Great Commission

“Everything! I have many things for which I need prayer! My husband has been diagnosed with MS, two of my children have lupus, and my job.”

This was the response from our server at a Mexican restaurant recently when we ask if we could pray for her when we thanked the Lord for our meal.

People everywhere are hurting, needy, struggling, fearful, anxious, lonely, and despondent just like this server who was discouraged about life and having to work so hard for her family.

The greatest crisis for everyone without a personal relationship with God through Christ alone (John 14:6) is their inability to save themselves from an eternity in hell.

Last week, while watching the Barna Group webcast, 2024 The State of Pastors Summit, one set of statistics particularly grabbed my attention.

The mandate for the local church and its pastors in this age remains: 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, 20 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. Amen. (Matthew 28:19-20). We are continuing the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 1:1-11), the One Who came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10).

Pastor, . . .

Have ministry demands caused you to be so busy that you have forgotten people, especially those without Christ?
Have you been tempted to believe the lies of the devil and flesh that have dampen your heart for the Great Commission?
Are you possibly so discouraged and burdened down with care of the church and/or the current conflict that your eyes have grown dim to the plight of lost souls around you, maybe even next door?

Pastor, how about inviting another brother in Christ to lunch. Read the Scriptures or a book together. Then, when the server comes along, ask them how you can pray for them. This is discipleship that Jesus spoke about in the Great Commission.

Perhaps make a coffee shop your place to prepare your message for Sunday. (Just a gentle reminder, obedience has no excuses.)

One of the best ways to get the focus off yourself and perhaps your deep dive into discouragement is to go be a blessing to someone else. Christ that dwells in you endured great contradiction/hostility/insults from others (Hebrews 12:3). He is your life, your strength, your Shepherd. You are crucified (Galatians 2:20), so go live in and through Him!

Pastor, there’s a server and millions of others out there that need the gospel; that need you to just care for them. As the Lord continues to seek and to save, you follow His initiative as He lives His life out of you.

Enjoy the journey! As He leads, you follow!

For years I watched it happen in the back yard of our next door neighbor.

There was Dad patiently, sometimes frustratingly, teach his son and daughter the mechanics of pitching a ball, swinging a bat or fielding a grounder.

There it was . . . discipleship . . . mentorship . . . training in action!

Discipleship is not the latest “buzzword” in Christian circles.

Discipleship describes the Christ-life, who we are as believers in Christ.

Discipleship is a growing, intimate follower of the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:9; Philippians 3:10; 2 Peter 3:18) whose passion in life is to help others come to know and follow Christ (Matthew 28:18-20).

But it does not end there. The goal for God’s glory is to see a disciple disciple others; it’s reproduction (1 Timothy 1:2; 2 Timothy 2:1-2; Titus 2:1-10; Heb. 3:12-13; 10:24-25).

As I would watch my neighbor teach his kids how to play ball, he was sharing what he had learned from someone else. One day, perhaps, his children will teach others as well.

Today, the local church needs:

Believers living out the Christ-life of discipleship.
Believers who are hungry to grow and change in Christlikeness, willing to meet with others for the purpose of searching the Scriptures and learning to appropriate who we are in Christ in practical ways.

Are you a genuine, passionate follower of Christ?

Would you be willing to mentor that young lady who is longing for help in her marriage and blended family situation?
Would you be willing to meet with that man who is struggling with a divided heart, wanting to live for Christ but experiencing a strong pull from the world’s allurements?
Would you be willing to meet every other week with a man at a restaurant and read through Scripture and/or a book like Disciplines of a Godly Man?
Would you be willing to invite a lady into your home to study the Word and then train her how to plan and cook a week of meals for her family?
Would you be willing to sit down at a coffee shop with a young man who just graduated from high school who needs encouragement to continue to follow Christ?

Discipleship is hard, supernatural, rewarding work. The needs are great! Every believer should be involved in the lives of others helping them take the next step toward Christ.

Will you pick up the spiritual bat, ball and glove and show someone how to follow Christ? The rewards are eternal!