“Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we
go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the
living God.”-John 6:68-69
If
you attend church, odds are good they have a discipline. A written document that outlines the belief, membership,
ordination, etc. A plain account of what
the church (and its members) believes, practices, and stands for. Since the church is the individual and the
individual the church. The importance of
our beliefs, and the understanding of what we believe in cannot be overstated. For this reason, I decided to do a Personal
Discipline Challenge. Which is
simply, a written statement (to the best of my ability) of what I believe.
1) I believe that without the blessing of
sanctification a man cannot and will not go to heaven. You must be purged from all sin, which are sins
committed and the carnal sin within.
This must happen before you die, and it is an instantaneous work of
grace obtained through faith, made possible by grace.
2) I believe that a holy heart produces a
holy life, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
“So be ye holy in all manner of
conversation.” Gods will becomes
your nature, and his will can be clearly understood if you keep in fellowship
with him. This perfect fellowship will
produce an outward reflection of an inward work.
3) I believe the Bible is both
absolute and absolutely central. It is
the Word of God, penned by men who were inspired by the Holy Ghost. We are nothing without it and everything with
it. It should be studied diligently,
followed fanatically and taught publically; always understanding that it is the
Holy Ghost within that translates it to our hearts.
4) I believe that perfect love is the mark
of a true Christian; perfect love towards God and perfect love towards
man. A heart so full of love towards the
Father and for the Father; and his Son Jesus, that your entire life is bound by
the will of God and the wanting to follow his will and obey his way; at any
cost. This love is not obtained by
striving or any personal merit, but is obtained by asking in faith, and
manifested by the abiding presence of the Holy Ghost. This second work of grace can only be instituted
in a human heart after they have made a full repentance. This “second blessing” makes us “one” with
God, even as Jesus and God are one. This
love invades every part of our life so that our actions and reactions, thoughts
and speech, motives and desires are filled with and governed by, the perfect love
of God in us. This I believe is
Sanctification.
5) I believe you should support your
church. The church is the vehicle that
brought you salvation. It is a God
ordained institution; you should support it in your attendance, in your speech,
and in your participation. Furthermore,
I believe you should respect those who guide it faithfully and humbly.
6) I believe that Biblical
exhortation given from “proven” men and women, given in the Spirit, should be
considered and heeded. “Younger, submit yourself unto the elders
and be clothed with humility.” This
is not a suggestion, it is a commandment.
These are six things I believe, in
no particular order. There is more that
I could add, and perhaps pieces that others would take away. God has so graciously given me these beliefs
through teaching and revelation of the Holy Ghost; because of this they carry
both the blessing of understanding, and the responsibility of upholding.
This week I challenge you to take
some time and sit down in a private place, and draft a personal
discipline. Then review it, and ask
yourself; where did my beliefs come from?
Do they line up with the Word of God?
Do I live them, or just profess them?
Hopefully, you will find that you believe the Word of God, and can boldly
tell Satan. This is what I believe!
