It is Time to “Christ Up”

 

It is Time to “Christ Up”

Galatians 2:20

Theme: turn to Christ daily for whatever you need to live out God’s interests.

It's time to "Christ" up! You have heard of the phrase, "Man up" before perhaps in the context of a unique challenge to a youth or even to a fully mature man who is presently behaving more like a boy. Basically, we are forcefully encouraged to meet certain expectations...satisfy requirements or secure the necessary strength to elevate our performance. Well with "Christ" up there is a standard...expectation, a requirement. "Christ" is that standard, and this does not involve more self-reliance!

The strength we must summon is not physical and carnal, but totally spiritual and transcendent. At this level "Christ" does the amazing through our spirit's and mostly by His Holy Spirit. The result is God is glorified through "Christ" and we elevate to "Christ Mode" instead of settling for merely what is humanly possible with self-reliance. We intentionally capitulate to our human spirit that was made alive by God, embrace the power of the holy Spirit, and submit our carnal flesh by yielding to divine outcomes instead of mere cultural ideas. We live out the meaning of being a "living sacrifice." Christ is manifested, magnified, and made visible for others to be attracted to Him also.

This idea is offered in Galatians 2:20 which says: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me”. 

Critical Ideas to Capture:

1. “Crucified with Christ”: A believer's old sinful nature is dead, freed from any condemnation of God's law.
2. “Christ liveth in me”: The believer's life is now guided and empowered by Jesus Christ living within us through the incredible power of Holy Spirit, thus eliminating the need for self-reliance and personal isolation.
3. “Live by faith”: The daily life in the physical body ("the flesh") is sustained by faith in Jesus, not by following the law or earning salvation through our activities.

God highlights for us the incredible need to transition from self-reliance to living through Christ’s power. Beloved, it is time to “Christ Up” as we apply this idea to ‘Christian living.’ Make this all-important transition, change, and revolution!

What is self-reliance? The ability to depend on yourself for things instead of relying on others. The self-contained person is independent and autonomous — they take care of themselves.

Proofs of self-reliance are demonstrated through ‘fleshly’ resourcefulness, carnal flexibility, and independent decision-making, and displaying a desire to navigate challenges without relying on or involving others. Some of this is necessary and expected but this becomes dangerous as we promote ‘self-sufficiency’ independent of ‘Christ-reliance’!

What does God afford us is ‘Christ dependency”? Holy and transcendent living is not normal for fallen human beings but is only available to believers who are living sacrifices. Not merely saved individuals—though this should include every believer, but real subjects of the Kingdom of God. That is new wine, new life, new power, new purpose, new freedom, new hope, new significance, new fire, and new people reserved exclusively for the genuinely righteous lifestyle!

This is what holy and transcendent living is like:

Ephesians 5:18-20, And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; ¹⁹ Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; ²⁰ Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

Galatians 5:21-26, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, ²³ Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. ²⁴ And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. ²⁵ If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

The believers are deeply spiritual—enthusiastically Holy Spirit dominated! They are intimate with God and experience frequent connection with Him, consistent in life, and often surpass mere religious routines. They typically exhibit high levels of faith, humility, and holiness, prioritizing a direct, personal, and emotional relationship with God over mere formal, ecclesiastical, external, cultural displays of supposed faith. 

Beloved, transcendent living is rising above daily struggles and self-centeredness to experience God’s deeper purpose, joy, and connection to His Kingdom. It involves cultivating awareness of Him through His Word, nurturing agape love, and embracing moments of amazement as He fulfils His will through us. Such lifestyle transforms ordinary existence into a meaningful kingdom-focused journey.

The murky side of self-sufficiency often leads to exhaustion, long-lasting stress, worry, and isolation, as the irrational need to do everything alone causes us to view asking for help as a weakness. We can even regard asking God for guidance and power as an indication of weakness. Such an attitude or mindset can destroy fellowship with God, forfeit Christ’s Kingdom opportunities and dynamics, cripple relationships, hinder teamwork through the church, and cause believers to reject church or pastoral support, leading to emotional coldness and detachment and, in extreme cases, serious spiritual, physical, and mental health crises. 

What are some ways we are resorting to or even choosing self-reliance?

1.      Do we take personal responsibility for outcomes?

2.     Do we resort to the ‘flesh’ to take credit for results?

3.     Do we trust our instincts—feeling, personal ideas—instead of God and His Word?

4.     Are we maintaining emotional independence? You know…regulating our own emotions, validating our own worth, and not relying on God and His people for godly happiness and holiness.

5.     Are we actively solving problems rather than waiting on God for guidance and relying on His help?

These questions aid our self-evaluations before the Lord. It is okay to invite His help as we search our souls (Psalm 139:23-24).

Important factors of transcendent living to include:

• Shift your perspective to moving beyond the ‘ego-self’ or individual, mundane, and self-centered concerns.
• Stay still in God’s presence, being alert to the present opportunities, and noticing what He communicates (His will) to your heart and thoughts.
• Purpose to serve and get involved focusing on helping others, leaving a godly legacy, winning people to Christ, and contributing to God’s kingdom goals through your church.
• Accept and trust God with the way it is. We must intentionally let go of the need to control every outcome and instead trust God’s wisdom with the flow of life.
• Daily incorporate these concepts by applying God’s truth, moments of meditation on God and His Word, standing in awe of His incredible Person, and being watchful of daily life, relationships, fellowship opportunities and work.

Conclusion:

The pathway to realizing this “Christ up” mentality often involve surrendering to the Holy Spirit, forsaking the flesh as unacceptable on this transcendent level, cultivating real spiritual significance, gratitude towards the Lord, and connection with your church’s ministries.