Category The Church: The Higher Calling

Your Higher Calling – Things to Do

Do you understand the original good news of the ransom price Jesus paid on the cross for Adam? Are you excited about the glorious Kingdom of God that is to come upon the Earth when all of mankind shall come back alive and be taught righteouness under the reign of Christ? Do you want to reign with him then? Are you aware of the biblical foundations of original Christianity? Do you want to follow God and Jesus Christ? So what do you need to do now?

The Body of Christ

How do we know whether someone belongs to the Body of Christ? Well, anyone who has dedicated his/her life to follow Christ’s footsteps after understanding the Bible’s foundational doctrines of the gospel of the kingdom of God belongs to the Body of Christ. But the Bible is huge. Can we really identify the essential foundations of the biblical Christian gospel? And if someone differs in those foundational doctrines, could they still be part of the Body of Christ?

Studying, Fishing & Becoming Christ-like

Christ, Mary and Martha

We want to study the Scriptures more diligently and grow in our knowledge about God and Christ. How does the gospel race help us with that? Jesus promises his followers that he sends them out as fishers of people. How does that relate to our gospel race? Everyone wants to become Christ-like, don't we? Does the Bible explicitly mention anywhere a way to achieve that?

The Greatest Commandments of Love

Christ suffering for mankind

When asked what was the greatest commandment, Jesus replied – “Love (Greek: agape) the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love (agape) your neighbor as yourself” Matt 22:37-39. Greek has many words for love. Here Matthew uses agape. How is it unique? How can we show agape to God and humanity?

Doing Good & Preaching Truth

Those who suffer according to God's will should commit themselves and continue to do good.1Pet 4:19. The Petrine epistle says we need to do good. But the Bible deems all the so-called good things of this world as meaningless (Eccl 1:14, 2:1). So what good can we truly do to someone? Also some ask the question - Why do we need to tell the gospel to the world now? Won’t they just hear it in the Kingdom? Many just reject it in present times, don’t they?

Share Christ’s Sufferings

Paul writes - Now if we are children, then we are heirs —heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:17. That sounds fair. Only if we participate in the sufferings of Christ would we get a share in his glory. What kind of sufferings did Jesus face? Is suffering like Christ only meant for the Apostles?

Faith and Holiness

One uber-crucial thing we achieve by running the gospel race - We prove our faith! According to Paul's letters, it's a basic requirement for a believer to announce the gospel. It's a test of faith. And another important purpose of our gospel work would be to discharge our priestly duty. Yes, the Bible declares every true Christian a priest. And performing this priestly duty is the way to attain holiness.

The Spirit vs The Flesh

Jesus in Gethsemane

“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” Rom 8:5-6. Many think that a mind governed by the flesh refers to sin. But are acts of the flesh just sin alone? No, everything we do is an act of the flesh.

Unprofitable Things

Jesus calls Tax Collector Matthew to follow him

If the church is not called to fight sin, why do the Apostles advise us to avoid certain things? Paul writes to the Corinthians - ‘All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable’ - 1Cor 6:12. First of all, what an unabashedly bold statement! All things are lawful for the church! Yes, we stand justified by Christ, and hence God does not count sins we commit in our flesh. So all things are indeed lawful for us! But are all things profitable for the race marked out for us?

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Scriptures, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Scriptures indicated NASB are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked HCSB are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Wherever indicated NCV, scripture taken from the New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Image Credits - Jesus choosing his disciples: By Travis (www.flickr.com/photos/baggis/) [CC BY-NC 2.0], via flickr; People in the field looking at the sun: unsplash.com; Jesus carrying cross: By El Greco [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons; Baptism of Jesus: By Travis (www.flickr.com/photos/baggis/) [CC BY-NC 2.0], via flickr; Jesus reads from Isaiah in the synagogue: By James Tissot [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons; Behold the Man 'Ecce homo' Painting Photograph: By Antonio Ciseri [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons; Jesus calls the tax collector Matthew: By Hendrick ter Brugghen [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons; Jesus in Gethsemane: By Waiting For The Word (www.flickr.com/photos/waitingfortheword/) [CC-BY-2.0], via flickr; Paul and King Agrippa: By Vasily Surikov [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons; The Crowning with Thorns: By Caravaggio [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons; Paul Preaching in Athens: By Raphael [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons; Christ, Mary and Martha: By Johannes Vermeer [Public domain or Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons; Christ Wearing the Crown of Thorns: By Annibale Carracci [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons; Supper at Emmaus: By Seetheholyland.net (www.flickr.com/photos/seetheholyland/) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via flickr; Road to Emmaus: By Waiting For The Word (www.flickr.com/photos/waitingfortheword/) [CC-BY-2.0], via flickr