Identity theft in believers
Marriage bring changes to our natural identities. How much more should our identities change when we become born-again through Jesus Christ?
Opening Prayer (from Ephesians 1:16-21)
Father of glory, we come to you in the name of Jesus Christ, give us this day the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus, 18 that the eyes of our understanding be enlightened; that we may know what is the hope of Your calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the exceeding greatness of your power toward us who believe, according to the working of Your mighty power 20 which You worked in Christ when you raised Him from the dead and seated Him at Your right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. Amen
There is a story about a young Christian who bumped into an experienced Christian whilst out for a walk one day. The older man asked the younger man, how are you? The younger man replied that under the circumstances, I am a bit depressed. The older man was shocked and said to the younger man, well if you are born again, you should not be under the circumstances but, in Christ you ought to be on top of them. It was as though the younger man’s identity as a born-again believer had been taken from him.
Identity Theft
Where do you take your sense of identity from today?
Many Christians today gain their identity more from their family background, work, or human relationships than from their biblical identity in Christ.
Are you one of them?
Or did you start out taking your identity from the bible, but someone diverted you?
Identity theft can happen not only at the level of the individual believer but to whole churches.
A church that God has called to be holy and pure , a beacon to the lost, can also have its identity stolen, becoming involved in hyper-grace, wrong theology, including the wrong prosperity message (i.e. the best definition of prosperity it for God to meet any given need at any given time- or what about John Wesley who gave to the poor everything he earned over the £30 he needed per year to keep his family). Churches may also become morally permissive, willing to bend the scriptures to accommodate people.
If the salt has lost its savour, then it is no use to the lost.
In modern society, it is becoming increasingly common for thieves to steal someone’s identity so that they can plunder their bank accounts, credit cards etc. There is no doubt about it that this is a wicked crime in taking what belongs to an honest citizen and giving to a thief. Yet we do not seem to realize that this very problem is rampant in the church of Jesus Christ, where Satan is robbing many true believers of their birth right, your identity and your true riches in Christ.
Identity theft can lead us to an identity crisis see 'Our identity is in Christ Part 2'.
Personal prayer
Amen
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