"The Solution"


 
THE SOLUTION
          The world appears to be one enormous masquerade party! So what is the solution for such a massive identity cover-up? As Christians who are attempting to live their lives totally surrendered to Christ, we must continuously present the truth, just as Jesus spoke the truth to the religious leaders of His day, and Paul spoke the truth to the Corinthian church members. But the key is to present the truth…IN LOVE!
          Ephesians 4:15 says “ Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.” Let me repeat the obvious message of this verse -- when we “speak the truth in love” we will grow “in every way more and more like Christ.”
          How do we know that Jesus and the Apostle Paul spoke the truth in love to their audiences? As I mentioned, Jesus is perfect love. And He proved His love toward us by dying on a cross in our place.
Paul was full of love for the Corinthians. As a matter of fact he considered himself their spiritual father since they received Jesus under his ministry. He referred to this relationship with them in I Corinthians 4:15 (NLT) – “For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you.”
 
CONCLUSION
          In conclusion, let me list the necessary steps we need to take in order to possess “the mind and heart of Christ.”
  1. We must first determine whether or not we have truly been “born again.” Only through our conversion and our reception of the Holy Spirit do we even have the ability to possess the mind of Christ.
  2. Once we have surrendered to Christ, we must resolve to follow Him daily the remainder of our lives. We begin the transformation process which will never end until we reach our home in heaven.
  3. Many of us have fabricated a false identity, usually in order to either survive in this fallen world or to achieve self-centered goals or pleasure.
  4. Sometimes there are many layers to this false self. The more we clothe ourselves in the righteousness of Christ (His mind and heart), the more layers of our stained costume we begin to peel away.
  5.  Finally, our true, God-given identity is revealed when we live and breathe Christ…when His life is our life…when His thoughts are our thoughts.
 
          Are you involved in a massive cover-up? Do you attend the masquerade ball every day of your life? Are you “whitewashed?” Do you present yourself as a person who appears to be fairly “clean and pretty” on the outside (i.e. you mostly have it together), but inwardly you know you are a mess, a city dump where garbage has piled high over the years? 
          Christ has come to set you free. Only through Christ can you be the person God has created you to be. Remove the costume and mask. Clothe yourself in the righteousness of Christ and find your true identity.