Representing Christ

Representing Christ

One of the greatest challenges that a Christian should have shouldn't be that of the needs of life but how to adequately represent the Name by which he is called...the name of Christ.

In the Old Testament, the nation Israel was representative of God. They were called by His name, they saw themselves as custodians of the oracles of God and prided themselves as the people of God...and there were consequences to not properly projecting that model.

Today, God has moved on from the shadowy things of the Old Testament to the realities in Christ.

We have moved on from the ordinances that were contrary to us and had them nailed to the cross of Christ.

Today, grace and truth had taken over from the laws that had no power to give life or bring justification before God. The filthy rag righteousness has given way to the righteousness that is in Christ. Man's works to secure divine pleasure have given way to the finished works of Christ on the Cross for our justification. The works done in the flesh motivated by fear and guilt has given up to the workings of the Holy Spirit from within the believer by which he brings forth the fruit of the recreated human spirit.

Instead of groping to discover the direction of the Spirit and the will of God, he is freely led by the Spirit of God as a son of God.... instead of consulting those who had the Spirit of God, the three fold ministry of the the Old Testament, he now has the Holy Spirit as a seal and a down-payment/receipt of the eternal redemption we have in Christ Jesus...

He names the name of Christ...

So having this precious promises and much more, he, the believer becomes the physical image of the unseen God. He becomes the representative of the godhead. He becomes the reflection of the Way, the Truth and the Light and from here those that'll know Christ need to consult with him...he is of the body of Christ, a vital member and part of the body of Jesus with all the authority, power and privileges of the Head from were all the joints receive nourishment.

He becomes the epistle read by all...he is the letter from Christ to the world in word and in deed.

He is the prototype to the product God intends to make out of the nations of the world. He is the gospel, the story of goodness and love God is telling the world...

He has no reason whatsoever to project something else aside Christ and conforming to the world is anathema to his calling as a representative of God and all God has done.

But we often misrepresent him! Even from the pulpit and in His name.

Yes, we are His image but not the express image and the degree of our conformation to His image depends so largely on how much the veil covering the eyes has been removed in beholding His image. 2Cor 3

We can't represent him beyond our knowledge of Him. We can't use our personal desires to color who He is. The scriptures are the primary vehicles into the knowledge of God. Our experiences didn't bring us Christ, it was the Word that brought us Christ. Without the Word our spiritual experiences and encounters would lead us into religions and spiritisms other than following Christ. The written Word is the guidepost that led us into Christ, the prophecies concerning Him in the OT and the practicalities of Him and His apostles after Him...in the New Testament scrolls.

When we deviate from the Scriptures and the spirit of wisdom and revelations in His knowledge we make it impossible for ourselves to adequately represent Him.

In so doing, we tend to substitute the scriptures and the authority therein with superstitions and mundane experiences smuggled in through the back door into the church of the living God, the ground and the pillar of the truth...when this happens we can't say we are representing God and His Christ.

When we leave the scriptures we err...and whatever mentality and lifestyle that comes out of it can't be called Christianity because it won't represent Christ as expected.

It is even more critical as ministers who have the ears of the people. To whom people believe would teach them who God is and how to project Him in daily living. When we project thoughts and ways in support of our own personal inclinations and lusts instead of His eternal characteristics and desires we make ourselves less responsible as ministers of the life of Christ.

When we tailor our teachings and preaching to suit self and our own cravings and make our own ambition the dictator of the color the gospel we preach then we represent ourselves and our bellies...and aren't fit to be called His ministers.

But His mercies cover and we have opportunities to go back to the Word and learn of Him, of His lowliness and meekness with a renewed passion to represent Him as equally as possible....

We should remember that projecting self is nothing more than projecting death...haven't we been crucified with Him already?

He that names the name of Christ shoulf depart from iniquity...in equity sounds like the case when what we project is inequal with what we are meant to project....when we do not represent Him as He is....in word and in deed! God's help be multiplied to us all... in Jesus name

Visit with us
Thursday 14th May

6:00pm

@

The Bible Class, TBC
83 Adeniyi Jones Avenue
Opposite Trevo office
Ikeja
Lagos

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www.evansademanuel.blogspot.com

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