Category: Discipleship

Renewing Your Mind

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Only God Can Change a Mindrenew-your-mind

Paul wrote to the church at Rome for people to “be transformed by the renewing of your minds.” (Romans 12:2) He doesn’t say “transform yourselves by renewing your minds.” Only God can change a mind. This explains why Paul wrote to Timothy that God has “not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) When God is present in a mind, it begins to flow with a new kind of thought. But there is a role for us to play. We can, by choice and by our actions, invite God to be present in our mind. Or we can close the door to him. It all depends on what kind of mind we want to cultivate. So let’s walk through three options.

1. Maybe your goal is debauchery, lechery, and depravity. It’s not hard to cultivate a mind like this. You can do it. Just be careful about what you do and don’t put into your mind. The moods that will dominate your life are resentment, anxiety, unsatisfied desire. The key to maintaining this inner life is found in Psalm 10:4, “In their pride the wicked do not seek him; In all their thoughts there is no room for God.” It’s not hard to cultivate this kind of mind. All you have to do is avoid contact with anything that would disrupt this flow of thoughts. Avoid Scripture, avoid wise and honest people who know you deeply, avoid honest self-examination, avoid contact with people in need who might move you to compassion. Mostly you have to make sure that in your thoughts there is no room for God.

2. If your goal is to have a mediocre spiritual life, you can do a half-and-half deal. The Bible talks about this. One writer speaks of a condition called “double-mindedness.” In the Jewish tradition it is called the yetzer hara, the wayward heart. Jesus himself refers to a church suffering from what he called “lukewarmness”; it is neither cold nor at the boiling point. It doesn’t experience any change of properties. This condition enables you to get the worst of all worlds: you experience a kind of chronic, low-level, hidden debauchery so you’re frustrated by all the fun you think that major-league debauchery professionals are having. Yet you get just enough spiritual-religious input so you have chronic, low-level guilt about the amount of depravity you are maintaining. How do you pursue this goal? Get sporadic spiritual input. Go to church sometimes. Read the Bible once in a while — but without clarity about how you want it to shape your mind. Pray sporadically — when you’re in trouble. But then mostly fill your mind with the things that everybody else in our culture fills their minds with. Just keep spiritual channel-surfing.

There is a third alternative.

3. Make your mind the dwelling place of God. The goal here is to have a mind in which the glorious Father of Jesus is always present and gradually crowds out every distorted belief, every destructive feeling, every misguided intention. You will know your mind is increasingly “set on God” when the moods that dominate your inner life are love, joy, and peace — the three primary components of the fruit of the Spirit. God is never more than a thought away. To make my mind a home for Jesus, I deliberately fill my mind with the kinds of things God says are important. Paul puts it like this: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8, NIV)

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[ This is from Bible Gateway, an e-mail devotion from October 6, 2016 ]

He is Faithful

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He is Faithful to Complete it
Philippians 1:1–6

Paul and Timothy – ideal discipleship relationship

Paul and Grace / Peace – Grace, Mercy, Justice – Justice is getting what you deserve, Mercy is not getting what you deserve, grace is getting what you don’t deserve. What it comes to our sinfulness, HELL is better than what we deserve, so we plead for God’s mercy, and then he gives us grace.

Paul and Prayer – he thanks God as he remembers the Philippian people, and offers prayers with joy. Are we joyous when we pray? Usually we are not, but rather fearful. Imagine the class setting, “who will close us out in prayer?” Crickets. Naval gazing. We should jump at the chance to boldly approach the throne of grace.

The Mission (Philippians 1:5) – participation in the gospel – from the first day until now. They did not grow weary is doing what God has called them to do. They did not hire Paul or Timothy or Silas or Barnabas to do the work of ministry, they were in it together. From day one they understood the mission of reconciliation of God to a lost and dying world. Many of us in this room honestly believe that it is our mission to attend worship regularly. Regular used to mean that we were in church on Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night prayer meeting and Bible study. Regular today has been redefined as showing up twice a month, at my own convenience. Let me suggest that if we have not found a small group or a place to give back, we are NOT doing Christianity right.

This graphic helps us see the path we all need to take…

pathways to serving header

I call this WORSHIP PLUS TWO. It is a three-legged stool upon which our mission rests. When we are standing only on one leg, we become weak and vulnerable.

Gather – is the place we are now; we have gathered for worship. It is important simply because the Father is seeking worshipper who will worship him in spirit and truth (John 4:24). But there is so much more to the Christian life than just showing up for worship. Worship is important, but we cannot stop there. Gathering involves our connection with God. I call this our UPWARD JOURNEY.

Grow – the second leg is the place of community, and Bible study. How can people grow on their own? It is similar to birthing a baby and leaving that child on his or her own, expecting that child to grow into adulthood by themselves. A child has a family to raise them. Parents who pour their lives into the child. Believers are a part of a community where there are no lone ranger Christians. We are in this together. While some people pour themselves into the lives of others, other people need mature believers to pour their lives into them. Just this week, as an example, we had VBS (in case you didn’t know) and we saw kids that never really participated come out in full force and enjoy themselves, even on stage singing all these creative and meaningful songs. After gathering for worship, we need to grow into mature disciples of Christ. I call this our INWARD JOURNEY.

Go – finally, the third leg of our three-legged stool is to get involved in giving back; to serve God and serve others in very hands on and practical ways. It is doing for others when other will have no opportunity or intention of returning the favor. It is thinking about the interests of others more than yourself. After all that God has done for you, there is no greater joy is serving others. There are ways of discovering your giftedness and finding a place to match the way you are wired, let’s talk about it. I call this the OUTWARD JOURNEY.

The Motivation (Philippians 1:6a)– For I am confident. This is about conviction. My friend after high school, Marine Corps, knew how to properly keep his personal effects in order; his rack, locker, shoes, pressed uniform… then we lived together in college. He was tremendously messy, never made his bed, didn’t clean up after himself in the kitchen. What happened? He KNEW what needed to be done, but he did not have the conviction to continue his tidy behavior. How often do we know what to do, yet fail to do what God has called us to do?

The Mandate (Philippians 1:6a) – he who began a good work in you. The Father told Abraham that he would be blessed in order to bless the nations. Our God has always been a missionary God, seeking those who are far from him. He is relational, he is incarnational. The Son gave us marching orders when he spoke to the disciples on that hill in Galilee, and spoke the Great Commission, to make disciples of all nations, to teach them all he had taught them, and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. Our leader has spoken, not just to believe and get saved, but we are saved for a purpose. That is the mandate given to us.

The Maturity (Philippians 1:6b) – will perfect it, or will complete it – this is all about maturity. While I mentioned a lot a about this a few moments ago, let me focus on the various parts of salvation. Many people believe that having the right belief and saying the right prayer is all it takes to be saved. Let me suggest a broader interpretation of what it means to be saved.

Justification – this is total forgiveness for all of our past. Once we are justified, God looks on us “just as if I’d” never sinned. Forgiven for the past, present and future sins.

Sanctification – that is a churchy word for becoming more and more like Jesus every day, over a lifetime. When someone says “I’ve arrived” it is a good indicator that they have not, but rather have a long way to go. This is the inward journey, the part I talked about, GROWTH. And we grow best in community, like a garden. How often do we see a single stalk of corn growing in a field?

Glorification – this is the part when we finally see Jesus in heaven, face to face. We will have that glorified body that Paul talks about with the Corinthian church.

So when someone asks you if you’re save, you can honestly tell them, “Yes, partly, and no.”
Which leads me to the final part of this passage…

The Movement (Philippians 1:5-6) – until the day of Christ Jesus – we will meet our Savior face to face in all of his glory. All his plans, all that he came to do for us, in us, and through us, will culminate in our being with him forever. The One who died on the cross to bring forgiveness and salvation moved from the cross to the grave, and from the grave to the sky, he went to prepare a place for us. One day return in all of his glory to take us to that place he has prepared.

He loves us too much to leave us the same way he found us, lost and dead in our sin. He who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it. Look again at Philippians 1:5. Earlier I talked about the mission, how they participated in the mission set before them.

Now focus on the movement, participation in their own spiritual growth. He does not want to leave his project undone, all of his children are a work in progress, but we have to do our part and develop a few new habits that will make our growth process more secure. We cannot do it on our own anyway, we need Jesus to work in us to grow us into spiritual maturity.

Where are you in this maturity process? Are you just starting out and realize you have a long way from bearing the image of Christ? The church is all about discipleship, get connected and get involved.

Have you been a believer for a long time yet realize that your maturity is nowhere equal to you years of faith, it is never too late to get back on the path toward spiritual maturity.

Have you never made a commitment to Christ, why wait? Let today be the first day of the rest of your life.

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Breaking the Cycle

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Breaking the Cycle of Spiritual Entropyspiritual-entropy-cycle

A basic cycle repeats itself over and over in the book of Judges. Time and time again God’s people go through this heartrending process, and it seems as if they do not have the ability to look back and learn from their past. This cycle (pictured right) follows this basic pattern.

It begins with a time of peace. Things are going great, the people are seeking God, they have a thankful spirit, there is peace in the land. Then comes a season of complacency. The people get used to the good things God has given them and as their hearts grow cold and complacent, their eyes begin to wander away from the one true God and toward idols and false gods.

With time, they begin to compromise, and sin enters in. They begin to practice immorality, idolatry, and all the same sins as the people who live in the lands around them. Their sin then leads to pain. Most often the people of Israel experienced pain when the nations around them invaded, attacked, and conquered their land. This oppression lasts for years until the people finally cry out to God for help. They say, “God, save us, help us, get us out of this situation.”

Then God sends a judge to deliver the people and raises up a leader to help the people fight off their oppressors. Their victory leads to a time of peace, and the cycle begins all over again. Generation after generation falls into the same pattern.

The cycle we see repeated over and over in the book of Judges can also become a pattern in our lives. Spiritual entropy enters our lives when our desires and impulses rather than the Holy Spirit of God begin to rule us. We grow weaker when we are driven by our whims. We can intercept this form of spiritual entropy when we look to the Holy Spirit of God to grant us the strength we need to overcome sinful desires and impulses.

The apostle Paul wrote: “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Romans 7:15). Every Christian faces the reality that we will battle the temptation and enticement of sin for the rest of our lives. The issue is not whether we will face sinful impulses; the real question is how we will respond to them.

Abraham Fuller, a 10th century theologian, had this to say:

“Sin is to be overcome, not so much by direct opposition to it as by cultivating opposite principles. Would you kill the weeds in your garden, plant it with good seed; if the ground be well occupied, there will be less need of the hoe.”

When it comes to breaking the cycle of spiritual entropy, the only time to start “planting good seed” is now!

[print_link] [email_link] Devotion from www.BibleGateway.com e-mail from June 9, 2016

Make Friends to Make Disciples

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The idea of living the Christian life is to impact those around you for the kingdom of God. Check out this challenging word from Rick Warren, based on Romans 12:16.

Everybody’s looking for a true friend — not just acquaintances but people who are there with you when you need them most. God wants you to build true friendships with the people that are already in your life so that you can share the gospel with them. God has put these people — your co-workers and classmates, neighbors and teammates — in your life specifically so you can share with them about the most important decision they will ever make. If you don’t tell them about what Christ has done for them, then who will?

The Bible says to “Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!” (Romans 12:16 NLT)

Christians tend to fall into one of two extremes: isolation or imitation. Some Christians say, “I don’t want to get polluted by the world. I’m just going to isolate myself. I’ll build a wall and my own little culture.” Isolation doesn’t work! How are you going to build any friendships that way?

The other extreme is imitation, which says, “Let’s be just like the world. We’ll dress like the latest pop star. We’ll say whatever we want about other people. We’ll have whatever values and goals popular culture tells us we should have. We’ll be no different from the world.” That’s not what God wants you to be, either. He doesn’t want you to give in to the lowest common denominators of society.

The answer is not isolation or imitation. It’s insulation and infiltration. The Bible says you’re to be salt and light in the world. You’re to penetrate the world with God’s goodness.

When I go out to dinner and order sea bass, the first thing I have to do before I can eat it is put salt on it. That fish has lived its entire life in salt water, yet I have to put salt on it. What’s going on? That fish is insulated. If God can take a fish and keep it in salt water its entire life and not have the salt permeate the fish, then certainly God can take any believer, put us in the world, and keep us from being corrupted by the wrong values.

God wants you to be holy and secure in your faith. He also wants you to walk out your door into the world and get to know the people he’s placed in your life. As you build relationships with people around you and share Truth with them, you are to be in the world but not of the world.

“The Holy Spirit, God’s gift, does not want you to be afraid of people but to be wise and strong and to love them and enjoy being with them” (2 Timothy 1:7 TLB).

Talk It Over:

  • Why is it sometimes easier to isolate ourselves rather than get to know other people on a deeper level?
  • What are some ways you have fallen into the trap of becoming an imitator of the world?
  • If you were the only representation of Jesus Christ that someone had in his or her life, how would they perceive Christianity? How does that make you want to change?

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DNow 2015

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This past March we had our annual DNow weekend. Here are some photos in a slideshow put to music, (Jason Gray’s, I Am New).

We are so please to have the best youth pastor ever, Beth Anderson, investing so much into the lives of our young people.

The visiting worship team was from Christopher Newport University, and seven of the nine Bible study leaders were former students of the King’s Grant Baptist Church student ministry, who are currently making a difference on their own college campuses as well.

How to Make Lasting Change

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We are often perplexed on why we make commitments to change yet fall miserably short of success. One essential start is to make your life based on the Bible:

“If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine.” (John 8:31b NASB)

One cannot stress enough how important it is to make a commitment to reading the Bible regularly. Jesus said, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine” (John 8:31b NASB). It’s a long-term commitment to learn from Jesus and his Word that makes us his disciples.

How do you continue in the Word and stay connected with Jesus through his Word for the long-term?

1. Make the decision. It starts with your commitment to actually do it. Don’t wait for a better time to make God’s Word a regular part of your life. Start your commitment today.

2. Make a declaration. Announce your intentions to others. Hold yourself accountable and allow yourself to be held accountable by others. If you keep your commitment to God a secret, it’s easier to slip up.

3. Make a determination. Don’t allow anything to knock you off your commitment. Absolute determination can make this a permanent habit in your life, particularly in the early months. If you start skipping days, it will be much harder to stay committed to God’s Word.

4. Double up. Get a spiritual partner to come alongside you for support and encouragement. This is someone with whom you can share what you learn in your quiet times. It could be someone in your small group, a friend, or a family member. The Bible says, “Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed” (Ecclesiastes 4:9 NLT).

[print_link] [email_link] [Based on a devotion by Rick Warren]

Growing Deeper With Jesus

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You may wonder why you do not feel as close as you once did in your relationship with Jesus, or you may not be growing deeper in your relationship.

God has a Purpose:

  • Fact – Jesus wants to be in control of your life, Luke 6:46.
  • Fact – God want your life to be useful and enjoyable, John 15:10-11.
  • Fact – God wants you to live with him in an intimate relationship, 1 John 1:7.
  • Fact – God wants to fill your relationship with his Spirit, Ephesians 5:18.
  • Fact – God wants to get you ready to do is work, 2 Timothy 3:16-17.
  • Fact – When you mess up in your walk with Him, God wants to forgive you and restore your relationship with him, 1 John 1:9.

Our Need:

  • Fact – Personal sin will damage our relationship with God, Isaiah 59:2.
  • Fact – Situations and circumstances in life may require us to seek God even more and to grow deeper in our relationship with him, Romans 12:1-2.

God’s Provision:

  • Fact – God has given us tools to grow deeper in our relationship and to be continually change to buy him.
  • Fact – God uses the Bible to bring Christians to a place where they can be used for His purposes, John 17:17.
  • Fact – Spiritual exercises, such as prayer, Bible study, worship, fasting, sharing Jesus Christ with others, and serving others help us to grow, 1 Timothy 4:7.
  • Fact – Family and home influences may encourage us toward spiritual growth, 2 Timothy 1:5.
  • Fact – The church, as the body of Christ, encourages us to grow deeper in our faith and knowledge of Jesus, Ephesians 4:12-13.
  • Fact – God uses and works in all circumstances of life to make us more like Jesus, Romans 8:28-29.
  • Fact – God disciplines his children to make us more like Jesus, Hebrews 12:10.

Our Response:

  • Act – Confess and turn from any known sin, Proverbs 28:13.
  • Act – Recommit your life to the Lord Jesus Christ, John 20:28.
  • Act – Give yourself daily to Jesus and experience the fullness of his life in you as you go deeper, Romans 6:12-13, Galatians 2:20.

My Commitment: As you seek to grow deeper in your relationship with Jesus you will see evidence of the Spirit in your life, Galatians 5:22-23. You may not be able to see evidence of the Spirit in your life as much as you would like. Are you willing to ask God to work in you to help you grow toward the fullness of his life? If so, you may want to pray the following prayer or one like it.

“God, I want to be like Jesus. I commit myself to you and ask you to work in my life to help me develop evidence of the Spirit to work in me.” Amen.

Church Membership

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Are you a member of a local church? Where? How active are you? Did you know that the church is really not a building? It is really made up of Christians all around the world. Jesus built the church (Matthew 16:18) and willingly died for the benefit of the church (Ephesians 5:25).

God has a Purpose: We can be part of God’s work through the church. “So in Christ we are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Romans 12:5).

  • Fact – As part of the church, we can enjoy God with other Christians, in worship, Hebrews 10:25, Ephesians 5:19-20.
  • Fact – As part of the church, we should tell others about what Christ did for us, Acts 1:8, 2 Corinthians 5:18-20.
  • Fact – As part of the church, we should grow deeper in a relationship with Jesus and allow him to change our lives, 2 Peter 3:18.
  • Fact – As part of the church, we should help each other as Christians, 1 Corinthians 12:12-26.
  • Fact – As part of the church, we should fellowship, or hang out, with each other, Hebrews 10:24-25.

Our Need:

  • Fact – We need to identify ourselves with the church, Acts 2:41-42.
  • Fact – We need strength for daily living, which can come through fellowship with other Christians, Hebrews 3:13.
  • Fact – We need to help the church by using our personal talents and spiritual gifts, Romans 12:4-8.

God’s Provision:

  • Fact – God established the church as the body of Christ, Ephesians 4:4, Colossians 1:18.
  • Fact – God wants our church membership to be in the total church, Revelation 22:17.
  • Fact – God wants every Christian to participate in church membership, Hebrews 10:25.
  • Fact – Jesus showed us how important was by his regular attendance at synagogue, Luke 4:16.

Our Response:

  • Act – You can become a member of a local church by telling of your faith in Christ and being baptized, Acts 2:41, 47.
  • Act – You can share in the Fellowship of the local church by becoming a member.
  • Act – Your participation in the local church is crucial for your life to be what God wants it to be.

My Commitment:

If you are already to make the commitment to join a local church, you can do so by stopping by King’s Grant Baptist Church. Pray about your decision and commitment with a sample prayer like this:

“God, thank you for the church and for allowing me to become a part of it. Help me to be faithful and to support my new family at church.” Amen

Christian Baptism

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Have you been baptized since you have received Jesus as Lord and Savior?

Baptism always comes after salvation but its not necessary for salvation. It is a response of obedience to Jesus Christ as Lord (Acts 2:38, 41). Baptism is your first opportunity to publicly tell others that you have given control of your life to Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20).

God has a Purpose:

  • Fact – We declare our new life in Christ through baptism, Acts 2:41, 8:35-38, 16:25-34.
  • Fact – Baptism is a spiritual illustration of Jesus death, burial, and resurrection, Romans 6:3-5.

Our Need:

  • Fact – We need to confess Jesus before others in baptism soon after we receive salvation through Jesus Christ, Matthew 10:32.
  • Fact – We need to obey Jesus’ command, Matthew 28:19.
  • Fact – We need to follow Jesus example, Matthew 3:13-15.
  • Fact – We need to get plugged in and join a local church, Acts 2:41.

God’s Provision:

  • Fact – Jesus began his ministry to others with baptism, Mark 1:9-11.
  • Fact – Jesus demonstrated baptism to us by being baptized, we should follow this biblical example, Mark 1:10.
  • Fact – Jesus told his followers to baptize, Matthew 28:19.

Our Response:

  • Act – You should find a local church to join and have them baptize you.
  • Act – You should be baptized to show that you are a follower of Jesus Christ, Acts 2:41.
  • Act – show others your commitment to your baptism, Acts 16:31-33.

My Commitment: What shall I do now?

  • Trust in Jesus for your salvation, not any good works you try to accomplish.
  • Find a local church to join and have them baptize you.
  • Follow Jesus example of baptism like being immersed in water, showing your identification with Jesus and His Church.
  • If you are willing to take the step of obedience and show others your commitment to Jesus, you can pray the following prayer for one like it.

“God, it is my desire to go pay you in to let others know I have new life in Jesus Christ. I pray that my baptism will show my love for you.” Amen.