Live the God Life

How amazing must it be if someone turned around to you and said about you and your church:

“Let me say first that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world.”

(Romans 1:8 NLT)

Wow, imagine it! That because of your faith in Jesus, it’s getting spoken about all over the world! OK, I know what you’re thinking, “that sounds a bit of a prideful thing to want, your name to be spoken about all over the world”.

But take a minute to think about it ... imagine if how we all lived as a church/GoChurch in all the locations across the world people said “Wow they are true followers of Christ”. Wouldn’t that be amazing! 

I’m not talking about people saying that because of the signs, miracles and wonders that happen in GoChurch, even though that would be amazing! No, I’m talking about how we all lived individually and corporately as the body of Christ. 

If we all lived a life that was dedicated to Christ, set apart for him. If we lived the opposite of what it says in Romans 1:29-30 NLT:

“Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarrelling, deception, malicious behaviour, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.”

Imagine how much that would please God that we all lived a life individually and corporately as GoChurch that was sinless, loving, unity, no gossiping, no hating and not being proud or boastful.

In Romans 1:29-30 I see the world living like this - every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarrelling, deception, malicious behaviour, and gossip. They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.

But I think if we are honest with ourselves, we as a church can be like this too. 

But imagine if we weren’t, imagine if we were the opposite of this. Think how different and appealing the church would be to those around us. And what an amazing environment would that be to live in and have family/friends in. 

Think about what Paul is talking about in Romans 1:8 ”… because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world”. I wasn’t because of all the amazing signs miracles and wonders that were happening but I do now, because of how people were living a life for Christ in unity and love. 

If you would love to see GoChurch like this pray this prayer every day this week with me: 

Lord Jesus, I pray that you give me the grace to live and act in the way of love not a human love but a God love. Give me the grace and strength to live a life that is living righteous for you and enable me to live in unity with my brothers and sisters in Christ. Amen. 

QUESTIONS

Monday 27^th July

Acts 27:1-25

• Even though the crew of the ship decided not to listen to God and got themselves in trouble, God was still gracious to promise to save them all. 

Today thank God that even though we may have not always obeyed Him and chose to go our own way instead of His. He is faithful to love and protect us.

Tuesday 28^th July

Acts 27:26-44

• Have you been in a situation where it looks like disaster is just round the corner and there is no way out? Has God ever given you a word to say I’ll rescue you from this even though it looked impossible!? If so, what was it and how did God rescue you? 

Wednesday 29^th July

Acts 28:1-15

• Even though Paul was shipwrecked and bitten by a snake, God turned what was bad round for his glory by enabling healing and the gospel to be spread over an entire island. In your life where the enemy has planned something for bad how did God turn it round for His glory? 

Thursday 30^th July

Acts 28:16-31

• Paul was given no charge and found innocent from all charges by the Roman government. But still felt the leading of God to go before Caesar and say the good news about the Messiah. How crazy must Paul have looked obeying God to the Roman government. 

Tell us when have you obeyed God and did something that might have seemed crazy to others around you.

Friday 31^st July

Romans 1

• In Romans 1:29-31 Paul talks about every kind of wickedness that people were living before they acknowledged Jesus and God. (E.g. sin, greed, hate, envy, quarrelling, deception, malicious behaviour, and gossip.....).

Today let’s examine ourself and make sure our lives are lining up with our new life in Christ not our old nature before we accepted Christ. It can be so easy to fall back into old ways. 

Once you’ve reflected pray and ask God for His grace to continue living in His new life.

Saturday 1^st August

Romans 2

• Paul says “For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight.” Romans 2:13 NLT

Challenge for today: aim to live a life that is not just listening ???? to the word of God, but living out what the word of God says.

Make this your prayer today - “Father enable me to walk in your ways today, where I might have shied away in the past make me bold in my walk with you today! Amen!”

Sunday 2^nd August

Romans 3

• Today thank Jesus for paying the ultimate price on the cross for our sins and making us right with God.

Challenge for the day - share the good news that Jesus died with someone today.