HaloHope said:
I find it scary as I'm not "Gods messenger on earth" I'm not a "soldier of the lord" I'm not out there fighting sinners. I'm just a person a average human being, who loves Jesus spreading kind words and helping other people in his name. Jesus helped people, screaming sin and campaigning against people does not help them, even if you believe that it does.
There is a slow apostasy that is creeping in to many Christian denominations. Many groups that claim the name of Christ are advocating anti-Christian principles. It seems that the majority of Christians are not adequately trained nor sufficiently motivated to carry out the
Great Commission: "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to observe all that I commanded you..." (
Matt. 28:19-20). To carry out the Great Commission, Christians need to be disciples and disciple-makers. It means knowing basic Christian doctrine, knowing the Bible, and being able to defend the Christian faith.
You don't have to go to seminary training, memorize the New Testament, and/or stand on street corners shouting about Jesus. I'm talking about the basic knowledge of God's word as well as the basics of evangelism and doctrine that helps to lead us to do what Jesus charged us to do: make disciples.
2 Tim. 4:2-5
2Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.
3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
5But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions,
do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.
Apostasy means to fall away from the truth. When Christians adopt the ideas of the world above scripture they are committing apostasy. The world wants us to let things be, to adopt a policy of tolerance about other religions and ideas in contradiction to Scripture, and let the culture simply continue on its way towards increasing immorality and and irreverence.
The Great Commission (
Matt. 28:19-20) is the charge of Jesus to believers, to every believer, to be disciple makers. It is not aimed at just the pastor and the missionary. It is aimed at everyone in the church.
The Great Commission is a commission of love given to us by the God of love. It is what Jesus asked us to do. People are going to hell. Jesus wants us to help as many as possible find salvation in Him. He wants us to be
His disciples and then make others into disciples as well. This is what He wants. Is this happening in your life?
With all the things we have to make us comfortable, VCR's, remote control's, AC, etc., I wonder if we haven't became to comfortable. Have we let this stuff lure us into a casual relationship with God because all our earthly needs are met. Such casualness destroys the urgency, the intimacy of dependence upon God that excites and motivates the believe into action when God miraculously and continuously provides our needs. I also believe that many pastors are failing to do what the Bible says to do:
equip the saints (
Eph. 4:12). I suspect far too many pastors are more concerned about not offending their own congregations with the whole gospel than spreading its truth, lest people go find another church to be comfortable in. Growing in Christ means to become mature and daily pick up your cross to follow Jesus. The pastor is not there to simply comfort them and to make them feel warm and cozy, nor is he there to reflect the current social trends and morays of the secular environment. He is there to equip the saints, to call them to repentance and holiness, to present God's word, to train them up to be more like Jesus (
Eph. 4:12), and to help them mature in Christ so that they can become a people of action, as well as a people of love.
The gospel is not only about being born again, but is also about picking up your cross and following Jesus (
Luke 9:23), about prayer, about supporting Christians who teach, about bearing one another's burdens, about defending the faith, about standing up for righteousness, and much more.
People are going to hell. The enemy is making coverts to false gospels in the cults, false world religions, humanistic principles in schools, and moral relativism in society. Christians are not supposed to be keepers of the aquarium. We are supposed to be fishers of men. Christians are supposed to confront the world in a wise and loving fashion. This is what the Bible says to do and to accomplish this, the Christians need to have a desire to spread the gospel everywhere.
I want to be able to say "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."
(2 Tim. 4:7)
