A New Beginning

Greg Laurie: Sometimes we lose sight of the basics.

Guest (Male): i Today, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us shore up the foundation of our walk with the Lord. We see our lives suffer when we overlook the fundamentals.

Greg Laurie: We can find ourselves being defeated. We find ourselves falling back into old sins that we thought were a part of our past. And that's because we've lost sight of the basics. So, let's go back to the very beginning. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a Bible.

Guest (Male): A pilot said the basics of aviation are really quite simple. You push the control stick forward and the houses get real big. You pull it back and the houses get real small. But imagine if a pilot did lose track of the basics, can't remember what those switches do or even why they're important. Well, today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie helps us with a refresher course on the basics of the Christian faith. It's a good reminder of the fundamentals that will keep us all from crashing and burning.

Greg Laurie: I heard about two friends that ran into each other on the street. They hadn't seen each other for a while. So, the one guy said to his buddy, man, you look very sad, like you're on the verge of tears. What's wrong? And the sad guy said, well, as it turns out, I had an uncle die recently and he left me $40,000. His friend said, well, that's that's pretty amazing. And the guy says, you don't understand. 2 weeks ago, my cousin died who I never even knew, and they left me $85,000 free and clear. His buddy said, man, that's a lot of money.

You should be very happy. The guy says, no way. Then I had a distant auntie and she left me half a million dollars. His friend said, I'm a little confused as to why you're sad. And then his friend said, well, this week, nothing. He was missing the point. And I think a lot of times as Christians, we miss the point. And by that I mean, we don't stop and think about all that God has done for us. Do you realize how much God has done for you if you've put your faith in Jesus? The Bible says he's justified us.

Now, it's a big word. We may not understand it. It means that God has taken your sin and he has removed it and he has forgotten it and he has placed the righteousness of Christ into your spiritual bank account, so to speak, which means that now you stand right before God. And it also means that God sees you as a new person in him. Old things passed away. All things become new. Your sin is forgiven. Your eternal future is secure. And sometimes I think we forget about that. So, in light of that fact, should we not want to grow spiritually?

You know, the Bible says we love him because he first loved us. But let me ask this question. Why is it that some people seem to grow more spiritually than other people do? I heard about a father that was talking with his daughter and her 8-year-old friend Kristen about birthday. So, Kristen's birthday was March 30th and the dad's was March 27th. And the father said, you know what, Kristen, our birthdays are only 3 days apart. And she looked at this full-grown adult man and she said, yeah, but it seems like you grew faster than I did.

Right? So, why do some people seem to grow faster spiritually than others? Why do some blossom and bloom and and go on to do great things for God and others crash and burn? You might be surprised by my answer. It's really up to the individual. You decide if you're going to grow spiritually. You decide if you're not going to grow spiritually. Jesus gave us a parable that we sometimes call the parable of the sower. I think you could also call it the parable of the soils. It's a story about a sower that went out to sow seed.

And back in those days, they just took seed and randomly threw it to the wind and it landed where it landed. So, Jesus said, some seed fell on ground that was embedded with rocks and it shot up quickly and had no root and withered in the sun. Some seed fell among thorns and the thorns choked out the seed. Some seed fell on the roadside and the birds came and ate it. And some seed found receptive soil and took root and became fruitful. So, he said basically this is how we react to the word of God.

You know, you share the gospel with some people and they're like the seed that went on the roadside and the birds come and get it. You tell them about Jesus, doesn't penetrate their heart or their mind. They reject it outright. You know, the birds, they hang out at places like McDonald's or In-N-Out Burger and before a fry even hits the ground, they swoop down and get it. Or the seagulls. By the way, I hate seagulls. They're the worst bird of all time. But anyway, the seagulls will steal your lunch. They'll steal your children if you allow them.

They 'll steal your dogs even if they're those little yappy dogs. But here's the thing. The birds come and take it away. Some people hear the word of God, it doesn't impact them. But then Jesus talked about seed that was sown on ground filled with thorns or weeds. He said these are they that hear the word of God, but the cares of this life choke it out. Then there are those that shoot up quickly in the sun, but because they have not rooted in the soil, they wither quickly. These are people that hear the word of God.

Maybe they profess to be believers and have a burst of excitement, then they fall away. But then he said, the seed on the receptive soil, these are they that hear the word of God and receive it. Listen, you determine if you're going to be receptive soil. You determine if you're going to grow spiritually. And I bring this up because some people will say something along the lines of, well, I tried the whole Christianity thing and it didn't work for me. Um, give me a break. Uh, Jesus Christ will change any person that comes to him.

If it didn't work for you, that's not on Jesus. Sorry, friend, that's on you. That would be like somebody saying, oh yeah, I tried the whole eating thing, you know, I ate three meals a day and snacks in between, but but I'm over that. I 'm not into eating anymore. Well, if you're not into eating anymore, you won't be into living either. You need to eat to live. And so if you did not grow spiritually, it's because you did not apply yourself. Listen, God has given you everything you need to grow as a Christian. We're told in 1 Peter 1:3, his divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the knowledge of him who has called us for his own glory and goodness.

If you want to grow spiritually, you will grow spiritually. In the book of Philippians, chapter 2, verse 12, it says, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. It doesn't say work for your own salvation. It says work out your own salvation. It means live it out, play it out. It's the idea of going into a mind and finding the gold that is in there. God's given you everything you need. You need to work it out. You don't work for your salvation, but you do work out your salvation. As Saint John and Saint Paul once said, we can work it out.

Actually, that's John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the Beatles. That was a joke. Forget it. Okay, so listen to this. You need to take what God has given you and let it develop in your life. A commentator from years ago, Alexander McLaren made this statement quote, he that has the Holy Spirit in his heart and the scripture in his hands has all he needs. Let me repeat that. He that has the Holy Spirit in his heart and the scripture in his hands has all he needs. So, here we are, faith 101. It's a crash course on the things that matter in the Christian life, things that you never outgrow, things you never move beyond, disciplines we must maintain from the beginning to the end of our life as a follower of Jesus on this planet.

Here's principle number one if you're taking notes, and I hope you are. If you want to be a growing Christian, you must read, study, and love the word of God. Let me say that again. If you want to be a growing Christian, you must read, study, and love the word of God. Joshua 1:8 says this, the book of the law, which is a reference really to scripture, shall not depart from your mouth. You shall meditate in it day and night and observe to do all that is written in it. Then you will have your way prosperous and you will have good success.

A growing believer will be a lover of the word of God. In Psalm 119, it says, oh, how I love your word, Lord. Your words are true. But sometimes we lose sight of the basics. It was July of 1961 and 38 members of the Green Bay Packers football team uh were gathered together for the first day of training camp. The previous season had been devastated because they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles. And so coach Vince Lombardi stood before the team and he held up a football and he said, gentlemen, this is a football. Why was he saying that?

He was saying, it starts here. And from that moment on, Vince Lombardi took these professional players to the basics of the game of football. He treated them as though they were blank slates and had never heard these things before. He taught them the things they needed to know, things like blocking and tackling, passing and catching, and all the other basics. And 6 months later, the Green Bay Packers beat the New York Giants 37 to 0 and won the NFL Championship. Okay, so that can happen to us as Christians. We can find ourselves being defeated. We can find ourselves losing instead of gaining ground.

We find ourselves falling back into old sins that we thought were a part of our past. And that's because we've lost sight of the basics. So, let's go back to the very beginning. Ladies and gentlemen, this is a Bible. This is a Bible. And everything you need to know about God is found in the pages of the Bible. If you want to know God, you need to open, read, study, and apply what is taught in the Bible. Listen to this. Success or failure in the Christian life is determined by how much of the word of God you get into your life on a regular basis and how obedient you are to it.

Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of this message in just a moment. We really enjoy hearing when Pastor Greg's teaching and preaching touches lives.

Guest (Female): Pastor Greg, thank you for your daily devotion sent to my email. They have helped me as I deal with chronic pain every day. I've also shared your devotions with several people close to me that are going through cancer. It helps them too. When I open your email devotion every morning, first thing, it's like opening a present as your words encourage me to get through the day. Thanks.

Guest (Male): When we hear from you, it's not only a blessing, it also confirms that the program is making an impact. If you have a story to share, call Pastor Greg and let him know. Call 1-866-871-1144. Again, 866-871-1144.

Guest (Male): Well, Pastor Greg is offering a good reminder of the basics of the faith today in a new series called Faith 101, a crash course on the Christian life. Let's continue.

Greg Laurie: Earlier, we read that passage in Joshua where it talked about meditating on the word of God. Now, when we use the word meditation, don't think of Eastern meditation. In Eastern meditation, one empties their mind, but in biblical meditation, one fills their mind with the word of God. The idea of meditating is chewing something over, thinking it over, pondering it over. You know, sometimes someone will say, I read 10 chapters of the Bible today. That's great. What were they about? I have no idea, but I read 10 chapters. No, listen, it's not enough to just read.

You need to comprehend what it is saying. We need to be hungry for the word of God. Chew your food. I don't know about you, but but I am a person who eats three meals a day. And I usually want breakfast around 5:30 to 6:00. I get it pretty early. Then I have lunch at around 11:00. And then I have dinner around 5:00. And when I say around, I mean pretty much at 5:00, at 11:00, and at 5:30 to 6:00. And it's like clockwork every single day. Now, my wife in contrast will not eat breakfast and she won't even be aware it's lunchtime.

I'll say, Kathy, it's almost lunchtime. It is? I'm like, I've been thinking about lunch for like an hour. I've been thinking about lunch since 10:00 and she is like amazed that lunchtime just happened. I don't think that way. My stomach reminds me. I think if you're hungry, it's a sign that you're healthy. Right? So, in the same way, a healthy spiritual person will be a hungry spiritual person. They'll be a person that longs for and loves the word of God. 1 Peter 3:2 says, like newborn babes, crave pure spiritual milk that you may grow up in your salvation.

Now, I know you all think I hate cats. I 've already told you I hate seagulls. I'm going to stand by that statement. I really don't hate cats. Uh, I just don't love them, but there are exceptions. There's a cat in my neighborhood. His name is Hopkins. It's a cool cat. He goes from house to house. Everybody feeds him. So, this morning I got up and Hopkins is walking around in our house and my wife Kathy says, Craig, give Hopkins some milk. So, I go over and I pull out a little bowl and I pour some milk into the bowl and I set it down in front of Hopkins.

He took like two licks and then walked off, probably to get food from some other neighbor. And I 'm thinking, wait, I just poured all that milk in a bowl for you. And that's how some of us are. Yeah, we we desire the sincere milk of the word, but a couple of licks and we're good and off we go. No, finish the serving. Dig in deeper. Continue in the word of God. And I don't know about you, but when I don't eat, I get hangry. You know, I get irritable, but I find that a meal can change everything, just one good meal.

And uh take a child for instance, when a little baby is crying, there's usually two reasons. Number one, they're hungry. Number two, maybe they need a nap. Oh, by the way, I found that works for me too. I'm hungry or maybe I need a nap. But it's the same as true of God's word. It says over in Jeremiah 15:16, when your words came, Lord, I ate them and they were my joy. They were my heart's delight. See, it's oh, I love your word and I consume your word. I have a grandson named Christopher and he's really into reptiles.

And so I bought him an anole lizard. Now, sometimes these lizards are called chameleons because they change color, but actually they're not technically chameleons. That's another creature altogether. But the anole is a great little pet. And I gave him one. And uh he had it for a couple of weeks and then he decided he would just let the anole go. Now, they're raised in captivity. And so these little lizards really don't know the way around out there or how to take care of themselves. And so what happened was the anole uh disappeared and and his dad Jonathan, my son, thought, well, we'll never see that anole again.

But 3 weeks later, he was in his garage and and there was what looked like the dead anole. He was looking skeletal, just laying on the ground. Jonathan thought, oh no, that poor lizard. And he went to pick it up and it started to jump. So, this thing was still alive. So, Jonathan gave him a couple of crickets, sprayed him with water, and this anole came back to life. And now he's doing very well. But my point of this is, if you're feeling down and listless spiritually, eat some crickets. No, seriously, you need the word of God.

That's why you're feeling lethargic. That's why you're feeling down. That's why your life has been flooded with fear and anxiety because you've forgotten what the Bible says. And that's why you need to spend time in the word of God each and every day. Martin Luther made this statement about the Bible and I quote, the Bible is alive. It speaks to me. It has feet. It runs after me. And that's what God wants to happen in your life as you open the word. It will speak to your heart. Well, as I mentioned, this is a new series that we're doing called Faith 101, a crash course on the basics of the Christian life, things that sometimes we lose sight of.

You know, when we started our church almost 50 years ago, I started by teaching through the Bible and we're still doing that today because we know how important the word of God is in the lives of people. And we founded our church on the principles of Acts chapter two uh verses 42 to 47. So, I'd like you to read those with me if you would right now. Now, by the way, before I read them, this happened on the heels of the birth of the church. This is what happened after the day of Pentecost when the church was born.

The Holy Spirit was poured out on believers. The Bible tells us. And now this is what the church did in the aftermath of that. And this is what the church should be doing today to stay strong spiritually. Acts 2:42, those that gladly received this word were baptized. And that day 3,000 souls were added to them and they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and the breaking of bread and in doctrine and fellowship and prayers. Now, drop down to verse 46. So, continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people.

And the Lord added to the church daily those that were being saved. So, I've summed this up in an acronym, W E L L. W for they were a worshiping church. E they were an evangelizing church. L number one, they were a learning church. And L number two, they were a loving church. I'll deal with those other principles later. Let me just focus on this one. They were a learning church. Verse 42, they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and the breaking of bread and prayers. This phrase continued steadfastly speaks of a passion.

It speaks of people that were really engaged. You know, we need anointed preaching today for sure, but I think we also need anointed listening, giving your attention with intention, paying attention. Jesus would often say, he that has ears to hear, let him hear. If we were to update that, might go along these lines, listen up. Pay attention because we're sharing with you the word of God.

Guest (Male): Great reminders today on the foundational precepts of the faith. Pastor Greg Laurie with a study called Faith 101 today here on A New Beginning. Well, Pastor Greg, important counsel on walking with the Lord today in a good insight on Christian living.

Greg Laurie: Yeah.

Guest (Male): But maybe there's somebody listening who isn't sure that they are a Christian.

Greg Laurie: Mm.

Guest (Male): What would you say to them?

Greg Laurie: I would say that God is just a prayer away. You know, it doesn't take years to become a Christian. It doesn't take months. Frankly, it doesn't even take hours. It can happen so quickly. It just starts with you saying to God, I know I'm a sinner. I know that you love me. I know that you sent Jesus to die on the cross for my sin and pay for those sins and then to rise again from the dead. And I want him to come into my life. So, here's my question to you. Have you done it yet?

Because Jesus who did die on the cross and rose again from the dead 3 days later is alive and standing at the door of your life right now and he's knocking. And he's saying, if you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in. Would you like your sin forgiven? Would you like to know that when you die, you will go to heaven? Do you want Christ to come into your life right now? If so, why don't you just stop whatever it is you're doing and pray this prayer with me. Say, Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, but I know that you are the savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead.

I'm sorry for my sin and I turn from it now and I choose to follow you from this moment forward. I ask all of this in Jesus' name. Amen. Listen, if you just prayed that prayer, the Bible promises that God has heard your prayer and has answered that prayer. The Bible says that we will confess our sin. He's faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So, God bless you. You've made the right decision, the decision to follow Jesus Christ.

Guest (Male): Yeah. Yeah, that's right. And listen, as you begin to live this new life, we want to send you something to help you get started off right. It's Pastor Greg's New Believer's Bible. It's an easy to understand translation plus hundreds and hundreds of study helps, especially for those who are new to the faith. It'll answer many of the questions you may have. So, get in touch for the New Believer's Bible. We'll send it to you free of any charge. Just call us at 1-800-821-3300. Again, 1-800-821-3300. Or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California 92514. Or go online to harvest.org and click on No God.

If you missed any part of today's study, just go to that same web address, harvest.org and look for the message called Faith 101. Or subscribe to our podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any of the other podcast apps. And then let us say a word of thanks to those who support us financially, those who make it possible for us to bring you these studies each day. We're definitely a listener-supported ministry. It's the generosity of listeners that help us be here with these programs. So, if you've partnered with us, thank you. And if you have yet to partner with us, well, I hope you'll get in touch today and let us know that you're standing with us.

Even a small investment would help. It's actually an investment in changing lives. Thank you for partnering with us. You can donate securely online at harvest.org or write A New Beginning, Box 4000, Riverside, California 92514. Or call us at 1-800-821-3300. Again, that's 1-800-821-3300. Well, next time Pastor Greg brings us more insight on the value of God's word and 821-3300. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.