[shareable]’Life is more about who Christ is rather than who I am because who I am is in Christ and Christ in me.”[/shareable]
In your Identity in Christ, you gotta know YOU are powerful. You might be thinking. “Whoa, Todd, we’re suppose to be powerful people?” Check out the power that God has given us:
His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. – 2 Peter 1:3, 4
I love how the Greek word used in the Bible for power is δύναμις, sounds like the English word for dynamite. This Greek word means inherent power which a person exerts and puts forth. This is mind blowing to me that when I let Jesus become Lord and Savior of my life back in college, this power of Jesus came into my life!
The following truth became one of my theme verses:
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably MORE than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. — Ephesians 3:20
This, not only radically changed my life as this power overcame my weakness of Cerebral Palsy, power worked through me in my gifting of sharing Jesus with those who do not have a relationship with Him. I started realizing that I had the same power (dynamite power) of Jesus that the apostles had when they shared the Gospel:
And with great power (dynamis) the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all – Acts 4:33
It blows my mind that letters from one man discipling another young man is in the inspired Word of God! This shows us the value God places in one-on-one discipleship. When Paul disciples Timothy in the second letter to him, Paul encourages and equips Timothy by sharing with Timothy that he has this kind of power:
For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. – 2 Timothy 1:7
Typically, I skimmed over “power” and go straight to “love” and “discipline”. I’m thankful for the men who has discipled me to walk in all God’s Spirit has given me and this includes, POWER.
I’m thankful for my new identity in Christ and now that his power is in me and runs through me and now… God’s power is made perfect in my weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9) and for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:10). This power is available to give us courage when sharing the Good News of Jesus…
Rolling in a restaurant pub passing by a pool table room, I see a man with a lot of muscles wearing a tee shirt stating, “Jesus is never returning”. Wanting to roll on, God’s Spirit pricked me to stop and roll into the room. I introduced myself and the man stated his name. Hearing his name and “what do you want?”; I started a Gospel conversation with him and he was sharing with me, how hurt he was by his wife who left him and how her dad was a preacher and so he did not want to have anything to do with Christianity.
In the midst of sharing his pain in anger, I felt inner power from the Spirit and stood up! (on a side note, people tend to be very surprised when I stand up… haha). Immediatly when I stood up I shouted in a loud loving voice “JESUS LOVES YOU!!!”
Jumping back and searching for words as he gained awareness from his startled state, he humbly smiled and complimented me on how bold I am. Then I shared with him the truth about our state, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” and the truth about Jesus, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
He asked me how can a weak disabled man be so bold.
I shared with him:
How are you going to practically live out your life in Christ in the power God gave you? Let’s carry on this conversation in the comments below.