Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
John 8:31-32 NKJV
Disciples in deed are disciples indeed. They do what Jesus taught them to do. We have the Holy Spirit now who acts on behalf of Jesus to teach us all things as well. The chain of command is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are all in agreement. They are One.
It will be awhile before mainstream religion catches on that Jesus is the Head of everything, including the Church. Our call is to walk by faith, not by sight. We’re called to love God and people, not rules and regulations.
Making disciples is our greatest privilege as followers of Jesus. We are entrusted, by God Himself, to teach people how to walk with God and obey God. I wrestled with what my purpose was for quite awhile. One day, I awoke with a phrase repeating in my mind, “To know and walk with God.”
What if we all did that? What if we all adopted that as our mission in life? Does it line up with Scripture? Is it God’s will? I humbly suggest that it is.
God wants you to know Him personally. He wants you to have a loving, eternal life-giving relationship with Him. If you know God, you will know the One who created everything. You will know that you are eternally secure in His love. Nothing can separate you from His redeeming love. Nothing.
When you really walk with God, that’s when the fun begins. Oh sure, sin can be tempting, but it always leaves you worse off. Trust me, I’m in recovery from living a life of sin. I’m a little stubborn and had to make up my mind for myself. Now that I’m older and wiser, sin has lost its allure. I know it’s the doorway for destruction and the way the devil gets a foothold in your life.
I’m without excuse. I’ve tasted and seen that the Lord is good. It’s beyond comprehension how loving, merciful and full of grace God is. He’s always reaching out, trying to rescue us from our sin. God’s the One who saves us, and we don’t deserve saving. But He is a little stubborn, too. He never changes His mind once it’s made up. If He has decided to love you, He will love you until the end, no matter what. That’s the awesome power of God’s love.
There’s no shortage of teaching about God. Disciplemaking is the first and last mile of the race. It’s what it’s all about in the first place. If we remember that our purpose in life is to know and walk with God, those who walk and talk with us will undoubtedly be impacted by what God does and says through us. Disciples choose to obey God. They learn from God, by the Holy Spirit, everything that Jesus taught. Sometimes, He uses other people to do that.
God is more than the subject of a book. He’s alive. He is living and active. His power is at work in us to bring glory to His Name.
May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob be your God today, too. Try this on for size and pray this prayer, inserting your name in the blank:
God of Heaven and Earth, I humbly come to You for the salvation of my soul. Lord Jesus, be the God of _____________ this day. Erase all the charges of sin against ____________ today. Erase them because I believe that Jesus bore the penalty for all sin for all time. Thank You, Jesus, for saving ____________. May the life of ___________ glorify God from this day forth. Amen.
And if you’re feeling generous and want to intercede for the souls of others that you care about, pray that prayer with their name inserted. Let me know if God answers your prayers!
Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
Ephesians 5:1-2 NLT