Facing Our Face

A GCD Weekly Newsletter for December 19, 2020

Dear Reader, 

What face are you wearing lately?

Even as Christians, we can be prone to wearing the wrong "face", or take up an identity that does not truly reflect the redemptive identity given to us in Christ. Discipleship, in many ways, is asking this question. The identity that we are displaying (or the "face" we are wearing) reflects who we long to be. Wear a face of performance-driven ambition, and your telling others you want to be successful. Wear a face of humility, and you are displaying a life that looks like Jesus.

Put on, the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth. (Ephesians 4:24)

Just as we're often wondering which face-mask we should wear in public spaces these days, it's good to ask ourselves what identity are we displaying to the world around us. Our articles at GCD this week speak of these faces and help us bear the likeness of Christ well.

This Week at GCDiscipleship.com

• In Born of Encouragement, Chris Thomas (@cbthomas76), invites us to see how Joseph of Cyprus (aka Barnabas) lived as a church builder. He writes:

  As Christians schooled by the West, who have absorbed the lessons repeated by our splintered society filled with adherents of hate, I'm not sure that we fully grasp the significance of men and women like Joseph.

• Chyrs Jones (@chrys_jones) tackles The Two Faces of Self-Centeredness that Christians can face and helps us diagnose our hearts. He states,

  There are many times that I see these forms of pride in myself. There are times when I want to puff out my chest and let everyone know how devoted I am to the Lord. I want them to acknowledge my preaching and writing gifts. I want to be their favorite Christian rapper and producer. These moments are terrifying because they catch me off guard. Just when I thought I had my pride in check, I’m lured and enticed by my own evil desire.

• Andy Love (@ealove21) makes a compelling case for the methods of Jesus in spiritual formation. Through the lens of a formation family Christmas tradition, Andy considers how Jesus made disciples. He shares this clue in Shaped by the Statlers: An Advent Reflection,

  By immersing his disciples in a rhythm they could embrace over time, Jesus reshaped his disciples’ hearts, their priorities, their understanding of God and his purposes in the world—and by doing this, he prepared them for long-haul faith that gave birth to Christ’s church, which endures today.

  And if you still need help figuring who the Statler Brothers are, here’s a Christmas album playlist:

Christmas Is Ahead

The week ahead is the final week of Advent as we prepare for Christmastime and the celebration of Christ’s first coming, with anticipation towards his second coming. Look for a string of articles that will help you prepare and reflect on Christ in the week to come.

As always, we’re eager to interact with you, so please send along any “Letters to the Editor” for our writers and readers to interact with.

Here’s a parting thought from the Cappadocian church father, Gregory of Nyssa,

There is but one garment of salvation, namely, Christ. Hence the “new man” created in God’s likeness is none other than Christ. One who has put on Christ has thus put on the new person created in God’s likeness.

Thanks for reading!
Jeremy Writebol Executive Director | GCD