Thank you for visiting. We trust that you have enjoyed reading our articles.
Joy Of Being ‘Saved’ Just One Stop On Long Road Toward Salvation
One of the phrases that I hear from fellow Christians quite often is one that gives him both joy and concern: “I am saved!” Quite often, the person has recently been born again and is joyous and with good reason: They have accepted Christ into their life and have accepted Him as their Lord and Savior. However, after speaking with the person, I begin to realize that they feel that they are now “good with God” and there is no need for anything else.
“I rejoice when another brother or sister has decided to give their life to Christ. However, I lament that the church universal has not properly conveyed the discipleship process to new Christians.
As a disciple of Christ, we are called into action. It’s true that not all of us are able to participate in physical ministries such as Habitat for Humanity or travel to foreign countries on mission trips. However, all of us are able to do non-physical tasks that are also needed to build the Kingdom; we can all offer a smile or a kind word to our neighbor and we can all pray for those in need. All of these are necessary to build up our fellow Christians and ourselves.
It is great to believe in Christ and to accept Christ, but remember that even the enemy believes in God (James 2:19). What God needs is your hands and feet, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also,” (James 2:26).
As a born-again Christian, our eyes and hearts are now open to the love of Christ. This love is not to be stored, but received and given to others. Discipleship is a life-long process of growing closer to Christ. This is not accomplished by just attending church on Sundays. However, participation in worship is very important because we need to be full-time Christians and not just on Sunday mornings. We must engage in some sort of Christian action and we need to read and study scripture. We need to pray for ourselves, spouses, family, clergy, and the entire Body of Christ. Our life should be lived as a witness to God. This is true evangelism and this is the mark of a disciple.
At the same time, it is important to realize that we will miss the mark. Sin is the human condition and is inevitable. We will not go through life as perfect angels. We can acknowledge our sins, apologize to those that we have offended and repent our sins to God. Then, on our final day we can be presented to “blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation,” (Philippians 2:15). “Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky and hear the words well down my good and faithful servant,” (Matthew 25:23).
Meet the Author
Todd Shupe is a Men’s Ministry Specialist through the General Commission of United Methodist Men and is in training to be a Certified Lay Minister through the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church. He currently serves as the President of the Baton Rouge District of United Methodist Men and is a Board Member for Gulf South Men and serves on the Action Team for The Kingdom Group. He is a volunteer for the Walk to Emmaus, Grace Camp, and Iron Sharpens Iron. Todd resides in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
We welcome your comments below.
Liked this post?
Read more below or search for more topics...
-
Looking for Something Good to Taste?
Looking for Something Good to Taste? “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him” (Psalm 34:8 NIV). The only thing I like better than eating food is eating food that is tasty. We all love a tasty meal and many of us have our own unique spice combination to make a dish more appealing. I think about all the elaborate cooking shows that are popular on television. I too enjoy watching many of them. Then, I consider the most significant meal that we consume is the Lord’s supper, Holy communion, Holy Eucharist, or the Blessed Sacrament. The consecrated body... -
Ask God For The Impossible
Ask God For The Impossible “‘Call to me and I will answer you. I’ll tell you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on your own’” (Jeremiah 33:3 MSG).Have you ever found yourself in an impossible situation? I certainly have. At these times, our talents, logic, and education will not solve the problem. These are God-sized problems and only God can solve these problems.Some people find the word “supernatural” to be odd or silly, particularly in a Christian context. Years ago, I was one of these people. I now know that when facing an impossible situation, I can pray... -
The Ministry of Presence
The Ministry of Presence “Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words” Job 2:13 (NLT). This is certainly not a news flash, but people are always in a hurry. We rush to work, ball games, and even to church. But if we are always in a hurry, then we will miss opportunities to be a good listener because listening requires time, focus, and listening. When we are always in a rush, we are unable to have good conversations, and we certainly...