Next Steps 2.0 - Moving To Maturity

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The Ultimate Christian Discipleship Series for singles, one-on-one, and small study groups.

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NEXT STEPS 2.0 Moving on to Maturity

Bill Scheidler

How to use this Book……………………….………5-8

1 Understanding Salvation…………………..….9-30

2 Renewing the Mind …………………………..31-54

3 Feeding on the Word……………… .. ….…… .. 55-7 6

4 Living a Prayer Lifestyle……………………...7 7 -9 8

5 Relating to Authority……………………...…9 9 -11 7

6 Overcoming Temptation…………………...11 9 -13 8

7 Understanding Trials……………………….13 9 -1 62

8 Taming the Tongue…………………………1 63 -18 7

9 Fulfilling the Commission………………… . 18 9 -21 4

10 Sharing Your Story……………… ……. ... …21 5 -226

When the writer to the Hebrews wrote to those had been Christians for some some, he encouraged them not to stop with the foundation or the basics of their faith, but they were to go on to perfection. The Christian life is a journey that moves from faith to faith. The goal is that the character of Jesus Christ be formed in us with the assistance of the Holy Spirit Whose job it is to lead and guide us into all truth. The writer to the Hebrews expressed it this way: Hebrews 6:1-3, NLT So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don't need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. You don't need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And so, God willing, we will move forward to further understanding. This booklet is designed to be a follow-up to Next Steps , Edition 1.0 where the primaary emphasis is on building a firm foundation for a strong Christian life. In this volume, we want to build on the foundaton that we laid in the previous study to not only secure the foundation that was laid but also to help establish the disciplines in our lives that can help us to move on to maturity in our Christian faith. As with the previous edition, this booklet can be used in three ways: 1. It can be used as a booklet for personal study. By reading through the material and looking up the various Bible

references the student will be built up and encouraged in their faith. 2. It can be used as a manual for personal discipleship. In this case, a more mature believer would meet one-on-one in an informal setting to go through the booklet discussing its contents and making appropriate application. 3. It can be used as the basis for a class in the local church to help believers grow in their faith. By going through the material together as a class or a small group, church leaders can feed the people of God on the disciplines of the faith, line upon line. The text of this manual follows a simple question and answer format with some space given for additional personal reflections and notes. If you are going through this manual as an individual, realize that the goal of going though the material is to experience life change. Therefore, it is wise to pray at the beginning of each session and ask the Lord to reveal to you His pathway to apply what you are reading to your life. Do not be in a rush, but go through the manual at your own pace meditating on what is being said in each lesson and honesly interacting with the material presented. The spaces in the text are there for you to journal what you feel God is revealing to you or saying to you in the process. There is no reward for getting through the material as quickly as possible, the reward comes as we allow the Holy Spirit to deepen our faith experience in the process. As you journal Instructions for Users Individual User

though this manual a little each day, it is important that you are completely honest with yourself if you are going to truly benefit from this study. No one has to see what you have written. This experience is between you and the Lord. Make the most of it.

Personal Discipler

If you are assisting someone to work through this manual in a one-on-one relationship, it will be good to meet with your disciple and discuss how to use the manual, encouraging them to make a commitment to be open and honest with the Lord thoughout the process. It would be ideal to meet weekly asking the disciple to work though the next session’s material the week before, doing a little bit each day as a part of their devotional life. In your weekly meeting you can ask the disciple if they understood everything that they read, if they were able to complete the assigned task, what they learned the most and if they had anything else that they would like to share from this expereince. If they were not able to complete their assigned chapter, do not proceed but give them the same assignment for the week following. Be sure to pray with them concerning the areas in which God is speaking. If you are working through this manual in a small group or class with many participants, it is best to start with an initial gathering of those who will be participating. In that initial session, you will be asking participants for a firm commitment to grow in faith and in their relationship to the Lord and to make every effort to attend each session. Each session builds Small Group or Class Leader

upon the other and the overall benefit of this experience will be diminished if there are gaps. It would be good to review the guidelines listed above for an individual using this manual. It is best to assign a chapter a week in advance and ask the participants to spend a little time each day praying and journaling their way though it. It is important in a group to ask them to share only those things that they feel comfortable sharing in that context remembering that the intimate work is between them and the Holy Spirit. As you go through each lesson you can ask the participants the same kind of questions that are asked by an individual discipler as seen above. Always begin and end each session with prayer.

Building on the Foundation

In the previous study (See: Next Steps 1.0 ) we looked at laying a proper foundation for the Christian life. This included sessions on the importance of a good foundation, hearing and responding to the voice of the Lord, practicing a life of receiving and extending forgiveness, walking in repentance, living a life of faith, experiencing the freedom that comes to us through water baptism, receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit and power, entering into a discipleship relationship with God, becoming a discipler of others, and entering into community with others by engaging in the life flow of a local church. If you did not complete Next Steps 1.0 , it would be beneficial for you to do so, especially if you are a new believer or someone who has recently rededicated themselves to the Lord. Even though everyone will benefit from the journey on which we are about to embark, it will have even more significance for those who have already laid a strong foundation for their Christian life. When we think of a foundation as it pertains to our natural context, we think of a new beginning and the promise of a future house or structure that is yet to come. When we think of a foundation for our Christian life, it is also just the beginning steps and is it is also a promise of a future destiny

that is to come as we walk forward into the purposes of God for our lives.

Hearing and Doing

If you recall from our previous study the foundation of our Christian life is based on the principle of “hearing and doing.” This key understanding is taken from Jesus’ story about the wise and foolish builders (Mt. 7:24-27 and Luke 6:46-49). The primary difference between the wise and foolish builders was that the foolish builder heard the word of God but did not obey or respond positively to the word of God; on the other hand, the wise builder not only heard the word of God, but he put that word into practice. The whole point that Jesus was making is that, when we hear the word of God and do not obey it or put it into practice, we are building foolishly. If we are wise builders, when we hear the word of God, we will act on it. In doing so we are building safely and securely. It is essential that we keep this principle in mind as we continue our journey into Next Steps 2.0 . We are not going forward in this study to simply gain knowledge, although we will certainly do that. The primary purpose for this or any study is to put building blocks of the Christian life in place so that we can experience a life of victorious Christianity. We only receive the promised rewards if we are both hearers and doers of the word.

Understanding Salvation

Many people who have come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ do not really understand what happened to them and why it had to happen the way that it did. Because of this, they often have a difficult time sharing their faith with others and explaining what Jesus did for them. They don’t understand how Jesus’ dying on a cross some 2000 years ago could have any bearing on their lives today. As we move forward building on the foundation that we have laid in our lives, it would serve us well to get a better understanding of this great salvation that we have come to experience. God created man as a three part being including spirit, soul and body (1 Th. 5:23). The spirit is the God-conscience part of man, the soul is the self-conscience part of man (mind, will, emotions) and the body is the sense or world-conscience part of man (five senses). God created man in the image of God. Unfortunately, man fell from that perfect state and, as a result, the human race has been thoroughly corrupted by sin in all three realms—spirit, soul and body. As a result of sin in the human race, five things became harsh realities. What is man’s condition outside God?

1. Everyone born into the world is born with a sin nature.

Sin entered the human race as a result of the original sin of Adam and Eve (Gen. 3). As a result of this (since all mankind came fromAdam) every human being who is born into the world is born with a sin nature. This is sometimes referred to as “original sin.” It is interesting that when a new child is born into the world, no one has to teach that child how to disobey, how to be selfish or how to demand attention. These are things that rise naturally from our fallen inner nature. This reality challenges the myth that man is born basically good and that any evil is only the result of environmental forces that have come to bear on his or her life. Psalm 51:5, NLT For I was born a sinner--yes, from the moment my mother conceived me. Romans 5:12, NLT When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam's sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned. Psalm 14:2-3, NLT The LORD looks down from heaven on the entire human race; He looks to see if anyone is truly wise, if anyone seeks God. But no, all have turned away; all have become corrupt. No one does good, The following verses tell us what the Bible says about our sin nature that we inherited from Adam and Eve.

not a single one!

2. All those born in sin have no natural inclination toward God.

Because we have this innate sin nature, left to ourselves we have no natural inclination toward God or the things of God. In fact, the Bible indicates that we were enemies of God in our hearts and minds (Col. 1:21). Jeremiah 17:9, NLT The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?

Romans 3:23, NLT For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard.

John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

3. Sinful beings have no understanding of spiritual things.

Apart from Christ we do not have the capacity that we need to understand true spiritual things. It takes the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives to help us to comprehend what God has done for us in the spiritual realm.

1 Corinthians 2:14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1 Corinthians 2:14, BBE For the natural man is not able to take in the things of the Spirit of God: for they seem foolish to him, and he is not able to have knowledge of them, because such knowledge comes only through the Spirit. In our natural condition apart from Christ, our minds and even our consciences are defiled. This means that we cannot trust our thinking that has been shaped by input from sinful sources nor can we trust our consciences that have been programmed by a fallen morality. Titus 1:15 To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. Colossians 1:21-22 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight…

4. The mind and conscience of sinful beings are defiled.

5. Everyone born in sin is destined to eternal damnation.

Because our sins have separated us from God, we are doomed to live permanently in that state of separation unless God does something to help us find our way back to Him. The ultimate state of separation from God is an eternity in a place called “hell.” This is not something that we want to think about because it seems so negative but denying a reality of something does not alter the reality of something.

As you read each of the following verses, reflect on what each of them contributes to your understanding of the ultimate destiny of sinful man.

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. Personal Notes: ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Proverbs 14:12, MSG There's a way of life that looks harmless enough; look again-- it leads straight to hell.

Personal Notes: ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 2 Thessalonians 1:10, NLT He will come with His mighty angels, in flaming fire, bringing judgment on those who don't know God and on those who refuse to obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with eternal destruction, forever separated from the Lord and from His glorious power. When He comes on that day, He will receive glory from His holy people—praise from all who believe. Personal Notes: ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Matthew 25:31-33, 41 When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left….Then He will also say to those on the left hand, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

What is the source of salvation?

Because man is born in sin and is powerless to remedy his own condition, it is necessary that someone come to the rescue of mankind. The word that is translated “salvation” [ sozo ] in the Bible means “to save, rescue, deliver or heal.” Who can save mankind from his sinful condition?

Sinful Man Cannot Save Sinful Man

The Bible makes it clear that a sinful man does not have the power to redeem another sinful man. No matter how good a person may seem to be and no matter how much another person may want to help you, they themselves need someone to save or rescue them. Psalm 49:7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him… Job 25:4 How can a mortal be innocent before God? Can anyone born of a woman be pure?

Only a Sinless Person Can Save a Sinful Person

Mankind is totally without hope when left to himself. He cannot be saved by another sinful person, he cannot be saved by animal sacrifice, he cannot be saved by good works and he cannot be saved by righteous ancestors. If fallen people are to be redeemed or rescued, God has to take the initiative and provide a plan that satisfies the demand of justice and His holy nature. The beautiful thing is that God in His great love for us has provided a perfect plan. In doing so He has become our salvation.

Psalm 62:1 Truly my soul silently waits for God; from Him comes my salvation.

God provided for our salvation in the person of Jesus. Jesus is the only avenue by which we can be saved.

Acts 4:12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me .”

How did God provide salvation for us in Jesus?

Thankfully, God not only had a plan for our creation, but He also had a plan for our salvation, redemption and deliverance.

Just as thoroughly as sin contaminated mankind, God’s salvation will deliver or heal mankind.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely ; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

God provided salvation for us in Jesus in three primary ways.

1. Jesus came to earth to live a life of obedience to God.

The Son of God Who was part and parcel of the only true God was willing to come to earth, clothe Himself with flesh (incarnation), be born of a woman and become God’s remedy for our sin. He was given the name “Jesus” which literally means, “Jehovah is Salvation.” It is the Greek equivalent of the Old Testament Hebrew name “Joshua.” Philippians 2:5-7, NLT You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though He was God, He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, He gave up His divine privileges; He took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When He appeared in human form, He humbled Himself in obedience to Go d and died a criminal's death on a cross. Jesus lived the perfect life of obedience that Adam and Eve could not live. He lived His life fully submitted to the will and purpose of the Father. He lived a life of purpose and significance as He embraced the Father’s will for His life. And in all that He did, He did not sin…ever!

Even though He was considered to be an illegitimate child, even though He was mistreated and misunderstood, even though He faced every challenge of life that we all have to face, and even though He was cursed, reviled, tortured and crucified, He did not sin…ever! Hebrews 4:15, NIV For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin . Point to Ponder: “Think of all you know about the life of Jesus from your Bible reading and reflect on the many situations where He could have reacted sinfully.” Personal Notes: ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ Since Jesus lived a perfect life, He was the only one Who could qualify to redeem sinful man. His sinlessness qualified Him in that He had no sin of His own for which to receive judgment. But, in order to be of assistance to us in our condition, He still had to be willing to suffer and die. Jesus gave a clue to His willingness to do so when He described Himself as the “Good Shepherd.”

2. Jesus gave His life as a substitute for our life.

John 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

Jesus was willing to pay the ultimate sacrifice in a demonstration of His great love for us.

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.

Isaiah 53:4-7 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. Jesus was willing to exchange His sinless life for our sinful life. He was willing to give us His righteousness and right standing before God, and, in exchange, He would take on our sinfulness and the punishment that our sins had incurred.

We could call this the great exchange .

➢ We would receive His righteousness.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

➢ He would receive our punishment.

Isaiah 53:6, GNB All of us were like sheep that were lost, each of us going his own way. But the LORD made the punishment fall on him, the punishment all of us deserved. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, NIV For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Point to Ponder: “Based on what you know about Jesus, His pure relationship to the Father and His hatred for sin reflect on the scene described in Mark 14:33-36 where Jesus struggles with the idea of going to the cross and becoming our sin-bearer.”

3. Jesus’ death would provide for a regeneration or rebirth of our old spirit.

John 3:3-6, NLT Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” “What do You mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?” Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life.”

What must we do to receive this salvation?

God has provided for our salvation in the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ for our sins. However, we have a part to play as well. Our part has to do with our response to what He has done. We are to respond to what God has provided for us in four ways.

Point to Ponder: “As you read the verses associated with each of the following points, reflect on what you feel are the most significant points being made.”

1. We must believe in Jesus through faith.

Romans 3:21-26a, NLT But now God has shown us a way to be made right with Him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ . And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteou s. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins. For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His blood. Personal Notes: ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ 1 Corinthians 15:1-4, NLT Let me now remind you, dear brothers and sisters, of the Good News I preached to you before. You welcomed it then, and you still stand firm in it. It is this Good News that saves you if you continue to believe the message I told you—unless, of course, you believed something that was never true in the first place. I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He

2. We must believe that Jesus died and rose again.

was buried, and He was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.

3. We must receive or accept Jesus into our heart and mind to become children of God.

John 1:10-13, NLT He came into the very world He created, but the world didn't recognize Him. He came to His own people, and even they rejected Him. But to all who believed Him and accepted Him , He gave the right to become children of God. They are reborn—not with a physical birth resulting from human passion or plan, but a birth that comes from God. Personal Notes: ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

4. We must acknowledge Jesus as Lord of our lives.

Romans 10:9-10, NLT If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in

your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved. Personal Notes: ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________

What is a proper response to this great salvation?

1. We are glad and rejoice in His salvation.

When we truly comprehend the magnitude of our salvation and when we realize that we have been freed from the penalty of sin, from bondage to sin and from eternal separation from God, we will dance for joy. Psalm 13:5 But I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.

Psalm 13:5, NLT But I trust in Your unfailing love. I will rejoice because You have rescued me.

Luke 10:20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.

2. We actively walk in our salvation.

When we enter into this new relationship with Jesus and are born anew, we are called to a new life. Before we lived a life driven by a desire to fulfill the cravings of the natural man. In Christ, we are new creatures and we are called to walk as children of the light. Ephesians 5:8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light … Colossians 1:9-12, NLT So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of His will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord , and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better. We also pray that you will be strengthened with all His glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to His people, who live in the light.

1 John 1:5-7 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say

that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Point to Ponder: “As you meditate on the above verses, think about how Jesus Christ saved you from darkness and how you are now in the kingdom of light.”

3. We proclaim this salvation every day.

When we understand the depth of our deliverance from sin and its hold on us, we cannot help but tell others of God’s abundant grace and give testimony to His mercy. Psalm 96:2 Sing to the LORD, bless His name; proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day.

4. We share our faith or the experience of our salvation with others.

When we realize that we have the very best news that anyone could receive, it will be easy for us to share our story

with others we know. We will want other family members to find salvation. We will want our friends to know that we have found new life in Christ. We will even find ourselves sharing with total strangers the goodness of God and the greatness of His love for us. Psalm 107:2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy…

Acts 4:20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.

Question to Ponder: “What are some of the opportunities that you have had to share your faith with someone else? What has that been like?”

My Prayer:

Dear Father, I thank you for the great salvation that you have brought into my life. Thank you for the great sacrifice that You made by sending Jesus to become the One Who could recue me from sin and bring me into the family of God as a new person. Give me grace to walk out my salvation that brings honor to Your name on a day basis. Let my like be a pleasing sacrifice back to you.

Amen

Repentance and the Mind

In our previous study ( Next Steps 1.0 ) we learned that the first word of the Gospel is “repentance.” We also learned that repentance is not just being sorry for what we have done or saying the words “I am sorry,” but true repentance involves a complete life change. It involves a change in our mind, a change in our will and a change in our emotions. In this lesson we want to look at the change that is needed in our way of thinking or the necessity of having our minds renewed. When we surrender our lives to the Lord and become believers we are totally and immediately transformed or regenerated in our spirit-man. The Holy Spirit takes up residence in our spirit and we become a child of God; we become a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:17, 19). Unfortunately, our mind or thinking processes are not changed so immediately. In fact, when we become believers we are initiated into a process called “sanctification” that is directed by the Holy Spirit with the purpose that our soul-man (our mind, our will and our emotions) can experience the same transformation that our spirit-man has experienced. What is the renewal of the mind?

The significant battlefield that all believers face is in the area of their minds and their thinking. It is in our minds that we have programmed ways of thinking that are often contrary to a life of faith (2 Cor. 10:4). We have a worldview that has been shaped by many things other than God’s way of thinking. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, NLT We are human, but we don't wage war as humans do. We use God's mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments . We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. Question to Ponder: “What are some of the forces in your life that have made you the way you are? What are some of the things that have shaped the way you think about the world, about God, about sin and about life?” Personal Notes: _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________ The Bible tells us that we are to be renewed in the spirit of our minds (Eph. 4:23-24). The word in the Bible that is translated “renewed” means to “make new again.” In order for us to become all that God has designed for us to be, our minds must be refashioned or recreated according to God’s original design.

Ephesians 4:23-24 …and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind , that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. There are at least four reasons why it is important that our minds be renewed: 1. Renewal of our mind is important because our thinking, to a large extent, determines our behavior (Mt. 15:18-19). What you believe or what you have been programmed to believe will have a major bearing on how you act or respond to any given set of circumstances. If you believe, for instance, that the world is going to end in ten years, it will affect how you live your life and the decisions that you make today. Part having our minds renewed is learning how to think like God thinks about things so that our actions correspond to God’s purpose for our lives, and so that we can live in God’s reality not in a reality or world of our own making. Why is the renewal of our mind so important?

Question to Ponder: “Have you ever acted on something that you believed to be true, only to find out some time later that your assumption was inaccurate?”

2. Renewal of the mind is important because thoughts affect our motives which will ultimately be judged by God.

1 Chronicles 28:9b …for the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent of the thoughts. It is possible for two people to do exactly the same thing but for different reasons or with different motives. I may give myself to business pursuits with the goal to make a lot of money so that I can sit back and enjoy life. Or, I could give myself to exactly the same pursuit but with the goal of glorifying God and serving others. Part of the fruit of our minds being renewed is our motives being purified. Question to Ponder: “Can you think of an instance in your life when you did a good thing, but for selfish or impure motivations?”

3. Renewal of the mind is important because sin stems or proceeds from wrong thinking.

Matthew 15:18-19, NLT But evil words come from an evil heart and defile the person who says them. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all other sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. The word “heart” in the Bible is used in a variety of ways when referring to the nature of man. One such way is that the heart is seen as the source of our thinking processes (Deut. 9:4; Est. 4:13; Zech. 8:17). These thoughts in our heart are often driven by selfishness, pride and sinful appetites. God wants to purify our hearts to think the way He thinks.

Psalm 26:2, BBE Put me in the scales, O Lord, so that I may be tested; let the fire make clean my thoughts and my heart.

4. Renewal of the mind is important because our inner thoughts are exposed by God’s Word.

Hebrews 4:12, NLT For the word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are. One of the reasons why we focus on the regular reading of the Bible is that the Bible represents God’s thoughts and His way of thinking. When we read and say “amen” to the Word of God we are actually washing our minds with the water of God’s Word (Eph. 5:26-27). Our goal is to believe what God believes, to think as God thinks and to prioritize our life according to what is important to Him.

Question to Ponder: “As you examine the life that you are now living, could you say that your life is prioritized around what is important to God?”

What is the state of man’s mind apart from Christ?

Our mind apart from Christ is in an unrenewed state. When we are born again our spirit it immediately renewed, but our mind and thought processes still need to be brought into

alignment with God’s higher way of thinking. We need to move from human reasoning to divine reasoning. The Bible gives us an accurate picture of what our mind is like apart from Christ. We do not like to think of ourselves this way, but if we are going to be renewed in our mind, we have to acknowledge that we need to think differently about sin, about man’s nature and about God.

The Bible describes the unrenewed mind in five ways.

1. The unrenewed mind is defiled or corrupted.

Titus 1:15, NLT Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted . This is a difficult concept to accept. Most of us like to think of ourselves as perfectly logical, completely sane and absolutely reasonable. And if all we wanted to do in this life is hold down a job, get along in the world and retire with benefits, we might seem to be normal in every way. But when it comes to comparing ourselves to God’s thoughts, to God’s purpose and the plan of God for our lives we realize that we have some growing to do. The Apostle Paul’s prayer for the Colossian believers was that they would gain a complete knowledge of God’s will and, therefore, be able to walk out their life with a sense of purpose.

Colossians 1:9-10, NLT So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of His will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

2. The unrenewed mind is blinded.

The Bible makes it clear that outside of Christ we are part of the kingdom of darkness and, therefore, dwelling in total darkness (Eph. 5:8). Many of the key decisions in our life were made when we had no light in us at all. In Christ, we have entered into the kingdom of light (Col. 1:13). Part of the renewal process is allowing the light of God to shine into all of the corners and recesses of our mind to expose any darkness and bring us into God’s truth. 2 Corinthians 4:3-4, NLT If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

3. The unrenewed mind is alienated from and hostile to God.

Before we came to Christ, most of us would not have considered ourselves to be an enemy of God. In fact, it is

possible that we may have even felt that we were on “good terms” with God. But the reality is that outside of Christ all of our sinful actions and selfish deeds were out of sync with God’s purpose. The deeds that we did may have been good, but the motives behind them were not in harmony with God’s nature. Colossians 1:19-21, NIV For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. As humans we are all more or less controlled by our sensual appetites. We have various cravings or desires that long for satisfaction. Our desire for food, sexual freedom, financial prosperity, material possessions, significance, position and power can all be what we focus on satisfying. When we allow these things to be our primary end, we are being led by “the flesh.” Too often pursuit of these things runs cross current to the will and purpose of God. Romans 8:5-8, NLT Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires ; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires . 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. 7 The mind governed by 4. The unrenewed mind is set on the things of the flesh or carnal nature.

the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so. 8 Those who are in the realm of the flesh cannot please God.

5. The unrenewed mind is focused on earthly or temporal things.

We live in a temporal world that is bound by time and space. Our tendency is to think of things only in terms of how it will affect us now or how it will affect our immediate situation. God lives in eternity and has an overview of the universe that spans all of time. He has a plan that began long before we were born and will extend to long past our lifetime and into eternity future. Philippians 3:18-19, NIV For, as I have often told you before and now tell you again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is set on earthly things. As we allow God to renew our minds, He helps us to understand how our actions affect others, how our actions correspond to His grand purpose and how what we do can make a difference not just in the here and now, but for all time. Question to Ponder: “After looking at the five characteristics of an unrenewed mind, do you see any of these things still lingering in your experience?”

What influences our thinking?

There are many things that have shaped or influenced our thinking. Our thinking has been influenced by at least six things. It has been influenced by…

1. Our upbringing.

We were all raised in a particular context with some kind of parental influence whether that influence was biological or otherwise. Each one of those parental figures have come with their own worldview, moral standards, opinions and philosophies of life. We have all been influenced to some degree by each one of these figures.

Question to Ponder: “Can you think of something that you were taught by a parent or other authority figure that you have now come to no longer believe?”

2. Our past experiences, both positive and negative.

As long as we have lived upon the earth, we have been logging experiences. Each of these experiences has had an influence on how we think about life in general. Even though all of these experiences were real, not all of the conclusions that we have drawn from them are accurate. For some of us our experiences were very limited. We may have lived in one city all of our life or we may have been raised in a military family that moved every year or two. Each of these experiences will have a bearing on how we think about life. For some of us our experience can be narrow in the sense that we had very little interaction with other cultures, other ethnicities and other races. This fact will shape how we see the world and how we relate to others.

Question to Ponder: “Have you drawn any conclusions from some of your past positive or negative experiences that you later realized were not accurate?”

3. Our education and religious training.

Most of us are the products of our education. We spend many of our formative years in the classrooms of people who taught us the “3 R’s” of reading, writing and arithmetic. But in reality, they taught us so much more than that. All of these teachers came to the classroom with their own personal viewpoints and ways of looking at the world. In addition, most schools used textbooks and other learning materials that were created by people who had their own interpretations of history, ethics, religious persuasions and events. Some have even had a personal agenda promoting a social order that was not at all consistent with biblical morality. Often times things were taught as fact that in reality have very little scientific proof. Many of these things are in direct contrast to what God has to say about life, sexuality, social order and the nature of man.

Question to Ponder: “Can you think of something that you were taught by a parent or other authority figure that you have now come to no longer believe?”

4. Our personal observations.

Throughout our life we have all been observers of life. We have watched others and how they act and interact. From these observations we tend to draw conclusions or make suppositions about life and how it works. For example, my observations may tell me that people who are dishonest in business can prosper over those who try to do everything with honesty and integrity. We might even be able to find examples to support this premise. However, the Bible teaches that those who are dishonest will not prosper (Pro. 10:9). So which is it? It is important to remember that the story is not over yet. It may seem for the moment that the dishonest person is prospering but when the story is over, God’s way will be proven to be superior.

Question to Ponder: “Have you ever observed something in your experience from which you made an assumption that later turned out to be inaccurate?”

5. Our role-models, particularly those we respect.

Throughout our life we tend to look up to certain role models who have had a big impact on us. These role models

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