What are we as Disciples of Christ called to do?

It's no secret what has flooded the news in recent days.  I have seen Christians and non-Christians alike make seething comments in regard to the recent laws that have been passed. To my Christian friends, I have this to say. What is our purpose as Christians? What are we to do? What is our Great Commission?

Matthew 28:16-20
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw Him they worshiped Him, but some doubted. And Jesus came said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

There you have it. We are to spread the gospel, telling others about the love of Christ. We are to tell them how "God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever should believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) We are to spread the Good News of how, even though we are born into a world of sin and are sinners from birth, that God provided a sacrifice to himself because He is a just and loving God.

The Bible is quite clear on what defines sin and also what commandments we are to keep as Christian. Just remember, the Holy Spirit was given to us as a gift at Pentecost so that we may walk in the image of Christ. We are to, above all, love each other. God will use us, if we allow Him, to speak to those who are a slave to their sin. He can use us to plant a seed in nonbelievers, to help bring them to Him.

This isn't some new command the Lord has given us. Jesus, himself, told the disciples this. From the beginning, there was one goal, one mission. Don't just sit on the knowledge you have received through the Holy Spirit. Don't just sit on a pew and enjoy the music. Don't just attend church once a week to get a personal blessing. Be a part of the Great Commission. Spread the Good News and bring glory to God!

Craving Christ

Throughout my life, I've known a thing or two about cravings. As a baby, like all babies, I craved instant nourishment and attention at my every call. As a small child, I craved immediate action to get me anything my heart desired, mostly consisting of Barbies. The teen me craved to fit in and be desirable to be around. As I entered adulthood, I craved success and family life. Now, as a wife and a mother, I crave to be who God is calling me to be.

I woke up one day a few months ago and so longed to be all I could be for Christ. I knew I hadn't reached anywhere near the potential He had in store for me, so I sought Him out through prayer and studying of the Word. It was then that I realized what I had done: I had caved in to a craving. This craving, unlike any other thing I've ever wanted in my life, is one that continues to give me great satisfaction and fullness. Seeking the will of God is never an easy task, but carrying it out is even more difficult. He never said it would be easy.

I've always been a "big boned" girl, but as I felt my calling was to work with youth, I thought to myself, "How am I going to keep up with them?" Furthermore, how am I do to the work that God is calling me to do if I don't take care of myself? Since then, I've been making more healthy choices in my eating habits and exercising daily.  It's been a hard road and there's still so much left on my journey, but this wake up call has made a tremendous change in my life. What makes it easier is knowing that I am doing this for His glory.

As I've been working on my outward body, it has inspired me even moreso to work on my innermost. I am so in love with the Word of God; it has been my constant craving since I prayed for God to do His will in my life. It reveals more to me each time I read it, because it is the Living Word, breathed out by God.

Hebrews 4:12  For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword,

piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow,

and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

2 Timothy 3:16, 17 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching,

 for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,  that the man of God

may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Everything we do should be rooted in the Word. It tells us all we need, contains no errors and is breathed out by the Father. We can literally apply the entire Bible to our life, because, as Christians, we were spiritually dead and were given a new life in Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.

The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

It's so exciting to finally get something you have been craving for a few days, but it's unexplainably wonderful to receive a craving you have had your whole life. Jesus is the only person, the only way we can fill the void that is in our lives. No food, possession or relationship can ever permanently fill that void the way Christ can.

Being an Intentional Christian

 I have the pleasure of teaching a wonderful group of believers at Ellabell First Baptist Church every now and again. I had a lesson totally prepared and God gave me something completely different. I've decided to post the lesson because I definitely feel God used it to speak to me just as much as He was using it to speak to them. I know I fail Him daily, but I want so badly to be as intentional as I can about seeking Him and His will. Enjoy!

How are we saved?

While everyone's salvation experience is different, there are a few components that are true for everyone.

1.      Someone tells us the Gospel.

2.      Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin.

3.      We are called to repent of our sin.

4.      We are compelled to follow Jesus Christ.

5.      We grow exponentially in our faith through the Holy Spirit. 

What should we, as Christians, strive to do daily to glorify Christ?

WITNESS

This implies not only to spread the Gospel, but to live it! How will anyone be saved if they have never heard the Gospel? It is our job as Christians to follow the Word and spread the Good News. Our Great Commission is laid out for us, by Jesus in Mark 16:5. 

Mark 16:15 And He said to them,

“Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation.” 

Our lives should be a living sacrifice to Christ, giving up what we want for the will of God to be done. Worship isn’t just confined to Sunday morning. Worship is how we offer our lives daily to Christ.  

Romans 12:1, 2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God,

to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

MONITOR
Monitor your media, friendships, and activities, essentially everything. If it brings dishonor to God, it shouldn’t be a part of your life. 

1 John 2: 15-17 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and the pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. 

That’s powerful. This world is referring to all who are outside the body of Christ. If we are a part of that world, then we are not one with the Father.  The things that we think we need in our life because we want them aren’t always things that God wants.  

Colossians 3:2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 

Look up in great joy knowing that our just and Holy God so loved us that He provided the only perfect sacrifice as a substitution for our sins as fulfillment of the Law because we could not do so--that we would, therefore, submit and surrender to Him and dwell with Him for all eternity. 

Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

STUDY THE WORD
Because we receive the Holy Spirit, the Words of Jesus abide in us. We receive wisdom and understanding of the Word through the Holy Spirit and seeking guidance from Him.

John 15:7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you,

ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 

To abide is to become one with the Trinity, therefore, the Word of God becomes one with us individually. Jesus gave us the Words to study and to learn. His disciples called him “teacher” often, because He does just that.  

2 Timothy 3:16,17All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable

for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,

that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

The Bible is the inerrant, infallible Word of God. It contains all we need and is Truth. It is our standard for living. Any question that we may have can be answered by diving into the Bible and applying it to our lives. It protects us against false teachings and guides our lives. We cannot know how to live like Christ if we do not know how Christ lived. 

PRAY

Prayer is our most powerful gift as Believers. In John 15:7, Jesus says when we truly abide in Him, we do not ask for things outside the will of God to be done. He prayed wholeheartedly for us throughout His ministry and, when His hour had come, He prayed yet again for us in the High Priestly Prayer. 

John 17:9 I am praying for them, I am not praying for the world but for those who You have given me, for they are Yours.

Jesus prayed that God would keep us in His name, to keep us faithful, growing, and producing fruit. If Jesus prayed these things, shouldn’t we include them in our prayers, as well? Wake up every morning being intentional about serving God. Ask Him to guide you on the right path, His path. 

John 17:11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father keep them in Your name, which You have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

GROW

After a seed is planted, a vine begins to grow, branches soon form and eventually, with cultivation and nourishment, produce fruit. Jesus tells us in John 15 That He is the True Vine. The only source by which we (the branches) can maintain life is through the vine, but we aren’t to stop there. We are to produce more fruit for His glory. 

John 15:5 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. 

We, as Christians, can’t become content because that will eventually turn to being stagnant. If we do not abide (become one with) in Christ then we cannot bear fruit. Be more and more active in studying His Word, in prayer, in witness, in leadership in the church, in doing His good works. Grow to be more and more like Him. Never stop seeking His will for your life.

A Living Sacrifice

God has blessed me, for the fourteenth year, to be able to participate of Camp Adrian. This ministry helped me grow in my faith tremendously as a camper, but even more as a counselor. To be able to witness to these kids and be a part of their faith is truly an amazing experience. They all come from different walks of life and it's humbling to know that God is using me to minister to them.

As with most camps, each year we have a theme. This year, rather than having a single Bible verse, we followed Rick Warren's "The Purpose Driven Life." Each day we had a different theme- fellowship, discipleship, service, evangelism and worship. As part of our nightly afterglow session, we discussed, in reference to service and evangelism, how served people serve people and found people find people. With this in mind, we had a foot washing service. It was such a beautiful and Spirit-filled experience to humble myself before God and serve His children.

God definitely spoke to me in all of these, but worship as a lifestyle shook me to my core. I love to praise God. I love to sing, to dance, to give Him all the glory, but am I doing that in all aspects of my life? Am I approaching each moment of my day with the intention of glorifying Christ or merely getting through the day, with my own selfish desires in mind? Now, don't get me wrong, worshipping as the Body of Christ is so incredibly important as a Christian, but how about the actions and worship that take place outside of the building?

Romans 12: 1, 2  I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

We have heard this a hundred times, do not be comformed to this world. We sometimes do just enough to feel as though we are doing better than others, but that in itself is being of the world. Sure, we may not partake in drinking or listening to ungodly music, but what about our absence as Christians? What about the widow who we see every day, struggling to make ends meet? What about the student that is constantly being bullied and a blind eye is turned? Jesus Christ, the One True King, came to earth as God in the flesh, not to be served, but to serve. Are we better than he?

Hebrews 13:15-16 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.

In both Romans and Hebrews, we see a talk of sacrifice, a living sacrifice, a continual sacrifice. Throughout my study at GBI, I have learned that sometimes the best way to understand the Bible is to look at the text's opposite. The opposite of life is death. When we die in the flesh, that life ceases to exist. In contrast, we will live in Christ, we continue onward as a new creation, making a conscious descision, an intentional daily commitment. We must never stop sacrficing for the LORD. We must give up what it is we want and do what it is He wants.

Romans 12:9-21  Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.  Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.  Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.  If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.  Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”  To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.”  Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

There it is- who we are to be as Christians. Every essence of our being should be devoted to serving Christ and worshipping Him in every single aspect of our life. He knows we aren't perfect, nor does He ever expect us to be, but through prayer and study of His Word, we can become more and more like Christ. When we cease to worship, we cease to live.

While I'm Waiting

Impatience can be coupled with irritability and restlessness. It can lead to worry and stress, which create further problems not only in our own lives, but in the lives of those around us. It's hard to comprehend. The Good News (literally) is that we don't have to understand. We aren't meant to understand God's purposes or timing.

Isaiah 40: 27-31  NIV Why do you complain, Jacob? Why do you say, Israel, "My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God?" Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary and  His understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall, but those who hope (or wait upon KJV) in the LORD will renew their strength. The will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint.

Isn't that beautiful? We don't have to understand. How stressful it can be to try to understand, but He says we don't have to because we can't. Even scientists who have spent hundreds of years and billions of dollars in resources can't completely understand how the world came to be because He created it, not just the earth, but the stars and the other planets. Everything in the universe was made by God.

I'm 25 years old. I'm a student, wife, mother, sonographer, and at home business owner. I'm always tired and ready for a nap. I make mistakes, some small and others too painful to remember. God, on the other hand, manages to watch over me, with all my petty human problems and comforts me. He does it for everyone who calls on the name of Jesus. How is it that He does this, along with being the Creator of everything and still manages to not grow tired or weary?  We can't understand it because we can't fathom it. His capacity is beyond our understanding.

For several years, I prayed for a new job. I didn't feel like it's where God wanted me. I was angry at first because it had been so long and He still hadn't gotten me out of it. One day, the song, "While I'm Waiting" came on the radio. I realized that God may not want me at that job forever, but at that moment, He just wanted me to wait, to be patient, to serve Him and to be obedient. I did, and a year later, He has made so many changes in my life, it's unreal. I'm now able to be a stay-at-home mom, aside from a few days a month that I work at my new job. My previous work schedule didn't allow me to participate in a lot of activities, but now I am a student at the wonderful Guido Bible Institute again. I couldn't be happier.

God can use us wherever we are, if we just wait. By believing in Jesus, surrendering our lives and submitting to His will, we have a new life with new strength. We know we will one day be in Heaven with Him.


https://youtu.be/3gjXBMC8-oM

Unfailing Love

God is good, all the time. All the time, God is good. Even when we least expect it, He shows up and shows out! The Holy Spirit presents so radically sometimes, that it’s difficult to withhold what you’re hearing, so don’t.

I was reading in Numbers where the Israelites had been freed from the Egyptians and were no longer slaves. They were on their way to the land of milk and honey, but had been in the wilderness for some time now. They were almost always complaining about what all God wasn’t doing instead of seeing all the miraculous things He had already done and had yet to do. God told Moses to send some of his people to Canaan to explore the land, soil, housing, crops, etc. These men went for 40 days. When they reported back, some were terrified that they wouldn’t be able to overtake the land because of the giants inhabiting it. The Israelites were so untrustworthy of God that they were planning to return to Egypt to find a new leader. They wanted to return to the very place from which God had freed them.

Of course, there is much more to this story, but one thing within Chapters 13 and 14 really stood out to me, the amount of research that went into Canaan. God promised the land to His people, but even so, there was no haste. They took time. I believe God understood that they needed to see all this bounty for themselves. He is an understanding God.  The men were scared of what they found. They feared the giants, even though God had already promised this land to them. There was nothing to fear, but they let their fear outweigh their faith in Him. God is constantly showing mercy on the Israelites, though He does punish them for their sins.

I often flip to my dictionary/concordance to look for more verses associated with what I feel God is telling me in the scripture. This time, it was “trust.” If you look at trust, I guarantee there will be at least 50 different things, but Psalm 13:5 was roaring in my face like a lion. “But I will trust in your unfailing love because you have rescued me.” Wow. God rescued the Israelites, over and over again. Do you ever stop to think how much He must love you, how many times he has rescued you? Maybe you haven’t had a life-changing event that you feel like God intervened, but what about all the grief, sadness, anger, depression, hatred, enviousness, lies…the list goes on and on. How many times has God forgiven you and shown mercy ? How many times has he proved His unfailing love?

I never considered myself to be a “bad person” growing up, but aren’t we all sinners? One is just as bad as another. I fail God every single day of my life, every hour, every minute, but He loves me without failing. That’s powerful.

Faith Brings Joy!

God is always teaching us, always. These past few weeks, God has taught me generously about trusting in Him. I’m generally a bubbly person, but I’m human and stress does get the best of me sometimes.  Of course, I pray constantly about my needs, but how often had I thanked God for what all He had blessed me with, I mean really thanked Him, not the, “Dear Lord, thank you for all the blessings you have given me.” No, I mean cry out to God and seriously worship His name with joy knowing that He is at the head of all things good in my life.

Sometimes in the hustle and bustle of life, we forget that God is in control and that if we totally surrender to Him, our lives will work out according to His will. He sent His only son to die for our sins. Why is it so hard for us to have faith that He wants what is best for us and simply let it go?

A few weeks ago in Sunday School, we began a new series, “Success in Marriage.” It’s pretty amazing the things God is already doing in each of our lives already. Our Class has increased in size and the Holy Spirit is definitely moving. One of the things we discussed is that we shouldn’t seek happiness from our spouse, children, or any humans for that matter, but rather from God. Give our life completely over to Him, become closer in prayer, follow His will and consequently become happy from simply doing as He wants. This is a simple concept, but it has totally rocked my world. I have become so incredibly overjoyed. I find it difficult to even be angry at all. Everything has a purpose, a reason. I am forever grateful for every single “wrong turn” God placed in my life that was in fact taking me right down the path He wanted me to follow.

 Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory. 

Witnessing or just getting by?

A coworker and I were discussing our salvation the other day and realized we both had similar stories. You see, as teens, we both believed we were truly saved, though we continued to live out our every whim as though God would easily forgive us the next day. Even into adulthood, I continued to believe that I was doing “okay” in my walk with Christ and that had to count for something, right? Then, one day, as I was praying, I wept and realized I hadn't been leading a true Christian lifestyle. I still enjoyed movies, music, even friends that I knew weren't Biblical. I believed at that time I was recommitting my life to Christ, but now I realize I was truly getting saved for the first time.

So often I have considered my own salvation, but how often do I consider how my actions affect my witness of my salvation? There have been many times in my life were I have made a mistake that I knew wasn't right, but how often had I thought of the perception of new believers or those who had only seen Christ in me? How would they portray my actions? Though I've never much cared for what others think of me, I fully care what they see in me, in other words, I want my inner salvation to have an outward appearance. If they hear me cursing, for example, how will that reflect their view on our Lord?

In the same way we are to witness to non-believers, we are to uphold our witness to fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. 1 Corinthians 5 talks about condoning sin, and as one body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-31), we are to hold each other accountable for our actions. By condoning sin, we are in fact boasting in it. Paul stresses the importance of doing this and everything we do in love throughout 1 Corinthians.

James 1: 22-27 But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. 26 If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. 27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

Knowing God’s word and performing good deeds aren't the key to salvation. Being born again means truly walking in a new light. Remember this as you go about your days and consider how others see you.

Let Them See You- JJ Weeks Band

Connect: Jesus Welcomes Heather Calvert

Connect: Jesus is pleased to add Heather Calvert to our list of contributing Bloggers. Heather is a Registered Diagnostic Medical Sonographer with a passion for discipleship through her work. She and her husband, Shawn, have a daughter named Lily. Heather is always seeking new ways to spread the Gospel and is excited to be part of the Connect: Jesus family. Heather will be blogging and adding other content to our website. She can be reached at hlcalvert1129@gmail.com