Blessed to be a blessing sounds at once awesome… and a little daunting. Where do we start blessing people when there are SO MANY needs around us? That should make it easier, but honestly, it can kind of shut you down, not knowing WHO to bless or HOW.
This week on the Lifeschool Podcast, we talk about how to live fully enjoying the blessings in your life, but also how to live “blessed to be a blessing” to others as a family on mission.
If we do a good enough job and are perceived as valuable, then people will want us around. We will be wanted. Out of this activity we often form our identity. What we DO has led to who we ARE. Or at least we think it has. But there is a huge problem with this, it is terribly dangerous, it eventually crushes us, and it goes against how God now sees us.
Don’t believe the DO=BE lies anymore.[clickToTweet tweet=”If we are in Christ, then the Bible teaches we have been transformed and given a new identity.” quote=”If we are in Christ, then the Bible teaches we have been transformed and given a new identity.”]
If we are in Christ, then the Bible teaches we have been transformed and given a new identity. We have become part of a family of missionary servants, sent to serve the world and make disciples of Jesus.
This is who we are. This is our new identity. This is the secret.
And this is true of us as Christians EVEN IF WE NEVER KNEW IT. This is our birthright!
The more we understand and believe this to be true, the more our lives will be transformed.
We’ve all seen and heard this before if we’ve ever been baptized or witnessed a baptism ceremony. But maybe we missed it. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus laid out the entire picture and command for us, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” There it is. The mission of the Church and the means to accomplish it.
Our baptism is not some salvational magic spell or just a culturally ancient ritual; we are baptized, soaked, established into a new identity. Into the NAME OF the Father, and the NAME OF the Son, and the NAME OF the Holy Spirit…all a huge identity statement. This is who we now are. Looking briefly at each of these…
We are baptized into the name of the Father.
Our name has everything to do with whose family we are a part of. God is now our Father. We are his dearly loved children. In Christ we are brothers and sisters; That makes the Church a family. It is part of our transformed identity.
We are also baptized into the name of the Son.
We have entered into an identity relationship with Jesus. He is our King, who came and lived as a servant to all, and we now are his servants, serving his glorious mission, as we serve others as a way of life. Being a servant is now a part of our renewed identity.
Finally, we are baptized into the name of the Holy Spirit.
Throughout the New Testament the Holy Spirit is the sending agent of the Church. He empowered Jesus while on Earth, he guided and comforted the early Church and his indwelling presence transforms our identity into “sent ones”: literally missionaries.
As Christians we are alI missionaries.
Because of who God is, and Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, we truly have become a family of missionary servants sent as disciples who make disciples.
This is our birthright. You may not have always known this to be true about yourself…but the next best time start believing it is now!
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After living in community for a while in Tacoma I met an older couple, not yet retired, but getting close to that stage of life. They were really cool folks who loved food, wine and riding motorcycles. What’s not to like? (more…)
Almost no one was raised in a perfect home with perfect parents who modeled a perfect marriage. It takes intentionality and a lifelong commitment to learn, adapt, and bear with one another… if you want to stay married!
This week on the Lifeschool Podcast, Caesar, and his wife Tina, share 7 “secrets” that have helped them stay on the same page and maintain unity throughout 36 years of marriage. You’ll want to take notes, for sure!
We started out dating and became best friends. Throughout our marriage we’ve discovered that it is super-important to actively, intentionally work on staying friends. Having a regular, scheduled “date night” has been crucial to keeping the fires burning. We’ve found that if we don’t, we can end up only being in problem solving mode all the time and move from task to task and mini crisis to crisis and start to feel more like business partners than two people in love and marriage.
Missional community life includes a lot of eating together. Your meals should be a reflection of your life as a family. When we invite people to experience dinner with the Family—God’s family—loving them well is far more important than what you serve or how perfect it all looks.
This week on the Lifeschool Podcast, we talk with Caesar’s wife Tina, a professional chef and hospitality expert. She gives us her best tips for hosting missional summer meals that are easy to do and won’t leave you frazzled.
