THE CHRISTIAN IDENTITY: What makes you a Christian?

By Grace Adebayo.

The Christian Identity: What makes you Christian?

Before we go on, I'd like to implore you to say this little prayer if you're not born again or if you were and then you backslided:

"Jesus, I acknowledge that I am a sinner, I come to you today with a heart full of gratitude for the sacrifice you've made for me and the whole world. Have mercy on me, father. Forgive me for all my sins and make me holy and acceptable unto you again. Help me live a life that brings glory to your name. Thank you father"

My prayer is that as you've said this little prayer that you continue to live a full life in Christ. Today I'd love to talk about the Christian Identity and what it means to live a life that pleases God. Let's get into it.

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For the longest time, I saw Christianity as 'the controller and the controlled' system. I grew up with the idea that being a Christian meant you couldn't do a lot of fun things anymore. So I tried to do it halfway. I thought all I had to do was go to church. I was a Christian because my parents were, my name is Grace and I went to church. All that changed when I finally encountered God though.

The point is I saw a life in Christ as a life of loss. People lost friends for Christ, people lost wealth for Christ, People lost happiness for Christ and I just couldn't comprehend it. Why would a God who was supposed to be love make me forfeit what makes me happy?

And so I told myself I wouldn't get too deep. I told myself I'd do my parents bidding, go to church but never get too close to God so I wouldn't have to do all that. If only I knew, lol.

In 2021, I had an encounter, and my life has never been the same again. I remember it like it was yesterday. When I finally realised life in Christ was a life of freedom. I had a testimony then that I would never forget, a testimony of deliverance. I got to know that Life in Christ is not a life of "I don’t get to do what I like." It’s not a life of loss. Instead, it’s a life of abundance, where what I used to like and desire pales in comparison to what my heart now desires.

So, now my identity is no longer just "Grace Adebayo, a daughter of Mr and Mrs Adebayo, a law student or author"

Before anything else, my identity is first, Grace Adebayo, the daughter of the King of the whole world, City Of God, a disciple of Christ and a preacher of the gospel.

I might have lived a thousand lives before this but nothing else would ever compare to the life I live now, a life of freedom forever.

It's not enough to have an encounter and understand the promises of God, you actually have to understand your identity and what it means to be a Christian.

Why should you be called a Christian?

Many people think that going to church occasionally or simply believing in God makes them a Christian. But the Bible presents a different perspective and definition of a Christian.

A Christian is someone whose behavior and heart reflects Jesus Christ.

Because your actions and behaviour is Christ-like. To have the Christian Identity is to be like Christ and to embody his presence wherever you go.

To have the Christian Identity is to know that our old way of thinking is gone. Our motivation, desire, and purpose are replaced with delight in the things of God. The joys and pleasures of our lives are exponentially enhanced through our relationship with Christ. And our selfish and worldly pursuits are exchanged for desire to honor God.

If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, your core identity is that you are a child of God. “He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he lavished on us in the Beloved One,” writes Paul in Ephesians 1:5-6. John 1:12 reminds us: “But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God.”

Your core identity is that God chose you. He knew everything about you, yes, even what you don’t like to admit to yourself, and chose you. As Adam Ramsay says, “Jesus is not disillusioned with you, because he never had any illusions about who you ever were in the first place.”

Not only that, but our standing with God isn’t based on our performance. It’s based on His grace, grace that has been lavished on us. God isn’t stingy with grace; He will never hold out on giving us the grace that we need, and our need for His grace will never exhaust His supply. All of this is based on Jesus’s performance, not our imperfect ones.

To be a child of God means that we enjoy an intimate and affectionate relationship with God. God loves us, and His love isn’t based on what we do, but who we are in Jesus. I love what my brother does, but I don’t love him because of what he does. I simply love him because he’s my brother.

We must find our core identity in who God says we are. It’s based on who you are in Christ, not on how well you measure up.

Now we walk with the knowledge that we have authority over the enemy. We walk with the knowledge that we are the CITY OF GOD. We walk with audacity and confidence because we know the God that we serve. That is the Christian Identity. The Christdentity! Lol

Today, make it your goal to let others see Christ through you. To be an embodiment of his presence in your hostel, in your class, in your actions, in your words.

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We've come to the end of today's post, till next week!

Thank youuuuuu for reading!See you guys!