Post by disciple on Jun 3, 2010 14:13:37 GMT -5
The key to understanding:
God’s creation of the world = God’s creation of a disciple
God's creative process in Genesis 1 mirrors His creative process in a disciple's spiritual enlistment, equipping, & employment/ministry
I. Enlistment stage (1:1-8)
Pre-creation (1:1-2)
literal: Earth is empty, darkness over everything, no form or shape; God’s Spirit hovered near but didn’t make contact
spiritual:Man is empty, darkness in every area of life, no meaning or purpose; God’s Spirit hovered near but will not touch us
Day 1 (1:3-5)
literal: God speaks, there is light for His pleasure; light & darkness separated
spiritual: God’s Word enlightens the heart of man for His pleasure (Rom. 10:17); new is separated from old, set apart by Him (1 Pet. 2:9).
Day 2 (1:6-8)
literal: Division between clouds (above) & water (below), separated by the atmosphere/air
spiritual: Division between things of God (above) & things of the world (below), which comes by the Spirit (Gr. word for Spirit: same as wind, breath)
II. Equipment stage (1:9-19)
Day 3 (1:9-13)
literal: Appearance of solid ground by pushing aside the water, for His pleasure; earth produces fruit & vegetation, with the seeds for more, for His pleasure (3 levels: life, reproduction, reproduction + fruit)
spiritual: Appearance of solid character by getting rid of worldliness for His pleasure; fruitful life from abiding in Christ daily (Jn. 15:4-8). 3 levels of fruitfulness, which will eventually be for others: life, life>another’s new life, life>another’s new life & fruit
Day 4 (1:14-19)
literal: Creation of heavenly bodies to divide between day & night, indicate progress, give light, and to rule for His pleasure (sun: greater light, exceeds all others; moon: lesser light, reflects the sun while it’s gone, stars: give light & a pattern from a distance)
spiritual: From this point on, God brings a discipler to help divide between right & wrong, interpret spiritual progress, give vision, and rule/lead for His pleasure (sun = Son; moon = discipler, no glory of its own but positioned to receive illumination from God for the world; stars = one's community of believers, or the church as a whole)
III. Employment stage (1:20-31)
Day 5 (1:20-23)
literal: Water animals & flying animals “come forth” from water & sky for His pleasure. They are the 1st thing blessed—to be fruitful & multiply, fill their area of the earth. Some of earth’s fruit sustains them.
spiritual: Believer’s life is more about others: some of the fruit is for others, and because of this the world is partially filled with life (impact w/ limited scope), life that produces fruit & multiplies
Day 6 (1:24-31)
literal: Other animals created for His pleasure, fills the land; man made in His image & likeness to live in relationship—being fruitful & multiplying, filling the world; all of the earth’s fruit was for them; all is for God’s full pleasure (literally, “mighty good”)
spiritual: Believer sustains & “makes” someone who is like Christ, bearing His image, who will be fruitful, multiply, & fill all nations with His image through relationships; all the believer’s fruit is for somebody else; God receiving the most glory He can
Day 7 (2:1-2): entering His rest
·God completes His work; He rested, having set something in motion that would continue on
·When we build a person to God’s standard, speaking His Word into their lives (each day starts with “and God said”), we enter into His rest (Heb. 4:9-11), having set in motion a process that will continue on.
God’s creation of the world = God’s creation of a disciple
God's creative process in Genesis 1 mirrors His creative process in a disciple's spiritual enlistment, equipping, & employment/ministry
I. Enlistment stage (1:1-8)
Pre-creation (1:1-2)
literal: Earth is empty, darkness over everything, no form or shape; God’s Spirit hovered near but didn’t make contact
spiritual:Man is empty, darkness in every area of life, no meaning or purpose; God’s Spirit hovered near but will not touch us
Day 1 (1:3-5)
literal: God speaks, there is light for His pleasure; light & darkness separated
spiritual: God’s Word enlightens the heart of man for His pleasure (Rom. 10:17); new is separated from old, set apart by Him (1 Pet. 2:9).
Day 2 (1:6-8)
literal: Division between clouds (above) & water (below), separated by the atmosphere/air
spiritual: Division between things of God (above) & things of the world (below), which comes by the Spirit (Gr. word for Spirit: same as wind, breath)
II. Equipment stage (1:9-19)
Day 3 (1:9-13)
literal: Appearance of solid ground by pushing aside the water, for His pleasure; earth produces fruit & vegetation, with the seeds for more, for His pleasure (3 levels: life, reproduction, reproduction + fruit)
spiritual: Appearance of solid character by getting rid of worldliness for His pleasure; fruitful life from abiding in Christ daily (Jn. 15:4-8). 3 levels of fruitfulness, which will eventually be for others: life, life>another’s new life, life>another’s new life & fruit
Day 4 (1:14-19)
literal: Creation of heavenly bodies to divide between day & night, indicate progress, give light, and to rule for His pleasure (sun: greater light, exceeds all others; moon: lesser light, reflects the sun while it’s gone, stars: give light & a pattern from a distance)
spiritual: From this point on, God brings a discipler to help divide between right & wrong, interpret spiritual progress, give vision, and rule/lead for His pleasure (sun = Son; moon = discipler, no glory of its own but positioned to receive illumination from God for the world; stars = one's community of believers, or the church as a whole)
III. Employment stage (1:20-31)
Day 5 (1:20-23)
literal: Water animals & flying animals “come forth” from water & sky for His pleasure. They are the 1st thing blessed—to be fruitful & multiply, fill their area of the earth. Some of earth’s fruit sustains them.
spiritual: Believer’s life is more about others: some of the fruit is for others, and because of this the world is partially filled with life (impact w/ limited scope), life that produces fruit & multiplies
Day 6 (1:24-31)
literal: Other animals created for His pleasure, fills the land; man made in His image & likeness to live in relationship—being fruitful & multiplying, filling the world; all of the earth’s fruit was for them; all is for God’s full pleasure (literally, “mighty good”)
spiritual: Believer sustains & “makes” someone who is like Christ, bearing His image, who will be fruitful, multiply, & fill all nations with His image through relationships; all the believer’s fruit is for somebody else; God receiving the most glory He can
Day 7 (2:1-2): entering His rest
·God completes His work; He rested, having set something in motion that would continue on
·When we build a person to God’s standard, speaking His Word into their lives (each day starts with “and God said”), we enter into His rest (Heb. 4:9-11), having set in motion a process that will continue on.