"I in them and you in me." John 17:23
When Jesus told his disciples that he and the Father are one, he didn't say this to simply proclaim divinity. He showed us that the relationship we are to have with him is to be the same as his is with the Father. In turn we will have a relationship with the Father through him.
This is the Jesus the world is looking for and can find so little of. When a person looks at you do they see you or Jesus? When they listen to your words do they hear you or Jesus? When they watch your life as a candid observer or neighbor do they see you or Jesus?
This may seem over simplistic but if they don't see Jesus in you then you are as blind to Jesus as they are! The Bible says it this way, The man who says, "I know him [Jesus]," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. 1 John 2:3-6
You can claim this or you can claim that, but no matter what your theology is, the Bible says what it says! To claim to know Jesus and not walk as he did is to first lie to him and then it is to lie to yourself.
We are on the threshold of the darkest period in the history of the church! Soon the time of testing will come. Are we ready to be Jesus in the face of death? Can we love those around us as they pierce our flesh with nails as they did to Jesus? Can we see to the needs of those around us even as we ourselves are going without? Can we walk as Jesus walked? Even if we say yes, often our actions speak no. This is a testimony against us. We claim to know him and yet we are liars, we do not walk as He did.
Through the time of testing we are asked by Jesus to stand firm in the faith. Faith needs deeds! Will we love our fellow man even as we suffer by his hands? Yes, there are a few among the many who will cleave onto Jesus and they will triumph over death! But, sadly, scripture prophecy shows that a great falling away from the faith must happen before our resurrection is fulfilled (Matthew 24:9-14).
Faith is not some static comfortable nest where we receive - receive - receive from Jesus. It is something that is spiritually alive in us that is apart from us. It causes us to see others as the Savior saw them. It moves us to feed the sheep and tend to their needs. It causes us to abandon what is best for us for what is best for others. In it we have hope and express love. By it we hear and understand and believe and are healed. And through it we are saved!
This world is going crazy. It is under the influence of the spirit of the antichrist and is depraved and insane to the core! The church is compelled, no it is commanded, to take the jar off the light and shine in the darkness. The church is a light placed on a table, it is the city on a hill, but it is covered with a jar. The jar of tradition, religion, legalism, quarrels among us, politics, pride, arrogance, isolationism and the very buildings we house our congregations in!
"No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not be disclosed, and nothing concealed that will not be made known or brought into the open. Therefore consider carefully how you listen. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he thinks he has will be taken from him." Luke 8:16-18
Yes, these whitewashed tombs have become our sole expression of Christian love. We throw open the doors and comfort one another that it should suffice that we are open for the world to join us and we will even have regular altar calls should a stray sinner just happen through our doors looking for Jesus. Don't we get it? The stray sinner who wanders in is indeed looking for Jesus, but more often than not he walks away discouraged, even after responding to an altar call, because he couldn't find Jesus in you or me, he couldn't find the light! Be Jesus! Leave the pew and reach the undesirables! And when you have reached them resist the temptation to change them, you are not God! God makes the seed that is planted and watered grow, not man. Resist making the person a clone of yourself or your humanist ideals of humanity. If God persuades the newly born-again person that their green mohawk hair-do and nose ring are stumbling blocks to others then fine, but God may very well use that same person to lead an army of mohawk - nose ring clad people to Jesus Christ! The inside of the dish must be cleaned, then the outside will be clean also (regardless of whether it offends your arrogant notions of what is descent for saved people or not)!
There are legions of young people in this world, the United States included, that will never find fulfillment in a pizza-party youth group! THEY ARE ALONE in a sea of humanity. They need someone who will accept them without question, will hug them without expectations of further favors and listen to them without judgment or a 'better than thou' attitude.
Jesus was a hard man. Yes, I know that this offends many a Sunday school mentality, but it is true. You see, His message consisted of truth and truth is hard on the conscience. His words showed the way to God's love but they would have been just words had not Jesus lived the message, even unto death! God's love was in Jesus' deeds, not in his words, unless you consider Jesus's desire to immediately kindle the consuming fires of earth's destruction as a loving sentiment (see Luke 12:49-51)!
The scripture says that we know we are in him if we WALK as Jesus walked. It does not say TALK as Jesus talked. It is now and has always been the time to BE Jesus to the world rather than trying so hard to just sound like him!
"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command." John 15:13-14