"Practicing the Presence of Christ"
Part One
Alan Mc Savage
It is said that many years ago a news reporter was sent out by the religion editor to ask Ministers a question.
The question was: "Do you believe in Christ?"
The young reporter went far and wide diligently tracking down ministers of various faiths and asking them that simple question.
After a while he came upon an old minister in his study and asked him the question: "Do you believe in Christ?" The Old man replied with a twinkle in his eye: "Son, I don't have to believe, I KNOW Him."
The word believe is an all inclusive word that means: To adhere to, to trust in and to rely upon the good news about and Him Whom it sets forth. Mark. 16:16 Amp.
My question to you is,do you: adhere to, to trust in and to rely upon the good news about and Him Whom it sets forth?
The old Minister was not only a believer he was a KNOWER.
Jesus Said:
John 8:54-55
Jesus answered,"If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing; it is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say, 'He is our God. and you have not come to know Him, but I know Him; and if I say that I do not know Him, I will be a liar like you, but I do know Him and keep His word.
The Apostle Paul said:
Phil 3:10-11
that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.
And the Apostle John said:
1 John 2:3
By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments.
1 John 2:4
The one who says,"I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him;
1 John 2:14
I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning
1 John 5:20
And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
Note
In the measure that we have been brought to know, we are enabled to believe ("We have known and believed the love God has for us"). "Knowing this that our old man was crucified with Christ.............reckon yourselves to be dead indeed.....". Reckon, count, consider, take inventory of, seems to be a Pauline metaphor for faith. I reckon (count on) what I know by revelation to be true.
Better to wait until you know before you try to believe.
With thanks to - John Gavazzoni.
The KEY's to KNOWING HIM.
John 14:30-31
"I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me; but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me.
For the prince of this world cometh (see John 12:31) - cometh with hostile intent, cometh for a last grand attack. Foiled in his first deadly assault, he had "departed" - but "till a season" only (see the note at Luke 4:13). That season is now all but come, and his whole energies are to be once more put forth-with what effect the next words sublimely express.
And hath nothing in me - nothing of his own in Me, nothing of sin on which to fasten as a righteous cause of condemnation: 'As the Prince of this world he wields his sceptre over willing subjects; but in Me he shall find no sympathy with his objects, no acknowledgment of his sovereignty, no subjection to his demand.'
Glorious saying! The truth of it is the life of the world. (Heb 9:14; 1 John 3:5; 2 Cor 5:21.)
(from Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)
1 John 5:18-21
We know [absolutely] that anyone born of God does not [deliberately and knowingly] practice committing sin, but the one Who was begotten of God carefully watches over and protects him [Christ's divine presence within him preserves him against the evil], and the wicked one does not lay hold (get a grip) on him or touch [him]
We know [positively] that we are of God, and the whole world [around us] is under the power of the evil one.
And we [have seen and] know [positively] that the Son of God has [actually] come to this world and has given us understanding and insight [progressively] to perceive (recognize) and come to know better and more clearly Him Who is true; and we are in Him Who is true--in His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah). This [Man] is the true God and Life eternal.
Little children, keep yourselves from idols (false gods)--[from anything and everything that would occupy the place in your heart due to God, from any sort of substitute for Him that would take first place in your life]. Amen (so let it be).AMP
2 Cor 5:14-6:2
For the love of Christ controls and urges and impels us, because we are of the opinion and conviction that [if] one died for all, then all died;
And He died for all, so that all those who live might live no longer to and for themselves, but to and for Him Who died and was raised again for their sake.
Consequently, from now on we estimate and regard no one from a [purely] human point of view [in terms of natural standards of value]. [No] even though we once did estimate Christ from a human viewpoint and as a man, yet now [we have such knowledge of Him that] we know Him no longer [in terms of the flesh].
Therefore if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!
But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself [received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself] and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation [that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him].
It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them], and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor)
So we are Christ's ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us. We [as Christ's personal representatives] beg you for His sake to lay hold of the divine favor [now offered you] and be reconciled to God.
For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].
6:1 LABORING TOGETHER [as God's fellow workers] with Him then, we beg of you not to receive the grace of God in vain [that merciful kindness by which God exerts His holy influence on souls and turns them to Christ, keeping and strengthening them--do not receive it to no purpose].
For He says, In the time of favor (of an assured welcome) I have listened to and heeded your call, and I have helped you on the day of deliverance (the day of salvation). Behold, now is truly the time for a gracious welcome and acceptance [of you from God]; behold, now is the day of salvation! [Isa 49:8.]AMP
Col 1:22
Yet now has [Christ, the Messiah] reconciled [you to God] in the body of His flesh through death, in order to present you holy and faultless and irreproachable in His [the Father's] presence.AMP
Col 1:23
[And this He will do] provided that you continue to stay with and in the faith [in Christ], well-grounded and settled and steadfast, not shifting or moving away from the hope [which rests on and is inspired by] the glad tidings (the Gospel), which you heard and which has been preached [as being designed for and offered without restrictions] to every person under heaven, and of which [Gospel] I, Paul, became a minister.AMP
How do we stay with and have faith in Christ, well-grounded and settled and steadfast, not shifting or moving away from the hope [which rests on and is inspired by] the glad tidings (the Gospel)?
Here we go right back to the meaning of the word BELIEVE: To adhere to, to trust in and to rely upon the good news about and Him Whom it sets forth.
The Power of the WORD.
John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us,
John 5:24
"Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.
John 8:31-32
"If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
John 17:20-21
I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me.
Rom 10:8-17
"THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART"--that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME ( nature) OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."
How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!"
To truly believe in Him, to come to KNOW Him and the power of His resurrection then you have to come to he point of total surrender to His Divine will and become ONE with Him.
There is an old chorus that goes like this:
It's no longer I that liveth but Christ that liveth in me.
It's no longer I that liveth but Christ that liveth in me.
He lives, He lives, Jesus is alive in me.
It's no longer I that liveth but Christ that liveth in me.
That old chorus had a lot of truth in it but needs to be expanded in the light of progressive revelation.
Rom 6:6-7
"knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. NASU
Gal 2:19-21
"I have been crucified with Christ; and 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 up for me.NASU
Gal 2:20
I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me. AMP
It is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in (AS) me.
Here we see that WE has been substituted (I self) for Christ as our new source or self.
In Christ it is no longer I (SELF) that lives but Christ who lives AS ME.
When He died (was crucified) I, SELF, OLD MAN, DIED.
When He was buried I, SELF, OLD MAN, was buried.
When He rose from the dead I NEW SELF, NEW CREATION MAN, IN HIM, rose from the dead.
Therefore: It is no longer I Old self that lives but Christ (The fullness of the Godhead bodily) who now lives AS ME.
To be continued.
Alan
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