Identification and how we identify seems to be the most significant factor concerning acceptance in this day. In terms of our political, social, and religious standing, how we identify sets the course for how we are accepted. The system of this world ruled by the political structure has been on a rapid pace of decline in the moral foundation of our nation. The world system has been redefining good and evil for some time now. From a political standpoint, we are identified as conservative or liberal. Even if you don't like either one of those identifiable marks, you will be defined at least by others as one or the other. The social order has also brought about great division among the people of our nation as well. Poor versus rich seems to be a mantra that serves a political agenda quite well. The oppressor and the oppressed is the division identified in the critical race theory and the communist manifesto. Labels are used to define and identify people all the time. Unfortunately, the church has adopted in many ways this same idea of identification. Music, preaching styles, and topics that are taught have divided us into identifiable groups. Some churches are loud others are quiet. Some think that a loud church is spiritual while those that are quieter are deeper thinkers. Neither of these things is true based on scripture, however in the natural way of thinking that's how we divide ourselves.
Luke chapter 4 gives us the story of Jesus being tempted by Satan. In verse 3 the subject behind this temptation is given. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that is be made bread. The temptation itself was centered around the identity of Christ as the Son of God. The temptation to command the stone to be made bread had nothing to do with the hunger of Jesus but had everything to do with the identity of Jesus. So are the temptations that we encounter. The gratification of our flesh is only to redefine our identity to ourselves to stop the agenda and belief structure of who we are, and who we were created to be.
Satan's plan is not just to redefine you to yourself, but to define you to others as well. How often do we fall into the trap of identifying someone by a single act or even a single belief and then assume the rest of their belief structure without ever hearing what they believe?
One thing is for sure in today's world, how you identify is of great importance. I think it is time for the people of God to cast aside how others identify us and place our faith in how God's Word identifies us. Paul said in Galatians 6:17, "I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus." We have been marked by God to belong to him. The mark of identification is becoming more clear every day. The world is trying to mark us and Satan is trying to mark us. May we be marked by the power and life of the Holy Spirit of God led by the Word of God to set the agenda for how we live our lives.
Comments
The church needs to be redefined. What, I mean by that is leaders within the Body of Christ need to cross denominational lines and take it’s place back in society and become that light on the hill. The church should be the leaders on taking care of widows, orphans and stopping modern day slavery and also stopping the sex trade especially the sex trade with children. The church allowed the government to take over all these areas that the church should be heavily involved with. By allowing the government to run these programs it as turned into finger pointing, which involves racism and economic status and which in return involves violence and take God out of the equation. By taking God out of the equation, the government is being allowed to redefine these people because God holds there identity.