“You Can’t Have Everything. Where Would You Put It?”
~ Stephen Wright
All Things
The good news is that God does have everything, and he knows just where to put it. But what about us? Through the plan of redemption, he transferred all things to Jesus until the time comes for all things to be delivered back to himself (1 Co 15:24). Until that time, all these things, those that have to do with life and godliness, have been entrusted to you and to me through Jesus (2 Pe 1:3). So despite Stephen Wright's very funny observation, it looks like we really can have everything.
"He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32 NIV)
But what does that mean?
The Center of All Things
While every good and perfect gift does come down from God himself (Ja 1:17), I've experienced some less than perfect things drop into my lap as well. These are the trials, stumbling blocks, and tribulations which according to scripture, line the path to the Kingdom of God on earth, that even Jesus said were destined to come (Acts 14:22; Luke 17:1). While these things would not be considered good, God still has us covered.
"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28 ESV).
He makes all things work for my good. Therefore, it is more productive for me that I set my focus upon the One who holds all things together than it is to focus upon the things themselves, whether they be good or bad (Col 1:17; Ro 8:28). My focus must always be upon...
“... Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.” (1 Corinthians 8:6 NIV)
Jesus Christ is the center of all things and as we live our lives in him, we benefit from all that he is, all that he accomplished on the cross, and all that he has provided to us as believers. See: Eph 3:9; Jer 10:16; Jn 1:3; Acts 14:15; etc.
All Things I Commanded You
As we skim through individual passages without connecting them to the whole of scripture, it is easy to overlook that God is the "God of all things." Consider, for example, how we have reduced the Great Commission down to a singular task of evangelism while in fact, Jesus' commands are far more encompassing. The Great Commission is not about just one thing, it is about ALL things.
“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you...” (Matthew 28:18-20 NKJV)
All authority... all nations... all of Jesus' commands...! Jesus is the all in all and has called us to all the things that he is about! But where do we begin?
We begin by looking at all things Jesus commanded his first disciples to do. These are the works Jesus said that we would do in his name (Jn 14:12). The fight over whether these works are for today might be settled more easily when we understand why it is so important to Jesus that they be performed. It starts with what he gained on the cross and gave to the Church.
All Things Given to the Church
All things work for our benefit because they've been given to us that we might co-labor in administering "all things" in every way. Remember, we've been given all things that pertain to life and godliness. The works Jesus said we will perform in his name are merely facets of his full life which has been provided to us through his death and resurrection. When Paul talks about these things, he is not shy about emphasizing the massive scope of the Great Commission.
“... He raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” (Ephesians 1:19-23 NIV)
Our calling and purpose is directly connected to his fullness and therefore, our individual assignments within our corporate calling should reflect everything that Jesus is. "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." (1 Co 12:27 NIV).
When fitly joined together carrying out his mission, we begin to look like him in this world (1 Jn 4:17). That is the key to achieving the end game.
"And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.... speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love" (Ephesians 4:11-12, 15-16 ESV).
The End Goal of Everything is All in All
God seems to have gone "all in" on this concept of "all" and "every." Many of us have come to believe that his plan was simply to fill heaven, while all along, his plan has been to fill "everything in every way" (Eph 1:23). But what are we to fill everything with?
What would Jesus have us to be praying for and carrying out in his name? Fortunately, the disciples asked Jesus the very same question and his response indicates that it has to do with making a stand for his Kingdom on earth, in all its many facets, as it already is in heaven (Mt 6:10). The Lord's Prayer, sometimes called the Disciples' Prayer, has been used to entreat the God of heaven for over 2,000 years so that his Kingdom would come and his will would be done on earth as it is in heaven... that he would be able to redeem all of his creation back to his original intent.
"Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all" (1 Corinthians 15:24-28 ESV).
Like me, you probably admired the poetry of this passage without realizing the depth it contains. And like me, you may have also missed in one respect or another that the good news is more than just the gospel of salvation, but that it encompasses the whole of his Kingdom purpose. We proclaim and demonstrate the gospel as Jesus modeled so that "all things," not just all people, would come into subjection to God.
“In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” (Ephesians 1:7-10 NIV).
For all things in heaven and earth to unite in him, his influence must chip away at the effects of the fall so that all things begin to look more and more like his dwelling place than it does now. Surely, he can't bring all things together by making heaven look more like this fallen world. Something has to give. And surely, God does not intend to change the nature of heaven that it be like the nature of earth.
All is Not New
Perhaps it is because his thoughts are so high above our thoughts that it has been difficult for us to dream beyond the idea of sneaking people past the gates of hell into heaven while Satan wasn't looking. Even our grandiose notions of end time events pale in comparison to what he has repeatedly announced throughout scripture. Prophets under an inferior covenant had a grander and clearer vision of what God has in mind than we do today.
"For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Habakkuk 2:14 NIV).
Even though God cast this vision throughout the Old Testament, we have somehow fixed our gaze upon heaven, despite the angels' warning given after Jesus' ascension to not stand staring up into the sky (Acts 1:11). See: Numbers 14:21; Psalm 22:27; Isaiah 11:9; Isaiah 40:5; Jeremiah 31:34.
Let's not forget that when the God of glory created the earth, he looked at his creation and proclaimed that all things were very good. While all things went downhill after the fall, they are not beyond redemption and from the foundation of the world, he had a plan to remedy the fall and fill his creation with his glory again.
A Return to All Things
Once this topic rises to the surface, it is inevitable that fears of inclusivism, universalism, and even pantheism will rise up with it. Despite these aberrations, God is very interested in moving ahead with his plan to manifest the hope of the glory that he has planted within us (Col 1:27). We have been adopted as his sons and daughters and have been translated into the Kingdom of his dear son (Col 1:13). If we don't feel up to the challenge, James suggests that we look to Elijah as our example (Ja 5:17).
This prophet not only brought rain to the earth after three years of drought, but did so amidst a challenge to the prophets of Baal — kingdom against kingdom where Elijah quite convincingly demonstrated the superiority of the Kingdom of God. We are called to the same task. And so, the Great Commission is not only about personal salvation, it's also about our cooperation in the mission...
"...That he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago." (Acts 3:20-21 NIV).
This passage parallels the theme of Jesus' discourse on the night he was betrayed. There he announced his mission being carried out by the Holy Spirit after his soon departure so that believers might receive all that Jesus was appointed to do.
"... He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine... In that day... whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.... Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.... I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father" (John 16:14-15, 23, 28 ESV).
Jesus also spoke about going away and sending the Holy Spirit who was being sent to, "... glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine."
All the Body
I believe it is all too easy for us to be comfortable in our isolation and disconnectedness. We often do not gravitate towards the joints and sinews designed to pull us together and make us all that we can be. Christ in us as the hope of glory may sound good theologically, but living it out is another matter. It will take all us working in tandem so that we might see God's plan come together.
"... Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work" (Ephesians 4:15-16 NIV)
"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross" (Colossians 1:17-20 NIV).
We don't want to be the ones to tell God he can't have everything simply because we cannot conceive of him having a place to put it.
You Can't Have Everything, Unless You Ask!
Now that I've teased the concept of "all things," you might find that this theme is far more prevalent in scripture than you formerly realized. The Great Commission is not only about personal salvation, it's also about our service in the redemption of all things.
"...That he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago." (Acts 3:20-21 NIV).
We can have it all. This is simply because God's word in scripture tells us that we've already been given it all.
"He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32 NIV)
He who gives good gifts is also the one who desires that receive and take full advantage of what we have been given. Consider for example that Paul exhorts us to not only follow after love, but that we earnestly desire the gifts that build the Body of Christ to maturity (1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 4:16, etc.). This phrase, "earnestly desire," literally means to burn and bubble over for in order to attain. So when Jesus says that he will give us whatever we ask for in prayer, perhaps, this is what he was talking about (Jn 14:13, 15:7, 15:16, 16:24-27).
A theology of all things, therefore, is not one that believes that all things make up God, but that God is the God of all things and he wants all his things returned back to him. Admittedly, my vision for this has been far too narrow. Our hesitation in rising together in the full stature of Christ to any measurable level might stem from our lack of belief. We might not believe that the God who created all things wants us to partner with him that he be known as the God over all things. He wants his nature and culture as it is in heaven to begin to permeate the Church that they might spread out and fill all of his creation.
