Identity & ChurchUnderstanding the relationship

between knowing who you are

in Christand

who you are in the house of God

What is Identity? Identity is the knowledge of who you

are Identity is the acceptance of and

confidence in that knowledge Identity is the act of being who you

are

Three Models of Our Identity

Servants• Mark 10:43• Luke 10:42-43

Sons• Romans 8:14• Galatians 3:26

Friends• John 15:13-15

Three Models of God’s Identity

Lord/Master• Luke 5:5• Acts 2:36

Father• Matthew 6:9• Romans 8:15

Friend• Isaiah 41:8• James 2:23

Models of Relationship with God

The Master/Servant Model• God is my boss and I am his servant• My job is to do what he says and obey him

fully Father/Son

• God is my Father and I am his son• My job is to be loved by him and love him

Friend/Friend• God is my Friend and I am his• My job is to fellowship with him

Models of Church Jesus commanded his apostles to

make disciples This means that their job was to

represent him as Rabbi This means that the way they relate

to their disciples must correspond the way Jesus relates to his disciples

Churches tend to pick a model and major in it

The Master/Servant Model The Pastor is the Master and the

Members are the Servants The job of the pastor is to tell

everyone what to do and the job of the members is to do it

Members are rewarded for obeying and punished for disobeying

The Father/Son Model The pastor is the father and the

members are the sons The job of the pastor is to love and

accept the members and the job of the members is to receive and reciprocate that love

Faithful sons will receive the inheritance of the house while unfaithful sons will be excluded from it

The Friend/Friend Model The pastor is a friend to all of the

members, and they are his friends as well

The job of the pastor is to maintain an emotional connection with the members and the job of the members is to honor this connection with their loyalty

Members who remain loyal are rewarded with closeness and members who are disloyal are ostracized

The Problem We can’t pick a model! The Bible

teaches all three! These are not three realities, but

different sides of the one reality! Churches are now beginning to

discover that they go together, but what is yet to be discovered is that the order matters!

Friendship: The Dominant Western Model of Discipleship

Friendship is first: You want to be my leader? Start by being my friend!

Servanthood is next: I will serve your vision as long as I feel emotionally connected to you.

Sonship is a distant possibility: Perhaps when you have built enough relationship and trust with me I will see you as my father.

Jesus saw it differently… Servanthood precedes friendship:

• I no longer call you servants… (John 15:15) Interpretation: before today you were servants!

• You are my friends if you do what I command (John 15:14)

Sonship precedes servanthood• Everything I have learned from my Father I

have made known to you (John 15:15). • The Fellowship of Mature Sons = The

Friendship of Jesus

The Progression Sonship is first! Then we learn to serve as sons And if we do all that the Father

commands, we become his friends

The House This must be reflected in the church!

If the order in the church is different than the order in the Kingdom, than the church is something other than a manifestation of the kingdom of God!

In the church we should become sons before servants, and servants before friends!

Conclusion This is so foreign to western culture

that it will require a complete paradigm shift in the way we view and do church if it is to become a reality.

God has given us the opportunity to become front runners and pioneers in this revelation that he is restoring to the body of Christ.

We must be faithful!