(Walk back and forth)
We do it everyday… we do it while doing many other things like talking on our cell phone, reading a book, talking and laughing, looking at the stars, holding hands with someone, etc. I am doing it right now! What am I doing? (WALKING!)
Webster defines walk as: to proceed by steps at a pace slower than a run.”
Walking is simply taking one step, then another, then another…
In her biography of Marie Antoinette, Carolly Erickson tells about the queen’s attempts to disguise herself and attend parties, dances, and balls incognito, but her walk gave her away. “When she walked, she strode like a man. Her swift, purposeful gait was her trademark. It was said that she could never successfully disguise her identity at masked balls, for no matter how she dressed, she still walked like an Empress.”
As you prepare for this summer of ministry, of hanging out with people of all ages, from all over the country, be sure of this: YOU WILL ONLY BE AFFECTIVE AS YOUR OWN PERSONAL WALK WITH CHRIST IS!
4 Principles of Walking in Christ:
#1. Walk Appropriately - 4:1
Ephes. 4:1 “I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,”
Alexander the Great, one of the greatest military generals who ever lived, conquered almost the entire known world with his vast army. One night during a campaign, he couldn’t sleep and left his tent to walk around the campgrounds.
As he was walking he came across a soldier asleep on guard duty - serious offense. The penalty for falling asleep on guard duty was, in some cases, instant death; the commanding officer sometimes poured kerosene on the sleeping soldier and lit it.
The soldier began to wake up as Alexander the Great approached him. Recognizing who was standing in front of him, the young man fear for his life.
“Do you know what the penalty is for falling asleep on guard duty?” Alexander the Great asked the soldier.
“Yes, sir,” the soldier responded in a quivering voice.
“Soldier, what’s your name?” demanded the general.
“Alexander, sir.”
Alexander the Great repeated the question: “What is your name?”
“My name is Alexander, sir” the soldier repeated.
A third time and more loudly Alexander the Great asked, “What is your name?”
A third time the soldier meekly said, “My name is Alexander, sir.”
Alexander the Great then looked the young soldier straight in the eye. “Soldier,” he said with intensity, “either change your name or change your conduct.”
*We who carry the name of Christ and call ourselves Christians must live up to the name! Are you living worthy of the vocation that God has called you to?
Matthew Henry: “Nothing is pressed more earnestly in the Scriptures, than to walk as becomes those called to Christ’s kingdom and glory.”
The phrase "walk in a manner worthy" has the idea of living a life in such a way that it measures up to something. Think about a set of scales. If I have ten pounds on one side of the scale, I need ten pounds to put on the other side so it will balance. If I put 10.5 on the other side, it would be out of balance. If I put 11, it would be out of balance. I need ten on one side and I need ten on the other. The word "worthy" takes us even a second step. The word for "worthy" is the word axios. It refers to the intrinsic value of something.
There is a difference in the intrinsic worth of something and an appraisal of what that intrinsic value is. what is your value of your salvation? The value of your salvation is going to determine how you live. You see, if it has not affected your lifestyle, if it has not affected the way you talk to people and about people, if it has not affected the way you treat others, then friend, you have got a low appraisal value of something that is intrinsically worth far beyond what you have even realized yet. Therefore, your life is not measuring up to any standard that God requires. Walk in a manner worthy.
#2. Walk Devotedly - 5:1-2
Ephes. 5:1-2 “Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; [2] And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.”
I READ ABOUT A YOUNG MAN who was determined to win the affection of a lady who refused to even talk to him anymore. He decided that the way to her heart was through the mail, so he began writing her love letters. He wrote a love letter every day to this lady. Six, seven times a week she got a love letter from him. When she didn’t respond, he increased his output to three notes every twenty-four hours. In all, he wrote her more than seven hundred letters. And she wound up marrying the postman.
Just like that man, you and I must be devoted to pursue love in each step that we take. Paul tells us to walk in love, and I want us to focus on the fact that Christ’s love was demonstrated in His devotedness to the call of God on His life. No matter what it was, where it was, and the result. Paul says to “walk in love.” Paul then gos on to share how Christ did that: “hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.”
Philip. 2:6-8 “Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: [7] But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: [8] And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”
#3. Walk Visibly - 5:8
Ephes. 5:8 “For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:”
Matthew 5:14-16 “Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. [15] Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. [16] Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
F. W. Boreham reminds us of a story from the life of Francis of Assisi. “Brother,” Francis said one day to one of the young monks at the Portiuncula, “let us go down to the town and preach!”
The novice, delighted at being singled out to be the companion of Francis, obeyed with alacrity. They passed through the principal streets; turned down many of the by-ways and alleys; made their way out to some of the suburbs; and at length returned, by a circuitous route, to the monastery gate. As they approached it, the younger man reminded Francis of his original intention.
“You have forgotten, Father, that we went down to the town to preach!”
“My son,” Francis replied, “we have preached. We were preaching while we were walking. We have been seen by many; our behavior has been closely watched; it was thus that we preached our morning sermon. It is of no use, my son, to walk anywhere to preach unless we preach everywhere we walk.”
#4. Walk Attentively - 5:15
Ephes. 5:15 “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,”
Every day we encounter opportunities that can make us stronger in our faith and we encounter opportunities that can make us stumble and become less than what God wants us to be.
1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”
CONCLUSION:
So, as you prepare to minister this summer to people who:
> are lost and in need of the Light
> struggling and need encouragement
> are saved and need to see Christ lived out
> need you to cheer them on in their walk
Don’t forget that your walk is crucial not only to those that you will minister to, but will have a huge factor in your overall ministry to each and every person that you come in contact with, not only this summer, but also in the rest of your life.
