May 4, 2006

Welcome back! We are so excited about the growth in thegreatcommissionchurch.org. In the month of April our site had 7990 pages read, which is really incredible for a four month old web page. We thank God for all of his favor.

Today we continue our discourse on evangelism.

Jesus expected the men he was with to obey him. They had to be loyal. All they were asked to do was to follow Jesus. No one will follow someone in which he or she has no trust, nor sincerely take the step of faith unless he or she is willing to obey what the leader says.

 

It soon became apparent that being a disciple of Christ involved more than joyful acceptance of the Messianic promise; it meant the surrender of one’s whole life to the Master. There had to be complete forsaking of sin. The old thought patterns, habits, and pleasures of the world had to be conformed to the new disciplines of the kingdom of God.

Perfection of love was the only standard of conduct.

 

Jesus didn’t go running after those who left the membership roles. He was training leaders for the Kingdom, and if they were going to be fit for service, they were going to have to pay the price. Those who couldn’t go all the way fell by the wayside. Jesus didn’t have time to scatter himself on those who wanted to dictate their own terms of discipleship. Jesus’ would-be disciples were made to count the cost!

 

Jesus began to talk with His disciples with greater frankness about His suffering and death. Again and again Jesus talked to His disciples about His death and its meaning to them, but they didn’t grasp the meaning until after Jesus was betrayed into the hands of His enemies.

 

It was hard for them to accept the teaching of servant hood for the sake of others. Jesus endured their failings, because they were willing to follow him. He knew that they would master their defects as they grew in grace and knowledge. Their ability to receive knowledge would grow if they continued to practice what truth they could understand.

 

Obedience to Christ was how they learned more. No one could follow Jesus without learning what the truth was. Jesus did not ask them to follow a doctrine, but a person.

He continually followed the will of His Father which made it possible for God to use His life fully according to his plan. The cross was the crowning obedience to God’s will. That obedience could not be compromised.

 

The only way that the disciples could learn Jesus word was by following him. There could be no development of character or purpose without it. The disciples could not possibly defeat the powers of this world without strict adherence to him who knew the strategy of victory. This required absolute obedience to the Master’s will.

 

We cannot be oblivious to the commands of Christ. We are engaged in issues of life and death. Every day that we are indifferent is another day lost to the cause of Christ. There is Sno room in the Kingdom for sloth, for such an attitude not only precludes any growth in grace and knowledge, but also makes you useless on the battlefield for evangelism.

 

There is a malaise among the clergy and the laity regarding the commands of God. The great tragedy is that even among those who realize what is happening little is being done. It is high time that the requirements for membership in the church be interpreted and enforced in terms of true Christian discipleship. Followers must have leaders, which means that not much can be done with the membership until something is done with the leadership.

 

If this task seems too large, then we will have to begin like Jesus did by getting with a few chosen ones and instilling into them the meaning of obedience.

Thanks again for visiting! Please visit us at: www.thegreatcommissionchurch.org . Send your comments to: [e-mail] . We appreciate your help in making this a better website.

Until tomorrow,

Pastor Bob Emery