5th March, 2017
Have you just bought a cell-phone and are wondering how to use it? It is written. Check the manual. Have you just bought a television and you want to set the channels? It is written. Do you want to be a son of God but don’t know what it entails? It is written. Do you want to belong to the kingdom of God but don’t know its values and principles? It is written. It is written in the scriptures.
How do you see yourself? Many people don’t even know who they are. Some men see themselves as women. Some women see themselves as men. Some thieves call themselves Robin Hood and foolishly believe they are honest. Some murderers call themselves Pharisees and hypocritically presume they are righteous. Some identify themselves by their jobs and say they are carpenters, bricklayers, doctors and lawyers.
Thus says the Lord: “The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know, my people do not consider.” (Isaiah 1:3). For this reason, Christ was made manifest in the flesh, so that we may know exactly who we are. One of our Christian folk songs asks believers: “What manner of man is Jesus hallelujah?” The answer is quite self-evident: Jesus is the manner of man God created all men to be.
Scriptural Identity
One day Jesus asked his disciples: “Who do men say that I am?” They replied: “They say you are John the Baptist. They say you are Jeremiah. They say you are Elijah. They say you are the prophet.” Then Jesus asked them: “What about you my disciples. Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16).
Why did someone not say Jesus was Socrates or Plato? The reason is simple; those men are not in the scriptures. They were all looking for Jesus’ identity in the scriptures. Everyone they identified with Jesus is in the scriptures.
The same must be true for you if you are a believer in Christ Jesus. Your true identity must be in the scriptures. You are no longer yourself. Your new identity is in Christ, and Christ is the word of God. Therefore, my question to you is this: What is it that is written about you in the scriptures?
Some people asked John the Baptist: “’Who are you?’ “Are you Elijah?” “Are you the Prophet?” “What do you say about yourself?” He answered: “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord,” as the prophet Isaiah said.’” (John 1:19-23). John identified himself within the framework of the scriptures.
Search the Scriptures
What about you? Are you Judas? Are you Jezebel? If the scriptures were to be written today, would you be in it? If so, what would be written about you? Have you seen yourself yet in the book of life? Be careful. James cautions: “If a person just listens and doesn’t obey, he is like a man looking at his face in a mirror; as soon as he walks away, he can’t see himself anymore or remember what he looks like.” (James 1:23-24).
Jesus said to the Jews: “You search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of me.” (John 5:39). Search the scriptures, if you are a true believer they must surely testify about you. Go home, sit down, open the bible and start reading from Genesis to Revelation. It is absolutely imperative to find out exactly what is written about you.
Everything about your life is already written in the scriptures. There is something written about every situation you are going to face and about every circumstance you are going to encounter. If anybody asks about you, tell him: It is written. David says: “In the volume of the book, it is written about me.” (Psalm 40:7).
The believer is the image and the likeness of Jesus. That means he is the earthly photograph. He is the photocopy. He is the carbon copy. He is the Ambassador of Christ. He is the minister of Christ. He and Christ are one. He is the answer to Jesus’ prayer: “that they all may be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I in you; that they also may be one in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.” (John 17:21).
Christ’s Ambassadors
The American ambassador to Nigeria was being chauffeur-driven along the road in Abuja. Suddenly, there arose an altercation between his driver and another driver. There was a scraping of metal; a loud screech and the two cars came to a halt. The ambassador jumped out of the car and dragged the offending taxi driver out of his car kicking and screaming. There was an exchange of blows.
Soon, the ambassador and the taxi driver were on the ground having a full-blown wrestling match. A crowd gathered. “What kind of ambassador is this?”
Do you believe this story? Do you think it really happened? I know you don’t believe it. You are right not to believe it because, frankly, I made it all up. But tell me, why didn’t you believe it? You did not believe because you know the last thing an American ambassador would be caught doing is to be fighting in the street.
But what if I were to tell you I was not referring to the American ambassador? What if I were to tell you I was referring to an ambassador of Christ? Would you believe me?
In all probability, you would have believed. I am sure you have seen so-called Christ ambassadors having boxing matches in the streets before. But surely, it is far more important to be an ambassador of Christ than to be that of the United States. The problem, however, is that most self-styled ambassadors of Christ don’t seem to know what their status entails. Most don’t even know what is written in the scriptures about ambassadors of Christ.
Christian History
In the volume of the book it is written that the believer is the son of God. John says: “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know (Jesus).” (1 John 3:1).
The son of a lion is a lion. The son of God is a god. He is the heir of the Father. He is the heir of God. He is a joint-heir with Jesus.
Beloved, we are working to a script. We are created for God’s glory. Our own part in “His Story” is to bring glory to God. Our part is not to sin. Our part is not to fail. Our part is not to quit. Our part is not to be defeated. Our part is be one with Christ. (John 17:21). That is the true “at-one-ment.”
John says: “Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the Day of Judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.” (1 John 4:17).
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