The key to living a victorious, Spirit-filled Christian life is Christ as the Center. When Christ is at the control center of your life, you are yielding to Him, allowing Him to direct all interests of your life. With Christ directing, life is on a steady course, becoming increasingly more effective. This dependence on Christ should be the desire of every Christian.

The HELM illustrates the CHRIST-DIRECTED LIFE. The following topics of study are essential for living that life: 

 

§	Christ as the Center	Galatians 2:20; John 15:5; Colossians 1:27
§	Assurance of Salvation	1 John 5:11-13; John 5:24; John 1:12
§	Attributes of God	1 Chronicles 29:10-13; Revelation 4:11, 15:3-4
§	The Bible	1 Peter 2:2; 2 Timothy 3:16; Joshua 1:8
§	Prayer	Matthew 7:7; Philippians 4:6,7; John 15:7
§	The Spirit-Filled Life	1 Corinthians 2:14,15; Ephesians 5:18; Galatians 5:16-18
§	Fellowship	Matthew 18:20; Hebrews 10:24,25; 1 John 1:3
§	Witnessing	Matthew 4:19; Romans 1:16; 1 Peter 3:15
§	Temptation	Romans 6:13,14; Hebrews 2:18; James 1:13,14
§	Obedience	John 14:21; Romans 12:1,2; Luke 6:46

 

DISCIPLESHIP APPOINTMENT #1

Assurance of Salvation

In order for you to grow in your relationship with Christ, there must be an assurance of salvation, an assurance that you are His child. “Yet to all who received Him, to those

who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

God promises to make you His child when by faith you receive Him into your life. He would never mislead you. God is trustworthy and His Word is trustworthy. You can know that you are His and that you have eternal life.

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:11-13).

Becoming a Christian involves receiving Christ, the gift of God’s love and forgiveness, by faith. It results in a threefold commitment to a Person. It is a commitment to Him of one’s intellect, emotions and will. Our relationship with Christ can be illustrated by the requirements for a marriage relationship, which ideally must contain these same three ingredients: the intellect, the emotions and the will.

For example, a man may be convinced intellectually that the woman who is his intended bride is the “right” one for him. He may be involved emotionally and love her with all his heart, but marriage requires more than the intellect and the emotions. It also involves the will. Not until the man and the woman, as an act of the will, commit themselves to each other before a minister, do they become husband and wife. The two words “I do” make the difference. So it is in our relationship with Jesus Christ. It is not enough to believe intellectually in Christ, nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. Though both are valid, one does not become a Christian until, as an act of the will, he receives Christ into his life as Savior and Lord.

Let us examine each of the three elements of Christian commitment. Christianity is not “a blind leap of faith.” It is built upon historical fact, documented by centuries of scholarship and research. Many leading scholars have dedicated their lives to investigating the life, teachings, death, resurrection and influence of Jesus of Nazareth. As a result, we have more historical evidence proving His resurrection than we have of the fact that Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo.

Professor Edwin Selwyn, in his work, The Approach To Christianity, said, “The fact that Christ rose from the dead on the third day in full continuity of body and soul, and passed into a mode of new relationships with those who knew Him on earth—that fact seems as secure as historical evidence can make it.”

That good news was the message of the revolutionary New Testament church. It is a revolutionary message today. It is a fact of history.

 

1. State in your own words what you think Jesus meant when He made the following claims:
2. John 10:30-33    

 

 

1. John 14:8,9        

 

 

2. State in your own words what others thought of Jesus Christ:
3. The apostle John (John 1:1,14)         

 

 

1. Thomas (John 20:25-28)          

 

 

1. His enemies (John 5:18)           

 

 

3. Who do you say Jesus Christ is and why?                                                            

 

 

 

Jesus of Nazareth was conceived by the Spirit and was born of the virgin, Mary, almost

2,000 years ago. Hundreds of years before, the great prophets of Israel had foretold His coming. The Old Testament, which was written by many individuals over a period of 1,500 years, contains more than 300 references to His coming.

 

At the age of 30, Jesus began His public ministry. In the three years that followed, He gave man the formula for a full and abundant life and for the life to come. The life Jesus led, the miracles He performed, the words He spoke, His death on the cross, His resurrection, and His ascent to heaven—all point to the fact that he was not mere man, but more than man.

 

Mohammed was merely a prophet; Buddha (by his own admission) was an agnostic; Confucius was an ethical leader—but Jesus claimed to be God. He asserted His deity when he said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30); “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

 

WHY DID JESUS COME?

 

1. What problem does Romans 3:23 say we have?      

 

2. What solution does 1 Peter 3:18 offer?         

 

 

3. What is the significance of the resurrection of Christ from the dead? (1 Peter 1:3)

 

In the Old Testament, the Israelites periodically brought animals to the priest to be sacrificed. The priest sprinkled its blood on the altar as a temporary covering for the sins of the individual making the sacrifice. These animals had to be perfect, without spot or blemish, in order for the sin of the one making the sacrifice to be transferred to the innocent offering. This was the picture of the coming of God’s Lamb, the One whose blood would not just cover man’s sins temporarily, but would wash them away forever. “Without the shedding of blood,” we are

told in the Scriptures, “there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22). That is why God sent Jesus  who was without sin to shed His blood upon the cross for the forgiveness of our sins.

 

In order to become a Christian, then, you must honestly face the claims of Jesus Christ and believe intellectually that He is God, that He died for your sins and was buried, that He rose again, and that He wants to come into your life and be your Savior and Lord.

 

EMOTIONAL COMMITMENT

An emotion is a feeling or reaction to a specific act, event or experience. The failure to distinguish between different emotions has caused many people to be confused in their relationship with God.

 

PEOPLE RESPOND DIFFERENTLY EMOTIONALLY

 

1. What was the Apostle Paul’s experience in coming to know God? (Acts 22:6-10)

 

 

 

 

2. What was Lydia’s experience in coming to know God? (Acts 16:14)

 

 

 

 

3. What was Timothy’s experience in coming to know God? (2 Timothy 1:5)

 

 

 

 

Since we are emotional creatures, emotions are a normal part of our life. Different personalities respond differently. One person may have high emotional energy, while another may be calm and reserved. Because emotions vary greatly, they should not be depended upon. Seeking an emotional experience has caused many to lack the assurance of a vital relationship with God.

 

The Bible says, “The just shall live by faith (Romans 1:17b KJV) and “without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6a KJV); “Whatever is not from faith,” it

continues, “is sin” (Romans 14:23).

 

The very act of seeking an emotional experience, therefore, contradicts the very thing that pleases God. Faith is another word for trust, and our faith must be placed in the person of God.

DO NOT DEPEND ON FEELINGS; EMOTIONS CAN DECEIVE

 

Assurance is based on the authority of God’s Word. When you meet God’s conditions, as revealed in His Word, you can be assured that you are a child of God. The Christian lives by faith (trust) in the trustworthiness of God Himself and His Word. This diagram illustrates the relationship between fact (God and His Word), faith (our trust in God and His Word) and feeling (the results of our experiences).

 

 

1. FACT: The facts about the Christian life are in the Bible. Does a fact change?         

 

2. FEELINGS:
3. Do our feelings change?          
4. What determines whether our feelings are up or down?    

                     

 

3. FAITH:
4. If we put our faith in our feelings and our feelings are determined by circumstances, what will our faith do?    
5. If we put our faith in facts (and a fact is true and does not change), what will our faith be like?          

 

 

God gives us a threefold confirmation that Christ is in our lives.

 

 

First, we have the external evidence of the Word of God. Assurance is based on the authority of God’s Word. When you meet God’s conditions, as revealed in His Word, you can be assured that you are a child of God. Read 1 John 5:9-13.

Second, there is the internal witness of the Holy Spirit. Paul writes in Romans 8:16, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” Read 1 Thessalonians 1:5.

 

Our changed lives are a third witness to the fact that we are Christians. Jesus explained to Nicodemus, a devout religious leader of the Jews, “You must be born again

or you cannot see the kingdom of God.” Read Colossians 1:6. The proof that we have experienced a new birth and have become children of God will be demonstrated by our changed lives. Read 1 John 2:3-6 and 1 Thessalonians 1:9.

 

VOLITIONAL COMMITMENT

 

In addition to the intellect and the emotions, becoming a Christian and being sure that you are a Christian involves the will. Christ emphasized the importance of man’s will in relation to the assurance of salvation. He said, ”If any one chooses to do God’s will, he

will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own” (John 7:17).

 

According to these words of Christ, unless you are willing to obey the truth, you will never know the truth; unless you are willing to walk in the light, you will never see the light.

 

FACTS TO PUT YOUR FAITH IN

 

1. God sent His Son; faith in Him saves you. John 3:15-18,36
2. To whom does the “world” refer?       
3. What does God promise?         
4. What is our part?           
5. What is His part?           
6. If you, by faith, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, will you have eternal life or condemnation?  

 

2. Your sins were forgiven. Read Colossians 2:12-14.
3. How many of your sins were forgiven?         
4. If God has forgiven you, why are there times when you might be haunted by guilty feelings?

 

 

1. What can be done about unconfessed sin? (1 John 1:9)    

 

Why not pause now and claim God’s promise of forgiveness in 1 John 1:9 for any sins that you are aware of in your life. (Note: The subject of how to deal with sin in your life will be covered in another lesson.)

 

3. You become a child of God. Read John 1:12,13.
4. What people are spiritually born into God’s family?                                                

 

4. You received eternal life. Read 1 John 5:11-13.
5. According to this passage, where is eternal life to be found?       

                     

1. If a person has Christ in his life, what else does he have?           

 

1. 1 John 5:13 states, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of

the Son of God, in order that you may (hope that, feel like, guess that, work towards, or know that) you have eternal life.” Mark out the incorrect words.

1. Do you know that you have eternal life?       

                               On what basis?                                                                                                       

1. If you have eternal life now would it be possible for you not to have it tomorrow?

                               (John 6:37-40; Hebrews 13:5)                                                                         

 

DECIDING ON THE BASIS OF FACTS

 

1. Is salvation something you earned? (Ephesians 2:8-10)    On what basis, did you obtain it?       How do good works relate to your salvation?     

 

 

2. Do you have the assurance that Christ is in your life? Are you sure that if you died right now, you would spend eternity with God in heaven?    

 

If you are not sure, make certain of your salvation by receiving Christ by a definite, deliberate act of your will right now in prayer.

 

Here is a suggested prayer:

 

“ Lord Jesus, I need You. I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life and receive You as my Savior and Lord. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of the throne of my life. Make me the kind of person You w ant me to be.”

3. If you have invited Christ into your life, now or earlier, where is He right now?

                                                              By what authority do you know?                                                

 

1. How does a marriage relationship illustrate requirements for our relationship with Christ? (Page 6)

 

 

2. A simple head knowledge of the facts of the Gospel is not enough for salvation.

However, these facts must be believed intellectually. What are the facts? (1 Corinthians 15:3-6)

 

 

 

3. How might your emotions cause you to doubt that you have a relationship with God?

 

 

 

4. What is the threefold confirmation God gives us that Jesus Christ is in our lives?
5. _____________________________________________________________________
6. _____________________________________________________________________
7. _____________________________________________________________________

 

 

SUGGESTED READING

 

How to Be Born Again by Billy Graham

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