Understanding Identity and Divine Purpose

Sep 23, 2024

Lecture Notes: "I Must Be Me"

Introduction

  • The message is based on Luke Chapter 2, focusing on Jesus' early life and teachings.
  • The speaker emphasizes the importance of understanding one's identity to fulfill one’s mission.

Key Themes

Revelation to Shepherds

  • Angels appeared to shepherds to reveal Jesus' birth, highlighting the importance of faithful shepherds.
  • Blessing for leaders and shepherds: Wisdom, revelation, and fruitfulness.

Jesus' Early Life

  • Visit to the Temple: Jesus, at 12, stays behind in the temple, engaging with teachers.
  • Response to Parents: Jesus expresses his need to be about his "Father's business," indicating an early sense of divine purpose.
  • Growth: Jesus grows in wisdom, stature, favor with God, and man.

Understanding Identity

  • Importance of Identity: Identity is crucial for fulfilling one's purpose. Knowing "who am I?" is more important than "what should I do?"
  • Identity and Mission: Paul discusses the relationship between identity and mission in Corinthians.
  • Self-Discovery: We discover successive versions of ourselves over time.

Development Process

  • Time in Between: Jesus spent 18 years preparing before starting his ministry.
  • Growth in Silent Years: Emphasizes the importance of preparation and growth before public ministry.

Messages from Previous Speakers

  • Collective Expression of God's Essence: Uniqueness contributes to collective identity and mission.
  • Message by Bishop and Pastor Sarah: The importance of following God to be made and sent.

Personal Transformation

  • From Son of Man to Son of God: Transition from Earthly identity to divine identity.
  • Leaving the Father's House: Abraham's journey as an analogy for leaving familiar environments to discover divine identity.
  • Cultural Influence: The impact of subculture and environment on identity.

Practical Implications

  • Testing of the Word: Like Joseph's journey, our personal 'word' or prophecy must be tested for us to fully realize it.
  • Favor with God and Man: Achieved through aligning closer with God’s image, impacting our effectiveness in the world.

Conclusion

  • Being a Word: We are created by the word and must realize our identity as the word to fulfill our destinies.
  • Importance of Personal Growth: Life experiences, including hardships, are necessary for personal development and the realization of one’s true identity.
  • Final Exhortation: Encouragement to embrace one's God-given identity fully for the collective upliftment of creation.

This lecture encourages a deep reflection on personal identity in relation to fulfilling one's divine mission and stresses the necessity of preparation and growth in one's journey.