Sharings - True Life In Christ

If a person has not truly died, he has not truly lived.

It took me years to finally have a revelation of what that meant. This year has been a rough, bumpy year for me, nevertheless, I just wanna thank God for being faithful and so good till the end.

A friend was talking to me about "Empathy", and how hard it is today to find people who can really, not just sympathize, but empathize with what people are really going through.

Im sure we all have friends who just chuck us aside every now and then, not failing to realize that sometimes, what we really need, is not solutions, but really someone who can listen to our problems, be that shoulder to lean on, etc...to just...be there. Someone who can really understand what we are going through and how we are feeling.

Many people can listen, but they dont really feel what you feel.

They just go, "yea...okay...I see...hmm...ya...etc"

Empathy is something not easy, to come by, in fact, every great gift in life has to be bought with a high price, in this case, Ive been through a lot as a youth, year after year and I came to think about soil. When is soil considered, good soil?

When it is soft, and 'crumbled'. Thats why we have buffalos tending to farmlands to loosen up the soil, so that the seed can be firmly planted and flourish, therefore, bringing forth much fruit in its season.

Likewise, for empathy and sympathy, its not something we can just attain in the blink of an eye, for me, personally, Ive been through a lot of heartaches to get to where I am, and it all doesnt come easy. There were many things I gave up along the way.

Choosing the narrow way is never easy. Yet, today its so clearly seen, that wide and broad is the way that leads to destruction. Many of us often take the route of convenience, instead of the route of conviction.

Just because something is good, it doesnt necessarily mean its right.

Thats what it means to take up our cross daily, and follow Him, if we wanna be His disciples, not just believers, but genuine disciples.

As I look back in 2009, God has really came through for me. And He will come through for you too. :)

As I reflect back, I began to have a revelation of what it really meant, to say that unless we have truly died, we have truly lived.

What makes a genuine life in Christ?

Is it going to church?
Reading the bible?
Moving in signs and wonders?

Well, I just wanna share my experiences and hope it will encourage you. :)

To live the true life of Christ, to be LIKE Christ, is to live the life that He lived.
To be identified with His death and His resurrection.

There are 4 phases I came to encounter along my walk with God:

Phase #1 - The Spectator Phase

These are those who are new in the Lord. They are just starting out, learning the bible, being hungry for God's Word and God's presence. This is like the crowd who followed Jesus everywhere He went. They had needs and Jesus was there to meet their needs.

Phase #2 - The Disciple Phase

These were those who carry the cross, forsaking all, to follow Him. They were not there just to have their needs met, but to meet the needs of others. They were there to teach and to contribute back to their society and to the marketplace. These are the people who make a difference.

Phase #3 - The Crucifixion Phase

These are those who have followed Christ and grown to such an extent, that they being to face trials and persecutions, temptations, some even suffer for the sake of the Kingdom. Yes, they had their needs met, yes, they have led people and raised up disciples, they couldve even performed signs and wonders and changed their generation for Christ. But yet these are the ones who have truly paid the price. There were things they liked to do, but because of their immense love for God, they gave up their dreams to pursue God's dream.

The life they lived, may be hard, but at the same time, it was fulfilling.

Just because we read the bible, go to church, perform miracles...even if we have carried the cross and forsaken all, yet we are not willing to die to the flesh, deny ourselves and be crucified with Christ, we havent really lived.

Satan could quote bible verses, Satan lingered in the presence of God in His throne room, Satan could raise up false prophets to perform signs and wonders.

Are we bold enough to live out the life God has called us to live, even when the going gets tough? To allow the nails to pierce us, to be raised up as a public spectacle for something we have not done or deserved? To be crucified for all to see. It may be painful, it may hurt a lot and costs us alot, yet the question would be, how far are we willing to go?

The proof of our desire is in our pursuit, pastor always says.

And last but not least:

Phase #4 - The Resurrection Phase

Personally, the heartaches Ive gone through and the rough times have taught me one thing, that true life in Christ doesnt really begin in the Spectator, Disciple or Crucifixion phases, all these are great. We should give our best to desire more of God, to serve others and to live a life of consecration, but it doesnt just stop at the crucifixion phase.

Because I have my own times, when I felt like giving up, times when Ive felt empty and dry, even after serving God and serving people, we do get weary every now and then. And Ive seen people, reaching the pinnacle of their ministry, on the verge of becoming a celgrp leader, and just when they were about to have a taste of destiny, crisis hits and they back down. Sadly, some even give up totally on God. :(

Yes, they may have been in church a long time, they may have served a long time, they may have given up everything to follow Christ, but at the juncture of crucifixion, what is the deciding factor between a true believer and one who isnt?

It is in the resurrection power!

When we are struck down, are we able to get up again, and again, and again, and again?
Have we come to a point where death no longer has power over us?
Have we been resurrected into Christ's new creation?

"That we may know Him and the power of His resurrection"!

And like Jesus, the question would not be, whether have we read the bible enough, whether have we served enough, etc. The question would be:

Have our lives changed so dramatically, that when people look at us, they couldnt even recognise us?

Jesus appeared to His disciples after His resurrection, yet it took them awhile before they finally realized He was the Christ.

That is when we can say that truly, our lives have changed.

Such that when people look at our lives, we can truly say that it is not the work of a man, but the work of God! But they say, what if its the work of the devil? In the first place, the devil will never accomplish anything great. ;)

Pastor always says, 'you may be poor today, but if you follow Jesus you'll not stay poor all your life.'
You may be sick today, but in Jesus there is healing, there is deliverance.

He died, so we can receive forgiveness.
He bore the stripes, for our healing.
He became poor, so that we can become rich.

Not just in heaven, but right here, right now, in this lifetime.

In heaven we will all be perfect, is there need for forgiveness?
In heaven there is no sickness, is there a need for healing?
In heaven there is overflowing, unlimited abundance, do we need finances?

Our prayer to God, is for His will to be done, on EARTH as it is in heaven.

Faith is for the now.

I was so inspired by one of my brothers in the cg. He came overseas to study in Singapore. He came from a background of drugs, partying, getting drunk...basically, the 'underground' lifestyle in Canada. He lived in a rented apartment with an unreasonable landlord who not only took advantage of he and his family, but literally cheated his dad tons and tons of money.

Yet today, he is a successful businessman-to-be, graduating with an honors at Informatics. We not even talking about a degree, but something even higher than that. Seeing his life inspires me. Now his family has their own apartment, and he has the whole master bedroom to himself. Not only did he get it at a cheap price, somehow God made a way such that the previous guy who wanted the unit, kept on delaying for some unknown reason, eventually allowing my friend and his family to clinch the deal.

On the spot, their family got the keys and it was on the same day their previous landlord had to chase them out. If not for God, he would still be living in a life of sin and lack. And the amazing thing was, when he moved in, everything in the house was in place, from the rooms, the utilities like water, electricity, etc...even the furniture!

It serves as an encouragement to us, that if God can do it for him, God can do it for me, and He sure is able to do it for you too! :)

Those who are planted in the house, shall flourish in the courts of our God. ;)