Finding Our Identity: What We Do Is Not Who We Are

After a year of being pretty much unemployed, save for only working one day a week, I have started a new job. It’s nothing too fancy, and it’s not at all what I thought I would be doing with my degree. I help manage an online store of a very successful e-commerce business that is growing very fast. I sit at a desk from 8AM till 4PM with only 30 minutes allotted for break time a day. It is very laid back and yet still very professional. The people are nice and the way the business is run is very impressive.

After only a week working there, I found myself thinking, “how in the world am I to do anything meaningful for the Lord while sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day, only really having contact with the three or four people in the cubicles around me?” After a year of praying for God to use me for His glory and ministry, I’m stuck here in a cubicle.

Don’t get me wrong, I love my cubicle and desk.

I thought for sure the Lord would lead me to a ministry job of some sorts that helped to make a difference in the lives of others. During the majority of my college career I was on the frontlines of war. A culture war, a spiritual war, a war determined the life or death of millions of Americans. While attending Summit Ministries, the Lord spoke to me telling me that He wanted me to go to war. After seeking the advice and counsel of several mentors, I answered God’s call. At the time, I did not know that I was going to war, but it wouldn’t take long for me to find out. This war was against death itself. The Lord called me to be a voice for the voiceless, to stand up for those who could not stand up for themselves. He called me to sand up against Abortion. Since 1973, abortion has taken the lives of over 60 million innocent human beings in America. That is ten times as many than were killed in Hitler’s Holocaust. My first step in this battle was to restart my college’s Pro-Life group. I had been involved with it briefly my freshman year but didn’t really know much about the subject. At Summit God provided me with the resources I needed to learn in order to lead this group. With the help of the Lord, and my good friend Robby, we rebuilt the group from the ground up and we accomplished a lot. We focused of educating people about abortion and helping pregnant and parenting students on campus. We had baby showers, information booths, fund raisers for our local pregnancy care center that we helped to open. The Lord was using us to accomplish great things.

I was also given the opportunity to do a 3-month internship in the nation’s capitol working with several major pro-life organizations as well as in the office of a pro-life congressman. I was in the heat of the cultural, intellectual, and spiritual battle for the equal right to life of all human beings. I saw the evil one in the faces and slogans of the angry and militant protestors who wanted the right to kill their children. I saw the affects of the evil one in the faces and tears of women and men who had been badly hurt by abortion. I met post-abortive men and women whose regret caused them to become pro-life activists. I met former abortionists and abortion clinic workers who are now standing up for the right to life. I met people who were born due to their mother’s being raped, that were told by society that because of the circumstances of their their conception, that they did not have the right to live. I even met a survivor of a failed abortion who now travels the country telling her story. I heard story after story of the terrible affects that abortion had on society. I was surrounded by death and pain. I knew that the Lord was using me to help people, and I knew that it was nothing that I could have ever done myself, it was only through His leading that I was able to help these people. I was found that I was most comfortable at war. The fields were rip for the Lord’s healing. That’s where He led me, and that’s what I was to do. I even wrote a small book that focused on getting churches and ministers educated and more involved with helping to end abortion and helping those that suffer because of it.

Students For Life Interns on the steps of the Supreme Court in July of 2014

After I graduated from college I spent a year of unemployment. During that time, I helped lead multiple Bible studies, helped to mentor and encourage many people, and share the gospel with many people. Although jobless, I was being used by the Lord to minister to people. Towards the end of my unemployment and into the beginning of my new job, the evil one placed thoughts into my mind telling me that I was useless. As I observed my situation, I realized something that I had never realized before. Many times in movies and in real life, characters and individuals that have spent time in war have a hard time adjusting back to normal life. The conflict and excitement became normal for them, they were serving a great purpose and helping to protect innocent people. When they returned to normal life, it was too dull, they felt useless, they had still had the mentality of a soldier but were not on the frontlines any more. I used to think that was a silly concept, but I finally understood it. The feeling of knowing you are being used for something great and protecting innocent people from the evil one is a rewarding feeling and, despite the horrors they face, everyday they wake up ready to serve. I now understood that. I was back home from a war that was continuing to wage on. I realized that even though I was no longer on the frontlines like I was so accustomed to, I can still contribute to the fight. I can continue to educate people about the issue of abortion, I can still volunteer at my local pregnancy care center, I can still write about it and discuss it with people. That isn’t as glorious and showy as being on the frontlines, but it is equally as important. Simply a different front to fight on.

I know, you’re probably wondering, “how does this relate to his new job that he talked about in the beginning?”. I’m glad you asked. As I previously stated, I recently started thinking, “how in the world am I to do anything meaningful for the Lord while sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day, only really having contact with the three or four people in the cubicles around me?”. I thought that I would have a job in the pro-life movement or in some type of Christian non-profit that made a difference in people’s lives. I wasn’t in it for the money, I was in it to help people. As long as I had enough to make ends meet, I was content. But alas, here I am sitting on my butt 8 hours a day. Several people I know, and a Bible verse helped me to come to terms with this quandary. Upon bringing this up to my friend and mentor, Daniel Brown, he made me realize that you don’t have to work in a ministry to have a ministry. He said something along the lines of, “Do your ministry after work, invest in people and meet with people after your work day, that’s what I do.”  That made sense. Although I can still minister to people at my work, if the opportunity presents itself, my after work hours are where I can do my ministry to others. A week later I was talking to a very inspiring pro-life advocate by the name of Jason Jones. You can read his story of how the death of his daughter through abortion changed the course of his life here.

I was asking Jason for advice on a political matter and he sent me a link to a video that he filmed a few weeks earlier. While the answer he gave answered the question I asked, it went deeper and helped me with this personal issue of ministry that I have been trying to come to terms with. In the video he sent me he was addressing conservative people who are worried about the election and don’t feel comfortable voting for Donald Trump. He pointed out that if we think that the only thing that matters in politics and saving our country is the presidential election, then we know nothing about politics. He said that if we really care about our country and our future, we should be involved in the free institutions of civil society such as our churches, our families, our neighborhoods, our communities. Jason said, “You know, we all only have so much time and so much energy. There are a lot of races and cycles, the presidential election is just one.” Not only did this answer the initial question I asked him, it made me think about my job and ministry. We all only have so much time and energy, and yes, there are a lot of opportunities for for ministry, but our place of work is only one opportunity. So what if you don’t work in a ministry position, there are tons of other places that you can minister in. That’s what I took away from what he said. God was able to use Jason’s advice on one subject to help me in another area of my life.

The last and final thing that helped me figure this thing out came to me while preparing to lead my Monday night bible study. I was reading through 1 Corinthians 9. In this letter the apostle Paul is defending his right as an apostle to get financial support from churches. Although he refuses to take anything from the church in Corinth, he tells them that he is entitled to it nonetheless.

“Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? Even though I may not be an apostle to others, surely I am to you! For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord. This is my defense to those who sit in judgment on me.  Don’t we have the right to food and drink? Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Cephas? Or is it only I and Barnabas who lack the right to not work for a living?” 

-1 Cor. 9:1-6

As much ministry as Paul and his ever- encouraging companion, Barnabas, did, they still had a day job that they worked at to receive money to live on. I’m not sure what Barnabas did, but we know that from Acts 18:3 that Paul was a tentmaker. Several times throughout his letters Paul references working (1 Cor. 4:12, 1 Thess. 2:9, and 1 Thess. 4:11). So, even the greatest missionary that ever lived, a man who dedicated his entire life to the point of death for Christ, even he had a day job that he did in addition to his amazing ministry. His day job was not what defined him, a tentmaker is not what he was most well known for. It was a minor part of his life.

All this to say, I realized that I was looking for a job in a ministry so that I could identify as this ministry or that ministry. In our society we place so much on our occupation. When you meet someone new, one of the first questions you ask them is “where do you work?” or “what do you do for a living?”. We identify people as “Andy the mechanic”, “John the college professor” or “Steven the doctor”. As a society we are to blame for identifying people as their occupations. That’s they way everyone sees it: you are what you do. Its such a huge deal. But as Christians, should we make such a big deal over where we work? Should our identities be reduced to our occupation? A friend and mentor of mine often says, “I’m not a doctor who happens to be a Christian, I’m a Christian who happens to be a doctor.”. Doctoring is what he does, but it isn’t who he is. He is a Christian. As Christians we find our identity in Christ. We are children of God (John 1:12), branches of the true vine (John 15:1-5), friends of Jesus (John 15:15), justified and redeemed (Romans 3:24), crucified with Christ (Rom. 6:6), free of condemnation (Rom. 8:1), co-heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17), saints (1 Cor. 1:2), temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19), and the righteousness of God (2 Cor. 5:21). We are so much more than simply our occupation. What we do does not define or identify us.

So, let’s be like Paul, he didn’t identify as a tentmaker, he identified as many different things, all within the framework of his identity in Christ.

It’s not to say that you can’t have a ministry at work. That is totally fine. Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,”. Ephesians 6:7 says, “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people,”.  We can also be a light in a dark world at work just by having a good attitude and being kind to all people. Let everyone see something different in you. Let Christ shine through you. As my momma always says, “You might be the only Jesus that some people see.”. There are so manylittle things we can do at work that bring glory to God.

In closing, I want to share with you some wise words by Keith Krell, his identity is a Christian, but his occupation is senior pastor of Fourth Memorial Church in Spokane, WA and associate professor of biblical exposition at Moody Bible Institute–Spokane. He says,

"In 1 Thess. 2:9 Paul writes, “For you recall, brethren, our labor and hardship, how working night and day so as not to be a burden to any of you, we proclaimed to you the gospel of God.” If you read 1 Corinthians 9, Paul makes it clear in that passage that he doesn’t consider it wrong for a man to live off the preaching of the gospel. And in 1 Timothy 5 he says that an elder who both rules and teaches is worthy of “double honor,” which presumes that elders would in fact be paid for their work. But he himself apparently worked in secular jobs wherever he went so that he would be free of any accusations about his motives. His work ethic was exemplary. Tragically, many Christians give Christianity a black-eye because of their poor work performance. This is a crying shame, since work is an expression of worship and it also serves as a powerful witness. This week, will you go to your cubicle or your classroom or home and work as unto the Lord? As you work your daily grind for the glory of God the mundane and monotonous nature of your work can become extraordinary in its kingdom impact. A little example can have a big influence.”

Should Christians Help People?

"Abortion and human trafficking are both terrible things, but Christians shouldn't take part in helping to end them."

Recently I listened to a fellow believer publically condemn the movements and organizations that are fighting to end sex slavery and human trafficking and the above statement was pretty much the gist of his speech from the pulpit. There is so much wrong with this line of thinking.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love the guy who said this, as well as the other people that I've met with his views on this subject. I love them as brothers and sisters in Christ and I love their passion and zeal for the Lord and for sharing the Gospel. The world needs more people with the willingness and passion to share the Gospel. This isn't an attack or criticism of their person. Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12, "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Our enemies are not people, per se, but the ideas that come from the evil one and his fallen angels. Sometimes these ideas can be so close to the truth and even be mixed in with the truth, this makes it hard to differentiate. As the late Justice Antonin Scalia once said, "I attack ideas. I don't attack people. And some very good people have some very bad ideas. And if you can't separate the two, you gotta get another day job."

The person I recently heard recently talked about how the Christians who are involved with ministries that are trying to save lives by bringing an end to human trafficking and abortion are teaching a "Prosperity Gospel". Now, this phrase is most often used in reference to well-known pastors on TV that preach that "God wants you to have lots of money and to be extremely successful”. My friend went on to say that the reason it is a "Prosperity Gospel" is because they are focusing on the things of this life and not eternal life. They are seeking to help people get out of horrible situations on this earth rather, than helping people get out of the possible terrible situation that is: eternity separated from God. The intentions of my friend were good, but sometimes people can be so heavenly minded that they neglect the things on this earth that need a Christian touch.

Their line of thinking is extremely naïve.

Before publically speaking on the subject and condemning the amazing ministries that help those people, it would have helped if he had actually researched some of those ministries. The majority of those ministries share the gospel with those that they rescue. I've heard the testimonies of several women who were rescued from years of human trafficking by those ministries my friend condemned, and a common factor of their testimonies is how they came to faith in Jesus Christ. They were freed from the literal chains of slavery as well as the spiritual and supernatural chains of sin.

I first encountered this line of thinking a number of years ago when another friend of mine was asking about the Pro-Life group I led on my college campus. She told me that she believed that abortion was horrible and wrong, but went on to ask "How does you doing Pro-Life activism and education further the Kingdom of God?" I was kind of taken aback by this. I asked her what she meant by that and she explained, "That's awesome that you are doing that stuff, but it's useless if you aren't sharing the gospel with everyone you talk to about it". This exchange left me perplexed. I shared the gospel with people all the time. But God had also called me to stand up against abortion and be a voice for those being led away to death. I did both. She seemed to think that everyone you met needed to hear the gospel from you on the spot as soon as you meet them. She clearly didn't understand how people work.  We should always be ready to give a reason for the hope that we have (1 Peter 3:15), but we should also show the love of Christ to people by caring for and helping them. I’ve heard countless stories and have had many personal experiences where helping those less fortunate than us allows for the light of Christ to shine through and leads to an open door to share the gospel with people. Its amazing. Relationship building, especially in this day and age is essential to sharing the gospel with people. In my personal experiences, and most of the experiences of people I know is that people will be more likely to listen to you and take you serious if you already have an established relationship with them; as opposed to simply walking up to someone on the street and telling them they are sinners doomed for Hell and need a savior. While this latter tactic has been successful in the past, it is not so much in the present. A prime example of this is what my local pregnancy care center does. They are a ministry and are operated by devout believers, but they don’t shove Jesus in people’s faces as soon as they walk in the door. The women coming there have a specific earthly problem and are seeking help. Compelled by the Lord, the pregnancy center workers council and help them, all the while establishing a loving relationship with them. At sometime along the process they share the gospel with the women. They tell me that the women are more receptive to the gospel after they have seen and experienced the love and kindness from the center workers. There have been several women each year that become believers as the result of hearing the gospel at the center.  

A few months ago I had a conversation with the friend that I mentioned at the beginning of this post. In our conversation he criticized a Christian Senator who heard about what this Christian anti-human-trafficking group was doing and he was encouraged and compelled by his faith to bring this issue before the government. He drafted legislation to help free those enslaved because he knew in his heart that what was being done to those people was wrong and went against what God says. I've heard almost identical stories from Senators and Congressmen in regards to the issue of abortion. My friend was deeply upset that this senator was going to these efforts to help bring an end to modern-day slavery. He claimed that the senator was "wasting his time". He said that the senator "would be doing more good if he just stayed in his office and prayed about the issue instead of wasting his time trying to pass legislation to stop it.

Two passages in scripture immediately came to mind when I heard him say this. The first was a passage which is greatly misunderstood and used by most Christians to push a works-based salvation theology that denies God's grace. I usually steer clear of this passage simply because it confuses so many, but with regards to this issue, it is very important in its correct context. The Lord's brother says: " Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, 'Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is useless to others." (James 2:15-17).

The second passage that came to my mind was the famous Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:30-77: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

According to the logic of my friend and those with his view, we should tell our brothers and sisters in need "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," and do nothing about their physical needs. Our faith should be useless to others. His logic also suggests that we should be like the priest and Levite and just pass by the wounded man and do nothing to help his needs. As you can see, this line of thinking that my friend puts forth is entirely foreign to the actions of Christians in scripture.

Yes, Christians are supposed to share the good news of God's son, His sacrifice for the world, and the free offer of salvation to all who simply believe in Him.  But our lives as Christians do not stop here. We should not neglect to share the gospel whenever the opportunity arises, but we are also called to help people and be the hands and feet of Jesus. This is mentioned many times in scripture. In Deuteronomy 15:11 the Israelites are commanded to "open your hand to your brother, the needy and to the poor in your land". The writer of Proverbs tells us to "Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter.” (Proverbs 24:11).  In Matthew 5:16 Christ says, "In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven". In one of the most convicting passages from the New Testament, the Lord tells believers, "For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’" (Matthew 25:35-40).

According to the logic of my friend, we should be like the second group of people, the ones that did not help, feed, welcome, clothe, or visit the 'least of these'. What is more a type of the 'the least of these' or 'those being led away to death' than those in slavery being abused and raped and those being scheduled to be brutally murdered? It is ideas like this that allowed for the holocaust to happen. There is a famous quote that is often attributed to the Irish Statesman and believer in Christ, Edmund Burke that says “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing". That is powerful!

That quote also reminds me of the story of Kitty Genovese. She was stabbed to death outside her apartment in New York City in 1964. There were close to 40 eye witnesses. She cried out for help but nobody helped her. They watched as her assailant walked away. A priest in the movie "Boondock Saints" says the following after telling the story about her attack, "Now we must all fear evil men. But there is another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men".

If Christians are not being the hands and feet of Christ, who will be? If not us, then who? In his song entitled "Do Something", Christian worship artist Matthew West says:

I woke up this morning,

saw a world full of trouble now.

Thought, how’d we ever get so far down?

How’s it ever gonna turn around?

So I turned my eyes to Heaven,

I thought, “God, why don’t You do something?”

Well, I just couldn’t bear the thought of

people living in poverty,

children sold into slavery,

the thought disgusted me!

So, I shook my fist at Heaven

and said, “God, why don’t You do something?”

He said, “I did, I created you”

.....

I’m so tired of talking

about how we are God’s hands and feet

but it’s easier to say than to be

live like angels of apathy who tell ourselves

it’s alright, “somebody else will do something”

Well, I don’t know about you

but I’m sick and tired of life with no desire

I don’t want a flame, I want a fire

I wanna be the one who stands up and says,

“I’m gonna do something”

Such powerful and convicting words. So, I pose the question to my friends mentioned above and to all reading this: What are you going to do? In a world full of Levites and priests, will you be a good Samaritan? Or will you simply tell your neighbor, "Go in peace; keep warm and well fed," and do nothing about their physical needs? What are you going to do?