Here are 5 steps to take to
begin or continue your journey with Christ:
Part
One
Congratulations!! |
You
have just begun the greatest journey of your lifetime. Or as one Christian
musician puts it, you have just started what is sure to be a Great Adventure.
Whether you have just put your trust in Jesus for the first time or whether you
have been a follower of Christ for while your decision to get serious about
your faith is significant. Scripture tells us that heaven throws a party when
one of God's children comes into a new relationship with him.
If you are a new believer in
Jesus you have experienced what the Bible refers to as salvation. This process
of salvation began the moment you confessed your sin to Jesus and asked him to
be the ruler of your life. You accepted that, no matter how good your life
might have been, without Jesus something was always missing. To refresh
yourself on what has taken place in your life look up a few verses and make
some notes about what each one says.
John 3:16
John 10:10
Romans 3:23
Romans 6:23
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Ephesians 2:8,9
Romans 5:8
1 John
1:9 |
If for some reason you have gotten
to this point and have realized that you have never actually invited Christ to
be a part of your life let me suggest that you take a moment and do so now. You
might pray something like this:
| "Dear
Jesus, I know that you love me. I may not fully understand, but I do believe
that you died for me and that you rose again to give me eternal and abundant
life. On my own I am nothing. I admit my sinfulness to You and pray for your
forgiveness and healing. Take control of my heart and lead me according to Your
ways. Amen." |
What an amazing experience to know
that the God who created the universe loves you and me enough to die so that we
might have life. Scripture tells us that Jesus didn't stay dead but that
instead he lives in the hearts and lives of His people. For that reason it is
important that we get to know Jesus on a more personal level, for this
relationship is the true key to our success in this life.
Spend some time asking God to
open your heart and mind to all that He wants you to learn as you spend time
with Him. Then let me encourage you to begin searching for a local church that
you can be involved in that will love you with the love of Christ and will
challenge you to be more like Him.
Part Two |
One
of the first keys to experiencing the life of peace and purpose promised in
John 10:10 is found in John 15:5. Take a moment and read that verse. Write
below what you understand to be the meaning of "remains, or abides".
Jesus said that if we would
remain in Him and if He remains in us we will bear much fruit. In a nutshell
Jesus is promising that if we will continually develop a relationship with Him
through prayer, Bible study, fellowship with other Christians, and worship the
evidence of His presence in our lives will be unmistakable. Many people will
try to tell you what the evidence of His presence in your life looks like. Why
don't we try a different approach? Take a look at Galatians 5:22 and 23. Write
below the nine evidences of Christ in your life that Paul mentions.
As you examine the nine
character qualities Paul mentions and compare them with what Paul says in John
15:5 does it become obvious to you that after asking Jesus to be your Savior
the next step toward being a person of honor and integrity involves remaining
in a constant, growing relationship with Jesus? Hopefully you strive for
excellence in all you do. Most of us long to be successful in our businesses,
our academics, and our families - in every part of our lives. What about your
spiritual life? Do you want to be successful there? If so turn to the Old
Testament book of Joshua and read Joshua 1:7-9. Pay special attention to verse
8. What does this verse say is the key to success in following the Lord?
Will you take the next step
in your journey with Christ? You are a Christian, and now is the time to move
forward. This step is one that will begin a lifetime of fulfillment. It simply
involves a life-style of spending time with Jesus. The easiest way to begin it
to take your Bible and turn to the book of John. Begin reading there about the
life of Christ. You will be fascinated by what you find. Enjoy the miracles,
the teaching, and the narratives about actual events in the life of our Lord.
When you get to a part that really stands out to you stop there and write down
what you are thinking. Take a moment to talk to God about it through prayer.
Why not start right now? Enjoy the journey. |
Part Three |
Wow!
I am having an incredible time getting back to the basics of what it means to
life the Christian life. So many people in our world today try to tell us that
living for Jesus is a strict set of rules and regulations that no one could
possibly live up to. How untrue that teaching is? The reality, according to
Matthew 5-7, is that following Jesus is all about a relationship with the very
Son of God that manifests itself in our daily lives. Our life in Christ is all
about who we are as opposed to what we do.
A group of religious leaders
prior to and during Jesus ministry were key players in the "godliness is all
dependent on what you do" arena. As a matter of fact the rules they set up left
everyone feeling distressed and defeated. People were afraid to be honest about
what was going on in their lives. They denied the reality of pain and suffering
and lived lives that were void of any real peace. For hundreds of years the
people lived without a word from the Lord, hopeless and hurting.
For many of us the words "pain,
suffering, void of peace, hopeless, and hurting" describe our lives. Even as
followers of Christ we face circumstances that steal the joy of living. Because
of new life in Christ you are now free to express your heart to God without
fear of judgement or shame. For proof turn in your Bible to Romans 8:1 and read
that verse. What does it tell you about your relationship with Christ?
This freedom to take your pains,
joys, requests, and fears to God is fundamental to the next step in your
journey with Christ. It is a step that is called prayer. What images come to
your mind when you hear someone mention prayer?
Prayer is simply communication
with God. Our heavenly Father wants us to talk to Him about what is going on in
our lives, not because He doesn't know, but because He wants to spend time with
You. Even psychology says that when we verbally express what is deep within our
hearts healing takes place. Psychology didn't come up with that idea. Our
Father in heaven did.
Several
verses talk about the importance of prayer. Let's briefly take a look at them.
Open your Bible to these verses and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you
concerning their meaning for you. Write down your thoughts about each verse.
Jeremiah 33:3
Matthew 6:5-15
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Matthew 7:7-8
John 15:7 |
These are just a few verses that tell
us of the importance of prayer. You can pray anywhere. Some choose to take
advantage of time spent in the car on a long drive. Others spend the first
moments of each day communicating with God. Still others have developed the
discipline of being able to be in constant communication with God throughout
the day. Some write their prayers out in the form of a journal. Some use a
devotional guide while others have a system of their own. Whatever the case for
you the important thing is that you spend time with the Father in prayer. What
better time to start than right now? Spend some time talking with God about
what is happening in your life. Thank Him for all he has done. Acknowledge His
power and greatness. Confess those things in your life that are wrong and are
keeping you from experiencing the fullness of your relationship with God. Make
requests on your behalf and on behalf of others. Allow this experience to
become part of your daily life, and it will change your life forever.
Guaranteed! |
Part Four |
I hope that you are enjoying this
brief jump start in your journey with Christ. So far we have discussed the
importance of Bible study and prayer. You may remember in the beginning of
these lessons we said that getting involved with a group of people who would
love you and support you in your journey was important. The church is the word
Scripture uses to refer to a body of fellow believers who you can interact with
in worship, fellowship, Bible study, prayer, and ministry.
It doesn't take long to figure
out that there are many different types of churches. You must find a church
where you can be who God created you to be and where you find the freedom to
grow in your relationship with Christ. Scripture teaches that a true "church"
is one whose focus is on Christ, as expressed in Mark 12:29-31. Take a moment
and look up those verses. What does Jesus say is the most important
commandment?
It is our
responsibility as believers to find a body who keeps that commandment as
priority. In the book of Acts we get a glimpse of what the early church was
like. Look up Acts 2:42-47. What characteristics do you find there that
distinguished the church from just another group of people getting together?
As you are getting involved in a local
group of believers in Christ look for some key elements.
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1. A church that places priority
on teaching the Bible.
2. A church that encourages both individual
and corporate worship.
3. A church that is involved in meeting the
needs of people in the community.
4. A church with a leader who
loves the Lord with all his heart.
5. A church that allows you to be
who Christ created you to be.
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Surely
there are other things you will find that are important in finding the right
church for you. Many of those things may change from person to person. The five
qualities listed above, though, are "musts" in taking the steps that lead to
growth. Why is it so important to find the right believers to fellowship with?
Can't I grow on my own? Many have asked that question. Let's go back to
scripture for the answer. Look in the New Testament book of Hebrews. Turn to
chapter 10 and read verse 25. What does that verse tell us about the importance
of meeting together?
If you are
not already involved in a local body of believers, let me encourage you to make
that a priority. Ask for the Lord's leadership and direction. He will guide you
if you will open yourself to His leading. Send us e-mail through our web site
and let us know what you choose. |
Part Five |
This
lesson begins our final step in this process, but it signifies only the
beginning of your journey. The reality is that we are always growing in our
relationship to Christ or we are dying. Of the two alternatives only one sounds
very attractive. Let me encourage you to let these five lessons be the
beginning for you.
We have
discussed the importance of daily time with God through prayer and Bible study,
as well as the importance of being involved in a local church. One more aspect
that we'd like to mention is the discipline of scripture memory. We aren't
talking about memorizing scripture just for the sake of memorizing words. This
process also is not a checklist to measure our growth. Instead scripture memory
is a key part of living the life Christ wants us to live. Several verses point
to that truth. Turn to each one, read them, and record below what you discover.
Jeremiah 29:11
Psalm 119:11
Psalm 119:105
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1 Corinthians 10:12,13
2 Timothy 3:16,17 |
From
these verses what would you say the role of scripture is in our journey with
Christ?
I know that your
first response might be "I can't memorize" or "That's too much work." I can
promise you, though, that the rewards far outweigh the effort. Read Matthew
6:33 for that promise!
Allow me
to challenge you to begin meditating on the word of God and allowing it to take
root in your heart. Begin small. Take a little at a time. Put the verses on
note cards. Place them beside your bed. Whatever it takes to learn them, put
forth the effort.
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