Belonging to God

Belonging to God
Belonging Series Part 1

What does it mean to belong to God?  Following the lives of the early disciples, we see some principles that God used to help his first disciples belong to HIm.

1. When you belong to God, You are a Follower.

Jesus first command to his new disciples was, “come and follow me…and I will make you fishers of men.”  (Matthew 4:19).  They followed Jesus without knowing who he was, where they were going or why.  In Greek, a disciple means being a “follower” and “student” or “leaner.”

When you are a follower, you…

• • Learn how to leave old roles and responsibilities.  (Matthew 4:19)
  • Learn new Roles and Responsibilities.   (Matthew 4:19)
  • Learn how to live without a stable earthly home. (Matthew 8:19-20)
  • Learn new Family Priorities. (Matthew 8:22)
  • Learn how to walk in Supernatural Miracles.
  • Learn how to move through Storms.
  • Learn how to face Persecution.

2.  When you belong to God, You have a Divine Calling

Everyone has a destiny, but when you belong to God, you can find your divine destiny. 

“Summoning his twelve disciples, he gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out and to heal every disease and sickness. (Matthew 10:1)

3.  When you belong to God, You opportunity for Divine Revelation

…he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”…  Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus responded, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.  I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.”…  (Mathew 16:13-20)

4.  When you belong to God, You know that Jesus is the Son of God.

To know Father God, we come into a relationship with Jesus as the Son of God.  When Peter declared that, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  (Matthew 16:16)

5.  When you belong to God, You learn through Failure.

Failure was essential for Peter to come in an intimate relationship with Jesus.  (Matthew 26:69-75; John 21:15-20)

6.  When you belong to God, You walk by Faith.

“Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”  (John 20:29)

7.  When you belong to God, You have a personal relationship to God.

After Peter denied Jesus,  Jesus takes a special moment with Peter to affirm their love.  (John 21:15-20)

8.  When you belong to God, You can have the Holy Spirit. 

After Jesus’ death,the disciples were told to wait and pray in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came.  When the Spirit came, the church was born and grew.

9.  When you belong to God, You understand the power of the cross.

When the Holy Spirit came on Peter, he understood the power of the cross.   (Acts 2:14-41).  Paul had an encounter with Jesus and he had an encounter with the meaning of the crucifixion.  (Romans 5, 6)