Don't Forget

One of the biggest struggles I have with holidays is all the buildup for what seems like a couple of hours and then moving on from it before it is even over. I was reminded of that when someone told me right before or on Valentines’s Day that Walmart had already put out their Easter stuff. I just want to finish kissing my sweetheart before I start chasing rabbits. It happens with football. We are talking about the draft or free agency before the confetti has finished falling at the Super Bowl. We seem to move on before we finish what we were doing. I am not saying there is anything sinful about buying Easter candy on February 13th, but I wonder if this mentality has affected our disciple making. I read an article by Adam Faughn that triggered these thoughts.

Matthew 28:19-20 says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” The commandment is to make disciples, and we do that by going, baptizing, and teaching. The exciting part can be the going and baptizing. The harder part can be the teaching to observe all that Jesus commanded. I believe, in the church, we have traditionally done a good job of baptizing people but not helping them learn to be disciples of Jesus. I understand that there are souls out there that need to be saved, and we should be teaching the lost. But let’s not forget those that have become Christians. They still need our help to be transformed into Jesus. I think that is what Paul is talking about in Galatians 4:19.

This has been one of the talking points in the book some are studying in Bible class called Church Reset by Jack Wilkie (He will be our speaker Sunday Morning). Help someone know Jesus but also help them to become like Jesus that they might in turn help someone else.