How was Christ revealed to you?

"What do you mean by this question of how Jesus was revealed to me?" you might ask.

I am talking about the point in your life when Christ and his work became real for you. The time when it actually started having an effect on your attitude and character development. The time when you were born again.

The Apostle Paul was fortunate enough to have Christ revealed to him by Jesus himself, knocking him from his horse and speaking to him directly. This was definately a special case and is not to be considered typical for the average Christian. Paul's special ministry needed special revelation.

Jesus said that he would send the Holy Spirit and that the Spirit would bear witness of him. Bearing witness means that the Spirit brings conviction that what you read about in the Bible of the life of Christ, that these things are true. This leads to faith in the person of Christ.

This is the revelation that is given to every Christian, to know the truth about Christ. Whatever the circumstances of your conversion, no matter how great or simple the events that lead to it, the Spirit was there and was working to open your heart to understand and believe the gospel.

How amazing it is to know that God Himself has spoken directly to you, and worked directly within you, to reveal His Son to you. Praise his glorious name!

Worship God how He wants (not how you want)

Really, for the spiritual Christian, their desires line up with God's desires.  This means that they will want to worship how God wants them to worship.

 

But it's worth highlighting that there are many who would worship God in their own way.  I don't mean in an individual way, which of course we will do.  I mean that some prefer certain rituals, songs, candles, locations, etc.

 

This misses the point on a number of levels.  First, they fail to realise that worship is not an event that you schedule into your week.  Worship is an entire lifestyle with every decision reflecting the love that you have for your Saviour.  Second, for those who doggedly insist that these rituals are needed to get into the right frame of mind, they often are the same people who misunderstand what it means to be spiritual (to worship in the "spirit" part of worshipping in spirit and in truth).

 

The truth part is the truth about who God is, as revealed in his Word (the bible).  The spirit part is nothing to do with a demonstration of the gifts of the spirit.  The spirit part is the spiritual lifestyle modelled after Christ and showing much fruit of the spirit.  In these two things is the knowledge of how to worship God as He wants.  Don't be led astray from the simple, but hard to walk in, truth.

 

In a group of people (some churches even)

It's not just in individual people, but in groups of people that the Spirit works at times.  While the coming of the Holy Spirit was a unique occasion in church history, that doesn't mean that He won't come again in such a way, if God wills.  But that side is not what we are discussing here.  And, to a large extent, signs and wonders and amazing external gifts don't even matter since Satan can cause lying signs in these last days.

 

Whether these external "gifts" are present and on display or not, if the fruit of the Spirit is not evident in a gathering of professing believers, then it is doubtful whether God is in their midst.

 

The corporate expression (the whole group as seen together) is just as important a testimony and display of God's glory.  The church should consistently demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit in their dealings with each other and with the outside world.

 

One is easy to explain away, but when a non-believer comes face to face with many Christians who continually surprise him because of their holy character, that is an effective lifestyle that can lead someone to Christ.  They will often say that Christian values are good, even if they reject the God who causes those values to be displayed.  But either way, God is glorified!  Pray that they acknowledge the God behind the work.

 

An obvious point

It is stating the obvious, but sometimes we forget the obvious and this leads to disaster:  God exists and the spiritual Christian must believe this.  I don't mean that you just say it, believe it, then whammo! you're spiritual.  No, not at all.  I mean that for someone to be spiritual they will believe this. 

 

The belief is an outward sign of an inward work of the Spirit.  It doesn't work the other way, i.e. that a person's belief draws the Spirit into them.  Trust me it's an important distinction.

 

It is the difference between you getting the glory for your salvation, and God getting the glory for your salvation.  When you know that you would be like the fool who says that God doesn't exist, except that God has opened your eyes to see, then you can be both thankful towards God and gracious towards those that remain fools.

 

God cares about every detail.  He wants you to have a clear understanding of what you believe.  He wants you to know Him better every day.  So don't miss the obvious things.

 

In marriage

If you are married, do you see your marriage as a parallel relationship to that of Christ and his bride (the church)?

 

Husbands, do you work fervently at your own sanctification, knowing how much your wife can frustrate you, and how much you could frustrate Jesus yourself (if he did not have infinite patience)?

 

Or perhaps you should be more patient and steady in leading, knowing how much Christ has done this for you!

 

The Spirit is not in frustration because this is not a path to trusting God for the best outcome.  Be patient, and trust God, in this we can see the Spirit at work.

 

Wives, what is the flip side of your husband exercising patience?

 

Where is the Spirit?

It's not necessarily in the tale of a miraculous healing - there are many false signs in the world.

It's not necessarily in the amount put in the collection bag - rich men go to hell beside poor men.

And it's not necessarily in the amount of theological knowledge attained - look at the Pharisees.

 

When your spouse hurts you and you do what is right, despite the urge to do what is spiteful, there is the Spirit of God.  Doing what is right because you love God, because it hurts more to hurt your spouse back than it does to be hurt by them.

Where the Spirit of God works, there is a willingness to suffer for nothing in return but His glory.