C-ing Christ

Monday, September 25, 2006

CG 12 September

A Christian Journey: Spiritual and Practical

Eeps! Sorry this summary is so late pple…but well hope reading it refreshes ur mind n soul!

1. Ice Breaker
Thanks esther for a very fun game of pass-the-horse…learn some very interesting things abt pple! =)

2. Worship
Thanks Daniel for leading us in a great time of worship. Sorry josh, we couldn’t sing those Chinese songs u printed for us…but u can teach them to us the nxt time u lead worship!

3. CG Affairs
# Miss a session? Please come look for me for an update of what happened, n I can pass u the QT material also
# CG booklet: $2 please for those who haven't paid yet!

4. Bible Study
What it means to be a Christian Part III
This is the final session of what it means to be a Christian

So what distinguishes us Christians from other pple?
We believe in Jesus, that He was sent by God to die for our sins, that through this faith, we will not perish but have eternal life

Yes, so by faith we are justified, but is that enough? Is it enough as a Christian to just believe?

James 2:17, 20-22 says it is not enough
17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 20You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.

Our faith as a Christian should be both spiritual and practical: the spiritual aspect is when we believe in God, and the practical aspect has to do with our daily living for God.

Being a Christian is a journey, a process of becoming Christ-like.
Hebrews 12:1-2 shows us that being a Christian is like running a race, with Jesus as our focus
1Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. 2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

This verse also shows that believing in Jesus does not automatically make us perfect because we are still in the flesh.

As we are in our flesh, we are always able to be tempted because of the power of free will. When Jesus came to earth as man, He too was able to be tempted. BUT he was still holy and righteous in the eyes of God because of the choices He made, and because he always kept doing God’s will as his focus.

But of course, we all make bad choices and sin, but aren’t we already saved from the punishment of sin by believing in Jesus?
Yes, sin does not rob us of our salvation, but it does rob us of our joy in our r/s with God.

How can we not live a life of sin? By choosing to live according to the Spirit of God, whom Jesus has promised to us:
John 14:16-17, 26
16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.26But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Romans 8:5-16
5Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6The mind of sinful man[e] is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7the sinful mind[f] is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.
9You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. 10But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
12Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. 13For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, 14because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship.[g] And by him we cry, "Abba,[h] Father." 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children.

As children of God, we have the Holy Spirit to lead us, and we do not have to rely on our own strength. The Holy Spirit inside of you will teach you how to speak to God.
Do you know what it means to experience the joy of the Lord?
The Holy Spirit in you will show you how to reach out to God. You only need to take the first step and start speaking to God with your heart.
Romans 8:26-27
26In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. 27And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

KR C BLOCK VCF

VOICES

PAST

CREDITS