05/02/2010
Avoiding an Identity Crisis
By: Hank L. Hayes
I heard a sermon once about the identity of the church. The importance reminding yourself who you are and who God has made you to be. You see, in today’s world the ever increasing crime of identity theft has risen to the point that right now it is the biggest crime issue in the United States. Not only financially are we facing problems with our identity, but also among male and females who long to look like what Hollywood portrays as “it”. This trend has bled into the minds of young children who long to long to look like their favorite pop singer or Disney actress. This in return has caused a generation of kids to grow up faster than what should be, young girls trying to look “sexy” and learning certain dances in hopes of hooking the guys.
It is common among both sexes to want to be seen as attractive to the other sex and hope that someone of that opposite sex will “want” them. Who doesn’t want that feeling that someone “wants” or “needs” you. We see girls and guys of all ages spending the extra dollar to buy brand named clothes that way they will be “identified” by what they are wearing, that in return will define who they are. But as we as a nation face the on going identity crisis among ourselves I simply ask you a question… Do you know who you are?
The Word:
As a Christian the first thing I do if I have a question is look for it in the Bible because the Bible is the inspired word of God and should be treated as our roadmap in life. When you get lost, confused, hurt, or just want to know what God thinks you should turn to his word.
The Bible says in 1 Cor. 6:9-20
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.
And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.
Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
But verse 20 is where I concentrate.
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
We are bought with a price and we are not our own. Are you really paying attention to what is being said? You are not your own, you were bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and spirit, which is NOT yours, but God’s. You must first notice that if you are a Christian you do not have control over yourself, it’s not about pleasing your flesh, or what you can gain, or what you can have. But it’s really about how can you please God.
You may be asking yourself, “why is this important”. And the truth honestly lies in your salvation.
The Blood:
How do people define you? Do they define you by what type of clothing line you wear, what you drive, where you live, what job you have, what team you cheer for, or maybe even what political party you associate with? These are all questions I’ve had to ask myself. It’s been pretty plan if you have been around me any length of time that I’m a Patriots fan and I’m huge into politics. But did you know that I’m also a called minister and that I was saved August 18, 1999. Did you know that in high school I would lose sleep because I would cry and pray for my friends at school who were lost, and that I feel called to world evangelism and that my first stop on this ever growing ministry is Washington, D.C.? I’m not saying this to toot my own horn, but to actually to raise an awareness to both you and I. The people in the church and the people lost out in the world should be able to identify you as a Christian first before they anything else.
Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
The Bible says that we were purchased by the blood of the Lord. Perry Ellis, Abercrombie, and American Eagle didn’t wash away our sins, but the blood of Christ did. We were not bought with money or traded, but bought by the blood of Jesus. We are not our own, our identity lies in God.
Rules Don’t Define Us:
Being a Christian isn’t about what you cannot do, but it’s really about the liberty that we do have. The chains of sin have been broken; you no longer have to live in sin, for greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. That is speaking of the Holy Spirit that dwells inside of you if you have believed on the Lord Jesus, confessed your sins to the Lord in repentance, and was baptized in the name of Jesus. But it is easy to get caught up in what we shouldn’t do, to the point that we go around as if we were creator than thou trying to point everyone else’s short comings. See the 10 Commandments were written for us as a guideline. God is Holy and cannot dwell where sin is, so we must stay away from certain things in order to stay in a relationship with God. Can you steal or commit adultery and expect to still be in relationship with a holy God? No, but because of the blood of Jesus we can sincerely repent and ask for forgiveness from the Lord.
We Must Spread the Good News:
Every Christian whether you are a preacher or not has a responsibility of spreading the Gospel or Good News that Jesus is Lord. This should be something you are identified as, an ambassador to this world to reach people with the saving message of Jesus Christ.
2Co 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
Paul is writing this to the church, not just to preachers, and if you are a Christian then yes you are the church. An ambassador is not identified by the country or surroundings he is sent to, but by the one who sent him. We are sent from God to this world. So in doing so we should seek to please him in everything we do, and yes as Paul said, “the body and spirit”.
Avoiding an Identity Crisis
By: Hank L. Hayes
I heard a sermon once about the identity of the church. The importance reminding yourself who you are and who God has made you to be. You see, in today’s world the ever increasing crime of identity theft has risen to the point that right now it is the biggest crime issue in the United States. Not only financially are we facing problems with our identity, but also among male and females who long to look like what Hollywood portrays as “it”. This trend has bled into the minds of young children who long to long to look like their favorite pop singer or Disney actress. This in return has caused a generation of kids to grow up faster than what should be, young girls trying to look “sexy” and learning certain dances in hopes of hooking the guys.
It is common among both sexes to want to be seen as attractive to the other sex and hope that someone of that opposite sex will “want” them. Who doesn’t want that feeling that someone “wants” or “needs” you. We see girls and guys of all ages spending the extra dollar to buy brand named clothes that way they will be “identified” by what they are wearing, that in return will define who they are. But as we as a nation face the on going identity crisis among ourselves I simply ask you a question… Do you know who you are?
The Word:
As a Christian the first thing I do if I have a question is look for it in the Bible because the Bible is the inspired word of God and should be treated as our roadmap in life. When you get lost, confused, hurt, or just want to know what God thinks you should turn to his word.
The Bible says in 1 Cor. 6:9-20
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.
And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.
Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
But verse 20 is where I concentrate.
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
We are bought with a price and we are not our own. Are you really paying attention to what is being said? You are not your own, you were bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and spirit, which is NOT yours, but God’s. You must first notice that if you are a Christian you do not have control over yourself, it’s not about pleasing your flesh, or what you can gain, or what you can have. But it’s really about how can you please God.
You may be asking yourself, “why is this important”. And the truth honestly lies in your salvation.
The Blood:
How do people define you? Do they define you by what type of clothing line you wear, what you drive, where you live, what job you have, what team you cheer for, or maybe even what political party you associate with? These are all questions I’ve had to ask myself. It’s been pretty plan if you have been around me any length of time that I’m a Patriots fan and I’m huge into politics. But did you know that I’m also a called minister and that I was saved August 18, 1999. Did you know that in high school I would lose sleep because I would cry and pray for my friends at school who were lost, and that I feel called to world evangelism and that my first stop on this ever growing ministry is Washington, D.C.? I’m not saying this to toot my own horn, but to actually to raise an awareness to both you and I. The people in the church and the people lost out in the world should be able to identify you as a Christian first before they anything else.
Act 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
The Bible says that we were purchased by the blood of the Lord. Perry Ellis, Abercrombie, and American Eagle didn’t wash away our sins, but the blood of Christ did. We were not bought with money or traded, but bought by the blood of Jesus. We are not our own, our identity lies in God.
Rules Don’t Define Us:
Being a Christian isn’t about what you cannot do, but it’s really about the liberty that we do have. The chains of sin have been broken; you no longer have to live in sin, for greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. That is speaking of the Holy Spirit that dwells inside of you if you have believed on the Lord Jesus, confessed your sins to the Lord in repentance, and was baptized in the name of Jesus. But it is easy to get caught up in what we shouldn’t do, to the point that we go around as if we were creator than thou trying to point everyone else’s short comings. See the 10 Commandments were written for us as a guideline. God is Holy and cannot dwell where sin is, so we must stay away from certain things in order to stay in a relationship with God. Can you steal or commit adultery and expect to still be in relationship with a holy God? No, but because of the blood of Jesus we can sincerely repent and ask for forgiveness from the Lord.
We Must Spread the Good News:
Every Christian whether you are a preacher or not has a responsibility of spreading the Gospel or Good News that Jesus is Lord. This should be something you are identified as, an ambassador to this world to reach people with the saving message of Jesus Christ.
2Co 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.
Paul is writing this to the church, not just to preachers, and if you are a Christian then yes you are the church. An ambassador is not identified by the country or surroundings he is sent to, but by the one who sent him. We are sent from God to this world. So in doing so we should seek to please him in everything we do, and yes as Paul said, “the body and spirit”.
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