Growing in Christ

There are a bunch of "how to" books, seminars, conventions, pamphlets, etc. out there that deal with almost every topic under the sun. In fact there is even a great web site that shows one how to do most of everything. Click here to see for yourself.

Now I am one that doesn't know a lot of information about much. In fact I know very little information about a lot of stuff. Which pretty much makes me dangerous. Don't ask me to come to your house to fix your plumbing, sew a hem on your pants, or help you train your dog to do tricks. I guarantee you, it would end up in a mess. I do know to how do the dishes though... (please don't ask me to help you with that)

OK - I feel like I am rambling now. Back to the "how to's."

In my head, I am always thinking on how to grow in Christ. So for fun, I thought I would check out the site to see if it could give me some good advice. Not really. Religious listing can be found here (with over 4,500 entries), but I wasn't satisfied. The closest thing I could get to actually growing in my Christian walk was found in this article on how to convert to Christianity.

It's not what I was looking for.

I guess, I should have known. The internet is good for a lot of things, but certainly not everything.

Here are some basic principles that I have gathered through the years that, perhaps, would help you in your pursuit of Christ.

1. The Word. First and formost be in the Bible. Read the Bible. Pray the Bible. Share the Bible. Teach the Bible. Listen to the Bible. If you want to see Jesus, you must read the Word. I would suggest that most of us say that we are "lovers of the Word," but few of us actually live that out well. I don't want to guilt you into reading your Bible, but I do want to say that you will miss out on so much joy if you don't get into the Word.
   
2. Exalt Christ. Many of you are probably saying, "Of course John. Duh." Let me must just say from my own personal experience that the draw of the things of this earth are so extreme it is very hard to keep a focus on exalting Christ. Of of life is about Christ and our goal should be to lift His name higher than any other name. When we do, it seems that the things of this earth are easier to deal with. Problems are easier. Life is easier. It's mainly because we aren't keeping our eyes focused on ourselves, but on Christ. Worship Him today. It will make your heart glad.
3. Worship God in Every Area of Your Life. This is very different from item #2. Worshiping God in every area of our lives means to live doxologically. You know the hymn, work the lyrics of that song into your soul. Living doxological means to worship God in every moment of your life. When you are kissing your best friend - worship God. When you are riding your bike - worship God. When you are washing the dishes (did I say I wash dishes well?) - worship God. You get the picture here.
4. Pray. Pray for everyone and everything. Bring it all to the Father. He hears and He cares. Bring every question, every thought, every concern, every tiff to your Father. Pray because we are at war. The devil prowls around ready to pounce. Have a stance of constant prayer puts us in the right mindset. Pray for your neighbors. Pray for your family. Pray for your school. Pray for your job. Pray for your spouse, or future spouse. To borrow the Nike phrase, "Just do it."
5. Serve. Serving others helps us get our minds off of our own circumstances. As I have already noted, we get so bogged down by the stuff of earth. So do others. When we are serving someone else we quickly loose site of our own problems. We often forget to serve others. It's one of the hardest things to do, but once we do, we find that it actually was very easy. Serve someone today. If you need ideas, check out Conspiracy of Kindness.
6. Fellowship. Get together with your church family. Get together with someone's heart. Get to know me. I need to get to know you. Have people over for a meal, or dessert, or coffee, or a game night. It doesn't matter. Spend time together encouraging one another in a pursuit of Christ.

Phil. 3:8 says "Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ"

So there are some thoughts on growing in Christ. Let me also say that growing or sanctification is not just your doing. The Holy Spirit is doing a lot "behind the scenes" in your life as well. Trust Him and He will lead you.

Now - I need to figure out to change the coolant in my car...

Eight Habits of a Christlike Disciple

Some time ago, a friend of mine sent me a link to Faith Church of the Valley in Phoenix. On their web site they had a very strong plan for discipleship of their congregation.  The great thing about this church is that they don't assume that everyone at Faith Church has "arrived" spiritually. The leadership of Faith Church is very proactive in teaching, training and discipling their congregation.

I thought that their "Eight Habits" where really good and challenging. They are listed below:


A Mind Transformed by the Word

We progressively come to view the world as God views it: setting aside the world's values as our minds are continually renewed by God's word.

Romans 12:2

And do not be conformed to this world,

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,

so that you may prove what the will of God is,

that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Knowing the Scriptures and committing oneself to the Word of God is foundational to our knowledge and growth in Jesus Christ. If we are to conform ourselves more to the Heavenly Man, Jesus, and die to this world, we must be fed by His Word. Peter wrote:

"like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word,

so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,” 1 Peter 2:2

We are to hunger for it as naturally as a baby craves its milk, and we are to be nourished by it, our spiritual food, even as we are nourished by our physical. In the same way we become malnourished if we stop eating our physical food, so we do with our spiritual food.

A voice to speak the good news

We joyfully share Jesus with those who do not know Him: leading them to faith and answering questions. We also provide hope and encouragement for those who already know the truth.

A heart for Christ alone

Jesus, as the one-and-only Son of God, becomes the priority in all of life; as our most precious treasure, we worship Him with all our heart, mind, soul and strength.

Arms to love

We embrace humanity: coming alongside others in need, extending compassion, welcoming the stranger, and living in a community of mutual care with other disciples.

Hands that give and serve

We live as servants of God and each other: doing good through the gifts the Spirit has given us, living generously and simply, and seeking to bring about the fullest expression of God’s rule in our culture.

Knees for prayer

Our posture before God is one of continual dependence: trusting deeply that God is in charge of everything and conversing always about what we are accomplishing together with Him.

Feet that bring the good news to foreign lands

We fulfill the great commission by establishing church planting movements among the most spiritually unreached people groups of the world.

A body that bears the scars of Jesus

We gladly bear the reproach of Christ: sharing in His suffering and being conformed to His death in order to share in the triumph of His resurrection.

As you read these, what comes to mind?

I don't want to "guilt" you in Godly habits, but how are you doing? Are you seeking Christ today, in all that are?

John, in his gospel, stated, "He must increase and I must decrease." What steps are you taking to do what John did?