Christian Experiences & Spiritual Growth

Winston G Litchmore

• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Year: 2022
• ISBN:
  9781398467903
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Rituals & Practice

Christian Experiences & Spiritual Growth addresses the search for satisfaction with heart and soul happiness. God and being a Christian are seen as its sources. The book defines who is a Christian and how to become one. It dodges none of the trials and temptations in the Christian life but explains how that God as Father, Jesus as Saviour and the Holy Spirit as Guide, Teacher and Comforter, constantly help towards victory, growth, and maturity. Prayer, reading and obeying God's Word have a pivotal role in the experiences of satisfaction and happiness and the truth that every Christian has a home in heaven is cheering.
Readers will gain spiritual knowledge and be able to correct erroneous practice as they read through the book with the Bible alongside, paying attention to the scriptural references on subject areas, put suggestions into practice appropriately and grow spiritually. Reading the book over many sittings will be more profitable than attempting to rush through it. I have employed an explanatory strategy for ease of understanding. For example, I have explained the meaning of some words, phrases, and terms in the body of the book and set out comparative tables to illustrate narratives in the text. These can be used for quick references and reminders.

Chapter 1: :
Who Is a Christian?

“…And the disciples were first called Christians in

Antioch” (Acts 11:26).

The answer to the question “Who is a Christian?” will vary greatly depending on whom you ask. To some, it means you were born in a Christian nation or you come from a Christian family and is a church attender. To others, it means you believe in Jesus or the religion that is based on Jesus’ teachings. Yet others use the word ‘Christian’ to speak of a deep personal relationship between Jesus Christ and an individual. The name Christian was given to the early followers of the risen Lord Jesus Christ, and it is still used to describe followers of Christ to this day.

The word ‘Christian’ is used three times in the Bible and this is found in the New Testament. In each instance, it is referring to the first ‘Christians’ of the early church.

1) “…So it was that for a whole year they (Paul and Barnabas) assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” (Acts 11:26).

2) “Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You almost persuade me to become a Christian’” (Acts 26:28).

3) “Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter.” (1 Peter 4:16).

Believers then were called ‘Christians’ to indicate that they were followers of Jesus Christ. The same term is used for the ‘Christ ones’ of today.

Biblical Teaching

The Bible teaches that good works do not make us acceptable to God or make us Christians. In other words, a person can live to a high moral standard, give money to feed the poor, go to church, and serve their neighbours, and yet not be a Christ follower or a Christian. Ephesians 2:8–9 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, and not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, lest anyone should boast.” We must understand the biblical teaching that salvation (Being born again) is the gift of God.

So then, nothing we do outside of Jesus Christ can make us become Christians. The service that we perform so generously and wholeheartedly, from biblical point of view are dead works but when one becomes a Christian, he is a new creation and he is in union with Christ. God now equips him to carry out His (God’s) own plan of good works for his life as an individual. Once you are saved (Become a Christian), you are expected to do good works. “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10). Good works is the fruit that proves that one has salvation. It is good to note that God will reward good works but not dead works.

A true Christian is a person who has accepted God’s gift of salvation and placed their faith in Jesus Christ. This includes accepting Jesus’ death on the cross as payment for our sins and accepting the truth that He was buried and rose again from the dead. God raised Jesus Christ from the dead (Resurrection) and received Him back into heaven (Ascension). This indicates that God was satisfied with Christ’s finished and completed work as “The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). Jesus’ resurrection is also proof of His power over sin, death, Satan and hell.

Those who are not Christians, are under the power of sin and will reap its consequences unless they repent and be converted to Christianity. People are not Christians for the following reasons:

(1) Although God’s creation and their own consciences reveal to them that there is one true God, they refuse to acknowledge Him.

(2) Although they have heard the gospel, they reject Jesus Christ and the work of salvation which He accomplished at Calvary (Mark 16:16; 2 Thessalonians 1:8–9).

(3) They have not yet heard the good news of God’s salvation so that they can respond to it. They will hear one day.

Thus the person who is not a Christian is firstly, out of fellowship with God his Creator and with Jesus the Saviour of the world and secondly, he is bound for a place called hell.

Jesus, who is loving and compassionate, knows that hell is a reality and a place to be shunned. He spoke much about hell and the lake of fire where people do not die but live forever in misery.

Jesus explained that any sacrifice which people can make to escape hell will be worth it all. He spoke of the...

Table of contents

• Foreword
• Preface
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: : Who Is a Christian?
• Chapter 2: Assurance of One’s Salvation
• Chapter 3: Baptism
• Chapter 4: Christian Fellowship
• Chapter 5: Separation
• Chapter 6: The Lord’s Supper (Breaking of Bread or Communion)
• Chapter 7: The Christian and the Word of God
• Chapter 8: Prayer in the Life of the Christian
• Chapter 9: The Old Nature and the New Nature
• Chapter 10: Some Distinguishing Qualities of a Growing Christian
• Chapter 11: Adjusting Your Christian Life to God
• Chapter 12: Love and the Christian
• Chapter 13: Forgiveness and the Christian
• Chapter 14: Temptation and the Christian
• Chapter 15: Joy and the Christian
• Chapter 16: Concluding Chapter