The Christian Life, part 1 // Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:41-47

As we study your word this morning, may your word, never return, void me your word, do, exactly what you have purpose for it to do. So today, I just want to talk to you about the Christian Life. What is the Christian Life? What is the Christian Life is supposed to be? I know that you are very disappointed that we're not continuing in Jim's but after after 8 weeks in gyms and just getting to two chapters and I know that it's a very heavy content. So today I wanted to give you guys a break as we go. And this morning, I want to look at with you the Christian Life cake, the Christian life. So we're going to be in several texts. This morning, we're going to be in Matthew chapter 28 verse 19 to 20 acts, 2:40 1247, and also in Matthew, 22 verse 36 to 40. So the Christian Life soap. What is the Christian Life? Instead of giving it a message in one sentence, I want to start with a question. How can you experience the Christian Life? A lot of us, for many of us, we grew up in the church and, you know, that family arity breeds contempt. And a lot of time when you just familiar with something, sometimes you forget the purpose, you forget the meaning behind it. Like, for example, why do we show up for church? And sometimes we forget those reasons why we do the things that we do. And as Believers, God calls us to truly experience the Christian life. So there are five things I want to share with you this morning. The Christian Life is a life of first a life of discipleship. A life of worship a life of Fellowship, a life of service and evangelism or Outreach. So, five things we will see about the Christian Life this morning. So the first one, the Christian Life is a life of discipleship. I'm sure that all of you, if you've been in church for any length of time, you've heard the verse in Matthew 28, verse 19 to 20 that says go therefore and do what make disciples. So, what does it mean to make disciples? You see often, as we look at text of things to the familiar with, with us, we just say them, but without realizing what we are saying to ourself. So that's my goal this morning. As we go, just remind us why we do what we do, what is the Christian Life and in Matthews 28. That's what we called. The Great Commission in the Bible. That's the task. The Jesus gave to his disciples before he went to heaven. It says go therefore and Make Disciples of all Nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, Son and the Holy Spirit, and it says to teach them to observe all that I have committed did you, and behold, I will be with you till the end of the world, it says, teaching them to obey all that. I The recommended you that is discipleship, discipleship is helping one another to become more like Christ, discipleship is helping each other to become more like Christ. The disciple is a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ. So if you were to ask yourself this morning as a Christian, as a Believer, are you a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ? Or are there some Idols that are more important than following Jesus in your life? So Jesus calls us to be disciples. So as a disciple, the meaning is that we are dedicated to follow. Christ. So, if you would examine yourself and look at your life and can you say truthfully genuinely that I am a dedicated follower of Christ. I am a devoted follower of Christ, just like somebody was married, and then you just dedicated just to that one person. The are their Idols that are above Jesus Christ, Jesus? As a disciple, is a dedicated follower of Jesus Christ. And that's Christians. We need to remind ourselves of this. That our goal is to follow Jesus as close as we can split pulses, I have become all things to all men. So by all means that I might save some and Paul in Galatians 2:20. He says that I have been crucified. Find we price. It is no longer I will live but Christ lives in me. She should have perfect marriage here. Polly saying a nothing else matter. Most in my life been Jesus Christ, 1st Corinthians 2nd, Corinthians 5 verse 15 says the love of Christ, compels us Christ died for us so we should therefore no longer live ourselves and we should live for him. So really what happens when you give your life to Christ, guess what? The future will happen. That means you are dead to self no longer that. It's what I want. But as a Believer, as a disciple, as a follower of Christ. Now my question is what would Jesus do? Have you heard that saying every decisions that we want to make it our lives? Now we have to refer back to Christ and we go to the Bible because Christ left his words. But I says we go to the Bible to learn what Christ wants us to do. The goal of discipleship, is to help someone become like Christ in our tots. In our feelings and also in our actions. Remember last week Dead face. Only in our thoughts and our intellect. A lot of us, we are Christians only by what we know. But it doesn't have any effect into our heart. And for some of us, we have the intellect and we have the heart. We have the feeling, which we call the manic phase, remember? Because the devil knows everything, you see is still connected to Jim's. The devil knows everything. Okay about God. He knows the true nature of God, he knows the power of God and when he hears about God, he fears each other. He trembled. Trembles and a lot of us as Believers. That's how we I know, for me, growing up, It Was Fear base. Okay, I go to church because I don't want to go to hell. Cake. I'm going to make sure I go to church now to make sure that nothing bad happens to me. That's really just simply a demonic faith. We just don't have the full understanding of God. The Bible says, God is for us, and God is not against us. See, God wants us has, but I know the plans I have for you. They are plans to prosper. You see? I don't know where we get that idea. That God is a just God is just waiting for us to do something wrong. So he can just zap us. And that God God is not just waiting for you to do something wrong and just a few because otherwise guess what this room would be very empty.

can you imagine if I was God, Marvin by

But I want to drive that God is God. Because only God can be so patient and still carrying a steadfast Love & Do's forever. See so God wants us, not only to know he talks in our emotions but also in our actions and that's what makes the difference. See, the disciples. What makes the difference is that, we both in our thoughts, we are honoring, God in our feelings, and also in our actions. That's what brings it to Dynamic face.

So that's the goal of discipleship. That's why we come to church. That's why we don't sleep in this morning. We come here so that we can learn how to honor Christ. How we can become more like Christ in the way that we think in a way that we feel and in the way that we act so but if you say that you are believer your Christian but the Bible or the word of God or Jesus does not affect your tots. That the way that you think about things, it's totally the way that the world thinks about things, the way that the culture facts about things or the way that you want to think about things, the way that you react to things is the way that the culture would react as it is, you see What about Christ? If your actions, you know somebody does something wrong to you and you just want to retaliate is that Christ? God is calling us and he wants to help us to become more like him and I was Tots in our hearts and also in our actions. So that's what discipleship is. So really, the disciple of Christ is to become like Christ in what? Everything. See the gospel shoes and Compass all of our lives. Have you ever realize that the way that some of us do apartmentalize our life?

Sunday's forgot or just Sunday morning, just that hour and a half. My day. That's my time now. Tuesday's my time, Wednesday is my time. Thursday is my time, Friday is my time. Saturday is my time. Let me give you a tip so I'll go on Sunday, you know, give him a couple hours.

We cannot compartmentalize God. See God is the same on Sunday is the same on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday for Jewish person going to work on Monday is as holy as being to church on Sunday. because the way that you act in your job at your work, or in your school, says a lot about what you believe. So that's why I said disciples we need to show it in everything that we do. The gospel need to affect all our lives in the more, you become more, like Christ, guess what? The greater your impact will be in the world. The more you become more like Christ, the greater your impact will be in the world. Look at this verse here, in Acts 16 verse 17 verse six. It says, and when they could not find them, they're referring to some disciples. They drag Jason and some of the brothers before the city. Or Torrid he's shouting. This man's will have done. What? Turn the world upside down. Have come here. Also. So is your face as a disciple, as a Believer, as a Christian. Are you turning your world upside down? Are you making it better? When you guys at work, are you turning like the environment, the culture of that environment because of your presence? You know, it in the classroom as you're in that classroom rrrr, people being changed because of your very presence there because of what you stand for because of the way that you live, because of the way that you act that people look at your life and said something special about this person. Is it the whole hospital system was founded by what? The church see you had people who wanted to do something, didn't you see the face that we now enjoy started with what Jesus training, how many? 12 man. And most of them are just cowards. But that's what the Constable does. When the gospel come into your life with needs to transform you Any instructions, you completely. And those 12 means their lives were changed except for one,

See and now those men's they moved all different places in the world and most of them died as a murder for their face. So what are you giving up for Christ?

What are you giving up for Christ? See you, as a disciple you are a committed follower of Christ. That means that you are all in it. The gospel has no effect in your life need to ask. Am I truly a disciple, the Christian Life is a life of discipleship. Next, the Christian Life is a life of worship. The Christian Life is a life of worship worship. As we come, look at Matthew, 22, verse 36 to 40. Somebody came to Jesus and his teacher, which is the great commandment in the law, and he said to him, you shall love your God. The Lord your God with All your heart. And with all your soul and with all your mind, doesn't leave any room for what's most important here. This is what that means. Like, Jesus God is asking like 800 total commitment. Dead remind me about the story about the chicken and the pig K1 time. There was a chicken and a pig as they were going down the street and they were talking in. And then there was a sign that says bacon and eggs needed and then do the chicken turn to the pig and told him, let's do some good works and they were Christians okay, this is some good works, you know, I got eggs, you got bacon, I'll make it, I'll give him some some eggs and you can give them some bacon. And the Pig turns to the chicken. It says you fool for you. The chicken or the egg is. Just a contribution from me. It's a sacrifice. The big has to die, but that's why Jesus is calling us to what she says. That a when we turn to God, we need to love God with all thy heart, with all our mind, with all our soul with all our strength. So, Jesus is saying a, a, as a disciple, when you come, you have to come with your worship because your worship is your Devotion. To God, your worship is your Devotion, to God. Matthew 6:33. What does it say? You all know this one, read it with me, say Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, then all this Wings will be added onto you see, that's the problem. A lot of us and we struggled with Idols Idols, today we don't have any image that we were shipping. Really come on. SO thanking somebody you no relationship can be your Idol. Your children can be your Idol. The cell phone can be an idol. I didn't think about this one. Maybe I need to work on this one. Over this telephone, they are joking to you idle. So he says seek first, the kingdom of God and his righteousness. But do you see the Promise? What you think you want to put to be more important? God, says, 8 when you put me first, guess what's going to happen? I'm going to give it to you, even better? I think that's the thing that we need to shift that we can that making our touch because of a lack of faith. Because the Bible says the righteous shall live by faith. If we truly believe God would we put him first? We would. But that's what we all struggle with to make that shift. Knowing that a God knows what best and I'm going to do it. He is way when I read his word and he's worried says, this is what I ought to do. I will do exactly what his word says. Let me pick my idol. Backup, God, forgive me.

Deserve you are watching online. This is not really an idle and sucking my phone and just using it.

Okay, you got it.

Worship is our devotion. To God worship is our devotion to God. That it's not just singing songs. That's part of worship. When we come, you were sings the songs to God, because we exulting in, with lifting up his name with a magnifying his name. But our devotion is also goes to in our day-to-day, as we live worship with words and songs. That part of worship is David says I was glad when they said to me let us go to the house of God today. Wednesday, 8, when it was time for church, I'm breaking into dancing. I am ready to go. How many of you broke into dancing coming to church this morning? How are you dragging?

Can I confess the preacher was dragging this morning? Okay, cuz I work for a while, I was out of town. I got home at like 25 hour drive when I got home. I don't even want to prepare the message. Okay. And then when I finally decided that okay, already know, I just like to really, you know, Shrek it down to whatever you say. I just went there and eat some food, talk to my wife, I'm just dragging it. You know, I went to my office. I look at the computer. I just went and closed the blinds and then went back to the room. I just got back. Okay, I'm in my bed. I don't need to be sitting in my office to be so form of my books, my computer, I really had the Bible, I got my notes. Am really, you know, moving versus and it's not working. I really need to go sit down and focus. When I went to the office, I stepped down. Just what? Two minutes. I just hear a lot of noise outside. I'm trying to mind my business. Leave it alone, but then I started getting louder and louder. So, finally, when I open my blinds, my neighbor's house was on fire. And I get on houses and cars is running firefighters all over the place. So as a good neighbor and, you know, so I left my studies. So I went downstairs and to be with the neighbors and that was another couple hours there as a fighting the fight with a big fire, pray for my neighbor and, you know, how do I get back to the house until like 11:30 and steady until like, like 5 this morning cuz I went to bed. I woke up this morning. I didn't want to come to church. But I rolled and I were old and I made it. Come on clap for me.

But Damon says our attitude regardless, whether we're going to bed at 5. David says our attitude, when we coming to church is that we need to be clad. That means we. Come on time. Let's go. That's a preacher speaking now.

The bottom line is when you put God first in everything, you will get to experience all his promises. But he is seriously now a little verse God and wants to do so much more in our lives, but all his promises are just on hold until we put him first.

This is very serious now. A lot of us we're not experiencing would we supposed to be experiencing in life? It's just because we haven't put God first. And when we done put God first, this is an unblessed behavior and God cannot bless on, on Blessed. Be A viewer. And God is just waiting for us. To start following his word to start walking in his ways, to start becoming more like him to start becoming a devoted follower of him. And then God said so I can start leashing my promises to you because anytime we're not walking with God, he's promises are kept on hold until we decide to start to put him first and to walk with them. And then now the very things that we were holding onto and in God's torture, unleashing them to us. So, my encouragement to you today is that eight? Don't let your blessings, don't let what God has for you. Don't let God's promises stay on hold for you just because of you Because a lot of time we are our biggest enemy. We will go and talk about people or those people don't like me. They not doing this for me. If they had done this for me, then I would be fine. But God is saying, I just look at the mirror. And don't just glance at the mirror, but really gaze at the mirror and see where your problem is. Are those two seem really water source of your problem is and got its name. I don't want to hold his promises. I know the plans I have for you. There are plans to prosper you not to harm you. The devil came to steal to kill and to destroy. But I came to that you might have life and have it more abundantly. So, God wants to unleash all his promises in your life.

But stop putting them on hold because God cannot bless unblessed, Behavior as 127 only, let your manner of Life. Be worthy of the Gospel. So that whether I come to see you or are or an absent, I may hear of you that you are sending How firm in one spirit with one mind striving side by side. For Faith for the faith of the Gospel. We have to walk worthy of the Gospel. If we are not working walking, worthy of the Gospel, can God bless us? Remember, God is Holy So therefore we have to walk worthy, Hebrews 11 verse 6 says, without faith, it is what impossible to please. God, for whatever we draw near to God, what will God do? God will draw near to you and for whoever would you or near to? God must believe that he exists, and that he rewards, those who seek him. If you seek, God guess what? God is just waiting.

Those of you wore parents, you know, real well you went to bless your kids. A lot of times you put so many things on, hold for them and you just waiting, when are they going to get it when I get it? I just don't want to give them to someone that actually hurt you as a parent because they just not ready. Give it up. If you want to give him the guy's heart, got to just ready to do in to do things for us. But as a good parent, you know, that you don't want to give a kid's any premature gift that they cannot handle. Guess what? God also will not give us anything that we cannot handle but I think here in Romans 1:17 the righteous shall live by faith to God wants us to trust him. So the Christian Life is a life of discipleship or we follow God in everything. The Christian Life is a life of worship where we are devoted Our Lives to God. The Christian Life is also a life of Fellowship Fellowship, men's two fellow on the same ship. That means we are going in the same directions to God wants us to be in fellowship with Want another look here in Matthew 22:36 again. After it says that you shall love God with all your heart, with all your soul, all your mind. Then he says, this is the great and First Amendment then look at second and a second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as your self on these two Commandments depend all the whole of the goddess and cake if you if you committed to worship. Vertical fellowship. And if you're committed to a fellowship, horizontal, you and I Fellowship like a loving one, another God is a you got this Christian thing down pack. Fellowship. The Christian Life is a life of Fellowship. That means I need to care for you. You need to care for me. I need to love you. I need to look for you. I need to really treat you as my neighbor, look at acts to 4147 thistle do, as we receive his work were baptized. That means you become a believer in that you making it public. And there were added that day about three thousand souls and look what they what they were doing and a devoted themselves to the apostles teaching. So Fellowship is like, we are intentional when we are fellowshipping not just hanging out together, but we hanging out with purpose gay because it's God's word that can change your so we go. So we can help one another grow spiritually as they were devoted to the apostles teaching that the Bible. So that means when you get together with your friend. Guess what? You want to talk about? A Bible verse Is that old outdated? the word of God is the same yesterday today and forever, it has the same effects so would have to the apostles, teaching the fellowship, the to the breaking of bread and prayers. CC. So next time you're hanging out with your friend, turn it into Fellowship, okay? Hey, what have you read this week? You know, I read Proverbs. Really, what did it say? Oh, you know, I was reading the power but it says, I am chopping one. Another, so one man sharpens another. That's why I really appreciate you as a friend because you really helped me grow really, that's pretty cool. You know, me, I read a similar thing to, I read Matthew this weekend, Matthew 6:33, say, Seek first, the kingdom of God, and his righteousness and everything will come after. That's what I'm trusting God. I'm trusting God. That God will help me to put him first. Man, this is really cool, you know, we've learned some good lessons as well as we pray. Matt, let me pray for you that God will help you to become more like him. And I'm going to pray for you that we continue to be a good influence of each other's life. And let's go eat some food, okay? You just at Fellowship? You see how you can turn a hanging out into Fellowship? But that's what the the Christians in the early church were doing. They were hanging out with a purpose. That's what I called Fellowship, I called Fellowship hanging out with a purpose, okay? And all came up on every soul and Many Wonders and signs were being done to it through the apostles and all we believe were together. And I dolphins, and come in, and they were selling their possessions in the London and distributing the proceeds, to all at Amy had need and day by day attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes. They receive their food with Claude and generous Hearts. Praising God and having favor with all people and the Lord added to their number day by day, does were being safe. If there was something different about them. There was something special about them and that's the question we need to ask as a church. What is special about us in? Jesus say you will know them by their love. Can you truly say that, you know, when somebody walks through those doors year, that they will feel love? And here she does believe is because they were doing that to know people were looking at your life as a Christian.

As a Christian you want to be attractive and you want to be attracted to buy others because of the way that you live your life. So you see those Believers that were generous to one. Another so Fellowship is doing life together on purpose, on the basis of our faith because we are believers for support and encouragement to one another. And again it says go therefore Make Disciples of all Nations, baptizing them in the name of the father Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that. I have commanded, you see, what does baptizing them in the name of the father? That means that you joining the group, okay? You are not being part of the group Romans, 13:8 says, oh no one anything except to do what? Love each other. You think you? What you owe me is love and what I owe you is love. So we each have a bet to one another. It doesn't matter when I'm good. We done better. I'll try to be good, okay? But God is saying that we need to love one another, we have a debt to one another and when we love one another, we are fulfilling the law. I love her at 12. Let love be genuine, let love be the genuine. Let love be real in our life. Is he God does not call us to just just to believe but he wants us to you belong. God is calling us, not just to believe in him and say oh I'm a Christian but I don't have any Christian friends. I'm not part of a church but gotta say, Hey you know, there is no isolated Christian so we sank a you need to belong to God's family. So the bottom line is that nobody is an island and we all need Community. You cannot love in isolation. Can I love you if you're not in my life?

Come on now that your question. Can I love you if you naturally in my life?

I've been told you I say that's the only way I can love you.

But nobody is an island. God wants us to be in fellowship with one another for the day. So we'll stop here and we'll pick it up next time. But remember the Christian Life is a life of

discipleship. The Christian Life is a life of worship and the Christian Life is a life of Fellowship, we good. I somewhat you say, hallelujah have been waiting for this, okay? So the Christian Life is a life of discipleship following God, worship devoted to God and fellowship where we are committed to. I know that a lot of us, the problem that we have, many of us have never been discipleship. Okay, I've never been discipled. Okay, so if you'd like to be disciple, I want you to do this, just on that number here, just text the word disciple. So that's a church number if you text 662-222-0321, and if you just text the word disciple and I'll pair you with someone, so you can disciple one another text. So that's how you can do that Christian life. So let's pray. Father, thank you for your grace. Thank you for your love. Thank you for your mercy. Will you help us? Look God to truly live out the Christian Life? Life of father, that is a truly devoted to you in every way. And you helped us with a guide to follow, you completely.

And we be fully devoted to you. And may, we be devoted to one another. Thank you, Father for your Amazing Grace. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen. Why don't you stand listening to fly something.