Someone started attending our church recently, and he had this to say; “One thing I love about Destiny Impact Church is the wholistic teaching of God’s word. With the few weeks I’ve spent here, there has been a major shift in every area of my life. Truly, I’ve missed a lot. But thank God I’m here now.”
Friend, the way you learn Christ matters (Ephesians 4:20). It is one thing to have given your life to Christ. It is another to learn Him correctly. Jesus told us to learn of Him; meaning that we should learn Him and learn from Him (Matthew 11:28-30). We should check what He taught as well as how He lived (Acts 1:1).
There is the person of Christ, and there is the principle of Christ. The person of Christ gives you Christ-like character, the principles of Christ give you Christ-like victory (John 13:17). The person of Christ guarantees your eternity with God. The principles of Christ guarantee your success and victory on the earth.
You can be a Lazarus type of Christian or an Abraham type of Christian (Luke 16:19-31). Lazarus only enjoyed the presence of Jesus without learning the principles of Jesus. He walked in the fear of God, but not in the wisdom of God for a successful life on earth. Abraham was close to God, but He also leveraged kingdom principles for prosperous life (Genesis 13:2, 18:17-19).
Perhaps the Corinthian Church was not properly exposed to the principles of Christ, so they had a lot of issues to deal with (1 Corinthians 5:1, 6:1-6). Most of what Paul taught the Corinthian Church was in response to the lapses in the practical side of their lives (1 Corinthians 7:1). Learn Christ correctly. Being christocentric should not make you irresponsible or lazy.
Being Christ-centred does not preclude you from learning practical things to do on this side of the eternity. There is a scriptural principle for financial success. There is wisdom in God’s word for marital success. There are basic principles for human relationships. A healthy Church or ministry should not shun to declare to God’s people the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27).
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria