Part 1: Stop Moving Away From God

John 15:1-17

Do you remember when you first put your trust in Christ and tasted of God’s love? Do you remember how excited and anxious you were to serve God? Have you gradually lost the passion for God that you had when you first came to Christ? Many things can influence our lives in ways that distract us from loving and serving God.

Wesley was not afraid that the holiness movement would cease to exist. He was "afraid lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power."

Many people want to enter into deeper and more meaningful relationships with Jesus Christ, to move forward and become more and more Christ-like. Maybe you sense that there is more to being a Christian than what you are now experiencing, but you aren’t sure how to find that deeper meaning.

To Grow in Christ We Must Recognize Our Need for Guidance, Direction and Discipline.

Kids seem to have this inner need to test rules and boundaries that are placed before them.

Every family has rules and regulations. But who is making the rules and enforcing them? Is it the parents or the children?

Like children, we Christians also need guidance, direction, and discipline from our Creator in order to learn, grow, and discover who God created us to be.

Jesus quoted Isaiah the prophet: "‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’ 8You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men." (Mark 7:6-8).

First Principle For a New Plan: Stop Moving Away From God.

If we are going to succeed at loving God (be a disciple) and others (making disciples), we first need to stop doing things that lead us away from God.

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them" (Matt. 5:17).

When asked about the law, Jesus summarized them into two commandments:

"‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." (Matt. 22:37-40).

If you take having a relationship with God seriously, then first, stop moving away from God!

We are surround by things that can gradually and subtly shift our focus away from God.

If we focus on anything other than on Jesus we begin to sink. But, keeping our focus on Jesus takes effort! It cannot be taken for granted. It is not automatic. We disciples must learn to become more focused on Jesus in the midst of the chaos of life. We must be followers. Do nothing that leads you away from God! In order to move forward, we must first stop moving backward.