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Archive for identity in Christ

Christ in you1

In and through

Posted by Carey 
· Friday, August 8th, 2014 

What if it’s true that Jesus really does live in and through His followers?

I know, it’s almost heretical to say “if” about such a thing, because all of us would say,

Oh yes… Jesus lives in and through me. The Bible teaches it to be true. I do believe it. Of course.

But let’s be honest… there are many, many things we say we believe but don’t put into practice or live out.

Here’s a sample list:

  • Healthy eating will extend and improve your quality of life.
  • Smoking will cause cancer and destroy your health.
  • Regular exercise will give you more energy and better overall wellness.
  • Daily time in prayer and God’s word will dramatically increase your rate of spiritual growth.
  • Diligence to practice healthy communication will keep your marriage healthy and strong.
  • Intentional parenting will bear fruit for generations.

Did I make my point?

When it comes to experiencing true spiritual life in Christ, here’s the truth we all need to face… We SAY Jesus lives in us, but where’s the fruit to prove it?

The same issues that have plagued us our entire lives are still very much in charge:

  • addictions
  • anger issues
  • impatience
  • pride
  • control
  • perfectionism
  • anxiety & worry
  • doubt
  • fear
  • stress

Christ in you

“Christ in you” is the unexperienced reality of most Christian’s lives.

It’s sad, but very true.

So how do we change it? How do we come to understand and experience the reality of Christ living in us, of Christ living through us?

1 Forget what you know

I mean it. Let go of all that church stuff you’ve been taught over the years. You need to start from scratch, at the beginning. Why? So you can be taught afresh by the Holy Spirit without the baggage of previously held wrong beliefs.

You need to come to a place where you’re like a child – OK with the fact that you don’t know what you need to know, and eager to be taught. Eager.

2 Read the Bible afresh, looking for what God says about the subject

Here’s a starter list of passages you should read.

  • Download it now. Go ahead, I’ll wait. 🙂
  • Read through it.
  • Look up the passages listed and read their truth.
  • Ask the Spirit of God to saturate you with the implications of what they communicate.
  • Put the list in your Bible or hang it on your fridge to help you remind yourself (and your family) of these truths.

As you do all that, take what you’re reading literally. Don’t assume there’s spiritual or mystical meanings to the passages you’re reading. Take them for what they actually say. Then ask yourself questions like these…

What would my life be like if what I’m reading is true? What if Jesus really does live inside me and wants to express His life through me? What changes would I see?

3 Ask the LORD to illuminate your mind/heart/spirit to these truths

You won’t get this if God doesn’t show it to you, so ask Him to show it to you. Leave your pride aside and allow yourself to be taught. Learn about how your body, soul, and spirit work together and how the indwelling of the Holy Spirit impacts you as a new creation (you’ve got to see this one).

In addition, here are some books/resources that are very helpful to help you dig into these truths…

  • Anything you can find by Bill Gillam
  • True Spirituality by Francis Schaeffer
  • My upcoming video/workbook course – “Transform” (watch for it)

4 Trust the LORD to get you there

You’ve got to know that the LORD wants you to get this truth even more than you want to get it. So trust Him. Relax. You do your part to read, study, and learn, and trust Him to get you there in His good time.

An assignment for your family

After you’ve had a little bit of time to familiarize yourself with the passages above, start talking about them with your family.

Maybe at breakfast or dinner you could take one of the verses…

  • read it
  • focus in on what it says about Jesus living in you
  • discuss what your lives would look like if it where really true
  • pray together that the LORD will show you how it IS true and how you can submit yourself to it in faith.
  • follow up on your conversation later in the day… maybe at bed time.
  • do it again the next day, with another verse.

Over time, you’re going to saturate yourselves with this amazing truth and it will begin to soak into your souls. That’s when you’ll begin seeing the fruit of Christ, who does live in you.

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Categories : Family Foundations
Tags : abiding in the vine, Christ in you, exchanged life, identity in Christ, in and through, indwelling Christ
christian parenting mindset

The only acceptable mindset for Christian parents. Is it yours?

Posted by Carey 
· Friday, February 14th, 2014 

Do you have the only truly acceptable mindset for a Christian parent to have?

The main word in that sentence is the word CHRISTIAN. It dictates everything else about the sentence.

As a CHRISTIAN, you are:

  • a student of the teachings of CHRIST.
  • committed to putting them into practice in your life (and the lives of family members under your care).
  • eager to be pleasing to CHRIST in every way you can.

All of those things are important about you, as a person. They guide the way you think and the way you live.

“CHRISTIAN” is the most important, eternally significant description that anyone could ever apply to you.

So how does a CHRISTIAN go about the task of parenting?

Is CHRISTIAN PARENTING defined by the types of things you value in your home?

Is it defined by the standards you hold to?

Those are good things, but they are not the MAIN thing.

Being a CHRISTIAN, and therefore, a CHRISTIAN PARENT is entirely about IDENTITY.

  • You are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)
  • Your very life is now intimately connected to the life of Jesus (Colossians 3:1-3)
  • As a result, the WAY that you live (and the way that you PARENT), FLOWS OUT OF THE FACT OF WHO YOU ARE!

Let me say it another way: You don’t DO good things “X, Y, & Z” in order to “be a good Christian.”

You DO good things “X, Y, & Z” because as a CHRISTIAN, it is IN YOUR NATURE to do them.

The fruit of the Spirit (Who lives inside you and has made you a new creation) is:

  • love
  • joy
  • peace
  • patience
  • kindness
  • goodness
  • faithfulness
  • gentleness
  • self-control
  • and a host of other things…

In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul isn’t giving a prescription for your behavior, he’s giving a DESCRIPTION OF YOUR NEW NATURE.

Do you see the difference?

identity in christHow the issue of identity in Christ impacts CHRISTIAN PARENTING

Part of parenting is establishing boundaries, rules, and guidelines that our growing children are required to follow. We establish those rules and boundaries for their good. We enforce them for their good. Every good parent does that, even non-believing parents.

But here is the difference: The WAY you go about doing it as a CHRISTIAN PARENT, is much, much different than the way your non-believing counterpart would go about it.

YOU are not going to stop with the rule.

YOU are not going to enforce the rule and move on.

YOU are going to talk about the REASON behind the rule (the child’s identity in Christ).

What you’re doing is training your child how to THINK about themselves, as new creations in Christ. You want them to learn, as they grow up, that their behavior should ALWAYS be consistent with their identity. The more you talk about who Jesus has created them to be, the more they will be governed by their own hearts, to live consistently with that identity.

What if your child is not a believer yet?

If your child has not expressed their own personal trust in Jesus yet, you’ll do much of the same…

  • Require right behavior according to Godly standards
  • Enforce that behavior with loving discipline
  • Bring God into the conversation every time, revealing what HE thinks about the situation
  • Discuss their wrong behavior in terms of sin, that comes from a sinful heart
  • Encourage them to accept Jesus’ offer to make them a new creation

Faith is not something you can or should force on your child. But as they see your earnest convictions and see them lovingly enforced, the Holy Spirit will do His work of transformation in their hearts over time.

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Categories : Parenting
Tags : Christiaan child discipline, Christian behavior, Christian parenting, Christian parents, identity in Christ
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