Matthew 10:5-8 “These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”
Jesus gives some pretty clear directions to His disciples before sending them out.
Jesus is calling us do do the same.
4 things Jesus tells His disciples to do…
1. Go out!
It really is that simple. We can’t be effective spending all our time in our church, in our family, or in our clique (why are churches so cliquish?) We must be willing to leave our place of comfort for a place of greater potential.
2.Go to the lost!
Jesus has a heart for those that don’t know Him. If we have a real relationship with Him, we do also. We have to go to the people that haven’t heard or accepted yet. Jesus loves them too much and they are too valuable to Him for us to stay put.
3.Preach Jesus!
Jesus said to preach that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. This doesn’t mean that we try to not offend people. This means that we love people enough to tell them the truth! There’s a Savior, He loves everyone, and He’s coming back.
4.Give.
Ultimately, talk is cheap. Jesus has given each of us so much (salvation alone would be enough), we have to be willing to serve and give to others. When is the last time we gave something away knowing that we didn’t have a replacement? Jesus modeled this giving behavior over and over in the New Testament. We must follow His model in order to be a true disciple.
So, maybe discipleship isn’t so much about us transforming non-Christians into clones of ourselves.
Maybe being a disciple is about being radically changed by a forgiving God and being bold in our living out of His commands.
What else has God called you, His disciple, to do?
Please share….
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