CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP
(1 Corinthians 9:24-27; Genesis 12:1)
By Mr. Paugoumuan
The central theme of the gospel is the love of God towards man. Amongst all that God has created, it can be seen that humans are the most prized possession and His love towards man is above all others.
Humans, all of us are aware of the love of God and understand that love but we all fail to truly appreciate this love. The failure to understand this true meaning has led us all to depart in our own ways and live a life of our own making and not in accordance to God’s expectation.
Drawing an example from one of football’s greatest, Pele; Mr. Muan reiterated that a Christian needs to be determined, committed and discipline to be a worthy disciple of God just as an athlete has to be disciplined to become the best in his field.
A football player tries to be the best in the playground playing to win the match and win trophies. A Christian is not competing for something of the world which last for a short while but for an eternal crown. If a football player is committed to his game, a Christian needs to be at his best, giving all for God to achieve the eternal glory.
He further said that, a Christian life is not one which can be built by human effort alone but starts only when a person receives Christ as his savior. It is a life given to him by God and it is expected of him to live for the glory of God alone. Form the moment of him receiving salvation all aspect of life led by him are judged by God and through his acts he will be judged.
A Christian life, Mr. Muan said that, it is not a life of upright living all the time. There are times a Christian soldier felt tired and fell down and there will be times of when he feel weak and vulnerable. But a true Christian will renew his strength in the Lord and get up even when he falls down. A Christian who fails to rise up when falling needs to reevaluate his faith and relationship with God.
To be a successful Christian, he said requires a proper plan, a well thought out goals. A Christian without goals will be like a ship that is swayed according to the blow of the wind. He further said that the human plans may sometimes fail and there will be times when we fail to understand the plan God has for us but we need to remind ourselves that the plan God has for us never fails.
In all these a Christian needs fellowship with his brothers and sisters. A Christian who is alone is a vulnerable Christian. In fellowship we build and encourage each others.
Mr. Muan concluded his message emphasizing on the importance of utilizing the limited time a person has for the glory of God. The past can’t be recalled back but we have a future ahead of us and this future is the opportunity provided to us. How well we utilized this time will judge whether we are a successful or failed Christian.
