Find True Identity Discipleship: neXt stepX
God's POWER & PLAN
The first three L's of neXt stepX flow from the first two P's of basiX: God's POWER & PLAN... and are as follows—
...coming to know Jesus more deeply and intimately as my:
- Sovereign Lord: i.e., responding to Jesus in the obedience of faith—i.e., obedience to the Gospel with genuine repentance & authentic faith... both in the:
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‘getting saved’—i.e., captured by repentance & faith… and in the—
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‘living saved’—i.e., continuing from a heart of repentance & faith
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Forgiving Lamb: ...atoned by—being ‘at one’ with—Jesus in His forever forgiveness; which prompts and motivates the true and surrendered Believer to learn to live forgiven and forgiving.. learning three things about sin and me:
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learning sin no longer has a grip on me... why?
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sin is no longer my nature... so—
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sin no longer has any control over me
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Saving Life: ...this new Life is often referred to as the exchanged Life—i.e.:
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first, learning this isn't my life to live; rather, it's Jesus' Life to live in and through meββ
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second, learning that God's saving Life begins with a total commitment to living a surrendered Lifeββ(Galatians 2:20 and its OT twin Isaiah 40:31; Romans 5:6-11; 2 Corinthians 5:17 & 21)
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God's PERSPECTIVE
...coming to know Jesus more deeply and intimately as my:
- Saving Life: living a surrendered Life comes by embracing Jesus as the GREAT EXCHANGE! ...as—
- my real Life
- my true identity
- my complete intimacy
...coming to know Jesus more deeply and intimately as my:
- Rescuing Liberator: one of the ways Jesus' Life is set forth in God's Word is through biblical strategies that help us overcome sins and sinning... e.g.:
- The Romans 5 Profile: teaches us about The Self Life & The God Life
- learning to distinguish between lies & truth
- The Romans 6 Equation: KNOW | RECKON | YIELD | WALK
- learning how to exercise real faith
- The Romans 7 Masquerade: it's not me but that thing in me
- learning how to overcome the sins that easily entangle
- The Romans 8 Life Sketch: a new nature | a new identity | a new destiny
- learning how to live the Christian Life successfully
- The Romans 5 Profile: teaches us about The Self Life & The God Life
...which helps us in—
...coming to know Jesus more deeply and intimately as my:
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All-Wise Leader: learning to live in step with our new nature, our new identity, and our new destiny... i.e.,—
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learning to follow Jesus strategically—i.e., learning to live from God's purpose and fulfillment for me—i.e., God's good, delight, and desire for me—was lost in Eden, regained in salvation, and experienced as Jesus lives His Life in and through me... and as I learn to live from Him as my Life—i.e., my true identity!
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The last two L's of the seven flow from the fourth and fifth P'sGod's Presence and Peace. Above we ended with what is entailed to follow Jesus. Now we begin with how to rest in God's PRESENCE & PEACE.
...coming to know Jesus more deeply and intimately as my:
- All-Wise Leader: learning to rest in Jesus' Presence—knowing and trusting Jesus as my Lord, my Lamb, my Life, my Liberator, and my Leader... so that I may dive into two healing truths:
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Discovery: by studying God and others, myself and my struggles from the absolute authority of God’s Word, in the power of Holy Spirit I discover God's power and plan for me—God's delight in me (Zephaniah 3:17); God's desire for me (1 Timothy 2:4); God's best! for me (Jeremiah 29:11).
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Recovery: the real help and healing of God’s Life that produces significant and lasting change (a divine exchange) from life-shattering addictions and betrayals, and from false intimacies exchanged for Jesus’ Life of freedom and wholeness (Romans 8; Galatians 5; Ephesians 1-6 (1:6; 4:17-5:21); Colossians 3:1-17).
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which leads me into—
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Light-Source of Grace & Truth: the purity (1 John 3:1-3) of walking in Jesus' Life, Light, and Love (1st, 2nd, & 3rd John)
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learning Jesus as my Life
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learning Jesus as my Light
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learning Jesus as my Love
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Perfect Lover of my Soul: basking in the surrendered Life to God—learning and receiving true intimacy from Jesus, our Husband—our Eternal Life and forever Companion!