Growing as a Christian 101

Bruce Bickel

Description

Christianity is more than a system of beliefs or even an experienceit's a completely new life. In this fresh new look at the essentials of the Christian walk, Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz offer practical wisdom and penetrating insights into such foundational topics as...The Biblewhy to read it and how to understand itPrayerhow to have an authentic conversation with GodThe Holy Spirithow to experience God's power and presence every dayReaders will find the encouragement they need to continue making steady progress in their spiritual lives. Chapter summaries, reading lists for further study, and questions for reflection and discussion make this a perfect tool for personal or group use.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Harvest House Publishers, Inc.
• Date de parution: 01 janvier 2005
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780736968638
• Langue: English

Extrait

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189 USA. All rights reserved.
Verses marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by the International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Verses marked KJV are taken from the King James Version of the Bible.
Cover design by Left Coast Design, Portland, Oregon
Cover illustration Krieg Barrie Illustration
CHRISTIANITY 101 is a registered trademark of The Hawkins Children s LLC. Harvest House Publishers, Inc., is the exclusive licensee of the federally registered trademark CHRISTIANITY 101.
GROWING AS A CHRISTIAN 101
Copyright 2005 by Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bickel, Bruce, 1952-
Growing as a Christian 101 / Bruce Bickel and Stan Jantz.
p. cm. - (Christianity 101)
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-7369-1431-5 (pbk.)
ISBN 978-0-7369-6863-8 (eBook)
1. Spiritual formation. 2. Spiritual life-Christianity. 3. Christian life. I. Jantz, Stan, 1952- II. Title. III. Series.
BV4511.B53 2004
248.4-dc22
All rights reserved. No part of this electronic publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The authorized purchaser has been granted a nontransferable, nonexclusive, and noncommercial right to access and view this electronic publication, and purchaser agrees to do so only in accordance with the terms of use under which it was purchased or transmitted. Participation in or encouragement of piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of author s and publisher s rights is strictly prohibited.
Contents
A Note from the Authors
Introduction
1. Jesus: The Reason You re a Christian
2. The Holy Spirit: Your Power Source
3. The Bible: Read It for Life
4. How to Really Study the Bible
5. The Power of Prayer
6. What to Say When You Pray
7. Sharing Your Faith Is Not Optional
8. How to Share Your Faith
9. Church: It s God s Great Idea
10. What to Do When You Go to Church
11. God s Will: Why Should You Care About It?
12. How Do You Find God s Will?
A Note from the Authors
Being a Christian requires balance. It involves both knowing about God (an intellectual component) and living in a manner that reflects Christlike qualities in your life (a behavioral component). The combination is critical. As a Christian, you want to live in a way that pleases God. But that requires knowledge of who God is. Correct thinking about God is the foundation of correct living for God.
We ve previously written a book called Knowing God 101 that focuses on the doctrines (beliefs) of Christianity. The book you currently hold in your hands is on the disciplines (behaviors) of the Christian life. But don t let that word disciplines mislead you. We re not referring to corrective punishment (like plagues of locusts or boils) for breaking the rules of acceptable Christian behavior. Nope, we re using discipline in a good sense, like when an athlete sticks with a training discipline until he or she wins an Olympic medal. After all, that s what Christian living is all about-a training program that moves us to the goal of reflecting the nature and character of Christ. Here s how the apostle Paul said it:
But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be. No, dear brothers and sisters, I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven (Philippians 3:12-14).
This book is intended to help you reach that prize of knowing Christ better. Living the Christian life is the greatest adventure in the world. We are praying for you as you grow in your knowledge of Christ and in your personal relationship with Him.
Introduction
I magine that you ve won a magazine publisher s sweepstakes contest. (Come on, admit it. You ve been praying that you d win, even though you never subscribed to any of the magazines.) And suppose that your prize was a beautiful luxury yacht, equipped for sailing the high seas. As you step aboard that exquisite vessel for its maiden voyage to the Hawaiian Islands, you can hardly contain your excitement. You are exhilarated by the sound of the wind catching the sails, and you are ecstatic as you feel the sea mist blow against your face when your yacht pulls away from the pier and into the open sea. Ah, your high-seas adventure is underway.
But then your stomach drops and your knees weaken. Your face turns green and you lunge for the rail because you feel the sudden urge to hurl. This adverse reaction isn t the onset of seasickness. It is your shocking realization that you are on the boat alone. You have no captain, no crew. And you ve never sailed before and have absolutely no idea what to do. What you expected to be a tranquil sail to paradise has turned out to be filled with panic and uncertainty. You are totally overwhelmed and intimidated by your new circumstances.
And so it is for many people who begin their Christian experience. They experience indescribable peace and excitement the moment they connect in a personal way with Jesus Christ. They eagerly anticipate the spiritual journey on which they are about to embark. But they might soon become overwhelmed by the significance and enormity of what has happened. They are living in a new dimension-a spiritual one-that is totally foreign to them. Other people are willing to be of assistance, but they often use terminology and jargon that is confusing. A new Christian can easily be intimidated by all the unknown, and going to a church doesn t help someone who might feel awkward, conspicuous, and unfamiliar with the apparent code of conduct.
If you are a Christian, you are on a spiritual journey of knowing God better and becoming more like Christ. It is a continual growth process. No one reaches full maturity as a Christian while on earth, so don t be distressed if you are a brand-new Christian and unfamiliar with the developmental dynamics. You are to be congratulated that you are learning how you go about growing in your faith. The basics are relatively simple to understand, and you ll soon see God s grand design for your spiritual growth. When you re on track in your spiritual life, you ll still be overwhelmed, not by uncertainty or intimidation but by the love of Christ and the sense of His presence in your life.
What You ll Find Inside
The purpose of this book is to provide an overview of the essential building blocks for growing in the Christian faith. We ll familiarize you with the key components of God s plan for your spiritual development. Along the way, you ll find some pretty interesting information:
Answers to big questions: How do I find God s will for my life? What role does the Holy Spirit play in my life? How do I hear God speak to me? How can I know which church I should attend?
Answers to small questions: Which kind of Bible should I use? Do I need to read the Bible every day (and if so, what is the time limit)? What does amen mean? Can I bring my own snack instead of what the church serves for Communion?
Answers to questions you might be afraid to ask anyone else: When that container is passed down my row during offering time, am I supposed to put something in or can I take something out? Why is raising my hand acceptable during a worship song but not if I have a question during the sermon?
Why You Need to Read This Book
This may come as a surprise to you: God never intended that you would live the Christian life all by yourself, without any help from others. And that is precisely why God made some resources available to you:
the example of Jesus Christ,
the Holy Spirit,
the Bible, and
other Christians.
If you try to live the Christian life on your own, you ll be doomed for failure and frustration. But if you tap into the resources and guidance that God has waiting for you, your Christian life will be supercharged. Literally. God will be at work in you with full force.
The discussion in this book is introductory, but it presents God s design for spiritual growth, which should continue throughout your life. You can easily be detoured from the path of knowing God better if you stop making forward progress. If you ignore any of the components of God s plan for spiritual growth, your development will be stunted. Your spiritual life will become dry and boring. Don t settle for a mediocre spiritual existence. Don t get mired in Christian complacency. Learn what you need to do to grow in your faith, and then commit yourself to the process.
This Book Is for You If
Between the two of us, we have more than a few decades of Christian experience. We know what being a new Christian is like, and we also know about being a longtime Christian in search of a more passionate relationship with Christ. With that perspective in mind, we think you ll find this book on spiritual growth to be helpful if you re in any of the following categories:
You just became a Christian, and now you re wondering what comes next.
You re feeling a little guilty about your lack of progress as a Christian. You seem to be taking one step forward and two steps back. You could use some help in making your Christian life more consistent.
You ve been a Christian for a while, but things aren t