I'm Saved, What Now?

After a recent post about evangelism, Roland posed this question;

Now I've got a question. I've seen the [Way of the Master] stuff before. I notice their dislike of certain people's approaches to ministry. And their way isn't my preferred method, but it does have its merits.

If someone actually professes a trust in Christ, what is the next step?

From the Way of the Master Website:

Once you have repented of all sin (see Psalm 51, 1John 1:9), don't doubt God's promises. Doubt produces fear. It is also a great insult to God--if I don't trust you, it means I think you are a liar.Here's a recipe for success:
-Read your Bible every day . . . without fail. Every day. Value the Word more important than your food (see Psalm One).
-Obey what you read.
-Develop a tender conscience.
-Never doubt any of God's promises.
-Obey the Great Commission by sharing your faith (see John 14:21).

The one thing they left out of their FAQ section, is to spend time time in prayer every single day. In addition, I also often hear Todd Friel suggest that a new believer gets a good study Bible. (He suggests a MacArthur Study Bible. As do I.) He also suggests finding a good bible believing church with a pastor who is an expositor of the word of God, (not just a huckster.)

I personally believe that the most important suggestion given here is to stay in the word of God every single day. I believe that a Christian is always either growing closer to God, or further away from God. The best way to grow closer to God is to get to know him better. The best way to get to know him better is by studying his progressive revelation of himself. That is the Bible. The perfect word of God.

The Generational Gap

I recently attended a service at my church that is geared towards the older members. One of the topics that they discussed during my time there was the generational gap between Christians closer to my age and Christians closer to their age. I was amazed to find that there are people ages 60 and up that blame themselves for this gap. They explained that it is their fault for not making it known to younger Christians that they know what the younger Christians are going through. Often times, after all, they have been through the exact same thing.

I don't subscribe to this school of thought. I believe that the gap is the fault of my generation. We have allowed ourselves to be brainwashed by our Schools and faulty teaching of many churches. We have been taught that the "old fashioned" way of doing things is the wrong way. We have taken on a post-modernish view of Christianity in which any way you feel like doing it is fine.

Don't get me wrong, I do believe that you can worship God however you see fit, as long as it's within the parameters laid out in His holy word. However, at some point in my generations quest for tolerance from the older generations, we've ceased to tolerate them. We want them to accept our praise and worship music, yet we have deemed their hymns "too boring" for our church services. We've deemed their social and spiritual issues "too irrelevant" for our sermons.

What both sides of this argument must understand is that our Worship is not about the style. It's about the content. We as young people must understand why the older crowd loves the hymns like the do. Have we ever stopped long enough to read the beautiful words of Amazing Grace or How Great Thou Art? No, because all we are concerned about is feeding our unquenchable appetite for stimulation.

We need to get back to the root of Christianity. We need to start practicing our faith as the Bible tells us to do so. Our faith is not about singing the catchiest tunes or preaching the wittiest sermons. It's about glorifying God. It's fine to find the way to glorify Him that best suits your wants and desires, but make sure you are doing it in a way that pleases Him according to His holy word. Most importantly, don't fault the other guy for doing it his way.

Follow Your Heart

"..the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them." - Romans 2:15

There are times in all of our lives when we come to a fork in the road. There are two, maybe three or four different options and we don’t know which way to go. At that point, some of us stop and analyze the situation, some of us pray to God for direction, still others prefer to sit back and wait until the right decision seems to present itself to us. How should we handle these difficult, sometimes gut wrenching, often life changing decisions? That’s easy: Do what is right.

We all have a sense of right and wrong instilled in us starting as soon as we emerge from the womb. We instantly begin learning what is good and what is evil. We become very adapt at differentiating right from wrong. We also learn at a young age to convince ourselves that “wrong” might not be that bad. We call it “experimenting.” We write our mistakes of as a “learning experience,” all the while knowing, at least on some level, that what we are doing is not what is right.

1 Timothy 4:16 says “Watch your life and your doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save yourself and your hearers.” This applies to believers and non-believers alike.

To “watch your life” means to take a step back and look at your life. Are you living the way that you KNOW you should be? Have you made a few bad choices? Strayed down a path or two that you should have stayed away from? Take an honest look at your life and admit your shortcomings. Only then can you begin to rectify them.

To “watch your doctrine” means to stay true to your convictions. We were all taught at least the basics of right and wrong by our parents and/or the good influences in our lives. The problem is that sometimes we become blinded by our lifestyles. We become comfortable with who and what we are. With contentment comes laziness. Our core values become lackadaisical or completely change over time. Take a step back and make sure that your values and convictions are still where they should be.

The fact is, when we reach that point in our lives where we have to make a tough decision, the answer is usually obvious. Unfortunately, the right thing to do is almost never the easiest thing to do. The world tells us to take the easiest way, but our hearts often disagree. When the time comes to change our lives with one decision, we need to be honest with ourselves, we need to humble ourselves, and we need to stay true to our convictions. Sometimes life is hard, but through honesty, humility and obedience we will do what is right. Remember, when in doubt, follow your heart.

Questions? Comments?
timmrees@yahoo.com