As If It Were So

Identity determines behavior; who you are determines what you do, and a changed identity changes how we live. Religion is focused on changing how people behave, but God cares about changing what people believe. In this message, Pastor John Stickl teaches us that to believe something is to act as if it were so. Our behaviors will always reveal what we truly believe. Do you just say you believe you are free, or do you act as if it's so? Once we actually believe that we have a restored identity, a reconciled relationship, and a redeemed purpose, we act as if it's so by living like a beloved son or daughter, and by rebuilding, restoring, and renewing the areas of life we have been entrusted to. Once we've been touched by the grace of Jesus, we become part of the mission of Jesus. Once we have the life of God in us, we become lighthouses for anyone who is lost in the darkness. What a privilege! So today, Jesus is inviting us to believe. Because once we believe, we act as if it's so, and that's how we carry the life and the light of Jesus to the world around us. It's how we carry hope and change our world!