Faith 101: Growing in Our Faith

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by some special friends of this ministry. Pastor Greg wanted to see a special word of thanks to the harvest partners who make this ministry possible next time your online check out Pastor Greg's personal blog@blog.greglaurie.com times we lose sight of the basin today. Pastor Greg Laurie helps ensure the foundation of our walk with him or see our life suffer when we overlook those being defeated, we find ourselves falling sins that we were apart of our ghostly blog site of the basics. So let's go back to the very beginning.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is a viable and questionable control stood forward real good look back in the house and get real small pilot did lose track of the base member with those switches do why the report today on a new beginning. Pastor Greg Laurie helped us with the refresher course on the basics of the Christian faith is a good reminder of the fundamentals, so crashing friends at red each other on this.

They hadn't seen each other for a while, so the one guy said to his buddy menu looked very sad, like you're on the verge of tears. What's wrong in the said guide said well as it turns out I had an uncle die recently and he left me $40,000 is rented wallets. That's pretty amazing the guises you don't understand. Two weeks ago my cousin died I never even knew and they let me $85,000 free and clear. His buddy said, man, that's a lot of money, you should be very happy because is no way that I had a distant anti-and she left me have $1 million. This friend said I'm a little confused as to why you're sad.

And then this friend said well this week.

Nothing. He was missing the point. And I think a lot of times as Christians, we miss the point. By that I mean we don't stop and think about all that God has done for us. Do you realize how much God is done for you if you put your faith in Jesus. The Bible says he's justified us, not the big word.

We may not understand it, it means that God has taken your sin and he is removed it and he is forgotten that any of place.

The righteousness of Christ into your spiritual bank account, so to speak, which means that now you stand right before God, and it also means that God sees you as a new person in him all things passed away.

All things become new. Your sin is forgiven.

Your eternal future is secure, and sometimes I think we forget about that soap in the light of the fact. Should we not want to grow spiritually. You know the Bible says we love him because he first loved us. But let me ask this question. Why is it that some people seem to grow more spiritually than other people do about a father that was talking with his daughter and her eight-year-old friend Kristin about birthday.

So Kristin's birthday was March 30 and the dads was March 27 and the father said you know what, Kristin.

Our birthdays are only three days apart and she looked at this full-grown adult men and she said yeah but it seems like you grew faster than I did. So why do some people seem to grow faster spiritually than others. Why do some blossom and bloom in and go on to do great things for God and others crash and burn.

You might be surprised by my answer.

It's really up to the individual you decide if you're going to grow spiritually. You decide.

If you're not going to grow spiritually. Jesus gave us the parable that we sometimes call the parable of the sower. I think you could also call it the parable of the soils. It's a story about a sower that went out to so see back in those days they just took seed and randomly through it to the wind and it landed where it landed. So Jesus said some seed fell on ground that was embedded with rocks and that shot up quickly and had no root and withered in the sun. Some seed fell among thorns and the thorns choked out the seed, some seed fell on the roadside and the birds came and ate it and some seed found receptive soil and took root and became fruitful so he said basically, this is how we react to the word of God. You know you share the gospel. Some people in there like the seed that one of the roadside of the birds come and get it. You tell them about Jesus doesn't penetrate their heart or their mind they rejected outright. You know the birds. They hang out at places like McDonald's or In-N-Out Burger in before a private hits the ground. They swooped down to get it or this Eagles. By the way, I hate singles.

They're the worst bird of all time. But anyway, this Eagles will steal your lunch.

They'll steal your children if you allow them they'll steal your dogs.

Even for those little yuppie dogs. But here's the thing. The birds come and take it away. Some people hear the word of God. It doesn't impact them. But then Jesus talked about see that was sewn on ground filled with thorns, or weeds. He said these are they that hear the word of God, but the cares of this life show get out. Then there are those that shoot up quickly in the sun, but because they have not rooted in the soil, they wither quickly. These are people that hear the word of God. Maybe they profess to be believers never burst of excitement.

Then they fall away, but then he said the seed on the receptive soil.

These are they that hear the word of God and receive it. Listen you determine if you're going to be receptive soil.

You determine if you're going to grow spiritually and I bring this up because some people will say something along the lines up well I try the whole Christianity thing and it didn't work for me.

Give me a break.

Jesus Christ will change any person that comes to him if it didn't work for you that's not on Jesus. Sorry friend that's on you. That would be like somebody say oh yeah I tried the whole eating thing you know any three meals a day, even snacks in between but but I'm over that. I'm not in the eating anymore. Well, if you're not in the eating anymore. You will be in the living either.

You need to eat to live, and so if you did not grow spiritually is because you did not apply yourself. Listen, God is giving you everything you need to grow as a Christian were told in first Peter 13 his divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness to the knowledge of him was called us for his own glory and goodness. If you want to grow spiritually, you will grow spiritually in the book of Philippians chapter 2 verse 12 it says work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

It doesn't say work for your own salvation that says work out your own salvation. The means live it out play it out.

It's the idea of going into a mind of finding the gold that is in their God's giving you everything you need. You need to work it out don't work for your salvation but you do work out your salvation is St. John and St. Paul one said we can work it out taxi. That's John Lennon or Paul McCartney, the Beatles, that was a joke. Forget it okay to listen to this.

You need to take what God is giving you, and let it develop in your life commentator from years ago Alexander McLaren made the statement quote he that has the Holy Spirit in his heart and the Scripture in his hands has all he needs. Limb repeat that he that has the Holy Spirit in his heart and the Scripture in his hands has all he needs so here we are. Faith 101. It's a crash course on the things that matter in the Christian life. Things that you never outgrow things you never move beyond disciplines. We must maintain from the beginning to the end of our life is a follower of Jesus on this planet.

Here's principal number one if you're taking notes and I hope you are if you want to be a growing Christian you must read study and love the word of God. Let me say that again if you want to be a growing Christian you must read, study and love the word of God. Joshua 18 says this the book of the law, which is a reference really to Scripture, shall not depart from your mouth. You shall meditate in it day and night and observe to do all that is written in it. Then you will have your way prosperous, and you will have good success.

A growing believer will be a lover of the word of God that someone 19 it says oh how I love your word Lord, your words are true, but sometimes we lose sight of the basics. It was July 1961 and 30 members of the Green Bay Packers football team were gathered together for the first day of training camp. The previous season had been devastated because they lots of the Philadelphia Eagles and so coach Vince Lombardi stood before the team and he held up a football and he said gentlemen this is a football. Why was he saying that he was saying.

It starts here and from that moment on.

Vince Lombardi took these professional players to the basics of the game of football. He treated them as though they were blank slates headed never heard these things before he taught them the things they needed to know things like blocking and tackling passing and catching and all the other basics, and six months later the Green Bay Packers beat the New York Giants 37 to 0 and one, the NFL championship. Okay, so that can happen to us as Christians, we can find ourselves being defeated, we can find ourselves losing instead of gaining ground. We find ourselves falling back into old sins that we thought were a part of our past and that's because we blog site of the basics so let's go back to the very beginning. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a Bible.

This is a Bible and everything you need to know about God is found in the pages of the Bible. If you want to know God, you need to open read study and apply what is taught in the Bible. Listen to this success or failure in the Christian life is determined by how much of the word of God you get into your life on a regular basis and how obedient you are to it for Greg Laurie will have the second half of this message in just a moment, everybody Greg Laurie here personally inviting you to join us for what we call Harvest at Home. It's a Bible study.

It's a worship service into church in your home. If you're not able to get out your church right now. If so, join us per Harvest at Home people are listening this from around the world listen to this. We have seen thousands of people make a commitment to follow Christ.

Join us this weekend per harvest@home.o Pastor Greg is offering a good reminder of the basics of the faith today in a new series called faith 101 a crash course on the Christian life. Let's continue earlier we read the passage in Joshua we talked about meditating on the word of God number we use the word meditation. Don't think of Eastern meditation and Eastern meditation one empties their mind, but a biblical meditation one fills their mind with the word of God. The idea of meditating is shooing something over thinking it over, pondering it over sometime someone will say I read 10 chapters of the Bible today. That's great.

What were they about. I have no idea, but I read 10 chapters note listen this not enough to just read you need to comprehend what it is saying we need to be hungry for the word of God. Chew your food. I don't know about you but but I am a person who eats three meals a day and I usually want breakfast around 530 to 6. I get up pretty early, then I have lunch around 11 then I have dinner around five when I see around. I mean pretty much at five at 11 and at 530 this six and I it's like clockwork every single day know my wife and contrast will not eat breakfast and she won't even be aware it's lunchtime. Elsa Kathy, it's almost lunch it is unlike I've been thinking about lunch for like an hour I been thinking about lunch since 10 o'clock and she is like a maze of lunchtime just happened that I don't think that way. My stomach reminds me, I think if you're hungry, it's a sign that your healthy right so in the same way.

I hope the spiritual person will be a hungry spiritual person W person that longs for, and loves the word of God. First Peter 32 says like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk that you may grow up in your salvation. I know y'all think I hate cats averting total joy heats Eagles stand by that statement. I really don't hate cats. I just don't love them.

But there are acceptance there's a My neighborhood's name is Hopkins. It's a cool cat. He goes from house to house everybody feeds them. So this morning I got up, and Hopkins is walking around in our housing.

My wife Kathy says Craig give Hopkins some milk so I go over and I pull out a little bowl and I pour some milk into the bowl and I said it down in front Hopkins. He took like two licks and then walked off probably to get food from some other neighbor to get it when I just portal the milk in a ball for you and that's all some of us are we we desire the sincere milk of the word, but a couple licks and were growing up we go will finish the serving dig in deeper continue in the word of God, and I don't know about you but when I don't eat I get angry and know I get irritable that I find that a meal can change everything. Just one good meal and to take a child. For instance, when a little baby is crying is usually two reasons.

Number one there hungry number two.

Maybe they need a nap.

By the way, I found that works for me to time hungry.

Or maybe I need a nap but if the same is true of God's word. It says over in Jeremiah 1516 when your words came Lord I ate them and they were my joy. They were my hearts delight. See, it's all I love your word and I consume your word. I have a grandson named Christopher and he's really into reptiles and so I bought Jim and a Noley loser down. Sometimes these lizards are called chameleons because they change color but actually they're not technically chameleons at another creature altogether, but the end Noley is a great little pet and I gave him one and that he had it for a couple of weeks and then he decided he would just let the end Noley go another raised in captivity and so these little lizards really don't know the way around out there how to take care of themselves and so what happened was the end Noley disappeared and in his dad. Jonathan might send that will never see that a Noley again but three weeks later he was in his garage and and there was what looked like the dead a Noley. He was looking skeletal just laying on the ground. Jonathan thought all know that for lizard and he went to pick it up and inserted job. So this thing was still alive. So Jonathan gave him a couple of crickets spray them with water in the sun.

Noley came back to life and now he's doing very well, but my point of this is if you're feeling down and listless spiritually eat some crickets know seriously need the word of God. That's why you're feeling lethargic. That's why you're feeling down.

That's why your life is been flooded with fear and anxiety because you forgotten what the Bible says and that's why you need to spend time in the word of God each and every day Martin Luther made the statement about the Bible and I quote the Bible is alive. It speaks to me. It has feet and runs after me and that's what God wants to happen in your life as you open the work it will speak to your heart will as I mentioned, this is a new series that were doing called faith 101 a crash course on the basics of the Christian life things that sometimes we lose sight of you know when we started our church almost 50 years ago I started by teaching through the Bible and were still doing that today because we know how important the word of God is in the lives of people and we found that our church on the principles of acts chapter 2 versus 42 to 47. So I'd like you to read those with me if you would right now. By the way, prefer to read them. This happened on the heels of the birth of the church. This is what happened after the day of Pentecost when the church was born. The Holy Spirit was poured out unbelievers.

The Bible tells us, and now this is what the church did in the aftermath of that and this is what the church should be doing today to stay strong spiritually asked to 42. Those that gladly received his word were baptized and that the 3000 souls were added to them and they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and the breaking of bread and in doctrine and fellowship, and prayers now dropped on to verse 46 so continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people of the Lord added to the church daily those that were being safe so I've summed this up in an acronym, W. E. L. L. W-4.

They were a worshiping church E they were and evangelizing church.

L. Number one, they were a learning church and L. Number two, they were a loving church all deal with those other principles. Later let me just focus on this one.

They were a learning church. Verse 42.

They continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and press this phrase continued steadfastly speaks of a passion and speak to people that were really engaged. You know we need anointed preaching today for sure but I think we also need anointed listening, giving your attention with intention paying attention.

Jesus would often say he that has ears to hear, M here if we were to update that Michael along these lines listen, pay attention, because were sharing with you the word of God. Great reminders today. Foundational precepts of the faith pastor Greg Laurie with a study called faith 101 today. You're on a new beginning.

And if you were in Italy hear the entire study just now, you can get an instant replay by going online to harvest.org just look for the title. Faith 101, or request a CD copy by calling 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 pastor Greg Darrell strawberry is here with us today yeah and you know it's not often that people get to talk with the legend and I'm just glad the two of you are getting a chance to talk with me today. That's good, Dave. I like that good good. Joe will Dell really is a legend. He's a sports legend. He's someone that most people know of. He has written a brand-new book called churn your season around subtitled how God transforms your life by my friend Darrell strawberry and Darrell asked me to write the forward which I was delighted to do. Let me just read a little bit from my forward for Darrell's book, because it pretty much tells you who he is.

If you don't know most people know Darrell strawberry is a sports legend, a baseball icon and childhood hero, a model athlete, a world-famous success the best of the best, and rightly so. An amazing fielder Darrell played 17 seasons abysmal for the Mets the Dodgers the Giants and the Yankees.

But it was in the batters box 31 so much of his well-earned thing known for his prodigious and numerous homeruns. Darrell never failed to please his abundant dance when he stepped up to the plate. Darrell strawberry is an eight time All-Star four-time World Series champion, two-time Silver slugger award winner.

1983 National League rookie of the year 1988 National League homeruns leader and New York Mets all of thing, but one of the things I write in this folder. Many don't realize is that Darrell was a broken man broken before he even started playing baseball underneath the swagger and success were a pain in his spiritual emptiness that theme, fortune women, drugs, and the love of the game could never satisfy. Joe told me once my pain led me to my greatness but my greatness would eventually lead to my destructive behavior. Darrell thanks for being with us today and met I'm I think this new book is is going to impact a lot of lives in you of a story to tell. So how many books have you written in total, Darrell. I think I've written a few books on the autobiography which drove the New York Times bestseller and I think that will went well and everybody was really looking forward to reading. I won't, but I think this book is probably the most important book that I have ever written. It has so much ingredients inside of it because it has dual with other principles of the biblical principles in 1 August. Thanks thanks for having the press regarding really appreciate all that you will man and allow me to be on you showing your writing before for my book, I think reaching so many people at this this time is critical time in our in our life is so important. I think this book, I realized that God would have me write a book middle of a pandemic and call attorney season around. Little did I know that we would all have to turn the season around. From what we've been through so yeah I just hope it. I just hope it reach a lot of people in such a lot of people show that God you know God's mercy is Israel, and his grace is sufficient and that he loves us and Mr. whatever we go through so if you want to get a copy of Joe strawberries brand-new book that he feels is the most important book he's ever written. You can get it from us here to new beginning again. The title is churn your season around how God transforms your life.

I will send you this book for your gift of any size to help us to continue on here at a new beginning to teach the word of God and to preach the gospel that change the life of Darrell strawberry yeah that's right it's a message that still changes lives today. In fact, more than 150,000 people made decisions through this ministry in 2020, alone, and your investment helps that kind of outreach happen. Could we ask you to partner with us and if you can send an investment right now. Be sure to ask for Darrell's book turn your season around. You can write a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300. That's 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org the next time pastor Greg brings us more insight. The value of God's word and harming us and preparing us for spiritual battle. Join us here in a new beginning. Greg Laurie and possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for pastor greats free daily email, devotions@harvest.org