Who am I?

Mom. Dad. Sister. Friend.

I could go on and on, but, I’m sure if you are old enough to be reading this, you’ve asked the question, “Who am I?” at some point in your life.

I think one of the biggest issues facing the American church today is that our church attendees do not have an understanding of who they are, and if they do, they have not been given full freedom to truly live it out. If that is you, let me tell you, as a child of God, you are a missionary, meaning “sent one.”

God trusts you to go out and be the gospel—the good news—to those around you. Yet we continue to sit week after week, bringing friends (maybe), and hoping the pastor will do the job of teaching and discipling them. Well, he’s not! Don’t mean to bust your bubble (okay I do), but depending on how big your church is, your pastor may not even know you are there, let alone that you brought a friend.

It is your role to disciple. You have already been sent to the places in which you work, play and live. Jesus sent his disciples out saying, “As the Father has sent me, now I am sending you.” How powerful it must have been for them to hear those words! But I guarantee later on they began to think, “Oh crap! Now what do we do?”

You do what he taught you!

Love like he taught you. Bless and embrace those around you like he taught you (even if they are very different than you). Truly listen to others. Be generous with your life. And, in this, you show others the true person of Jesus and allow Him to bring renewal, freedom and change to their lives. Can you imagine how different our neighborhoods, gyms, work places, and cities would be if we all as Christ Followers just did what Jesus taught?

Easter Sunday I had the opportunity to come into a church as a guest worship leader. Since we have much to celebrate on Easter, so I figured it would be a fun. Well, it wasn’t. I was looking out on a sea of dead-pan expressions.

As started the second song, The Lord gave me the vision of Ezekiel 37 and the valley dry bones. I began praying that God would breathe life into them and they would feel hope and life again. He then began showing me they just don’t know who they are. They have not been shown their identity as sent people – speakers of the Good News. They have not felt released to go! In Forge we say, “the medium is the message.” Through their medium, they have learned that God only speaks on Sunday mornings through a teacher on stage that may or may not be a great communicator. Come on, church! There’s so much more to life than that, and Jesus came for more than that, too!

If you don’t know your neighbors, you should. If you are not involved somehow in your community, you should be. And, if you do not have friends outside the bubble of your church, well, you should. I guarantee you will be a better person for it.

Church leaders, let go of insecurity and fear. If people from your faith communities begin discipling others outside of your walls and don’t bring them the building, if church forms out of them living on mission where they already are, applaud and resource them. We must become encouragers and senders, not hoarders of talents and time.

Does that seem harsh? Please know I speak from experience; I was there three years ago. God has drastically changed my paradigm, and now I want all Christ followers to know the role they can play in the kingdom.

Go live in your identity and allow God to change your heart for those around you. While He is showing them what the kingdom of God looks like here, He will be filling you with life—life to the fullest!

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