A.G.I.R.

– Christ in You – Channeling God’s Love and Power

Christ in You
– Channeling God’s
Love and Power

© Andréas Andersson 2013

Introduction
• Can you imagine that we’ve already reached our final session
together!

• I hope you all feel that the Lord has begun a good work in you,
shaping a Christ-like character in you, and that this process has
started to affect your family, your work-place, and your
community.

• We have a promise in Philippians 1:6: "he who began a good work

in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

• If you remain humble and obedient to God, and allow His Spirit to
continue to shape you and renew you day by day, I can assure
you that you will all be men of honor and women of dignity!

© Andréas Andersson 2013 1

 A.G.I.R. – Christ in You – Channeling God’s Love and Power

How it’s all going to end

• The Bible shows us how the history of the world is going to end.

• Let’s turn to Revelation 7:9-17, where John the Disciple gets a

glimpse of what’s going to take place one day, before God’s
throne. (READ VERSES.)

• It’s obvious that the Great Commission will succeed – it will not
fail!

• The big question is: What is your role going to be in all this?
- Will you in any way contribute to this great scenario?
- Will your family, your colleagues, and your neighbors be among
the great multitude before God’s throne?
- Will you give people the opportunity to choose the eternal life?

Ambassador for Christ

• In John 15:16 Jesus says to His disciples, "You did not choose me,
but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear
fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my
name the Father will give you."

• Jesus has chosen you to be His ambassador!

• What’s an ambassador?

• According to Wikipedia it is "an official envoy; especially, a

highest ranking diplomat who represents a State and is usually
accredited to another sovereign State /…/ as the resident
representative of his or her own government /…/ or appointed for
a special and often temporary diplomatic assignment."

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 A.G.I.R. – Christ in You – Channeling God’s Love and Power

The diplomatic assignment

• You are God’s ambassador to your nation, appointed by Jesus for
a special assignment: to go and bear fruit – fruit that will last.

• As a "highest ranking diplomat," your King has accredited you and

given you the authority to represent Him and His Kingdom
wherever you go and in everything you do.

• You represent a kingdom of "righteousness, peace and joy in the

Holy Spirit" – what a contrast to this hurting, fallen world!

• Your diplomatic assignment is temporary: One day you’ll return to

your home country to spend the rest of eternity with your King
and all the citizens of Heaven.

• That’s why it’s crucial to use the limited time on earth wisely.

A royal priesthood
• As followers of Jesus, we have the world’s most important mission
to complete: to populate heaven with "a great multitude /…/ from
every nation, tribe, people and language."

• And we don’t have to be ashamed, because our King – by His

endless grace – has made us worthy of this incredible mission.

• 1 Peter 2:9 says that we are "a chosen people, a royal priesthood,
a holy nation, God’s special possession, that [we] may declare the
praises of him who called [us] out of darkness into his wonderful
light."

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 A.G.I.R. – Christ in You – Channeling God’s Love and Power

The orchestra metaphor

• Can you imagine a more honorable and fulfilling assignment?

• As members of a royal priesthood, we are all called to declare

God’s praises.

• Everyone of us has a unique way of doing it; and yet, we all

belong together and need one another.

• We are like different instruments in the same orchestra.

• Each instrument has its own sound and its unique role to play, but
it’s when the instruments come together that they can perform
the mighty symphony they were created for.

Your unique calling

• You were created in God’s image, to be part of His orchestra.

• You are a unique instrument; nobody in the whole world sounds

exactly like you. If your sound is missing, the orchestra is not
complete.

• Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God’s handiwork, created in

Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for
us to do."

• God has prepared a unique path for you; a path that no one else
has walked.

• Along that path, there are specific deeds – good works – waiting
for you. And God Himself has prepared these works in advance,
so you will be victorious.

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 A.G.I.R. – Christ in You – Channeling God’s Love and Power

God’s great plan

• God’s unique plan for you is greater than any plan you could
come up with on your own. (READ ISAIAH 55:8-9.)

• Jesus Himself says that "whoever believes in me will do the works

I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than
these" (John 14:12).

• Even greater things than Jesus?! How is that possible?

• It’s possible only by the power of the Holy Spirit!

• Everything God has called you to do is impossible in your own

strength and power. But ”with God all things are possible”!
(Matthew 19:26)

The principle of incarnation

• The key to success in your God-given calling is spelled
INCARNATION.

• Just like God became flesh in Jesus Christ, so He has to become

flesh in you and me.

• We need to be "born of the Spirit" (John 3:8) and filled with His
divine love and power.

• No one describes the principle of incarnation more clearly and

concisely than Paul in Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with
Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me."

• This verse holds both bad news and good news.

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 A.G.I.R. – Christ in You – Channeling God’s Love and Power

The bad news and the good news

• The bad news is: We are dead – we’ve been crucified with Christ!

• But is that really so bad? Dead people…

… are not ashamed of the Gospel.
… don’t care about what others think about them.
… don’t chase after worldly treasures or the pleasures of the flesh.

• Then comes the really good news: Christ lives in us!

• If Christ lives in us…

… then there’s no pressure on us to change or transform anyone;
it is Christ who does His work in and through us!
… then we have access to all authority and power in heaven and
on earth!

Nothing is impossible
• With Christ living in you, performing His miracles through you,
nothing is impossible!

• That’s why Paul proclaims, "I can do all this through him who
gives me strength." (Philippians 4:13)

• When problems arise, when difficulties appear, when troubles

gather like clouds – do not lose heart! Do not give up!

• "The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it."

• Faith doesn’t come from looking at the circumstances. It doesn’t

come from listening to your emotions.

• Faith comes from fixing your eyes on Jesus, who is "the pioneer
and perfecter of faith" (Hebrews 12:2). He will do it!

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 A.G.I.R. – Christ in You – Channeling God’s Love and Power

God’s total and perfect care

• Can you see God’s total and perfect care? As your Heavenly
Father, He has done everything to help you fulfil your destiny
(WRITE DOWN THE WORDS IN ITALICS ON THE WHITEBOARD):

➢ He chose you before the creation of the world to be holy and

blameless in his sight. (Ephesians 1:4)

➢ He prepared good works for you in advance. (Ephesians 2:10)

➢ He wrote all your days in His book before one of them had come
to be. (Psalm 139:16)

➢ He created you and knit you together. (Psalm 139:13)

➢ He called you to follow Him and serve Him. (Matthew 4:19)

God’s total and perfect care

➢ He forgave you all your sins and gave you a new life and a new
nature. (Romans 3:23-24; 2 Corinthians 5:17)

➢ He equipped you with the Holy Spirit as your Helper and Guide,
so you would be able to fulfil His purposes for you. (Acts 1:8)

➢ He will never leave you nor forsake you, but be with you always
to the end of the age. (Joshua 1:5; Matthew 28:20)

➢ When your days on earth are over, He has prepared an eternal

home for you in a place whose beauty and glory surpass all
human understanding. (Revelation 22:1-5)

• That’s how eager God is for you to fulfil His perfect plan for your
life!

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 A.G.I.R. – Christ in You – Channeling God’s Love and Power

Being and doing

• God’s plan for you is not only about what you do; it’s just as
much about who you become.

• The truth is that being and doing always go together in God’s

kingdom. In order to do what God has called you to do, you must
become the person He has created you to be.

• If you do everything God has called you to do, but your heart
remains cold and hard, then all your efforts will be fruitless.

• But if you allow the Holy Spirit to transform your heart and shape
Christ’s character in you, then everything you do will bear fruit.

• That’s why every important assignment in God’s kingdom is

preceded by a time of preparation.

Biblical examples of preparation

• Moses was 80 years old when God called Him to deliver the
people of Israel from the slavery in Egypt.

• Jesus used 30 years of his life to prepare for a public ministry that
would last only 3,5 years.

• In other words: If the plans and dreams God has shown you seem
distant, if you pray and fast but nothing seems to happen – don’t
be discouraged!

• God is at work even when you don’t see it! If no doors seems to
open, despite your efforts, it’s probably because God is busy
preparing you and the mission field for the things that lie ahead!

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 A.G.I.R. – Christ in You – Channeling God’s Love and Power

Remain in Christ
• In the meantime, there is one thing you can do that is more
important than anything else; let’s read John 15:4-5. (READ.)

• Jesus calls you to remain in Him. Without Jesus, there’s nothing

you can do – nothing that will bear any lasting fruit.

• You are only a branch; Jesus is the vine.

• It’s not the branch that produces the fruit; it’s the sap coming
from the vine and flowing through the branch!

• That’s how the Christian life works: We cannot produce the fruit
ourselves; only the Holy Spirit who flows through us can produce
the fruit!

• Remain in Christ, so that the Holy Spirit can flow through you!

Christ in You – the hope of the world

• Christ in you is the hope of the world! By remaining in Christ, you
become a channel for His love and power to people around you.

• Everywhere you go, His abundant life will flow through you to
meet the needs of His beloved creations:
- When you speak to them, it’s Jesus who speaks through you.
- When you lay your hands on them, it’s Jesus’ hands.

• Christ in you can transform hearts and minds.

• Christ in you can save, heal, and deliver.

• Christ in you can move mountains and accomplish great things for
God’s kingdom.

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 A.G.I.R. – Christ in You – Channeling God’s Love and Power

Challenge
• It’s time for all of you to arise and shine in this nation!

• Christ will shine through you and touch your families, your work
places, and your communities with His power and love.

• Always remember to be men of honor and women of dignity;

people who lead Christ-centered lives of love, grace, integrity,
and respect.

• May all of us be able to one day summarize our lives using Paul’s
words to Timothy. (READ 2 TIMOTHY 4:7-8.)

• Let’s pray. (LEAD IN PRAYER FOR THE PARTICIPANTS.)

• I now invite you to step forward to receive your diploma. (READ

THE NAME OF EACH PARTICIPANT AND GIVE OUT DIPLOMAS.)

Questions for group discussion

• What are some important lessons from the teaching?

• Since the start of this program, have you noticed any change:
- in your life? In what way?
- in your family? At work? In your community?

• How does your assignment as God’s ambassador influence your

everyday life? Do you see yourself as ”a royal priest”?

• Have you found your unique calling? What is it about?

• What does it mean to you:

a) to be ”crucified with Christ”?
b) that Christ lives in you?

• How can you be a channel for God’s love and power in your
family? At work? In your community?

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 A.G.I.R. – Christ in You – Channeling God’s Love and Power

Prayer in small groups

• Lay down your self at the cross, so that Christ can live and work
in and through you.

• Invite the Holy Spirit to fill you with God’s supernatural love and
power.

• Ask for the grace and wisdom to be a channel for this love and
power in your family, your work place, and your community.

• Pray that God will carry on the good work He has begun in your
life to completion!

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