MyBeloved

Christian character is an essential indicator of being saved because it shows that we are letting Christ work in our lives to change us into that which He wants us to be. Christian character also gives us assurance of our salvation. Ephesians 2:8 - 10 are verses that I would use to assure someone of salvation by grace through faith and not of works, it is a gift of GOD.

Agape love is easier than loving church members because church members are human as we are. None of us are perfect in any way and we all have flaws which makes it more difficult to love one another. If a brother or sister hurts us we need to pray for that person and GOD will put a love and concern in our hearts for them. How can we hate one for whom we are praying? If we stay away from fellow believers we will not grow in the LORD. He tells us in His Word to meet together and we need to obey Him.

A disciplined devotional life is important to me because reading GOD's Word gives me strength and armor for the daily life. Without that time with the LORD each morning my defenses against the enemy would be weakened. So many times I have seen new truths in GOD's Word that I have not seen before. It is exciting to see what He has for us. Seldom do I not have time for devotions but if that happens I try to prepare ahead of time. I prepare for this time with Him by prayer.

It is only by the grace of GOD and the power of His Holy Spirit that He has called me to Himself. I love His Word and enjoy studying it and learning from it daily. So I suppose knowledge is one of the easier attributes of growth. These studies are especially good for me because I must express my thoughts. This is something that is not easy for me to do. Hopefully these lessons will mature me more.

Anything that comes between our walk with the LORD and our daily life can erode our faith and corrupt our lives. We must stay focused on Him. Desire for a close walk with the LORD and for His Word are strong desires that can build our faith. A person may have a knowledge of GOD but they won't have a strong desire for GOD. To know Him as our LORD and Savior gives us a strong desire for more of Him. GOD's promises of salvation, peace with Him, daily blessings, and many more build us up while evil desires only tear us down and pull us away from Him, the One Who died for us.

To be called "by His own glory and goodness" means to me that as I was going my own way in sin He called me to Himself by the power of His Holy Spirit. He loved me even when I was living to please self. GOD's glory and awesome Presence makes me aware of the presence of my sinful nature and gives me the desire to live to please Him. As I read His Word and learn more of Him I love Him more.

This is a wonderful verse! Thank you Pastor Ralph for bringing it to our attention. The scope, extent, and boundries of "everything we need for life and godliness" is GOD has made every arrangement for our life in Christ and our godliness of life for Him. It is only through the knowledge of Christ that we can grow to be a more godly person. "Knowledge of Him" is a personal relationship with GOD through our Lord Jesus Christ.

When Peter said, "received a faith as precious as ours" he was speaking of the faith we receive through the righteousness of GOD our Savior. We have been given a standing before GOD, and that standing is in Christ, we are accepted in the beloved. We are given the same measure of faith as that of Peter, it is "like precious faith", equal in honor or value, received from GOD. Our salvation is a gift from GOD.

Thank you Pastor Ralph for this study. This study has made me aware of the power that GOD has given the church that few of us ever use. I also learned that each believer must use the gifts that GOD has given so that the body of Christ might be built up to what He wants it to be. I am learning to love fellow believers as they are and not as I think they should be.

According to I Corinthians 6:15 we are members of Christ's body. Christ nourishes and cherishes the Church as being of one flesh with Him. As believers in Christ indwelt with His Holy Spirit we should love the Church. We may not always agree on everything but we must agree on the basis of salvation by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. That kind of love produces concern and caring for one another. How can we despise those who are a part of Christ's body? To despise fellow believers is sin.

Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. He is sanctifying the church with the washing of water by the Word. In the future the church will be presented to Him as a radiant bride with all sin removed. Then the church will be holy and unblamable. When I speak of the church I am talking of all who have been born from above by the blood of Jesus Christ. II Corinthians 11:2.

GOD uses the truths of His Word to convict of sin and show a person his need of a Savior who is Christ. This is our cleansing and the daily reading of the Word is our purifying, John 13 when Jesus washed the disciples feet. The Word of GOD should be taught in Sunday school classes and from the pulpit in its entirity. It should be taught and preached as GOD's holy Word. When we read it and hear it taught we should apply it to our lives. If the Word is taught as GOD's Word His Holy Spirit will use it for purification of the beliver and conviction of the unbeliever.

When Christ came to earth in the form of man He emptied Himself of everything but His deity. He was willing to offer Himself up as the supreme sacrifice for our sins, He who knew no sin. He became sin for us so that we might go to Heaven. He suffered, bled and died in our place. This teaches us that GOD so loved us that He gave His only begotten Son to die in our place. There is no greater love than this. This sacrifice was altruistic, for the welfare of others.

"Submission" in regards to the church's relationship to Christ means that we should be lifting and honoring the Name of Christ in everything that we do in our services. We should be submitting to one another and not wanting our own way in everything. My submission to Christ means that I seek to do His will in my life, not what I want to do with my time. A congregation that actually takes seriously submitting its corporate life to Christ would be a loving, caring people who are reaching the lost and edifying believers. Christ is the Head of the church because He is the One who bought us with His precious blood.

According to Ephesians 4:13-16 the purpose of constructing a healthy local congregation is to mature believers so that we can detect error when it comes along. We are to be unified as each of us uses the gifts that GOD has given us and work together. We are to be unified as one with Christ as our Head.

Pastors are to train the congregation so that we might do the work of the ministry and that the church might become mature. We should be able to give a good, clear-cut intelligent witness to the world. The pastor should study, preach, and teach the Word of GOD that we may be well equipped. Jesus spent time with His disciples, praying for them, teaching them, preparing them to go into all the world to preach the gospel.

Pastors and teachers should carry on an expository preaching and teaching ministry of the Word of GOD. Yes, there is a teacher in our church who has a teaching ministry and is not an ordained minister. They cause us to search the Scriptures and to apply them to our lives building us up in the faith.

A local evangelist looks like anyone else in the congregation. All believers are to evangelize by telling others of the love of Christ and His sacrifice for them. A local church evangelist brings the message of salvation by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. He builds up the body of Christ by sharing the Word and edifying believers.

The apostles were under the immediate influence and inspiration of the Holy Spirit and given a direct revelation. While they were alive on this earth they built up the body of Christ with their teaching and today we have their words recorded in the Bible. When we study GOD's Word and apply it to our lives we are being built up in the body of Christ.

Each believer in Christ is given a gift so that he may function in the body of believers in a particular way. The Spirit of GOD doing something through the believer for the purpose of building up the body of believers. Everyone is given grace to exercise that gift in the power and fulness of GOD's Holy Spirit. Each/every part must work together.

I need to accept others just as they are instead of judging them because they do not believe exactly as I do. It is only through the shed blood of Christ that anyone can go to Heaven.

The seven elements that unite all Christians mentioned in Eph. 4:4-6 are: One Body, the total number of believers from Pentecost to the rapture. One Spirit, refers to the Holy Spirit who baptizes each believer into the body of Christ. One hope of calling, refers to the blessed hope, Titus 2:13. One Lord refers to our Lord Jesus Christ. One faith refers to the apostles' doctrine, Acts 2:42. One baptism refers to the baptism of the Holy Spirit, which is real baptism not ritual baptism in water. One GOD and Father of all refers to GOD's fatherhood of believers. I cannot pick out one or two that are more important, they all are of vital importance.

GOD the Holy Spirit brings about the unity spoken of in Ephesians 4:3. All who have received Jesus Christ as personal Savior are to maintain that unity. Colossians 3:13, 14 "Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the LORD forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity." Yes, Christian unity is definitely to be our primary goal. When unsaved people see believers in Christ doing the above verses they will want to be a part of the family of GOD.

The characteristics that are necessary for maintain unity with other Christians are humility, gentleness, patience bearing with one another in love. These can only be maintained by GOD's Holy Spirit. Love is the most important of all of these, I Corinthians 13:13. For me humility is the most difficult.

"Living a life worthy of your calling" is a call for us to walk on a plane even with the position we have in Christ. Philippians 1:27c "Then, whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know that you stand firm in one spirit, contending as one man for the faith of the gospel". We are to walk in the light of the Word of GOD. Those of us who have received Jesus Christ as our personal Savior are baptized into the body of Christ and we are to keep the unity which GOD's Holy Spirit has made. We cannot make that unity, only GOD's Holy Spirit makes the unity, but we are to maintain it. If we are not walking in the Spirit there will be no unity. There are times that there must be a separation of Christians such as in 1 Corinthians 5. Our "calling" is when GOD's Holy Spirit calls us from our dead life into eternal life with Him. We are called to live worthy of our calling.