I believe that one of the biggest realizations that has occurred during this pandemic is that many people have a false sense of their identity. They identified themselves by the job they had, the money they made, or the possessions they had. All of that has proven insufficient to sustain or satisfy them over the course of the last several months. I also truly feel that many churches have suffered from an identity crisis as well. The problem has been there, it was just masked by leaders measuring the wrong metrics, and the fact that our ministries were just rolling along as they always had. Then, in the blink of an eye everything changed. I have been thinking about this for a while, and wondering how did it happen so easily? I believe that today’s text gives us this answer. Mark 1:35-38 says, “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for Him. when they found Him, they said to Him, “Everyone is looking for You.’ But He said to them, ‘Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth.'”
What does this text reveal as the reason many people and churches are suffering identity crises? In a word, prayer, or in this case probably a lack of it. Jesus had already started His ministry of healing people, and He was with people all day. Yet, He made time to get up before the others, and go to a solitary place so He could be with His Father. What Jesus does is so different than what many of us do, especially unfortunately us who are in church leadership. Jesus was having success. Most of us would have said, “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.” Yet, after praying, Jesus tells His disciples it’s time to leave this town and go to the next place so we can keep spreading the message of the kingdom of God. You and I were created intimately for a relational God. We see it in Genesis 1. In Genesis 1, it talks about how God “made” everything else. Yet, when it comes to the creation of Adam it says, “and God formed him.” The word “formed” is a much more personal, intimate word. Colossians 1:16 says that we were created “by Him and for Him.” And as a Christian, we were saved to tell others about Him and be His representatives to those around us. We see this in 2 Corinthians 5:20 which says, “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us; we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” We, like Paul, are to be Christ’s ambassadors and plead with people to surrender to the grace of God that they might be saved.
I am convinced that if we are going to no longer suffer from an identity crisis we need to know three things. First, whose am I? When my identity is in Jesus, then I learn that no matter what changes in my life, I still belong to Him. The gift of salvation and God’s presence in my life is something that I can never lose. Second, I need to know why God saved me? What am I to do with this life I have been given? I need to know that I belong to Jesus and what that means for me. After all, I wasn’t just saved from something (sin), I was also saved to someone for a specific reason. Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us how we are saved, but we often forget that the passage doesn’t end in verse 9. It goes on to verse 10 which says, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we would walk in them.” God saved us by His grace so that we could do the good works He called and created us to do. Finally, I need to know how God wants me to carry this out. This happens as we pray, surrendering our will to God’s, and allowing Him to direct our paths. Let me end this post by asking you a few questions. Who do you belong to? What is God calling you to do? Are you doing it? If the answer is “yes”, praise God. If not, all is not lost. Confess it to God in prayer, repent of it, and ask for His help in beginning today.
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Justin