Identity
13/01/2008 11:01
By Chris Ryburn
In a recent email from the Elijah List, a writer, Bobby Connor, posed an interesting statement - "Heaven and Hell pose the same question to each of us. The Spirit of God and the devil alike want to know: "Who do you think you are?"
It is an important question
In a recent email from the Elijah List, a writer, Bobby Connor, posed an interesting statement - "Heaven and Hell pose the same question to each of us. The Spirit of God and the devil alike want to know: "Who do you think you are?"
It is an important question
The devil doesn't want us to become who we actually are - so he pours out his lies. In John 14:12 we read, “The truth is, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father."
The Spirit of God and the devil both say to you "Who do you think you are?" - one meaning that you couldn't aspire to this, one indicating you can.
The Body of Christ today is being challenged with identity - who are we, who do we think we are, are we indeed a Holy nation, a chosen generation?
If we are to fulfill our spiritual destiny, we must know who we are, "but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" - 1 Peter 2:9
It never ceases to astound me when I ponder that we are made in God's image. He made us unique, and yet we are all made in the image of God! "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." - Gal. 3:28
In his brilliant book 'Dreaming with God', Bill Johnston writes in the opening pages about transition, our transition as we come into a place of friendship with God. "When Jesus gave His disciples this promotion, He did so by describing the difference between two positions. Servants don't know what their master is doing. They don't have assess to the personal, intimate realm of their master. They are task orientated. Obedience is their primary focus - and rightly so, for their lives depend on success in that area. But friends have a different focus. It almost sounds blasphemous to say that obedience is not the top concern for the friend, but it is true. Obedience will always be important, as the previous verse highlights , "You are my friends if you do whatever i command you" John 15:14. But friends are less concerned about disobeying than they are about disappointing. The disciples' focus shifted from commandments to the presence, from the assignment to the relationship, from "what I do for Him", to "how my choices affect Him." This bestowal of friendship made the revolution we continue to experience possible.
"No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what His master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you" - John 15:15.
The Spirit of God and the devil both say to you "Who do you think you are?" - one meaning that you couldn't aspire to this, one indicating you can.
The Body of Christ today is being challenged with identity - who are we, who do we think we are, are we indeed a Holy nation, a chosen generation?
If we are to fulfill our spiritual destiny, we must know who we are, "but you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" - 1 Peter 2:9
It never ceases to astound me when I ponder that we are made in God's image. He made us unique, and yet we are all made in the image of God! "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." - Gal. 3:28
In his brilliant book 'Dreaming with God', Bill Johnston writes in the opening pages about transition, our transition as we come into a place of friendship with God. "When Jesus gave His disciples this promotion, He did so by describing the difference between two positions. Servants don't know what their master is doing. They don't have assess to the personal, intimate realm of their master. They are task orientated. Obedience is their primary focus - and rightly so, for their lives depend on success in that area. But friends have a different focus. It almost sounds blasphemous to say that obedience is not the top concern for the friend, but it is true. Obedience will always be important, as the previous verse highlights , "You are my friends if you do whatever i command you" John 15:14. But friends are less concerned about disobeying than they are about disappointing. The disciples' focus shifted from commandments to the presence, from the assignment to the relationship, from "what I do for Him", to "how my choices affect Him." This bestowal of friendship made the revolution we continue to experience possible.
"No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what His master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you" - John 15:15.