A – THE EMPOWERED CHRISTIAN – 1
The most important decision in
life is to accept Christ as our Savior in becoming a Christian. But what is an empowered Christian. Empower means to give power or to make able. As we became a Christian we were given forgiveness
and salvation. However, the Holy Spirit
was given to us as a precious gift to empower our Christian life. Acts
2:38 This gift follows our baptism.
Life doesn’t just go on in the
same way as it always has. We become
completely new in Christ. Rom.6:4
We keep the same bone structure.
We have the same physical organs.
But we have a new heart (mind). Ezek.23:36
Just as God and sin cannot dwell in the same place (Isa.59:2), neither can sin and the Holy
Spirit dwell together. Ezek.18:30-32
Perhaps we have had habits that
are so difficult to break. A Christian
is to be Christ-like. How can we ever
have the power to change! Not in your
wildest imagination could you envision Jesus puffing on a cigarette or walking
among the sick with a can of beer in His hand.
Yet this happens when the power given us through the Holy Spirit is not
used to empower us to make these changes.
Rom.12:1 What kind of body do we want to present
to our Lord? Our body is the temple of
the Holy Spirit. We need to keep that
body so that the Holy Spirit may continue to dwell within us. 1
Cor.6:19
The above are habits that are
visible on the outside. How about the
habits of the heart? Out attitudes play
a big role in our relationship to our fellow man. These need to change as well as our goals and purposes in
life. We are turned inside out for Jesus
as we have the empowerment to change through the Holy Spirit. Rom.8:13
We argue with ourselves and
others that this is too difficult. We
can never do it. We are right. WE can’t do it – not alone. We forget that powerful gift allotted to
us. It is like a gift we have been given
and we tuck it away and forget all about it.
We are told to be strong but not in our own might but in His might. Eph.6:10 Thus we can be empowered by His Spirit.
As we receive this gift of the
Holy Spirit after our baptism, we have not finished the course. We have only just begun. If we continue to hold on to our old life,
then we have failed. As Peter answered
the high priest that they must obey God
rather than men, he mentions the
witness of the Holy Spirit that God has
given to those that obey Him. Acts 5:32 This
is a “forever” gift as we obey Him “forever”.
Rev.2:10
The example is given of
clothes. Hopefully, we don’t take a bath
and then put on dirty clothes. After we
are baptized we are clothed in new
clothes. We are clothed in Christ to be
like Him. Gal.3:27 We have shed those
old clothes that were not like Christ and now we have put on those new clothes
of a Christian life. Old habits are
gone. Old attitudes are gone. They have been put off.
Our old clothes were clothes of
darkness or sin. Now they are cast
off. Rom.13:12 As we cast them
off we are told to put them to death. (mortify)
Col.3:5 Then some of these deeds of the flesh
(old life) are listed.
Fornication: Co-habitation has become prevalent
today. This is sexual relationship
outside of marriage. Marriage in all
ages and cultures has had a specific point when the bond of marriage took
place. It has involved a third
party. With Adam and Eve the third part
was God. In many instances the third
party has been the father as the one from whom permission was granted. At times marriage was arranged by the
parents.
The Samaritan woman at the well
had had five husbands but the man with whom she was now living was not her
husband. Jhn.4:17 There was a
difference. Just dwelling with a man was
not marriage so it was fornication. A
man and a woman don’t decide to go to bed together and that’s fine. Outside of marriage it is not fine—it is SIN!
The next three involve evil
desire and passion with which we cannot
let into our mind. It is like some
foods—one taste requires more. A Christian
must have self-control over these things and not even think about partaking in
them. Help comes from the Holy Spirit as
we mortify or kill these desires and passions that are so distasteful to our
Lord. We must have the attitude of Rom.16:19 and be innocent of them.
Idolatry was such an evil in the
O.T. Greed or covetousness is the type
of idolatry we have today although some cultures still have idols. We might say that anything that takes the
place of God in our lives is idolatry.
That’s what an idol does. Covetousness
is also mentioned as idolatry in Eph.5:5. When we covet we become greedy for we
desire some thing or attribute that someone else has—not because we need it but
because we want what they have and maybe more.
It is listed with these impure, base sins. This sin enters into the realm of our purpose
and desire of life—to work to the best of our ability for our Lord and to His
glory and not for men. Col.3:23
We can further our education, advance in our profession, develop
godly attributes, strengthen our abilities and talents but it is never to
glorify us but only to be able to better serve the Lord and serve to His
glory. Col.3:17
As we put on the new clothes of
our new self in Christ (always with the help of the Holy Spirit), our tongue
becomes an important part of this new garment.
We have a great need of the Holy Spirit every day to help us with these
old habits of our tongue. What comes out
of our mouth as a Christian will either be a testimony or a rejection of our
life in Christ.
These old practices of the tongue
are listed in Col.3:8,9. These sins begin in our heart. Prov.23:7 Anger, malice (wrongful intention),
slander (injurious speech of someone), abusive speech or filthy speech (using
mean, evil words), lies—all of these would not be words of a new life in
Christ. The Holy Spirit can help us
control our thoughts and consequently, our speech. Prov.29:22;
Eph.4:31 The new life in Christ
must be the kind of life that God desires.
The Holy Spirit gives us the power to accomplish. Jam.1:20
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