ARE YOU SURE THAT YOU’RE OBEYING THE GREAT COMMISSION?

As Southern Baptists, we pride ourselves on having a solid biblical theology and obeying the Great Commission. However, so many times when I ask our own church members what the Great Commission is, I hear “go into all the world and preach the gospel.” While this is part of our Command, it is not the whole of the Great Commission. Here is the Great Commission:

And Jesus came to them and said, “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 observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

- Matthew 28:18-20

While you no doubt have heard this passage preached hundreds of time, it is the Great Imperative for those who claim to be “disciples,” or followers of Jesus, and therefore we would do well to pay great attention to it! In light of this, let’s look a little closer at this passage:

First of all, it is important to understand the grammar of verse nineteen. There are four verbs of importance here: “go,” “make disciples,” “baptizing,” & “teaching.” Because of popular marketing schemes and the structure of the verse in English, most people believe that the main verb here is “go.” This common mistake is detrimental to our understanding of the Great Commission. Let me explain why. The verbs “go,””baptizing,” and “teaching” are all participles of the main verb in this passage: “make disciples.”

If you hear the staff here at First Southern talking a lot about discipleship and making disciples, please know that there is a very good reason why we do. If you get tired of hearing it, don’t get mad at us, take it up with Jesus. He left this command as both His last words on this earth and as our job as his followers until He returns. I’m proud to be a part of a staff that is not concerned with tickling ears (II Timothy 4:3-4) and is concerned with obeying the command of Christ our Lord!

So why is it so important that we keep “make disciples” the main verb of the passage? Because the result is that we evangelize to make converts, but we don’t truly make disciples of the Lord.

Notice that the Great Commission is intrinsically self-replicating: The Command was given to disciples who were to make more disciples by “going,” “baptizing,” and “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” This is an exponential system! God’s design is the best possible.

My brother’s church has a great one-on-one discipleship ministry, and their philosophy is that you have not truly made a disciple (obeyed the Great Commission) until after your disciple has made a disciple! I believe it is time that we up the ante at First Southern and start asking ourselves tough questions and examining ourselves (II Corinthians 13:5) to see whether we are truly making disciples, whether we are obeying the Great Commission, and whether we are even disciples ourselves. Paul tells us that it is good and right to examine yourself often. Let it begin with us.

Pragmatic Theology -- Personal Holiness

Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

Hebrews 12:3-4

Our pastor recently mentioned in his sermon that “God cares more about your holiness than He does your happiness.” This may come as a shock to some of us. Many people believe that a loving Creator would want His creatures to be happy. Well, He does. God does desire each man, woman, boy, and girl to have real joy. What’s the problem, then?

True, lasting joy is not the same as temporary happiness.

Our idea of happiness is “in-the-moment” and finite. God’s idea of happiness is eternal. True, lasting joy comes from doing exactly what God created us to do: worship. God, being our Creator, made us this way. and He knows that that is best for us. The only way for us to fulfill this purpose in our lives is to be holy, as God is holy (Leviticus 19:2). We find this holiness through the joy of knowing Jesus.

God clearly states that He “is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9). This means that God wants you to know the joy of a relationship with Him by repenting of sin and trusting in Christ. Obviously, not everyone will come to know this joy, but for those who know Christ, joy and holiness go hand-in-hand.

We know that God cares so much about your personal holiness that He sent Christ to the cross for you. Jesus went to the point of death, even death on the cross because He wants you to be holy, as He is holy. This is how much Christ cares about your holiness. How much do you care about your own personal holiness? Is it to the point of “shedding your blood,” as the above passage mentions? Let us consider our own holiness, and be a penitent people before a holy God.

Pragmatic Theology -- Is Biblical Truth Being Taught in Your Church & Home?

This next article in this series of simply practical articles addresses biblical teaching.

It is absolutely crucial that we guard our hearts and minds from false truth and the vain philosophies of our generation (Colossians 2:8). If we do not “guard the deposit entrusted” to us, we will lose the next generation to “irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’” (I Timothy 6:20). Satan is on the prowl as a roaring lion (I Peter 5:8), and we had better not let any sheep stray or they will be picked off. Postmodernism, biblical liberalism, and legalism are some of the threats to a solid biblical theology and worldview that we face today. The truest and best method of fighting these false truths on the home-front is solid biblical teaching. There are two major battlefields on home soil if you will: our church and our homes.

Biblical teaching in the church:

Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored…

- II Thessalonians 3:1

A traveling evangelist recently showed up to our church on a Sunday morning and asked to speak in the morning worship service. Our pastor denied the gentleman this privilege. This may seem harsh to some, but standing in the pulpit and proclaiming a message to our congregation is not a light matter. We should always guard our pulpit with the utmost diligence. We are greatly blessed with a pastor who is very careful to preach biblical truth and only biblical truth from our pulpit. Just as much care must be taken when we place people in teaching positions in our flock. Sunday School and Bible Study teachers have a huge influence on each of us, and we cannot allow wolves in sheep clothing to be teaching our sheep. Perhaps we should put less effort and energy into pushing John to sing the songs we like and more effort into ensuring that the gospel is clearly preached and proclaimed through the songs, prayers, readings, and preaching each week!

If you teach, preach, or pray publicly, remember what an honor and privilege it is and stand in fear, as we will be judged with greater strictness (James 3:1).

Biblical teaching in the home:

My son, keep my words

and treasure up my commandments with you;

keep my commandments and live;

keep my teaching as the apple of your eye;

bind them on your fingers;

write them on the tablet of your heart.

- Proverbs 7:1-3

If you are a follower of Christ, you probably already know the Great Commission: to “make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:18-20), but you may not apply this command to every aspect of your life. As a qualifier, Christ followed up this command with Acts 1:8: “You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Yes, we are to make disciples of our friends, neighbors, countrymen, and even to the ends of the earth…but many times we miss the closest people to home…those who live in our homes! Our first and greatest task as mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, etc… is to ensure that the gospel is proclaimed in our homes and that solid biblical theology is taught in our homes.

But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

- Joshua 24:15

Pragmatic Theology -- The Quiet Time

Around the office, we joke about what to write in our newsletter articles. Some of us plan out our articles in series that we believe will be helpful to you, our church family. Some of us wait until the deadline, and then write about recent events or things that have been on our heart. I would like to finish out this year’s articles by writing on very practical issues in the Christian’s life. I will begin with the importance of a quiet time. Anyone who has been in Southern Baptist churches for any amount of time has heard a lot about how they should have a quiet time. Although this can be redundant and sometimes naggy…we are blessed to be in a denomination that emphasizes the importance of having a personal relationship with God.

Christianity is set apart from all the other world religions because it is centered on having a RELATIONSHIP with the Holy God! All other religions fall tremendously short because they do not solve the problem of sin and separation with God: they simply give a list of guidelines by which you earn your way to heaven.

Because Christianity is based on a relationship with God…we know how to “practice” our religion. We practice Christianity just like we develop any relationship…by communication. Since the beginning of time, God’s plan for His people is to have a relationship with them. From the garden where they walked with God in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8), to the wilderness where God dwelt among His people in the tabernacle (Exodus 40:34-35), to the last days in which we live where the curtain has been torn in two (Matthew 27:51) and WE ARE the temple of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us (I Corinthians 6:19-20), God desires a relationship with His Beloved.

And so, for us today, as always, there are two forms of communication with God: incoming and outgoing. With the nation of Israel, incoming communication from God was handled through prophets who delivered God’s messages, and outgoing communication to God was handled by priests who approached God on behalf of the nation. Today, God speaks to us (incoming) through His Word, and we speak to God (outgoing) through prayer. Both forms are approved and commanded by God for us today. This is why it is so important to have a time that you set aside each day to spend working on your relationship with God…i.e. a Quiet Time. All relationships take time and effort invested into communication and conversation…including our all-important relationship with God.

Some might say that having a specific block of time each day is too constraining and even legalistic. I would ask these people to read the accounts of great men and women of faith in the Bible and in our own, rich, Baptist history.

Developing your relationship with God MUST include both of these elements: Scripture intake (reading, studying, memorizing, & meditating) and Prayer. And what is more important when it comes to a conversation with God: talking or listening (of course…true study of God’s Word necessarily drives the redeemed to prayer)??

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.

- Psalm 119:9

Stockholm Syndrome

I found the fourth Lexington artifact!! Two free tickets for me! Question is...who will I take? If you have no idea what this means, sorry, I can't tell you: instruction number seven prohibits it.

Self-control

Hello Church Family,
This month I’d like to share with you what the Lord has been teaching me. Just recently, I have been burdened by the fact that I have longed for, prayed for, and sought after the virtue of self-control for my whole Christian life. Being disciplined is a great aspiration, but I have never felt that I have totally mastered the art of self-control. I believe this is true for most of us. We long to use our time more wisely for the glory of God, and yet we are pulled in so many directions that it is hard to remain faithful to a regimented schedule. We long to be good stewards of our minds and thoughts by only thinking on things that are true, honorable, just, pure (Philippians 4:8), yet our minds are so easily distracted by the things of this world.

If you study the fruit of self-control in Scripture (yep…it’s a fruit! See Galatians 5:22-23 & II Timothy 1:7), you will see that it is a very popular topic of the New Testament. Pastors, older men, younger men, women, yes all Christians are commanded to be self-controlled. Proverbs 25:28 says “A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.” So how do we become more disciplined people?

Paul says in I Corinthians 9:25, “Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.” Then again in I Timothy 4:7-8 he states, “train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

My encouragement is this: first, pray for God’s help. If self-control truly is a fruit of the Spirit, then you are going to need the Holy Spirit’s help.

Second, declare war on your sin. The fight for self-control in the Believer’s life is a fight against sin (remember, self-control is a command from God). Whether you are aware of it or not, there is a war going on in your body (Romans 7:23). Until we recognize that there is a battle going on and start fighting against sin, sin will continue to hold the front lines with temptation and evil thoughts.

I will leave you with this quote from my professor, Dr. Temple:

Our sensuality is the major battle supply line for our sinful struggle.

Fight the good fight,
Brian

Prayer Templates - Repentance

I find myself in need of repentance so often. Why I settle for the fleeting pleasures of sin when I have tasted the joy of knowing and savoring Christ, I don't know. But because I know that repentance is needed in all of our lives, I thought this post might be helpful. I did not invent this strategy, saints throughout the ages have been using it to know how to repent before a holy, righteous Father. It is Psalm 32. I can't tell you how many times I have prayed through this Psalm as a means of confession and repentance. Here is the text (ESV):

Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity,
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long.
For day and night your hand was heavy upon me;
my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.
Selah

I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover my iniquity;
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,"
and you forgave the iniquity of my sin.
Selah

Therefore let everyone who is godly
offer prayer to you at a time when you may be found;
surely in the rush of great waters,
they shall not reach him.
You are a hiding place for me;
you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts of deliverance.
Selah

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Be not like a horse or a mule, without understanding,
which must be curbed with bit and bridle,
or it will not stay near you.

Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.
Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!

Freedom?!

Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God…
- I Peter 2:16

This verse is about our freedom in Christ. Freedom is an interesting topic. People have preached about it, sang about it, wept over it, lectured on it, given it, taken it, used it, abused it, prayed for it, lost it, found it, loved it, and died for it. So how should we as Believers view freedom? The Bible teaches that everyone is a slave to something:

…you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness…
- Romans 6:16b

This is the same passage that tells us that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). But it also tells us that if you have trusted Christ as your Savior, “you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God.” When we were slaves to sin, the result was hell and damnation. Now that we are slaves to God, the result is sanctification and eternal life (Romans 6:22). So what does this mean for us? We should recognize that we, as humans, cannot be left to our own devices to do whatever we think right (Proverbs 21:2). We must entrust ourselves to God our Maker who knows what is best for us.

For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.
- Romans 6:19b

When we do this, we understand that slavery to God is freedom. Freedom is not the ability to choose between good and evil. True freedom is to be set free from slavery to sin and set free to do what is pleasing in the sight of God.

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
- John 8:36

Know this and live.