Christ in you

Awesome time yesterday! It was a banquet with great food!


Christ in you, the hope of glory!

the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily (Colossians 1:26-29)

God had a huge huge SECRET. And He's telling ONLY us, His saints.

This, He WILLED, that is plan to make known. It's no accident (see Gal 1:15 below)

The mystery = Christ in you, the hope of glory (refer below 2 Corin 3:18)

The hope of glory - how? How can Christ in us be the hope of glory?

Preach HIM. The washing of the Word. Of who He is and the finished work of redemption.

So is it all spiritual? What does it mean in our everyday lives?

It translates to labour for Paul laboured. (according to His calling - i.e. to preach to the gentiles)

But how do we labour? Like how Paul laboured.

Watch what Jesus does - "according to His working" and when we behold, "His working works in me mightily"


Knew and called of God, long long ago

But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, (Galatians 1:15-16)

Separated = sanctified.

He chose us from the beginning of time. You and I mattered to Him. He knew us even before we were born.

Called.

What does it mean to be called by Almighty God?

It means He has a destiny for me.


And it's through His grace. Undeserved, unmerited.

Think about it! I am called, I have a destiny. But there's nothing I can do. It's only through His grace that I can fulfil my destiny.

How?

Through His grace in revealing His Son, NOT to me, but IN me.


It's like a culmination of a beautiful story began long long ago. Before anything was ever created, He saw You and His desire was to reveal Himself in You.

It is not enough that He is in us. All Christians have Christ in them. No, it is only by His grace, that He REVEALS Himself IN us.

Not only in terms of us knowing that He is in us, and having the right idea and estimation of Jesus in us, but also, when He reveals Himself, there is power as well.


That is, transformation.


Glory to glory

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. (2 Corinthians 4:7)

We are the earthen vessels. The treasure is Jesus Christ in us.

He is the power that worketh in us mightily. It is Christ in us who works.

This power if of God and NOT of us. In ourselves, we can do nothing. Even Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner" (John 5:19)


Pastor referred to 2 Corinthians 3:14-18. But I'm gonna focus on v 18 only 'cos that impacted me most. :)

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

The bible is so rich and there can be many multi-layered interpretation that is accurate and not contradictory. At the end of the day, the holy spirit inside me witnesses only to the truth. Always test an interpretation. If it's the truth, it'll liberate. (2 Corin 3:17; John 8:32) If it's a lie, it'll condemn.

I used to read this verse by referring to the mirror as the "Word". And this is right in the context. It talks about the veil being the law of Moses (v14-15). So when we read the Word with unveiled face, in light of the finished work on the cross and the new covenant, we are transformed from glory to glory.

In fact, the amplified version says it this way:

And all of us, as with unveiled face, [because we] continued to behold [in the Word of God] as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; [for this comes] from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit.

But yesterday for the first time, we read the verse this way.. follow my thoughts now.

When you look (behold) into the mirror, who do you see?

Me.

But in v 18, when we behold into the mirror, who do we see?

The glory of the Lord.

What does that mean?

I am the glory of the Lord.

But is that true? How can I be the glory of the Lord with all my flaws?

That's 'cos you are still beholding you. If you want to behold yourself as the glory of the Lord, unveil your face.

Unveil your heart (v15) How? By turning to the Lord (v16) How? Knowing that He is in you! (Gal 1:16)

Do not put your faith in your trust in Jesus. Trust Jesus.
Do not put your faith in the knowledge of Jesus. Know Jesus.
Do not put your faith in your love for Jesus. Love Jesus.

It is NOT when I remove the veil, that I become the glory of the Lord. I am ALREADY the GLORY of the Lord. It is only when I remove the veil, that I am able to see the truth. (Truth is in spite of sense knowledge. It is eternal. Facts are temporal.)

See that you are the glory of the Lord!

Pray about it. Have a REVELATION of who Christ is, and He's in you! (He's still revealing Himself to me!)


When I remove the veil and realise the truth (that is already there!) then the facts line up to confirm the truth. That's when transformation takes place from glory to glory. When the Spirit of Christ on the inside transforms you. The glory on the inside will shine forth to the outside and to your circumstances!