“Seeing The Father In The Son!”

“Seeing The Father In The Son!”(Jn.12:44-50).
A young preacher was delivering a sermon. He noticed that an elderly woman who was sitting on a front pew was looking at him intently; sometimes shedding tears. The young preacher thought maybe the sermon made a positive impact on the lady. After service, the preacher cornered the lady to find out why the sermon touched her so much. The woman told him, “My son, I lost my goat last week. The goat had a moustache like yours. When you were preaching, and as I watched your moustache, I kept thinking of that goat, and that is why I was crying.”
The overcrowded Church is usually not an indication of an expansion of the kingdom of God.
There are three ways to test the presence of Christ, namely: the Church test, the kingdom test, and the gospel test.
The Church is the visible body of Christ, which by right is the presence of Christ. But the institutionalised Church often degenerates to secularity, thus becoming a social club. When the Church gets to that point, you follow the facial expressions of the Church, but like the woman, you see your missing goat but not Christ.
The kingdom test is found through revivals, reformation, religious orders, etc. The origins of the kingdom test is the dissatisfaction of a few within the Church who think that the Church has lost its true vision. Unfortunately, once the kingdom test is institutionalised, it sinks into secularity as well.
The gospel test is the test that firmly implants Christ within communities. The gospel impacts the community, transforming old beliefs and practices within cultures and filling them with new content. People become members of the kingdom of God without necessarily becoming Christians.
Talking about himself, the Lord Jesus Christ says, “When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me…”
Believing in Christ is not to recite that “I believe…” Believing in him is hearing his words and keeping them.
My friend, do you see the Father when you look at the Son? In other words, “Why are you in Church? Do you see Christ beyond the Church? How has the gospel in you impacted others and your community?
Weekend prayer: Lord Jesus Christ, I believe your testimony. Help me to hear and obey your word. Amen!
Have a blessed weekend! Peace be with you! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Rev Babila Fochang.
04/01/2024.