Connecting Purity and Witness

What does it mean to become a Christian? Are we making disciples or simply converts? How does one understand salvation mean justification, sanctification, and glorification? Conversion is not reciting a creed, it is a conversation. It is not reaching some milestone or rite of passage but walking on a life-long journey of becoming more and more like Jesus.

What Makes Someone a Christian?

1. Being born in America?
2. Not being something else, like a Muslim or Hindu?
3. Simply believing there is a God?
4. Being a nice person or good citizen?
5. Someone who prayed a prayer or walked an aisle?

Authentic Christianity: trusting in Jesus alone for save them from their sin. It is about God’s grace, our response of faith, and repenting of sin that has been forgiven.

1. As Savior (Acts 2:21, 4:12, 16:31).
2. As Lord (Acts 2:36-38, Romans 10:9-10).
3. Proof – a transformed life (John 8:31-32, 14:15, Matthew 7:21-25) following his commands.

Are You Sure You’re a Christian? (Matthew 7:22-25, 2 Corinthians 13:5, 1 John 5:13). There are two tests to be certain.

1. Belief (1 John 4:15, 5:1).
2. Life (1 John 3:1-10, 11-18, 4:7-21).
3. Patterns, not perfection (1 John 3:6, 1:8-10, John 14:15)

Christians Aren’t Born, They’re Made – meaning it is a process.

1. By God (John 3:1-8, 1:12-13, Ephesians 2:1-3, 4-5)
2. Through the gospel (1 Peter 1:23, Romans 10:9-17)
3. Our response (Mark 1:15, Acts 16:13-14) repent, believe, baptism.

Evangelism 101: This is a privilege, not intended to produce guilt. Let’s define evangelism…

1. Evangelism is telling non-Christians the good news about what Jesus did on the cross to bring salvation, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
   1. God is holy (1 John 1:5) and creator of all things (Genesis 1:1).
   2. All people are sinners who deserve God’s wrath (Romans 3:10-19, Mark 9:48, Revelation 14:11).
   3. Jesus is fully God and fully man, lived a sinless life, died on the cross to bear God’s wrath in the place of those who trust their salvation in him, who rose from the dead (John 1:1, 1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 7:26, Romans 3:21-26, 2 Corinthians 5:17, 21, 1 Corinthians 15:20-22).
   4. The only way to be saved from eternal punishment and be reconciled to God is to repent of sin and trust Jesus alone for salvation (Mark 1:15, Acts 20:21).
2. Examples of evangelism (Acts 8:1-4, 26-40).
3. Mandate to evangelize (Matthew 28:16-20). We preach and God works out the details. We can’t force people to respond, that is the work of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 55:10-11).

The Church is God’s Evangelism Program: It is not up to individuals or para-church organizations, but the mandate of the church (the body of Christ). We faithfully preach the gospel, gather for worship, and grow in faith.

1. City of a hill (Matthew 5:13-16).
2. Displaying the gospel (John 13:34-35, 17:20-21).