2 Peter 2:19b says, "for 'people are slaves to whatever has mastered them'" (NIV).
Emotions are so influential. It is so easy to decide what you will or will not do based solely on how you feel at any given moment. Recently God has been helping me to see that because I am a follower of Christ, I am no longer a slave to anything or anyone but Jesus, and this includes my emotions. This applies to everyone who is a follower of Christ. Outside of Christ, nothing has power over you unless you allow it to have power, and this means that you don't have to be ruled by how you feel. Your emotions are not your master. They do not get to decide what you will do and whether you will trust God. If your feelings have power over you, it is because you have given that power to them, not because they have any real power. As 1 Corinthians 10:13 says, "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it" (NIV). This shows that when you are tempted to let your emotions have control over you, you do not have to give in to that temptation. I am not trying to imply that emotions are bad in and of themselves. God gave us emotions. We are meant to feel things. The problem arises when we allow our emotions to dictate our actions and rule over us. Galatians 5:1 says, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery" (NIV). When we let our emotions have control over us, we are putting ourselves into slavery under something that Jesus died to free us from. In a world that tells us to follow our heart and to embrace and act on every feeling, remember that in the freedom and power of Christ you are not a slave to your emotions.
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Hey-o! Sapp here coming at you with the blog this week!
Recently I have been studying the book of Ecclesiastes and I have found great interest in it. I enjoy psychology and have been able to connect it with this book. For a little background, Ecclesiastes was written by King Solomon. In 1 Kings 3, God asked Solomon what He could gift him and Solomon requested wisdom and understanding to govern the Lord's people in the best way. Due to Solomon's special request, we see how God fulfills this: "The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, 'Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for -- both wealth and honor -- so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life'" (1 Kings 3:10-14, NIV). While reading this, I want you to keep this in mind that Solomon has been gifted the highest earthly wisdom. I hope this post encourages you as we study more into the beginning of Ecclesiastes and I share my great admiration for this book. Solomon begins Chapter 1 describing how everything in life is vanity or futile, meaning worthless and without purpose. Solomon then dissects and experiments many common human desires throughout the book of Ecclesiastes, testifying how each one only brings unfulfillment. He talks about the vanity of self-indulgence (2:1-11) and acquires an abundance of earthly treasures, yet still is left feeling without purpose. He even discusses the vanity of wisdom (1:12-18, 2:12-17) when he has been gifted wisdom from God, yet still finds vanity in it. He talks about the vanity of work (2:18-26) and many more areas where we seek purpose. But he realizes all are without fulfillment. Many people first reading Ecclesiastes may find the book depressing, but there is something I absolutely love about it with Solomon. I view this as Solomon seeking an answer to the question all human beings ask: What is the purpose of life? What is the secret to life? or What is my purpose in the world? I think this question is brought up in every person's life, whether they decide to blow it off and continue to live aimlessly, or they dig deep to find an answer. And it is so crazy to me that Solomon, who has been gifted all earthly wisdom, still asks this question and is still left unfulfilled. Then, Chapter 3 comes and Verse 11b says, "He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end" (NIV). Wow. What I love about this is eternity is in every person's heart. It is why we ask those questions and why everything on earth leaves us unsatisfied; because our hearts desire something more. Both believers and nonbelievers hold this desire. God puts this deep desire in every human being so we will investigate where our purpose and fulfillment is found, like Solomon is doing, and discover it is only found in Jesus Christ. In Ecclesiastes 2:24-25, it says, "A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God, for without him, who can eat or find enjoyment" (NIV)? We can see that anything apart from God is vanity. God wants you to have enjoyment and purpose. He does not want you walking aimlessly or striving after the wind. He desires for us to come to Him and be fulfilled, to walk with purpose in every aspect of life He gifts us. To my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, are you still walking aimlessly? Are you still seeking purpose in things of this world? Do you feel everything you do is worthless? I want you to ask yourself who you are living for and what you are trying to find fulfillment in? Remember, anything apart from God is vanity. It is worthless. Seek to please God. Maybe you do not feel this way. Perhaps you have found purpose in Christ and are walking in that every day. But I want to remind you there are so many people out there walking without purpose seeking an answer for the desire of eternity in their hearts. Help them find it. To any of you readers who have not come to know Christ as your Lord and Savior, have you been asking yourself those questions lately? Have you been experimenting like Solomon, trying to find anything of the world that brings you satisfaction? I want you to know there's so much more being offered to you than what the world offers. God is the only answer to fill that desire in your heart. I hope you connect with someone to receive that answer. My testimony is like everyone else's testimony. It is the story of how God saved me from my sin because He is merciful and loving.
Before I was born or even became a though, my parents wanted a child. For a couple of years they looked for a child to adopt, but could not find one. My entire family and the church prayed for my parents to have a child. One day while my father was at work, his boss at the time pulled him aside and asked him if he and my mother would like to adopt the baby her daughter would be having. Without hesitation, my parents gave a joyful 'yes'. Their prayers were answered. Eight months later, I was born and taken home by my parents three days later. I was raised in a Christian home. My parents went to church every Sunday and Wednesday. My mother was in the choir, my father was a deacon and my beloved grandmother worked in childcare at the church. My grandmother was one of the people who played a major role in getting started in my walk with Christ. She took me to church when she could and even allowed me to help her take care of the babies she watched. She meant the world to me, and more; she was a second mother to me. I do not think I would be the person I am now if she was not in my life. During my early childhood through high school, I was severely bullied. I was bullied for my physical appearance, what I said and how I acted. Essentially, my bullies found every reason they could to pick on me and try to tear me down. This did not affect me much. I continued to go to church and learned more about Christ. One night when I was in the first grade, I felt the Lord tugging at my heart while eating pizza, telling me how much He loved me and cared for me. I gave my life to Him that night, but my pastor at the time had me wait a year to get baptized because of how young I was. After the day I was baptized, I continued to study His Word and went to church every opportunity I could. As time went on, I continued to grow. I was happy as could be. But then I was not when my grandmother passed away due to ovarian cancer. Watching her suffer the way she did broke my heart because she was hurting and there was nothing I could do to make it better or stop it. As I said before, she was a second mother to me. I thought she was supposed to be strong and happy all the time. I thought she would stay in my life forever. Losing her crushed me. I did not know what to do for a long time. However, I knew where she went, and this brought peace to my heart when she want home. In high school, some things about me changed. I stopped going to church because I was the outcast in the youth group. I did not fit into any of the cliques. Most of them were popular kids and I was the girl who read a lot of books and had interests in anything nerdy. I did not see a reason to go to church if I had no one to talk to. During this time, I did not know who I was and I fell into a dark place emotionally. I had suicidal thoughts and I almost went through it, and I cut my right forearm for a while. After some time passed, my parents and I decided to try and find a new home church. It did not take us long to find a new church where we felt God wanted us. There were people at this place I knew and would talk to me. This is the church that got me started playing worship music on the piano. I became happier. I found the Lord's marvelous light and His love was in my heart. I stopped cutting and when I start feeling myself fall towards that dark place, I turn to Him for comfort. After my senior year of high school, I had gotten back on track of going to church and I was falling more in love with the Lord. However, that summer I had to endure my first breakup with my first love. It was tough going through that because I had thought he was 'the one', but he was not. Shortly after this, I went to a youth revival known as Christ in Youth. There, I realized that all of my life up to that point I know knew God in my head and only a little in my heart. As the days continued on at this revival, my heart began to know Him more. I did not know until then what I had been without. I had been without the Lord being the 100% in my heart. After I got home from CIY, I got a tattoo of the revival's symbol on my right forearm where I used to cut in high school. When I came to college, I joined the BCM and Kappa Phi because I wanted a group of individuals to hold me accountable in studying the Bible and to help me grow closer to God. I did find this in the two organizations. An example of this is when I lost my older brother to suicide my freshman year. This caught me by surprise and it broke me down some. But the people in the BCM and Kappa Phi were there for me. They picked me up and held me close. I am blessed and grateful for those who were there for me, and that God was there for me and carried me through my mourning. Today, I am still a member of BCM leadership (obviously) and on their worship team. I am also the vice president of program direction of Kappa Phi and the regional secretary. I will continue to abide in the Lord and do His kingdom works. Wherever and however He calls me, I will obey. American Sign Language is a visual language using facial expressions and body language. It has its own structure, grammar use and dialects. It is widely used by most deaf and hard of hearing people in the US. Now, imagine you are deaf and you ASL to communicate, but you do not have access to a Bible in your first language. Do you see how it would be a struggle to understand and read the Bible in your second language? This is what many deaf people went through all over the world. For many years they had been limited to only attending small deaf churches which usually only resides in big cities or in areas where there is a large population of deaf people. This leaves out many of those who are not able to drive that far or keep in contact with that church. Even then, small churches are limited to one's perspective of the Bible, as everyone translates the Bible to ASL in different ways. We never had a standardized ASL translation until now. Deaf Missions recently came out with a ASLV translation of the Bible in 2020. They had worked on translating the Bible for the last 38 years. It is now accessible through any electronic device such as phones, tablets and computers. From this, many deaf people in the US now have access to understand the Word and the Gospel. This reduces the frustrations and struggles from the communication barrier and now opens up new opportunities for them to serve and lead others in Christ. My mission is to reach those out of the country who still do not have access to the Bible in their language. ASL is not a universal sign language, as every country and nation has their own version of sign language. Deaf people who reside in these countries who do not have access to a deaf church may not even know Christ and be in the dark. There are so many unreached people that need to have someone who can help translate the Bible and introduce them to the Word. I would encourage you all to look up more information about deaf ministry, provided below: "How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: 'How beautiful are the feet of those who bring the good news'" (Romans 10:14-15, ASLV)! We had our first Impact service last week on Jan. 11. Bryce talked a little about Genesis and mentioned the story of the Tower of Babel. He said their focus was on themselves and multiplying and glorifying their own image, when God had tasked man with multiplying and glorifying His image. We can (and probably should) ask ourselves often: Where is our focus?
"Jonah had gone out and sat down at a place east of the city. There he made himself a shelter, sat in its shade and waited to see what would happen to the city. Then the Lord God provided a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah to give shade for his head to ease his discomfort, and Jonah was very happy about the plant. But at dawn the next day God provided a worm, which chewed the plant so that it withered. When the sun rose, God provided a scorching east wind, and the sun blazed on Jonah's head so that he grew faint. He wanted to die, and said, 'It would be better for me to die than to live.' But God said to Jonah, 'Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?' 'It is,' he said. 'And I'm so angry I wish I were dead'" (Jonah 4:5-9). "'Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. "Your brother has come," he replied, "and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound." The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. But he answered his father, "Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him"'" (Luke 15:25-30)! Both Jonah and the brother felt they had been wronged in some way. Jonah felt he had been wronged by being sent to the Ninevites in an attempt by God to redeem them. The brother felt he had been wronged because the father had redeemed the prodigal son after leaving the family and squandering his money. But where was their focus? Jonah threw a fit like a child when the plant died. Jonah made it obvious his focus was on himself. The brother also threw a fit like a child and refused to go to the party. The brother made it obvious his focus was on himself. Jonah and the brother failed to see the reason for celebration and needed to be corrected because their focus was on themselves. Jonah said a basically five word sermon and the entirety of Nineveh repented of their sins and turned to God! That is a reason for celebration! But instead, Jonah sulked because the Ninevites had been spared. The brother saw that his brother had run away and when he returned and was redeemed, he should have seen the cause for celebration as his father did. The son had returned! But instead, the brother felt sorry for himself because he never got to have parties with his friends. "Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets...When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. And he took the calf the people had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it" (Exodus 32:15-6, 19-20). "At this, Job got up and tore his robes and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised'" (Job 1:20-21). Moses saw the Israelites dancing and singing to an idol and broke the stone tablets he was carrying, which was a symbol showing the Israelites their covenant with God had been broken because of this idol. He responded with anger, the same as Jonah and the brother, but Moses' focus was not on himself -- it was on God. He never said anything like "I spent all that time up there listening to these laws and this is what I come back to?!" Instead, he destroyed the idol, proving his focus was on God rather than on himself. He acted in righteous anger. Job had just been informed that everything he had was taken from him -- all but a few of his servants, all his livestock, even his kids were gone. But instead, Job praised God. And the book of Job states: "In all this, Job did not sin by charing God with wrongdoing" (Job 1:22). Job's focus was on God. In any and every situation you have two options: Focus on yourself or focus on God. Focusing on yourself and reacting based on yourself will lead to correction, as it did with Jonah and the brother. Focusing on God and reacting based on Him does not require correction, as that is the correct path. Where is your focus? Where should it be? Should it remain where it is, or should your shift your focus? Will you? Have you ever wondered what percentage of people live to be 100 years old? Well, I am sure you could guess by the title, that answer is .02%. Wow! So, odds are not in our favor that many of us live to become a centurion. So, 100 years ago in 1921, where only .02% of us were alive, the very Christian radio broadcast took place in Pittsburgh, PA, the Tulsa Race Riots happened, Babe Ruth broke the career home run record with his 138th home run (he finished with 714) and one of the worst famines in modern history took place in Russia, killing many people -- the actual number of people that died is not known.
Why am I telling you random information about 100 years ago? That year was not only significant in history, but is significant for our ministry on Northeastern State University campus. In the fall semester of 1921, one of the first college ministries in Oklahoma started at NSU Tahlequah, which we now know as the Baptist Collegiate Ministry. Started by area churches, led by First Baptist Church Tahlequah, the Home Mission Board -- now known as the North American Mission Board -- and a professor passionate about Jesus Christ and making Him known. That professor was named Fannie Baker. In the 100 years that have passed since this ministry has started, the goals, mission and vision has not changed. That mission is to see Christ impact the lives of students, professors, staff and the community around us. To see them follow Christ from their neighbors to the nations. Though now known as BCM instead of its previous name, Baptist Student Union, the vision is still the same: To see people changed by Christ, then to see them be a part of the mission of Christ. As the director of the NSU BCM, I seek to do exactly that: To make Him known on this campus and in this community. I seek to be a person that can facilitate others becoming leaders within our local churches, church planters around the country or missionaries around the world. This semester, in holding to that vision and mission, the theme is "God's heart for you and the nations". We are taking a look at the Word from Genesis to Revelation to see that God's plan has stayed the same from the first word to the last. God wants us to multiply His image and fill the earth with it. So join me here on campus and in our local communities and let us make Him known in 2021 by being disciples that make disciples. Let us come together to remember and seek to see Habakkuk 2:14 come to be a reality when it says, "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (NIV). Not long ago I was listening to a student share their testimony and I caught myself smiling. They were in the middle of sharing all these terrible things they had gone through and terrible things they had done, and there I was...smiling.
I was embarrassed at first, but as misplaced as it sounds, I realized it was right that I was smiling. I could smile through the awful parts of the story because I knew how it ended. God does not let anything happen that cannot ultimately be used for good -- for His glory. This has been a helpful reminder to me as I frequently find myself sitting with people who are hurting. When I sit with a student whose mom is fighting hard against cancer -- I can smile because I know the Lord loves them both more than I ever could and and He is pursuing that mom's heart. "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance" (2 Peter 3:9, ESV). When I talk to a lifelong friend whose dad is barely holding onto his life after a tragic accident -- I can smile because I know God was not surprised by it and trust that He is using it in His master plan. "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28, ESV). When I witness a friend succumb to the generational cycle of addiction after fighting against it for so long -- I can smile because I know that God has not given up on them even if they have given up on themselves. "The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent" (Exodus 14:14). We all know people who are hurting, but if we have surrendered our lives to God, we know the eternal Healer and because of this relationship we have hope to share. I will end with a new favorite quote of mine I heard in a message recently from one of my favorite speakers, Bryce Stafford (I acknowledge my bias): "We may not always have something to offer, but we always have someone to offer". Thank You, Jesus, that I always have You to share. I always have hope to share. And because of this, I always have a reason to smile. "He said also to the man who had invited him, 'When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just'" (Luke 14:12-14, ESV).
homeless shelter for him to stay. This young man graduated high school at 16 and was now all on his own. One of our church members helped him get a seasonal job, but he only had a scooter to get from place to place and the job was a good distance from the homeless shelter.
My family has always invited people who did not have a place to go for Thanksgiving lunch at our house. Several of dad's work friends who lived out of the country often joined us, but this year we also invited Curtis, the young man from church. One night my dad drove Curtis back to the homeless shelter he had been staying at. The residents of the shelter were all divorced men who were over 40 years old with no place to stay. It really bothered my dad that such a young man had to stay there because his family did not want him. So my dad talked it over with us. We had already invited him to Thanksgiving but we knew we needed to do more. So in the middle of the Thanksgiving cleaning we also cleaned out a room by moving both of my brothers into one room. We moved in a bed and asked Curtis if he would stay with us. The night before Thanksgiving he moved in and even helped us to clean the house. My brothers and I learned a lot about being thankful that year after seeing all that had transpired with Curtis. We had a family that loved and took care of us. We had a home that kept us safe. We had food that was not just Hot Pockets. We were very blessed and had a lot to be thankful for, no matter what our circumstances were. In this verse in Luke 14, I am reminded of our tradition and how it brought us a new family member. When we open our table to the poor and needy we do not need an earthly reward. When we live for Christ, our goal should always be on heavenly blessings rather than earthly ones. If we can open our table and bring more people to Christ, then that is exactly what we need to do. As Christians, we are called to be a light in this dark world -- to bring hope and peace. We see in 1 Corinthians 10:31 to do all things for the glory of God even while eating or drinking. So why should that not include our table? It is not always convenient or easy to open our homes and our table and let others in, but when we allow Christ in on all our plans, He can do something amazing with it -- even bring in a new family member. So my hope and prayer is that we can all see and think of ways to be a light in someone's dark world today and that we would listen to what God may be asking of us even in this busy holiday season. In this scary and uncertain time, people need hope and joy now more than ever! Let us be that hope and joy for someone this Thanksgiving season. So, how will you use your table to bless the poor and hurt this holiday season? Before getting started with this post, I want to let you know this post was formatted for viewing on a desktop, not on a phone or mobile device. If you are viewing this on a device, that is absolutely fine, just a warning that it will look a little weird on your screen. At my church we are walking through the book of Exodus chapter by chapter. We are in the section of the plagues of Egypt. I remember talking to a foreign exchange student I was friends with about how the ten plagues of Egypt opposed a specific god (or in some cases, more than one god). I had sent a picture where I connected the plague with the god the plague opposed and told them I would do some research on how exactly the plague opposed that god. Here is that research.
year thereafter, the Nile flooded, overflowing after catching Isis' tears while she mourned the death of her husband. When the Nile flooded, Hapi would bring silt to the river's banks, causing fertile soil. Although we do not know exactly when the plague happened, the river turning to blood would not make Hapi or Sobek look good. "The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water" (Exodus 7:21, NIV). This would show that neither Hapi nor Sobek had power over the river, nor could they protect the life around the river.
goddess. Because Geb was the god of the earth, it would not look good for him when the dust of the earth turns into gnats (or lice) and attacks the people of Egypt and their livestock. This would prove to the Egyptians that Geb did not have any real power over the earth.
the plague of hail would challenge his might and power as much as it challenged Nut's, the locusts being sent via a wind (close enough to a storm) from the desert, that would definitely have called his power into question. The text does not specify whether the Israelites were protected from either the hail or the locusts, but if they were subject to these plagues alongside the Egyptians, it would seem odd for the god of foreigners to attack foreigners living in Egypt. Then, after Pharaoh asks Moses to send the locusts away, God changes the direction of the wind, causing the locusts to leave. A god of disorder would most likely not do that, showing the Egyptians Set obviously had no hand in this plague, therefore showing them that this Hebrew God had more power than Set.
company or to assist him in his mission. Some of the more common assistants were Sia (Saa), the god of perception, Hu, the god of command, Heka, the goddess of magic, Mehen, the god of snakes and Set. Sia and Hu would be in a particularly tough spot, given their domains of rule.
the home. Bes was originally a protector of Pharaoh, but eventually moved on to watch over women and children. However, he must have been taking the night off when the angel of death visited the houses that did not mark their doorways with lamb's blood. Bes even failed his first job to protect Pharaoh and his family since even Pharaoh was not safe from the angel of death.
These plagues demonstrated to the Egyptians that Pharaoh was no god, and the "gods" of Egypt had no power and could not stand against the God of the Hebrews, Yahweh. The One who really created the world and actually rules and has power and authority over everything. As I have had the opportunity to travel the world, to places where the Gospel has scarcely been -- or been at all in some places -- I have noticed a distinct difference in the people that begin to follow Jesus. The Gospel they hear is the same. It is not presented any more eloquently in one place than the other, with the exception of a person here and there of clear discernable speech or with charismatic ability to communicate, even still there are and have been those in each place. That being said, people come to Christ and are saved by Christ with the same Word of God, the same Gospel in Africa, Asia and Europe as they are in Australia and North or South America. Not by the ability of man, but by the power of God. For it is by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8), so no one can boast, other than in the power of God. All that to say: What do you do after someone gives their life to Christ? Easy answer: You disciple them. But how? In certain places, such as South Asia, the process is easy and people buy in immediately. You team them biblical, simple reproducing tools to be a disciple that makes disciples and they do it. In areas where there are few believers and the only example they see is exactly that, bought in and sold out. Those believers are disciples that make disciples by training people in the Commands of Christ seen in the New Testament, no matter the push back that may come with the surroundings they live in. But, if the only thing they see in Christians being disciples that are training up others to be disciples, then they know that making disciples is also their role as a follower in Christ. On the other hand, in places where I have grown up and spent the majority of my life, Oklahoma, where discipleship seems to be -- or is assumed to be -- more complicated, we do not see a consistent theme of people being disciples that make disciples. The problem that comes with that is people seem to not know what to do. They read the Bible and know they are supposed to make disciples, but the examples that they look up to are not doing it. We see "good" Christians that go to church every time the doors are open and believe that is what it means to be a disciple, and that is the end of it. They go to church, pray a prayer, say the right words, get involved at church during their services and that is it. What is missing with that? The relationship, challenge, authority and obedience pieces to the Christian walk as you follow Christ.
There are seven commands that we use as launch pads to start the discipleship process that mobilizes us to our neighbors and the nations. The commands are repent and believe, be baptized, go and make disciples, love, pray, Lord's supper and give.
If we grasp and practice these commands, we will see people that are disciples that make disciples. Then we will see more people living out that discipleship focused lifestyle that urges us to obedience. People will see this great example and want to live it out as well. Instead of the mixed messaging of silence and staying in the box of cultural Christianity, let us be not only bold Gospel sharers, but also bold Jesus disciples. Let us multiply His image more than we multiply anything else. |
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