Friday, February 15, 2013

Discipleship - IX

Two, there was a tremendous passion for Jesus.

We all know people who seem to drip Jesus from their pores. They exhale Jesus. They give positive testimony to in Jesus in a natural, unforced, unembarrassed, non-cheesy way. While the rest of us stumble, fall on our faces and cannot move our tongues in any sort of coherent, understandable manner. Yet, one does not need  to read the New Testament too long before one realizes every follower of Jesus should proclaim Jesus, and it should flow out of a heart filled by Jesus.

In the first church, the difference resided in the heart. People had just had their world turned upside down by  the resurrection of Jesus. This personal revolution made speaking about Jesus a natural, obvious part of a person's life.

Training and evangelism programs can make positive additions to the church's ability to impact the world with the gospel. But the world will really be impacted forthe gospel by lives that have undergone a Jesus revolution.

Many churches realize this, but attempt to start the fire by meetings and speakers that supercharge the emotions. Human beings cannot sustain or continue to exist on supercharged emotions. This does not mean that emotions are wrong per se. The revolution must be continued on the deeper levels of the heart and spirit. And it is the Word and the Holy Spirit that works in these areas.

So, the question becomes, not what can we do to work ourselves into a frenzy, but how can we cooperate with God in changing our hearts?

I recently read a book where the writer wrestled with the question. His suggestion was to meet in very small groups, where people can be very open, honest and vulnerable about their spiritual walk, discuss the scripture they read (after repetitive reading of large amounts of scripture) and praying together for needs, but especially for people without a relationship with Jesus

No comments: