Foundations Introduction

FOUNDATIONS

FOR CHRISTIAN LIVING

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INTRODUCTION

This study is called “Foundations For Christian Living,” and is basically written for New Christians. But don’t be concerned if you are a not-so-new Christian. Many long-time Christians have never had the opportunity to learn some of the foundational truths of the Christian faith, and can benefit from this study. And non-Christians who are interested in giving their lives to Christ will find answers to many questions about the Christian faith. So welcome!

A New Born-Again Christian is like a newborn baby, and there is much to learn! God places His New-Born Babes into a spiritual family, the Church, to nurture and protect them and to help them grow up strong in the faith. The Bible tells us in 2 Peter 1:1-11 that God has provided us everything we need to live a Godly life. Peter then goes on to tell us about these exceeding great and precious promises by which we can partake of the divine nature. For this reason, we must co-operate with God with all diligence. Peter then gives step-by step instructions for living a life pleasing to God. Foundations For Christian Living is based on these promises and instructions found in 2 Peter. And we are promised, “..for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall. For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”.

The Bible tells the first thing we need as new Christians is food. 1 Peter 2: 2 says, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby” (KJV). Newborn babies are weak, and need milk to grow strong and healthy. When we are born again, we are weak also, and we need spiritual food to grow. God provides exactly the food we need in the Word of God, the Bible. Just as we need to eat daily to stay healthy, so we need to read the Bible daily to stay healthy spiritually. Begin to read your Bible daily! A good place to start is the book of Romans, because it will teach you about your new life in Christ. Remember, without daily nourishment you will remain as weak as a newborn baby!

Daily prayer is very important, also. Prayer is not something we automatically know how to do just because we are Christians. Just as a baby must learn to talk, so we must learn how to talk to God. Even Jesus’ twelve disciples didn’t know how to pray, and asked Jesus to teach them! Jesus’ instructions are in Matthew 6: 9-13, and it is a good starting point if you are not sure how to start. We will study more about prayer, but the best way to learn is by doing! So start right now to talk to God daily.

There’s one more thing you need to know before we get started. The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 5: 8-10, “Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. 9Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. 10In his kindness God called you to his eternal glory by means of Jesus Christ. After you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation” (NLT).

There is a spiritual war going on all around us! And as a newborn babe in God’s Kingdom, you have a new enemy: Satan. Before you became a Christian, you were on the same side as Satan. But when you give your life to God, you’re in God’s family, and Satan will come against you and tempt you. What can you do when Satan comes against you? “Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith.”

The good news is God is sovereign. That means He’s the Boss! It means that Satan can never do anything to you unless God allows him to. You may wonder, “Why would God allow Satan to come against me, to tempt me?” The Bible tells us why in the same passage: “He will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.” The purpose is to build our faith in God! To strengthen us! To teach us how to rely on and trust in God to support us. And to prove to us how faithful God is, how He will always see us through. It is almost like, “No pain, no gain!” for your new faith so it will grow. God allows Satan to tempt us so we can begin to exercise and strengthen our new spiritual faith muscles!

In Matthew 4: 1-11 we learn that God allowed Satan to tempt Jesus Himself. We can learn a lot from this passage about how to defeat Satan. Jesus defeated him by quoting Scripture, and we can defeat him the same way! Ephesians 6:17 says, “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (KJV). The Word of God is a powerful weapon God has given us to use in the battle against Satan and temptation.

Because the Word of God is such wonderful nourishment for our growth as Christians - and such a powerful weapon against temptation! - we will be memorizing a verse each week. Filling your mind with Scripture is one of the most important things you can do for your growth as a Christian!

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