When you get introduced, how are you introduced? "This is my friend David." What typically follows? "Good to meet you. What do you do?" How do you answer? Work is probably a typical response.
When I was in Rotary, we had to introduce ourselves formally as new members. Mine followed a Sunday in which a guest pastor noted we never introduce ourselves by our highest callings - husbands, fathers, and other true vocations. So, I chose that to talk about being a husband, father, and son (both parents were still alive at the time).
In Paul's epistles, the introductions are very formal, but they also express conviction and faith. No two are alike, but they are similar in format. Look at his introduction of himself in his letter to the church in Rome: "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David, according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ." (Romans 1:1-6)
What would Paul have me write if I were writing such an introduction of myself? David, a servant of Christ's church, in spite of my full sinful nature, by the grace of God through his Son Jesus Christ, unworthy of the grace of God but aware of the power of His Word, desiring to share that Word with others and the power it gives us to be sons of God. What's your introduction? Challenge, think about that this week. How would you write it? As true sons of God through Christ, our relationship with Christ is clear. Perhaps a clear understanding of it starts with your formal introduction.
Hope Men's Ministry
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