Greater Works V – Christ in You, Our perfection.
The Apostle Paul’s heart was to present to the believers the work that God has done in Christ. His heart was that there would be an effectual working of the Holy Spirit to show every man perfect in Christ.
Colossians 1:24-29 “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church: 25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; 26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: 29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.”
Let us carefully read the verses of scripture above. Paul is saying he is laboring for the Church. As I said, look closely. He is laboring according to the working of the Holy Spirit that is going on mightily in Paul. He is not just working in some religious way to get every man in a church. He is working that He may show every member of the Body of Christ their perfection in Christ Jesus. This word perfect means complete. We are complete in Christ. He is our completion.
Paul’s heart is that every man would see Christ by the Holy Spirit. That Christ would be revealed in them to see the full work that He did in the cross. This is Paul’s heart. This is his labor. This is why he would be shipwrecked. This is why he would be in wanting’s, in fasting’s, and do without. That all might see their perfection!
Much of the idea of perfection is simply that we would come to a place where we just did not sin. Even if we come there, we are still in need of perfection. Our perfection is in Christ Jesus. To be perfect is to have Christ living in me., and me living out of the reality of His life that is in me. He is my completion, and He is what I lacked. I am concerned that many in the Body of Christ do not see this. I am concerned that many, if not most, teachers do not declare this.
There is this idea in Christianity that hangs over us that we must become perfect. This may very well be designed of God that we would have this thought and idea before us. However, the tragedy is we usually try and find this of ourselves. Or we put it off to some other day. I used to make the statement over in glory land. I didn’t even know what that meant. I had grown up hearing it said, over in glory land, over there, when we all get to heaven. It was all about getting somewhere else, and somehow by getting there we would obtain perfection. God would give us a perfect body that does not die, and we would not sin.
What we miss in this idea is the truth that is in Christ. This other day. This perfection we are looking for is found in the person of Christ. In John’s Gospel in Chapter 16 Jesus tells His disciples that He has much to say to them, but they cannot bear what He would declare. Hear what He says! The Spirit of truth is going to come and take of that of Jesus Christ and show it to you. This is inwardly. The Spirit of truth inwardly shows us Christ Jesus. This is how we bear that of Him. Christ must be shown in our hearts and we then are transformed by HIM that is in us to bear HIM in the earth.
This is our perfection. Christ in you the Hope of Glory. That He may be revealed that we would see the Glory! We come by the Holy Spirit to know as Jesus said in John 14:20, “At that day you shall know I am in my Father, you are in me, and I am in you.” We come to know that He is in us by the Holy Spirit. We come to the Revealing of HIM that is in us by the Spirit. He must be revealed that He may appear that we see His Glory. This is how we are perfected. We see Him by the Spirit and come to understand that our life is Christ. Glory to God.
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