The Supremacy of Christ

Born Supremacy by =christians on deviantART

"He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

He is before all things, and in him all things hold together..."

Read it out aloud. Go ahead. Savour every word in this passage. Every word speaks - no, SHOUTS - the totality of Jesus Christ. Recite the passage. Meter your speech. Let it become a recital, a chant, even.

Stress each word carefully. Line by line. Shout out each word in bold.

"HE is the image of the invisible God..."
"He IS the image of the invisible God..."
"He is THE image of the invisible God..."
"He is the IMAGE of the invisible God..."
"He is the image OF the invisible God..."
"He is the image of THE invisible God..."
"He is the image of the INVISIBLE God..."
"He is the image of the invisible GOD..."

Can you now picture just a little better the sheer absolute unrivalled supremacy of Christ?

In my Christian Ethics course, I've learnt that Christ is to be the total centre of our worldview.

No longer do we make a glorified rational framework of rational ethics, and then ask God to bless our frameworks. We are actually making our own idols., and decentering Christ, who is supposed to be the Centre of It All. Else Christ becomes just the scaffolding for our Tower of Ethics.

How about church? It is possible to have so many structures and frameworks that if we are not careful, instead of the structures and frameworks acting as the scaffolding, we end up relegating Christ to become the scaffolding for our glorious framework (the Framework be praised!).

I was talking with a brother last night. We were discussing about how to do life-planning. He asked me to share more with him... so I shared with him that when we plan for our sheep, we must first and foremost plan how we can help our sheep draw nearer to Jesus Christ. So that God will be able to help them start growing. "[God] makes things grow."

Everything else is secondary. The supremacy of Christ.

Later on, I was talking with a friend on MSN. We were talking about discipleship. What true discipleship means. I shared with her that being a true disciple doesn't mean doing a certain set of prescribed activities. No. It simply means following Christ, and learning to become like Him in everything we are and do. Whether we eat or drink or blog or dance or work. "All things were created by Him and for Him."

So I was reminded again. The supremacy of Christ.

If we do not have the character, the mind, the heart and the hands of Christ - then no matter whether we are in the most influential positions, be it church or marketplace - then we are unable to make a lasting influence for Christ.

The opposite is true. The supremacy of Christ.

Have you felt so burdened by all the things you have to do? Work, ministry, studies, family, volunteer activities, and so on? You are trying to hold everything together, but it looks like the bubble will burst?

Things fall apart. But He is before all things, and in Him, all things hold together.

Even a blind cancer-eaten old woman.

---

John Ortberg, in his book "The Life You've Always Wanted", wrote about this true story.

There was this sister who was a bed-ridden paralytic for many years. She was blind, and almost deaf. She lay alone in a hospice for years.

But everyone who came to visit her - kept coming back. Why?

Because she had such a deep inner strength, that everyone who saw her were amazed. How could one live in such conditions like hers - blind, almost deaf, dying of a slow cancer that ate half her face away? She lay like that for YEARS.

And yet she had such joy and peace in her heart, that it shone through her cancer-eaten face. Where did she get such strength and power from?

One man asked her. She paused for a while, and then slowly and laboriously gasped, "Jesus loves me. He's so wonderful. He is the world to me - I couldn't think of living without Him." Through her years of loneliness and pain, Jesus was always there for her. And her love for her Saviour grew so deep.

The man was amazed. So amazed, that he started coming back week after week, with notepad in hand, ready to write down whatever words of wisdom she would whisper.

He had come to comfort her. Instead, he found himself being comforted by her.

If we are with Jesus, and He is the centre of our lives... He will make us fishers of men. We may not even be primary school graduates. What does it matter, ultimately? Christ can use Peter the fisherman, and He can use Paul the learned scholar - both are equally useful to Him.

He became their supremacy.

I don't just want to know about the supremacy of Jesus Christ.
I want Him to be supreme in my own life!
Lord, be thou now my supremacy, I pray. Aye-men.

Over all the earth
You reign on high
Every mountain stream
Every sunset sky
But my one request
Lord my only aim
Is that You’d reign in me again

Lord reign in me
Reign in Your power
Over all my dreams
In my darkest hour
You are the Lord
Of all I am
So won’t You reign in me again

Over every thought
Over every word
May my life reflect
The beauty of my Lord
‘Cause you mean more to me
Than any earthly thing
So won’t You reign in me again