During difficulties and temptations on our journey, we tend to protect ourselves, rather than fight to keep on track with Jesus
By Tim and Tope Pearson
It does not matter how many years you have been a Christian if your faith hasn’t grown.
Has your relationship and love for Jesus matured, as you followed him, rather than following the pattern of this world (Romans 12:2)?
Believers also face challenges from worldly ‘woke’ ideology at work and even in the Church. This was anticipated by the apostle Paul: “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear” (2 Timonthy 4:3).
True baptism
Baptism is essential to live as a victorious Christian. Sadly, some Christians admit they did not quite grasp the Good News message and went along with the process of water baptism just to please their pastor or a relative.
But if there is no true conviction of sin or real brokenness, one is simply ‘getting wet’!
Baptism marked the start of Jesus’s ministry and the Ethiopian eunuch asked to be baptised, saying, “What are we waiting for?”
You should also seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit, like the first disciples, to empower you to be his witness. Jesus promised: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
The importance of accountability in the Body of Christ
Jesus also challenged his disciples to count the cost of following him: “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples” (Luke 14:31–35).
Ask one or two trusted believing friends if you could be accountable to them and if they could cover you in their regular prayers.
We are co-founders of Equipping the Saints Ministries. Most mature Christians have never been taught how to disciple a new believer and at ETS, we offer a stand-alone one-day Discipleship training session for churches and ministries, equipping those who need to grow in their faith or helping mature believers walk alongside a new convert (one-to-one). Find out more via etsministries.org.uk or call 01733 230 769