FAITH Archives - Page 7 of 33 - Caesar Kalinowski

Birthright: Living Out of Our Transformed Identity

The way of the world is: We do things (perform, serve, work etc.) to have value in the eyes of our family, friends, parents, spouse, siblings, boss, pastor etc.

If we do a good enough job and are perceived as valuable, then people will want us around. We will be wanted. Out of this activity we often form our identity. What we DO has led to who we ARE. Or at least we think it has. But there is a huge problem with this, it is terribly dangerous, it eventually crushes us, and it goes against how God now sees us.

Don’t believe the DO=BE lies anymore.[clickToTweet tweet=”If we are in Christ, then the Bible teaches we have been transformed and given a new identity.” quote=”If we are in Christ, then the Bible teaches we have been transformed and given a new identity.”]

If we are in Christ, then the Bible teaches we have been transformed and given a new identity. We have become part of a family of missionary servants, sent to serve the world and make disciples of Jesus.

This is who we are. This is our new identity. This is the secret.

And this is true of us as Christians EVEN IF WE NEVER KNEW IT. This is our birthright!

The more we understand and believe this to be true, the more our lives will be transformed.

We’ve all seen and heard this before if we’ve ever been baptized or witnessed a baptism ceremony. But maybe we missed it. In Matthew 28:19 Jesus laid out the entire picture and command for us, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” There it is. The mission of the Church and the means to accomplish it.

Our baptism is not some salvational magic spell or just a culturally ancient ritual; we are baptized, soaked, established into a new identity. Into the NAME OF the Father, and the NAME OF the Son, and the NAME OF the Holy Spirit…all a huge identity statement. This is who we now are. Looking briefly at each of these…

We are baptized into the name of the Father.

Our name has everything to do with whose family we are a part of. God is now our Father. We are his dearly loved children. In Christ we are brothers and sisters; That makes the Church a family. It is part of our transformed identity.

We are also baptized into the name of the Son.

We have entered into an identity relationship with Jesus. He is our King, who came and lived as a servant to all, and we now are his servants, serving his glorious mission, as we serve others as a way of life. Being a servant is now a part of our renewed identity.

Finally, we are baptized into the name of the Holy Spirit.

Throughout the New Testament the Holy Spirit is the sending agent of the Church. He empowered Jesus while on Earth, he guided and comforted the early Church and his indwelling presence transforms our identity into “sent ones”: literally missionaries.

As Christians we are alI missionaries.

Because of who God is, and Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, we truly have become a family of missionary servants sent as disciples who make disciples.

This is our birthright. You may not have always known this to be true about yourself…but the next best time start believing it is now!

[Comments from my old website/blog were not carried over to this new one. Please leave your thoughts below.]

Be The Church

If you’re a Christian who has grown up “going to church” most Sundays, do you find yourself asking, “Is this all there is?” Maybe instead of just going to church it’s time to BE the Church!

Please read on.

I spent my first few years as a pastor at a really large church near Chicago. I will be forever grateful to the staff I worked with during those years.

My life, character, and theology were shaped in profound ways during that time, and yet I still wondered, was this all there was? Is this what Jesus meant by his Kingdom had now come onto this earth?

Get a free copy of my super-popular eBook, Be The Church, now.

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5 Stereotypes Christians Need To Change

We all seem to put people into a box–labeling them in ways that we can either easily dismiss, or categorically aspire to, without really getting into the messiness of really knowing them. Most are likely to say that stereotypes are not true, yet they still exist and influence our perceptions in profound ways.

This week on the Lifeschool Podcast, we look at the reality that not only have we stereotyped certain people and groups in life, but the same has happened to us. We’ll talk about changing five stereotypes Christians are known for.

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Why We Want To Let Our Redemption Show

When we can be honest about where we’re at with our problems and in our own spiritual life, it also gives others permission to do the same. Ask yourself, do others feel safe to approach you, even with their sins and screw-ups?

This week on the Lifeschool Podcast, we’ll show you why it’s important to let others see the redemption that is taking place in our life. Letting others know that you are definitely a work in progress and that God is still at work teaching, transforming, and changing you, will transform your relationships!

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The Consistency of How God Now Sees You

We all experience hard times, relational strife or loss and fear. And it can lead to deep depression and self-doubt. However, there is always one thing present in those times that we can easily forget: the consistency of God.

I travel a lot for ministry and work, and I have for years. A while ago I was on a flight that scared me a little. Not long after take-off we flew up through a dark layer of storm clouds. The plane rocked and jumped from side to side and seemed to struggle as it climbed through the clouds. It was a pretty turbulent few minutes.
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How Do Introverted People Stay Engaged in a Missional Life?

Welcome to this 4^th installment of Ask Caesar. Here’s this week’s question:

“Caesar, this missional lifestyle you write and speak about sounds so awesome, but I’m not an extrovert like you and your wife both seem to be. How do introverts like me fit into this whole missional thing?”

I’m glad you asked that Meg because I hear this a lot and I think it’s an important issue.

First, a little history about these personality types and how they differ.

Extraversion and Introversion are the preferences originally used in a personality inventory created by psychologist Carl Jung in the 1920s. Most people today may be more familiar with these terms in connection with the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory. These terms are unfortunately a bit outmoded, misunderstood and misused in that extraversion is not about being loud or the life of the party and introversion is not about being shy or anti-social. (more…)