Christian
What
is a Christian?
Someone
who believes in God and asks for forgiveness of sins and turns from the worldly
lifestyle and accepts Jesus into their heart.
Not
someone who believes in God and are nice to others therefore believes they are
a Christian.
We
must emulate Jesus, growing in sanctification and righteousness, with humility,
grace, forgiveness, blamelessness, faithfulness, goodness, and love while
serving others.
______
Galatians
5;22-23
But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is
no law.
2 Timothy 3;12-17
12 In
fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be
persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to
worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what
you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom
you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy
Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in
Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good
work.
2
Peter 1
Growth
in Christian Virtue
1 To
those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness
of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied
to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing
that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to
life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own
glory and excellence. 4 For by these He has granted to us His
precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of
the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
5 Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith
supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, 6 and in
your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in
your perseverance, godliness, 7 and in your godliness, brotherly kindness,
and in your brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if these qualities are yours
and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true
knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these qualities is
blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins.
10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His
calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will
never stumble; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
12 Therefore,
I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already
know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you.
13 I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir
you up by way of reminder, 14 knowing that the laying aside of my earthly
dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.
15 And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you
will be able to call these things to mind.
Eyewitnesses
16 For
we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power
and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.
17 For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an
utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved
Son with whom I am well-pleased”— 18 and we ourselves heard this utterance
made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.
19 So
we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay
attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the
morning star arises in your hearts. 20 But know this first of all,
that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 for
no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy
Spirit spoke from God.
Acts
11;26
and
when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they
met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were
first called Christians in Antioch.
Acts
26;28
Agrippa
replied to Paul, “In a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian.”
1
Corinthians 11;1
[ Christian
Order ] Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.
Ephesians
4;17-32
The
Christian’s Walk
17 So
this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, that you walk no longer just as
the Gentiles also walk, in the futility of their mind, 18 being darkened
in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance
that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; 19 and they,
having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the
practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. 20 But you did not
learn Christ in this way, 21 if indeed you have heard Him and have been
taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, 22 that, in reference to your
former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in
accordance with the lusts of deceit, 23 and that you be renewed in the
spirit of your mind, 24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of
God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
25 Therefore,
laying aside falsehood, speak truth each one of you with his neighbor, for we
are members of one another. 26 Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let
the sun go down on your anger, 27 and do not give the devil an
opportunity. 28 He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must
labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have
something to share with one who has need. 29 Let no unwholesome word
proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification
according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who
hear. 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for
the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and
clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind
to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ
also has forgiven you.
Luke
12
Warnings
and Encouragements
1
Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were
trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying:
“Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
2 There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that
will not be made known. 3 What you have said in the dark will be heard in
the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be
proclaimed from the roofs.
4 “I
tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after
that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him
who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell.
Yes, I tell you, fear him. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?
Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your
head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
8 “I
tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will
also acknowledge before the angels of God. 9 But whoever
disowns me before others will be disowned before the angels of God.
10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,
but anyone who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.
11 “When
you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about
how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, 12 for the Holy
Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
The
Parable of the Rich Fool
13 Someone
in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance
with me.”
14 Jesus
replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?”
15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of
greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
16 And
he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an
abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no
place to store my crops.’
18 “Then
he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger
ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself,
“You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink
and be merry.”’
20 “But
God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from
you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
21 “This
is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich
toward God.”
Do
Not Worry
22 Then
Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your
life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 For
life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the
ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds
them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by
worrying can add a single hour to your life ? 26 Since you cannot do this
very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?
27 “Consider
how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even
Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28 If that is
how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is
thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!
29 And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry
about it. 30 For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your
Father knows that you need them. 31 But seek his kingdom, and these things
will be given to you as well.
32 “Do
not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the
kingdom. 33 Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for
yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail,
where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. 34 For where your treasure
is, there your heart will be also.
Watchfulness
35 “Be
dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 like servants
waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he
comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. 37 It will be
good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I
tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table
and will come and wait on them. 38 It will be good for those servants
whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or
toward daybreak. 39 But understand this: If the owner of the house had
known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be
broken into. 40 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will
come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
41 Peter
asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”
42 The
Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts
in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time?
43 It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he
returns. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his
possessions. 45 But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is
taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants,
both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46 The master of
that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he
is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the
unbelievers.
47 “The
servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what
the master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who does
not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows.
From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one
who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
Not
Peace but Division
49 “I
have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! 50 But
I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is
completed! 51 Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you,
but division. 52 From now on there will be five in one family divided
against each other, three against two and two against three. 53 They will
be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter
and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and
daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.”
Interpreting
the Times
54 He
said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you
say, ‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. 55 And when the south wind blows,
you say, ‘It’s going to be hot,’ and it is. 56 Hypocrites! You know
how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky. How is
it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?
57 “Why
don’t you judge for yourselves what is right? 58 As you are going with
your adversary to the magistrate, try hard to be reconciled on the way, or your
adversary may drag you off to the judge, and the judge turn you over to the
officer, and the officer throw you into prison. 59 I tell you, you will
not get out until you have paid the last penny.”
5/6/16