Discipleship

GOING ON WITH GOD

By Homer Duncan

Missionary Crusader

More than six hundred fifty thousand copies of this booklet have been published in 32 languages. This January 1995 revision is the 7th English language printing of 5,000 copies.

Being a Christian is the most wonderful thing in the world. Far more was accomplished when you turned to Christ than you will ever realize in this life. “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9)

The Bible tells of the “unsearchable riches of Christ” when we are taught by the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 2:12). One of these wonderful things is that we were actually born into the family of God (1 John 3:1-3). We came into the family of God as babes in Christ (1 Peter 2:2). We became a baby in Christ when we received Christ as our Savior. “But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name” (John 1:12).

There is a parallel between the physical life and the spiritual life. We were born physically to receive physical life, and we are born spiritually to receive spiritual life.

You may have been 50 years old when you were saved, but you were a spiritual baby! As a physical baby certain things were necessary for your growth and development. The same thing is true about your spiritual growth and development. When you were born physically, you had to breathe. In the spiritual life, it is necessary for you to breathe. Prayer is the breath of the soul. In physical life, you had to have food. The Bible, the Word of God, is your spiritual food. The physical baby must be kept clean. The spiritual baby is kept clean by practicing 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Plugged In; Tuned In

Let me share with you another illustration that shows the necessity of making adjustments in the Christian life. If a television set is to work properly two things are necessary. It must be plugged in and it must be tuned in. Any electrical device is dead and worthless until it comes in contact with the source of electrical power. We were dead in trespasses and sins before we were brought into contact with God through the new birth.

But it is not enough for the television set to be plugged in; it must also be tuned in. If it is not properly tuned in, it will only fill the air with static and confusion. The lives of many Christians, who have been born again, are filled with static and confusion because they are not in tune with God.

Let us stop for a moment to make one thing perfectly clear. I am not talking about what a person must do to be saved. I am writing to give instruction to new converts encouraging them to live a Christ-honoring life. A Christ-honoring life flows out of one’s connection to Him.  Jesus is the center and source of life, bringing us in relationship with the living God.

Let us start by discussing some of these realities.

Encouraging Truths For The Christian’s Journey With God

1. We are born again.

We are born again by the word of God and the Spirit of God (John 3:5; 1 Peter 1:23). We are born again by receiving Christ (John 1:12-14).

2. We are justified by faith.

“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Rom. 3:28). “Therefore having been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1).

To justify means to “declare righteous.” God almighty, Himself, declares us to be righteous completely and entirely on the basis of what His Son has done for us in His death and resurrection.

3. We are a child of God.

God wants us to know we are saved. “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life (1 John 5:13), and this life is in His Son” (1 John 5:11). If we do not have the sweet and blessed assurance that we are saved we cannot build our Christian lives on a solid foundation.

4. God has a great purpose in salvation.

For the first 20 years of my life, I thought God’s great purpose in saving men was to save them from hell and take them to Heaven when they died. This is a vital part of salvation, but it is not God’s primary purpose. We have seen that when we are born again we are babes in Christ, but God does not want us to stay babies. He wants us to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ (2 Peter 3:18). He wants us to grow up to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13,15). God desires to conform us to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29). He predestinated us to this purpose before the foundation of the world. When we make a full surrender of our lives to Him, He starts making His purpose a reality in our lives.

A sculptor was asked how he went about making an elephant. He replied, “I take a block of marble, and start knocking off everything that does not look like an elephant.” This is what the heavenly Sculptor is doing with us. He is knocking off un-Christlike things in our lives, and many times it hurts! God is dealing with each of us in infinite love, infinite wisdom, infinite power, infinite patience and in infinite grace.

5. The grace of God impacts us every day.

It is not possible to give an adequate definition for the word grace, but to help us understand a bit better we shall call it “unmerited favor.” Our salvation is by grace from start to finish. You and I were helpless, hell-deserving sinners. There was absolutely nothing we could do to save ourselves. By faith, we received Jesus Christ into our hearts and were made children of God. Our sins were forgiven, not because of any worth or merit on our part but because of the matchless grace of God. Even though we are now in the family of God, we are still utterly dependent on God for all we do. Without Him, we can do nothing (John 15:5). With Him, we can do all things (Phil. 4:13). We do not have the strength in ourselves to live the Christian life. This is very humiliating to each of us. We think that we can do something, and do not want God to help us except in extreme emergencies.

Many people begin the Christian life without recognizing that they are completely dependent on God. As a result, they make a miserable failure of living the Christian life and bring reproach on the cause of Christ. Not recognizing their own utter depravity, they fail to experience the wonderful all-sufficiency of Christ. You can be saved from years of bleakness and barrenness, if you will, from the very beginning of the Christian life, take your place in weakness and humility so that Christ can be your all in all. God’s grace does not only make us His child, but it also enables us, day by day, to live in a way that will honor His name.

6. We are “in Christ”, and Christ is in us.

Jesus said, “You shall know that I am in My Father, you in me, and I in you” (John 14:20). When we are saved we are “in Christ” (Eph. 1:1), and Christ is in us (Col. 1:27). What does it mean to be “in Christ?” How do we get into Christ? First Corinthians 15:22 helps us understand this truth.

The Apostle Paul states, “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” How did we get into Adam? How were we made members of the Adamic or human race? The answer is simple. We became a member of the human race by means of physical birth. How do we get into Christ? In the same way, only it is by a spiritual or new birth. When we, by faith, receive Jesus Christ into our hearts, we are born again by the Spirit of God. At that very moment, the Holy Spirit baptizes us into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13).

Not only are we in Christ, but also Christ is in us. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Church at Colosse, “Christ [is] in you, the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). “Christ, Himself is our very life” (Col. 3:4). He came to live in us when we receive Him into our hearts by faith. We now have everlasting life (John 5:24), because Christ Himself is that life (1 John 5:11).

We are not saved by a creed, by a church, nor by ceremonies, but by the Living Christ. In announcing the birth of Jesus, the angel Gabriel told Joseph, “You shall call His name Jesus: for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matt. 1:21). Christ, Himself, is the Saviour. We are reconciled to God by the death of His Son; but now, day by day, we are saved by the life of the risen Christ (Rom. 5:10). We are saved by His life in the sense that He now, in the person of the Holy Spirit, lives in and through us. Jesus Christ is not only the Saviour, but He is Lord. We experience Him as our life when we honor Him as our Lord. We now live the Christian life by allowing the living Christ to live in and through us.

7. We were crucified with Christ.

When He died, we died with Him. “Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin” (Rom. 6:6).

This is what our baptism should have meant to us (Rom. 6:3,4). If we do not believe Romans 6:6 we cannot obey Romans 6:11. “Likewise reckon yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

If we do not believe we deserved to die, we will not be so severe with self as to reckon him dead. The reckoning is two-fold. We are to reckon ourselves dead unto sin and we are to reckon ourselves alive unto God. God wants to bring us through death into life. In Romans 12:1 we are told to present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice. Thousands of Christians do this over and over, but this consecration does not last. Uncrucified self refuses to stay consecrated. If we do not start by believing Romans 6:6 our Christian lives will crumble.

8. The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made us free from the law of sin and death.

Let me illustrate the truth of this verse in this way. Suppose I hold a book on the palm of my hand suspended in midair. Two laws or principles are in operation on this book. The law of gravity is constantly pushing down on the book. The other law or principle is the strength that is in my arm that holds the book up against the law of gravity. Just as the law of gravity is constantly pushing down on the book, the law of sin and death is constantly pushing down on you and me, and we will go down unless some strength or power holds us up against the law of sin and death. There is no inherent force in the book to hold it up, and there is no inherent force or power to hold us up, but we have the spirit of the living God dwelling within us to hold us up against the law of sin and death. We have to choose to walk in the flesh or to walk in the spirit. “For if you live after the flesh, you shall die: but if you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live” (Rom. 8:13). Romans 6, 7, and 8 are the three greatest chapters in the Bible on how to live the Christian life.

9. We have a perfect position in Christ.

We are complete in Christ (Col. 2:10). When we become a Christian, God no longer sees us in our sins, but He sees us perfect in Christ. We are no longer clothed with our own filthy self-righteous rags (Isa. 64:6), but we are clothed with the perfect righteousness of Christ (Rom. 10:1-4; Rev. 19:8).

We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Eph. 1:3). Nothing has been left undone that the great, mighty, sovereign God of all the universe could do for us. The weakest, the most unworthy, the most miserable faltering and failing child of God has precisely the same perfect position as the most illustrious saint.

10. The Word of God nourishes

The Bible is the believer’s food. As new-born babes, we are to desire the sincere milk of the word that we may grow thereby (1 Peter 2:2). Milk is fine for babies, but it will not suffice the laboring man. He must have solid food to give him the strength he needs. The Bible is our bread. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). Then there is the strong meat of the Word for those who are able to stand it (Heb. 5:12-14). And, how good is the dessert! God’s Word is sweeter than the honey of the honeycomb (Ps. 19:10). We exclaim with Jeremiah, “Thy words were found and I did eat them; and thy Word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of my heart” (Jer. 15:16).

The Bible is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our pathway (Ps. 119:105). It is the rule book for the game of life. Through studying the Bible we can know God and learn His ways. The more we study the Bible, the more precious it becomes to us. It is the basis and foundation for all other learning.  The Bible points us to Christ “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).

We are to read the Word, study the Word, memorize the Word, and meditate upon the Word of God, but it is of the greatest importance to obey the Word. We are to take it in and we are to give it out. Just as we are regular and systematic in our consumption of physical food, so in the same way, we must daily feed our souls on the good things of God.

In studying the Bible, we will discover the ways of God, we will find the living Christ, we will learn of the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. The Bible teaches us how to pray, how to live the Christian life, and how to serve God. The Holy Spirit, through the Bible, teaches us how to witness and win souls.

If there is one thing that is more important for the young Christian than another, it is to form the habit of daily reading and studying the Word of God (2 Tim. 2:15).

Because of the importance of the Word of God in our lives, Satan will do all in his power to keep us from daily feeding our souls on the Word of God. He will keep us so busy with other things that we will not take time to read and study our Bibles. When we do start studying, he will make us sleepy and drowsy. He will send along many things to distract us. We must learn to put on the whole armor of God so that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil.

Some simple suggestions of Bible study are:

• Be regular; have a definite time and place where you commune with God (Mark 1:35).
• Be prayerful; depend on the Holy Spirit to be your teacher (John 14:26).
• Mark and memorize passages that bring special blessings to your heart (Ps. 119:11).

The Holy Spirit’s Ministry in the Child of God

The great ministry of the Holy Spirit is to glorify Christ (John 16:14):

• He makes Christ real to us (Eph. 1:17).
• He gives us power (Acts 1:8). He gives us power to live a normal Christian life. He gives us power to witness for Christ. He empowers us for every form of Christian service.
• He is our helper (Rom. 8:26). He is the Blessed Paraclete, or “One called alongside to help.” He wants to help us. Four times in Christ’s Upper Room Discourse the Holy Spirit is called the “Paraclete” (John 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7).

The King James Version of the Bible translates “paraclete” with the word “comforter,” but the Holy Spirit wants to be far more than a “comforter.” He wants to be our helper in every area of our Christian life. If you will pardon a personal word, I have found the Holy Spirit wants to help me apply Bible doctrines that I know in an intellectual manner. For several years I had known that “keeping my eyes focused on Christ” was of the greatest importance, but I found when I was under great pressure, I focused my eyes on my problems instead of keeping them fixed on Christ. The Holy Spirit wants to help us keep our eyes “fixed” on Christ.

• The Holy Spirit is our teacher. He takes the things of Christ and shows them to us (John 16:14). He teaches us the deep things of God (1 Cor. 2:10). We cannot understand the Bible apart from the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit.
• The Holy Spirit gives liberty (1 Cor. 3:17). This applies especially to worship services.
• The Holy Spirit transforms our lives. “But we all, with open face behold as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Cor. 3:18).
• The Holy Spirit gives at least one spiritual gift to every believer (1 Cor. 12:7).
• We are to be filled with the Holy Spirit

There are four things the Holy Spirit does for all believers the very moment they believe on Christ: They are regenerated or born again (John 3:1-7), indwelt by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19; Rom. 8:9), baptized by the Spirit into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13) and sealed by the Spirit until the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30).

In addition to this, every Christian is commanded to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18).  The early Christians were repeatedly filled with the Spirit (Acts 2:4; 4:8, 31; 7:55; 9:17).  To be filled with the Spirit means to be controlled by the Spirit. Below are four biblical truths that seem to accompany one who is filled with the Spirit.

A sincere desire to be filled. If we are content to be a “good,” decent, respectable Christian, that is the way we will live and die. The Bible teaches we must thirst for God. “In the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, `If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink. He who believes on Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water'” (John 7:37-39).

Full surrender (Rom. 12:1, 2). The Holy Spirit will not fill us unless we surrender our bodies to Him to be filled.

Free from known sin. Sin grieves the Spirit of God; sin must be confessed and forsaken.

Trust or faith. We must believe God for a definite filling of the Holy Spirit. We are to receive this fullness by faith just as we took Jesus as our Saviour by a definite act of faith.

• When we are filled with the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit is produced in our lives. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Gal. 5:22,23).

The fruit of the Spirit is love. When we are filled with the Spirit, we shall love God. We shall love other Christians even though we may differ with them on many points. We shall love all men regardless of their race, color or creed. This love will be a mark or badge that identifies us as being Christians. Without this love we are but a sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal (1 Cor. 13:1).

The Spirit-filled Christian will be filled with joy. The joy of the Lord will be his strength (Neh. 8:10). When others are downcast and forlorn, he will be rejoicing in the Lord. He will not merely rejoice in his good fortunes, but he will rejoice in the Lord (Phil. 4:4). Regardless of his lot or portion in life, this wonderful joy will be manifest in his life. Others will see this joy and will come to Christ. When we grumble and complain, we bring reproach on the name of Christ.

The heart of the spirit-filled Christian will be filled with peace (Phil. 4:6,7). He will not worry and fret. He has cast all of his cares on the Lord (1 Pet. 5:7). In times of testing and trials he will manifest a sweet serenity that will honor his Lord.

The Spirit-filled Christian will be long-suffering. Love suffers long and is kind. The unregenerate man may have to be long-suffering with someone else, but he is not very kind about it. When a Christian is walking in the flesh and not walking in the Spirit, he is not likely to be long-suffering.

The fruit of the Spirit is gentleness. The spirit of the world is hardness and harshness. Satan is a cruel monster. This trait can easily be seen in his children. The Spirit-filled Christian will be gentle with the weak and with the wavering.

The fruit of the Spirit is goodness. Apart from Christ, there is none that does good, no not one (Rom. 3:10). There is nothing that is good in any of us, even though we have been born again by the Spirit of God. Paul said, “In my flesh dwells no good thing” (Rom. 7:18). The only goodness in the life of any person is that which is produced by the Spirit of God.

The fruit of the Spirit is faith. The natural man doubts and fears. The believer who walks after the flesh is filled with many fears. The Spirit-filled believer is strong in faith, giving glory to God (Rom. 4:20). He dares to step out on the promises of God. He can sing in the darkest night, for he knows that God is still on His throne and that He is working all things after the counsel of His own will (Rom. 8:28).

The fruit of the Spirit is meekness. The natural man tramples underfoot those who are weaker than he, but the Spirit-filled Christian is meek and humble even though he has been blessed and prospered by the Lord. He is gracious to all men. When he meets with successes, he is not puffed up with pride.

The fruit of the Spirit is temperance. The Spirit-filled Christian’s life will be well balanced, he will not go to extremes of any kind. His every action is controlled by the Spirit of God. He will live a life that will honor his Lord.

It should be evident that all of these wonderful fruits of the Spirit are supernatural. They cannot be produced by the natural man. It is folly for any man to strive to produce any imitation of them.

If we have a cedar tree in our yard it will not produce oranges. We may tie oranges on the tree, but that will not make it an orange tree. Such fruit will soon rot and come to naught. It is natural and normal for an orange tree to produce oranges. It is normal for the Spirit-filled Christian to have the fruit of the Spirit. Such fruit brings honor to our Lord.

• He makes us free from the law of sin and death (Rom. 8:2).
• The Spirit is life and gives life (Rom. 8:10).
• The Spirit gives life to our bodies (Rom. 8:11).
• We through the Spirit put to death the deeds of the body (Rom. 8:13).
• The Holy Spirit leads us (Rom. 8:14).
• He is the Spirit of adoption (Rom. 8:15).
• He bears witness with our spirit (Rom. 8:16).
• He helps us pray (Rom. 8:26).
• He makes intercession for us (Rom. 8:27).

Exhortations for the Child of God

Here are a few encouraging exhortations as we live the Christian life.

1. Pray.

In physical life, it is necessary for us to breathe. If we are well, it is normal and easy for us to breathe. It is only when we are sick that our breath comes with an effort. Prayer is the breath of the soul. Since we have been born into the family of God, we can come to the Great God of all the universe and address Him as our own loving heavenly Father. We have access to God the Father through God the Son (Rom. 5:2). Christ is our great High Priest (Heb. 8:1). God hears and answers our prayers because we are identified with Christ. Just as an earthly Father enjoys talking with his children, so also our heavenly Father delights for us to commune with Him. There are many places in the Bible where God urges us to pray, “Call unto Me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things that you know not” (Jer. 33:3). Jesus has promised. “And whatsoever you shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:13, 14). Jesus said, “Ask and it shall be given unto you, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you” (Matt. 7:7). In the book of James, we read, “You have not because you ask not, you ask and receive not because you ask amiss that you may consume it upon your own lust” (Jas. 4:2,3).

We must pray according to the will of God (1 John 5:14). We must pray in Jesus’ name (John 14:14). We must pray in faith (Mark 11:24; Heb. 11:6).

The Bible is a great book that teaches us how to pray. We must learn to pray in the Spirit (Rom. 8:26,27; Eph. 6:18; Jude 20). We must learn to pray the prayer of faith (Jas. 5:15). We must enter into our closet and pray alone (Matt 6:6). We must learn to pray with other Christians. We are to ask that our joy may be full (John 16:24). God does not always answer our prayers in the very way or at the exact time that we expect Him to do so. We must continue to trust Him even though we do not get an immediate answer to our prayers.

When we pray, God works. All of our service for the Lord must be bathed in prayer. We are to bring our every burden and problem to the Lord in prayer. We are to pray for other Christians (Eph. 6:18). We are to pray for the servants of the Lord (Eph. 6:19). We are to pray for the rulers of our country (1 Tim. 2:2). We are to pray that laborers will be thrust out into the whitened harvest (Matt. 9:38).

What a privilege it is to pray. What joy it brings to our heart as we see God working. Therefore obey the injunction of the Lord and pray without ceasing (1 Thess. 5.17).

2. Live by faith.

This is different from being justified by faith. We are justified by an act of faith, but having been justified by faith we are to learn to live in a constant attitude of faith. “The just shall live by faith” (Hab. 2:4; Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3:11; Heb. 10:38). There is absolutely no other way to live the Christian life. All else is sham and counterfeit.

We were justified (declared righteous) by an act of faith when we discovered there was nothing we could do to save ourselves. We looked away from all manner of self-effort, and looked to Christ on the Cross, and received Him as the gift of everlasting life.

In the same way, when we discover it is utterly impossible to live the Christian life in our own strength, we look away from all self-effort and look to the Holy Spirit to enable us to live the life Christ has provided for us, and for the first time, we begin to live the Christian life.

I am going to write the same message using different words. It is the will of God for all Christians to keep their eyes constantly fixed on Christ. The Christian life begins with a look. “Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other” (Isa. 45:22). But, we are not to take just one look, we are to “live looking” (Titus 2:12,13). We are to “run with patience the race that is set before us looking to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith” (Heb. 12:1,2).

Isaiah 26:3 tells us “Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee.” “Stayed on” is the same as “looking to Jesus.” God wants us to continually enjoy His peace, “the peace of God that passes all understanding” (Phil. 4:6,7).

The devil’s job is to destroy the peace God has given to us. His chief task is to get us to take our eyes off of Christ. He uses many methods to accomplish his purposes. One of his main methods is to get us occupied with our problems. God permits us to have problems so we will learn to trust Him. We can choose to look at our problems or we can choose to look to Christ. Our old sin nature, through which Satan operates, wants us to give in to the sin of self-pity and be occupied with self. As Christians, we can choose to look constantly to Christ or we can look at our difficulties.

Peter did wonderfully well walking on the water, as long as he kept his eyes on the Lord, but when he looked at the waves, he went down (Matt. 14:30). Every Christian can testify he has “gone down” every time he has taken his eyes off of Christ and looked at his problems. It is just as impossible to live the Christian life without looking to Christ as it would be to walk on water. One of the greatest secrets of the Christian life is to keep our eyes fixed on Christ.

3. Trust and obey.

“Trust and obey, for there is no other way; to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey”. “Trust in the LORD and do good” (Ps. 37:3). Faith and obedience go hand in hand. They are the two sides of the same coin. A professed faith that does not obey is a dead faith, and a dead faith cannot save. It was John Calvin who said, “We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is not alone.”

4. Keep short accounts with God.

Many Christians are bewildered that they continue to sin after they are saved. Satan laughs at them in derision and tells them they are not a child of God.

Let us get a few things straight.

• When we become a Christian more wonderful things happen to us than we can ever know or tell, but our old nature was not changed one whit. It is just as wicked as it ever was.
• The old nature is a factory within us that continues to produce sin.
• All, and I mean all, of our sins were completely forgiven when we were saved (1 John 1:7).
• But we still have to face the consequences of our sin.
• When we sin we do not lose our salvation, but we do lose the joy of our salvation.
• When we sin we do not lose the Holy Spirit, but we do lose the power of the Holy Spirit.
• We do not lose our sonship, we do lose our fellowship.
• When we sin we dishonor God.
• When we sin we bring reproach on the cause of Christ.
• God has made a marvelous provision for us not to be in the dominion of sin (Rom. 6:14).

God has made a marvelous provision for us (as Christians) when we sin. If we will confess our sin (as a Christian) He completely forgives our sin. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

• If we do not confess our sin to Him, He gently rebukes us, by bothering our conscience.
• If we persist in sin, without confession, He chastens us (Heb. 12:6,7).
• If we persist in sin, we are guilty of the sin unto death (1 John 5:16), which means God calls us home to Himself.
• We should keep short accounts with God. By this I mean we should confess our sin to God as soon as we are aware of it. Don’t let your sins pile up.
• Confession should be made as widely as your sin is known. If you have sinned against God, confess your sin to Him. If you sinned against an individual, you must confess to that individual. If you have sinned against the church, you must confess your sin before the church.
• We should praise God for the marvelous provision God has made for us to stay in fellowship with Him.

5. Learn to overcome Satan.

Since Satan is the enemy of God, he is the enemy of every child of God. Before we were saved we were in the bondage of Satan. All unconverted people in the world are in Satan’s dominion. He holds them captive through fear and superstition. He binds them with false religions. All false religions are in his control.

When we were saved, we were delivered from Satan’s dominion (Heb. 2:14,15), and have been translated into the kingdom of God (Col. 1:13). But, the intensity of the battle with Satan increases when we are saved. Satan does everything in his power to destroy our testimony. If we do not learn to put on the whole armor of God we will be casualties. Casualties are high among the servants of God. Satan is the enemy of the truth. He makes his first attack on the Word of God (Gen. 3:1). He does not want his captives to know the truth, because he knows that the truth will set them free (John 8:32). He is a liar and deceiver (John 8:44; Rev. 12:9).

God has made every provision for us to overcome Satan. “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death” (Rev. 12:11).

6. Learn to do all things through Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Please note “do” and “through” should be inseparably connected together. In our actual conduct, we often forget about the “through.”

I am thinking of the word “through” in four ways.

In the first place, we must come to God “through Christ.” “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:16,17). “Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man comes to the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).

Second, it is used as a period of time when we are severely tested. It is used this way in Isaiah 43:2. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon you.” This is a wonderful truth, but I am not using it in this way here.

In the third place, we must learn that every spiritual blessing comes to us “through Christ.” “In whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:7).

In the fourth place I am using the word “through” in the sense that all that we do as Christians must be done “through” Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil 4:13). “For if you live after the flesh, you shall die: but if you through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, you shall live (Rom. 8:13). “In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Rom. 8:37).

The Holy Spirit is the blessed “paraclete” who wants to help us in every area of the Christian life. We are not able to do anything that is acceptable to God unless it is done in the power of the Holy Spirit.

In Hebrews 12:1, 2 we are told to “run with patience the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the author, and finisher of our faith.” One of the most important lessons in the Christian life is to keep our eyes fixed on Christ, but we cannot do this without the help of the Holy Spirit.

The Lord Jesus told us, “Without Me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5); and the Apostle Paul told us, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13).

We are told to “offer the sacrifice of praise continually” (Heb. 13:15), but we cannot do this without the help of the Holy Spirit.

We are told to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil. 4:4), but we cannot do this without the help of the Holy Spirit.

We are told to “show forth His praises” (1 Peter 2:9), but we cannot do this without the help of the Holy Spirit.

We are told to do many other things, and we must do them with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Some people say they do not want to become Christians because they know they cannot live a Christian life. They are right. They cannot live a Christian life. I, most certainly, cannot live a Christian life. You cannot live a Christian life. We live a Christian life by letting the Lord Jesus live His life through us. (Gal. 2:20; Rom. 5:10).

Higher Ground

Many years ago Johnson Oatman wrote, “Lord, lift me up and let me stand by faith on heaven’s tableland. A higher plane than I have found; Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

As we study the word of God, we learn we have a perfect position in Christ. For example:

• God no longer sees us in our sin; He sees us perfect in Christ.
• We are clothed with the perfect righteousness of Christ.
• We are reconciled to God.
• All of our sins are forgiven.
• We now have everlasting life.
• We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing.

All of this, and much more, is ours now because we are in Christ. We are not trying to live in such a way as to gain these blessings; we have them now.

But most of us are well aware that we live far below our perfect position in Christ. We live an up and down Christian life. We do very well as long as we are not faced with some sin or problem. Let us think of these sins or problems as being hurdles on the road to heaven. When we are faced with sin or temptation, all to often, we “go down” instead of “going over.” Some of the time we stay down for a while, some Christians stay down for years, but God has made a wonderful provision for us in 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” When we understand this wonderful provision God has made for us, we immediately confess our sins and are restored to fellowship with God.

Though 1 John 1:9 promises this continued provision, we can also, in dependence upon the Spirit who empowers, obey as taught in Romans 6, 7 and 8. We will all use 1 John 1:9 to some extent this side of heaven, even though we are “on the upward way.”  But as a believer, we have “life in Christ” (Col. 3:4). God wants us “to go on” with Him (Heb. 6:1). He wants us to be “pressing on the upward way.” He wants us to be “gaining new heights every day,” but if we are to do this we must learn to “go on with God.” That is what this booklet is all about. As we learn that “Christ is our life” we will be overcomers through Him. Yes, there are hurdles on the upward road, but we will learn to go over them, and not to stumble on them.

Testings are From the Lord

Suffering is the common portion of all mankind. The Bible tells us we are not only chosen to believe on Christ but also to suffer for His sake (Phil. 1:29). We must not think we are being chastened of the Lord every time we pass through some testing or trial. Every true faith must be a tried faith. Peter says the trial of our faith is more precious than gold that perishes (1 Pet. 1:7). The trials of life either break or make us. We shall either be hothouse plants that wilt under the least adversity, or we shall become mighty oaks that can stand the fiercest storm.

Suffering and sorrow are some of the means God uses to conform us to Christ. Our sufferings bring us close to the suffering Saviour. Christ suffered much in His earthly life. The great desire of the Apostle Paul’s heart was “to know Him, the power of His resurrection, the fellowship of His sufferings and to be made conformable unto His death” (Phil. 3:10).

The Church

A careful study of the New Testament will reveal the word “church” is used in a twofold sense. It is used in a spiritual sense referring to the body of Christ, which is composed of all born again Christians. Every true Christian is a member of the body of Christ, the church.

The New Testament also speaks of local churches, such as the church at Jerusalem, the church at Antioch, or the churches of Galatia (Gal. 1:2). These churches were local congregations of baptized believers who met together to worship and serve the Lord. God has not changed from the New Testament method of establishing local churches.

You should find and regularly attend the services of a church whose doctrine and activities are in harmony with the teachings of the Word of God. If you cannot find such a church, you should pray for and labor towards the establishment of one.

The Greek word for church is “ekklesia” which means a called-out assembly. The children of God are to be a holy people separated unto the Lord. If we are separated unto the Lord, we will be separated from the evil things of this world. We are not to be conformed to the world, but we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:2). If the Christian plays with the things of the world, he is guilty of spiritual adultery (Jas. 4:3,4).

Two Christian Ordinances

When the sinner exercises saving faith in Christ, he is baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ, which is the Church. When a person is saved he should be baptized in water. When the early Christians believed, they were baptized (Acts 18:8). Baptism is not a meritorious act that saves us, but it is an outward expression of inward faith. It is a picture of our union with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection (Rom. 6:1-4). Through water baptism, we outwardly identify ourselves with Christ and with His Church.

On the night before His crucifixion, Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper. He took bread and blessed and broke it, and implied that it was a symbol of His broken body. He also blessed the wine and implied it was a symbol of His shed blood. He said, “This do in remembrance of Me” (1 Cor. 11:24). If we love Christ, we shall keep His commandments (John 14:21).

Christian Stewardship

The Christian is God’s steward. All he has belongs to God. He is to use his time, his talents, and his money for the glory of God. Under the law the children of Israel were required to give one-tenth of all they made to God (Mal. 3:10). In the New Testament dispensation, we are living under grace. God does not compel but constrains. God has ordained that His work should be carried on through the sacrificial gifts of His children. God made the greatest sacrifice of all when He gave His Son to die for us at Calvary. If we love the Lord, we shall gladly and cheerfully give part of our income to Him. The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God has prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come” (1 Cor. 16:2). Later he wrote to the same church, “But this I say, he who sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:6,7). We are to honor the Lord with our substance and with the firstfruits of our increase (Prov. 3:9).

Two Kinds of Christian Service

We are not saved by our good works, but we are saved “unto” good works. (Eph. 2:8-10). The New Testament puts a great emphasis on Christian service.

We can either serve in the energy of the flesh or in the power of the Holy Spirit. Fleshly service will be destroyed by fire at the judgment seat of Christ (1 Cor. 3:15). Spirit-directed service will stand the test of fire. Many Christians and ministers of the Gospel are racing about in self-directed activity. They are doing more harm than good. They hinder the cause of Christ. We are to be busy in the service of our King, but since Christ is the Lord of our lives, He is to direct our activities. We are to go where He sends us. We are to do what He commands us. We are to speak what He tells us. He is the Head of the body, the Church (Col. 1:18). All of the members of our physical body are controlled and directed by our head. When our head ceases to control the members of our body, we are sick. The body of Christ is in a sickly condition today because the members are not subject to the Head.

I do not expect my arms to be waving all of the time. Nor do I expect my feet to be jumping all of the time. If they did, I would soon be utterly exhausted. I expect my hand to obey the instructions from my head when I command it to do something. I command my hand to write a letter or to put food in my mouth. It obeys me. I can walk because my feet obey the instructions from my head. I have a strong vigorous body when all of my members are controlled and directed by my head.

In the same way, as members of the body of Christ, we are to be directed by Christ, who is our Head. What a joy it is to serve Him when He is working through us. The Apostle Paul could say, “Whereunto I also labor, striving according to His working, which works in me mightily” (Col. 1:29).

Some Spheres of Christian Service

Every Christian should openly confess Christ. We should confess Him not only at the time of our conversion; we should continually confess Him by our lives and by word of testimony. Jesus said, “Whosoever, therefore, shall confess Me before men, him will I also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I deny before My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 10:32).

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church at Rome, “That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness: and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Rom. 10:9,10).

Every Christian should be a witness for Christ. A witness is a person who tells what he knows. We do not have to be ordained ministers, nor do we have to be graduates of a Bible school in order to be a witness for Christ. If Christ has saved us if we know that our sins are forgiven if our hearts are filled with peace and joy in believing, we will want to tell others what Christ has done for us. We will want to tell them how He saved us. Through our testimony, others will be brought to a saving knowledge of Christ. Jesus’ last words on the earth were, “But you shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit has come upon you: and you shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

God gives different gifts to each of His children. He places each of us in the body as it pleases Him (1 Cor. 12:18). We are very foolish when we try to do what we want to do rather than letting Him lead and direct us.

We are to teach others. This can be done in various ways. Some may have the privilege of teaching large Bible classes. Others need to be content in teaching one individual. As we are faithful in the small things, God will lead us on to greater things.

World Missions

Jesus has commanded us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature, and yet more than half of the people in the world have never heard the Gospel of Christ. Every Christian should find God’s place for him in world evangelism. All of us should pray (Matt. 9: 37,38). God is looking for intercessors (Isa. 59:16; Ezek. 22:30). Most of us can give something. Some of us shall have the high privilege of going as missionaries.

God has a work for each of us to do. He is glorified in our service for Him. It is not what we do for Him, but what He does through us that matters. As we learn these secrets and apply them in our daily life, peace and joy will flood our soul. We cease from our own restless striving and begin to labor according to His own mighty working. We enter into the rest that God has provided for His Children (Heb. 4:9).

As believers in Christ Jesus, will you live out your life in light of the fact that He is indeed Savior and Lord?  In view of all that God has done for you in the giving of His Son, will you present your body to Him as a living sacrifice wholly acceptable to God (Rom. 12:1, 2)? Will you let Christ be your very life every moment of every day?

God is the Master Workman. He can take the life that has been ruined and marred by sin and make it anew (Jer. 18:1-6). He is the Master Musician. He can take the life that is filled with discord and strife, and bring forth heaven’s harmony. He is the Master Weaver. He can take the tangled threads of our lives and weave them into a beautiful tapestry. He is the Master Painter. In spite of our blotches and smears, He knows how to blend the colors to produce a masterpiece. Jesus is the Great Physician. He heals the broken-hearted.

Yield yourself completely to Him, as you do you shall have the joy of discovering that the “path of the just is as a shining light that shines more and more unto a perfect day” (Prov. 4:18).

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