REALITY CHECK 1

 

Bruce Chant

PULSE / generation-j

19 April 2002

 

 

What is Christianity all about?

-          Private beliefs

-          Attending

-          Certain appearance?

Revelation 2-3  -  7 churches – “I know your deeds” not your heart.

Faith without works is dead. There is DOING involved in activating your faith.

It is Christian LIVING not being.

 

Jesus calls this… Being a disciple. And he commands it of each of us.

It isn’t easy – like walking the aisle – but it is necessary to be obedient, truthful, faithful to the gospel and effective in a world that is tired of comfortable hypocritical Christians.

 

We are launching into a program called “MAKE ONE DISCIPLE” – we want to see everyone committed to the goal of make one disciple in 2002 (256 days left).

 

So what is a disciple and what did Jesus Do with His Disciples?  (Luke Ch 9)

 

1.       Jesus sent them out.

Luke 9
1 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases,
2 and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.

Jesus sent them out with a purpose – this was active, hard core evangelism. It was directed at people who didn’t yet believe.

 

He sent them with POWER and AUTHORITY – do you realize you have it?

Our faith is supernatural – revival – something big coming that will blow your mind.

 

John Warwick article on revival – define and explain ; more prayer etc

Not so much a sovereign move of God where we pray and hope – although something massive is coming.

Revival is “to bring back to life” ie it starts in the church, in your life, the flames get brighter and stronger. It starts with YOU.

“if you confess you are in revival and live as if you are in revival, then surely you are in revival. A person in revival or on fire will pray more, praise and worship more, witness more, liver cleaner more, give more, meet with other Christians more. Do this and you are in revival. Too simple? Or maybe the cost is too great.”

 

2.       No Distractions.

Luke 9
3 He told them: "Take nothing for the journey--no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic.

Jesus told them to get rid of distractions. Why? He knew they would get in the way!

E.g. Freeway when someone breaks down – everyone is distracted.

 

What we do is the opposite to what Jesus commanded. We get distracted from living the gospel by every other thing – and they fill our life.

 

Distractions are an excuse to under-perform. E.g. Cricket – wait I got a fly in my eye – so you didn’t get given out.

Don’t be distracted by issues like relationships, gossip, other pursuits, other time fillers, other idols/gods.  People can quote to me ad nauseum lines from movies and tv shows but can’t quote a single bible verse. Umm, distraction!

 

Eg Work – I committed work to God this year – changed my attitude – because it was a distraction – my testimony of God’s goodness is a promotion. Distractions will take you away from the purpose God sent you – to be a disciple, preach, heal, pray, proclaim and MAKE 1 DISCIPLE and then bring back a testimony of God.

 

Distracted people are useless – Christians are no different. Distracted people are losers – they allow the unimportant and the unnecessary to derail them from their life’s goal – they never get there.

 

3.       Their Identities were in Christ.

Luke 9
11 but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing.

Crowds were flocking to get a feed but the kingdom of God was what still came through. It was the same Jesus and disciples feeding and chatting to people as they were healing people.

 

Don’t segmentize your “Christianity”. You are just a Christian picking your nose as you are reading the bible. 

We are taught that spirituality is something you fit in your schedule (a Palm of course) in between a visit to DOME and the gym. That is not true.

 

We list the areas of our life : physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. But spirituality is not on that list but at the centre of the other three. It is the source of our physical, mental and emotional output.

 

“Try an be spiritual. Ready?, go!”

Trying to be spiritual away from the rest of our life is like trying to be a really good driver without ever going down the road. We get in and study the steering wheel and gauges, then we get out of the car and start walking down the road. It is in the living out of our lives that our spirituality can be exercised.

The counter action to this is not to live in one large church service – with christian this and christian that – “no secular “goat’s” milk for me today!” – “look at Him mum he drives a pagan car” / “our “sanctified motors vehicle is much holier!”. Why? Because it is easier than fighting spiritual battles a million times a day.

 

But what does Jesus require a disciple to do? Be a Christian all the time – when it easy AND when it is hard.

 

 

Finally.

Pray for REVIVAL – to bring back to life.

Pray more worship more, witness more, love more, live more, fellowship more, testify more because god is doing something in your life more and more and more.

PRAY: Make One Disciple.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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