THE NEXT VERSE: “But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has commissioned us; he has put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee” (2 Cor. 1:21–22). Here we find four things in Christ: “establishes us,” “commissioned us,” “put his seal upon us,” “given us his Spirit.”
There is only one place where we can be established—in Christ. If we are primarily centered in doctrinal belief, we will be swayed, “tossed to and fro . . . with every wind of doctrine” (Eph. 4:14). If we are primarily centered in some favorite preacher we will not be established; we will go up and down with our likes and dislikes. If we are primarily centered in religious services and observances we will blow hot and cold according to the perfection or imperfection of those services. Only in Christ are we established:
On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand.
I’ve seen a church of two hundred thousand members rocked to its depths over a controversy concerning the nature of the communion. In Christ they were one; in doctrine they were divided. The whole controversy was off-center.
“And has commissioned us”—established and commissioned—these are the alternate beats of the Christian heart—established and commissioned, fixed and furthered, anchored and aggressive. Outside Christ you wear out your emphases—baptism, apostolic succession, tongues, gifts—all these wear thin. But Jesus never wears out or wears thin; He is always fresh, always vital, always to the point, always redemptive. We are commissioned to preach Jesus; nothing else is worth preaching, absolutely nothing.
O Jesus, Thou art my Savior and my Lord, but Thou art also my message. Help me not to be drawn off to the margin when the center is calling. Thou art the center of my life and the center of my message. I thank Thee. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: I am commissioned to surrender, to obey, to live, to practice, and to preach Jesus—nothing else! But this is everything!
