The Essentials of Discipleship
Faith…Hope…Love, are central and crucial gifts of God, such aspects of the resulting new life we have in Christ. These gifts turn into virtues by our application of them. If these are not being produced, then there is a real critical problem. These three essentials help us bringing forth fruit; the central feature of our faith development is whether the work of the Spirit and God’s love is being exhibited in us.
There is a Christianity abroad, supposedly evangelical and fundamental, dedicated to making itself easy enough and popular enough for even half-hearted and jaded modern church-goers.
What are 49 Ways to Love God and Others? The theme of all Scripture is to love God with all of our hearts and to love one another. (See Matthew 22:40 and John 13:34.)
What does the Law have to do with Me?
Most Christians ignorantly will state that the law has nothing to do with then since they are under grace. But, according to the Bible, this is not the case!
God is calling us to be proactive with our faith so we can grow and be mature. This requires us to be faithful which requires us to submit and to be humble. The result is respect, cooperation, unity, community, and the power of His Fruit at work.
The devil wants to get a hold on us so he can attack to discourage and sway us away from God and His ways. Our defense is simple; we are to stand firm in Christ, pray, and allow His work in us and not ours; what we would bring to the table is just fuel for the devil and his ways!
Faith Learns Trust and Reliance! Do not let your lack of willingness to grow in the faith rob you of His plan for you.
Today there are so many fast-flying and easy "helpful" solutions that are offered for the problems of life. Every day there seems to be a new formula that is feverishly campaigned as the “key to success", which translates to a happy life. This has affected the church, as we Christians have been caught up in this too.
To serve God’s purpose in our generation through loving relationships with God, His church, and His world. (Acts 13:36a; Mark 12:28-31; Luke 2:52)
Repentance and Confession
The Call to Discipleship Part 1
Christianity without discipleship is always Christianity without Christ. It remains an abstract idea, a myth which has a place for the Fatherhood of God, but omits Christ as the living Son. … There is trust in God, but no following of Christ.
The Call to Discipleship Part 2
It all comes down to a decision. Will we make our faith real and impacting, relinquishing our pride to allow us to learn and grow, and in turn teach others, or will we plant our rears in the pew, so that our only impact is our butt print in that pew!
Questions on Discipleship to Ponder
A call is extended to you and a response is required! You have been given a precious and wondrous call without irresistible pressure, yet with passion and
Do you struggle with which direction in life to go? It is James’ intent in this passage to show us the direction by imperatively grabbing us with ten commands that are essential to honoring God and relating to people.
God wants us to make the fervent attempt to repent, get right with Him, and not lead a double life in trying to serve two contradictory paths in life.
How to Grow in the Faith
The Christian Manifesto Part 1
The thesis statement or main theme of Romans, if not the entirety of our Christian faith!
The Christian Manifesto Part 2
The Gospel is the lightning rod that conducts God's creative and loving power, because it reveals the justice of God in the justification of the ungodly!
What is Christianity all about?
The Genealogy of Jesus Christ that births our King can be a influence for us today!
The incarnation simply means God came to be a man. He was fully man while remaining fully God. That way He could identify with our plight in life. As He lived a normal human existence for over 30 years, He experienced all that we experienced, including all the emotions, relationships, and temptations. Therefore, we can never say to Him, Hey, God, You do not understand my situation or me!
This also means as a Christian, a call in knowing Jesus Christ as LORD and being prepared by faith, spiritual maturity, character, and Fruit to develop our faith so we are ready for life and also His return.
Are you Loyal to Jesus? Part 2
Are you a committed Christian or a surrendered Christian?
God has no obligation to save us or to show mercy, we have no right to receive God’s love or grace, yet He does.
We have to realize Christianity has a cost to it. The cost may be big, but we can take comfort it is well worth the cost beyond our understanding!
What God desires us to be and to do
Developing Christian Accountability
Accountability allows us to be answerable to one another, focusing on key relationships such as with our spouse, close friends, colleagues, coworkers, a boss, small group members, and pastor. These precepts help us to stay on track, and get prayer, care, and support when we fail. We can also model guideposts for one another in order to keep going.
This article also serves as the introduction to our Bible Study series on Character! Real, authentic Christian character is formed when you surrender to Christ and allow His piercing work to grow and enrich you, so that the Spirit flows. Our spiritual discipline, motives, obedience, and persevering faith will be the keys! All it takes is to be in love with Christ. Seek His presence and be persistent in your prayers.
We are called to be careful how we live. People will be watching us wherever we go; how we are, and what we are will be scrutinized. Therefore, we must strive to do our best, so our Lord is represented with excellence through us.
Why Virtue is Important and Needed
Virtue is the application of being good from both the conscious will to do what is right from God’s revealed Word and from personal responsibility. It encompasses integrity, honesty, compassion, and endearment and this is the quintessence of what biblical Character (that is right standards, strength, courage, modesty, and purity all done in excellence) is to be. We acquire Virtue by our faith, our obedience to Christ, being persistent in Him, and clothing ourselves in Him.
Character is fueled by the power of the Spirit empowering us so we can model the character of Christ! The demands for people of character are more needed then ever before. Our culture does not value it, yet it insists on it. Just watch the news and see how the reporters attack people with no character, even though they may not have it themselves.
As mature Christians, we must come to the point that we allow the search and conviction of the Holy Spirit upon our lives to the very core of our souls (2 Cor. 13:5)! Once this happens, the result will be more faith and more use to Christ. The result for your church will be more focus upon His precepts and increased prayer, which will bring an outpouring of the Spirit and renewal!
Growing in Maturity
One main factor has to and must come into play for us to live the Christian life, as we should with obedience and love. We are to put on Christ and take off ourselves. This means we are to remove our selfish will and pride and mimic His character to the best of our abilities.
How Obedient are you? Obedience is an aspect of our faith that comes from our submission, surrender and compliance to His will.
God desires that we have confidence in Him. This is built when our discipleship is taking root in us. So we are growing in a close relationship to Christ, infused with the Holy Spirit, not merely seeking what we can get.
How Can I Pray? What if I have never been taught how to personally pray or to talk to God? What if I grew up in a church that never had conversational or personal prayer? What if I only know liturgy? What if I offend God?
How to Pray! PII So, How do I Pray? The passages in Matthew and Luke give us the quintessential template on how to pray. Jesus is calling us to a relationship with Him; and, to do that, we are to seek Him. We do this with communication, as we would talk with anyone, with the emphasis on our sincerity.
How to Pray! PIII First off, there is no “method” or process on how to pray, as there is no specific principle on how to talk to your mom or best friend. We just do it. Yes, there is edict, attitude, and good ways versus bad ways to communicate. Thus, God does give us a pattern as a checklist to make sure our time and attitude are lined up to more of His will and less of ours.
Have you ever thought through why you do not spend more time with God? What aspects of your time and commitment hold you back from prayer? Most of us do not have the kind of prayer life we should have; in my experience, most people give up because either they do not know how to pray or they do not understand the significance of prayer.
For real prayer to function at its apex, we need to acknowledge who God is, and see Him as Lord Supreme over all things, including our very lives. We must seek Him out for all occasions in life so that in all situations, we have a first response of praising and adoring Christ for who He is, and because He is worthy of eternal praise. But, do we do this?
Basic overview on Suffering "My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life." (Psalm 119:50)
God Really does have a Purpose behind your Problems!
God is our refuge and strength! As a pastor I hear this lament all of the time, sometimes it even comes from my own lips, "Why doesn’t God help me in my troubles?" This is a legitimate question to ask. A lot of Christians tend to be afraid of asking God why, or earnestly seek to resolve their crisis. Thinking I do not have enough faith or I would not go through this. Or I do not want others to know, for they would think bad of me or that I caused it. Or we use the crisis to grab the attention ourselves. If we are going through tough times, we need to know why, and what we should do when we are in them. If not we...
Growing through Difficult Times of Waiting and Confusion
Suffering is an essential aspect of our Christian growth, whether it is mental, physical, financial, or spiritual. It is the main connection that enables the batteries to power us to be the best Christian possible. It is the link between the Holy Spirit and God’s perfect plan working in us. Without this vital connection, the power source of our Lord will not be able to prime us for His service. We may have the ability and the power of the Spirit, but the vital link between them is missing. A spark of truth and service may pass between them, so we think we...
Learning to Study the Word of God
Into Thy Word Bible Reading Guide
Perhaps best Bible Reading Plan! With this Bible Reading guide, you can go though the entire Bible verse by verse and Book by Book in one year. You also may start this plan any time and progress at your pace too.
The more you expose yourself to the Bible, the more God will expose Himself to you! This curriculum is designed to help you develop the essential basic Bible Study Skills necessary to grow deeper in the faith.
Introduction to How to Study the Bible
This is a simple easy to learn and teach curriculum on how we can study and know God’s Word. It is designed and has been used for High School and Adult groups very successfully! It requires little effort on the leader’s part, other than to read through it, and have a love and desire to get into God’s Word yourself. Because if you do not have a love and passion to be intimate with God, then how will you be able to communicate it to those God has entrusted to you for discipleship?