Col 1:26-29 the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. 27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. 28 Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. 29 To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.

Eph 2:8-10 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

My favorite translation of this scripture renders the word ‘’workmanship’’ (Greek POIEMA) as ''God's Masterpiece'' (New Living Translation). The real need for us believers is to discover who we are in Him. We need to see our self as the word declares us to be.

If we take a look at Jesus when He lived His life here on the earth He lived in a dependency upon the Father that was working in Him and through Him.

After healing a lame man on the Sabbath He bears witness before the religious Pharisees that the Son can do nothing of Himself but only what He sees His Father do (John 5:19) He testifies that He can of himself do nothing! (John 5:30)

What we are looking into here is another mystery of the Bible: The trinity at work. Jesus did not do the miracles He did in the power of being God made flesh. He did it as a man anointed by God (Acts 10:38). It was the Father in Him that was doing the work!

John 14:10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.

Just like Jesus was dependent upon the Father to do the work through him, so are we! Just like He was ever conscious of the greater one that lived on the inside of Him, so we need to be also! When we become ‘’God inside minded’’ there will be a new boldness in us. We wills start to act like Him, in a new kind of authority.

Paul clearly understood this truth. He says that the only thing he wants to speak about is what Christ has accomplished through him in word and deed! Then he goes on to mention mighty signs and wonders by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom 15:18-19) The words that he spoke, the miracles that took place was all because of Christ that was working in Him and through him.
This is the mystery that is now revealed that Paul writes about in Col 1:27.

In the Old covenant no one had this privilege so to speak. The Spirit would come UPON certain people but He never dwelled permanently on the inside. The reason was simply because they were not new creations. Sadly today many believers are ignorant about this wonderful truth. They still sing songs like Kum Ba Jah (come by here my Lord). God does not just come for a visit now and then; He had made His home in us! We have the greater One dwelling permanently on the inside!

1 John 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

No matter what happens to us, He is inside and He will take us over. We are masters, we are conquerors, we are overcomers because we are one with Him. We have his ability, His wisdom, His strength, His love. Spiritually, we are free men. We abide in God and God abides in us.

1 Cor 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

During 2nd world war a church building was completely destroyed in the city of Strasburg, Germany. A statue of Christ was all that remained almost unharmed. Only the hands were broken off. A famous sculptor volunteered to restore the hands on the statue. The leaders in the church finally decided to let it remain as it was to serve as a reminder to the believers that we are His hands on this earth!

We are His body and Christ wants to use us to bring healing and salvation to this hurting world. We are His hands, His feet and His mouthpiece on this earth. As we become conscious on Him that dwells in us we can be effective ministering to our generation.

As a conclusion: The issue is not WE working for Him, but rather HIM working through us.

After Paul in our text in Colossians 1:26-29 explaining to us the mystery is Christ in us, the hope of glory he continues to say that He proclaims this truth in the power of Him that is working in Him. This takes away the ‘’struggle’’ and ‘’sweat’ that is often associated with a lot of evangelism programs.

It is Him in us that are doing the work. Let us allow Him to work through us today!

Remember it is Christ in us, the hope of glory!