Times Have Changed

Ever wonder what God is like?

If you lived in 2000 B.C., you and I could look up at Mount Sinai at the fire and smoke and say, 'God is like that...' And we would be fearful of touching the mountain, thinking if we did we would die.

If you and I lived in 29 AD, we would hear a man making Messianic claims.We would see a man would could feed thousands with very little, heal the sick and think to ourselves, 'Somehow, God is just like that man over there...'

But you and I live in the 21st Century; God is neither confined to a mountain top nor does Jesus walk our streets.  And yet, many times when I stand before the church, I wonder what the people in the pew think God is like right now.

The New Testament tells us that God is like those very people in the pews; as God was within Christ, He is also within each person who has trusted Him by faith. 
Like with Christ, there is an indwelling which takes place by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Together, we are the Body of Christ - a new species in which God lives, extending His work and His hands through our lives to touch those in the need of a hand from God.
And as we read the New Testament, the Apostle Paul writes as if that was God's plan all along and we are only now catching on.
In fact, Paul claimed that God had moved from a Temple in Jerusalem to human temples; those who believe.

As the church, we carry the image of God; we should also carry the practice of God.
For example, when there was a famine in Israel, Paul went to churches he had started on the mission field and led in fund raising to aid in their relief.
Paul brought the Church money, but through his work, God was meeting His children's need just as much as if He had sent manna from heaven. 

As the Church and the Body of Christ, we are to meet similar needs of others in our time.

One thing we often fail to realize is that in the New Testament, there is no distinction between God and His Church. You may have never heard that before, but it is true.
When Saul was on the Damascus road headed out to arrest Christians as he had done previously, the Risen Christ appeared, knocked him to his knees, shining so bright that it would temporarily blind Saul, and asked, 'Saul, why are you persecuting ME?'
He didn't ask why Saul was persecuting His believers or followers, but why Saul was persecuting Jesus personally. 

In his mind, Saul was after heretics, not Jesus Himself. 
To him, Jesus had already been crucified and was dead; there was some suspicion as to who stole His body but Saul believed Him to be dead.
But just as Jesus was alive and the Spirit indwelling in those who believed, those people were in fact His own body.
In essence, whatever hurts us, hurts the Lord.

Do you want to know what God is like? Look no further than in the pews.
Do you want to see God? Then look to the people who belong to Him.
Quite frankly, it ought to be that simple.

You see, nonbelievers do not know names like William Carey, Mother Teresa or John Calvin; why would they? 
But the lost do know me.
Many will only see me....and you.

A watching world judges God and Christianity by those who carry the name of Christ.
Let's strive to live up to the name 'Christian.'

Until next time, try to win one for the good guys!