“If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
(John 8:36KJV)
“For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17NLT)
Introduction:
After freedom, I mean complete freedom, we are free indeed! The HolySpirit came as a guarantee and the seal of our liberty....
2Timothy2: 19 “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ DEPART FROM INIQUITY.”
We have chronically suffered from such slavery of sins... from the days of Adam until our Lord Jesus Christ came, He forged to set us captives free! Being free is a process and needs constant evaluation for every believer.
This might help for all of us who wants to pursue holiness as what Apostle Peter had written in 1 Peter 1:13-16 “So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, “I am holy; you be holy.” (The Message) As you can notice, God commands us to be holy. I know it is possible!
How can we do this as we maintain our closeness to God’s heart. May it be an easy tool for us to grow more in love with God through the fellowship of the HolySpirit, in JESUS’name!
I- WORK OUT YOUR OWN SALVATION:
God is calling us to live a life in Him and living out of fear and respect for all He has done and is doing in our life.
“Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.” (Philippians 2:12)
Working out our salvation is very different from working for our salvation. When Paul tells believers they need to work out their salvation, he is simply explaining that the wonderful gift they freely received from God is inside of them. We bring out those beautiful attributes and character traits by faith. Faith is a rest, but it is faith that works, not us. So working out what is on the inside of us happens by faith. Initially, trusting the work of Christ to change your character and lifestyle without your own efforts can be daunting. It is a challenge to believe you can change without a self-help or sin management program. Notice that Paul emphasises this point in the very next verse in v.13 “For it is God which worketh IN YOU both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” Paul had to learn to trust in God’s grace, goodness, and love for him when he sinned or failed.
When I already received Jesus in my life, I had been ushered into His Kingdom and the fellowship of the HolySpirit and I am freed and delivered....
But I couldn’t figure out why I had to work to get it?
Didn’t I already have it?
I started following Him, is there something more I needed to do?
Even though salvation makes us right in God’s eyes, we, however, are not yet perfect. Even though we’d like to think we are, we still need to become more and more mature spiritually until the day we are called home.
This is called sanctification or the process to become holy. 1 Peter 1:15-16 corroborates it. Otherwise known as i term it as “progressive Holiness.” It is different from Positional Holiness when we received Jesus ( 2 Corinthians 5:21) we became Righteous in the sight of God and Perfect Holiness when the Lord will say to us; “welcome My good and faithful servant! Welcome....”
II- WORD OF GOD AS MANUAL:
In order to maintain deliverance we all need to know how to live a life dedicated to following God, we all need a reading guide. The Bible is God’s very word to us. This is the world’s undisputed bestseller. Burned, ostracized, disputed but still only the Book in the world that has the power to change lives. Also, for me the only Book in the world where; when you did not pray first, the illumination of the Author could not be understood! But when you pray, this is the only Book in the world where the Author is present with you! Also, the only Book in the world where it is directly endorsed by God as His Word... the Word where, when you read of it, it does not enter the ears (since it’s a Word) it enters through the “eyes of your heart” turning our hearts of stone into hearts ready to be transformed! It is the road map to heaven. A compass in the hands of a thirsty soul longing for Jesus... Lastly, In fact, the Bible itself tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16 that God’s Word is for teaching, correction and training in righteousness. This is exactly what we need to get us and keep us on the right path... free indeed!
III- WELCOME THE HOLYSPIRIT:
“....wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17NLT)
If you were (and you are) in training or trying to learn a new talent, you would want someone to teach you and for you to ask questions. Or better yet, what if your Teacher or Trainer would virtually do the training inside of you.
Now wouldn’t that be amazingly great! Well, God provides a Teacher/Trainer that can do this! When you have an active, daily prayer life with our Creator:
starts to convict us of our sins and helps us on the road to repentance. He then helps us to walk a godly life.
He trains us in becoming His disciple.
He teaches us things we don’t yet know. (Jeremiah 33:3).
We will feel His urgings with love (Jeremiah 31:3) and approval!
Oh! What a better Trainer and Teacher to have than The One that is inside us, guiding us, helping us and teaching us what to do. (1John4:4)
IV- WILLINGNESS TO BE MENTORED:
Albert Einstein said, “Only a life lived in the service of others is worth living”.
The following points I have made here I call the always to freedom:
1. Always maintain fellowship
no Lone Ranger Christians, or a secret service believer. Frankly, we all need someone who can help point the way and provide some stability in day-to-day spiritual living.
2. Always have an accountability partner
No matter your age, spiritual maturity or life experience, holy living is hard for everyone—not just because we're errant humans but because life simply never slows down. We all need someone who can hold us accountable to godliness and discipline during all seasons of life.
3. Always leave a room for improvement.
We all need someone who has walked this way before so that We can avoid the pitfalls and trouble spots.
4. Always have a Paul and Timothy Relationship:
It's important to lead and guide others in the faith—to have a relationship similar to the one Paul and Timothy had. In 1 Timothy 1:2, Paul addressed Timothy as his "true son in the faith." Your "Timothy" is someone who learns from you, follows your example and thus models Christ. I also want to model for my mentees the need to follow someone else. We all need a Paul who pushes us to be our best for God's glory.
Conclusion:
One last thing: Philippians 2:4 “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests but also for the interests of others.”
finished: 0152am08february2019friday
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