The word disciple literally means to “sit at the feet of”. It refers to the fact that in Jesus’ day the followers of a particular rabbi would sit at his feet as he taught them. They were his disciples.
A disciple is a pupil of learner. The root of the Greek word for disciple means “one who learns by doing or practicing”.
A disciple of Jesus is one who learns by studying and doing.
We grow in our relationship with Jesus by studying the Word of God and then living out the truth that God reveals to us.
Disciples reach out.
Matthew 9:35-38
And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction. When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into harvest.”
Jesus knew that:
People are lost and broken.
People need a shepherd.
People need to hear His message.
There is a huge need for more laborers (disciples).
John 3:22
After this Jesus and His disciples went into the Judean countryside, and He remained there with them and was baptizing.
Jesus takes His disciples with Him and He shows them how to minister to others. He as their Teacher and Shepherd is their model for ministry.
Luke 9:1-2
And He called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal.
Jesus moves His disciples from watching Him do ministry to doing ministry themselves.
Being a disciple of Jesus is not a spectator sport.
Luke 10:1
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of Him, two by two, into every town and place where He Himself was about to go.
Jesus takes a large group of His disciples and has them go out ahead of Him to prepare the towns and villages where He was going to teach and minister. He is again helping His disciples to learn by doing.
In Matthew 10:7-8 as Jesus sends out the twelve He outlines several spiritual needs that He gives them the power to deal with. Jesus tells them to:
Proclaim that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand - share the gospel with people who are lost
Heal the sick - comfort and help people dealing with health issues
Raise the dead - comfort those who are grieving over the death of loved ones
Cleanse lepers - help the outcast and the powerless people in the society
Cast out demons - help those who are dealing with difficult spiritual struggles
Disciples of Jesus are to do all this freely because Jesus has done it freely for them.
In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus outlines ministries to help people with their physical needs that His disciples are to be involved in. Jesus’s disciples are to give:
Food to the hungry
Water to the thirsty
Hospitality to the homeless
Clothes to the poorly clothed
Companionship to the sick
Compassion to those in prison
The importance of disciples of Jesus reaching out and ministering to others is seen in two verses in this passage.
Matthew 25:40
And the King will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”
Matthew 25:46
And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.
Jesus says that when we reach out to those with needs and minister to them we are ministering to Him. He also indicates that people who have been made righteous by God will reach out and those who have not been made righteous by God will not reach out.
In John 13:34-35 Jesus commands us to love each other and says that loving others will be a way that the world will know that we are His disciples.
Disciples are people who have been made righteous by God, and out of this righteousness they love others, and out of that love they reach out to others and serve them in Jesus’ name.
There are two types of reaching out that Jesus desires for His disciples.
Acts 6:1-3
Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.
The twelve were called and commissioned by Jesus to proclaim the word of God. Their priority was to reach out to others and meet spiritual needs.
The church then chose some men to have the priority to reach out to others and meet physical needs.
The church is made up of disciples who are all called and commanded to reach out. Some will primarily meet spiritual needs and others will primarily meet physical needs. The goal is the same for both. The goal is:
To glorify God
To bring people into a relationship with Jesus
To make disciples
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about reaching out and ministering to the spiritual and physical needs of others in the name of Jesus with the purpose of showing the love of Jesus and helping them to surrender their lives to Jesus as their Savior and Lord.
People need to see how much you care before they will care about what you have to say.
Jesus healed the sick.
Jesus fed the hungry.
Jesus showed compassion to the repentant.
Jesus proclaimed the truth of God’s Word.
Jesus comforted the hurt and broken.
Jesus accepted the outcast.
Jesus lovingly confronted the proud and arrogant.
Jesus reached out and He commands us as His disciples to reach out.
Reaching Out to Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls
Joe
Sunday, February 22, 2015
Sunday, February 15, 2015
Disciples of Jesus Show Faith
Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Faith is the conviction that something is true even if you cannot perceive it by your natural senses.
Disciples show faith in God.
It is essential that disciples show faith in God.
Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and He rewards those who seek Him.
Without FAITH is it IMPOSSIBLE to please God!
The fact that it is impossible to please God without faith makes it necessary for anyone who would follow Jesus and be His disciple to have faith in Him.
Faith involves three components of relating to Jesus.
The first is believing Jesus.
John 2:11
This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed in Him.
Belief from a biblical viewpoint is not: I think it is true or I sure am hoping it is true. Biblical faith is total conviction that something is true.
So what does it mean to believe?
It means you know beyond doubt that Jesus is who He claims to be. And Jesus claims to be God.
John 10:30
I and the Father are one.
Jesus claimed to be God. Disciples of Jesus believe He is God and relate to Him as such.
When Jesus asked His disciples who the world said He was, they said that the world said He was: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets. Now those were very impressive concepts. They were saying Jesus was a great man.
Then Jesus asked the disciples who they said He was. Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The disciples saw and related to Jesus as not just a great man, but as the One True God.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about believing that Jesus is God.
The second is obeying Jesus.
John 14:15
If you love me, you will obey what I command.
Obeying Jesus shows we love Jesus.
Acts 5:29
But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”
Obeying Jesus shows we value Him and His approval more than anyone else.
John 3:36
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Obeying Jesus allows us to have life and escape the wrath of God.
John connects belief and obedience because he knows that belief has to lead to obedience to make following Jesus a reality.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about obeying Jesus completely without anything held back.
The third is sacrificing for Jesus.
John 11:16
So Thomas called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”
Thomas even today is not noted as a great man of faith. Many times he is called Doubting Thomas. Even Thomas was willing to sacrifice his life to continue to follow Jesus.
Revelation 12:11
And they conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.
In the middle of great persecution these disciples of Jesus overcame the enemy because they were willing to sacrifice their lives for Jesus.
Jesus does not require that His disciples become martyrs.
Jesus does require that His disciples die.
Luke 9:23
Then He said to them all: “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”
Our cross is not the burdens we carry (we don’t have to carry burdens; we can give them to Jesus).
Our cross is not our past mistakes and sins (we don’t have to hang on to them; we can put them on Jesus).
Our cross is a place for us to die.
Die to:
Sin
Selfishness
Self-Focused Desires
World Influenced Viewpoint
Our Own Will
We die to our will and our sin so that we can come alive to Jesus and His life in and through us.
Our belief in Jesus leads to obeying Jesus and obeying Jesus leads to sacrificing for Jesus.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about sacrificing our lives so the world can see Jesus.
Disciples have faith in Jesus.
Disciples live out their faith in Jesus.
Disciples allow their faith in Jesus to change them.
Jesus uses the faith of His disciples to change the world.
Acts 17:6
These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also.
With Faith in Jesus Raising the Roof and Removing the Wall
Joe
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Faith is the conviction that something is true even if you cannot perceive it by your natural senses.
Disciples show faith in God.
It is essential that disciples show faith in God.
Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and He rewards those who seek Him.
Without FAITH is it IMPOSSIBLE to please God!
The fact that it is impossible to please God without faith makes it necessary for anyone who would follow Jesus and be His disciple to have faith in Him.
Faith involves three components of relating to Jesus.
The first is believing Jesus.
John 2:11
This, the first of His signs, Jesus did at Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory. And His disciples believed in Him.
Belief from a biblical viewpoint is not: I think it is true or I sure am hoping it is true. Biblical faith is total conviction that something is true.
So what does it mean to believe?
It means you know beyond doubt that Jesus is who He claims to be. And Jesus claims to be God.
John 10:30
I and the Father are one.
Jesus claimed to be God. Disciples of Jesus believe He is God and relate to Him as such.
When Jesus asked His disciples who the world said He was, they said that the world said He was: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets. Now those were very impressive concepts. They were saying Jesus was a great man.
Then Jesus asked the disciples who they said He was. Peter said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” The disciples saw and related to Jesus as not just a great man, but as the One True God.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about believing that Jesus is God.
The second is obeying Jesus.
John 14:15
If you love me, you will obey what I command.
Obeying Jesus shows we love Jesus.
Acts 5:29
But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.”
Obeying Jesus shows we value Him and His approval more than anyone else.
John 3:36
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.
Obeying Jesus allows us to have life and escape the wrath of God.
John connects belief and obedience because he knows that belief has to lead to obedience to make following Jesus a reality.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about obeying Jesus completely without anything held back.
The third is sacrificing for Jesus.
John 11:16
So Thomas called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”
Thomas even today is not noted as a great man of faith. Many times he is called Doubting Thomas. Even Thomas was willing to sacrifice his life to continue to follow Jesus.
Revelation 12:11
And they conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.
In the middle of great persecution these disciples of Jesus overcame the enemy because they were willing to sacrifice their lives for Jesus.
Jesus does not require that His disciples become martyrs.
Jesus does require that His disciples die.
Luke 9:23
Then He said to them all: “If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.”
Our cross is not the burdens we carry (we don’t have to carry burdens; we can give them to Jesus).
Our cross is not our past mistakes and sins (we don’t have to hang on to them; we can put them on Jesus).
Our cross is a place for us to die.
Die to:
Sin
Selfishness
Self-Focused Desires
World Influenced Viewpoint
Our Own Will
We die to our will and our sin so that we can come alive to Jesus and His life in and through us.
Our belief in Jesus leads to obeying Jesus and obeying Jesus leads to sacrificing for Jesus.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about sacrificing our lives so the world can see Jesus.
Disciples have faith in Jesus.
Disciples live out their faith in Jesus.
Disciples allow their faith in Jesus to change them.
Jesus uses the faith of His disciples to change the world.
Acts 17:6
These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also.
With Faith in Jesus Raising the Roof and Removing the Wall
Joe
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Disciples of Jesus Are Peculiar
In Deuteronomy 14:2 and 26:18 God calls His people peculiar. That word in Hebrew has two aspects. One is special or treasured. God’s people are special or treasured to Him. The other aspect means to be different. God’s people are to live in such a way that there is a noticeable difference between them and any other people.
Disciples of Jesus are peculiar.
They are different than the people who don’t know Jesus.
They are different than the people who have a casual connection with Jesus.
Disciples of Jesus are not focused on or worried about the material things of this life.
In Luke 12:15 Jesus tells His disciples, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
The word covet means to desire or to take pleasure in or to delight in.
Jesus is telling His disciples not to desire the things of this world.
Jesus is telling His disciples not to take pleasure in the things of this world.
Jesus is telling His disciples not to delight in the things of this world.
The reason Jesus tells His disciples those things is because our lives are not about how much stuff we own. Jesus knows that if our lives focus on material things, two things are going to be true.
One, we will not be focused on serving Jesus and building His kingdom.
Two, we will have lives that are unsatisfying.
Our lives will never be satisfying when we are focused on material things because we will never have enough.
When John D. Rockefeller was asked how much is enough money he said, “One more dollar.”
Material wealth never really satisfies, because God created us with a desire for something more. He created us to desire Him.
In my office I have a poster that says, “He who dies with the most toys, still dies.”
God created us according to Ecclesiastes 3:11 God has placed eternity in the heart of every person. Material wealth will not cause you to live forever. Only a relationship with Jesus as Lord can make that a reality.
Then in Luke 12:22-23 Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.”
Again Jesus is reminding His disciples that life is more than just the material.
Now, Jesus is not telling us that the material is evil. It is not. God created the material just as He created the spiritual. We as humans need the material to live.
Jesus tells us to trust Him to provide what we need in the material area. That will then free us to do what He commands us to do in Luke 12:31. Jesus says, “Instead, seek His kingdom.”
We as His disciples are to seek His Kingdom because of what Jesus says in Luke 12:34. He says, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
What you value, your treasure, is where your life focus, your heart, will be. What I value is what my life will revolve around.
If I value material wealth, then my life will center on that and I will spend my life pursuing material wealth.
If I value Jesus and His Kingdom, I will spend my life pursuing His Kingdom.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about pursuing the Kingdom of God because that is what will fully satisfy us and that is what will glorify God.
There is a second aspect to being peculiar.
In Luke 5:30 the Pharisees and the scribes asked Jesus’ disciples why they ate with tax collectors and sinners.
The fact that Jesus and His disciples ate with sinners meant that they accepted them. They didn’t condone their way of life, but they loved them and wanted to see their lives changed. They thus spent time with them.
The Pharisees were really asking, “Why do you hang out with sinners?”
Jesus taught His disciples to be in the world, hanging out with sinners, but not of the world, accepting the values of a lost and broken culture.
The number one mark that Jesus says is going to be true of disciples of His is that they will love God. The second mark is that they will love other people with the same passion that they love themselves.
When Jesus answered the Pharisees in Luke 12:31-32 He says, “Those who are well have no need for a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
Jesus didn’t come for people who didn’t think they needed God’s forgiveness because they didn’t think they had sinned. Jesus came to call people into a relationship with Himself, who knew they were sinners and acknowledged their sin and repented of it.
Today in the American church we many times have a bunker mentality. We build our church buildings and Christian schools and try and keep the world out.
Jesus invited the world in to hear and see Him. Jesus taught in the outer court of the temple in Jerusalem. It was called the Court of the Gentiles. It was the area of the temple where anyone could come - Jews, Gentiles, men, women, anyone. Jesus wanted to expose as many people as He could to the truth of God.
Disciples of Jesus need to be peculiar by inviting the world to see the difference Jesus has made in our lives.
We have the truth that can that change people’s lives - Jesus.
We have the love and grace that can change people’s lives - Jesus.
We have the righteous that comes from God that can change people’s lives - Jesus
We have to be open and transparent so the world can see Jesus displayed in our lives. We have to be in the world, but not of it.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about hanging out with sinners so that they can see Jesus.
The first thing that Matthew does after he begins to follow Jesus is to invite his friends, tax collectors, to come to his house and meet Jesus.
We as disciples of Jesus need to invite people to come meet Jesus.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about being peculiar.
Peculiarly Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
Disciples of Jesus are peculiar.
They are different than the people who don’t know Jesus.
They are different than the people who have a casual connection with Jesus.
Disciples of Jesus are not focused on or worried about the material things of this life.
In Luke 12:15 Jesus tells His disciples, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
The word covet means to desire or to take pleasure in or to delight in.
Jesus is telling His disciples not to desire the things of this world.
Jesus is telling His disciples not to take pleasure in the things of this world.
Jesus is telling His disciples not to delight in the things of this world.
The reason Jesus tells His disciples those things is because our lives are not about how much stuff we own. Jesus knows that if our lives focus on material things, two things are going to be true.
One, we will not be focused on serving Jesus and building His kingdom.
Two, we will have lives that are unsatisfying.
Our lives will never be satisfying when we are focused on material things because we will never have enough.
When John D. Rockefeller was asked how much is enough money he said, “One more dollar.”
Material wealth never really satisfies, because God created us with a desire for something more. He created us to desire Him.
In my office I have a poster that says, “He who dies with the most toys, still dies.”
God created us according to Ecclesiastes 3:11 God has placed eternity in the heart of every person. Material wealth will not cause you to live forever. Only a relationship with Jesus as Lord can make that a reality.
Then in Luke 12:22-23 Jesus says, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body what you will put on. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.”
Again Jesus is reminding His disciples that life is more than just the material.
Now, Jesus is not telling us that the material is evil. It is not. God created the material just as He created the spiritual. We as humans need the material to live.
Jesus tells us to trust Him to provide what we need in the material area. That will then free us to do what He commands us to do in Luke 12:31. Jesus says, “Instead, seek His kingdom.”
We as His disciples are to seek His Kingdom because of what Jesus says in Luke 12:34. He says, “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
What you value, your treasure, is where your life focus, your heart, will be. What I value is what my life will revolve around.
If I value material wealth, then my life will center on that and I will spend my life pursuing material wealth.
If I value Jesus and His Kingdom, I will spend my life pursuing His Kingdom.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about pursuing the Kingdom of God because that is what will fully satisfy us and that is what will glorify God.
There is a second aspect to being peculiar.
In Luke 5:30 the Pharisees and the scribes asked Jesus’ disciples why they ate with tax collectors and sinners.
The fact that Jesus and His disciples ate with sinners meant that they accepted them. They didn’t condone their way of life, but they loved them and wanted to see their lives changed. They thus spent time with them.
The Pharisees were really asking, “Why do you hang out with sinners?”
Jesus taught His disciples to be in the world, hanging out with sinners, but not of the world, accepting the values of a lost and broken culture.
The number one mark that Jesus says is going to be true of disciples of His is that they will love God. The second mark is that they will love other people with the same passion that they love themselves.
When Jesus answered the Pharisees in Luke 12:31-32 He says, “Those who are well have no need for a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
Jesus didn’t come for people who didn’t think they needed God’s forgiveness because they didn’t think they had sinned. Jesus came to call people into a relationship with Himself, who knew they were sinners and acknowledged their sin and repented of it.
Today in the American church we many times have a bunker mentality. We build our church buildings and Christian schools and try and keep the world out.
Jesus invited the world in to hear and see Him. Jesus taught in the outer court of the temple in Jerusalem. It was called the Court of the Gentiles. It was the area of the temple where anyone could come - Jews, Gentiles, men, women, anyone. Jesus wanted to expose as many people as He could to the truth of God.
Disciples of Jesus need to be peculiar by inviting the world to see the difference Jesus has made in our lives.
We have the truth that can that change people’s lives - Jesus.
We have the love and grace that can change people’s lives - Jesus.
We have the righteous that comes from God that can change people’s lives - Jesus
We have to be open and transparent so the world can see Jesus displayed in our lives. We have to be in the world, but not of it.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about hanging out with sinners so that they can see Jesus.
The first thing that Matthew does after he begins to follow Jesus is to invite his friends, tax collectors, to come to his house and meet Jesus.
We as disciples of Jesus need to invite people to come meet Jesus.
Raise the Roof and Remove the Walls is about being peculiar.
Peculiarly Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls
Joe
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Disciples of Jesus Produce
All living things have one huge thing in common - they grow and produce.
Plants, animals, and humans grow and produce if they are living.
Disciples, if they have a living relationship with the source of life will produce.
Jesus shares that truth with us in John 15:4-5. He says, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
So, as disciples of Jesus, we are to produce.
We are to produce fruit.
John 15:8
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be My disciples.
We are to produce fruit.
When Jesus speaks of fruit He has two things in mind.
Fruit is other lives changed as our lives have been by the power of God’s Spirit.
Paul asks some very important questions in Romans 10:14. He asks, “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”
People come to surrender their lives to Jesus when they are made aware of the need. The need is made aware to them by the words and actions of those who follow Jesus.
In Acts 1:8 we are commanded to be witnesses of Jesus. A witness is one who shares the truth of what he knows.
Jesus didn’t die for my sins just so I could go to heaven. He died for my sins so I could be forgiven and in gratitude spend my life telling others how they could experience forgiveness.
A second fruit is found in Galatians 5:22-23. It says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such things there is no law.”
The law cannot produce those characteristics. Only God’s Spirit can produce those characteristics.
Those characteristics are the characteristics of Jesus.
So fruit is the Holy Spirit reproducing in us the image of Jesus.
The fruit that we as disciples are to produce is a life changed by the Spirit of God that results in other people’s lives being changed by God.
We are also to produce alertness.
In Luke 12:1 Jesus tells His disciples “to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”
We as followers of Jesus need to be alert.
1 Peter 5:8
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
The enemy is always on the offensive and we need to be alert to his attacks.
In Matthew 10:16 Jesus tells us to be as “wise a serpents and innocent as doves.”
We are not to just walk through life and not pay attention to what is going on around us. We are to have some “spiritual street smarts”.
In 1 Chronicles 12:32 we are told that there were men of the tribe of Issachar who understood the times and thus knew what Israel should do.
We as disciples of Jesus are to have an understanding of life and the circumstances in life so we can be people who can counsel others.
Disciples are to produce obedience.
In Matthew 21:6 and 26:19 it says that the disciples did what Jesus told them to do.
Obedience is the key to allowing God work in your life.
Obedience is the key to allowing God to use you.
Obedience is the key to allowing God to bless you.
John 14:23-24
Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching. My Father will love him and We will come to him. He who does not love me will not obey My teaching. These words you hear are not My own; they belong to the Father who sent Me.”
Jesus makes it very clear that our obedience is the measure of our love for Him. He always says that our obedience is the determining factor as to how much God can work in and through us.
Jesus never ever blesses disobedience.
Jesus always blesses obedience.
Obeying Jesus is not always easy. It will lead to:
Sacrifice
Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone
Rejection
People Misunderstanding You
Obeying Jesus is always the best. It will also lead to:
Joy
Peace
Hope
Security
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is about producing.
Many times in our American church culture when we talk about disciples of Jesus producing, three things are focused on: Buildings, Budgets, Baptisms.
I think producing will lead to baptisms. Producing is about people finding Jesus, connecting with Jesus, surrendering to Jesus and becoming His disciples and that involves baptisms. But we have to stay focused on the fact that baptisms are only important as they represent changed lives.
Producing is about changed lives.
Lives that were without purpose or meaning now become lives that are led to an eternal purpose building the Kingdom of God.
Lives that were aimless and just wandering through life now become lives that are going somewhere and help others to get there also.
Lives that were in disobedience to the Lord and Creator of all creation now become lives that focus on obeying and glorifying King Jesus.
Let God remove your roof and your walls so He can produce His life through you.
Producing with Jesus Raised Roofs and Removed Walls
Joe
Plants, animals, and humans grow and produce if they are living.
Disciples, if they have a living relationship with the source of life will produce.
Jesus shares that truth with us in John 15:4-5. He says, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
So, as disciples of Jesus, we are to produce.
We are to produce fruit.
John 15:8
By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be My disciples.
We are to produce fruit.
When Jesus speaks of fruit He has two things in mind.
Fruit is other lives changed as our lives have been by the power of God’s Spirit.
Paul asks some very important questions in Romans 10:14. He asks, “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?”
People come to surrender their lives to Jesus when they are made aware of the need. The need is made aware to them by the words and actions of those who follow Jesus.
In Acts 1:8 we are commanded to be witnesses of Jesus. A witness is one who shares the truth of what he knows.
Jesus didn’t die for my sins just so I could go to heaven. He died for my sins so I could be forgiven and in gratitude spend my life telling others how they could experience forgiveness.
A second fruit is found in Galatians 5:22-23. It says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control; against such things there is no law.”
The law cannot produce those characteristics. Only God’s Spirit can produce those characteristics.
Those characteristics are the characteristics of Jesus.
So fruit is the Holy Spirit reproducing in us the image of Jesus.
The fruit that we as disciples are to produce is a life changed by the Spirit of God that results in other people’s lives being changed by God.
We are also to produce alertness.
In Luke 12:1 Jesus tells His disciples “to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.”
We as followers of Jesus need to be alert.
1 Peter 5:8
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
The enemy is always on the offensive and we need to be alert to his attacks.
In Matthew 10:16 Jesus tells us to be as “wise a serpents and innocent as doves.”
We are not to just walk through life and not pay attention to what is going on around us. We are to have some “spiritual street smarts”.
In 1 Chronicles 12:32 we are told that there were men of the tribe of Issachar who understood the times and thus knew what Israel should do.
We as disciples of Jesus are to have an understanding of life and the circumstances in life so we can be people who can counsel others.
Disciples are to produce obedience.
In Matthew 21:6 and 26:19 it says that the disciples did what Jesus told them to do.
Obedience is the key to allowing God work in your life.
Obedience is the key to allowing God to use you.
Obedience is the key to allowing God to bless you.
John 14:23-24
Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will obey My teaching. My Father will love him and We will come to him. He who does not love me will not obey My teaching. These words you hear are not My own; they belong to the Father who sent Me.”
Jesus makes it very clear that our obedience is the measure of our love for Him. He always says that our obedience is the determining factor as to how much God can work in and through us.
Jesus never ever blesses disobedience.
Jesus always blesses obedience.
Obeying Jesus is not always easy. It will lead to:
Sacrifice
Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone
Rejection
People Misunderstanding You
Obeying Jesus is always the best. It will also lead to:
Joy
Peace
Hope
Security
Raising the Roof and Removing the Walls is about producing.
Many times in our American church culture when we talk about disciples of Jesus producing, three things are focused on: Buildings, Budgets, Baptisms.
I think producing will lead to baptisms. Producing is about people finding Jesus, connecting with Jesus, surrendering to Jesus and becoming His disciples and that involves baptisms. But we have to stay focused on the fact that baptisms are only important as they represent changed lives.
Producing is about changed lives.
Lives that were without purpose or meaning now become lives that are led to an eternal purpose building the Kingdom of God.
Lives that were aimless and just wandering through life now become lives that are going somewhere and help others to get there also.
Lives that were in disobedience to the Lord and Creator of all creation now become lives that focus on obeying and glorifying King Jesus.
Let God remove your roof and your walls so He can produce His life through you.
Producing with Jesus Raised Roofs and Removed Walls
Joe
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)