Four Divine Objectives

Four great objectives and four lines of action for the children of God.

Cristian Romo

I wanted to speak about four great objectives of God. They are simple, yet at the same time profound. They are in His heart, and Jesus expressed them in His life.

That all men and women know Jesus Christ the Lord

Don't you believe that this is the Father's desire? It is expressed like this: "This is eternal life: that they know you; you and me." For that reason, Jesus, before leaving, said two tremendously important things: "Go into the world and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). That is to say, whoever is placed in front of you. We begin to think: "Could it be the will of God that I speak to this person?" It is not even necessary to pray for that, because it has already been answered: To every creature: whoever sits down next to you, at the warehouse, at the butchers, at the office. It is not necessary for us to preach a great sermon, but only the word that the Spirit puts in you for that momentary necessity. How needy is this world! And, do you know that the only instrument with authority on the earth that God has chosen is the church.

You and me; us. This is the first great objective of God: that all men and women know Jesus Christ. He yearns for that, he wants all men to repent. But we are the channels that will take this word to the world. One might say: "But you don't know how difficult my place of work is; the language that the people use there. It is impossible." No, it is not impossible. It is possible!

One day a sister told me about her brother, who I wanted to visit: "No, it's a waste of time. He is an insolent man. No." I told her: "But this is the Lord's favorite matter; difficult people. The easy things are for us, but the difficult things are for him." So I went to this man's house. He was watching soccer on the television. I told him: "Don't mind me, keep watching television." I sat down with him. He began to ask me about soccer; I told him what I knew. The game finished. He asked me: "Why don't you take supper with us?" "Alright -I said -thank you." We sat down at the table and he told me: "I know that you pray before eating." I told him: "We thank the Lord for what He gives us." "Please continue", he told me. I began to give thanks, and I blessed the family. When I finished, there was an absolute silence. And I waited to see what would happen. After a long moment, he told me: "What do I have to do to be like you?" It was so simple, like when they said to Peter: "What shall we do?"

That day, that family surrendered to Jesus Christ. Glory to the Lord! That man now serves the Lord. There is nothing too difficult for the Lord. We have to dare. The Lord does tremendous things, because it is His specialty. We are afraid of the difficult things, but He is not. He is the God of the impossible!

That each person who knows Christ be formed to His image and stature

Romans 8:29 says that this is the Father's yearning: To those that are called "He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." What a brother we have! A model and example. Life. When I was a boy -I have six more brothers, I am the youngest-, when I went to school, many threatened to beat me. I said: "Wait a moment, I have other older brothers." I was always defended in this way, and everyone respected me for that reason.

When we understand that we have such a big brother as Christ... Who shall we fear? He is with us every day, until the end of the world. But He doesn't want us to be idle nor without fruit. He wants us operating for Him, testifying of Him, speaking of Him, proclaiming Him. Galatians 4:19: "My little children for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you." What passion Paul also had for this cause! The Lord doesn't love us fifty-fifty. He didn't save you to be a little better. He saved you to become like him. He wants us to be his reflection on the earth.

People ask us: "Where is your God, where is your Christ?" Paul said: "I no longer live, but Christ lives in me" (Gal. 2:20). Paul was noticed; are you? Could you say: "He who has seen me has seen Christ?" ... "Ah, wait a moment, those are too demanding words"... And, for what reason do you believe that Christ has us on the earth? People want to see Christ! They don't want to listen about religion: people want to see Christ. And people will see Christ in you and in me, because he lives in us. That's what we have been called to.

I will never forget a trip that I made from Buenos Aires to Porto Alegre. I sat down with a man of God, and he asked me a question that I found strange at first. Do tell me: "Why are you saved?" I said to myself: "You ask me, a pastor, these things." And I began to give him a series of answers. Then he told me: "And for what reason do you preach?" I was already beginning to feel bad... "And for what reason do you teach?" Somewhere along the line, he realized that I was a little restless, and told me: "Don't worry; when they asked me, I didn't know how to respond either. But now I know, and I give thanks to God: I was saved to be conformed to the image of Christ." The veil was opened for me. "And I preach to lead people to Christ. I teach so that people are conformed to Christ's image."

Brothers, that opened a tremendous curtain for me and I said: "Lord, now I know the reason for which I live!" How simple, but how profound! That's why I'm saved, that's why you're saved! It is not cheap, that's for certain. It has such a high price as Christ's blood. Blessed is the name of the Lord! This is what boils inside the Father's heart. He looks at us and wants to see us in the likeness of His Son; not in any other image.

Many say: "I have my own religion." That doesn't exist for God. We are either in the likeness of His Son, or we are not. That is the desire of His heart. Hopefully He would also give a good testimony of us: "This is my dear son, this is my dear daughter; giving me happiness." Hallelujah! Like when -well all my children are now grown up-but when they went to the school and I had to go to the parent's meeting, I would tremble. I would ask my children: "Right, how are the grades?" "Good, dad." "Are there any deficient grades?" "No." But when one arrived at the meeting, suddenly, the name would be announced and we'd have to go in... Oh, Lord! It is always like that, with growing children. And what a relief when the grades were good! I told my children: "Do you love me?" "Yes, dad." "Then show it in school. Show that you love me there." Then I thought of me and of God, and said: "He must think the same of me. Don't say: I love You, I love you, I love you. Show it to me with your actions, in the simple things of life." That is what the world needs to see, brothers: Christ.

That all disciples form a single brotherhood: a family, a single people

Jesus prayed for this with passion. Firstly He told His disciples: "A new commandment I give to you: that you love one another; as I have loved you." (John. 13:34). The goal is high, but it is glorious. "As I have loved you." Without hidden things, without personal interests. "I have loved them with eternal love." When we read John 17:11: "Now I am no longer in the world; but these are in the world and I came to you. Holy father, keep through Your name those whom you have given, that they may be one as We are." That they be one. It doesn't say that they have unity. It says "that they may be one." "Father may they be one as We are one." It is more than speaking about unity. It is about being one. This is not my option, brothers, and nor is it yours: this is what the Father wants.

Unity is not an option; it is the Lord's command, it is the Father's. Blessed is His name! We may be different, we can have many differences, but the Father says: "That doesn't interest me. You can be one in my Son, in Christ." When I married my wife, we had different, strong characters. After thirty seven years of marriage, we continue looking more and more like each other. And how different that love today from thirty seven years ago is! At the beginning it was a platonic love, but in the difficult moments, that is when you know whether you love one another or not. At the time when got I married, I believed I was very spiritual, and when I was married I realized that I was not so spiritual. The Lord dealt with us.

When Paul speaks of marriage, it speaks of Christ and the church; of how wonderful this marriage is. And the truth is that Christ has completed his part. He loved the church and gave Himself up for her. We are lacking our part. How difficult we find it to deny ourselves! Do you know what salvation consists of? That God delivers us from ourselves. We should fear ourselves more than anyone. The self is a tremendous thing, isn't it?, this terrible nature. But blessed is our Lord Jesus Christ, Paul says who delivered him from that body of death.

The Father wants us to be one. The greatest element, the best strategy to evangelize is to be one; "That the world may believe" (John. 17:21). Through the years, so many strategies have been looked for. Man always searches for better methods; God always searches for better men. And every time that we see the methods, how they are changed, how they improve, I am reminded of the seventies, when I was a strategist of evangelism. I invented each thing! And when I realized that those inventions didn't help the Lord, it caused me a great deal of shame. Me, wanting to help to the Lord, even though He is the owner of the work! He fixed the form - simple and clear. The means to reach the world is us. In His moment, it was Him. But He already did His part and has now left us a responsibility. "I am leaving. Continue doing what I was doing." What a glorious responsibility! "But, don't forget: you have to be one." The Father never forgot this prayer. It is present there on the throne. And He will make it real, He is making it real.

Sometimes I got discouraged at times, and said: "Lord, when will this be?" And I looked at the city and said: "It will be difficult." And on another occasion I would cheer up, saying: "The difficult thing is for you, Lord. For you there is nothing impossible." He is doing it, He will continue doing it, because it is in His heart. And, when God decides something, who will impede Him? Blessed is the Lord!

That this community of disciples be a factor of transformation to society

What words spoken by Jesus! Matthew 5:13-16: "You are the salt of the earth." The second part makes me tremble: "But if the salt loses its saltiness how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled upon by men." Dear brothers, are we completing the role that the Lord gave us in this rotting society? Salt has two fundamental functions. One is to give flavor; nobody likes food without salt. And the second action of salt is to preserve. This world no longer has flavor. Many say: "We will enjoy life." They enjoy it, by destroying it!

We are those who enjoy life; the true life. And this enjoyment has to be transmitted to the world so that when they see our homes, our families, they want to be similar to us. Because we have Christ. And that is happening. I have been listening to people's testimonies that say: "I would like to be like that family, when I see the husband go out hand in hand with his wife, with the children, so harmoniously. That's what I want! How do I get it?" "This is gotten in a single way: knowing Christ." People yearn for it, brothers. How many women cry, how many men complain, because they don't have what they want. They have destroyed life, through ignorance, through disbelief. But we are the salt. May our house be an oasis. When somebody arrives at our house, they will see that there is Somebody special called Jesus Christ there.

When our children were in the University, we told them: "Never study in another place; invite your course mates to the house, so that they taste something different." We have to occupy the means that God has given us. I have advised many youths, saying them: "When it is your birthday, don't only invite brothers from the congregation; invite some of your course mates, to show Christ; so that they see that a birthday can happen in a different way; that we can be happy in a different way, and that this happiness is not momentary but that it is a thing that is always in us." So many simple things!

Brothers, this preservative property of salt is tremendous. The only people who can preserve the values of the Kingdom of God are the church. Everything is collapsing; all the Political Constitutions of the countries of the world are increasingly going against God. Laws against the principles of God. We scandalize ourselves when we hear that the homosexuals are gaining ground, that their marriage is already legally accepted, they've given so much light to this! Who preserves the values of the Kingdom? Who is the prophetic voice in this time? It is the church. But just here inside the church, brothers. Here it is easy. The Lord wants us to be out there.

The other day a pastor told me that in a big school a psychologist went to give a talk, outlining that nowadays adolescents can have sexual relationships, because it is the most common and normal thing. I told him: "Wasn't there a single Christian in that room who was able to stand up and say: 'No, I don't agree with that, because it is outside of the principles of God? '. Where is the church? Where is the prophetic church?" "It's just that we'll be put to shame." It doesn't matter. We'll go through more than that, if it is necessary. But we have to lift our voice to say: "This is not what pleases to God, and I oppose it, because this is not inside the healthy principles that God has given us."

One day I participated on a panel of Bioethics, at the "University of Concepción". Before going, I asked: "Lord, what will I say there?" "Speak of my absolutes." "Oh, Lord!", I said, "it's like putting water in hot oil." But, what can you do, if He says so? All the panelists were wrapped up in humanism. And when I said: "Look, we are on this panel because there is a problem with humanity. Humans moved away from God; began to live far from God. Failure came to the whole human race and we are under these conditions. And in order for this to take a different course, we need the principles of God which are absolute, to take their place in our life, and to obey them." Do I even need to tell you about their response? The time remaining was not used to fulfill its objectives. Everything was directed toward attacking me and trying to deform what I said.

Then the coin turned; it was my turn again. I asked them: "Tell me why we are here. Are there problems or there are no problems? Yes, there are. And, why are there problems? Because man abandoned God. And for that reason we are here trying to correct something uncorrectable. It is not with this talk that the ethical problems will be solved, but rather God has to operate in man and woman's heart, so that the evil endemic in humanity is corrected." Happily, they didn't have anything else to say.

It is terrible to fight against a world that is deformed; but it doesn't matter what they have to tell us brothers. We have to be prophets amid the nations. There was Elijah in front of the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. He dared to say: "You have to choose. We will prove who is God here." If that moment comes to us, we have to accept the challenge, because our God will be with us. But we cannot allow this world to continue blind to what God wants to do.

So, dear brothers, in the school, in the factory, in the office, in the street, wherever it is, remember: you are a prophet of God, you are salt of the earth! And then Jesus says: "Light of the world." What is the objective of light? To illuminate. And the light can be seen from a distance. A city on a mount cannot hide itself. It is seen from afar. "That they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). Illuminate your light before men. Light has to do with models; a model father, a model son, a model wife, a model worker. Light of the world.

A Synthesis of a message shared in Temuco (Chile), in July of 2003.