Abiding in Jesus Christ
Rev. How are you?
Thanks be to God for granting us yet a new day and a new life..
It is a blessing for me to come your way once again… May His name be praised… now and forever Amen!
Amen!
Reverend what is today’s theme?
The Theme is: Abiding in Christ; Christ abiding in us!
What does it mean to the ordinary person to live in Christ?
It is simply put to Living in Christ and Christ living in us!
Before you ask me to explain the word abiding; let me say that it has to do with mutual relationship …. And the best definition can be found In the Gospel of John 6:56. Can you read that for me, please?
Jesus said: He that eats my flesh and drink my blood abides in me, and I in him.
Mr Kyei; the essential question to be asked at this crucial time, whilst we are under lockdown is; how do we abide in Christ and how does He abide in us?
Exactly my concern! Where is Jesus in all this equation?
Rev. In and through all these sufferings and hardships; where is Jesus?
Well, do not be discouraged and disheartened due to current circumstances and situation…Jesus is very much around and aware of all events. Simple research should show us that CoronaVirus pandemic is neither the first nor will it be the last to hit the world and whatever we are experiencing today has taken place again and again before in different forms and space.
Really? Can you through more light on that, please….. Reverend; before you come in: I take this opportunity to announce to our cherished listeners that you can join the discussion by ph0ne call or WhatsApp on the following number(s) ……….. 0240528128
Mr Kyei Thank you for the opportunity!
- 1720 the world was faced with a Plaque
- 1820 there was a Cholera outbreak
- 1919-1920 Spanish flu; as if history repeats its self every 100 years
- 2019-2020 CoronaVirus
Beloved in the Lord …Be assured that this too shall pass in Jesus name!
Amen!
Back to the substantive issue: Abiding in Jesus… means without Jesus we can do nothing… Jesus said I well in … I am the true vine and you are the branches and without me you can do nothing….
That is the Gospel according to John chapter 15:
Excellent …. Earlier on in (John 6:56; and 14:20) Jesus said
He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him… At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.
Ok so Jesus first abides I the Father and we also abide in Jesus and Jesus in return abides in us.
Yes…In our verses, we again see the intimate relationship that the new covenant of grace provides. An astounding intimacy is declared in the words: “abides in Me, and I in him.”
- Fellow believers in Christ; we have not merely come near to Christ, nor has He simply drawn close to us.
- Rather, by faith, we live in Jesus, and Jesus also lives in us! Through the power of the Holy Spirit; we live by abiding in Christ (by being united with Him, and therefore draw our spiritual life from Him).
- Moreover, Jesus by the Spirit of God lives in us and desires to express His life through us.
Pastor, how are all these done?
This unique arrangement for spiritual intimacy and experience and is made by Jesus Christ Himself for the one “who believes in Jesus and in His name, and eats His flesh and drinks His blood.”
Rev. I know eating and drinking is nourishment which gives life to our body. So how is the eating of Jesus’ body and drinking of blood work?
The unusual aspect of what Jesus is saying in John 6:56 is that the source of this super-natural nutrition is a person, for that matter a human being… these nourishment are made up of Jesus’ own body and blood.
Wow, will people not, therefore, say that “we are cannibals” to eat Jesus body and drink His blood?
Yes; spiritually we are… that is why the devil and the world will fear us and call us all sorts of names; our sins are wiped clean whenever we attend the Lord’s Supper in faith.
Earlier, Jesus indicated in the same John chapter 6 (vrs: 35)… “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst”
What an insight?
You know; In church history, also recorded in the bible: the Christians were persecuted… Apostle Paul before his conversion; was then Saul and he was so enthusiastic in following the traditions of his fathers to put Christians to death… some reasoning is that they considered the Christians to be vampires.
So pastor, what benefit do we derive from abiding in Jesus?
- When we abide in Jesus, we are also relying upon what He did (that is we are relying upon Him through His works He finished on the cross of Calvary).
- Eating of Jesus’ flesh and drinking His blood involves coming to Him in faith. When we come to Jesus, we, therefore, count upon whom He is (we count on His person, His flesh, we count upon Him as the begotten Son of God).
- As we relate to Jesus in this manner, we find our spiritual nutrition in Him through the power of the Holy Spirit who participates fully in the process.
Pastor, please just a moment: dear listeners; you can join us through WhatsApp or give us a call to contribute to the discussion
Cell phone no: 0240528128
Back to you Pastor
- I said: As we relate to Jesus in the manner by means of abiding in Him and He in us, we find our spiritual nutrition in Him… and this is possible by the power of the Holy Spirit who is fully present and participates in the process.
Jesus; as He was leaving His disciples to return to the Father in heaven; comforted them saying: “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
For a little while longer the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me.
Because I live, you will live also” (John 14:18-19).
Interesting, so does this comfort apply to us also or only the disciples:
My dear brother; a disciple is a follower; once we are followers of Jesus, we are definitely His disciples and we and all who believe in His name are assured of this comfort….
Hallelujah… pastor in the wake of this COVID -19 Pandemic… are we still assured of this comfort?…
Most definitely…Jesus is the provider, protector and sustainer of this world…Jesus has control over this we see and those we do not see… Jesus is at work.. for when God created all things… He saw they were good and bless them… God at His own time will heal our land and people and the COVID-19 will be no more!
Friends: there is power in the name of Jesus… the name Jesus is above all name and at the mention of it… All knees bow in heaven, on earth, and under the earth…. All tongues confess He is Lord!
Pastor can you give us more insight as….
On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured forth in fullness and power. The Holy Spirit made the very life of Jesus available to all of His followers. As we trust in Him and His name, we are living in and through the believer’s life.
We live in and through the believer’s life?
Yes, This is a trustworthy saying…with reference to (2 Corinthians 5:17)
“At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.” Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
For everyone who is “in Christ,” through faith in His name, is a “new creation.”
Amen, and thanks be to God for that!
To our cherished listeners you can join us with your questions and comments on 0240528128
Pastor, what message do can you summarize all what you have said?
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord; we are called and gathered by the Gospel and enlightened by the Holy Spirit in Christ Jesus. It is true, we have the same old body… however that is a mortal body our soul is occupying as we dwell at this part of life. …
- Though we live in the same old body we had in Adam….
- however, we are not the old persons we used to be as we abide in Jesus!
- We are no longer who we were before
- we have been reformed and improved;
- therefore we are a “new creation.” … “a new people” …
- we are a people of faith abiding in the way, the truth and the light with our trust in Jesus… for nothing: not powers and principalities, nor hunger nor COVID-19 nor confinement shall separate us from the love of God!
Because of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection we receive the gifts of grace through the Holy Spirit…. For “We have the mind of Christ… not to conform to things of this world but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind” (Romans 12:2 and 1 Corinthians 2:16).
Mr Kyei kindly read I Peter 1:13
Dear listeners, if you have your bibles with you… kindly turn to I Peter 1:13 as I read.
“Wherefore girding up the loins of your mind, be sober and set your hope perfectly on the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ”;
Fellow believers; be assured that COVID-19 shall surely pass in Jesus name. Remain calm, abiding and observing Government protocols; there is abundance of water; wash your hands immediately after touching anything and do all that we are advised to do; much more we should be praying and abiding in our Lord Jesus Christ, trusting that our Lord and Savior is at works. He will never ever let us down…
Mr Kyei with your kind permission I want to paraphrase (2 Corinthians 5:1ff).
“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, this body of our is destroyed; today or another day… either by CoronaVirus or by another means,… we are assured of a building from God, a house not made with hands, yes; we have a dwelling place which is eternal in the heavens” where there is neither sickness nor death… nor hunger, nor Lockdown
This world is not our home, we are just passing through… In our home in heaven, all things are new, suffering will be gone, our perishable body will be gone and we shall be clothed with the righteousness of Jesus…. Hallelujah!
Be encouraged that Jesus Christ lives in you, and His Spirit also dwells in you. May the Holy Spirit enlighten us all with the gifts of God to embrace God’s way of thinking and doing things as we are called to be transforming agents who shall live to testify God’s glory. As we walk in the newness of life that is ours “in Christ Jesus.”… Amen!
Amen!
Let us pray
Most merciful Father, the source of all things, may you strength forth your mighty hand to heal our land and our people…
Keep us in faith trusting on you and the works that your dear Lord Jesus Christ did for all humanity on the cross…
Comfort those who mourn and cheer up the sick and hungry… provide each and everyone with their daily bread which is sufficient to keep this body and soul in Jesus name.
Amen.
Now may the peace of God which transcend all human understanding keep our hearts and our minds unto Christ Jesus until life everlasting. Amen!
Amen! Amen! Amen!