When we broke our football huddle in yesterday's post, ready
to get into the game, we needed to know the play that our QB had called;
otherwise, we would become a hindrance to our teammates rather than a help. So,
we must ask ourselves...WHAT KEY DID CHRIST GIVE HIS DISCIPLES TO UNLOCK THE
CLOSED DOORS TO EVANGELISM?
The answer is simple, we GO in order to MAKE DISCIPLES (where?) IN ALL NATIONS(then do what?), BAPTIZING THEM IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT.
Why this specific command given after the command to GO? I believe the answer is really quite simple....after we are commanded to GO, we are given the command to DO!! Jesus knew that He had given His disciples a great task, but He had also given them a great helper in the person of the Holy Spirit....and He knew the enormous persecution that they would face could easily overcome even the strongest faith. Perhaps He knew the ancient Scripture, Proverbs 16: 27 which reads, "Idle hands are the devil’s workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece. "
It would have been too easy for the disciples to hide in their
homes, all huddled together, afraid to venture forth, especially now that their
Master had been taken up. Surely at such a time as this, they were left feeling
abandoned and alone. But Jesus gave them a mission, a ministry to a lost and
dying world that needed to know that a Savior had come and dwelt among them.
That He had laid down His life willingly to pay their SIN debt and ransom them from
eternal separation from their Creator....and with that debt now PAID IN FULL
because of His righteousness through the shed blood of Jesus spilled upon a
cruel Roman cross, ANYONE who believed in this sacrifice of Jesus and His
glorious resurrection from the tomb would be forever welcomed in the House of
God to dwell eternally with the Father, His Son and the Holy Spirit.
But how could someone come to know this unless someone who had experienced such a transformation could tell them of the Good News that God loves sinners and has already made a way for them to be counted as righteous because of what Jesus had done?
Jesus used the word, MAKE disciples; but good, 'ole commons sense tells us we can't lead a horse to water; much less make him drink? So how were the disciples going to make this happen? Well, it is really quite simple, but I fear that our modern day churches have missed the boat too often when it comes to this command. We think that MAKE means to build or create a beautiful building with all the trimmings....big screen jumbotrons; comfy pews or reclining seats; big stages with professional lighting and sound; stone work and a beautiful baptistery; praise and worship bands with lots of repeatable words or phrases that touch our hearts and make us feel GOOD! All in hopes that the LOST among us will come for the SHOW and find some portion of Jesus while they are there among other believers who are there to get their weekly fix of religion.
But to MAKE DISCIPLES, we have to get our hands dirty and live out our faith and followship of Jesus in the real world....no more hiding and hoping BEHIND LOCKED DOORS! We have to get involved in the lives of the lost who are part of our daily activities as we live out what we have learned of Jesus through our commitment to him and our time together with fellow believers in our congregation at church. It is only then, as others see the power of Jesus and the Holy Spirit in our lives, lived out in the muck and mire of this world (and with an all out assault from the devil), does the Holy Spirit have the opportunity to convict and convince others in close contact with us that they need a Savior...and His name is JESUS!
Then when they come to the realization that....JESUS IS THE ONLY WAY, THE ONLY TRUTH AND THE ONLY LIFE THEY WILL EVER NEED....THEN WE CAN SEAL THE DEAL OF THEIR CONFESSION AS WE BAPTIZE THEM IN THE NAME OF GOD THE FATHER, HIS SON JESUS AND THE PARACLETE PERSONANGE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
When that happens, then we have used the second key of DOING that helps to unlock the door of the church and release the power of God's Spirit in each of us as we seek to make disciples of our friends, our neighbors, our family and those who wait to hear the GOOD NEWS to the ends of the earth.
But there is still a third key that we must put in the locked door if all that Jesus commanded us to do as His disciples is to be completed; and then replicated time and time again until ALL HAVE HEARD THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST. SO....Come back tomorrow to get your hands on the third and final key to unlock the doors and let God's Spirit have its way in each of our lives.
Sharing the keys...Unlocking the doors of my heart,
WPQ
Poem for the day....
God has called all His children
To step out and share His love;
To turn all worldly eyes upon
The Father's boundless love.
To go where help is needed
To do more than just take...
Called to leave our comfort zones
As disciples' we're to make.
To go where Jesus sends us
Without grumbling as we go...
To tell others of His sacrifice
May His love we always show.
So they will seek to find Him
As they grope in dark despair...
For Jesus stands there waiting
With love beyond compare.
No comments:
Post a Comment