As we move forward throughout this series we are going to focus on one potential false identity we as believers sometimes find ourselves living in, instead of our true identity. Our hope is to understand how we mask our identity that God has made us into, so that we can throw those things aside and glorify God more by living in His Identity.
Week 2 of WNL's look at our Identity as followers of Jesus Christ we dealt with the ASSOCIATIONS that we join in while living in this world. Associations are groups, teams, social clubs, partnerships, jobs, friendships, marriage, religions, and many other things that we are part of. How can these things be our identity? glad you asked...
Our passage that we focused on was 2 Corinthians 6:14-18
"Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them and I will be their God, and they will be my people." Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you." "I will be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."
Scripture points us to have a clear understanding of what our purpose in the associations that we have while living in this world. Some key words we looked at are "yoked", "fellowship", "harmony", "in common", and "agreement". each of these words cover the entire spectrum of all possible relationship we can have in a lifetime (business, legal, social, etc.). What Paul is telling us is that we have to know and have a clear understanding the as a follower of Christ we don't just jump into any association blindly. In fact, any association we enter into we need to make sure of one thing...does my association with this entity mesh with my identity in Christ? Am I and the other party on the same page when it comes to who Christ is?
Truthfully, every association we have that is not "equally yoked", "in common", in "harmony", or in "agreement" on the person of Jesus Christ should continue for the sole purpose of Sharing Christ with the person or groups of people. There is no wiggle-room here!
If I play football, my purpose is to share Christ with all the team and the coaches 1st, this will bring Glory to God because I am living in my true Identity. This is accomplished by me talking about my faith, standing up for my faith, sharing my faith, and living my faith. If I play football and I am not doing this, I need to not be part of the "football team" association.
If I am joining every club at school and being part of student government and anything else I can be so I can build my resume for college, or a college student and doing the same to build a resume for a job, or an adult doing the same thing to get a promotion and or a new job, then my motivation is wrong and I could be entering associations with people or entities that if there is no common ground about who Christ is, I need to get out of that association or not partner and join it.
The only purpose a believer has to join into a association/relationship with a non-believer is to share Christ in and through that association.
Here is where the tension comes in when looking at out identity in relation to the associations we have in life...we often will take on the identity of the association and live in it instead of living in the identity of what God has made in our life.
Examples...I am the FCA president/member, instead of I am a person God is using through FCA. The Glory is God's...not yours or FCA's. Or, I am a the valedictorian of my graduating class, instead of I am a person God has allowed to make good grades and now I get to talk about Him in my graduation address. The Glory is God's...not yours or the position of valedictorian.
i think you get the picture...
Now we don't have the privilege to build our own little Christian bubble and never associate with non-believers or non-christian associations. If we did this, we would not be obedient to the great commission. We do however have to understand that our identity is not what we associate with or join, our identity is that we have been transferred and Christ is the focus and purpose of life. If, or when, any association we have covers, or could cover, the true identity we have been given by God...we don't partner any longer with them, or we never partner with them in the first place.
Let us live the identity God has given to us, so that He can receive the glory!
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