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Introduction: What are the basic steps of the Christian life?
What are the necessary things we must be doing to maintain our Christian life with God? Another title that I could have given this section of Scripture is: How to avoid Apostasy.
But I want this to be a very positive message.
I want to teach you how you as a follower of Jesus Christ can maintain a life with God.
There are two clear ways to maintain one’s life with God.
Are you ready to receive them?
Here they are:
I. Discipleship (Take in)
All who follow Jesus Christ have been called to discipleship (Matthew 4:19).
We are disciples (followers) of Christ.
We are learners of Jesus.
We are pupils under the tutorship of the Master, and we are to become like our Master.
So, what does discipleship look like?
A. Know God’s Word – v. 20
But you, Beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith.
What is the first step in discipleship?
It is understanding one’s faith (the total embodiment of Christian doctrine).
Contrary to the opinion of some, “Christian truth” (doctrine) is not an option, but a necessity.
Christian MUST know the Bible well.
God’s people must read the Bible.
Reading the Bible must become a habit in your life.
A habit occurs naturally by a thing called consistency.
Many people choose to read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation every year.
That is a good option.
Dr. Tony Evans wrote, “Don’t become a static Christian.”
Do you have a quiet time with God on a regular basis?
I believer that every Christian needs to invest in a good study Bible.
Think of it as an eternal investment that will pay everlasting dividends.
Scripture says,
Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LordGod of hosts.
(Jeremiah 15:16)
Not only do we read the Bible, but we must study the Bible (2 Timothy 2:15).
How do we go about studying the Bible?
1. Bible: We read through a Book of the Bible (Get yourself a good Study Bible – spend some money).
Study the Bible with a pen in your hand.
As you read mark anything that the Holy Spirit speaks to us about.
2. Words: We stop and look up words that we do not understand.
Such words as:
· Propitiation
· Atonement
· Redemption
3. People: We study the people we meet along our reading journey.
Such people as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Job, Daniel, Jonah, Samuel, David, Jeremiah, Mary, Martha, Phobe, Sarah, and Priscilla.
Do these individuals have character you want to emulate, or do they lack character?
What did they do or not do for God?
What can we learn from their lives?
4. Places: Locations are another thing we need to learn.
The geography of the Bible is essential for placing key events.
Learn about such things as the mountains and valleys mentioned in the Bible.
Learn about the Seas mentioned in the Bible – Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee (which isn’t a sea).
And what about the dead sea?
Or what about the major events that occurred along the Jordan River?
Every book of the Bible (all 66) must be read (Genesis to Revelation), and we should have an understanding about these books.
For instance, if I called out:
· Genesis, you would say, Beginnings.
· Deuteronomy, you would say, Second Law.
· Job, you would say, Suffering.
· Proverbs, you would say, Wisdom.
· Mark, you would say, Jesus as a Servant.
· Romans, you would say, Doctrine.
· Philippians, you would say Joy.
· Revelation, you would say, Prophecy of the End Times.
Listen, I have studied the Bible for well over 40 years, and I still feel like I am a freshman.
There are so many things I don’t know.
And the more I think I know the less I discover I know!
Some of you have an air of pride when it comes to what you think you know about the Bible.
PRIDE was Satan’s downfall.
I would also say that we need to not only read, study, but we need to memorize the Bible.
We need to hide God’s Word in our hearts.
Psalm 119:11 – Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.
What is the second step in discipleship?
B. A Prayer Life – v. 20
Praying in the Holy Spirit.
What does this mean?
It means that we learn how to pray and that we talk with God often.
This is NOT speaking about praying in tongues.
But praying and being mindful of the Holy Spirit.
· Ephesians 6:18 - praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
· 1 Thessalonians 5:17 – Pray without ceasing.
· Luke 18:1 – Men always ought to pray and not lose heart.
What is prayer?
It is simply talking.
In the same way that I am speaking to you right now, is the way you are to speak with God.
This is called communication.
I am talking with you.
You and I are to talk with God.
Can you imagine a child who grow up and never speaks to their parent?
We would see that as quite odd.
God’s people must learn to pray in secret, and they must learn to pray in public.
Every Christian should be ready to pray.
Jesus taught His disciple to pray, just as John taught his disciples to pray – do you see the pattern?
We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit takes our requests before God (Romans 8:26), and God determines what he is going to do with our request.
God answers all prayers.
He will answer with a:
· Yes
· No
· Wait
To pray means that we pray in line with the Holy Spirit.
One thing we KNOW about the Holy Spirit is that He always is behind the scenes, and that He promotes Jesus and the Father.
So, when we pray our prayers should not always be about self-promotion.
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