Author: Tim Stanley

PART 1 - Spiritual life change begins when a person realizes and acts upon his need to be in relationship with God through Jesus Christ - the One who made him, loves him, died on the cross for him, and has a purposed plan for his life. Upon that realization, a person commits to Jesus by grace through faith for eternal salvation. He has launched on a lifetime journey with God!

This life-changing relationship continues and grows as a person also commits to a meaningful partnership with God’s Family on earth, which the Bible identifies as the Church. Another term Scripture uses is “the body of Christ.” According to the New Testament, Christians are to gather together on a consistent basis for the purposes of corporate worship, mutual fellowship, spiritual encouragement, biblical instruction, and serving one another, the community, and the world.

PART 2 - People typically share positive life experiences with others. These often include restaurants, vacation destinations, churches – you name it. Doesn’t it make sense, then, if a person has experienced forgiveness of sin and the gift of eternal life that sharing such a life-changing experience with others would surface in our normal conversations?

The Bible tells us to be ready to share the meaning, purpose and hope that only Christ can give. “And if someone asks about your Christian hope, be ready to explain it.” (1 Peter 3:15) In other words, out of an overflow of what God is doing in your life, be ready to share that confidence and why you have it with others.

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PART 3 - In a transformational discipleship course called Experiencing God author Henry Blackaby says, “You can’t stay where you are and go on with God.” He’s saying that a person’s spiritual growth requires focus, initiative and intentionality. The way to get to know God and become more like Jesus Christ is to develop the practice of spending time with Him. We do this by consistently setting aside time to read and study the Bible. Through Scripture memorization and meditation we are able to internalize biblical truth, encouragement, and inspiration. Daily we learn how to apply biblical truth in our lives. We communicate with Him and listen to Him during times of personal prayer.

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PART 4 -God designed us for relationships. Have you ever thought that the people God brings into your circle of relationships are there for a reason? Scripture is crystal clear on the importance of building authentic, Christ-centered relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ, especially within our church. At Sugar Creek, the most immediate way to build relationships is in a group, which we call Connect Groups. In these groups we meet people, build friendships, learn more of God’s Word together, find ways to serve together, and become more like a family that truly loves.

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PART 5 - “For God so loved the world that He gave….” (John 3:16) Lavish generosity is the nature of God. He gave us the beauty of Creation. He gave us the free will to choose to follow Him. He gave us the free gift of salvation and eternal life through Jesus. He is our greatest example of giving. Paul quoted Christ in Acts 20:35, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Though giving back to God includes giving Him all of ourselves, this aspect of spiritual life change is directly connected to the stewardship of our finances and physical resources to support and expand God’s work in the world through His Church.

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PART 6 - 1 Corinthians 12:12 and Ephesians 4:12 characterize the Church as the Body of Christ. Just as with the human body, each part contributes to the function of the whole. Every Christian in our church has been gifted by God to contribute abilities and talents within the body life of our church. The New Testament calls these abilities spiritual gifts. Every Christian has at least one spiritual gift. For example: Some people are really good at organization while others are more effective teaching a Bible study group. One person may excel at leading a ministry project while another is stronger at one-on-one encouragement. 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12 identify many of the ways we are gifted to serve God by serving others. Spiritual life change includes giving ourselves away to serve others.

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