Reflecting Christ: Living as His Light in the World

Thank you, hello! Oh, you can do better than that. Good morning, everyone! Ah, fantastic! Welcome to those of you that are online. Online Church shout out to you! Shout out to you also at C3 Colchester and Barry Saint Edmunds, and all of our prison family as well, wherever you are. I think there's a hashtag that I always remember being part of C3, it's C3 Wherever You Are. Yeah, so where are you today? Come on, you're here, that's why I wanted to hear. Be confident, say with chest, you're here and you're here! As what I like to call pixels. We'll get into that in a little bit.

I'm so honored to be here with you. You, I consider a C3 family and it's good to come back home. Yeah, it's always good to come back home, you know? You can just take your shoes off. I won't do that right now because the front row, I'm considering you all. But no, I'm very pleased to be here with you all this morning.

Have you ever looked in a mirror and let me... continue and be captivated by your reflection? Have you ever looked in the mirror and been captivated by your reflection? Maybe you notice things that... that you're hoping not to notice. For me, it's normally these... things in my nose, but we'll leave that there. When you look in the mirror, you catch a glimpse of the physical. Yes, you see things as they are. You can't lie to a mirror. Yeah, I think it's important for us as people of God to recognize that, that it's good to look in the mirror sometimes and see what's happening.

But what if I told you that we, that's you and me, we are called to be living mirrors? I'll say it again for the people at the back. Maybe we are called to be living mirrors. And who are we meant to reflect? Again, you've got to say it with confidence. So don't say it. Who are you meant to reflect? Not just the image of Jesus, but the character of Jesus. If you're passionate, you say the fragrance of Jesus. Because we want our life to be a sweet-smelling savor to the Lord. We want to not just capture the image of Jesus but to capture his essence and the character, too, of Jesus.

So, are you ready? Are you ready to live the gospel? Um, are you ready to shine as a light for God and for God's glory in this world? Well, before we dive in, let's pray.

Let's pray. Lord, Father, we thank you for your presence with us here this morning. You are spirit and you are truth. And as we worship you, we worship you in spirit and in truth. We desire for our hearts to reflect yours. We want to be in step with the Spirit, never outstep with the Spirit. Lord, we want to love you more and more. And as we love you more and more, love more and more of the world around us. Lord, help us this morning, speak a word into our lives, a word of peace, a word of healing, and a word of your grace. In Jesus' name, amen.

Okay, what is a pixel? Do we know? A picture element, that's a scientific term. It's fantastic! Ten thousand points to you, sir. A pixel is... you know, we've got screens all over this place. Tell me, screens behind me, you've got screens on your phones, on your devices. A pixel is the smallest picture element that displays something. Light goes through it in order that it will display the fuller image of something. Something, an image. I'll get to what the "something" is in a minute.

What do we need for a pixel to work? Okay, I would give you the answer, don't worry. It's all right. I came prepared. The first answer is... what? There's a lot of answers, but I'll just give you two, if that's okay. I know there's some technically-minded people here. The first thing you need for a pixel to work is power, you need power. Okay, the second thing you need is a proper connection, proper connection. Not a missed high five, proper connection. We need that. So, a power supply powers the source, and often pixels have an internal power supply. You have your phones, right? You charge them up with the battery. But you need a power supply to plug into the battery. You need a plug to sustain the battery, to nourish the battery, to give it energy. Are you catching where I'm going? Yeah, and we need a proper connection in order for the pixel to carry the correct data signal to, in order to display the correct image. Are you with me?

Okay, the thing is, we are like pixels. Hopefully, you've seen the link now. We are like pixels. Pixels are filled with light, and we are filled with light. We are filled with the light of Christ. Jesus works in us and through us. We are conduits for the light of God. And I believe, it's my life sermon to call the body of Christ, that's you, that's me, that's we, to live out the gospel as pixels, to be filled with the light of Christ, to head out into the world and share the gospel, share the treasures that we have of Christ.

Pixels need a power supply. We need a power supply too, don't we? I remember Jesus did a wonderful Bible study during the 40 days and 40 nights of Lent, if you remember. It was in Deuteronomy. It says, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord." We need that power supply too. We need the Word to nourish ourselves and to nourish others. We need that power supply, which is the Holy Spirit. We need good connection, proper connection with the Holy Spirit, in order to be powered, to live a life and minister not only to ourselves but to others too. So, you need power, you need connection, you need relationship with God. But you also need a relationship with each other, in community.

So, you see, pixels work individually, but they also work in community in order to display the full image of God. Okay, so are you ready to live with pixels? Some of you are a bit quiet because you understand what it means, and if you don't, I'm about to explain how we hear and do the Word of God. It's in your Bibles, it's in James, chapter 1, verses 22 to 25. It says 27, but I'm going to read until 25, and maybe you can do the rest in your own Bible study time. Are you ready to hear? Okay.

"Do not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the Word but doesn't do what it says is like someone who looks at their face in the mirror and, after looking at themselves, goes away and immediately forgets what they look like. But whoever intently looks into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues in it, not forgetting what they have heard but doing it, they will be blessed in doing so."

I want to share with you how powerful this reading was for me. I'm going to take you back. A long time ago, a long, long time ago, to the pandemic. Do you remember 2020? I know, I know, it was such a... a spiritually invigorating time. Yeah, it was good for some, challenging for others. And even more challenging for us all in different points, okay? But God saw us through. Amen! That's a powerful testimony there. You're still here. We give God the glory.

But during COVID, what I was reflecting on, during the pandemic, what I was really reflecting on is this scripture from James about how we're meant to look in the mirror and see ourselves for who we really are. And then ask ourselves, that's we, me, you, everyone, am I truly reflecting Christ? You see, the pandemic gave us an opportunity to sit down, be still, and look in the mirror, look at ourselves, and really honestly ask ourselves that question, am I really reflecting Christ?

And now, we've walked away from the mirror, haven't we? Everybody say hello, you all outside, in various ways, right? You're all outside, able to do what you like, to a certain degree. We've walked away from the mirror. But the question still remains. In fact, it's a powerful question for us to really consider, am I reflecting Christ in my thoughts, in my words, in my actions, in my deeds? Or is it when someone passes me up in traffic, I'm ready to give them, you know, sign language? Have we gone back to how we used to be? Or are we truly reflecting the grace of God, the love of God, are we bearing more fruits, fruit of the Spirit?

These are questions that should challenge us because when we look in the mirror, there's no lying, is there? We see what we see is what it is. It is what it is, or as the Hebrews say, "La think on these things." It's good for us to think on these things and meditate on what it means for us to truly reflect Christ here and now. And I think it's essential for us to not just hear the Word of God, but also to then move, respond to the Word of God. That means live a life of action. That means to express faith.

So, there's hearing and doing. And just as pixels display an image, right? We both need to hear and do in order to fully display the image of God. But how do we reflect the Living God? There's a scripture from 2 Corinthians, chapter 3, verse 18, and it says this, "And we, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." This is talking about believers. That is you and me, the family of God being transformed into Christ's image and reflecting the glory of God.

And this is where the image of the mirror and walking away comes in really handy. So, we need to carry the Word of God in our hearts, look in the mirror, and reflect God more and more as we walk away from the mirror. Are you ready to do this? You get an opportunity to live this every day, to live the gospel, to speak truth, to speak life over people of your community.

We're not perfect, but in our weakness, who is made strong? Christ. And I'm talking about in community. Christ is made strong because each one of you is needed to display this image. Each one of you needs to be working according to purpose and the power that God is calling you to, otherwise, there's something that we like to call dead pixels, which we'll come to a little bit later.

But you and me, friends, we are the body of Christ. Doesn't that make you feel special? Yeah, a little bit of this, a little bit of that, no? There's the reading here from 1 Corinthians, chapter 12, verses 12 to 27. I'm going to read the full thing because I think it's really important, and I'm really passionate about this particular reading. It's unity and diversity in the body.

And remember, friends, you and me, we are the body of Christ. Just as the body, though one, has many parts, but all its parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit, so whether Jew or Gentile, slave or free, we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so, the body is not made up of one part, but of many.

Now, if the foot should say, "Because I'm not a hand, I don't belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being a part of the body. Or if the ear should say, "Because I'm not an eye, I don't belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? But in fact, God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

And this is what I love to say, there is unity in the body of Christ, not uniformity. We're not all meant to look the same. We each have different temperaments, different ideas and concepts, different giftings, different purposes for which we are called to and equipped by the Holy Spirit. That I cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you," and the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you." We need each other.

On the contrary, the body that seems weaker is indispensable. In our weakness, Christ is made strong. We are each important to the body of Christ in order to display the fuller image and all the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty while the presentable parts have no need for special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. If one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

Now you are the body of Christ and each one of you is a part of it. Hallelujah! This is a reminder, a powerful reminder that we are the body of Christ and each person, each pixel, is called to reflect the glory of God, the love of God, and God's purpose to the wider world. I keep asking if you're ready, but I feel like you're ready now to take on the world. Am I speaking for you? Let me not do that. Each of you contributes to this image, so we need you to shine your light. Don't hide your light under a bushel. What is it that you are being called to do? What is your gift, your talent? What is it that you do that you feel called to do? No one else can do better than you.

I want to encourage you as a body to be in community with one another and to support one another. Are there any gardeners in the house? Ah, I thought so. I'm an engineer. Oh, there's two. Fantastic! I'm an engineer. I'm an engineer of free. Hallelujah! I'm an engineer of free. I'm an engineer of free. Hallelujah! I'm an engineer of free. I'm an engineer of free. Hallelujah! I'm an engineer of free. I'm an engineer of free. Hallelujah! I'm an engineer of free. I'm an engineer of free. Hallelujah! I'm an engineer of free. I'm an engineer of free. Hallelujah! I'm an engineer of free. I'm an engineer of free. Hallelujah! I'm an engineer of free. I'm an engineer of free. Hallelujah! I'm an engineer of free. I'm an engineer of free. Hallelujah! I'm an engineer of free. I'm an engineer of free. Hallelujah! I'm an engineer of free. I'm an engineer of free. Hallelujah! I'm an engineer of free. I'm an engineer of free. Hallelujah! I'm an engineer of free. I'm an engineer of free. Hallelujah! I'm an engineer of free. I'm an engineer of free. Hallelujah! I'm an engineer of free. I'm an engineer of free. Hallelujah!

I'm an engineer of free. Hallelujah! I'm an engineer of free. Hallelujah! I'm an engineer of free. Hallelujah! I'm an engineer of free. Hallelujah! I'm an engineer of free. Hallelujah! I'm an engineer of free. Hallelujah! I'm an engineer of free. Hallelujah! I'm an engineer of free. Hallelujah! I'm an engineer of free. Hallelujah!

Okay, what is a dead pixel though? Because I've talked about it a lot. What is a dead pixel? A dead pixel is a pixel that is not living to its potential. Light is not passing through. If you've ever encountered a dead pixel in your screen, in your monitors, anything like that, then you will understand. It can be really distracting, it can be really annoying. As part of what I'm saying today, pixels mean that we're not displaying the full image of God. It means that we're not allowing the light to shine through us. And that could mean whether you're inactive in your faith, whether you're struggling in your faith, maybe you're feeling disconnected, maybe you're feeling weighed down by the problems, the challenges that you're going through in life.

I just want to encourage you, like Esther encourages us this morning, I want to challenge you too, that there is a place for you here, there is a place for you here in the body of Christ to be encouraged, to be strengthened by the light of God that works in you and through you. And in doing so, in allowing this light to seep through you, to saturate you, not only are you nourishing yourself, you are nourishing others. And in nourishing others, you are displaying the full image of God. So that people all around can see and know that God is good. And not only is God good, God is working and active in our lives today. Hallelujah!

Friends, it's such an opportunity that we have to live in this unity, to live as a part of the body. I just again want to challenge and encourage you to continue to be pixels, to shine bright for the Lord your God, to be hearers and doers of the Word. And as you shine brightly, you display the purpose of God in your life, in that you display the fullness, the grace of God, the joy, the grace of living the gospel, brighter and brighter each day. So that the resolution people see when we come together is not just 4K. It's not just 8K. It's infinity K. I'll work on the wording, infinity K. It's the brightest image that people can see that will encourage them, that will nourish them for the days and seasons ahead.

Are you ready to live the gospel? Are you ready to live the gospel? Are you ready to shine your light in this season?

(Closing prayer)

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your transformative power. We thank you for your Word. Help us not only to hear your Word but to put it into action in our daily lives. Empower us by your Spirit to live as pixels for Your glory, to reflect the Living God. And may our lives be a testimony of your grace, your compassion, to those around us. And we pray this in the mighty and matchless name of Jesus Christ, whom we love. Amen.

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