ARE WE TEACHING OTHERS?
Bless the Lord by blessing someone less fortunate today through Your……Time, Talent & Treasures
* “And if you give yourself to the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then your light will rise in darkness…and you will be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.”
Isaiah 58:10-11
Hebrews 5:12 You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food.
4 assumptions of discipleship that many Believers make:
Life change happens at salvation. It continues to occur over time. It is achieved largely by an act of will. It is accomplished alone. -If these assumptions were true, then we would all act in a mature, Christian manner. If not- we need to RETHINK.
#1. Life change BEGINS at salvation.
*When a person has become a Christian, they are not automatically a spiritual giant. There is a process that leads up to discipleship that starts with salvation.
*Salvation is just the start of our journey; it’s the beginning of the race.
*Do you win races at the starting line? No, of course not. It’s ridiculous to think that, so why do we think salvation is the completed step if being a Christian?
#2. Life change takes MORE than time.
*We are in the mindset that if you’ve been a Christian for 10 years, you should be more changed and mature than a Christian of 9 years.
* Hebrews 5:12 states that we should be teachers if God’s word. Yet we are still “being fed milk.”
#3. Life change is about TRAINING, not trying.
*You can have the will to do anything in the world, but that will alone won’t accomplish it.
* If you had never worked out before and wanted to bench press 300 pounds, just having the will to do it won’t help you lift out at all.
#4. Life change is a TEAM effort.
* You cannot survive without the fellowship of other striving Christians.
*Jesus compares us to sheep multiple times in the Bible. One of the reasons is because sheep are herd animals. They cannot survive on their own. There is strength in numbers, even with us as Christians.
These 4 ideas are great to meditate on and grasp as Bodies of Believers. If we understand these, we understand the process of discipleship.
WE MUST SPRING INTO ACTION
*The knowledge of God and Christ is active in our hearts to produce grace and peace.
*We must study to receive the knowledge He has placed here for us, so we can walk in His perfect will.
*No matter where you go you must go to make a difference.
*Kingdom Mindset will allow you to persevere.
*The King in you will give you peace.
*Make the Word of God a part of you because without the word; one is lifeless.
*There is No prayer without the word.
2 Peter 1:2 May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. (All of 2 Peter 1 is great read here)
*Growing in Christ does not mean just knowing more of His word. That is part of it. But we have to be growing in love. If we’re not, we need to examine our lives (or better yet have someone who knows you do an evaluation) to see if we are truly growing in love and grace towards others.
God’s Character of a New Man.
“The fruit of the Spirit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in us.
*The Spirit produces these character traits that are found in the nature of Christ.
*They are the by-products of Christ’s control-we can’t obtain them by trying to get them without his help.
*If we want the fruit of the Spirit to grow in us, we must join our lives to His.
**We must know Him, love Him, remember Him, and imitate Him.
** As a result, we will fulfill the intended purpose of the law-to love God and our neighbors.
Which of these qualities do you want the Spirit to produce in you?”
Galatians 5:22 But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control.
*When God’s Holy Spirit is active in our lives He produces fresh fruit that tastes good to those around us. When we try to do things on our own, without His Holy Spirit, it can begin to taste gross.
*Let us rely upon, seek, and walk in His Holy Spirit today! May your fruit always be fresh!!!!
Proverbs 24:12 Don’t excuse yourself by saying, “Look, we didn’t know.” For God understands all hearts, and he sees you. He who guards your soul knows you knew. He will repay all people as their actions deserve.
*We must LIVE the word of God and act on it.
*Don’t let Pride stop you from asking for advice.
It is easy to use the I didn’t know excuse and fool yourself.
*Move Forward and take some ACTION and always take responsibility for your actions and understand that God knows your heart and soul and the real intentions behind your actions.
Heavenly Father thank you for all of the guidance and your Word to keep me on the path to life. God, please give me boldness to take action when You ask me to. Forgive me for my selfishness. Help me to be more giving with my time and money. Give me direction so that I know where to invest those for Your Kingdom work. Amen
“Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20.