Bible League: Living His Word "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."— Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV A disciple of Christ engaged in fulfilling the Great Commission may not necessarily be well known or preaching to large congregations. Such a disciple can only see a dying lost world, suffering in poverty and pain and his/her heart breaks because the disciple knows Jesus' love for them. Such a disciple is willing to endure persecution and suffering just so some might get to experience the love of Christ. In our verse for today, Jesus calls us to evangelism through disciple making: Go into all the world and make disciples. To truly go into all the world and preach the Good News, the following needs to be done: Reach & Win—Mark 1:38, Mark 16:15 Preach the Gospel message, the Gospel of Christ which is the Good News of salvation through the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16). Equip & Build—Matthew 28:19, Ephesians 4:12 The second step involves making disciples and teaching them to do all that Jesus commanded us to do. This includes mentoring and helping them grow in the knowledge of the Word of God and of Jesus and helping them mature in their faith. Send & Plant—Acts 14:21-23 The final step focuses on the last part of the Great Commission, which is "to do all that I have commanded you to do." This includes the first two steps, which was part of what Jesus commanded us to do. This is where the mature disciples are to be sent out to reach and win, equip and build, and send and plant. The latter part of the Great Commission is a promise from Jesus Himself. "And I am with you always even till the end of age." This promise is for those who actively engage in evangelism directly, through prayer, and through giving. Part 2 of 2 By Santosh Chandran, Bible League International staff, New Zealand Bible in a Year Old Testament ReadingPsalm 105, 106 Psalm 105 -- Give thanks to the Lord! Call on his name! NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Psalm 106 -- Praise the Lord! Give thanks to O Lord, for he is good NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB New Testament Reading Romans 15:1-20 Romans 15 -- We who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of the weak; Paul Plans to Visit Rome NIV NLT ESV NAS GWT KJV ASV ERV DRB Reading Plan Courtesy of Christian Classics Etherial Library. Tyndale Life Application Daily Devotion And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”Insight Jesus himself is the truth that sets us free. He is the source of truth, the perfect standard of what is right. He frees us from the consequences of sin, from self-deception, and from deception by Satan. He shows us clearly the way to eternal life with God. Thus Jesus does not give us freedom to do what we want, but freedom to follow God. Challenge As we seek to serve God, Jesus' perfect truth frees us to be all that God meant us to be. Morning and Evening by Spurgeon Psalm 29:2 Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name.God's glory is the result of his nature and acts. He is glorious in his character, for there is such a store of everything that is holy, and good, and lovely in God, that he must be glorious. The actions which flow from his character are also glorious; but while he intends that they should manifest to his creatures his goodness, and mercy, and justice, he is equally concerned that the glory associated with them should be given only to himself. Nor is there aught in ourselves in which we may glory; for who maketh us to differ from another? And what have we that we did not receive from the God of all grace? Then how careful ought we to be to walk humbly before the Lord! The moment we glorify ourselves, since there is room for one glory only in the universe, we set ourselves up as rivals to the Most High. Shall the insect of an hour glorify itself against the sun which warmed it into life? Shall the potsherd exalt itself above the man who fashioned it upon the wheel? Shall the dust of the desert strive with the whirlwind? Or the drops of the ocean struggle with the tempest? Give unto the Lord, all ye righteous, give unto the Lord glory and strength; give unto him the honor that is due unto his name. Yet it is, perhaps, one of the hardest struggles of the Christian life to learn this sentence--"Not unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name be glory." It is a lesson which God is ever teaching us, and teaching us sometimes by most painful discipline. Let a Christian begin to boast, "I can do all things," without adding "through Christ which strengtheneth me," and before long he will have to groan, "I can do nothing," and bemoan himself in the dust. When we do anything for the Lord, and he is pleased to accept of our doings, let us lay our crown at his feet, and exclaim, "Not I, but the grace of God which was with me!" Daily Light on the Daily Path 1 Chronicles 22:5 David said, "My son Solomon is young and inexperienced, and the house that is to be built for the LORD shall be exceedingly magnificent, famous and glorious throughout all lands. Therefore now I will make preparation for it." So David made ample preparations before his death.1 Peter 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 3:16,17 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? • If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are. 1 Corinthians 6:19,20 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? • For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. 2 Corinthians 6:16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE. Ephesians 2:19-22 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, • having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, • in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, • in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit. New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org. |