#22 Christ in Me
Time Stamps
00:00 - Welcome from Sharon and Dan
04:45 - Talk: Christ In Me with Matt Edmundson
07:13 - The Lion King Reflection: What Do You See in the Mirror?
13:33 - From Tabernacle to Temple: God's Desire to Dwell With Us
17:45 - The Gym Glove Analogy: Why We Need a Greater Life Force
21:53 - What Needs Crucifying? Making Room for Christ Within
31:33 - Conversation Street: Living a Transformed Life from the Inside Out
The Extraordinary Reality of God Living Within You
Have you ever looked in the mirror and wondered who's really looking back at you?
This Sunday, Matt Edmundson kicked off a new segment in our "Becoming Whole" series, exploring the profound truth that as Christ-followers, we don't just believe in Jesus – we actually have Christ living within us.
Using the iconic scene from The Lion King where Simba sees his reflection and Rafiki tells him "He lives in you," Matt unpacked what might be one of the most revolutionary yet underappreciated truths of Christianity: Christ in me.
"It's No Longer I Who Live..."
The foundation of Matt's message came from Galatians 2:20, where Paul writes:
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
This isn't just poetic language or a nice metaphor – it's a spiritual reality that changes everything about how we understand ourselves and our relationship with God.
As Matt explained, we often think about God's presence in terms of Him being with us or near us. Even the disciples, who walked and talked with Jesus, sometimes questioned God's presence. But the revolutionary truth for followers of Christ is that God isn't just with us – He literally lives within us.
But why would God choose to make His home inside ordinary people like us?
From Tabernacle to Temple to You
To answer this question, Matt took us on a fascinating journey through biblical history, tracing how God's presence moved from place to place:
First, in the Tabernacle – a portable tent where God's presence dwelled among the Israelites for about 500 years
Then, in Solomon's Temple – an impressive structure that stood for 371 years until it was destroyed
Later, in the Second Temple – which stood for nearly 600 years until its destruction in 70 AD
Then in Jesus Himself – "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us" (John 1:14)
And finally, in us – "You yourselves are God's temple and God's Spirit dwells in your midst" (1 Corinthians 3:16)
This progression reveals something profound about God's heart. He has consistently moved closer and closer to His people, from dwelling in buildings to ultimately making His home in human hearts.
But why would the God of the universe want to live inside us? Matt's answer was beautifully simple: "He just wants to."
Jesus puts it this way in Revelation 3:20: "I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my call and open the door, I will come right in and sit down to supper with you."
The God who created the heavens and earth, who split the Red Sea, who died and rose again – this God wants to sit down and have dinner with you. He wants that kind of close, intimate relationship.
The Gym Glove Analogy
One of the most memorable moments of Matt's talk was his gym glove illustration. He showed how a glove, left to itself, can never fulfill its purpose no matter how much:
Encouragement you give it ("You can do this!")
Training you provide (showing it exactly how to grip)
Fellowship it has (introducing it to other gloves)
Commitment it makes ("I'm really going to try harder this time")
The glove only fulfills its purpose when a hand – a greater life force – fills it and works through it.
In the same way, we can try to live out our purpose through encouragement, training, fellowship, or sheer determination, but we'll always fall short until we allow Christ to fill us and work through us.
As Sharon pointed out during Conversation Street, this fits perfectly with the experience of friends working in North Africa who found God opening unexpected doors for ministry when they allowed Him to work through them: "God in them is doing all the work... they're not farmers, but what they're doing is transforming that area."
What Needs Crucifying?
If Christ lives in us, what keeps us from experiencing the fullness of His life working through us?
This is where Matt challenged us to consider what might be taking up space that rightfully belongs to Christ. Using Paul's language in Galatians 5:24, he called us to "crucify the flesh with its passions and desires" – language that admittedly sounds harsh to modern ears but speaks to the seriousness of making room for Christ within us.
What might need crucifying in your life? Matt mentioned several possibilities:
For some men, pornography or lust
Political ideologies that shape our theology (rather than the other way around)
Insecurity or unbelief
Greed, anger, jealousy, or envy
During Conversation Street, Dan shared a personal reflection about how sometimes even good things like evening TV time can gradually take space that could be filled with something more spiritually nourishing. Sharon added how achievement-oriented habits can crowd out time with God: "Once I've done this little job, then I'll spend time with you... once I've done this..."
This isn't about striving to be perfect before God can use us. As Matt emphasised for those new to faith: "It's not like there's a checklist of things you need to stop before you can become a Christian... you come just as you are." But for those who have been following Christ for some time, there comes a point where we need to honestly evaluate what might be taking God's rightful place in our hearts.
Living from the Inside Out
What makes the "Christ in me" reality so powerful is that it transforms Christianity from a religion of external rules to a relationship that changes us from the inside out.
As Sharon experienced in a recent prayer time, when we truly encounter God's presence, there's both a conviction of sin and a joy-filled cleansing: "It wasn't like God telling me off... it was just this awareness of when you're in the presence of this holy, amazing God... there's things in my heart that are actually not right."
This isn't a one-time experience either. As Dan noted, "It's not like you go from not being a Christ follower to opening the door and then let Him in... it's like a daily thing."
The Christian life isn't about striving harder in our own strength – it's about daily allowing Christ to live His life through us. As someone in the comments beautifully put it: "Not I, but through Christ in me."
Your Next Step
Whether you've been following Christ for years or you're just exploring faith, Matt's message offers a powerful invitation:
Look in the mirror differently – Put Galatians 2:20 on your mirror and let the truth sink in that Christ lives in you
Create space – What might be taking up room in your heart that rightfully belongs to Christ?
Open the door – If you sense God knocking, don't wait until you have everything sorted out – just welcome Him in
Remember Mufasa's words to Simba: "Remember who you are." For followers of Christ, our true identity is found in this extraordinary reality – it's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
Join us next week as Anna continues our exploration of what it means to have Christ living within us!
"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)
RECENT EPISODES
RECENT LIVESTREAMS
More from this series
At Crowd Church, we are committed to creating a space for you to explore the Christian faith, regardless of where you are on your faith journey.
What happens at Crowd Church?
Every week we livestream our online church service and release a new story on What’s The Story Podcast. We have weekly online community groups that meet up and all of that good stuff. You can find out more about everything that goes on at Crowd by browsing through this site, and you can reach out to us via our contact page.
Come and Join In!
Are you interested in joining in with what is happening here at Crowd? We would love to meet you!
Join in with the Church Livestream
Subscribe to Crowd Church Podcast & What’s the Story Podcast
Follow us on Instagram
Subscribe to the YouTube Channel
New to church? If so - check out the New Here link.
Any questions? Please connect with us via our Contact Page, or via WhatsApp: +44 7984 530 429