Super Saiyan in the Temple

I am bracing myself for some retaliation after making this comment and I ask for your forgiveness, but I have not watched Dragon Ball.... Don't worry, I expect that there will be torches and pitch forks assembling by my home sometime either today or tomorrow depending how far you are from Belleville. Something that most people are aware of in Dragon Ball is the immense power that their characters have (particularly the main character Goku).  Within nerd culture, there is a phrase that comes up from time to time "Oh...they're going Super Saiyan!" when someone is going at something really hard, almost without limits.  When people go "Saiyan" or "Super Saiyan" they glow with what looks like fire around them which is actually their spiritual energy.  This became such a popular image within anime that other shows adapted it for their use (Bleach being one of my favourite examples with Ichigo). While watching these Super Saiyan moments, it's hard not to want to be awestruck.  It's just so incredible that you get blown away at the immense display of power.  How could you not want to be something like that, let alone watch it?

Going Super Saiyan brought up some images for me as I thought more on it.  The first stopping point is in Exodus 40:34-38, where God's presence fills the Tabernacle with a cloud that was very thick and the cloud would stay on this structure; it also would become a pillar of fire in the night (picture that immense power!) Then we hop over to 2 Chronicles 5:14 and 7:1-2 where God's presence invades the temple in cloud and fire from heaven engulfs the altar for the sacrifice to God.  People were so blown away that they immediately started bowing and worshipping God; and who wouldn't after seeing that. Right there the tabernacle and temple went Super Saiyan because of God's presence. Jesus went Super Saiyan on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-6) shining hardcore and having a cloud that even credited that he is an important person to listen to. I mean, that makes sense though as Jesus is the GOAT of the Bible right! It doesn't stop there though. In Acts 2:2-4, the disciples have an intense spirit power moment that looked similar to our example of Exodus with a flame resting over top of them when they were given the Holy Spirit.  This spirit power or Super Saiyan state was not meant just for them, it is meant for anyone who follows Jesus.  Just look here in 1 Corinthians 6:19 "Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself," When you follow Jesus, you are given the Holy Spirit which essentially makes you a Super Saiyan of intense spiritual pressure.  But with this immense power that is put in you/given to you, there is great responsibility to rep Father God/Jesus/Holy Spirit as you are the space that this Spirit now lives in!

How can you remember that as a follower of Jesus you are actually a Super Saiyan? How are you going Super Saiyan? How are you leaning on the power of the Holy Spirit that is in you and listening for His guidance?  How are you standing out in a way that allows others to see the Holy Spirit in you and your life?

Comments

Post a Comment

Like this? You might also like these other Between the Panels posts

Superman: House of Elpizo - By PLo

Image
Hey guys! PLo here, and I want to chat a bit about not a bird or plane, but Superman . I will be honest and say that for years I thought Superman was lame. He had all these powers and only one weakness and I just didn’t feel like I could relate to the character. And then came Henry Cavill. I remember the first time I watched Man of Steel . I was instantly sold on the character. Henry played not just Superman, but Clark Kent. And he brought a human side to the character that I had never seen before. I could relate to him, knowing he’s not of this world, but has been sent here for a time and is tasked with making this world a better place with the amazing abilities he has been given. But we aren’t going to be talking about the obvious “not of this world” angle today. No, we’re gonna talk about his name . Throughout the scriptures, time and time again, we see how important names are to God and just how thoughtful He is in how He names His people. He had Sarah name her first born Isaac, wh
Read more

Ich bin euer schild!

Image
What's not to love about a character like Reinhardt (Overwatch tank hero)? He is a giant, older man who dives into the fray to protect his team in the middle of the fight.  This epic, German hero not only has a ginormous rocket hammer and massive armour, but also sports an immensely huge energy shield.  An energy shield that acts as both protection and a mobile fortress for the team to advance their ground.  However, this all pails in comparison to the enthusiastic battle cry from this mythically large brute, "Ich bin euer schild!" Translated from German to English (varified by our own German International Staff) "I am your shield!" As a player in the game I have seen this shield in action and it definitely offers a sense of peace as well as a drive to advance forward in competitive game play. I know in my life I have been in what feels like a battlefield.  A battlefield in my mind of what I think of myself or the worry of what others think about me.  The battle
Read more

What kind of Lantern are you?

Image
What kind of lantern are you ? Kind of a weird question to ponder on isn't it. You might respond back with "Well what's the purpose of the lantern? What do you mean by using the word 'lantern'?" These are valid responses/questions to bring up, but I pose this question in processing what Jesus says in Matthew 5:14-16 , " You are the light of the world - like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house . In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father." Not going to lie, this makes me think of Kilowag (a Green Lantern member and mentor), teaching Hal Jordan on how to be a GL ( Green Lantern ) and how to use his ring. Hal joined something that he had no idea what he was doing: how do you fight with light? Jesus is doing the same thing.  In other parts of
Read more