Day Four: Growth

Beloved, Grace and Peace be multiplied to you, through the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ. Today is day four. You are doing a great job. You are being consistent and are seeking the LORD in your fasting and praying. Well done. Today, my brother, friend and colleague Pastor Maurice Johnson of Bethcar Fellowship in Hampden Connecticut is our guest blogger. He has contributed to our effort before and is a great man of God. Please, help me welcome him and make a point of commenting, let him know this blog has been a blessing to you. Remember; take one day at a time. Drink all the water you can. Pray, and make a prayer list. Pray with understanding and with a purpose. Just do today, do not think of the entire journey. You can do this. Also, start to plan now and make plans to bring someone to church with you. Invite someone to come with you, why? God wants his house filled. He told us that. (Luke 14:23)

Live on Purpose and not By Mistake,
Yours Because I am His,
Leo Colon
pastor@ihpfwc.org
http://www.ihpfwc.org

Grace and peace be unto you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. What an awesome opportunity to commune with you as we place ourselves on the altar. Thank you to Pastor Leo Colon and the IHP family for allowing me to share this moment with you. What you are doing in this fast is eternal, it may be a struggle but remember the Lord sees you and He responds to those who respond to Him. Keep Going, Hang In There, Heaven Is Our Goal – Pastor Maurice Johnson
Christian Growth – Fasting

We are called to maturity as Christians; your growth is a biblical imperative, meaning heaven has determined that your growth is absolutely necessary. Your growth as a Christian is not an easy thing to achieve, it is and can be tedious, yes, the way of the transgressor is hard, but constant persistent godly behavior requires earnest effort. We are not posed to live as Christians and the world still endeavors to call us back to the things that separate us from God. We tend to believe that our maturing in Christ should be and is a natural occurrence or second nature, but nothing could be further from the truth. Just as we are responsible to maintain a life free from sin we are also responsible for fighting to maintain our identity and grow in the Lord. Dr. John MacArthur published an article entitled “What does it mean to “Work Out Your Salvation.”” In the article Dr. MacArthur writes the following:

“The principle of working out salvation has two aspects. The first pertains to personal conduct, to faithful, obedient daily living. Such obedience obviously involves active commitment and personal effort, for which Scripture is replete with injunctions, both negative and positive. The second aspect of working out one’s salvation is perseverance, of faithful obedience to the end.”

As Christians we face real obstacles that seek to block or stunt our growth; Martin Luther said that there are three primary obstacles that stand in your life to deter your growth, they are: 1) The World, 2) The Flesh and 3) The Devil. In spite of these obstacles we are required by the Word of God to struggle and to fight the good fight and to take hold of the eternal life to which you were called. The Apostle Paul describes his apprehension of faith in terms of a contest that must be conquered, “I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Fasting is an intricate facet of our growth, not only should we partake in the corporate fast, but we should involve ourselves personally in fasting and in a real commitment to regularly warring against the desires of our flesh. Fasting can be a struggle and your body may be suffering, but Paul said in Romans 8:18 Yet what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later – NLT. For your studies while on the fast concerning the Christian struggle, I suggest the following questions and scripture reading from the lesson “Developing Christian Character” by Dr. R C Sproul.

Pastor Maurice Johnson

BIBLE STUDY
1. What do the following Scripture passages teach us about growth?
a. Hebrews 6:1–3
b. Ephesians 4:11–16
c. Philippians 2:12–13
d. Philippians 3:12–16

2. Read the following texts of Scripture. What does each contribute to understanding of “the world”?
a. Romans 8:18–23
b. 1 John 2:15–17
c. James 4:1–6

3. What do the following texts of Scripture teach us about “the flesh”?
a. Romans 7:7–8:2
b. Galatians 5:13–26
c. James 4:1–6

4. What do the following texts of Scripture tell us about “the devil”?
a. Ephesians 6:10–13
b. James 4:7–10
c. 1 Peter 5:8–9

Grace To You.org. December 9, 2014 BQ052112. What Does It Mean to “Work Out Your Salvation”?. Retrieved January 4, 2016, from Grace To You: http://www.gty.org/resources/bible-qna/BQ052112/what-does-it-mean-to-work-out-your-salvation?Term=Work Out Your Salvation
R C Sproul. (2001) Developing Christian Character, Lake Mary, FL Ligonier Ministries.

Iam vos teneo (Now you know)
verum (Truth)