Christ Formed in You: 4 Signs That Show Where You Stand

Introduction

When a baby is born, the parents rejoice over the resemblance. But if, a few months later, that child stays at the baby stage without growing, worry takes over. You rush to see specialists. Why? Because a baby is made to grow. Its very nature drives it to become a man, a father, a carrier of life.

In his message preached at Impact Centre Chretien Montreal, Pastor Celestin Yao applies this image to your spiritual life. The day you received Jesus, you were born again. Christ was born in you. But it would be an anomaly for you to stay at the baby stage. The Lord wants you to grow, until Christ is fully formed in you.

The apostle Paul writes to the Galatians: "My little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you" (Galatians 4:19-20). This cry from the shepherd's heart still holds true today. There are signs that do not lie. When you recognize them in your life, you can no longer stay where you are. You must groan for Christ to take shape in you.

Article outline

1. The context: Paul's cry to the Galatians

Paul had announced to the Galatians the gospel of grace: salvation by faith, not by works. But after his departure, a group of Jews, the Judaizers, came to disrupt the church. They said: "What Paul announced to you is good, but it is not enough. You must add obedience to the law to this salvation." The result: the Christians of Galatia found themselves tossed about, uncertain, immature.

Paul corrects them with the language of a father. He is not simply glad that they were born again. He suffers because they are not growing. He is again in "the anguish of childbirth" until Christ is formed in them.

2. A baby is made to grow

Pastor Celestin Yao uses the image of a six year old child. No one can look at a child that age and say, "He will never be a father." Everything is already in him. His voice will change at a certain age, his strength will unfold, his body already carries the seed of a future generation. It is only a matter of time, provided he receives the right nourishment and the necessary upbringing.

Spiritual life works the same way. You were born of the line of Christ. Everything needed to resemble Jesus has already been placed in you by the Holy Spirit. But you are called to grow.

3. The four signs that speak

Here are the four signs that Pastor Celestin Yao lays on the table. If you recognize yourself in one of them, do not panic. Recognize it, and let the Lord move you into a new season.

Sign 1: You are still tossed about by every wind of doctrine

You listen to everything that comes along. One preacher says something on social media, and you say amen. Another says the exact opposite, and you say amen too. You let anyone lay hands on you, without knowing who is really speaking to you. Then you end up with nightmares, confusion, complicated situations that you have to go untangle at the church where you should have stayed in the first place.

Paul says it clearly: "So we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes" (Ephesians 4:13-14). The Lord's goal is that we all attain "the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."

If you are still unstable in your spiritual diet, if you only seek out messages about "blessing, healing, favor," but flee from teachings that confront you, that is a sign. Your soul likes sweet things, but your spirit needs solid food. You need to be rooted in a spiritual house, under a leadership, with a word that helps you grow.

Sign 2: There are disputes, divisions, and favoritism around you

When a department of the church is torn apart by jealousy, quarrels, and favoritism ("why was he called up front and not me?"), that is a sign. It is not a judgment, it is a pastoral diagnosis: Christ needs to be formed in that department.

Paul writes exactly this to the church in Corinth. That church nevertheless possessed extraordinary spiritual gifts. But it was divided. Some said "I follow Peter," others "I follow Paul," others "I follow Apollos." So Paul tells them: "I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way?" (1 Corinthians 3:2-3).

"Fleshly" is not an insult. It means: you are born again, but your flesh still speaks louder than the Spirit. You function according to your natural inclinations. This is the stage of a spiritual baby. If you spot this in your heart or in your department, do not cover it up. Tell God: "Lord, let Christ be formed in me."

Sign 3: You only consider your own interests

When you are a child, you want to keep things for yourself. "My thing," "my share," you fight for it. That is normal for a little one. But if, at church, you are still in that posture (all that matters is your well being, your blessing, your comfort), never asking how your life can bless others, you need Christ to be formed in you.

Pastor Celestin Yao points to a simple observation: no fruit tree bears fruit for itself. The more fruit it bears, the lower its branches bend to be useful to others. Mature Christian life follows the same movement.

Look around you. The professions people admire most are the ones that serve: firefighters, nurses, paramedics, doctors. Why? Because even the world knows how to recognize a life spent for others. How much more so in the Kingdom.

Paul writes: "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others" (Philippians 2:4). Ask yourself: how does my life bless others? Is someone encouraged, served, or helped because of my obedience?

Sign 4: You keep fighting the same sins

Does your prayer life come down to always asking forgiveness for the same falls? Instead of being a time of worship and contemplation, it becomes a loop of confessing the same defeats. That is a sign.

The apostle John echoes Paul: "I am writing to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven for his name's sake" (1 John 2:12). He is addressing those who are young in the faith, those who still struggle with the flesh.

Pastor Celestin Yao has a particular word for young people, especially regarding struggles related to sexuality. He does not judge. He says: do not hide. If, in private prayer, you cannot break free, come and confess out loud, with the word and the support of a minister. The Word of God sets free, and you can fully come out of that bondage. But do not stay for years in the same battle without ever breaking the cycle.

Key takeaways

• Being born again is a starting point, not a finish line. The Lord expects you to grow.
• There are concrete signs that reveal where you stand: your doctrinal stability, the way you handle relationships, your attitude toward others, your fight against sin.
• "Fleshly" is not an insult, it is a diagnosis. A spiritual baby is loved, but is called to mature.
• A mature life bears fruit for others. No tree eats its own fruit.
• The shepherd's cry remains: "Until Christ is formed in you."

Personal application

• Which sign do you recognize most clearly in your life today?
• What is your main spiritual diet? Is it milk or solid food?
• In your department or your impact family, are there tensions, jealousies, or favoritism you need to bring before God?
• How does your life concretely bless another person this week?
• Is there a recurring sin you need to finally confess out loud and break free from with the help of a mature brother or sister?

Verses cited

• Galatians 4:19-20 - "My little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you."
• Ephesians 4:13-14 - Attaining the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
• 1 Corinthians 3:2-3 - Milk, solid food, and the diagnosis of being "of the flesh."
• Philippians 2:4 - Considering the interests of others as well.
• 1 John 2:12 - John's word to little children.
• Galatians 2:20 - "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me."

FAQ

What does "Christ formed in us" mean?

This is Paul's expression in Galatians 4:19. It describes the process by which the character, values, and life of Jesus take shape in a believer after the new birth. You are born of Christ, but you must grow until you fully resemble him.

Is being "fleshly" in the Bible an insult?

No. Paul uses it in 1 Corinthians 3 to describe a stage. A fleshly Christian is born again, but still functions according to their flesh, their natural inclinations. It is the stage of the spiritual baby. That person is loved, but called to move on to something else.

How do I break free from a recurring sin that has lasted for years?

Do not stay alone. Confess out loud before a minister or a mature brother or sister. Give God authority through a precise word, receive prayer, and let yourself be supported. The Word of God sets free, but it needs to be applied within a living relationship, not in the silence of shame.