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The Local Church Pursuing Sanctification
The local church consists of born-again Christians who have been made new by the power of Christ. We have been made holy, we have been counted righteous, and we are the redeemed saints who have been forgiven of our sins. Our gathering together week by week is pointedly distinct from anything else in this world. Every local body specifically gathers in order to worship Christ through the preaching of His Word, singing praises to His name, petitioning Him in prayer, partaking in the Lord’s Supper, observing the ordinance of baptism, and fellowshipping together around the Scripture. It is for the praise of Christ and the encouraging of each other in the Lord which is why we gather. We have been made holy before God by the power of the Gospel, therefore we worship the Lord!
The Joy of Discipline
Our culture today celebrates laziness, sinful feelings, emotionalism, and a lack of overall discipline as being that which is good. Many parents raising their kids apart from the biblical worldview often do not instill a work ethic into them. Countless are relying more and more on the welfare state to care for their daily needs. Those who “feel like a man trapped in a woman’s body” are encouraged to mutilate their physical appearance to match their faulty emotions. Concepts such as denying yourself, disciplining your body, and working hard for the glory of God are eroding from our society as the influence of biblical Christianity has waned.
The Biblical Fight For Freedom
Freedom is one of those words, an idea, which is the embodiment of much of what one believes. If you believe that your ultimate goal in life is to live according to your own desires then you will define freedom as meaning that you have the right to do whatever it is you please even if immoral. Contrastingly, if you foundationally believe that your goal is to glorify God, then freedom is the ability to live a life that is pleasing to Him, it is the right to live according to the standards He has set in His Word. If you live with an entitled attitude you will almost certainly take the freedoms you have now for granted not realizing the precious price that was paid by your forefathers for them. Freedom, both the concept and the pursuit of it, truly demonstrates much of one’s underlying beliefs and life.