whoa.
That made me pause.
I wondered what it would be like to live with this truth in mind. That I have a seat at the Lord’s table. Not a fluffy title that means nothing in the grand scheme of things. But a position that comes with requisite power and authority.
There’s been a prevailing notion for some years now about tables in the marketplace. Securing a seat at the right table. Having the right seat at the table. Building your own table if no one will give you a seat at theirs.
While these notions seem to have some legitimacy to them, there’s one common thread they all share that puts them off-kilter – they are based on the presumption that you don’t already have a seat at the table.
The battle of feasts and tables isn’t so much about finding a seat or building the right table. It’s about securing the seat you already have at the Lord’s table.
You can’t secure a seat you don’t know you have. That’s the first point of loss for many believers in the marketplace. We go in thinking we need to earn our way to a certain rank and title completely oblivious to who we already are spiritually speaking. I’ve made a point here before that a watchman can have a greater spiritual rank than the CEO of a company. When we put too much value in what we see with our physical eyes and not enough in what is revealed through spiritual insight, we relate with people amiss.
The second point of loss is knowing that we have a seat beside Christ but not believing we deserve it. So everything we say and do is centred on trying to prove that we are worthy of what God has bestowed on us. We are imposters in our own lives. While our performance may earn us accolades from our peers, God looks at our hearts and questions our intent. We may fool others but we certainly can’t fool Him. Neither can we fool ourselves in the long run.
Our positions in Christ were never about what we can earn through our performance. If they were, none of us would be worthy of being in His presence much less being seated next to Him. To accept Christ in us is to embrace the grace – the unmerited favour – He imparts to us. It takes humility to know that much of what you have in Christ is a gift not a reward.
The third point of loss is desperation due to hunger. Esau gave up his inheritance in exchange for a bowl of stew because he was hungry. Many of us have given up our rightful position and inheritance in Christ to get certain positions, titles, salaries and benefits that we have long desired. That’s how we’ve ended up with so many so-called Christian organisations that have very little Christ in them.
When we are oblivious to the feast God has laid out for us or simply disregard it because we don’t understand its value, we end up trading our inheritance for pittance. In the moment it may seem like we’ve struck a good bargain. But the irony is that we already have what we’re looking and longing for. We just haven’t understood how God has packaged it in our lives.
What if you lived your work life as one who was already approved and accepted by your #1 boss – God? What would you do differently? How would you carry yourself and relate with those around you?
Remember – in Christ, you already have the highest position you could ever attain to. The only place for you to go is down.
What will keep you seated at the table with the Lord? What will enable you to function in your power and authority from your position at that table? Answer that and you have the sword that will give you victory in the battle of feasts and tables.
