​Welcome back to the Commands of Christ blog series where we are examining together the nine foundational commands given by Jesus and which are essential for new disciples to understand and obey. If you missed the first three posts in this series you can find them by clicking    Repent and Believe, Be Baptized and Pray.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.  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 obey all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age,” (Matthew 28:18-20).

In this post, we will look at the fourth of nine foundational commands that Christ gave for disciples to obey. This fourth command is to make disciples, and is found in Matthew 28:18-20 which is quoted above.
 
3 Reasons Why Being a Disciple Matters

Why does discipleship matter? If we claim to be a Christian, then we are claiming to be a follower of Jesus and if we are a follower of Jesus, then we are one of His disciples.

Here are 3 reasons why being a disciple matters:

1. Jesus Commands Us to Make Disciples

When Jesus gave the disciples the Great Commission, He told them to make disciples of all nations. How can you make a disciple if you aren’t a disciple yourself? In order to make a disciple, you have to be a disciple of Jesus.

If you are not strong in your faith, you wouldn’t be able to train and make disciples. No matter where you are or what profession you’re in, you’re called to be a disciple of Jesus. He will use you wherever you are, whoever you are.

2. A Disciple is a Doer of the Word
Anyone can say they are a disciple of Jesus but are they obeying what Christ commanded? This is the difference between being a hearer of the word only and being a doer of the word. This is made clear in James 1:22-25.

It says,“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”

In order to live out your life as a disciple, you must be growing in your obedience to do what Jesus commands.

3. You Become More Conformed to the Image of Christ

When you lay down your life for the sake of Christ, you are making a step towards becoming more Christ-like. Discipleship is a direct result of sanctification.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” We are made new when we repent and believe in Christ and allow Him to work in us.

In order to become more like Jesus, we should surrender our lives daily and deny our flesh. We will never live a perfect life but we can walk in the Spirit, take up our cross daily, and quickly repent when we fail and then get back up and go again!

The 3 Main Goals of Discipleship

Once you have committed to being a disciple of Christ, there are three main goals of discipleship you should keep in mind: share the Gospel, make disciples, and glorify God.

1. Share the Gospel

To be a disciple of Jesus, you must share the Gospel, this is what Jesus told His disciples to do before He left the earth.

Put yourself in places where you will have the opportunity to share the Gospel. For example, volunteer at a homeless shelter or help your neighbour with a painting project.

Not only are we to share the Gospel to those in our community but we are called to share with every nation. If you’re not called to be a full-time missionary, you can support missions from home with your finances and prayers. You can also pray for an unreached people group in the world (for more information on Unreached People Groups visit Joshua Project).

Pray and ask God to guide you and provide you with opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus!

2. Make Disciples

After sharing the Gospel, we are called to make disciples. This means teaching people how they can live out their faith and encouraging them in their walk with Jesus.

You may consider volunteering at your church’s youth group or mentoring someone. Discipling people will look different for everyone depending on your age and how mature your walk with God is. Again, I would encourage you to pray and ask God who He has placed in your life for you to disciple.

3. Glorify God

The most important part of being a disciple of Christ is to glorify God. Let all that you do be honouring and glorifying to Him. Do all things for His glory rather than your own.

For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. (Galatians 1:10)

We can show God glory by being responsible at work and complete tasks with diligence, by having healthy relationships and growing alongside each other, and by setting aside devotional time every day. We don’t just bring Him glory when we are at church; we can bring Him honour during our everyday tasks too.

Lastly, we can give God glory by praise God throughout the way day. When you are working or running errands, tell Him how grateful you are for the blessings He has given to you!

Now that you know your call as a disciple is to make disciples of all nations and teach them the ways of Jesus, it’s time for action. Pray and see how God wants to bring discipleship into your own life and how you can disciple others.

Lastly, remember the most important part of being a disciple is to bring God honour and glory!

If you want to know more about discipleship and making disciple-makers, contact us via the comments or by sending an email or giving us a call at 800-784-7077.

Are you perfectly content where you are right now? Or are you the individual that is unsure about what they should do with their life? No matter which one you are, or if you are a mixture of both….You should consider being a missionary.

It may not be the path you thought you would take, and honestly, it’s not what a lot of people see themselves doing.

You probably have a set picture in your mind of what you want your life to look like. Maybe getting married, kids on the way, the white picket fence, and a puppy running around? Or maybe there is another picture in place, either way, the truth is… being a missionary is more than just giving your life to God in order to see Him do amazing things. It’s a decision that every Christian should at least consider.

God’s Heart Lies Amongst the Ruins

Have you ever prayed this prayer: “God, break my heart for what breaks yours”?

Well, let me tell you something, God’s heart breaks for those who are lost and hurting. His heart hurts for the ones that don’t know Him, and have no one to tell them the glorious truth.

Jesus once said, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brothers, you did it to Me.” (Matthew 25:40) The “least of these” are those who are alone; the ones that no one wants to be around. The ones that are still out there waiting for you to come and be their friend.

Have you ever heard that song, “Do Something” by Matthew West? (I really encourage you to listen to it.) The song starts off with the things that are wrong with this world; it talks about the hurt, the pain, the disgusting attributes that give you a sick feeling in your stomach. Then a question is asked, probably one that we have all asked at one point in our lives: “God why don’t You do something?” The response? “I did… I created YOU.”

There is a lot of hurt in this world, and we can’t go on believing that someone else will fix it, especially when God created you to be able to do amazing things. Being a missionary allows you to serve God while serving others. It’s an act of laying down our lives so that the Lord can work in us and through us.

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. — John 15:13

Your Calling Awaits

According to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20), if you are a follower of Christ, you are called to go.

How would life look if all Christians went like God commands us to? How amazing would it be to have Christians step out in faith and say, “God, I’m going to go unless You stop me”? So many people claim that God couldn’t want them to go because He blessed them right where they are, but that’s not always the case.

Loren Cunningham once said, “You’re either a missionary or a mission field.”
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Although it seems like such a simple statement, there is so much weight in it. If you are a Christian, you’re called to being a missionary. If you are not, then you are the mission field that the missionaries should be pursuing.

There’s Still a Need For More Missionaries

Consider this assessment from the Traveling Team.

“If everyone is obeying God’s “calling” to be a missionary wherever they are then God is calling 99.9995% of people to work among the 44.3% of the world population that already has the gospel, and calling virtually no one (.0005%) to relocate among the other 55.7% of the world population that are not Christian. You have a better chance of being in a plane crash than being one of the few missionaries to the unreached out of the total 2 billion Christians in the world.

In light of God’s word, this seems unfathomable and it appears to be almost complete disobedience on the part of the Church worldwide to go make disciples of all the nations. Financially we are hoarding 99.99% of our income to ourselves and what little is given is mostly directed toward reached people groups.

The current status quo is to do virtually nothing to reach the UPG’s of the world. The percentages of man-power and money focused on UPG’s are almost undetectable they are so small. The amount of resources that fall off the Christian table for unreached peoples is more comparable (I Googled it…) with the number of skin cells you lose over a month’s time: something hardly worth calling a sacrifice of the body.”

God isn’t simply calling those who are on the field, now, but countless others that allow other things to get in the way of this call. Maybe it’s their job, or their family, or making money. There are so many people who allow the short time on earth to consume their eternity. Being a missionary is all about humbling yourself before God, offering Him your all, and surrendering your life to Him.

Yes, it is a large sacrifice. Of course, it’s hard to do; but, think of all the things that God did for you. He made you. Loved you. Held you when you rejected Him. Died for you. Cared about you. God changed your life, isn’t the least you could do is allow Him to work through you to do that for others?

“Any church not involved in the Great Commission has forfeited its biblical right to exist.” — Oswald J. Smith

It’s NOT About You

This life isn’t about you; you are simply the one who is living it.

Max Lucado says it best when He says, “God does not exist to make a big deal out of us. We exist to make a big deal out of Him. It’s not about you. It’s not about me. It’s about Him.”

So many people seem to believe that this life is a possession that belongs to them, but that’s not the truth. Your life belongs to God. He has a set path for you to follow, but a multitude of things have gotten in the way of this idea.

Your life is not your own. It’s an instrument that God blessed you with.

“If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.” — C.T. Studd

Every aspect of your life points back to God—or at least it should. We live in a world that is doing a better job of loving people than the church is, and it’s up to you to change that. The best way to do that? Keep in mind that your life is not your own and be willing to give your life to the God who changes lives and people.

I challenge you to consider being a missionary. It’s not all about what you end up doing as a missionary, or even how many people you reach, but it’s about Him and your obedience to Him.
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We are Christians, called to be God’s instruments, but it seems like a lot of us like to march to the beat of our own drums. The moment you gave your life to God, you gave Him rule over every aspect of you. Don’t think about what you could lose by being a missionary, think of everything you can gain for the kingdom. Isn’t that worth it?

Welcome back to the Commands of Christ blog series where we are examining together the nine foundational commands given by Jesus which are essential for new disciples to understand and obey. If you missed the first two posts in this series,  you can find them by clicking   Repent and Believe and Be Baptized.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.  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 obey all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age,” (Matthew 28:18-20).

In this post, we will look at the third of nine foundational commands that Christ gave for disciples to obey. This third command is to pray. Most people have an idea of what praying is, but why is it so important?

In Matthew 6:9-13, we find Jesus telling us how to pray, and every one of my generation can almost certainly recite this model prayer because when we were in elementary school, this prayer was recited every morning before school began. It is commonly called the Lord’s prayer.

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Matthew 5, 6 and 7 are referred to as the Sermon on the Mount because Jesus went up onto a mountain to teach the people. It is Jesus’ longest, most detailed teaching recorded in the Gospels. It contains some of the most essential principles for living a genuine Christian life.

According to John R.W. Stott, “The Sermon on the Mount is probably the best-known part of the teaching of Jesus, though arguably it is the least understood, and certainly, it is the least obeyed” (The Message of the Sermon on the Mount, 1973, p. 15).
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So, as disciples who want to obey everything that Jesus commanded us, prayer is something that we must do.

The first reason we must pray is that, without God, we can do nothing (John 15:5). He is the Creator and sustainer of all things, including ourselves, so it makes sense that we would communicate with Him. Prayer is an indicator of the relationship and a way to develop that relationship.

The second reason is that He tells us that He will hear us when we pray. That’s an incredible thing. We have the ear of the Creator of all things, the King of kings. Nothing could be more compelling for prayer than this reality.

There are many other reasons why we need to pray. Prayer will help us recognize and remember that we are not God. We realize that there is strength to be gained from God Himself. We will better understand that things do not begin and end with us. We learn how to surrender control to God, admitting that He is better in the driver’s seat than we. We are able to communicate our true feelings in a safe space. The more we come to trust that God hears our prayers, the more we come to trust Him with the outcomes. Through prayer, we can be encouraged to take steps of faith. And we have the assurance that God is waiting to act in response to prayer
(John 15:7-8).

So how should we pray? In the book of Matthew passage, Jesus gives a model for prayer and it is a good one.

“Our Father in heaven...” - acknowledge who God is and who you are - Father, child.

“hallowed be Your name...” - this is a request, not a statement of praise - asking that God’s name be hallowed means to ask that God would be glorified in my life and that men and women from every people group would also glorify God.

“Your kingdom come, Your will be done…” - I must surrender to God’s kingdom and His will being done in and through my life.

“Give us this day our daily bread…” - I must go to God to meet all of my needs.

“Forgive us our debts…” ask for forgiveness of my sins and acknowledging the necessity of forgiving others.

“Deliver us from evil…” - I must pray for deliverance when I face temptation.

So how does this sound to you? Scary? Intriguing? Exciting? Or utterly confusing?

All of those are natural responses. Prayer is a mysterious activity because, in prayer, you choose to humble yourself before someone you cannot literally see, hear or touch.

Perhaps you could use some structure to get you started. There is an app that can offer a great deal of help with prayer. It is called “Try Praying.” It is available in Google Play, the Apple Store and the Windows Store.

So, what now?
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Listen to Jesus and do what He says. Commit to pray daily. Pray for the lost and for more labourers (Matthew 9:37-38).

You might be wondering about the title of this blog, so I would like to start by defining the two key words: maniac and missionary.

A maniac can be defined as: a person exhibiting extreme symptoms of wild behavior, especially when violent and dangerous.

A missionary can be defined as: a person who crosses cultures to spread the good news of Jesus Christ.

A person who is a maniac is very different from a person who is a missionary and today we are going to look at a story in the Bible that talks about a man who had this very experience of going from a maniac to a missionary.

Jesus had come to the other side of the sea, to the country of Gadarenes and immediately after He got off the boat a man with an unclean spirit was there to meet Him (Mark 5:1-2). This man could not be controlled by anyone. He was bound with shackles and chains, and he was constantly crying out and cutting himself with stones (Mark 5:4-5). He was being tormented by demons, who even themselves acknowledged Jesus as the Son of the Most High God (Mark 5:7).

What is interesting with this particular interaction of Jesus with someone who was demon possessed, was that Jesus actually had an extended conversation with the leader of the band of demons (Legion). Usually, Jesus would immediately cast out demons but we see some conversation here as they all beg Jesus to send them into the pigs (Mark 5:12).

Jesus goes on to give permission for the demons to enter into the pigs and they run violently down the steep place into the sea, and they drowned (Mark 5:13).

The man was now free, he was no longer bound, he was clothed, and in his right mind. After an encounter with Jesus, He went from being a maniac to a missionary (Mark 5:15).

Jesus instructed the man to go home and tell others the great things that the Lord had done for him (Mark 5:19) and as he began to proclaim all that Jesus had done, the people marveled at what they heard (Mark 5:20).

Let`s be encouraged by this story. God can take the worst situation and turn it into something that is so beautiful and meaningful. We can sometimes make excuses about why we don`t think God can use us for His purposes. Having this mentality can actually prevent us from becoming all that God has created us to be. It`s not about our qualifications or even our strengths. It`s about God working in and through us to accomplish His plans. He is God and only He can transform a person`s life radically.

As Christians, spreading the good news of Jesus Christ is something we are all called to do (Matthew 28:18-20). Are you called to be a missionary? You can read this previous blog series to help answer that question in your own life.

We also have some other great blogs to help you learn more about missions: Accessible Missions Education, Not Just an Ordinary Trip, Four Myths about Missions Strategy, and Missions Vision Near and Far.

Why Missions?

God is passionate about missions and He has a heart for missions. Jesus Himself came to teach us one of the most important things: to spread the gospel. And we are all called to do that.

While you may not be able to go on a missions trip for one reason or another, there are other ways that you and I can help support missions. One very important way is to be praying for our missionaries. They need our constant prayer. Here is a guide to help you with some specific prayer points.

Have you been on a missions trip? Please share your experience with us below. We would love to hear all about it.

In this week’s blog post, we are considering the habit or discipline of fasting. In past posts, we have considered Bible intake, prayer, worship, evangelism, serving, and stewardship as it relates to both    time and finances.

If you have not seen these posts yet, go ahead and click on the links to catch yourself up.

And remember that the primary motivation for these spiritual habits or disciplines is taken from Paul’s instruction to Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:7, where he says, exercise or discipline yourself toward godliness. This applies to us just the same today and he makes it clear that, if we wish to be godly, it will take work, discipline, and exercise. Just as an athlete, musician, or artist must exercise disciplined practice to become more proficient at their chosen field, so a disciple must exercise disciplined practice in these activities as means’ of grace to become more proficient at being godly. That is to say, as we become more disciplined in the practice of these habits, more of God’s grace is available to us which will change us.

So what about fasting? Most of us who have some experience in the church know what fasting is, even if we don’t really understand what it is. Is fasting so important that it should be considered a discipline or a habit that leads to godliness? Should I fast? What happens if I do fast? How does fasting accomplish its purpose for me? We will look at these questions in this post.

What is fasting?

Christian fasting is a believer’s voluntary abstinence from food for spiritual purposes. Other types of fasting - despite the benefits they may produce for the mind and body - could not be classified as Christian fasting, and fasting by a non-Christian obtains no eternal value. It is for believers in Christ because the habit or discipline must be rooted in a relationship with Christ and practised with the desire to become more like Christ. Believers should fast according to biblical teaching and according to the biblical teaching and purposes that are God-centred. It is voluntary in that fasting should not be imposed or coerced. And fasting is more than just the ultimate crash diet for the body; it is abstinence from food for spiritual purposes.

Fasting is expected

For those who may be unfamiliar with fasting, the most surprising part of this post may be the discovery that Jesus expected that His followers would fast. Look at Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:16-18:

 “And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”

So, by giving us instructions on what to do and what not to do when we fast, Jesus assumes that we will fast.

This expectation is even more obvious when we compare these words with His statements in the same passage about prayer and giving.

Matthew 6:2-3 - “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.

Matthew 6: 5-7 - “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.  And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.

Few of us doubt that Christians are to pray and to give. In fact, Christians often use this passage to teach Jesus’ principles and expectations about praying and giving. And since there is nothing here or elsewhere in Scripture to indicate that we no longer need to fast, and since we know that Christians in the Book of Acts fasted (Acts 9:9, 13:2, 14:23), we may conclude that Jesus still expects His followers to fast today.

Fasting is to be done for a purpose

There must be more to a biblical fast than simply abstaining from food. Without a spiritual purpose for your fast, it’s just a weight-loss fast. Without a purpose, fasting can be a miserable, self-centred experience about will power and endurance.

Having a biblical purpose for your fast may be the single most important concept to take from this post. In real life, here’s how it works: As you are fasting and your head aches or your stomach growls and you think, I’m hungry! your next thought is likely to be something like, Oh, right - I’m hungry because I’m fasting today. Then your next thought should be, And I’m fasting for this purpose:           (insert biblical purpose here)               .

Without a clear biblical purpose, fasting becomes an end in itself. Every hunger pang only makes you figure out the time left before you can eat. This kind of thinking disconnects the experience in your mind and heart from the gospel and descends into the deception that perhaps your suffering will earn God’s favour.

The Bible shows us many purposes for fasting, but they can be pared down to 10 major categories. Notice that none of the purposes is to earn God’s favour. It is a fool’s errand to try to impress God and earn His acceptance. Fasting has no eternal benefit for us until we have come to God through repentance and faith (Ephesians2:1-10, Titus 3:5-7). Then, as a Christian, you should fast for at least one of these biblical purposes.

1. To strengthen prayer - there is something about fasting that sharpens the edge or our intercessions and deepens the passions of our prayers. So the people of God have frequently used fasting when they have felt a special urgency about the concerns they lift before God (Ezra 8:23, Nehemiah 1:4, Daniel 9:3, Joel 2:12, Acts 13:3).
   
   
2. To seek God’s guidance - a second purpose for fasting is to more clearly discern the will of God in a certain situation (Judges 20:26-28, Acts 14:23).
   
   
3. To express grief over a loss or over sin - three of the first four references in the Bible to fasting connect it with an expression of grief (Judges 20:26, 1 Samuel 31:13, 2 Samuel 1:11-12). Fasting, like weeping, is often a means of physically expressing to God the depth of our feelings, so it is just as appropriate for grief-stricken prayers to be accompanied by fasting as by tears.
   
   
4. To seek deliverance or protection - one of the most common fasts in the Bible was a fast to seek salvation from enemies or circumstances (2 Chronicles 20:3-4, Ezra 8:21-23, Esther 4:16). Perhaps fasting, rather than fleshly efforts, should be our first defence against persecution from family, schoolmates, neighbours, or coworkers because of our faith. Typically, we are tempted to strike back with anger, verbal attacks, counteraccusations, or even legal action. But instead of manipulating, gossiping and imitating the worldly tactics of our enemies, we should appeal to God with fasting for protection and deliverance.
   
   
5. To express repentance and return to God - fasting for this purpose is similar to fasting for the purpose of expressing grief for sin. But as repentance is a change of heart resulting in a change of action, fasting can represent more than just grief over sin. It can also signal a commitment to obedience and a new direction (1 Samuel 7:6, Joel 2:12, Jonah 3:5-8).
   
   
6. To humble oneself before God - when practised with the right motives, fasting is a physical expression of humility before God, just as kneeling or prostrating yourself in prayer can reflect humility before Him. And as there are times when you want to express humility by praying on your knees, so there are times when you may want to express a sense of humility before the Lord in every activity throughout the day by fasting (1Kings 21:27-29, Psalm 35:13).
   
   
7. To express concern for the work of God - this was the purpose of Nehemiah’s fast when he heard that despite the return of many Jewish exiles to Jerusalem, the city still had no wall to defend it (Nehemiah 1:3-4). Daniel also felt a heavy burden for the return of the Jews from exile and for the restoration of Jerusalem (Daniel 9:3).
   
   
8. To minister to the needs of others - Isaiah 58 is probably the most extensive passage in the Bible dealing exclusively with fasting and in it, God emphasizes fasting for the purpose of meeting the needs of others. Verses 6-7 tell us the fast that God chooses, one to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke. It is to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless and the poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide from your own flesh. In other words, the kind of fast that pleases God is one that results in concern for others and not just for ourselves.
   
   
9. To overcome temptation and dedicate oneself to God - this is the fast demonstrated to us by Jesus Himself in Matthew 4:1-11, where, in the strength of that prolonged fast He was prepared to overcome the direct onslaught of temptation from Satan himself. This fast was also the time when Jesus privately dedicated Himself to the Father for the public ministry He was about to begin. In times of exceptional temptation or exceptional uncertainty, exceptional measures are required. One such exceptional measure in your situation might be a Christ like fast for the purpose of overcoming temptation and of renewing your dedication to God.
   
   
10. To express love and worship to God - the Bible also says that fasting may be purely an expression of love and devotion to God (Luke 2:37).

What has been your past experience with fasting? Why do you think that there is so little said about fasting? What will you do to incorporate fasting into your habits of grace? We would love to talk with you about this.
Reply in the comments section or give us a call at 1-800-784-7077.
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Matthew 6:17-18 - “But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”