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Lion Hudson - Peter Maiden

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67 pages

English

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How should we define our identity, as Christians? And how do we actually define ourselves, usually? In this short but powerful book, Peter Maiden (former International leader for OM) shows how we must find our identity in Christ if we are to have any stability. So many Christians struggle because they find their identity and self worth in things which are ultimately unworthy and utterly unstable. Or they find it in fleeting and vulnerable places - leadership positions, professions and achievements. Even family roles change, and mutate. As the people of God our identity is not to be found in our achievements, appearance, career or even our family. But our place in Christ is eternal, unshakeable. We are sons and daughters of God welcomed into his family through grace, which has been sealed by an eternal covenant. Anything less than this can only lead to disappointment, disillusionment, legalism and even the abuse of others, as we relentlessly seek to prove and assert ourselves rather than relaxing in the security and certainty of family.

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Philosophie et théologie

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Publié par	Lion Hudson
Date de parution	22 juillet 2016
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9780857217608
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0350€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

Here s a book that sticks to the very basics of the message of our Lord Jesus Christ. I have known Peter for almost half a century and seen this message - that we need to find our identity in Christ alone - worked out in his life. I pray you will not just read it but give copies to others. Relevant, important, and biblical, it is urgently needed in the confusing and complex days in which we live. This has been the most important message in my life.
George Verwer, founder of Operation Mobilisation
In our culture, issues of personal identity and security are now the hot topics of pressing concern in a confused and unstable world. Drawing on a lifetime experience of Christian service and global leadership, Peter Maiden tackles these fundamental themes with his characteristic honesty, biblical clarity and practical wisdom. Very counter-cultural, challenging and encouraging!
Jonathan Lamb, minister-at-large, Keswick Ministries
An important book on a crucial theme from a deeply respected servant of the Lord. Peter Maiden draws on his wide experience to explore the liberating truth of who we are in Christ, as believers. His insights are important for all Christians and especially challenging for leaders.
John Risbridger, chair, Keswick Ministries
Contemporary culture has left many of us feeling unwanted, unloved and incompetent. If we find our identity in the passing opinions of our age then, eventually, we are likely to feel worthless. In this magnificent book, Peter Maiden gives us a whole fresh perspective on our identity. With a blend of the wisdom of experience and an extensive knowledge of scripture, he demonstrates our real worth and purpose in our identity in Christ. Brimming with encouragement, but laced with challenge, this is a book to transform lives.
Chris Sinkinson, Moorlands Bible College
Finding identity in Christ sounds great, but what does it actually mean? Building on the Rock offers down-to-earth answers. Peter Maiden shows how the Bible fizzes with contemporary relevance. But better than that, he shows how its message is truly liberating in our performance-obsessed culture.
Tim Chester, author of over 30 books.
I need ongoing, practical encouragement in keeping looking to Jesus, and to keep on finding my identity and sense of worth in Him. And I know I m not alone in this. Peter Maiden brings that encouragement to many, myself included. It s a delight to read this book, to walk alongside Peter, and to be pointed to Jesus. Whether you re new to the Christian faith, wondering if it s worth your attention, or a seasoned follower of Jesus, this book will warm and help you. Peter writes from a life-long journey of following Jesus, and finding his own identity in what Jesus has done. Here is a book shaped by years of living out of the promises of Scripture, in different places and in every kind of circumstance. It is a book which lifts my eyes from myself to a wonderful Lord, and which will do the same for you. I hope you cherish that prospect.
Matthew Sleeman, Oakhill College
Building on the Rock
FINDING YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST
Peter Maiden

Oxford UK, and Grand Rapids, USA
Text copyright 2016 Peter Maiden This edition copyright 2016 Lion Hudson
The right of Peter Maiden to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published by Monarch Books an imprint of Lion Hudson plc
Wilkinson House, Jordan Hill Road, Oxford OX2 8DR, England Email: monarch@lionhudson.com www.lionhudson.com/monarch
ISBN 978-0-85721-759-2 e-ISBN 978-0-85721-760-8
First edition 2016
Acknowledgments
Unless otherwise mentioned, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version Anglicised. Copyright 1979, 1984, 2011 Biblica, formerly International Bible Society. Used by permission of Hodder & Stoughton Ltd, an Hachette UK company. All rights reserved. NIV is a registered trademark of Biblica. UK trademark number 1448790.
Scripture quotations marked AV or KJV are from The Authorized (King James) Version. Rights in the Authorized Version are vested in the Crown. Reproduced by permission of the Crown s patentee, Cambridge University Press.
Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version (ESV ) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NASB are from the New American Standard Bible , Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations marked The Message are from The Message. Copyright by Eugene H. Peterson 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Cover image: Lion Hudson
Dedication
To Dan and Becks and the climb up Carrick Fell.
Contents

Acknowledgments
Chapter

1 Who Do You Think You Are?

2 Start From the Right Place

3 Who Do You Think You Were ?

4 The Evangelical Slave

5 Ball and Chain

6 Snow White

7 God s Masterpiece

8 Jesus and Identity

9 A New Creation

10 Extravagant Love

11 Let the Journey Begin

12 Parakaleo

13 Identity and Leadership

Conclusion
Acknowledgments

Thank you to Ali Hull, Commissioning Editor for Lion Hudson. She encouraged me to write the book, assured me when I was losing heart, and persisted with me to completion. Thanks, Ali! Thanks to my friend, Reverend Dr Matthew Sleeman of Oakhill College, and to copy-editor Drew Stanley: they both helped me greatly with their feedback.
CHAPTER ONE
Who Do You Think You Are?

Am I the sum of the things that I do? This was a rather urgent question for me as my sixty-fifth birthday drew near. I was the International Director of Operation Mobilisation. I had been chairman of the Keswick Convention. I had been co-chairman of the board of a Bible college, and on the board of a number of other Christian organizations. I had decided that I should stand down from all of these responsibilities by the time of my sixty-fifth birthday. Was there life without these positions? Did they make up my identity? Or was I gradually giving my identity away, role by role?
One of the organizations I was associated with held an annual get-together. As we arrived we all received the usual name tag. One year the designation on my tag was Chairman , the next year it was Trustee . And the year after that, it read Attendee . Was my life ebbing away?
Not quite. There was still my physical exercise. Approaching sixty-five, I was still running regularly, cycling, and working out at the gym. Runners love to tell the stories of their achievements, and their injuries! And the knees after a lifetime of running had begun to cry out for mercy. Would this soon be a thing of the past? One thing was surely secure. I was a husband, father of three, and grandfather of nine, and my family roles and responsibilities played a huge and wonderful part in my life.
Identity definers
Who are you? Are you the sum of the things you do? Is your life defined by your achievements? What if you can no longer do the things you used to? I have indicated some of the areas in my life which could so easily have defined my identity, and sadly sometimes did. There are so many others.
Your physical appearance can become your identity definer. If you were asked Who are you? , while you might not say I am a handsome man or a beautiful woman , that is what might matter most to you. Or it might be that you want to appear younger than you are - so that people think She s only forty when in fact she is over fifty. Huge amounts are spent on cosmetic surgeries, sometimes even on procedures that can threaten our long-term health. But still a quarter of all Brits admit to not feeling good about their looks.
What about the sportsperson who has had a goal to which everything must play second fiddle? I am thinking as I write of someone who was getting towards what we might call midlife, when he got into a demanding sport. I watched with real sadness as it gradually took him over. He wasn t happy in his job and his marriage wasn t strong, so improving his personal best in his chosen discipline became his identity definer, and quite obviously the basis of his self-worth.
For many people, the most important identity definer in their lives is their job, and the status it brings. I have known business and professional people for whom work, the growing of their business, or their career has been their identity definer. Marriages have come under severe strain, and even failed; children have felt as though they had no parents, certainly no parents who considered them to be a priority. An organization has been formed in the City of London called City Fathers. City Mothers has been going for some time and boasts over 3,000 members. The mastermind behind the two organizations says there is a great need to change the culture of the City. It is a culture where long working hours are the norm and the expected. I read of one couple where the father is an employment lawyer working up to sixty hours a week, attempting to juggle the care of his two young children with his wife, who is also a lawyer. Both of the children are in nursery from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day and a member of the nursery staff drives them home at the end of their day. Nearly half of 753 fathers surveyed by the organization described missing their children as their biggest daily challenge. Some 45 per cent described their work-life balance as less than satisfactory.
For many of us, being in a relationship is cru