Who Do You Want To Be?

Jesus did not begin at Bethlehem; as the eternal Son who took on flesh, he stepped into time and embraced a real human process of growth. Luke 2:52 shows that while sinless, he grew in wisdom and stature—physically maturing, spiritually deepening, knowing the Father, and clarifying his mission. That sets the pattern: living things grow. To settle for “rinse and repeat” is to resist the very trajectory of Christlikeness. Growth requires desire, humility, and movement.

Three practices surface from Luke 8 and the woman with the twelve-year hemorrhage. First, ask questions. Scripture is filled with them, and Jesus himself asked hundreds. Real questions signal love, curiosity, and teachability. They invite transformation rather than self-validation. Second, determine who you want to be. Identity precedes resolution. This woman refused to let uncleanness and exclusion define her; she set her direction toward wholeness. Goals stick when they are pinned to identity: “I am becoming a godly man/woman,” “I am a patriarch/matriarch who thinks in generations,” “I do hard things.” Without identity, goals are moral chores that fade by February. Third, drive and push. The woman pressed through the crowd, stretched for the fringe, and risked shame to reach Jesus. Many touched him; only one touched him with hunger. Power met determination.

This is not about performing religious tasks but wanting him. Growth dies when comfort is king. It awakens when hunger for God outruns fear of looking foolish. And growth is not merely turning from “bad things”; it is receiving a new identity. Communion reminds the church of Christ’s broken body and shed blood for forgiveness, but it also declares a deeper reality: his blood marks a new lineage. To partake is to consume his identity, to say, “That is who I am becoming.” So set your heading. Ask better questions. Tie your practices to the person you intend to be in Christ. Then press through whatever crowds your way—fatigue, shame, cynicism, distraction—and reach for him. He still responds, “Your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Growth mirrors Jesus’ incarnate journey Growth is not optional for the living. Jesus embraced a real process of maturing in wisdom and stature, modeling a life that keeps moving toward the Father. Settling into spiritual stasis contradicts his pattern and starves the soul of the joy of becoming. Aim your life at advancement in Christlike character. [01:10]
• 2. Ask real questions to truly know Questions are the engine of transformation, not a performance for validation. Honest inquiry humbles the ego, opens space for surprise, and breaks echo chambers. When questions are genuine, they move us toward God and neighbor with understanding and love. [08:37]
• 3. Pin goals to a God-shaped identity Resolutions detached from identity wither; practices bonded to “who I am becoming” endure. Name the kind of person God is calling you to be and let habits flow from that center. Identity gives pain a purpose and turns disciplines into pathways, not punishments. [19:52]
• 4. Press through resistance to touch Jesus Crowds, shame, and inconvenience will always block the way. Hunger that risks reputation to reach Christ becomes a conduit for his power. Many bump into Jesus; the desperate draw from him. Decide which you will be. [27:14]
• 5. Receive Christ’s identity at the Table Communion is not mere recall; it is a rehearsal of belonging. In the bread and cup, believers remember forgiveness and take up a new lineage—his life as theirs. The blood of Jesus does not only cover; it redefines who we are. [34:04]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:23] - Jesus’ eternal identity and incarnation
• [01:10] - Growth in wisdom and stature
• [02:20] - The woman with twelve years of bleeding
• [02:54] - “Who touched me?” begins the lesson
• [03:48] - Why questions grow our souls
• [08:37] - Twelve-year-old Jesus: listening and asking
• [09:35] - Learning by asking better questions
• [12:17] - Determine who you want to be
• [13:21] - Uncleanness, exclusion, and identity
• [19:52] - Resolutions that fail without identity
• [20:57] - Scripture as a clean water source
• [22:30] - Legacy: becoming a biblical patriarch
• [26:05] - Stretching for the fringe of his garment
• [27:14] - Power responds to desperate faith
• [32:12] - Communion: forgiveness and formation
• [34:04] - Consuming Christ’s identity
• [43:53] - Prayer and charge to grow

Bible reading

- Luke 8:43-48

And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. “Who touched me?” Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.” But Jesus said, “Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out from me.” Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace.”

Observation questions

1. In Luke 8:43-44, how does Luke describe the woman’s condition, her efforts to get help, and what she does when Jesus comes near?
2. In verses 45-46, Jesus notices something unique. What is the difference between the crowd “pressing” and the woman’s “touch,” and how does Jesus describe what happened?
3. In verse 47, what posture does the woman take when she realizes she is seen, and what does she publicly share?
4. Three movements for growth were named: what are they? [03:11]

Interpretation questions

1. If the sinless Jesus “grew in wisdom and stature,” what does that say about the normal Christian life for those who feel “I’m good as is”? [01:10]
2. What’s the real difference between asking questions to get validation and asking questions to truly know and be changed? How might that shift the tone of conversations in a group of Christians? [09:04]
3. Why do practices tied to identity stick longer than “shoulds”? How does naming “who I’m becoming” give pain a purpose and make disciplines pathways, not punishments? [19:52]
4. In Luke 8, many people touched Jesus, but only one drew power. What does that teach about hunger, risk, and the nature of faith? [27:14]

Application questions

1. Ask better questions this week: What is one honest, non-defensive question you need to ask God or a specific person—and then really listen for the answer? When will you ask it? [08:37]
2. Identity first: Write a one-line identity statement (for example, “I am becoming a godly woman/man,” “I am a patriarch/matriarch who thinks in generations,” “I do hard things”). What is one small daily practice that naturally flows from that identity, starting tomorrow? [19:52]
3. Clean water source: If Scripture is your clean source, what is your plan for getting in it this week (time, place, reading plan)? What voices do you need to limit so your heart can actually be formed by the Word? [20:57]
4. Press through the crowd: Name the specific “crowds” you face—fatigue, shame, cynicism, distraction. What is one risky, humble move you will make to “stretch for the fringe” and reach Jesus this week? [26:05]
5. No rinse-and-repeat: Where have you settled for comfort or sameness in your walk with God? What one growth edge will you pursue in the next 30 days, and what is your first push step? [01:10]
6. Consume Christ’s identity: If the Table declares a new lineage, what is one concrete way you will live from Jesus’ identity this week—confess a sin, forgive an offense, serve someone unseen, or speak blessing over your home? [34:04]
7. Think in generations: Who are two or three people (family or spiritual family) you will intentionally invest in this month? What will you do with each one, and when? [22:30]