Pillars for Victorious Living

PILLARS FOR CHRISTIAN GROWTH AND SERVICE

By Ezekiel Kimosop

Happy New Year!

It is a great privilege to experience the freshness of the new year which God has graciously granted to us. What a joy indeed! May the Lord be glorified for this.

My prayer is that we shall all grow deeper in the knowledge of Christ in 2020 even as Christ shall tarry. This is only possible if we commit ourselves to the spiritual disciplines that are taught in the word of God.

The Bible reveals that a vibrant Christian community is defined by the following key attributes which I will outline below:

1) STUDY OF THE WORD OF GOD.

The Bible describes the word of God as a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path (Psalm 119:105). It is also portrayed as a tool for moral sanctification and equipping of the believer in Christ (Psalm 119:9-16; 2 Timothy 1:13-14, 2:15, 3:16-17). No believer can grow in Christ without a regular intake of the balanced truths of the word of God.


2) PRAYER

Prayer is a discipline that builds our intimacy with Christ and our heavenly Father. A diligent prayerful living is the lubricant that oils our devotion and fellowship with God. It is both corporate and personal in scope.

Prayer ignites our spiritual engine into full throttle! It is a powerful tool that God has placed at our disposal. It is anchored on our our communion with God. It draws our Christian priesthood into action. It is an expression of our gratitude to God for His immeasurable grace.

When we pray, we declare our total dependence on God and our submission to His sovereignty (Matthew 6:9-15).

We also express our gratitude for God's grace and mercy towards us even as we seek His intervention in our circumstances of need (Hebrews 4:14-16). In prayer, we lift others into God's presence, and seek God's enabling grace for the saints and for ministry.


3) DEVOTION TO CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP

Christian fellowship is a gathering of believers for corporate worship and admonition in Christ. (Acts 2:42-47; Hebrews 10:25; 1 Timothy 1:1-4). Christian fellowship is indispensable for Christian edification and encouragement. When we gather together, we pronounce our unity in Christ and reach out to one another. We admonish one another in truth and stir one another to good works.


4) CHRISTIAN WITNESS

Jesus commanded us to take the gospel to the world (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:8; 1 Peter 3:1-6; 2 Cor. 5:17-21). A Christian community that cannot reach out to the lost is a dying community!

We have the mandate to declare the mind of God to our generation even as Noah and Lot did in their day. Whether by group evangelism or individual Christian witness, we are under Christ's command to witness to the finished works of the cross and to warn men of the consequences of sin and rebellion against God.


5) DEVOTION TO CHRISTIAN SERVICE

Christian service is a divine duty for every child of God (Matthew 20:1-16, 25:14-30; Hebrews 6:10-12).

Every believer should exercise their spiritual gifts and talents in the house of God. This is a fulfilling duty that draws out what God has invested in us by the Holy Spirit.

We should serve regularly and with zeal, knowing that our Chief Shepherd will reward our diligence (1 Peter 5:2-4).

Romans 12:10-13 says "Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; ¹¹ not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; ¹² rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer; ¹³ distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality."

6) MORAL SANCTIFICATION

Believers are a special people that belong to God. (2 Corinthians 6:14-18; 1 Peter 2:9; Ephesians 2:1-10).

A Christian community is therefore a gathering of people who have been set apart by God for His divine purposes. We should therefore aspire to live in holiness and free ourselves from the moral filth of this evil world. We are admonished in several passages of Scripture to keep ourselves from moral stains and to glorify God in our bodies, by our speech and conduct (Titus 2:6-8).

1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 says "³ For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; ⁴ that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, ⁵ not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God"


7) CHRISTIAN HOPE

This is the blessed hope which describes the soon return of our Lord Jesus Christ to earth to not only take away His church but to reign as Messiah in Jerusalem for 1000 years.

Every child of God should have a daily yearning in their hearts for the soon return of Jesus Christ. His coming will be a conclusion to human history and the beginning of the new life for the church in His divine presence forever  (Titus 2:11-14; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Rev. 20:4-6, 22:20-21).


Blessings to you all