Over the past year I have been concentrating on understanding and sharing Whole Testament Theology, and while I still fervently believe that this is true and the best way to live life in obedient discipleship, I also earnestly believe that what Messiah said in John 14:21 is also equally true. Almighty God will reveal and manifest Himself to us, WHEN we have and keep Christ's Commandments and do them. So if we want to understand God and His Word better, then one very good place to start is by first learning and obeying what Christ commanded.
The Huge Need for Biblical Discipleship
According to a mid-2007 Christianity Today article "five kinds of Christians," a full 90% of Americans claim to be Christians. At first glance, this seems very encouraging until you learn that very few people understand what being a Christian means. The article goes on to explain in detail the shocking reality. The fact is that only about 39% of respondents based their beliefs and practice according to true Biblical Christianity. A full 61% of respondents did not understand that their salvation came through what Jesus Christ accomplished through his life death and resurrection. I said all that for this reason. We live in a culture that is constantly drilling into our heads the false ideology that you can believe anything you want and practically do anything you want and still be "good." We live in a culture that absolutely insists on removing all moral absolutes from the public debate. As a result, we are being indoctrinated from cradle to grave to believe that every ideology and practice is equally good and equally valuable. This is the great deception of our age. True Godliness must be defined in a manner that God Himself defines it. True Christianity must be defined as Christ Himself defines it. What the survey clearly demonstrates was that almost two thirds of people who call themselves Christians had no clue what being Christian really means. Only 39% of total respondents believe and behaved in any of these ways to any degree whatsoever.
• Believe salvation comes through Jesus Christ
• Committed to Bible fellowships
• Bible readers
• Accept leadership positions
• Invest in personal faith development through the church
• Feel obligated to share their faith.
(Various classifications of biblical Christians did these things to greater or lesser degrees depending on the group classification). For example in one group 79% of a particular classification actively share their faith while other biblical Christians did so less, but they still believe and practice this. However, only 39% of the total respondents believed and behaved in the ways listed. This is closest to biblical Christianity. The survey goes on to show that a full 45% had no Christ centered or biblical bases for their faith or practice whatsoever, while 16% would be considered marginal by any biblical standard. Yet these respondents still identify themselves as Christians.
Does this kind of stuff really matter, and if so why? The answer is yes it matters. Why? It matters because words mean things. Words create ideas and ideas inspire behaviors, and behaviors create habits and habits create character and character creates legacies for future generations. Words and ideas are the seeds of legacies, and legacies will either create prosperity or devastation for societies. What we believe matters, even in ways not yet imagined by humankind.
I felt that God has laid it on my heart to write a manual of discipleship. The ideas had been prayerfully stewing in my being for many years. It's articles and statistics like the ones mentioned above which confirm in my mind that I was meant to write. As I was writing, God was reminding me of a lot of good things which I had learned and studied through his word, but I was being alerted that something very fundamental was missing. He brought me back to one of the foundation pillars for discipleship which is found in Matthew 28:19-20:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,Go - This means that we are to transport ourselves from one location to the other
and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20 (NRSV)
Let's take a look at the key commands in this passage.
Make disciples - This means that in whatever location we find ourselves, our mission is to "MAKE disciples." Discipleship doesn't happen automatically either by being born into a religion, nor does discipleship happen automatically by virtue of becoming a born-again Christian. It's not automatic. Disciples are made not born.
Baptizing them in the name [more in, or under the authority] of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit- This portion of the passage tells us that we are to baptize those who believe the message of the Gospel and it tells how we are to baptize them.
Teaching them to obey all things that I have commanded you - Did you catch this? We are to MAKE disciples and to TEACH them to OBSERVE and OBEY EVERYTHING that Jesus commanded. Did you notice that Messiah did not say teach them some of the things I commanded? Did you notice that Messiah did NOT say to teach them how to pick and choose which of my Commandments they will honor and obey according to what they prefer and what seems most suitable to their lives? On the contrary, Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God, Whom we claim to believe as our Savior, Whom we claim to love and pledge to follow as our Lord, to the glory of Almighty God the Father, the Messiah specifically required that we teach people to obey EVERYTHING which He has commanded.
Beloved, if we are not making a special point to teach EVERYTHING that Christ Commanded, and how to obey Him then we are NOT truly making disciples, as Christ defines the term. What's more, when we do not teach people how to obey everything that Christ Commanded, then we are actively DISOBEYING Jesus Christ, Whom we claim to love as our Lord and Savior. Teaching people to UNDERSTAND and TO OBEY EVERYTHING that Jesus Christ COMMANDED is NOT an option, it's the MINIMUM REQUIREMENT for disciple making, inasmuch as Jesus Christ Himself has defined the lesson plan!
That means that any person I'm teaching to become a disciple of Jesus Christ must know what Jesus said, what Jesus taught, what Jesus did; and they must have some rudimentary understanding of how to apply Christ's Commands into practical everyday life. If That's not happening then we're not truly making disciples. It's as simple as that. With these fundamental principles in mind, I want is to look at the commands Jesus Christ Himself gave. I also want us to look at some of the fundamental ways that we can implement what Jesus commanded into practical everyday life. As you grow in your walk of faith, God will give you more and deeper understanding, but I want us to observe some of the basic rudimentary applications of Christ's commands so that we at least have a good starting point in obeying what Christ commanded.
God willing, and by His Grace, each of the future lessons in this blog will regularly answer three questions
1. What did Yeshua the Messiah Command? As long as Almighty God provides us time, we will look at what were Messiah's imperative Commands throughout the Scriptures?
2. What are the vital principles (or functional dynamics) behind each Command? In other words, what vital things do I need to understand that will help me to develop the mindsets, attitudes and understanding that will help me not only to obey the letter of the Command, but the true spirit behind it as well.
3. What practical steps can I take to begin obeying this Command of God and Jesus Christ? Since we are to teach people how to obey everything that Jesus Christ Commanded, then no attempts to obey this command would be complete without some form of practical advice on how to put His Commands and Guiding Principles into practical physical everyday use. These roadmaps and suggestions will not lay out every detail of every unique decision that you will face of course, but if we do a good job of clearly identifying the commands and the functioning dynamics behind them, then these pieces of practical advice should give you a great springboard so that you can preferably making carry out your own action plans according to how God leads you by His Word in the Holy Spirit.
Anyway, God willing, that is the future vision for the next phase of this blog. I hope you will join me.
Brother Michel Lankford
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