HOW TO GET STARTED RIGHT

THE ABUNDANT LIFE WAY
Dr. F. Edward Allen

Living abundantly! How about that? That should be every Christian's desire; and I know it is your desire too. I write this composition to help you live and walk the abundant life way. God does not want 'dwarf" Christians. He wants developed, dynamic people who will follow Him and walk in newness of life.
Remember we are here to help you in whatever way we can. Share your problems with us; we shall treat them confidently. The Pastor is your friend, and he is understanding and sympathetic to your needs. Look up the scriptures and memorize some of them. You have made a great choice and have a lot going for you. It's a great life! Don't squander or ruin it.
Now God bless and give you real incentive to live and walk the abundant 1ife way.
As pastor of Abundant Life Bible Church, I want to congratulate you on the step you have taken to follow Jesus Christ and make Him your Lord and Master. The individual who has surrendered his life to Jesus Christ makes the greatest and grandest choice one can make in this life.
I recall, that those words were spoken to me some years ago by a Christian school teacher when I first became a Christian. That has been a long time now, but as the years have come and gone I have found them to be so very true. And today, I pass them on to you hoping that they will be the means of encouraging you as they have encouraged me through the years. Believe me, it's a great step and one you will never regret taking.

YOU ARE A CHILD OF GOD NOW.
This is where you stand now. You are saved and a child of grace born into God's family. You see, you were born once by your parental generation, and that made you a sinner in the sight of God. You inherited a sinful nature. You couldn't help that, that's the way you were born. Now that you are saved you are booming again by spiritual regeneration of the Holy Spirit. This is a work of God's Spirit within you.
Your dead spiritual nature had no link with God because you were spiritually dead (Rom. 8: 10). Now that you are saved, that spiritual link has been re-established by God's Holy Spirit. (Rom. 16:16).
If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new (2 Cor. 5:17).
But as many as received Him, to them gave He the power to become the sons of God even to
them that believe on His name (John 1: 12).

YOUR SPIRITUAL LIFE HAS ABUNDANT LIFE BLESSINGS
Jesus said: "I came that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." (John 10:10).

You now have eternal life through faith and not through feelings. You must never rely on your feelings. You can feel good now and be depressed in a few moments.

Your life in Christ does not depend on how you feel, but on what God has done and that fact is not dependent upon feelings.

There are many new terms for this life you now have in Christ. The following are a few:
1) It is called New Life because you have not experienced anything like it before.
2) It is called Real Life because this life in Christ is the apex of living. It is not pretentious, but meaningful and genuine.

3) It is Eternal Life because it comes from a God who is eternal. Nothing can take it from you, "My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish." (John 10:27, 28).

4) It is also called Abundant Life. Abundant life is the practical out-working of eternal life. Its fullness is dependent upon your commitment to Jesus Christ. To have abundant life means that you are growing up into your new life and encompassing all the blessings and benefits of salvation which are manifested in a mature, prosperous and vibrant life for Jesus Christ. Remember, this is your spiritual life-enjoy it!

Remember now, the moment you asked Christ to come into your heart that very moment He came and made you God's child. But like every new born baby, you must progress and develop into a mature and responsible person. Your growth is God's concern as well as ours. That's why we want to help you the best we can.

As a new Christian, you are a baby in spiritual things. Therefore, in this context, we shall look at the food you eat. This is very important for young Christians. A baby cannot eat meat, neither does it occupy itself with complicated things.

The Bible says: "As new born babes desire the milk of the word that ye may grow thereby" (I Pet. 2:2). A healthy baby eats well and heartily. That is, you must feed continually upon the Word of God. If you will do this in an habitable way It will be a lamp unto your feet and a light unto your path.

It will make you a happy man (Psalm 1)

It will establish your faith and make you a victorious Christian.

When this becomes a part of your living, it won't be long before you will flex your spiritual muscles and show good well-rounded development. It is God's Word that makes you a winning Christian. By all means do not neglect the Word of God. Read the following scriptures, they have been a help to me: John 3: 10; 15; Romans 5:8; 12. And all of the epistle of I John. I call these scriptures the young Christian's survival kit. There is a saying which says: "You are what you eat." This is also true in the spiritual realm. Tell me what you feast upon as a Christian and soon I will tell you what type of Christian you are.

LEARNING TO TALK
Talking is a healthy growth sign. How thrilled we are to hear that little baby repeat its first words. Did you know that one of the first words babies say are Ma-ma or Da-da. This speaks of an instinctive union between parent and child. The same father-child relationship should be between you and God, your heavenly Father. By prayer, you can talk to your heavenly Father in simple conversational terms and get things from Him. Learn to talk to your Father who is in heaven. He delights in hearing from you pray (I Thess. 517; Phil. 4:6).

Another word a baby learns to say early in life is the word 'no'. Haven't you heard them and noticed how emphatically they say it. When you learn to talk to your heavenly Father and establish sweet communion with Him, you will also say a big emphatic 'no' to sin and temptation. Learn how to say 'no' to sinful pleasures and talk to others about the great things God has done for you.

Also, don't just say your prayers in the morning and evening, but cultivate a continual prayer habit with the Lord. Tell Him about your problems and needs. He is concerned about your total person. Then spend some private time alone with the Him in the day. About fifteen minutes in Bible reading and prayer. It will help you a lot. Pray for your friends, your relatives, your pastor and your church. You will grow in grace and strength. Don't let anyone kid you, prayer is real power, It gets things done and helps you to face life confidently as a child of God.

STARTING TO WALK
If you think abundant life shows itself in your talk, then you have an idea of only one side of what it is all about, The fact is, abundant life truly manifests itself in the walk of the Christian. Walking means strength; it speaks of life, direction and independence. What a great day for Mom and Dad when baby begins to walk. It's a great day for the baby too. No more holding on now, but a free movement without any help. God wants us to walk for Him. When your friends see by your talk and walk that you are operating in a spiritual way they too will be encouraged to follow in your steps.
If you pray, read and meditate upon the truths of God's Word you will have no trouble walking uprightly for Him. Read Ephesians chapters 4, 5 and 6. They speak of three walks a Christian is characterized by:
1) A worthy walk (Eph. 4: 1). Walk worthy of your vocation or calling in Christ. 2) A wise walk (Eph. 5:15, 16). We should walk wisely and not as fool. 3) A winning walk (Eph. 6:11-18). This is what we call a winning walk as we overcome with the whole amour of God.
You can ruin your testimony by your walk and movements. Be wise and not careless, and refrain from walking in places where you will be questioned as a child of God.

WALKING AND STUMBLING
Oh, yes, this may happen! You may stumble and even fall as you seek to walk for the Lord. But that does not mean the game is over. Remember, God saved you. You did not save yourself and He will keep you, you cannot keep yourself. Therefore, if you fall or fail, just get up and continue with the Christian life. You will find that the devil will get into your friends, your relatives and even some Christians and discourage you. Don't listen to them. Your conversion and salvation are based on what God says and not what they say, no matter how rational they may sound.
Furthermore, you will not be the first or the last to fail as a Christian. Great Christians fall and fail but they never let people and things keep them from following the Lord. Think of Abraham, David, Elijah, Peter and others. Yes, you will fall many times and even get hurt.
You are not perfect yet; but always remember a few things:
1) You have the witness of the Holy Spirit within you. 2) God has placed His seal upon you indicating that you are His property. 3) Your pastor is available for any kind of counseling you may need. 4) Your brothers and sisters in the church will also help and sympathize with you. 5) You have the Mercy Seat in heaven and Jesus interceding for you before it.
Temptations will come. No one is exempt from them; but God will give sufficient grace to help you cope with them. He is always in the restoring business. (Psa. 23:3).

GETTING YOUR SPIRITUAL CLEANING
Day by day you will meet up with unpleasant situations. The environment will be unchristian and unpleasant for you, even somewhat defiling.
There will be ungodly friends, temptations and profanity. All of these can drain what little spiritual energy and fortitude you have. But you must expect this. Jesus envisioned this and that is why He washed the disciple's feet (John 13:5 -9).
Just as God saved you without help from anyone; He can also keep you saved. He uses the Word to cleanse us. The more you read the Bible, the more you will have a dislike for sin and keep yourself clean by the Word. (Eph. 5:26, 27; John 15:3). One thing you will have to face whenever in the midst of unchristian company or places that do not radiate a Christian atmosphere is getting your priorities right as a child of God. Right away, set your standards and let people know where you stand. They may act snobbish, but eventually they will respect you for your convictions. This is important for a Christian. The Lord does not want us to be isolationists, but we must seek always to live in the midst of any ungodly situation. That's what real discipleship is all about.
Get deep into the Word of God. It will equip you for any kind of situation at home or on the job. It was D. L. Moody, the popular Evangelist of a past century who said: "Either sin will keep you from the Bible, or the Bible will keep you from sin". It is the Christian's textbook, his chart and compass.

We are told three things about the Bible in the epistles of Timothy:

1) We should read it. (I Tim. 4:13)
2) We should meditate upon it. (I Tim. 4:15)
3) We should study it (2 Tim. 2:15)
4) We should preach it (2 Tim. 4:2)

Cleansing is important for fellowship with God after we have sinned. You can get back to communion by confessing your sins (I John 1:9), and doing the will of God again. Always keep in mind that God loves you, and did not take you from the pleasures of this world to make you a bored, miserable person. The Christian life is a call to abundant living, and that means enjoying all the blessings of salvation. You were not merely saved to go to heaven, but to live for God on the earth, and He will see to it that you get all the help to live meaningfully as His own.

BE AN ACTIVE CHRISTIAN
Your Christian service is important. An active Christian will not find time to "give in" to the devil. I would seriously invite you to get baptized and join the church so that you can become involved in fellowship with other Christians and serve the Lord. Remember, you are saved to serve.
1. What can we give to God?
We can give ourselves, our money, and our praise to God. I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." (Rom. 12:1,2). "But I have all, and abound: I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well pleasing to God." (Phil. 4:18). "By Him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name." (Heb. 13-15).

2. What is the secret of Christian service? The secret of Christian service is not that we work for God, but that He works through us. "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure." (Phil. 2:13). "Where unto I also labor, striving according to His working, which worketh in me mightily." (Col. 1: 29).

3. What should I know about my Christian service? I should know God's program, place, and power for my Christian service. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." (Eph. 2: 10). the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." (Acts 13:2). "So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia." (Acts. 13:4). "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth." (Acts 1:8).
Remember:
1) Go to church and Sunday School
2) Get baptized
3) Read your Bible
4) Pray often
5) Give your tithes to God
6) Take Communion

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