Accepting the truth, the gospel, means we become Children of God. However, we don’t all act like the Children of God. Students call this being #fakefriends.
There is an old “Be Tobacco Free” commercial that has a young girl playing dress up in her mom’s clothes. She is standing in front of the mirror trying to do her best impression of Mommy. The mother looks in at the young girl from the living room. And just as she does, the girl raises her hand to her mouth like she is smoking. The mother, with defeated exasperation, says, “I have to quit smoking.” We, adults, are setting the example for the children around us. No matter if it is a teacher, coach, a bus driver, a mom/dad, or a brother or sister, we are making impressions on the little ones around us. And we are doing so without our knowledge nor our approval. Why? Because the little ones look up to us and want to be like us. The same should be said of believers. In our Christian lives, do we want to be like Christ? Do we look to Christ and pattern our lives after Christ? When we have accepted the truth, we must walk in truth. It has given me great joy to find some of your children walking in the truth, just as the Father commanded us. 2 John 4 “Ok, okay…how do we do it, Ben?” Well I am glad you asked. To walk in truth we must: 1. Have a REAL RELATIONSHIP with God Francis Chan in Remembering the Forgotten God penned that “most believers understand that Christianity is about a relationship with God” but that most don’t follow through with it. We, upon acceptance of the gospel, have become Children of God, even if we don’t feel like it all the time. Again Chan, “God wasn’t satisfied with simply adopting us – He wanted to be sure that we would feel like Children of God.” So, he gave us the Holy Spirit. Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of His Son in our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” Gal 4:6. A REAL RELATIONSHIP involves us allowing our hearts to be open, to both pour out the baggage and accept the love that replaces it. God has given us the tools necessary to communicate with Him, i.e. the Holy Spirit, we simply need to be open to listening and talking with God. Sundays and Wednesdays only will not suffice. Read Scripture. Pray. Think of God. Talk with God. More often than once or twice a week. 2. Make Disciples This morning during FCA, the speaker discussed monotony. Sometimes we get bogged down in the everyday routine of life. We wake, eat, go to school/work, do chores, eat, binge Netflix, and go to sleep. The change in the routine is subtle, maybe we fall asleep while binge watching 24. But nonetheless, our daily routine is the same. When we walk in the truth, our life should be filled with adventure and adrenaline rushes. Not the kind you get from driving fast or bungee jumping. The kind of adrenaline you receive when doing the unknown, in the dark. The kind of adrenaline you get when you witness to someone about Christ. Your heart races, your thoughts are going everywhere all at once while trying to condense the gospel into a few short sentences. What to say, what not to say. The rush is crazy! Waking each morning should not mean monotony, rather it should mean adventure. Who will I talk to today? What will I say? How will God move in my life? What great adventure will He provide for me today? How can I be the hands and feet of Christ today? David Platt in Follow Me tells the reader that God’s Will “is to redeem men and women from every nation, tribe, language, and people.” And because of such, God’s Will for believers is simple, “make disciples.” Walk in the truth by sharing the truth! |