REPRESENTING CHRIST IN DIFFERENT WAYS | KAIROS GLOBAL | JULY 2020

Author: Sujatha Joseph

Intro: Sujatha Joseph encourages us to play our part in God’s plan by doing what he has committed to us with great love. 

Years ago, I started my new journey with Christ in a Charismatic Renewal office where I was assigned the job of putting stamps on the packets of a Charismatic Renewal magazine to be sent out. I used to go to the office with my friends during our spare time to put stamps on these magazine packets, so that the message of good news could be delivered to the people in different areas of the world. We didn’t think much of it other than an expression of our love for our Lord. The act of spending our spare time to place a small stamp on the covers of the packets seemed insignificant in our eyes, but it surely was not trivial in the eyes of our Lord. Most of us who participated in that mission still stays united in different parts of the world and are actively involved in the Lord’s ministry in different ways. 

Our calls are unique. Not everyone is given the charism to preach, write, or act. But we are all called for evangelisation and to represent Christ in different ways and in all circumstances of our lives. It is the desire that we have in our hearts, that brings the best image of Christ in us, so that the people around us can be drawn closer to him. We can be at home, doing our house chores and be representing Christ by giving thanks in everything we do, and by being caring and merciful to the people around us. Even though we have moments in our life where we fail pathetically, our Lord is capable of lifting us up.

A garden is made beautiful by adding a variety of plants that brings out different colours and fragrances. Each plant and flower has a role in making the garden picturesque. Likewise, in our human body, each part has a specific role and each organ must do its role as it is supposed to, for the body to function perfectly.  Today when the world is attacked by this invisible enemy, the ‘Corona virus’, everyone is trying to do their part to achieve one goal by eradicating this tiny pathogen and creating a ‘Corona-free world’.  We see the health care workers being praised as heroes for taking care of the sick, risking their own lives.  It is a call specific to them since we know that people with no or limited medical education or knowledge cannot be health care workers. It is amazing to see how others are participating in this mission by various means: like making masks and other personal protective equipment, by sending out encouraging words and messages to those who are on the front line to keep them motivated, and praying fervently, doing fasting and offering all the prayers that they know. Working together towards the same goal, by fulfilling each one’s role will help us to achieve the common goal.  

God has a plan and purpose for our lives. I think that ‘being like Christ’ where we are planted, is the initial step of representing him. Representing Christ involves knowing and experiencing Christ as a person. No words can contain who the Lord is except “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14). We can see that Christ was compassionate, merciful and courageous; one who stood against evil and at the same time bore his cross for others without questioning. If we assimilate his nature, we will be able to see how he would act or react in situations that require his message. 

A few years ago, I met a guy in front of an abortion clinic where he was standing on the sidewalk along with a few others, holding a board that said, “Abortion kills innocent children”. Being curious to know about this young man’s mission, I asked him what motivated him. The sum of his life story is that he was moved by God’s love for him and wanted to be God’s representative in the world. Out of the many possible areas where he could represent the Lord, he felt called to work to end abortion. His decision to respond to his call, resulted in the loss of his million-dollar business and caused issues in the family. After confirming his call, he decided to follow the Lord by spreading the message of God’s love for his children, using all his God-given abilities. During this process, God blessed him in beautiful ways fulfilling his physical and material needs – particularly with what he needed to do this ministry.

In conclusion, I think repres

enting Christ in different ways involves identifying our call and responding to it while trusting the Lord completely. He may be calling us to stay where we are right now and be the salt of our house/earth by our way of living, or he may be calling us to leave our homes to be his hands and feet to spread his love. Whatever our mission is in this world, identify it and be that what he wants us to be. During this process, he may have to prune us to yield the best out of us so that he can use us in the greatest way possible. So, responding to his call to represent him is also a call for allowing him to mould us as he meant us to be. “For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them” (Ephesians 4:10).

Sujatha Joseph is a nurse and has been part of the Jesus Youth movement for a decade. She lives with her husband and three children in Dallas, USA.