Christian Information Center

“To Know and To Do”

GOD

Volume 1, Issue 2 Christian Information Center CICWORD.com

God bless you in the greatest name of them all, Jesus Christ. It is the name of Jesus Christ that we call on to be saved, in his name we have power in this life, and because of his name we have hope for the life to come.

On the news recently I heard a lady say after a flood in her town in Ohio, “Praise Jesus, my house was not washed away in the flood.” Today there is a believer president in the White House, Carl Rove thanks God for the privilege of serving the administration, the families of miners in Utah pray to Jesus about their men underground, missionaries captured in Afghanistan ask Jesus for help. The name is out there.

I must say, I have not heard so many use the name of Jesus in the media like this since I was a teen in Washington, growing up in the Word of God. There was a movement then, the “Jesus Movement” and his name was everywhere it seemed. In popular songs on the radio, written in the news, spoken of on the street. Those streets were where I cut my teeth on knowing scripture. We used to go and argue with the Jesus People about the Word of God, what it said and what it meant. It was there I began to understand that there was Jesus and then there was Jesus Christ. Just like today.

There is sure a difference between the Jesus people talk about today, and the Jesus Christ of the Bible. You may think I am being too picky, but, that is what the Word of God says. There was a time when the son of God walked on the earth. The shores of Galilee still bear the foot prints of his ministry, and the old walls of Jerusalem bear witness of the powerful words he spoke over two thousand years ago. That Jesus, the Christ, gave up his life, laid it down as a sacrifice for our sin. He died. God raised his body up three days later, and that body was changed. Later he was taken up into heaven, ascending to ‘sit on the right hand of God’ in a responsible position as our advocate in God's Kingdom.

2 Corinthians 5:16 says that because of this change in his life and responsibilities, “Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.” The Jesus of the Gospels is gone, and trying to say he is not, is not rightly dividing the Word of God. There is no standing approved before God in that. We do not make an extra place setting at the dining room table for Jesus. We do not ask ourselves in a situation, “What would Jesus Do?” (He already did it, now what are you going to do with Christ in you?) and we do not pray to him, he is not God.

Splitting hairs? Let me ask you, what is more important, doing things your way or doing things God's way?

1 John 4:1-4:

“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:

And every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now is in the world.

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

Colossians 1:27

“To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Please note, it is not “Jesus in you”, it is not about how he was when he lived on the earth, but his resurrected and ascended self. The power of God resides in us who have called on the name of Jesus Christ to be saved. Now it is Christ in us, the hope of glory.

1 John 5:1-4

“Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments.

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.”

Jesus Christ is the name of the son of God, he has completed God's plan of redemption and salvation for believers. We love God and keep His commandments, one of which is to call upon the name of Jesus Christ, who God has made our mediator and advocate with the Father.

Popular songs, popular churches, news quotes and the like are wonderful when they use the name of Jesus. I am thankful people think about him at all. (Philippians 1:18 talks about this, even though it says ‘Christ’.) But, keep in mind, God is the boss, He has set things up, we keep His commandments. We should not be so cavalier to think that because God is gracious and merciful we can do whatever we want to to His Word, and He will forgive. Perhaps. But how about doing it God's way? He certainly spent a lot of time and effort into stating and then completing His Word. How about realizing that Jesus is gone, the man of the flesh has completed his mission and has succeeded. Now, Jesus Christ sits at God's right Hand, and it is this Jesus Christ, who used to be a man and now is changed, who we give praise and thanks to God for.

God bless you, in the wonderful name of Jesus Christ. The greatest name of them all.

Steve Armstrong