Focus Verses: Ephesians 4:11-16
"11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This
will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and
knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up
to the full and complete standard of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love."
14 Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 15 Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love."
Some day in the future this earth will pass away. There are two things that will not pass away. People and God's Word. Both will last forever. We know that the human soul will exist forever in heaven or hell. God's Word will remain in heaven forever.
Why don't we spend our time on the things that are eternal? If I tell someone about Jesus and disciple them, and that person tells someone else about Jesus, then I have multiplied myself. This is how the world will be won for Christ. There is no way that I can talk with everyone in Kenya about Jesus, but many of you can. We can learn by Paul's example in the Bible to disciple others.
2 Timothy 2:2 "And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." Some other examples of discipleship are: Paul discipling Timothy who had an important part in leading the early church. Moses discipled Joshua for many years before passing Israel's leadership to him. But the best example was Jesus who spent many hours teaching His disciples. Then the disciples went out and changed the world. That's multiplication of Christians.
I would encourage you to spend time in God's Word and learn the things God wants us to know to be more Christ like. Then go and speak these truths in love to others. The Bible says that God's Word will never return void. Isaiah 55:11 "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it."
Find someone today that you can speak some truth from God's Word into their life. This is how discipleship grows a church, a community, a fishing beach, and an entire world, one life at a time.
Bobby Johnson
Executive Director, Interlocking Ministries
No comments:
Post a Comment