“reaching forth…”
Philippians 3:13
The phrase “reaching forth” should describe the normal Christian life. As Watchman Nee once said, “the average Christian life is not the normal Christian life.”
“…reaching forth unto those things which are before,
I press toward the mark…”
Philippians 3:13-14
Spiritual vision is the matrix of the pursuit of God. Hearts aflame know their intrinsic need to be active and pressed of spirit to apprehend the fullness of God for themselves. It is disconcerting when this holy fire is absent within His children. Many of the Greek words used of the Holy Spirit in Philippians 3, were terms used in the Olympic Games of the day.
Paul, pressed by the Spirit, directed this truth to the people of God at Corinth:
“Do you not know that those running in a stadium indeed all run,
but one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain.”
1 Corinthians 9:24 (LITV)
May we allow the Holy Spirit to pierce our hearts with this one precious truth!
“Do you not know…”
Do we know that the true Christian life is a race to apprehend God’s call? The language of Paul was one of “apprehending” in the Philippians epistle, “obtaining” in the Corinthian epistle.
Peter, in his epistle to the church of God (the whole Church), exhorted all:
“For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge,
and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For IF these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
2 Peter 1:5-8
Fruitfulness is the evidence of those who are making “every effort” to supplement their faith with the ever-growing virtues of Christ.
Peter exhorts us, “IF these qualities are yours and are increasing,” the development of these graces will keep us from “ineffective” living and “unfruitfulness.”
Barrenness is not the result of our circumstances; stagnation is. Whenever faith settles in complacency, whenever it ceases to grow from “faith unto (the) faith” (Romans 1:17), it withers and becomes detached from the Life and the press of the Author.
“At that time, I will search Jerusalem with lamps,
and I will punish the men who are complacent…”
Zephaniah 1:12 (ESV)
God beholds each life. His Spirit is ever searching for those who will respond to the promptings and intonations of His Will. Faith is the ability to respond to God; it is the privilege of His own to grow in our sensitivity to His movements.
When faith becomes a belief rather than the power of God moving within His people, they thwart the manifestation of His Life through them. The Christian life becomes one of being a spectator rather than a participant.
“To each person has been given the ability
to manifest the Spirit for the common good.”
1 Corinthians 12:7
“There are multitudes in our congregations who are just waiting while they ought to be acting. They must work if they would have God work in them. There can be no religion without obedience.”
— Ichabod Spencer.
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Reaching Forth Series – Part One
Brian Troxel
