Identified with Christ

Dear Worshipers,

I reminded you last week that we just marked a significant marker this weekend in the life of North-Mar Church. And though we did so with no real pomp and circumstance, Pastor Myron brought another message that could have similar impact on the life of our church should we choose to respond to it. Lord, have Your way in us.

From Romans 6 he challenged us to be identified with Christ. Dead BUT Live! Know it, claim it, live it. Many of you walked toward the front of the sanctuary to affirm your desire to claim your identity in Christ. What a powerful moment! Now what.

How is it going as you are trying to live out that identity? It will not be easy, but you already knew that. For someone, the temptation to gossip has already presented itself and you have had to consider yourself dead to gossip and alive in Christ. For someone else, the allure of pornography may have already crossed your mind and you have been able to claim victory over that in Christ. Still someone else is facing a situation and you are inclined to think that the Lord really does not see you and your pain, but you have reminded yourself that you are alive in Him and He loves you.

You see being identified with Christ comes at every moment of the day, not only the great spiritual moments while you are singing a song of praise with a Bible in one hand and your other lifted to heaven. Yielding to your Master in all things is the way that we demonstrate our identity with Christ. We associate with Him at every level.

That’s what it means to be identified with someone. To associate in name, feeling, interest, action, etc. In every way to connect with Christ. That takes some adjusting on our part. Even radical adjusting. It’s not easy, but it is worth it.

So do you know it? Sure. Did you claim it? I hope so. Are you living it? I am praying you are discovering what that means every day. And that today is not exception. Let’s live out our identity with Christ

Jesus, I want to identify with You. Help me live that out by dying to myself so that I can live in You. I want to be dead but alive. Holy Spirit, help me.

In Christ,

Pastor Timothy