Your Identity In Christ

Your Identity In Christ

By Apostle Felix

14  And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.
15  And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
16  And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 

Acts 19: 14 – 16

Identity is a big thing to man. For some, their identity is in what they wear, what they drive, the type of house they live in or just who they know. Facebook is a platform to showcase identities. It is a platform where identities are displayed in various things. It is very unfortunate that so many display material things on Facebook such as cloths, cars, houses, wrist watches and many other material things. You will rarely find rich people displaying such things, only the poor. For the poor, displaying material things is important because they give an identity of a rich person. On the contrary, rich people display ideas, not material things. Their identity is not in what they wear but in what they know.

7  For as he thinks within himself, so is he….

Proverbs 23: 7

From the beginning, man had sought identity in wrong things. Adam and Eve were tempted in the area of their identity. The devil posed a question whose aim was to undermine their identity. His aim was to make man to turn to creation for identity. Unfortunately, man heeded and made satan’s suggestion his identity. This is the reason why we have to be cautious of the kind of voice we are listening to. The voice we have surrendered our ears to, will shape our identities. Adam and Eve listened to satan, hence the fall. Whom are you listening to?

20  Listen carefully, my dear child, to everything that I teach you, and pay attention to all that I have to say.
21  Fill your thoughts with my words until they penetrate deep into your spirit.
22  Then, as you unwrap my words, they will impart true life and radiant health into the very core of your being.
23  So above all, guard the affections of your heart, for they affect all that you are. Pay attention to the welfare of your innermost being, for from there flows the wellspring of life. 

Proverbs 4: 20 – 23

The sons of sceva were men who had no relationship with Jesus Christ. They have heard about Jesus from apostle Paul, but themselves had no relationship with God at all. This is the case of many believers today. They are in church, singing in the choir, tithing, serving in church and doing all religious activities, such as carrying anointing oils in hand bags but yet have no relationship with God. Their identity is in what they do, and not what Jesus did for them. Just like the sons of sceva, they knew about the God of Paul, and tried to cast devils in the name of the God Paul preached. That sounds familiar. The god of so and so had become a catchy phrase among church people. Their identity is in the man or woman of God and not God of their salvation. When it comes to our relationship with God, there are no mediators, except Jesus Christ.

5  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;

1 Timothy 2: 5

So many are confused about this matter. And this is because of the failure to understand our identity in Christ. If we truly come to the understanding of our identity in Christ, then we will not go around looking for someone that can stand before God on our behalf. The five fold ministers are not meant to mediate on our behalf. The main  responsibility of the five fold ministers is to equip the saints for the work of ministry. It is not to make believers to rely on them. The moment believers are meant to rely on any man of God, then they come under s spell.

11  And he has appointed some with grace to be apostles, and some with grace to be prophets, and some with grace to be evangelists, and some with grace to be pastors, and some with grace to be teachers. 
12  And their calling is to nurture and prepare all the holy believers to do their own works of ministry, and as they do this they will enlarge and build up the body of Christ. 

Ephesians 4: 11, 12

So many senseless activities are happening in the church in the name of God. Believers have been taken advantage over because of their ignorance of identity in Christ. They are made to depend on man instead of God all because of identity crisis. Please, do not misunderstand me. Do not say I am suggesting disregarding men and women of God. Honor your pastors, respect them and be loyal to them. However, appreciate your identity in Christ. Know God as an individual. Relate with God as an individual. Not through a man or woman of God. That’s idolatry. Understanding our identity in Christ allows us to worship God in spirit and in truth.