Yesterday’s devotional dwelled on Apostle Paul’s kind of marks of Christ he bore while on the earth. We were told that all Christians ought to bear those marks of the Lord Jesus before they could pass for being Christ’s disciples. Standing on the information drawn from Apostle Paul’s bearing the marks of Christ; we were told that the marks referred to might not be marks of preservation or protection from evil forces as some believed them to be. The Marks of Christ we are looking at today are His worthy behaviours and good works He did. The early Apostles did what He did to achieve the name “Christians” in Antioch.
Jesus told His disciples in John 11: 43 – 44 that those who believe in Him will do greater works of those He did. The works here are not restricted to works of signs, wonders and miracles. To me, the works are all inclusive of all works of Jesus. Today, we will look at some of these works as marks of Christ. The works of the gospel, godly behaviours, doing things that give glory to God, offering selfless services to people, feeding the poor, and, loving every mankind are few of the marks of Christ. All these are what distinguished Jesus Christ out.
Jesus Christ judiciously and obediently carried on the works which glorified God. He mentioned this in John 17: 4 that He has glorified His Father already. As Christians we ought to wear these marks.We should be able to be asking ourselves if what we do daily gives God glory. Jesus never did anything outside that which will make His Father happy. This made God to say of Jesus: “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3: 17). We should look into all Jesus did while on earth from the Bible that made God to speak of Him as a “Beloved Son…” In discovering those things, we should endeavor to do them as marks of Christ.
Another mark of Christ is His acceptability of sinners and human beings in general. The Bible says Jesus Christ mingles with sinners. He never differentiates between the Jews and Gentiles. He was accused of eating with sinners. Christians ought not to be far from sinners. Jesus came because of the lost ones – the sinners. It is unchristian way of life to stay away from unbelievers. We may not do what they do but we are not to treat them as “untouchables. Today, we see Christians discriminating even against other Christians of other denominations. Many souls would have been won for Christ if Christians stop treating those outside their denominations with arm’s length. As a Christian reading this devotional, how close are you to your neighbor you think is an unbeliever? What is your relationship with those in your church who you think are below your faith standard? Jesus went to the house of a tax collector. How often do you visit homes of people in your community who are not Christians? We must wear the Marks of the Lord in these areas. Our last series on wearing the marks of Christ will be devoted to LOVE as marks of Christ.
PRAYERS:
1. Pray and ask God to give you heart of Jesus to enable you do the works of the gospel in loyalty and obedience, in Jesus name.
2. Ask for Spiritual empowerment to do things which advertise the glory of God through your works on earth, in Jesus name.
3. Ask God to grant you the ability to live above self-righteousness that makes you not to mingle with people, in the name of Jesus.
POSITIVE CONFESSION:
I see myself as an ambassador of Christ; I will henceforth act as Jesus acted to the glory of God. Hallelujah!!
bishopubaudenyi@hopealivechurch