By Cheryl Mah
The essence of being a Christian is to worship God. As Jesus explains, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24). This means we must not only be sincere in worshipping Him, but that our worship must be rooted in Scriptural revelation, for all Scriptures is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). To truly say we are one with Christ we must take steps to cultivate that relationship.
1. Purging sin from our lives
Matthew 22:36-40 tells us that we are to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. If we worship and love Him with all that we are, then we must do what we can to draw closer to Him. Since sin is a barrier between us and God (Isaiah 59:2), the first step we should take is to actively eradicate wilful sins from our lives (James 4:8). We must confess our sins to God, repent, and work on obeying His every Word.
2. Developing a relationship with God
If we love someone, we will want to know more about them and spend time with them. Our relationship with God works the same way – if we love Him, then we should want to know more about Him. God reveals Himself to us through Scripture, hence the best way to get to know Him is to read the Bible (Joshua 1:8).
It is also important that we put aside time to talk with and listen to God. We may confess our sins, share our worries, offer our needs in prayer, or even just to give Him thanks (Ephesians 6:18). The beauty of prayer is that it can be done anywhere and anytime. On the other hand, it is perfectly fine not to say anything, and to just spend quiet time each day listening to what He might have to say to us – even Jesus often did so (Luke 5:16). Another way to draw closer to God is to worship Him through singing, dancing, playing musical instruments etc.
3. Abiding in Him
When we put our faith in Jesus and abide in Him (John 14:20), we enter into a spiritual relationship with Him i.e. we remain in Him and live in Him. To be bound to Christ is to bind to His mind (Philippians 2:5), as well as to be bound in love and faithfulness (Proverbs 3:3). Moreover, John 15:1-4 tells us that we may only bear fruit if we are connected to Christ, and if we are not, then nothing can be accomplished.
It is our divine destiny to be co-labourers with Jesus, however it is crucial for us to be bound to Him so that we may work in tandem with Him. Instead of being servants, Paul explains that we are co-labourers of Christ (1 Corinthians 3:9). Why is that so? You see, servants are not the same as co-labourers. Servants are task-oriented; they do not know their master’s business, neither do they do what their master does. Servants do not share anything personal with their masters, do not work to change their minds, and do not participate in their master’s plans.
However, co-workers have equal responsibility in the ministry of Christ. Apart from Christ our work cannot be complete, and at the same time His work on earth cannot be complete without us. How can Christ accomplish His redemptive mission if people do not know Him, and how can they know Him and be saved if we do not share about Him (Romans 10:13-14)?
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20
Reflection Questions:
- In which area of your life do you intend to first start purging sin?
- How does one live “in Christ”?
- As a co-worker of Christ, how can you be more hands-on in His mission?