Our series this month is Four Chairs.
We are using the chairs as visual symbols of where every person might find themselves seated, spiritually speaking.
-The illustration of the chairs helps us to identify where we are personally (as well as our family & friends)
-The chairs give us an idea of the next step to take in our spiritual maturity and ministry for God
-The chairs provide a biblical plan for how we should live our life and influence others

Last week we talked about the First Chair - the chair of the Seeker.
We use a bench as an illustration for this chair. Those in this chair are either:
-Really Lost: no real knowledge of the Bible, no familiarity with the church, no connection with followers of Jesus, and no relationship with or submission to God
-Religiously Lost: some basic knowledge of the Bible, some familiarity with the nature of the church, some connection with authentic followers of Jesus, some religious practices but no relationship with or submission to God

The process for a person moving from one side of the bench to the other can take place quickly or over a prolonged period of time.
The general process follows a pattern similar to this:

-REVELATION of God
John 6:44a

-RELATIONSHIP with someone who presents the Gospel
Romans 10:17 [NLT]

-REALIZATION that you need God
John 6:68

-REPENTANCE or turning around
Acts 20:21

When a person makes a decision to repent of their sins and entrust their life to Jesus as their Lord and Savior, they experience a miracle from God. It's called the "new birth." A new birth results in a new and different life, over time, just as in the physical birth of an infant.
The cross is a symbol of one's former life ending and new life beginning.
2 Corinthians 5:17
The Bible uses a number of terms to talk about this miraculous change. The person is said to be "born again," "saved," "a Christian," or we could simply say, "a believer."

Second Chair: The Believer

Biblical belief is different from human belief because of what it is based in and on.
Biblical belief and faith is rooted in God and on His Word.
It involves careful CONSIDERATION of who God is and what He has said.
This leads to a CONFIDENCE in the truth which results in a CONFESSION of our sinfulness, a wholehearted COMMITMENT to Jesus as our Lord, and a growing CHANGE in our attitudes and behavior.

Biblically we see there are different types of believers. The Apostle John and the writer of Hebrews used human progression to identify believers by using the terms infants, babies, children, young men, and old men.
Hebrews 5:13 [NLT]

There are 3 general types of people who sit in the believer chair:

1. New Believers - have recently trusted Jesus as their Lord & Savior. They don't have much knowledge, are unclear about expectations, still have lifestyle issues carried over, and are dependent upon more mature Christians to care for them and guide them.

2. Growing Belivers - are those who are learning "whose" they are and who they are. They are experiencing the work of God's Spirit transforming their life, are hungry to know God's Word, are learning to re-prioritize their life around God's values and God's people, and are moving from selfishness to selflessness.

3. Maturing Believers - are self-feeders, able to pray, study and apply God's Word. They are able to discern the traps of the devil and our culture. They are reaching out to serve in their church and community. They have an increasing desire to discover God's purpose for their life and are becoming passionate about reaching the lost.

There are those who are not healthy in the spiritual sense. Their thinking, actions, priorities, motivations, and use of life resources revolve around the secular and temporal rather than God's Lordship.
They might fall into any of the following categories:
-Broken (life trauma)
-Entrapped (fallen into sin)
-Immature (no spiritual mentor)
-Stubborn (wont' give up life ownership)
-Wounded (relational difficulties)
-Emotional ("how do I feel?")
-Yah But'ters (tend to rely on human reasoning over faith)

God desires each person who has truly made Jesus their Lord and Savior to be a healthy Christian. He saved us to bring Him honor and to help others.
We have a role in this. Jude 1:20-21

If we find ourselves in one of the categories of being an unhealthy believer, we have to desire to be different. Then we have to humble ourselves and ask mature believers for help. We must put one foot in front of the other and make a persistent effort. Our motivation should be "to be what Jesus gave His life for us to become."

Here at Grace Church you have every opportunity to grow and become healthy:
-Mentoring
-Self-assessment to determine where you are spiritually
-H.O.M.E. Groups
-Grace U Classes
-Ministries
-Bible Studies
-Sunday morning Celebration Services

Being in chair 2 is not the end game. There are 2 more chairs for you to progress to!