Monday 10 August 2020
15 For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life.
We are continuing this mini-series of talks aimed to enable us to re-imagine what church and mission can be as we find our way to our new normal.
The first Christians focused on very simple things that the Holy Spirit brought to life in them. This week will be drawing from the bible the principle of Living the Christian life in Public and at home (before people) All through scripture we are encouraged to live in a way both with our words and actions the reality of “Christ in us the hope of glory” as we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit we open like a beautiful flower for the people around us to see the life giving, transforming power of Jesus at work through us. In the bible, the apostle Paul wrote we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among the people we are near, where we work, live and socialise.
Be a Smelly Christian!
Smell or aroma is a wonderful illustration taken from the world of plants, because they release an aroma mostly very pleasing to the senses, some plants have an incredibly distinctive smell like lavender, or a plant called Salvia x jamensis which has such a wonderful attractive smell its nickname is “hot lips” God created plants and flowers for us to enjoy their beauty and their fragrance as they reflect something of the beauty and ingenuity of our creator. But their aroma serves a very practical purpose of attracting birds and bees and other insects to take the pollen to other plants and therefore create new life. Some plants also produce smells and tastes that are minty, oily or sharp, produced when you crush a leaf or stem these play a defensive role as the smells and repulse them and to some they smell and taste terrible.
So how can we be the Fragrance of Christ? Firstly, you already have the aroma if you are a Christian, you are like a bottle of perfume ready for the Lord to press the squirter and release his aroma. Secondly a fragrance disperses its aroma widely, and likewise Jesus wants his aroma to disperse through us into every sphere of live. Thirdly aroma can be stronger the more of it there is, so we also will find that the more you love Jesus, the more time you spend in His presence that the aroma of Jesus will overflow out of your life, causing you to live with integrity, honesty, joy, caring about justice and about the lives of others, and have desire to see those around you know Jesus. Jesus designed the Christian life to be shaped in the secret places but lived in public to bless others. Jesus will attract people to himself through His aroma dispersed by you.
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Acts 2 v 41-47, 2 Corinthians 2 v 2-14-17.
The mark of spirituality is the fragrance of Christ in our lives and the fragrance of Christ in every aspect of who we are as a person.