Do I, as a
Follower of Jesus, really believe what I say I believe?
Good
question and necessary for all those who call themselves followers of Jesus to
answer. I for one need to be challenged
about my faith. I need to know what I believe and be aware of how I am applying
those beliefs to the everyday decisions I make.
I
need to evaluate my heart for God and others, my character, my service and my
motives.
Am
I living the life God has called me to live? Does my character reflect a
Christ-centered life? Am I growing in my faith and trust in God?
As
a follower of Jesus I want to make sure I am not getting complacent about my relationship
and walk with God. Yet, I find there are times I just want to saunter through
life without a care in the world. But every time I talk with someone or hear
some news about difficult circumstances surrounding a person’s life, I realize
we have an active enemy who is trying to get us to take our eyes off Jesus and
destroy all that is good in the Kingdom God. For example, Godly marriages,
family, relationships, Churches, fruit bearing ministries etc.
1 Peter
5:8 Living Bible (TLB)
Be careful—watch out for attacks from
Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion, looking
for some victim to tear apart.
Because
of this fact, I need God’s help to stay alert to the enemies subtle attacks and
supply me with supernatural strength and discernment to help me focus back on
what He has called me to do, all the while combating the urge to drift into
meaningless endeavors which the enemy would love to get me focused on.
With
God’s help we can directly face the difficult battles and circumstances that lie
ahead of us. Jesus did warn us that we would face difficulties as His followers.
He also told us that the victory over
sin and death has already been won.
John 16:33
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have
peace. In this world you will have
trouble. But take heart! I have overcome
the world.”
Sure,
life as a follower of Jesus is hard. Sure, it requires us to adjust our lives
by putting Him first. It also means that we must deal with the sin in our life.
This I know for sure: putting Jesus first is a good thing because He will be
the one to guide us in our spiritual journey through the power of the Word and through
the power of the Holy Spirit. Only through His strength will I be able to
withstand the temptation to sin.
God
desires for us to live the abundant life.
2 Corinthians
9:8
And God is able to
bless you abundantly, so that in all
things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good
work.
Part
of living abundantly means that as a follower of Jesus, I am a recipient of God’s
spiritual blessings. But, I must appropriate
them so I don’t lose sight of what I have received. Spiritual Blessings include:
Adoption into the family of God,
reconciliation with God, Salvation, eternal life, the gift of faith, the Holy
Spirit, fruit of the Spirit, wisdom, fellowship, service, purpose, discernment,
eternal perspective etc. But even while I am appropriating these blessings, I
need to keep in check my sometimes wacky human nature and self-serving personal
desires that I know are out of step with God.
I realize
I am going to spend and eternity with the Lord. And because of that fact I
become aware that my life is designed to be in preparation for that event. I
have been given work to do for God right now, which is helping others realize
that there is more to life than just a physical existence. I must tell them that there is hope because
Jesus’ work on the Cross made it possible for reconciliation between God and
man. When our sin becomes covered by Christ, there is no more condemnation.
Never let the enemy rob you of this truth!
Romans 8:1 NIV
Therefore, there is
now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
God’s
never ending love and grace has brought us an eternity of Blessing. Jesus made
that possible through His suffering and then death on the Cross. His
resurrection after 3 days proves that sin and death were defeated. Once we
become Followers of Jesus we are no longer separated from God. We have been given
a new heart, a new spirit, and a new purpose. Our lives are now in His hands
and what awaits us is an eternity that is so awesome that words could not possibly
describe how wonderful it is going to be.
That
is why, as we prepare for that time to be with God in heaven, we should
understand and be able to articulate what we really believe. We should
investigate our beliefs and see if they are aligned properly with God’s principles.
This is not just for our sake but it will help us explain to others the hope
that we have and what the Christian faith really encompasses. If we want to
fulfill the Great Commission”, we need to
be able to explain in an understandable way God’s Truth about salvation.
These
Bible passages below reinforce what we are required to do:
Matthew 28:18-20 NIV
Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in
heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I
have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the
age."
1 Peter 3:15 NIV
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
So, what do we believe? Here are some basic tenets
of the Christian Faith:
Tenet:
principle, belief, or doctrine generally held to be
true; especially: one held in common by members of an organization,
movement, or profession
·
Jesus Christ is the Only Way to Eternal Salvation With God the
Father
John 14:6
Jesus answered, “I am
the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through
me.
·
We Are Saved by Grace Through Faith – Not by Works
Ephesians
2:8-9 New International Version
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and
this is not from yourselves,
it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can
boast.
·
Jesus Christ is the Son of God
Matthew 3:17 New International Version
And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love;
with him I am well pleased.”
John 3:16 New International Version
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only
Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 NIV
For God so loved the
world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not
perish but have eternal life.
·
The Incarnation of Jesus Christ (Jesus became like us)
John 1:14
New International Version
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We
have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the
Father, full of grace and truth.
·
The Bodily Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the Grave happened
Read Like 24
·
The Ascension of Jesus Christ (Jesus ascends back to heaven to be seated at
the right hand of God)
Read Acts 1:1-11
·
The Doctrine of the Trinity (Father , Son, Holy Spirit)
God is the Creator. He has
eternally existed in three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
These three are co-equal and are one God.
·
The Holy Bible is the Inspired and Infallible Word of God
2 Timothy 3:16-17 New International Version
All Scripture is
God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training
in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly
equipped for every good work.
·
We Are Baptized With the Holy Spirit at the Moment of Salvation
Acts 2:38 New International Version (NIV)
Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in
the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive
the gift of the Holy Spirit.
·
We are Regenerated by the Holy Spirit
2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The
old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
·
The Doctrine of Hell (Those who do not receive the gift of
faith will be separated from God)
Matthew 8:11-12 Living Bible
And I tell you this, that many Gentiles like this Roman
officer, shall come from all over the world and sit down in the Kingdom of
Heaven with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And many an Israelite—those for whom the
Kingdom was prepared—shall be cast into outer darkness, into the place of
weeping and torment.”
And anyone whose name was not found recorded in the Book of
Life was thrown into the lake of fire.
·
The 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ Back to our Earth (Jesus is
coming Back)
John 14:1-4 Living Bible (TLB)
“Let not your heart be troubled. You are trusting God,
now trust in me. There are many homes up there where my Father lives, and I am
going to prepare them for your coming. When everything is ready, then I will
come and get you, so that you can always be with me where I am. If this weren’t
so, I would tell you plainly. And you know where I am going and how to get
there.”
Matthew 24:36-42 Living Bible (TLB)
But no one knows the date and hour when the end will be—not
even the angels. No, nor even God’s Son Only the Father knows. “The world will be at ease—banquets and
parties and weddings—just as it was in Noah’s time before the sudden coming of
the Flood; people wouldn’t believe what was going to happen until
the Flood actually arrived and took them all away. So shall my coming be.
“Two men will be working together in the
fields, and one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be going about
their household tasks; one will be taken, the other left.
“So be prepared, for you don’t know what
day your Lord is coming.
So after reading through these tenets of the faith
I can say I am in agreement with these principles. But, there are many questions
others may have that will cause us to have to further explain what the Bible says and means. The good news is we have help. Like Jesus said and promised, the Holy Spirit will give us a deeper teaching about the meaning of God's Word and remind us of
the words Jesus spoke.
John 14:26 NIV
But the Counselor,
the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all
things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
Yet, we must also take time to read and study the Bible in
order to be knowledgeable about God’s truth as well as have His inspired Word change
us from the inside out. As we deepen our relationship with God we will have the
strength, wisdom, and proper perspective to live a life devoted to Him. To me,
this is living life in abundance. As we
change, others will take notice and may intrigue them enough to open up doors for
us to be able to share our story of faith. Telling a good story will always
grab someone’s attention. Jesus used parables to illustrate the spiritual lessons
about the kingdom of God. We can use our story to illustrate how God has given
us a new life, a new hope, and a new Spirit.
So now that we are in full swing of the Christmas
Holiday everyone is focused on everything Christmas from the secular to the
spiritual. When I think about Christmas I visualize the beauty of the Christmas
lights. I contemplate the wonderful songs about the birth of Jesus. I think
about the greatest gift that has ever been given. I remember what God has done
for me and how grateful I am that Jesus came to rescue us.
Christmas is a reminder to me of what I believe. My
desire is to live out the Christian life as a true follower of Jesus with my
identity representative of that of a disciple, which says to others that I am
confident in God’s Word, and His promise of salvation. I really do believe what
I believe. My prayer for you is that you do as well.
Just Sayin……………….Dave
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