Becoming Christ-like

World-renowned British Anglican evangelist Reverend Dr John Stott retired from public ministry recently, giving his last sermon on July 17.

Fittingly, his sermon focused on "What is God's purpose for His people?".

He said: “God wants His people to become like Christ. Christ-likeness is the will of God for the people of God.”

"This entering into other people's worlds is exactly what we mean by incarnational evangelism. All authentic mission is incarnational mission,” he said.

“Why is it, you must have asked, as I have, that in many situations our evangelistic efforts are often fraught with failure?” Stott continued. "[O]ne main reason is that we don't look like the Christ we are proclaiming.”

Dr Stott referred to a “perceptive little book” by John Poulton, entitled “A Today Sort of Evangelism.”

“The most effective preaching comes from those who embody the things they are saying,” Dr Stott cited from the book. “They are their message. Christians need to look like what they are talking about. It is people who communicate primarily, not words or ideas. Authenticity gets across. Deep down inside people, what communicates now is basically personal authenticity.”


To illustrate the impact that a Christ-like church could have on the world, Stott noted the words of non-Christians such as a Hindu professor in India who said to one of his Christian students: ”If you Christians lived like Jesus Christ, India would be at your feet tomorrow.“

From the Islamic world, Stott noted the words of the Rev. Iskandar Jadeed, a former Arab Muslim, who said: “If all Christians were Christians – that is, Christ-like – there would be no more Islam today.”'

Rallying a captivated congregation, Stott asked the question: “Is Christ-likeness attainable?”

He concluded: “In our own strength it is clearly not attainable but God has given us his Holy Spirit to dwell within us, to change us from within ... God's way to make us like Christ is to fill us with His Spirit.”


The above are extracts from the Christian Post article on Dr Stott. I noticed a comment by Peter Ramsay of www.heaven4sure.com on the article, and he mentioned that he had two Muslim-to-Christian conversion testimonies on his website:

1. Afghan Muslim discovers Jesus is more than a prophet


2. How a Muslim from Malaysia found Christ


May these testimonies serve as encouragement for those who have Muslim friends and for those who wonder whether God has a salvation plan for Muslims.


I pray that even as we read the articles and the testimonies, our faith will be lifted up, our spirits will be strengthened and our revelation of God will be that much deeper and broader. And that the Holy Spirit will carry on with its refining work in us.


And that most importantly, that we grow in faith and mature as authentic Christians who walk the talk so that we may draw people to Christ.

Personal authenticity beats everything else flat.

Amen. :-)