{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Christ Covenant Church","title":"Following Christ - Part 4","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":5068,"description":"Following Christ requires that you daily submit every single area of your life (your mind or heart, your decisions and desires, your worries and cares, your past, present and future) to His Lordship (His Word, will and way) and justice (His penalty for sin), so that it will count for His Kingdom (Mat 16:21-24; Luk 14:25-35; Luk 9:23 and 62). In short, you choose to only be concerned with gaining Christ and His approval and nothing or nobody else (2Co 5:9-17; 2Ti 2:4; Phi 1:21; Col 3:2; 1Co 4:1-4) . Anything less than that is not following Christ according to how He defines it will not only fail to be effective in dealing w/sin, but manifest itself in a lack of boldness, interest, passion or loyalty for Christ in comparison to other things (Mat 6:21; Exo 20:3; *passion is what happens when you invest everything [when you give your whole life/everything you are/your present and future/all your hopes over to the Lordship of Christ]*).\nWith that in mind, consider further, these truths as to what Following Christ is not:\nIt is not confusing.\nIf living in this world as a Christian is constantly confusing to you, then there is a good chance you are not (yet) (or are no longer) following Christ the way He calls you too (total surrender to His Lordship and justice).\nIt is not going to make temptation/trials go away.\nWe will continue to face other temptations/trials – including new ones (e.g. persecution associated w/being a Christian. Our faithfulness thru such trials/temptations are the test proving our worthiness/fitness for heaven.\nIt is not separate from loyalty to the church.\nThere is no such thing as a person who follows Christ yet remains disloyal to His church (their covenant brothers and sisters) – especially when things get tough (or trials come or they fall into sin).\nIt is not rehab or gradual.\nJesus demands that we be immediately be all in. Which means when it comes to our obedience and turning from sin, there is no stalling or dragging our feet.\nIt is not a...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/UXGjftzm8Yw--IISwUKe6A6-CX1YtARptisfLmFJFoI/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS81Zjc4/MmNmNTMxZjNmOTgw/YjA1NWRhYmMxMTNl/YmE1Zi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}