Experiencing Life Together! (In Christ)

Each one of you is part of the Body of Christ, and you were chosen to live together in peace.
Colossians 3:15

How wonderful it is, how pleasant, for God's people to live together in harmony! Psalm 133:1

.....Life is meant to be shared. God intends for us to experience life together. The bible calls this shared experience fellowship. The true meaning of fellowship includes unselfish loving, honest sharing, practical serving, sacrificial giving, sympathetic comforting, and all the other "one another" commands found in the New Testament.

.....Authentic fellowship is not superficial, surface-level chit-chat. It is genuine, heart-to-heart, sometimes gut-level, sharing. It happens when people get honest about who they are and what is happening in their lives. They share their hurts, reveal their feelings, confess their failures, disclose their doubts, admit their fears, acknowledge their weaknesses, and ask for help and prayer.

.....People wear masks today. They keep their guard up, and act as if everything is rosy in their lives. These attitudes are the death of real fellowship. It is only as we become open about our lives that we can experience real fellowship with God and others.

.....The Bible says, "If we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other... If we say we have no sin, we are fooling ourselves.

.....The world thinks intimacy occurs in the dark, but God says it happens in the light. Darkness is used to hide our hurts, faults, fears, failures, and flaws. But in the light, we bring them all out into the open and admit who we really are. This requires two things, courage and humility. It means facing our fears of exposure, rejection, and being hurt again.

So why would anyone take such a risk today?

Because it is the only way to grow spiritually and be emotionally healthy.

.....The Bible says, "Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed."

.....We can only grow by taking risks, and the most difficult risk of all is to be honest with ourselves, God, and others. Nothing ventured, is nothing gained.

.....In real fellowship, we also experience mutuality. The art of giving and receiving, or depending on each other. Mutuality is the heart of fellowship. It includes the aspects of building reciprocal relationships, sharing responsibilities, and helping each other. The Bible is very clear on this subject, commanding us (over 50 times) in the areas of mutual accountability, encouragement, serving, and honoring. We are not responsible for everyone in the Body of Christ, but we are responsible to them. God expects us always to do whatever we can to help them. See a need, meet it.

.....In real fellowship, we also experience sympathy. Sympathy, or as some call empathy, is entering in and sharing the pain of others. Sympathy says, "I understand what you are going through, and what you feel is neither strange or crazy." The Bible says that we as Holy people are to be sympathetic, kind, humble, gentle, and patient. Sympathy meets two fundamental human needs: the need to be understood, and the need to have your feelings validated. Every time you understand and affirm someone's feelings, you build a new level of fellowship with that person. This increases your level of intimacy (IN-TO-ME-SEE) with them. It is in the times of deep crisis, grief, and doubt, that we need each other most. When circumstances crush us to the point that we find our faith in question, that is when we need believing friends the most. Friends who have faith in God for us, and to help pull us through. The Body of Christ is real and tangible for us today, even when God may seem distant in our lives, or our circumstances.

.....And the last thing I wish to share with you concerning real fellowship, is experiencing mercy and forgiveness. Fellowship is a place of grace, where mistakes are not rubbed in, but rubbed out. Fellowship happens when mercy wins over justice.

.....We all need grace and mercy today, because we all stumble and fall, and require help getting back on track. We need to offer that same mercy and grace to each other, and be willing to receive it from each other as well. God says, "When people sin, you should forgive and comfort them, so that they won't give up in despair."

.....You can't have fellowship without forgiveness, because bitterness and resentment always destroys it. Because we are all imperfect people who still sin, or miss the mark today, we will inevitably hurt each other when we are together for a long enough time, either intentionally, or sometimes unintentionally, but either way, it will take a massive amount of grace and mercy to maintain any fellowship throughout its lifetime.

.....The Bible says, " You must make allowance for each other's faults and forgive the person who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others." God's mercy is the key and the motivation for showing mercy to others. We will never be asked to forgive someone else more than God has already forgiven us.

.....Many people today are reluctant to show mercy and grace because they do not truly understand the difference between trust and forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past. Trust has to do with future behavior.

.....Forgiveness must be immediate, whether or not a person asks for it. Trust must be built over time. Trust requires a track record. If someone hurts you repeatedly, you are not expected to trust them immediately, and you are not expected to continue allowing them to hurt you. They must prove they have changed over time. The best place to restore trust is within the supportive context of a small group that offers both encouragement and accountability.

.....I hope and pray that after you read this, you step out in faith and use this message as a tool to guide yourself into a deeper aspect of fellowship, experiencing it, with God and others in the near future as you apply it in your own life and journey today, and forever.
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FREEDOM IN CHRIST MINISTRIES, INC.

.....The federal government estimates that there are over 22 million drug addicts, and alcoholics in the United States. Today, more than ever, with the enormous problems society faces from drugs, alcohol, crime, prostitution, depression, homelessness, etc., problems for which the world has little or no remedy... Faith-based ministries are leading the way with new and innovative ways to deal with these issues. Secular treatment programs only looked at the symptoms. Their treatment is never penetrating enough to introduce real healing and true behavioral change that is needed for most individuals to gain freedom from life controlling issues. The federal government's own research indicates that secular treatment programs have a 5 to 10 percent success rate while Faith-based programs have an 86 percent success rate.

.....Freedom In Christ Ministries has a complete program. A God empowered, Christ centered, and Holy Spirit inspired "Bible based program" designed to free the total person (spirit, soul, and body) from drugs, alcohol, and other life-controlling issues. (Anything that masters a person's life.)

.....The mission of the ministry is to provide adults and families with effective and comprehensive Faith-based solutions through a Christian Discipleship Program. The program has four phases and is from 90 days to one year long. Our objectives are to enable and empower students to find freedom from addictive behavior, become socially and emotionally healthy, physically well, and spiritually alive. This program is designed to produce graduates who function responsibly, and productively in society, establishing healthy relationships in the work place, the family, the Church, and the community. Leading individuals away from being a burden to society, to becoming a blessing in society. Equipping them with the tools needed to prosper in all things throughout their life.

.....This Discipleship Program has qualified and committed staff and volunteers dedicated to completing the goals and mission of the ministry. A caring ministry of real people, working, and praying together, helping those to grow in faith and in the knowledge of God through a Biblical approach in the study of life-controlling behaviors, encouraged sharing, and practical application. The staff has compiled valuable insights to combat these problems through the Word of God.

The ministry curriculum consists of lecture-style classes divided into two different segments:

Group Studies - which consists of a practical lineup of lecture style classes to teach practical Christian living skills.

Personal Studies - which consists of individualized study courses designed to meet the specific and targeted needs of each student.

.....The curriculum is designed to renew the mind and helps each student develop self-confidence, a balanced self-image, accountability, and dependability, thus producing a permanent behavioral change.

.....The ministry teaches The Six Steps to the Throne of God, Paul's System of Truth, and the Doctrines of Christ. Curriculum is listed below:

Six Steps to the Throne
Crucified.
Died...
Buried..
Quickened
Raised..
Seated

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Paul's System of Truth

(The Seven Pillars of Truth)

What is Man?

Who Adam was and What Adam did.

What happened to Jesus and His redemptive work.

The believers identification with Christ.

Who we are and what we now have in Christ.

How spiritual maturity comes.

The present-day Priestly ministry of Christ.

Doctrines of Christ

Repentance from Dead Works
Faith towards God
Doctrines of Baptisms
Laying-on of Hands
Doctrine of Resurrection
Eternal Judgment

Advanced Studies

The Law Fulfilled

Believers made Righteous

Force of Sin put Away

Deaths Debt has been Paid

Judged in Christ

Curse is Reversed

Satan's Power Destroyed

Man Reconciled to God

Eternal Life made Available

Blessings of Abraham

Dominion and Authority

Returned to the New Man

Kingdom of God Established on Earth

Health and Fitness

.....The ministry addresses and educates the students of the benefits of a well balanced diet, regular physical exercise, providing access to exercise equipment to the students in this program. The ministry also has engaged physicians and dentists that will donate or discount services for the students if the need arises.

Vocational Training Program

.....Our vocational training program works with other businesses, general contractors, and individuals, teaching the students different vocational skills, i.e., carpentry, drywall, painting, flooring, roofing, siding, plumbing, electrical etc., in the residential and commercial construction industry, (new and remodeling). Also skills in the horticultural industry, i.e., lawn maintenance, landscaping, irrigation. The goal here is to equip the students with the ability and skills to find work or start a business and become productive members in society upon graduation.

Outreach Program

.....The ministry also does volunteer work in the community such as providing services for the elderly or handicap individuals in need of remodeling or repairs in their homes to fulfill their needs. Our ministry believes in reaching out to others and being a blessing to the community, i.e., building ramps, widening doors, installing handicap tubs and showers, handicap accessories, and winterizing homes to help keep utility bills down.

.....The vocational training program and outreach program will teach students a solid Christian work-ethic that will give them a foundation of responsibility, a positive attitude, and integrity in how a job is to be done when they return to the work force.

Aftercare - Re-entering Society

.....Upon completion of any of the four phases of the discipleship program, the ministry will help the students find employment, and become involved and accountable in a local church for further mentoring and growth. This aspect of the ministry is one of the keys for reinforcing the positive behavioral changes leading to a successful life.

.....Your donations to Freedom In Christ Ministries, Inc. allow people with life controlling issues to have the opportunity to receive the help they really need. God's Help. Through a Faith-based program designed to free the total person (spirit, soul, and body).Your giving shows God's love to them... helping them... Breaking the Chains of Life Controlling Issues.

.....Freedom In Christ Ministries, Inc. is a non-profit organization and every contribution is completely tax deductible. May God Richly Bless You.

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ARE YOU A DISCIPLE?

.....The first commitment of a disciple is to " Deny" himself. He must renounce his self-centered life, clearing out all of self for Christ. Nothing can be more important to us than Christ. ( A Christ centered life.) The circle above represents your life. Christ should fill up the entire circle. To abide in Christ means that He is to have priority in everything in your life. Christian life is simply Christ living in you, (John 15: 5, John 15: 10) and through you. God has provided a way for Christ to be at the center of your life. This is the second commitment. "Take up your cross daily." Bearing your cross and serving others requires discipline. The above diagram reveals what disciplines a disciple must have.

1. The Word

.....The first discipline that we must have in our lives is "Living in the Word of God." The way to have Christ living in us is to have His Word in us. John 8: 31 - 32 says - "If you continue in My Word, then ye our My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you free." The Word of God is food for us. We cannot grow unless we have a regular intake of it. This is done by listening to someone preach it, and by reading it, studying it, memorizing it, meditating it, and then applying it. The result is a continuous process of renewing the mind, thus causing a behavioral change. John 15: 10 says- "That to abide in Christ is to obey Him." This is a crucial step in establishing a close relationship with God.

2. Prayer

.....The second discipline that we must have in our lives is "Praying," ( In Faith.) Faith that is drawn from the first discipline, ( His Word.) A part of living in Christ is living in prayer. John 15: 7 says -"If ye abide in Me, and My Word abides in you, ye shall ask what you will, and it shall be done unto you." So when we abide in Christ and His Word abides in us, we can ask what we will and God will do it. And open line of communication established between us and God through the Finished Work of the Cross ( Christ.) Refer to the above diagram and notice that God reveals himself and communicates to us through His Word (Christ.) and we communicate to God through prayer. Note the direction (Up to God and Down to us).

3. Fellowship

.....The third discipline that we must have in our lives is "Fellowship with Believers", our brothers and sisters in Christ. John 13:34 - 35 says - "A new commandment I give unto you, that you help one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know the ye our My disciples, if ye have love one to another." God has provided the ideal place for us to grow and mature, - The Church. A body of believers that have made a covenant to carry out Christ's ministry in and throughout the world. The Church is the body of Christ. So we come together to form the body here on the earth. Equipping those to fulfill the callings on their life. Praising and Worshiping God corporately, and equipping the Saints to go and preach the gospel - "The Good News."

4. Witnessing

.....The fourth discipline that we must have in our lives is "Witnessing to the World". Sharing Christ with others. John 15: 8 says - "Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples." A disciple will bear much fruit and that fruit is to be a witness to the world; our testimony, a living epistle to glorify God. The outward expression of an inward change from renewing the mind to what is true of it. The "Salvation of the Soul", or victory of the mind, will, and emotions, through Christ in the Finished Work of the Cross. Through applying these disciplines of living daily in the Word of God, praying in faith and fellowship with God's people, it will become natural and normal to share with others the Christ who is living in our hearts. This is what will make us fishers of men. Hence a true behavioral change.

.....The third commitment mentioned in Luke 9: 23 says - "That if we "Follow" and live in Christ, we will eventually bear fruit." Fruit does not necessarily grow quickly, but it grows continually and bears in season. Fruit bearing is the normal, natural result of the life that has Christ at the center of it. This is produced by the Holy Spirit and is what is called our sphere of influence. This growth is a continuous expansion across the earth equally proportional to the relationship we have with God through Jesus Christ. Fruit-bearing not only consists of good deeds and helping others, it also relates to the fruit of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace, Long-suffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, and Temperance, leading to ministry and service of all kinds. As noted from the diagram, only you limit yourself with God.

.....Our goal in discipleship is expressed in 2 Timothy 2: 21 and says - "If a man therefore purge himself from these (his old ways), ye shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and able for the Master's use, and prepared onto every good work." These disciplines will develop lives that will produce good fruit, as well as balance, according to the Word of God, making true disciples.

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