Welcome to Church on the Hill, Glenavon, Sask, Canada







Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Are You a Good Christian?

Pastor Lorne started his message on Sunday, Nov 23rd by talking about the apostle Paul. He said Paul had travelled all over and had seen many things and yet, of all the things he’d seen, he only wanted to know Christ.

He said we are members of the Pentecostal Assembly of Canada. But, are we good Pentecostals or Christians? Is he, as our pastor a good Pentecostal? Are you a good Pentecostal?

What is the actual requirement to be a good Pentecostal or Christian?

Rose called out ‘a good steward’. (laughter)

Pastor Lorne said, ‘Rose has been to bible Study!’ (more laughter)

But, he continued, what does it require to be a good Christian or a good child of God?

John 14:15-17 says, 15’If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17the 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 in you.’ So, we have to be a person of God’s Holy Spirit.

Rom 8:9 9’You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.’ And so, again, it emphasizes the Son of God lives in us. That’s what makes the difference in our lives. We aren’t controlled by our sinful nature but by God’s Holy Spirit.

Acts 1:8 Before Jesus was taken into heaven, He instructed his disciples to wait and this is the statement He made: 8‘But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’

We know being a Pentecostal or a good Christian means the Son of God has come into your life to be a power of strength and witness to Him. The Son of God is a big part of our Christian life. He leads and directs us. You might be in a situation where you’re drawing a blank. You can’t think of any appropriate words to say to someone. And then a certain scripture or certain words come into your mind. Do you believe it’s the Son of God?

The Holy Spirit can be there to direct you and lead you and give you the knowledge you need at that certain time. The disciples were called to give a reason for their faith. You don’t have to worry about it because the Holy Spirit will give you the words to say when you need to say them. As a good Pentecostal, as a good Christian – when you are confronted in a situation you don’t have the resources for, the Holy Spirit will be there to give you the right words to say.

Pastor Lorne said he believes the Holy Spirit will come into our lives at the time we need him.

It is so important for people of God who desire to be ‘a good Christian’ to know that God and His Son and the Holy Spirit are there to live with you, to direct your life and lead your life.

A good Christian or a good Pentecostal – is also a person of faith. We’ve heard testimonies of faith.

Heb 11:6 says 6‘And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.’ We, as children of God, need to have that trust. Without faith it is impossible to please God.

1 John 5:4 says 4‘For everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.’ And so again, the scripture talks about how we can overcome the things of this world. It gives us the power and strength to stand above these things. It says we can experience victory that overcomes the world. To be a good Christian, we need to be people of faith.

Romans 5: 1-2 says, ‘1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.’ Grace is received from God. We don’t buy it. We don’t earn it. We can’t work for it. But, by faith, we receive it.

To be the person God wants us to be, we need to step out in faith.

Because of faith, things have happened. People have been healed. People have been helped. A person who is a good Christian is saved by grace. By grace alone. Pastor Lorne said he’s so thankful for that. He said you’ve all experienced it before. He said everything he’s talking about here today, you’re already doing it and he knows you’ll continue to do it.

Ephesians 2:4-5 says 4‘But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.’ Grace is a gift of God. Our salvation and to be a good Christian, we need to be saved by grace.

Titus 3: 5 5‘He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.’ Because of His mercy. Because of his grace.

So, to be a good Pentecostal or a good Christian, we need to be people of the Holy Spirit and people of faith - totally trusting Him above all else. We also need to realize that we are saved by grace through faith.

Pastor Lorne said he believes someday you are going to hear the words - ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant' - when you stand before the Lord.

We don’t know when it is. He’s coming back a lot sooner than we might think and he’s coming back for those who trust in Him. Are you ready?

If you would like to speak to Pastor Lorne about this, please email .

Who is Jesus? Find answers at: http://www.who-jesus-is.com/
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