Randy Bell
3 Dec 2017

StraightTalk Articles

How To Follow Jesus By Taking Five Major Steps On His Narrow Way

Today’s current Christian faith has withered down to “give me what I like and want spiritually”, “feed me”, “make me feel better about myself”, “make worship so good that it builds me up and makes me excited”, “my God accepts me like I am”, “I will go to the church that fulfills my family’s needs, as I see them” and “do not beg for money, I want to spend my money how I want!”.

Selfishness and pleasure have become the driving force, the purpose, in most religious peoples lives. This is hypocrisy! Paul warned us of this terrible day long ago:

“But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!” 2 Timothy 3:1-5 (NKJ)

There is much evidence that the majority of American Christians live this way. Divorce is just as high in Christian homes as the atheists. Many teens are brutal and think violence is funny. Teen rebellion is normal. Everyone claims they can’t help what their doing, obviously there is no self-control.

No one has time to devote themselves to winning their city for Christ because they are so busy getting rich and having fun! The list goes on. This is not the way of life that the Lord Jesus or his first disciples lived.

Instead “the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20 NKJ). The first disciples [Christians] followed Him and learned how to work for God.

Have you forgot His words, “‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men'”? (Matthew 4:19 NKJ)

Remember he also warned, “…whoever of you who does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?” (Luke 14:33-34 NKJ)

The Lord Jesus Christ was driven by God’s purposes and called Christians to follow him and do the same things. When asked by people what was the most important thing to do, He replied:

1/ “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ “This is the first and great commandment.” (Matt 22:36-38 NKJ)

What does this mean in real life?

Loving God with your whole being is different than loving yourself and pleasure [even spiritual pleasure]! Worship is for God not you! It is not to make you happy, excited or to be spiritually fulfilled! Worship is to glorify God! To make God happy! To make God exalted in your eyes! To lift Him up to the heights He deserves before your eyes so that you will truly bow before Him, obey Him, and serve Him!

True love and worship of God is to make His Word so important you actually follow His ways!

Jesus lived to make God the Father satisfied, not himself. He lived to do what His Father instructed him to do. He worshiped the Father by laying down his life for the world.

2/ Next, he served the people of the world while he lived.  He served them by dying for them. This is the heart of the second purpose!

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” Christ showed this when He fed them, healed them, washed their feet, and directed them into active love for God and man. The Christian life is to care for others, not become so busy getting rich and self-centered you disobey the directions of God!

Christ calls all of us, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” This means to change your schedule! Clear your calendar! Get to your local church every week to worship and encourage fellow believers!

It means to prove your love for God and others is real, not just words. Volunteer to take on responsibility as your leaders guide you!

Help the pastor get the gospel message out by sacrificially giving financial aid and physically working to spread the word!

“Seek first the kingdom of God.” Make it a priorty to build up God’s kingdom!

How do we do this?

The next three purposes are commanded to us by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 28:19,20… “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

3/ Go and make disciples! Increase the population of God’s kingdom by making disciples just like the ones Jesus made. I know this is not like the majority of the so-called Christians of today. They are full of themselves! Few make any effort to obey the God of heaven.

Few really try to build God’s kingdom.

In fact, if they happen to go to a church service, even weekly, they think they have obeyed and completed a big favor for God. It is your obligation to go to weekly worship meetings. It is your obligation to invite and bring others with you. It is your obligation to try with all of your heart, mind, strength, and soul to obey God.

It is your obligation because “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.”

4/ Christ further says that he purposed us to “baptize them [the new converts].”

If you look in Acts, the history of the new church, you find that baptism is not a religious symbol separated from the everyday church society of Christians, anymore than a wedding band is independent from a marriage relationship. It was a public announcement of leaving the old culture and joining this new family of committed people serving God.

It is not for your personal, religious comfort or enjoyment. It is for a change of direction for life, in the same way a marriage ceremony is a total change in the lives of two individuals who join in holy matrimony.

5/ Finally, the last purpose is a family related responsibility for all Christians: “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you.”

Become an example and a teacher! Help others learn what God wants of them. Show them how to follow God’s purposes. Commit yourself to do 100% of what God says to do. Do not retreat or get lazy.

Plug yourself in now! Do it for God, not yourself! Prove that you really love God and are not just trying to get a free ticket out of hell!

Remember:
1. Love God with a100% effort, include everything you are and have
2. Love your neighbors by sharing your life, time and things with them
3. Like a fisherman, try to catch fish [people for Jesus] and help your church grow
4. Once caught become their friends and family
5. Teach them how to follow Jesus too!

 

Randy Bell
28 Nov 2017

Audio Talks

Spiritual Growth Seminar Part 1: What Happens When A Person is Born Again? (audio/video)

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” [2 Corinthians 5:17]

“Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” [1 Thessalonians 5:23]

A born again person is someone who has a direct connection with Almighty God by receiving the Holy Spirit inside their human spirit through faith in Jesus Christ. They are new creatures by the revolutionary change that takes place inside them when the Holy Spirit enters their spirit, and this permanent transformation establishes them as adopted children of God.

Before new birth, the conscience of the human is clouded and dark without God’s presence emblazing the holy standards of His Law upon it. This is revealed in Acts 2:37 as Peter presses the Jews with the criminal charge of breaking God’s Law by murdering the Messiah. “Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Men and brethren, what shall we do?’” This event verifies that from outside of an unbelieving person the dynamic power of the Holy Spirit slams the Law into the human spirit, and cuts into the conscience!

God’s Word explains this in Hebrews 4:12,13. “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”

Randy Bell
12 Dec 2017

Step 1: adding your diligence (to the divine promises), employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy), Step 2: adding all diligence [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence), Step 3: adding all diligence to [exercising] knowledge [develop] self-control, Step 4: adding all diligence to [exercising] self-control [develop] steadfastness (patience, endurance), Step 5: adding all diligence to [exercising] steadfastness [develop] godliness (piety),, Step 6: adding your diligence to [exercising] godliness [develop] brotherly affection, Step 7: adding all diligence to [exercising] brotherly affection [develop] sacrificial love.

Spiritual Growth Seminar Part 3: Introduction to the Seven Steps To Maturity (audio/video)

Randy finishes the seminar with teaching of the Apostle Peter who gives seven clear steps to take to become mature and serve the Lord Jesus.

2 Peter 1:4-10 (AMP)
4 By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature.
5 For this very reason, adding your diligence [to the divine promises], employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy), and in [exercising] virtue [develop] knowledge (intelligence),
6 And in [exercising] knowledge [develop] self-control, and in [exercising] self-control [develop] steadfastness (patience, endurance), and in [exercising] steadfastness [develop] godliness (piety),
7 And in [exercising] godliness [develop] brotherly affection, and in [exercising] brotherly affection [develop] Christian love.
8 For as these qualities are yours and increasingly abound in you, they will keep [you] from being idle or unfruitful unto the [full personal] knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
9 For whoever lacks these qualities is blind, [spiritually] shortsighted, seeing only what is near to him, and has become oblivious [to the fact] that he was cleansed from his old sins.
10 Because of this, brethren, be all the more solicitous and eager to make sure (to ratify, to strengthen, to make steadfast) your calling and election; for if you do this, you will never stumble or fall.