role – Far More Life

On Mission

What role are Christians to play in society? This question has been asked for centuries. Groups have united and divided over this topic. Christians and non-Christians alike voice their opinions on this. There is no single answer about the specifics, but the Bible does answer this question by giving us a mission to complete. Jesus shared these instructions with His closest followers before He departed for Heaven:

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you. (Matthew 28:19-20a, NASB)

The same instructions apply to His followers today. Go. Make disciples. Baptize them. Teach them. Fulfilling Christ’s mission is where we find far more life.

First, Jesus told us to go. He wants us to be part of society. He wants us to develop relationships so others can see Him in us. We can offer His compassion and grace. We can speak His truth in love. We can feed and clothe and meet other practical needs.

Where should we go? To people. We should go to neighbors, co-workers, family, and friends. We can also go to those who are hurting or ignored by others. Some of us are called by God to go far away. But most are called to go to people in our own neighborhood or community.

You yourself are a guide to people who are blind, a light to those in darkness. (Romans 2:19, NASB)

Jesus said we are the light of the world. We must go into society for others to see our light. My son experienced this at his middle school. His lab partner, PJ, was not well-liked. He was socially awkward and lacked interpersonal skills. The other students either ignored or teased PJ; he did not have friends. My son was kind and patient with PJ, even when he was difficult. One day PJ asked my son, “Why are you different?” He had only seen darkness in other students, but he saw light in my son. If my son had not been his lab partner, PJ would have continued to see only darkness. If we do not go into society, people will only see darkness.

Next Jesus told us to make disciples. When we go into society, our mission is to share Jesus. Knowing God’s love and forgiveness is everyone’s most important need. And God has equipped and instructed us to meet that need!

Often we start sharing through our actions, by showing love and kindness. This includes listening, giving of ourselves, and offering help. Those God is drawing will want to learn more about the differences they see in us. Just like PJ wanted to learn more about the difference in my son.

Imitate me, brothers and sisters, and look around to those already following the example we have set. (Philippians 3:17, VOICE)

Once others have seen the difference, we can share the good news of Jesus. We can tell them about His love and His offer of forgiveness and far more life. We do not need to do this alone; we can join with other Christians to make disciples. My son was involved in a Christian ministry that met after school and PJ started attending it, too. There he met more Christians, heard about Jesus, and eventually became His disciple! Disciples experience far more life.

Then Jesus said to baptize new disciples. This is an important step in following Jesus. Baptism does not change our standing with God, but it does have spiritual impact:

For you are all sons and daughters of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (Galatians 3:26-27, NASB)

The parable of the sower in Matthew 13 tells us some who hear the message will not want to become disciples. Others will appear to become disciples, but will not continue in Christ. But some will become genuine disciples who are committed to Jesus. Baptism is one way we communicate our decision to start a new life of growth and obedience to God. For disciples in countries with religious freedom, baptism may seem unimportant. But our Christian brothers and sisters in other parts of the world face punishment or death for expressing their faith so boldly. Baptism is an important component of far more life.

Finally, Jesus said to teach new disciples to obey His commands. Notice he is talking to every Christian, not only pastors and ministry leaders! Each of us can teach what we have learned about Jesus.

The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful people who will be able to teach others also. (2 Timothy 2:2, NASB)

We do not teach young children complicated math. We first teach them to count. Then they learn to add. They learn more and more until they can solve difficult problems. The same is true spiritually. Just as a child can teach a younger one to count, a new believer can tell people about God’s forgiveness. They can teach others each spiritual lesson they learn. God wants us to share what we learn with other disciples. We experience far more life as we learn and grow together in Christ!

What is the role of a Christian in society? Go. Make disciples. Baptize them. Teach them. Shine the light of far more life as you fulfill your God-given mission.

Sisters,
How does your mission in life impact your interaction with society?
Which instruction is easiest for you: go, make disciples, baptize them, or teach them? Which is most difficult?
How have you been positively influenced by Christians you know?
How have you been a light to others?
Thank God for giving you a mission — and far more life!
-Shari

Foundational Truth

“You are still his mom.”

These words were a balm to my aching heart as I struggled to understand exactly what I was grieving about my son’s upcoming out-of-state move. I expected to be sad; change is often hard for me and I have spent every day of the past 20 years investing in him. And I understood the bittersweet happiness of watching his face light up as he counted down the days until his new solo adventure began; he is leaving home to pursue the dreams and goals he has been working toward since he was quite young. But my grief was surprisingly bigger and deeper than I had expected.

I told my husband the strength of my grief must mean this life change was revealing a false belief I held about my identity. Although raising my children was an important job, intellectually I knew it did not define me. While mothering has been a focused, sacrificial, time-intensive effort, it was not the foundation on which my life was built. But somewhere along the line, I unknowingly adopted the belief that being a mom was who I was. My sense of value was threatened when I realized I would no longer be investing in my son face-to-face each day. My husband’s response – you are still his mom – reminded me of an important truth: my role as a mom has changed many times over the years, but my identity has remained the same.

I am thankful that my significance, security, and acceptance – and my experience of far more life — do not come from being a mom. In fact, they are not based on any human relationship or earthly role. Instead they come from Christ and my relationship with Him. One day my roles as wife, mother, friend, daughter, sister, ministry leader, employee, and more will come to an end. But I will remain who I am in Christ forever. And while my earthly roles are rewarding for a short time, they are not the foundation of far more life that brings contentment and joy for eternity.

Dr. Neil T. Anderson pulled together a list of Biblical descriptions of our identity in Christ. They provide a wonderful reminder of what is unchanging and valuable about each of God’s children. These are our defining characteristics, what truly give us significance, security and acceptance. Even if everything else is stripped away from our lives, these foundational truths remain intact. Read through the list slowly, letting the importance of each statement about your identity sink in.

I am God’s child. (John 1:12)
I am Christ’s friend. (John 15:15)
I have been justified. (Romans 5:1)
I am united with the Lord and one with Him in spirit. (I Corinthians 6:17)
I have been bought with a price; I belong to God. (I Corinthians 6:20)
I am a member of Christ’s body. (I Corinthians 12:27)
I am a saint. (Ephesians 1:1)
I have been adopted as God’s child. (Ephesians 1:5)
I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 2:18)
I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins. (Colossians 1:14)
I am complete in Christ. (Colossians 2:10)
I am free forever from condemnation. (Romans 8:1-2)
I am assured that all things work together for good. (Romans 8:28)
I am free from any condemning charges against me. (Romans 8:33-34)
I cannot be separated from the love of God. (Romans 8:35)
I have been established, anointed and sealed by God. (2 Corinthians 1:21)
I am hidden with Christ in God. (Colossians 3:3)
I am confident that the good work God has begun in me will be perfected. (Philippians 1:6)
I am a citizen of heaven. (Philippians 3:20)
I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)
I can find grace and mercy in time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me. (I John 5:18)
I am the salt and light of the earth. (Matthew 5:13-14)
I am a branch of the true vine, a channel of His life. (John 15:1, 5)
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit. (John 15:16)
I am a personal witness of Christ’s. (Acts 1:8)
I am God’s temple. (I Corinthians 3:16)
I am a minister of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:17-20)
I am God’s coworker. (2 Corinthians 6:1)
I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realm. (Ephesians 2:6)
I am God’s masterpiece. (Ephesians 2:10)
I may approach God with freedom and confidence. (Ephesians 3:12)
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)

I am thankful for these reminders of the identity God has given me in Christ. I will probably need to revisit them again next week when my daughter moves out of the house. I do not know what false beliefs that change will reveal, but I am thankful God’s truth is reliable and unchanging! He is the only foundation on which we can build far more life.

Sisters,
What has challenged your sense of identity?
Where, besides Christ, have you looked for significance, security, and acceptance?
As you read the list of truths, which were most meaningful? For any that were hard to believe or accept, what do you believe instead? Consider talking to God about the differences and working to discover the barriers that keep you from readily accepting His truth.
Thank God for being the stable foundation on which you build far more life!
-Shari

Shine Your Mirror

Far more life requires an understanding of who we are in relationship to God. An unrealistic view of Him or ourselves robs us of the richness He offers. From time to time it is good to stop and reflect on who we are in Christ, how God viewed us before we accepted Christ as our Savior, and what He has promised His children. We can think of it as “shining our spiritual mirror” to remove the impurities — wrong perceptions, false beliefs, faulty thoughts — that have clouded our view. A freshly shined spiritual mirror offers far more life — a clearer image of God and who we are in Christ.

Ephesians is a great “mirror shining” book. The first three chapters remind us of our identity in Christ. The last three chapters tell us how to put that truth into practice. Some friends and I spent last week reading Ephesians, one chapter a day, and sharing our thoughts. We had wonderful virtual fellowship as we shined our mirrors. You can do the same! Recruit some friends to join you on this journey or share your comments here to connect with others pursuing far more life.

Here are the truths about myself and God from those chapters that I want to wholeheartedly embrace and live out:

I am one of God’s holy people, a saint. (1:1)
I am faithful in Christ Jesus. (1:1)
I am blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (1:2)
God chose me! Before the creation of the world, he chose me. (1:4)
I am holy and blameless before Him. (1:4)
He predestined me for adoption into His family. (1:5)
He has freely given me His glorious grace. (1:6)
I have been redeemed, my sins forgiven, by Jesus’ blood. (1:7)
He lavished the riches of His grace on me. (1:7-8)
He shared the mystery of His will with me. (1:9)
I am marked with the Holy Spirit; He is a seal — a promise — guaranteeing my inheritance, a deposit on my future. He will stay with me until I am with God in Heaven. (1:11-14)
God wants me to know Him. (1:17)
I have been called to hope. (1:18)
He has a rich inheritance for me. (1:18)
He shows incomparably great power to me. (1:19)
I am part of the body of Christ, His church. (1:23)
I was dead because of my sin, an object of God’s wrath. But God made me alive with Christ! (2:1-5)
God raised me up and seated me with Christ in the heavenly realms. (2:6)
He will continue showing me grace and kindness through the ages to come. (2:7)
I have been given the gift of salvation through God’s grace. (2:8)
I am God’s workmanship, His masterpiece. (2:10)
I was created to do the good works that God prepared for me in advance. (2:10)
I have been brought near to God through Christ’s blood. (2:13)
Jesus is my peace, He unites me with others who love Him. (2:14, 16)
I am reconciled with God through the cross of Christ. (2:16)
I have access to my Father, God, through Christ. (2:18)
I used to be an alien and a stranger, but now I am a member of God’s household, His family. (2:19)
I am part of a bigger group of Jews and Gentiles who have become a dwelling place for God’s Spirit. (2:22)
I can approach God with freedom, boldness, and confidence. (3:12)
His Spirit gives me power in my inner being. (3:16)
Christ lives in my heart. (3:17)
I have power to grasp God’s love, to understand how wide and long and high and deep it is, even though that love surpasses knowledge. (3:17-19)
I can be filled completely with God. (3:19)
God’s power, which is more than I can ask or imagine, is at work within me. (3:20)

So much rich truth in these chapters! Remembering all those truths would enable us to always walk in far more life with a sparkling clean mirror. But our limited hearts and minds may need time to absorb them one at a time and shine our mirrors bit by bit.

I attended a conference recently that helped me shine one corner of my spiritual mirror. I was challenged to think of the theme verse in a whole new way:

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (Ephesians 2:10, NLT)

To bring this verse to life, we were each given a postcard with an abstract picture on it. Each postcard was unique, with different colors and patterns, just as each person was unique, with different skills, interests, and spiritual gifts. But when we put all the cards together, they created a literal masterpiece, an image of a famous painting. The speaker pointed out that each person who follows Christ — from the first disciples recorded in the gospels to the last saints remaining alive when Christ returns — has a unique role to play in building God’s kingdom. But everyone needs to add their part in order for the masterpiece to be complete. We are each important, but we are also part of God’s bigger and more important masterpiece: fulfilling His purpose and bringing Him the glory He deserves. It was a wonderful reminder to value ourselves as God does, not too highly and not too lowly, and to find the work He has planned for us.

We experience far more life when our mirrors are shined so we can see both our immense value to God and our role in His bigger purpose. Both are required to see ourselves and God clearly. Both are necessary for far more life.

Sisters,
Does your “spiritual mirror” need to be shined? Is it showing God and you accurately?
Read Ephesians 1, 2, and 3 this week — alone or with friends — and list the truths you see about God and yourself. (You are welcome to comment here.)
Which truth do you want to focus on absorbing right now? Spend time reading it in different translations, looking up related verses, memorizing it, working through your doubts about it — whatever you need to do to imprint it clearly in your mind.
Enjoy far more life as you see yourself and God through a cleaner spiritual mirror!
-Shari