The New Life

Knowing God and trying to live the Christian life involves three main things: Bible, Prayer and Worship.

The Bible. The old adage is true:

Sin will keep you from the Bible, the Bible will keep you from sin

Knowing God through His Word involves:

• Reading the Bible – Nehemiah 8:3 (ESV) — 3 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law.
• Memorizing the Bible – Job 22:22 (ESV) — 22 Receive instruction from his mouth, and lay up his words in your heart.
• Meditating on the Bible – Joshua 1:8 (ESV) — 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
• Obedience to the Bible – Deuteronomy 31:12 (ESV) — 12 Assemble the people, men, women, and little ones, and the sojourner within your towns, that they may hear and learn to fear the LORD your God, and be careful to do all the words of this law,

Prayer. No factor in Christian growth is more important than prayer. Prayer may be dined as talking with and listening to God. We walk to Him with our lips and our heart, and He walks to us through His will. It involves a two-way conversation. Spiritual maturity is impossible without systematic prayer.

The Bible says about prayer that it comes in the form of:

• Praise – Psalm 150:1 (ESV) — 1 Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens!
• Confession – 1 John 1:9 (ESV) — 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
• Requests – 1 Samuel 1:17 (ESV) — 17 Then Eli answered, “Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him.”
• Thanks – Philippians 4:6 (ESV) — 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
• Commitment – Proverbs 16:3 (ESV) — 3 Commit your work to the LORD, and your plans will be established.

Worship. The Bible describes the Christian life as “walking in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16. Walking best represents the step-by-step, moment by moment character of the spiritual life. Living by the Spirit’s power is a moment-by-moment yielding to the Spirit’s will and control. The evidence that we are walking in the Spirit is simply the display of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Walking in the Spirit involves confession of sin, yielding to God, and being filled with or controlled by the Spirit.

• The meaning of worship – 1 Chronicles 16:29 (ESV) — 29 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the LORD in the splendour of holiness;
• The expression of worship – Hebrews 13:15 (ESV) — 15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
• The reasons for worship – 2 Chronicles 7:3 (ESV) — 3 When all the people of Israel saw the fire come down and the glory of the LORD on the temple, they bowed down with their faces to the ground on the pavement and worshipped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, “For he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”