The study of ‘Church History’ is not usually a big crowd pleaser. That’s unless you are either a bit of a history geek or if the lecturer is our friend Trevor Galpin. On a number of occasions, we have had the privilege of hearing Trevor present an overview of 2000 years of church history. Over the course of two weeks, he would touch on dozens of historical individuals and movements that have revived, revealed, restored and advanced the Gospel. Each time, his passion for the inheritance we have received from those who have gone before us has been inspirational and life-changing.

Trevor brings his 2000-year overview to a close by handing out to the 60 or 70 folks present, the individual names and birth-dates of many of the heroes studied. He invited each of us to represent one of those historical forerunners of our faith. Those names and birth-dates ran from Jesus until the present day, including inspirational heroes such as Mary Magdalene, John the Apostle, Polycarp, Tertullian, Martin Luther, John Calvin, William Seymour, Corrie ten Boom, Billy Graham, Reinhard Bonnke; all the way to contemporary figures such as Loren Cunningham, and Fatherheart Ministries’ own Jack & Dorothy Winter and James & Denise Jordan.

On each occasion, as we then stood together in a large circle around the walls of a gymnasium, we arranged ourselves into chronological order according to the specific birth-date of the ‘hero’ we were representing. Once in chronological order, one after another we each stated our name, our date of birth and said one or two sentences summarising our unique historical contribution to the body of Christ. For example; “I am Polycarp, born AD67, a disciple of John the apostle, bishop of Smyrna, burned at the stake for my faith by the Romans” or, “I am Martin Luther, born 1483, battling enormous resistance, I participated in restoring to the church the truth that salvation is by faith alone in Jesus Christ…”

With the backdrop of the previous two weeks’ teaching, it was deeply moving to hear, one after another, the names and legacies of so many of the forerunners of our faith. With our hearts, we could see historically the shoulders of those forerunners upon whom we stand. We could touch their corporate impact, their journey, their commitment and their sacrifices. It was as though each of those named were standing with us in the gymnasium, a cloud of witnesses challenging us to enter fully into our destiny.

Trevor then took up that call, saying something like; “As we stand before God and before this 2000-year cloud of witnesses that have gone before us, will you step forward into the middle of the gym, and in humility, symbolically take your place among them? Will you step into that which Father has for you within his Divine adventure, within our unfolding story?”

On each occasion, a powerful time of ministry followed. Nobody needed to pray for anybody else, it simply unfolded there in the gymnasium as different ones stepped forward and Father responded to the willing hearts of his children–it was quiet, reflective, gentle, spiritual and deeply impacting. Even two hours later, some were still on the floor of the gym being ministered to by the Holy Spirit. It impacted me profoundly on each occasion.

It is very easy for us to have a very narrow view of the fruitfulness of our own lives, focusing on the impact of the individual rather than the corporate impact of our historical family. Fruitfulness matures and builds with each generation, like waves bearing down one after another on the beach as the tide rises. One can put a thousand to flight, but two can put 10 thousand to flight. Community is about multiplication not addition. It’s easy to forget those that have gone before us, paving and preparing a way for us to follow in their footsteps, building upon the foundations they have laid.

Our younger daughter Stephanie often remembers how she would thank and encourage her older sister for fighting for certain freedoms and liberties when they were growing up. She knew that ultimately she would benefit from those same hard-won freedoms. Hannah did all the leg-work and fought the battles with Nia and I–Stephanie simply enjoyed the spoils of Hannah’s hard-fought efforts. Because others have fought the battles, because others have travailed and prevailed, we then pass easily into the freedoms which they have possessed. Perhaps our one error is not realising that those freedoms we are entering into came to them at great personal cost.

One time, a dear friend of ours was preparing to preach on a new area of Biblical revelation he had received. One of the participants present at that event asked somewhat flippantly if that specific topic would be part of the week’s teaching. Our friend went back to his room and wept–that particular area of insight was the product of a life walked with God over decades and had come at great personal cost. For our friend, to see it reduced to simply one topic among many others was heart-breaking. Rich revelation comes at great cost and is not to be treated lightly.

Nia and I are part of a ministry where revelational ministry is our unique focus. It often amazes us to see how revelation can pass from heart to heart. That which may have taken years or even decades for us to enter into, can be caught by the next generation in a year, a month, a week, a day or even in a moment. There is an acceleration that takes place with revelation from one generation to the next. That which has been wrought over many years in the heart of one, can be seen in a moment by the open heart of another. Yet, sometimes the ease can undermine the preciousness of that which is being imparted and received, because it came to us with minimal cost. It’s only when we see the larger picture, when we partake in and imbibe the sacrifices of those that have gone before us,[1] that we come to treasure the immense value of their revelational insight and contributions. Truly, we stand on their shoulders in the benefit of that which they have sought, fought for and received.

Naturally, when we consider all of the forerunners that have gone before us, it all leads back to one person–to Jesus. He is the firstborn among a multitude of brothers and sisters. When we consider the path that Jesus has forged, it is completely unparalleled. All of the other forerunners of our faith, even those highlighted in the Law and Prophets, only enable us to enter into a small portion of the whole.[2] Jesus brings us into the fullness, into the entire, into the complete. Jesus has paved the way into the arms of our loving Father; his Father and our Father.[3]

In contrast to all other forerunners, we do not stand on the shoulders of Jesus – we stand in Jesus, in Christ![4] We stand in all of his fullness. All that he is, he imparts to us as gift. Paul writes;

“For all of you who were baptised into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”[5]

To be baptised into Christ, is to be raised in him; to be clothed with his life, status, experience and reality;

“For he [Father] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son whom he loves.”

The Kingdom is a kingdom of beloved sons and daughters. He loves us perfectly as he loves the One. There is no longer ‘Jew nor Greek’–your ethnic background is irrelevant. There is no longer ‘slave nor free’–your position in society is irrelevant; educated or uneducated, rich or poor, lower class or upper class. There is no longer ‘male nor female’–your gender is irrelevant. We have entered into a reality that completely transcends ethnicity, social status, education, wealth and gender. We are in Christ, we are one in Christ; positioned in the life of the beloved Firstborn Son.[6] In a moment, all that is true of him is imparted to us. We are all firstborns, saturated with his belovedness.

To be clothed with Christ is much, much, much, much… more than simply being clothed with his righteousness–that is only the very beginning. As wonderful as it is, to be clothed in his righteousness speaks of what he has saved us from, not what he has saved us for! He has saved us so that we might experience being loved by Father as he himself is being loved by Father. He has saved us to walk with our Father as his beloved sons and daughters as Jesus walks with him. This is what it is to enter fully into the kingdom of the Son whom he loves. The Christian life is the life of Christ, and he lives from that most intimate place in the very bosom of the Father. The manifest love of God for each one of us is our treasure hidden in a field.[7]

Jesus himself intercedes for his reality to be our reality;

“Father… I have made your name known to them and revealed your character and your very self, and I will continue to make you known, so that the love which you have bestowed upon me may be in them, experienced in their hearts, and that I myself may be in them.”[8]

Jesus’ invitation is for us to enter into all that he has done and into all that he is–it can happen in a moment, a minute, an hour, a week, a year and a lifetime. It will extend into eternity. Jesus has gone before us to show us the way home and to be our way home. All of the heroes and forerunners of our faith stand in his great achievement.

Jesus is our great Forerunner. He has run the race and paved the way before us. The finish line–ours in him–living right now in the arms of our loving Father.[9]

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[1] Romans 8:17

[2] Hebrews 1:1-3

[3] John 20:17

[4] Paul uses the term ‘in Christ’ 84x in his writings

[5] Galatians 3:27-28

[6] Romans 8:17

[7] Matthew 13:44

[8] John 17:25 & 26 Amplified

[9] John 14:6