October 20, 2009

"Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go." Matthew 28:16

Some things are obvious by their absence. So are some people.

In this Scripture passage we see the eleven who came to the mountain to meet Jesus according to His request. Did you take notice who wasn’t included in that number? If not, take a quick mental roll call.

Yeah, you’re right, Judas!

Why?

He had hardened his heart. His heart had become so hardened that he became insensitive to Jesus’ voice and immune to His will.

How does that happen? How does someone who walked with Jesus daily for almost three years end up with a hard heart?

There is a one-word answer, disobedience.

If you don’t intend to obey Jesus or to heed God’s Word, the worst thing you can do is hang around God’s Word or His people. Does that sound funny coming from a preacher telling you to stay away from church?

Why would you say that, Brad?

It has everything to do with the power of His Word. The Bible tells us that His Word never returns void. That means every time the Word is spoken or taught, something happens as a result. When you hear the truth of God’s Word you are responsible to obey it. When you hear it and obey the truth it brings you closer to Jesus Who Is the Truth. When you draw closer to Jesus you become more like Him. But disobedience separates you from Jesus and desensitized you to the truth.

The eleven show the value of obeying Jesus, Judas shows us the perils of serial disobedience. Hear the Word, heed the Word, and become holy by the Word. Hear the Word, don’t heed the Word and become hardened.

What will you do with God's voice today? Will you hear it and heed it or will you hear it and be hardened? Judas didn't become a traitor in a day. It took a lot of hearing and a lot of hardening.

Obedience matters. It makes a difference - an eternal difference – the difference between Heaven and Hell.

October 19, 2009

"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of 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." Matthew 28:19-20

We know this portion of Scripture as the "Great Commission" - the famous last recorded words of Jesus on earth. It is His mandate for the Church then and today. Had not the church then headed that mandate there would not be a church of today. If we, the church of today fail to honor this mandate there will not be a church of tomorrow.

Jesus was resting a lot on our obedience. In fact, He bet everything on it. God had no plan "B". The "Great Commission" could have easily become the "Great Omission" had these eleven chosen not to obey.

There is an interesting statement that Jesus made about obedience - "teaching them to obey everything I commanded". That IS obedience, obeying "everything". You can't obey "some" and be obedient. You can't obey "most" and be obedient. Partial obedience is disobedience. Obedience is not a multiple choice test! There are no part-time disciples or sometime disciples or almost disciples.

Discipleship is a decision. A choice to obey God and act on His will. Once you know what God wants you are immediately responsible to act according to His desire. To do less is disobedience and disobedience is sin. Disciples don't live in sin.

This is radical stuff! Discipleship requires bold actions resulting from a transformational change that God has produced in your heart and mind. There is a line to be crossed. There is a death to die. There is a surrender to be made.

If you view obedience as an option, you are living under the delusion of discipleship. Jesus' command is to "obey everything I have commanded". Discipleship happens at the point of obedience. How is it happening for you?

October 18, 2009

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of 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." Matthew 28:19-20

When I read these two verses I am struck by the "O" in disciple.

That's right, the "O" in disciple. No, I did not make a mistake. Yes, I can spell. And, yes, there IS a big "O" in disciple - "O" for obedience. You can't be a disciple without it. You can't make a disciple without it.

Jesus called the disciples to meet Him in a familiar place. They came in obedience. Because they did they got to worship Jesus and fellowship with Him one last time before He ascended to the Father. I'm guessing they were glad they obeyed! That's the "O" in disciple.

With His last words, Jesus told them that they were to leave this place, wait for His Holy Spirit to fall upon them, and then go win converts and make disciples. We know that as the Great Commission. It still drives the church today. But it never would have mattered if those eleven guys would not have obeyed we wouldn't be having this discussion. That's the "O" in disciple.

They were told that they were to make disciples by teaching converts to obey everything Jesus taught them. In otherwords, teach obedience by being obedient. That's the "O" in disciple.

Twenty-one centuries later, the "O" is still essential in disciple. If you don't obey you are not a disciple. If you aren't a disciple you can't make a disciple.

That's the "O" in disciple. Are you OK with that?

October 17, 2009

"Therefore go................." Matthew 28:19

I confess to possessing a strange sense of humor. Some people don't appreciate British humor, but I do. I'm not sure why but I do.

Years ago there was a bizarre British Comedy Troupe called Monty Python's Flying Circus. They did some hilarious bits. One of them was the weird Olympics featuring all sorts of strange events. For example, they had the 100 yard dash for people with no sense of direction. The contestants came to the starting line, took their marks, got set in their starting blocks, and when the gun fired - they took off in every direction possible. You can't run a race like that!

I shared that because too often that illustrates how Christians live their lives. We go in every imaginable direction and get nowhere fast. Therefore, they live non-productive lives and populate ineffective churches.

When Jesus said, "Go! He had a specific purpose in mind." That purpose is to win converts and make disciples.

God intends His people to live on purpose. Are you? Do you face each day with a plan of how you will serve Him? Who will you touch today with His grace? How will you bless the people you work with today? Will His light shine through you today?

The call to make disciples begins with you. What will you do today to grow as a disciple of Jesus? Is there something you need to overcome? Is there something you need to surrender? Is there something you need to confess? What do you need to receive from God? You can make disciples if you aren't purposely being a disciple.

When an Olympic sprinter comes to the line in the 100 meters he has a purpose in mind. He is running for the gold! The only thing he purposes to do is to stay in his lane and run straight for the tape. Everything he does after the gun sounds is done on purpose. No wasted motion, no missteps.

That is what Jesus had in mind when He said, "Go!"

Go somewhere on purpose! Sprint to the finish! Make every step matter. Be a disciple so you can make disciples!

October 16, 2009

"When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted." Matthew 28:17

Is seeing believing? Can you always believe your eyes? Have you ever believed something that you haven't seen?

Yesterday in the skies over Colorado, authorities were flooded with calls concerning a UFO. What first appeared to be a flying saucer turned out to be a silver mushroom shaped helium balloon. To me, it looked like a flying Jiffy Pop popper pan.

Seeing wasn't necessarily believing.

Currently, authorities are trying to figure out what happened with the saucer-shaped balloon and the 6 year-old boy. They look like a normal all-American family, but was this truly an accident, a boyish prank, or an elaborate hoax. Everyone is watching and analyzing, but seeing is not necessarily believing.

I am trying to get a weather forecast for this week-end. I have checked online each day this week and each time it has been a different forecast. Seeing is not necessarily believing.

Once I went to a sales training seminar and the first thing they taught me there was that a "good deal is a state of mind". In otherwords, people believe what they want to believe and a good salesperson should try to influence the customer to believe his offer is a good deal. A deal is struck when a customer believes what he sees, even though what he believes may not be true.

For over fifty years I have been a believer in God and in His Son, Jesus Christ. I have never seen them. But having never seen them, they are as real to me as any person I have seen. I believe though I have never seen and there is no person that I can see who could convince me that the God I can't see doesn't exist.

So, I wonder how these eleven disciples who were beholding the Resurrected Jesus standing right before them could have doubts. Maybe seeing is not believing.

Maybe believing is believing. Maybe believing is seeing. That sort of sounds like what Hebrews 11 tells us - "Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen."

So, could the key word here be "hope"? Does what we hope for drive what we believe? Were these disciples who doubted afraid to hope? Remember what they had been through during the past few weeks. Their hopes had been crushed and their dreams had crashed through the events of the arrest and killing of Jesus. Ever had your hopes crushed?

Were their doubts driven by self-doubt? Had they lost hope in themselves and not in Jesus?

We will never know for sure. What we do know is that doubts or not, the disciples were there in obedience to Jesus. And we do know that they obeyed His command to go make disciples. So, they brought their doubts to the feet of Jesus. They hoped through their doubts and they obeyed through their fears and they changed the world!

Are you plagued with doubts? Are you paralyzed with fear? Is hope hard to come by?

Don't believe what you see, believe what He says! Hope through your doubts and obey through your fears!

October 15, 2009

"All authority in heaven and on earth HAS BEEN GIVEN TO ME" Matthew 28:18

Jesus certainly had authority. No one would argue that. It is not even debatable!

So, if God has all authority and Jesus is God's Son, He certainly could have given Him authority. But was that authority actually given to Him - or did He, in fact have to earn it?

The answer is, "Yes - and - no....."

What sort of an answer is that?

All authority in Heaven was God's and He did give it to Jesus. But the authority on earth belonged to the evil one who had wrested it from Adam in the Garden.

So, Jesus had to earn back that authority.

How do I know that?

I know that because of the three temptations that Jesus faced in the wilderness at the beginning of His ministry. Those temptations were about Satan trying to negotiate over the authority that he had stolen from the first Adam and was now trying to protect by deceiving the Second Adam.

Satan stole the authority he has and is not about to give it up. Jesus had to die on the cross to pay the debt for Adam's sin and had to rise from the dead to conquer death. That was how He got the authority back. It was given - it was won! And because Jesus won it back from the evil one He can now give it to us.

But to get that authority we have to get Jesus - by faith! And we have to surrender our authority, our will, our selfish nature to Him. We have to die like Jesus died in order to live in His full authority!

He wants to give His authority to us - all authority! We can receive it freely because He purchased it for us!

What do you need to surrender in order to receive His authority?

October 14, 2009

"Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me......And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18 & 20

The disciples had been with Jesus 24/7 for three years. They had seen His authority over evil, over disease, and recently, over sin and death.

Then, there was that time that Jesus sent them out two by two into the region to minister in His name and with His authority. They had experienced what it was like to take authority over evil, over disease and even over death. The Bible tells us that they came back rejoicing over the victories they had been able to win with His authority.

So, it makes sense that as Jesus was preparing to leave the planet and return to His Father that they might wonder what would happen to His authority. Would His authority depart with Him? This divine mandate He had just given them would take much more that what they possessed in the way of power and authority. It was a God-sized assignment and it would take God-sized help.

What would you be doing if you were them?

Well, now you are them! Their mandate is your mandate. It is still a God-sized job!

We need to hear what Jesus told them. "ALL authority in HEAVEN and on EARTH" is His. It resides in Him! He had the authority of Heaven and when He died and rose from the dead He regained all the authority on earth! It is the authority that Adam had forfeited by his sin. But Jesus, the Second Adam, took back what Adam had lost! So when Jesus said ALL authority that is exactly what He meant!

In short, what Jesus is saying is this, "I have all spiritual authority that exists in the universe and when you have Me you also have this authority"! Think about that!

Jesus was not just giving them a mandate, He was giving them the power to become a movement! And the history of the early Church indicates that when the believers clung to Jesus and received His authority - it was an unstoppable movement! When they worshiped and ministered in Jesus' Name they also operated in all of His authority.

Does Jesus still have that authority? Has he experienced a power shortage? Do we still get ALL authority when we get Jesus or did that change somewhere in the past 2,000 years?

If you are in Christ, why aren't you in His authority? Or are you?