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Pastor Dan Hawn publishes a weekly article which is also emailed to members and regular attenders. Let us know if you would like to receive this weekly article via email.
Book Review: Identity
The second book being read by the
young men participating in the Radical Mentoring program is
Identity by Eric Geiger.
The premise of the book is that
many Christians are stuck in spiritual adolescence (i.e.,
spiritual immaturity) because their identity isn’t rooted in
Christ and they don’t know who they are in Him.
Many find their identity in their
career. Others find their identity in relationships. Still
others find their identity in their possessions or hobbies.
However, Geiger writes, “when we seek our identity in places
other than Christ, we find ourselves empty.”
God invites us to find ourselves in
Him.
Who God Says We Are
So, who are we in Christ? In
other words, who does God say we are? This is
what the book unpacks for us.
First, we are God’s child.
As our perfect Father, God’s love for us is personal,
intentional, unconditional, generous and purifying.
Second, we are God’s priest.
As his priest, we have the privilege of entering the
most sacred place, namely, the Holy of Holies. Thus, we have
access to God anytime we want.
Third, we are God’s bride.
Jesus chose the highest expression of commitment between two
people to express his commitment to us.
Fourth, we are God’s servant.
Serving God isn’t a have-to, but a get-to. It is
the natural response to having been served so immeasurably by
Christ.
Fifth, we are God’s friend.
As God’s friend, we’re in his inner circle and he shares his
thoughts with us. Geiger says we should view our spiritual
journey as a journey with God, not toward him.
Sixth, we are an alien. This
is who we are in relation to the world around us. We don’t
really belong here. We follow a different leader, a different
law, and speak a different language.
Seventh, we are God’s ambassador.
An ambassador is a high-ranking dignitary, who represents his
king and country in a different culture for a specific period
of time.
Conclusion
Here’s the reality: We live out who
we believe we are. The issue then is whether we will live out
who GOD says we are, or some other identity.