A Life With family
The normal Christian life is a life lived with a family. I don't necessarily mean the family you were born into by blood relation. I mean the family of God. Do you know that the Bible instructs us to call God, "our father?" If God is a father that means he has children and a family. If you have asked Jesus to forgive your mistakes and direct your life then you have taken the first few steps into God's family.
Though those are the first steps they are not the last. I want to show you four stages in the development of our life with the family of God.
2 Kings 4:1-7
1The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”
2Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”
“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a little oil.”
3Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. 4Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side.”
5She left him and afterward shut the door behind her and her sons. They brought the jars to her and she kept pouring. 6When all the jars were full, she said to her son, “Bring me another one.”
But he replied, “There is not a jar left.” Then the oil stopped flowing.
7She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.”
The QUALITY of her miracle was based on her FAITH.
The QUANTITY of her miracle was based on her RELATIONSHIPS.
Without good relationships she would have had her neighbors shut their doors in her face and she would have collected very few, very small jars. Because she had lots of freinds, she had lots of jars and lots of big jars. She gained enough jars to fill them with oil. Enough oil to pay off all her debts and buy back her two sons from slavery!
Your relationships are the only thing you will take with you into eternity, you can take them to Heaven or Hell.
Membership – Choose to belong.
Choose to belong to God's family by asking God to forgive you for your mistakes in Jesus name.
Friendship – Choose to be friends.
Once you are in God's family, make some friends with others in God's family.
Partnership – Choose to help out.
The nest step in really feeling like you are in a family is working together and doing life together. Pray for these new friends and they will pray for you. Do things for each other, we call this minstry.
Kinship – Choose to be family.
The final goal is truly knowing that you are a part of a family. A church or religion that does not treat you like family if missing the mark. You are not a member on the roll, or a name on a list. You were made to be a member of a family.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
The Normal Christian LIfe
A Life Like Jesus
Last week we began looking at some ways of defining the normal Christian life. We often have wrong concepts of what we think God says is normal for one of his children. We want to judge the state of our Christian life by the Word of God.
One aspect of a normal Christian life is this, it is a life like Jesus. What was Jesus like? We find him in the Bible in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. He is further described in the rest of the New Testament.
The normal Christian life is one that is constantly growing and changing to be more like Jesus. No, I don't wear sandals and I am not a carpenter. However, I want my actions and my attitudes to be more like the actions and attitudes of Jesus all the time. If Jesus were born in 1971 and was 35 today, how diferent would I be from him? That is the honest question I must ask myself every day.
Consider these Scriptures that tell us what Jesus was like.
Philippians 2:5
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.
John 13:15
I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you
1 Corinthians 11:1
Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
Titus 2:7-8
In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
1 Peter 2:21
To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
Phillipians 3:10
10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
To be more like Jesus I need to develope these things:
The Attitudes of Jesus
The Actions of Jesus
The Attraction of Jesus
The Afflictions of Jesus
Last week we began looking at some ways of defining the normal Christian life. We often have wrong concepts of what we think God says is normal for one of his children. We want to judge the state of our Christian life by the Word of God.
One aspect of a normal Christian life is this, it is a life like Jesus. What was Jesus like? We find him in the Bible in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. He is further described in the rest of the New Testament.
The normal Christian life is one that is constantly growing and changing to be more like Jesus. No, I don't wear sandals and I am not a carpenter. However, I want my actions and my attitudes to be more like the actions and attitudes of Jesus all the time. If Jesus were born in 1971 and was 35 today, how diferent would I be from him? That is the honest question I must ask myself every day.
Consider these Scriptures that tell us what Jesus was like.
Philippians 2:5
Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.
John 13:15
I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you
1 Corinthians 11:1
Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
Titus 2:7-8
In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
1 Peter 2:21
To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.
Phillipians 3:10
10I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
To be more like Jesus I need to develope these things:
The Attitudes of Jesus
The Actions of Jesus
The Attraction of Jesus
The Afflictions of Jesus
The Normal Christian Life
A Life of Worship
In the next few weeks we will discuss what the Bible says is the normal Christian life. We have created cultural ideas of what a normal Christian life should look like, but according to the Bible, most Christians are living a stunted and far from normal Christian life.
Many good people who attend church, and many good people who confess Christ but are not connected to a local body of believers will find themselves in serious trouble when they stand before God and have to answer for their lives. Some will miss true salvation. Some will miss the rewards that other normal believers will receive. Still others will miss the victorious life and blessings that God intends for his Children living a life of struggle.
So the question is, “What does a normal Christian look like?”
First of all, The Normal Christian Lives a Life of Worship.
Luke 17:11-19
11Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
14When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
15One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
17Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
Nine Reasons the Nine did not return to worship.
1. I had to get busy and make a living.
Often our work squeezes worship out of our lives. These men have been unable to work due to disability. They may be very anxious to get back to work and earn a living.
Some people will not worship through tithing! Are you one of the 9?
2. I had to have some family time.
We all have many Godly priorities, let’s balance them.
3. It’s too much effort to go all the way back.
We fail to worship for lack of boldness and effort.
4. No body else is doing it.
We fail to worship when we look at others, and follow them.
5. My religious duty is to go to the priest, not Jesus.
We fail to worship when we practice mindless ritualistic religion.
6. I can praise God without praising Jesus.
We can not worship the only God without acknowledging his Son.
7. I don’t need to praise God, I already obey him.
God deserves our worship and praise and our obedience.
8. God already knows how I feel in my mind.
The Scriptures command that we speak, shout, and sing praise.
9. I just never think about it.
We have to think about praise and worship to God.
John 4:23-24
23Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”
Worship Honors God First
Worship Obeys God Fast
Worship Offends God’s Foes
Worship Opens God’s Floodgates
Worship Observes God’s Face
In the next few weeks we will discuss what the Bible says is the normal Christian life. We have created cultural ideas of what a normal Christian life should look like, but according to the Bible, most Christians are living a stunted and far from normal Christian life.
Many good people who attend church, and many good people who confess Christ but are not connected to a local body of believers will find themselves in serious trouble when they stand before God and have to answer for their lives. Some will miss true salvation. Some will miss the rewards that other normal believers will receive. Still others will miss the victorious life and blessings that God intends for his Children living a life of struggle.
So the question is, “What does a normal Christian look like?”
First of all, The Normal Christian Lives a Life of Worship.
Luke 17:11-19
11Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. 12As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance 13and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”
14When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.
15One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. 16He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
17Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? 18Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”
Nine Reasons the Nine did not return to worship.
1. I had to get busy and make a living.
Often our work squeezes worship out of our lives. These men have been unable to work due to disability. They may be very anxious to get back to work and earn a living.
Some people will not worship through tithing! Are you one of the 9?
2. I had to have some family time.
We all have many Godly priorities, let’s balance them.
3. It’s too much effort to go all the way back.
We fail to worship for lack of boldness and effort.
4. No body else is doing it.
We fail to worship when we look at others, and follow them.
5. My religious duty is to go to the priest, not Jesus.
We fail to worship when we practice mindless ritualistic religion.
6. I can praise God without praising Jesus.
We can not worship the only God without acknowledging his Son.
7. I don’t need to praise God, I already obey him.
God deserves our worship and praise and our obedience.
8. God already knows how I feel in my mind.
The Scriptures command that we speak, shout, and sing praise.
9. I just never think about it.
We have to think about praise and worship to God.
John 4:23-24
23Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”
Worship Honors God First
Worship Obeys God Fast
Worship Offends God’s Foes
Worship Opens God’s Floodgates
Worship Observes God’s Face
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)