"... that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him"  (2 Pet. 2:9)

Whenever I proclaim Christ and His excellencies, I think the world should envy me, including all its so called "excellencies" within the corps of diplomacy, state, the Vatican, the church, etc. etc.

We do not proclaim Christ as a mere creed, but as a revelation of the Holy Spirit, nothing less.  I was told of man who sought spiritual peace, and a preacher suggested, "Go home and ask God to reveal yourself!"  He did and almost lost his mind.  Then the preacher said, "Now go home and ask God to reveal Christ!"  Soon he found himself saved in Him and Him only.

I can honestly say with C.H. Spurgeon, "I have never known what it is to be  out of Rom. 7 nor out of Rom. 8.  The whole passage is solid truth to my experience..."  An honest Christian knows of this conflict, but rejoices also  in a complete standing in Christ and His excellencies.  A preacher from Michigan admonished me as a young man, "Speak well of Christ!"

Even this very morning His Spirit threw fresh light on Rom. 7:24-25:  "Wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"  It again was made clear to me that my deliverance is not just the very motion of saying "Jesus Christ", but letting the Spirit reveal who and what Christ is on my behalf!

Then I again I was reminded of the ministry of the Holy Spirit, "He will glorify me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you!"  (John 16:14).  What a revelation as I have no glory of my own.  In Rom. 7 Paul  identifies himself with a struggling soul that has nothing good to say about himself and what dwells there, but keeps lamenting his misery.

In a split second the Holy Spirit let him see his deliverance and freedom in Christ and Rom. 7 of misery becomes now a Rom. 8 of praise.  This is not a "know how" technique, but His work.  Do make much of that and shun the present day´s subtle substitutes of which 2. Cor. 11:4 warns us.

Indeed, speak well of Christ - the Christ of the gospel!

Jan. 6, 2018 - jn