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Church Planting is hard work.  Period.  The “existing” church has a lot to be thankful for.  Mainly structure and support.  In church planting we are blazing new roads.  Many times without the support of mature Godly men and women around you.  The summer has been tough at Epic Church.  Attendance has been low with many on vacations at different times, plus the factor that Epic Church is a young generation church many have summer plans.

Tonight I started a series called: Identity.  Though then hoopla of summer struggles I have found it it refreshing and necessary to refocus my thoughts and energy on who I am in Jesus.  This extends out of the words of Paul the Apostle.  “Therefore the old has gone and the new has come.”

We are all creations of God but when we move from creations to children the miraculous occurs.  The old falls away and the new comes forth.

Have you been made new?  Do you celebrate this fact?  My prayer is this week we would experience the joy of our salvation though being made new.

Here is a sneak peak behind the new series we are starting tonight at Epic Church called Identity.  This series stems really from a personal reflection at who am I in Christ.  I forget all too often who I am in Jesus and where my value comes from.  So, peak at my musings as I studied this week for tonight’s sermon.

-Jake

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Identity.

When we understand who we are we have power. The power in understanding outselves and what we were created for allows us to live our lives better.

We have been created in the image of the living God. He has given us more worth then we give ourselves.

When we rest in the fact that our identity is given to us and not earned we have so much freedom.

“Don’t worry about what they say, we know what you really are like.”

I am made in the image of God.

I am the inheritor of Gods Kingdom.

I am the Bride of Christ.

I am a Child of God.

Galatians 3:26-27 (NIV)
²⁶ You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, ²⁷ for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

Galatians 3:29 (NIV)
²⁹ If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

I am an Alien.

I am Royalty.

Galatians 3:29 (NIV)
²⁹ If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Romans 8:17 (NIV)
¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs–heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Old is Gone.

1 Corinthians 5:13 (NIV)
¹³ God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (NIV)
¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

The Identity of Christ’s Followers:

Romans 3:24 – We are justified. (declared “not guilty” of sin)

Romans 8:1 – No condemnation awaits us.

Romans 8:2 – We are set free from the law of sin and death.

1 Corinthians 1:2 – We are sanctified and made acceptable in Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:30 – We are righteous and holy in Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:22 – We will be made alive at the resurrection.

2 Corinthians 5:17 – We are a new creation.

2 Corinthians 5:21 – We receive God’s righteousness.

Galatians 3:28 – We are one in Christ with all other believers.

Ephesians 1:3 – We are blessed with every spiritual blessing Christ.

Ephesians 1:4 = We are holy, blameless, and covered with God’s love.

Ephesians 1:5,6 – We are adopted as God’s children.

Ephesians 1:7 – Our sins are taken away, and we are forgiven.

Ephesians 1:10,11 – We will be brought under Christ’s headship.

Ephesians 1:13 – We are marked as belonging to God by the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 2:6 – We have been raised up to sit with Christ in glory.

Ephesians 2:10 – We are God’s work of art.

Ephesians 2:13– We have been brought near to God.

Ephesians 3:6 – We share in the promise in Christ.

Ephesians 3:12 – We can come with freedom and confidence into God’s presence.

Ephesians 5:29,30 – We are member of Christ’s body, the church.

Colossians 2:10 – We have been given fullness in Christ.

Colossians 2:11 – We are set free from our sinful nature.

2 Timothy 2:10 – We will have eternal glory.

People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something one finds, it is something one creates. Thomas Szasz

In an act of kindness, Actor Kirk Douglas pulled over to the side of the road to pick up a Sailor on leave who was hitchhiking. When the Sailor recognized him, he said to Mr. Douglas, “Hey, man, do you know who you are?”

That’s a great question that everyone of us should ask ourselves from time to time and when we do, we should listen for God’s answer.

Isaiah 43:4 NIV “you are precious to me. You are honored, and I love you.”

It seems that this college student needed a small two-hour course to fill out his schedule. The only one that fit was in Wildlife Zoology. He had some reservations as he heard the course was tough and the teacher a bit different. But, it seemed like the only choice so he signed up.

After one week and one chapter the professor had a test for the class. He passed it out and it was a sheet of paper divided into squares and in each square was a carefully drawn picture of some bird legs. Not bodies, not feet—just different birds’ legs. The test simply asked them to identify the birds from the pictures of their legs.

Well, he was absolutely floored. He didn’t have a clue. The student sat and stared at the test and got madder and madder. Finally, reaching the boiling point, he stomped up to the front of the classroom and threw the test on the teacher’s desk and exclaimed, “This is the worst test I have ever seen and this is the dumbest course I have ever taken.” The teacher looked up at him and said, “Young man, you just flunked the test.” Then the teacher picked up the paper, saw that the student hadn’t even put his name on the paper, and said, “By the way, young man, what’s your name?” At this the student bent over, pulled up his pants, revealed his legs and said, “You identify me.”

God’s changes are complete. Christians are brand-new people on the inside. The Holy Spirit gives them new life, and they are not the same anymore. We are not reformed, rehabilitated, or reeducated—we are re-created (new creations), living in vital union with Christ (Col. 2:6-7). At conversion we are not merely turning over a new leaf; we are beginning a new life under a new Master.

Paul said that from now on “we regard no one from a worldly point of view” (2 Cor. 5:16). That is, we simply do not judge them by what we see. If we looked at Jesus in this way, we would see only an idealistic Carpenter, murdered by wicked and selfish men. But we look at Jesus 884through the eyes of faith! In the Cross we do not see defeat, but victory! Though we do not see Jesus with our physical eyes, we recognize Him as the living God, our Savior and our Lord

32. How to Be Reconciled to God

Identity: The way we see others.

2 Corinthians 5:16 (NIV)
¹⁶ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.

2 Corinthians 5:16 (NLT)
¹⁶ So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now!

2 Corinthians 5:16 (MSG)
¹⁶ Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore.

My wife, Jennifer, was waiting all day for an update on the status of Kate McRae.  The update came around 11pm this evening.  It was heart breaking to Jennifer and myself.

Kate is 6 years old, just like my daughter.  She has a great smile, blonde hair, blue eyes.  When I see picture of Kate I think of my daughter.  Kate is in a battle for her life.  She is battling cancer.  Please read her story and follower her progress here: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/mcraekate

More than just reading and following her progress please being to pray for her.  Please pray AMAZING prayers.  Our God is big enough to heal and take away any cancer.

I had a tough moment tonight when I heard the news that the tumor in her brain was still there after this aggressive treatment.  God has the power to heal this little girl.  And healing this girl and taking the cancer out of her little body would bring great glory to his name.  Why hasn’t he done it yet?

I know a pastor shouldn’t be asking these types of questions.  But, here I am being honest with my thoughts.  I mean God is all about bringing glory and fame to his name.  To make his son known among the nations.  Why doesn’t he take the cancer out of this little girl’s body?  If he did there would be no medical answer for it.  It would be a God thing.  Plus the suffering/pain would end for Kate and for her family and those around her.

I know some of you who are going to read this are going to try to give “pat” answers like:  “God is still in control.  And God has a plan.  And everything happens for a reason.”  Sure those are great answers but really, does that help the situation.  As a Pastor I have said those words before.  I was hoping to bring about some peace and comfort.  But in reality I think that if God really had a plan and if things really happen for a reason then God would heal this little girl to bring fame to himself.

My faith is strong and unwavering.  It is just moments like these where I understand there is a God and I am not him.  Please join me in praying for complete healing for Kate McRae and that God would bring complete glory to himself through her life.

I really like hanging around people like Allan Karr, Alan Hirsch, Sean Benesh, Michael Frost and such.  But at the same time I really hate it because they JACK UP my way of thinking.  I am an out of the box thinker but they system I am in is so IN the BOX.  So, just when I get comfortable in my box I rub shoulders with these men and they make me ask the question, “Am what I am doing and how I am doing it the most biblical and most effective way of doing it?”

I am in San Francisco for a few days taking a seminary class.  The class is called Intro to Church Planting.  Really it should be titled something like, How to Be a Missionary in Your Culture.  This isn’t a class about best practices but rather a class on theology of church and how we fit into it.  This first day we have heard from the professor and from a guest speaker who just came back from an amazing experience in Thailand and Burma.

The Western church is not getting it done here in the west and if you think you can argue this point… you cant.  I mean if we take Hirsch’s example in his book “The Forgotten Ways” we seem to do church for only 12% of the population in the US.  And even if we do church the way we know it REALLY WELL we will still only do it for 12% of the population.  So, here we are planting more church for 12% of the population.

My question is what does a church look like for the other 82% of the population.  Or for even another 12% of the population and do I have what it takes to reach them?  How can I be a part of seeing Jesus become the savior to the people I love so much, the people of Tucson Arizona?

I believe if we as followers of Jesus are going to be a part of making our city good we also need to do our part to stay focused on the mission.  The mission is to glorify our Father in heaven.  Yesterday I wrote about our need to connect with another, same sex, friend for the purpose of being ourselves.  Everyone needs this.  I need this so bad.

A number of you contacted me and shared how you want this kind of person in your life and that I am lucky to have a person like this.  Let me be honest, I am just finding this again.  You see a couple of years ago my dear friend moved to pursue Jesus in another area of the country.  It damaged me for sure.  Then just this year another dude I was close with moved away too. And let me tell you it SUCKED!

I have not wanted to let another friend in close to me just for the fear that they would move away.  But, let me tell you I needed to push past this self made fear and pursue authentic relationships where I am asking other men the hard questions and men are asking me the hard questions in return.

I came across this as a guide for time together with a trusted friend.  A friend who is concerned with you becoming more like Jesus.  You take time and each answer these questions and then seek Jesus in prayer for each other.  Hope this helps you in some way.

Neil Cole:

1. What is the condition of your soul?

2. What sin do you need to confess?

3. What have you held back from God that you need to surrender?

4. Is there anything that has dampened your zeal for Christ?

5. Who have you talked with about Christ this week?

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So much is going on in my life right now I can’t really verbalize it all.  But, one thing I do know is that Jesus is up to something in my life.  He is doing a work in my life.

As the scriptures say, ” ¹⁷ Iron sharpens iron and one man sharpens another.” http://ref.ly/Pr27.17

I had an outstanding time today with a friend. You see all too often we forget to have meaningful relationships. Relationships were we can just talk openly and honestly. Where we can confess sin. Where we don’t have to have it all together. That was one of those meetings today for me.

If you don’t have someone, of the same sex, where you can put all walls and facades down and away; I encourage you to ask Jesus for such a friend.

I have been doing a ton of research for tomorrow’s sermon.  In all honesty I was looking forward to Epic Church’s Porn Sunday.  I was thinking it would be fun to talk about something so taboo.  But in all reality porn and lust are destroying, yes DESTROYING, the life Jesus has created for us.  We think we know best.  We think we can “handle” our sin.  You know what - we don’t handle sin, sin handles us.  It is only by the power of Jesus that we are able to flee from sin.  Not because we remove it from our lives but because Jesus takes it away.

Isn’t that the Gospel message?  Not that we did anything, but that because of a deep unfathomable love Jesus has taken all of the crap of our lives and lives everywhere upon himself so that we may experience freedom.

Enough is Enough.  Lust and Porn are so entrenched in our culture.  I can’t even begin to think how or where to start to reverse the tide, but I tell you this - my life will be focused on Jesus and I will fight to the death for my purity.  Purity with Jesus.  Purity in my marriage.  Purity in my relationships.  I must allow Jesus to work within me and though me.

What are you going to do?

The next three posts will focus on what Epic Church, and our lives for that matter, must focus.

Focus 1 - Our Focus Must Be On Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 12)

Epic Church must focus on Jesus Christ.  As I prepare my sermons to the church I love so much I always ask myself this question, “How will this sermon glorify Jesus and allow Him to be the focus of our time together?”  (John 17) This too is the focus of all decisions regarding all things Epic Church and all things Team Rasmussen.  To be honest, sometimes I feel like I fail, just being honest.  Without a doubt, if Jesus is not the focus of our lives and church, we will fail.  And fail BIG TIME.

It sounds kind of silly to write a post or even say out loud that Jesus must be the focus of our church.  I mean it should go without saying.  Right?  Well, one would think so.  It would be like a baseball game without a hot dog, or a church planter without a Mac, chili without beans.  You get the point, just sounds totally ridiculous.

I see all sorts of churches put their focus on something other than Jesus.  At times in my life have been focused on other things rather than Jesus.  Some churches put their focus on doing good things, giving a lot of money, building the best worship service, having the coolest artwork, having the best music and the list can go on and on.  But, we must - let me say it another way; WE MUST have Jesus as our central focus in all we do.  (Matthew 6:33)

This does not negate the need for other things to compliment our focus but they must not be the driving force behind what we do.  It must be Jesus.

The message of the Gospel and person of Jesus will permeate all we do as Epic Church.  Jesus lived a perfect life, died a gruesome death, fulfilled scripture, has given us hope, a future, a purpose, a heaven, and the list could go on and on.  (1Cor 15)  Because of Jesus we have Epic Church.  Because of Jesus we have a story.

What does it look like for a church to be focused on Jesus?  (Acts)
I have been asking this question for months.  What does Epic Church look like when it is focused entirely on Jesus Christ?

For Epic Church when we focus on Jesus we will see radical life-change and authentic community.  (Acts)

Look out for number two tomorrow.

Tuesday is the big TTT for the Tour de France. Listen for my predictions at the end.  Dinner tonight was awesome with the Epic Church team.  Tonight was a reminder of why I love church planting and leadership.  I know Jesus has called me and my family to church leadership and it has been a blessing to used by Jesus in our city and in His church.

OH YEAH!!!  And I got to hang with a member of Stand By Red 5.  He hooked me up with a FREE CD.  This band is HOT!  Check em out at: http://www.myspace.com/standbyred5 You can follow them on Twitter too at: http://twitter.com/StandbyRed5

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4_1RFJo8xE

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