A Christian Guidebook: Introduction (3)

“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” John 17.17

… you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children, that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. 1 Thessalonians 2.11, 12

Our calling
When I was a kid, we used to spend our summer days playing in a large field across the street from our home. There were places to hide, explore, build a fort, and much more, and we could become so wrapped up in our play that we didn’t pay attention to much else.

Except when our mom stepped out on the front porch and called us to dinner. We recognized her voice, we understood what she wanted, and we knew that she would only call once. She was calling us to a change of mind and heart, a change of place, and a change of activities. We knew to come when she called, for if we failed, we would be excluded from dinner and sent to bed hungry.

God has called us to a change of heart and mind, a change of place, and a change of life. He has called us to His Kingdom and glory. We are to seek the Kingdom as the defining motif of our lives (Matt. 6.33). We have received the mind of Christ so that we might take all our thoughts captive to Him and His agenda (1 Cor. 2.16; 2 Cor. 10.3-5). We are called to know, love, serve, and glorify the Lord in all we do (1 Cor. 10.31). And we must no longer live the way we did when Jesus was not the constant focus of our minds and hearts (Col. 3.1-3; 1 Pet. 3.15-17; 1 Pet. 4.1-3).

In short, we are called to be new people in every aspect and facet of our lives (2 Cor. 5.15-20).

God has called us to enter His Kingdom and live for His glory. Are we listening? Have we responded to this call as the essence of our Christian faith? Or did we merely respond to some invitation to be saved? Or to be forgiven of our sins? Or assured of eternal life in heaven? These are part of the larger call of God to His Kingdom and glory, but we must embrace the entirety of His call, and not just the gifts of forgiveness and salvation, if we are to realize all the exceeding abundantly more of our great salvation that God has in store for us (Eph. 3.20; Heb. 2.1-3).

Such a great salvation
The writer of the book of Hebrews insists that we have “such a great salvation” that we must pay constant attention to it, learning, living, growing, and sharing the Good News of Jesus and His Kingdom with everyone we can.

The more that great salvation becomes our daily experience, the more likely we will be to run to others who may be seeking some way out of the choking pollution of our secular age. This Guidebook can help. As we read through it ourselves, our sense of Who the Lord is and what He has called us to in His Kingdom and glory will be greatly enlarged and enhanced. We’ll see Him more clearly; understand the character, condition, and consequence of His Kingdom; and realize more of what is required of us in our everyday goings. Thus refreshed in our soul, we will run our race with holy spiritual energy and powerful effects (Heb. 12.1-3).

Realizing more of the greatness of our salvation is the objective of every true believer. If this is not our objective, then we need to ask why. Have we already drifted from what little grasp of salvation we once professed? Have we neglected to pursue the exceeding great and precious promises of Jesus Christ and our salvation? Has the fear of men stifled our desire to be and live and work more like Jesus?

Or have we never truly come to the Kingdom of God, but are merely giving lip service to our faith?

God has such a great salvation in store for each one of us, a great salvation that we can never fully realize in this life, but that we may increasingly lay hold on, understand, experience, and share with others more of what it means to know, love, and serve our Lord Jesus Christ.

And this Guidebook has been prepared to refresh your soul in God’s Word unto that greater salvation He has in store for you.

Begin here
This Guidebook is organized according to an order of concerns we might expect to confront as we run to tell others the Good News of Jesus and His Kingdom. Accordingly, it begins with Jesus—Who He is, what He accomplished, where He is now and what He is doing, and how we can know Him.

The teaching of each subsequent installment in this Guidebook is supported by Scripture, because helping you become more enmeshed and immersed in Scripture is a primary objective of this effort. Be sure to read the references cited at each point. But don’t just read them; read and meditate and seek the Lord to bring you to greater depths of understanding and experience of His Word (Neh. 8.8-12). Let the Guidebook be for you an impetus to seek the Lord in all His beauty more deeply and consistently (Ps. 27.4).

Each installment of the Guidebook will offer a series of questions to ponder and a Next Steps exercise to put your faith into more energetic and specific motion. Be sure to do these faithfully. Perhaps reading and studying with a friend may enhance your learning experience. If so, find a friend who will read through this Guidebook with you and discuss each installment as to its implications and applications.

As you read, seek the Lord in His Word, asking Him to show you more clearly what it means for you to be called to His Kingdom and glory, and to empower you with strength and grace to live more fully for Jesus each day.

For reflection
1. Take a few moments to look up the verses cited in this installment. Choose one to meditate on for an extended period, say, while you’re having lunch. How does the Lord speak to you through this exercise?

2. When did you first hear God calling you? At that time, did you understand He was calling you to His Kingdom and glory? Explain.
 
3. How do you prepare each day to “run” with the Word of God into your world?

Next Steps—Preparation: In prayer, take stock of your calling. How do you understand what God has called you to as His new creation? How do you seek that calling? Do you need to improve your understanding or pursuit of that calling? Talk with Jesus about these questions.

T. M. Moore

Resources for your race
Many Christians have a “too small” view of what it means to be saved. Two books can help. Such a Great Salvation outlines the broad scope of what we have received through faith in Jesus Christ. Learn more about it and order your copy of the book (click here) or the free PDF (click here). And don’t let the title of this next book fool you. Our salvation is “small” because it takes in everything in our lives, as we point out in our book Small Stuff (click here for the book or here for a free PDF).

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.