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| Section: Basic Christian Living:
courses for new Christians |
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Beginning with God |
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12. Sticking
With It: |
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Going On With
God |
Ephesians
1:3-8, 11 'Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who
has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing
in Christ.
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world
to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined
us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance
with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious
grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. In him
we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins,
in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished
on us with all wisdom and understanding.
…In him we were also chosen, having been predestined
according to the plan of him who works out everything
in conformity with the purpose of his will.'
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You're
a privileged person!
1. God has
a 'plan' and a 'purpose'
Notice the underlined
words in the above verses. They tell us that God has a 'plan'
and 'purpose'. He's not haphazard or unsure of himself: 'the
purpose of his will' is guaranteed to prevail. He's never in
a dilemma and he doesn't change his mind. His plan is on course.
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And what is that plan?
It's to rid the world of evil and, at Christ's return, to complete
his large 'family' and enjoy their company for ever.
2. He chose
you in line with that plan Now notice
the words in bold type above. It says that, as a Christian,
you were 'chosen' and 'predestined' in line with that amazing
plan!
In other words, God said to
himself, 'Now what steps do I need to take to achieve my purpose?'
And one of the steps was to choose you and bring you to himself
through Christ so that you could serve his purpose in your own
unique way. You were essential to getting the job done. So in
the final analysis, he chose you, not vice versa.
What a privilege!
3. So stay
on track with him
Knowing that you have been
called to be God's fellow-worker is a great incentive to hold
fast to your faith. Becoming a Christian isn't like joining some
club or political party. Nor is it a hobby or interest like model-making
or cross-stitch—something to drop when the novelty wears
off. No, it's a high and holy calling to serve the King of kings,
and you're in it for life.
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God doesn't guarantee you an easy ride as you
serve him; you'll have your share of difficulties like everyone else.
Determine now that you won't drop out when they come—that you'll prove to be
a good finisher as well as a good starter. It's a marathon, not a sprint,
that you're in.
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Hints
from a good finisher
2 Timothy
4:7
'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have
kept the faith'
This statement will encourage
you to stick with it. It comes from Paul who, at the time of
writing, was approaching the end of his life, about to be martyred
for his faith. From the time he became a Christian he had served
Christ faithfully through thick and thin:
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'I
have fought the good fight'—implies OPPOSITION
Acts
14:22
'We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God'
You'll face opposition from
time to time. Certainly the devil will try to stir up
problems for you. That's because, before you came to Jesus, you
were no trouble to him, but now that you've nailed your colours
to the mast he sees you as the enemy. But with the Lord on your
side you've nothing to fear:
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1 John
4:4
'The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the
world.'
Other opposition may come from
well-meaning friends and relatives who don't like your
Christian profession. They may urge you to pack it in and 'have
a good time'. Knowing your old weaknesses, they'll try to drag
you down again. Be polite and
kind to them, but stand firm in your faith. Pray for them. Ask
the Lord to give you wisdom to know how to answer them when they
try it on (James 1:5).
Facing opposition is easier
when you have the support of others. Draw strength from
fellowship, as well as from the preaching, from your prayer-times
and your reading of the Word.
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'I
have finished the race'—implies WEARINESS
Marathon runners get tired.
They know before they start the race that it's a long haul, and
they train accordingly—but they still get weary.
And so will you from time to
time. Learn to combat weariness so that you can keep going for
the Lord. Here are some tips:
 | Live one day at a time, committing it to God as soon as you
wake. Say to yourself, 'This is the day the Lord has made; I
will rejoice and be glad in it' (Psalm 118:24).
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| Turn weariness into a blessing. How? James tells us that the testing
of your faith (that's what weariness does) develops perseverance,
and that perseverance eventually leads to spiritual maturity
(James 1:2-4). Determine to become mature!
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| Avoid superspirituality.
By that we mean the
false spirituality that lives in an 'upstairs' world where there's
a proof-text for everything. If someone is sick, a quick prayer
quoting a key Bible verse guarantees instant healing. Superspiritual
folk tend to be rather unreal and can't cope with the real world,
where things are rarely as simple as that. |
Dealing with
deception is easier when you have the support of others.
Keep company with sound and faithful Christians who have their
feet on the ground and whose faith is practical.
Being like
Job
Job (it rhymes with 'robe')
is the Old Testament character who has a book named after him.
He was a godly, faithful servant of the Lord, blessed with health,
riches and a happy family.
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on hard times, losing all his possessions, his children and even
his health. Chapters 1 and 2 of the book of Job give us the spiritual
background to these disasters, but Job himself was never shown
that background. All he knew was that God seemed to have deserted
him. His friends weren't helpful, either, and his wife wanted
him to curse God and die.
When he was at rock-bottom
Job made a classic statement to his friends about the Lord:
Job 13:15 'Though he slay me,
yet will I hope in him.'
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| Job trusted God even though
he couldn't understand why he was letting him experience such
terrible sufferings. Even if those sufferings proved fatal, nothing
would shake his hope in God. That's the
attitude you should aspire to. God isn't a sugar-daddy
in the sky, existing purely to make you feel good. He's the glorious,
eternal God who's working out his great purpose, and you're privileged
to be part of it. If that involves enduring some tough times,
so be it. God knows best and you can trust him implicitly to
see you through:
1 Corinthians
10:13
'No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And
God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you
can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way
out so that you can stand up under it.'
Stick with it! Together we
can make it, for his glory.
Belonging
to the church
We have seen how, together,
we can achieve things we could never achieve alone. That's why
being a committed member of a local church is so important.
[At
this point, if you are using these materials in your church,
you could add a section about how membership of your church is
approached.]
Good things
to come
If you've enjoyed this Beginning
with God course, watch out for the 12-week follow-on series
designed to take you further. It's called Growing in God.
It will give you some more insights into the Christian life and
keys to developing your faith. The topics it covers are:
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1. Temple maintenance:
Looking after your body |
7. Putting sex in its place:
The Christian and sexuality |
2. To laugh and to cry:
Emotional freedom |
8. Staying victorious:
Overcoming temptation |
3. A renewed mind:
Taking charge of your thought-life |
9. Enemy territory:
Facing up to 'the world' |
4. Extracting the juice:
Bible meditation |
10. Doing a good job:
The Christian in the workplace |
5. The right direction:
Knowing God's will |
11. Handling hassles:
The 'discipline of the Lord' |
6. Crucified with Christ:
The cross in everyday living |
12. Graduation day:
The return of Jesus |
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Learn by
heart |
Job 13:15
'Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him.' |
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That's the end of the Beginning with God
course. If you have any comments on the course please feel free to email me;
click the link at the bottom of this page.
One more thing: I live by the gospel and am
grateful for any financial recognition of my written ministry. Cheques (in
pounds sterling or US dollars) can be made out to David Matthew and
sent to me at 24 Broomhill, Castleford, West Yorkshire WF10 4QP, U.K.
Thanks! |
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