Discipleship is the process of growing in faith and spiritual maturity through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is a lifelong commitment to learning and growing that happens through regular prayer, Bible study, and being part of a Christian community. It includes learning to share the gospel with others and helping them grow, too, all an essential part of the Great Commission.
Most people would agree that the current state of our nation’s government is one of a broken system. But there’s little agreement about how to fix it. People on one side think we need to tear down the whole thing. Others say we need to get back to what they believe are the basics of our constitutional foundations.
Though there may be huge theological and political differences, there are people on both sides of the issue who sincerely believe they are right. But as Christians, is there actually a more radical plan that we should be praying for and working toward?
How should we view church authority? Should we submit to our church leaders? What is our responsibility? And how does God use these truths “to watch out for our souls”?
We’ll also look at the danger of pride in our own achievements and how we should view helping the poor, including when we should not help.
Where is God when life is hard? Does He allow tests and trials in our lives because He is angry? Do they mean He doesn’t love us? And if our trials are the result of God’s discipline, how should we respond?
Also, what is the one character quality that will enable us to be all Christ wants us to be, the one without which we cannot come to God or love Him the way we should? It’s the same quality required to love and serve others, lead in a godly way, communicate biblically, resolve conflict, deal with the sins of others, and resist sin ourselves. So, what is it?
What does it take to live the Christian life? Is there a key, something so essential that we can’t please God without it? In fact, there is. It’s required for salvation and for our ongoing trust in God. That key is faith. So, if faith is so important, where does it come from and how can we strengthen it when it’s weak? The answer is simpler than you think.
Trusting God during tough times can be one of the most difficult challenges we face. How do we continue to trust Him when He doesn’t seem to be answering our prayers, when a child isn’t getting better, when finances still seem impossible, or when the doctor hands us a bad report? Where do we find hope? What will we believe about God during those tough times? And if we’re not in the middle of a challenging season, what can we do to be ready for them when they come?
What a privilege we have to become children of God and have a personal relationship with Him. But what about Christian fellowship with other believers? How should we view church attendance, involvement, and the nature of our relationships with one another? Are those things requirements for a Christian? Are they duties or are they not that important? What does the Bible have to say?
God will not play spiritual pat-a-cake with us by allowing us to seek His help while we continue turning to our idols and self-efforts. If God doesn’t seem to be answering our prayers, maybe we need to ask ourselves, “Am I playing spiritual games with God?”
And what about those who might be playing games with their own eternity by claiming a relationship with God and living another way?
What does the Bible say about personal accountability and the influence or responsibility of parents? Is there such a thing as generational sin? Are some children doomed to live certain lifestyles or to suffer the spiritual consequences of their parents’ sins?
Conversely, is there anything parents can do to guarantee their children will be followers of Christ? Where does a parent’s responsibility come in and where does it end?
God had chosen the nation of Israel to be the people through whom He would bring the promised Messiah. But He also wanted them to be a nation of priests and prophets who pointed others to the one true God. They were to be His missionary nation.
They not only failed to be His light to the world but instead followed the pagan nations around them into darkness. Now they were faced with His judgment.
Today it’s us, the church, who are to be salt and light. It won’t always be easy. Salt sometimes stings and darkness doesn’t like the light, but both are desperately needed. Will we be children of light or be swallowed up by the darkness?
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