Dear CCW family,
When whimpering Gideon hid himself from the Midianites in the winepress while threshing his wheat, the angel of the Lord appeared to him with this striking greeting: “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”
Man of valor? In Gideon’s mind, nothing could be further from the truth. But the angel continued, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites.”
Gideon squeaked out a lame response, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” But the angel of the Lord, who turns out to be the pre-flesh Son of God, rebutted his view of himself by forcing the issue: “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.”
Gideon had identity issues. He could not believe the truth about himself. A fleece or two later, he was finally fully convinced, and went on to valiantly do God’s business as the mighty man God described him to be. See his story in Judges 6-9.
God has created the identity of his church. It is far beyond what we claim of ourselves. In fact, we may have a harder time than Gideon believing we are who we are. But failure to believe what is true about ourselves will keep us from doing mighty deeds for God. Certainly what we are is entirely based upon God’s presence in us and his power bequeathed to us. We are nothing on our own. But in Christ, we are something beyond imagination. Consider who God declares we are:
We are God’s children.
- “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are.” (1 John 3:1, NASB)
- “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:26)
We are God’s temple.
- “For we are the temple of the living God . . .” (2 Corinthians 6:16)
- “You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5)
We are God’s handiwork.
- “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)
We are God’s heirs.
- “. . . and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ . . .” (Romans 8:17)
When we are asked who we are or face overwhelming odds against us, don’t give a blank stare. Realize who we have become because of Christ.
CCW Action
Pam and I have just returned from a three week drive from KC to NJ. This trip was designed as part conference, part ministry, part relatives and friends, and part vacation. We were privileged to have numerous opportunities for sharing Christ along the way, and several times to teach the Bible, meet with leaders, and to have deep discussions. We felt it was very productive and are so thankful God gave us these days to serve Christ and enjoy each other. Here I am at Harper’s Ferry. We are looking forward to taking a similar trip all the way to CA this summer for ministry, and may take some stops to see some of you if possible! And when you think of me, please pray for God’s help for the book I’m working on, with a functional title of Core Essays on Evangelism.
Steve has served at two churches locally on four different Sunday mornings recently (our church meets in the afternoons typically). He’ll have ministry in Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Montana from the middle of August to the middle of October. He has completed writing a short book titled The Most Powerful Words: A Primer on the Public Reading of Scripture. It has seven brief chapters, totaling around 85 pages. This may sound like a book only for church leaders, but all believers will benefit from reading and discussing it. We’ll let you know when it is ready to order.
Marco is leading some local evangelism with members of Christ Fellowship. In June he speaks in two Missouri churches. He’ll be traveling to Uganda the second week of August to train pastors in a Bible Intensive and engage in other ministry. He appreciates your prayers.
Yours with joy,
Jim Elliff, Steve Burchett and Marco Scouvert