The words “the faithful in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 1:1) speak volumes about our reputation that this has been said about us.
Any believer would be and should be honored to receive such a label. How would we be perceived by others as being devoted to Christ?
We are to adhere to our faith daily, faithfully following God, even in the smallest of ways. Here are seven ways we show that we are faithful to Jesus Christ.
1. Our Walk
Where are we regarding our daily spiritual walk? Like Enoch, we ought to be in continued fellowship with the Lord (Genesis 5:22-24).
Enoch appears to have fared worse than the other patriarchs at first because he only lived for 365 years. Enoch went straight to heaven without experiencing death. Therefore, Enoch lived longer than any other patriarch because he never died.
The Bible uses the term “walked with God” to describe a person whose obedience and devotion to the Lord win them His favor.
In the case of Enoch, this was so crucial that it was mentioned twice: both in verse twenty-two and verse twenty-four.
Hebrews 11:5 tells us that “by faith,” Enoch was translated, which means he was taken up. He never saw death. Why? Because he pleased God. His faith and his life pleased the Lord. How is our faith?
2. Our Worship
Like Moses, we ought to be in the holy place of separation (Exodus 33:11). Moses and God conversed with one another like friends do. Why did God grant Moses such favor? It was certainly not due to his perfection, talent, or power.
Instead, it was because Moses was chosen by God, and in turn, Moses had put all his faith in God’s direction and wisdom. Moses’ friendship with God was a true honor that the other Hebrews seemed unable to attain.
However, we can achieve it today. In John 15:15, Jesus referred to all His followers as His friends, beginning with His disciples. We have been invited to be His friends. Will we have the same faith in Him as Moses did?
3. Our Work
Like Nehemiah, who persevered despite ridicule and opposition, we ought to be faithfully working every day (Nehemiah 6:3). Prior to the Book of Nehemiah, the Israelites had been in captivity.
They were allowed to return to their homeland in the Book of Ezra and started to rebuild the Temple. In the first three chapters of Nehemiah, Nehemiah received disturbing news about the city of Jerusalem and how the walls and gates were in disarray.
Nehemiah prayed for the people, and he had been allowed to return to Jerusalem. Nehemiah goes out and inspects the walls and compels the people to begin rebuilding the walls.
By chapter four, there were a few enemies within (Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem) that opposed the rebuilding of the walls, but Nehemiah encouraged the people to continue working. After realizing that the walls were still being rebuilt, Tobiah and Sanballat were desperate.
They were unable to stop the wall from being built, and it was almost finished. As a result, they tried something new, focusing their attacks on Nehemiah’s character.
They had sent letters requesting that he meet with them, but Nehemiah knew that they intended to plot against him. So, Nehemiah refused and replied that he was “doing a great work” and that the work should not cease.
Rumors, lies, and fabricated accounts were used against him personally. Personal attacks hurt, and it is easy to despair when criticism is unjustified.
When we work for God, we may be targeted for our character. We should follow Nehemiah’s example by overlooking unjustified insults and putting our faith in God to complete the task.
4. Our Witness
We ought to be like Paul and not avoid proclaiming God’s directions and guidance (Acts 20:27-28). Paul is stating that he has not been delinquent if providing the Ephesians with sound doctrine from the Word of God.
He would not be seeing them again, and he stated that his conscience was clear regarding the performance of his duties. He tells the Ephesian elders that they were to shepherd the believers under their care by demonstrating God’s love and feeding them with God’s Word.
All Christians have two major responsibilities: to share God’s truth with others and to show God’s truth at work in their lives. The truth of God must be preached and lived out. Can we truthfully say that we have done our best to declare God’s Word to a lost and dying world?
The important issue is that we declare the world of God, not by running the church but that the church is continually fed the Word of God.
5. Our Prayer
As Daniel did every time that he found himself at the throne of grace (Daniel 6:10–11), we ought to raise up holy hands (1 Timothy 2:8). Darius had just signed a decree that it was against the law to pray to anyone except the king. Take note of Daniel’s response to the new law.
When he opened his windows, he did nothing outlandish. He simply refused to relent. Daniel continued to pray three times a day even though he was aware of this law. He was not cowardly or compromising in any way.
Notice that he knelt. I do not think that the posture of prayer is an important issue. Some people may be physically unable to kneel on the floor. What I believe is important is the posture of the believer’s spirit. Do we approach God’s throne with a contrite heart?
The pressures of our daily schedules frequently interrupt our prayers, not necessarily by physical threats. We should not allow anything to interfere with our prayer time. No matter what, we ought to pray frequently.
Sins, feelings of resentment, and anger can stand in the way of proper prayer. The “lifting up holy hands” is not, by definition, the lifting of our physical hands, though people may choose to do so.
God’s Word speaks about lifting our hands toward heaven. But I think that it is in reference to an inward approach to holiness and purity in one’s character and life. What is in the heart will eventually be displayed in the physical body.
6. Our Sanctification
Our whole spirit, soul, and body are to be sanctified (1 Thessalonians 5:23). A person’s spirit, soul, and body are not separate entities. This articulation is Paul’s approach to saying that God should be associated with each part of our lives.
It is erroneous to believe that we can live our spiritual lives apart from everything else and only obey God in an ethereal sense and serve Him once a week. We must all be under the control of Christ, not just the “religious” part.
A priest would kill an animal, cut it into pieces, and sacrifice it on the altar in accordance with God’s Law.
Performing the duties of a sacrifice was important. However, God made it abundantly clear, even in the Old Testament, that heartfelt obedience was far more significant.
We should make ourselves, not animals, our living sacrifices for God. That is, daily putting aside our own desires to follow Him, giving Him all our efforts and resources, and relying on Him to direct us. We do this in gratitude for the forgiveness of our sins.
For His children, God has perfect, pleasing plans. We should be new people with fresh minds who live to serve and honor Him.
Since He gave His Son to make our new lives possible and only wants the best for us, we should gladly volunteer to serve Him as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2).
7. Our Potential
We ought to be full of faith and the power of the Holy Spirit, like Stephen. We will then have a glowing face, a shining testimony, and an undaunted courage of unshakeable conviction, as stated in Acts 6:8–15.
Being filled with faith and the power of the Holy Spirit is the most crucial prerequisite for any Christian service.
Stephen was a good overseer (Acts 6:3), a good miracle worker (Acts 6:8), and a good preacher (Acts 6:10) thanks to the power of the Spirit. We have the potential to use the abilities that God has given us through the power of the Spirit.
We have the potential to be effective Christians endowed with power from God. It all depends on where we are regarding our daily walk, our daily worship, our daily work, our daily witness, our daily prayer life, and our sanctification. So, where do we stand?
For further reading:
8 Things Christians Should Know about Faithful Ministry
What Does 'Go and Make Disciples' Look Like Today?
3 Things Jesus Calls Christians to Do in Their Faith
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Emma Simpson
