Ephesians 5:8-21 New Commitments

New Commitments

Ephesians 5:8-21
Today is the start of a new year. The old is past and we want to have new beginnings. Last night the bell rang 108 times to exorcise man's 108 sins. I am not sure that people take that very seriously because many of those who attended those celebrations last night will not be practising Buddha's teaching of getting rid of personal desires today. As Christians we do not just get rid of sin once a year but try to live holy lives and when we sin we are to confess immediately.

What kind of disciplines are there in the Christian life? Which of these will we develop in the coming year? What will we make priority in our lives this year? New Years is a time to make a new start and to seek to redirect our lives so that we will become better servants of the true and living God. Romans 12:1,2 says that we are to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God. We are to give our total being over to God. We are to seek to do our very best not to please man but to please God. I Thess 2:4;4:1 (not as pleasers of men but pleasing God.) If we do not use and develop what God has given us what we have will be slowly taken from us and in the end we will be even poorer. (Parable of the talents)

Today's worship time may not seem to be such a spiritual exercise but I believe that it is necessary to grow spiritually so in that way it is very basic and important in the Christian life. Spirituality is not based on listening to pleasant platitudes or spiritual sayings but on our oneness with God. I trust that this morning's exercise will lead us to oneness and worship of God not just this morning but for the rest of the year. Worship does not just take place on Sunday morning but should be taking place many times during the week as we reflect on God and his goodness to us.

Man has different aspects to his complex nature. Man is spiritual, social, physical, mental, and emotional being. If we stop growing in one of these areas we will become unstable and unbalanced in our life. We need to grow in each of these areas. Growth does not happen randomly. If a plant just grows leaves it will soon wither and die. It needs to grow roots to gather moisture and nutrition. Then in needs to grow stems and branches before it can grow more leaves. It also will need to produce blossoms and fruit for the plant to be of any value. God has place little regulators in plants for them to grow properly and we need to regulate our lives if we want to stay healthy and grow.

We need to develop Christian disciplines. Developing disciplines will not save us or make us Christians but helps us grow to know God and become more effective Christians. ( Paul continue to disciple himself so as not to be cast aside after running so well.) I Cor.9:27 Those that fail to plan in the end plan to fail. We accomplish most when we have a plan and are able to follow that plan for our lives.

We do not just plan for today or tomorrow but for this year, next year and several years in the future. We cannot look back or in the darkness and keep walking straight ahead. We will surely run into difficulty if we do not keep our goal ahead of us and press on to that goal.

To walk in the light the first condition we need to meet is to turn on the light. In the spiritual sense, this means to believe in Jesus and to live as children of the light. Jesus said that he was the light of the World. As children of Jesus we reflect the pure light of God. When we do things which are against what God commands we darken the light.

Next Paul instructs the Ephesian Christians to be careful how they live - making the most of every opportunity. (5:15,16) It is not just good enough to just believe that Jesus died for us but as we live our live we must demonstrate that belief in our lives by following the Bible. A reflector type kerosene stove like this one works well but if we get it out of adjustment it no longer burns well. It puts off a strange smell and causes a lot of smoke. Our lives are like that if we do not keep them in harmony with the word of God. That is why it is so important to study the Word of God and make it our guide for life.

We are to understand what the will of the Lord is. God works in a unique way in each person. If we have believed God has given us the Holy Spirit who guides us. I have some suggestions for directing out lives but how what each person decides to do will be different. We have the same Spirit but unique ministries and personalities. God works on us as individuals. Your goals will not be the same as my goals. The areas you need to grow in as individuals are not the same as I need.

We need to submit our plans to God but also we need to submit to one another as a community. The body of Christ should be united. We should work together to build up each other and to build up the Kingdom of God. In verse 21 Paul tells the Christians that they are to submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. It is a tragedy when those who say they are Christians fall away from the faith. We are to encourage one another to love and good works. Part of this encouragement is to help one another mature.

Today we want to take time individually before God to determine how we will grow in the coming year. I have passed out sheets to help you determine what kind of goals you can make in the coming year. We want to fill in some goals and then if we have time I would like each person to share one goal he/she would like to accomplish in the coming year.

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Goals for This Year

Spiritual Development
The purpose of man is to know God. That happens by experiencing Him in our everyday life, seeing his working in our transforming lives and in the world around us. To get to know God better we need to learn more for the Bible I would like to :

Bible
spend time meditating on the Bible Ps 119:99-101
memorize _____ Bible verse(s) in ____ week(s)
study the Bible ( a book of the bible, a theme from the bible)
What are my spiritual needs? Where should I grow spiritually?
Read the Bible - through in one year
- every day for ___ minutes
- one passage each day

Prayer & Praise
Set up a prayer diary
Become concerned for praying for missionaries in other lands
Intercessory prayer for family & community
Fasting & self - denial
Tithe - giving 1/10th of all God entrusts to me
Spiritual Gifts and working in the church

Activities in the church
teaching Bible lessons to children to adults
opening home to have bible studies

Physical & Material
Finances
Exercise

Social
Meet new friends
Develop Christian hospitality

Mental
Read books about ___________
Learn new skill, hobby or develop an old one
Take a course or learn about ___________

Emotional
Controlling my desires (I Cor 9:27)