Pastor Rayfield’s Blog

I believe the time has come when the body of Christ must be awaken and shake itself out of the spiritual amnesia it has endured for many years.  Spiritual amnesia means we who are believers have forgotten or never learned who we really are in Christ Jesus.  The church has been through a period of slumber, half asleep and barely awake.  We have experienced a period of lost identity.  We are redeemed, but too often we act like we are still in bondage.  Romans 5:12 says, Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and this way death came to all men, because all sinned.  The apostle Paul tells us in this portion of scripture that through Adam’s transgression all of us received the fallen nature of Adam.  The Bible teaches us that by nature we are all sinners.  We were all in bondage and deserved the judgment brought by our sins; and the penalty for sin which is death.  David said in Psalms 51:5, Behold I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.  And again in Psalms 58:3, he said that, even from birth the wicked go astray, from the womb they are wayward and speak lies.  The point is this, that all of us started life as lost sinners without hope.  We sinned because it was our nature to sin.  This is why the scriptures say that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. 

But thank God for His Son, Jesus Christ.  2 Corinthians 5:21, says, For he hath made Him to be sin for us,  who knew no sin; that might be made the righteousness of God in him.  Jesus, the son of God changed our spiritual DNA.  He transformed us, the redeemed, from sinners to saints.  Jesus Christ through the work of the Holy Spirit has given us a new identity.  Outwardly in the physical realm I may look the same, but inwardly a spiritually transformation has taken place.  In my heart I now love God and I love the people of God.  Being in Christ means that my desires have changed.  I now want to serve and please God the Father, and let His will be done in my life.   I am no longer in Adam but I am now in Christ.  According to Acts 17:28, For in Him we live, and move and have our being.  Also, the apostle states in Ephesians 2:6, that God has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.  In the realm of the spirit, we who are saints are positional in Christ.  For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones (Eph. 5:30)

Thus, what is my identity in Christ?  First, I am a new creation in Christ Jesus which has been given eternal life.  God is my Father and Jesus is my lord and savior.  I am a part of the body of Christ and I have been redeemed by the blood of the lamb; set apart and filled with the Holy Ghost.  I have eternal fellowship with God through Jesus Christ my elder brother.  I am a part of the church and my name is already written in the Lamb’s book of life.

I am in Christ, and being such, I have been made an heir and a joint heir with Christ Jesus of the Kingdom of God.  I am, and you are what the word of God says that we are.  We are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that should show forth the praises of Him who hath called us out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).  By faith this is my identity in Christ.

This month our theme is: Identity in Christ.  Certainly the time has come when the church the body of Christ must begin to assert itself and establish its identity.  Plainly said, we believers in Jesus Christ must know who we truly are. We are blood bought; we are Spirit filled; regenerated and redeem by Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary’s cross.  2 Corinthians 5:17 says, Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away and behold all things are become new.  This is one of my favorite scriptures.  First let me focus on the in Christ part.  What does it mean to be in Christ?  In order to understand this phrase we must understand that it is a spiritual phenomenon. 

Jesus said in John 3:3, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.  Being born again is a spiritual thing as well.  To be born again is to repent of your sin and turn to God through Jesus Christ.  To be in Christ is to embrace the cross or rather what was done on the cross by Jesus Christ.  Not only do you receive salvation, but your Spirit man becomes alive.  To be in Christ is to allow the Holy Spirit to do a work of transformation and regeneration.  Regeneration has to do with recreating or changing my spiritual DNA.  The Holy Spirit quickens our spirit and we become alive in Christ. The apostle Paul said, old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.  Being in Christ means a transformation of the heart takes place.

Every born again believer receives at the moment of conversion a new heart.  Also, we are spiritually taken out of Adam’s DNA and we receive by faith the DNA of Christ.  This is why we are called Christians (to be like Christ).  Through this process eternal life from God Himself is imparted into the believers’ heart.  This is what makes us new creatures in Christ Jesus.  We can never develop into the fullness of what God intended for us, unless we truly know who we are in Christ.  It is time for the church to be delivered from its spiritual amnesia of the Dark Ages.  It is time to transition from the old life of sin and rebellion to a new life of obedience to Jesus Christ.  John the beloved writes, Behold what manner of love the father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God:  therefore the world knows us not, because it knew Him not (1 John 3:1).  We must stop allowing the world to define us, because the world does not really know who we are.  Until Christ returns, we who are believers are estranged from the world.  All of mankind owe its existence to God, but all of is not in the kingdom of God; all human beings are not the children of God.  I am a child of God because I have been redeemed by the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  I have and you have been made a joint heir with Christ Jesus through a divine act of God.  To be in Christ means that you have become a new person with the divine nature of God.  The Holy Spirit lives inside of us and our bodies have become the temple of God.

During the very difficult and trying times of today, I am reminded of two particular verses of scripture found in Matthew, chapter 5.  Jesus is speaking to his disciples.  This portion of scripture is often referred to as the Sermon on the Mount; The Beatitudes.  In verse 13, He says, ” Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt has lost his savor, where with shall it be salted”?   Hence forth good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the foot of man”.  As you know, salt in the natural is a food preserver and a seasoning.  In times of old, and before refrigeration, salt was used to preserve meats, and to change the flavor of whatever foods it came in contact with.  Thus, a major characteristic of salt is that it has the ability to change whatever it touches.

 But Jesus is using salt as an analogy.  He says to his disciples, you are like salt; you are to change your environment and those around you.  It is a truth that no one who ever comes into real contact with Jesus remains the same.  We are (believers) Christ’s ambassadors in the earth today and we are to reflect the same kind of influence upon those we encounter.  Our outlook on current conditions should not be the same as those who know not the living God.  We should not be speaking as those with no hope.  We should not look to the arm of the flesh but to the promises of God, for our deliverance.  We are not moved by what we see and hear, but by the word of God.  If you listen to the voices of man instead of the promises of God, you are like the salt that has lost its savor.  When you confess the same rhetoric the world confesses, you become like the world, and you are no longer useful to the Kingdom of God.  No Christian can afford to become cynical or faithless.  The use of salt is always for the betterment of what it touches.  Remember also, that as a man thinks in his heart, so is he.  We can choose to believe God or we can believe the voices of mankind.  If you lose your saltiness (your faith in God) you are good for nothing, but the Bible commands us to have faith in God (Mark 11:22).

Jesus also referred to his disciple as lights.  He said, “Ye are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid”.  The main characteristic of light is that it expels darkness.  Needless to say, there is a lot of darkness in the world today.  The darkness is the evil that men do to one another; it is the lack of love and concern for others; it is also disobedience to God’s laws.  Since the Fall, darkness is in the heart of every one of us.  Jesus confessed that He was the light of the world, and He has given that light to us.  Matthew 5:16, says “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven”.  People all over the world are looking for true light and we who love and trust God have it.  It is on the inside of us and this is the hour we need let it shine, not only for ourselves, but for those who live in darkness. Today more than ever, others need to see our light.  The only light that can distinguish the darkness of this world is the light of God’s word.  Psalm 119:130, says, “The entrance of thy words gives light; it gives understanding unto the simple”.  And Jesus said they that follow me shall not walk in darkness.  He was not talking about physical darkness.  It is the spiritual darkness of man’s   heart that has brought us to this current crisis, and only the light of Jesus Christ will deliver us,  I close with this, Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.(Psalm 119:105)

     As I hear about and ponder over the colossal problems facing our nation, and indeed individual families today, I can’t help but remember something I read in the Bible. It is found in chapter 30 of the book of  1Samuel. When David and his men had returned to Ziklag from one of their military campaigns, they discovered that their families and possessions had been carried off by an invading army. David and his men came to the city and saw it burned with fire, and their wives, sons and daughters were taken captive. The Bible says that David and his men lifted their voices and wept, until they had no more power to weep. David was greatly distressed because his people spoke of stoning him. They were grieving over the loss of their love ones. This was a dark day for David and his valiant men.

     But the story does not end here. You must always understand that events in the word of God are there to teach us valuable lessons. The Bible says (1Samuel 30:6) that David encouraged himself in the Lord his God. Sometimes when there is nothing else to hold on to, there is always God. If you are a true believer, you have a promise from God. He has said, “I will never leave you, nor will I ever forsake you, I love the part where it says, David ecouraged himself in the Lord. When you are distressed, do what David did; take the problem to the one who has the answer. The actions of man create problems, sometimes gigantic problems, but only the action of the Lord can solve them. Do what David did, encourage yourself in God. When everything and everyone seem to be against you, take the time to encourage yourself in the Lord. David sought the Lord for his solution and he got it.  God spoke to him and He will speak to you also.

     Remember this saints! We serve a great God and there is nothing too difficult for him to handle. Yes, these are very difficult times for some of us, but our God specializes in difficult cases. The harder the problem, the greater the glory God receives by solving them. It can be emotional, financial, marital, parental, professional or even criminal, but God is able. I will remind you of what Isaiah 43:2 says, “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee: and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee”.

The word of God is just as true today as it was in Isaiah’s time. God’s word never changes and it never decreases or wanes in power. All you need for the word to work for you is faith in God. I prophesy to you now that God’s people are going to prosper during these hard economic times. Therefore, hold your head high and expect a blessing from God. David did not wait for any one else, he encouraged himself in the Lord his God.

     David wrote in Psalms 34:19, ” Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth them out of them all.”  The Psalmist is saying that in this life, we go through or come to experience many problems, but God is able  to see us, the righteous through them. Yes, we are living in tough times; very difficult and trying times.  All the reports coming from the local and national news media spell nothing but “doom and gloom”.  Wars are going on in the Middle East, the nation is experiencing a deep recession, our elected government leaders don’t know what to do, the national debt is climbing rapidly, thousands are losing their jobs and their homes, people are genuinely fearful and there seems to be no hope.

     Thus, my message to you is this: “Turn your eyes and your heart toward Jesus Christ. Hope thou now in God. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care (troubles) upon Him: for He cares for you” (1Peter 5:6-7). The natural man, not even the President of the United States can solve the problems we face in our nation today. The wisdom of this world is simply insufficient to solve the problems we face. The bible however, tells us that God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ask or think. No matter what you are facing today, turn your eyes upon Jesus. He is your problem fixer. He loves you. He died for you, and He wants to help you. The key to your victory over whatever you are facing is to HAVE FAITH IN GOD THROUGH CHRIST JESUS. He is your peace in the midst of your storm.

     Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine (your) heart, and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. I admonish you today, don’t let pride rob you of your victory over your circumstances. Seek the Lord while He may be found. He is waiting for you to trust Him. He wants to make a way out of no way for you.