Tag Archives: Christ in me

GLIMPSES OF PAUL – 9

Bible Study, ,

PAUL – ALONE BUT NEVER ALONE

Another one of Paul’s great certainties was the presence of Christ in him. He knew that it was the Holy Spirit, Jesus’ representative on earth, who lived in him. He also knew that the Holy Spirit was Jesus’s “alter ego”, not in any schizophrenic kind of way but as His gift to the church, His own self in them.

Jesus promised, on the eve of His death, that He would send the Holy Spirit, after He had returned to the Father, who would be in them to teach and guide them through life. So close was He to Jesus, that Jesus called Him “another just like me” who would be in them forever.

The Holy Spirit’s presence him meant that he, Paul, was never alone. Even in the loneliness of imprisonment…long journeys in foot accompanied by loyal companions…difficult and dangerous situations he had to contend with…issues in the churches needing divine wisdom… he was essentially alone because his earthly friends were as weak vulnerable as he was.

Through all his tough times, including uncertainties, important decisions, even communication with the beloved churches he had established, he had a “paracletos”, a Helper so close and reliable that he was constantly comforted and assisted.

Paul was also aware of his dependence on the Spirit for every detail of his life as a Jesus-follower. Without the Holy Spirit, he had no power to overcome the pull of his flesh, or to obey the very Word of God he was writing in his letters. It was “Christ in him” that energised his spirit to persevere despite every obstacle. It was he, Paul, in Christ, that was the hope of his own victory over sin and death.

Paul knew the theory… Jesus died for him. He also knew the practice…he died with Jesus. The old Paul ceased to exist the moment he believed in Him. There was a powerful exchange in the spirit realm. He had taken on a new identity, a son of God, in a new realm, the kingdom of God, and his entire life was transformed. He had been delivered from the power and influence of the dominion of darkness and Spirit-empowered to live in the kingdom of light.

So, he wrote…

2 Corinthians 5:17 NLT
[17] “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!”

And so he experienced this new life…

Galatians 2:20 NLT
[20] “My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

He urged believers, then, who still lived in a twilight zone of believing one thing and living another, to take on, in faith and action, this very real transformation.

Romans 6:3-4, 6-8, 10-11 NLT
[3]”… Have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? [4] For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives….
[6] We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. [7] For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. [8] And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him…
[10] When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. [11] So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.”

Just as Paul had learned, so we must learn to make the choices, based on the truth we believe, to put this faith into action.

Romans 6:11-13 NLT
[11]”So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. [12] Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. [13] Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.”

Paul could be who he was, and write what he wrote because the Holy Spirit was as real in him as Jesus was to His disciples on earth.

As with Paul, so with us and all who believe in Jesus for salvation. However, the initiative lies with us. We are the ones who develop the awareness of “Christ in us, the hope of glory,” and cultivate the closeness to the Spirit by acknowledging His presence in us and listening for His voice as we “walk” in this world.

Never alone…yes, but only as we choose to live in His presence and under His authority in every detail of life.

“LORD, WHAT NOW?”

Christian Life, ,

Romans 8:14 NLT‬
[14] “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”

My thoughts, in recent days, have been repeatedly drawn to this verse. My question is, “Is it possible to be so in fellowship with the Holy Spirit that I can be led by Him in everything I say and do, every moment of my day?”

I look at Jesus, a man, yes, but a man filled and led, every moment, by the Spirit in all He said and did.

‭Luke 4:1-2 NLT‬
[1] “Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River. He was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, [2] where he was tempted by the devil for forty days. Jesus ate nothing all that time and became very hungry.”

It’s difficult to imagine that the Holy Spirit would lead Jesus straight to the wilderness. Here, Satan would be let loose on Him to test Him in the extreme circumstances and dangers of the wilderness as well as physical deprivation. Yet, that’s what the Bible says the Spirit did.

Jesus was so close to the Father and to the Holy Spirit that He literally did nothing without them. Can I live like Him?

‭Matthew 12:28 NLT‬
[28] “But if I am casting out demons by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you.”

I often recognise the Holy Spirit’s leading on hindsight. Sometimes I follow a prompting and later realise, to my relief, that the Holy Spirit had protected me from a foolish decision or action. On other occasions, I have doubted a prompting, ignored it, and and found out, to my frustration, that the Holy Spirit was leading me away from a mistake or a time-wasting incident I could have avoided. Instead, I was angry with myself for not listening.

‭John 10:27 NLT‬
[27] “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”

The next question I ask is, “Does the Holy Spirit lead me only in matters that relate to my spiritual safety and wellbeing? Can He also lead me in everyday decisions and activities? Can He be so intimately involved in my life that everything I say and do is Spirit-controlled and Spirit-directed?”

I believe that the Bible says “Yes, ” and that the goal should be to hear and follow the Spirit’s voice all the time. After all, it is we, not the Bible, who make the distinction between “sacred” and “secular”. In fact, the Apostle Paul urges us to glorify the Lord in everything we do.

‭1 Corinthians 10:31 NLT‬
[31] “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”

Stories about King David astonish me because I read about a man who got it right most of the time. Even when he allowed his flesh to dominate him so much that he committed gross sin, David did not run from God. He ran to Him for forgiveness and restoration.

‭Psalms 51:1-4 NLT‬
[1] “Have mercy on me, O God, because of your unfailing love. Because of your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. [2] Wash me clean from my guilt. Purify me from my sin. [3] For I recognize my rebellion; it haunts me day and night. [4] Against you, and you alone, have I sinned; I have done what is evil in your sight. You will be proved right in what you say, and your judgment against me is just…
[10] Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. [11] Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.”

Did God respond to David’s plea? Yes, God forgave and restored him, although there were unavoidable consequences.

On many other occasions, when David was in danger or in trouble, the Lord led him out of them as he called on Him and obeyed the Holy Spirit’s directions.

Sometimes those direction came directly from God…

‭1 Samuel 30:1-2 NLT‬
[1] Three days later, when David and his men arrived home at their town of Ziklag, they found that the Amalekites had made a raid into the Negev and Ziklag; they had crushed Ziklag and burned it to the ground. [2] They had carried off the women and children and everyone else but without killing anyone….
[6] David was now in great danger because all his men were very bitter about losing their sons and daughters, and they began to talk of stoning him. But David found strength in the Lord his God….
[8] Then David asked the Lord, “Should I chase after this band of raiders? Will I catch them?” And the Lord told him, “Yes, go after them. You will surely recover everything that was taken from you.! “

… and sometimes they came through a person. For example, Abigail begged David not to kill her family because her husband, Nabal, refused to provide for David and his men in exchange for their protection.

David recognised God’s intervention and stopped the raid.

‭1 Samuel 25:32-34 NLT‬
[32] “David replied to Abigail, “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who has sent you to meet me today! [33] Thank God for your good sense! Bless you for keeping me from murder and from carrying out vengeance with my own hands. [34] For I swear by the Lord, the God of Israel, who has kept me from hurting you, that if you had not hurried out to meet me, not one of Nabal’s men would still be alive tomorrow morning.”

Time and again, David sought God’s help. God rescued him, won great military battles, and ruled over the kingdom of Israel through him, expanding the territory to its greatest extent during his reign.

If this was possible through a man who lived under the Old Covenant, how much more we, who have the Holy Spirit within us, have the potential to live daily under the Spirit’s leading.

God promised, through Solomon, to make a straight path, uncomplicate our lives, if we acknowledge Him in everything we do. If this is His promise, then He will do it when we fulfil the condition.

‭Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT‬
[5] “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. [6] Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.”

Trouble is that we so often go our own way first, get into trouble, and then seek the Lord to get us out of the mess we have created. How much better to seek the Lord’s way and let Him lead us before we get into trouble!

So, my desire is to cultivate such a God-awareness that He is my first recourse before I make any decisions. Then I will become more sensitive to His leading in the ordinary things.

I know He wants to be intimately involved in my life because He even plants ideas in my mind when I am working on my hobby! When I ask Him, He is quick to show me new and better ways to achieve my goal.

“Lord, what now ?” will get a response because it is God who desires intimacy with us but it is we who initiate the process.

‭James 4:8 NLT‬
[8]” Come close to God, and God will come close to you….”

I need to stop waiting for the Holy Spirit to act. I need to expect and anticipate His involvement with me in the normal flow of my life as I live “in Christ” and He lives “in me”.