So i have noticed in recent days that i have a problem. I have to much to say and nobody to say it to. Therefore I decided to make this blog so i can say to nobody other than whoever may actually read this. So if you are reading this thank you because it does make me feel better.
Here lately the only thing that has been stuck in my mind is The Great Commission. Via my favorite translation, (ESV) it states;
"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that i have commanded you, And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." -Matthew 27:19-20
Now at first glance that seems very simple. Go teach, and baptize. However, it does not show us how to teach them. Most will say, "Well Josh that is what the rest of the bible does." Which is true, but also begs another question. Why don't we study the bible the way we should so that when we are called to carry out this commission we actually can? Also, there are many ways to carry out this commission and teach these things so how do we do that? I know to many questions at once. I will take it one at a time.
Why do we not study the bible the way we should? I would say that most may not know how to do so. It's really nothing to be ashamed about. To be honest I have really just recently begun to answer the question for myself. To fully understand the magnitude of the scriptures we really have to dig deep into them and carefully, objectively look at what is there. That can be a big problem, "Look at the scriptures objectively?" Most of the people I am around day after day are people that have been in church their entire life. Yes I understand that I am in a small rural town in Arkansas so that is where my view comes from. However, when Paul wrote to Timothy and said, "Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth," (2 Tim. 2:15) he was instructing Timothy to tell them, which in this case is Timothy's church, that everybody should read and study the scriptures. Most of the times we try to leave it up to the preachers to go in and break down what the bible says. We don't ever go back and look for ourselves and see what is actually going on. Its fairly easy to do this really just go back in your quiet time throughout the week and look at what has been said.
So then how do we teach as the Great Commission has said. The answer is very simple. First we love God, then we love people. That's it! That is what we have been called to do. Jesus plainly states this in Matthew.
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul an with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets."-Matthew 22:36-40
You know what Jesus is right, the ten commandments all either have to do with loving God or loving other people. I would reason to bet that if you looked at the laws in Leviticus they all fall under one of these two categories to. So Jesus when he came didn't radically change the rules for living, he just streamlined them, so that we could better comprehend what we needed to do. He is simply asking us to do everything we do with are life through love. Nobody ever said that doing this was going to be easy. Somebody somewhere back a little way in time said,"All you have to do to be a Christian is believe what Jesus did for you, and confess your sins to him and he will come into your heart." Now don't get me wrong there is quite a bit of truth in there. If you do these things he will come into your heart. your name will be in the book of life, but that means you are now saved from hell. I know several people that have made the profession of faith, but they have not gone any further than just that. In order to be a christian you should strive to be like Christ. Living your daily life loving Him and loving the people around you. That is really what we are called to do.
I am not trying to guilt trip anyone into wanting to be this way. I am simply saying if you lived your life this way, just think about where it could go. Loving God, Loving People.
No comments:
Post a Comment