November 4, 2025
Ending Your Search … For Significance (Psalm 8)
Your search for significance will never be completely realized here on earth unless it is realized in Jesus Christ. You can never earn what God wants to give you.
Articles for tag: Identity in Christ
November 4, 2025
Wake Up!
This is the fifth in a series of weekly articles based on Christ’s letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation. This week’s church is Sardis.
September 11, 2024
Re-becoming a Child of God
What is a child of God? I certainly identified myself this way, but I defined it through my service and leadership in the church. But what happens when the titles are transferred? What happens when the gift set has no place to be plugged in? How can I be a child of God without the things that I’ve used to define me as one?
January 1, 2024
A Recovery Ministry that Works
By Jim Dennis “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10). What comes to mind when you hear the word recovery? Perhaps your first thought takes you to people with addiction issues. The alcoholic who can’t get his act together who rides a motorized bike around town because of his multiple DUI convictions. Or the emaciated drug addict with sunken eyes. These are just two of the stereotypes recovering people and recovery groups have dealt with for years. Perhaps you envision groups
March 1, 2023
How Do We Talk About Grace with a Generation That Feels No Guilt?
By Tyler McKenzie As generations of young people emerge who are more different than ever imagined, how should our presentation of God’s grace change? Millennials (those born 1981–96) are assuming leadership. Gen Z (born 1997–2012) is entering the workforce. The youngest of those from Generation Alpha (about 2013–25) are upon the age of accountability. They are the new mission field. From Guilt to Shame One of my hypotheses is that evangelists of the future will shift from presenting grace through a guilt framework to a shame framework. Guilt is, “I did something bad.” Shame is, “I am bad.” While guilt
January 23, 2023
January 29 | Application (‘What Makes You Different?’)
The Israelites were supposed to be a holy people, distinct from others who lived around them. No work on the Sabbath day. No graven images. . . . God wanted more than surface obedience, though. He said, “These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts” (Deuteronomy 6:6). . . .
July 15, 2022
An Invitation: Beer Parties or Bible Bowl?
As a young teen, I thought that value would come from being popular among my peers. The popular kids went to beer parties, so I wanted an invitation. . . . The invitation I ultimately received, however, was to join Bible Bowl. It changed my life forever.
March 1, 2022
The Quest for Authentic Identity
By Megan Rawlings “Tell me about yourself.” There was a long, long pause. “Well,” she finally said, “I’m a 2.” “A 2?” I asked. “Yeah, on the Enneagram. It’s this test that tells you who you are and so much about yourself . . .” This conversation and others like it spurred me on to contemplate the emotional and mental state of young adults in our country. Although I cannot speak for the masses, in my experience, millennials (those born 1981–1998) and Generation Z (born 1999–2015) are longing to find their identity and purpose. There appears to be a chasm
March 15, 2020
The Apostle John: Transformed by Love
By Vince Antonucci Researchers tell us our identity drives our behavior. We think we make decisions based on a rational analysis of pros and cons. But far more often we make choices based on what James March called the “identity model.” March, a Stanford University professor who died in 2018, said when making a decision we essentially (and mostly subconsciously) ask ourselves three questions: Who am I? What kind of situation is this? What would someone like me do in this situation? What you do is determined by what you think of yourself. Growing up, I was quickly and consistently
January 30, 2017
Lesson for February 5, 2017: Re-Created to Live in Harmony (Galatians 3:26″“4:7)
Dr. Mark Scott wrote this treatment of the International Sunday School Lesson. Scott teaches preaching and New Testament at Ozark Christian College, Joplin, Missouri. This lesson treatment is published in the January 29, 2017, issue of The Lookout magazine, and is also available online at www.lookoutmag.com. ______ By Mark Scott Someone has rightly said, “You cannot be “˜revived” if you have never first been “˜vived.”” In last month”s lessons we focused on God creating the universe. This month”s lessons focus on God recreating the universe through redeeming his people for freedom to live in holiness. Our study takes us to Galatians, that Magna Carta of
December 15, 2016
Training the Next Generation of Women in Ministry: An Interview with Anne Menear
By T.R. Robertson The back of Anne Menear”s office door is covered with dozens of photographs of smiling young people, mostly women. “Those are all my kids,” she says, with a proud smile. “The ones over there,” she adds, pointing to more photographs arranged on a world map, “are all in missions. They”re all the girls that I”ve had contact with that are working in places like Germany, Japan, and Mexico. “It was great to have seen them graduate and now they”re grown-up adults, and to see them as such””it”s cool.” As director of the Christian Education department and dean
October 29, 2016
Unforced Rhythms of Grace
By Laura Dingman Bzzzt. Bzzzt. Bzzzt. Your alarm clock interrupts the rest you desperately need. It”s time to rise and shine. Well, rise anyway. You can”t shine until you get some coffee. You drag yourself through the morning routine, readying everyone else you”re responsible for as well as yourself. The day”s agenda floods your mind. Drop-offs. E-mails. Meetings. Conversations. To-do lists. A rhythm ties it all together. Even if we move through it unaware, there is a beat and a pace guiding us. It”s been this way since the beginning . . . In the beginning, God was. Through Him
October 27, 2016
The Trouble with Trying to Do a Good Job
By Angela Sanders Nothing sets up a person for failure more effectively than an intense desire to do a good job when the definition of that “good job” is vague, subjective, and a matter of public interest. I ought to know. I am a minister”s wife. For my husband, my church, and myself, I”ve wanted few things more than to wear well the title “minister”s wife.” Now, before you start tsk-tsk-ing me and pointing out problems with that statement, let me save you the trouble and admit that some of my thinking early on””and intermittently over the years””has been skewed.
October 5, 2016
Reconciliation
By Jim Tune “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28, English Standard Version). “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18, ESV). ___ A number of widely publicized events have many people concerned about racial tensions in America. Blacks and whites may not agree on underlying causes or potential solutions, but skin color aside, it seems no one is happy about the present state of
March 14, 2016
Eat, Pray, Love?
By T.R. Robertson Is there a difference in the way we Christians talk about calling versus how the rest of our culture pursues calling? It”s certain many outside the church today have great interest in calling and identity. How can Christians be missionally purposeful in relating to that interest, especially when non-Christians may talk about calling with the same words Christians use? Oprah Winfrey is a touchstone of all that is popular in the culture at large. If it”s cool, she”ll be talking about it. If it”s not cool yet, she makes it cool by bringing it up. Winfrey has
February 12, 2015
Solving Sexuality
By Jason Yeatts We, as a society and a church, have unconsciously adopted an understanding of sexuality that does more harm than good. I”m not talking about our culture”s growing acceptance of homosexuality, but our acceptance of the idea of homosexuality. The two are quite different. We have picked up a language about sex that both perpetuates a wrong view of human identity and hinders the path of Christian discipleship. To understand how this has happened, we must first look at the human heart. When Scriptures declare, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10) and
March 7, 2010
Balancing Grace and Truth with Homosexuals
By Darrel Rowland Read the sidebar, “How to Help,” by Darrel Rowland Heated battles over gay marriage issues rage from California to Maine. Loud people from a tiny church in Kansas tote signs saying “God Hates Fags” and protest at funerals of troops killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. Gay activists contend that many Christians” philosophy on homosexuality, “hate the sin but love the sinner,” is akin to “keep slavery but love the slaves.” Debates multiply over hate crimes legislation, proposals to add sexual orientation to antidiscrimination laws, the implications of such concepts as “don”t ask, don”t tell” or “equal rights,
June 8, 2008
FROM MY BOOKSHELF: Beyond Normal
By LeRoy Lawson Today”s preacher has to be able to do much more than talk. He is not unlike an orchestra conductor creating beautiful sermonic music, pointing now to the lighting technicians, waving at the sound man, calling in the computer operator, relying on the prep work of the graphics personnel and creative artists, and weaving in TV and movie clips to present a harmonious worship experience that inspires the congregation and, it is hoped, pleases God. It is not now as it was in days of yore. We had then, instead, to rely on words: uttered, quoted, organized, explained,
February 11, 2007
They Called Themselves Christians
What does it mean to be called “Christian”? Clint Gill traces the term back to Antioch in Acts, showing how it points to a new identity in Christ that reshapes how believers see themselves and others.
