Who Do You Say I am?

You don’t have to be a genius to know that we live in a world that is obsessed with celebrities. Film stars, sportsmen and women, businesspeople or academics who have achieved any measure of success seem to be added to the growing list of ‘celebrities’ with followers on all manner of social media outlets. Some so-called celebrities have not even achieved anything particularly noteworthy, but have been added to the ever-growing celebrity list simply because they took part in a reality television show. There are others still who seem to have gained celebrity status because they are infamous, not famous, which I find even more bizarre.

Personally, I find it quite sad to hear of people who dedicate their whole lives to following one or more celebrities, constantly reading about what the celebrity thinks or does and following their chosen celebrity’s Twitter and social media accounts religiously. It’s as though their own lives are not enough, and so they try to get the excitement or value that they crave by following someone else’s life.

What is even more unfortunate, in my humble opinion, is that the celebrity culture seems to have crept into the church. Personally, I’m not sure that Christians should ever be thought of as celebrities. Following Christ is a call to a life of humility and service, not one of fame and fortune. Having said that, this does not mean we cannot be well-known, financially prosperous or live extremely blessed lives. Far from it. Our heavenly Father loves to bless His kids, and He wants us to be influential in whatever spheres of life we are involved in so that we can release His Kingdom in that arena.

However, as Christians, we are so blessed to have in the worldwide church a huge number of extraordinary men and women who walk closely with God and who inspire us towards life and godliness through their teachings. There are many mothers and fathers in the Lord who impact our lives and who God uses powerfully to spur us on to greater things in Him. Although many of these are well known and rightly celebrated for the impact they have made on our lives, there are others who live humbly in relatively unknown places with very little public acclaim. Whether known or unknown, all are gifts to us as the body of Christ – they are our ‘heroes of the faith’. Not celebrities, but heroes - people who are truly worth celebrating, like the list of faith-filled heroes in Hebrew chapter 11.

However, I’ve noticed a tendency among some Christians to go and ‘camp’ next to the well of their chosen hero, and drink from their well. Now, don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with listening to podcasts and sermons, and reading books written by these amazing men and women. In fact, it’s important - they have each dug their own deep well and so drinking from their wells helps us to grow and mature in the Lord, and we can learn so much from them. 

However, if their wells are the ONLY ONES you are drinking from, I believe that is where the problem lies. I have known some lovely God-fearing people who seem to camp permanently by the well of their chosen Christian hero. They listen to all their podcasts, do their online training courses, attend all their conferences, and can quote them at the drop of a hat. Now, in itself that’s not necessarily a bad thing. But if, when they are going through a hard time or need guidance, they turn to their hero’s latest podcast instead of to Jesus in prayer, that can be a sign that they are drinking from their hero’s well instead of digging their own well with Father.

When a Christian friend tells me they can’t worship to any songs other than those led by their chosen worship band or their favourite worship leader, that concerns me. Our worship of God should never be dependent upon who is leading the worship, which group or band is playing, what songs are being sung, or even whether or not there is music at all. Our worship is an overflow of the wellspring of life that is within us, it is the spring of love that pours out of us for our beautiful Redeemer, and should never be governed or limited by the type of music or person leading the worship.

Who do You say I am?

One of the most important journeys we will ever take, in my opinion, is the journey from “the head to the heart”. It’s all about not just knowing about God or knowing the words in His book, but knowing Him intimately and personally.

I’m reminded of the passage in Mark 8 where Jesus and his disciples were walking together, and he asked them, “Who do people say that I am?” I can just imagine Jesus casually slipping that question into the conversation, totally catching them off guard (as I imagine He often did!). Some of the disciples gave Jesus a factual answer: “Some say You are John the Baptist; and others say Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” But then comes the real clincher: He asks them, “But who do YOU say that I am?”

Wooooaaaah!

Coming from a theatrical background, I can imagine that, at that moment, the lights would all have dimmed, and one lone spotlight would shine on the person Jesus was looking at – perhaps Peter? All music stops, there is dead silence, everyone is holding their breath; no-one moves and time seems to stop, suspended for that moment.

Small beads of perspiration start to appear on Peter’s forehead; his eyes are locked on Jesus. The rest of the world ceases to exist. There is only this ‘God man’ standing before him, asking the question, “Who do YOU say that I am?”

Peter, in a moment of pure revelation from the Holy Spirit, replies, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” What an incredible moment! Cue epic orchestral soundtrack! After walking with Jesus, seeing the miracles He did and the way He revolutionised the lives of everyone He came in contact with,  surely the disciples must have been thinking about the possibility that He could be the Messiah, the long-awaited One. But it appears that, up until that point, no-one had actually said it out loud …until Jesus asked the question. 

He’s still asking the same question today - “Who do YOU say I am?” - except this time, it’s just you and Him, face to face, eyeball to eyeball. The spotlight is shining on you as you gaze into the limitless depth of His love-soaked eyes, demanding an authentic response from you. 

So what’s your response? Who is He to you? Is He the God of your chosen celebrity, the God of your church leader, your relative or spouse, or is He your God – the God who you know personally because you have spent time with Him over the years, talking with Him and listening to what He says to you.

I believe that, at one time in our life, we all come to the place of having our own ‘Who do YOU say I am” encounter with God. That’s when we come face to face with the reality of who He really is to us.

That’s often the time when we decide to move away from our chosen hero’s well, and start to dig that bottomless, limitless, abundant well of life with Him for ourselves.

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Until next time ….

·       What wells am I drinking from?

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Do I read books, listen to podcasts/messages and worship music from only one particular ministry?

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Is Holy Spirit prompting me to try drinking from some different wells for a season? If yes, which ones?

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Is he prompting me not to drink from any other wells, but just to dig my well with Him for a while? What could that look like?