God continues to steep me in His Word to grow me in the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4). The gospel is more and more immensely glorious, intimately personal, and intensely practical to me!
The Lord Jesus nurtures me as I seek to articulate through writing out through these Rest Stops what God is writing onto my heart. I hope these Rest Stops are a way you experience the Lord's nurturing, too.
In this Rest Stop, be encouraged by believing in Christ and living out His gospel!
BELIEVE IN CHRIST
The reference in John 3:16 to believe in God is not just an intellectual reference to believe. James 2:19 notes that even demons believe in God.
To believe in Christ does not mean to believe about Christ, i.e., to acknowledge historical facts regarding who He was and what He has done.
To believe in Christ is not to believe in His moral teachings.
To believe in Christ is to believe in the Person of Christ Himself!
To believe in Christ is to no longer to believe in yourself. It is turning from your sin and hopelessness and turning to Christ Himself as your only hope.
To believe in Christ is to trust Christ with your very life and eternity.
To believe in Christ is a response to a personal encounter with Christ, a response that will always include the heart of David's response, Have mercy on me, O God...and blot out my iniquities (Psalm 51:1, 9), and Thomas' response, My Lord and My God! (John 20:28).
ALIVE IN CHRIST
Martyn Lloyd Jones well notes, "We must never stop at believing -- we must always emphasize regeneration -- the re-birth -- the new man."
Jones further notes, "Regeneration is the profoundest change in the world that we must always keep at the forefront of our minds. A Christian is not just a man who has decided to be a little bit more moral than he was or who has decided to attend church."
"What makes a man a Christian is that he has been born again, he has been given a new nature, he is a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). He has a new motive. He has the mind of Christ."
To now believe in Christ as a Christian is to believe God when He personally reveals to you that you are dead to sin and alive to Him in your union with Christ (Romans 6:11).
Through this union by the grace of God, you have been crucified with Christ, buried with Christ, and risen with Christ to newness of life with Him!
So, to believe in Christ is not a transaction to enable you go to heaven later, but results in a transformation to empower you to live life in Christ for God's glory now!
CLOSING
I agree with Martyn Lloyd Jones, "Most, if not all, our problems in the Christian life would be solved if only we realized the greatness of our salvation."
And I would also emphasize, "...if we only grow in our believing the greatness of our Savior."
God bless you,
Believing AND Be Living 
