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| With Cadian #5 Grand and only Grandson |
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| Emma Jayne #6 granddaughter |
We are smiling because we know the God we serve is smiling right now too. Here we are,children of God, watching our daughter, a daughter of God, getting ready to give birth to a baby girl whom we believe will become another daughter of God. Along with our father's that will be four generations of Believers in Christ. What better legacy could we possibly leave?
As well as being sons or daughters of God we are also called to be disciples of Christ. Our primary mission as believers is laid out for us in Matthew 28:18-20. "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
Jesus' final words to His disciples was that they were to go and make disciples of all the nations. Those words are also for each of us who are children of God. We are to go and make disciples. It is not an option but a command that we are given. Surprisingly we are finding that many brothers and sisters in Christ do not know how to disciple someone primarily because they themselves have never been discipled.
We live in a day and age where the enemy is working overtime to make sure that many will never accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Sadly he is being very effective. Many are disillusioned with the church and some for good reasons. There is a wide variety of statistics on the amount of people not going to church, studying the Bible, on fire for God, etc... These studies are alarming and still the enemy is winning.
We refuse to just stand by and let him win. Yes those of us who know God and believe in Him know that the enemy loses in the end but right now he is winning battle after battle. We are taking the Word of God to whomever He brings across our path (friends, family, partners, strangers). We are also working with those who are believers and teaching them how to disciple.
You may not believe it but it does not require being a theologian, being a Bible college graduate, or years and years of studying the Bible to be able to disciple. What it takes is one Spirit filled believer submitting and fully trusting God praying for God to bring him someone to disciple. Then when God brings that person they meet with the person and spend time with them. Jesus trained the twelve over a period of time. Time is the key. When we spend time with someone we show them that we care and they get to know Jesus because a Spirit filled believer will reflect the character of Jesus.
Right now I can hear many people saying that they do not have that kind of time. I shake my head because I used to be that way. When it is important we always find the time. We need to understand the importance ourselves and realize we do not have the luxury of time. Our time on earth is short and soon we will stand before Jesus and have to give an account for what we did and did not do.
I was at a conference and the verse that was the theme of the weekend was Ezekiel 3:17-19. If you are not familiar with it I recommend that you read it. I personally feel that God is speaking that to each one of us and not just to Ezekiel. God is going to hold us accountable and expects us to make disciples.
We have to stop worrying about what people will say or feel if we share the message of Jesus Christ with them. They are not the ones we will stand in front of on the day Jesus returns. Nothing they say or do can take away our salvation but if we say nothing their salvation is what is at stake.
If you want to be a disciple for Christ we are available to talk with you and teach you. We encourage you to fulfill the great commission. In doing so you will experience the Father's joy and find that it is the most rewarding thing we get to do as His children.
