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I am to become a Christ to my neighbor and be for him
what Christ is for me.[1]
Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.[2]
What does it mean to be Christ to someone else? Our answer must be with the full knowledge of what Christ has done for us. Only as we know who Christ is and what Christ has done for us can we truly become Christ for our neighbor. We find our "job description" as we experience Christ within our own being.
The Holy Spirit has prepared us in exactly the way we need to minister to those people drawn across our path. You are equipped! You are able!
Have you been alone and
without friends in a strange place and had to rely on the relationship with
Christ alone? If the answer is yes, then your command is to be Christ to the
lonely and those without friends.
Have you been afraid and
wanted comfort more than lecture about your fear? Then your presence is the
Christ you bring to those in fear.
Remember when you made such a
mess of some decision in your life? What you wanted was someone to listen as
you expressed your frustration rather than remind you of what their advice had
been and how it had been the opposite of what you decided. Knowing that, are
you able to be present as a pastor/caregiver before you put on the role of
professor, teacher, or corrector.
How did you want Christ to be
present for you in your time of need? More than likely, that is how you may
need to be present for the person standing before you in their moment of need.
Yes, Christ does come to us
at times as the corrective person when we have gone against his command for us.
Yes, there are times when we are called to pull a sibling in Christ aside and,
with the same compassion Christ would have used with you, issue that corrective
word to another member of the family of God. Yet, it is always with the full
compassion of Christ that we come to this moment. We begin and end with
compassion. We always seek to restore the brother or sister to their place in
the family. We show forth Christ in our life in such a way to draw others to
Christ, always prepared for the person and the time when we are called to
demonstrate how present Chris is within us.
Pastor
Craig
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