“LIVING THE MISSION” Lesson One
GALATIANS 2:20
“I HAVE BEEN CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST, IT IS NO LONGER I WHO LIVE, BUT CHRIST JESUS IN ME, AND THE LIFE WHICH I NOW LIVE IN THE FLESH I LIVE BY FAITH IN THE SON OF GOD, WHO LOVED ME AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME.”
****TO LIVE THE CHRISTIAN LIFE IS TO ALLOW JESUS TO LIVE HIS LIFE IN AND THROUGH US. This is our MISSION, this is our JOURNEY.
God doesn’t call anyone to a mere “adequate” Christian life, of just simply going to church, reading their Bible on occasion, and saying their prayers on occasion. He desires to have a daily, walking and talking relationship with you in which you totally experience His presence, trust Him for wisdom, courage, and strength, and rely on Him for remarkable results.
With every step you take, every decision you make, every conversation you have, and every thought you entertain, the Lord desires to live within you. He desires to communicate to you and through you. He desires to live out His life through your expression of it, a perfect blending of His perfection and your unique talents, traits, and personality.
The secret to the Christian life is to allow Jesus Christ to live in and through you by faith. When you invite and allow the Holy Spirit to work in your life, you become a vital representative of Christ. The word “ALLOW” is the key word. Paul said:
“I WILL NOT DARE TO SPEAK OF ANY OF THOSE THINGS WHICH CHRIST HAS NOT ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH ME” (ROMANS 15:18)
In translating, he is saying “I can only tell you what Christ has accomplished within my life, I know where I was, I know where I am, and He knows where I am going.” This is accomplished as we willingly “ALLOW” Him “Full Access.” We do this when we are “Crucified with Christ.” This is done when we are “Dead to Sin, and Alive to God.” (see ROMANS 6:1-14).
“KNOWING THIS, THAT OUR OLD MAN WAS CRUCIFIED WITH HIM, THAT THE BODY OF SIN MIGHT BE DONE AWAY WITH, THAT WE SHOULD NO LONGER BE SLAVES TO SIN.” (ROMANS 6:6)
Before we came to Christ, sin had a chokehold on our lives, and we could do nothing but serve it as its obedient slave. Through the death and resurrection of Christ, however, we gain the power to live for God. But in this, is a “knowing daily” that: “LIKEWISE YOU ALSO, RECKON YOURSELVES TO BE DEAD INDEED TO SIN, BUT ALIVE TO GOD IN CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD” (ROMANS 6:11). This is why he said we are all “BEING TRANSFORMED INTO THE SAME IMAGE (OF CHRIST) FROM GLORY TO GLORY, JUST AS BY THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD” (2 CORINTHIANS 3:18). This transformation is accomplished as we “ALLOW” Him “Full Access” in our whole life, withholding nothing. Thus the Old man of our life is “crucified” and “dead.” We in turn are now “alive” unto God, in and through Jesus Christ. Thus, “Christ lives in me..” (Gal 2:20).
****LIVING THE MISSION, IS LIVING THE SPIRIT-FILLED LIFE.
This “mission” and this “journey” is lived by living the Spirit-filled life in Christ Jesus. There is some understanding that has to be found and fully known as well, in order for this “transformation” to be accomplished in our lives.
A. The Spirit-filled life is the only way for a Christian to experience all that God has for us. It means life to the fullest, the abundant life that Jesus promised, He said, “I HAVE COME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE, AND THAT THEY MAY HAVE IT MORE ABUNDANTLY” (JOHN 10:10).
This “Life” is in the Greek “Zoe” it is the fullness of God, living and alive within us. It is the fullness of the “life” He gives us. He comes to give, not get. We receive life the moment we accept Him as our Savior. After we are saved, however, we find that there are various degrees of enjoyment of this life. The more we turn ourselves over to the Holy Spirit, the more we enjoy the life which has been given to us. We not only have life then, but we have it more abundantly. Thus, we learn the meaning of living the Spirit-filled life.
B. The Spirit-filled life is not based on emotions, although you are likely to feel various emotions as the Holy Spirit works in and through you to produce the character of Christ Jesus and to replicate the ministry of Jesus Christ in your life.
For this reason we are told in Scripture:
“FOR WE WALK BY FAITH AND NOT BY SIGHT” (2 CORINTHIANS 5:7)
Many times emotional living is based on what we see. But Spirit-filled living is based on faith.
C. The Spirit-filled life is not something that a person can study from afar. The Spirit-filled life must be experienced. It is lived out by real people in real life facing real, and sometimes seemingly rather difficult circumstances. This is when we learn to RELY and TRUST completely in Christ, in the good and the bad, no matter the situation.
D. The Spirit-filled life is marked by purpose, power, and effectiveness. It is not something that you do, it is who you are because of who lives and works inside you. This comes by being LED by the Spirit everyday.
“FOR AS MANY AS ARE LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD, THESE ARE THE SONS OF GOD” (ROMANS 8:14)
This mission and journey, in which we live and walk, is in knowing who we are, and what we have, as we live and walk in the fullness of the Spirit-filled life.
There really is no such thing as an “average” Christian, or “adequate” Christian life. Either you are living a vibrant, Spirit-filled life, or you aren’t. Either you are in forward motion or in a pause position. Either you are living in the fullness of the Holy Spirit, or you aren’t. You, again, are either living the mission, living the “Good News” or you aren’t. God will not force Himself on you to operate within your life, He works by invitation only. He won’t overstep the boundaries of your will, but He will invite you to allow Jesus to live His life in and through you. And will accomplish many remarkable things as we allow him “Full Access.”
Christ’s life was more than His teaching, more than His work, even more than His death. It was His life in the sight of God and man that gave value to what He said and did and suffered. It is this life that He gives to His people and enables in them to live out. Everything depends upon the life with God in Christ Jesus being right. It is the simplicity and intensity of our life in Christ Jesus, and His life in us, that sustains us in our daily walk. It makes us conquerors over self and everything that could try and hinder the Christ life within us.
The life in Christ must be everything to us because Christ Himself lives in us. When Jesus spoke these words:
“AND BE SURE OF THIS, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS….” (MATTHEW 28:20)
He meant nothing less than this: “All day and everyday, I am with you. I am the secret of your life, your joy, and your strength.” So He says: “And be sure of this..”
He is our life, our joy and our strength. Even in a time when we may not feel so, He is! Even in times when we question Him, He is! Deep within us, as we allow Him, He is, our life, our joy, our strength!
“…YOUR LIFE IS HIDDEN WITH CHRIST IN GOD…” (COLOSSIANS 3:3)
Know this, by “hidden” we are being told the “Good News” that we are “concealed” in Him. That we are, “covered” by Him. That we are, “planted” in Him. That our life is “laid up” for us, and “secured” in God, through Jesus Christ. This the challenge we have, that our life, the fullness of life He desires for us, is laid up for us, it is ours to have, to experience, and fully know, this is the mission He has called us to live in and walk in, this is the fullness of the Spirit-filled life. Crucified with Christ, yet we live! We are dead, yet we are alive in God!
“LIVING THE MISSION” lesson two
“I HAVE BEEN CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST, IT IS NO LONGER I WHO LIVE, BUT CHRIST LIVES IN ME, AND THE LIFE WHICH I NOW LIVE IN THE FLESH I LIVE BY FAITH IN THE SON OF GOD, WHO LOVED ME, AND GAVE HIMSELF FOR ME.”
(GALATIANS 2:20)
In continuing with our study, a second part concerning our Scripture verse. As we have seen, in order to “live” one must “die” to self, to fleshly ideas and motives, to sin. One must “maintain” a Spirit-filled life and walk, and in so doing, the fullness of the life God desires and has called us into, will flourish. In this, also, we learned that Jesus is the “secret” to our life, joy and strength.
In this part, we will focus more on our verse, and in the fact that “Christ Lives in Me.” This is a fact that needs to have an explosive effect on and in our whole lives. In this mission, this journey, what kind of effect does that thought have on you? Do we take time every once in a while and ponder this thought? We are not in any way alone, He is with us. He said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” What does that stir within your spirit? Then to know, He has called each and everyone of us into a journey, a mission, that He takes us as we are, our talents, traits, our personalities and uses us to be an expression of His life here where we are. That He desires to work in and through us. What does that stir within you just in considering such an idea? But know this, it is a real fact! This is for real! Tell yourself, “Christ Lives in me!” It is factual not fictional.
***IN THE WORDS OF GALATIANS 2:20, PAUL EXPRESSES “FOUR GREAT THOUGHTS”
The first of these finds expression in the words, “I have been crucified with Christ.” When Christ died upon the cross, all of God’s people were identified with Him and included in that death. As we all died in Adam and inherited his sinful nature, so we all have been crucified together with Christ. Moreover, the power of His death now works in us daily. In Christ we have died to sin, so that we can live to God. Our union with Christ is total and dynamic, in that the power of His death and His life IS both active in us.
As for the mission, that He calls us to, this is vital information for us. We are able to function correctly and in right relationship with God as we are “crucified” with Christ. Thus the reason we are to deal with sin, as He did, once and for all. One minister once preached, “In order for us to fully experience the fullness of life that God has called us to, and in order for us to experience this “power” living that He desires for us, we MUST get on the cross, and NOT come down, we MUST remain “crucified” in Christ!” Thus is the key to living in the fullness of this calling that we have all received.
As mentioned before, an “adequate” Christian life isn’t the way it works. Jesus told us bluntly, “You are either hot or cold, you are either on or off.” This is becoming more and more a fact in our lives, with all that is transpiring around us these days, the Body of Christ needs to completely understand this one fact, your either in or your out. No more straddling the middle of the fence. You are either active or your not. You are either moving or your stopped. God desires for us to flourish with the fullness of life He has called, and again, in order to do so, we must “die” in order to “live.” Jesus’ love was the motivating factor behind His atoning death, this “love” is the only way for us to maintain a right relationship with God, in and by faith in Christ, and in what He has done for each and everyone of us.
God desires for us to have the fullness of life flourishing within us, the fullness of the “fruit” of the Spirit, alive and active in our lives. In order, for this to transform, we must have a “death” to ourselves, a “dying” to me, myself, and I, our greatest opponents in living the Spirit-filled life. Our mission is a mission of “bearing” fruit in our lives. The greatest commentary on this is found in John 15:1-8 (see passage).
Our best description of what Jesus speaks of in John 15, is what we can call the “pruned” life. This is painful. It hurts. But in order to live and experience the fullness of this life, we must be “pruned.” We must loose the branches, the stems, that don’t produce fruit, in order for a greater “harvest” of fruit. I recall when I first learned that in order for a “sick” tree to grow, there had to be a “cutting away” of some of its branches. In so doing, actually at first, the tree looked, not so good, it looked like it wasn’t going to be what I envisioned it to be, in fact it looked worse, but the end result was a fuller tree, healthier. I recall as well, on my grandparents farm, that in order for grapes to grow, and become full, there as well was a great “cutting away” from the vine. This at one time confused me, it didn’t seem right, but when I saw the end result. I truly enjoyed the harvest, I enjoyed “eating“ the fruit that it produced. Our life is the same, there has to be a “cutting away” in order for the fullness of the harvest to come. In order to live, there has to be a death. And with this, we must remain “crucified with Christ.”
“…AND EVERY BRANCH THAT BEARS FRUIT, HE PRUNES, THAT IT MAY BEAR MORE FRUIT.” (JOHN 15:2)
The second expression, we find, Paul’s thought is: “I no longer live…” In having participated in Christ’s death, he was able to say that. This is also the truth for every believer. My life has been given up to death on the cross of Christ. By faith, I see my old life, lived under the sentence of death, as now ended. While it may still reside and be able to operate within my sinful nature, I have been set free in Christ, so that I am no longer obliged to serve sin. I AM NO LONGER LIVING AS AN OBEDIENT SLAVE TO SIN. “FOR YOU DIED, AND YOUR LIFE IS HIDDEN WITH CHRIST IN GOD.” (COLOSSIANS 3:3)
As stated, by faith, I see my old life, lived under the sentence of death, as now ended. I have been taken out from under that sentence and now I am concealed, covered and secured with Christ in God. This is life, by faith, in the Son of God. We let Christ direct our thoughts and actions, and for this reason, we are dead to and have buried our selfish interests in the interest of Christ. This is our mission!
The third thought expressed here by Paul is, “Christ lives in me.” Herein lies the secret of living a Christlike life. Christ actually lives and works in and through me. With this, I have to “allow” the Holy Spirit to make alive, His fruit, His harvest in me. I must “allow” Him to fully and totally overcome, and overshadow me in this one fact. I too, must also learn that I “must” daily maintain and nurture this fact. This is accomplished through daily relationship with Christ, in action, in prayer, meditation and “walking the walk, talking the talk” which is the calling He has placed on our lives. God, for this reason, has called us to a higher walk and life in and through Him.
IN ORDER TO FULLY WALK IN THIS MISSION, THIS JOURNEY, I MUST DAILY MAINTAIN THE TRUTH THAT “I AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST, THAT I NO LONGER LIVE, BUT CHRIST LIVES IN ME….”
There are those who seem to fall by the way side and complain of their inability to “flourish” in this calling. With examination, it could be found that by “neglect” of simple maintenance, that a “drifting” had occurred, and will occur when neglect sets in. How does this happen? We may get too busy to spend time with God. We may have allowed circumstances to “overwhelm” us. Thus the reason why we must have an understanding of how in order to “Live the Mission” one must daily be active in all areas of why we maintain our relationship with Christ. One must take on the idea and challenge that an “active” Christian life has a calling and a mission of faith and obedience, lived out, in order to have a “full” life in Christ. This is our daily call to transformation in Christ.
The fourth fact is expressed in “This life I live, I live by faith in Christ, Who gave Himself for me.” This is where I fully trust and rely on Christ in all areas of my life and walk. Even when the tough gets going, I am to get tough in faith. In this total sell out to the calling of God, I must have a “Never Give Up” spirit in my relationship with Christ. This is because a faith that never gives up, will stand through the roughest of times, and every time will stay and remain “crucified in Christ” refusing to give up “faith” in God, regardless of what may be occurring in and around us. This comes by being “rooted” in this calling with Jesus Christ.
Before moving deeper into this “mission” this “journey” that we are called to. This first step of foundation has to be laid, the step of “dying to self.” There has to be a complete understanding that this calling, requires this of us. Let me give a visual note at this point. In our studio, we have a computer that is used for logging music projects, and as well some of the recording of music projects. The programs used in this computer has an information area of what is “required” for its use. It is labeled, “system requirements.” This is telling me that if the computer is not “big” enough the program will not work, but if the computer is big enough, it will work fine. The Bible is our “system requirement” program. This is where we learn how life with Christ works, how to live the Christ-life, and also tells us what will not work in this life. It is way more than just how we are to deal with sin, it is how to deal with life and all of its issues.
This calling of “dying” to self is for all believers, regardless of one’s age in Christ. It is our step of being continually transformed in this new life in Christ, it is where we see and experience the fullness of the life that God has called us into. It is where we have a continual “renewing” of our minds, hearts and spirit through repentance and daily washing with the Word of God. Through which, we will understand the “Commission” of Christ in a better way, as to how we can be and live fully in our expression of the “good news” of Christ.
In “being” the Good News, we learn that we are to “Go…” into all the world and to “preach….” That we are to make “disciples” as we go. That we are to “baptize” in the Name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, as we go. That we are to “teach” others to follow the commands of Christ. Being the Good News of Jesus is “Living the Good News” of Jesus to its fullness, in faith, in Christ.
