Here we go. Let’s take another step forward. We will continue to look at the profile of a mature/ maturing disciple.
- Engages in regular conversation with God
- Lives out life that is others focused
- Dispenses forgiveness quickly
- Presents a teachable disposition for life and ministry
- Has a missional mindset and focus
- Owns the ministry of the local church
- Processes life and decisions through the Bible
- Rests in the sovereignty of God, especially amidst trial
- Leads his or her children in the ways of the Lord
- Encourages others
- Practices spiritual disciplines
#12 – Takes sin and its effects seriously
Sin is a real thing. People are sinners. I know saying this makes me about as popular as George Bush in the last few months of his second term. But at our core people are in rebellion against God. There are clear teachings in the Bible that get us to this conclusion. I would encourage people to study Romans 5-7. Here are a few key thoughts for this discussion. Man sinned and broke the perfect shalom and rhythm that God had created with all of existence. This happened with the first humans and has happened with every person since. And the Bible says the wages of sin is death. Whenever we choose to rebel against God we destroy whatever the gift was He gave us. Whether that gift is money, sex, marriage, parenting, generosity, life itself, priorities, etc., when we sin, we will see effects that are not good because we are ignoring the designer and his design.
Serious-minded Christ followers understand that God is good and that He knows best. As a result, they did not desire or want to keep sinning. Christians do sin and will until the day we die, but we do not want it to be a part of our life. We should repent when we sin. We should attempt to seek Jesus and His ways and create patterns in our lives that lead to this pursuit. To be direct, if a person can be alright with ongoing habits and patterns of sin, that individual should really be honest to evaluate if he or she is a Christ follower. Not if they sin, but if they are indifferent to sin and what it is creating in their lives. A Christian should be pursuing holiness by the power of the Holy Spirit in their life.
A Pastor's Thoughts 