10250 North Freeway @ West Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484
Pastor: Dr. Lester Hutson

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According to the Scriptures, God's Holy Word, the ideal Christian is one who is a born-again believer in Christ Jesus, who puts God first in all things, others second and who is an active member of one of the Lord's churches.

Matthew, Mark and Luke record Jesus as having said, 'If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me' (Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23 which adds the word 'daily'). Jesus also stated in John 10:27-28 that those who followed Him were given eternal life. The point is that none of us would give up his/her life to follow someone else if we did not believe in that person. Therefore, the first step to becoming the ideal Christian is that we believe in Christ.

Many claim to be followers of Christ but when asked if they are believers they give an answer other than what God's Word defines as the correct one: belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus said that, 'whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life, (John 3:15) and John the Baptist confirmed that, 'he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life' (John 3:36). It is not by means of a prayer, baptism, church membership or doing good that we become a born-again believer but belief in Christ and the work He did on the cross on our behalf.

The next attribute of the ideal Christian is that he/she will put God first in all things. Jesus said to 'seek first the kingdom of God' (Matthew 6:33). Later on in Matthew He says, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind' (Matthew 22:37). And remember that Christ said that anyone who would follow Him would deny self (Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23). The apostle Paul was such a follower of Christ and he knew full well what self-denial was all about. He begs Christ's followers to, 'present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service' (Romans 12:1). The ideal Christian is not simply one who is a believer in Christ but one who submits his entire being (body, soul and mind) for the Master's use.

This surrender is a sacrifice but it is not without its rewards. Right after telling those who would follow Him they would have to deny themselves Christ said these words of encouragement and promise, 'For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works' (Matthew 16:25-27). But not only is there a future reward for the faithful, self denying follower but there is also a daily reward. In Matthew 6: 25-34 Christ promises to supply the daily needs of His followers.

The third attribute of the ideal Christian is that after putting God first in his/her life he/she will consider the spiritual and physical well-being of others ahead of his/her own needs and desires. Jesus said the second most important commandment was that 'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself' (Matthew 22:39). Just as Christ gave up His life for others a true follower of His will also give his/her life for others.  

Putting others first also means considering others more important than self. The ideal Christian will not only look to the well-being of others but will also consider himself/herself less important that others. He/she will follow Paul's advice to 'not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think' (Romans 12:3) and to 'esteem other better than themselves' (Philippians 2:3).

Finally, the ideal Christian will be an active member of one of the Lord's churches. Christ founded the first church (Matthew 16:18, 1 Corinthians 3:11) with Himself as the Chief Cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20) and the apostles as the first members (1 Corinthians 12:28). Then He commissioned that first church to reach the world with the gospel (Mark 16:15, Matthew 28:18-20) and to reproduce itself down through the age until His return (Acts 1:8). The rest of the New Testament records the soul winning and church planting work of that first church.

The vehicle God established to perform His work through this age is the local church. It also is through the local church that God is glorified (Ephesians 3:21). We are exhorted to not forsake attending church (Hebrews 10:25). The entire book of Revelation was dedicated to the local church (Revelation 1:4) and contains multiple warnings to heed 'what the Spirit saith unto the churches' (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; Revelation 3:6, 13, 22). Finally, there is the fact that a Christian who is outside the membership of one of the Lord's churches is out of fellowship with God (Matthew 18:17) and outside His protective hedge (1 Corinthians 5:5).

SUMMARY:

I've shared with you several of the unsavory types of Christians I've met in my life: The Legalist, the Elitist, the Chameleon, and the 'Martyr'. If you've been a Christian for any length of time perhaps you too have run across one or all of these types. Sadly, I must confess that at one time or another in my Christian life I've been each of these types.

But then we looked at the Word of God to see what Christ wants His followers to be like. We learned that He expects us to be a believer in Him, to accept Him as our personal savior by believing in Him and what He did for us on the Cross. Then we learned that He expects us to put God first in all things, then others then self. And then we saw that He expects us to join and be active in one of His churches.

What type of Christian are you? What type am I? Thank God we all have the opportunity to confess our sins to Him and be cleansed (1 John 1:9). If we aren't where we should be we can strive to be by simply submitting to His Word and following His example. God bless you as you endeavor to become the ideal Christian.

NEXT LESSON:

Do you find that you are often discouraged and/or depressed? Are you aware that there is a supernatural cure? In the next series of lessons we'll investigate God's Word to find His solution for discouragement and depression.

"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"