Christ Likeness As A Strategy For Mission Series

In doing all this Paul was just obeying the commands of his Master the Lord Jesus Christ himself. When I first came into Christianity, I used to feel very proud. I thought I had something great by accepting the Lord Jesus Christ and becoming a Christian. I felt I had made the right decision. I felt proud to be part of this Christian Club. That is when the Lord confronted me with John 15:16 (NKJV) You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. Let us get this straight this morning. It is not us who chose the Lord, but the Lord who has chosen each one of us. It is not by our actions that we are here, but because He wants us to be here, and He has a job for us to do, and that job is to bear fruits for his kingdom. So this was the first command that Paul was fulfilling through his life at Thessalonica. The second one is found in Matthew 5:13-16 (NKJV) "You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Paul was being the Salt and Light wherever he was put by the Lord. Many of us find it convenient to remember Jesus’s words about Him being the Light of the world (John 8:12, John 9:5), but conveniently forget that He has asked us to be Christ-like and be the light of the world, light up the world around us, so that others might see the true light, that is Jesus Christ. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and give glorify your father in heaven.

Jesus did not want his disciples and followers to lead an isolated life. In his final prayer before the cross, he prays John 17:15 (NKJV) I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. He further goes on to say John 17:18 (NKJV) As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. Do you think we have enough case for all of us to lead a Christ like life and thereby lead others to Christ?

Most of you would have seen the movie Ten Commandments. The parting of the red sea is a great special effect in that movie. And in the Bible too, it is a great miracle. One would have thought that the Israelites would have got convinced about God’s powers and might after witnessing such a miracle. But that was not the case. They went back into their own idol worshipping ways in no time at all. And not just that one time. We see this over and over and over again. This can happen to us. We can all come and listen to a good sermon, we can be lost in the holiness of this place and the worship and the message and the ambience etc, for some time. And we can all go back and lead the same life that we led before we knew Christ. That is useless religion. All our knowledge, all or religious rituals , all our good deeds, all our activities, everything becomes utterly useless unless we can live a Christ Like life outside the four walls of the church, outside the confines of a Christian group. Others should be able to able to see difference in us and thus be encouraged to ask, what is the Power that makes this difference? 1 Peter 2:12 (MSG) Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they'll be won over to God's side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives. Let me quote Chris Wright, famous theologian and Lausanne Leader . When there is no distinction in conduct between Christians and non-Christians—for example in the practice of corruption and greed, or sexual promiscuity, or rate of divorce, or relapse to pre-Christian religious practice, or attitudes towards people of other races, or consumerist lifestyles, or social prejudice—then the world is right to wonder if our Christianity makes any difference at all. Our message carries no authenticity to a watching world. Another Lausanne colleague of his, David Bennet says But if our lives do not express integrity, wholeness, freedom from corruption, if there are inconsistencies and cracks, people will not believe or welcome our message—they will reject the good news as too good to be true, or as obviously not relevant….they will not take seriously what we say about anything else—including the good news of Jesus Christ. Do you see the importance of right behaviour for us as Christians, do you see the need for us to Christ like in our day to day lives outside the four walls of the church?