Who Am I in Christ?

**fennywest** Mon 04 Jun 2012, 6:46 pm

[b]1 Peter 2:9-12 (New International Version)
9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

11Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. 12Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.[/quote]

Who Am I in Christ?

Who I am in Christ
Simply blows the mind:
One chosen by God,
appointed, anointed
Selected, accepted
Separated, consecrated;
Of a special breed-
A divine class
A New Creation
Child of God
With God’s DNA
With special privileges
Benefits and responsibilities;
Bestowed with divine favour
Made alive, Sanctified,
fuel led and propelled
By the Holy Spirit;
Partaker of the divine nature,
With power over the power
Of the enemy, with a destiny-
A future filled with hope;
With the greater One residing
on the inside of me, correcting
counselling, directing, energising
teaching empowering and comforting me;
A salt of the earth and a light to the world.
God’s voice, His hands and feet on earth.

Chosen

Chosen: implies I was chosen amongst many, a part of the cream of the crop, not because of my goodness but because of His goodness and love and mercy towards me. It is not for my qualities or accolades but because of the unmerited favour from above. I was part of the wild olive branch that was grafted into the Vine. I was lost without a trail but He found me. I was in a howling waste, in a desert place but He came to me. I was in the darkness, in the valley of the shadow of death but He reached down to me. I was going blind, singing the blues but He came and gave me back my sight and gave me a new song to sing. I owe Him a debt of gratitude I cannot pay.

Chosen people

It is not just me. I am part of God’s people here on earth- His hands and feet, His voice. We represent Him. We are His Ambassadors. That is a glorious and awesome responsibility I must cherish. I need to remind myself from time to time where I came from.

Kingdom of Priests
Yes, I belong to a kingdom of priests. It is the duty of the priests to call on God for the people, to intercede on their behalf, so I need to stand in the gap for my family, nation, those in government, unbelievers, local church and the world-wide church.

Moses interceded for the children of Israel, Jesus interceded for us before He went on the cross (John17).

Eze:22:30: And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.

Esther interceded for her people and God intervened. Easther4:
1Tm:2:1: I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

1I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— 2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness NIV

A Holy Nation

We are called to be holy

Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. Lev.20:7
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 1Pet3: 215
Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. 1Pet1:16
Holiness implies purity arising from cleansing. We have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus and set apart for God’s use and for His glory.

This means we are to be holy in our conduct and attitude of mind and dealings in general. Certainly we will fall from time to time and we need to acknowledge our sin- confess and forsake and receive forgiveness to remain vessels meet for the Master’s use.

A people belonging to God

We have a branding that we are God’s- divine territory. Anyone who messes with us messes with God. All we have is God’s and all He has is ours. We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. We are fellow citizens of heaven- heavenites. We have a passport with the blood of Jesus used as the seal on this passport.

1 Corinthians 6:15-20 (New International Version)

15Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh."[a] 17But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.

18Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

1Cor6:15-20
Declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness
We have a purpose of praising Him Who has called us out of darkness and translated us into His marvellous light. Let us let our praises ring to the King of kings wherever we are and in all we do. Let us remind ourselves what the Lord has done for us and we would have cause to praise Him. Let us praise Him, not only for what He has done for us but also for Who He is- the Mighty, majestic, glorious, victorious Most High.

Live as Aliens- strangers
We travellers, actors, on this stage. We are aliens, foreigners, citizens of heaven. We’re just passing through. We need to have eternity in view in all we do. Although we are in this world, we are not of this world. We need not allow the world to shape us into its mould12While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that scripture would be fulfilled. 13"I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. 14I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. John 17:12-14.
Do Not Love the World

15Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. 1John2

20But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ Phil3:20

1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a] act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Rom12:1-2

Let us pray:

Father, I thank You for choosing me amongst many and making me Your child, your ambassador and special possession. Help me, Lord, to appreciate this glorious privilege and the responsibility accompanying it. Help me, O God, to be light wherever I go, to represent You well, regardless of circumstances. O that I will live pure, holy and blameless before You, living like an alien in this world and refusing to let the world shape me into its mould. Holy Spirit, I crave Your indulgence to fill me and anoint me to overflowing to live a life that will show forth the praises of He who has called me out of darkness and translated me into the kingdom of His dear Son, in Jesus’ Name.