Topic: Manifesting Christ in Our Midst: Introduction
Greetings Sons of God:
Considering the climate of the United States and pretty sure
many other nations around the world, there is a evident need for the glory of
God to be seen. The glory of God is radiated from the corporate being called
Son. Now in the times that we live in,
many within the Body of Christ are praying for the second coming of Christ, while
others are praying to see the glory of God in these dark times. Jesus promised us that He would never leave
us nor forsake us. So, if He is within
us, He does not desire to stay hidden but be made known in the world and to the
world. However that manifestation of
Christ must first begin within His own House.
Many have strayed away from the very principles that the Lord laid out
in how Christ is manifested in our midst.
When we look at the state of the church it is rather sad for so many to
believe they are seeing a manifestation of Christ without sound doctrine. Churches have become entertainment centers
that perform and call it a manifestation of Christ. Let us get back to some basic biblical
principles that Christ laid out on how He is made known in our midst. We will use Luke 24 to really dig deep and
show you how Christ is manifested in our midst.
Luke 24:13 starts the testimony of the two men traveling on
the road to Emmaus and they were talking about the things that had happened
concerning the crucifixion of Jesus. Now
what is amazing is that as they walked along Jesus drew near and went with
them. Now you would think that if Jesus
came to them then they would know it is Him.
However the Scriptures declare that their eyes were holden that they should not know Him. Jesus then asks them about the conversation
they are having and why they are sad. Cleopas answers Him like most of us would
“Do you not know what has happened around here and how the chief priest and
elders condemned Jesus to death and crucified Him.” He goes on to explain that they trusted that
He would redeem Israel on the third day.
In addition they had the testimony of the women that said they had seen
a vision of angels which testified that Jesus was alive. Now, look here what we have here:
We have two men walking along talking about the very person
they should have known but as he came they did not know Him because their eyes
had been closed to the ability to see Him.
Clearly these guys could see because they were walking along, so their
physical eyes could see but it as their spiritual eyes that were closed. So even with Christ walking with them, they
could not see Him. In addition they had the testimony of the company of women
who heard the testimony of the angels and yet they still were sad as if there
was no hope. This is the state of many in the church and even some churches and
congregations today as it pertains to the world. Terrible things are happening and it seems as
if there is no hope and many are praying for Christ to return and for some even
today, to “rapture” us out of here (even though that is not happening because
the rapture is a false doctrine). The
Scriptures say were are more than conquerors and conquerors confront and
overcome problems not run away or seek to escape. The answer to the world problems today is He
who is within us and His government, the Kingdom of God. It begins with us, but we must start with
knowing Him.
In the next message we will examine how we can continue to
be blind even with Christ in our midst.
Peace, Love and Grace,
Calvin Calhoun, Jr.
