“MARKS OF A TRUE CHRIST-FOLLOWER”
Romans 12:9-13
FBCF – 10/22/25
Jon Daniels
INTRO – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBGFsxRsnmM
“Faith” & spirituality popular topics these days.
- Charlie Kirk’s assassination has triggered a lot, positive & negative – Gospel seen & heard by millions of people due to his memorial service. His wife & others connected to his organization continue to share the Gospel.
- Last Sunday, Pres. Trump answering reporters’ questions on board Air Force One: “I don’t think there’s anything going to get me in heaven. I think I’m not maybe heaven-bound. I’m not sure I’m going to be able to make heaven.”
- Then Tue, son, Eric, being interviewed by Benny Johnson: “We’re saving Christianity. We’re saving God” – then went on to say that his father would go to heaven b/c of 2 things: 1) Helped broker the peace deal between Israel & Hamas: “[my father] will go to heaven for all of that” 2) He is helping people go to heaven “slower” by ending violence throughout the world: “that in itself will get my father into heaven.” (https://churchleaders.com/news/2206673-saving-christianity-god-eric-trump-benny-johnson.html)
- Report this week – “The State of the Bible” in the US – “Does America trust the Bible?” – 36% agree – 26% neither agree nor disagree – 39% disagree. 24% say it’s just another book of instruction. 18% think it was written to manipulate & control people. (https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/state-of-the-bible-nearly-quarter-of-u-s-adults-say-bible-just-another-book/)
- Barna report: For first time in decades, Gen Z & Millennials attending church more frequently than older adults (Gen Z – 13-28 yrs old. Millennials – 29-44 yrs old.) Researcher: “The fact that young people are showing up more frequently than before is not a typical trend. It’s typically older adults who are the most loyal churchgoers. This data represents good news for church leaders and adds to the picture that spiritual renewal is shaping Gen Z and Millennials today.” (https://www.baptistpress.com/resource-library/news/gen-z-and-millennials-church-attendance/)
- Frat house revival – E. Carolina U
- Means we’ve got to have strong children’s ministry, youth…, college…, singles…, young adult ministry!
The Church needs to be standing on & proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ louder & stronger than we ever have. People are seeking truth – answers – help – meaning – direction – PEACE in their lives!
- “God, give us Flora!” – Gotta mean it!
- Gospel tent @ Trunk or Treat
- “Harvest Day” w/ Bob Pitman – 11/16
- Bracelets. Tracts. Roman Rd – Be ready!
But all our talk about Jesus will fall dreadfully short if our lives don’t line up w/ words.
- Report on state of Bible said one reason people don’t trust the Bible is b/c they’ve been hurt/abused/led astray by someone they trusted who claimed to be a Christian.
- Intermingled w/ all the wonderful reports of teenagers & college students passionately desiring to follow Jesus & Jacksonville Jaguars player Travis Hunter getting baptized right before a game last week are stories of Christian pastors, musicians, & laypeople being involved in all sorts of unbiblical & immoral behavior.
So, what should a Christ-follower’s life look like? What are the marks of a true Christ-follower? Look @ that as we continue “Roamin’ Through Romans.”
EXPLANATION – Romans 12:9-13
V. 1-2 – Paul challenges believers to be totally sold out & dedicated to God. Our lives are to be “a living sacrifice” – not a dead sacrifice like the OT sacrifices. We’ve been made alive by Christ at the very moment of our salvation. And from that moment on, we are to give our whole lives to the Lord until we take our final breath. It’s the living out of Jesus’ challenge in Matthew 16:24-25 - “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves & take up their cross & follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” (NIV) The Christian life is a life of total sacrifice for Jesus & total obedience to Jesus. And that is what total worship of Jesus is all about. It’s not a passive activity of walking into a building once a week, sitting down, singing a few songs, putting some money in the offering plate, listening to a sermon, then walking about & going back to business as usual. Worship is total obedience to Jesus. It leads to a life being transformed by Jesus. It leads to a mind being renewed by the W of G. It leads to finding & living out the will of God every day. It leads to our lives being significantly & distinctly marked in biblical ways.
APPLICATION – The marks of a true Christ-follower point others to Jesus.
Not an exhaustive list. Not a checklist that earns us a ticket into heaven. Not marks that we pridefully brag about. Not a list of activities that we do so we WILL be saved, but marks that are displayed b/c we ARE saved.
As Christ-followers, we should be marked by Jesus in these ways:
GENUINE LOVE – v. 9-10 – No surprise that love leads the way in these marks. And there’s no “fake it till you make it” here either.
“Let love be w/out hypocrisy” (CSB) – Gk word “hypocrite” – an actor who wore a mask. How many people feel like they have to wear a mask when they come to church? Ask them, “How are you doing?” & they lie through their teeth. Afraid that we won’t love them if we truly knew what was going on in their lives. True Christ-followers must be the kind of people & the church must be the kind of community where it’s safe for anyone to take off their mask.
Paul gave description of this genuine love in 1 Cor. 13:4-7 – “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
ZEALOUS FERVENCY – v. 11 – The words “zeal” & “fervent” mean the same thing. They mean “boiling.” Does that describe the intensity level of your commitment to Jesus? Is your walk w/ Jesus marked by a “boiling” passion for Him?
In the South, we fry everything – chicken, catfish, deer tenderloin, Oreos! We also boil something that some parts of the country just don’t understand – peanuts! Take those big green peanuts, put them in a big pot w/ water & salt, & boil them until they are tender & delicious. That boiling process changes those peanuts from something that will make you sick if you eat them raw into the perfect snack for the ballpark or road trip.
When your life is marked by a zealous fervency in THE Spirit, you’re going to be like those peanuts in that pot – boiling over in your passion for Jesus, fired up to serve the Lord. Hard times will come – keep serving! Satan will oppose you – keep serving! Life will crash in on you – don’t give up! How is that possible?
JOYFUL EXPECTANCY – v. 12 – “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation.” “Be joyful in hope” “Don’t give up when trouble comes” - & it’s going to come! Hard days will come. Satanic opposition will happen. We will have to endure pain and suffering. And it's in those times that we find out what we truly believe and who we truly believe in.
Patrick & Ruth Schwenk – In a Boat in the Middle of a Lake – “Trials prove how genuine our faith is. They help test the quality of our belief, refining it in the process” (p. 130). Challenged reader to start asking questions of our hearts:
- Who/What am I looking to for my security?
- Where am I taking my pain?
- What is my hope anchored in?
- How much do I believe that Jesus conquered death?
- Do I trust God's promises?
- What sin was hidden but is now revealed in the heat?
- Do I believe that God is good?
- Do I trust that God is in control of all things?
As Christ followers. We know that our hope is in Christ alone. We can trust him. We can rely on him. He will never fail us. He will never abandon us. He is always good, always faithful, always w/ us.
Question: Where are you suffering right now? What is bringing pain into your life right now? As a Christ follower, let your life be marked w/ joy in the midst of your pain, hope in the middle of seemingly hopeless situations, & an expectancy that the Lord is going to work no matter how bleak the situation may look. It’s not an empty hope. It's not a meaningless hope. It’s not hope w/ a question mark. But it’s the faith-filled expectancy that Jesus is at work in our lives no matter what we are going through.
GENEROUS HOSPITALITY – v. 13 – What does hospitality mean? Good manners? Knowing which fork to use for your salad? Serving sweet tea from a crystal pitcher?
Interesting that the Gk word literally means being a friend to strangers, or showing love to strangers. Particularly important for early Christians. Most were poor & could not afford lodging when traveling. Plus it was dangerous to travel b/c of thieves & thugs. Early Christians depended on the love of fellow believers to care for them - & they did!
Our lives should be marked by generous hospitality. Not talking about social entertaining that focuses on the perfect host having a spotless home w/ McCarty pottery all around, serving the finest food w/ the smoothest social graces.
Christian hospitality focuses instead on the guest’s needs: a safe place to rest, nourishing food, a listening ear, compassion & acceptance. Tony Evans: “God gave you a job which brings you money which pays for your house. Grace got you your house. Grace got you your car. And Grace wants you to use them to help the Saints. If all of the doors in your life stay closed, you don't understand hospitality or grace.”
CONCLUSION – Right in middle of passage – “be constant in prayer” (end of v. 12) – Pray all the time. Pray continually.
So that’s what we will do. We pray constantly here, so we will now. We pray all the time here, so we will now. We pray continually here, so we will now.
