There are three stages to a Christian life.  The first is being born in sin and alienated from God.  The second stage is being born again and learning the religious practices, customs, and teachings of the church.  The third stage is living in freedom.  Let us look at them in turn.

            The first stage is the existential stage.  It is living in darkness, alienated from God, and kind of groping through life.  There can be a desire for worldly knowledge, being captivated by secular music and the arts, and a natural love for the things of the world.  None of these desires for those destined to life in Christ, however, are satisfying on a sustained basis.  The high we get going to a movie, being with the opposite sex, nature, music, and night clubs does not quench the thirst for happiness.  It is then at some point that we look elsewhere to meet the hunger of the heart.  The gospel with its claim to freedom and true joy and happiness becomes a viable option.  When we truly hear the message of forgiveness of sin and freedom from sin and death it is then that we are born again.

            The second stage is for learning and getting acquainted with this new life.  We go to church on a regular basis.  We begin to read the bible in earnest.  We give some our money to the church.  We try to share the good news with others.  We start reading Christian literature, listening to Christian music, and finding Christian friends.  We may attend Sunday school.  Later on we may begin to teach or preach and get involved in Christian ministry.  This is the religious stage of the Christian life.

            The third stage is the life of freedom.  Having integrated the practices of the religious life, through faith and the leading of the Spirit, God begins to strip away law, ritual, and rules and we begin to truly live by faith and walk in love.  Redemption means being delivered from the slavery to sin and the law to freedom in Christ.  There is nothing we do to earn or merit the grace of God nor is there anything we have to add to it to enhance the efficacy of the cross.  God wants us to live a spiritual life and we do that by learning how to yield to the Spirit and live by faith.  The benefit we reap is joy and peace, a closer fellowship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and real prosperity.

            God wants us to live as free men without using our freedom for the indulgences of the flesh.  The way we get free is by learning to live in silence and solitude and discerning the still small voice of God.  As we get closer to God we become more effective in the gifts of the Spirit, move with greater ease in the fruit of the Spirit, and our presence becomes a testimony to the reality of a God for a fallen world.

            So my friends, get free!

Amen