THE MAIN THING?
JESUS TEACHES and THE BIBLE TEACHES
To become a Christian, you must repent (change your ways of thinking).
To become a Christian, you must confess Jesus and be saved.
As a Christian, you must be a disciple of Jesus.
As a Christian, you must go and make disciples for Jesus.
As a Christian, you have a spiritual gift from the Holy Spirit, and you are to use that gift to serve and build up the church.
Spiritual gifts, (charismata) are an endowment or extraordinary powers given by the Holy Spirit.
These supernatural graces, are given to individual Christians by the Holy Spirit with the purpose of building up the Body of Christ which is The Church and are needed to fulfill the mission of the Church. Spiritual Gifts enable Christians to serve the Lord and His Church.
Two important Truths have been lost over time, and this loss is rendering God’s Church as less effective in Her mission and, is in fact, soiling His Bride:
Truth #1. Many in the Church have become grossly “self-serving”.
It is through Spiritual Gifts that God empowers and enables us to serve Him and to serve His Church, which is His Body. We are, as Christians, to serve the Lord and His Church.
Jesus, Himself, said, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.”
That is our calling also. We are not here to be served, but we are here to serve.
Truth #2. You and I are The Body of Christ, that is, we are “The Church”.
We have become accustomed, over the last two millennia (beginning with Constantine) with the idea that we ‘go to church’, but that is impossible in God’s Kingdom and in His economy because we are The Church (see ‘The False Church Emerges’).
Jesus created His Church, His Body, and made it so the whole Body fits together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.
The Holy Spirit guides us, convict us, defends us and empowers us.
Jesus transformed the practice and attitude of ‘going to church’. He also teaches about not allowing external things to convict or to defend us. We are to depend on and call upon the Holy Spirit for those things. Jesus has told us that His laws are now written upon our hearts and in our consciences.
We must BE the Body of Christ, that is, The Church, and be striving to behave as such – or you must realize that you simply are not following Jesus.
No matter what we say we believe or tell others, if we are not at least trying to serve Him through our obedience, we are not His follower. Yes, you are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus and called to serve. But, we don’t GO to church – we ARE God’s church, alive, active and on the move!
With this in mind, one of the first things Jesus’ said to His disciples was, “Repent”, Then, we are to go 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 Jesus has commanded you.
These foregoing things are the ‘main things’ taught by Jesus. How often does your pastor teach and demonstrate these things?
The final question is how often do you do what Jesus and the Bible teaches? I know you must be a good person, a nice person, a Christian person, but are you doing what Jesus and the Bible teaches or what your denomination, preacher and church teaches, and are they one-and-the-same?
“OUR PASTOR TEACHES and OUR DENOMINATION TEACHES”
Your pastor probably teaches the Bible. There is a way to tell for certain. First, answer these questions:
Question #1: And when Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him…then, in Matthew 21:28-30, Jesus asks, “What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?”
Question #2: Are you practicing, (that is doing), what Jesus and the Bible teach or are you practicing the culture, doctrines and practices of your pastor and your denomination?
Question #3: Next, tell me how you and your church members practice what is taught in the Bible? For example, tell me about the ‘normal year’ in your church.
You go to services on Sunday (and/or another day or evening)?
You have Sunday school classes?
You have special holiday services?
You have mission trips for the laity?
You have special speakers (evangelists, etc.) or special singing groups at your church?
You visit those who visited your church?
You give offerings and tithes?
(Now, please, find each of the foregoing items in the Bible being taught as ‘The Main Things’ Jesus commanded us to be doing. If you cannot…….).
Question #4: Finally, what is/are your spiritual gift(s)? And, how, when and how often do you use them? (This is THE critical question in this process).
Not all of us have the spiritual gift of evangelism or teacher or that of a pastor, but we all have spiritual gifts, and we GO and make disciples, teaching them under the power and direction of the Holy Spirit through our spiritual gifts. We are enabled by the Holy Spirit through His spiritual gifts to us to fulfill our role in the Great Commission.
(If you do not know or do not have a Spiritual Gift………..?)
We, the Church, are fitted together through these Gifts to serve and go 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 Jesus has commanded you.
Here is a list of the Gifts which God gives His Body. See if you can find which gift or gifts are yours. Can you imagine how different things would be in The Church and the world around us if we engaged and used these Gifts, daily?
Romans 12 1 Corinthians Corinthians 12 Ephesians 4
Prophecy Word of wisdom Apostle Apostle
Serving Word of knowledge Prophet Prophet
Teaching Faith Teacher Evangelist
Exhortation Gifts of healing Miracles Pastor
Giving Miracles Kinds of healing Teacher
Overseer Prophecy Helps
Mercy Distinguishing spirits Administration
Tongues Tongues
Interpretation of tongues
(Again, we were not given these gifts to serve ourselves, but to serve God, His Church and complete His Mission.)
Each person uses his or her Spiritual Gift(s) to lead others to Christ, and to teach them what He has taught to you.
Now, in answer to the question “who did their father’s will, “They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.”
Let’s pray for one another that we not be found lacking on that day.
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young
Whitestone Fellowship 