Casting My Mind Back To Bethlehem…

This is the week before Christmas and it is important to take our minds back to the actual events of the very first Christmas. On that eve, almost the entire world was oblivious to the amazing occurrence that was about to be witnessed. Divinity was about to be born in human form. In a special body crafted and formed in the womb of a virgin Jewish lady, God the Son was birthed in a manger. In Heaven He said His goodbye and made His entrance to earth. Ushered by the chorale of angels singing in the skies, Jesus our Redeemer said hello to the world.

 Each time I cast my mind back to the cradle, I do not just think of a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes:

 “But we do see Jesus — made lower than the angels for a short time so that by God’s grace He might taste death for everyone — crowned with glory and honor because of His suffering in death.  For in bringing many sons to glory, it was entirely appropriate that God — all things exist for Him and through Him — should make the source of their salvation perfect through sufferings.  For the One who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one Father.  That is why Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers,  ... Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through His death He might destroy the one holding the power of death — that is, the Devil — and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death.  For it is clear that He does not reach out to help angels, but to help Abraham’s offspring.  Therefore, He had to be like His brothers in every way, so that He could become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.  For since He Himself was tested and has suffered, He is able to help those who are tested.”

Hebrews 2:9-11, 14-18 Holman Christian Standard Bible

 I see Jesus, my Sacrificial Substitute, Salvation Captain, Special Sibling, Sacred Sanctifier, Satan Destroyer and Sympathetic High Priest.

 This week, I want to leave us with the words of another poem I read not too long ago:

 Who art Thou, precious little babe, nestled in the hay?

God I am, come to earth this day.

Why didst Thou come, sweet little babe nestled in the hay?

To die, I came, the price of sin to pay.

Who's sin, tender little babe, nestled in the hay?

Yours it was, that brought Me down today.

Exchanging temporarily His throne for a stable, He came here on a mission to save His own. Calvary was the reason for Bethlehem; the reason for the cradle was the cross at Golgotha. And so even now, as we celebrate His birth, let us remember He was born to die. The reason for His birth was His death and resurrection.

This week, I have chosen “O Holy Night” by Hillsong as my song for the week. Have a merry Christmas folks.

"O Holy Night" by Hillsong

Our Greatest Need

As we approach Christmas, I decided to share a poem and then the lyrics of a song written by a dear friend. The poem gives a profound insight into the need God met when He sent us His Son while the song captures a swift sweep of our Savior’s life from the cradle to the cross.

Our Greatest Need

If our greatest need had been information,

God would have sent us an educator.

If our greatest need had been technology,

God would have sent us a scientist.

If our greatest need had been money,

God would have sent us an economist.

If our greatest need had been pleasure,

God would have sent us an entertainer.

But our greatest need was forgiveness,

So God sent us a Savior.

-Roy Lessin

Sons To Him

In Bethlehem a child is born,

In a cradle as a Son.

The Mighty God becomes a man,

Emmanuel unfolds the plan

He was wounded for our sins,

Suffered on the cross to set us free,

Paid a perfect price for us,

It was all just to make us sons to Him.

He staggered carrying the cross,

They nailed and crucified the Lord of lords,

They thrust a spear into His side,

No one even wondered why.

Now He’s risen from the dead,

Seated up above the Lord our King,

Placed us right beside Him there,

And it was all just to make us sons to Him.

-Samuel Nwanze

Finally this week, I want you to be my guest at our Christmas Carol Service on Sunday 18^th December 2016 as we together worship our King.

Who Are You? (3): The Believer’s Identity In Christ

Salvation isn’t just a fancy word that preachers and pastors use in their sermons or teachings. Salvation is an actual experience. It is an experience in which we encounter the transforming power of God. The problem is that believers in Christ hear so little and know very little about what now accrues to them as a result of that experience.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.” 2^nd Corinthians 5:17 Holman Christian Standard Bible

One of the things that has now become ours is a new identity in Christ. 1^st Corinthians 15:20-49 gives a treatise on this new identity. Adam and our Lord Jesus are termed the first man and the second man respectively. They are both progenitors of 2 lineages of men, each lineage with its distinct characteristics and unique identity. By natural birth, we took on the characteristics of Adam’s lineage and bore his identity. Through spiritual birth and regeneration in Christ, we take on the characteristics of a new lineage and bear a new identity from Christ Jesus.

This is so because believers in Christ have entered a spiritual union with Him:

“But anyone joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him” 2^nd Corinthians 6:17 Holman Christian Standard Bible

Romans 6: 3-7 also teach us about the union we have with Christ. This spiritual union with Christ should form the basis of the believer’s identity. Rather than follow people’s opinions or the perceptions of culture about our identity, we should focus more and more on who God says we are in Christ Jesus.

Permit me to share a personal experience. I noticed early in primary school that I had a squint (the medical term is strabismus). As we all will probably remember, the taunts of other children can be so hurtful. I was called “4 0 Clock eyes” by some of my primary school mates. Many of them looked at me in a funny way. People constantly looked around when I spoke to them as they were not sure I was addressing them because of my squint. I was brilliant and I had very bright ideas but I had a major difficulty speaking with people. This experience coupled with some other events in childhood made me lacking in confidence in public gatherings or even in conversations with people I was not familiar with. I had allowed my physical appearance (the squint) and people’s opinions (the taunts from my mates) to form a basis for my thoughts about myself. After I got saved in Secondary School, one day while reading my Bible I found a verse in Paul’s second letter to Timothy:

“For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” 2^nd Timothy 1:7 New International Version.

That verse was an eye-opener! It began to revolutionize my considerations and conclusions about who I thought I was. I started changing my sense of identity and my perspective about who I really am. Now my squint hasn’t gone but I do not take my identity from it anymore, in fact when young children meet me in the Clinic and I notice them gazing into my face and appearing confused, I smile and gently explain to them that one of my eyes is not in focus. I know I am more than just how my eyes are. I am more than just how I look. I am more than the things I own, or what people say or think of me. I am who God says I am.

In secular life, we have identity documents like International Passports, Driver’s Licenses and Identity cards that contain details of our natural identity like gender, nationality, birth date, place of birth, etc. Similarly, we have the Scriptures as a written record of our new identity in Christ. Particularly in the Pauline epistles, we find descriptions of the believer’s new identity in Christ. In the book of Ephesians alone, I find at least 20 statements about who the believer is, about who I am. I have found it immensely helpful in my spiritual sojourn to return again and again to these epistles to be reminded of these realities.

Here are a few of what Ephesians says about the believer in Christ:

You…

·         Are a saint in Christ Ephesians 1:1;

·         Are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ Ephesians 1:3;

·         Were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world Ephesians 1:4, 11;

·         Were predestined for adoption to sonship in Christ Ephesians 1:5;

·         Are redeemed in Him Ephesians 1:7;

·         Are forgiven in accordance with the riches of God’s grace Ephesians 1:7;

·         Are sealed with the Holy Spirit Ephesians 1:13;

·         Are made alive in Him Ephesians 2:1;

·         Are raised up in Christ Ephesians 2:6;

·         Are seated with Him in the heavenly places Ephesians 2:6;

·         Are God’s masterpiece created in Christ Ephesians 2:10;

·         Have been brought near by the blood of Christ Ephesians 2:13;

·         Have been reconciled in Him Ephesians 2:16;

·         Have access to the Father by one Spirit in Him Ephesians 2:18;

·        Are no longer a stranger or a foreigner but a fellow citizen with God’s people and a member of His household in Christ Ephesians 2:19;

·        Along with other believers are being built a holy temple in Christ as God’s dwelling Ephesians 2:21, 22;

·         Are equipped by grace in Him Ephesians 4:7-12;

·         Are given a new self, created in true righteousness and holiness Ephesians 4:24

This our new identity is not based on feelings but on spiritual facts and realities. If I may illustrate with this example, I am a Nigerian by earthly descent. My parents are both Nigerians and I was born and bred here in Nigeria. I may not “feel” like a Nigerian but you see, that is my nationality, purely based on facts and not on feelings. In the same way, even though we may not always “feel” like who or what God says we are, that does not change the reality of our new identity. So, you see I may not “feel” like I am God’s masterpiece but the spiritual reality is that I am exactly who He says I am!

“…Even if everyone else is a liar, God is true…” Romans 3:4 New Living Translation

So, dear child of God, fill your mind with the realities of your union with Christ and let these facts form the basis of your sense of identity. The video this week tells us some more about the believer’s new identity in Christ while the second link is to a list of 52 identity statements of believers in Christ. Kindly watch the video and read or even download the list. Don’t settle for anything less. Rise and take your place in the reality of the new identity you have been given in Christ.

Identity In Christ video 

The Believer's Identity In Christ PDF