QUALITIES OF A GOOD CHRISTIAN

TOPIC: QUALITIES OF A GOOD CHRISTIAN

Galatians 5:22-23: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

Acts 11:26: 26 And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

2 Corinthians 5:17: 17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Definition/Introduction

1. A Christian is someone whose behavior and heart reflects Jesus Christ.

2. A Christian is someone who has put faith and trust in the redemptive work of Jesus Christ through His death on the cross and subsequent resurrection.

Note:

(a). Our behavior mirrors, reflects and resembles Christ.

(b). When we put our faith and trust in Christ, when we commit our lives to serving Him and serving others as He served us, our behavior and mindset reflects the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Christ is with us and in us. We are new creations! (Christians)

(c). Christians should be God-fearing and humble. They should display the fruit of the Spirit given in Galatians 6: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, and self-control. While no Christians possess these qualities perfectly, we must and will continually grow in them as a result of the Spirit’s work in us.

What are some qualities we need to see in a good Christian?

1. They must obey the Holy Spirit at all times

The Holy Spirit is here to guide and help us. Direct the way we should go on and fulfill the will of God. Every child of God must understand the benefits of obeying the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit’s guidance, we may not accomplish the tasks that God has given us. It’s very crucial to be led by the Spirit. Romans 8:14 “For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.”

2. They must possess the fruit of the Spirit as a matter of necessity:

This is what makes the deference in how we live our lives in God. Galatians 5:22-23

“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

3. They are intercessors or Spiritual warriors: Daniel was a prayerful man. David was a worshipper of God, therefore the Bible calls David “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Sam. 13:14). Moses was on the mountain with the Lord, fasting for forty days and forty nights (Exodus 34:28) and God called him His friend (Exodus 33:11) and the most humble person (Numbers 12:3). Prayer is the intimate conversation with Almighty God. It’s walking with Him, the Bible said, Enoch walked with God and God loved him so much that He took him up to Heaven with Him. That intimacy is dwelling in the secret place of the Most High, it’s staying in His presence each and every day. Psalms 91:1

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty”

4. They are people of prayer who pray for souls: They realize that only God can convict and convert, and they are totally dependent upon Him in prayer. Most of the highly evangelistic Christians spend at least an hour in prayer each day.

5. They are passionate about souls and are always spiritually compelled to evangelize no matter what: They believe in the urgency of the gospel message. They believe that Christ is the only way of salvation. They believe that anyone without Christ is doomed for a literal hell.

6. They are people who spend time in the Word: The more time they spend on the Bible, the more likely they are to see the lostness of humanity and the love of God in Christ to save those who are lost.

7. They are compassionate people: Their hearts break for those who don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They have learned to love the world by becoming more like Christ who has the greatest love for the world.

8. They love the communities where God has placed them: They are immersed in the culture because they desire for the light of Christ to shine through them in their communities.

9. They are intentional about evangelism: They pray for opportunities to share the gospel. They look for those opportunities. And they see many so-called casual encounters as appointments set by God.

10. They are men and women of the Spirit: All they do as Christians are directly led by the spirit of God and they listen to Him and act as He leads them. In Soul winning (Evangelism), follow-up and visitations, helping others in need, etc.

Conclusion:

In order to be like Christ or to be called CHRISTIANS, we have to listen and be obedient to God’s Word. We are to stop all sinful habits of sin, and live the life of righteousness. Read the book of 1 John. We are to walk in the light, we need to confess our sins, and God will forgive us of all unrighteousness.

Abiding in Jesus is practicing righteousness. We are to lay our lives down for others like Jesus did for us. Loving God is keeping His commandments. We are not to love worldly things- the desires of the flesh, desires of the eyes, and pride of life, which is not from God.

We are called to do the will of the Father.

Loving others is a sign that we are children of God.

God has given us all the resources we need to walk in Him. Our joy can be full.

1 John 1:4: And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete”

Walk in Jesus today. Start by making simple everyday decisions to choose the things of God over the things of this world. Flee from evil, pray for the people who do you wrong, and rejoice in the Lord always knowing our purpose is found in Him.

As Christians, we are called to be witnesses for the Gospel of Christ. This is one area many of us are lacking today, yet we say we are CHRISTIANS. Let’s start today and reach out to someone that our father may be happy with us.

Rev. Dr. A. A Obe