At the end of His earthly mission, Jesus prayed and asked that His disciples may be ONE, just like He was ONE with the Father. He said: that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me (Jn 17:22-23). The last words and wishes of anyone tend to reveal what really matters most to them. What the LORD wanted above all things, was to see between His disciples and Himself, the kind of unity and bond that existed between Him and the Father. We, ONE in Jesus, and Jesus ONE in GOD, is us ONE in GOD. This is where inviting Christ should lead us to: this is the ultimate goal.
Jesus does not come for a short visit. He comes to stay; and if He we make Him feel at home – if we have received Him the Eastern way –, He will transform, renovate, restore, repair and rebuild us. The whole of divinity will thus invade every aspect of our lives. As He is, so also are we now in this world; and just like He could say that whoever has seen Him has seen the Father (1Jn 4:17, Jn 14:9), we will also be able to say that whoever has seen us has seen the Son.
No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known. He even acknowledged this as He prayed saying: I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world…I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them (Jn 1.18 & 17.6, 22 & 26).
What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Ps 8:4. The only reason why Jesus accepts our invitation and accepts to share His glory with us is so that, in return, we will also, just like Him, make GOD’s name known to men. This is the supreme and ultimate goal of the divinisation of Man in Christ Jesus.
Jesus came so that the divinity could once again invade the earth and men could regain control of what Adam had lost. He came so that the will of the Father could, through us, be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Now, when we speak of the divinity and being like Jesus, many start dreaming of miracles; especially as He promised that those who believe in Him would do the works that He did, and do even greater works than those (Jn 14:12). However, it is important to realise and understand that if Jesus had only performed miracles, there would be no Gospel today. Indeed, since the days of old, the world has seen all sorts of thaumaturgists (miracles workers); but what is left of them? Besides, after multiplying five loaves of bread and two fishes for a few thousands of people, Jesus told them that they were not looking for Him because of the signs they had seen, but because they had eaten their fill of the loaves. Then, when He told them that to do the works of GOD, they needed to believe in Him whom GOD had sent, the same people who had just witnessed the multiplication of bread asked: “What sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you perform?” (Jn 6:26-30) So, the multiplication of bread and fishes, the changing of the water into wine, the miraculous catch of fish and all the supernatural healings had not been enough to trigger faith in them! Even the resurrection of Lazarus was not going to start the great revival that one would have expected. Indeed, Jesus will later use a parable to explain that if people would not listen to Moses and the Prophets (the Holy Scriptures), they would neither be convinced if someone should rise from the dead (Lk 16:31).
Children chase miracles, forgetting that these are also the first and most effective weapon that the devil uses to seduce the believers. Mature Christians run after solid food (Heb 5:14). If the Gospel has been and is still so successful, it is not because of miracles, but because of the liberating and transforming power of the teaching of the Word of GOD. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age (Mat 28:19, 20). Disciples, teaching… Life shows us the power of these words every day. It is through teaching and discipline that one becomes a doctor, lawyer, engineer or astronaut and that they make known the name and power of the ‘god science’. It is also through teaching and discipline that the fully trained Christian becomes like the Master, his glorious Guest, and makes GOD’s Name known to the world. Jesus will only be with us till the end of the age if we apply ourselves to teaching everything that He has taught us. Knowledge is powerful: You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free (Jn 8:32). Let’s bring the best of knowledge and the purest truth to the world. Now that we have invited Him and He has come to stay, as we behold His glory and are being transformed into Him through the daily meditation of His Word (2Cor 3:18), let’s bring CHRIST to people, let’s bring us!
Have a wonderblessed® week manifesting your Christitude® or your Christlikeness, if you prefer!
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