“To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ.” Colossians 1:27 NIV
“Living within you is the Christ who floods you with the expectation of glory! This mystery of Christ, embedded within us, becomes a heavenly treasure chest of hope filled with the riches of glory for his people, and God wants everyone to know it” Colossians 1:27 TPT
This is part 1 of a 2 part message. As I look back over some of the experiences I have had in my spiritual journey I can see something that the Lord has always been trying to show me, and that is, that Christ is in me and not just that, but He is my life. One of these experiences happened many years ago while my wife and I were ministering in South Africa.
I had been reading a book where Christ appeared to this African minister and I dearly wanted to have this type of experience too. We were on Bernice’s parents’ farm in Zimbabwe while on holiday from South Africa so I decided to fast and pray and twist God’s arm to see if He would give me the same experience. I wasn’t sure how long I should fast for, but just started doing it. After a few days of fasting and praying a friend rang me and said that God had given him a verse for me.
“Don't be afraid of what you are going to suffer. Look! The devil is going to throw some of you into prison so that you may be tested. For ten days you will undergo suffering. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the victor's crown of life.” Revelation 2:10
I figured that this was a confirmation that I should fast for 10 days and afterwards I’d receive a reward – the Reward of Christ appearing to me? Being skinny, fasting really is a time of suffering for me for I don’t have the extra bonus thrown in of losing some weight. I would go for lots of walks as well on the farm praying in tongues. After 7 days into the fast I got another verse from the bible that said.
“And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.” Luke 2:46
Did this mean that in 3 more days time I’d find the Lord? Then on the 10th day I read this verse that seemed to be a wonderful confirmation. I’d meet the Lord at midnight?
"But at midnight there came a shout: 'The groom is here! Come out to meet him!' Matthew 25:6
This was getting exciting for it seemed that today was my day to meet the Bridegroom. I told Bernice what I believed and that at midnight I would see the Lord. I didn’t go to bed and waited up until midnight praying in tongues around a big tree in the back garden. It’s amazing how sleepy you get when you have to do something spiritual, normally I could stay up until midnight really easy but this time I battled to stay awake. I got dressed for the occasion, no suit and tie though, but I didn’t stay in my pyjamas, for I didn’t want to appear too fanatical or anything. I had a minister friend who always wore a tie and I’m sure he wore one to bed at night for even when I came to his house early in the morning once, he had a tie on?
Near midnight I sat at the lounge table next to an old clock that chimed the hour and when it struck midnight I waited until the 12th gong for my manifestation.
Guess what? There was …….. nothing? I checked the time, but no it was right. Maybe it’s meant to be Jerusalem time or something that was still to be in another 4 hours time? I sat there very disappointed. What was going on? What was that all about? It was then that I heard that still small voice within me saying;
“I am here, and not only am I here but I am in you - Believe. Blessed are those who have not seen yet believe.”
It wasn’t what I was hoping for right then but it was the truth, and the truth always ends up setting you free. After a few minutes the Lord began to bring verses to my mind in regards to this truth and said that this was the way forward for me and that I wasn’t too look for signs so much, but to look to Him. I’m a slow learner for history shows that I didn’t take this event all that seriously straight away, for I still looked for more spectacular things to happen in the days that lay ahead and didn’t seek to know the one within me. I considered outward manifestations more important than the amazing revelation that Christ was in me and that I was a new creature in Christ. The word does say that Christ is very close to us and living in us NOW and will ALWAYS be with us until the end. Paul says He that is joined to Christ is one Spirit. 2 Corinthians 6:17
This next verse shows up an attitude that many of us suffer from.
“Even the face of a wise man shows his intelligence. But the wandering eyes of a fool will look for wisdom everywhere except right in front of his nose.” Proverbs 17:24 TPT
We may not be fools, but it is foolish to ignore what God has placed in us already. We have Christ within but don’t treat this as all that important. For us Christ in us is just a ticket to heaven, but He wants to far more than that, He wants to become our life.
We humans have a tendency to ignore that which is right under our nose and look elsewhere else for the blessing. The grass always seems greener on the other side. Its been a problem since the Garden of Eden, when the Devil told Eve that she didn’t have what it takes and needed to eat of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil to become like God. She already was like God, for she was created in His image.
“Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, a and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” Gen 1:26-27
Now that we have Christ in us we have everything for life and godliness. I don’t think we have really tapped into all that we have in Christ. Paul reminds us in Colossians 2:9 -10 of what we have in Christ, and its far above what we could ask or think.
“For in Christ there is all of God in a human body; so you have everything when you have Christ, and you are filled with God through your union with Christ. He is the highest Ruler, with authority over every other power.” Colossians 2:9-10 TLB