The last two Sunday morning messages (May 27 & June 3, 2007) , I began with this joyous declaration: Heaven is open and God is accessible! I also identified the call Jesus makes to every person in this place right now. Since He continues to extend that call today, I want to continue to keep it before you. He calls to you in four parts:
1. Come and See. Simply dare to explore the Truth honestly and sincerely. The Truth is a Person, and He loves you very much! If you have not yet received Jesus Christ into your life, if you are confused or uncertain about what He is all about, He simply calls to say, “Come and see.” He is not going to ambush you and trick you into becoming a church member or working on a committee or keeping a bunch of rules. He is not going to turn you into the fanatical goofball most contemporary culture portrays us Christians to be. No, He simply invites you to “Come and see.”
2. Follow Me. When you see the Truth, Jesus shows you the Way – the Way people are saved, the only Way to God. Jesus invites you to step out onto the path and follow Him wherever He leads. Now, if you have answered the call to “Come and see,” and you have discovered how God loves you and wants the best for you, then Jesus extends to you a new call. He is calling to you today: “Follow Me.”
Throw away the safety nets. Step out by faith and follow. This invitation requires a deeper commitment. He invites you to trust Him, to depend upon His good will and His mighty power to bring hope and wholeness and healing to your life.
3. Remain in Me. When we answer the calls to “Come and see” and “Follow Me,” then Jesus calls, “Remain in Me.”
He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). Jesus invites you to find the keys to a full and meaningful life by learning to let Him live in you. He wants you to learn what it means to abide in Christ and for Christ to abide in you. He wants you to discover the peace and power and purposefulness that believers experience when they are at home in Jesus Christ and He is at home in their lives. He wants you to hear His voice, to commune with Him, to know His word, His will, and His way. He wants you to be trained to see Him at work all around you and to have Him fully-formed in you. Beware, beloved Baptists! Jesus Christ is calling you to dance with Him!
For the first 18-20 years or so of their lives, we want our children close to home where they can be safe and cared for and nurtured and prepared to lead godly, productive lives. Similarly, Jesus wants every believer to stay with Him and learn His passions, His purposes, and His power to transform us. God wants His children to see life the way He sees life and to govern our lives according to His perspective.
4. Go, Make Disciples. Finally, if you have received Jesus Christ for all He is, if you have set your foot on the path to follow Him and have dedicated yourself to remain in Him, Jesus says, “Go, make disciples.” In other words, He invites you to transfer what you have learned from Him into a lifelong, radical commitment to be a follower and learner of Jesus Christ who reproduces others of the same kind.
Someday, Donna and I want our children to give us grandchildren. (That day is still several years away!) Let me say, I want our kids to give us spiritual grandchildren as well as physical grandchildren. Of course, we hope and pray that their children will trust Jesus, but I also hope and pray that our five will lead other people to Christ – our spiritual grandchildren. I am also eager for the men I disciple to lead other men to Christ and begin to disciple them. Their disciples will be my spiritual grandchildren just as my disciples are an extension of the legacy entrusted to me by men like Ron Coppock and Herb Hodges.
This is God’s intent for each of us who have answered His call. He expects us to reproduce spiritually, to lead other people to salvation in Jesus Christ and grow them to mature, multiplying faith as well! Why is this so important? Because, beloved, Heaven is open and God is accessible!
To the ends of the earth until the end of time!
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