Complete In Christ

In an age of many religions, teachings, ideas, etc., the simple but powerful Message of the Christian faith needs to be declared as the complete answer to life. Christianity is not just receiving Christ Jesus the Lord.... it also means to "walk in Him." He is everything we need. There is no area in our life that Christ is not able to supply with His fullness. O, how we need to see the all-sufficiency of Christ afresh today. The power of Christianity is "CHRIST IN US, the hope of glory" (Colossians 1, emphasis mine). It is not "Christ, and me" or "Christ and something else". 

CHRIST IS THE ANSWER TO ALL LIFE’S PROBLEMS!

Christ is the Answer to all Christian problems! ~ Christian problems? Yes, problems arise when Christians move outside the realm of simply abiding in Christ, of walking in Him. Problems arise when we do not remain rooted and grounded in Him. Many people have lost a good relationship with God through making major issues out of doctrines/teachings that do not keep Christ in His rightful position. It may seem the "wise thing" to do at the time; but the Bible warns us not to be spoiled by those things which are after man, and the world ~ and not after Christ.

• Beware of anything that will lead you away from receiving more of Christ Himself.... for He will not give His glory to another.

There is so much of Christ’s fullness that we need to be manifesting (for "of His fullness have we all received" ~ John 1:16); we really have no time in the space of this short life here below, to be "taken up" with anything else. This is Life: "to know God, and Jesus Christ, Whom He has sent" (John 17:3). Multitudes are seeking "Life" today. Christian.... Have you so received the fullness of the life of Christ that you have sufficient to give to others? If, right at this moment you haven’t, what has "spoiled" that fullness of Christ in you? This is a very serious question, and also a challenge ~ for every true Christian is a "Christ-container" ~ not a public library! (If we only put half our theories into practice, we would turn the world upside down in a week!)

• Our completeness is in Him. In Christ, and Christ alone, life can be lived to the full!
• All of God’s Life dwells in Jesus Christ; and He dwells in all who "walk in HIM".
• Amen! It’s no longer I that lives, but CHRIST Who lives in me!
• Not a dead Christ; but a risen, Living Christ, in Whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
• May our eyes be opened more and more to this wonderful reality.

Some will ask, "Why, then, do we not see more of the power and glory of God in His saints today?" The Apostle Paul has given us the main reason. Deceitful man with his vain wisdom and traditions, comes along with enticing words and indoctrinates converts after the basic principles of the world ~ which in Christ we become dead to! (Colossians 2:20). Our high calling of God in Christ Jesus is to come unto the measure and stature of the fullness of Christ ~ and not to be "tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting"(Ephesians 4:13-14).

It is sad, but true, that the very reason that Paul gave us is also the same reason as to why many of our Full Gospel Believing Churches have not got the power of God with them today ~ the "spoilers" have been through and tricked us!

If we do recognize that we have been "tricked" by cunning men (and God help those workers of iniquity to see their own works before it is too late), let us turn again to Christ with all our heart, even as Paul, who "counted all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord: for whom he suffered the loss of all things, and did count them but dung, that he might WIN CHRIST, AND BE FOUND IN HIM...."(Philippians 3:7-10, KJV, emphasis mine). Our life is hidden WITH CHRIST IN GOD (Colossians 3:1-4).

"As you therefore have received CHRIST JESUS THE LORD, SO WALK IN HIM" (Colossians 2:6). "Let the WORD OF CHRIST dwell in you richly in all wisdom…."(Colossians 3:16).... for Jesus is "the Word become flesh and dwelt among us"(John 1:12-16). By the same Living Word, the Living Christ dwells in us today!

If we truly love Jesus Christ, we will always seek to see Him in the Word; we will always want to please Him, KNOWING that in HIM dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.... KNOWING that OUR COMPLETENESS is IN HIM (and Him alone), Who is the head of all principality and power. Hallelujah! Jesus is far above ALL ~ anything you care to name ~ Jesus is far above it; and as we walk IN HIM, His abundant life makes us complete in His fullness. Amen.

Thoro Harris, a prolific hymn writer and organist, must have known this truth in the early 1900's when he penned this great hymn of testimony. I hope that this hymn is your testimony ~ that while many exciting things happen to us here on this earth, all that really thrills our soul is Jesus and the reality of His daily presence.

WHO CAN CHEER THE HEART LIKE JESUS?