Truth Box With Bill Payne

2 Timothy 3:16, 17 tells us "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work".  God has a plan to Disciple His children to bring them into a balanced, mature Christ centered life.  
This week in Truth Box, we will take a look at the ingredients for Discipleship.  God's blueprint for discipleship involves four foundational things; Being, Becoming, Belonging and Building. The bulk of the New Testament addresses these four pillars of the Christian life.

There is a man-made Religion that closely resembles Christianity.  It has all the trapping, traditions and ceremonies.  It promotes good behavior.  It wears the banner of Christ proudly and proclaims adherence to Jesus loudly.  It looks, smells and sounds like Christianity, but it lacks the true substance, life and Spirit of Christianity. It is a house with no foundation. The Pharisees new of a similar religion, one that fell far short of God’s plan.

True Christianity is about Relationship with God.  It is about “who we live for” and not only about “what we do”.  It begins with the Ultimate Intention of our Hearts.

Discipleship begins not with agreeing to go to Heaven but with being reconciled to God.  What is it to be reconciled to God?  Jesus painted two equally powerful pictures of God's great enterprise on Planet Earth. One is the picture of Family where God is the Father and we are all wayward children being called Home. The other is a picture of a loving and merciful King who calls us to abandon our rebellion and return to God our Father and King.   This is the beginning of our discipleship journey to be reconciled to God.

"The Cost of Discipleship" 
Following Jesus"  What does following Jesus really look like.  Saying we are followers is not the same as actually following.  Jesus said “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.  For some Christians something is missing.  Join us this week as we talk about the cost of Following Jesus.

Introduction to Discipleship

What is God doing in his church and through His church, which really comes down to; what is God doing in me, in my character, in my relationships and in my church?  Too many Christians think that God's work in their lives is done.  They are saved, certain of Heaven and now let's just get on with an average, ordinary life.  But all through scripture, we see that God has a plan.  He has Heavenly ambitions for a fallen world.  God has a vision of the future.  He has goals and objectives and you are an important part of that.  God has expectations of every believer.  And it all starts with being reconciled to God.  

This week we will continue our discussion on the heart of God.  He is Abba Father. But the idea of a father may not be good news for many and for all of us we struggle with a distorted picture of God.  Jesus came not just to reveal the Father but to forever change the way we see and personally know God.  He sent His Spirit to continue the revelation, that we might truly know "Abba Father".

We can know God as Creator, as King of all Kings. We can know him as Savior and Lord. But Jesus reveals the true heart of God - that He is a Father in the most intimate sense. This life altering revelation can be known and experienced personally by all Jesus followers. Roman 8: 16 tells us that The Spirit Himself testifies (or bears witness) with our spirit that we are children of God.

One of the most shocking and Intimate pictures of God was revealed to us by Jesus. God is many things but at the heart of the Creator is a Father who loves His children. Many of us have a broken, limited, narrow views of God. Jesus showed us that He is truly our Father. If only we could see it, believe it and walk in it.

God chose the Cross to accomplish great and wonderful things.
This week we will continue answering the question; “Why the Cross?”  Why were the  sufferings and death of Jesus on the cross absolutely necessary?  What did it accomplish and what is our right response to the Cross?

Last week we discussed a number of theories about the Cross and examined whether they fit with the Character of God.  This week, we continue to look at God's plan of Redemption and ask; Why was the Cross so necessary and what does the Cross accomplish for God and for the benefit of mankind?