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Deconstructing the Lies We Believe

By New Churches Team

Who Do These Lies Apply To?

In You Are What You Do: And Six Other Lies About Work, Life, and Love, Daniel Im outlines seven lies that the culture says are truth. Some of the lies have been around a really long time. And every lie can apply to every generation, but there are some lies that some generations are more susceptible to than others. The gig economy has elevated these lies to the surface, which is people working multiple jobs and having a side hustle. If you aren’t working in the gig economy, you are funding it. Consider any time you have ordered from Uber Eats or paid someone to mow your lawn. Every generation is either working in or fueling the gig economy.

Two Lies That Many of Us Struggle With

The title includes a lie that seems to affect everyone – you are what you do. As kids, we are asked what we want to do when we grow up. As adults, we are asked what we do for a living. At the end of our lives, we are measured by what we’ve done. It’s not surprising that this lie that we are what we do has seeped so deeply into our culture. It seems to be the primary way we assign value to each other.

A second lie – you are who you raise – is one that any parent will face. Have you ever been given a “My child is an honor student” bumper sticker? Who was it really for? It is for the parent. You probably wouldn’t apply it to your car with the motivation of showing everyone up, however underneath the surface it does feel good to be raising that child. On the surface, you think that involvement in my child’s life is better than neglect, but this lie tricks us into believing that our self-worth is tied directly to the performance of our children. That’s why soccer moms and overbearing dads are a thing. If there are things your children do that embarrass you in public, but wouldn’t say anything about at home, you are concerned about what people will think about you as a parent.

The Bottom Line

There is a biblical truth on the opposite side of each of these lies. Our world needs to know what those biblical truths are. What the world says about you is not your identity, but instead your identity is found in Christ.

Adapted from the New Churches Q&A Podcast Episode 464: Seven Lies People Face Today. Click here to listen to more to church planting, multisite, and multiplication tips.