The Door CFM - Taylorsville
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. {Hebrews 12:1}
HOW TO BE A SUCCESSFUL CHRISTIAN
Important steps to becoming a successful Christian...
1. Build a Family Altar
This simply means having daily prayer with your family. Set aside time to talk about God’s Word, to pray, read, and grow together as a family unit. Make that time a priority. If you are single, make it a personal time of devotion.
[2 Timothy 1:5; Proverbs 22:6; Deuteronomy 6:5–7]
2. Talk with God Privately Every Morning and Night
Spend at least 15 minutes a day in fellowship with God. Talk to Him about everything — your friends, your enemies, your joys and fears, your sins, sorrows, and mistakes, your confusion, and the problems at home, at work, or in your business.
[Proverbs 8:17; Psalm 55:17; Matthew 21:22; 1 John 5:14–15]
3. Study the Bible at Least 15 Minutes a Day
Let God speak to you through His Word. God’s Word is food for the soul!
“As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby.”
1 Peter 2:2
4. Join a Bible Class; Attend Sunday School
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”
[2 Timothy 2:15]
5. At Your First Opportunity, Be Baptized in Water by Immersion
Water baptism is not salvation, but it is an act of obedience to God and a symbol to the world of your surrender to Him.
[Acts 2:38]
6. As a New Believer in Jesus Christ, You Are a Candidate for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit
Wait, pray, and seek God until you are endued with power from on high. Read and carefully study these passages:
[Acts 1:1–9; Acts 2:1–38; Acts 10:44–48; Acts 19:1–7]
7. Work for God
The only work Christ assigned to believers is to win others to Him. If every church member won one soul to Christ each year, that church would double its membership annually. Winning souls for God is a sure cure for backsliding.
“Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.”
[Psalm 26:1,7; Proverbs 11:30; Revelation 12:11]
8. Avoid Evil Companionships
Avoid bad books, bad thoughts, bad company, ungodly entertainment, and places of worldly pleasure.
“Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? ... And what agreement has Christ with Belial? ... For you are the temple of the living God, as God has said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’ Therefore, ‘Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.’”
[2 Corinthians 6:14–17]
9. Attend Church Regularly
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another—and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”
[Hebrews 10:25]
10. Give to Support the Work of God
Be systematic; give a tenth of your income to the Lord in the church where you receive your spiritual nourishment.
[Deuteronomy 8:17–18; Malachi 3:10; Luke 6:38; 2 Corinthians 9:6–8; Psalm 96:7–8; Psalm 35:27]
11. Do Not Be Discouraged
Expect temptation.
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
[2 Timothy 3:12]
12. Cooperate With Your Pastor
He is there for you. He has successfully reached the place where you are just beginning. He has your best interest at heart. Trust God—He has placed you where you are because He has a plan for your life.
Read the following Scriptures often:
Psalms 1, 23, 34, 73 and 84; Isaiah 53; Matthew 5; Luke 1; 1 John, chapters 3, 14 and 17; Acts 1 and 2; Romans 8; 1 Corinthians 15; The entire Epistle to the Ephesians and Revelation 21 and 22.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A TRUE CHRISTIAN?
A Christian is any man, woman, or child who comes to God as a lost sinner, accepts Jesus as their personal Savior, confesses Him as such before the world, and strives to please Him in everything daily.
[2 Corinthians 5:17] "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come."
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS?
1. Did you come to God realizing that you were a lost sinner?
Jesus said, “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.” John 5:24. Do you believe you have been accepted because Jesus died in your place?
2. Are you determined to please God in every detail of your life?
[Psalms 37:4-5] "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act."
[Proverbs 3:5-6] "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."
3. If you can sincerely answer "yes" to the questions above, then you can know, with the authority of God's Word, that you are NOW a child of God and are on the path to becoming a true Christian.
[John 1:12] "But to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."
Discouragement and temptations to do wrong will come, but remember that such things do not come from God, but from your adversary, the devil.
Read the following scriptures often...
[1 Peter 4:12] "Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you,."
[Hebrews 4:14-16] "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need."