In this article, we want to look at something that is titled, Manifesting Christ in our Companies and Communities as disciples. Do you remember that place in the Corinthians where Apostle Paul said, evil communication corrupt good manners. I think there is a version that says, bad companies corrupt good manners.
So, you communicate with your company, your company are those that accompany you, your company are those that are with you. Every time you go to a place or you are in a place, who are you with? Those are your companies. So, how do we manifest Christ in our companies, in our communities as disciples of Jesus?
I want us to look very quickly at the Book of 2 Corinthians chapter 4, we will read from verse 7 to 12, see what the Bible says 7 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are always delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So then death is working in us, but life in you.”
Look at the ending of that verse 10. It says, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. In addition to whatever our bodies represent, we want our bodies to also manifest the life of Jesus. And in verse 11 again, he says, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. There is a reason why Apostle Paul had to repeat or to reinforce this thing in two verses successively. He said it first; the Bible says God has spoken once, twice have I heard it, that power belongs to God.
When you hear something twice, that thing is very important. No wonder Jesus said, verily, verily I say unto you. He could have said verily, I say to you, but he said, verily, verily. Yorubas will say “nitooto Nitooto!” “Truly! Truly! Sincerely! Sincerely! Definitely! Definitely! I say to you.” Why will that need to be repeated? It is so that we don't miss it. It is possible for a man or a woman not to manifest Jesus in his body.
In fact, the first thing that we normally manifest is ourselves. It is easy for any one of us to appear in any place, and people will say, brother so, so, sister so and so has arrived. Because, as soon as you come, people can see you in you: that's the default. But, what Apostle Paul wants us to also do is that, in addition to us representing ourselves, manifesting ourselves, let's manifest Jesus.
Now, we will soon look more at these two verses here, verse 10 and verse 11. But let's go to the Book of John chapter 14, we will read from verse 1 and we will stop in 14,
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. 4And where I go you know, and the way you know.” 5Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”
6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 7“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” From this time that he was talking to his disciples, he said, you know the Father and you have seen the Father.
8Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”9Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? He who has seen me in the past, or he who is seeing me right now has seen the Father in the past and is seeing the Father right now.
10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.
12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me. Of course, we know that before you can become somebody’s disciple, you must have first believed in them. You believe that there’s something about them that you like or you want to emulate, you want to become. So it all begins with believe. Look at it, Jesus said, he who believes in Me, in a manner of speaking, he who is My disciple, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
Now going back to the verses that we just read, don't forget we are looking at manifesting Christ Jesus, in our communities, in our companies as disciples. Our communities, our companies, are the people and the places that we live with, and we work with. These are people that know us. And the Bible is admonishing us that without us just being comfortable manifesting ourselves, somebody is saying, “do you know that is just me oh?” Beyond us saying “that is me oh to the world”, the word of God to us is, it is important that you manifest the life of Jesus in your community, in your company.
When you are with your friends, you are just four; four men, four women working. The word of God to you is, don't just manifest the typical you, manifest Jesus to them. When you are in your community, in your neighborhood, don't just manifest yourself, your attitude, your desires, manifest the attitude of Jesus, the desires of Jesus. So, eventually, we will look at how these things can be possible. But Jesus made a very strong statement in John chapter 14 verse 9, have I been with you so long, and yet, you have not known Me, Philip? He, who has seen Me has seen the Father. That means Jesus was claiming that as far as He was concerned, He was doing nothing other than manifesting the Father. And the responsibility is now of us, that instead of us manifesting ourselves, this is Gboyega, we now manifest Christ. For just as Christ was expected to manifest the Father, we, the disciples of Jesus, are expected to manifest Jesus.
So, the first point of call is not what do I want to do? What do I want these people to think of me? It is not about how do I want them to perceive me? The first thing is, how do I want them to perceive Jesus? How do I want them to see the life of Jesus? And really, if we do this, so much of the things we do, we will not do. So much of the places we go, we will not go. So much of the choices we make, we will not make. Why? We are not asking ourselves, what do I want to do? We ask, what does Jesus want to be done?
Don't forget, a young man named Saul; Saul of Tarsus. He was trained, he was educated, he had gone to school, he had graduated, he had served. He was now working, he was working and he was earning big pay. He had authority. He could come to a place and command people to arrest people. He was not a policeman but he had the power of the government behind him. His life was going on.
But suddenly, he saw a great light on his way to Damascus. His intention was to go there and arrest all the people that were following Jesus in that place. But when he saw a great light, and he realized that this great light is greater than himself. All along, it has been about him, my knowledge, my persuasion, my religion; Judaism, it had been all about him. In fact, he felt all he was doing about himself was also trying to glorify God. But when he saw that great light, he asked for the first time, perhaps in his life, Lord!! Another way we can say it is Lord, Jesus Christ. Do you know why we cannot bother to say that? Jesus has already told him I am Jesus. So, he didn't bother to say Lord Jesus Christ, he said Lord, but he was talking to Jesus, what would you have me do? So, hitherto he had been pursuing his own agenda. When people saw him, people saw typical Saul; he spoke as Saul, he got angry as Saul, he was friendly in the manner of speaking of Saul. His choices were “Saulish” and everything about him was Saul.
But he got to that point, he now said, Lord, what would you have me do? And that shows us what Jesus also said, I say to you, in verse 12, he who believes in Me. Before he said, Lord! What would you have me do, he must have believed. It was not immediately when he saw a great light that he said, great light, what would you have me do? Because he didn't even know the light, he didn't know nor trust the light. But when he saw the light and a voice came from the light and say, it is difficult for you to kick against the goads. You can't continue to live your life as if you are the maker of it. It won't work.
When he realized that and he realized the personality that was talking to him, this is Jesus that you are persecuting. He now said, Lord, haven believed, what would you have me do? Another way we can put it in our own situation is Lord, how will you have me live? Since our focus is manifesting Jesus, we know that we will manifest or we will have to manifest Jesus, not just in how we live, but in how we walk. But this time around, Saul asked that question, Lord, what would You have me do? From this time henceforth, what should I be doing? I don't want to be doing the things I learnt in the university. I don't just want to do the things that my parents asked me to do.
Now, I want to do the things You want me to do. What do You want me to do? And another way is, Lord, how would you have me live? I have been living as myself and it has brought me thus far. If I will go to where God has planned for me, then I must abandon how I have been living and I must start a new way of living.
So, manifesting Christ before our communities and companies as disciples, involves us having a different life and doing a different work. A life that is necessarily different from the life we have been living before and a work that is different from the works we've been doing. Jesus said, anyone who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also. It doesn't matter his age, it doesn't matter his gender, he who believes! It doesn't matter whether he is from a poor background. It doesn't matter whether he's from a rich family, he who believes, he who is My follower, the works that I do, he will do also. And Jesus didn't limit it, He said greater works than these, he will do. Why? Because I go to the Father.
Now let's return back to 2 Corinthians chapter 4 that we started with. I will want us to read verse 7 again, and then we jump to verse 10 and 11. He says, 7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
Can we see how things are connecting together? We have this treasure. The question is, what is the treasure? We have this life. We have this life from God, we have it in an earthen vessel. The life of God is in you and I, but we as individuals, we are earthen vessels. What God expect is not that we should go about showcasing the earthen vessel but that we should go about showcasing that treasure.
Now, let's imagine that we pour a very nice wine, non-alcoholic wine, very tasty wine, and you pour it inside a container that is made of clay. Although very neat, but it is made of clay. Now, when you are given such a container to drink the wine, do you go about drinking the clay? Do you go about cherishing the clay, and say, “what a clay” and you begin to sing about the clay? “What a very delicious clay.” You don't drink the clay, you don't eat it. You don't cherish it beyond it being a container. What you value is the wine inside of it.
The Bible says you and I, we have this treasure, you must find that treasure that you have from God, but you have it in an earthen vessel. The Bible says the excellence should not be of us. The excellence, the taste shouldn’t be credited to the clay, it is the wine that is tasty. I don't know those who buy wine, and then they pay several millions because of the glass bottle. Who pay millions for the glass? The glass is a mere container. In a manner of speaking or in reality, people dump the glasses, the bottles the moment they are done with the wine. So, they are done drinking and then they do away with the glass bottles.
So, what they really cherish is not the bottle, it is the wine in it. So, we are not supposed to be showcasing the bottles, we are supposed to be showcasing the substance. It shouldn't be about you saying, “you know this is me, oh!” Somebody touched you and you flip, and you slap the person and you say, “that is me, I take no nonsense.” Now the question is, is it expected of you to showcase “me oh”, or you're expected to showcase Christ? Is it Christ that people want to see, people want to celebrate or they want to see you, they want to celebrate you?
Let's read it again. But we have this treasure. We have this life of God, we have this anointing, we have this grace in earthen vessels, that the excellence, the beauty of the power, the excellence of the power may be of God, so that every time people see things working in us, they won’t say, do you know, this your dark skin is helping you to succeed in life. They won’t say, do you know because you are tall, you are doing great things. Do you know that last night that you prayed for somebody and the person came back to life, it is because you have plenty hair. You see, this your big eyeball is the reason why when you saw that woman, you were able to see the demon inside of her.
The Bible says, the excellence should not be of us. When we say us, that us is like a single “us.” You say Bro. Gboyega, Sister Joy, that is us. But when you take each one of us, you can break us into thousands or different parts. So, inside the “us” of Bro. John, is your eyes, your hand, your head, your legs, your brain. Some people say sometimes, I have a very sharp brain. So, the excellence should not be the sharp brain but of God. So, when people see an excellent performance from you, they quickly credit it to Christ Jesus, because they say, this one must have been with Jesus, they wouldn't say this one has a very sharp brain.
I know as I'm talking now, we are thinking about it. We all know that by default, we want to show ourselves. But the Bible says, that treasure that is in you, is inside an earthen vessel. An earthen vessel that can crack and it can break. Don't allow your attention to be so much on the vessel, as it is on the treasure. There was this parable or this statement from Jesus, because He was talking about those who were taking care of things, but they don't do the right thing.
For instance, they put money inside the temple, they claim the temple is consecrated because of the money. And Jesus was looking at them, that, is it the temple that should be consecrated? They considered the temple to be consecrated because there is money inside it. So, which one is greater? Is it the money in it or the temple? Which one sanctifies the other? Is it the temple that makes the money holy or the money that makes the temple holy? So, let's quickly look at it, which one makes what holy? The temple!
For, in this matter now, in this example, it is the money that we want to look at. You understand where I had a challenge? In that one, the temple made the money holy. But in this situation now, I'm looking at the treasure, because the emphasis in my heart is on the treasure. Do we remember that Scripture that the Bible says where your treasure is, there your heart will be? So, let's have two places, a very big building, you didn't keep anything there. A very small hut but you kept all your treasure inside it. Which one will be most important to you? The hut!
So, it is the treasure that sanctifies that space or that place. If you take your treasure out, the place becomes nothing. So, let's look at it. What really sanctifies us? What makes us special? Is it because of our beauties? Don’t forget the building we abandoned, that big building is beautiful but does not have your treasure. So, it's not our beauties, it is not how we are so big, how we are so tall, how we are so fair, how we are so knowledgeable. That is not what sanctifies us. When you take away what sanctifies us, we become ordinary.
Now let's remember the story of Samson again. Samson was just like any other person but with a difference. And what was the difference? He was a Nazarite, he was filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb. Do we remember? So, when he began to grow, he became different from every other person. The power of God was manifesting in him. He could do the things people were not doing. But eventually when Delilah convinced him to let go of the secret, he was captured. What happened to him? The Bible says, he shook himself like the other times, thinking he still had the treasure, it didn't matter that he had it in an earthen vessel. But when he shook himself, the Bible says he did not know that the Spirit had departed from him.
So, our focus shouldn’t be on the earthen vessel, our focus must be on the treasure that God has given to us. The reason why people will celebrate you, the reason why people will love you, the reason why people will help you, the reason why people will favor you, it has nothing to do with your complexion. You can have the best complexion and be cursed. You can have the worst complexion and be blessed by God.
So, it is what comes from God that is in you that sets you apart for God. He sets you apart from the rest of us. We begin to love you, we begin to look for you, and we begin to celebrate you. Why? There is something that comes from God that is inside of you. So you could be old and have the treasure and you’ll be sought out. But you can be young and lack the treasure and nobody will look for you, that's the point. So that, in life, when we are confronted with the choice to make, should I let go of my treasure or should I let go of myself? Another way, should I let the treasure down or should I let myself down? How many of us agree that it is not easy to let ourselves down? Or should I let something down between my treasure and myself? Which one will I choose? When a beautiful young lady is in university, because of many reasons she feels she cannot read very well, and yet she wants to pass. And she goes to the lecturer, “please, I need your help, Sir. I need to pass this course.” And the lecturer says, “you see, there is no free lunch in free town. If you want to pass, then I will have you. But, if you don't want to let me have you, then go ahead, have yourself and fail.”
Now, when the lady goes back to her room and thinks deeply about this matter. And then she decides the next day to go and give herself to the lecturer, do you know that she has considered the grade, the mark to be more important than the treasure inside of her? Because it is not possible for her to let herself to be thrown at the lecturer and still be able to retain that which comes from God that is inside of her.
The Bible says, do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit? He said, you were bought with a price; therefore, glorify God with your body, with your body members which are God’s. Glorify God, what is the other way we can put glorify God? Manifest God! “Oh, I have never seen God before.” Have you seen Christ? Manifest Christ! When you have to make that choice, you wouldn’t say what kind of decision can Gboyega make in this matter?
I must be able to tell myself, what must I make? It’s either I say as a disciple of Jesus, or what must Jesus do in this matter? Perhaps, the decision or the choice is going to make me to suffer for a while. But I must be willing to suffer knowing that all I want is just to manifest Christ. Somebody slaps you. You have a choice to make; slap your own back or to do what Christ has said. If you want to slap your own back, that guy will think twice before slapping you next time. So, you’ve defended yourself: but if you don't slap your own back, not because the person is bigger than you, but you choose to restrain yourself. So, what you've done that day is that you have chosen to express Christ.
So, these are choices we have to be making every day. Now let's go back to that 2 Corinthians, I just want to list about three or four things that we must consider as we intend to manifest Christ in our companies, in our communities as disciples. And I want to start with this illustration, how many of us have seen certain women in their mid-20s and 30s but they look exactly like their mothers? We have seen, right!
Sir, have you seen a man in his 40s and he looks exactly like his father? Yes! That's the question I'm trying to ask, it could be a man, it could be a woman. Now let's look at it, that woman in her 30s that look exactly like her mother, that exact, let’s pardon it, it may not be exact. Yorubas will say, “you can’t have clothes like an elder and still have rags like elders.” Elders will have more rags than the youth because they've used more clothes.
So, you can’t look exactly like your mother who is sixty something, seventy something because she's aging. But when people see you, they are able to connect you both immediately. So, does it happen when a child is born at day one that the child looks like the mother? Does it happen when the child is five years, and people will say, just like mother, like daughter? Does it happen? No! It is too early. A lady that has not even started showing the features of a matured woman cannot look exactly like her mother. So, as she's getting older, then people will be seeing the features of the mother just in the daughter.
Now let's give a masculine example, my stepbrother, once he was more than 15 & 18years, something became obvious. When he was talking in those days, and you were not there but you can hear him talk, or you could hear him talk, you would think that it was our father that was talking. So, what was happening? They don't look alike exactly, but the voice was getting closer. So, as the young boy was getting older, his voice was sounding just like his father. But it doesn’t happen when the boy is seven. So, the potential for you to look just like your mother has always been there. Even when you were two years. it was there, nobody could see it. You could not manifest it, but it was there. So, we are looking at certain things that are essential for us to manifest God.
So, obviously, number one is growth, until you grow over time, you don’t have the opportunity to show Christ in your life. That growth is not about you getting taller, it's about your spiritual growth. It's about the growth of your mind, the growth of your emotion, the growth of your will. It's about the growth of your spirit.
In Luke chapter 1 verse 80, and the child grew, I think Luke chapter 1 verse 40 too, and the child grew, talking about John the Baptist, and the child grew and waxed strong in the Spirit. So, until you and I get to grow, we don’t have the opportunity or the chance to show Christ in us. It doesn't mean Christ will never be shown, it just means that we are still too young. It's just too early for us to start showing Christ. So, this is where we must not give up.
So, you look at yourself now and you think I can’t see Christ in me. If the seed of Christ has been responsible for your birth, or your birthing, then it's only a matter of time and a matter of growth, just as it is of Christ, it will be of you. But if the child refused to grow, even though he or she could become just like the father or the mother, it will never materialize.
So, when Bro. John talks, he talks with a matured voice which was never there when he was ten years. When he was five, it wasn't there. So, as you were growing, you don't need to be looking at your daddy or your mommy to resemble them. As you grow, the things that were deposited in you at your birth, they will start manifesting over time.
So, the second thing that I believe also comes to play which I've mentioned is, Our Choices. Beyond us growing, we have to make choices, choices that will make either to be for ourselves, or to be for Christ. Either to show off our Adamic nature, the things we inherited from Adam, the things we inherited from our great great-grandfather, the things we inherited from our great grandfather, great, great, great, great, great and even our own father. Because one thing that we must understand whether we like it or not, whether we are born again or not, we inherited a couple of things. We inherited a lot of choices, inherent choices that we may want to make. But this is now where you have to grow your will to a point that you can say, even though by nature I'm supposed to choose this, I will choose something else.
Even though in my father's house, nobody marries one wife, the least you can marry, if you are poor is three wives. That is the nature that is flowing from the father, but you will say, what is the nature that is coming from Christ? You will choose it. It is not just about growth, you can grow enough and still know that this is what I should do: showing Christ. But this is what I can do also, showing myself, your growth does not stop you from thinking, but you must come to a point that you must be able to make that right choice to side with Christ. So, choice is very important.
Another thing that we have also mentioned about somebody manifesting another one, a disciple manifesting the master, a son, a daughter manifesting the father or the mother is, The Words. I just gave an example of my stepbrother, who could speak and people would think our father was talking.
So, as you are growing up, it is not about choice, this one is growth. As you are growing up, the kind of words, the way you speak, your language, the content of your words, they will be following the pattern of either yourself. And when I say yourself, I'm categorizing you with your lineage or Christ. There’s a way people in your family talk even though you're not with them, you talk like them.
You know, there are some places in southwest that people say those places they curse a lot. Do we know those communities in southwest that people say they curse a lot? So, whether the person that is cursing now is in that village, is in that town or not, the person will likely do the same thing even in US. You do something small, he will react. The thing is in the blood. Before we know it, maybe we say it is in the water in the village it flows through. But you now have a choice to make, do I want to talk like our people? “Like our people say, this is how our people, this is how our people say?” You pattern your life, your marriage, your choices on our people say. You say, Warri no dey carry last. But now you are a Jesus boy, a Warri boy, will you be carrying last or will you be carrying first? You know when you watch comedians, there's a way they talk about Warri people that you can’t cheat them. But you will now ask yourself is that what is applicable or expected of you in Christ? You won't be surprised that if you go to Niger Delta now, there are pastors that behave like Warri people. The way they even talk is Warri, not just that they are talking their language, the mannerisms, and the attitude.
You know, this example is not directly related, but I was at a mechanic village some years ago, and a pastor came to talk to a mechanic beside me. The reason why I know he's a pastor is because it was not Sunday, and he was wearing a white garment regalia and he trekked from his house without slippers. And the mechanic was also referring to him like a pastor. But there were certain things I was observing immediately about him.
The way he was talking, the way he was looking. He was not naturally fair, he had bleached everywhere, and by the way, he was wearing white and the white was dirty. You know, I was just looking at many things about him. So, it could just be, “that’s how our people normally do. This is just us, we no dey carry matter, we no dey take matter serious.” But you will now ask yourself, what is expected of me in Christ? So, don't be quick to say, me, “I'm an eegba man. Me, I am an Igala man.” You must be able to tell yourself, it's not about manifesting Igala, it is about manifesting Christ.
You know, if you remember that place in Ephesians chapter 4. The Bible says the fivefold ministry gifts; they're expected to do their work until we all come to the unity of the faith. At what point will somebody who is in India, somebody in Kenya, somebody who is a Fulani Christian, or a Yoruba Christian, will come to oneness in spite of our diversity? It is because we are not trying to be Kenyan, Chinese, we are trying to be Christ.
All of us, we are seated here, we are different. We are distinct in our thoughts and our everything but the moment we try to go to Christ, all of us will meet in Christ. So that's where we are one in Christ. So, let your communication show that you belong to Jesus. Don't just talk like people that are trained as engineers. This is how we engineers talk, talk as Christians, or talk as Christ; Christ-like men and women.
The last thing I want to talk about is about manifesting Christ, which we've also mentioned; it is about, Works. We’ve talked about growth, we’ve talked about choices, and we’ve talked about our words. Our works!
Can you imagine, this one is an imagination, but don’t say it doesn't happen. Can you imagine the wife of a pastor who has a beer parlor and sells a lot of beer? Do you know there are pastor’s wives; I don't want to say pastors, that have beer parlor. They say, “my ministry this way and business this other way. This is how I feed my family.” How do you pray that God should enlarge that ministry without praying that God should make the sins of men to spread? So, the things you do must align. That is why Jesus said, if you believe in Me, the works I do, you will do also. So, the works does not start with us. You don't look at yourself and say how do I look? The way I'm looking, the way I'm doing, the way I'm feeling, I think this kind of work is okay for me. No, you don't choose a work from yourself for yourself. You choose it from Christ.
You know, there was a time Bishop Oyedepo was talking about receiving vision from God and he was using the story of Abraham, how God told him to look to the north and to the south, to the east and the west, as far as your eyes can see, I will give it to you. Don't forget God was talking to him, and he was led by the word of God. So, the word of God to him was look to the north, the words say look south, look east and look west. As far as you can see, within the instruction I've given you, I will give to you. So, he said from Genesis to Malachi, from Matthew to Revelation, as far as your eyes can see. So, you are looking within the word of God. God says He will give to you.
So, the things that you call work, can you substantiate it? Can you back it up? Can you tell us how the Lord spoke to you? And God said, this shall be your work. Jesus said, the works that I do, you will do also. That also tells us, the life that He lived, you will live it also. So, in case we want to also here, the glory that He enjoyed, you will enjoy it also. The blessings He had, you will have it also. You know, many times we are praying to receive things from Jesus and He is telling Himself that you don't even have to pray, just connect yourself. If you can be doing the things I did, you will have the things I had. If you can live the life I lived, your life would become as Mine is.
Look at that Scripture in the Old Testaments, he says, you shall serve the Lord your God and He will bless your bread and your water. So imagine a man that is serving, he does not even need to be praying for blessing. As long as you are not serving yourself or just serving people, you are serving God. You don't have to pray for blessing. He said, and He will take away sicknesses away from you. You may not even have to bother about the sickness issue. Why? You are doing something that attracts something else. Living the life of God, doing the works of Jesus comes with its own benefits. If you don't live that life, and you are asking for the benefit, then you're trying to play smart on God. Let God be true, and every man a liar.
