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Go and Make Disciples of All Nations
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20 (NASB)After Jesus’ crucifixion, burial and resurrection on the third day, He met with His disciples and instructed them to go and make disciples of all nations. What does it mean to make disciples of all nations? Making disciples of all nations mean evangelizing to people of all walks of life to be followers of Jesus Christ. This includes making sure they know that Jesus died on the cross to take away all their sins. The four spiritual laws (http://www.4laws.com/laws/englishkgp/default.htm), can act as a guide on the process and are as follows:
1. God loves you and created you to know Him personally.
2. Man is sinful and separated from God, so we cannot know Him personally or experience His love.
3. Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for man’s sin. Through Him alone we can know God personally and experience God’s love.
4. We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know God personally and experience His love.After evangelism, follow-up is important, in my opinion. Some of the tools for follow-up may include giving young Christians a Bible, taking them to church and introducing them to people at church, or taking them under your wings to teach them about the Word of God. There are many other ways to disciple a young Christian.
When I was a young Christian, in my journey with the Lord, I was fortunate to have a mature couple disciple me. I can tell you that it kept me on my walk with Christ as they were able to answer questions I have regarding the Bible. They would advise and counsel me on life issues based on the Word of God. It was a great experience for me.
Heidi Baker, a missionary in Mozambique, knows about the principle of “go and make disciples of all nations.” She runs a ministry that takes care of orphaned and abandoned children. She also teaches them the Word of God. And many of these young children grew up to be pastors of the churches that were planted in Mozambique.
Heidi exemplifies Christ by stopping for the one. Her quote: “I believe that Jesus would have given His life for just one person. Jesus emptied Himself, He humbled Himself and He so yielded Himself to His Father’s love that He had no ambition of His own. He was not looking to build an empire, He did not want praise or adulation or to impress people with who or how many followed Him. He stopped over and over again for just one person, for just one life.” (https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/11872.Heidi_Baker)
I encourage you that no matter where you are, stop for the one. Whether you are in America, Asia, Africa or another continent, you can make disciples of all nations. You do not have to travel to another country to make disciples of all nations. You can reach out to neighbors in your own backyard. But if your calling is to the nations, by all means, obey the Lord.
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Praise the Lord
What I am about to post is a reminder for me and maybe for you that we ought to praise the Lord at all times. If you don’t know where to start on praising the Lord, read Revelation 4 – 7. There are so many verses where praise is directed toward the Lord. You may use these praises and direct them to the Lord. You may even say them aloud knowing that the angels in Heaven are praising God along with you. To aid you with the verses that you can use to praise the Lord, I have highlighted them in bold below. So, here we go:
First, in Revelation 4, the scene of Heaven is illustrated. Some of you may not have been translated to Heaven, but God is so good, He showed us what Heaven is like in Revelation. And everyone 24/7 praises Lord God Almighty in Heaven.
In Revelation 4:8- 11 (NLT) — Each of these living beings had six wings, and their wings were covered all over with eyes, inside and out. Day after day and night after night they keep on saying,
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty—
the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come.”Whenever the living beings give glory and honor and thanks to the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever), 10 the twenty-four elders fall down and worship the one sitting on the throne (the one who lives forever and ever). And they lay their crowns before the throne and say,
“You are worthy, O Lord our God,
to receive glory and honor and power.
For you created all things,
and they exist because you created what you pleased.”In Revelation 5:9-14 (NLT) — And when he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp, and they held gold bowls filled with incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. 9 And they sang a new song with these words:
“You are worthy to take the scroll
and break its seals and open it.
For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God
from every tribe and language and people and nation.
And you have caused them to become
a Kingdom of priests for our God.
And they will reign on the earth.”Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. And they sang in a mighty chorus:
“Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered—
to receive power and riches
and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and blessing.”And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang:
“Blessing and honor and glory and power
belong to the one sitting on the throne
and to the Lamb forever and ever.”And the four living beings said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped the Lamb.
In Revelation 7: 9 – 12 (NLT) — After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a mighty shout,
“Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne
and from the Lamb!”And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God. They sang,
“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor
and power and strength belong to our God
forever and ever! Amen.” -
God is Love
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (NIV)
John 3:16 is so familiar to us. But as we ponder on this verse, do we really understand and know the love of the Father?
For me, I had to ask for clarification on the love of the Father. I realize that a lot of us know the Father’s love by what our parents or others in authority define love to us. An example may be that if our parents define love based on our performance, then we perceive the Father’s love for us is also based on our performance. And that is so untrue.
Father’s love is unconditional. He loves us no matter what. Father’s love is bigger than anything in this world.
According to 1 John 2:16-17, “For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.” Things in this world — money, job positions, people status, etc., will pass away. But Father’s love will never pass away. Father’s love for us in that He sent Jesus to die for us so we may have eternal life will never pass away. Father’s love for us in that He forgives us of our sins will never pass away.
Let’s get the Father’s love in our spirit…that no matter what we have done before, Father loves us so much. And if there is anything we did that displeases Father God, repent and ask for God’s forgiveness. For Father God is so loving, He remembers our sins no more. Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. How awesome is that! Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love for us. We bless You, Father. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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Proverbs 1: Knowledge
After reading Proverbs 1, the word that jumped out at me is “knowledge.” What is knowledge? How does one acquire knowledge? Why does one need knowledge? I am sure there are many more questions you have regarding “knowledge.” ]
So let’s tackle some of them here. First, what is knowledge? According to Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knowledge): “Knowledge is a familiarity, awareness, or understanding of someone or something, such as facts, information, descriptions, or skills, which is acquired through experience or education by perceiving, discovering, or learning. Knowledge can refer to a theoretical or practical understanding of a subject. It can be implicit (as with practical skill or expertise) or explicit (as with the theoretical understanding of a subject); it can be more or less formal or systematic.”
Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology (https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/know-knowledge.html) defined knowledge in the Old Testament: “The Hebrew root yada [[;d”y],translated “know”/”knowledge, ” appears almost 950 times in the Hebrew Bible. It has a wider sweep than our English word “know,” including perceiving,learning, understanding, willing, performing, and experiencing…..Knowledge is not the possession of information, but rather its exercise or actualization.”
For me, knowledge is and equates to the fear of the Lord. In Proverbs 1:7, it says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. The fear of the Lord is in Proverbs 1:10 — My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. In Proverbs 1:15 — My son, do not walk in the way with them (sinners), keep your feet from their path. All these verses point to the fear of the Lord; hence, the knowledge in us.
So, how does one acquire knowledge? By reading, meditating and applying the Word of the Lord every single day in our life. It takes time to acquire knowledge. Knowledge is not something that happens overnight. As we keep on growing in our relationship with Jesus, we are acquiring more and more knowledge. And when we acquire knowledge, we also acquire wisdom and instruction. And that, too, is the fear of the Lord, which is a topic of its own.
Bottom line: Acquire knowledge and you will be wise. You will know how to live a godly and holy life, shining the light in this world. Keep on reading, meditating and applying the Word of God in your everyday life. Commune with the Lord daily.