WOW! What a comback that was! The word for this week is "access", but I want to use a great Greek scholar's take on it, because it is SO interesting! This is from Rick Renner's "Sparkling Gems From The Greek - Volume 2".
Instant Access
For through him we both [Jew and Gentile] have access by one
Spirit unto the Father. — Ephesians 2:18
In today’s technologically sophisticated, interconnected
society, it’s so easy to pick up the phone, call anywhere in the world, and
make an immediate connection to whomever you are calling. But when my family
first moved to the Soviet Union to follow God’s call on our lives, placing an
international phone call was quite a difficult task!
First of all, all international phone calls had to be
“scheduled” and “ordered” in advance. In the city where we lived, it took three
days to order a phone call to the United States. We would call the operator,
tell her that we’d like to place a call to America, and give the number we
wanted to call. The operator would respond, “Your call will come in three days”
— however, she couldn’t tell us what time the call would be placed — so on that
third day, we didn’t dare leave the house for any reason, because the call
could come at any unknown minute.
If the call came through, and the number was busy, we
couldn’t simply say, “Can we try another number?” That call was our only chance!
If the line was busy, we had to schedule another call and wait for another
three days. The connections were so horrible that often we had to yell and
scream for our voices to be heard — if we actually connected to the
person we were calling. Furthermore, special agents were on the phone line with
us, listening to our conversations in order to monitor what we were saying.
They were so obviously listening in that once I asked the agent to get off the
phone, and he answered by telling me it was his job to listen!
Connecting was so difficult in those days! Finally, someone
suggested that we purchase a satellite phone with a gigantic antenna. I would
dial the call on a huge black box, and Denise would hold a gigantic antenna and
point it this way and that way toward the sky, trying to figure out its optimal
position so we could get the best possible connection. The antenna was huge!
Denise and I must have looked like quite the sight as we stood in the front
yard with a giant, umbrella-shaped antenna and a huge satellite phone, trying
to figure out how to best connect with our families in the United States!
I’ve often thought of those difficult days of poor communication
during my morning prayer times — when all I have to do is open my heart,
express my faith, and I am instantly and effortlessly connected to Heaven!
There are no three days of waiting and no waving of a giant antenna trying to
find the correct “channel” that connects me to Heaven. All it takes is a single
moment of faith, and an instant connection is made. I call it “instant access”
to the throne of God.
This “instant access” is referred to in Ephesians 2:18,
where the apostle Paul wrote that through Christ we have “access” by the Holy
Spirit unto the Father. Today I want to talk to you about this word “access.”
The word “access” is the Greek word prosagoge. It is a
Greek word that was used to describe individuals who had free entrance, access,
or unhindered approach to a king’s court. There was no need for
pleading or begging and no waiting in long lines to be recognized. It was
an unhindered approach at any time and any moment. This means that
when you are in Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit provides a way for you to immediately
connect with the Father at any time!
I don’t know the details of what you are facing today, but
if you are in Christ Jesus, I can assuredly tell you that you have immediate
access to the Father through the Spirit. Thank God, you don’t have to order a
heavenly phone call and wait for three days to get through to the throne. You
don’t have to worry that your connection will be put off again and again. Your
position in Christ guarantees you instant, immediate access to the Father at any
time and at every moment!
Isn't that just the most exciting thing? When I was growing up we had a party line. Every home on the line had a different ring so that we would know when the call was for us. We could also tell when some of the nosy neighbors were listening in on our calls! It is such a blessing to be able to communicate one on one with our Father God, instantly AND privately! As an extremely private person, I REALLY value that aspect, along with the INSTANT ACCESS! Here is Hillsong with an older song called "None But Jesus":
Love and Shalom from the Swoveys!
