(Written by Dr. Kip Wehrman 08/19/2022)
Hello my friends. Thanks for joining me @ the PUNLA coffee table.
I tilted this a call to action. As Christians, what does it mean to be called into action. Well we typically say, be a missionary or preacher, right? Truth is every preacher is really also a missionary. So, who is a missionary? (use mirror object lesson) I have brought an amazing discernment device. It can find missionaries anywhere. (hold up mirror) You guessed it, it is a mirror. When you hold it up and look into it, you see a missionary. If you call yourself a Christian, you are a missionary.
Many of you know me. I grew up here in town. My personal story has many ups and downs. I’ve fallen away from my faith and found it again. But that story is really for another time. But last year, during the height of the COVID pandemic. I got sick and nearly died. For a week, I faded in and out of consciousness. I was just drifting away. During that time when I was physically out of it. I was barely breathing with many liters of oxygen blowing in my face. But, I was mentally and spiritually a wake in my mind. I had many amazing conversations with my Lord Jesus in my head. I was ready to die. I was longing to die. But God said not yet. Jesus still had work for me to do here. So, I’ve been given a job to do before I get to graduate to be with Jesus. And I will do it as long as God wills me to do it. Then I’ll go to be with Him which will be way better.
The most amazing part of that experience was the incredible peace and assurance I felt. You don’t have to fear death. If you are a follower of king Jesus, it is going to be great. God gave me an amazing gift which was evidence that I had truly surrendered everything in my life to Him. I belong to Jesus. He is in control, not me. I try to do whatever He wills me to do and I don’t have to worry about the outcomes. I don’t have to worry about anything. This is a truly an abundant satisfying life.
The key for me was my prayer to Know God. And over time God revealed Himself to me in ways I would never have believed. And now every moment of every day, I’m on God’s mission not my own. I’ve been blessed to see glimpses of the kingdom of God. I’ve experienced miracles, I’ve even had some encounters which can only be explained as angels. I’m not special, I just noticed the amazing things God is doing all around us. All around you. Don’t miss it.
But I’m sure you are asking yourself, Why are we supposed to be on Mission? Well, Jesus told us over and over again in the Bible. Here is an example from John 15:1-18 (NAS) 1“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. 3You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. 5I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. 6If anyone does not remain in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7If you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. 9Just as the Father has loved Me, I also have loved you; remain in My love. 10If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love. 11These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. 12“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. 13Greater love has no one than this, that a person will lay down his life for his friends. 14You are My friends if you do what I command you. 15No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. 16You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. 17This I command you, that you love one another.
We are true followers of Jesus when we love others the way Jesus loves them. We do what Jesus has command that we do. We abide or remain in Him and we bear fruit in the name of Jesus. So what is the mission. Love others. But what is our purpose in this. The Great Commission of course. Matthew 28:16-20 16But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated to them. 17And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. 18And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. 19Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
What does this really mean. We live our lives as a testimony to Jesus. We serve others in our community, in our state, in our country and around the world in the name of Jesus our Lord. Service is doing for others without any expectation of getting something in return. We follow our king, King Jesus. But let me be really clear. You cannot follow someone by thinking about it. You don’t follow someone by talking about it. The only way to follow is to actually follow. That means doing what the leader says, This means loving others like Jesus does. Like Jesus showed us how to in the Bible. Sacrificially serving others. We look them in the eyes and serve them. Our faith in Jesus is evidenced by the actions we do. Think of it this way. If you say you will follow me down to the restaurant for lunch. But you never actually go to the restaurant, then you never really followed me did you.
Another way to think about this is this. Okay you have committed to follow Jesus but what does it cost. Okay let’s look at it. What is the price. Jesus asks for all of it. What do you have. Well I have $20 in my billfold. Okay give it to Jesus. Oh yeah, give him the billfold with the credit cards and driver’s license also. Oh yeah you have a driver’s license you must have a car. Yeah, that belongs to Jesus too. You have the keys, hand them over. Oh I see other keys, to a house maybe. Yes, that’s belongs to Jesus too. You have pictures of your family in your billfold. Oh yes, they belong to Jesus too. You have bank accounts, property, etc. Yes, you have to give it all to Jesus. Your kids, your wife or husband, your house. Even you belong to Jesus. Following Jesus costs you everything. It all belongs to Him. That is what surrender is. Reality is God always owned all those things. You are just accepting what already was. But the goodnews is God is going to allow you to use all of those things. Your money, your car and house, your family, your job, yourself. But remember they don’t belong to you anymore, so when Jesus wants to give them to someone else, you just say yes. You trust Jesus with everything because he is worth everything you have and more.
Anything we hold back from God is an idol. Anything can be an idol. There is no thing, no person, no place more important than God. We can even make buildings like a church into an idol if we believe coming to the building is more important than God. What I mean is if the only time we think about God is when we are in a special building then it’s more about the building than about God. God is with you every moment of every day. Not just when you are in church. So, act like you know that. Don’t make the building more than it is. It’s just a building. The purpose of the church building is to give us a place to meet together. Together with other followers of Jesus. We don’t need the building to meet with God. God’s with us all the time.
If only Christians would just act like Christians. We are part of the Kingdom of God. But what does that mean. Jesus spoke about the Kingdom of God more than any other topic. The gospel of the Kingdom of God. Everywhere in the gospels when Jesus talks about the gospel the phrase is the gospel of the kingdom of God. Paul says he has taught about all things pertaining to the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is the most talked about topic in the new testament. More than 400 times. More than any other topic. But few of us understand what this means. The kingdom is not some far off future thing. But don’t take my word for it. Listen to what Jesus says about the Kingdom of God Luke 17:20-21 (NAS). 20Now He was questioned by the Pharisees as to when the kingdom of God was coming, and He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs that can be observed; 21nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst.”
But I really like how the NLT says it. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you.”
We are called into action because we are following the king, King Jesus. We live in the Kingdom of God, when we do what King Jesus is asking us to do folks. That is why missions is so important. Not my mission but the mission God is asking you to do. Right here, right now. Every one of us have something on their heart. That’s the mission God wants you to do, then He will lead you to do more and more and more. This amazingly satisfying life of service to the king. Everlasting life is right now. You don’t have to retire to be on mission. I work and I’m on God’s mission. I have small children and I homeschool, yet my priority is always God’s mission. If you are retired, then you just have more time. You say you don’t have the energy, well God’s mission won’t require much of you, just everything you have.
Okay I bet some of you are saying in your mind. I would be on mission if I could only hear from God. Okay, then read your Bible. The Bible is the word of God. Yeah, I can guess some of you are saying. I would if I really hear God. I mean an audible voice. Well then read the Bible out loud. Read it to each other. God is speaking to us. We have this amazing Book with God words. We have no excuses my friends.
Let’s Pray.
Thank you for joining me @ the PUNLA Coffee Table. I hope you will join me as we study and learn about the kingdom of God.
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until next time @ the PUNLA Coffee Table. God bless.
