Page 38 - In His Image

Col 1:13 states...
"He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the
Son of His love..."

Listen to the way the Message presents verse 13...

"God rescued us from dead-end alleys and dark dungeons. He set us up in the kingdom of
the Son He loves so much, the Son who got us out of the pit we were in, got rid of the sins
we were doomed to keep repeating."

How do we come to know the King? How do we come to know about His Kingdom?
How do we come to know about our place in the Kingdom and our roles as His
ambassador and emissary? We have been given the supreme teacher, the Master
Teacher, the One teacher who knows all and teaches without flaw...

John 14:26
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach
you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you."

A disciple recognizes fully the "reality" of the fallen world he lives in. He
recognizes the fallen state of man and the depravity of his heart as being real. He
knows the reality of sin and its affect. He does not shrink from these facts nor
does he pretend they are not there.

He does not however, embrace any of these realities as TRUTH! He does not allow
what he sees and experiences in his natural surroundings to define him
(2 Corinthians 5:7) or his walk. He has come to know The TRUTH (Jesus - John 14:6)!
He KNOWS who he is through the blood of Christ (joint heirs with Christ - Romans
8:17). He KNOWS that The TRUTH sets him free (John 8:32), and that where there
is truth and liberty there is the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17). He knows that the
Holy Spirit is his teacher (John 14:26) who will reveal all that he requires to serve in
the Kingdom.

A true disciple will never look at reality and call it truth! He will not allow the sin
and problems of this world to define him nor guide his path. For although called to
walk in this world, he knows he is not of this world. He is but a pilgrim, a sojourner
passing through. Passing through to make disciples of all nations... his ultimate
destination, Heaven, his ultimate reward hearing...

In His Image 29