Reaching, Teaching and Training

When Christ’s redemptive work was complete he gathered his disciples and, with “all authority in heaven and on earth”, commissioned them (and every subsequent generation) to get serious about their job of propagating the gospel (Matthew 28:18-20). The central verb of this passage is straightforward and notably uncomplicated: “make disciples!” Between the two advents of Christ, his followers are to be busy “making” more Christ-followers. The three participles that surround the central verb are helpful in showing us how this gets done. Firstly, we are to be “baptizing.” Of course the “baptism” (i.e., “placing into”) that saves is when people repent of their sins, trust Christ and, by God’s grace, are “placed into” a genuine relationship with God. That transaction is then symbolized by being ceremonially “placed into” water as a rite of initiation into God’s family. Secondly, we are to be “teaching them to observe all that Christ commanded.” All the followers of Christ with whom we associate are to be continually encouraged and exhorted to “follow Christ” in their words, thoughts, and behavior. Lastly, the first century disciples had been thoroughly equipped by Christ to “get out there” and make more disciples. (“Go” translates a third Greek participle.) The preparation to their “going” included training in the message and meaning of the gospel, and a lot of time learning all that Christ commanded. In short, to “make disciples” we must be engaged in “reaching” people for Christ, “teaching” people to be like Christ, and “training” people to serve Christ. Jesus gave us a clear assignment and promises “to be with” us until it’s done. So let’s get to work today.

For more sermons and devotionals on Tolerance, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org 

Mindful of God

The Christian life is a life that is lived mindful of God. The crux and catalyst for sin is frequently described in the Bible as thoughtlessness or forgetfulness of God (Judges 8:34; 1 Samuel 12:9; Jeremiah 2:32; et al.). Godly living, on the other hand, is prompted and motivated by a chronic remembrance of the presence of God (Deuteronomy 8:18; Proverbs 5:21; Hebrews 4:13; 1 Peter 2:19; et al.). For us as Christians, the call to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and to “be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12) provides us with a practical discipline through which we make ourselves aware of the informed, active, and involved omnipresence of God. By contrast, looking around at the bustling people of this world who give little or no thought to their Maker ought to give us a chilling and sorrowful pause. The God to whom all will give an account is entirely disregarded and forgotten by so many. “As in the days of Noah”, Jesus said, so it will be that in the last times people will be “eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage” all without thought of their Creator – his demands, his desires, his mercies, or his provisions (Luke 17:27). Such a simple observation from people who are mindful of God should provoke us to intercessory prayer and evangelism. May God use you and I this week to open the eyes of a sleeping world.

For more sermons and devotionals on Tolerance, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org.

God's Calling

When we read of people in the Bible provoking God to anger we ought to take note – especially when the people making God mad are his own children. The last thing we should want is to follow in the erring footsteps of our elder brothers and sisters. One such cautionary incident took place on the day God called Moses to lead Israel’s exodus from Egypt. If you’ll remember, Moses didn’t handle the commissioning very well. His reluctance to do God’s will was irritating, to put it mildly. Moses attempted to resist God’s call by “reminding” God of all the resources he did not possess. “I don’t have the reputation!” “I don’t have the credibility!” “I can’t speak eloquently enough.” The Bible tells us that “the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses” (Exodus 4:14) because of all of his excuses. God preferred that Moses take his inventory with a different perspective. It wasn’t about what Moses didn’t have; it was about God’s ability to use what Moses did have. “What’s that in your hand?” (Exodus 4:2) and “Who has made man’s mouth?” (Exodus 4:11) were the questions that mattered. Sometimes God’s will for us may seem daunting, but remember that when we step up to do what God asks even a measly shepherd’s stick becomes “the staff of God” (Exodus 4:20). So don’t irritate God this week, stop trying to remind him of what you don’t have, and trust him to take what you do have to fulfill his calling on your life.

For more sermons and devotionals on God's Calling, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org 

God's Goodness

When joy gives way to sadness and light of good days fades into a dark season of personal pain it is common to hear God’s people questioning the goodness of God. That may be a natural response to our discomfort, but it is not the right one. Instead, Psalm 107 calls those who are hurting to purposefully “give thanks to the Lord, for he is good” (Psalm 107:1). His goodness, the psalmist reminds us, can be seen in the ways that God has delivered us from previous bouts with trouble and pain. In speaking of God’s goodness the psalmist employs a vivid word that should always prompt Christian thanksgiving, he writes: “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so” (Psalm 107:2) While there may be many earthly “salvations” from trouble for which to praise God, there is no doubting God’s kindness to us when we consider our eternal “redemption” from the consequences of our sins. With that in mind, Psalm 107 poignantly prompts us to consider our part in our present pain. The song proposes that many of our troubles come when we “rebel against the words of the Lord” (Psalm 107:11). Boldly the lyrics declare, “Some were fools through their sinful ways, and because of their iniquities suffered affliction” (Psalm 107:17). Yet with all of this, the goodness of God is seen in the reminder that when sinners “cry to the Lord in their trouble, he delivers them from their distress” (Psalm 107:13, 19). It may be a dark season for you, but God is good. Even if your pain is self-inflicted, remember God is gracious to deliver.

For more sermons and devotionals on God's Goodness, please go to the Focal Point Ministries website at www.focalpointministries.org