Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Chapter 2
Growing In Christ
What does it mean to “Grow in Christ” and how do we grow in Christ? Those are probably two of the most asked and most perplexing questions when it comes to living the Christian life.
Our Christian life should be a continual process of growing in Christ and becoming more like Him. We are made in His image it says in Genesis 1:26 and His desire for us is that we be like Him. Of course, we will never be able to fully be like Him as long as we are a part of this sinful world. However, we should always be striving every day to be more like Him and less like our old sinful selves.
It sounds crazy for me to strive to be something I know I can not attain to in this present world. My desire though is not that I would be JUST like Him, I know I can’t be that. Nevertheless, my desire is that I would be MORE like Him; more like Him today than I was yesterday, and less like my old sinful self today than I was yesterday – that’s attainable.
Growing in Christ is a continual process of becoming more like Him and less like me. That should be my desire. That is what it means to grow in Christ. Now, that we know what it means, how do we do it? How do we grow in Christ?
We know that the obvious first step to growing in Christ is that we must know the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. We must be a Christian in order to be able to grow in Christ.
You may be reading this book and know that you are not a Christian or maybe you think you might be a Christian but you are not 100% sure about your salvation and eternal security. Maybe you are not even sure what a Christian is or how to become one. It is for that reason, that I want to share with you the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how clear the plan of salvation is presented in the book of Romans.
What is a Christian? There are some specific characteristics that a Christian will exhibit and while we know that “…man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” (I Samuel 16:7), it is by these characteristics that we distinguish the believer from the nonbeliever. Keep in mind though, that it is impossible for us to judge the heart of another, only God knows the heart. Jeremiah 17: 9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Only God can know our hearts.
Are you really born again? Does your life exhibit these three, simple characteristics? These characteristics will be made evident in the life of a true born again believer – a Christian.
1. You will have no habitual sin present in your life. The Bible says in I John 3:9, "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin". This of course does not mean that we will never sin again after we have been born again. It simply means that because of our desire to please the Lord, we will not make a practice of habitual sin. We are not prefect – far from it. II Corinthians 5:17 says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” If we sin, we should confess it to the Lord immediately. He has promised to forgive us. I John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” A Christian will not have habitual sin present in their lives.
2. You will have a desire to be more like Christ. I John 2:29 says, “Everyone that doeth righteousness is born of Him.” Christ is not only our Savior, He is our example. The Christian should always be striving to be more like Him. He told His disciples in John 14:15, “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.” The true Christian will have the desire to please the Lord Jesus in all that he or she does.
There are just two choices on the shelf,
pleasing God or pleasing self.
Ken Collier, The Wilds
A Christian will not have the desire to follow after worldly things, but will have the desire to be more like Christ.
3. You will have a love for others and a burden for the lost. I John 3:11 says, “This is the message that ye have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” Romans 10:14 says, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” This should spur us to conviction and give us a desire to reach the world for Christ. A Christian will have a love for others and a burden for the lost.
If you have any doubt whatsoever about your salvation, please take time to read carefully the following simple plan of salvation that is found in the book of Romans. Get this settled between you and the Lord, once and for all, today, so that you can know for sure where you will spend eternity.
Why do I need to be saved?
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:10 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.”
Romans 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”
What does sin do to me?
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
What did Christ do for me?
Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Who can be saved?
Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
What do I need to do to be saved?
Romans 10:9 & 10 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth, the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart God hath raised Him from the dead thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.”
If you are not sure about your salvation, please do not read another chapter in this book until you have taken care of the most important decision of your life. Here is a simple prayer that will guide you if you are ready to make that important decision today.
Dear God, I confess to you now that I am a sinner.I believe that you are the Son of God,and that you died on the cross,and shed your precious blood for my sins.I believe that you rose from the deadand are in Heaven today. I am placing my trust in you Lord. Come into my heart,forgive me of my sins, and save me now.I commit myself to live for you Lord.Thank you for saving me.In Jesus’ name. Amen.
I hope if you prayed that prayer just now that you will let someone know, and that you will begin today to grow in Christ.
Now, once you are a Christian, how do you grow in Christ? Here are four simple, yet vitally important, steps we as Christians need to take to assure that we are continually growing in Christ and becoming more like Him after our salvation.
We need to be involved in a church that preaches and teaches the Word of God. Hebrews 10:25 says, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” So much the more, today, because we see the day approaching. Time is short and times are evil. Trials and tribulations are more prevalent and rampant than ever before. When a child of God is hurting, there is no more important time for him or her to be in church than at a time like that. Where else are we going to get the encouragement we need from God’s Word and from God’s people? It is so important that we be involved in a church that preaches and teaches the whole Word of God. When I say “involved”, I don’t mean to just go and sit on Sunday mornings and listen to the sermon. I mean INVOLVED, attending Sunday School, singing in the choir, going to Bible study, mother’s day out, working where you’re needed, faithful on Sunday evenings and Wednesday evenings. Whatever you can do to be a part of the fellowship of believers will always be a help to your growth in Christ. We need to be involved in a church that preaches, teaches, and believes the whole Word of God in order to continually growing in Christ and become more like Him.
We need to be DAILY studying the Word of God. As it says in II Timothy 2:15, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Studying God’s Word, meditating on it, and memorizing scripture should be a part of our daily existence. We must build our lives on and around the Word of God, and we must build His Word into our lives, as its core foundation, if we want to be able to grow in Christ. His Word and His Word alone is the text book of life that shows us how we are to live for Him and how we should serve and please Him. We wouldn’t think of going a day without physical food would we? Then why should we go a day without spiritual food? Isn’t the spiritual food so much more important than the physical? We need to be daily studying the Word of God in order to continually growing in Christ and become more like Him.
We need to be praying ALWAYS and always in an attitude of prayer. I Thessalonians 5:17 & 18 says that we are to “Pray without ceasing. In EVERY THING give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” We should be always in an attitude of prayer.
This attitude of prayer is built on three things:
First, acknowledgment of our total dependence on Him for everything.
Second, realization of His presence within us.
Third, determination to obey Him fully.
Always in an attitude of prayer, giving thanks in EVERY THING and for every thing – not only the things that we see as good things in our lives, but giving thanks also for the things that we see as bad. We need to be praying always and always in an attitude of prayer in order to continually growing in Christ and become more like Him.
We need to be witnessing of Him and all that He has done for us. Matthew 7:20 says, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” How many times have we seen God give strength to Christians and enable them by His grace to turn a bad situation into good because of their testimony of His goodness? There is no greater time for us to be a witness for Him than when we are enduring trials and tribulations. Those are the times when people are going to be watching us to see if we practice what we preach, to see what we are REALLY made of, and to see if we can depend on Him for our every need. We need to be witnessing of Him and all that He has done for us in order to continually growing in Christ and become more like Him.
We need to be continually growing in Christ and continually become more like Him. Genesis 1:26 says, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” We were made in His image, for His glory, and for His purpose. His desire is for me to be like Him. He knows me, yet He still loves me. He wants me to be continually growing in Him and continually become more like Him. That must be my desire too.
Now that we have said all of that, what we really want to find out is how do we continue to grow in Christ in spite of emotional pain? When I am carrying that burden or those burdens how do I pick up the pieces of my life and get my life back on track and continue to grow in Christ? That is the question we want to answer.
I can remember after my sister’s death the feeling I had of standing out in space, on nothing, with nothing around me, lonely and all alone, watching the world spin, and spin, and spin, watching life for everyone else go on, and on, and on. I couldn’t seem to get back on to the world and in to life as I once knew it. Life there in the world continued for people all around me, as it had before my sister’s death; most of them knew nothing of her death. But for me, life had come to a sudden, grinding, halting, gut-wrenching, and complete stop! I couldn’t seem to get my life back together again. Things like picking up the dry cleaning, meeting appointments, paying bills, these things were no longer important to me. The hurt inside me had taken over; it had taken control of my emotions which had taken control of me. The world and the people within it continued on as before; but I was not a part of it. I wondered how I could possibly get my life back together; much less get it back together and continue to grow in Christ. Maybe you feel much like this today.
One thing I found was that “I” could not get my life back together; “I” could not do it – not alone. I found out that in order to get my life back together I would need help from the Lord. I knew that I could continue to grow in Christ the same way I grew in Christ before I carried this burden; the problem was that now there was this wall between me and growing in Christ. That wall is called “emotions”. In my case it was a big, strong, overpowering wall of emotions. For women especially, that wall of emotions can become something even bigger, stronger, and more overpowering than any other part of our life.
So, the question is, when we get to that point in our life where we are faced with this wall of emotions, how do we overcome and break down the wall of emotions in order to continue growing in Christ?
chapter 3 coming in March...
What does it mean to “Grow in Christ” and how do we grow in Christ? Those are probably two of the most asked and most perplexing questions when it comes to living the Christian life.
Our Christian life should be a continual process of growing in Christ and becoming more like Him. We are made in His image it says in Genesis 1:26 and His desire for us is that we be like Him. Of course, we will never be able to fully be like Him as long as we are a part of this sinful world. However, we should always be striving every day to be more like Him and less like our old sinful selves.
It sounds crazy for me to strive to be something I know I can not attain to in this present world. My desire though is not that I would be JUST like Him, I know I can’t be that. Nevertheless, my desire is that I would be MORE like Him; more like Him today than I was yesterday, and less like my old sinful self today than I was yesterday – that’s attainable.
Growing in Christ is a continual process of becoming more like Him and less like me. That should be my desire. That is what it means to grow in Christ. Now, that we know what it means, how do we do it? How do we grow in Christ?
We know that the obvious first step to growing in Christ is that we must know the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Savior. We must be a Christian in order to be able to grow in Christ.
You may be reading this book and know that you are not a Christian or maybe you think you might be a Christian but you are not 100% sure about your salvation and eternal security. Maybe you are not even sure what a Christian is or how to become one. It is for that reason, that I want to share with you the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how clear the plan of salvation is presented in the book of Romans.
What is a Christian? There are some specific characteristics that a Christian will exhibit and while we know that “…man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.” (I Samuel 16:7), it is by these characteristics that we distinguish the believer from the nonbeliever. Keep in mind though, that it is impossible for us to judge the heart of another, only God knows the heart. Jeremiah 17: 9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Only God can know our hearts.
Are you really born again? Does your life exhibit these three, simple characteristics? These characteristics will be made evident in the life of a true born again believer – a Christian.
1. You will have no habitual sin present in your life. The Bible says in I John 3:9, "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin". This of course does not mean that we will never sin again after we have been born again. It simply means that because of our desire to please the Lord, we will not make a practice of habitual sin. We are not prefect – far from it. II Corinthians 5:17 says, “If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” If we sin, we should confess it to the Lord immediately. He has promised to forgive us. I John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” A Christian will not have habitual sin present in their lives.
2. You will have a desire to be more like Christ. I John 2:29 says, “Everyone that doeth righteousness is born of Him.” Christ is not only our Savior, He is our example. The Christian should always be striving to be more like Him. He told His disciples in John 14:15, “If ye love Me, keep My commandments.” The true Christian will have the desire to please the Lord Jesus in all that he or she does.
There are just two choices on the shelf,
pleasing God or pleasing self.
Ken Collier, The Wilds
A Christian will not have the desire to follow after worldly things, but will have the desire to be more like Christ.
3. You will have a love for others and a burden for the lost. I John 3:11 says, “This is the message that ye have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” Romans 10:14 says, “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” This should spur us to conviction and give us a desire to reach the world for Christ. A Christian will have a love for others and a burden for the lost.
If you have any doubt whatsoever about your salvation, please take time to read carefully the following simple plan of salvation that is found in the book of Romans. Get this settled between you and the Lord, once and for all, today, so that you can know for sure where you will spend eternity.
Why do I need to be saved?
Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:10 “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one.”
Romans 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.”
What does sin do to me?
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
What did Christ do for me?
Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Who can be saved?
Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
What do I need to do to be saved?
Romans 10:9 & 10 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth, the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart God hath raised Him from the dead thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.”
If you are not sure about your salvation, please do not read another chapter in this book until you have taken care of the most important decision of your life. Here is a simple prayer that will guide you if you are ready to make that important decision today.
Dear God, I confess to you now that I am a sinner.I believe that you are the Son of God,and that you died on the cross,and shed your precious blood for my sins.I believe that you rose from the deadand are in Heaven today. I am placing my trust in you Lord. Come into my heart,forgive me of my sins, and save me now.I commit myself to live for you Lord.Thank you for saving me.In Jesus’ name. Amen.
I hope if you prayed that prayer just now that you will let someone know, and that you will begin today to grow in Christ.
Now, once you are a Christian, how do you grow in Christ? Here are four simple, yet vitally important, steps we as Christians need to take to assure that we are continually growing in Christ and becoming more like Him after our salvation.
We need to be involved in a church that preaches and teaches the Word of God. Hebrews 10:25 says, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” So much the more, today, because we see the day approaching. Time is short and times are evil. Trials and tribulations are more prevalent and rampant than ever before. When a child of God is hurting, there is no more important time for him or her to be in church than at a time like that. Where else are we going to get the encouragement we need from God’s Word and from God’s people? It is so important that we be involved in a church that preaches and teaches the whole Word of God. When I say “involved”, I don’t mean to just go and sit on Sunday mornings and listen to the sermon. I mean INVOLVED, attending Sunday School, singing in the choir, going to Bible study, mother’s day out, working where you’re needed, faithful on Sunday evenings and Wednesday evenings. Whatever you can do to be a part of the fellowship of believers will always be a help to your growth in Christ. We need to be involved in a church that preaches, teaches, and believes the whole Word of God in order to continually growing in Christ and become more like Him.
We need to be DAILY studying the Word of God. As it says in II Timothy 2:15, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” Studying God’s Word, meditating on it, and memorizing scripture should be a part of our daily existence. We must build our lives on and around the Word of God, and we must build His Word into our lives, as its core foundation, if we want to be able to grow in Christ. His Word and His Word alone is the text book of life that shows us how we are to live for Him and how we should serve and please Him. We wouldn’t think of going a day without physical food would we? Then why should we go a day without spiritual food? Isn’t the spiritual food so much more important than the physical? We need to be daily studying the Word of God in order to continually growing in Christ and become more like Him.
We need to be praying ALWAYS and always in an attitude of prayer. I Thessalonians 5:17 & 18 says that we are to “Pray without ceasing. In EVERY THING give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” We should be always in an attitude of prayer.
This attitude of prayer is built on three things:
First, acknowledgment of our total dependence on Him for everything.
Second, realization of His presence within us.
Third, determination to obey Him fully.
Always in an attitude of prayer, giving thanks in EVERY THING and for every thing – not only the things that we see as good things in our lives, but giving thanks also for the things that we see as bad. We need to be praying always and always in an attitude of prayer in order to continually growing in Christ and become more like Him.
We need to be witnessing of Him and all that He has done for us. Matthew 7:20 says, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” How many times have we seen God give strength to Christians and enable them by His grace to turn a bad situation into good because of their testimony of His goodness? There is no greater time for us to be a witness for Him than when we are enduring trials and tribulations. Those are the times when people are going to be watching us to see if we practice what we preach, to see what we are REALLY made of, and to see if we can depend on Him for our every need. We need to be witnessing of Him and all that He has done for us in order to continually growing in Christ and become more like Him.
We need to be continually growing in Christ and continually become more like Him. Genesis 1:26 says, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…” We were made in His image, for His glory, and for His purpose. His desire is for me to be like Him. He knows me, yet He still loves me. He wants me to be continually growing in Him and continually become more like Him. That must be my desire too.
Now that we have said all of that, what we really want to find out is how do we continue to grow in Christ in spite of emotional pain? When I am carrying that burden or those burdens how do I pick up the pieces of my life and get my life back on track and continue to grow in Christ? That is the question we want to answer.
I can remember after my sister’s death the feeling I had of standing out in space, on nothing, with nothing around me, lonely and all alone, watching the world spin, and spin, and spin, watching life for everyone else go on, and on, and on. I couldn’t seem to get back on to the world and in to life as I once knew it. Life there in the world continued for people all around me, as it had before my sister’s death; most of them knew nothing of her death. But for me, life had come to a sudden, grinding, halting, gut-wrenching, and complete stop! I couldn’t seem to get my life back together again. Things like picking up the dry cleaning, meeting appointments, paying bills, these things were no longer important to me. The hurt inside me had taken over; it had taken control of my emotions which had taken control of me. The world and the people within it continued on as before; but I was not a part of it. I wondered how I could possibly get my life back together; much less get it back together and continue to grow in Christ. Maybe you feel much like this today.
One thing I found was that “I” could not get my life back together; “I” could not do it – not alone. I found out that in order to get my life back together I would need help from the Lord. I knew that I could continue to grow in Christ the same way I grew in Christ before I carried this burden; the problem was that now there was this wall between me and growing in Christ. That wall is called “emotions”. In my case it was a big, strong, overpowering wall of emotions. For women especially, that wall of emotions can become something even bigger, stronger, and more overpowering than any other part of our life.
So, the question is, when we get to that point in our life where we are faced with this wall of emotions, how do we overcome and break down the wall of emotions in order to continue growing in Christ?
chapter 3 coming in March...
# posted by Patsy @ 6:48 AM 
