Poopy Baby or Child of the King?

People walked for miles to come to today's meetings for 2 reasons: 1) they want to be there, and 2) there is a severe fuel shortage in eastern Kenya. Please pray that Francis will be able to find enough fuel to buy so they can make it back to Nairobi in a few days. Perhaps God knew that Neil would be teaching on faith today. He began by helping people see how they see things affects their level of faith.

How Does God See Himself?

In the Bible, God called himself by various names so people would understand God's qualities. Here are a few of God's names we might have heard:

Our Provider

And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen. Genesis 22:14

I Am (I exist)

And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus, shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. Exodus 3:14

Our Healer

He said, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you." Exodus 15:26

Our Banner

 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi Exodus 17:15

The One Who Makes us Holy

"Say to the Israelites, 'You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy. Exodus 31:13   

Our peace

Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites. Judges 6:24

How Do We See Ourselves? (Poopy Baby or Child of the King?)

It is a travesty that some define themselves as only a sinner saved by grace. We are God’s beloved children. Are we sinners, saved by grace? Yes, but that is not the identity God has given us. Picture a dad playing with his infant child that he has adopted. We wouldn't think of saying, "Oh what a poopy baby" in front of the new adoptive father! We would be free with compliments like, "What an adorable child!", "So precious!" "How sweet!" Even more so, our Heavenly Father absolutely loves us. He sent our older brother Jesus to die for us. We inherited our older brothers rightful place with God when we accepted Jesus- “This is my beloved son, whom I love.” We are “seated with Christ in the heavenly realms”.  However, the goal is to grow beyond the “child-phase” to the “adult-phase”. Paul was not a self-centered brat. He illustrated how to be an adult son of God. Paul endured stoning and shipwrecks for the privilege of sharing Jesus with others. Paul knew Jesus' blood had washed away all of his sin, and from that place of right standing with God, Paul had confidence to face even death to bring others to heaven through their trust in Jesus' finished work on the cross.

How God perceives others. 

There are two categories of “others”. One is the family of God. We are called to love them as brothers and sisters. The other is those outside the family of God who have not yet received Jesus as their Lord/Master. Jesus died for them too. As we work beside the master, He imparts his heart for the lost to us. People who never witness or who do not sacrificially love their brothers and sisters in Christ are missing the perspective of God. When we see the unsaved through God's eyes, we begin to be filled with an intense longing for them to be with Jesus in heaven for eternity. Telling them about Jesus is no longer more difficult than butchering a chicken. It becomes as necessary as breathing, and the more we share about Jesus the more normal it becomes.