Friends,
What a morning! What a blessing to be in God’s house! I looked at Genesis 3 where Adam and Eve and the serpent are judged, cursed, and cast out of the Garden of Eden. In our own lives and faith, we are either moving away from God through our sin (going) or we are growing closer to Him through our maturing faith (coming). My 3 points:
- Are you going? Are you living in sin absent a relationship with Jesus Christ? Just as Adam and Eve through their disobedience were driven out (and away) from God, so too we are moving away from Him when we persist in our sinful disobedience.
- Are you coming? Are you a believer, having truly repented and been baptized into a community of faith? 2 Peter 3.18 tells us to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our lives should be lived in the constant pursuit of knowing Christ and growing in Christ each and every day.
- If you are coming, if you are a believer, how are you influencing others? Does your life and witness cause them to move closer to faith in God (coming) or are you driving them away (going)? Too often we get comfortable, thinking that we are saved and have little left to do. That in itself is wrong, but how much worse to consider that because of our negative or hypocritical example of faith we might keep others from coming into the saving grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ?
Scriptures Referenced:
- Genesis 3.8-24
- Isaiah 59.2
- Matthew 7.13-14
- Luke 17.1-3
- Romans 5.18-19, 6.23, 10.9-10, 12.17
- 1 Corinthians 10.31-32
- 2 Corinthians 5.16-21
- Ephesians 2.1-2
- Hebrews 6.4-12
- Revelations 21.25
Your thoughts?
#1 by Dorothy whatever!! on November 16, 2008 - 11:35 pm
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i say i am coming my relationship with God over this year has grown i would have to say 75% since last year. though i know i can do better and want to do better in my relationship with God.. I know and i hope that all yall know that we are all hyprocrites but we can change that and if we are true christians then we will live and abide by the Bible and do all things through Christ. We need to do better and strive harder to do more and better. we need to stop acting like fake christians and start being true Christians. before you get comfortable in your salvation and faith I believe that 2 many christians get comfortable where they are and thats where they stop growing spiritually and that isn’t good they need to want to and grow more. I know i am not comfortable i my spiritual growth and i yearn to keep on growing and learning. there are things through books friends and whatnot that i keep on studying mostly my Bible. and within there there is still a zillion things i need to learn or just plain out bumly don’t understand and thats where i go to Bryon and others for help.. if we help each other and become real not fake Christians then we can all grow spirituall there are people who are in their 80′s and 90′s who are not mature christians. a true christian needs and wants to grow go out spread the gospel and other stuff.. Have you made a sincere comentment to Christ? if not then you do not have true salvation and therefore you don’t really have the faith and can lose that salvation so if you wern’t sincere at the time you accepted the lord then Do it again and truly be sincere about it..a question to think upon did you recieve the spirit by the works of the Law or by hearing and beleving the truth? upon reading hebrews 13:5 and john 3:16 to me it all means that once a believer is saved they are always saved. and to me also if you say you were once a Christian but quit being one then they wern’t really christians to begin with I believe that you can commit really bad sins as a christian and still hold onto your salvation but a Christian cannot get away with sinning. how am i influencing others as a believer in Christ? first and foremost I would say my love for Christ.helping others with whatever and doing it for the glory of God and not myself. my concern and care for the big island community.. other communities and basically the whole world. telling others about mission trips as i go on them and come back and talk about them my calling and passion as a missionary.some things i want to leave you with are 1. through our abilities to influence others for the kingdom well that comes from God not us! I wish that back in the day in my younger years that I was more alive in Christ if i could turn back time I would and change it but i cannot but what i can do is move forward and into the future go out help others bring others closer to God not farther and farther away and you can to.. also another thought and yes its the last one i promise…. God is my solid rock and ground and my firm foundation Christ rises from the grave victoriously over death thus the broken chains and severed the bonds has me knowing that sin has lost the war. I have the power to fight and no longer fear sin..