Common Marks of the Believer

Amos 5:14-20

I'd like to start out and say that the current sermon series in Amos that we are working through at our church, Trinity @ The Marketplace, has been absolutely stunning in it's relevant application for us today. If you are cruising this site and want to download the sermons by our pastor, Michael Kelshaw, go here:
http://trinity-at-the-marketplace.org/Sermons.html

Amos pops the balloons of delusion of the nation of Israel, who think God is with them and for them even in the license of their rebellion against Him. The main evidence that Amos points to are: how they treat God and how they treat others around them. His metric is echoed later on by James who says that faith must work itself out in the life of the one with real faith. False faith is not saving faith and will not produce good fruit.

So are there some concrete markers that will be obvious in the life of all believers? I'd like to propose the following as four marks or evidences of the transformative work of God in the life of an individual. A person who has passed from death to life, who is being transformed day by day into the likeness of Christ will show:

1. A love for God which follows the requirements of the Great Commandment. It is a desire which captures the individuals focus and priorities.
2. A love, wonder, reverence and hunger for God's Word, not for knowledge's sake but because it is God's revelation of Himself and it brings them to Him and a natural reaction to marker #1.
3. A supernatural love, desire, and tolerance for God's people/children which naturally flows out of marker #1's vertical nature, instructed by marker #2, and producing a horizontal directed out-flowing.
4. A faith which works itself out, springing from markers #1, #2 & #3 which is experiential and practical and which permeates the whole of the believers existence and dominates their focus, priorities and thinking. It will be characterized by gracious generosity and motivated by humble thankfulness to God.

Warning: These four markers should not be used as weapons to attack someone else! Every believer will have much to improve on in the four markers and these should be used for self-introspection and a sober self-assessment.

Questions: How do we teach this without being legalistic? How did the apostles do it without becoming legalistic? How do we make sure of internal application and not used externally as a weapon?

So, are these useful? Are they comprehensive enough? Can we avoid legalism?

Let me know.

The first Blog post

Hello! This is the first post to the newly-created Trinity @ The Marketplace Blog. Our hope is that this Blog will serve as another mechanism to bind our congregation together. Please feel free to post questions, comments, reactions to the Sunday sermon, prayer requests, and anything else that is on your heart. Blessings!