LIVING FOR CHRIST
Now that you are a Christian
in fellowship with God, you will desire to follow the
Master, and will want to learn more about how to grow closer
to Him. The Bible calls this growing “in the grace and
knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2
Peter 3:18).
Here are some things that
will help you begin growing as a new Christian:
1 BE BAPTIZED
Baptism, by immersion, is an
outward sign that a person has become a Christian. This is
called “believer’s baptism” and signifies the believer’s
identification with the death, burial and resurrection of
Christ. Since Christ was baptized we must follow His
example.
Baptism is an outward sign
of an inward act of Grace. The Bible says:
“For it is by Grace you have
been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves,
it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can
boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Baptism is important; every
believer should obey the Lord in baptism. However, the
outward rite of being baptized does not produce God’s inward
Grace. Baptism always follows salvation.
 2
READ THE BIBLE DAILY
Obtain a modern-day
translation of the Bible. This will make it easier to read
and understand.
The Bible is God’s inspired
Word. Besides revealing the Good News about forgiveness and
eternal life, it can also answer the many questions you will
have as you seek to live a life that pleases God. Daily
Bible reading will enable you to be “thoroughly equipped for
every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:17)
The Bible not only reveals
God to us; it contains greater wisdom than all the other
books in the world. Think about what you read; study and
analyze it.
As you read the Bible, ask
yourself these questions:
(a)
What does the passage mean to me?
(b)
What is God saying to me through the passage?
(c)
How can I apply the truth of the passage to my life?
Bible study is so important
because the Word gives life. (Psalm 119:50).
The apostle Paul referred to the Gospel as “the word of
life.” (Philippians 2:16).
Jesus Himself referred to His words as being “life.”
(John 6:63). And Peter had
this insight about Jesus’ words: “Lord, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68).
How can anyone claim to have a grip on life without having
knowledge of the Book that is life itself?
Pray for understanding. The
Holy Spirit will help you, and you will begin to see life
from God’s perspective.
Psalm 119:18 states, “Open
my eyes that I may see wonderful things in Your law.”
Whenever you can, talk with
others about what you are learning. Take the opportunity to
attend a small group Bible study.
 3
PRAY DAILY
If reading the Bible is compared to reading correspondence
from one’s beloved, then prayer is like a personal and
intimate conversation with God. What the Bible doesn’t cover
about living life in this world, prayer does.
The Bible is God’s revealed will for every person; prayer is
the source of His counsel, comfort, and guidance for us as
individuals. What a privilege we have to talk with God as
our Father (Romans 8:15-16),
to enter boldly into His Presence at any time
(Hebrews 4:16), to
unburden our heart to Him
(Philippians 4:6-7), and to receive His counsel and
guidance. (John 14:16; John 16:13-14; Isaiah 58:11)
Talk with God often. Talk over your problems with Him. Let
God bear the weight of your troubles. In Matthew 11:28 Jesus
says:
“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will
give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for
I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for
your souls.”
In 1 Peter 5:7 we are told to:
“Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”
Praise and thank God for who He is and for what He has done
for you. Admit your weaknesses. Confess each specific sin
that you are aware of. Pray for others that they, too, may
receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Suggestions for your daily time with God:
(a) Plan a definite time,
preferably in the morning when your mind is fresh and
rested. Make it a habit.
(b) Select a quiet place
where you can be alone with God in prayer.
(c) Make a list of people
and needs for which you can pray daily. Pray for others as
well as yourself.
(d) Read and meditate on a
portion of Scripture, then spend time in prayer.
(e) As you end your daily
time with God, by faith commit the day and yourself to Him.
4 DEPEND ON THE HOLY SPIRIT
God is a “Triune Deity” who
has existed eternally in “three modes of being” –or three
personalities – the Father, the Son (who was incarnate as
Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. Together they are one
God.
The Bible teaches that the
Holy Spirit actually lives within every true believer in
Christ. (See John 14:16-17)
The Bible says that the Holy
Spirit, as He lives inside you, is your counsellor, to help
you understand the truth revealed in God’s Word:
“The Counsellor, the Holy
Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you
all things and will remind you of everything I have said to
you.” (See John 14:16, John 15:26, and John 16:7)
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth who testifies about
Jesus Christ and convicts the world of guilt and sin.
(See John 14:16 and 17, and
John 16:7-8)
The Holy Spirit is also your
Comforter; to help in times of trouble. Turn to Him when you
are down. The Bible says:
“Praise be to the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion
and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our
troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with
the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” (2
Corinthians 1:3-4)
God has provided power for
us to live the Christian life. Daily ask Him to control your
life, actions and thoughts. The Bible teaches that we need
to be filled with (controlled by) the Holy Spirit.
(Ephesians 5:18)
The Holy Spirit will:
(a)
Teach you
(b) Guide you
(c) Strengthen you in
your times of need
(d) Comfort you
(e) Give you power to
live for Christ
5
ATTEND CHURCH REGULARLY
When you receive Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and
Saviour, you begin a relationship not only with Him but also
with all other Christians. Whatever it meant to you in the
past, going to church could now become a rich and rewarding
experience.
(a) You will grow in
understanding by hearing God’s Word preached and taught.
(b) You can ask questions
and discuss Scripture with others.
(c) You will learn to
worship God, which means praising Him for all He is and
thanking Him for all that He has done for you.
(d) As you worship, learn
and serve with other Christians, you will find individuals
with whom you can form lasting friendships (friendships that
will last for all eternity).
Find a Bible-believing and
Bible-teaching church in your area. Attend its services
regularly and get involved in ministry opportunities. This
is an important way to strengthen your walk with the Lord.
6 BE OF SERVICE TO OTHERS
You will find that the more
you give yourself in service to others, the more you will
enjoy your Christian life. Talk to your pastor about ways
and opportunities to serve Christ, to witness for Him and to
help others.
“For we are God’s
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which
God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians
2:10)
Find an area of service that
you are comfortable in and capable of doing. This may
include helping out in the church, working with
organizations that help the poor, joining a mission’s team,
talking with your family and friends about your decision to
follow Christ, discipling others, bringing someone to
church, etc.
7 CONQUER YOUR DOUBTS
At times you may doubt that
you are really a child of God:
(a) There may be some big
failures in your Christian life.
(b) You may find yourself
thinking about things that you feel Christians just
shouldn’t be thinking about.
(c) You may be troubled by
some unconfessed sin.
(d) You may have wronged
someone.
(e) You may not be regular
in church attendance.
When these things happen, it
is important to remember that you are not saved by your
goodness but by what Christ has already done for you.
Reassure yourself with the fact that, if you have received
Christ by faith, you are now a child of God.
8 LIVE ONE DAY AT A TIME
Too often our lives become filled with anxiety. We worry
ourselves sick about what might happen tomorrow. We try to
cross bridges before ever coming to them.
The Bible says we are not to
be anxious about tomorrow. (Matthew 6:33-34).
The Bible promises that …
“Your strength will equal
your days.” (Deuteronomy 33:25)
In other words, God’s grace
will be sufficient to meet the challenges of each day.
Practice the habit of
confessing your sin to God as soon as you are aware of it.
Ask His forgiveness and trust the Holy Spirit to fill and
control you as you surrender control of your life to Him. By
doing this there need not be times when you are out of
fellowship with God.
9 LEARN THE BLESSING OF SUFFERING
Remember Christ suffered and
died for you. Difficulties, ill health and all kinds of
suffering will come our way because we are human, but they
have a new perspective when you have Christ in your life.
Always remember that God is sovereign and knows everything,
and nothing is hidden from Him.
For example:
Instead of “going to pieces”
or “falling apart” you can be strengthened.
Instead of being a burden to
others, you can be a blessing.
As you realize God’s power,
comfort and strength through life’s experiences, you will
grow in your faith. In Hebrews 2:10 we read that salvation
is perfected through suffering.
Just because we are
Christians we are not free from suffering and trials. The
Bible says:
“Through many hardships
and tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.”
(Acts 14:22)
10 DEAL WITH TEMPTATION
Temptation is a part of
life. You experienced temptation before you received Christ,
and you still will now. It is not a sin to be tempted, such
as to have wrong thoughts enter your mind. It is, however, a
sin to choose to dwell on such thoughts over and over again.
The Bible tells us to reject wrong thoughts.
The Word of God says:
“Watch and pray so that you
will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but
the body is weak.” (Matthew 26:41)
When Jesus was tempted in
the wilderness, He replied to the devil by quoting
Scripture. Three times He said:
“It is written …”
(Matthew 4:4, 7, 10)
Be prepared for temptation
through the knowledge of God’s Word and prayer.
The Bible says, “No
temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And
God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what
you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide
a way out so that you can stand up under it.” 1
Corinthians 10:13)
Be prepared to take
advantage of God’s “way out” of temptation, whether it means
that you “flee” the scene of the temptation (1Timothy
6:11), or that you stay on
the scene and “resist” it. (James 4:7)
Yielding to temptation, or
committing any sin whatever, will grieve the Spirit, and
will temporarily break our fellowship with Him. So whenever
this happens, you need to be restored to fellowship with the
Lord. So do the following:
1 Confess your sins.
The Bible says:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will
forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”
(1 John 1:9)
2
Surrender your life to
God’s control. The Bible says:
“Do not offer the parts of
your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather
offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from
death to life; and offer the parts of your body to Him as
instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your
master, because you are not under law, but under grace.”
(Romans 6:13-14)
3
Ask for His strength
daily to stay on God’s pathway. The Bible says:
“I can do everything through
Him (Christ) who gives me strength.” (Philippians
4:13)
(Confidence in God gives us
courage towards men!)
11 BE HOLY
The Christian life is not easy to live, so we must daily ask
the Holy Spirit to help us in everything we do. We are to
always reverence God.
The Bible says that “we (our
bodies) are the temple of the living God.” (2
Corinthians 6:16). So
we must discipline ourselves and refrain from doing things
or engaging in activities that would compromise this
command. We are to obey our Master’s commands.
Since our bodies are the
temple of God and the Holy Spirit dwells within us, we must
be careful about our speech, what we wear, or where we go.
We are to be different and should not conform to the world’s
standards. God even warns us against abusing or disfiguring
our bodies, saying:
“Do not cut your bodies … or
put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.”
(Leviticus 19:28)
God admonishes us to be holy
and righteous before Him. We are to train ourselves to be
holy and godly. (See 1
Timothy 4:7). Here
are Scriptures to review and meditate on:
“For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy
life.” (1 Thessalonians 4:7)
“I am God Almighty; walk
before Me and be blameless.” (Genesis 17:1)
“I am the LORD your God,
consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy.”
(Leviticus 11:44)
“I am the LORD … therefore
be holy, because I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:45)
“You are to be holy to me,
because I, the LORD, am holy.” (Leviticus 20:26)
“Fear the LORD and shun
evil.” (Proverbs 3:7)
“The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of wisdom.” (Psalms 111:10)
“To fear the LORD is to hate
evil.” (Proverbs 8:13)
“For a man’s ways are in
full view of the LORD, and He examines all his paths.”
(Proverbs 5:21)
“Make every effort to live
in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no
one will see the LORD.” (Hebrews 12:14)
“God has said: ‘I will live
with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and
they will be My people’.” (2 Corinthians 6:16)
12 TELL OTHERS ABOUT CHRIST
Letting others know about
your new life in Christ – by word and by action – can be one
of the most satisfying and exciting experiences you will
ever have. The apostle Peter encourages us to …
“Always be prepared to give
an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for
the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15)
Jesus says; “Go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching
them to obey everything I have commanded you.”
(Matthew 28:19)
In Mark 16:15 and 16, Jesus
says:
“Go into all the world and
preach the Good News to all creation. Whoever believes and
is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will
be condemned.”
The next chapter contains
practical tips, which can be used as a guide, to help you
show how to tell others about Christ.
Here are some Scriptures to
review and meditate on:
“Come, follow Me,” Jesus
said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew
4:19)
“In the same way, let your
light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds
and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
“For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and
heard.” (Acts 4:20)
“We are therefore Christ’s
ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through
us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to
God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)
When Paul and Silas were in
prison there was an earthquake and the prison doors flew
open. The jailer was terrified and was going to kill
himself. He asked them:
“‘Sirs, what must I do to be
saved?’ They replied, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you
will be saved – you and your household’.” (Acts 16:
30-31)
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4.
THE BIBLE
