Disciple Makers Cannot Play Favorites

Photo by Steve Halama on Unsplash

"My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives? Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called? If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For He who said, “DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,” also said, “DO NOT COMMIT MURDER.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment." James 2:1-13

Showing Personal Favoritism In Christian Living & Disciple Making Shows:

1.  A Person Has Evil Motives

More often than not our motivation of showing preferential treatment for one person over another person is simply for personal gain.  We exalt one person and belittle another because the one we are exalting we feel can help us in some way.  THIS IS A WRONG MOTIVE IN ALL THINGS BUT ESPECIALLY FOR MISSIONAL LIVING!

2.  A Persona Has Dishonored The Poor Whom God Has Chosen To Bless

Did you catch this point in the Bible verse above?  God has chosen the poor, the outcast, or the lonely to bless them!  We we choose to exclude them or down play their participation we are dishonoring them and thereby dishonoring God.  

3. A Person Has Sinned And Broken The Law of Love

James, the writer of this book, doesn't hesitate in the least to call the attitude of personal favoritism SIN!  When you value one person above another; when you minister to one person above another IT IS A SIN!

4.  The Person Deserve To Be Judged Without Mercy

This Bible verse is very clear what a person who shows personal favoritism, especially in the church and in missional living deserves!  They deserved to be judged without shown mercy. 

NOW THAT'S WHAT IS DESERVED BUT NOT NECESSARILY WHAT THEY'LL GET!  

The Bible also says in 1 John 1:9,

"If we confess our sins He is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."  

Sincere repentance and confession from this sin of personal favoritism will bring about God's forgiveness.  

When it comes to living a powerful Missional Life there is absolutely no room for personal favoritism.  Just like the picture above says we need to be going out and sharing the Gospel with those that others have given up on!  Other people may have given up on them but God still loves them and Christ still died for them.  

One last thought to remember!  The truth is that we all were once people that have been given up on.  If it wasn't for Christ's death, burial and resurrection none of us would be saved from our sins.  But praise be to God our Father that He does love us and through Christ provided away for our sins to be removed.

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1 Powerful Way To Encourage Other Christians For Missional Living

Missional Living is as much about helping and encouraging other Christians to live missional lives as it is about sharing Christ with those that have not heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  In this episode of The Ordinary Christian I am going to share with you a powerful way you can do both at the same time.  Watch and be encouraged!

Did You Find This Video Helpful? Then Share It On Facebook and Twitter!

6 Principles For Cultivating Missional Friendships

Missional Living is all about relationships! It is impossible to live a powerful missional life without having developed strong relationships with those people you are trying to reach for Christ.  That doesn't mean you have to develop a relationship with a person before you share Christ with them. That is a popular belief but it is not one that held up by scripture. There are examples after examples where people share the Gospel with people on their very first encounter with them. So, please understand me YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE RELATIONSHIP WITH A PERSON BEFORE YOU SHARE JESUS!  But with that said I do believe that the development of strong and healthy relationships that are Godly becomes the proof to many that the message of the cross is real and authentic.  It can become the bridge that helps people who've heard the message you already brought them believe and receive. Take a few moments and listen to this video to learn 6 principles for developing those relationship you've begun on the mission field. 

Let's get a really good discussion started on this subject! Below share as a comment some of the things you've learned about developing relationships with those who haven't come to Christ yet!  SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS AS A COMMENT!

Take A Few Moments & Share This Post With Your Friends On Facebook & Your Contacts On Twitter!

 

3 Things That Every Christian Should Know

#1:  Christians Should Know That God Is In Control!

“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

Notice that the Bible doesn't say that all things are "good" but that all things, whether good or bad, work out for good for those who love God and called according to His purposes. 

This is why Joseph was able to say to his brothers after they had sold him into slavery and after he had become second in command of all Egypt that what they did they intended to harm him but God intended it for good.  GOD NEVER WASTS A HURT!

#2:  Christians Should Know They Have A Heavenly Home!

“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”  2 Cor. 5:1

Maybe this is why Jesus, on the Sermon of the Mount, taught not to store up our treasures here on earth but instead store them up in Heaven!  What good is an earthy treasure when you're spending eternity in Heaven?

"This world is not my home, I'm just passing through. My treasures are laid out somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beacon me from Heaven's open door and I can't feel at home in this world anymore."   Old Gospel Hymn

#3:  Christians Should Know That They Will Be Like Jesus!

“We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”  1 John 3:2

Boy I sure can't wait! A new body, a new life, a new character that's just like Jesus!  Come Lord Jesus, Come!

Please take a few moments and share this blog on Facebook and on Twitter.   Then share a comment with us a comment about what you are thinking about!

What Happens When A Church Begins To Pray?

So what does happen when churches pray?  They begin to experience a revival of the Holy Spirit working through them to be his witnesses with power and boldness!  In Acts 1:4-2:4 Jesus commands his disciples and apostles to go wait in Jerusalem until the Promise of the Father, which is the Holy Spirit, comes upon them.  Then when it comes they will receive power. 

The disciples were obedient to Jesus and there in Jerusalem they waited and prayed for the Holy Spirit to come upon them.  Ten days later that promise was fulfilled and God's power came through the Holy Spirit.

A church body that wishes to be obedient to the mission that Christ gave us must understand that we are totally unable to to accomplish it threw our own power and strength.  The mission is to big and to difficult for us to do on our own.  This is a mission that only God can accomplish.  It is a mission that requires power that only comes from Heaven. 

When a church becomes desperate for God's empowerment that church will begin to pray.  As that church prays to God, in his timing, God answers their prayer and provides the Filling of the Holy that provides the Divine power to be his witnesses. 

We can learn some things from the disciples about how to pray for this empowerment that the Holy Spirit provides.

First, they were PERSISTENT in their prayers. 

The Bible says in Acts 1:14 that they all joined together CONSTANTLY in prayer.  Their prayers were constant!  They didn't just pray for a little while and then went home.  They were persistent in crying out to God to provide the Holy Spirit and his power just as Christ had promised.  Their persistence showed that they were desperate for this empowerment.  They truly wanted it and they were not going to stop praying until God provided it.

• How desperate are we for God's empowerment? 
• How long will be wait and continue to pray for this empowerment? 
• Are we putting time limits on God to provide this power? 
• And if God does not provide it when we think it should be provided are we going to quit and stop our prayers for it?

God wants us to be so desperate and resolved in waiting on God for this empower from the Holy Spirit that we are determined to not quit or stop in our prayers for it until God provides it.  Our prayers need to be desperate and constant for God to empower us.

Second, This was not just persistent prayer but it was a UNITED prayers. 

All of the disciples were together praying for it.  None of them were willing to leave.  They join together in unity, as a body of believers to cry out to God for his empowerment. 

Churches that experience God's empowerment are churches that are united together in their prayers to God for it.  It requires more than just a hand full of church members crying out to God for it.  It requires that whole church, in one accord, asking God for it.  How committed as a whole church family are we in seeking God's power through the Holy Spirit. 

In order for this kind of commitment and unity to happen churches, as a whole body, need to be broken and humbled before the living God.  They need to put away their own agenda's, their own goals and seek only what God is doing.  When a church is broken and humbled then they are ready to be melted and formed into the usable vessel that God desires.

Third, These disciples offered their supplications before the Lord. 

In other words they were begging God to provide what he had promised.  They were truly desperate for his empowerment. 

• Do we beg God? 
• Are we crying out to God? 

Here is an interesting thought!  These followers didn't just talk about prayer, they actually prayed!  Church we need to do more praying and less talking about prayer.  We need to actually come before the thrown of God's grace and stop just talking about doing it.  The power comes not when we talk about it but when we actually pray for it.

THE RESULTS:  

And when God answered their prayer it came with POWER from HEAVEN.  Not earthly power.  Not man made power.  But it came with Heavenly power. 

The power effected everyone who was there.  It wasn't just a few that got touched.  Everyone present was affected by it.  This is a good reason why Christians should make it a priority to constantly participate in the prayer vigils of their church.  Because when the power comes you don't want to miss it. 

The power came through the Filling of the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit of the Living God didn't just come to live in them but to also live through them.  The power of God is the presence of God, through the Holy Spirit, living his life through us.  God's power is God himself! To receive the power of God is to have an experience with God himself. 

All who were there and who were filled with the Holy Spirit began to witness about Christ and 3,000 people were saved and baptized.  Now that is something that only God can do!  But it is also something that God can still do through us if we are willing to be a church that prays for God's empowerment.

The #1 Problem To Fulfilling Great Commission?

Today we are going to look at what's been the problem to fulfilling Great Commission!  

What's been holding us back?  Could it be:

1. Money?
2. Time?
3. Persecution?

Watch this video to find out Jesus' answer and His solution!

Now that you know what the problem is what will you do about it? How will you respond? Decision is yours!

HOW TO RECOGNIZE IF YOU'RE BEING A TOOL OF SATAN!

They last thing that any ordinary christian who wants to live a powerful missional life that brightly shines the Light of Christ in their part of this dark world is to find out that they have allowed themselves to be used as a tool by Satan.  Missional Living means we want to be a tool of Christ that brings the Good News to the world.  In this post we are going to look at some indicators that Jesus gave His disciples to help them know what to look out for and not become a too of Satan.  Read and be on the look out!

The most difficult people that Jesus had to deal with during His ministry here on earth was the Jewish religious group known as the Pharisees.  He actually referred to them as one of the biggest tools of Satan for leading people astray from God.

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are."  Matthew 23:15 (NIV)

In the beginning of this chapter Jesus warns the crowd and His disciples to not follow the example of the Pharisees. Why? Because to follow their example would make them become the tools that Satan uses to lead people to hell.  So, in this post we are going to talk about 4 specific indicators that will help you to recognize if you are becoming a tool of the devil.

Take a few moments and read Matthew 23:1-7

You Are Becoming A Tool Of Satan When You:

#1:  Don't Practice What You Preach!

"Therefore do whatever they tell you and observe it. But don't do what they do because they don't practice what they teach." (vs. 3 HCSB)

People love to tell others what they should and shouldn't do. It makes them feel better when they focus more attention on other peoples short comings than they do on our own.  It's interesting that Jesus said that the Pharisees taught the right things but just didn't live out themselves! The problem isn't what they taught as much as it was that they were unwilling or unable to live it out themselves but expected others to do it.  

The Pharisees pretended to be the perfect example on how to live out God's word but in reality they were hypocrites. They were just as much unable to live out the righteous requirements of the Law as anyone else.  

So, when you begin to preach one thing on how to live for God but you don't live it out yourself you're giving Satan a foothold to use you as His tool.

#2:  Demand Behaviors From Others Impossible To Live Out!

"They tie up heavy loads that are hard to carry and put them on people's shoulders, but they themselves aren't willing to lift a finger to move them." (v. 4 HCSB)

Do you love to tell others how they should live their lives?  Do you find yourself coming up with elaborate plans for how others should conduct their Christian life? Do the plans you have for living the Christian life tend to be more than what Christ expects? Do you put your religious traditions equal to what the Bible actually teaches? 

If so, then maybe you are being used by Satan.

 #3:  Do Religious Activities Just To Be Seen By People!

"They do everything to be observed by others; They enlarge their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels." (v. 5 HCSB)

This verse goes to the very heart and motivation for why Christians do the religious things they do.  What's your motivation for teaching a Bible study class? Why are you wanting to become a deacon, pastor or missionary? Why do you dress the way you do when you go to church? Why do you pray the way you do when you pray in public?  

Could it be that these things, as well as others, are done in the way you do them just to be seen by other people?  Could it be that you are more interested in being noticed by others than you are by God?  

When we begin to do things in order to stand out in the eyes of people we maybe giving Satan a foothold to using us.

#4:  Seek To Be Honored And Praised By Men!

"They love the place of honor at banquets, the front seats in the synagogues, greetings in the marketplaces, and to be called 'Rabbi' by people." (v. 6,7 HCSB)

Are you always looking to get verbal recognitions or acknowledgements for the things that you have done in the church?  Do you expect a "Thank You" before the congregation when you do something in service for the church? Do you get your feelings hurt when your service to God goes unnoticed by others? 

If so, then you are positioning yourself to be used by the devil.