Alter Call

  
  Brothers and sisters, God has shown you his mercy. So I am asking you to offer up your bodies to him while you are still alive. Your bodies are a holy sacrifice that is pleasing to God. When you offer your bodies to God, you are worshiping him. (Romans 12:1)

Step 1: Build an alter to God.

Step 2: Put your life on it.

Step 3: Wait and see what God does with it.

  We are a part of something so large, so awesome, as we follow Jesus. Sometimes it's hard to comprehend the full magnitude of what we have signed up for when we asked Jesus into our hearts. It's enough though to realize that we are apart of something large and awesome and that God's hand is guiding it all. We can take comfort that our lives lived, offered up to him as a living sacrifice, is all we need to do to be a part of this miraculous adventure that Jesus leads us in.
  As we take God's love that He's given us, and share it with the world, we can rejoice that the largeness and awesomeness of God is being revealed through us.
  Wow! A kind word, a giving act and there is God in our midst. And these are no small miracles. There are no small miracles. A hand held out to help is as powerful as a hand held out to heal if it is done from a heart of love.
  So as we step out today, take God's love into the world and give it as extravagantly as he did toward us. Let the world see what God is doing with your life. In so doing we invite others to experience the miraculous adventure of living in God's kingdom. 

Called to Discipleship

What is a disciple

  By definition a disciple is a student who intentionally follows their teacher, listening and learning from their instruction. In the new Testament we not only see the disciples of Jesus, there is mention of John the Baptist's disciples and disciples of the Pharisees.

  Jesus focused much of his teachings on what it meant to be His disciple. He expected his disciple to follow purposefully and with an awareness of the commitment He was demanding before they made a decision to follow. For example in Luke 14:26-33 He says:

²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

   ²⁸ “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? ²⁹ For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, ³⁰ saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

   ³¹ “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³² If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. ³³ In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. (NIV)

  

  Jesus expects His disciples to be committed to him and His teachings. We, as His Church; His congregation of disciples, also need to teach the importance a total commitment to Jesus and His commands. But more importantly that commitment needs to be exemplified in our lives. We need to live like the disciples we are called to be.

"Go, make disciples..."

  Some people view discipleship as something separate from evangelism when in truth they are inseparable. When you have the opportunity explain the Gospel to someone you say "This what Jesus did for me, this is why Jesus did this for me, this is how Jesus did this for me, and this is what Jesus is doing in my life now."

  We make disciples by being disciples. When we talk about Jesus and all He's done for us and is doing in our lives we need to show that following Jesus is truly the most important and meaningful journey anyone can ever make. Our testimony for Jesus should be totally immersed, baptized as it were, in his teachings


John 14:15,21,23

¹⁵ “If you love me, keep my commands."

²¹ "Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me."

²³ Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them."


Matthew 22:37-39-  37 “Jesus replied, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself." 
Matthew 5:43-48- 43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 ’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? 47 And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

The Way of Love

Tom Robbins wrote in "Jitterbug Perfume" that "the highest function of love is that the loved one becomes a unique and irreplaceable being". And while the context of  the book deals with the love between men and women is it not also true of God's love for us. That while we are trapped in our sin nature; unlovable, God expressed an unfathomable love for us. We are unique and irreplaceable in his eyes.

This love that God expressed toward us, this grace, is unearned and undeserved. It is not given because of anything we have done. So if we receive it, accept it, should not our lives be changed?  "This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did" (1 John 2:5,6) "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is, his good, pleasing and perfect will." (Romans 12:2). Our lives are to be expressions of the love God has shown us.  "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy - think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you." (Philipians 4:8-9).

Jesus calls us to a way of life, not an adherence to the bondage of a strict belief system. He calls us to experience the Kingdom of God in our daily lives by copying his life and the love and compassion he offers. The evidence that we walk with Jesus is that we demonstrate his humility, love, acceptance and forgiveness towards others at all times, never reacting in a condemning and condescending way.

Unfortunately the largest misrepresentation of what Jesus teaches comes from those most prominent in the public eye. Too many people use the name of Jesus to forward their own selfish agendas. Preachers and politicians using modern media to spread the "Word" but in truth only spreading mistrust,t division,and hate; using the power they garner to feed their own greed and lust. All they do is widen the gap between the camps they have chosen to define as"Us and Them" Them" are usually painted as an enemy.

Jesus teaches us to love our enemies. If we love our enemy, are they still our enemy? The way of love that Jesus guides us to is to be a way of life; a way of  life that becomes a sacred expression of our worship of him. We will find it hard to lift a hand in anger toward someone when our holy hands are lifted in praise.