Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

Matthew

We All Make Disciples

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The parting command of Jesus, what is often known as “The Great Commission” (Matthew 28:19-20), was to make disciples. Done correctly, we all make disciples who then go on to make other disciples who go out and make more disciples. This is the organic way that the church, and ultimately the message of Jesus, was designed to be spread throughout the world.

make disciples,Matthew 28:10-20,the great commission,discipleship,francis chan,david platt,mission

image © igor

If we don’t make disciples who will make other disciples, then the beautiful message of Jesus gets muted and the people who most need to hear the truth might never encounter it. So it’s troubling how so many people pray a prayer to accept Jesus and never do anything beyond that. The truth is we all make disciples every day. The only question is what kind of disciples we are creating.
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The Rich Young Ruler Revisited

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I have always been drawn to the story of the rich young ruler found in three of the four gospels (Matthew 19:16-22, Mark 10:17-22, Luke 18:18-23). I love the black and white of it (or so it would seem). I love the way it lays down the gauntlet and demands everything from us in exchange for Jesus.

rich young ruler,Matthew 5:40,Matthew 8:20,Luke 18:18-23,Matthew 19:16-22,Mark 10:17-22,Acts 2:44-47,Acts 16:14-15,Matthew 27:57,Philippians 3:7-9,commitment

image © vladimirfloyd

So much has been written about this story already. Yet still I keep coming back to it. What does it mean to you and me and the lives we lead on a daily basis? How does it apply to those who profess to follow Christ 2,000 years after He walked on this very earth?
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Truth

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Truth; what is truth? Perhaps more importantly, why should we care? Wouldn’t it be easier if we all just went our own way doing whatever seemed best to us? Wouldn’t life be more fun and enjoyable without the pesky notion of truth getting in the way and demanding a response from us? But then again, most of us live as this is the case. We hide the truth because uncovered it convicts us.

truth,love,God's character,sheep and the goats,matthew 25:31-46,love the Lord your God,Johgn 14:15,if you love me obey my commands,Luke 10:25-28

image © Mark Carrel

We distort it because otherwise it is too piercing and painful. Worse still, we know it, acknowledge it, but have the audacity to ignore it. The truth is we don’t want to live by the truth because we’d rather believe a lie.
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Master of Distraction

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For Christ followers, I am convinced that the source of all our discouragement, frustration, and depression is the result of taking our focus off of Jesus. As soon as we revert to our selfish nature, looking at ourselves instead of Him, everything starts to go a bit haywire. Each of us has been uniquely designed by God. We have all been given talents, skills, and passions to use to further His Kingdom. When we begin to live in ways that are not consistent with whom we were created to be, we slip and wander.

master of distraction,focus,Matthew 11:30,love the Lord your God,my yoke is easy

image © Marc Xavier

Satan does everything he can to cause this to happen. He tempts us with visions of a better, safer, or easier life. He entices us to fill our lives with things other than Christ. He is the master of distraction, and if we give in to his lies, we will find ourselves frustrated, discouraged, and perhaps even sinking into the depths of depression.
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Imitating Jesus

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The goal of every Christ follower is to live as He did. When others look at us, there should be no doubt that we are imitating Jesus. While I don’t have the data to back it up, I’m confident most people who are truly passionate about Jesus would agree with that. I am just as confident that most of us have no idea what that really means.

imitating Jesus,mission,mission of Jesus,God's character,the truth about God,commitment,discipleship,Matthew 8:20

image © Christin Lola – Fotolia

I know that because if we did, we wouldn’t be confusing Christianity with the American dream.  Do you really want to know what it looks like to imitate Jesus? It’s all right there in the New Testament of the Bible.
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