Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.(Colossians 3:1 – 4)

There’s a place that God wants the Church to enter. It’s a place of His presence, of His throne room authority and splendour. This realm of God will be more revolutionary for the Church as the realm of the baptism, gifts and anointing of the Spirit  had been for those only knowing the baptism of John (Acts 19). The whole creation longs for the Church to come into this place of Christ’s manifest presence (Romans 8). Jesus gave us a simple prayer with which to petition the Father, and God’s fullest answer will usher us into the most wondrous place in Him: Your kingdom come, Your will be done in earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6).

In writing to the Colossians, Paul helps us to understand the pulling power of set affections. The things we set our hearts towards have a power to draw us ever deeper into their orbit. So with the Kingdom of God’s glory – set your heart upon it, yield to its pulling power, consider all else dead and of no attraction, and the Spirit of God will usher us in (2 Corinthians 3:18, 2 Peter 1:10 – 11).

In Matthew 25 Jesus told two parables that describe the Kingdom of God . . . parables use everyday situations to present spiritual truth. The first we know as the Parable of the Ten Virgins, the second we know as the Parable of the Talents. At issue in both these parables is the matter of “entrance”. There is an entry point, and there is also a description of conditions on both sides of that point.

In every culture, there is probably no greater day of happiness, celebration, feasting, love, excitement, of dreams realised, of glory in terms of our efforts for everything to be at its best and of honour . . . than a wedding day. And so Jesus uses this ‘picture’ to help us understand the complete joy and wonder that awaits those who ‘set their hearts on things above’. It also helps us understand the despair and desperation of the Christian who is not able to enter. It’s like turning up for a wedding to which you have been invited, and the door is shut on you, whilst your friends and family are in there having the time of their lives!

And so the realm of the glory of God to which the Lord beckons us has all the joyous elements of a wedding: the excitement of the appearing of the bridegroom (in the eastern custom); the happy interrelatedness of a family in unity; the sealing and consummation of a love relationship; the music, the feasting, the laughter that celebrates a day which has been in the making for a very long time.

In turning to the second parable, it is also common for us to regard among our most wonderful days, those of commendation and special reward from those we faithfully serve. Who doesn’t rush home to tell his loved ones of a promotion and significant pay rise? All the more so if we’re granted a position of responsibility and privilege beyond our wildest dreams.

Jesus uses this ‘picture’ to help us understand the complete joy and wonder that awaits those who ‘set their hearts on things above’. It also helps us understand the despair and desperation of the Christian who is not able to enter: just image, you had equal opportunity but were lazy! No wonder these Christians weep and gnash their teeth out of deep regret and sorrow.

And so the realm of the glory of God to which the Lord beckons us has all the joyous elements of a day of promotion, reward and special appointment: the excitement and anticipation of meeting with your master; for you know you’ve been faithful and fruitful with what he committed to you; the amazing joy and satisfaction of hearing his words of commendation, and learning of how he intends to reward you, then taking up your new position of authority and honour; and the happiness of sharing the benefits of this new place you had entered with your loved ones.

Dear friends, ever since I realised that these parables were not talking about sinners and saints and their two very differing eternal destinies, but were talking about two types of believers with two very different kingdom inheritances, I’ve been absolutely determined to enter. I’ve ‘set my heart on things above’.

You see having a lamp and having oil show us that all ten virgins  possessed the light of Christ, and the anointing of the Spirit in their lives; they are Spirit-filled believers. And the men who were given ‘talents’ were servants of the Master; they are believers who have been gifted by God in order to serve Him.

So let’s take a look at life on this side of the entry point, what do we learn from these parables.

Firstly we learn that right now we can have a life that’s filled with the oil of the Holy Spirit – not just a one-off “purchase” (that was the problem with the five who are called foolish, they didn’t keep buying in to a spirit-filled life – they must’ve got distracted and sidetracked).

Another thing I noticed here was that the five wise wouldn’t give away their oil to the 5 foolish. In other words, don’t be a ‘bleeding heart’ (i.e. someone who is excessively sympathetic toward those who claim to be exploited or underprivileged). You must ‘enter when the bridegroom comes’, don’t let a lazy husband, needy friend or relative stop you!

So life for the five wise virgins was full of the Holy Ghost! Right now, we can have a life that’s full of the Holy Ghost. Here’s how: (a) have an infilling every day (every day the priest had to trim the wick and replenish the oil in Tabernacle’s lampstand); (b) take every opportunity to be in the corporate anointing (i.e. when the body of Christ worships and functions in an open heaven).  Have a stubborn Sunday habit! Not of law, but out of choice “I going to buy oil”; and (c) associate with anointed people. (the anointing transfer - remember Saul’s messengers in Samuel’s presence?)

In the second parable we learn that right now we can have a life serving fruitfully with the gifts God has delegated to us. Of the three servants, no two were gifted the same, but the faithful were rewarded the same. The one talent servant  hid it in the ground, the other two brought it out into the open and put it to productive use.  Here’s how: (a) know that your gifts and abilities were given to you by God in order to grow His enterprise, and His enterprise is the Church, Jesus said I will build my church; (b) clearly identify what it is you have, and start to work with it for the sole benefit of the Master - don’t bury it, be profitable; and (d) serve in an area that needs no particular gifting, a menial, yet important task – this is a great test of servanthood as opposed to just doing what we enjoy, and it’s a genuine blessing to the church.

So life for the two profitable servants was full of the joy of fruitful service, and life for the five wise virgins was full of the Holy Ghost! I love it . . . this is the tough life of a person called to enter the fulness of Christ . . . a life full of the Holy Ghost and full of the joy of service.

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