HOW TO LIVE A SUCCESSFUL CHRISTIAN LIFE:

1. TO LIVE A SUCCESSFUL CHRISTIAN LIFE YOU MUST STUDY THE BIBLE.

You have been born into a spiritual family and basically are a baby in the Christian life. Just as your physical body must be fed so that it may grow strong, so also must your new nature grow. I Peter 2:2 "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that ye may grow, thereby." Since God is the one who has forgiven you for your sins and has saved you through Christ, He also wishes to instruct you in His will for your life as a Christian. He does this by speaking to you through the Bible, which is God's written word. II Timothy 3:16,17 "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works." When you read the Bible, you are actually allowing God to speak to you. The more you read and meditate on what you have read, the more you will mature as a Christian. Begin reading the Gospel of John, which is the fourth book of the New Testament.
Before you read, pray and ask God to reveal to you His word, then slowly read it through. Pray frequently for the guidance and wisdom of God. Read the book of John through completely at least five times. This will get you going in the right direction for successful Christian living. After John, begin to study the book of Romans. This book is good for revealing to you how sin came into the world, and how God provided salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.

2. TO LIVE A SUCCESSFUL CHRISTIAN LIFE YOU MUST PRAY TO GOD.

As the Bible is God speaking to us, prayer is when we talk to God. Learn to begin each day with prayer. Ask God for the strength and wisdom to serve Him in whatever way He chooses to direct you. Jeremiah 33:3 "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not." Also pray for those you love, even for those who may be unkind to you. You can soon come to the place where you will tell the Lord everything. Pour out your heart to Him. He is the best friend you will ever have. Take time each day to tell God just how much you love Him and appreciate Him for all He has done for you.

3. TO LIVE A SUCCESSFUL CHRISTIAN LIFE, YOU MUST OPENLY CONFESS JESUS CHRIST.

This is where many people stumble. They feel embarrassed to say anything about their belief in Jesus Christ. Many people try to wait until they know more about the Bible. The fact is that few ever do openly confess Christ if they put it off. They actually become cold and indifferent. Start right away to tell the world that you have received Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour and Lord. Romans 10:9, 10 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." When you begin to confess Jesus Christ to the world, joy unspeakable and full of glory will flood your soul.

4. TO LIVE A SUCCESSFUL CHRISTIAN LIFE YOU MUST ATTEND CHURCH AND BECOME ACTIVE IN IT.

Hebrews 10:23-25 "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering (for He is faithful that promised), and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."
The local church is the place where all believers in Christ gather together regularly:
* To be fed the Word of God for spiritual growth and encouragement in the faith of Christ.
* To worship God with other Christians.
* To be an encouragement to others by exhorting them in love to perform good works.
* To have good Christian fellowship with others of like faith.
* To have a central location from where you can reach out into the community to tell others of Christ and meet any needs that the people may have.
* To testify by your faithfulness in attendance that you fully endorse the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
You need to get involved in a good local church, one that believes that the Bible is God's inerrant, infallible, and inspired Word. Attend a church that fulfills Jesus' command to go into all the world and spread the good news that He has paid the sin debt we owe by dying on the cross at Calvary. It must also be a church that believes that Jesus arose from the dead and is alive forever more, and that He is coming soon again to receive us unto Himself.

5. YOU SHOULD SEEK TO BE BAPTIZED BY BEING FULLY IMMERSED IN THE WATER IMMEDIATELY AFTER BECOMING A CHRISTIAN.

In the book of Acts, Philip was teaching a certain man about Jesus by using the book of Isaiah, specifically the prophecies about His being sacrificed as a lamb for our sins. When the man believed the Scriptures concerning Christ, he asked, "See, here is much water; what doth hinder me from being baptized?" Philip replied, "If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest." The eunuch immediately testified, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." Philip and the eunuch got out of the chariot in which they were standing, went down into the water, and then Philip baptized the man (see Acts 8:26-40). We are then told that the eunuch went on his way rejoicing.
We are saved by our faith in the Blood of Jesus Christ, which cleanses us from our sins and brings to us the divine forgiveness of God. When we accept by faith that Christ died for us, it is as though we are also dead. Since Christ was raised from the dead, so also are we raised unto newness of life with Him. Therefore, baptism is a symbol that we have been buried with Christ in death (under the water), then risen with Him in a new life as a new creation. Romans 6:3,4 "Know ye not, that so many of us as are baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."

6. IN ORDER TO LIVE A SUCCESSFUL CHRISTIAN LIFE, YOU SHOULD GIVE OF YOUR FINANCES TO THE LORD CHEERFULLY.

II Corinthians 9:6,7 "But this I say. He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." A happy Christian is a giving Christian, one who doesn't give because he or she is forced into it, but rather one who gives to the Lord's work simply because they love the Lord God.
God seems to honor the tithe throughout the Scriptures (a tithe is one-tenth of all that a person acquires). Many believe this to be under the Law of Moses, and that God no longer blesses this type of giving, but the Bible tells us that Abraham gave tithes of all that he had (Genesis 14:20), and this was many years before the law was given.
The cheerful Christian will always put God first in his life in everything. God has promised to bless the person who is faithful in giving.

7. OFFER YOURSELF DAILY TO GOD FOR HIS SERVICE.

Romans 12:1 "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Ask your pastor how you may be of help to him in your church. It is certain that he will be thrilled at having someone who is totally obedient to God in the offering of himself for Christian service to God.

8. AVOID ALL MANNER OF SIN.

Romans 6:1, 2 "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” Many people mistakenly believe that once we are saved we can do anything we want and get away with it. The Bible does not teach this. Sin is to be totally avoided! Study the Word of God and find out what sin is and what things are displeasing to God. Pray and ask God to reveal what things in your life are displeasing to Him. When He reveals it, forsake it altogether.

9. TO LIVE A SUCCESSFUL CHRISTIAN LIFE YOU MUST RESIST THE DEVIL.

When you are tempted to sin, call upon the Lord Jesus Christ to help you. Hebrews 4:14-16 "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet with out sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace, to help in time of need."
Use the Word of God to actually attack Satan, and thereby stop his attack (study in Matthew 4:1-11 to see Jesus using this example). And then, one must learn to put on the whole armor of God (see Ephesians 6:10-18). I Peter 5:8,9 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith..." James 4:7 "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist devil, and he will flee from you."
You are now a child of the living God, and you do not have to listen to the devil!

10. MAINTAIN A HOLY LIFE, ONE THAT IS CLEAN.

To be holy means to be living a clean, undefiled life. Matthew 5:48 "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." One of the best ways to maintain a holy life is to search the Scriptures and learn all you can about Jesus Christ, as He was and still is completely holy. Ask God daily, as you read God's Word, to make you more like Jesus, and expect Him to do it. Do not allow yourself to be polluted by the world. Maintain holy living every moment. Should you slip, just remember that God loves you and will forgive you as you confess your sins and short-comings to Him. I John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
You can be sure that if you will carefully follow these ten steps concerning successful Christian living, you will have a victorious, fruitful, and joyful life with the Lord. You will be able to lay many crowns at the feet of Jesus on the day of His appearing. God has been so very good to us, and we owe Him a debt of love that we could never repay. Learn all you can and surrender yourself to the Lord every day of your life, and you can live the abundant life that is promised to us in the Bible by Jesus Christ.
Remember that God has a great desire for you to have a close relationship with Him, and this is possible because Jesus Christ died for us, rose again, and has sent His Holy Spirit to live in our hearts. May God bless you as you live and work for Him!

For further instructions in any of the ten points that lead to successful Christian living, simply write to one of the following postal or e-mail addresses:

Bible Baptist Church

Pastor Phillip Thomas

11166 Livermore Road
Meadville, PA 16335
(814) 333-4645

In order to preserve the integrity of the concepts contained herein, entire contents are copyright© 2000 by Bible Baptist Church of Meadville and may not be used without permission.