Justification - we are legally without sin!

 

Welcome again to my blog. I am grateful you have taken the time to visit. 

 

We recently began a series regarding the results of personal salvation in Christ and why it might be associated with enhanced wellbeing as found through our research. We have been describing what happens at the time of salvation, as taught in the Bible, resulting in a new and wonderful position for a believer. 

 

This week let us discuss justification! There is no other more important result of Christ’s work on the cross than our justification by faith. Let's examine in some detail the meaning of this great promise.

 

·       Meaning of the New Testament word - This word is vital because the complete meaning in Greek of the word, “justification” (δικαιος, dikaios) is not fully conveyed by the English. As you know, Greek is the original language of the New Testament. The word dikaios carried a legal meaning that still exists today in modern Greek. The word reflected then someone who was found innocent in a court of law of all charges against them. Just like now, in ancient times in the Greek and Roman world there was no double jeopardy. This important legal concept means once you have been found innocent you cannot be charged again for the same crime.

·       Christ’s work in justification - The Bible indicates that each of us has sinned and “fallen short” of what God requires of us (Romans 3:23). Because God is just, He demands punishment for our misdeeds. However, because He is loving, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take the punishment in our place (Romans 3:24-26). 

 

It's as though Christ acted as a courtroom judge and found us guilty of our sins and gave us the death sentence but afterwards, stood up, removed His judicial robe, came around in front of the judge’s bench and took the punishment for us. This satisfied God's demand for righteousness but also showed His great and gracious love for us.

 

Importantly, Christ is a sufficient sacrifice for our sins as He is perfect, holy and without sin (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 7:26; 2 Corinthians 5:21).  Therefore, Christ was a sufficient sacrifice to satisfy God's judgment. Accordingly, He died once for all sin, for all time, and He does not need to do this again as did the Old Testament priests (Hebrews 6:1-14; Hebrews 10:10-18).

 

Our legal position before God was pronounced “innocent” when we trusted Christ for forgiveness of our sins.  We do this only once and our sins are forgiven for all time. Since Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient for all our sins for all time, nobody can charge us again. There is no double jeopardy!

 

WOW! We are secure in our position before God. We can come to him boldly because there are no limits on our access after we believe and become a Christian (Hebrews 10:20-23). What a great promise we have in our justification!

 

Indeed, God has given us, as Christian believers, a marvelous salvation and a wonderful secure eternity with Him (Romans 10:9-10; 2 Peter 1:4-5). Come back again next week and we'll complete this exciting overview of the results of our salvation.

 

William C. Stewart, MD

 

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Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and/or do your own research into the scriptures.

 

Security of Salvation: Part 2

 

Welcome back to my blog! 

 

Christians have entered the gateway to a relationship with God by faith in Christ’s forgiveness for our sins by His death on the cross. Through His gracious sacrifice, God sees us without fault and is completely accepted by Him (Ephesians 2:7-9; Romans 3:21-25; Romans 10:9).

 

What is the next step? After salvation, it is vital to realize that as Christians, we are SECURE in our relationship with God. Eternal security asserts that once a person genuinely accepts Jesus Christ as their Savior, they are eternally secure in their salvation. Their salvation cannot be lost or forfeited, regardless of subsequent actions or behavior. Why is this critical? We cannot grow in our faith and serve others well if we lack confidence that God accepts us.

 

We are starting a discussion today over the assurances of salvation. These guarantees are critical to understand so we have a complete knowledge of our salvation and confidence before God. 

 

This week let us describe justification: 

 

Justification (we are declared innocent) 

 

This is the wonderful result of Christ’s sacrificial death. Let’s examine the details of the meaning of this great promise.

 

• Meaning of the Greek New Testament word – Importantly, the complete meaning in Greek of the word “justification” (δικαιος, dikaios) is not fully conveyed in English. The word dikaios carried a legal sense that still exists today in modern Greek. In the ancient Greek and Roman worlds, the term signified that someone who was found innocent in a court of law of all charges against them, just like now, there was no double jeopardy (1). This important legal concept means that once you have been found innocent, you cannot be charged again for the same crime.

 

• Christ’s work in justification – The Bible teaches that each of us has sinned and “fallen short” of what God requires of us (Romans 3:23). Because God is just, He demands punishment for our misdeeds. However, because He is loving, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take the punishment in our place (Romans 3:24-26).

 

• We were pronounced “innocent” before God when we trusted Christ for forgiveness of our sins. We do this only once, and our sins are forgiven for all time. Since Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient for all our sins for all time, nobody can charge us again (Romans 8:31-34). Again, there is no double jeopardy!

 

• No other work is required – Importantly, Christ is a sufficient sacrifice for our sins as He Himself is perfect, holy, and without sin (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 7:26; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Therefore, Christ satisfied God’s righteous demand for judgment. Accordingly, He died once for all sin, for all time, and He does not need to do this again as did the Old Testament priests (Hebrews 6:1-14, and 10:10-18). This is signified when he sat down at the right hand of God the Father; His work to provide salvation was finished (Ephesians 1:20).

 

• For example, it’s as though Christ acted as a courtroom judge, found us guilty of our sins, sentenced us to death, but afterwards, stood up, removed His judicial robe, came around in front of the judge’s bench and took the punishment for us, for our past, present and future sins!

What a fantastic promise, given out of love and wisdom, from our gracious God who considers us sinless based on the sacrifice of His precious Son who makes it to us out of his love and wisdom. Thanks be to God who has provided us such a gracious salvation as a free gift through faith in Christ.

Join me next time as we continue this amazing discussion of the results of salvation and the wonderful security that we have in our relationship with God.

 

William C. Stewart, MD

 

Email - info@teleiosresearch.com

Website - http://teleiosresearch.com/

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Disclaimer - This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.

 

 

 

The Christian Life Part 3: Tools

Welcome back to my blog. We are discussing the Christian life. God gives us so much that makes our lives abundant!

We discussed last time goals for the Christian life and started exploring the two primary tools to accomplish these goals. The first tool is God's word. Please review last week's blog below. Now let us explore the second tool, the Holy Spirit and His power to accomplish Christian living.

God’s power

God’s power in the New Testament for believers is manifested generally in two ways:

• The gospel (Romans 1:16-17) – This is the power of God to salvation! The Holy Spirit is active in the process by convicting unbelievers of their sin (John 16:10).
• In the Christian life (Ephesians 6:10-17) – The magnificent armor of God passage is critical to understanding our Christian life because it instructs us how to access God’s power by describing a Greek hoplite soldier and his armament. Often Christians wonder how they can know the power of God. These great verses describe it! However, it is also important in showing the role of the Spirit because His mighty actions are linked to each of the pieces of armor in other scripture.
• Truth (our belt to prepare us V.14) – Living in truth is a fruit of the Spirit (Ephesians 5:9) and prepares our mind to make proper decisions and actions.
• Righteousness (our breastplate V.14) – A fruit of the Spirit is a holy heart that is set apart to serve God and perceives and rejects sin (Ephesians 5:9).
• Share the gospel (the shoes to carry us to battle V.15) – By telling others the message of salvation we see the power of God to change others and positively affect our society, which is assisted by the Spirit (Romans 1:16-17; 2 Timothy 1:7; John 16:8-11).
• Faith (our shield V.16) – Another fruit or evidence of the Spirit is faith by which we make our decisions and do what God desires from us (Galatians 5:22-23; Romans 14:23).
• Eternal security (our helmet V.17) – The sound knowledge of our security of salvation protects our heads as we face troubles in this world and its function comes from the Spirit (Romans 15:13, Romans 8:16).
• The Bible (our sword V.17) – The power of God we experience in our Christian life is through the action of the Spirit in accordance to the Bible (Hebrews 4:12).

What great truths! What a privilege to know God through His word and live a holy life which pleases Him.

Thank you for joining me today. Please return next time as we continue the exciting discussion of the Christian walk that's associated benefits in life.

William C. Stewart, MD

For questions or to view more of our research…
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 Disclaimer - This blog is provided for your use and enjoyment on an ‘as is’ and ‘as available’ basis. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.   

The Holy Spirit's vital role in the believer's life - Part 3

The Holy Spirit is vital to the Christian walk. The last few weeks we have discussed the important roles the Holy Spirit plays in our lives including in our salvation and invariable assistance He provides every day.

In this blog we examine the role of the Spirit in our lives that are dependent upon our obedience. Therefore, these actions by the Spirit are available to us if we're seeking God through His word. Remember, we need to use the Bible to explain the Spirit’s actions in our lives and not by our feelings or experiences. We should live by facts and not emotion.

Believer dependent roles

Two passages are critical to understand the variable actions of the Spirit, Romans 8:13-16, 26 and Ephesians 6:10-17.

Romans 8:13-16

·       Stops sin (v.13) – As we are obedient, the Spirit helps put to death the deeds of the flesh.

·       Leads us (v.14) – Many Christians believe this biblical concept but may not understand how the Spirit leads. In short, the Spirit uses a believer’s knowledge of God’s word to them (please see below passage in Ephesians 6). Indeed, the Bible often tells us to be people of knowledge and understanding, for example in Paul’s prayers for others (Ephesians 1:17, Colossians 1:9). Please see the chapter over God's leading.

·       Comforts believers that they are God’s children (V.16) – The Spirit encourages us that they belong to God and should not be anxious about eternity.

Ephesians 6:10-17

The magnificent “armor of God” passage is critical to understanding the Christian’s lifestyle. It describes our access to God’s power by arming ourselves as a Greek hoplite soldier. Often Christians wonder how they can know the power of God. These great verses describe it!

However, it is also important in showing the role of the Spirit because His mighty actions are linked to each piece of armor, also described in other scriptures.

·       Truth (the belt to prepare us, v.14) – Developing a mindset of truth is a “fruit” or result of the Spirit (Ephesians 5:9) and provides mental preparation for making proper decisions and actions.

·       Righteousness (the breastplate, v.14) – A fruit of the Spirit is a holy heart that is set apart to serve God and can perceive and reject sin (Ephesians 5:9).

·       Share the gospel (the shoes to carry us to battle, v.15) – By telling others the message of salvation we see the power of God to change others and positively affect society, which is assisted by the Spirit (Romans 1:16-17; 2 Timothy 1:7; John 16:8-11).

·       Faith (the shield, v.16) – Another result of the Spirit is faith in which we should make all decisions and God desires (Galatians 5:22,23; Romans 14:23).

·       Eternal security (the helmet, v.17) – The sound knowledge of security of salvation protects our mind in the face of trouble in this world; its function is from the Spirit (Romans 15:13).

·       The Bible (the sword, v.17) – The power of God in the Christian walk is through the action of the Spirit in accordance to the Bible.

Wow what great truths! These passages tell us how the Spirit acts in believers’ lives to cause them to please God and experience His power.

Therefore, in our Christian walk the Spirit has several key roles that He graciously provides to produce results, lead and help us live by His power.  However, as His children we need to be obedient to His word to allow the Spirit to work and to attain full access to the Spirit in our lives. God wants us to know Him and be holy like Him. He graciously provides us every avenue to help us accomplish His great goal. 

Join us next time as we discuss our own responsibilities to the Spirit dependent on our obedience. 

William C. Stewart, MD

For questions or to view more of our research…

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Disclaimer - This blog is provided for your use and enjoyment on an ‘as is’ and ‘as available’ basis. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.   

Our Secure Salvation: Part 3

The Great Promise of Eternal Security

Welcome back to my blog. We are in the middle of a wonderful discussion of eternal security. This is a vital theme in the Christian life that gives us confidence in our relationship with God and allows us peace of mind, spiritual growth as well as to better serve both our Lord and other men.

To date, we have discussed direct statements in scripture that state our salvation is secure God Himself causes us to persevere, the Holy Spirit has sealed us to our salvation, and we are regenerated into a new holy person acceptable to God. Please review the last few blogs for our initial compelling discussion on eternal security.

Let us continue today by discussing the two more primary positions in Christ that result from salvation and are unchangeable.

• Justification (we are innocent) – This is a vital result of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. Let us examine in some detail the meaning of this great promise.
• Meaning of the New Testament word – This word is key because the complete meaning in Greek of the word, “justification” (δικαιος, dikaios) is not fully conveyed by the English. The word dikaios carried a legal sense that still exists today in modern Greek. In the ancient Greek and Roman worlds, the term signified that someone who was found innocent in a court of law of all charges against them, just like now, there was no double jeopardy (1). This important legal concept means once you have been found innocent you cannot be charged again for the same crime.
• Christ’s work in justification – The Bible indicates that each of us has sinned and “fallen short” of what God requires of us (Romans 3:23). Because God is just, He demands punishment for our misdeeds. However, because He is loving, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to take the punishment in our place (Romans 3:24-26).
• It’s as though Christ acted as a courtroom judge, found us guilty of our sins, sentenced us to death, but afterwards, stood up, removed His judicial robe, came around in front of the judge’s bench and took the punishment for us, our past present and future sins!
• Christ’s death satisfied God’s demand for righteousness but also showed His great and gracious love for us.
• No other work or sacrifice is required – Importantly, Christ is a sufficient sacrifice for our sins as He is perfect, holy and without sin (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 7:26; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Therefore, Christ satisfied God’s righteous demand for judgment. Accordingly, He died once for all sin, for all time, and He does not need to repeat this as did the Old Testament priests (Hebrews 6:1-14; 10:10-18).
• Our legal position before God was pronounced “innocent” when we trusted Christ for forgiveness of our sins. We do this only once and our sins are forgiven for all time. Since Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient for all our sins for all time, nobody can charge us again (Romans 8:31-34). There is no double jeopardy!
• Adoption – This concept is important in our society because when a family legally adopts a child the new family member gains all the rights and privileges of a naturally-born child (2). In other words, their new status in the family is permanent and cannot be overturned. What a great promise of security to the child!

Likewise, in the ancient Greek and Roman worlds, as in our own society (with some differences), adoption provided permanent legal status for a child that could not be overturned (3). The Apostle Paul states our status as adopted children into God’s family in four separate places in his epistles, indicating the importance of our new position following accepting Christ as Savior through faith (Romans 8:15; 23; Ephesians 1:5; Galatians 4:5). Consequently, we are children of God, adopted into His family with legal protection and a permanent status.

What great promised positions we hold before God, permanently accepted and guaranteed to please Him.

Next time we will cover a special passage talking about those who do not believe that Christ’s sacrifice was sufficient and God's attitude towards them. This passage will also help confirm that we are secure in our salvation. Join us again.

A full life is reserved for those who know and do scripture!

William C. Stewart, MD

1. http://www.biblestudytools.com/encyclopedias/isbe/adoption.html
2. http://www.biblestudytools.com/encyclopedias/isbe/seal.html
3. https://www.westernseminary.edu/transformedblog/2014/02/25/baptisim-meaning-and-mode/

For questions or to view more of our research…
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Disclaimer - This blog is provided for your use and enjoyment on an ‘as is’ and ‘as available’ basis. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and or do your own research into the scriptures.   

Our duties toward the Spirit

Welcome back to my blog. Thank you for visiting today. 

We continue discussing the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We surveyed 475 young participants on the topic. All the findings, as well as other exciting Teleios research, are on our website.

The Holy Spirit is a very important yet controversial topic. However, there is often a general lack of knowledge of what scripture teaches about the Spirit. We are covering these pertinent topics.

I generally breakdown the Bible’s handling of the Spirit for the New Testament church into three basic realms: 

• The Spirit’s work in salvation 
• The Spirit's role in our Christian walk 
• The Christian’s duties to the Spirit

This week let us cover the last point, our duties to the Spirit. What our survey participants thought is in the below table.

What the Bible says:

Our actions towards the Spirit are nicely divided into two subcategories, what to do and what not to do. According to scripture, the Spirit dwells in us permanently from the time we believe unto the day of our redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14) and we have full use of the Spirit’s power available to us throughout our lives.

• What not to do!

• Grieve the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) 
• Suppress the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19)

These verses do not explain how not to grieve or suppress the Spirit, but we might assume it's related to sin that would make the Spirit sad, or suppress His actions in our lives, because we are seeking our own desires.

• What to do! – These amazing verses are mostly related to our seeking God and being obedient. Again, scripture does not tell us the specifics, giving us great freedom to live our lives in faith.

• Walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16,25) - The word ‘walk’ (peripateoo, περιπατεω) indicates our manner of life, especially in the moral realm.
• Be mature in the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) - The illustration in this great verse is not to be drunk. Alcohol literally can control brain cells by its chemical effect. In contrast, for mature Christians, their old actions are no longer possible as they have been changed by the Spirit.
• Be zealous towards the Spirit (Romans 12:10)
• Put to death the deeds of the flesh (Romans 8:13) - Last week we learned the Spirit helps us defeat sin but this verse also indicates that it is by our initiation towards obedience that we facilitate the Spirit’s gracious help. 

Note: Do not commit the unforgivable sin by blaspheming the Spirit (Matthew 12:31-32) – Importantly, this verse often is taken out of context. In this passage Christ is directing His wrath towards the Jewish Pharisees.  At Christ’s baptism, at the initiation of his ministry, the Pharisees had rejected the witness given by the Holy Spirit when He came down from heaven on our Savior. 

Therefore, to blaspheme the physical manifestation of Christ on earth is forgivable but to reject God's approval (signified by the Spirit) of his spiritual mission to bring salvation to man is unforgivable, otherwise by rejecting the salvation message.

Importantly, Christians are not in view in this passage as we to have the Spirit’s sealing until the day of our redemption, having accepted Christ as Savior (Ephesians 1:13,14 and 4:30). 

Thank you for joining me today. Please join me again next week as we continue to explore fascinating results from Teleios’ research.

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What young Christians believe about the Holy Spirit

Welcome back to my blog. Thank you for visiting today. We are exploring relevant research findings from Teleios! More compelling findings are on our website.

Teleios examined the important role of the Holy Spirit in Christians’ lives in visitors to the Instagram account, InstaPray. We had 475 participants, 68% were adolescents (<18) as well as millennials (18-34), 78% evangelicals and 71% female. Wow, we received some amazing answers!

The Holy Spirit is a very important yet controversial and often emotional topic. Opinions vary widely about the role of the Spirit, from traditional orthodox to charismatic beliefs. However, in all groups there is often a general lack of knowledge of what scripture teaches. Let's cover some pertinent topics over the Spirit examining what scripture says and perhaps we can all better shape our own thinking based on the truth of God. 

I generally breakdown scriptures handling of the Spirit for the New Testament Church into three basic realms: 

• The Spirit’s work in salvation 
• The Spirit's role in our Christian walk 
• The Christian’s duties to the Spirit

Let's examine what our participants said regarding the Spirit and salvation (please see table).

What the Bible says

Indeed, the Spirit in salvation in scripture is key. He performs the following vital functions.

• Convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8) - This role is vital because left to our own resources, as fallen man both physically and mentally, we would not come to faith and salvation by our own reckoning (Romans 3:10-12). Therefore, the Spirit is central to help unbelievers recognize their faults, coming judgment and God’s demand for righteousness.
• Baptizes (Romans 6:2-3,9; Ephesians 2:4-7; Colossians 2:12-13) - In the epistles the word ‘baptism’ signifies spiritual baptism which occurs at our salvation by the Spirit. The actual meaning of the word baptism (βαπτιζω, baptizoo) is ‘to identify with’. Therefore, the Spirit baptizes us by identifying us with Christ’s death and resurrection.

The Spirit accomplishes this by putting to death our old person and resurrecting us to a new living person. ‘Regeneration’ and ‘born again’ are other concepts in Scripture signifying this important event (Titus 3:5; John 3:3). These wonderful verses demonstrate to us the profound importance of the resurrection because there is no eternal life without the resurrection and regeneration (1 Corinthians 15:13-19). The incredible fact of spiritual baptism (which water baptism may symbolize) gives us surety for our great salvation as a new creature that cannot be slain and re-created our old dead self. 

• Seals to Redemption (2 Corinthians 1:20; 2 Corinthians 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14) - This great promise indicates that each of us has the Holy Spirit from our time of belief in salvation until the day we die and go to be with God. Indeed, one of the definitions of a Christian is that we have the Holy Spirit for we if do not have it we are not yet a Believer (Romans 8:9).
• Places us into the church (1 Corinthians 12:13) - The spirit graciously has placed us at salvation into the universal church of Christ for which he is the head.

As you can see, the Spirit is integral in bringing us to salvation, completing salvation and bringing us to our eternal life. What a fantastic blessing that we have such a gift from God as the Holy Spirit!

Please join us next week as we continue the scriptural discussion of what the Spirit does for us. Thank you for reading my blog. I hope it is an assistance to you.

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Church Influence on Wellbeing

Welcome back to my blog. Thank you for visiting today. We have been reviewing the exciting research findings from Teleios! 

Teleios recently completed a survey of visitors to the Instagram account, Instapray, mostly all comprised of youth (<18 years) and millennials (18-34 years) and 77% self-identified evangelicals. We had 884 participants and asked them questions about their Christian lifestyle, and how church affected their wellbeing. 

Amazingly, the church’s influence on wellbeing did not differ between youth and millennials (P=0.09). 

What helped wellbeing the most? Participants could select up to 3 choices from a list of 12 items. Please find more complete results at https://teleiosresearch.com/influence-church-wellbeing/.

Well this is encouraging!

1. Prayer (59%) – Prayer is a cornerstone of our Christian walk allowing us to come directly before God, unafraid and give our petitions to him for ourselves and others. By prayer also we praise God and thank Him (Hebrews 10:20-22; Philippians 4:6). The assembled church might assist prayer by acting as a guide to our supplications to God, a more expansive prayer experience and promoting prayer in our lives.
2. Spiritual growth (56%) – Participants generally recognized the church helps them in their Christian lives and helps them become mature believers.
3. Praise and worship (54%) – Praise of our gracious God for His righteous character and actions is essential for a healthy Christian Life. Praise allows us to remind ourselves that God’s thoughts and goals are greater than ours. God deserves our praise (Hebrews 13:15; Psalms 147-150).

But there is still room for growth …

1. Emotional support (38%) – This finding is heartening in that young believers look to the church, perhaps specifically to the church leadership or their trusted Christian friends and colleagues, to help them through life with sympathy and advice. Access for young Christians, desiring support from believing peers, is an important function of the church.
2. Comfortable and pleasing worship surroundings (35%) – I suspect that this finding is important not just in young people but for many older congregants as well. Indeed, a beautiful church, often combined with stirring music and liturgy combine to create an awe inspiring and encouraging ambiance. 

Nonetheless, as Christians, we are commanded to take our Christian lifestyle beyond the mountaintop experience of a church service, or a faith-based conference, and practice our faith on a daily basis. Over time, scripture tells us that we should become confident in our relationship with God through knowledge and understanding; emotionally stable, making correct decisions between right and wrong, as well as teaching others (Hebrews 5:11-14; Colossians 1:27-2:3; Colossians 3:16-17; Ephesians 5:15-19). 

Our Christian walk comprises generally of: prayer, praise, bible-based fellowship, learning scripture and teaching others scripture and the gospel (Acts 2:42,47). These practices promote our growth by the power of the Spirit to the maturity God desires for us (Galatians 5:22; Ephesians 5:18).

The above list from our survey is encouraging in the emphasis of spiritual growth, prayer and praise in young church attendees. However, the amazing finding is that Christian youth have the same desires for their church experience as the millennial generation. It appears the Holy Spirit has used parents as well as church members, leaders and teachers to help form the next generation of believers to carry forth God's great work. Thanks be to God!

Please join me next week as we continue to explore the church and wellbeing. Thank you for reading my blog.