The Making of a Christian: Instructions for the Born-Again Believer

By T.W. Jones

In The Making of a Christian: Instructions for the Born-Again Believer, author, T. W. Jones draws on her own personal experiences and those of others to offer seven powerful truths that will propel you to: * A deeper relationship with God * Love even the unlovable * Walk in the authority of Christ * Be victorious over Satan's devices * Grow up in Christ * Reap the rewards of giving * Receive your inheritance So that you may become a victorious, mature, and effective Christian in this present world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Feb 11, 2019
• ISBN: 9781641407755

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The Making of a Christian

Instructions for the Born-Again Believer

T.W. Jones

Copyright © 2018 by T.W. Jones

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.

832 Park Avenue

Meadville, PA 16335

www.christianfaithpublishing.com

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

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In memory of my grandmother, Amanda or Ma, as we affectionately called her, who laid the foundation for my personal relationship with Jesus. She taught me how to pray and how to trust God with everything, and she made sure I went to church as often as possible—even when I didn’t want to go. Ma was my rock. She always knew what to say to comfort me during difficult times. I often think about what would have become of me if it were not for her. I reap the benefits of her love, understanding, and guidance daily. I am forever grateful. Thank you, Ma. Until we meet again.

This book also goes out to Elder Harry J. Blackwell Jr., a man who personified our Lord Jesus Christ in showing forth the love of God to all he encountered. Elder Blackwell’s favorite saying, I love you and like you too always warmed my heart and made me smile. His teachings concerning the love of God will forever remain with me. He is immensely missed.

Introduction

There is an old saying, Knowledge is power, and indeed, it is through knowledge we garner the advantage in this natural world, and it is no different with the spiritual world. There are certain basic truths every believer should know and understand right away after salvation in order to quickly overcome the wiles of the devil and live the victorious, abundant life that the Father intended for his children. Some of those truths are: understanding the importance of and developing a personal relationship with God, understanding all that Jesus accomplished for us through the cross, understanding the tactics of the enemy, and understanding the importance of commandment of love and giving. I believe sound teaching and sound instruction from the Word of God, especially at the beginning of one’s walk with the Lord, is vital to becoming a victorious, mature, and effective Christian in the kingdom of God.

My life has been filled with misery, pain, disappointments, and missed opportunities due in part to my lack of knowledge and understanding and for this reason, I was compelled to write this book. My goal is to help others avoid the pitfalls to which I became victim. My life’s experiences would have certainly been different had I learned as a babe in the Lord what I’ve learned in the last few years of my life. The word of God says in Hosea 4:6, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Unfortunately, I found that scripture to be very true in my own life. Whether you are a newborn babe in the Lord or have been born-again for years, this book will equip you with basic principles for living a victorious new life in Jesus Christ. May God richly bless and keep you.

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Develop an Intimate Personal Relationship with God

By far, the single most important thing a believer must accomplish is to develop an intimate or personal relationship with God. It is life-or-death crucial that we know God personally and not just know him in general terms. Shortly after becoming a born-again believer, Jesus said to me, Get into my Word for yourself. At the time I did not realize how important those instructions were but years later, after suffering many needless tribulations and setbacks, the realization was clear that my relationship needed to be a personal one with God alone. God’s desire for me was to have an intimate one-on-one relationship with him from the very beginning of my new birth. He wanted me to know him personally. Jesus didn’t want me to merely know about him as I did—I went to church every Sunday as a child and knew God existed and believed in Him but I did not have a personal relationship with Him. God wanted me to know his voice, his calling for my life, and his endless love for me and that is God’s desire for every believer.

Jesus’ purpose for coming in the flesh and dying for our sins was to reconcile us back to God and reestablish everything Satan stole from mankind in the garden of Eden. The word says in 2 Corinthians 5:18, And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us back to himself by Jesus Christ. Developing an intimate relationship and getting to know the heart of God comes only through fellowship with him, a relationship in which you make time to pray, read the Bible, and listen to God when He speaks—yes, God will speak to you. As you draw nigh to God, he will draw nigh to you (Jas. 4:8). God longs to spend time with us just as he did in the beginning with Adam and Eve when he fellowshipped with them in the garden of Eden. He greatly desires that we get to know him because we are his children and he loves spending time with us. The only way to get to know someone is to spend time with that person and developing a relationship with God is no different. I think it is best to rise early in the morning to seek him and study his Word before you get your day started putting God first before your daily tasks, just as Jesus did when he was on earth.

Jesus, being our example in all things, is noted in the Scripture as one who rose early in the morning to pray. You should make seeking him a part of everyday life. Your goal in seeking him should be to get to know God instead of allowing this time with him to become some sort of heartless ritual or checking off a to-do list. Jesus said in Matthew 11:29, "Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls." Remember you’re developing an intimate relationship with God; therefore, seek him with your whole heart genuinely. Jesus desires relationship, not formality. The more quality time you spend with him, the deeper and stronger your relationship will grow. John 15:5 says, "I am the vine and ye are the branches: He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." Just as a tree branch cannot survive broken off from a tree, neither can we survive without being rooted in or connected to Jesus.

Knowing God personally will accomplish a number of things. I will expound