Living As a New Creation - Who do You say that I am (Wk. 3) (2)

In one paragraph

This message was the continuation of a series on identity in Christ, focused on what it looks like in practice to stop just hearing about our new nature and actually begin to own it. Amy walked through the difference between body, soul, and spirit, and then gave twelve concrete steps for aligning daily life with who God says we are. The session was as much a working exercise as a teaching. Amy...

Read together

1. Isaiah 43:1 God calling Jacob by his old name and then speaking his new identity as Israel, used to illustrate how God both created and forms us into our true identity
2. Romans 8:1-6 read aloud to show that there is no condemnation in Christ and that letting the spirit control the mind leads to life and peace rather than death
3. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 read to show that where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom and that beholding the Lord transforms us from glory to glory into his image
4. 2 Corinthians 3:16 read as the lead-in verse before 17-18, noting that when someone turns to the Lord the veil is taken away
5. Ephesians 4:21-24 read to show the two-part call to throw off the old sinful nature and put on the new nature created to be like God
6. Hebrews 4:12 cited to show that the Word of God cuts between soul and spirit and exposes innermost thoughts and desires
7. James 3:2 cited to support the importance of the tongue, noting that controlling the tongue means controlling the whole body
8. Matthew 12:34 cited to show that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, used to help identify what is in the heart by what comes out of the mouth
9. John 15 referenced to illustrate that a branch connected to the vine will bear much fruit as a promise of fruitfulness when we stay connected to Christ
10. 1 Corinthians 13 the love chapter rewritten in first person as declarations of identity, used as a practical tool for speaking who God says we are
11. Ephesians 3:20 cited to encourage dreaming with God, noting that His power at work in us accomplishes infinitely more than we might ask or think
12. Ephesians 1:18 cited as Paul praying that the eyes of the Ephesians hearts would be flooded with light to understand the hope and inheritance God has given them
13. John 16:33 cited as Jesus saying in this world you will have trouble but rejoice for He has overcome the world, used to counter the pull of fear

Talk about it

1. Amy walked through the exercise of listing your body, soul, and spirit attributes separately. What did you notice when you tried to tell the difference between what your soul says about you and what God says about you in your spirit?
2. Amy read from Isaiah 43:1 and pointed out that God addressed Jacob by his old name before speaking to him as Israel, the identity God had given him. Is there an 'old name' or old identity you find yourself slipping back into, and how does it feel when God calls you by your new one?
3. Romans 8:6 says that letting the spirit control your mind leads to life and peace, while letting the sinful nature control your mind leads to death. Amy said we become what we behold. What are some of the things you find yourself beholding most, and what effect have you noticed that having on you?
4. Amy described three levels of learning: knowledge, revelation, and experience, and said the deepest change comes through walking truth out in real life. Can you think of something you have known or even received as revelation for a long time that only became truly yours when you had to live it out?
5. Amy said your future is directly connected to your identity, and that if you do not accept your new identity in Christ you will never fully walk out God's plan for your life. Looking at the twelve practical steps she listed, which one feels most urgent or most difficult for you right now, and why?