Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. – Hebrews 2:1

Nothing is easier than drifting downstream.  No-one ever drifts upstream, but rather downstream, In other words, you drift away not towards your intended goals.  To drift downstream just sit back and relax, don’t put any effort forth and you will
start to drift.  You may not even realize that you have started to drift until it’s too late.  You are always either moving forward or backward; you are never standing still.

We all know Christians that have drifted away, they are all around us, people who used to attend church, used to read their Bible, used to do a lot of things, but have drifted away.  Are you starting to drift away?  If so, then grab the oars of the Fundamentals of the Faith to get back on track.

You need to learn the Fundamentals for any endeavor that you wish to be successful.  No matter what it is; In Football you need to learn the fundamentals:

1. Alignment
2. Tackling
3. Blocking
4. Causing Turn Overs

In Baseball the fundamentals that need to be mastered are:

1. Hitting the ball
2. Fielding the ball
3. Throwing the ball
4. Base Running

In this podcast, we will be discussing the Four Faithful Fundamentals of the Faith that you will need to get ahold of if you wish to stay in the fight.

Paul Harvey tells the story of the uncertain soldier in our Civil War who, figuring to play it safe, dressed himself in a blue coat and gray pants and tiptoed out onto the field of battle. He got shot from both directions!The Bible is full of examples of individuals who compromised in one form or another and their ensuing losses.

The same will happen to the Christian who tries to play both sides, The World and The Lord. You must pick a side.  The Apostle Paul gave us the Fundamentals necessary to ensure our success in this Christian Walk.

The first fundamental is the Faithful saying about the Gospel and is found in 1 Timothy 1:12-17.  The first thing to accept is the fact that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.  Jesus said, “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”  – Luke 19:10.  In the passage above Paul said that he was a blasphemer, persecutor, and injurious.  He gave details of his life before accepting the Gospel (which was revealed to him directly by the Lord Jesus Christ himself – Galatians 1:10-12) in Acts 26:9-11.  Paul called himself the chiefest of sinners, but he received mercy instead of what he deserved.  If you will accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior by responding to the Gospel, you too will receive mercy and forgiveness (Titus 3:5).  You have not been too bad for Jesus to save you.  Three of the best-known men in the Bible, Moses, King David, and the Apostle Paul were all guilty of Murder and God gave all three of them mercy and forgiveness.  He is offering that same mercy and forgiveness to you today!

The second fundamental of the faith is the Faithful saying about suffering and is found in 1 Timothy 4:6-10.  Suffering derails Christians every day.  They are surprised when suffering comes their way, but they shouldn’t be.  Jesus told us “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33).  We are promised in the Bible that we will suffer if we live for Christ, See 2 Timothy 3:12 and 1 Peter 3:14-17.  In 1 Timothy 4:10 to do three things:

1. Labor for Christ
   • Galatians 6:9
   • 1 Corinthians 15:58
2. Suffer for Christ
   • 2 Timothy 3:12
   • Romans 8:16-17
3. Trust in Christ
   • 2 Corinthians 1:7-10

In 1 Peter 4:13-19  we are reminded that we will suffer one way or another.  To those Christians who decide to quit, throw in the towel, and stop living for Christ in order to avoid suffering, I have bad news for you.  You will suffer anyway.  You will suffer for either doing good or for doing evil, but mark my words, you will suffer.  Peter reminds us that it is better that we suffer for dong good rather than for doing evil.

The Third fundamental of the faith is the Faithful saying about enduring hardship and is found in 2 Timothy 2:8-13.  We no longer live for ourselves, we are dead to Sin but alive to Christ (Galatians 2:20, Colossians 3:3, Romans 6:11).  We have been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20) and that price was the blood of God himself (Acts 20:28); Therefore we now live for Christ not ourselves as seen in:

• Romans 12:1-2
• Galatians 5:24-25
• 2 Corinthians 5:15

We are commanded to put off the old nature (Ephesians 4:22-24, Colossians 3:8-10) and to put on or live in the new man, which is created in Christ Jesus and because of this we now must fight the internal war within ourselves on a daily basis (Romans 7:14-23).  You can not go through this life like the uncertain soldier that we discussed at the beginning of this post.  You must pick a side!  Will you decide to walk in the flesh (old man) or will you make the correct decision to walk in the Spirit (new man)?

The final fundamental is the Faithful saying about our conduct and is found in Titus 3:5-8.  We know that we are not saved by doing good works (Ephesians 2:8-9), but once you have accepted Jesus as your savior, by accepting him by grace through faith, you are called to do good works.  We see in Ephesians 2:10 that we are created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Also, we see in Titus 2:11-14, that Jesus gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. And again, in Titus 3:14  we see that if we don’t maintain good works after salvation, then we will be considered to be unfruitful servants; Therefore we know that even though we are not saved by good works, we are called to do them once we receive salvation by accepting the free gift of eternal life.

The Four Faithful Fundamentals of the Faith are:

1. To accept and share the Gospel of Christ
2. To maintain the proper attitude about Christian Suffering
3. To Walk in the Spirit
   • Consider yourself dead to sin
   • Live for Christ
   • Fight the good fight of faith
4. Maintain a good Testimony