There is no such thing as a cookie-cutter Christian.

Pastor/Teacher
John Farley
Wednesday,
October 28, 2009

There is no such thing as a cookie-cutter Christian.

Act 13:9 But Saul [Hebrew name], who was also known as Paul [Roman or Gentile name], filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him,

Act 13:9 is where the Bible takes the name of Saul off the apostle’s jersey and sews on the new name, Paul.

Paul’s new name was a sign of his personal sense of destiny.

The name change occurs not at the moment of regeneration but at the time of promotion by the Lord.

1. Paul’s name change coincided with his movement into living in his personal sense of destiny.

2. The name change occurs not at the moment of regeneration but at the time of promotion by the Lord.

3. Paul’s personal sense of destiny had a geographic component to it. He needed to be in the geographic location that God called him to be.

4. Paul’s personal sense of destiny had a mental component to it. He was thinking the way the Lord wanted him to think.

5. Paul’s personal sense of destiny had an operational component to it. He was doing what the Lord willed for him to do.

3. Paul’s personal sense of destiny had a geographic component to it. He needed to be in the geographic location that God called him to be.

4. Paul’s personal sense of destiny had a mental component to it. He was thinking the way the Lord wanted him to think.

5. Paul’s personal sense of destiny had an operational component to it. He was doing what the Lord willed for him to do.

6. The Lord elected Paul to great privilege and blessing in eternity past, Eph 1:3-4. His personal sense of destiny is the vehicle that the Lord provided for Paul to live in the Lord’s highest and best for his life.

Election is the expression of the sovereign will of God under the principle of equal privilege accomplished for the believer by God in eternity past, Eph 1:4.

Under election, God wills His highest and best for every believer.

Election is the expression of the sovereign will of God under the principle of equal privilege accomplished for the believer by God in eternity past, Eph 1:4.

Under election, God wills His highest and best for every believer.

7. The Lord, as part of predestination, has designed the perfect niche for you personally to fulfill your personal sense of destiny.

Predestination is the grace provision of the sovereignty of God for each believer in eternity past, providing everything needed to execute God’s will, plan, and purpose for the believer’s life.

Predestination as the unique grace provision for the believer includes the two power options of the filling of the Holy Spirit and Bible doctrine, as well as the believer’s escrow account.

So God has prepared your very own niche for you to live in. But you won’t live there unless you adjust to God’s justice by daily commitment to your spiritual life.

It means a lifestyle of rebounding when you sin, studying the word of God, and being obedient to what it says.

Niche orientation means you consistently adjust to the justice of God; that is your lifestyle.

Isa 30:18 Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.

a. Niche is derived from the Latin NIDUS, which means a nest.

b. A niche is a place, condition, or status suitable to a person, i.e., to your individual personality.

There is no such thing as the stereotype Christian personality.

c. A nest is built of many different materials. So it is with our personality.

The believer’s niche is many things interwoven into a life characterized by the filling of the Spirit, perception of doctrine, capacity for life, and contentment.

d. There are many strands of contentment as a part of your niche identification in life: social life, marital life, professional life, academic life, job or position, spiritual life, and Christian service.

e. Basic niche conceptualism requires two categories of decisions.

i. The decision to believe in Christ. True niche orientation comes out of salvation.

ii. The daily decisions related to your spiritual life: your obedience to God’s word, and your fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

f. You really begin to experience your niche orientation when you reach spiritual self-esteem, that great giant step in the spiritual life.


© Lighthouse Bible Church of South Florida, Inc. / John Farley • lbible.org • All rights reserved.