One in Four
This morning I was watching a podcast and the preacher was discussing our role as Christians. But before I start, I must admit something. For the past three months I have felt closer to God than ever and while I knew there was room for improvement, I did not expect the gap to be as big as I was awakened to this morning. I have been spending much more time in my bible, praying more faithfully, and been more passionate about trusting the Lord with my future. While all of those things are great and even crucial to a healthy relationship with Jesus Christ, there is something huge that I am missing.
Jesus' last words in Matthew were--- (c. 28, v.18-20) Then Jesus came to them (the disciples) and said, "All authority 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."
This is HUGE! The GREAT Commission. I cannot wait to break this down for you.
The most common misconception with this verse is that we, as members of the body of Christ, cannot fulfill this command; that it was perhaps just meant for the pastors. WRONG! Please understand that this is a command for ALL. Jesus told this to his eleven disciples (not twelve because Judas had previously hung himself out of remorse of betraying him). Eleven people. His closest followers. This was their command. Many of us get stuck on the word "go", thinking it means we should go to a foreign country and spread the news. While foreign ministry is great and reaching and baptizing the nations is part of our command, we should not look past the ones around us.
>>Get this<<
A new Harris Poll finds that 74% of U.S. adults say they believe in God. While you may be thinking it's awesome that over half the U.S. population claims to believe in God, which it is; let me hang a minute on the flip side.
If 74% of American adults believe in God, that means 26% of us don't. Okay again, 26%, no big deal right? WRONG! That is about one fourth of American adults. So approximately one out of every four adults you encounter do not believe in God. This absolutely breaks my heart to know that one in four people don't experience the joy that is new every morning (Lamentations 3:23), freedom that comes from living in Christ (John 8:36), shelter from the enemy (Psalm 61:3), hope for tomorrow (Jeremiah 29:11), and everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3) and that I have been so unaware of it. I cannot imagine my life without any of that and I do not want to pass up another opportunity for someone else to experience it.
Back to my point...to fulfill this command, you do not have to leave the country. The truth is, you may not even have to leave your home. We don't need a platform or a microphone to please Jesus. Your call may be to lead an immediate family member that needs to experience this love. Encourage a neighbor that longs for hope and a future. Smile at the cashier at walmart that desperately needs rest and a sweet customer. Pray for the homeless man you passed on the way home from retail therapy. We are called to go, but the main focus in the command is not that. The main command is to make disciples. This is such an important command that we often miss. Honestly, I have made my relationship with Christ more about easing my life and finding direction for my steps and while that is important and part of the journey, his main desire is for me to lead others to him and be strengthened in the process.
Since this is such a big task, he did not just charge on person with it, hence him telling his eleven closest followers. They started the chain of witnessing and we are to follow their example. This leads me to my next point.
>>> You cannot do life alone!! <<<
Being more like Jesus is a lifelong journey but it starts with a community of close followers. You do not have to have eleven. It may start with just one for you but that doesn't matter...just get connected! Let's look at Ecclesiastes 4:12. "By yourself you're unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn't easily snapped."
There are so many reasons I love this verse. 1) It encourages me to connect with a community of believers because I will personally benefit, the other members will be strengthened, and the kingdom of God will increase, 2) it encourages me to continue to grow my community because there is power in numbers when gathering for jesus, and 3) it is a subtle pointing to the trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. When I think of the trinity, I think of how important and different each of their roles are but how at the end of the day, I need all three equally in my life. Then I think back to the fact that one in four people do not experience the fullness of God.
As hard as it is, I am going to end this post here. Although I want to give pointers on how to start your journey of making disciples, I want to instead challenge you to figure it out yourself because it looks different for each of us.
I will leave you with this. Just look at the end of the scripture I gave in the beginning, "and surely I am with you always, to the very end". Receive encouragement that God is with you through this journey of his commission. He will not leave you and if you fulfill this command, you will be greatly rewarded throughout.
xoxo, Kins
Jesus' last words in Matthew were--- (c. 28, v.18-20) Then Jesus came to them (the disciples) and said, "All authority 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."
This is HUGE! The GREAT Commission. I cannot wait to break this down for you.
The most common misconception with this verse is that we, as members of the body of Christ, cannot fulfill this command; that it was perhaps just meant for the pastors. WRONG! Please understand that this is a command for ALL. Jesus told this to his eleven disciples (not twelve because Judas had previously hung himself out of remorse of betraying him). Eleven people. His closest followers. This was their command. Many of us get stuck on the word "go", thinking it means we should go to a foreign country and spread the news. While foreign ministry is great and reaching and baptizing the nations is part of our command, we should not look past the ones around us.
>>Get this<<
A new Harris Poll finds that 74% of U.S. adults say they believe in God. While you may be thinking it's awesome that over half the U.S. population claims to believe in God, which it is; let me hang a minute on the flip side.
If 74% of American adults believe in God, that means 26% of us don't. Okay again, 26%, no big deal right? WRONG! That is about one fourth of American adults. So approximately one out of every four adults you encounter do not believe in God. This absolutely breaks my heart to know that one in four people don't experience the joy that is new every morning (Lamentations 3:23), freedom that comes from living in Christ (John 8:36), shelter from the enemy (Psalm 61:3), hope for tomorrow (Jeremiah 29:11), and everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3) and that I have been so unaware of it. I cannot imagine my life without any of that and I do not want to pass up another opportunity for someone else to experience it.
Back to my point...to fulfill this command, you do not have to leave the country. The truth is, you may not even have to leave your home. We don't need a platform or a microphone to please Jesus. Your call may be to lead an immediate family member that needs to experience this love. Encourage a neighbor that longs for hope and a future. Smile at the cashier at walmart that desperately needs rest and a sweet customer. Pray for the homeless man you passed on the way home from retail therapy. We are called to go, but the main focus in the command is not that. The main command is to make disciples. This is such an important command that we often miss. Honestly, I have made my relationship with Christ more about easing my life and finding direction for my steps and while that is important and part of the journey, his main desire is for me to lead others to him and be strengthened in the process.
Since this is such a big task, he did not just charge on person with it, hence him telling his eleven closest followers. They started the chain of witnessing and we are to follow their example. This leads me to my next point.
>>> You cannot do life alone!! <<<
Being more like Jesus is a lifelong journey but it starts with a community of close followers. You do not have to have eleven. It may start with just one for you but that doesn't matter...just get connected! Let's look at Ecclesiastes 4:12. "By yourself you're unprotected. With a friend you can face the worst. Can you round up a third? A three-stranded rope isn't easily snapped."
There are so many reasons I love this verse. 1) It encourages me to connect with a community of believers because I will personally benefit, the other members will be strengthened, and the kingdom of God will increase, 2) it encourages me to continue to grow my community because there is power in numbers when gathering for jesus, and 3) it is a subtle pointing to the trinity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. When I think of the trinity, I think of how important and different each of their roles are but how at the end of the day, I need all three equally in my life. Then I think back to the fact that one in four people do not experience the fullness of God.
As hard as it is, I am going to end this post here. Although I want to give pointers on how to start your journey of making disciples, I want to instead challenge you to figure it out yourself because it looks different for each of us.
I will leave you with this. Just look at the end of the scripture I gave in the beginning, "and surely I am with you always, to the very end". Receive encouragement that God is with you through this journey of his commission. He will not leave you and if you fulfill this command, you will be greatly rewarded throughout.
xoxo, Kins
Keep up the great work, Kinsey! Your blog is encouraging. You are a great example of what it means to live for Christ!
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