Hello to you this week

“Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honour at God’s right hand.

Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth.

For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.

And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.”                                                                                                                                                        Col 3:1-4 NLT

We have been given God’s Spirit, which makes Christ “real” in our lives.

We can now actually “share in His divine nature”

“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvellous glory and excellence. And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires.”                                                                                              2 Peter 1:3-4 NLT

In the face of so great a truth how do we live?

We’ve been touched from on high by the fires of the Almighty.

We can share in the divine life, a life that has passed through death

– the very resurrection life of the Son of God himself.

How can that not move us deeply?

Jesus living in us, is the gateway to life and joy.

“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”                                                                                       Gal 2:20 NLT

“For,

          “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts?

          Who knows enough to teach him?”

But we understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.”                             1 Cor 2:16 NLT

We can stand with Paul – Christ lives in me

and we aspire with him to – have the mind of Christ.

Our life is Christ Jesus.

“In Him we live,

                   breathe

                   and have our being.”                                                Acts 17:28 NLT

What is Jesus doing

                                      through me?

                                      through us?

Following Jesus means to “trust and obey” as the hymn goes.

But faith and obedience to Christ isn’t self-effort.

It is responding to God’s will and living by His indwelling life through the power of the Spirit.

To be a follower of Jesus means more than

                   admiring His courage and

                   gleaning lessons from His teachings.

A loving, living relationship with Jesus begins on God’s terms.

It begins with the cross, or more precisely a “dying with Jesus”.

It begins with a “death” to all those parts of us that are dampening and hampering the Spirit’s work and preventing us from being “liberated from the controlling powers of the world”, the destructive, de-humanising, controlling forces, like addictions, self-ism, consumerism, hedonism, and others.

Jesus wants to share His resurrection life with each of us.

“Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words.”                                     2 Cor 9:15 NLT

Christ, the Indescribable Gift want to live in and through us.

We are called to manifest Jesus presence.

Each one of us is called to make visible Jesus presence to those around us.

“My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Gal 2:20

As Paul put it,

“I no longer live, but Christ lives in me”.

Does Christ live here?

It should be said of each one of us…

“In [inset your name], something of Christ lives.

This Jesus story continues in [   ] live.”

So for me it would read:

                    “In Jacquey, something of Christ lives.

                   This Jesus story continues in her life.”

Write it out for yourself, placing your name in the statement.

Christ wants to be born in you and live in and through you.

We are to give up control and ownership of ourselves

          and share life with the Word made flesh,

                    the very image of the invisible God.                                   Col 1:15

Christ wants to be conceived anew

          in your heart,

          in your hopes,

          in your community,

          in our community.

“Jesus Christ is the author and perfector of our faith.”                            Heb 12:2

For Him to be conceived anew in you,

          you must enter into a

                                       faith-filled,

                                      dynamic,

                                      life-giving,

                                      relationship

                                                        with Him through the Spirit of God

                                                                         so that

                                                                                      He radiates in all you do.

Let’s pray:

Jesus, be born again in me today, be born in my heart, in my dreams and through me in our community.

Fill me with Your radiant love and with your radiating power.

Enable me to take my place in radiating Your love to those I meet today and this week.

Amen.

Based on "Jesus Manifesto" by Frank Viola and Leonard Sweet

This weeks YouTube link with songs for worship is available here :

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHnJn7EgQjAwFAtn12O5KHJ7sYKcFJqWv