THE PRINCIPLES FOR CHRISTIAN
HAPPINESS AND FULFILLMENT
Now that you've become a Christian "by
asking Jesus into your life", you will
actually choose what level of commitment
you will serve Him. You will be changed
from what you used to be to what God wants
you to be.
Christianity is littered with discarded
disciples who have forsaken the Lord for
the love of the world (2 Tim. 4:10). Why
does this happen?
It is possible to live in this world and
live for God, and to be used by Him!
It isn't easy living for God, but nothing
worth anything comes easy. The Bible tells
us to work out your own salvation with fear
and trembling.
THE 16 PRINCIPLES ARE:
1. Be sure you have experienced a genuine
heart reception of Christ for salvation,
not that you just know about Him.
Just going to church isn't enough!!!
If you were to die today, do you know for
sure you would go to heaven? If not, settle
that right now (Romans 10:9-10). Remember
it is a free gift.
2. Never doubt your salvation. Settle the
issue once and for all and don't let the
enemy play with your mind. John 10:28, "I
give them eternal life, and they shall never
perish, no one can snatch them out of My
hand." God said He would never leave
us nor forsake us... Read and memorize I
John 5:13.
3. Constantly trust the Lord Jesus to live
through you rather than struggle to live
the Christian life yourself. God made us
to be dependent upon Him, not self-dependent
like the world teaches us. "I can do
all things through Christ who gives me the
strength." (Phil. 4:13)
4. Have a time and place you meet with
the Lord each day. Have a systematic bible
study time and develop your communion with
God through prayer. "Morning by morning,
O Lord, you hear my voice, morning by morning,
I lay my requests before you and wait in
expection." Ps. 5:3. Begin by reading
the Gospel of John.
5. Make Christ the Master and Director
of your life. Be obedient to God's Word.
First Obedience - Water Baptism - (John
14:15). Put Him first in your life.
6. Choose friends and acquaintances who
will help you grow and advance in the Christian
faith. Blessed is the man who does not walk
in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in
the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of
the mockers." (Ps. 1) Here are some
conditions for us to prosper:
A. We will not walk in the counsel of the
ungodly.
B. We are not to stand in the way of sinners.
This means to live a life free from sin.
Believers are called by God to lead people
to Jesus, not to drive them away. We are
to be a stepping stone, not a stumbling
block.
C. We need to rid ourselves of bitterness
and anger. We must see the best in others
and choose to walk in joy instead of resentment.
D. We are to meditate on God's Word day
and night.
7. Always confess known sins to the Lord
immediately, thanking Him for forgiving
and rejoice in the victory. (I John 1:9)
There is a difference between Relationship
(which we get when we are saved) and Fellowship
(which we get in communing with Jesus) and
how fellowship is broken in sin, but retored
in repentance.
8. Be ready to share what God has done
in your life with others. God will send
people your way who need to hear the good
news of Jesus. These are Spirit directed
times where God will use you if you will
let Him. You don't have to have all the
answers, but you can point people to the
source. "Always be prepared to give
an answer to everyone who asks you to give
the reason for the hope that you have."
(I Peter 3:15)
9. Be regular in attending church services.
Take advantage of the Wednesday night teaching
times where you can ask specific questions
to grow. God gives me, your pastor, the
spiritual food you need and if you only
attend periodically or sporadically you
will miss much of the spiritual food that
will help you grow to be a healthy Christian.
"Let us not give up meeting together,
as some are in the habit of doing, but let
us encourage one another, all the more as
you see the day approaching." (Heb.
10:25)
Setting priorities in your life is essential.
You will make time for what you value. There
will always be something else to do on Sunday,
so by putting high value to church attendence,
you will come and grow in the Lord and be
with God's people.
10. Prayerfuly determine how you can best
serve the Lord and then become a faithful
worker for Him. If you're not sure what
your talents and skills are, Old Town has
a Spiritual Gifting Class (OT 201) that
will help you find where you can best serve
the Lord. (I Cor 15:58)
God has given you specific abilities that
will benefit the church in its mission.
11. Be faithful to your stewardship responsibility
of giving, by honoring the Lord with His
tithe and your offerings (Malachi 3:10).
This is God's divine method to finance His
plan to reach the world through His church.
12. Manifest God's love with a spirit of
meekness and forgiveness while refraining
from hatred and unkindness. Be kind and
compassionate to one another, forgiving
each other, just as Christ God forgave you."
(Ephen. 4:32) Allow God to take the old
you and give you His characteristics, the
fruit of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). This
is a trial and error process. When we fail
in an area, we ask God to forgive us and
go at it again with His help. You can conquer
those old habits of anger, resentment, hatred,
or rage, etc. by replacing these with love,
joy, peace, patience, forgiveness, etc.
13. "Always praise the Lord for all
things, giving thanks for sorrows and reverses
as well as joys and prosperity." (I
Thes. 5:18) God is working in us and we
are refined in the furnace of affliction.
God doesn't cause it all, but He can use
it all and turn it for good. (Romans 8:28)
14. "Guard your heart for out of it
comes the issues of life." You guard
your heart by what you watch, read, view
and listen to. Your heart is shaped and
molded by these things. That guard is like
a sentry guarding a command post, not allowing
anyone or anything in that shouldn't be
there. "Create in me a new heart, Oh
God; and renew a right spirit within me."
(Ps. 51:10) God wants to do a spiritual
heart transplant, but the operation takes
a long time and we need to be involved and
cooperating in the process.
15. Ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:8 and 2:4 shows us the evidence of
that filling. They spoke in other tongues.
There are several reasons why you will want
to receive this infilling and one of them
is that it will give you the strength and
power that you need to live for God in this
fallen world.
God never said it would be easy to serve
Him, in fact it is going against the grain
of society, but the benefits and rewards
are out of this world. You don't see yourself
growing day by day, but if you will follow
these simple instructions over time you
will be transformed into a new person, into
the image of Christ.
16. Develop an enternal perspective (2
Corinthians 4:18). Most people live their
lives putting out immediate fires and never
plan for the future or see life's plan or
future.
Sermon notes: Pastor Don Dinninger, Ph.D.
Old Town C.O.C. Missions Ministry
The goal of the Mission's Ministry at Old
Town C.O.C. is to have a strategic part in
fulfilling the great commission by reaching
the lost by showing god's love in our communities
and beyond..
Find out how you can get involved in a
missions trip this year.
