Ephesians 3:
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
Acts 4:
11 This Jesus is the stone which was despised and rejected by you, the builders, but which became the [a]chief Cornerstone.
1 Corinthians 10:
31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God
Whenever a building was constructed in those days, the chief cornerstone was always used as the point of reference. It was the first stone to be placed and not only that every other block was placed in reference to this stone. It anchored the walls together, preventing the building from collapse.
For those who are called to build, if our interactions with (and ministry to) God’s people is not centered on them aligning with Christ, it is futile and has no eternal significance. We are building in vain and whatever we build (regardless of how hard we have toiled or greatly sacrificed) will be burnt completely one day! Every decision we take, every ministry venture, everything we do, must be done with the intent of leading or pointing people to Christ.
People’s lives need to fit into Christ, not the other way around. They need to be led in such a way that at some point in their lives journey their lives perfectly and completely align to the Lordship of Jesus. The moment that happens, Christ manifests powerfully through them in every area of their lives, bringing life, light and redemption to His body and to those on the outside. Imagine the impact if a collective group of people find that place of submission in Christ.
Today, much of what is preached and taught in the church focuses only on temporal and lacks eternal significance. God certainly cares about every detail of our natural lives. While on earth, Jesus went everywhere meeting people’s physical needs, and there is nothing wrong with helping others in that way. However, He also called those who received His earthly blessings to surrender fully to Him, in following Him, regardless of the cost.
Similarly at some point, in our journey of leading people if we aren’t leading them into experiencing the selfless love of Christ which requires one to live in the light of eternity (at all costs) and not for this world, then everything we have invested in people would be in vain.
Christ demonstrated His love through good works, meeting people’s needs while teaching and preaching on spiritual truths needed to prepare us for His eternal purposes. Today, we have largely neglected spiritual teachings and focused mainly on natural things, and we have little fruit to show even for our good works.
We have also, knowingly and unknowingly, encouraged a belief system in which ‘christ’ is expected to fit into our agendas and interests, rather than our lives being shaped around Him. This is wrong. It is a deceptive, self-centered doctrine and an affront to the One who, because of His great love, sacrificed everything for us. The only fitting response to that love is to give Him complete Lordship over our lives—nothing less.
Today the gospel of convenience has resulted in a group of people whose lives aren’t totally surrendered to God! That is why the works of the flesh are prevalent in the church to a great extent. It has also resulted in demonic activity and deceiving spirits at work in some cases. If this is the case, how can the Spirit be present amongst us as we desire Him to be? in our individual lives, homes, gatherings and our communities.
No amount of prayer and striving for God to be manifest in our gatherings will bear result as Christ isn’t the reference point. He isn’t the Lord and master directing our building efforts.
We need to have the heart to constantly lead people into the knowledge of Christ; to know His nature and His attributes; His desires and HIS thoughts and help them in the process of transformation into the same if needed. This is what pleases the Spirit! He is there on this earth only to fulfill this job. If we aren’t acting in accordance with His will in this regard, how can He accompany us or bless our efforts with His presence?
Being fully fitted into Christ means we have completely surrendered to Him. He governs and leads us in every area of our lives, work, and service. This is our goal on earth: that in whatever we do, we do it for His glory. There is a great difference between confessing Jesus as Lord and living under His Lordship in every part of daily life. His call to deny ourselves, crucify the flesh, and take up our cross each day must be understood in this context.
This can never be achieved unless we first see how Christ lived, died, and rose again for us. From eternity to His life on earth, and ultimately in His great sacrifice, His choices were all made with us in mind. He placed us before Himself, lived for and gave everything for us.
It is the basic comprehension of this love that leads a person to want to do the same in return. Now, we will never comprehend fully on this side of eternity( or may never will) as the love of Christ surpasses understanding but requiring total commitment from people without helping them see the love of Christ is a futile endeavor and that which will led to bondage than liberty.
Comprehending that love calls for a corresponding response. We will be rewarded on that basis in eternity. The fact that the twelve disciples will be reigning with Christ one day is because they responded to His love by drinking from His cup.
Dearly beloved, being perfectly fitted into Christ allows the Spirit to flow freely among those who are connected to Him like wise. His Spirit prepares and leads that God can manifest Himself as He wills amongst them. A perfect harmony that results from a perfect union, that allows God to make Himself known in ways not known before. A knowledge that causes a transformation into HIS image, leading to greater degrees and depths of His revelations for all of eternity!
