Making a Disciple...

Yesterday, we discovered that in the Great Commission Jesus called us to make disciples, not converts. What is the difference? A convert is the person gets saved and is now in position to receive eternal life. A disciple lives the life Jesus wants us to live. The convert knows Jesus as savior. The disciples knows Jesus as Lord. Yes, God is looking for converts, but disciples are needed to do the work of the sharing the Gospel message.

So here are the five things Jesus said over the course of His ministry about the expectations of being a disciple…

1. A disciple must serve and love God first…

“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.”  (Luke 14:26) 

2. A disciple must bear his cross…

“And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”  (Luke 14:27) 

3. A disciple must forsake all…

“So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”  (Luke 14:33) 

4. A disciple must live in the Word…

Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.”  (John 8:31) 

5. A disciple must love other disciples…

“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”  (John 13:35) 

A Word of Caution About Forgiveness

Yesterday I said the only way to avoid bitterness is to forgive. Let me give you a warning about forgiving people. It is important to remember that the way bitterness works is through the seed of offense. We are offended by something someone does and then it turns into bitterness. But it is very important to remember that just because you are offended doesn’t mean you are right. So if you judged a person wrong and then you go to them and forgive they may reject your offer of forgiveness because they did nothing wrong.

Forgiveness, more often than not, isn’t something that you have to proclaim; it is something you must do in your own heart. Many times the person you forgive doesn’t need to be a part of the process. By going to them and forgiving you may offend and start them down the road to bitterness. Forgiveness is something YOU do. It is a choice YOU make. And be careful that you don’t become offended because someone doesn’t come to you asking for forgiveness. After all they might not have done anything wrong.

So make sure before you go to someone and express forgiveness that you examine your motives for doing so. Is it possible that you are telling them you forgive them in order to extract some kind of apology? If so them you aren’t really forgiving and the bitterness will continue to grow, especially if they don’t apologize.

The reason we forgive is to be in a place where God can forgive us. Remember the goal of forgiveness should always be restoration not accusation. So forgive but be careful that your act of forgiveness doesn’t birth a new seed of bitterness. Refuse to be bitter.

Next Sunday I will be talking about the next step after refusing bitterness. See you then!

Your Plan B Won't Work

Yesterday, the Holy Spirit prompted me to move away from the sermon I had prepared. (I wonder when this happens if I wasn’t listening when I wrote that sermon or if God just wants to see if I will surrender to Him in front of you. I’d rather listen better!) Anyway, I spoke about one of my biggest concerns as a Pastor…that there are people who believe that if they miss the rapture they will just get “saved” during the Tribulation. After all, the Bible says that many millions of people will become believers after the rapture. So a number of people who would otherwise be a Christian now choose to wait and see, and then if they run out of time they will simply go to “Plan B”. After the rapture, they will know for sure that this “God stuff” is for real and that yes, indeed, Jesus really is coming. But there is a problem with this that I want to point out to you who are thinking this way.

If getting saved during the Tribulation was such a viable plan why does Jesus tell us seven times to “watch”? Why does He keep warning us that He will come like a thief in the night? Why does He tell us that He is coming quickly? The only reason He would keep warning us to watch is because there are serious consequences to missing Him, namely that it will be too late!

I touched on this a little yesterday, but since now I have access to a searchable Bible let me give you some scripture passages that give us clear warning…

Now "If the righteous one is scarcely saved, Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" (1 Peter 4:18)

I spent a lot of time on this verse but here it is for you. We will get into heaven humbly, realizing that without Jesus we couldn’t have done it. Heaven is not the destination of arrogant people!

For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open shame. (Hebrews 6:4-6)

Here we are being told how difficult it is to come back to the Lord once we have been saved and then fallen away. Think about it, and I know that your experience is the same as mine…some of the hardest people to lead to Christ are former believers. These are often people full of hurt, bitterness, and most of all pride. Or even worse they have convinced themselves that they are still saved even though they have rejected Him. Stay with your Christian life. Jesus said that the way to make it is to endure. Don’t give up!

Let me give you one more reason your “Plan b” won’t work…if you can’t love and serve Jesus now when it is pretty easy to do so, how will you do it when it literally means giving up your life? After the service yesterday, my friend Michael shared a passage I hadn’t remembered. (boy, I wish I had!)…

If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, Then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, In which you trusted, they wearied you, Then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan? (Jeremiah 12:5)

The bottom line is you can’t afford to wait. You’ll either miss it, you’ll be too hard hearted, or the cost will be too high. If what I spoke about yesterday or have written about today touches you, please email, text or call me I want to pray for you!

Someday, He will come! I want you to be with me in heaven!