We have done nothing to deserve such gifts and in fact we are completely incapable of making ourselves worthy of this honor, but God is deeply in love with us and He has taken us into His family. In addition to our honor and praise, He wants our unswerving love and intimacy and devotion and trust, and He wants us to be as obedient children to Him, obeying His will and not our own will or the will of the world. You see, beloved, we are no longer of this world, we are aliens and strangers here. The whole world and its value systems are under the control of the evil one, the devil, and we are ambassadors of Christ living in enemy-occupied territory. Satan is a vicious adversary and a master of subtle and clever lies and deceptions, and whether we like it or not, whether we even realize it or not, we are all involved in the battle which is taking place in the heavenly realms and which is manifested on earth. We are all soldiers for Christ engaged in spiritual warfare against the enemy (although many of us are unaware of this and are therefore ineffective and virtually defenseless against the adversary's deceptions), and it is vitally important that we understand the nature of the battle and the roles which God in His perfect will has assigned to us.
The purpose of this three part study is to help you attain greater spiritual maturity in Christ, just as the Bible urges us to do in every book of the New Testament. We want to lovingly shake up your thoughts a bit so that complacency doesn't set into your spiritual life. We want to help you reach the point where you are ready to surrender all that you have and all that you are to God and to begin living in the center of His will so that you will be available to carry out His plans for your life. We urge you to read the Word of God, study and understand the Word of God, trust the Word of God, and obey the Word of God. We pray that you will not simply read through this study and get some head-knowledge from it but that this knowledge will get down into your heart so that you will begin living for Jesus instead of for yourself. Don't let apathy or ignorance of the Word rob you of the rich, full life in Christ that God wants you to have.
Some of this information will be new and maybe even strange to many of you if you have not spent much time studying the Bible, so we ask that you don't take our word for it, take God's Holy Word for it. We will provide you with many Scripture references to back up everything we say here. Have a Bible handy, preferrably one of the newer translations that is easier to understand, such as the New International Version, the New King James Version, or the New American Standard Version. The King James Version which you may already have is a good translation, but the old-fashioned English can make some of the meanings unclear or confusing. The newer translations also benefit from more recent archeological discoveries that continue to shed light on the shades of meaning of words that were used in the first century. If all you have is the King James Version, consider spending a little money and buying a newer translation, it will greatly benefit your Bible study (by the way, don't be swayed by people who say that the King James Version is the only "true" version, their opinions are based on false assumptions and flawed logic. Reliable Bible scholars all endorse the other three translations mentioned above. Remember... the bible was originally written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek... Not King James English).
Also consider purchasing a New Testament commentary to help you understand the meanings of some of the more difficult passages in the Bible. Bible commentaries are written by Bible scholars who have researched the times and customs and languages in which the New Testament books were written, and they explain the shades of meaning of the original words that might not have translated as well into English. Commentaries are extremely valuable resources and we encourage you to spend a little money and buy a good one, it will help you to better understand what your precious, beloved Lord, the sovereign God of the universe, has to say to you in the pages of His Bible.
Have you ever noticed how packed churches are at Christmas and Easter? Why aren't they that packed every Sunday? Certainly there are reasons why everyone can't be at church every Sunday, but virtually all churches gear up for an extra-heavy turnout at Christmas and Easter, which means there is a huge number of people who don't understand what it means to be a Christian and who need to start putting Jesus first in their lives!
Many people seem to feel that as long as they have satisfied the minimum requirements of the Christian religion then they're probably saved (are you satisfied with being "probably saved"?). What they fail to realize is that Christianity is not a religion at all! Sitting through church services a few times a year and participating in religious ceremonies and rituals and saying grace at dinnertime are not what makes a person a Christian. Christianity is a personal, intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. Do you have a day-by-day, moment-by-moment relationship of worship, love, and intimacy with your Savior?
It is our prayer that you will have a better understanding of both who
you are as a Christian, and who your Savior is. We desire that you will
begin to enjoy a much deeper, more meaningful, and more obedient relationship
with Jesus. Our hope is that you will reach new levels of spiritual maturity.
Many Christians seem to have a vague and hazy understanding about
the Christian faith and are not sure what the Bible actually teaches, but
they feel that at least they believe in God and that's what counts. Unfortunately
for them, that is not all that counts. After all, even Satan believes
in God and can quote Scripture, but he certainly is not saved!
Many Christians who grew up attending a particular church or denomination will often continue attending that same church as adults because they are used to it, it is comfortable and familiar to them. But what if your church teaches wrong doctrines and you didn't realize it because you never bothered to test their beliefs against God's written Word, the Bible? You may like the traditions and ceremonies and rituals your church does, you may like the people there whom you have known for years, but if you have been taught doctrines at your church which conflict with Scripture, you might not be saved! Remember David Koresh and that Waco raid a few years ago? His followers never bothered to test his beliefs against the Bible, and where do you think they are now? Sadly, they are not with Jesus, and they never will be. There are many other cults out there teaching wrong doctrines on TV, on the radio, etc., and they have hundreds or thousands of followers who apparently have never checked these leaders' beliefs against the Bible. Instead, they are being swayed by the doctrines of men and demons (1 Tim 4:1) and are dooming themselves to destruction. Remember Jim Jones and the poisoned Kool-Aid murder/suicide of nearly 1000 people in Guyana awhile back? One of the army men on the scene of the tragedy remarked that there were no Bibles anywhere to be found. That pretty much tells the whole story.
The last time you bought a new car (or new house, new major appliance, etc.) you probably shopped around, asked questions, compared models or brands or builders, etc., so that you would have plenty of information with which to make your decision. Have you put anywhere near the same amount of effort into learning about God and making sure you are going to heaven? Isn't your eternal destination vastly more important than a new car or new appliance? You will only be on earth for a few decades, then you will spend eternity in one of two places. Are you sure you want to put more thought into your material purchases than in your eternal salvation?
Jesus warned that there would be false teachers and false prophets, especially in the end times, and as you learn more about the Bible you will begin to realize that you need to always test everything you hear against the clear teachings of the Bible. Just because someone is a pastor or minister at a church or has a radio or TV or Internet ministry, it does not mean that everything he or she teaches is sound doctrine. This is why it is important that if you have any questions or differences of opinion about anything we say, please call us on it. This will allow us to clarify our position or to learn something new. Either way, the discussion is healthy and may help us all come to a better understanding of our Savior and His Word.
We hope that you will ask your church for their statement of beliefs
and then test those beliefs against Scripture. Most churches will have
Bible verses to back up what they believe, and if you look up only those
passages then you may be convinced that your church is teaching sound Biblical
doctrines. Pray for discernment as you do this, though, because it is very
easy to take a passage of Scripture out of context and make it mean anything
you want. For example, did you know that the Bible says "Take life easy;
eat, drink and be merry"? (Lk 12:19). Sounds like a doctrine that most
people would enjoy, and it must be something we're supposed to do because
it's in the Bible, right? However, in the very next verse God says that
those who follow this lifestyle are fools. Of course, many churches do
teach sound doctrine, and we would hope that there are very few churches
which are deliberately deceiving their congregations, but all churches
( all churches) have human leaders and, with the single exception
of Jesus Christ, all humans ( all humans) are fallen and
are capable of being deceived. For example, in chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation
Jesus told several churches of that time period that they needed to repent
of their ways and their teachings. He told the church in Sardis: "you have
a reputation of being alive, but you are dead" (Rv 3:1). He told the church
in Laodicea: "because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about
to spit you out of my mouth" (Rv 3:16). Is your church lukewarm or dead
in the eyes of Jesus? It is important that you find out so that you
do not get spit out of the Savior's mouth!
Sadly, it seems that a vast number of people who call themselves Christians rarely open their Bibles and they don't know what God has to say to them. They don't realize that the Bible is not a history book and a collection of interesting stories, they don't understand that "the word of God is living and active" (Hb 4:12) and that it is "the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" (Rm 1:16).
Please, begin studying God's written Word to learn and
understand what He wants to teach you so that you can begin to bring glory
and honor to Him with your life and so that you do not get caught up in
the enemy's deceptions.
Here are some things the Bible says about prayer. We are told:
Romans 5:3-5 Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.Thanking Him throughout the day is a good way of keeping yourself focused more often on the Lord.James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
It is very important when praying to know that God hears your prayers and that He always answers prayers, even if the answer is "no" or if it takes a long time for the answer to arrive (for example, in Dan 10:13 an angel told Daniel that he had come in response to Daniel's prayers, but that he was detained for 21 days fighting a demon in Persia). Some people keep a prayer journal so that they can look back over prayers that they have prayed and review the wonderful and miraculous ways in which those prayers had been answered. This helps to build their confidence that God does indeed answer their prayers, and that if He answered their prayers in the past then He will answer them in the present. You may want to give this a try.
It is also very important to praise God in your prayers, to worship
the Father, to magnify Jesus, to thank the Holy Spirit, just heap praises
and thanksgivings upon them, you can never overdo your worship and adoration
for God! Don't just ask Him for things all the time or tell Him your problems
and troubles all the time, give Him your love and your worship as well!
As the apostle Paul said, "Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord,
always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ" (Ep 5:19-20) and "sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs
with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word
or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God
the Father through him" (Co 3:16-17). When you are praising God, try praying
Scripture back to Him. There are many, many beautiful prayers which greatly
exalt the Lord in the Psalms and in many other books (see chapters 6 and
7 of 2 Chronicles, for example). Also, it is good to spend time just quietly
sitting in the presence of the Lord, listening for whatever He desires
to speak to your heart.
Unconfessed Sin.
A word of caution is in order as well, however. It does not
honor God if you are praying with any unconfessed sin in your life or with
unforgiveness for someone in your heart. For example, notice what the Bible
says: "And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone,
forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins" (Mk
11:25) and "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive
us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1Jn 1:9). In fact,
this forgiveness is also a vital part of the Lord's Prayer: "Forgive us
our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us" (Lk 11:4).
Ask the Holy Spirit to bring to your mind any unconfessed sin in your life
that needs to be dealt with and ask Him to show you any person for whom
you are harboring unforgiveness in your heart.
We hope that this has encouraged and challenged you.
Please continue on to Part - 2 of "Growing Into Maturity"
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION (R). NIV (R). Copyright (C) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Because of Him:
Rev. Marshall and Ruth Lawson
Lighthouse Ministries
Sussex, New Brunswick
Canada
This material is not copyrighted. Please feel free to copy and distribute it in its entirety for the greater glory of the Lord.