Be Who You Are

First let me say that I love when the Lord has myself and the congregation engaged in a series. It seems as if the time we share in series are more charted and efficient. It allows us all to know where we are going and an opportunity to build upon the contextual current that has been established and flows through any particular bible book.

We are not in a series right now (haven't been for 6 weeks) and it sometimes makes me feel like we are just taking a swipe at whatever text "jumps out" that week. Now, I will say that there is no apparent problem with being led by the spirit in that way. I am only saying that it makes it harder in my study and preparation to have to randomly affix myself in that way.

On today I shared from 1 Peter 2:9. For some reason the Lord had me firmly fixed on this passage for the greater portion of the week. The subject was "Be Who You Are." I simply challenged our congregation that we need to rise in spiritual maturity to accept the responsibility to be in direct contrast to the status quo of this world. This is indicated in the statement of contrast that Peter ascribes to the people at the opening of verse 9. "But your are..." Is pointedly contrasted to those who are "disobedient to God's word" (and therefore stumble) in verse 8.

I shared, as an introduction to the message, the remarkable story about two friends. Whitney Cerak and Laura Van Ryn were driving in a van with friends, on April 26, 2006, when they were struck head on by a tractor trailer. Several days later, the Cerak family funeralized Whitney and laid her to rest. For the next five weeks, the Van Ryn family would nurse their daughter who lay in the hospital in a coma. During the fifth week of this trying situation, both families endured another life altering discovery. It was determined that there had been a shattering case of mistaken identity. One family had been nursing a daughter that was already dead and buried, while the other family was mourning the loss of a daughter that yet lived. Thus the book written "Mistaken Identity."

I pointed out to our congregation that this is much like what happens in the church both individually and corporately. We are nursing the dead and burying the living. Peter exhorts the church to basically put away childish and worldly pursuits and lay hold of it's identity and function in the Kingdom. Eric Erikson, noted Psychologist, would probably agree that his diagnosis fits many a church in our day... "Identity Crisis!!!" Many Christians can't be who they are because they don't rightfully know who they are. Erikson says this "Identity Crisis" results from not being able to successfully transist through the different levels of psycho-social development and thus getting stuck at some particular phase:

Identity Statuses
Identity achievement occurs when an individual has gone through an exploration of different identities and made a commitment to one.

Moratorium- is the status of a person who is actively involved in exploring different identities, but has not made a commitment.

Foreclosure- status is when a person has made a commitment without attempting identity exploration.

Identity diffusion- occurs when there is neither an identity crisis or commitment.

We are a chosen (eklektos) generation, a royal(basileious) priesthood, a holy (hagios) nation (ethnos)...

Wow... We had a wonderful time in the Lord on this morning and the people of God were all challenged to consider who we are as Kingdom Citizens and thus walk in it. Two person came to the Lord and made very firm commitments to comply with the convictions that were result of this word. Lord we thank you for who you have created and called us to be. Thank you for your word and it's total sufficiency.