Speak Jesus

I recently spoke to a group of young people at Bradley’s student center. I told these young people that Jesus lives in them and they live in Jesus and the way they live there lives should be different if they truly believe this. And then I also said, “I don’t need the Bible but I need you to grow in Christ.”

That statement troubles people. It sounds so unbiblical. But is it true?

I believe it is because Paul, the guy who wrote most of the New Testament, teaches the same thing. Let me highlight some passages in the letter he wrote to the Colossians. I’ll be quoting from the New Living Translation.

Follow what Paul taught these new believers in Colosse. "For God in all His fullness was please to live in Christ." (Col. 1:19), "for this is the secret: Christ lives in you." (Col. 1:27), "Let your roots grow down into Him and draw up nourishment from Him, so you will grow in faith..." (Col. 2:7), "Let the words of Christ in all their richness live in your hearts and make you wise. Use His words to teach and counsel each other. Sing Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, let it be as a representative of our Lord Jesus, all the while giving thanks through Him to God the Father." (Col. 3:16-17).

God is in Jesus, Jesus is in me, I draw up nourishment from Him, speak it to you, and then I thank my Father.

Christians, real Jesus followers, can speak and act and have Jesus Himself flow out of us. God's words gushing out of us, me and you, with power and authority to teach and counsels others. Jesus in you and Jesus in me; pouring out of each other and into one another.

The Bible never points to itself as the source of spiritual growth. The Bible always points to Jesus as the source.

I need Jesus followers in my life and so do you. This is New Covenant teaching. The one Jesus established in His own blood. The one that replaced the Old Covenant.