Table Of Content

Copyright © 1982 All Rights Reserved BT708 Printed in U.S.A. Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association, Inc. 1 How to Live a Successful Christian Life believe accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord Iand Savior is the most important decision you can ever make, because through it you 3 have everlasting life. I thank God that we can be saved and when we die we can go to Heaven. But what about all the years between now and the time we go to heaven? Salvation is just the beginning of a full, happy Christian life. However, I've found that some of the most need-centered, joyless people in the world are saved people— Christians. They are unhappy because they don't know how to deal with their problems and needs here on Earth. In Heaven we won't have needs. It's in this life-span that we must have answers to our problems. And God has made that provision for us through His abundance. I believe that when you learn God's way of doing things and do them, you can be a victorious Christian. And you can have a happy, joyful life in Jesus Christ IN THE NOW! It is important that you become a disciple. When you become a Christian, you don't necessarily become a disciple of Jesus. A 4 disciple is a follower and a learner. You can be converted in a moment but it takes a lifetime to become a disciple. CONVERSION is what God does for you; DISCIPLESHIP is what you do for God. Conversion is that moment of seeking God when by His grace He freely forgives and makes you into a new creation, ready for heaven. Discipleship takes a lifetime of loving and giving on your part. Jesus said: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me (Luke 9:23). Jesus is not talking here about the instant experience of salvation. He is talking about living for Him on a day-to-day basis ... keeping your Christian experience always in the NOW. To become a disciple means you start following the Man Jesus and learning of Him daily. The word disciple carries with it the idea 5 of discipline. Discipleship, as Jesus taught it, means total commitment and bringing oneself under His authority. To use Andrew Murray's phrase, "Discipleship is enrolling in Christ's school of obedience." When we reach this place of discipleship, we will recognize that when Jesus asks something of us, He always has a blessing to give us in return. The Lord asks for our faith and obedience. The world is not into faith, nor into obedience. But as His disciples, we are called to separate ourselves from the world—from all who would stand in the path of obedience, from all who are against those who obey God. Christ asks this of us. But His demands are not oppressive. They are demands based upon God's love for us and His belief in us. What God wants us to be, we accept. We gladly obey. We receive His gift of authority as a gift of life because we know God is a good God. He only wants the best for us. Now I want to share with you some important things that I believe will help you 6 enter into God's rhythm of successful Christian living. Starting today! 1. Attend church regularly. 2. Study God's Word daily. 3. Learn to witness for Christ. 4. Practice Seed-Faith. 5. Release your faith. 6. Use a point of contact. 7. Pray and seek God daily. 8. Release your prayer language. 1. Attend Church Regularly Now ye are the body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:27) Often when we see a church building we say, "There's a church." But we can't put the Church within four walls. The Church is the Body of Christ, a living organism made up of all people who are born in the Spirit of God (1 7 Corinthians 12:12-31). Christ is not in four walls. He's in hearts. The church building is only a place we worship in, a place where He is in the midst of His people. But the real Church is in you and me. I like to compare attending church to having your car serviced. You drive your car into the full-service station and the attendants put in the gas and oil and service it. But they don't create your car. They simply improve its performance. In the same way, the church doesn't make you a Christian, but it does enhance and strengthen your ability to live like Christ taught. You can worship God anytime and anyplace, for your relationship with Him is a personal thing. But in my life I've found no substitute for the blessings of strength and help that attending worship with other Christians gives me. God's Word tells us: "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 8 18:20). It's refreshing to worship with other believers and to fellowship with like-minded people. The Word also tells us we are not to forsake "the assembling of ourselves together" (Hebrews 10:25). In church you will hear the Word of God preached and your faith will be built up. You can pray and express your love and worship to God. You learn to love each other and to share God's love with people outside the church. Which church? Many people ask me which church I would recommend that they join. Only God has the right to tell you which church to attend. But I'd like to encourage you to look for a church that believes in the real Jesus, in His divine power to save, to heal, to bless, and to guide you every day. I believe the church you choose should be one which teaches that Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and that all who believe may be healed and made whole in 9 soul, mind, and body. It should be one where the minister tells you about Jesus Christ and about faith. He tells you how to approach God and how to live a committed Christian life. I would encourage you to select a church where you feel Christ's Holy Spirit and where He truly lives in the hearts of His people. The church you feel comfortable in is probably the best church for you. When you agree on the fundamental doctrines of the Bible, with Christ as the center of all, then you have a basis for unity and harmony. 2. Study God's Word Daily Thy word have I hid in mine heart. (Psalm 119:11) When I accepted Christ into my heart, I did not just embrace a great spirit, an idea, or a concept. I embraced a Person—Jesus Christ. Jesus is more than a Savior, To me, He is a friend and a daily companion. As I read His 10