Power or Life?

[StriperAddict]

POWER OR LIFE?
By: Bob George

I discovered why Christian service had been killing me. I already knew about the Holy Spirit; in fact, I had taught lectures about His ministry in our lives. But I always associated Him with power: giving me power to share Christ, power to understand the Bible, power to teach, power to serve. Of course, there is truth in that. But I was missing the single most important aspect of having the Holy Spirit the fact that through Him I have received the very life of God.

As long as I associated the Spirit's ministry only with power, the emphasis was still on me. My prayers were most often, "God, help me to do this activity." God may have been providing some help, but I was still doing it. When I was doing it, there was no lasting joy or fulfillment, and eventually I reached a state of total burnout. Finally I learned that Christ did not come to "help" me serve God; He came to live His life through me! That is why Paul wrote:

'I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

Failing to hold onto these truths, the Christian world has become so frantic in its activity that it reminds me of the well-known definition of a fanatic: "A person who redoubles his efforts after he has lost sight of his goals." Over and over we have witnessed the spectacle of people coming forward in a service to recommit their lives. In essence, they are coming down to say, "God, I'm really serious this time. This time I'll do it if it kills me!"

To them I say, "Don't worry. It will!" I know, because it killed me. We have simply not come to grips with the fact that it isn't hard to live the Christian life. It's impossible! Only Christ can live it. Our only hope is to learn that Jesus Christ did not come just to get men out of **** and into heaven; He came to get Himself out of heaven and into men!

Many Christians have been trying to ground out the Christian life on their own, resulting in failure. They cry out for God's help. I respond; a dead man doesn't need help. A dead man needs life!" Salvation is not just something that Christ did for us, but it is Jesus Christ Himself living in us.

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Hope this article brings freedom and peace to all in Christ.
Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas.
- ridiculously graced,
Walter

 

[gordon 2]

Did Paul use the same semantics as Walter when he said: "but Christ lives in me"?

For example: Though Christ "lives" in Paul, does it follow that for Paul this is enough ?Paul has no life of his own that he lives through Christ?

Why would the Christ in Paul be sufficient for him yet Paul points this out:


For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves[a] or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

So I will do semantics now just like Walter's, only from my very own inner Christ:

We are baptized into the one Spirit into one body. Christ died not that he would come into us, but that we would be able to come into Him?


The Christ that ministers to Paul is not only inside Paul. Christ ministered to Paul when Paul knew him not and Christ ministered to Paul through the church.

 

[StriperAddict]

I don't find your gleanings here at all outside of the hope Paul and everyone in the body has together. Union with Christ is certainly a dual thing, it's 100% us and 100% Christ in us.
We miss the realization of this simple truth with such confessions as,
I'd better get out of the way so that God can do His stuff without my involvement,
Yet our hearts, like Paul, made new and in new life, can make the choice to be available to Father's will while we rest and trust in His work thru us.

Do you see this?

That amazing bright smile from the youngster you encouraged this week was every bit of Christ in you, through you, and you got to humbly share in the joy of the expression of God IN and THRU YOU.

I am admittedly not discussing this important part of the Christ life in us lately, to my sorrow. Debating takes its toll, contending for the simplicity and purity of the gospel is far better.

I appreciate your thoughts, I hope this note added some encouragement.