Because of his accomplishments, we can preach Christ today and manifest the distinctive power in his name in the Grace Administration. We preach the blessings of the glorified Christ and our completeness in him as born-again sons of God. This is our lifestyle of illustrating what God has done in Christ.
There are differences between the Gospel period, when Christ was on earth, and the Grace Administration in which we live today. In the Gospel period, some men and women had holy spirit upon them with conditions. For those who did not have holy spirit upon them, their insights were limited to what they could observe by their five senses. They saw the power Jesus Christ had as he delivered people from sickness and raised some from the dead. People were amazed by his accomplishments; but those without spirit upon were limited to their own five senses abilities in terms of power. In the Gospels, we see Jesus Christ as the conqueror.
On the day of Pentecost, the gift of holy spirit became available to all who believe. With holy spirit within us, we can now exercise the same God-given power Jesus Christ manifested. We are more than conquerors, we are complete in Christ, and we are to be filled with the fullness of God. We can do all that Christ did and more. What a dramatic difference from the Gospels. We are not mere observers. Today with Christ in us, we are active participants in bringing to pass the deliverance of God and His Word.
I grew up longing to understand the Bible. I began reading the Gospels, and I saw the impact of Jesus’ words and actions. “What a great man he was,” I thought. “But how is God’s will done now that Jesus is no longer here?” Imagine my joy when I realized what is available now that I am born again and am filled with the holy spirit!
We preach the blessings of the glorified Christ and our completeness in him. It becomes a part of how we live our lives—we take advantage of any opportunity to share about Christ! On the day of Pentecost, the first sermon of the Grace Administration showed that Jesus had a new, elevated position.
Acts 2:36:
Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.
Peter preached to the people that Jesus is now lord and Christ. The name “Christ” denotes his changed position as raised from the dead and exalted in glory. Look at the logical response of the hearers—they received the Word with believing.
Acts 2:41:
Then they that gladly received his word were baptized [born again]: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
As the disciples grew in number and quality of life, an important aspect of preaching Christ became evident. Preaching Christ wasn’t just an activity; it became their lifestyle. They were teaching and preaching Christ without ceasing.
Acts 5:42:
And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.
There was something about the quality of the disciples’ lives and the logic of the Word they preached that won the hearts of those who heard and believed. They demonstrated a life of personal growth in believing and commitment. When we decide to teach and preach without ceasing, the opportunities to speak and serve abound. We start looking for ways to minister, to deliver, to help, and to guide as we go about our business. We are not shy to reach out to others with solutions from God’s Word when troubles present themselves. We enjoy telling others about the blessings of our completeness in Christ and how they can receive those blessings too. That is how we grow and how the number of disciples is multiplied (Acts 6:1).
As we teach and preach Christ, growth abounds in quality and numbers. We are active participants in the Grace Administration, demonstrating God’s power and our completeness in Christ. Let’s continue to be bold to speak without ceasing to bring deliverance to those with need and abundance to all who believe.