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Study Guide: How Not To Be A Wuss

Sunday May 1, 2011 | Christena Cleveland

Focus Scripture:


Brief Summary:

We’re called to partner with God in the breaking in of the new Kingdom. This empowers us to be aggressive. Not aggressive towards other people, but against the powers and principalities in the world and in our own hearts.


Extended Summary:

Moses sent 12 spies went into Canaan and returned with a report. Two came back with a hopeful report while 10 came back in despair. They were essentially saying that this new reality of taking the new land is great, but we can’t participate in it because we’re too afraid. This story has everything to do with the Kingdom of God in this age, in this new Exodus that was inaugurated by the death and resurrection of Christ.

Identity is everything. Israelites walked out of Egypt with God, but their identities were not transformed in the process. The transformation and restoration seems to be one of the main points of the Exodus. Our identity as sons and daughters and co-heirs is absolutely crucial to the breaking in of God’s kingdom, to this New Exodus, to the creation of a new reality. We can see this clearly in Romans 8: 14-17.

When you go through the process of depersonalization (the process of becoming a group member and adopting the group identity), your self-concept is transformed in a myriad of ways. One way is that your perceptions of your own strengths, power, resources, etc are not based on what you alone have to offer but are now based on what the other group members have to offer. The group resources become your own resources. If you identify with a powerful group, then you feel empowered. “Bask in reflected glory.” Of course, if you identify with a subjugated group, you can feel deflated and powerless.

If you’re living as a kingdom person, as member of the group of people who are followers and co-heirs of Christ, then you’re not going to be afraid of the giants because the resources of the group, the kingdom resources, will be at your disposal and you’ll automatically consider them your own.

We’re called to choose hope. We’re called to partner with God in the breaking in of the new kingdom, in this new exodus. This empowers us to be aggressive. There’s a reason why the Israelites were called to overtake the giant Canaanites. We’re supposed to apply that imperialistic and aggressive notion to our fight on behalf of the Kingdom. We’re not aggressive towards other people, but against these powers and principalities in the world and in our own hearts.


Reflection Questions:

  1. What stood out to you from the sermon and the supporting verses?
  2. How does your identify impact the choices you make to offer your life fully in the Kingdom of God?
  3. How does participation of in a group affect individual identity?
  4. How might participating with a group of Kingdom people empower you to participate in greater ways in the Kingdom?
  5. What can you do differently to contribute to the life of the Kingdom? What is one choice you can make this week that will push the Kingdom forward?

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