What If Jesus Visited Your Church? Part 2

On Thursday I posted a question as to how we might respond if it were told us that Jesus would be visiting our church in person. I think our "knee-jerk" reaction would be amazement, followed by consternation (especially if we'd been living life awry from his commands). This might be followed-up by relief (or disappointment) knowing that such a consideration is patently hypothetical. Yes, Jesus will come at the judgment, but we are fairly well-assured that he will not make a surprise physical appearance in our meeting houses! 

. . . or, WILL HE . . . ?

This leads us to a logical and biblical conclusion . . .  

Christ In You

 

Christ is in fact already more visible in us than if he were just physically present! --Do you believe that the spirit is more vital than the flesh?-- Indeed, Paul writes in Colossians 1:27, that Jesus' presence in believers is the essence of the riches of his glorious mystery. And in that monumental eighth chapter of Romans, Paul affirms FOUR TIMES in just a few lines (vv. 9-11) that "the Spirit of God dwells in you," "Christ is in you," "the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you," and "his Spirit who dwells in you." This magnificent chapter asserts beyond the shadow of a doubt the security of the true believer. And one of the means whereby he affirms this is in the repetition of of this marvelous truth, viz., that God, the Spirit and Jesus dwell in his own!   

So, this begs the question as to what has stymied our faith that we are more easily impressed by the physical than the spiritual? This is usually a trait that is attributed to non-believers. Yet, it would seem, we who profess Christ fall prey to the same weak faith! So, Jesus' physical presence would shock us, but his indwelling us doesn't seem to phase us? I ask again, how can this be? Well might Jesus question us as he did his disciples after the calming of the stormy sea, "Why did you doubt, O you of little faith?" (Matt. 14:31) So critical is the reality of Christ's presence to the believer that Paul hangs the genuineness of a person's salvation on the recognition of it, 

Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?--unless indeed you fail to meet the test! (2 Cor. 13:5)

Maybe Jesus WILL make a surprise appearance in church--a surprise because he blows away our customary Spirit-less worship by his evident and glorious presence. Perhaps the room will be so thick with God's presence that we might conclude that HE COULD NOT BE ANY MORE REAL IF HE WERE PHYSICALLY PRESENT! Let us expect greater worship, a more godly Spirit-presence. Let us overcome the spiritual lethargy to which we have grown so accustomed and seek the face of God in reality! Proof of Jesus' presence will be changed lives, humility, and a holy expectation of hell and of heaven. Glorious. 

Pray that Jesus WILL INDEED visit our churches, that we will not let him remain outside but enter and dine with us and we with Him! (Rev. 3:20)