TRITON-UBF CHURCH MEMBERSHIP CLASSES Growing in a Personal Relationship with Christ as Lord

“Love the L ORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” Deut 6:5 “If you love me obey my commands” (John 14:15) “Obedience is better then sacrifice” (1 Samuel 15:22) Christ is Lord of My Life

Topics: 1)Why Christ needs to be Lord of my life 2)Growing in a personal relationship with Christ 3)Practicing a Christian lifestyle Christ is Lord of My Life

Christ as Lord of My Life “Love the L ORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength” Deut 6:5

What Is Love? Definition: Love is an intense feeling of deep affection. Why Christ Needs to Be Lord of My Life

1) Christ Is Lord 15 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:15-16 Why Christ Needs to be Lord of My Life

2) God Loved us First: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. John 15:13-14

Why Christ Needs to be Lord of My Life 3) Christ is our Savior and Redeemer For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom 6:23 4) Offer our lives as a Form of Worship For God Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Rom 12:1

5) To God Our Obedience is Love “If you love me, keep my commands.” John 15:14 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” Matt 26:42 “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not not my will, but yours be done” Luke 22:42 Why Christ Needs to be Lord of My Life

1) Relationship begins with Christ Calling us The Calling of Matthew 9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. Matt 9:9 Growing in a Personal Relationship with Christ

2) Growing to know how God sees good vs evil Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. 2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. (1 Pet 2:1-3) New Christians Crave Pure Spiritual Milk Growing in a Personal Relationship with Christ

3) Come to know Christ by reading the Bible and prayer Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Joshua 1:8

Mature Christians Grow from Milk to Meat Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. (Hebrews 5:13-14) Growing in a Personal Relationship with Christ

Practicing a Christian Lifestyle Growing in “faith in Christ” 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matt 6:31- 33)

When we Obey Christ we grow in Holiness 4 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace Eph 4:1-3 Practicing a Christian Lifestyle

We grow by the power of The Holy Spirit 15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be [c] in you.c John 14:15-17 Practicing a Christian Lifestyle

Behaviors that reflect a Christian lifestyle 1 Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children 2 and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. Eph 5:1-2 Behaviors that do not reflect a Christian lifestyle 3 But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people. 4 Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. Practicing a Christian Lifestyle

The Fruit of the Spirit 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self- control. Against such things there is no law. The Fruit of the Flesh 9 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Practicing a Christian Lifestyle

Walk by the Spirit! 16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. Practicing a Christian Lifestyle