The following is a guest blog by Exponential 2019 Speaker Brian Phipps. Brian, Rob Wegner, Todd Wilson and Derek Bell will be leading the Made for More: Mobilizing God’s People, God’s Way Pre-Conference in Orlando, one of 20 Pre-conference Equipping Labs at Exponential Orlando.
We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 NLT
Masterpiece is not a word many people would use to describe themselves. I certainly did not look into the mirror this morning and say “God, you outdid yourself with me!” God, however, says something remarkable about you. He says you are an incomprehensible masterpiece.
Check out what one of the poets in the Old Testament wrote;
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14 NIV
The psalmist is describing God’s intricate and unique manner in creating YOU. How special are you? Did you know that the word translated “wonderful” in this verse means “beyond comprehension?” It does! You see it again when the same root word is translated “too amazing” in Proverbs 30. These two verses paint a picture I hope you will never forget.
“There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a maiden.” Proverbs 30:18-19 NIV
In this passage there are four things that blow the poet’s mind. The first is an eagle in the sky. The question he is asking is, “how does a heavy bird float?” To put it in today’s perspective, it would be like watching an 800,000 pound jumbo jet fly. Science has helped us understand the physics behind it, but if you can put all that aside and look at it for what it is, it is incomprehensible that so much steel can float through the air and land without being destroyed. It is “too amazing” to grasp. It is incomprehensible.
God says the same thing about you.
The next two pictures are similar to the first. How does a snake move so quickly without legs? How does a ship (particularly a Nimitz Class Aircraft carrier that displaces 105,000 tons of water) float? It is incomprehensible.
God says the same thing about you.
You are an incomprehensible masterpiece. You have been created “just right” to accomplish the works God prepared for you to do.
“Do you believe what God says about you?”
– Brian Phipps
Brian is the founder of Disciples Made, a Not For Profit 501c3 Ministry that provides turn-key and custom disciple-making tools that integrate online and in person experiences. Brian coined the “Outcome Focused, Habit Fueled, and Content Flavored” language of the intentional disciple-making environment which provides increased spiritual effectiveness in traditional small group systems. Brian’s vision is to leverage the small group strategy to catalyze 50 Disciple-Making Movements in 50 Cities by 2040.
Brian served for nine years as the Next Steps pastor at Westside Family Church in Kansas City, KS. Brian is also experienced as a church planter and senior pastor. Brian received his BA in religion from the University of South Carolina, and a Masters of Divinity and M.A. in Counseling from Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. Brian and Carol were married in 1994 and have three children, Hannah, Sam, and Caleb.
