I
am not a very structured person. I like routine but structure, at times, I have
felt was limiting. But one of the things that studying God’s grace is teaching
me is the value of the structure of knowing who I am.
When
we know who we are based on a solid biblical foundation, it frees us to really
obey God’s Word. Grace enables us to not only know who we are but live that out
in the reality of daily living.
First,
we have to know who we are in relationship to the Father. We are His children.
John
1:11-12
He
came unto His own, and His own people did not receive Him. But to all who did
receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of
God.
As
God’s children we are to honor our Father. Honoring God means obeying His Word
and His Will. It means making sure that all we do in every part of our lives
fulfills His will and thus brings Him honor.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is seeing ourselves as children of God and
obeying our Father.
Second,
we have to know who we are in relationship to Jesus.
1
Corinthians 12:27
Now
you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. We are the parts of
Jesus’ body.
As
the body of Christ, we need to see ourselves as servants of Jesus reflecting
His character to the world. We were, at the beginning, created in the image of
God. Sin marred the image of God in us and we began reflecting our own image.
Salvation restores that image of God so that more and more we look like Jesus.
We then can reflect Jesus to the world and that is what the world needs.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is becoming like Jesus and reflecting Him to
the world.
Third,
we have to know who we are in relationship to the Holy Spirit. We are His
temple.
1
Corinthians 3:16
Do
you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
We
as the temple are being indwelt by the Holy Spirit and are to show the
difference between our lives and the lives of those people who don’t have the
Holy Spirit indwelling them.
God’s
people are to act different, speak different, believe different, desire
different, and prioritize different than the people of this world. We are not
of this world; we are people of God’s kingdom.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is living in the power of the Holy Spirit and
living with different values than the world.
Fourth,
we need to know who we are in relationship to each other. We are the church; we
are brothers and sisters with each other.
1
Timothy 3:14-15
I
hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that if I
delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is
the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.
When
Jesus’ mother and brothers came to a house where Jesus was teaching and He was
told they were there, Jesus asked who were His mother and brothers. He said
that those who did the will of His Father were His mother and brothers and
sisters.
We
as brothers and sisters in Jesus are to love each other, encourage each other,
and hold each other accountable.
Raise
the Roof and Raise the Roof is seeing other believers as our brothers and sisters and
living in community with each other.
Fifth,
we need to know who we are in relationship to our community. We are to be good
neighbors.
Mark
12:31
The
second is this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
We
as neighbors are to love our neighbors. We as God’s people the church are to be
a positive contributor to the community God has placed us in. We need to be
individually and collectively good neighbors.
Raise
the Roof and Remove the Walls is living as God’s people in our communities
as good neighbors.
This
knowing who we are and structuring to live it out is all by God’s grace.
By
God’s Grace Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls,
Joe
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