Different Faith: Indications Of A Faithful Follower Series

We continue in our series, dare to be different, and this month across our group of churches our focus is different faith.

Our faith is based on one simple truth: Jesus Christ died to save us from our sins. When we repent and place our trust in Jesus as Lord and Saviour we are saved by the Grace of God through faith. If Jesus is our Lord then in our lives there should be indicators, evidence, proof that shows we are really His disciples.

I think the most wonderful and incredible event in a person’s life is when they accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. When a person realizes that they can have a real relationship with God. When a person understands that they need to repent from the sin in their lives and is born again in Christ. When a person gives their heart to Christ, that is not where the story ends, that is where our journey of faith begins.

The Puritan preacher C H Spurgeon said this, “The faith which saves is not one single act done and ended on a certain day: it is an act continued and persevered in throughout the entire life of man.”

As we learn more about God, we grow spiritually. As we serve God we grow spiritually. As disciples of Christ, there should be tangible proof in our lives that we are followers of Jesus.

As we continue to live out our daily walk of faith, there are two questions we need to ask ourselves:

Is your faith making a difference in you?

Is your faith making a difference in the lives of others?

The truth is, having faith and following Jesus should be making a real difference in your life, and by God’s grace and the empowering of the Holy Spirit, you should be making a difference in the lives of others. In fact, I would go as far as to say, that being in a real, living relationship with Jesus should be making a radical difference in both your life and the lives of those around you.

If you know Jesus as Lord, if you are saved, then there was a moment in time when you were born again, you stopped living in the darkness of sin and stepped into the eternal light of God. Your heart was changed, your sins were forgiven, you came from death to life, spiritually speaking. That’s where the transforming work of God began in your life and mine. A spiritual new beginning, a new birth.

When we are first saved, we don’t instantly become spiritually mature in our words, actions or behaviors. Just like babies we have had to learn how to walk in Christ, we had to learn how to talk to God, and behave in a way that brings honor and Glory to God, but, when it comes to living out a life of faith, we eventually have to grow up and really live as faithful followers.

Listen to how the writer of the book of Hebrews expresses this in Hebrews 5:12-14 (NLT), You have been believers so long now that you ought to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach you again the basic things about God’s word. You are like babies who need milk and cannot eat solid food. For someone who lives on milk is still an infant and doesn’t know how to do what is right. Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.

An indication of our faith is our growth in spiritual maturity, we are meant to grow, we are meant to progress from hesitant baby steps to confidently running the race, being faithful followers and making disciples.

We disobey God when we refuse to grow spiritually in Him and through Him. We are meant to move forward in our faith and service, not be content with standing still, our faith is meant to motivate us to keep on keeping on.

Are you living a life of faith? Are you willing to be different? Will you move forward and allow God to make you and form you and change you into the person He has called you to be so that you can become more like Christ?

Remember the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 12:2 - Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

The Bible is clear, as faithful followers of Christ, we must allow God to transform us, to change us,

our nature, our personality, our thoughts, our actions, and reactions. We cannot remain as we were, we must move forward and develop a mature faith.