Being an Intentional Christian

 I have the pleasure of teaching a wonderful group of believers at Ellabell First Baptist Church every now and again. I had a lesson totally prepared and God gave me something completely different. I've decided to post the lesson because I definitely feel God used it to speak to me just as much as He was using it to speak to them. I know I fail Him daily, but I want so badly to be as intentional as I can about seeking Him and His will. Enjoy!

How are we saved?

While everyone's salvation experience is different, there are a few components that are true for everyone.

1.      Someone tells us the Gospel.

2.      Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin.

3.      We are called to repent of our sin.

4.      We are compelled to follow Jesus Christ.

5.      We grow exponentially in our faith through the Holy Spirit. 

What should we, as Christians, strive to do daily to glorify Christ?

WITNESS

This implies not only to spread the Gospel, but to live it! How will anyone be saved if they have never heard the Gospel? It is our job as Christians to follow the Word and spread the Good News. Our Great Commission is laid out for us, by Jesus in Mark 16:5. 

Mark 16:15 And He said to them,

“Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation.” 

Our lives should be a living sacrifice to Christ, giving up what we want for the will of God to be done. Worship isn’t just confined to Sunday morning. Worship is how we offer our lives daily to Christ.  

Romans 12:1, 2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God,

to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

MONITOR
Monitor your media, friendships, and activities, essentially everything. If it brings dishonor to God, it shouldn’t be a part of your life. 

1 John 2: 15-17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. 

That’s powerful. This world is referring to all who are outside the body of Christ. If we are a part of that world, then we are not one with the Father.  The things that we think we need in our life because we want them aren’t always things that God wants.  

Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 

Look up in great joy knowing that our just and Holy God so loved us that He provided the only perfect sacrifice as a substitution for our sins as fulfillment of the Law because we could not do so--that we would, therefore, submit and surrender to Him and dwell with Him for all eternity. 

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

STUDY THE WORD
Because we receive the Holy Spirit, the Words of Jesus abide in us. We receive wisdom and understanding of the Word through the Holy Spirit and seeking guidance from Him.

John 15:7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you,

ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 

To abide is to become one with the Trinity, therefore, the Word of God becomes one with us individually. Jesus gave us the Words to study and to learn. His disciples called him “teacher” often, because He does just that.  

2 Timothy 3:16,17All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable

for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

The Bible is the inerrant, infallible Word of God. It contains all we need and is Truth. It is our standard for living. Any question that we may have can be answered by diving into the Bible and applying it to our lives. It protects us against false teachings and guides our lives. We cannot know how to live like Christ if we do not know how Christ lived. 

PRAY

Prayer is our most powerful gift as Believers. In John 15:7, Jesus says when we truly abide in Him, we do not ask for things outside the will of God to be done. He prayed wholeheartedly for us throughout His ministry and, when His hour had come, He prayed yet again for us in the High Priestly Prayer. 

John 17:9 I am praying for them, I am not praying for the world but for those who You have given me, for they are Yours.

Jesus prayed that God would keep us in His name, to keep us faithful, growing, and producing fruit. If Jesus prayed these things, shouldn’t we include them in our prayers, as well? Wake up every morning being intentional about serving God. Ask Him to guide you on the right path, His path. 

John 17:11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father keep them in Your name, which You have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

GROW

After a seed is planted, a vine begins to grow, branches soon form and eventually, with cultivation and nourishment, produce fruit. Jesus tells us in John 15 That He is the True Vine. The only source by which we (the branches) can maintain life is through the vine, but we aren’t to stop there. We are to produce more fruit for His glory. 

John 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches.

Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit,

for apart from me you can do nothing. 

We, as Christians, can’t become content because that will eventually turn to being stagnant. If we do not abide (become one with) in Christ then we cannot bear fruit. Be more and more active in studying His Word, in prayer, in witness, in leadership in the church, in doing His good works. Grow to be more and more like Him. Never stop seeking His will for your life.