A noted Christian author once asked an intriguing question; “What if, for one day, Jesus were to become you?
What if, for twenty-four hours, Jesus wakes up in your bed, walks in your shoes, lives in your house, assumes your schedule? Your boss becomes his boss, your mother becomes his mother, your pains become his pains? With one exception, nothing about your life changes. Your health doesn’t change. Your circumstances don’t change. Your schedule isn’t altered. Your problems aren’t solved. Only one change occurs.
What if, for one day and one night, Jesus lives your life with his heart? Your heart gets the day off, and your life is led by the heart of Christ. His priorities govern your actions. His passions drive your decisions. His love directs your behavior.” (Lucado)
Imagine that. What would that be like? For a day, our whole behavior, whole heart, whole attitude, and mindset would be completely Christlike. That day would be characterized by love, patience, graciousness, endurance, holiness, and faithfulness.
While Jesus doesn’t personally take over our bodies, we are filled with God’s Spirit and have collectively become the embodiment of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:27) The apostle Paul challenges us in Philippians 2:5 to daily strive to have the same heart, mindset, and attitude as Christ.
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” – Philippians 2:5
This is our goal every day; to think and act more like Jesus every moment of our lives.
Philippians 2:5 perfectly sums up our mission as a church. We are a church that is determined, dedicated, and passionate about being disciples of Jesus who make disciples of Jesus. We are determined to be people who are constantly striving to think like Jesus and behave like Jesus.
When we observe Jesus’s life, we notice His priorities. Among lots of things, He lived in fervent prayer, dependent upon the Holy Spirit, obedient to the will of the Father, in constant worship, rooted in the Word, and with a very intentional mission to seek and save the lost.
Our goal is to progressively grow in our modeling of these priorities. This is the very mission and commission that we have been given from Jesus. Essentially what Jesus commands His disciples to do after His departure and until His return is to go and model what He had shown them, and they had observed during His earthly ministry with them. It is as if He told them, “You have seen me do this, now it is your turn. You be my body. Make disciples.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?
He has given us everything we need. His Spirit, spiritual giftings, His presence, power, wisdom, prayer, discernment, His written Word, clear instruction, and one another. What is the church waiting for? It is time to “GO and TELL”.
The church ought to be a disciple-making factory. The sign above our doors should read, “Fresh disciples made here daily.” Maybe we could get a light like Krispy Kreme. HA. We need to continue to be a church where people hear the good news of Jesus, respond to it, are taught the Word of God, obey His commands, and then go and find someone else to pass this all on to.