I know many people may begin to suffer identity issues as a result of this pandemic… Many of us allow our jobs, our social status, our relationships, even our church to define our identities. Over the last year I have truly been on a journey to see my identity in Christ in a whole new way. And honestly, it was one of the hardest daily walks I’ve encountered. After being fired and removed from leadership within my church because I had my first women’s conference, there were days I felt wrong, days I felt alone, days I felt so full of regret. And even in those times I was reminded of God’s goodness, His timing, and His sovereignty. God sang over me a new name, a new confidence, and a new bold courage that I know now can only be found in the middle of an identity crisis…
On Sunday, March 22nd (our first Women's Conference was MARCH 23RD, 2019, coincidence... I think not!) as many church doors closed my heart was heavy, yet eager, for those who will be challenged to the more God desires for His Bride. I have been down this road of redemption, and I speak from my heart when I say that it is time for us as a body of Christ to find our identities as children of God, and to do our part within the body. And when I say this, I am not referring to a church building, or a ministry, though I believe we should all have a church we attend and become planted and invested in kingdom business. I am talking about YOU, as a believer, as a Christ follower.
You are a part of the BODY. You are a CHILD OF GOD. You are the CHURCH! Not because of the building you attend, not because of the assignments you are given by your Pastor or your church, not because you volunteer or are told to assume your position within a certain denomination. You are a part of something so much bigger, so much stronger, so much more than you could ever imagine. You are a part of something that isn’t limited to Sundays, or church pews, or the revolving doors of sameness within our congregations! You are part of the GLOBAL GENERATIONAL CHURCH that is PUSHING BACK THE GATES OF HELL!!! My question then becomes… Are YOU reaching the lost, are YOU preaching the word, are YOU the living proof that God is still in the SAVING BUSINESS? Or are we leaving it to the qualified, the leaders and pastors among us, or the ones with the documents that somehow prove they are worthy of the message?
You see I don’t want to just talk a good game… I want to live this radical, scary gospel! And to do that I’ll need to be reminded that I am called! I am called to the people in my family, to my neighborhood, to my place of employment, to the random, not so random places right here in my city. I am called to tell others of the truth I’ve found, to live as a reflection of the hope I found, called to my life… my one and only life!
You see, I’ve been where many of you will be in the coming weeks, especially if the church doors stay closed and we are forced to feed ourselves the Word of God, forced to pray for ourselves, forced to grow in maturity and surrender our lives to His plan. Our identities will scream for someone to tell us that we are defined by the jobs we do within a church building. And we want to be reassured that what we did within a church is what qualified us for heaven… And what happens to us is we aren’t there to serve? Who are we if we can’t serve, volunteer, or get our attendance credit for just showing up? We may even begin to see that sitting a pew on a Sunday for that feel good feeling somehow won’t last as long if we don’t even have to get out of bed or even dressed to attend church.
You see WHO YOU ARE can’t be defined by the church, by church duties, or by even by our attendance to a church building. God is the only one who can give us identity, and He is the only one who will identify the CHURCH, HIS BRIDE. And in these days when “going to church” is being redefined I will tell you… Church is so much more than sermons online… It is more than watching worship videos… These things are great, but they are not enough… We must get away in our closets and pray for our nation and our world. We must read the Word for ourselves, and let the Word penetrate those stubborn places within our deceitful hearts. We must be willing to die to ourselves DAILY, and not compromise the truth of God’s word. We must be willing to stand up for the injustice in our world, and we must OBEY GOD and God alone! We must surrender to the plan and purpose of God, even if it doesn’t look the way we thought it would. We must be willing to sacrifice comfort and certainty for a short time because our eternal perspective is more real than what is right in front of us…
God is doing something greater, something deeper within us through this pandemic. He is awakening His people, His children, to their places within the timeline of eternity to acknowledge that we are truly born for such a time as this. I am grateful every day that the scales have fallen off my eyes, that idols have been stripped from my heart, and that I have a new found courage in times of uncertainty. And because man didn’t give me this identity, man can’t take it away from me. And because God gave me this identity then it is eternally mine. I pray that if you face an identity crisis during these days when our sense of what church should be is shaken, I pray you will examine your hearts and heed what the Lord is revealing to you. Oh what wondrous miracles lay in the days ahead as God’s people stop seeking permission and approval from man, and truly see that God has already given the permission and approval we seek!
Now, I want to say right here that I believe in the local church… no matter what a few people in leadership have decided in regards to the ministry I know that I am called to steward, because not even the assignment gives me identity. And I refuse to let that dampen my hope in the unity I have found in the local commission given to us all. And I know that God is reviving that within us all… Give your tithes, show up to volunteer for the community efforts that your church may be a part of in the coming days. Watch your pastors as they take the pulpits online, and share their efforts through watch parties, or on your timelines. But remember, we don’t do these things as proof of our loyalty to a building, but as a result of the unity of the body. All of us individually and together, globally together! Oh what glorious days lie ahead as we awaken to the mission, to the commission, to the today in which we live! Glory to God!
"Go therefore and make disciples of ALL NATIONS baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
Matthew 28:19-20
