PRESENT.
The verb version is a great biblical and spiritual and challenging word.
We first see it all over Leviticus and Numbers. People PRESENTing literal sacrifices to God in worship. Of course, just about everyone back then sacrificed something — literally — to their particular god-idea. The “image of God” in people shines here — it’s in our DNA to worship, and we somehow know worship is sacrifice.
This is the picture Paul wanted us to get when he brought Romans to a climax: “…PRESENT your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God…” (12:1). Earlier in Romans, he told us we have two options: Either “PRESENT” yourselves “as slaves to impurity and lawlessness” or “PRESENT” yourselves “as slaves of righteousness” (see 6:19).
The first option is the old way of life — before Christ. The second is the new life Jesus invites us to live as disciples. The first results in more “lawlessness” (and all kinds of bad stuff). The second results in “sanctification” (and all kinds of good stuff).
GRATEFULLY PRESENTING
So maybe if worship was really tangible, like taking the family cat or dog to church and killing it, we would have a more visual and emotional sense of what it means to PRESENT something to God. But the PRESENTing God wants is a daily — even moment-by-moment at times — choice. The choice to offer our lives to Him. It’s choosing our words carefully, doing our work excellently, loving people patiently. It’s choosing not to eat “just one more.” It’s choosing to get out of bed and get to work on time. It’s choosing to go to bed when you’d rather binge “The Office.” In other words, it’s a thousand choices per day in order to live a life that shouts to God: “THANK YOU!”
Gratitude is the basis of the spiritual life. “PRESENTing” is not the kind of sacrifice designed to appease God’s wrath! Jesus already did that. In fact, He is the ultimate “PRESENTer”! He “gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma” (Ephesians 5:2). The reason we too should “walk in love” — is because Jesus already made the perfect sacrifice for us. This is why Paul explained the gospel so thoroughly in Romans 1-11, and when he got to chapter 12, he wrote, “Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to PRESENT your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.” Why “PRESENT”? “The mercies of God”!
MINISTRY PRESENTING
But there are at least two more types of “PRESENTing.” One is found in Colossians 1:28 where Paul explains what he was trying to accomplish in ministry: “We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may PRESENT every man complete in Christ.” Not only is the spiritual life about PRESENTing ourselves, it’s also about “PRESENTing” others — those we serve. And not just feeding the hungry and housing the homeless. This is about PRESENTing every person (yes, it’s the generic “mankind” word) “complete in Christ” — well-established in the faith, not easily deceived, spiritually-minded, peaceful, worshipful, hard-working, wise, alert, prayerful, missional, etc. Read the context — the rest of Colossians teaches what it means to be “complete in Christ”:
- 2:6-8: “Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ.”
- 3:1-2: “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.”
- 3:15-17: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”
- 4:2-6: “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak. Conduct yourselves with wisdom toward outsiders, making the most of the opportunity. Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”
Have you ever thought about ministry in this way? Part of PRESENTing our bodies as living sacrifices to God is to sacrifice ourselves in ministry so much that someday you can stand before God and PRESENT others — your family, friends, neighbors — “complete in Christ.” Paul taught that “faithful” believers will continue the work he was doing in and through churches (2 Timothy 2:2). All of us should be “laboring” and “striving” in this work (Colossians 1:29). We should be doing whatever we can to help other people come to know Christ and grow to maturity in Christ.
If that’s true, what does this PRESENTing look like exactly? Ministry. To participate in the work Jesus is doing in this age — building His Church — we actually PRESENT ourselves to God! He sees right now. Our lives are a PRESENTation of our work in this age. But perhaps there will also be a day in the future — in heaven — when we will be asked to PRESENT what we did with our time on Planet Earth. What will God be asking for? People! Who are the people to whom we ministered? Or perhaps God will ask those who were impacted by our ministry to stand and testify. In that moment, it will be too late to do ministry. Now is the time to prepare to PRESENT.
ULTIMATE PRESENTING
But, I said “two more.” And it’s closely related to the other kinds of PRESENTing. One of the reasons Jesus made His offering — dying on a cross — for us was “in order to PRESENT you before Him (the Father and Himself) holy and blameless and beyond reproach…” (Colossians 1:22). Do you see? The day is coming when we will be “PRESENTed” to God by Jesus. Think of it! Imagine this moment. But, this is not about being saved. Not all Christians will be PRESENTed to God in this way. This is conditional — a reward for steadfastness. Look at the verse that follows this stunning promise:
“…if indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister” (Colossians 1:23).
Joseph Dillow calls this “the famous ‘if’ clause.” In Reign of the Servant Kings, he wrote,
“The famous ‘if’ clause of Col. 1:23 does not cast doubt upon our ultimate arrival in heaven but upon our arriving there mature and pure. When Christ says He will deny the believer who denies Him, He does not mean that that believer will be denied entrance into heaven. He means he will be denied the opportunity of reign with Christ in the kingdom” (p.430).
Getting into heaven isn’t based on our steadfastness, but being “PRESENTed” and celebrated and rewarded by God is. Many — like Dillow and myself — believe it means we will be rewarded with the privilege of reigning with Christ in His Millennial Kingdom. Regardless of the enormity and specificity of the reward, just trust the Scriptures: You want this! You want to be PRESENTed to God by Jesus. This is your “Well done, good and faithful servant!” moment. Don’t miss it by wasting your time on a life that is unPRESENTable. Be ready. “…Continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel…”
PRESENT.
It’s a great biblical and spiritual and challenging word. To be clear, it’s about Jesus. It’s about a life centered on Him. It’s about a life focused on and inspired by and motivated by His love. It’s about a life “overflowing with gratitude” for His sacrifice. It’s about a life sacrificed for the purpose of making sure others come to know Him and find true “completeness” in Him. It’s about a life of steadfastness fueled by the hope that God will not just let us into heaven, but also celebrate how we responded to the invitation to PRESENT.
