What are we called to do?

As a Christian I'm often asked what it is I do, and why is it I do it. Well when people ask that question they have no idea how simplistic the answer really is going to be. They think they're going to get some long drawn out theologically challenging answer, when really it's quite simple. I make disciples because Jesus told me to.

Now some of you may ask "Now really Jesus called down from Heaven and told you to make disciples?", and to you I say yes! Yes He called down to me and told me to go!! It wasn't a question like "Hey James, I was wondering if you could possibly spend your life making disciples and sharing my story, can you?" it was a command to go! It was a command to never stop going and never stop multiplying the Kingdom of Heaven. It was a command to die to myself and live for Christ.

The Gospel of Matthew tells us in the twenty-eighth chapter starting in verse sixteen and continuing on through the end of the chapter " Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, “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.”. Do you see that? It's not a request, it's not an invoice, it's not a meek man asking for the minimalistic things in life. It's the LORD of Heaven and Earth demanding and commanding us to GO and make DISCIPLES of ALL NATIONS. It doesn't just say make disciples in America where you are comfy or in your hometown or in your secluded little church groups. He tells us to GO to the nations and teach them all that He taught us. Now this doesn't mean drop everything and move overseas(although I know some people who've done just that and they are doing amazing things for Christ), but what it means is don't live a sedentary semi-Christ following life. It means do something with your life and disciple someone, anyone who will listen to the Word of God and teach them how to disciple others and multiply the Church body. Some of you who read this may feel like God is calling you to be pastors, youth pastors, music ministers, women's ministry leaders, or just laypeople, but my question to you remains the same. What are you doing? What are we all called to do? We are called to make disciples plain and simple.

Now some of you out there may say well what about you James? What about all this nonsense of church planting? Well first off it's not nonsense and second of all discipleship and furthering the Gospel is the entire theme of the book of Acts and they did it by planting churches and multiplying the Church body through discipleship. Planting churches is key to furthering the Gospel message across the globe. Thousands of people each year give up their normal lives and jobs and pack up and move to a new city, state, country all for the sole purpose of planting a church where there wasn't one before and preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ where it's barely been whispered of before. I am one of those people whom I believe God has called up from the local Church body to go and do as such. This fall I will be starting my one-year internship with the North American Mission Board in conjuncture with Cross Church Springdale on church planting and by the end of the year long internship I will be sent out to plant a church where Jesus Christ is much needed. Where will I go you ask? Well even I don't know that, what I do know is that God already is preparing the hearts and souls of those that I will witness too and the community in which I will plant one of His churches. Notice I didn't say I'm going to start a church, because there was one already started over two-thousand years ago by a carpenter from Galilee and his name is Jesus. I only make that point because so many times I hear stories of people saying "oh you've started a church" or "so what kind of church are you starting?", and frankly I'm at the point where I want to shout it out "JESUS STARTED IT I'M JUST PLANTING A BRANCH CAMPUS!!!". That's pretty much all I'm doing anyway, I'm planting a branch campus of the Church of Jesus Christ here on Earth. As Louie Giglio puts it "It's a Jesus church, nothing more and nothing less, I preach Jesus". 

So what are we called to do? We're called to GO! What are you doing about it?

God Bless,

James

All scripture is taken from the English Standard Version (ESV) published by Crossway