Job Thomas, Being a blessing, Bible study for the NewGen Young Adult Camp 2014

INTRODUCTION
I was so stressed the first time I had to drive to Cape Town by myself. I remember that Kim
was stressing about it too. Not only was I still getting used to driving on the wrong side of the
road, I also didnt know Cape Town at all. It is very easy to get lost in a city you dont know.
For all I knew, Philippi is the city that got a letter from Paul, Delft is the place in the
Netherlands with the blue and white China, Woodstock is a gig where Jimi Hendrix used to
perform and CBD stands for Christian Book Depository (yes, Im a theology nerd).
You guys are probably too young to realize this, but at one point you had to print a Google
Maps road description to get proper direction to get somewhere instead of using the GPS on
your cell. Those Google prints however had one big flaw: if you made one big mistake, you
were screwed. There was no way you could find your way to your destination without asking
for directions. A piece of paper simply does not reroute.
These days a GPS is quite different. First of all it asks you want type of route you want: fast,
ecologic, scenic, etc. And if you are, like me, inclined to still make wrong turns, your GPS
will reroute you. However, even with the GPS there are difficulties. Ive used one that needed
about half an hour to find satellites, about the time I would have needed to go to my
destination. Or forgetting your car charger, Ive done that. Trust me, a GPS does not have a
long-lasting battery. Or using your phone as GPS and running out of data. With a GPS there
are still plenty of options to get lost even though you have one.
The best method for orientation is still knowing your way around. Knowing where that
Woodstock is quite a bit closer to CBD than Philippi is a good thing to know when you are
going to the city bowl. The more I get to know the bigger area of Cape Town, the more I feel
confident driving around. And the easier it is to get to my destination.
As Christians, we so often see the plan of God as a Google Maps route description. It makes
us live in a cramp, because if we make one little mistake in understanding the route
description we might take a wrong turn and be eternally lost. In my student ministry and my
youth ministry in Belgium I cannot begin to count how many chats Ive had with people your
age that were questioning what the plan of God was with their lives. Often to this degree that
they were paralysed because God had not given them proper guidance. They were at a Tjunction in their lives and did not hear a clear voice from God to go either left or write: they
could not find where they were on their Google Maps description, which probably meant that
they had already made a wrong turn earlier.
Asking what Gods plan is for my life does not start with a route description. It starts with
knowing what the big plan of God for the world is and which role humans play in it. It is so
sad how many Christians are struggling to find out Gods plan for their lives, but they dont
even know what Gods plan for everything is.
Getting to know that plan is like getting to know a city: the better you know the city, the
easier it will be to get to a destination in that city. That is what we want to do tonight:
exploring the city of Gods bigger plan. The better you know Gods bigger plan, the better
you will get to understand his plan for you.

CREATION
It starts with the creation. Well, actually it doesnt. It starts with the Trinity. God exists before
humans are there. God is three-in-one and is thus relational. Those who had the idea that God
needed us in order to love (because you need at least two people to love), are mistaken. God
doesnt need us. He can exist perfectly without us. There is love within himself already.
There is a deep peace or shalom within the Trinity and a profound way of working together in
servitude towards each other. But still God chose to create and to open his internal
relationship to use. Humans were invited into that relationship in the Trinity. Humans were
meant to live in a perfect harmony (or what the Bible calls peace or shalom) with God. Adam
was walking with God in that peace.
But it does not stop there. Right after God creates humanity, he gives him an assignment:
And God blessed them. And God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth
and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens
and over every living thing that moves on the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given
you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its
fruit. You shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the
heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I
have given every green plant for food. And it was so (Gen. 1:28-30).
We can easily understand this assignment as a wrong type of ruling and dominion: a selfish
kind. But that is not what is intended here. God does not want us to become tyrants over
creation. What is happening here? We have realized that God does not need us to love nor to
do anything else. Still he chooses to love us and let us love. What is depicted here, is the
image of man playing an active role in the shalom that God has in mind. He did not just want
us to be at peace with him. He wanted us to be at peace with the whole creation. And for
some mysterious reason, he wants humanity to play a role in that plan.
We often think that the tasks we have as Christians are limited to building a relationship with
God and that all the rest that we do as humans is because we have to deal with the
consequences of the Fall. That is not the case. Before the Fall, God wanted humans to play a
role in the shalom of the world. Notice that God does not see it as being very good right after
the creation of humanity. He saw it was very good after he had revealed his purpose for
humanity: being a blessing to the whole of creation. If you want to understand Gods plan
with your life, you cannot go past this aspect: God wants all humans to play an active role in
his shalom. He wants all humans to be a blessing to the rest of creation, whether it be to other
humans, animals or nature.
God even explains how to do it: explore the whole of the earth, get to know it, enjoy it, a bit
later Adam is asked to give names to the animals (Gen. 2:18), etc. Oh, and dont eat of that
tree, God added, that will cause a disruption in the peace I have in mind.

FALL & ISRAL

So what happens, about the first established act is violating that peace and not using creation
as it is meant to be used. Diane, with her amazing GPS voice, is saying very clearly, Go
straight at the next robots. And I am choosing to make a U-turn, because I distrust Diane
even though she knows Cape Town a lot better than I do.
Humanity has to suffer the consequences for not being an active agent for peace, but God
does not want to get rid of his plan though. He still wants humans to play a role in blessing
creation, just like he had blessed them. So God decides to start with a smaller group. He calls
Abram and says: Go from your country and your kindred and your fathers house to the land
that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make
your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who
dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed (Gen.
12:1-3). Again, his purpose becomes visible: humans should play an active role in
establishing (and no longer maintaining because it is gone) the shalom God had in mind.
Abram and his offspring, Israel, are called to be a blessing to those around them.
We see fragments of Israel being of service to God and other people, but in most cases they
are mere fragments. In general, Israel does not live up to the expectation. They run away
from the task. In that sense Jonah symbolizes the whole of Israel. Jonah is called to be a
blessing for the people of Nineveh by warning them about Gods coming judgment. He is
asked to serve God by serving Nineveh. But he runs away from the responsibility. Diane is
telling him to go to Nineveh, but he goes to Tarsus. He makes a U-turn.
Just like Jonah, Israel keeps failing at its purpose. The Israelites end up having to suffer the
consequences of their failure and they enter a history of dominion by other nations
(Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, Romans) because they failed to exercise their dominion.
What an irony! What a loss!
Humanity has run away from its purpose. And so have we. Every single one of us has run
away from being a blessing to other people or to nature. We have sinned and we need to
confess our sins to God. We are forgiven, but we need to reaffirm that we want to turn our
backs to sin that haunts us.

CHRIST
Three days Jonah stays in the belly of the fish. In that time his purpose is shifted again to the
right direction. Three days. Rings a bell? Jonah eventually goes to Nineveh and is such a
blessing that the whole city repents. Jonah however struggles with this and it is not
wholehearted that he was being a blessing. Israel, like him fails at its purpose, but God does
not want to change his purpose for humanity.
Have you ever wondered why God became man in order to save us? Here is one of the
reasons: he does not want to change the purpose of humanity. He wanted humanity to be the
agent for shalom in the world from the beginning and he does not want to change that. Time
after time humanity fails and suffers the consequences, so finally God becomes human so his

plan will not be changed: it is still through humanity that the earth will be blessed. Not
because God needs humanity, but because he chose to. After three days in the belly of that
awful fish called Death, the purpose of humanity was clear in sight again and humanity was
back on track: for good this time. Christ died because of humanitys lack of serving God and
others, and was resurrected in order for humanity to be able to be a blessing.
When James and John are walking with Jesus towards Jerusalem, they ask Jesus if they can
sit next to him in his glory, as we can read in Mark 10:37. The two brothers have clearly not
understood what the dominion in Genesis 1 is about. Jesus asks them if they are up to the task
and they boastfully reply yes. The disciples get angry when they hear about the powerplay
of the brothers. Jesus reply makes them aware of their mistake: You know that those who
are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority
over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be
your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of
Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark
10:42b-45). In becoming human, God sets the record straight: his followers are called for a
dominion through service. They should become a blessing.
Diane can handle U-turns. Every single time I make a U-turn, she just reroutes and gets me
on track again. She knows where I am going, she knows what my purpose is and how to get
there. Just because humanity takes wrong turns, God does not change his purpose for
humanity. He reroutes so humanity can get back on track in being an agent for his peace in
this world. That is what Christ came to do. In our church we have been studying Pauls letter
to the Colossians and one of the most powerful texts in there is the one in 1:15-20: He is the
image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in
heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or
authoritiesall things were created through him and for him. And 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, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him
all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all
things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. Notice the
focus on reconciling everything: it is the same as making peace. Notice how it is about peace
in the whole of creation: heaven and earth, visible and invisible. Everyone. Everything.
The peace or shalom God wants humanity to be active agents of is not just any peace; it is a
peace with him, under his dominion. Christ has forever changed humanity by being the first
human to actively and properly and entirely contribute to that peace.

FULFILLMENT
Quite often I hear Christians say that we are going back to the state of paradise. And I am
sorry for them, but that is neglecting Gods plan with humanity and a bad Bible reading. We
are not going back to a garden where humans are walking with God. We are going to a city
where God is living among humans. There is evolution and growth there. God welcomingly
accepts the honor and glory the kings bring to him in Rev. 21:26. This is not just about
singing some songs together. When leaders of nations still today visit each other, they offer
each other the best their nation has to offer: food, paintings, medical discoveries, poetry,
fashion, philosophy, etc. Those are the things we can offer to God. This honor and glory is

what we contribute to a society under Gods dominion. It is the best we have to offer: it is the
best way we can rule over creation, it is the best way we can respect the created and creative
abilities within us. It is what we are supposed to do and in that it contributes to Gods peace.
It is amazing that God does not throw those things away. No, he does not make all new
things. In Rev. 21:5, God who sits on the throne says: Behold, I am making all things new.
All things new. All things. Not just our souls. Not just humans. All things. Everything will be
at peace with him. Every single thing. That is where we are headed. That is what Jesus three
days in the belly of Death mean to the entire history of creation.

CHURCH
One day Christ will come back to not just continue this peace, but to complete it. We are at
the moment living in a sort of in-between-phase that the theologian Oscar Cullman defines as
an already/not yet time: Christ has already established full victory, but it is not completely
here yet. As Paul writes in Romans 8:19-21: For the creation waits with eager longing for
the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but
because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its
bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Creation
is looking forward to its complete liberation of sin. This is where we live now.
We now know what God wants for the whole of creation; that is that it lives at peace with
him and with itself. We also know that God wants humanity to play an active role in that; we
are supposed to be a blessing for the rest of creation. This then should become two major
questions in our quest for finding out about Gods plan for our lives.
First, do I know where I am going? Do I know that I am headed towards a Kingdom where
everything and everyone is reconciled with God? Do I know the bigger plan of God for this
world? If you do, get to know it better; because the better you know it, the easier it will be to
find your way there. If you dont, this evening that has changed, so get to know it better.
Read the Bible. Understand the big picture. Pray. Talk to other people who know it better.
Second, is my path headed in that direction? Is what I am doing headed towards the peace
with God? Is it headed towards that reconciliation? Are my job, my studies, my finances, my
hobbies and my interests contributing to reconciling creation, other humans and/or myself
with God? Is my life evident of a servitude towards creation, other humans and God? If the
answer is yes, then you are headed in the right direction. Seeing Gods peace in traveling
with him is as seeing Table Mountain while going to Cape Town. As long as you are headed
in that direction, you are on the good way.
Some of us will get a specific calling from God. They will be called to go one specific route
to that peace. That however will be a small group, maybe none of us will have that specific
calling. Most of us will get the freedom; you have to get to this goal, but I dont really mind
which way you are going, as long as you are headed in the right direction. So should you
study psychology or engineering? What is the option that is most at peace with how God
made you? With your abilities? With your passions? Maybe it is both. And probably God lets
you choose; because in both studies you will be able to be an active agent of his peace by
being a blessing to creation and to other humans. Should you go to Madagascar or stay in the
Western Cape? Probably God lets you choose because at both places you can be an active

agent for his peace. Should you enjoy soccer or knitting in your spare time? Probably God
lets you choose because in both cases you are enjoying human creativity and making peace
with that creativity God put in us. Should I date this girl or this girl? If both of them will help
you as a couple to work for Gods peace than you would by yourself, then probably God lets
you choose.
The better I know Cape Town, the less I need Diane to tell me for every little step how to go.
The more I know God and the more I know his big plan, the less insecure I have to be about
the little steps in my life. If I am headed towards Gods bigger purpose, I am on the right
way. When Jonah decided to go off track, God made it very clear that he wasnt doing the
right thing. We all believe that God has given us both the Bible and the holy Spirit, to lead us.
Most Christians are craving to hear Gods voice for every little step along the way, but they
do not accept that God is constantly speaking through his Word, by depicting where we are
going. And in case that is not enough, the Spirit is there to help us along the way. I am not
worried about Gods plan in my life. I know where I am supposed to go: God has revealed
that to us throughout the whole of history. I am confident that the holy Spirit will show me if
I am not headed in that direction. History shows that God eventually intervenes if people or
nations head in the wrong direction.
Do not get me wrong for this very important plan of peace: God still does not depend on us to
achieve his plan. He does not need us. But he chooses to use us. It was his plan and it
continues to be his plan. When we engage with the world around us as active agents for
peace, it is not to boast of ourselves. It is not because we are so great. It is because of the fact
that this is what God wanted and that we want to live up to his purpose in our lives.