Part 3:4 (Walk Like A Christian)

In our quest to understand what a true Christian walk looks like, we must explore the WHOLE Word of God and embrace the transformative power of the Holy Spirit. By aligning our lives with His will, we can embark on a journey that reflects the essence of being a follower of Christ. Join us as we delve into the commandments, teachings, and principles that guide our path, igniting faith, and fostering spiritual growth.

Becoming “Sons of God” through rebirth:

Feel free to bring out your own bible or click on the links provided to open up a new tab for easy reading of the scriptures alongside the post here (I also love The Bible App because you can compare different versions of the bible simultaneously):

Understanding the importance of being born again JOHN 3:1-14 and experiencing the Holy Spirit’s indwelling and His impact on our lives ROMANS 8:1-17. We must be filled with the Holy Spirit of YahWeh in order to see the kingdom and live our lives in accordance with His will. It is the power of His Spirit that transforms our hearts and puts His laws into our minds (JEREMIAH 31:33; EZEKIEL 11:19-20)

Let’s explore this enlightening rebuke of Yeshua, exposing the limitations of self-reliance on the law.

5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders but eat with defiled hands?” 6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,

“‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart is far from me;
7 in vain do they worship me,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’
8 You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” 9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to establish your tradition!” MARK 7:5-9

Challenging Traditions and Embracing God’s Commandments:

Yeshua speaks firmly against the traditions of man. So how can we identify the traditions being taught in the church today?

Here is how to discern traditions and false doctrine:

They would be things that are revered and esteemed and yet contradict His word. They will have global acceptance amongst believers and non-believers alike. They would also be things that are taught as doctrines but lack biblical evidence and are merely human inventions of worship.

What can we do if we’ve accepted these kinds of teachings?

I encourage you to pray and seek YahWeh’s guidance to recognize and challenge any traditions or doctrines you may have adopted that are contrary to His will and His word. And then, if He shows you what is wrong about them repent and ask Him how you can rid yourself of them. Remember too that God tests our hearts, so there may be a day when you come across the temptation to worship Him as you once did; in that case, seek a fellow believer who shares your conviction to pray with and for you, fast if you need to and ask Yah to fill you with His Holy Spirit and power to stand strong in His word and His grace which has changed your heart.

If you’re curious about my personal convictions, I am more than happy to share through e-mail at this time with our “get in touch” section on our vision page.)

The Way of Love and Righteousness:

Let’s look at scripture to see how Yeshua taught us to walk in The Way:

34 “But when the Pharisees had heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great first commandment. 39 And the second is like it : You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and Prophets.” MATTHEW 22:34-40

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you until heaven and Earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 for I tell you unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. MATTHEW 5:17-20

2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying :

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the Earth.

6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” MATTHEW 5:2-11

In fact, the entire sermon on the mount is meant for believers to see what kind of lives we are meant to lead. There are some who will say that Yeshua was speaking to the Jews of the day in this section, but we have been grafted in, to the tree of life, and Paul warns us about not being arrogant to the root of the olive tree of which we’ve been grafted into (ROMANS 11:17-24)

Check out this short, but great and detailed teaching (full of Scriptures that you should definitely read through for yourself) by 119 Ministries called Grafted In. 

To wrap all of this up I’d like to end with some food for thought, here’s a quote from JAMES 2:14-24 .

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Issac on the alter? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him at righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”

If you have a few minutes to read the entire chapter it’s a great read because it really differentiates between works of following God’s laws out of obedience and counting on Yeshua’s perfection as our acceptance when we fall short vs legalistic works of following the laws of God and the commandments of men (which are not placed in the Holy Scriptures) to earn righteousness.

Walking like a Christian is a lifelong journey of faith, obedience, and transformation. As we continue to explore the Scriptures and seek a deeper understanding of God's will, let us strive to live out our faith through love, righteousness, and the fruits of the Spirit. Join us next week as we delve deeper into the practical aspects of walking like a Christian.

Don’t forget to check in next Saturday at 11:00 am (US Central time) for part 4 of Walk Like A Christian!

Until next week then!

Shalom,

Dayna