Genesis 1

MESSAGE:

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

Level 1:  Birth

When we, life, started to exist, everything seems to be broad. In one’s life, this can last during their childhood or some never really advanced to this level. This is the part of one’s life when a goal or a future is never really clear. As for a child, for example, they just keep on living in their present lives. Like, today they’ll play and tomorrow they will go to school and the next day they will be having a test, with all this in mind, they wouldn’t think of getting married, or having a profession. Point is, though they are living their life, to them, in a very meaningful extent, life is still pointless. Thing is, most people now are in this stage. Maturity does not mean getting insurance, or passing the board exam, or even getting into marriage. Life’s meaning, as described by our Christian faith is way more than that.

³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Level 2:  Acceptance

Going further in the book of Genesis, we learned that Adam and Eve gained enough knowledge to realize they were naked after they have been tempted. That is also an illustration of what chapter one makes. Everyone goes through this stage. When we were children, we are curious about almost everything. About where we came from, about how we were made, stuff like that. same thing goes through our spiritual lives. There will come a time when we start asking ourselves about life after death, if heaven and hell was really, about who Jesus Christ really was. This can be a very tricky level because the human brain can be very complex that we can be deceived by our own perceptions. It may come to a point where an unbeliever might ask, if God wanted people to believe in Him, why wouldn’t He just magically change people’s minds? Answer: He is way too generous to do that. he freely gave us free will that we can believe what we want to believe. God created light. Many times in our life, God always shows us that light, that opportunity to actually know Him, the Truth. But many people refuse the light. But hey! The whole earth embraced the light, why wouldn’t you?

⁶ And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.”

Level 3:  Salvation

After passing through level 2, salvation should be the product. Accepting the light would mean knowing the fact that you are separated from God because of sin which is illustrated by the sky. Looking up, we can imagine how far till we reach the sky as we are on the ground. But we should take in heart that prayer takes us closer to Him. Those who still think that God hide beyond the sky or space lack faith. But for us Christian, we know by heart that though waters above and under has been separated, our hearts are closer to Him when we pray.

²⁴ And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 

Level 4: Multiplication

There is a fact that many Christians nowadays are stuck at level 3. They enjoy the blessings of being a believer. They live their lives in the promise the Lord has bestowed upon us BUT many lack conviction. They have accomplished LOVING GOD but many forget the other command, that is, LOVING PEOPLE. Why do missionaries exist? Why are there a lot of churches abroad spending lots of expenses just to go around the globe to preach the gospel? It is because of the hope of multiplication. Our Christian living must not end in blessing ourselves, our families our friends but also blessing other people as well. Salvation was not brought for His people for only those who know it. It is for everyone. And as Christians we must be disciples as well. We don’t keep the Truth for ourselves but for the World to know.

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,^[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

Level 5:  Discipleship

Every believer is a leader. It is clear that this is our destiny. We lead people to God. We lead people to faith. And we lead people to lead other people as well.

In the end, God has created us in His own image. That doesn’t only mean physically but also reflects godliness that every believers, leaders, disciples must have.

COMMAND:  ²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule overthe fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

PROMISE:  ²⁹ Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. ³⁰ And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.