Study Guide: Clever Disguises

Sunday May 17, 2009 | Greg Boyd

Focus Scripture:

Matthew 25: 34-36, 40
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.'

40 “The King will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'

Brief Summary:

This is the fifth message in the Animate series which focuses on making ourselves free and available to commune with God. Transformation comes from spending time in the presence and glory of God.

Extended Summary:

This sermon was part of our Animate adventure series that ran from April 19 to June 14, 2009.

The supplemental content that accompanied the series was designed to be gone through in groups.

You can download the entire booklet here.

As we wrap up this last week, we’ll be exploring ways to increase our capacity to love one another the way God has called us to. Very frequently, we relate to one another in ways that fail to reflect who we really are. In week two we used imaginative prayer to more fully experience as true what God says about us, and we’re going to revisit that this week as we commit to love one another as God loves us. Following is a list of things that God says about us all (taken from Neil Anderson’s Bondage Breaker).

I Am Accepted

I am God’s Child (John 1:12)

I am Christ’s friend (John 15:5)

I have been justified (Romans 5:1)

I am united with the Lord and one with him in spirit (I Corinthians 6:17)

I have been bought with a price: I belong to God (I Corinthians 6:20)

I am a member of Christ’s body (I Corinthians 12:27)

I am a saint (Ephesians 1:1)

I have been adopted as God’s child (Ephesians 1:5)

I have direct access to God through the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:18)

I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins (Colossians1:14)

I am complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10)

I Am Secure

I am free forever from condemnation (Romans 8:1-2)

I am assured that all things work together for good (Romans 8:28)

I am free from any condemning charges against me (Romans 8:33-34)

I cannot be separated from the love of God (Romans 8:35, 38-39)

I have been established, anointed, and sealed by God (II Corinthians 1:21-22)

I am confident that the good work God has begun in me will be perfected (Philippians 3:1:6)

I am a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20)

I am hidden in Christ in God (Colossians 3:3)

I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7)

I can find grace and mercy to help me in time of need (Hebrews 4:16)

I am born of God, and the evil one cannot touch me (I John 5:18)

I Am Significant

I am the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13-14)

I am a branch of the true vine, a channel of his life (John 15:1, 5)

I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit (John 15:16)

I am a personal witness of Christ (Acts 1:8)

I am God’s temple (I Corinthians 3:16)

I am a minister of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-20)

I am God’s coworker (2 Corinthians 6:1)

I am seated with Christ in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6)

I am God’s workmanship (Ephesians 2:10)

I can approach God with freedom and confidence (Ephesians 3:12)

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength (Philippians 4:13)

Take one of these Scriptures, and spend a few minutes just receiving from Jesus how this is true about you. Pay attention to anything you see, hear or feel in your body as the Lord ministers this truth to you.
After a few minutes, apply this Scripture to the others in your group. You might see the Lord passing from person to person declaring this over each one. You might bring each person to mind and find a way to agree with God that this is true for this specific person. However the Lord leads you, remain receptive to this truth for each person, and notice how this shifts your perspective of each person to whom you apply this Scripture to.
For the last few minutes of your prayer time, apply this Scripture to the people you interact with on a regular basis. If the person you bring to mind does not know Jesus, declare this Scripture over that person in faith. (This is really what faith looks like…it’s evidence of things we haven’t seen yet.) Bring each person with whom you interact regularly to mind as vividly as possible and agree with God that this is a gift of God for this specific person. When you notice any internal objection, just let that come and go and turn your attention back to what God has declared to be true.

Reflection Questions:

Is it generally more difficult for you to experience God’s truth about yourself or about others?
How would your life be different if you really believed what God says about you and every other person in your life? Does God seem to be calling you to anything specific to embody the things he’s showing you?
What, if anything, from the last several weeks would you like to incorporate into your life? What do you need to make that happen?