Good Morning, Meetpastordan Readers… Each three-day weekend for the past month, Pam and I have had the privilege of entertaining friends from St. Louis and Lake of the Ozarks, MO. What a treat to have them here, and to be able to show them the beautiful beaches that surround our new home, and to serve up some wonderful, fresh seafood. It’s non-stop while they’re here, so the beginning of each new week has gotten off to a slooow start. Today is no exception. I just returned from a trip to the Tampa Airport, and I’m ready for a nap. Unfortunately it’s only 10:20 EST. Oh well…it’s worth the fun!
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 with today’s blog.
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 “simply 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 eyes, not 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 realms, 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 in 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 and mine.”
But choosing to be a Christ-follower involves the desire to grow in knowledge and wisdom so we can become more like Him… 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 grow in our relationship with Jesus, His divine power (the 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 lives become. 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.” (my edit.)
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 to us, MANY are unaware. (my edit again) 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, “Victory Over the Darkness” and “The Bondage Breaker” are 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 still have a formidable enemy who wants to steal our joy and shipwreck our effort at becoming more Christ-like. But thanks to our God, who never fails us, He gifted us with a salvation plan that includes the indwelling Holy Spirit because He wants each of us to become more Christ-like, and He wants our choices to bring honor and glory to Him. The Holy Spirit DOES NOT fix our problems for us. He empowers US to rise above our circumstances and to make Godly choices by relying on the Holy Spirit to empower us with His wisdom, His patience, insight, strength, courage, perseverance – whatever it is we need. This allows us to “escape the decadence all around us caused by evil desires.” (Ref. 2 Peter 1:3-4 two paragraphs up)
Our awesome God, who is the essence of LOVE, has equipped us to be victorious in this spiritual battle 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 through His Spirit…” And to refer to a signature statement by the well know Pastor, T.D. Jakes, “God loves to bless ya…God wants to bless ya! But He ain’t gonna give ya those blessins’ ‘til you’re ready to receive em.” What better way to prepare yourself to receive all that God has planned for you, than to grow in the likeness of His Son. And when you are in that process, it is your 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 You Abundantly
Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)
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