Finally, let us reason from the scriptures on the believer’s lifestyles and practice of perfection to complete the series on the perfection of the saints. By the way, you’ve heard it said that the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. What is impossible with the man of the world and of the flesh is possible with God for any man in Christ, who has become a new creature in him, and is not walking in the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof, but walk in the Spirit to become the manifest living letters and epistle of Christ – living a depicting lifestyle and walking descriptively to portray Christ without much publicity. As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk you in him: rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6-7.
 
True responses to the following questions depend on the foundation (good or bad church) of your new birth, if you have received Christ from a true church where you are challenged and called upon to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints from the beginning to the end. Jude 1:3. A true new arrival believer into the kingdom is received by Christ with special welcome gifts and practical instructions in righteousness from the agents of perfection (five- fold ministers) for spiritual skillfulness and growth into maturity. What have you received from Christ? Start using them to produce more fruit. How were you being taught to walk in Christ and how are you walking in him? What have you been taught and learnt about Christ from the beginning? Start living and improving on them. In those things we are to be rooted and grounded and be built up in Christ (having a substance added to increase effectiveness) abounding therein with thanksgiving. Where is your starting point in Christ? Remember where you start from and keep moving progressively forward and not roundly or backwards to your starting point. How have you received Christ? Start to live increasingly in him, learn and labour to add more to usable faith, virtue, and to virtue knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, charity, and brotherly kindness. This is the practical process of transformation into the increasing image of the Lord you are called to live and advance from one glory unto another glory by his Spirit in you. The new man is created in the image after the knowledge of him that created him, and can only grow into maturity and perfection if you endeavour to increase in those things in you guided by experience and observation, rather than just the talk of the lips. After coming out of the world in separation to obey the truth (2 Corinthians 6:14-14) and you present your body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God as your reasonable service, not conforming to the worldly lifestyles and thought life in exchange for the revelation knowledge of that which is good, acceptable and perfect will of God, what are you doing then and now with the knowledge and understanding of that which is good, acceptable and perfect will of God? To where and what degree or height is the knowledge of that which is good, acceptable and perfect will of God bringing you or leading you up to? Beloved, it is that you should be made perfect (the righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way: but the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness) in your walk and life in the Spirit. You should’nt begin to walk in the Spirit to be made perfect in the flesh, neither in the world. God forbids! Romans 12:1-2. Galatians 3:3. Proverbs 11:5.                            
Daily practical and closer walk with Christ in conformity to Christian’s principles and precepts as the truth is in Christ (if you’ve obediently put off the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. Ephesians 4:22) are meant to firmly strengthen your attachment as a branch (believer) to the vine (Christ) for increasing fruitfulness, transformation and conformity to Christ likeness – perfection. Purging or pruning the branch is not to reduce the sizes of the plant that has grown too large, but to stimulates growth. Purging or pruning is to help establish the shape (controlling, improving and sustaining) of a plant along its natural lines and to increase fruit production and to make it livelier and more profitable. The truth is that not every believer in Christ is abiding in him. It is not all that assert or affirm relationship with Christ that are walking in him or walking like him. ‘He that says he abides in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked. 1 John 2:6. Believers should practise to grow in the footsteps that Christ has left behind to follow as our forerunner. Christian may stagger and fall like a drunkard man along the way side, or like a little child learning how to walk, but he must keep practicing his walk because practice makes perfect. He must keep walking by faith to practice the imputed righteousness of Christ in his practical walk – And now, little children, abide (walk and live like Christ) in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth (practice) righteousness is born of him. 1 John 2:28-29. Walking in perfecting holiness in the fear of God is to put Christ imputed sanctification into practice in practical walk: as it is written, as obedient children, not fashioning (stop living like you were before you come to Christ) yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy (start practising to live in all holiness of life in talking, behaviours, dressings etc) in all manner of conversation; because it is written, be ye holy; for I am holy. 1 Peter 1: 14-16. 2 Corinthians 7:1. It is by walking in Christ justification by faith in uprightness of life in a customary way of operation or behaviour: as it is written, Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walks uprightly (mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace. Psalms37:37) and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart. Psalms 15:1-2. If you don’t practice Christ in your daily practical walk, it means you are not abiding in him, though you are born again like the so many clowns so called Spirit filled and tongues speaking believers amusing the world with their ridiculous behaviours and lifestyles. The implication of not abiding in Christ is the disappointment (cut off from Christ- the vine. John 15:2) that your name has long been removed from the book of life before you depart from this world of sin to the world of retribution for just recompense of reward. Fruit bearing is in the abiding, and the abiding is by constant (uninterrupted in time and indefinitely long continuing) practising, leading to skilfulness and aptitude – inherent ability to be more like him. Practising Christ in our daily walk to be like him in word and indeed is very important than our personal ministry in the body of Christ, or our work in the church. It is the former that increases and intensifies the value and quality of our labour of love in Christ. It also determines our practicability – the quality of being usable by the Lord to bring forth much more fruits. Do not follow and don’t be deceived by what many people are calling result or manifestations from many ministers of another gospel who are preaching Christ but are walking contrary to the New Testament gospel and doctrines of the risen Lord – such are the fakes and deceivers servants of Satan, transforming themselves into the servants of God; and many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 2 Corinthians 11:4. 2 Peter 2:2.
 
We shall be living contrary to Christ and be guilty of the sin of misrepresentation (the salt losing its sweetness –good for nothing and light becoming darkness) of our Lord by not practising how to be walking, behaving and living like him. Acts 4:13. We should earnestly pray for grace (Psalms 18:36) and learn from Christ to know how to walk and please God – ‘You are witnesses, and God also, how holily (increasing and perfecting in holiness) and justly (increasing and perfecting in righteousness) and unblameably (increasing and perfecting in uprightness of life) we behaved ourselves among you that believe: as ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children, that ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory. 1 Thessalonians 2: 9-11.
 
Believer’s practice and lifestyles of perfection is stretching out to a greater length if he is increasingly growing and developing in obedience and submission to God. This is the only way to improve and grow stronger in spiritual authority, relationship and intimacy with Christ, when he is ready to revenge all disobedience, once his obedience is consummated or fulfilled. ‘When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk [habitually] before Me [with integrity, knowing that you are always in My presence], and be blameless and complete [in obedience to Me]. Genesis 17:1. Amplified Bible.                                                                                                                                                          
Let us profit from the patience, forbearance and long-sufferings of God allot to us for mending our ways and doings in relationships before him. Jehovah visited Abraham thirteen years after Ishmael was born, after Abraham had listened to the voice of Sarah to have a child through their housemaid. In order words, God waited on Abraham to build upon a life of obedience unto maturity and yielding to him, and to put his past error of Ishmael birth through Hagar behind him, and to renew his mind in obedient walk-in covenant with God which can only be fulfilled by obedient walk. Abraham’s blessing for the Gentiles is on one condition in Christ Jesus – obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name’s sake. Romans 1:5.
God demands and expects blameless walk with a perfect heart from us. He has also provided an advocate in Christ our high priest for the transgressors. In Abraham’s case, we found out that he was deceived in his heart with assumption that his seed shall come from her housemaid, fell by the spirit of impatient and not of unbelief as the cause of his action. Patience must have its perfect work of trusting God in our trails to keep us walking uncompromisingly in sincerity and singleness of heart, that we might be perfect in our walk during the period of waiting, lacking nothing at the end.
There are many different areas we are expected to practice perfection in our walk-in relationship with God. The first is the tongue. In many things we offend all. If any man offends not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Oh, that grace is poured unto our lips, that we are given the tongue of the learned, and not to transgress with our lips (I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me. I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred. Psalms 39:1-2) but to speak pleasant and not piercing or foolish words, edifying words that are filled with grace and seasoned with salt, that we might know how to answer every man! We must walk in perfect love which the bible says cast out fears. This perfect love is divided into two categories. The first has to do with obedience or yielding to God (let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments, as at this day. 1 Kings 8:61) and the other has to do with our caring and dealings with others – believers and unbelievers alike. To walk and grow increasing daily in love towards those that love and those that hates us. Love is the bond of perfectness. It does not practice neither thinks any evil against his neighbour. This is love that works by faith. This is the faith to we are to demonstrate by good works, proving that it is God that is at work in us, both to will and to do according to his good pleasure – to the end that he might perfect us in every good work to do his will, working in us that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ. Hebrews 13:21.
If we have received the engrafted word with meekness and are yielding obediently in manner to every word of God to love those that hates us, to bless them that cursed us, to pray for those that persecute and despitefully used us, to greet those that will not response to our greetings, to be humbled to those who are proud to us, to resist and separate from the counsel of the ungodly, and abstaining from every appearances of evil, and are unrelenting in giving as we have opportunity to lay up treasure in heaven, hoping for nothing back in return from men (and, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, which? Jesus said, thou shall do no murder, thou shall not commit adultery, thou shall not steal, thou shall not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, thou shaft love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man says unto him, all these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, if thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shall have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. Matthew 19:16-21) and we are patient in trails and abounding in hope to continue instant in prayer in affliction, we can fully trust God to keep us in perfect peace in continuation to complete what he has started in us. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon him; for he cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the word. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, establish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 5:10.
 
King David prayed and entered into an oath to perform certain acts in perfecting his walk in his relationship with God. Not everyone deserves to be admitted into our lives in the name of brotherly love or keeping the commandment to love your neighbour as yourself, and to follow peace with all men. Idiosyncrasy and ungodly traits or characteristics and behaviours in people’s lives are not to be disregarded in purpose in the name of tolerance, it only takes a minute amount of yeast, you know, to permeate or spread throughout an entire loaf of bread. We need to educate ourselves to discharge and discipline ourselves in these things as we are practising and walking toward perfection in Christ Jesus. ‘I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto thee O Lord, will I sing. I will behave (self control and temperance) myself wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart. I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me. A froward heart (villain – wicked man or woman) shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person. Whoso secretly slanders (backbiting, backstabbing or deformation) his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer. Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land that they may dwell with me: he that walks in a perfect way, he shall serve me. He that works deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that tells lies shall not tarry in my sight. I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the Lord. Psalms 10: 1-8.