• Romans 1:1 Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus…
• 1 Corinthians 1:1 Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus…
• Ephesians 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus…
• James 1:1 James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus…
• 1 Peter 1:1 Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ…

The apostles apparently deemed it very important to let their readers know who they were identified with first and foremost and that was with Jesus. We do that all the time with the brands we wear, the cars we drive and the sports teams we root for. On Facebook I see the logos of the Bears, Steelers, Packers, etc. on peoples profile pictures. Other profile pictures have a husband, wife, child, grandchild or special event in the box because that’s who that person wants to be identified with!

Who are you identified with first and foremost? Dodgers, Cubs, Grizzlies, Cats… or BMW, Mercedes, Honda, GMC… Maybe it’s Foursquare, Assembly of God, Baptist, Luthern or Evangelical… Mmmm. As Christians it should be our goal to be identified with Christ above all else! The question is, how do we do that? Do we wear T-shirts that have pithy Christian sayings on them? Do we carry signs that have Bible verses on them. Do we continually quote Bible verses to people?  How about putting a really spiffy fish on our car?I’m thinking NO!

Being “In Christ” is about “…faith expressing itself through love” (Gal 5:6). It’s about conducting ourselves in such a way, in the day to day of our lives, that people who don’t know Jesus want what we have. If you are sincerely loving people want that. If you are authentically joyful in all circumstances people want that. If you have peace through the storms in your life people want that too! One of our overarching goals as Christians is to stand out, to be different, not in a wacky way but in a way that reflects Christ! In a way that reflects who we are “In Christ.”

Being “In Christ” is about knowing who you are “In Christ”. According to scripture we are Justified, Sanctified, Vindicated, Liberated, Joyful, Complete, Gracious, Hopeful, Strengthened, and Triumphant to name a few things we are as a result of being “In Christ”. Do you believe this? If you do, these things should give you confidence in who you are so that you will exude them in who you are. I don’t know about you, but it gives me great assurance to know that no matter what happens I’m triumphant all the way into eternity!

Being “In Christ” is about embracing your New Identity in Him (2 Cor 5:17 & Romans 12:2). It’s about not looking at the past but looking towards the future in what God has for you. It’s about focusing on God’s will and getting rid of our self-centered thoughts and focusing our thoughts on others just like Christ does. When we are doing this the natural response to it is asking the question of those we are called to minister to on a daily basis, “What can I do for you?” When asked sincerely that is a question that eventually opens the door to the Kingdom of God for many people who don’t know Him as Savior and Lord.

Finally, being “In Christ” is about knowing what you believe about Christ! As Christians we need to have a personal theology that is Biblical, Concise and Always makes sense. The world throws much of its belief system at us day in and day out through all kinds of media sources and even water cooler conversations. We need to know what we believe and why we believe so as not to get caught up in those belief systems. It’s very easy to mix in the philosophies of the world with Christianity if we don’t have a firm Biblically based foundation. Read Scripture daily, journal and talk about it with other Christians on a regular basis. When we do this we will continue to keep a Godly perceptive of who we are “In Christ”

Take a moment to stop and ask yourself; who do I identify with first and foremost?

*”Spiritual Disciplines” are putting into practice the things in our lives that will cause us to desire a deeper relationship with The Lord.*

We desire everyone who calls Grace Fellowship their church home to grow by leaps and bounds in their relationship with The Lord in 2011. The best way to do this is by making a solid commitment to concentrate on Spiritual Disciplines as part of our daily activities in the New Year. I’m not talking about the chapter a day Bible reading and a few minutes of prayer and worship each day (or whatever your current practice is). I’m talking about going deeper in the Spiritual Disciplines, beyond checking the box off each day.

By going deeper I mean to get out of the routine of your current spiritual life, especially if it feels like routine! Be spontaneous about reading scripture. Read it in different rooms in your house or outside (if it’s not too cold) or even in your car, read a different translation, shake it up a little bit! Try memorizing a verse a week or even (*gasp*) a chapter of scripture this year. It’s amazing when God brings to mind what you have memorized at just the right moment.

Try a different approach to your prayer life if it seems to be getting stale. Pray at a different time. If you pray silently try praying out loud! Buy a small notebook and write your prayers down and the date you first lifted them up to The Lord, then be sure to leave room to record how God answers. Also, don’t let your worship of God become worn out! If you are singing songs by wrote then by all means seek out new ones, buy some new CD’s or try some new downloads, that just might make your praise to our creator fresh, new and alive.

Don’t forget there are a myriad of other Spiritual Disciplines we can put into practice in our lives. Take a look at the following list and see if the Holy Spirit is tugging on your heart to incorporate one or more of these disciplines into deepening your walk with Christ:

• At least five minutes of silence before God each day
• Regular weekly fasting (it can be anything not just food)
• Service to others
• Daily Journaling (This is VERY important to spiritual growth)
• Meditation on God’s Word
• Accountability with a trusted Christian friend of the same gender
• Confession (always bring your faults to God to help with staying on track and away from denial)
• Practicing Simplicity in life (helps clear the busy haze out of our lives to hear and see God better)
• Regular Evangelism and Seed Planting
• Financial Stewardship (not just to the church but in your budget)

Making a regular practice of any one of these things will give us a deeper desire for the things of God in our lives. Personally if I could only pick two of the things on this list (they are ALL important by the way), I would pick Journaling and Accountability because I feel that these two things in conjunction with one another can and do cause us to grow in Christ immeasurably when they are an intentional part of our daily and weekly disciplines. By Accountability I mean meeting with a trusted Christian friend of the same gender at least one a week (maybe over coffee) to talk about the things that are on your heart and also to keep each other accountable to commitments and finally to ask if the short comings we have have been addressed and corrected.

Take a moment right now to pray about shaking some things up in your spiritual life this New Year so as to make them fresh and alive. Also take a moment to pray about adding some new Spiritual Disciplines to your walk with Christ in 2011!

-Pastor Ralph