When I'm weak, You make me strong
When I'm blind, You shine Your light on me
'Cause I'll never get by, living on my own ability
How refreshing to know You don't need me
How amazing to find that You want me
So I'll stand on Your Truth, and I'll fight with Your Strength
Until You bring the victory, by the power of Christ in me
The Power of Christ In Me
Lyrics to the chorus of "In Me" by Casting Crowns
In studying the writings of Paul the apostle, I've come across an interesting phrase that he uses a few times. It's something that I've read before but I didn't pay much attention to the exact phraseology and meaning he was trying to impart. "Christ in you", Is what he wrote, and I wondered what exactly did he mean by it, and how does it differ or compare with other phrases he uses, such as, "In Christ" and "with Christ".
In the King James Version of the Bible, the New Testament includes seventy-six scripture references of the phrase "In Christ" and many more with expressions similar such as "Christ in you". We tend to read over it as if it means "with Christ" or as just meaning a "believer in Christ", but a study of this phrase reveals that Paul as well as the apostle John clearly express the idea that Jesus, the living Christ, lives on in the believer, His love, His desires, His authority and His power are available to each and every believer, even today.
I've recently been reading a book (that I would also recommend to other believers), entitled;
JESUS MANIFESTO - (Restoring The Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ) by authors: Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola. In one particular chapter they wrote briefly about a topic that has been much on my mind and heart lately, that Christ lives in me and you!
I want to share some of my thoughts as well as some short excerpts from the book (**) to help make my point. I hope I don't come across too harsh or judgmental but I believe we (the church), which includes myself, need to refocus or better yet we need to know personally the power of Christ that is in us, and available to us, in order to fulfill our calling. This is what's needed today if we are going to reach the lost for Christ.
Christ In You!
The apostle Paul writes this to the church at Colossae:
"Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, that I might fully carry out the preaching of the Word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations; but has now been made manifest to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" Col. 1:25-27
**The mystery of God is this...
The One who is the visible image of the invisible God...
The One who is the power of glory and might...
The One who nailed to His bloody cross evey law, every rule, and every regulation that would condemn the beloved people of God...
Christ,... has chosen to place all of His fullness, Inside of you!
Fellow Christians, has this biblical truth really penetrated your heart yet? That the creator of the universe, Jesus Christ, actually lives in you? What that means is this, In order to have the power of God at work in your life daily you must be a pure vessel. So, no habitual sin in your life will be tolerated by an indwelling Christ; Jesus came into this world to save mankind from sin, and His Spirit cannot and will not stay where sin is allowed and practiced, without regard for His holiness. Are you lacking the power of God in your life? Are there areas of sin that you refuse to deal with? Have you taken your eyes off the source?
As the Father was pleased to dwell in the Son, so Jesus Christ is pleased to dwell in you. All the riches of the glory of the heavens have been placed inside of you.
That is the mystery of the ages, the hope of glory!
**The Colossian church had become distracted from Jesus... The church had in effect dethroned Him... They were no longer living under His sovereignty, and they had lost touch with His supremacy... The Christ that the Colossians knew was simply too small. That was why they became susceptible to chasing other things - including religious things.
Upon reading this book I can't help but compare the church of Colossae in Paul's day with the church in America today, and I see many parallels here.
I see the church today has also become distracted by world events, politics, and the economy. Distracted by church building programs, self-help seminars, and Christian entertainment. So much so that it appears that Christ has lost His rightful place in our worship services and in our preaching and teaching. He no longer is the central theme or focus, much of the time we are. We are concerned first with our own joy, our own emotional needs being met, our own prayers being answered, instead of Jesus' name be exalted, worshiped and glorified.
**To have the mind of Christ does not mean merely to posses the knowledge of Christ, or the intellectual comprehension of Him, but instead, the relational knowing of Him.
A great many people in "the church" miss this fact. they miss the power of Christ in their lives by about fourteen inches, the distance between their head and their heart. They have much head knowledge of Jesus from many church services and bible studies, but have not the heart knowledge, yet. What I mean by this is; they believe that there is a God, they believe that Jesus was the Son of God, they believe they are saved (and they are), but not enough to have it change their lives completely and radically. We still hold on to areas of sin, hidden compartments of it in our hearts. We haven't fully let go of the world we live in, so we struggle with the flesh under our own strength and power instead of His.
Jesus desires a pure unblemished bride. He wants a sanctified army of men and women that He can use to make a radical difference in this world before He returns. And, He doesn't expect us to do it alone, under our own power and strength. He doesn't expect it because He knows that it's not possible. Only by the "power of Christ in me" can I even hope to succeed.
If this word, which I believe is from the Lord, is just for me, then fine, it's just for me. But, I believe that it is so much more then that, I believe it is a call, a beckoning to the children of God to begin to get it right. God wants to fill us with His mighty power. He wants us to be able to live that power daily. And He has made a way for that power to be available to you and to me and that is "Christ in you, the hope of glory."
God Bless and Press On
Larry
How amazing to find that You want me
So I'll stand on Your Truth, and I'll fight with Your Strength
Until You bring the victory, by the power of Christ in me
The Power of Christ In Me
Lyrics to the chorus of "In Me" by Casting Crowns
In studying the writings of Paul the apostle, I've come across an interesting phrase that he uses a few times. It's something that I've read before but I didn't pay much attention to the exact phraseology and meaning he was trying to impart. "Christ in you", Is what he wrote, and I wondered what exactly did he mean by it, and how does it differ or compare with other phrases he uses, such as, "In Christ" and "with Christ".
In the King James Version of the Bible, the New Testament includes seventy-six scripture references of the phrase "In Christ" and many more with expressions similar such as "Christ in you". We tend to read over it as if it means "with Christ" or as just meaning a "believer in Christ", but a study of this phrase reveals that Paul as well as the apostle John clearly express the idea that Jesus, the living Christ, lives on in the believer, His love, His desires, His authority and His power are available to each and every believer, even today.
I've recently been reading a book (that I would also recommend to other believers), entitled;
JESUS MANIFESTO - (Restoring The Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ) by authors: Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola. In one particular chapter they wrote briefly about a topic that has been much on my mind and heart lately, that Christ lives in me and you!
I want to share some of my thoughts as well as some short excerpts from the book (**) to help make my point. I hope I don't come across too harsh or judgmental but I believe we (the church), which includes myself, need to refocus or better yet we need to know personally the power of Christ that is in us, and available to us, in order to fulfill our calling. This is what's needed today if we are going to reach the lost for Christ.
Christ In You!
The apostle Paul writes this to the church at Colossae:
"Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, that I might fully carry out the preaching of the Word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations; but has now been made manifest to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" Col. 1:25-27
**The mystery of God is this...
The One who is the visible image of the invisible God...
The One who is the power of glory and might...
The One who nailed to His bloody cross evey law, every rule, and every regulation that would condemn the beloved people of God...
Christ,... has chosen to place all of His fullness, Inside of you!
Fellow Christians, has this biblical truth really penetrated your heart yet? That the creator of the universe, Jesus Christ, actually lives in you? What that means is this, In order to have the power of God at work in your life daily you must be a pure vessel. So, no habitual sin in your life will be tolerated by an indwelling Christ; Jesus came into this world to save mankind from sin, and His Spirit cannot and will not stay where sin is allowed and practiced, without regard for His holiness. Are you lacking the power of God in your life? Are there areas of sin that you refuse to deal with? Have you taken your eyes off the source?
As the Father was pleased to dwell in the Son, so Jesus Christ is pleased to dwell in you. All the riches of the glory of the heavens have been placed inside of you.
That is the mystery of the ages, the hope of glory!
**The Colossian church had become distracted from Jesus... The church had in effect dethroned Him... They were no longer living under His sovereignty, and they had lost touch with His supremacy... The Christ that the Colossians knew was simply too small. That was why they became susceptible to chasing other things - including religious things.
Upon reading this book I can't help but compare the church of Colossae in Paul's day with the church in America today, and I see many parallels here.
I see the church today has also become distracted by world events, politics, and the economy. Distracted by church building programs, self-help seminars, and Christian entertainment. So much so that it appears that Christ has lost His rightful place in our worship services and in our preaching and teaching. He no longer is the central theme or focus, much of the time we are. We are concerned first with our own joy, our own emotional needs being met, our own prayers being answered, instead of Jesus' name be exalted, worshiped and glorified.
**To have the mind of Christ does not mean merely to posses the knowledge of Christ, or the intellectual comprehension of Him, but instead, the relational knowing of Him.
A great many people in "the church" miss this fact. they miss the power of Christ in their lives by about fourteen inches, the distance between their head and their heart. They have much head knowledge of Jesus from many church services and bible studies, but have not the heart knowledge, yet. What I mean by this is; they believe that there is a God, they believe that Jesus was the Son of God, they believe they are saved (and they are), but not enough to have it change their lives completely and radically. We still hold on to areas of sin, hidden compartments of it in our hearts. We haven't fully let go of the world we live in, so we struggle with the flesh under our own strength and power instead of His.
Jesus desires a pure unblemished bride. He wants a sanctified army of men and women that He can use to make a radical difference in this world before He returns. And, He doesn't expect us to do it alone, under our own power and strength. He doesn't expect it because He knows that it's not possible. Only by the "power of Christ in me" can I even hope to succeed.
If this word, which I believe is from the Lord, is just for me, then fine, it's just for me. But, I believe that it is so much more then that, I believe it is a call, a beckoning to the children of God to begin to get it right. God wants to fill us with His mighty power. He wants us to be able to live that power daily. And He has made a way for that power to be available to you and to me and that is "Christ in you, the hope of glory."
God Bless and Press On
Larry
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