Saturday, December 3, 2011

You Are Called to be Committed

A man is made up of spirit, soul, and body.

Spirit is consists of our conscience and is conscious of God and can fellowship with God.

The soul is consists of the mind (intellect) emotions (feelings) and the will (freedom to choose).

The body is conscious of the physical world through the five physical senses.

WHEN YOU WERE NOT SAVED-

• You were dead in spirit

• Your conscience was burnt like with a hot iron

• Your understanding was darkened

• You were separated from the life of God

• You were under the influence and bondage of the world and Satan

• You were satisfying the desires of the flesh and mind
• You were under the penalty of death

JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS FOR OUR SINS TO TAKE THE PENALTY OF DEATH FOR US.

Read Colossian 1:13-14,
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins
AND NOW WHEN YOU ARE SAVED-

• You have a new spirit

• You are the temple of the holy spirit

• You can live a sin-less life

• Your conscience is cleansed

• You can walk in the newness of life

• You have eternal life

• You are child of God and He is your father

It means your spirit man which was dead now is alive and needs feeding and training.

Here comes the role of the church. The church means 'the called out ones.

The church is not a building but it consists of all those people who have given themselves unto God and have assembled for worship and fellowship.
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Read 1Peter 2:4-10

The church has two main aspects

1. The universal church

2. The local church

To understand the concept of the universal and the local church is something like our society and family. You are like your society but in your family you grow and nurtured. The local church is your family and the universal is your society.

Say – I am a member of a local Church and belong to the body of Christ

KNOW THE FUNCTION OF THE LOCAL CHURCH

1. LOCAL CHURCH IS THE PLACE FOR YOUR GROWTH

• It is extremely important not to exalt the universal church above the local church in our practical living, Read Matthew 18:15-20

• It is the local church where we are going to put our faith into practice, Read Ephesians 4:11-16

• It is the Local Church where you grow to maturity level, Read Romans 12:3-8

• It is the Local Church where your gifting will be recognized, Read Hebrews 13:17

• It is the Local Church where your spiritual parents are and you will be protected

2. IT DEMANDS YOUR COMMITTMENT

What does commitment mean- it means-to cleave to, to be attached to, to join closely or to stick to the side of another.

It means -

• You belong to a specific church family, Read Psalms 68:6

• Support the vision and direction of that family

• Be willing to come under the authority in that family, Read Hebrews 13:17

• Give your time and energy to that family

• Be committed to the gathering time of that family Hebrews 10:25

• Give financial support to that family

• Be a help to the member of that family it will make your family prosperous

• Bear the burden of each other in that family Galatians 6:2

How does your commitment cause you to grow under a local church?

You need to check yourself-

1. Are you FAT

• F- Faithful

• A- Available

• T- Teachable

Then you must know that you are growing each day, Read Acts 2:42

2. Be under the submission of

• God’s word and

• Those over you, Read Hebrews 13:7-9

Then-

Your commitment will produce responsibility to –

• Seek God’s calling and His will

• Acknowledge God’s ownership

• Reach out through giving

God is showing his body the need for being committed in these days. If you are not in specific place of commitment then you are in false commitment.

To say that you are committed to what God is doing in a general way and not identify with a local church in a specific way is to dwell carelessly and it could lead to deceptions.

For a child to do this in the natural is something - to say that he belongs to the great family of mankind but refuses to identify with a specific natural family where he can grow and nurtured, it would seem ridiculous.

Yet how many of God’s people desire to identify with the universal body of Christ but refuse to identify and commit themselves to a local assembly?

Why!

Say – Training is hard so they prefer to live in false commitment

May God help the body of Christ to understand the meaning of commitment so that their mind body and spirit comes under the perfect healing by the grace of God

If you recognize God has called you to be committed to this family and us as your parents, stand on your feet and confess your sins and have communion with us so that God can heal you mind, body and spirit.

Amen!

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