March 2011 Issue 
Are YOU a Victim of Spiritual Identity Theft?
by Bill Allison

A well-dressed businessman was standing in line at the airport check-in counter. He, along with the others in line ahead of him, became quite concerned as they watched the door to the jetway close. When he realized what was happening and that the gate agent was going to have to rebook some of the people on a different flight, the businessman jumped out of line to take matters into his own hands. ?Excuse me, Miss, but I need to get on this flight,? he said with more than a little urgency.

The woman replied, ?Yes, sir, so do the rest of these people who are in line in front of you. Now kindly take your place back in line and we?ll help you when it?s your turn.?

Well, he didn?t like this at all, so he thought being a little more forceful might help his cause. He said, ?You see, if I don?t get on that flight, I?m going to miss my meeting. And if I miss my meeting, I?m going to be very angry with you.?

The agent calmly replied, ?Sir, we?ll help you when it?s your turn.?

Having had enough, the man, a prominent, wealthy, and well-known businessman, glared at the woman and growled, ?Do you know who I am??

Also having had enough, the agent picked up the microphone and announced, ?Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please. This gentleman at the desk does not seem to know who he is. If anyone can identify him, we would all greatly appreciate your assistance.?

Mr. Highfalutin Businessman huffed and puffed his way to his place in the back of the line.

My question to you is: Do you know who you really are?

I constantly see evidence that the average Christian is a victim of spiritual identity theft. That is, the average Christian has no biblical and meaningful understanding of who they really are in Christ. As Cadre missionaries, we?re out much of the year training volunteers to love and serve God effectively. (It?s our Ephesians 4:11-12 obsession.) During our training, we?ll often ask a room full of volunteers, ?How many of you are full-time ministers?? (This is NOT a trick question. Explore this edition of Cadre Connection, I?ll explain.) Usually one or two volunteers raise their hands. Think about it. The overwhelming majority of volunteers have embraced a very unbiblical view of themselves?and honestly see themselves as ?just volunteers.?

Let me clarify: I understand that most of us will never make our living as full-time ministers, but don?t miss my point: According to the Bible, if you?re a Christian, you really are a full-time minister?regardless of where you work or what you do for a living. This ?full-time-minister identity? is true for ALL followers of Jesus Christ?stay-at-home moms, students, factory laborers, entrepreneurs, educators, administrators, CEOs, sanitation workers, retirees, etc. Yes, I?m talking to YOU. If you know Jesus Christ as your Savior, YOU are a full-time minister.

I know what you?re thinking. When you hear someone say that a ?regular? person like you is a full-time minister, you immediately start listing all the objections why that can?t possibly be true. That?s precisely why I want to take the ax of God?s Word and chop as hard as I can at six of the most common objections that keep volunteers like you from stepping into their biblical identity as full-time ministers. After all, the Christian life is the process of becoming who God says we are already. To discover what God says about your true identity, go here. What are you waiting for?

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FREE Audio Download:
Embracing Your True Identity

If you?ve ever said or thought, ?I?m just a volunteer,? then you don?t really understand your true identity as a Christian. The biblical truth is that God has created you to be way more than ?just a volunteer.? Isn?t it time for you to step out of your spiritual identity theft and embrace your true, God-given identity as revealed in the Bible? It?s FREE. It?s for YOU. It?s from your Ephesians 4:11-12 Cadre missionaries of encouragement. To download or listen to the FREE audio, go here. To view or print the PDF of the notes of the audio, go here.

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NEW Downloadable Cadre Training Session:
You?re Never ?Just a Volunteer?!

You will never be able to fully step into your biblical, God-designed identity if you think of yourself as ?just a volunteer.? God has way more in mind for you... and for every other volunteer in your church/ministry. This three-page $.99 cent PDF download is designed to help you and those in your ministry explore and apply what God says is your real identity as a Christian. It?s great for personal use, discipleship training, small groups, Sunday school, your next ministry training session, or ministry team retreat. It comes complete with Bible study discussion questions for personal and group application and a facilitator?s guide for those who lead the training session. Here?s some of what you can expect as you work together through this critically foundational training session:

• A group discussion/evaluation of the connotations of the term ?volunteer.?
• A brief but critically important Bible study on the priesthood of all Christians.
  
• An evaluation of what is currently being done to reinforce or undermine the biblical idea that every Christian is a full-time minister.
  
• A discussion that explores alternatives to the term ?volunteer.?
  
• Practical personal and group applications from what is learned and discussed.
  

To download this $.99 cent training session right now, go here. Once you?ve downloaded this training session, you can share it as a PDF or print it out and give it to every volunteer in your ministry or church for just $.99 cents per person... a very inexpensive training session from your friends at Cadre Ministries. You can pay $.99 cents per person per PDF or printed copy securely online by going here.

 

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Thirty-Three Biblical Truths About Who You Really Are in Christ What you do flows out of who you are. But do you really know who you are in Christ? Why not find out? This devotional adventure will anchor your identity in the Bible as you explore thirty-three truths about who you are in Christ. For complete information about the Thirty-Three Things that Happen at the Moment of Salvation study guide, go here.

 

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NEW Youth Ministry Resource:
Helping Students with Their Identity Crisis

The demons of hell don?t want Christian students to know who they are in Christ! They?re doing everything they can to foster a spiritual identity crisis in Christian students today... and they?re being quite successful. That?s precisely why you need episode 6 (Identity) of the Email from Hell series. You get an enhanced CD of the dramatic reading that plays in a regular CD player... and then you can put the same CD into your computer and print out the PDF of the lesson for each student. The PDF lesson comes complete with Bible study discussion questions great for personal use, one-on-one discipleship, small groups, Sunday school, and youth group meetings.

For complete details including FREE samples of the dramatic reading audio and the PDF lesson printouts go here.

A digital download of episode 6 (Identity) is also available and includes the dramatic reading audio and PDF lesson printouts. Note: Cadre is offering a special 50% discount for all who purchase the digital download version of episode 6 (Identity). To activate this 50% discount when purchasing the digital download, use coupon code: identity. This discount offer expires on March 15, 2009 and only applies to the digital download version. For complete details on the digital download version of episode 6 (Identity), go here. Don?t forget to use the coupon code for your discount.

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Cadre Training Coming Near You? You?ll never know unless you go here. Be sure to bookmark this page and check back to see new training dates and locations. We?d love to see you.

 

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Just for Fun

Video clip: Has someone stolen your identity?

Why some mothers eat their young

Dr. Phil is right?

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We're your Cadre missionaries! As Ephesians 4:11-12 missionaries of encouragement and equipping, we live by faith and trust God to financially provide for our families and our ministry with Cadre. We know we can't do this wild and wonderful Cadre adventure without God and crazy friends like you.

Cadre Ministries: Equipping Local Churches to Make Volunteers WILDLY Successful!

Cadre Ministries is a [501(c)(3)] not-for-profit ministry.

To be trained to take Cadre training to your church/ministry, contact info@cadreministries.com and ask about Cadre's certification process.

For information about bringing a certified Cadre trainer to coach and train the volunteer teachers, leaders, and youth workers in your church/ministry, contact info@cadreministries.com.

For Cadre training resources visit www.cadreministries.com/store. Cadre's fun-loving staff serve as support-based, God-dependent missionaries who can only do this ministry with Cadre because of generous friends like you. To make an online, tax-deductible donation to Cadre Ministries:

Donate Online  |  Recurring Donations

All other tax-deductible donations can be sent to:
Cadre Ministries
PO Box 278
Sycamore, IL 60178

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