Author: Merlin Erb

I believe we all possess an internal “homing device” similar as in animals such as birds, butterflies, salmon, etc. in which we as man subconsciously seek someone or something to worship. St Augustine says it well in his quote “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” There is no ultimate peace or satisfying fulfillment in life for man until this restless energy rests solely in accepting in faith Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and follow his teachings in Scripture with the appropriate obedient actions. Man with his inventions and selfish motives has buried, eradicated, and depressed his ability to enjoy this communion with the Trinity. I refer you to Ravi Zacharia’s book“Counterfeit gods” for greater details of this downward spiral in a culture lost in the “slough of despondency” as described in Pilgrim’s Progress, I believe to be the most published allegory ever in history.

An apology to you as readers is in order now as the basis for this whole post is based on a book likely none of you ever read, yet anyway. I first read it last November at the suggestion of my eldest son Ben to give me me further insights into considering a possible career as a Life Coach. It may seem unfair to have you read how this post now, about how this book has impacted my thinking and you don’t even have a clue what it’s about nor will I even attempt to summarize it.  Matthew Kelly has written many books and I have referenced several of them prior. This one, The Dream Manager, as for many who have read it, will tell you it permanently changes them, for the better, and again, I’ll not even try to summarize that phenomena.

When I finished the book, and was reflecting on the quick read as an allegory, I realized I too would never be the same. You already know of my auto accident September 18th and its spiritual significance. Now I am experiencing virtually another quantum leap by this Dream Manager book literally pouring gasoline on my flaming passion for teaching and enhancing communication skills at all levels for individuals of all ages, in business settings as well as in church revitalization. And Kelly has written more of similar consequence, the one I lean on heavily in the remainder of this post, is “The Seven Levels of Intimacy” as the primer for all communication skills. Ok, the apology is over and we’ll resume the effects of these two books. 

Perhaps you ask the question: Who, What, When, Where and How does one begin this “communion” or “encounter” with the Trinity, namely God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit? Traditionally, such an encounter can be as moving as Saul on the Damascus Road as recorded in Acts 9, or as abnormal as after an earthquake in a  Philippian jail found in Acts 16, or as strange as Howard Storm’s  NDE (near death experience) in a Paris Hospital while waiting for surgery transforming him from an avowed atheist tenured art professor to becoming a pastor as described in the “Imagine Heaven” book by John Burke. Or it can happen, as with me during 5^th grade summer Bible school one evening with my parents in our living room before I went up to bed, Better yet though, what is your story?

There is no scarcity of books being written for growing the Kingdom and I am sure Kelly is well aware his business books exhibit a unique dual message; spot on for secular business wisdom as well as a unique unspoken Christian foundation for life. Similarly, I believe Jesus’s ministry of love is exemplified best by being a “faith facilitator” as opposed to being a “dictator” when we consider practically how the Christian faith is to be effectively encountered, especially in this culture. So, how can we best fulfill Matthew 28 to “Go therefore and make disciples?” First, you must know the term “disciple” to me implies significantly more “interactive involvement,” going far beyond that merely of making “converts.”  

I see the initial action bottom line from The Dream Manager book as encouraging readers whether in the marketplace or a church, to first, just write down their dreams. Most people find this simple task very difficult. I also happen to believe the process of dreaming and the realization of those dreams as witnessed in Kelly’s allegory, are best achieved among people actively taking St Augustine serious when he said “our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

Persons satisfied living in the consequences of their poor choices whether in relationships, habits, addictions, finances, etc. are continually struggling to survive rather than thrive. Such people may laugh or scoff at dreamers until they too miraculously catch a glimpse of their restless hearts finding their spiritual rest. True, they may still be struggling to survive but now with a glimpse of rest, perhaps for the first time ever in their life, they can visualize Hope, the end result or the payoff, for “hearts resting in you!”

And in time, these little flames of Hope as found among these “hearts resting in you”  will transition from merely “struggling to survive” to “learning to thrive,” all accomplished by simply understanding the divine plan and allowing our built-in homing device to find our rest in you. And often Hope matured, ultimately leads to pure Joy. So simple, but yet, so very profound.

So just how does this happen? I believe ultimately Joy can be found because dreams when conceived in a loving and caring atmosphere emphasizing the Hope that lies within us, will then be verbalized & shared positively changing not only the dreams originators, but everyone else who hears and witnesses the transitions. In time, the circle enlarges to their friends and family and hopefully you too will be included as the dream facilitator.

In the book, Kelly solicited material dreams from the Admiral employees, and truth be told, the non-material dreams arrived later, though well before the fifth anniversary of the employees enjoying their initial success.  Did you notice how soon the successful dreamers realized, that it was imperative for them to share their vision with other employees and family including even grandchildren and great grandchildren? And true, initially it often was just for the“goodies” but I am detecting, the successful dreamers soon realized, there was something much bigger and rewarding here being played out though I’m not sure many of them could have verbally identified the dynamics of this process.

But then, let’s back up and just consider how often do we fully realize the scope of God’s blessings to us each and every day? Too often, I’m totally oblivious! The bottom line of our consideration for this post and of these two books is the social dynamic of the exuberant sharing of our dreams as certainly being worth our examination for strengthening the foundations of all communications as well as growing and maturing both business and kingdom efforts, expansions, and enterprises.

This is the moment I need to point out there is another dimension in this intricate communicative process that Matthew Kelly shares in his book “The Seven Levels of Intimacy” (TSLOI) where the seven are identified as Cliches; Facts; Opinions; Hopes & Dreams; Feelings; Faults, Fears, & Failures; and Legitimate Needs.

Closely related to and on the heels of these seven levels, Kelly offers us these eight Journeys that we may begin though generally we are not even aware we’ve begun or are in pursuit. But as we mature in our communication skills and later review our progress, we will realize we are indeed enjoying the fruits of our labors. For example, Kelly says these Journey’s will transport us from: the Shallow to the Deep; the Irrelevant to the Relevant; the Illegitimate Desires to Legitimate Needs; Judgement to Acceptance;  Fear to Courage; False Self to True Self; Loneliness to Profound Companionship; and Isolation to Unity. Note how the above transitions of process “flesh out” the TSLOI. By connecting the dots of these forms of communication as outlined above, participants pursuing either their personal or corporate dreams whether in the marketplace or the church, I predict will eventually realize “our hearts were restless until they found their rest in you.”   

At this point I need to share some church history rather than more dream allegory. Yes, Peter preached and and on one day three thousand were saved. In recent centuries in this country, we’ve experienced such revivals. Perhaps on certain continents this still occurs. And I fully believe God could do it tomorrow in North America if he so chose.  As always the question on the table right now is what are we to do or be right now in response to the Great Commission? There is an unparalleled opportunity here for the church to grow, especially in a culture such as ours fraught with the pain of abuse whether racism, sexual, family, or even being denied housing, health care, employment or educational opportunities, etc. not even to mention the media circus that relentlessly pervades our lives socially and politically.

However, an “unparalleled opportunity for the church to grow” is not what I’m hearing and reading about in and around church circles today. I hear of “hospice care” for aging congregations, dwindling youth numbers, even now the “maturing” of congregants, formerly the financial backbone of a congregation, whom are loosing interest and no longer attending regularly. Neither have I mentioned the lack of Hope and Joy so readily observed I’m told,in nearly every congregation. Dying social clubs are really hard to maintain, let alone revive. This paragraph provides more than enough “example” of what we are being led to believe today is the “new reality” for the church now and into the beyond.

May I suggest an alternative to the above disparity and gloom? Simplistically the difference is whether you see your glass as half full or half empty. Truthfully, it is that simple. It is all in our perspective. The trillion dollar question though is what has happened to our Christian perspective? Either on the corporate organizational level or even sadder, for the individual congregant faithful all his life but now spiritually lonely without joy? How did we evidently get so corrupted so quickly? You may say it happened almost like a computer virus; suddenly it just appeared! Actually, not! Scripture has been predicting this falling away. We have been derailed by a host of devilish “good” ideas on many fronts, rather than now focusing specifically on “God,” and abiding in His word and offering our obedient actions as we worship Jesus, our King.1

I hear you saying, ‘Merlin, come on now. It will take much more than merely perspective to revitalize the church.’ Yes and No. Yes as said by Francis Chan in his book ‘Letters to the Churches’ on pg. 48 when he says “it is imperative that we differentiate between what we want and what God commands. Not that desires are all bad, but they must take a back seat to what He emphasizes.” Consider Paul’s words from I Cor 1:17 “For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, less the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.” Continuing in I Cor 2:1-5 “And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

Continuing in this vein, I quote Chan again on Pg. 52 “We’re not doing people any favors by pretending they are at the center of the universe. Either people will be awed by the sacred or they will not. If the sacred is not enough, then it is clear that the Spirit has not done a work in their lives. If the sheep don’t hear his voice, let them walk away. Don’t call out with your voice. By catering our worship to the worshippers and not to the Object of our worship, I fear we have created human-centered churches … Many of us make decisions based on what brings us the most pleasure. This is how we choose our homes, jobs, cars, clothes, food, and yes, even churches …. In essence, we want to know what God will tolerate rather than what he desires….Ignorance feels better than disobedience … Scripture is to be our starting point, not desire or tradition … What would please God most?”  

So yes, we may have much to change, but first we must understand God’s desire for our worship and then change accordingly. No, as I said prior it is quite simple, largely perspective. Let me begin by stating I find most Christians are quite negative in their outlook on life except for maybe that hour or two on Sunday when they show up in church. Let’s assume you get can get a significant discussion started about technology and our culture,  and I virtually guarantee you the average Christian over 50 will remind you of our country’s “glory days,” the rampant loss of morals, lack of integrity, etc. and all the negatives they are against. Seldom if ever, do we hear what really excites them about the opportunities Christians have today to be a positive witness for Jesus Christ on so many fronts. What a glorious time indeed it is to be alive and be faith facilitator!

Do you understand better now what I’m getting at when I say it’s largely perspective? Unfortunately, the prevalent doom and gloom in the minds and attitudes of many Christians when not within the walls of the church, whether subconscious or overt, is too often a spiritual downer to everyone these negative Christians  meet. This scenario is not scriptural nor desirable at all. Such negativity comes either from the negative influence of culture, or individual spiritual laziness and the subsequent lack of empowerment. I compare this negativity much like traveling to new surroundings without the comfort of GPS whereas the empowered  faith facilitators are totaling enjoying their guided trip within their spheres of influence.

I pray you enjoy your discipleship journey into your uncharted waters until “your restless heart rests in Him.” As said prior, this will be a Journey through the Seven Levels of Intimacy and then progressing from the:

Shallow to the Deep,

Irrelevant to the Relevant,

Illegitimate Desires to Legitimate Needs,

Judgement to Acceptance,

Fear to Courage,

False Self to True Self,

Loneliness to Profound Companionship,

And Isolation to Unity!      

These eight destinations deserve your mental “savoring,” then dreaming, and if you do get inspired, YOU will want to read the book and then implement the ten steps at the end, getting you well down the road towards becoming Kelly’s best-possible-version-of-yourself while helping others become the-best-possible-version-of-themselves as well!

Blessings as you too begin to dream about becoming the-best-possible-version-of-you in the peace and rest only God can provide as YOU GO FORTH FACILITATING DISCIPLES>>>>          Merlin

Today I was recapping this chapter for a friend about to undertake a review of her company’s Strategic Plan, apparently a task requiring considerable personal time reading the materials provided prior to team meetings, etc. I find this book by Matthew Kelly, the Culture Solution: A Practical Guide to Building a Dynamic Culture So People Love Coming to Work and Accomplishing Great Things Together, captivating because both of its freshness and applicability to such a wide audience. Few of us have been corporate managers (actually Kelly prefers the term leaders, not managers, because that is precisely what is often missing) but we all do influence and ultimately determine the “flavor of our culture,” the immediate environment and the atmosphere about us, and today, way, way beyond our proximity as never before, and to think it’s happening  24/7/365…

So why this post now? Well, perhaps it’s because I am continually amazed at how God designed the lives of His Spirit empowered children to be so joyfully connected and broadly encompassed in fellowship on so many fronts; and then I am equally amazed at how the ultimately defeated Evil One, (who when coming against we the empowered, doesn’t have a leg to stand on), so successfully twists and misconstrues all that God has created for our enjoyment into idols merely for our entrapment and ultimate destruction. The culture promoted by the Evil One that you and I battle every day is not desirous of seeing you and I become the-best-version-of-ourselves, nor necessarily our businesses become the-best-version-of-themselves either. He quite frankly wants all of us to join him, eternally!

You know today culture is huge! Don’t kid yourself. Perhaps that is why Kelly devoted 46 pages in Chapter Four to Dynamic Culture. In this post, I have only touched on 8 of those pages. The second longest chapter is Five and is titled “It All Starts With Hiring.” And isn’t that the truth, as many of you can testify. Actually, I have read this book more from the perspective of Christian Outreach, Church Revitalization, and insight for my Personal Strategic Plan (PSP) and it is loaded with spiritual value, but I warn you, there isn’t one Bible verse quoted that I recall. Prove me wrong.  

Beginning on page 95.

“When Peter Drucker said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast,” the comment wasn’t intended to undermine the importance of strategy. Strategy is incredibly important. You cannot overestimate its importance, and that’s what makes the quote so powerful.

The very idea that something else was anywhere near as important as strategy initially stunned people. The statement was arresting. When it was first heard it would have felt like a category 6 earthquake to any organizational management expert. It is more relevant today than ever before, giving the growing dysfunction of employees personal lives. Whether Drucker said it or not, if he were alive today, he would probably say, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”

It is essential to understand that the more dysfunctional people’s lives become, the more critical healthy corporate cultures become. People do bring all the joy and misery of their personal lives to work. A Dynamic Culture needs to be able to absorb the dysfunction of people’s personal lives in a way that allows them to still perform their work at a high level. This is an incredibly complex thought, and one that I usually would not even include. It’s a topic someone should write a doctoral thesis on. It needs to be said, understood, and acted upon. Or we can continue to hide behind the nonsensical excuse that this is not a corporate responsibility. In nirvana that is true, but it’s probably best if we stay as closely connected to reality as possible.

Warning: if you are not in a leadership position, you may be tempted to check out now, thinking the topic of strategy doesn’t matter to your role. Please don’t make that mistake.

In the opening of the book I wrote: Too many books are written just for leaders; as a result, the message never makes it all the way through the organization. That’s why I specifically set out to write this book for everyone in your organization.

If you are not in a leadership role, there are dozens of reasons you should keep reading, but let me just give you the single most compelling reason. You may not have a leadership role in the business you work for but the most important business of your life is the business of your life itself. Anything you learn about corporate strategy should teach you to live your own life more strategically. Great businesses have Strategic Plans and they update them at least once a year.

The biggest project or venture you are running is your life. Do you have a plan? Most people don’t. They are just stumbling from one year to the next, hoping for the best. That is merely an observation, not a judgment. More than most, I have seen how brutal ordinary life can be, even in the suburbs of American cities. At the same time I want to encourage you to start developing a Personal Strategic Plan (PSP). The point is simple. Strategy and planning are important for organizations, and even more important for our lives and yet, most people spend more time planning their annual vacation than they spend planning their lives.

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” The maxim does not mean strategy doesn’t matter. There is no point having an exceptional culture and no strategy. And your organization will not withstand bad strategic decisions, regardless of how strong and healthy your culture is. But when you have a solid strategy, developing a Dynamic Culture is like adding steroids.

Is culture more important than strategy? There is obviously no point having the best culture in the world if you have a horrible strategy, and vice versa. Our goal should be to build a world class culture to execute a best-in-industry strategy.

So, the first point is: A great strategic plan can make all the difference. If you don’t have one, get one. If you have one, start using it. We will talk more about how to do that most effectively in the coming chapters.

The second point is: Where is culture in the plan? Most organizations leave it out. They focus on sales and marketing, manufacturing and sourcing, financial reports and the new product development, and other such things. But if you raise your hand when the plan is finished and say, “We say the culture is important and that we are committed to building a strong and healthy culture, but where is culture in our Strategic Plan?” you are likely be greeted by a very, very awkward silence.

Culture deserves a place in everything your organization does. Your organization deserves it. And not just any place – a primary place, a driving place. Everything your organization does affects culture, and culture affects everything your organization does. Culture should have a seat of honor at every planning meeting. Tape a sign that reads “Culture” to an empty chair and put that chair in place of honor at meetings. When it comes to culture, we either need to get serious or shut up and stop talking about it. But be warned, there are dire consequences to the latter and we have already seen how empty culture talk impacts employee and customer engagement.

A good Strategic Plan brings confidence to the culture. Confidence – now, that is something people can smell on their leaders. No amount of perfume or cologne can overshadow that smell. It is impossible to overestimate what that confidence means to an organization. Have you ever been around an elite athlete who has lost his or her confidence after an injury? It’s not pretty. Everyone around him is on eggshells in the gym, on the field, in the cafeteria…

Great cultures are confident and humble at the same time. They are so confident, they don’t need pretense, and so they very naturally embrace humility. A great product, service, leader, and strategy can all contribute to building confidence in an organization, but it is the culture that sustains organizational confidence.

Does strategy matter? Of course it does. It matters a great deal. But whatever your product or service is, whatever your strategy is, whatever your goals and mission are, nothing is more essential in accomplishing them than a strong, healthy, vibrant Dynamic Culture. We have to stop seeing culture as something that is at odds with strategy. They should be best friends. By forming strong connections between strategy and culture, and making Mission King (Chapter Two), you give everyone a clear sense of the what, the how, and the why.

The quintessential question is: Will culture be part of our strategy, or will strategy be part of our culture? The answer is both. It is not a one-way street.

Mission is King and both strategy and culture serve it. Strategy is a short-term way an organization accomplishes its mission. Culture should be included in every Strategic Plan. If you separate culture from strategy, you run the risk of culture going rogue and usurping the mission of the organization.

Who you are is infinitely more important than what you do. This is true for people and organizations. Wise organizations allow who they are to determine what they do. Strong, healthy, dynamic, and enduring organizations adopt strategies that are a natural extension of their mission and culture. Strategy is what they do, mission and culture is who they are.

This powerful alignment of culture and strategy will create a competitive advantage of monumental proportions. An organization that takes this single idea seriously dominates its competition in attracting talent. An organization where Mission is King and culture is central is so much stronger, healthier, more vibrant, and more dynamic than its competition. This type of organization deals with challenges and conflict in a very different way than its competition. And perhaps most convincingly, in a world where the speed of change has become immeasurable, an organization that makes Mission King and forms this powerful alliance between culture and strategy deals with change infinitely more effectively than its competition. The most obvious example of this is that everyone is not waiting around for the king to make the decisions about everything. As a culture matures in healthy and effective ways, more people are empowered to make more and more decisions.

For too long, and in too many organizations of every type, culture has been considered the weak, unprofitable, distracting little brother to strategy. Not so. Real strength, enduring profitability, extraordinary employee engagement, and the next great idea that carries your organization in the future are so much more likely to flow from a Dynamic Culture. The little brother has grown up and it turns out he is a genius. His name is Dynamic Culture.

Every organization needs a strategic plan. Napoleon reportedly said, “Those who fail to plan can plan to fail.“ He was right, but he failed anyway. Great plans spring forth from Dynamic Cultures. Napoleon had the wrong vision and values. He was culturally bankrupt. He wouldn’t have been able to run a fast-food restaurant, let alone a nation. We are talking about a man who re-instituted slavery just eight years after it had been abolished; divorced his wife because she didn’t give birth to a son; deprived women of their individual rights; rigged elections to continue his dictatorial regime; censored and then took control of the press; was self-congratulatory; sacrificed the lives of 500,000 men to invade Russia even after his advisers warned him that would be the cost; a man who said, “I care only for people who are useful to me – and only so long as they are useful.”

Napoleon had a plan, but his strategy was self-serving and his culture was sick because his values were sick. These are just some of the reasons he failed. It is not enough just to have a plan. It is not enough just to have a strategy, even if it is a good one. Without a Dynamic Culture you are susceptible to failure. Sooner or later, a competitor will emerge who integrates mission, strategy and culture, and that competitor will crush all others.

Every organization needs a strategic plan, and part of that plan should be the creation and the growth of a dynamic culture. Your first Strategic Plan can be simple, but let it be driven by who you are (values and culture) and not just what you do or how you do it (strategy).”

Merlin writing now, so as I reflect on the above paragraphs, I considered changing the subtitle word “work” to “church,” making it read “So People Would Love Coming to Church and Accomplishing Great Things Together!” Actually, that book is already written and is known as the Bible and is our Strategic Plan. Unlike corporate America, virtually everyone has a copy but still few possess a working knowledge of its contents and we need not worry about performing the annual updates.

However, maintaining a Dynamic Culture from this book, the Bible, has been quite problematic in the past two centuries in Western Europe and North America with a negative correlation between wealth and self-centered higher education, whereas on other continents, once it’s introduced, are developing their Christian Culture rapidly and the plan is flourishing!

I am reminded of the word “entitlement”, which I first recall in my use in ’75 in the social services realm when I worked briefly in “comprehensive health planning.” The word “entitlement” now is even part of the North American church culture, not perhaps overtly, but individually we all struggle with rationalizing our extravagant lifestyles compared to 95% of the world. So much so, that we become spiritually out of tune, tempted to think our culture and our goodness is sufficient, and perhaps, we are not even capable of verbalizing our personal mission, let alone have we ever committed our Strategic Plan to paper with our spouse and family. And to think I have been pointing fingers at businesses that are not communicating with their employees! What have I been doing under my roof? So what effect does this “spiritual ignorance, actually disobedience”  have on me, my family, church, and the subsequent culture dynamics? Likely not much different than in the business world. Perhaps Hospice Care follows entitlement. Sounds better than the Revelation scenario.

Seriously, how many Bibles do you have? Including access on phones and computers? How many times have you read it through? Do you read it frequently? Do you study it sufficiently to even check translations? See how similar the constituents of churches and businesses are? If you are a Christian and own a business today, you need this book. If you are an employee, ask to borrow your employers copy. If he doesn’t have one, buy him one but read it first. That is real “entitlement!” Blessings as you reflect on writing your Strategic Personal Plan and share it around your table. Then you will be “entitled” to watch the Dynamic Culture take shape and new life come forth>>>>       Merlin  

Congratulations! You’ve persevered through the three prior posts of these admonitions from Paul to finding the ever illusive path to true Christian joy. I remember well the flood of freedom that swept over me when I first envisioned and understood the importance of becoming a gospel-humble person in my spirit, soul and body, my heart mind and will, borrowing from John Eldredge in Moving Mountains. I’m praying now for even greater revelations for you.

How did Paul get this blessed self-forgetfulness? He does tell us – but we have to look carefully. First he says, ‘I don’t care what you think; but I don’t care what I think.’ In other words, he does not look to them for the verdict nor, does he look to himself for the verdict. Then he says ‘My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent’. The word translated ‘innocent’ comes the word ‘justify’. The word for ‘justify’ is the same one he uses throughout Romans and Galatians. Here Paul is saying that even if his conscience is clear, that does not justify him.

What Paul is looking for, what Madonna is looking for, what we are all looking for, is an ultimate verdict that we are important and valuable. We look for that ultimate verdict every day in all the situations and people around us. And that means that every single day, we are on trial. Everyday, we put ourselves back in a courtroom. But do you notice how Paul says that he does not care what the Corinthians think of him or what any human court thinks? It is odd that he is talking about courts – after all the Corinthians are not a court. He is talking metaphorically, I think. And he is saying that the problem with self esteem – whether it is high or low – is that every single day, we are in the courtroom. Every single single day we are on trial. That is the way everyone’s identity works. In the courtroom, you have the prosecution and the defense. And everything we do is providing evidence for the prosecution or evidence for the defense. Some days we feel we are winning the trial and other days we feel we are losing it. But Paul says that he has found the secret. The trial is over for him. He is out of the courtroom. It is gone. It is over. Because the ultimate verdict is in.

Now how could that be? Paul put it very simply. He knows that they cannot justify him. He knows that he cannot justify himself. And what does he say? He says that it is the Lord who judges him. It is only His opinion that counts.

Do you realize that it is only in the gospel of Jesus Christ that you get the verdict before the performance? The atheist might say that they get their self-image from being a good person. They are a good person and they hope that eventually they will get a verdict that confirms that they are a good person. Performance leads to the verdict. For the Buddhist too, performance leads to the verdict. If you a Muslim, performance leads to a verdict. All this means that every day, you are in the courtroom, every day you are on trial. That is the problem. But Paul is saying that in Christianity, the verdict leads to performance. It is not the performance that leads to the verdict. In Christianity, the moment we believe, God says ‘This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.’ Or take Romans 8:1 which says ‘Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’. In Christianity, the moment we believe, God imputes Christ’s perfect performance to us as if it were our own, and adopts us into his family. In other words, God can say to us just as He once said to Christ, ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’You see, the verdict is in. And now I perform on the basis of the verdict. Because he loves me and accepts me, I do not have to do things just to build up my resume. I do not have to do things to make me look good. I can do things for the joy of doing them. I can help people to help people – not so I can feel better about myself, not so I can fill up the emptiness.

With every other form of identity and every other ‘badge’ or accolade we might award ourselves, it is always the case of the verdict coming from the performance. We might find security in labeling ourselves a good person, a free person, a religious person, a moral person. Whatever it is, it is always the same: performance leads to the verdict. But the verdict never comes. Madonna said so, and she should know. Madonna has done things that you and I are never going to do – and it is still not enough. Madonna has heaps of talent, she has tremendous guts. But even Madonna, despite everything she has done, says that she has still not found the ultimate verdict she is looking for. The performance never gets the ultimate verdict.

But in Christianity, the verdict can give you the performance. Yes, the verdict can give you the performance. How can that be? Here is Paul’s answer: He is out of the courtroom, he is out of the trial. How? Because Jesus Christ went on trial instead. Jesus went into the courtroom. He was on trial. It was an unjust trial in a kangaroo court – but he did not complain. Like the lamb before the shearers, He was silent. He was struck, beaten, put to death. Why? As our substitute. He took the condemnation we deserve; He faced the trial that should be ours so we do not have to face any more trials. So I simply need to ask God to accept me because of what the Lord Jesus has done. Then, the only person whose opinion counts looks at me and He finds me more valuable than all the jewels in the earth.    

How can we worry about being snubbed now? How can we worry about being ignored now? How can we care that much about what we look like in the mirror?

Let me say a word to those for whom this is all new. You may wished you believed this. Here is what I would say – some people have never understood the difference between Christian identity and any other kind of identity. They would call themselves a Christian, they consider their behavior to be on the upper end of the scale, they go to church and they hope that one day God will take them home. Let me say that Christian identity operates totally differently from any other kind of identity. Self-forgetfulness takes you out of the courtroom. The trial is over. The verdict is in. Perhaps that is new to you. Keep looking. Keep digging. Keep asking questions. There is a lot to discover. I have covered a lot of ground in a short space. There are lots of pieces of the jigsaw to put together – why did Jesus have to die? Why did He rise from the dead? Was He really the Son of God? Keep looking until you understand the whole picture.

But maybe you are in a different position – you believe the gospel; you have done so for years. But … and it is a big ‘but’ … every day you find yourself sucked back into the courtroom. You do not feel you are living like Paul says. You are getting sucked back in. All I can tell you is that we have to re-live the gospel every time we pray. We have to re-live it every time we go to church. We have to re-live the gospel on the spot and ask ourselves what we are doing in the courtroom. We should not be there. The court is adjourned.

Like Paul, we can say, ‘I don’t care what you think. I don’t even care what I think. I only care what the Lord thinks.’ And he has said, ‘Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’, and ‘You are my beloved child in whom I am well pleased’. Live out of that.

Thoughts & Questions For Reflection

If you are new to Christianity, why not read the Gospel of Mark and ask God to show you the truth about Jesus – particularly His death on the cross. If you know any Christians, perhaps you could ask them to talk to about it.

Or you may use the words of Psalm 139 in prayer. Ask God to show you your heart. Ask him to show you the places you look for self-worth and the ways you try to find your sense of identity.

‘Search me, O God, and know my heart; and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:23,24

Could you explain to someone else how the gospel can (and should) transform our sense of identity? How much do you experience that transformed sense of identity? In what way’s has God’s Word encouraged you or challenged you? Pray about it.

Pray that God would give you what you need to enable you to develop true gospel-humility and the freedom of self-forgetfulness.

In addition, I suggest two of his many books for greater clarity, The Reason For God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism, and Making Sense of God : Finding God in the Modern World.        Blessings As YOU GO FORTH>>>>                           Merlin