During this quarter, we have looked at the issue of discipleship. We have defined it as the act of following Jesus—the Master Teacher. It was our plan to peek over His shoulders and eavesdrop on the training He gave the original disciples to see what we can learn for contemporary disciple-ship. We have seen that discipleship involves following the Master and learning from Him. It is my hope that we have learned that Jesus is not satisfied with discipleship that prides itself in membership and is unconcerned about the assigned tasks of discipleship. Matthew 28 shows that Jesus not only commissioned disciples to be disciples but also to make other disciples. That is the ultimate goal of discipleship.
It is a privilege to be a disciple but God’s call isn't for privilege; with privilege goes responsibility. Every follower of Jesus therefore has the responsibility of making disciples. That is not the task of the pastor or the elders only; it is the responsibility of every member. To the extent, then, that we have been able to move members from pride in membership to love for and practice of discipleship to that extent the lessons have been successful. Where do you stand on this issue, friends? This gospel of the kingdom must be preached in all the world for the end to come. God has no one else to do it but us—his modern disciples. Will we disappoint Him or will we rise to the occasion and fulfill the mission? The choice is yours, my friend, but as for me, I will be about the mission God has assigned. So help me God!
Thursday, March 20, 2008
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2 comments:
Dr. Melbourne,
Please explain the following: We are saved by faith/ grace. Why then will Jesus, on His return, separate us based on the work we have done? Are we being asked to work for our salvation? Is this a contradiction? Actually, I don't believe it is a contradiction, but how do you explain it to someone?
Thanks.
In Ephesian 2:8, Paul says we are saved by grace throught faith. He says salvation is not of ourselves but is the gift of God least any one should boast. What this says is that grace is God's part in the salvation process and faith is our response. The issue of the relationship betweem faith and works has been an agelong concern. Yet, Ehp 2:10 says, "we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works. . ." What this implies is that salvation prepares us for good works. What this means is that works do not save us but they demonstrate our salvation. Put another way, we do no perform good works to be saved--they can't save us, only Christ can--but because we are saved.
What this means is that we are not saved to enjoy salvation; we do not work to be saved but once we accept Jesus as our personal Savior from sin, then our gratitude is seen in the loving service we render to God. We do not work to be saved but we show our gratitude for salvation in the loving service we render. Now, if we say we love God and are grateful for salvation, but do not demonstrate these professions by our works of sevice, then our lack reveals our disconnection from the source of strength/salvation which will result in our loss as shown in the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matt 25. There is thus no contradiction.
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