"...exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come." - 1Ti 4:7-8
Basic Spiritual Exercises Will Benfit You a Great Deal!
I. READ THE WORD OF GOD -- 1. The means by which we grow spiritually - 1Pe 2:2. 2. It was by the Word of God that Jesus resisted the devil - Mt 4:4,7,10 3. It is by God's Word in our hearts that we can resist sin - Psa 119:11-- The Word of God is therefore foundational to our spiritual fitness
1. Develop the habit of reading the Word daily 2. Start slow; perhaps with the NT, a chapter a day
3. Progress to reading the Bible through each year 4. Read devotionally, meditating on what you read
-- The Word of God will help you to grow in grace and knowledge
II. SPEND TIME IN PRAYER --A. THE POWER OF PRAYER...1. . There is forgiveness from God - Ac 8:22; 1Jn 1:7-10 2. There is peace from God - Php 4:6-7 3. There is strength from God - Ep 3:14-16,20 4. There is opportunity from God - Col 4:3 5. There is boldness from God - Ep 6:19-20 6. There is wisdom from God - Jm 1:5-8 7. There is healing from God - Jm 5:14-16 8. There is tranquility from God - 1Ti 2:1-4 -- Together with the Word, prayer is foundational to spiritual fitness
B. PRAYING FERVENTLY...1. As you read the Word of God, pray for wisdom 2. Pray daily for forgiveness, strength, opportunity, boldness 3. As needed, pray for peace, healing, tranquility
4. Continue earnestly in prayer, vigilant in with thanksgiving - Col 4:2 - Consistent, fervent prayer will strengthen your relationship with God
III. SING PRAISES 1. One purpose of singing is to praise God - Ac 16:25 2. It is a type of spiritual sacrifice that we offer to God - He 13:15 3. A way to be filled with grace and melody in our hearts - Col 3:16; Ep 5:19 4. A way to respond to the goodness of God - Jm 5:13 -- Singing praises is foundational to our spiritual well-being -- Singing enriches our souls and fortifies our relationship with
God
IV. FELLOWSHIP WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS AND LOVING THOSE WHO ARE NOT CHRISTIANS -- BEING PERSONS OF LOVE AND MERCY -- LOVE THE LOST
A. THE IMPORTANCE OF FELLOWSHIP... 1. The church is the body of Christ which is built up when each part does its share - Ep 4:15-16 2. Our assembling is designed to stir one another to love and good
works - He 10:24-25 3. Our fellowship is a source of comfort and edification - 1Th 5:11 4. A way to avoid becoming hardened by the deceitfulness of sin - He 3:12-14 -- Frequent fellowship is crucial to remaining faithful and steadfast
B. EXPERIENCING FELLOWSHIP...
1. Assemble together with Christians every opportunity you can Heb. 10:24-25
2. Take advantage of the assemblies offered by the local congregation
3. Not just one time on Sunday, but every time the door is open
4. Look for ways to be with Christians daily - by phone, Biblestudies, social activities
-- Fellowship with other Christians strengthens one's faith in God and Christ
V. DO GOOD WORKS A. THE ROLE OF GOOD WORKS...1. We are not saved by good works - Ep 2:8-9; Tit 3:4-5 2. But we are created in Christ for good works, to glorify God - Ep 2:10; Mt 5:16
3. Thus we are to be fruitful in every good work - Col 1:10 4. We are not to grow weary in doing good - 1Co 15:58; Ga 6:9-10 -- Good works are essential if we are going reap spiritual benefits
B. EXAMPLES OF GOOD WORKS... 1. Share the gospel with the lost 2. Minister to brethren and to the lost in need, whether physical or spiriutal. 3. Utilize your resources (time, money, talents) to help the poor or sick 4. Each day try to do something that blesses another person SHARE A CUP OF COLD WATER1-- Good works, done systematically, builds spiritual endurance.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Being a Disciple of Jesus - Love God, Love Other Christians, Love the Lost!
We are called to be disciples! The disciple of Jesus Christ is one who believes the Good News of Jesus the Messiah with all his heart and knows for sure that all his sins have been forgiven, as God has promised in His Word. God adopts such a believer as His child. Thus it is written in the Gospel: To all who receive Jesus the Messiah and believe in His name is given "the right to become children of God-children not born of natural descent…but born of God." (John 1:12,13) Dear friend, God wants you to know that if you become a child of God through faith in Christ and His sacrifice, you will never perish, and He will give you the right to live forever in His presence!
he person whom God saves and forgives has a changed heart. God washes his heart and makes it clean. The person for whom God has done this will avoid all uncleanness. That is what the Scriptures declare, saying: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Cor. 5:17)
Since the Lord God has forgiven you your great debt of sin and saved you from eternal punishment, we should live for jesus and thank him and honor Him in thought and word and deed all your life long!
Listen to what the Gospel declares concerning those who belong to the Lord Jesus. It says:
(Titus 3) 3At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
(1 Pet. 1) 14 [Therefore] As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
How can we summarize the way of life of a disciple of Christ? Perhaps like this: God wants His children to show forth His character in their behavior here on earth. Simply put, God wants His children to be like Him. Well then, what is God like? In our studies in the Holy Scriptures we have seen that two prominent characteristics of God are holiness and love. God is the Holy One. He is also the God of Love. So what is His will for those of us who belong to Him? He wants us to be holy as He is holy, and to love one another as He loves us.
A holy life and a loving heart are what differentiates those who belong to God from those who do not. Concerning this, God's Word says:
(1 John 3) 10This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
(Titus 2) 11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
(Eph. 4) 25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold. 28He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. 29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
(Eph. 5) 1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 3But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. 4Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person-such a man is an idolater-has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. (1 John 4) 7[Therefore] dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 20If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
That is what the Scriptures say concerning the way of life for those who follow Jesus Christ. Does all this mean that the disciple of Christ can no longer sin, or that he always loves his neighbor as he loves himself? No! He still commits sin, but he no longer lingers in it. When he sins, he can put to use the promise in the Word of God that says:
(1 John 1) 7…The blood of Jesus…purifies us from all sin. 8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Amen.
Belonging to Jesus Christ is not just a religion--it is a relationship. When a person belongs to Christ, he is brought into fellowship with the holy God of love. That close relationship with God, which Adam and Eve lost because of their sin is restored to us through the blood which Jesus shed on the cross. God will no longer remember our transgressions because Jesus paid for us our debt of sin. Through our relationship with Christ, God is our heavenly Father, and we are His children. That is what the Scriptures speak of when they say: "For through [Christ] we…have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow-citizens with God's people and members of God's household." (Eph. 2:18,19)
The Disciple of Christ has three loves -- LOVE GOD, LOVE YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST, and LOVE THE LOST! LIVE FOR JESUS AND BE A PERSON WHO LOVES!
he person whom God saves and forgives has a changed heart. God washes his heart and makes it clean. The person for whom God has done this will avoid all uncleanness. That is what the Scriptures declare, saying: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" (2 Cor. 5:17)
Since the Lord God has forgiven you your great debt of sin and saved you from eternal punishment, we should live for jesus and thank him and honor Him in thought and word and deed all your life long!
Listen to what the Gospel declares concerning those who belong to the Lord Jesus. It says:
(Titus 3) 3At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.
(1 Pet. 1) 14 [Therefore] As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
How can we summarize the way of life of a disciple of Christ? Perhaps like this: God wants His children to show forth His character in their behavior here on earth. Simply put, God wants His children to be like Him. Well then, what is God like? In our studies in the Holy Scriptures we have seen that two prominent characteristics of God are holiness and love. God is the Holy One. He is also the God of Love. So what is His will for those of us who belong to Him? He wants us to be holy as He is holy, and to love one another as He loves us.
A holy life and a loving heart are what differentiates those who belong to God from those who do not. Concerning this, God's Word says:
(1 John 3) 10This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
(Titus 2) 11For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13while we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
(Eph. 4) 25Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. 26"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27and do not give the devil a foothold. 28He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need. 29Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. 30And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. 32Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
(Eph. 5) 1Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children 2and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 3But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. 4Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. 5For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person-such a man is an idolater-has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. 8For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light. (1 John 4) 7[Therefore] dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 20If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. 21And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
That is what the Scriptures say concerning the way of life for those who follow Jesus Christ. Does all this mean that the disciple of Christ can no longer sin, or that he always loves his neighbor as he loves himself? No! He still commits sin, but he no longer lingers in it. When he sins, he can put to use the promise in the Word of God that says:
(1 John 1) 7…The blood of Jesus…purifies us from all sin. 8If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Amen.
Belonging to Jesus Christ is not just a religion--it is a relationship. When a person belongs to Christ, he is brought into fellowship with the holy God of love. That close relationship with God, which Adam and Eve lost because of their sin is restored to us through the blood which Jesus shed on the cross. God will no longer remember our transgressions because Jesus paid for us our debt of sin. Through our relationship with Christ, God is our heavenly Father, and we are His children. That is what the Scriptures speak of when they say: "For through [Christ] we…have access to the Father by one Spirit. Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow-citizens with God's people and members of God's household." (Eph. 2:18,19)
The Disciple of Christ has three loves -- LOVE GOD, LOVE YOUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST, and LOVE THE LOST! LIVE FOR JESUS AND BE A PERSON WHO LOVES!
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