Tag: Sending

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Sending Disciples. (John 1:35-37)

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; (36) And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! (37) And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. (John 1:35-37)

Explanation

In verse 35 and 36 you get a setting.  The when and the who are in view here.  John the Baptist, two of his disciples, and Jesus.  You also see John saying the same message again.  What is John’s message? “Behold the Lamb of God”.  

Here you see the disciples of become the disciples of Jesus. How?  

The testimony of John is a part of it. “Behold”….Look at… There he is… See… Come and see…

This is the “lamb of God”.  

It was the message of John’s life.  “Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world.”

You see We learned that at the Passover, God gave instruction through Moses about the sacrificing of a lamb.

“Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats:” (Exodus 12:5)

In Leviticus we learned about the day of atonement, and how the priest would take two goats.  One would be slain as a sacrifice to God.  The other one would have the priest symbolically place the sins of the people on it, and then would be driven into the wilderness.

When John said about Jesus that he was the lamb of God, the two disciples understood the symbolism at some level.  They understood him to be the Messiah.  They understood that he was going to deal with sin.

John’s message was “Behold”. See. Look! He experienced- Come and See. He influenced- Go and tell.

It’s interesting that John has made the effort to receive and make disciples. He had no doubt invested in these guys. 

Yet what it means to be a forerunner of the Messiah is that you understand that you are the lesser and he is the greater. That means that when John pointed his disciples to Jesus He could view their following of him as losing disciples, or as sending them.

The point of John’s life is to make much of the Messiah. This impacted his actions here.

Application:

If we are doing Christ’s mission, we are making disciples of him and not of ourselves. It’s not about making followers of us. It is about making followers of Him.

Response:

  1. What is your personal commitment to making and sending disciples of Jesus?
  2. Who can you point to Jesus today.

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Romans- Week 9- Day 5- Romans 10:14-15

On By Ben JenningsIn DevotionalLeave a comment

How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?  (15)  And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

Rom 10:14-15 

Explanation:

The best way to understand this particular passage is to take each question and just answer it.  Let’s try it:

“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed?”

They won’t call on someone that they don’t believe in. 

“and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?” 

They can’t.  If they don’t know about Jesus Christ and the gospel message they won’t call, and will not be saved.

“and how shall they hear without a preacher?  

The only way that they will hear about this saving message is if someone goes and proclaims the good news to them.

“(15)  And how shall they preach, except they be sent?”

Sending does not just include supporting vocational missionaries to go to places where they can share the gospel.  Of course, that is necessary and a necessary part of sending to foreign fields.  But in this context, sending involves everything involved in the discipleship process to get someone from being a babe in Christ to becoming a spirtual mature, reproducing disciple.  It doesn’t just involve financial preparation.  It also includes the spiritual, educational, and philosophical equipping that it takes to help someone grow in Christ.

Application:

Sharing the Gospel is necessary for evangelism to happen.  This may sound silly and fairly obvious.  Yet there is a “lifestyle evangelism” philosophy that taken to its extreme isn’t really evangelism.  The old addage, “preach the gospel, and if necessary use words” tries to make the point that our life should match our message.  Our lives should be a witness in our behavoir and reputation, but preaching the gospel always includes words.  It is a message that must be heard, and therefore must be proclaimed.

All evangelism should point people to life-long discipleship.  All discipleship should send people out for more evangelism and discipleship making.  The goal of disciple making is sending!

Response:

Where are you right now in the disciplemaking process?

  • Are you a believer?
  • Are you growing in your walk with the Lord as a disciple of Jesus Christ?
  • Are you someone who proclaims the gospel?
  • Are you helping others grow so that they can be sent to do the same thing?
  • Who do you need to share the Gospel with today?