For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God…

- Ephesians 2:8

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works…

- Ephesians 2:10

Sunday I spoke from 2 Timothy 2:14-19. We were encouraged to keep the main thing the main thing in our pursuit of the truth, based on the firm knowledge we have in the gospel and the teachings of the apostles. Our salvation is not based on how many arguments we can make in defense of what we believe, but in the simple message of the gospel—“Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David” (2 Timothy 2:8)—and our response to that gospel. Here’s the caveat that I always try to be mindful to include: the work that counts in our faith is post-conversion, not pre-conversion. As Martin Luther famously said, “We are saved by faith alone, but not by faith that is alone.” He went on to say that the faith that saves us changes us, and if it hasn’t changed us, it hasn’t saved us. What we do matters, both for us individually and for the kingdom of God collectively. As the character Maximus said in the hit film Gladiator, “What we do echoes in eternity.”

Our Christian walk is a balanced walk. Knowledge is vital, for we must have something in our heads to compare with the conflicting messages we receive in our daily lives. If we are not growing in the knowledge of Christ, we will constantly be duped by the barrage of messages that run counter to Christ coming at us from almost every source of information in our lives. At the same time, our faith is practical. It is meant to be lived out, and God has called us to "Produce good works in keeping with repentance" (Luke 3:8).

I'm hopeful that last Sunday's message, God’s Firm Foundation, has ignited (or re-ignited) a passion in you for good, hearty discipleship/training as well. Discipleship is that part of our lives wherein we either help train/teach others in the faith or receive training ourselves, or both. If you are looking for a few good books to read that will help you on your way, here are four of my favorites, geared toward newer-to-growing believers. Each of these books has helped me significantly in my own faith journey, and each is less than 150 pages in length (excepting The Fight, which is a bit longer but still very easy for the average reader).

·      The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer

·      Basic Christianity by John R.W. Stott

·      The Fight by John White

·      Essential Truths of the Christian Faith by R.C. Sproul

If books do not appeal to you, then by all means, find a Christian friend to share with you what he/she has learned in their life as a follower of Christ. In my years of discipling and being discipled, I have found that one of the best things we can do to stimulate conversation is to read a book with someone else and then discuss it together. However, there are many ways in which genuine discipleship can take place. Scripture memory is always a good exercise to practice with a friend; reading a printed or online message from a favorite pastor and then discussing its content; walking through a book of the Bible; or simply talking through the ups and downs of our Christian walk and seeking counsel, encouragement, and instruction from each other (or in a small group setting) can lead to significant growth. What we must avoid at all costs, however, is to find ourselves squabbling over words and unfathomable concepts that have no clear biblical answers. This, which the apostle Paul described as “irreverent babble,” leads not to the strengthening of our faith but to ungodliness.

We are saved, friends, by the grace of God, not by our knowledge, good works, or prowess in debate. When we have been saved by grace, we are called to good works. One of those good works is to pursue Christ with all our might. I’ll be putting extra effort into that. I hope you’ll join me in the pursuit.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Jym

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