TimS

Although I didn't view my drinking as at all a problem at the time, the Lord knows me better than I know myself and He obviously saw things differently. The day I accepted Jesus Christ as my savior, He called me with a very specific message -- "What you are doing is displeasing to God. If you want to follow me you must quit drinking." It wasn't a burning bush (but could just as well have been given the overwhelming nature of the experience) and it wasn't an audible message. But it was unmistakable and distinct. I was obedient to His call and have continued to be for three years now. I pray every morning to be lead by the Holy Spirit to follow His will. I also pray for the strength to be obedient to His call. I know under my own strength I would never be as obedient as Abraham. If I did follow at first, I'm quite sure I would fall away eventually. What I wonder, especially those of you who've fallen away, what form did God's call take for you? How did you recognize it as God's call? If you have fallen away, can you be sure that God didn't at that time call you to a period of rest to wait on His timing for you to resume?

I live in suburban Minneapolis, MN USA with my wife and son and two cats. Two years ago the Lord provided me with a reasonably priced motorcycle (I've wanted a bike for years, but I always felt it would be selfish to buy an expensive toy like that). Shortly after, He opened the door to discipleship for me through an organization called the Christian Motorcyclists Association. In order to wear your "colors", CMA requires members to complete training for one of the ministry teams. As I was nearing completion of the Servants Ministry team course, the Lord gave me the verses Isaiah 50:4-7 which I felt was affirmation that I was being faithful to his calling. We serve an awesome God, don't we? Amen. I participated in one other bible study with Pastor Ralph and enjoyed the experience. I look forward to conversing with everyone in the forum. Blessings to you all. Tim

Others have covered these questions quite well. The only thought I can add is that when I first knelt before God and acknowledged that I was a sinner in need of forgivness, the moral perfection I felt from His presence convicted me of the breadth of transgressions of which I was truly guilty. This forced a deeper and more painful self-examination than I had expected. Afterward, I felt no condemnation, but only love. The "goodness and moral excellence" of God is such that all sin, no matter how trivial we might think it to be, is abhorrent to Him. I know I, at least, will always fall short of the glory of God. This would be a frightening realization were it not for the salvation bought for me by the blood of Christ on the cross. The bar is high, but at least I know that even when I don't clear it, I am still loved by God.

I believe this means the quality of the faith given to all believers is the same. The quantity (or depth) is not. I think Remas is correct that persecution is a factor in growing faith. But I think persecution acts more as the agent of growth than the means to growth. Without persecution as a motivator, material comforts certainly will dissuade many of us from stepping outside our comfort zones and risking what we have. So without persecution, what then becomes the agent of growth? Jesus' call. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his book "The Cost of Discipleship", links faith with obedience. He wrote, "Obedience remains separated from faith. From the point of view of justification it is necessary thus to separate them, but we must never lose sight of their essential unity. For faith is only real when there is obedience, never without it, and faith only becomes faith in the act of obedience." Therefore, our faith will grow and deepen only insofar as we are obedient to Jesus' call. Peter was obedient to the point of death. The depth of his faith must have been great. This is not to say we should strive for a martyr's death so that we can have great faith. Following our own calling will never grow our faith. Only by following Jesus can this happen. Whatever Jesus calls us to, if we are obedient then our faith will grow.

My name is Tim. I'm from Minnesota. I'm really looking forward to this. I have done other classes, conferences, and seminars via the Internet, but never a bible study. I hope this blesses us all and draws us closer to our Lord.