Hid with Him

Paul writes in Phil. 4:22, “All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar's household.” In chapter 1:13 he’s already told them, “So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; all the palaces.”

Jordan says, “It’s fascinating that the gospel was making inroads in Rome all the way to the palaces of Caesar. Paul’s in prison. One of the greatest things in ministry, I thankfully realized many years ago, is the Body of Christ doesn’t belong to me. The Body of Christ belongs to the Lord Jesus Christ and it’s His responsibility, task and job to take care of it.

“Those three words—in Christ Jesus and variations thereof. In Christ, in Him. Paul uses over 130 times that phrase in his 13 little epistles. That is a dominant thinking of the Apostle Paul because in Paul’s mind, being in Christ Jesus is the essence of what Christianity is about. It’s the essence of the grace of God. It’s the essence of who we are and it’s what Philippians is about doing. Christ is our life, our mind, our goal, our strength. He’s the sum total; He’s the excellency of all that we have.

“In Christ--You got to the get the idea. To be in something. The idea is to be in the sphere of something. I like to say you’re encapsulized. You see if you were in a circle that would be different. When you’re in capsule you’re surrounded with protection and then if a brick fell what would happen? It would bounce off. You’re completely surrounded. That’s what it means to be in Christ.

Paul says in Colossians 3:3, “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.”

Jordan says, “I used to struggle with this verse, wondering, ‘What does it mean?’ Then it dawned on me it means exactly what it says. What a thought! If I’m standing in circle I’m not hid and you can see me! It’s just on one plane. I’m totally submerged inside of God with Christ! You know what that is? That’s security. That means I’m safe and secure inside of Him from any harm; any foes on the outside. And I’m completely supplied by everything that’s in the capsule.”