Extravagant – When Worship Becomes LifestyleSample

A New Normal: When We Move from Information to Revelation

Information informs but revelation transforms!

That evening Simon saw Jesus as a Rabbi, an opponent, and perhaps a curiosity. The woman, however, saw Jesus as her Savior, the One who had forgiven her past, transformed her present and created a brand new future. How each person saw Jesus determined how they responded to Him.

Information is a good thing because it informs us and if we’re wise it will push us in the right direction. But I’ve come to the conclusion that revelation is a better thing, because it transforms us, causing us to do by default what we may only have done before by instruction.

When it comes to the world of faith and worship, this is a trap we can easily fall into. We settle for information, rather than pursuing revelation. We find out stuff about Jesus, rather than encountering Him personally. With information, we know what we are supposed to do, but with revelation we know what to do and just do it! If information alone rules our lives, everything we do for God will have that “have to” element. Revelation transforms our actions into “want to” expressions of love.

I’ve discovered that adoration follows appreciation. The definition of “appreciate” is to “recognize fully the worth of something.” It’s not just a matter of information, it’s revelation. When we suddenly “get” something for ourselves, something changes within us. Not only that, but the value of that thing or person we appreciate changes too. It has been said that worship follows wonder. We can’t worship off the back of someone else’s wonder – we have to be consumed with wonder ourselves in order to worship God with meaning and extravagance.

We’ll never cross the line until we see it for ourselves. I am thankful for the information of others, but when it comes to a lifestyle of extravagance, there is no substitute for seeing it with our own eyes. We’ll never adore until we appreciate. Like the woman, we need to see Jesus for who He is, for ourselves!

Like Paul, let’s pray that the Father will give us the “spirit of wisdom and revelation” so that we may know Him better. Knowing about Him will move us, but knowing Him will transform us. If we see by Him by revelation as He is, then extravagance will become our new normal!