January 2012
Walking is Good for Your Heart
If we are going to make a difference in the world then we must be different from the world! That is in fact what God has planned for our life. Repeatedly throughout the New Testament we are reminded that we are called to be saints!
The term ‘saint’ comes from the word ‘hagios’ a word that means ‘different’, ‘separate’, or ‘set apart’. It is the same term from which the word ‘holy’ comes. It is ironic that many of the books in our New Testament are addressed to gatherings of saints (different ones) and then those letters contain words of correction concerning areas where they are failing to be different (or holy)! That is because a saint is a ‘work in progress’!
The work begins when a person puts their faith in Christ and becomes a new (different) creature! We have received a new position in Christ even though the condition we find ourselves in has not changed. It is now the process of spiritual growth that brings what God has placed on the inside to the surface for others to see! (This is what Paul means when he instructs believers to ‘work out their salvation’ in Philippians 2:12)
God has not called us to be weird, odd, or eccentric but He has called us to be different from the culture around us that does not personally know Him. It is not easy to live in this world and maintain a holy life. The culture will put pressure on us to conform to the masses. But God clearly challenges us to not be conformed but to be transformed (Romans 12:2).
The New Testament was written to saints living in a pagan culture with many of the pressures and temptations to sin that we have today. I believe that we have in the Bible not merely an admonition to live holy but we also see great motivation to pursue a holy lifestyle in a polluted world!
I invite you to join us during the month of February as we explore what it means to walk in holiness – a life that makes a difference in this world! We have also planned other activities and studies in God’s word to help you in your journey.
Come on, let’s take a walk together!
Pastor Steve Parks
