I want to talk about what we call the ‘Christian Walk’. It is interesting to me that when we start out a a new Christian we are elated about our new found faith and discovery that God loves a person that is facing him and loves truth unconditionally. That he loves us more than we will ever know.
Stages of the Christian Walk
- New Christian – Elation
- great zeal in telling others about our new discovery
- learning God’s word going to church
- if the church is good, we realize that the word doesn’t fit with our lifestyle and earthly desires
- church is bad all is good – nothing needs to change in our lifestyle – that would be ‘works’
- denial that we must change everything, we give up a few things
- mainly ‘shoe-horning’ (altering) our Biblical beliefs and understanding to fit our lifestyle
- realizing this will not work forever and that at some point we have to actually be Christ-like
- our faith and lifestyle come into full conflict. A difficult decision lies ahead
- we refuse to conform to Christ’s image fully
- having refused to conform for our own good we are broken down by God so we can be re-made in his image
- Now having nothing to lose we finally become pliable in Gods hands
- Willing to have finally our lifestyles ‘shoe-horned’ into the biblical commandments
- we finally begin to resemble Christ
