Since When?

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

This is the testimony of all God's children! As it says in 1 John 2:5-6 "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."

If I have been crucified and no longer live, but it is Christ that lives in me, then it stands to reason that my life would look like His!

In fact, it must look like His, because it is He that lives in me!

This is why Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 13:5 "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?"

If Christ lives in us, then His life will be lived out through us! We will do and act according to His will and purpose!

Surveying the landscape of the professing church, one must ask:

Since when did Jesus start wanting to go to the cinema? Since when did he start loving to watch people act out the very things that drove the nails through his hands - the killing, the lust, the sex, the blasphemy, the lying, the hatred, the twisting and distortion of truth? Since when did Jesus start caring about how he looked? Since when did he get so caught up in fashion, clothes, jewelry, styled hair and body art? Since when did Jesus stop caring for people and start looking out for number one? Since when did he start caring more about superannuation, paying back the mortgage, and having a diverse share portfolio than reaching out to a lost and dying world? Since when did Jesus stop speaking the truth in love because he wanted to be more relevant and less hated by those he came to die for?

It comes down to this. This is the test. If Jesus Christ be in you, then you will be like Jesus Christ!