1.) what are the responsibilities, according to the scripture, of those who are saved? in other words....what is required of Christ followers?
2.) do you feel like believers are living up to these responsibilities? why or why not?
don't be intimidated to respond. i don't have an agenda....just trying to get some feedback for a future sermon.
7 comments:
The responsibility of the believer is to abide in Jesus and Him alone. As we abide in Him and He in us we are empowered to love one another which is the command of Christ. (John 15:1-17)
This abiding does not come through works but through rest (Heb 4). We find that we are supposed to labor into rest in Hebrews 4:9-11. True rest comes through confessing and believing (this is our labor) all work has been finished by Him alone and we only walk out of what he has already completed and finished. Since He already finished it then we have been (past tense) made complete (Colossians 2:10)
Our responsibility is to believe this, and to confess this which releases the power to live it (Romans 10:9)
Caring about other people more than ourselves or our wants and desires.
For the most part, I'd say no to the church living up to that.
There are too many distractions that seek our attention and the path is narrow.
1) To be burdened for those who don't have a relationship with God.
2) To be burdened by those that are hungry, thirsty, and weak.
3) To be burdened by those who have lost loved ones.
4) To be burdened when we have harmed our own intimacy with God.
5) To be burdened when we have hurt others.
6) To be thankful for the freedom that God has given us.
7) To be let that thankfulness overflow in our lives to the point where we cannot wait to spend time alone with God, cannot wait to worship Him with others, and cannot wait to tell others why we are so thankful.
...and no...regrettably, I don't think we live up to these responsibilities very well.
Anonymous is spot-on in my opinion regarding your first question, the key is, "...in Him...". Not in our own power to do good (filthy rags).
Is the church living up to this? The Church is. But, just because I say I'm a Christian and/or attend a church - little "c" doesn't mean I'm part of The Church. Am I abiding in Christ? If so, it is no longer I that lives, but Christ that lives within me and I am unmistakably part of The Church.
Sadly, the eyes of the world are on the little "c" church which sends out a very confusing message.
We could say it simply as obedience.
As far as if people are doing it, you have to look at it on a case by case basis.
Mike
there could be a lot to say here. but I'll come back to what Jesus says in the synoptics (Mk 8:28-34; Matt 22:34-40; Lk 10:25-37): which is essentially "Love God, Love Neighbor." In Matt it says that all of the law is summed up in these 2 commandments.
It's really hard to answer your second question without over-generalizing people groups/communities w/in the broader church. I don't think a yes/no answer is sufficient. Some people yes, some people no. Mostly, however, we all screw it up in some way or another.
- Halpin
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