Go and Tell Begins at Home

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

Most of us don't have to "go" very far to begin "making disciples". In fact, most of us can start right within the walls of our own homes.  And the very best time to start is right from the very beginning.  Even little ones can begin learning the elementary truths:  God is our Heavenly Father. Jesus is God's Son. The Bible is God's Word.  The church is God's people.  Those very first things are the foundation of faith.

It's great to send money or even go to other places to teach the Gospel to others, but if we do that, yet neglect teaching the very ones in our homes, then we've failed the ones we can influence the very most.  Parents spend hours and hours teaching and training or even spend money on training their children in schooling, sports, or hobbies, yet how much time is spent in studying and teaching them God's Word?  Do we leave that up to the Bible class teachers?  The youth minister?  Training begins at home!

Maybe you did teach them about God and Jesus and the church. Maybe you trained them the very best you could.  And maybe, for whatever reason, they didn't listen.  Remember that some day that instruction may come back to them. Perhaps some day they will turn to Him. Don't give up! Keep praying!  Keep being the example God would want you to be.

Never stop learning. Never stop teaching. And never stop doing what you can do to make disciples.

ARE YOU A LEADER OR A FOLLOWER?

From the time our children were little bitty, there were two mottos I would quote over and over to them. One was, "Do the right thing 'cause it's the right thing to do!". The other one was, "Be a leader, not a follower." In fact, the first day our youngest started Kindergarten this year, I said to him, "Remember, be a..." and he interruped me saying, "I know, I know, Mom, be a leader not a flollerer!". Yes, that's right!

We have always wanted our children to do what they knew to be right in the eyes of God and to obey us as well, but we've also strived to teach them to not go along with the crowd if it wasn't what was right. And most parents probably want that same thing with their children.

There is a time when it is better to be follower than a leader. Do you know when? Yes, when we become Christians. When we become Christians, we are followers of Jesus. And just like Jesus told His first disciples (disciple means follower), "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men." Matthew 4:19, He wants us to follow Him, too.

Are you a follower of Jesus? Are you a follower of God? Or do you try to be the leader?

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." Matthew 16:24

Deepen Discipleship

PART 4 - HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?
Flowers pollinate. That’s how they multiply and grow. But how does pollination work? Well, it all begins in the flower. Flowering plants have several different parts that are important in pollination. If the flowers have those parts then they can successfully help make other flowers. Only 10% of flowering plants are able to pollinate without animals or bugs or assistance from people. Those 10% of plants, pollinate by wind or water. God, as our awesome creator, made flowers to be this way. God, as our creator, also made us this way.

Remember when Jesus called the apostles? What did he say to them? “Come and follow me” it tells us in the first part of Matthew 4:19. As a child of God we are also disciples. By definition, a disciple is a follower, one who accepts and assists in spreading the doctrines of another. The end of Matthew 4:19 says “and I will make you fishers of men.“ A Christian disciple is a person who accepts and assists in the spreading of the good news of Jesus Christ. Just like the pollen of a flower is transferred to another flower, God’s Word is taken from us to someone else.

Jesus wants us to be fishers of men - just like he wanted those first disciples to be. We want to be children of God, we want to abide in Jesus, we will even read His Word, but we sometimes we tend say, “God, I can’t go….I can’t tell... I can‘t fish!!”

ONE TRUTH TO REMEMBER: THE GREAT COMMISSION IS FOR ME!!

That is a command that Jesus gave to us through God’s inspired Word. We will never do God’s Will if we are not fulfilling our purpose as His disciples. Jesus wants us to be His true disciples and follow him daily. Luke 9:23 "The he said to them all: If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.”

He doesn’t say deny yourself and follow me when you want to. He doesn’t say "deny yourself and follow me when it is convenient to". He doesn’t say "deny yourself and follow me when you get everything else done". Jesus wants us today, tomorrow and every day of our lives.

My husband attended a workshop last year where one of the speakers made this statement: "Many people are church "goers", not "Christ’s disciples"." Many people in the church today believe that all there is to being a child of God is regularly attending every worship service....thinking that is all there is to being faithful to the Lord. While attendance is very important in our service to God, there are so many more things that are just as important as we strive to abide in Jesus.

Many people, after they retire, decide to quit teaching classes, quit helping out in various ways with church activities, they quit being involved with the church. But what does the Bible say? When does the Bible says we should retire? WHEN WE DIE!! We can still be Christ’s faithful disciple up until the very end of our lives. Our service may change, who we serve may change, but we will still be serving. We will still be Christ's disciple.