Today we begin a seven-week blog series called “7 Traits of A Spirit-Filled Disciple.” Through this series, we will look at seven areas where we all need to grow in our effort to be disciples of Jesus Christ.

The seven topics we will talk about are

Reading The Bible
Serving In The Church
Building Your Prayer Life
Freedom In Worship
Operating in the Gifts of The Holy Spirit
Being On Mission
Joyful Generosity

But before we get into it, let's ask ourselves what disciple means. The definition is actually pretty simple. It means to be a student of someone else. In the Christian context, it is a student that follows Jesus.

With that in mind, put yourself back into your school days. If you wanted to get a 4.0 report card, what did you need to do? You needed to study every single topic. You had to do the work for every single class. Studying English was not going to help your Algebra grade. Learning Algebra was not going to help your Gym grade. You need to put the work in on every subject.

And the same is true for your walk with Jesus. Being good at 2 or 3 of these traits will make you look more like Jesus. However, to be a Spirit-Filled disciple, we need to grow in all 7. Some of these areas you might be more naturally inclined at, and others you will have to work harder to improve at.

My goal in each of these next 7 posts, is to challenge you to continue to grow or start to grow in the area we discuss. Today we will be talking about reading and understanding the Bible.

One of the issues with reading the Bible is that we can gain knowledge and information. But if it does not wind up being transformational, then what is the point? Every week, we come to the church and hear stories or good thoughts that make us feel good. But nothing changes us.

Can I share something that discourages me? It discourages me when I hear a “good sermon” after church, but I don’t see life change. I want you to take a moment to read Deuteronomy 6:1-7

This passage occurs right after Moses delivers the Ten Commandments to the people. God commanded Moses to teach them these commandments; the people were to remember these commandments, live out these commandments, and teach the next generation these commandments. Moses was their high priest, and they had to get to God through Moses.

One of the most beautiful differences between the Old and New Testaments is that there is no longer the old priesthood system. You don’t need to come to me for the forgiveness of sins. I am not your high priest. I cannot offer forgiveness for you, and I am not the gatekeeper of the Holy of Holies.

Jesus is your High Priest; when he died, this old system was destroyed, and you have direct access. YOU are now a part of the Royal Priesthood! With that idea in mind, read 1 Peter 2:4-10

So my job is not to be your priest in the true Old Testament sense. Instead, my job is to train you in the priesthood. My job is to equip you to do every good work God has called you to do. My job is to equip you to do the work of the ministry.

But my job is impossible if you don’t pick up the Bible on your own and study it during the week. If you cannot say that you study God’s word AND let it transform you, you need to ask yourself how strong your relationship with God is. Do I know Jesus, or do I just like the sounds of the things He says? Now I want you to read John 1:1-18

Jesus was there in the beginning. Jesus is the word of God. The word became flesh and lived among us. How can we say we love Jesus if we don’t study Him? I need you to hear this and do something about it today. People worldwide are dying and going to hell, and many “Christians” are playing church because we want to do the bare minimum and make it to heaven.

I want you to hear my goals for our church in the area of Bible study. The Shores Church is a part of the Assemblies of God and these goals are shaped by their goals for all of the churches in our fellowship. Here are the metrics we are going to challenge ourselves with…

Pre-School students will…

Know That The Bible is God’s message for us.
Believe that the Bible is 100 percent true.
Begin memorizing Scripture.

Our Elementary students will…

Have a love for God’s word, learn God’s big story, and begin to apply God’s Word to their life.
Begin To trust God’s Word, Obey God’s Word, And Understand that God made them with a purpose.
Begin to read God’s word, continue to memorize scripture, and apply scripture when making choices.

Our Youth will…

Develop a deeper understanding of Scripture, apply biblical truths and principles to personal life, and can defend their faith humbly and wisely.
Trust God’s word, and have a personal sense of God’s calling for their life.
Begin to study God’s word, meditate on scripture, and apply the Word as a part of The Shores Church.
Begin to mentor others in applying the Bible to their life.
Understand how God views their identity and begin to manage their sexuality according to scripture.

And as Adults, we will…

Embrace a biblical worldview, pursue a God-honoring life, and can defend their faith humbly and wisely.
Trust God’s word, and have a personal sense of God’s calling for their life.
Learn the Bible by studying God’s word, meditating on scripture, and applying the Word as a part of The Shores Church.
Mentor others in applying the Bible to their life.
Manage their sexuality according to scripture with celibacy for singles and fidelity in Biblical marriages.

If we want to be spirit-filled disciples in the area of God’s word, we must begin to study God’s word and help others to do the same. Want to hear more about this topic? Check out the full sermon here on YouTube!