I am no Theologian although one of my bucket list goals is to study Theology. I find the whole concept about God completely fascinating. That said I have no doubt at all that God exists.  It’s the knowing that does not call for evidence since that evidence is everywhere; I am the evidence of a God that is at work in people’s lives.  I therefore tackle the God Principle from a lay Christian perspective. Try and indulge me….

There is this concept of God that keeps playing in my mind.  I believe in the Trinity, God in three persons, as it is a foundation of my faith. I recently read a book as part of a Leadership program I attend; “Commotion at the Gate” by Moses Mukisa that made me reconnect with the truth that there is one God in three persons. If I summarise the book in my own words it decries the state of Christianity where after people get born again, their Christian experience kind of ends there.  There is no interest or curiosity to go any deeper and experience God.  It’s like the essence of Christianity was to get a ticket to heaven or rather to avoid hell at all costs.  Once this base is covered there is no motivation to do more – to live the commission – make disciples of men or to live the Lord’s Prayer – Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. The result is commotion at the gate. People are clamouring to get into the Kingdom and those that have entered are hanging around at the gate, while others are actively looking to get out, leading to commotion at the gate. Meanwhile vast spaces of the Kingdom are left unoccupied.

The commotion at the gate phenomenon could be somehow connected to the fact that God is in three persons (Trinity) i.e. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. The best way to summarise the Trinity is by looking at a short prayer that Christians have come to refer to as “The Grace” which reads:

May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Love of God and the Power of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever. Amen.

Let’s explore God the Father – He is the Father of humanity. Without Him we are not.  He is the Creator of the Universe and everything therein and most importantly, He is known for His love. As Christians we say, God is love. Not God loves but that He is Love.  This means Love and God are one and the same and can be interchanged.  Every time I love, I am being more like God and showing part of that nature to others. That popular Catholic statement – God is Love and that is His nature, Wow… is not a greeting.  It’s a statement of truth. Which brings me to another truth which is a game changer – God is not a Christian.  Believing in God therefore does not make one a Christian and neither does praying or worshiping.  All religions do the same and not all are Christians!

God loves everyone and the entirety of His creation.  When He created the earth and the animals, plants, water, man, etc.; He acknowledged that His creation was good. We all qualify for God’s love irrespective of the situations we are in, the conditions of our heart, all the wrongs we do. God’s love is unconditional and therefore is automatically accessible to all. Many of us appreciate that God exists and He loves us and we stop at that point – these are those that are hanging around the gate, not sure if to enter or not.  They contribute a lot to the commotion at the gate. At times they try to peep through the gate by attending a crusade or a Church service but are non-committal.

What about Jesus? Do you know there are many people who acknowledge God but do not recognize Jesus as the Son of God? Many people experience the love of God and believe that it all ends there. Maybe it does…..and maybe not. I belong to the group that has trusted that there is more to God than just His love.  There is a Kingdom to possess and we are representatives of that Kingdom here on earth.  When you join this club, you take the next step.  You accept the Grace of Jesus Christ which is demonstrated by His selfless sacrifice – Mercy. He died on the Cross so I can have eternal life.  He became poor so I can become rich. He called His Father God on the Cross (which He had not done all along during His ministry), so I can gain the right to call God my Father (Daddy). He suffered the punishment for sin so I can enjoy the freedom of being forgiven.  He was briefly separated from God so I could be reconciled with Him. He made the ultimate Divine Exchange for my sake.  For your sake!

Acknowledging that there is more to God than God the Father means receiving Jesus as a personal saviour. To inwardly acknowledge that there is no way of wiping away the sinful nature I have other than turning it over to Jesus to do the inner work and make me a better person.  This is the point when one becomes a Christian – a Christ follower.  Before then, there was just an acknowledgement that God is.  The second Person in the Trinity then comes to life.  At this point, I enter the door.  I am no longer peeping through the key-hole at the gate from the outside. I have acquired an entry pass to experience life in the Kingdom.

Then the Holy Spirit – third Person in the Trinity.  Here is where the muddling begins. Remember “the Grace” prayer? We say the Power of the Holy Spirit, right? So all those who say “the Grace” acknowledge that the Power comes through the Holy Spirit, not God, not Jesus. Are we together?  The power to be transformed; the power to get revelation from scripture; the power to impact other lives; the power to actualise the commission – make disciples of men; and many other things.  Many Christians tend to end the relationship with God at the second Person, Jesus, and never really explore what the Holy Spirit brings into the equation. What this means is that after entering the door there is no movement to explore the Kingdom any further. This also contributes greatly to the commotion at the gate. Christians who believe they have “purchased” an evacuation ticket to Heaven and forget that their mandate is to bring the Kingdom to the earth tend to hang around the gate.

God the Father = Love, God the Son = Grace, God the Holy Spirit = Power. Is your relationship with the Trinity partial? Is that a question you are willing to pursue? Let’s have a conversation.