“Living Inside Out in Christ”
2 Cornithians 5:17
Pastor Tonie
If you’ve hung around me in recent months you’ve heard me mention how I’ve been living my life inside out. By that, I mean in my fiery trials the Holy Spirit has increased my understanding and spiritual sight about my identity in Christ. I’m not talking about some new age telepathy experience mixed with mystical fictitious lies – absolutely not! I’m talking about Jesus, the truth the only mediator between God and humanity, who rebirths a person from the inside out in his forgiveness and love.
The last eight months I’ve been struggling with a fiery trial called “Bell Palsy” – a paralysis of the facial nerve muscles. When I first saw my droopy disfigured face in the mirror, God tenderly reminded me, “That’s not the real you.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “If anyone is in Christ [born again], he is a new creation; old things [your old Adam nature] are passed away; behold all things have become new.” Today I’m convinced without a doubt about who God says I am in Christ, regardless of my circumstances and outward appearances. This defining truth has grabbed me, I’ll spend the rest of my life getting to know the real me in Christ. The Word says we’re earthen vessels with a hidden treasure (Jesus) living in us, and our trials help squeeze out the essence of 2 Corinthians 5:17 if we believe.
Our fiery trials burn off our fleshly externals that hold us in bondage from really living in Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 is no longer a familiar verse to me – it’s become my reality, joy and hope, along with Romans 8:28-29. If it wasn’t for the grace of God, I would have missed the visitation of 2 Corinthians 5:17. I’m so thankful – entering His throne room has become more personal and meditative. When people ask about this Bell Palsy I testify about the hidden treasure of Jesus Christ healing me from the inside out. God has renewed my purpose in life: to persuade people, especially believers, of who they are in Christ. These last five months our “Free at Last” class witnessed community transformation as we progressively explored liberating truths about our identity in Christ. Ephesians 1:3 says all our spiritual blessings (freedom) are in the heavenlies in Christ – this is your inheritance too as a child of God. You may say, “But, Tonie, I don’t feel free; my life is the pits. I see more curses than blessings; my body is riddled with pain; no one cares or understands me; I’m afraid; I’ve got financial problems; I like doing things myself; I’m just a loner; that’s just the way I am.” Can you relate? Well then, you have tons of reasons to count it all joy (James1:2). Cry out to God right now and let others help you. Beloved, don’t give in or give up. The adversary Satan builds “mental smoke screens” to blind and lead you away from Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4; 11:3). As believers, it’s a matter of belief and perspective – you’ll always live out who you believe you are inside. Remember what Jesus said.. (See Matt. 23:25-26) to those phony religious leaders: “You wash the outside of the cup, but inwardly the cup is dirty.” He called them blind guides. They saw and lived by external works and appearances, ignoring the internal love of Jesus. That’s like drinking from a cup that’s dirty on the inside while the outside is sparkly clean. I call this “playing church.” Many are performing hard waiting passively to experience God in a performance double-mind external way. Only to become tired, sick, shortsighted and forgetting who you are, as a child of God. (2 Peter 1:9). Paul said, “Put no confidence in the flesh (externals)”. There’s nothing good in the flesh, we owe the flesh nothing, it produces nothing but death, and it’s hostile and displeasing to God. (See Phil.3:3; Ro. 7:5; 8:7-8.) We’re new creations in Christ; together let’s seek those things above in the heavenlies where all our spiritual blessings are – in Christ.
“Living Inside Out in Christ”
2 Corinthian 5:17
Posted By: tonie gatlin
Friday, July 10th 2009 at 12:52AM
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