ONE OF THE GREATEST "BREAKTHROUGHS" IN THE MINISTRY OF JESUS IS RECORDED IN LUKE 9:18-20. JESUS ASKED HIS DISCIPLES "’WHO DO PEOPLE SAY I AM?’"
THE DISCIPLES ANSWERED "’SOME SAY JOHN THE BAPTIST, SOME SAY ELIJAH, AND OTHERS SAY YOU ARE ONE OF THE OTHER ANCIENT PROPHETS RISEN FROM THE DEAD."
THE BREAKTHROUGH CAME WHEN JESUS ASKED A MORE "DIRECT" PERSONAL QUESTION. HE SAID, "’WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?’" WITHOUT HESITATION, PETER REPLIED, "YOU ARE THE MESSIAH SENT FROM GOD!"
WHAT A JOY IT IS TO EXPERIENCE A REVELATION FROM GOD. A MOMENT IN TIME WHEN ALL FIVE SENSES ARE BROUGHT TO LIFE SPIRITUALLY FROM A PERSONAL, INTIMATE, AND LOVING ENCOUNTER WITH GOD.
THOSE TIMES YOU CAN, LIKE PETER, PROCLAIM OF CHRIST JESUS, "YOU ARE THE MESSIAH SENT FROM GOD." THAT IS OUR MESSAGE AND THAT IS OUR EXPERIENCE WE TAKE INTO THE WORLD SO THAT OTHERS CAN MEET THE RISEN SAVIOR, THE MESSIAH, JESUS CHRIST. OUR MISSION IS TO REVEAL JESUS CHRIST TO THE UNSAVED.
THIS IS WHAT EPIPHANY IS ALL ABOUT! EPIPHANY IS TO BE A DAY OF GREAT JOY FOR ALL CHRISTIANS. NOT JUST BECAUSE IT MARKS THE COMPLETION OF THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS, OR BECAUSE IT MARKS THE APPEARANCE OF THE THREE WISE MEN, JESUS’ BAPTISM, OR THE FIRST MIRACLE RECORDED OF JESUS AT THE WEDDING FEAST IN CANAAN.
EPIPHANY IS ABOUT REVELATION! EPIPHANY IS A FESTIVAL OF JOY CELEBRATING THAT GOD HAS REVEALED HIMSELF TO US IN THE FLESH THROUGH JESUS CHRIST!
ANOTHER WORD USED FOR "EPIPHANY" IS THEOPHANY. THEOPHANY IS TWO GREEK WORDS THAT MEAN "GOD" AND "TO APPEAR OR TO BE REVEALED." IT IS A TIME FOR US TO CELEBRATE THE MANY WAYS JESUS REVEALED OUR HEAVENLY FATHER TO US.
SINCE JESUS HAS DONE THIS, WE TOO, SHOULD DO THE SAME WITH OUR LIVES BY STRIVING FOR WAYS TO LIVE OUT AND PROCLAIM OUR FAITH BY REVEALING THE GOSPEL MESSAGE, THE GOOD NEWS, OF SALVATION THROUGH JESUS CHRIST TO THOSE WHO ARE LOST WITHOUT CHRIST.
THIS IS WHY EPIPHANY TAKES ON SUCH MEANING FOR US AS CHRISTIANS BECAUSE IT IS SUCH A WONDERFUL TOOL FOR TEACHING OTHERS ABOUT JESUS CHRIST. IT IS A MESSAGE DELIVERED "FOR THE SAKE OF OTHERS" WHO DO NOT KNOW JESUS CHRIST PERSONALLY AS LORD AND SAVIOR.
"FOR THE SAKE OF OTHERS" WE FOLLOW THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE MAGI. THE WISE MEN WHO BROUGHT GIFTS TO THE BABY JESUS WERE THE FIRST GENTILES (NON-JEWISH) RECORDED IN THE GOSPELS TO ACKNOWLEDGE JESUS CHRIST AS THE KING OF KINGS.
THESE "GENTILES" WERE ONE OF THE FIRST MESSENGERS OR "MISSIONARIES" TO "THEOPHANIZE." THAT IS, THEY WERE SOME OF THE FIRST TO "REVEAL" JESUS AND "TO MAKE KNOWN" TO A WHOLE NEW WORLD THE INCARNATE CHRIST.
THEIR MESSAGE PROCLAIMED THROUGHOUT THE WORLD WAS ONE OF THE FIRST INDICATIONS TO BOTH THE GENTILE AND JEWISH NATIONS THAT JESUS CAME FOR ALL PEOPLE, OF ALL NATIONS, OF ALL RACES, OF ALL LANGUAGES, AND THAT THE WORK OF GOD WAS NOT LIMITED TO JUST A SELECT FEW.
TODAY, IT IS NOW UP TO US TO CARRY ON THIS MISSION. WE ARE TO FOCUS ON THE MISSION GIVEN TO US AS THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH TO UNITE TOGETHER IN ORDER TO REACH OTHERS THROUGH THE MEANING OF EPIPHANY.
"FOR THE SAKE OF OTHERS" WHO DO NOT KNOW JESUS PERSONALLY WE ARE TO "THEOPHANIZE" THE WORLD! WE ARE TO "SHOW" AND "REVEAL" JESUS AS SAVIOR OF ALL PEOPLE.
WE WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW JESUS AND NOT JUST TO "HEAR" ABOUT JESUS. YES, ALMOST EVERYONE HAS HEARD OF JESUS CHRIST, BUT NOT VERY MANY KNOW HIM PERSONALLY AS LORD AND SAVIOR OF THEIR LIVES!
ALL AROUND US ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE HURTING. PEOPLE LIVING IN BROKEN RELATIONSHIPS. PEOPLE FIGHTING THEIR ENSLAVEMENT TO VARIOUS ADDICTIONS. PEOPLE SUFFERING POVERTY, HUNGER, PREJUDICES, HATRED, VIOLENCE, AND OPPRESSION ON A DAILY BASIS WITH NOWHERE OR NOBODY TO TURN TO FOR ASSISTANCE.
IT IS FOR US, AND FOR THESE PEOPLE, THAT CHRIST CAME INTO THE WORLD. IT IS FOR THE LOST AND HOPELESS THAT JESUS CAME TO BRING HOPE AND TO BRING US BACK TO OUR ETERNAL HOME. MATTHEW 9:12-13, "IT IS NOT THE HEALTHY WHO NEED A DOCTOR, BUT THE SICK…FOR I HAVE NOT COME TO CALL THE RIGHTEOUS, BUT SINNERS."
GOD NOT ONLY REVEALED HIMSELF TO US IN HIS SON JESUS CHRIST, BUT CONTINUES TO REVEAL HIMSELF TO US THROUGH SCRIPTURE, HISTORY, CREATION, OR ANY WAY HE SO CHOOSES TO MAKE US AWARE OF WHO HE IS TO US.
WE CAN CELEBRATE THE JOY OF EPIPHANY TODAY THAT, THROUGH JESUS CHRIST, ALL THE WAYS GOD CHOOSES TO REVEAL HIMSELF TO US CAN NOW BE FULLY UNDERSTOOD.
BECAUSE OF JESUS CHRIST THE "GREAT MYSTERY" OF GOD’S GRACE CAN BE KNOWN PERSONALLY. THROUGH JESUS CHRIST ALL PEOPLE CAN BECOME UNITED AS ONE IN ORDER TO BUILD HIS CHURCH UPON THIS EARTH.
BECAUSE OF JESUS CHRIST GOD CAN ACCOMPLISH HIS PLAN OF SALVATION TO REDEEM HIS FALLEN PEOPLE BACK INTO A PROPER RELATIONSHIP WITH HIMSELF.
BECAUSE OF JESUS CHRIST WE CAN APPROACH OUR HOLY GOD WITH FREEDOM AND CONFIDENCE. BECAUSE OF JESUS CHRIST WE CAN ENTER DIRECTLY INTO GOD’S PRESENCE THROUGH PRAYER.
AREN’T YOU GLAD FOR EPIPHANY? AREN’T YOU GLAD YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS? AREN’T YOU GLAD YOU CAN BE A RECIPIENT OF EPIPHANY? NOW, "FOR THE SAKE OF OTHERS" SHARE THIS GOOD NEWS OF GOD’S REVELATION. SHARE THE GOOD NEWS OF EPIPHANY!
