GOD EMPOWERS WEAKNESS

Crying "ABBA" - Continuously

An Article by Paul Miller Submitted by OFC ReFocus Prayer Director, Roger Sorensen (Printed with Permission from Tyndale (NavPress))

 

I was listening to the discussion at a staff meeting when our consultant said, “Paul is so quiet. He doesn’t seem to be passionate about anything, except maybe the person of Jesus.” I smiled, partly because it was funny and partly because on the inside I am like Barney Fife, the nervous deputy on the old Andy Griffith Show. My mind churns with ideas, and my mouth is eager to assist.

So why did I appear so calm? Because I was praying, quietly to myself, over and over again: Father, Father, Father. At other times I will pray the name of Jesus or the name Christ. Sometimes I find myself praying a short phrase, such as Come, Spirit.

This is not a mindless chant I practice in order to reach some higher spiritual plane. Just the opposite. I realize I’m on a low spiritual plane, and I am crying out for help like a little child who runs to his mother saying, “Mommy, Mommy, Mommy.” My heart is hunting for its true home. David captured the feel of the praying soul in Psalm 63:

“O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water.” (Ps 63:1)

Why am I quietly crying out for help? My tendency to interrupt in staff meetings is a “dry and weary land.” When I feel my inner Barney Fife crying out for attention, I pray quietly, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Like Augustine, my heart is restless, and I need to find my rest in God.

I’m at my worst when I’m passionate about a new idea. I can drift into selling instead of listening and can easily become dominating. My heart is a dry and weary land. But when I begin to pray, the energy of my life is directed into the life of God and not into changing people’s minds…and I shut up!

When someone shares an idea that was originally mine, I want to mention that I first thought of it. I feel unsettled, as if the universe is out of balance. In short, I want to boast. The only way to quiet my soul’s desire for prominence is to begin to pray: Apart from you I can do nothing.

Interrupting, selling, and boasting are just a few of the things that draw me into continuous prayer, into continual childlike dependence on my Father. Each of us has our own list. We can let it drive us into a praying life. 

GOD MOBILIZES WEAKNESS (Part 3)

(An Article by ReFocus Prayer Director, Roger Sorensen) 

  

From the infancy of humankind until this very day, Father God has been speaking to His created children. He has done and will do absolutely anything to have a really fine conversation with them. In fact, He wanted that conversation so much that He stepped down from heaven to earth to speak in the simplest, most natural, most non-threatening way: through the coo of a baby.

There are those who respond immediately, who caress the words, learn them, speak them back to God, speak them forward to friends, family, even strangers and enemies. On the other hand, there are those who reject the words as too simple for who they think themselves to be, certainly for who they aspire to become.

Of course, all who listen and practice the language become more and more adept. They speak with God more and more often until Father and child are conversing without ceasing. They attend classes in Matthew 6 where they learn from God’s own Son how to converse with the Father: “Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored. May your kingdom come soon…”

Jesus’ teaching on how to pray is transformative for everyone who walks under its authority. In Matthew 6:1-4, Jesus teaches how to mobilize good deeds for maximum value. (Yes, Lord, yes! Don’t let us waste time doing “good” for wrong reasons!)

Matthew 6:5-6 teaches the value of mobilizing secret prayer. (Lord, may our emphasis always be not that we prayed but that you answered. How great you are!)

Verses 7 and 8 call us to mobilize our confidence in God’s eagerness to answer prayer. (Lord, may we always think the best of you. Forgive us for our sometimes weak faith in your character. Take us again to the cross, Lord, and steady us with memories of your great love.)

Matthew 6:9-13 command that we pray in complete dependence upon the Lord. (When we were toddlers, about three years old, we probably said, “ME do it!” Lord, help us to grow up in you and, with our eyes wide opened, say, “Lord, I still need you; oh, how I need you!”)

Verses 14 and 15 call us to mobilize right attitudes of forgiveness. (Lord, I desire to be like you. Tattoo on my mind the number “490.” Let me forgive the one who has wronged me seven seventies – in one day, no less!).*

Imagine if each child of God at Orange Friends Church were to converse regularly with the Father on behalf of renewal and growth in our church body. We would each begin with ourselves, bow before God’s throne, declare our absolute dependency on His grace and gifting, and pray, “Father, renew my mind and heart because I am weak.”

* If you want to continue studying Matthew 6 as we have begun it above, make a list of the weaknesses you can mobilize and bring to God for His transformation.

 

I AM the LIFE

(An Article by OFC ReFocus Prayer Director, Roger Sorensen)

Christians do believe it. The entire and elaborate work of God’s salvation from “before the foundation of the world” (Ephesians 1:4) is gathered up and made complete in his birth, life, death and resurrection from the dead -- a miracle of staggering proportions. This is the God sent “Son of God!” His name is Jesus.

Scripture tells us that He is the “Christ”, a title that tells us He is God’s anointed One whose rule will bring the whole universe to salvation and oneness with God the Father.

He is God among us with a purpose. Yes! It is a fact that He is God among us today, speaking to us in the same language we learned from our mother’s knee.

You might think that believing Jesus is God among us would be the hardest thing. It is not. It turns out that the hardest thing is to believe that God’s dazzling work, the cascade of blessings, are all being worked out within our human lives!

Pastor…You mean in me?…In my life? Yes. Yes, the “I AM” is with you now.

Yes, the Father makes sure that Jesus’ work is going on at picnics, around dinner tables, in conversations, while walking along the roads, when we ask difficult questions, and in the lives of the blind, beggars, lepers, at weddings and funerals.

Every part of Jesus’ identity is meant for us on earth, in your life and in spite of all your weaknesses. No fireworks. No special effects. Yes there are miracles, plenty of them. But His miracles are so much a part of our common life --- because every “I AM” Jesus has spoken, “Resurrection,” “the Way,” “Bread,” etc., is always available to us in real-time, wherever we are. All that Jesus is, is present now for us.

God Mobilizes Weakness (An Easter Message)

Christmas and Easter merge today. Think briefly about Christmas. The Father sent His Son to earth in a most incredible way -- the ordinary way, a natural birth! The wisdom of God put to shame the wisdom of humankind when His Spirit sparked conception in the womb of a young woman. This woman, Mary, gave the weakness of her body, of her social status, of her future reputation into the strong arms of the one and only Almighty God; and this God gave His only Son to live and die and, thus, to break Adam’s death curse. On Christmas, deity and humanity lay in an ox’s manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes.

One woman’s offering herself to God’s seemingly impossible purposes resulted in God’s uniting full deity and full humanity in His only Son, Jesus the Christ. Because of Mary’s obedience, God mobilized her weaknesses; and Mary received the promise that the child to be born would be “called holy, the Son of God” (Lk.1:35).

On this Resurrection Sunday, let us be keenly aware that like His mother, Jesus was fully human with weaknesses and limitation. Jesus needed His Father’s strength throughout His days on earth. He said, “Whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say” (John 12:50). The student is not greater than the Teacher. The lamb is not the Shepherd. The pot is not the Potter. The sinner is not the Savior. When we give God who and what we are and have, He mobilizes our weaknesses with His strength.

The way back to God is Christ’s expensive gift -- His 100 percent human body hanging bloody on the cross of God’s anger. Three days after His death, Christ’s 100 percent weak human flesh burst from swaddling strips and through a closed grave into full view. Because God the Father had fully accepted Christ’s offering for sin, we have the promise that “everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name” (Acts 10:43).

Blessings,

Roger Sorensen

ReFocus Prayer Director, Orange Friends Church 

News from Orange Friends Church

Check out the latest news from Orange Friends Church at http://myemail.constantcontact.com/News-from-Orange-Friends-Church.html?soid=1103133034505&aid=N1-obM86DEw

Bhutanese Church Praise Report

A few weeks ago Pastor Norbu Tamang shared with us that his church (Christian Community Friends Church Columbus) was in need of a few items, which included Christmas gifts for the children in his church, tambourines, a guitar, and a sound system. The immediate need was for Christmas gifts for 28 children in his church. We wanted to help out and determined that we needed to raise a total of $500. On Sunday morning, December 13th, the Lord moved in our midst and Orange Friends Church donated $506 to the cause! With that donation, Rochelle White purchased the gifts and put together 28 "shoe boxes" (similar to Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes) filled with gifts for the children. The gifts included Bibles for the older children, Bible story books (Veggie Tales) for the younger children, hats, gloves, socks, Chapstick, pens, pencils, word search books, candy, cross necklaces for the girls, flashlights, watches for the older boys, body wash for the older girls, pajamas for the little ones, shirts, and a toy and a stuffed animal for each child. 

On December 20th, Orange Friends Church raised an additional $360 for the 18 families that attend the Bhutanese Church and the amount was exactly enough to purchase $20 gift cards from Kroger for each of the families! The same day, Pastor David Mabry preached at the Bhutanese church and delivered the gifts, a guitar that someone donated, and tambourines that Orange Friends Church donated. Willoughby Hills Friends Church donated $1,000 towards the sound system and Karl Freudenreich (Worship Administrator at Orange Friends Church) helped purchase and assemble the system. He also trained some leaders on how to use it. 

Thank you so much for your generosity! Please keep the Christian Community Friends Church Columbus (Bhutanese Church) in your prayers. The church has many young families and has great potential in reaching out to other Bhutanese refugees.

 

Living Revival

Have you experienced something new in your faith the last couple of weeks? Or do you desire for God to do something new in your faith? Perhaps you have recognized your need for Jesus because of sin and shame. Or you have been convicted about how your faith has grown tepid or cold. Either way, you have cried out to Jesus, asked for forgiveness, and you have proclaimed surrender to His work in your life. That is great! Now what?

My encouragement to you is to ACT! Move! Respond in such a way that confirms this surrender!  Do you desire or are you experiencing revival, renewal, or rejuvenation in the Lord? Here are some steps of faith to fan the flame, feed growth, and to position yourself to experience ongoing change.

1.  Pray believing He hears and answers

"But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." James 1:6-8

"The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." James 5:16b

2.  Worship expecting the Holy Spirit to move

"...be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,..." Ephesians 5:18b-19

"...true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4:23-24

3.  Read, study, and meditate on scripture knowing that the Holy Spirit is speaking.

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." 2 Timothy 3:16-17

4.  Love generously those around you.

"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." John 13:34-35

5.  Share your story of transformation in Jesus everyday knowing that the Holy Spirit is moving in the lives of everyone you meet. He wishes to use your story, your words, your life to bring life to others! 

"Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:20-21

None of us would win the lottery and keep it locked up or buried in a can in the back yard! We would spend it, invest it and give it away! Faith unspent, un-invested, and selfishly hoarded is a dead faith.

You want revival, renewal, transformation?

Live it!

THE STORY

I have a friend who is fascinating to watch with a group of strangers or meeting someone for the first time. For instance, he would stop by a small town diner, having never been there before, and walk out two hours later having made some of the best friends in the world. He would say, "If I can just get people to tell and listen to stories about life, I have met a new friend for life!" A good story can make a huge impression. Particularly if that story is true. There is something that draws us in. We can relate. We connect it with the details of our life.

What do we do when that story is the greatest story ever told? The true account of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ is THE STORY of all stories. We can relate to details and see ourselves in the ultimate purpose of this narrative. Then, we can see that we are loved, and before long, we are walking in a brand new, unexpected relationship with someone who was once a stranger to us and now is the most important person we have ever met: Jesus. Not only can we see ourselves transformed by THE STORY, but we can further relate to those who followed Him and were transformed by Him immediately following His ascension into heaven.

The story of these people can be found in the book of Acts. Those early followers had incredible adventures that will encourage us, inspire us, and cause us to be challenged in our spiritual journey, whether we are newly exploring the claims of Christ or whether we have been journeying with Him for some time.

With this being said, I would challenge you to join with me in looking at the incredible story of the first followers of Jesus Christ. This story is found in the Bible in the book of Acts. Starting on Easter Sunday through Father's Day in June, we will explore the first part of the book of Acts (chapters 1-10) and discover what this narrative has to say to us, how we can relate, and observe how God moved then and how He is still moving today. I will be preaching through this story and invite you to read through it on your own, as well. So, join me in the "diner" as we swap stories and walk out of this gathering place transformed people with new found friendship.

In His Grip,
Pastor David

The Woman at the Well

Have you tried to make a difference in her life?  Who is she?

Maybe we don’t know for sure who she is, but many of us have tried to make a difference in her life this winter. Did you see it? Well, I saw a bit, and would like to share what I saw!

At Christmas time, we at Orange Friends Church began collecting shampoos, lotions, toothbrushes, and other small items that would be donated to The LifeLine Project and assembled into gift bags that would be given to human trafficking victims in Franklin County. The Project had a goal of filling 500 bags. At Christmas, that seemed like a BIG goal.  

Many generous members dropped items in our donation baskets, and our Outreach Commission provided almost $600 to purchase hotel-sized shampoos, lotions, soaps, etc. Our donations were combined with donations from other churches, Franklin County judges and attorneys, and other interested individuals. On February 28, about 40 people packed more than 500 bags in less than 2 hours! A shout out to our Youth Group, many from our congregation, and a few from outside our congregation. Thank you!

The following week (March 5 & 6), I joined a small group with Karen Monroe to deliver some of the bags. The first stop was Franklin County CATCH Court (Changing Actions To Change Habits).   After delivering bags that will be given to CATCH Court members when they are released from jail, we sat in for a bit of the court. Judge Herbert, who founded CATCH Court, has received a national award for his innovative and effective work with human trafficking victims. The courtroom included representatives from many social and Christian service organizations, as well as the women who are part of the CATCH program and required to be in court each week. It was very much a “wow” experience to see people ready and willing to make a difference in these women’s lives, and to see how much the women wanted to live a better life and to help one another.

On Friday, we delivered more bags – to the Amethyst House; Franklin County Health Department; The Well (housed at Salvation Army); and Choices (housed at Faith Mission). Each bag includes a message directing the recipient to Christ in addition to the soaps, socks, etc. There are still more bags to be delivered over the next month, and bags that Karen will be distributing on the street throughout the summer.

You have tried to make a difference in the life of a human trafficking victim. Who is she? We may never know. But, thank you for the part you played in trying to make a difference.

Kay Cermak

Another New Year...And Time For A New Beginning

This time of year we hear a lot about New Year’s Resolutions. Why, this is even the inspiration for our pastor’s current sermon series. Have you made any resolutions – either formal and written, or just that mental note to yourself? How about this: MONEY!?

The Harris Interactive poll from December, 2012, lists “Improve financial budgeting” as the #2 resolution (behind #1 – lose weight). No surprise, is it? But, sometimes it is just tough to get started. Let me give you a couple of ideas.

Idea #1: A 21-day Financial Fast. This idea is offered by Michelle Singletary, who writes for the Washington Post and has a column each Sunday in the Business Section of the Columbus Dispatch. It is based on the Biblical principle of fasting. The requirement is that you can’t buy anything that is not necessary, and you cannot use credit cards. Debit card use is discouraged. Michelle is sponsoring a group fast that is scheduled to begin January 11th and end January 31st. The fast allows you to focus on what you really want to do with your money. You can follow or join the financial fast at wapo.st/financialfast.

Idea #2: Join our next Financial Peace University class. Our class begins February 1st (the Financial Fast ends the day before, so you will REALLY be ready). Classes are at 6 PM every Sunday night through March 29th, in the OFC Courtyard Room, and the cost of your kit is $93 (workbook, cd’s of each lesson, on-line access to tools, bonus videos, and more). You’ll learn seven “Baby Steps” to living debit free and living generously. Each class lasts 2 hours. 

Want to know more? Visit www.daveramsey.com/fpu/preview/. Please register with Jim or Kay Cermak, so we can have your material at the first class.

Jim and Kay Cermak

Christmas: Better Than We Deserve

In December of 1892, a world-wide tradition was born. The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky was first performed. Although it took many years for this orchestration and ballet to “take off”, today there is hardly a ballet company in the world that does not perform this classic during the Christmas season. One of the most beloved aspects of the performance are the children who dance and play instruments. It has been said that, at the inaugural production, the children did not learn their instruments well and did poorly. In spite of this, in an act of great kindness and grace, Tchaikovsky wrote a generous thank you note to each of the children expressing how pleased he was with them. To the children’s delight, each note was accompanied with a box of sweets! This story reminds me of what popular financial guru Dave Ramsey always says when asked how he is doing. He replies, “Better than I deserve!”

Just as these children received “better than they deserve”, we also have been delivered a grace-filled letter, the Bible, and the precious gift of God’s only Son, Jesus Christ. This Christmas season, we celebrate the fact that we are treated “better than we deserve”. The Bible even states that our works are but filthy rags (Phil. 3:8) and what He offers is worth more than gold (I Peter 1:18-19)! Our response? Surrender completely to Jesus Christ, celebrate fully “The Gift”, and be grace-filled toward others, treating them “better than they deserve”.

This is the ultimate Christmas tradition.

Merry Christmas and much love!

Pastor David

The LifeLine Project

Imagine you are on a much-deserved beach vacation.  You are relaxing alone on the beach, when you hear a terrified scream, “Help!  I can’t swim.”  A life preserver is attached to a rope nearby.  Of course, you would run, grab the life-saving equipment, and throw it to the struggling swimmer.  You’d do everything in your power to throw the Life Line and help this person.  Your part is to throw out the life-saving equipment; the struggling swimmer must also do his or her part in holding onto this equipment while you pull him or her to safety.

The LifeLine Project exists to be life-saving help and hope to prostitutes on the streets of Columbus, Ohio.  The project was founded by Karen Monroe, who we met during our “His Hands His Feet” mission project this summer.  You may remember Karen, who spoke in October during Taste of Missions.  Karen, and others working with her, relay the message of, “You don’t have to live this way,” as they give a gift bag full of toiletries and information of where and how to get help, as they travel around downtown Columbus.

How does this affect you?  How can you help?  How can we, as a group at Orange Friends, continue being the Hands and Feet of Jesus?

We have the opportunity to fill some bags that will be distributed to the prostitutes in Columbus.  Huntington Bank is donating 500 string backpacks to Karen – how many of these can we fill? 

1.    We are collecting items for the bags now.  There is a basket in the lobby (next to the mitten Christmas tree) for these type of items:

a.       Travel sizes of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap, toothpaste, toothbrush

b.      Chapstick, deodorant

c.       Packaged cracker sandwiches, granola bars, or other energy foods

2.    Write a short note, expressing Jesus’ love, your care, and your prayers; perhaps a scripture verse.

3.    On January 11, you are invited to join Karen and our youth to pack as many of these bags as we can, here at Orange Friends. 

Karen will provide materials from the health department, and rehabilitation facilities.  We will include literature that will tell about Jesus’ love for them.  Our Outreach Commission is pledging $500 to help pack bags.  We can  S-T-R-E-T-C-H  those funds with items we may already have, or items we can purchase as we shop.  PLEASE HAVE YOUR DONATIONS HERE BY December 28, so that we will know what needs to be purchased.

Being His Hands and His Feet, 

Ron Clark

Missions Coordinator

Sermon Follow-Up

This past week, we explored some deep but important theology. I quoted some sources and they are listed below. If you have any questions or wish to discuss this at length, please contact me.

Pastor David

Infographic Credit: Christianity Today. For the full article, please visit:

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2014/october-web-only/new-poll-finds-evangelicals-favorite-heresies.html

Arminianism may be represented by the acronym FACTS:

Freed by Grace (to Believe)
Atonement for All
Conditional Election
Total Depravity
Security in Christ

We Are Hiring!

(Job Opening Listed on October 31, 2014)

Orange Friends Church is looking to hire a Director of Worship Ministries. Please help us get the word out! If you or someone you know is interested in this 10-hour-per-week Worship Leader position, please send a resume, cover letter and 3 references to Pastor David Mabry.

Making An Eternal Difference Together

Orange Friends Church is part of the Evangelical Friends Church Eastern Region (EFC-ER), which is a family of over 90 churches reaching from Florida into Canada and from Chicago to Boston. Our shared purpose is to reach our families, our communities, and the wider world for Christ.

As part of the EFC-ER, we work together with the other churches in our region to support the mission fields for which the EFC-ER is directly responsible. The EFC-ER directly supports missionaries in several countries around the world including Brazil, China, Haiti, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Jamaica, Panama, Romania, Taiwan, Thailand, and Ukraine. 

Our extended missions family includes the Evangelical Friends Mission (EFM). EFM is the cooperative missions arm of the Evangelical Friends Church North America (EFC-NA), which has outreach ministries in Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Europe, and North America. EFM is supported by individuals, churches and the member and associate member regions and yearly meetings of the Alaska Yearly Meeting, Evangelical Friends Church Eastern Region, Evangelical Friends Church Mid-America, Evangelical Friends Church Southwest, Northwest Yearly Meeting, and the Rocky Mountain Yearly Meeting.

Orange Friends Church also supports several local missions organizations by providing prayer, volunteers, and/or donations to organizations such as C.R.A.C.K. House Ministries, Faith Mission, Pregnancy Decision Health Center, Pregnancy Resources of Delaware County, and GraceHaven.

October is Missions Month, and although we use this specific time to emphasize missions, you are encouraged to personally focus on missions every month of the year. This can include donating your time, talents, and treasures...there are so many opportunities to serve! It also includes prayer...prayer for those serving in the mission fields (both local and global); prayer for your local and regional church leadership; prayer for your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ; and even prayer for yourself...after all, YOU are a missionary...you live and work in your own unique mission field; you are surrounded by those who desperately need to know the love of Christ! Through it all, remember to passionately, prayerfully, and regularly seek God and His will in your life. Together, we can make an ETERNAL difference!

For more information on how to get involved or how to donate to a specific mission field, please contact the church office at (740) 548-5819.

Your Identity In Christ

Here is a list of Gospel Identity Scriptures to help remind us of who we are in Jesus.

The Word of God Says in Jesus Christ…

I am faithful (Ephesians 1:1)

I am God’s child (John 1:12)

I have been justified (Romans 5:1)

I am Christ’s friend (John 15:15)

I belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:20)

I am a member of Christ’s Body (1 Corinthians 12:27)

I am assured all things work together for good (Romans 8:28)

I have been established, anointed and sealed by God (2 Corinthians 1:21-22)

I am confident that God will perfect the work He has begun in me (Philippians 1:6)

I am a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20)

I am hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3)

I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and self-discipline (2 Timothy 1:7)

I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me (1 John 5:18)

I am blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing (Ephesians 1:3)

I am chosen before the creation of the world (Ephesians 1:4, 11)

I am holy and blameless (Ephesians 1:4)

I am adopted as his child (Ephesians 1:5)

I am given God’s glorious grace lavishly and without restriction (Ephesians 1:5,8)

I am in Him (Ephesians 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:30)

I have redemption (Ephesians 1:8)

I am forgiven (Ephesians 1:8; Colossians 1:14)

I have purpose (Ephesians 1:9 & 3:11)

I have hope (Ephesians 1:12)

I am included (Ephesians 1:13)

I am sealed with the promised Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13)

I am a saint (Ephesians 1:18)

I am salt and light of the earth (Matthew 5:13-14)

I have been chosen and God desires me to bear fruit (John 15:1,5)

I am a personal witness of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8)

I am God’s coworker (2 Corinthians 6:1)

I am a minister of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-20)

I am alive with Christ (Ephesians 2:5)

I am raised up with Christ (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 2:12)

I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6)

I have been shown the incomparable riches of God’s grace (Ephesians 2:7)

God has expressed His kindness to me (Ephesians 2:7)

I am God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10)

I have been brought near to God through Christ’s blood (Ephesians 2:13)

I have peace (Ephesians 2:14)

I have access to the Father (Ephesians 2:18)

I am a member of God’s household (Ephesians 2:19)

I am secure (Ephesians 2:20)

I am a holy temple (Ephesians 2:21; 1 Corinthians 6:19)

I am a dwelling for the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:22)

I share in the promise of Christ Jesus (Ephesians 3:6)

God’s power works through me (Ephesians 3:7)

I can approach God with freedom and confidence (Ephesians 3:12)

I know there is a purpose for my sufferings (Ephesians 3:13)

I can grasp how wide, long, high and deep Christ’s love is (Ephesians 3:18)

I am completed by God (Ephesians 3:19)

I can bring glory to God (Ephesians 3:21)

I have been called (Ephesians 4:1; 2 Timothy 1:9)

I can be humble, gentle, patient and lovingly tolerant of others (Ephesians 4:2)

I can mature spiritually (Ephesians 4:15)

I can be certain of God’s truths and the lifestyle which He has called me to (Ephesians 4:17)

I can have a new attitude and a new lifestyle (Ephesians 4:21-32)

I can be kind and compassionate to others (Ephesians 4:32)

I can forgive others (Ephesians 4:32)

I am a light to others, and can exhibit goodness, righteousness and truth (Ephesians 5:8-9)

I can understand what God’s will is (Ephesians 5:17)

I can give thanks for everything (Ephesians 5:20)

I don’t have to always have my own agenda (Ephesians 5:21)

I can honor God through marriage (Ephesians 5:22-33)

I can parent my children with composure (Ephesians 6:4)

I can be strong (Ephesians 6:10)

I have God’s power (Ephesians 6:10)

I can stand firm in the day of evil (Ephesians 6:13)

I am dead to sin (Romans 1:12)

I am not alone (Hebrews 13:5)

I am growing (Colossians 2:7)

I am His disciple (John 13:15)

I am prayed for by Jesus Christ (John 17:20-23)

I am united with other believers (John 17:20-23)

I am not in want (Philippians 4:19)

I possess the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 2:16)

I am promised eternal life (John 6:47)

I am promised a full life (John 10:10)

I am victorious (I John 5:4)

My heart and mind is protected with God’s peace (Philippians 4:7)

I am chosen and dearly loved (Colossians 3:12)

I am blameless (I Corinthians 1:8)

I am set free (Romans 8:2; John 8:32)

I am crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20)

I am a light in the world (Matthew 5:14)

I am more than a conqueror (Romans 8:37)

I am the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21)

I am safe (I John 5:18)

I am part of God’s kingdom (Revelation 1:6)

I am healed from sin (I Peter 2:24)

I am no longer condemned (Romans 8:1, 2)

I am not helpless (Philippians 4:13)

I am overcoming (I John 4:4)

I am persevering (Philippians 3:14)

I am protected (John 10:28)

I am born again (I Peter 1:23)

I am a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)

I am delivered (Colossians 1:13)

I am redeemed from the curse of the Law (Galatians 3:13)

I am qualified to share in His inheritance (Colossians 1:12)

I am victorious (1 Corinthians 15:57)

Scripture Verses about Our Identity in Christ

What Happened to Me?

Rom. 5:1 I have been justified (completely forgiven and made righteous).

Rom. 6:1-6 I died with Christ and died to the power of sin’s rule on my life.

Rom. 8:1 I am free forever from condemnation.

1 Cor. 1:30 I have been put into Christ by God’s doing.

1 Cor. 2:12 I have received the Spirit of God into my life that I might know the things freely given to me by God.

1 Cor. 2:16 I have been given the mind of Christ.

1 Cor. 6:19, 20 I have been bought with a price.  I am not my own.  I belong to God.

2 Cor. 1:21 I have been established, anointed, and sealed by God in Christ.

2 Cor. 5:14, 15 Since I have died, I no longer live for myself, but for Him (Christ).

2 Cor. 5:21 I have been made righteous.

Gal. 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.  (The life I am living is Christ’s life.)

Eph. 1:3 I have been blessed with every spiritual blessing.

Eph. 1:4 I have been chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and without blame before Him.

Eph. 1:5 I was predestined (determined by God) to be adopted as a son.

Eph. 1:7, 8 I have been redeemed, forgiven, and am a recipient of His lavish grace, Eph. 1:13, 14 and have been given the Holy Spirit as a pledge (a deposit/down payment) guaranteeing my inheritance to come.

Eph. 2:5 I have been made alive together with Christ.

Eph. 2:6 I have been raised up and seated with Christ in heaven.

Eph. 2:18 I have direct access to God through the Spirit.

Eph. 3:12 I may approach God with boldness, freedom, and confidence.

Col. 1:13 I have been delivered (rescued) from the domain of darkness (Satan’s rule) and transferred to the kingdom of Christ.

Col. 1:14 I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins (the debt against me has been cancelled).  (see Col. 2:13, 14)

Col. 1:27 Christ Himself is in me.

Col. 2:7 I have been firmly rooted in Christ and am now being built up in Him.

Col. 2:11 I have been spiritually circumcised (my old, unregenerate nature has been removed).

Col. 2:10 I have been made complete in Christ.

Col. 2:12, 13 I have been buried, raised, and made alive with Christ.

Col. 3:1-4 I have been raised up with Christ.  I died with Christ.  My life is now hidden with Christ in God.  Christ is now my life.

2 Tim. 1:7 I have been given a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline.

2 Tim. 1:9 I have been saved and called (set apart) according to God’s doing.

Titus 3:5

Heb. 2:11 Because I am sanctified and am one with the Sanctifier (Christ), He is not ashamed to call me brother.

Heb. 4:16 I have a right to come boldly before the throne of God (the throne of grace) to find mercy and find grace in time of need.

2 Pet. 1:4 I have been given exceedingly great and precious promises by God by which I am a partaker of the divine nature (God’s nature).

Who Am I?

Matt. 5:13 I am the salt of the earth.

Matt. 5:14 I am the light of the world.

John 1:12 I am a child of God (part of His family).  (see Rom. 8:16)

John 15:1, 5 I am part of the true vine, a branch of His (Jesus’) life.

John 15:15 I am Jesus’ friend.

John 15:16 I am chosen and appointed by Jesus to bear His fruit.

Acts 1:8 I am a personal witness of Christ for Christ.

Rom. 6:18 I am a slave of righteousness.

Rom. 6:22 I am enslaved to God.

Rom. 8:14, 15 I am a son of God.  (God is my “daddy” so to speak) (see Gal. 3:26, 4:6)

Rom. 8:17 I am a joint-heir with Christ sharing His inheritance with Him.

1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19 I am a temple (home) of God.  His Spirit dwells in me.

1 Cor. 6:17 I am joined to the Lord and am one spirit with Him.

1 Cor. 12:27 I am a member of Christ’s body.  (see Eph. 5:30)

2 Cor. 5:17 I am a new creation (new person).

2 Cor. 5:18, 19 I am reconciled to God and am a minister of reconciliation.

Gal. 3:26, 28 I am a son of God and one in Christ.

Gal. 4:6, 7 I am an heir of God since I am a son of God.

Eph. 1:1 I am a saint.  (see 1 Cor. 1:2; Phil. 1:1; Col. 1:2)

Eph. 2:10 I am God’s workmanship (handiwork) created in Christ to do the work He planned beforehand that I should do.

Eph. 2:19 I am a fellow citizen with the rest of God’s people in His family.

Eph. 3:1 / 4:1 I am a prisoner of Christ.

Eph. 4:24 I am righteous and holy.

Phil. 3:20 I am a citizen of heaven and seated in heaven right now (see Eph. 2:6)

Col. 3:3 I am hidden with Christ in God.

Col. 3:4 I am an expression of the life of Christ because He is my life.

Col. 3:12 I am chosen of God, holy, and dearly loved.

1 Thes. 1:4 I am chosen and dearly loved by God.

1 Thes. 5:5 I am son of light and not of darkness.

Heb. 3:1 I am a holy brother, partaker of a heavenly calling.

Heb. 3:14 I am a partaker of Christ … I share in His life.

1 Pet. 2:5 I am one of God’s living stones and am being built up (in Christ) as a spiritual house.

1 Pet. 2:9, 10 I am a part of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession to proclaim His excellencies.

1 Pet. 2:11 I am an alien and stranger to this world that I temporarily live in.

1 Pet. 5:8 I am an enemy of the devil.

1 John 3:1, 2 I am now a child of God.  I will resemble Christ when He returns.

1 John 5:18 I am born of God; the evil one (the devil) can’t touch me.

Psalm 23 & 100 I am a sheep of His pasture.  Therefore, I have everything I need.