Identified with Christ

There is a parable that Jesus shared in Luke 18 about a widow who came before an unjust judge seeking justice. She was persistent, and received a favorable ruling. We read:
6 Then the Lord said, "Hear what the unjust judge said.
7 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them?
8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"

That's a phrase that came to mind as we exist in an environment where there is a systematic dismantling of the social structures that are supportive of our faith.  There are those that would want us, as Christians, to go away; those who want to silence us, to label us as intolerant and hateful because we uphold Biblical standards.  But, I believe that God will meet us when we are discouraged and reinforce our faith in Him; recognizing that as people observe our convictions, expressed with compassion, that they will be drawn to our Savior - we are called to be faithful.

+++++

I think that it's vital to know what it means to live as a Christian in this age.  We have to guard against allowing the world or the media to define us, but we can be challenged to allow the way we live to
show we have Christ in our hearts. Micah 6 gives some insight:
6 With what shall I come before the Lord, And bow myself before the High God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, With calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, Ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?
8 He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?

For 17 years, a missionary named Dr. William Leslie ministered to the people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to GodReports.com, which says that, "After 17 years he returned to the U.S. a discouraged man – believing he failed to make an impact for Christ. He died nine years after his return."

But in 2010, almost 100 years after Leslie went to what was described as a "remote corner" of the nation, Eric Ramsey with Tom Cox World Ministries brought a team into the region and made "a shocking and sensational discovery," according to the article which states that they found "a network of reproducing churches hidden like glittering diamonds in the dense jungle across the Kwilu River from Vanga, where Dr. Leslie was stationed."  The story says:

Ramsey reported, "When we got in there, we found a network of reproducing churches throughout the jungle,” Ramsey reports. “Each village had its own gospel choir, although they wouldn’t call it that,” he notes. “They wrote their own songs and would have sing-offs from village to village.”

They found a church in each of the eight villages they visited scattered across 34 miles. Ramsey and his team even found a 1000-seat stone “cathedral” in one of the villages. He learned that this church got so crowded in the 1980s – with many walking miles to attend — that a church planting movement began in the surrounding villages.

Ramsey had to do some research to make the connection from these people, known as the Yansi, to Dr. Leslie, and he was able to piece together aspects of the doctor's story. According to Ramsey, "He would teach the Bible, taught the tribal children how to read and write, talked about the importance of education, and told Bible stories."  The article says that he also learned that "Leslie started the first organized educational system in these villages."

But, he didn't really feel his work had an impact, and he left there after a fallout with tribal leaders, which was later reconciled. Ramsey notes: "His goal was to spread Christianity. He felt like he was there for 17 years and he never really made a big impact, but the legacy he left is huge.”

There's a reason I share this story today - it just illustrates for us the impact that we can make.  It's a nervous time for many in the church: we can become discouraged by threats of all sorts; political developments call the authenticity of our faith into question; and there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of security out there.  But, the Church is still the Church, our calling has not changed, there will be those who will be hostile to the faith, but we can still walk in the love of Christ and be confident in Him.

There are three words I want to share with you today.

One is identification.  We are not called to be identified with a certain label - we may belong to a church or a denomination; we may affiliate with various organizations, but ultimately we are to be identified with Christ.  We belong to Him and the way we live our lives, clothed in compassion and confident in the Lord, demonstrates with whom we identify.

Another is imitation.  We are called to be imitators of Christ.  Humans will fail us sometimes; we will fail ourselves if we are reliant on human effort.  But God calls us to exalt Christ as our example, and to seek to live our lives in the way that He would intend.  In order to follow Him, we have to know His ways and seek His heart - that's why Bible study, prayer, and personal communion with Him are so very important.

Finally, let's think about infusion.  We are called to be infused with the Spirit of Christ.  The Holy Spirit is given to us to direct us, to empower us, and to assure us that God is with us.  Our trust is in the Lord, and our dependence can be governed by the Spirit He gives us.  He enables us to be found faithful in the Lord.  You never know what impact your faithfulness may have.