The Lord Jesus has redeemed me so that i might exhibit a sincere desire and determination to “fulfill the great commandment” and “fulfill the great commission”! This is why we call Jesus’ command to us the “Great CO-mission”! Because, as the people of God, we are to be cooperating with God’s great mission in this fallen world. Notice that this is not my mission, primarily. I did not originate this mission; I did not initiate this mission. This is GOD’S great mission. I am called and commanded to cooperate with God’s mission. Of course, each one of us are intimately familiar with Jesus’ command concerning this great mission. The Lord Jesus gave it to us in Matthew 28;19-20, when He said, “Go therefore and GET DECISIONS?” Wait a minute Ed! That is not what Jesus said. Absolutely not! Jesus commanded us to “Go and make disciples...” When you pay very close attention to the instruction manual, you find that the Lord Jesus has commanded us to “Go and make disciples, by being witnesses unto Jesus......”! The Lord Who originated this mission, has also given us His means to carry out His mission. I submit to you that as you carefully study the book of Acts, you find that those means are: 1. You and I living a “Jesus-centered” life, before the people within the sphere of the influence of our lives; 2. You and I being involved in passionate, persistent evangelistic intercessory prayer; 3. You and I being willing to be involved in voluntary sacrifice and even suffering, if necessary, for the extension of the kingdom of Jesus in the hearts of sinners; 4. You and I heralding a “Jesus-centered” gospel proclamation to sinners within the sphere of our influence. You and I urging and pleading with those sinners to repent and believe the Gospel; and then, prayerfully and patiently waiting for God to accomplish what only He can accomplish, in His timing; and that is to supernaturally and miraculously transform a lost rebel into an authentic disciple! We are called to use God’s means to carry out God’s great mission; but then, we must not step across the line into God’s territory, with our own man-invented techniques and tactics. The tragedy of much of the evangelism of the last 75 years, is that much of the evangelical church has been guilty of “stepping across the line into God’s territory”. There has been a subtle and sinful shift AWAY FROM “using God’s ordained means to carry out God’s mission and waiting on God’s timing for this miraculous birth from above. And the vast majority of the evangelicals have been attempting to get people to “make decisions, in our timing, by using our own man-invented methods and even manipulations. When a believer’s goal is to use any old means get a decision from someone , in our timing (instead of using God’s means and prayerfully waiting on God’s timing), then that believer is tempted to begin to minimize the message. They are tempted to begin to create messages that do not focus on the Person of Jesus; the work of Jesus; and the biblical terms of Jesus, for entering into a saving relationship with Him. They begin to concoct their own messages that focus on the “felt-needs or carnal desires” of sinners. They become guilty of diluting the message the Jesus, watering down the conditions of Jesus; and they develop unscriptural focuses of messages that are not found in the Word of God. But the gospel proclamations of the Book of Acts were never altered or minimized by the disciples, to accommodate the culture; or appeal to the carnal desires of the sinners, to whom they were preaching. When a believer is attempting to get a decision from someone, in their timing, they will also be tempted to humanize the methods. They begin to invent all manner of techniques, tactics, gimmicks and gadgets that are nothing but the inventions of the arm of the flesh. These man-concocted methods and manipulations have not been given to them by God.They have not been ordained by God. They are not found in the New Testament. They are, in reality, nothing but the concoctions of fleshly men. And why? They are obsessed with getting visible, physical DECISIONS, in their timing; instead of using God’s ordained means and God’s ordained message and prayerfully waiting on God’s timing. But Jesus never told us to “go and get decisions in our timing”; Jesus commanded us to Go and make disciples!
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 03:24:48 +0000
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