Lesson 9 In His Image

     When new revelation is brought to the Church of Christ, we have a way of repeating the Israelite's response when Jesus came to them with a new truth.  They preferred holding onto the truth they held instead of receiving the truth of the new covenant that Jesus was bringing.
     Everything that is written by the Holy Spirit is truth.  As He enlightens the scriptures, He reveals more and more truth.  This is revelation knowledge.  The more the Holy Spirit reveals to us, the more we can see Jesus in everything.  He doesn't take away the truth that we have, but He reveals more truth and adds to it.
     The single truth that we all started with was that Jesus would take away our sin and we could be born again (or we could be converted).  The truth never changes.  The Holy Spirit begins building on this truth and reveals things that we never knew about the new birth.  It doesn't change the truth, but it opens up more and more truth.
     Being made in God's Image and Likeness is a truth from the very first chapter in His Word to us.  Somehow, we've been afraid to realize this truth, thinking we were being prideful and arrogant.  It wasn't our idea to be made in His Image and Likeness, but it was God's idea to begin with.
     It's not arrogant to say we were made in His Image, it's stating the truth because we were made in His Image.  When Jesus said in John 10:10 (Amplified) that, "He came that we could have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance till it overflows," He wasn't doing it to keep us humble, but to set us free.  It's a gift of God's grace for us to be made in His Image and not something to be hidden, but to be revealed to the world.
     John 1:4 (Amplified) says, "In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men."  In Matthew 5:14-16 (Amplified) Jesus said, "You are the light of the world, A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a peck measure, but put it on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praise worthy, noble and good deeds and recognize and honor your Father Who is in heaven."
     The Light He gave to us is to be the Light in darkness of the world.  Jesus spoke about the overflow we are to impart to the world in John 10:10 (Amplified).  He said the world is supposed to see the Light and that by their seeing it, they will know we're from and of God.  It's not a matter of honoring us, but honoring God to say we're made in His Image.  This is the Image revealed to us and the Likeness we are made from.  We aren't to pull back from these truths.
      We've taught to reflexively pull away from anything deemed prideful or haughty.  Having pride in my Heavenly Father isn't the same thing.  I am not ashamed to be called God's Son, nor am I ashamed to reveal His Life in me to others.  Being bold about my Jesus, isn't the same thing as being arrogant about myself.  We were born again in order to bear witness of this Light and this Life.
     We are all called to learn more about our Father.  The more I know about Him, the easier it is for me to walk upright before Him.  Many Christians go through their entire walk with God without ever discovering what His will was for their life.  It's not difficult to know His will when you know His Person.  We are called to bring spiritual and physical life to dead people.  Those still in the world are loved by God and it's our job to bring Light and Life to them.
     God didn't only call us to minister to one another, but to the entire world.  He didn't tell the world to come to the Church and hear the gospel.  He commanded us to go into the entire world and preach the Gospel.  We go (and should go) on mission trips to Mexico and other nations, but we shouldn't forget those we work with and those we live next to or with.
     People everywhere are looking for Life.  They try finding various ways to escape the pain, futility and the mundane of everyday life.  We have the very Life of God ready to overflow into them if we will simply offer them Life (and not the other religious things we attach to it).
     We've invented so many standards for people to follow, that they cannot do it.  We need to simply give them Life and God will direct their steps as they grow in Him.  Afterall, we are His family and He will teach us how to speak, conduct ourselves and walk uprightly before Him.