Identity Crisis: I don’t know whose work this is but it a great depiction of the plight of many who have yet to find rest and salvation in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
For the past couple of months I have been teaching and preaching my way through the book of Romans chapters five and six. I believe that the Lord led me to do this so that there would be a radical discovery and rediscovery of the person and work of Jesus Christ. This series of messages is entitled “Identity Crisis”. This title was chosen because I have struggled personally with works-based righteousness and behavior modification. I have also seen this struggle in many other Christians as well.
I found my answer not in trying harder or being better, but in the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit opened my eyes to who Jesus is and what He has done in a new way. By the grace of God I began to live based on my God-given identity in Jesus Christ instead of my own weak and limited efforts. This revelation of Truth has brought me to a place of sweet dependency and surrender to Jesus. I must say that I still have a tendency to step outside of my God-given identity in Christ but the difference now is that I know that God loves me not according to my performance but according to His holy and unchanging nature. I have found peace in what Jesus has accomplished on my behalf and that peace keeps me from trying to be my own savior.
There is still the voice of accusation that comes to me. It is a voice that must be silenced every single day. It is a voice that constantly reminds me of what I am not, what I didn’t do, and where I have come up short. This voice wants to replay all of my past sins like a bad movie stuck on repeat. The bible makes it very clear that the accuser is none other than Satan himself. The good news is that in Jesus Christ we have already overcome him. Revelation 12:10-11 says that we overcome the accuser by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony! Jesus has soundly defeated our accuser and even stands as our Advocate before the Father.
We can confidently make our boast in the Lord. He paid our sinful debt in full by His death on the cross. He died for our sins and He was resurrected for our justification. We are clean, pure, and holy before God because of Jesus. There is no condemnation or curse because of Jesus. We have been delivered from darkness’ domain by Jesus. So whenever the voice of the accuser seeks to drag you back into the pit of despair, by the grace of God open your mouth and begin to rehearse the victory of Jesus Christ. It’s alright to talk smack if it’s based on the finshed work of God’s Christ.
Why Every Church Leader Needs the Gospel
Your Ministry Is Not Your Identity -
If you are in ministry or you aspire to be in ministry please read this article.
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This post is the first in a series of four that deal with the roles of God’s law and the gospel of Jesus Christ. My prayer is that as you take the time to read these posts, you will be reminded of God’s radical grace and goodwill towards you which will in turn set you free to live a passionate love affair with Jesus. These posts were first published by Tullian Tchividjian on The Gospel Coalition Blog. Enjoy!
“So there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Romans 8:1 NLT
There is no condemnation for those who are in right relationship with Jesus Christ. Condemnation says that you are damned and under the wrath of God. If you are in Christ this is not your reality. A lot of people struggle with walking through failures as they follow Jesus. I have personally walked through personal battles with condemnation as a Christian and as a pastor I have witnessed many others walk through the same struggle. I would fail in one area or another and sometimes even go through times of depression as a result of it. By the grace of God I can make my boast in Jesus and say that I no longer struggle with condemnation. I would like to share with you how Jesus set me free and I hope that those who might be struggling with condemnation will share my freedom in Christ as well.
One of the most important lessons that I learned by studying the scriptures and by the leading of the Holy Spirit, was to recognize the difference between condemnation and conviction. Since I have already defined condemnation, let’s turn our attention to conviction. Conviction is from God. Conviction is when God reveals to us our sin. When we miss the mark the Holy Spirit brings conviction to our lives. When we hear a message that reveals an area in our lives that does not line up with God’s word we experience conviction as result. Again, conviction is a work of God’s Spirit not man’s efforts. When conviction comes the truth is revealed in order to push us toward Jesus. Condemnation promotes hopelessness but conviction says that there is a way out. Even when a disciple of Jesus sins they are not cast out of God’s family. Just like a loving parent, God brings His correction to our lives in order to keep us on the path that leads to life.
If you find yourself in a place of failure as a believer do not fall into condemnation. Just know that God has not cast you out of His family. There may be consequences that you have to walk through but there is also forgiveness. Learn to embrace the conviction of the Holy Spirit. He loves you and desires the best for you. Remember that God’s correction is proof positive that we are His children.
As a youth pastor I have noticed a disturbing trend. In our rush to have successful youth ministries we sometimes end up teaching young people how to modify their behavior instead of living out true freedom. With good intentions we push the Christian disciplines of bible reading, prayer, fasting, worship, purity, etc. These disciplines are good and we should continue to encourage our young people to have healthy devotional lives. The problem occurs when these disciplines are separated from the finished work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. If we are not careful, these disciplines can become a system of works that takes us from grace into dead religion. We have to stress that we are in right standing with God based on our faith in Jesus Christ. We cannot become any more righteous that the first moment we put our faith in Jesus. Bible reading is extremely crucial to spiritual growth and development, but bible reading cannot make us right with God. Prayer brings us closer to the Lord as we commit ourselves to it, but prayer did not cover the multitude of our sins.
Our salvation is in the person and work of Jesus Christ. We don’t have to work for righteousness because Jesus has already made a way. Our messages must be rooted in who Jesus is and what He has done. If not, we will have a bunch of young people trained to look spiritual instead of truly being spiritual. They may be abstaining from things in public while indulging in private. Jesus did not come to modify our behavior, he came to give us a new nature all together! The only way to be free is to learn to live from the new nature and identity that God has brought us into. Peter said that we have been given promises from God that enable us to share in His divine nature. Remember, our good works should be the result of salvation not the price we pay to earn it. I believe the first step to true freedom is faith in Jesus Christ and what he has done for us. He defeated sin, death, the world, and the devil. We who trust Him get to share in that victory on a daily basis. Our value and worth do not come from robust devotional activities, our value and worth are in found in Christ and Christ alone. Please take some time to read Romans chapter three for more understanding.
I have a few moments to reflect on my current series as I sit here at my barber shop. I will make the most of the time as my barber finishes his sub sandwich.
Last week I began a new series of messages that are aimed at equipping us to be successful as we follow Jesus. When you take a look at the word disciple it carries the idea of being a student. Simply put, Jesus is the Teacher and we are to be His students. We have to learn His ways which means we have to unlearn all of our old ways. We fail when we attempt to follow Christ based on our own ideas and terms.
In Matthew’s gospel Jesus extends to us an invitation to come and learn from Him. This is where our lives end and begin at the same time. Over the course of this year we will be exploring what it means to be a student of Jesus and living out that reality by God’s grace. In the meantime, take some time to evaluate whether or not Jesus is really your teacher.
Tis the season to be shopping! I have found myself inundated with television ads and emails from various retailers who all want me to come to their stores or visit their websites so that I can spend lots of cash or pile up credit card debt in order to obtain these “must haves” for myself and my family. The underlying message is that once I have these new items in my possession all of my issues will fade away as I wallow in wonderful materialistic bliss. Who cares about the problems of the world when you could just pop in a Blu-Ray disc into that new player which is connected to the 50 inch LCD television and let the latest in 1080p resolution numb your aching mind to the pain and suffering we witness on a daily basis. For the sake of complete disclosure let me confess that I do have a Blu-Ray disc player, although my LCD television is not quite 50 inches (sometimes I wish it was).
My point is that even though these items are not inherently evil, they can become addictive idols that ensnare us while there is a real life and world to tend to. When we stop to reflect on the wonderful gifts that God has given us through Jesus Christ, our minds are shaped to the proper perspective of God’s kingdom. In the fifth chapter of Romans there are five gifts that I would like to highlight that we have received through Jesus. I pray that as you read about these gifts God would cause gratitude and generosity to rise in your heart breaking any ungratefulness or materialism that may be lurking. Here we go:
Santa, I don’t know any other way to say this so I am going to just say it: Compared to Jesus you are completely out of your league. I hear that they are hiring at Wal-Mart…
2011 was a year like no other for Impact30.87 Youth Ministry! We were able to devote this year to teaching our young people sound biblical teaching on salvation, evangelism, biblical sexuality, relational purity, and living in victory over sin, the world, and the devil. We initiated our first summer intern program this year which was an intense time of training, serving, and fun! We had several young young people go on missions trips this year from Central America to Africa with some going for the very first time. We have witnessed our young people answer the call to be bold in their faith which has resulted in other young people being saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, and brought into discipleship.
The Impact30.87 Leadership Team has grown and includes some of the most faithful and dynamic leaders that my wife and I have ever had the pleasure to serve in the kingdom of God with. The leaders have laid down their lives and to say that they have been instrumental in the success of our youth ministry this year would be a huge understatement!
As we look forward to next year we know that God has so much more in store for us. Our plans for 2012 include Impact C-4 Weekends, expanding our discipleship and cell group ministry, missions trips, and equipping our young people even more to fulfill the Great Commission while having some serious FUN!.
Thank you for your prayers and support. It is our pleasure to serve this generation and my wife and I would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.