Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… Yesterday was my second rehearsal with the Saint Louis Wind Symphony for the February 5th, concert. (For those who are calendar watchers, I realize that is the same day as the Super Bowl. Unfortunately the NFL didn’t check with our rehearsal schedule before they picked their dates, but we are accommodating them by starting our concert an hour earlier (2:00). That should allow all the NFL fans to attend our concert and still make the big-game kick-off at 5:30) The improvement in the music from the first rehearsal until yesterday just highlights the musical skill and commitment of the players. I’m really looking forward to this return engagement, and I invite you all to come as my guests. 🙂
As I have mentioned before, there are many times when I think I have a subject in mind to write about, but when I sit down at the keyboard, a new subject comes into my mind so strongly that I can’t ignore it. Such was the case today. Now that I’m in that mode, I think it is a great follow-up to the two part series that precedes this. “HE IS UNDOUBTEDLY YOUR SAVIOR; BUT IS HE YOUR LORD?
Since I usually use the term “Christ-follower” in both writing and conversation, many people have questioned why I do that. I’ve certainly thought about it, and have concluded that I make a conscious effort to do it for this reason. To me, “Christian” is a label that says you have made a choice to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior. I applaud that; I think it’s a great choice; and it certainly beats any counterfeit alternative because it promises forgiveness of sin and eternal life. In fact, it is those two promises that draw most people to Christianity. And well it should. It seals your eternal destiny.
If that’s all you want out of your choice, then you’ve got it. But what about your life right now? Are you happy, joyous and free? Are you living the abundant life Jesus promised? Do you wrestle with doubt, fear, guilt, shame or remorse? If your answer is “yes” to any of these questions, and if you are wondering “why” this is still happening, let’s examine the difference between the label “Christian”, and the way of life called “Christ-follower.”
Many people believe that when they accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, their life will “just change for the better.” That is certainly possible, because when you say “yes” to God’s Gift of Grace, you are immediately “Justified”, meaning you are made right with God because your sin debt has been paid in full. Apostle Paul refers to this in Romans 5:10-11: “ For since we were restored to friendship with God by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies (sinners), we will certainly be delivered from eternal punishment by his life. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God – all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us in making us friends with God.”
2 Corinthians 5:17 defines “ justification”: “We are a new creation in Christ. The old has gone (we are no longer slaves to our sin-nature); the new has come (the Holy Spirit.) We have been transformed because we have a new identity “in Christ.” Therefore our sins are forgiven; we inherit eternal life; we are gifted with the indwelling Holy Spirit; we are , worthy and acceptable in God’s eyesot because of anything we did, but because of what Christ did for us; we are now a “Saint” (not a Sinner) because we are covered with the blood of Jesus; we are heir to all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly realm, and heir to all the promises in the Bible. This all happens in the blink of an eye, and prepares us to participate in a process called “Sanctification.”
Sanctification is the process of becoming more Christ-like, and if one chooses to be involved in the process, one has to be an active participant. The difference between the label “Christian” and being a “Christ-follower” is wrapped-up this choice. For many Christians, accepting Jesus as your Savior is enough, and it usually includes going to church, but life goes on as usual. That’s why many unbelievers will say, “I don’t know what the big deal is…my friend “Bob” is a Christian, but I don’t see any difference in his life style than mine.”
But choosing to be a Christ-follower is the desire to grow in knowledge and wisdom so we can become more Christ-like… right here, right now, because it is in that process that we begin “living life to the fullest.” 2 Peter 1:3-4 describes this: “As we know Jesus better, his divine power (Holy Spirit) gives us everything we need for living a godly life. He has called us to receive his own glory and goodness! And by that same mighty power, he has given us all of his rich and wonderful promises. He has promised that you will escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires and that you will share in his divine nature.” The more we grow in our knowledge and understanding of Christ and his teachings, the richer our life becomes. That’s why Jesus said in John 8:32, “if you follow my teachings you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.”
Being a Christ-follower is about living life to the fullest and being set free. It’s about us getting out of the way and living in the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Most Christians are aware of the Holy Spirit as part of the Trinity, but unfortunately when it comes to the indwelling Holy Spirit and the empowerment He gives us, many are unaware. To that end, I would like to recommend three books that I have used in many small group studies that provided a really clear, concise presentation of this truth. “Classic Christianity” by Bob George; and two books by Neil Anderson that are a companion set; “Victory Over the Darkness” and “The Bondage Breaker”. These books can be life-changers.
While forgiveness of Sin and eternal life seals our eternal destiny, we are still living in a fallen world; we are still living in these “fleshly bodies”; and we have a formidable foe who wants to steal our joy and shipwreck our effort to become more Christ-like. God’s salvation plan includes the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit because he wants us to succeed at becoming the person he created us to be, and he wants our choices to bring honor and glory to Him. The Holy Spirit doesn’t fix our problems for us, but he empowers us to rise above our circumstances and make Godly choices by relying on the Holy Spirit to empower us with wisdom, patience, insight, strength, courage, perseverance – whatever it is we need, so we can “escape the decadence all around you caused by evil desires.” (Ref. 2 Peter 1:3-4 two paragraphs up)
Our awesome God is a loving God who wants us to grow in this process of becoming more Christ-like so we can reap all the rewards and blessings he has in store for us. In fact, 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 reveals this truth: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him. We know these things because God has revealed them to us by his Spirit…” And to refer to a message by a well know Pastor, T.D. Jakes, “God loves to bless you. God wants to bless you! But he’s not going to give you those blessings until you are ready to receive them.” And what better way to become ready to receive all God has for you than to grow in the likeness of his Son. And when we are in that process, it is our way of saying “Thank you, Jesus” for all you have done for me. What could be more pleasing to God?
Please feel free to respond to this message, and please “like” and share it with other social media friends.
May God bless Ya…
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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