It was one of those moments that changed my thinking about the church, especially our United Methodist Church, forever!  It was 1992 and 1400 delegates from around the world were gathered at the United Methodist General Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.  There were business sessions and there were worship services; and one of the things on the agenda was the recognition of the Methodist Church in Jamaica as an autonomous church.  The president of their delegation stepped to the mic and made the motion; it was seconded and unanimously approved; and then, the whole Jamaican delegation came through the Civic Center, dancing and singing praises to God in their own language.  And the Holy Spirit spoke, saying: “Tucker Lewis, you’re part of something bigger than you, bigger than your home church, and bigger than your home Conference.  Tucker, this is the Church, the Kingdom of God.”

Friends, I’m glad to be part of something bigger than me, bigger than I can even imagine.  One day, a lady from Teach America visited Duke University.  She stepped to the podium and said: “I’m sorry.  I think I’ve come to the wrong place.  I can tell by looking at you that you are a BMW campus.  You’re successful and driven and headed for important jobs.  I came here today, hoping to find someone willing to give your life in the toughest job in the nation.  I’m looking for someone to go to the hollows of West Virginia and the ghettos of South Los Angeles, to teach in the most difficult schools in America.  Last year, two of our teachers were killed in their classrooms.  And I can tell by looking at you that you’re not interested.  But just in case you are, I’ll stand in the back with a few brochures.”  And with that, she walked away and immediately, she was rushed by a room full of students who wanted to be part of something important, something significant, something bigger than themselves.

For about two years, they had been following Jesus … from the Sea of Galilee and Capernaum to Judea and beyond.  Jesus was always on the move and they were right beside Him.  And one day, as they were visiting the area of Caesarea Philippi, He asked them: “What are people saying about me?”  They said: “Some say you’re John the Baptist; and some, Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”  And He said: “Well, what do you think?”  And Peter said: “You are the Messiah.”  Then, Jesus began teaching them what being the Messiah was really about.  But Peter didn’t like it; he pulled Jesus aside and rebuked Him, and Jesus said: “Get behind me, Satan, because you’re not thinking the things of God; you’re thinking about human things.”  Peter, your thinking is too small.  You’re part of something big … really, really big!

Listen, friends, you and I are part of something big!  God has called us to be part of His Kingdom, a people from every race, tribe, and tongue on this planet and maybe even planets we don’t know about.  We’re not part of exclusive club, that only welcomes certain people or certain types of people; we’re part of a community of faith that opens it arms to “whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord.”  We’re not just from gated communities and upscale neighborhoods; we’re from the highways and byways, the hedges and the back allies!   But there are a few things we have to keep in mind:

First, we have to come to terms with who Jesus is!  Jesus asked them: “What are people saying about me?”  And they gave Him the same answers we hear today: “Some say you’re Elijah,” just a miracle worker.  That’s all He is!  When we’re sick, when we have a physical problem or an emotional problem, then we call upon the miracle-worker.  We’ll following Him from village to village and from evangelist to evangelist, hoping against hope to find our healing in Him.  And still He asks: “What are people saying about me?”  And they said: “Some say you’re John the Baptist or one of the prophets,” a fiery preacher that dresses strange and follows strange dietary habits.  That’s all He is!  So, when we need our toes stepped on a little bit or when we need to have our ears tickled, then we do what Herod Antipas did to John the Baptist; we call Him out of the dungeons we’ve put Him in and let Him do His thing, but we don’t turn Him loose because that can be dangerous.  And still He asks: “What are people saying about me?”

Now, we human beings who were created in the image of God have a tendency to make Jesus in our image.  We worship and serve a Jesus that looks like us, thinks like us, and acts like us.  So, some people worship the Jesus that accepts gays; and some people worship the Jesus that hates gays.  Some people worship the Jesus wrapped in the American Flag or the Confederate Flag and some worship the Jesus that doesn’t.  Some worship the white Jesus, the black Jesus, the Hispanic Jesus.  But still He asks: “What are people saying about me?”

And more importantly, He asks: “And what about you?  Who do you think I am?”  When He asked that question in the region of Caesarea Philippi, Peter responded: “You are the Messiah.”  You see, the identity of Jesus is determined by His Purpose!  He’s more than a teacher, more than a healer, and more than a preacher.  He is the Messiah: He is Israel’s promised deliverer.  He came to “preach good news to the poor and liberty to the oppressed, to set the captive free and to announce that God’s Kingdom had arrived.”  He is King of kings and Lord of lords; He is the “Prince of Peace” and the “Bright and Morning Star.”

And still He asks: “And what about you?  Who do you think I am?”  In Matthew’s version of this story, he records another statement by Peter: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.”  You see, Jesus’ identity is determined by His paternity!  That’s who He is!  He is the Son of the Living God, God in the flesh, the “Alpha and Omega,” the “First and the Last,” the “Beginning and the End.”  And friends, Paul tells us: One day, “Every knee in heaven and on earth will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”  Friends, who is Jesus?  What do you think?

Second, we have to come to term with our identity in Him!  Who are we?  Some people say, we’re just the result of an evolutionary process, descendants of a creature that crawled out of a pool of slime millions of years ago.  Some say we are gods, making our own lives and creating our own destinies.  But friends, the Bible says we’re more than that!  The Bible says we are intentional creation of a loving God, who formed us from the dust of the ground and breathed into us the breath of life.  The Bible says we get our identity from our Paternity!  We are the Children of God for John tells us: “Behold, how great a love God has for us that we should be called the sons and daughters of God and that is what we are.”  One day, Jesus met a Pharisee named Nicodemus and in their very spiritual conversation, Jesus told him: “You must be born again.”  You’ve got to experience a second birth, a spiritual birth.

We are disciples of Christ, perfectly imperfect followers and students of Jesus; Jesus said: “If anyone wants to follow me, let them deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me.”  So, “it’s no longer I that lives, but Christ now lives in me and the life that I now live I live by faith in the one who loved me and gave His life for me.”  That’s where we get our identity … from our Purpose!  We are here to reflect the glory of God.  We have been recreated in God’s image so the world would have an idea what He is like!  And they see that is us as we follow Jesus … carrying our cross daily and laying down our lives for the sake of Christ and the Gospel.  That’s who we are supposed to be!  Now … who are we really?

No one can belong to something bigger without this being confirmed in your heart and life
… Who is Jesus?  And Who am I in Him?  Can you answer those questions?