Put off the Old, Put on the New

Camp Hope 2012

As my summer activities are winding down, I've had time to ponder back on the wonderful aspects I've learned about our precious Lord this summer. Amidst the camping trips, summer BBQ's, warm beach days, nephew's birthday parties, weddings, family vacations, Bible conferences, hiking, and other activities, I found the highlight of my summer at Camp Hope. Our theme was based on Eph 4:22-24 - "Put off the Old, Put on the New." I was able to pull all my thoughts about this theme together during our testimonial campfire on the last night. I sat there SO in love and in awe with our wonderful Lord Jesus Christ that I could seriously hardly contain myself! So, since I did contain myself then...I'm here now to shout out how seriously wonderful it is to love and be loved by the Lord Jesus Christ!!!
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If there's one thing I love, it's hashing out a Biblical teaching until you see multiple glorious angles that'll create one complete and beautiful gem of Truth. This is what we did with the theme at Camp, which was really fun to do! We were able to clear up some misunderstandings and confusions some of the young people had about what it means to be a "New man." 

Perhaps the most misunderstood concept we heard is that the "New man" is something you can put on at your own pleasure, or the "Old man" is something you can revert back to when you sin or make a mistake. How wonderful it was to be reminded that "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Cor 5:17)! I was sharing with my girls that to be a New man is to be born again, to be in Christ, which absolutely cannot be undone no matter what mistakes they may make in their lives; for we know that once we are in Christ, no one will be able to snatch us out of His hands, nor the Father's hands who is "greater than all" Jn 10:28-30. How wonderful to know we are lovingly secure in the everlasting arms of the Almighty!
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So, then, once they understood that they were a New man in Christ, they wanted to know practical ways in which they could practice being that New man (a Christian) when they got home and got back to life. Even though we answered with some great examples and verses to think about, (Gal 5:22-23; Php 4:8; Rom 12:2, etc.), I found that question hard to honestly answer. There is no set of rules I could give them to follow, so how do you give them something that they want, but doesn't exist in Christ? There is no law in Christ. Not only that, every believer is so uniquely different that one restriction which might be helpful for one believer, could be detrimental to another believer. Only Christ could truly determine what His disciple needs.  If Christianity were a mere religion, the answer would be easy, but since being a Christian is not a religion, the answer is difficult, and, I believe, can only be found in God's Word through the leading of the Holy Spirit within that individual believer. Being a Christian is living a life - the very life of Christ - no man can tell you how Christ specifically wants you to uniquely serve Him, but Christ alone.
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Can we edify, encourage, comfort, exhort, and build each each other up to faithfully serve Him better? Of course! But...even if you received all the help you could possibly receive from other believers, the walk you walk with Christ is still your own. It is personal, is intimate, and is an individual one that no one else can understand but you and Christ (1 Cor 12:27). There is no set of rules anyone can give you to tell you what Christ personally desires of YOU. You need to find that out on your own, in the quietness of your room (Mt 6:6), in stillness before God (Ps 46:10), with ears and heart open to hear the leading of the Holy Spirit who dwells within you and desires to speak to you all the wonderful things of God (Jn 14:26; 1 John 2:27) .
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I don't believe the Holy Spirit speaks louder to "greater" Christians so they can then in turn go and speak to "weaker" Christians what Christ desires of them. Never! He dwells equally within every believer, no matter who they are or how long they have been in Christ; He speaks softly to the spirit of every man and woman who walks in Christ, because "He cares for you" 1 Pe 5:7. To hear Him personally speak to you is just the beginning of the journey you're on in living for Christ. If you're missing this, you're missing the fullness of this life we have been granted to live!
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So, how do I tell you what the Holy Spirit is speaking to you? I can't, because I have no idea! No matter how "Godly" a person is, they will never be able to tell you what the Holy Spirit is speaking to you. Go to a quiet place and hear what the Holy Spirit is speaking to you. Go find time in your busy life and purposely set aside time just to spend with your Savior! Don't let others tell you how to live your life in Christ, go to Christ directly and ask Him how to live your life for Him! This is your personal liberty of being in Him!! I believe this is where true spiritual strength and spiritual growth comes from for the disciple of Christ.
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This is what was running over within me at that campfire that night. That if I could say anything to the young people who asked for rules to  become a "better Christian," I'd say to throw that way of thinking out the window and go home and simply fall in love with Jesus! If that becomes the foundation of your personal relationship with Him, I believe, you'll find that the things you do as a Christian is done, not because you simply hold that title and feel an obligation to live by a set of outward rules, but because there is a yearning within you to want to do good, because you love Him and want to please Him alone. When I say "good" I mean good according to God's standards, thus the reason you will find yourself immersing yourself in the Bible just to find out what God desires of you. Living for Christ is a wondrous life to live! Don't live by a set of stifling "Christian" rules and regulations man has made up, instead, live a life that is driven by a love for your Savior that is surging through every ounce of your being! As cheesy as it may sound, go fall in love with Him! If you already love Him, go home and fall in even deeper love with Him! I don't think we could EVER get our fill of Christ while living on this earth.
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Nothing has changed - we are still Jesus' disciples, He still directly teaches us, and we still follow after Him, but we have the added advantage of having God, the Holy Spirit, personally dwell in us. Honestly though...sometimes I wonder if we really believe this anymore? Are we willing, or even able, to walk by faith and not by sight in this? I believe that instead of relying so heavily on outside help from other Christians, young people today should learn how to cultivate and strengthen their own personal one-on-one relationship with Christ more than any other relationship they have. Even though I don't have a set of "rules" to give these young people, I will walk together with them, with the Word of God in both of our hands, walking towards the upward call of God. No matter how young they are, they are my equal in this Priesthood we serve God together in (1 Pe 2:9). Together, as equals, let's rejoice, encourage, edify, and build each other up, but personally, nothing should be as prominent as building a strong one-on-one relationship with your precious Lord. If you need to bow your knees, fold your hands, and close your eyes to do that, do it :) Or if you need to simply read the red words in your Bible over and over again, do it.  

Let your personal love for Jesus absolutely rule the life you live as a Christian; let it be the strong bond of perfection between you and Him, and let Him be the absolute joy of your life of Whom you can hardly contain yourself of telling others about! If you are a New man, GO live it up in Him!