Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Christ in You

Christ in You

I recently read of a poster on an office wall at Wheaton College that says:

"The living truth is what I long to see,
I cannot live on what used to be,
So close your Bible and show me how
The Christ you talk about is living now."

That short poem got me to thinking. How are our hands being used? How is Christ seen by our husband's, children, co-workers, friends and family? What does the love of God look like in our skin?

Over the past year or two I've had a number of conversations with young people. As I listen, they express a growing frustration (anger) towards the church and all of its "so-called" Christians. These young people clearly articulate what they view as a serious hypocrisy within the walls of our sanctuaries. In other words, through their young eyes, there is a lot of unholy goings on in our holy places.

While it may be difficult, we need to resist taking a defensive posture -an easy position to take- and seek the higher road by asking the harder question "is it true"? Are there ways that we inadvertently say one thing and live another. Or better said do we practice the Gospel that we preach?

For example, love. Most of them know they are to love their neighbor. It's been drilled in and taught from children's Church to the Sunday Worship. It's in all their songs and lessons -be nice, kind, patient, considerate, good, unselfish, etc. Theology and doctrine is the food they eat, and yet...they are disillusioned. Why?

Truth is I really don't know the specific whys. But I have some guesses, most of which could go without saying. One guess would be the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life that exists within their own sinful hearts. Another guess, they are "sick and tired" of hearing how wretchedly sinful they really are. They feel beat down, judged, and criticized on every front because they don't measure up to someone else's expectations of them. "If and since we are so bad, then why bother?" they ask. In no way am I saying they are right. I'm attempting to convey what they are expressing.

Someway, somehow they are missing the Gospel. They are missing the Christ who is the essence of, the core meaning of that Gospel. One of the ways they miss it, is in their homes and churches. It simply isn't visible or tangible to them. They have rules. They have their lists of do's, don'ts, shoulds and should not's. They know all the ways to behave and look like good Christian kids but what they're missing is the being. How do we convey love so that it is visible to our children? What do they see when they look at us? Do they see Christ living and active in us?

In light of recent history within my family, these conversations with all their questions, thoughts, feelings have surfaced and are demanding an answer. I know for me the answer is yes and it is also no. Very often I get it right. Just as often I get it all wrong and blow it big time.

Thank God for His living, active Word that restores hope to me over and over and over again. Without it, the weight of despair and condemnation would suck the hope of life right out of me. Praise God for His Word and the life it is to us; the life preserver we'd all drown without.

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ."
-Romans 8:1

"...and Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more."
-John 8:11b

When I blow it, I am learning to more consistently and faithfully, ask, seek and knock, resisting my natural desire to put on pride and come up with a way to deny, blame and justify.

Dear ones, I guess this Victory Call is an opportunity to encourage us to go to God for all those young ones in our own homes, churches and community. First, let's go before the Lord and confess any sin, hypocrisy, any error, etc. Second, may we seek Him for new and different ways to put on Christ and show Him real in us, to all the teens and young adults in our lives. Then in the next hours and days let's look for all the opportunities we can to more remarkably bear His image so that hearts may be transformed and lives changed for the glory of God.

May it be so in Jesus' name.
Stephanie

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