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Close to Christ

Church Emphasis Week opened with energy. In a culture that depends on a formula for relationships to gain a desired result, the message of Chris Hodges in convocation on Friday, February 26th provided a new and better formula for success. Hodges is the senior pastor of the Church of the Highlands in Alabama. His message in convocation centered on who the individual Christian needs to be in order for the corporate Church to be effective.

Using the example of a visit to a 120,000 member church in Colombia, Hodges illustrated the idea that using the same formula for church planting would produce the same results. The Colombian pastor that Hodges met with confounded this idea, saying, “If you think you can do your small group meetings the same way [as we do], it won’t work.” Hodges used the story to illustrate that the Christian can’t just focus on what he is doing externally, but what he is becoming internally.

“The church needs to look like Jesus,” Hodges said. “It needs to take on not just his mission, plan, instructions — but his person.” The fullness of God, Hodges said, transcends the Gospels and is found in heaven. Referencing a passage in Revelation, Hodges used the depiction of the heavenly seraphim as the representation of Christ that believers are to emulate in their own lives.

The seraphim have four faces, the first of which is the ox. “The ox is the face of the servant, the likeness of servanthood,” Hodges said. “The second face is the man: the face of relationships. We can’t just be about programs; we need authenticity, relevance.” The third of the faces is the eagle, the face of excellence, dignity and respect. The final face that represents God’s character is the lion, the face of power. “Caring about his presence in your life is the only way to exude power in ministry; to see lives changed.” Hodges said.

Hodges concluded his message with the final key to taking on the four faces that make the Christian a true ambassador of Christ on earth. “You have to get close to Christ. You can’t just ‘know’ it (Christianity); you have to know Him.”

Phylicia Duran

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