As you have read many posts and listened to both Lance and I blog about various topics ranging from modern day issues to relational topics through a biblical lens, we hope that you realize our heart is that you grow in your faith, strengthen your walks (and relationships) and be able to call God your true friend. All that being said, leads me to this post in building true discipleship in your life.Job 28:28 “The fear of the Lord –that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding”. 1 John 1: 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
We believe in order to be an effective disciple you have to be serious about biblical purity and biblical stewardship in order to be the disciple that God wants us to be. That being said, we are not saying that you have to be perfect in purity and stewardship - because we cannot. But we are saying that you can no longer be the authority in your life if you call yourself a true Christian. God is the ultimate authority! We have to be in submission to Him. When we begin our walk humbling ourselves before a Holy God, then we began to understand Proverbs when it says the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord.
Biblical purity is abstaining from any sexual immorality outside God's covenant of marriage between one man and one woman. 1 Corinthians 6 puts it this way:
1 Corinthians 6:12-20English Standard Version (ESV)
Flee Sexual Immorality12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 13 “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined[a] to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin[b] a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
Biblical Stewardship is taking care of what belongs to God. In this stewardship we have to understand that this means that we have to give God an account of our time, talent and treasure. Effective stewardship is working to effectively manage your time, to share your talent in serving God and giving account and tithing on the treasure that God has given you.
Whether we like it or not, the world is watching. Social media is ruthless and unforgiving as individuals (behind closed doors) can say whatever they want in the confines of closed doors. They have no authority in their life, because if they did, they would realize that their words will be used against them in God's judgement. We, as Christians, have to realize that our words and deeds are being watched not just by men, but by Angels.
I think in order for you and I to be an effective disciple, we have to submit to God's will in our lives. We have to submit to his call for us to be pure and to live a life of good stewardship with our time, our talent and our treasure. Because when you and I do this - the World is watching and God's changes lives!
To be an effective disciple you have to be rooted in God's word daily. You have to pray continually and your have to strive to be pure, to be a good steward and then, only then, can you be an effective disciple of Jesus Christ. Honestly, when you live like that, others will no longer see you - they will see Jesus!
Blessings,
Dante