Herald to the Unloved and the Unwanted:

Herald to the Unloved and the Unwanted:

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. 12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. 15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. 

Luke 2:8-15 (KJV)

As Christians, we all know the story. Christmas was last month so why write about it now? The question comes up, “Why did the Lord chose shepherds to announce the birth of our King too?” It would make more sense to announce the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, to the Kings of the land. To the religious leaders of the temple. Why shepherds?

At the time, shepherds were the lowest of the low when it came to society's standards. Because of their job, they would have to be in the fields for weeks and even months at a time. Therefore the religious authorities consider shepherds ceremonial unclean. They were not even considered lower class. They were the bottom class of all classes. Because of their job they could not participate in Jewish traditions or the 613 laws of the Sanhedrin, better known as the Mosaic Law. Shepherds could not even testify in court because they were considered thieves and untrustworthy. They were the unloved, the unwanted, the rejected, the outcasts of society.

How often as Christians or not, do we feel unwanted, unloved, rejected and turned away as an outcast? It hurts especially when the rejection comes from one(s) we love and trust. Rejection from a friend or when even you find yourself rejected by the very church you needed help from. As Uncle Si would say, “That is rejection, Jack!”

These shepherds did not just experience it. They had to live with it day after day. We too see it daily, if we would just open our eyes and hearts. I see it every time I go to Walmart. The sales clerk, checking out hundreds of people a day with few if any acknowledging their name. Which could be easily read on their name badge. Lonely souls at a bar trying to drown their misery and pull up joy for a fleeting moment. I see it in the eyes of others in a crowd. Their eyes tell of the sadness dwelling inside. Feelings of doubt, rejection and just feeling unloved. While trying their best just to fit in the now.

So why did the Lord chose the shepherds to announce or “Herald” the coming of our King?

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. 11 As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile--the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." 

Romans 10:9-13 (NIV)

Notice in verse 13. The word “Everyone.” Jesus came for everyone. Not just the ones who think they have their act together. Not the ones of authority over others. Everyone. That means you and that means me.

Jesus said to them, “I assure you: In the Messianic Age, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on 12 thrones, judging the 12 tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses, brothers or sisters, father or mother, children, or fields because of My name will receive 100 times more and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.

Matt 19:28-30 (HCSB)

This is a warning that we all must come to grips with. The first will be last. We all want to be first. First in charge. First to finish the race. First in line to receive. We want to be number one which is the exact opposite of the 1^st Commandment. Being last is hard. Being unloved and unwanted by others is very hard to deal with. I like what Pastor Rick Warren once said, “ I fear God's disapproval more than I fear yours or society's.”

Christian-BE BOLD! Teach, Preach and Reach <><

Post Easter Week

Post Easter Week:

Jesus is knocking on your door.

Well Easter has come and gone this year. Last week, prior to Easter Sunday, my mailbox was filled with invitations from churches all over town asking us to come to their special Easter Sunday service. A few days after, it seems all things are just as they were. Like it will be another year until they, the churches, seem to get excited about going to church again. Sad commentary I know.

I was please today though. One church, actually from out-of-town, sent a card re-inviting us to church for their series on Joseph. I am impressed. Someone was thinking outside the box. Or is it that someone out there really cares about delivering the Good News about Jesus?

I know from experience that most churches have very little money to spend on advertising. But is it really advertising? We are not selling Christ or widgets. It is called OUTREACH! What did Jesus tell us before He ascended back to Heaven?

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matt 28:18-20 (NLT)

The key word here is “GO.” Yes, it costs money for printing materials and mailing not to mention the work involved in creating such postcards, newsletters and flyers. I was once a member of a very large church in town. Even before I became a member I had seen their yearly budget sheet. Out of nearly a half a million dollar a year operating budget, all they ever budgeted for new member ministry was 150 dollars. It was that way from 2004 through 2012. Surprisingly most churches are like that. After utilities, insurance and labor costs there is not much left over. Sounds like a sad business model. Therein lies the rub. Too many churches are ran as if they were a business. Looking to stay within budget. They even pat themselves on the back for doing so. Is that what Jesus told us to do?

Imagine for a moment that you or I or especially the church had to give a report to Jesus. We would tell him that we are keeping the doors open. The lights on. Working on getting our Sunday School attendance numbers up. Attendance is down, but we are working on that. What does Jesus tell us?

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matt 6:21 (KJV)

If that verse does not gut you like it does me. I do not know what to tell you. That verse applies to us individually and should be the role model for all churches to follow. Sadly they do not. Sadly we do not. We are all guilty before God no matter how hard we try otherwise. That's the point and why we need Jesus.

We can treat each Sunday as if it is Easter Sunday. Why not? For that matter we should treat each day as if it were Easter Sunday. Jesus took my punishment. Paid my fine. Fulfilled my penalty for the law.

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:23 (KJV)

We need to teach God's Word among ourselves first!

Before we as a church can share Jesus with others, we must first be able to share Christ among ourselves. Encourage one another during the week. With a phone call or a text message. Perhaps an email or a post on FaceBook. Yes, prayer is first. The power of prayer has no limits. This I know from personal experience.

The time is long overdue for ACTION. The same action churches use before Easter Sunday need to be continuous week after week. Just last week a friend and brother in Christ came by my house. He was visiting all the homes in the neighborhood. He is now at a different church as am I. The difference, he is out there for Jesus. Doing it. Action!  

Teach, Preach and Reach! 

Revival, Revitalization, Revolution:

Revival, Revitalization, Revolution:

We hear these terms often in Christian circles. We need revival. We need revitalization within our souls, our neighborhoods and within our churches. But the word “revolution” seems to take a back seat to the action needed for such change.

Such words and such action was treasonous within the 13 colonies which would later become our Nation. Our founders believed in limited governmental control and faith in God-given potential of the American people. Our Declaration of Independence was and still is a radical idea. Tested and executed daily. That all men are created equal. Not some but all! Sound familiar?

I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark. John 12:46 (NLT)

The key word here is “All.” As author, Rick Santorum writes; “America is not about birthrights, classes, or bloodlines. We are not a tribe or an ethnic group of a civilization with a long written history on this continent. America is an ideal-set of common values that unite us not only as states, but as a people.”

As we now look across our Nation we see those with poor jobs associated within poor neighborhoods. Seemingly trapped within the chains of bondage. The first thing to be lost is HOPE.

Our inner-city churches struggle to stay alive. Fighting the good fight each day. Struggling just as the neighborhoods they serve, just to keep the lights on. This while larger churches sit on the sidelines along open stretches of road with their big campuses of glory. They look more like country clubs than churches to outsiders. These are the churches that rich folks go to. Outreach is done with the signing of a check. Like a mother holding a baby tapping at the window of your car asking for money. You give her a dollar in hopes she will walk away and leave you alone.

Make no mistake, I too am guilty.

The problem with our churches today is the empty pews and empty chairs at church events. We build it and think they will come. That is not what God's Word tells us.

And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15 (NKJV)

Key word here is, “GO.” If God wanted us to build great palaces, entertainment events, elaborate programs and festivals within our “Fellowship Halls,” He would have said so. You think?

Personally I have never heard testimonies from a fellow Christians that he/she was so moved by a Christian concert or church event that he/she immediately gave themselves to Christ. It is always someone who took the time to share the gospel of Christ with them that lead them to repentance and a right relationship with Christ. Events are just that, “Events!” A concert is a concert. A picnic is a picnic.

Crusade after crusade new believers come in droves. Months or years later they are nowhere to be found in fellowship. What happen? Was it lack of followup? Perhaps. Was it lack of more events? More entertainment to keep them in the pews? Or is it the strange unspoken truth that they never accepted Christ's offer of salvation. They never truly repented? Matthew 13:1-23.

I was once a member and even a church staff member to a very large church in my home town. We had wonderful and huge events. They still do. Hundreds come. Few have remain to become members. Many who are members have no idea of the hard work of a few that makes these events possible. Its like going to an “Earth Day” rally the day after. All you see is an empty field with the liter left behind. The truth trampled on. Are these just dry bones or trophies of victory for the evil one?

Revival: An evangelistic meeting intended to reawaken interest in religion.

That's the text book definition of Revival. Dry and sometimes uninviting. To unbelievers this statement runs true. For many a Christian too. We come to church on Sunday morning expecting the choir to inspire our worship when it should be us bringing our worship to inspire all of us at church. We expect the preacher to invigorate us. To motivate us like a football coach at half time of the big game when we are down thirty to nothing. Pushing us to do better. To believe we can win. Except we will not allow the preacher to kick us in the rear to get us moving which we most desperately need. We say things like, “Its the preacher’s job to bring them to Christ. Not mine.” Or, “We pay people to set this up and arrange this or that. So what if we do not pay them enough to make a living? They are here to serve us anyway, right?” I have heard this over and over for the past 7 years. Back when I was in California, I never heard any mordacious statements like these in my church back home. Here in the South, Christians have told me, “You California's have no idea about church and God.” My experiences tells me different.

Revitalization: Bringing again onto activity and prominence.

Again that is the text book definition of Revitalization. Bringing again would be the key words here. Trying to bring back our first love. But without love, what do we have to offer?

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. So, no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I'm bankrupt without love. 1 Cor 13:3 (MSG)

Bringing back that which you do not have in the first place is futile. Yet, we expect our preachers to keep banging on the same drum. Calling out for the selfsame thing, a message to a profoundly deaf crowd who call themselves Christians, who claim to have love for others. Just what is futile?

In an article in “On Mission” (onmission.com) magazine, Winter 2013, issue, Pastor Johnny Hunt tells us the story of revitalization for New Hope Church in Mableton, GA. First Baptist Woodstock, which Hunt pastor's, is huge with nearly unlimited resources. It was not always that way. But on the foundation of love, they have grown beyond their dreams. The first step was for the smaller church of 17 members to ask for help from the larger church. Sounds simple enough. Yet, we rarely see it. Pride? If an inner-city church is in the trenches and a larger church away from the battlefield wants to help and serve. It makes sense for these two to get together and make it happen. It is church planting by caring for the church that is already there in the neighborhood serving on the front lines of battle. The seed has been planted. The soil has been tended too. Vinings Lake Church (formally: New Hope) is running 600 most weekends in attendance now. Together we can. Separate we lose. We are commanded to pray for the laborers of the harvest. Matthew 9:37-38

Revolution: A drastic and far-reaching change in ways of thinking and behaving.

I doubt most of you would describe the word, “Revolution” like that above. Yet, that is exactly what happen to form our country, The United States of America. Many in 1776 did not agree with the Revolutionary War against the crown. They still consider themselves British. Subject to the king. Subject to the ascendance of rule. Not looking at themselves as free men under the eyes of God.

“What sorrow awaits you experts in religious law! For you remove the key to knowledge from the people. You don’t enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering.” Luke 11:52 (NLT)

The Gospel of Matthew was written for the Jews. Deep in Hebrew traditions and heritage. Mark's Gospel is a book of action. Meant for the Romans who saw themselves as men of action. Luke's Gospel was targeted for the Greeks. Ones who put the betterment of man first. Yet Jesus taught them and us to sacrifice for one another not pursue personal perfection. The Gospel of John is seen as the universal Gospel. Showing Christ's deity without question. Radical!

In a world hell-bent for itself, these were revolutionary ideas and beliefs. No wonder Christ appeared to them in His Resurrection.

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” John 20:27 (NLT)

This was revolutionary way of believing and thinking. Same as it is today despite our faults and doubts. You may stand on the road and tell everyone you do not believe in trucks. Stand there long enough and you will get run over by one.

Revolution of the heart for Christ must come first before we can even attempt to move into revitalization. Revitalization must come before we can even think of the grace of revival. Revival must come within each of us if we are to go and fulfill the Great Commission.

And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Mark 16:15 (NKJV)

Teach, Preach and Reach!

Johnnyplow.org 

Go and Do by Jay Milbrandt

Go and Do by Jay Milbrandt

This book was not what I expected but glad I read it. Author Jay Milbrandt takes the old idea of go to school. Get good grades. Get a good job. Work twenty years and retire happy. Blows it right out of the water. With a world so caught up with self this book is a relief. The world is a smaller place today. Tribal hills of eastern countries have smart phones while still living in wooden huts. It is not till you have seen the lack of basic needs do we discover how different the world is from the U.S.

The travels from Jay's college days to his service in the Global Justice Program. As a young law student one summer he entered into the Go and Do experience. Forever changing his life and the lives of others.

How often we too want to go and make a difference when it is those experiences that end up making a difference in our lives. Though I may never be able to travel to far away lands, Go and Do made me see the world a little different than when I first began reading the book.

I can relate to how the author put it, “I like doing the little that I can with the little bit that I have.” As Jay shows, just a little bit can make a big difference in someone's life even around the other side of the world.

He opens up with outreach. The basis of the “Great Commission.” Yet outreach can be the hardest action to get fellow Christians to do. At first you feel as if you are doing nothing. Feeling unprepared and thinking you could be doing something better with your time. Not so, as the author points out over and over again that just being present can make all the difference in the world in the lives of others. Beyond what we might expect.

Within the book we go along with Jay Milbrandt on his journey and into the Go and Do experience. We see the hardships. We feel the distress one goes through trying to help to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate than us. When I say less and mean really less fortunate. Imagine if you could. Being woken in the middle of the night having to run for your lives. Your family scattered to the wind. Death all around you. These are just some of the conditions faced by our brothers and sisters in developing countries. Developed by who? It is always the children who are made to suffer the most.

Rich or poor, we as Christians all have the ability and desire to “Go and Do.” Sure traveling overseas sounds great, but it is not a vacation. We come back with stories of the lives of others. Forever touched deeply by our fundamental interaction.

Many of us dream of “Going” but never “Doing.” Go and Do is a challenge and a dare by the author. To dare to “Go” and get involved in something that helps others which in turn makes us come alive inside. There is the point. To come alive inside. Something corporate America has no desire to fulfill.

Either working globally of locally. Each one of us has been called to “Go and Do.” Just many of us seem to ignore that voice of God calling upon us. Ignoring it for a calling of self-absorbed infatuation with the American lie spawned by corporation after corporation. A world that screams, “Forget about others. Get what you can for yourself.” A world of haves and have-not. The haves seem fleeting standing before God on the day of judgment.

A great call to action and guide book for getting started. I highly recommend reading “Go and Do” by Jay Milbrandt.

Earthquakes and Tornadoes:

My wife and I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area during the earthquake of 1989. In California you get used to quakes. They happen weekly. So often you begin to live with it and stop remembering how dangerous they can be. Hey, the boat is leaking! That's OK, not enough to be concerned. The pump will take care of it. That was like the attitude back there in October of 1989. Then the big one hit. Everything changed. News coverage was based in San Francisco. Not because that was the epicenter, but because all roads and bridges out of San Francisco were blocked. The World Series was being played. All eyes were on the Bay Area. So they reported from there. It was devastating. Buildings collapsed, no power and chaos galore. The Bay Area was not the epicenter. It took days until reports from the outlying areas showed the real damage along the fault lines of the earthquake. Nearly 8 days passed until help and organization came into play. The San Francisco Bay Area has over 6 million people. The Quake of 89 should have killed more. Where was God? Right along with us, side-by-side.

April of 2011 here in Alabama. The weather radio in the house went off. Advising us of an incoming storm. I had signed up for weather alerts through my cell phone months before. Every time it began to rain my phone alert would sound off. Not this time. We do not have TV. Radio reception is poor where we live. We checked the internet and saw the predictions of bad weather coming. The bulk of the storm was to hit us by 7 PM. At 7:05 PM it did. Wind and rain beat on the house. Yet this time the cell service went out. The local city sirens went off. They had done that before, but this time was different. The power flickered a bit. Overall it was not bad. Cell phone service returned and we started to receive calls from California asking if we were alright? Then they told us of the tornadoes touching down throughout the state of Alabama.

We went online and found a live feed broadcasting from Birmingham. The devastation was unbelievable. Unlike an earthquake that hits everywhere all at once with no warning. Here was this funnel over a mile wide slowly ripping through the state. Leaving death and destruction in its wake. Multiple tornadoes touched down all over the state. Surrounding our county but not within it. Why were we spared?

Days later thousands remain homeless. Thousands more without power, water or just basic necessities. Like the quake in California. It will take a week or more for help and organization to come. Again the question comes up. Where is God in all this? Still right beside us. In an earlier article I explained there is nothing natural about natural disasters. See: (Weeds in the garden tells us everything)

If there is anything we can learn from these disasters is that we are not prepared. I am gong to die. You are going to die. We are going to die. Could be today. Could be tomorrow. Could be a hundred years from now. The fact is we are going to die. That is the truth. We do not want to hear the truth. We ignore it at times. Deny it most of the time. Thank ourselves lucky when it misses us. The truth is that we are not ready for it. Not physically or spiritually.

I was once told this following story. Back not so long ago in a farming community. Very few had running water or indoor plumbing. It was even rare if one house had the luxury of a radio. If one did. Others relied on them for news and weather warnings. One day such a warning came over the radio. The father told his son to run over to the neighbor's home down the way and tell them a tornado is coming our way. The boy took off. Along the way he saw a bird in a tree. He stopped as some boys do. Then threw a rock at the bird. Missing it. So he decided to wait. The bird came back. He threw another rock striking the bird. The boy went over and picked up the bird. Blood dripping onto his hands. Suddenly in the distance a roar and an explosion echoed through the valley. The little boy could see the home of his neighbors being ripped to pieces. The family there scattered to the wind like rag dolls. The boy quickly ran home. His father had seen, from a distance, the devastation of his neighbor's home. He saw his boy running home. Quickly taking him into his arms. Asking, “Oh son what took you so long? We were so worried about you.” The boy explained that he never made it to the neighbor's home. Then the father saw the blood on the boy's hands. He knelt to his son and ask if the boy was injured. The boy said, “No, father it's the bird's blood.” The father said to the boy, “No, son it is the blood of our neighbors for failing to warn them.”

We as Christians are commanded to warn others of the judgment that is coming. How many who have recently died now face a second death?

Then death and the grave were thrown into the lake of fire. This lake of fire is the second death.
Rev 20:14 (NLT)

Anyone with ears to hear must listen to the Spirit and understand what he is saying to the churches. Whoever is victorious will not be harmed by the second death.
Rev 2:11 (NLT)

And then he told them, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned."
 Mark 16:15-16 (NLT)

God's Word is tough I know. These are hard words to take right now. They are the truth. There are so many here in our state hurting. Their lives not just turned upside down, but all the way back to zero. Thousands here in Alabama will have to start life all over again because everything they once had is just plain gone. Scattered debris over hundreds of miles. They are alive. Why were they spared?

If there is a clear sign for the need for healing and revival now is the time. Prayer and the simple need to serve others is now before us. Pray that it is not the devil who gathers the harvest.

Teach, Preach and Reach!

We Shoot our Wounded:

I was told this by my Associate Pastor several years ago. “Southern Baptist have the reputation of shooting their wounded.” For years I have tried to deny this statement. Yet, I cannot deny what I have seen within my own church in the past three years. I personally have seen members of our church who have been led by God to serve at another church be literally crucified by other members of our church. Rumors and untrue accusations fly like rice at a wedding. Hate mail sent to them who's handwriting is obvious but refuse to sign their own letters of cowardice. The only way I can describe it is taking the Book of James and tearing it right out of your Bible and setting it on fire. Then taking the rest of your Bible throwing it on the ground and stomping on it. There is no doubt in my mind that Christians are the worst in persecuting Christians.

I count myself blessed to have been able to be part of a men's ministry of another church that I am not a member of. My brothers there have treated me with love and respect. I cannot say the same for some of the members of my own church who have gone out of their way to block any development or return of a men's ministry within our own church.

These atrocities within my church are rooted in personal pride and individual quests for control and power within the church. That's right I said church. On the outside seen as a fortress of safety but what lays within is an entirely different story. Not once looked upon with reverence to our Lord.

These situations and instances are normally ignored as disgruntle church members and those who remain just want to say, “Good riddance.” Funny the word “riddance” means “the act of forcing someone out.”

Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away. These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. So don’t be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. James 1:14-16 (NLT)

No wonder more and more people will tell you they are looking for God and not a church. God and the word, “church” no longer seem to mean the same thing. After experiencing what I have written above you certainly cannot blame them. We as Christians have taken God's Word and ignored it. We have taken God's house and used it to isolate us from the world. Making us no different from any other religions and that is exactly how the world sees Christianity today.

Does this mean we should just give up? No, but we need to admit the corporate church model so associated in America today does not work. If a pastor is preaching to 300 to a 1,000 or more there is no way that one pastor can serve the spiritual needs of his flock. Even with two or three associate pastors the need cannot be fulfilled.

The only future I see for Christianity is a return to What Did Jesus Do. A one-on-one relationship. Tossing pride and self-absorbed out the door and focusing on putting the Great Commission to work as we have been commanded to do.

I am sure I will have more to write on this subject in the near future. Team up, Set-up and get into the fight. <><

Radical: Chapter 5

Today's morning study focuses on chapter 5 in David Platt's book, RADICAL. In my opinion, this is the heart of the book. This is when the author tasks us with taking the Great Commission seriously.

If we were left to ourselves with the task of taking the gospel to the world, we would immediately begin planning innovative strategies and plotting elaborate schemes. We would organize conventions, develop programs, and create foundations. We would get the biggest names to draw the biggest crowds to the biggest events. We would start mega-churches and host mega-conferences. We would do...well, we would do what we are doing today. ~ David Platt

Jesus focused his time on teaching a small group of 12 men. Discipleship training was a relationship with the Master. A slow committed process. Not a lecture type class.

What would be the most effective way for a new follower of Christ to learn to pray? To sign them up for a one-hour-a-week class on prayer? Or to invite them personally into your quiet time with God to teach them how to pray? What would be the most effective way for this new follower of Christ to learn to study the Bible? To register them in the next available course on Bible study? Or to sit down with them and walk them through the steps of how you have learned to study the Bible? ~ David Platt

The author points out we have created the American Dream version for Christianity. In essence we have disinfected ourselves from the realities of the world. Turning church into a spiritual safe-deposit box for us. We have become decent church members with little more impact on the world than we had before we were saved.

This without a doubt is a very tough chapter. Discipleship training is a matter of obeying Christ's commands spelled out in the Great Commission.

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matt 28:18-20 (NLT)

Discipleship is duplication. First you become a disciple of Christ. We receive the Word in an effort to reproduce and teach others. Preachers looking to reproduce more preachers within their churches. Sunday School teachers looking to reproduce more Sunday School teachers within their churches. Christians going out into the world to witness to seek and save the lost. Look at the Great Commission again. It says “GO.” That means all of us, not a selected few. It says, “GO” and not wait until we feel better equipped. There is no mention about building giant buildings and monuments, programs or events. No argument of music and entertainment. The Word says, “GO.”

Team up, Set-up and get into the fight. <><

The Toughest Commandment:

When studying your Bible, which commandment would you say is the toughest to obey? Many would say I certainly have not killed anyone yet in 1 John 3:15 God's Word explains that if you hate someone you are guilty of murder. So when that car pulled in front of you without looking did you hate them for just an instant? That is all it takes. That is a tough lesson.

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.
1 John 3:15 (HCSB)

How about loving your enemies? You know sometimes a friend betrays you. A bully at school. An unhappy neighbor. In my case recently our home was vandalized. Hard to forgive one who is bent on causing you harm. What does Jesus command us to do? Another tough lesson to learn.

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
Matt 5:44 (HCSB)

Here is one I know we all deal with daily. How many times do we worry? Worry about if you will have enough money. Worry about your health. Worrying about your job and career. Again Jesus is very specific on what we are to do.

This is why I tell you: Don’t worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Matt 6:25 (HCSB)

Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
Matt 6:34 (HCSB)

In fact all of Matthew 6:25-34 is devoted to teaching us the cure for anxiety. It is a hard lesson to learn and to put into practice.

Witnessing is the life blood of a church and of a fellow Christian. Yet few of us including myself obey our Lord's commandment in doing so.

And then he told them, Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.
Mark 16:15-16 (NLT)

What is your toughest commandment to obey? Leave a comment.

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