Is Jesus a King or Servant? A Thought To Ponder

Is Jesus a King or servant? This question may be easy for the mature Christian to answer but it is worth pondering again in these current perilious and majestic times on earth.

Jesus Christ is a servant only insofar as the Redeemer, in giving His life to us unsaved souls that we may gain eternal life through the redemptive mercy of God, served the gift of eternity to mortal mankind. In simpler words, He died that we may live. He became low to the point of being scorned, tortured and killed, that we may rise up to the throne of God.

Which Son of God would come down from Heaven to take the flesh of man and die for mankind who do not even know him? Which samaritan would give his life for a complete stranger?

Is there a religion in this world that a divine being would come down to the level of lowly creatures who are plagued by wickedness and sin in their hearts, to rescue them from their folly?

The reason He did it is, not only because God the Father asked him to do it. He gave His precious life and sacred blood as an offering to save something truly great and majestic in man, namely the genetic blueprint that we have in our spirit and soul.

So once we are saved, what is our relationship to Jesus? Is He still a servant or is a King? In Romans, Paul says we are to reign with Him as we are co-heirs with Christ in the Heavens.

Romans 5:17 says, “For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.”

First, the gift of righteousness is a gift given to us not because of what good deeds we have done but because of the blood shed by Jesus. Whenever the devil accuses us in front of God, Father God sees His Son in us, for we carry the crown of righteousness.

Second, having received this gift, we are to reign in our lives on earth. It does not mean to take physical dominion and prosper but to reign as Christ reigned his own life.

In Romans 8:17 Paul says, “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.”

To reign as co-heirs of Christ means we have full rights, as God the Father's adopted sons, to receive His inheritance just as Jesus, Father God's only begotten Son, is the natural heir of the Father.

Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, is the natural “heir” of the Father. “ Thus, being a co-heir with Christ means that we, as God’s adopted children, will share in the inheritance of Jesus.

In Galatians 4:7, it is written: “You are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.” So these powerful words speak of the redeemed as part of the family of God the Father.

But when Jesus comes to take us as His bride, we will still be co-heirs with Him. But more than that, we become betrothed to Him in marriage. As His bride, we are to show love, honour, respect to Him as our King and spiritual husband.

He is thus, no longer a servant in this realm. He will guide us, counsel us, train us and mould us for God's divine purposes. There are many glorious mysteries which God has not revealed. But we are not to speculate further and implant our own understanding of this new relationship with Jesus our bridegroom.

Being the Son of God and our bridegroom, Jesus is our kingly husband, to all redeemed man, woman and child. In no way are we to refer to Him as our servant King. He may still have the attributes of a servant leader, but that fact doesnt inform our relationship with Him.

Now, when Jesus comes back to the world, He will come back twice, once for the Rapture and the second time, in the last battle of Armageddon on the Day of Judgement when all peoples on earth, good and evil, kings and servants, rich and poor, will be judged and separated as sheep on His right and goats on His left.

So in these end times, Jesus is a King as He chooses who to rapture to be His bride and who to take to Heaven after the tribulation has refined many people and caused many, especially the Jews, to open their hearts to Him.

 

Abiding In Christ: The Tree & The Roots

To abide in Christ is to be rooted in Him, not as a leaf or a branch but as a root. A leaf can be pruned when it is overgrown. But a root is always there. A leaf can be easily torn off from the branch. Likewise a branch can be torn off from the tree. But a root is grown into the soil.

Unless we reject Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, the root can not be torn out.

When we live in the world, the storms and winds will blow at the tree and we will see many changes in our circumstances. But if we hold on to our salvation in Christ, we shall not be moved. That salvation is in the faith of our Spirit man, holding on to Jesus our Saviour and Helper. He will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear to the extent that we lose our salvation through disobedience and living a sinful life. It is said adulterers, fornicators, homosexuals and liars will not enter into the Kingdom of God.

The root of the tree is our will interwined with our faith to hold on to Jesus, our God. But if we willingly allow the winds or some gardener to pull out the root, then we shall be responsible for the loss of our salvation.

Like a ship that is unanchored without a sail, it will sail into unknown waters and we shall meet an unwholesome end, an eternal death.

Jesus provides a way out of our storms, He provides a way out of our deepest crises, He is our Counseler and our Helper at all times. God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. His nature is love, mercy and grace.

We who abide in His nature and take on the vessel of Christ, we will not have anything to do with inequity, with quarrels and worldly pleasures.

Man is made for communion with God, his creator. But if he decides to commune solely with his fellow beings without reference to His Creator, he is like a soldier without a general, a ship without a compass, a plane without a radar.

Man is made body, soul and spirit. The soul is both the mind and the emotions. And that is the point where Satan attacks us: by speaking lies and half-truths into our minds so as to influence our emotions. Eventually, if we listen and believe in satan's voice and lies, we shall act in ways that dishonour and displease God. We will not be counted worthy of our salvation.

And that is where the devil boasts of his half-won victory. He shall point out to God and the whole world, saying: "Look here! Here is a man who was once saved but just look at him now: sinning and lying like no one's business, pretending to repent for a while and then going back into sin. Why should such a man be worthy to be saved and enter Heaven? Isnt he a poor example of God's mercy if he can just repent before he dies and enter Heaven?"

This is a serious accusation that seeks to besmirch and stain the reputation and grace of God. It is like the devious snake in the garden of Eden who told Eve that she will be like God if she ate the fruit from the forbidden tree.

Quiet Nights, Quiet Dreams In Bangkok

Travelling in Bangkok for three days, taking the BTS, the MRT and eating at the food courts and street stalls is an enriching experience. 

Beneath the vibrancy, the decadence, the youthful expectancy of the city folks lies a certain sadness. This sadness is of a beauty that is out of this world, like the stars in a quiet night evoked by Antonio Carlos Jobim's Corcovado.

Bangkok is a city that is so well organised in its transport system that it contrasts with the streets where all kinds of vendors and hookers dwell to sell their wares. The physique and the faces of the Thais are very different from the Chinese and the Malays. Some are big boned and quite large. Quite a few share the sharp noses and high cheekbones of Caucasian or Indians.

But beyond the physical, there is something about the people's character that is uniquely Thai. They have a very independent history linked to the royal kingdom and Buddishm. Yet they have a strong inclination for beauty, order and dreams/aspirations. They seek these things in a graceful albeit not necessarily ethical or moral way.

Yet, if there is a city that can be subject to a world government, I ask myself how would Bangkok adapt to it given its paradoxical mix of liberalness and its unique Thai customs.

The Thai language could be the only barrier that shields the Thais from the world. They seem to see things very differently from others, having no inclinations to be allied with any regional or global power. Yet Thailand has been the subject of political intrigues of its own, the palace scandals and secrets that were intertwined with the business elite and the military.

In my opinion, this is a country that needs the refreshing peace of Jesus Christ's forgiveness and mercy. The urban Thais are a graceful and aesthetic people but they have lost their ways in the deceptive worship and entanglement with the philosophies of Buddhism, hedonism and like other Asian cities, materialism.

The mystery of the former king's life and influence over the Thai people is like an extended family mythology and that mythology has passed away with the King's death in 2016.

For investors, the key question is whether Thailand's economy will become stronger and be liberated from the clutches of the military junta after the elections in late 2018.

That question depends on so many factors one of which is the awakening of the people to what is truly going on in the world, especially the ascendancy of China in the region and the political changes in America.

At the very least, Thai society is free from the menace of the race card, a tactic used by politicians in places like Malaysia and America to divide and rule.

Quiet nights and quiet stars Quiet chords from my guitar Floating on the silence that surrounds us Quiet nights and quiet dreams Quiet walks by quiet streams And the window lookin' on the mountains and the sea how lovely This is where I want to be Here with you so close to me Till the final flicker of life's ember I who was lost and lonely Believing life was a only a bitter tragic joke Have found with you the meaning of existence oh, my love

Um cantinho, um violão,
Esse amor numa canção,
Pra fazer feliz a quem se ama,
Muita calma pra pensar e ter tempo pra sonhar,
Da janela vê-se o Corcovado,
O Redentor que lindo.

Quero a vida sempre assim,
Com você perto de mim,
Até o apagar da velha chama,
E eu que era triste,
Descrente de sinismo,
Ao encontrar você eu conheci,
O que é Felicidade, Meu Amor.