What Have I Become? Kicking Off "While I Breathe, I Hope"
This week we launched a brand-new eight-week series called While I Breathe, I Hope — eight weeks about finding a hope that never lets us down, no matter the circumstances. And the first question this series asks is one worth sitting with: What have I become? Have I become someone who simply checks a box next to “I believe in Jesus”? Or has that belief actually become something radical enough to change my life?
What Have I Become? isn’t a comfortable question. But it’s the question Week 1 of While I Breathe, I Hope asks us to answer honestly.
The Scripture Behind What Have I Become?
Our starting point for What Have I Become? was Romans 10:8-13. Paul writes that the message of faith is simple to say: declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, and you will be saved (Romans 10:9). Paul adds that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved, and that anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame (Romans 10:11-13).
8 In fact, it says, “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: 9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. 11 As the Scriptures tell us, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.” 12 Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. 13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
It sounds simple — maybe too simple. And that’s exactly the tension “What Have I Become?” sits in.
It's Easier to Say "I Believe" Than to Actually Believe It
Almost half of Americans will check a box on a survey that says they believe Jesus is Lord and that He rose from the dead. It’s not a radical statement anymore — it fits on a t-shirt, a bumper sticker, an Instagram bio. Many of us believe it the way we believe the Dodgers are a real baseball team: sure, it’s true, we just don’t think about it much. That’s the real question behind What Have I Become? — have I become someone who checked the box, or someone actually transformed by what I claim to believe?
A Belief That Isn't Radical Won't Give You Hope
Here’s the heart of What Have I Become?: a belief that isn’t radical will not gain your allegiance, and it won’t give you hope. Believing in Jesus “because everyone else does” or “because you always have” isn’t strong enough to carry you through a divorce, a bankruptcy, a cancer diagnosis. But the actual claim — that a man executed by the most powerful empire in human history rose from the dead — is anything but tame. The early church didn’t get persecuted for wearing a t-shirt; they were fed to lions because they were so convinced that Jesus is Lord that they wouldn’t bow to Caesar. That’s not a belief that sits quietly. That’s a belief that changes what you’ve become.
If He Actually Rose, Everything Is Different
This is where While I Breathe, I Hope gets its name: if Jesus actually rose from the dead, then death — our oldest and most feared enemy — has already been defeated. And if that’s true, then while we breathe, we hope. There’s hope for the addiction, the marriage, the wandering child, the diagnosis, the city, the country. Not because we’re optimistic, but because Jesus actually rose from the dead.
Next Steps After What Have I Become?
The question What Have I Become? is meant to lead somewhere. Here are a few ways to respond:
- Decide to Follow Jesus. If you’ve never put your faith in Jesus, or you’re ready to stop just checking the box and actually commit, [connect with us here →] to take that next step.
- Recommit and Go All In. Maybe you already believe, but you’ve realized your faith hasn’t changed much. This week is an invitation to radically commit to a radical belief.
- Join a Life Group. A radical hope isn’t meant to be carried alone.
- Start Serving. Part of becoming who you’re created to be is discovering the way God has gifted you to serve His church and this city.
Did you like the message, What Have I Become? If so, check out more of our Sunday teachings here.