“Come, follow Me, and I will send you out to fish for people.”

~ Jesus of Nazareth

(Matthew 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20, Luke 5:1-11)

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WHY WE'RE HERE

Exhorted by Jesus Christ (1) Himself, the primary mission of the His followers is to spread the Good News (2) to the ends of the Earth. This is job Numero Uno for all Christians.

A statement commonly invoked is falsely credited to St. Francis of Assisi, to wit: "Preach the Gospel at all times and, when (or if) necessary, use words." Although this tragically false narrative does not appear in any of his writings and none of his followers attributed these words to him, it has hampered efforts to accomplish the mandate of Christ.

Additionally, the aforementioned statement contradicts more than a few Bible verses, such as Romans 10:14 and Acts of the Apostles 8:31. Some of our own sisters and brothers have leaned on this statement as a get-out-of-spreading-the-good-news free card while they go about performing "good deeds."

Sacred Scripture beseeches us to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in both word and deed. To perform one ministry without the other would be a complete contradiction and deliver unto non-believers one more reason why they are hesitant to join us at the Banquet Table of our Lord - all while affixing to our lapel a much deserved "hypocrite" label. At times, we lose focus that Atheists and Agnostics perform the same good deeds we do, such as feeding the poor and helping the widows, orphans and aliens. The one linchpin separating us is the preaching and teaching of the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In order for our words to be credible, our actions must mirror them. As today's society is chock full of God skeptics who are ever watchful of His followers, it is imperative that we "walk the talk" by being "doers of the Word and not hearers only" (James 1:22). We cannot walk the Earth with despair written on our foreheads or gossip in every clime and place if our hope is to convert others to follow Christ. For example, German philosopher and cultural critic Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was quoted as saying, "I might believe in the Redeemer if His followers looked more redeemed."

Simply put, we're supposed to be different.

Jesus, after preaching His Father's Message and healing wounded bodies and souls for 3 years, saved His earthly best for last. He gave all of humankind a task. Before His Ascension to the right hand of the Father, He gave one final command to every one of us when he exhorted in Matthew 28:19-20, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This same message is also proclaimed in Mark 16:15, Luke 24:46-47 and John 20:21. In many Christian circles, the aforementioned Bible verses are commonly referred to as "The Great Commission."

WHY WE'RE HERE

Exhorted by Jesus Christ Himself, the primary mission of the Christian Church is to spread the Good News to the ends of the Earth. This is job Numero Uno for all Christians.

A statement commonly invoked is falsely credited to St. Francis of Assisi, to wit: "Preach the Gospel at all times and, when (or if) necessary, use words." Although this tragically false narrative does not appear in any of his writings and none of his followers attributed these words to him, it has hampered efforts to accomplish the mandate of Christ.

Additionally, the aforementioned statement contradicts more than a few Sacred Scripture verses, such as Romans 10:14 and Acts of the Apostles 8:31. Some of our own sisters and brothers have leaned on this statement as a get-out-of-spreading-the-good-news free card while they go about performing "good deeds."
 

Sacred Scripture beseeches us to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ in both word and deed. To perform one ministry without the other would be a complete contradiction and deliver unto non-believers one more reason why they are hesitant to join us at the Banquet Table of our Lord - all while affixing to our lapel a much deserved "hypocrite" label. At times, we lose focus that Atheists and Agnostics perform the same good deeds we do, such as feeding the poor and helping the widows, orphans and aliens. The one linchpin separating us is the preaching and teaching of the Gospel of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

In order for our words to be credible, our actions must mirror them. As today's society is chock full of God skeptics who are ever watchful of His followers, it is imperative that we "walk the talk" by being "doers of the Word and not hearers only" (James 1:22). We cannot walk the Earth with despair written on our foreheads or gossip in every clime and place if our hope is to convert others to follow Christ. For example, German philosopher and cultural critic Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was quoted as saying, "I might believe in the Redeemer if His followers looked more redeemed."

Simply put, we're supposed to be different.

Jesus, after preaching His Father's Message and healing wounded bodies and souls for 3 years, saved His earthly best for last. He gave all of humankind a task. Before His Ascension to the right hand of the Father, He gave one final command to every one of us when he exhorted in Matthew 28:19-20, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

This same message is also proclaimed in the Holy Gospels according to Mark 16:15, Luke 24:46-47 and John 20:21. In many Christian circles, the aforementioned Holy Scriptures are commonly referred to as "The Great Commission."

HOW DO WE EVANGELIZE OTHERS?

We can’t evangelize anyone else until we, ourselves, are evangelized. We cannot share with others what we do not possess ourselves. We can’t give what we don’t have. So, how do we evangelize others? That is, how do we tell others about this Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, and what He offers them?

First, we must establish that our primary mission– handed down by Jesus Christ Himself– is to spread His Good News (to evangelize). Secondly, in order to effectively and credibly accomplish this, we must first be evangelized ourselves. How do we do that? That’s where faith comes in.

WHAT IS FAITH? WHERE DOES IT COME FROM?

Before we attempt to convert others, we ourselves must have a deep faith in God. But, what exactly is faith? Where does it come from? If we look inward to the Holy Scriptures, Romans 10:17 tells us, "Thus faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.”  Hence, faith comes from hearing and embracing the Good News, which is found in the Holy Scriptures.

So, how do we hear (or read) the word of Christ, so that we can first be built up ourselves and then freely and joyfully share it with others? How do we go about preparing ourselves for active Discipleship?

A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS CHRIST

For starters, while attending a Worship celebration, we are normally presented with a teaching from the Holy Scriptures. While what we (should) hear at Worship offers much spiritual enrichment, those same Holy Scriptures we hear there are wooing each of us to go deeper into and with Christ. In addition to regularly attending Church services– so as to develop and enhance a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and become yoked with like-minded people- we need to spend quality time with Him outside of Church. If we never spent more than an hour each week with someone in our personal lives, how well would we really "personally" know them? How well would they really "personally" know us? 

Perhaps becoming more familiarized with the infallible Holy Scriptures outside of Church would energize our faith. Thinking again of the Nietzsche quote from the beginning of this document, it cannot be enticing for potential converts to join the Christian ranks, when they read that many regular members themselves rarely attend Worship on a weekly basis. We must take action to stop this internal bleeding, but it must be accomplished soul by soul - from within.

A Holy Spirit-filled manner in which to become more intimately yoked with what Jesus did, said, experienced and directed us to do—and therefore, the benchmark on how to live our daily lives- is by diving into the Holy Bible. Doing so can include- among many other responsibilities- being led by the Holy Spirit to bring someone to Christ (Acts 8:26-40). After praying for a teachable spirit and allowing God to supernaturally direct our thoughts (John 16:13), our minds can be opened to the Scriptures (Luke 24:45) and we can be transformed (Romans 12:2). The treasured counsel offered from Genesis to Revelation and everything in between  forms in us a new person, continuously reborn in Christ (ongoing conversion). We learn to lean on Christ for strength (Colossians 1:29) for ALL things, so that we begin to instinctively know how to handle the thorny situations of everyday life that used to baffle us when we walked in our own strength (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

"BUT I'M NOT A GOOD SPEAKER"

In His Great Commission directive (not a suggestion or request), notice that Jesus did not say, "Only those of you who feel like it or those of you who think you are good speakers should make disciples of all nations."  The great Moses was not a good speaker and this is one of the excuses he tried to give God on the mountain when God hand-picked him to lead His people out of bondage. Rather than trust in God's divinely appointed selection in that He had chosen perfectly,  Moses' response was full of human shortcomings, fear and anxiety as he stammered that he was personally incapable of leading the Israelites out of Egypt.

Exodus 4 continues on and shows us that God responded by challenging Moses, reminding him of Who made his mouth and gave him the gift of speech. But that exhortation wasn't only for Moses. It's for all of us– yesterday, today and until Jesus splits the eastern sky and comes back in glory. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can courageously go forward with our Mission, knowing that we're not alone, as Jesus promised He'll always be with us. His perfect way dictates that He's never lied to us, so we must trust in Him on this one as well - beyond the songs we sing at Worship and the prayers we pray to begin and end committee meetings.

As Exodus 4:14 shares with us, God gave a resistant Moses his brother, Aaron, to help him on the noble journey at hand. Likewise present day, God gives us our brothers and sisters in the LORD to accompany us, so that we may encourage one another in our Faith walk to bring others to the Banquet Table. Iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17)!

ARE WE FOLLOWING GOD'S WAY OR OUR OWN WAY?

God made each one of us in His own likeness. He knows, way better than we do, what we are capable of accomplishing. He gave us everything we need in order to get to Heaven. Yet, rather than embracing our Lord's assurance that He will be with us always (Matthew 28:20) as we go about advancing His Kingdom here on Earth- our whole purpose for being here- some of us place our own fears or opinions (roadblocks) in the path of what we are really here to do:

If we are not painstaking about our own ongoing conversion, we risk falling prey to an enemy who is very real and "comes only to steal and kill and destroy" (John 10:10). The Holy Scriptures warn us to be vigilant in seeking the Truth (John 14:6), so that we avoid embracing false doctrines that do not exhort the Word of God:

"In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry."

~ 2 Timothy 4:1-5

COUNT ON IT & COUNT IT PURE JOY:

YOU'RE GOING TO BE HATED BECAUSE OF HIS NAME

When evangelizing, are we going to be rebuked at times? Yes- doors will be closed on us, telephone calls will be disconnected and people will walk away from us in mid-sentence. Are we going to be scorned by others, to include our friends? We can count on it– and count it pure joy (James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 4:13-16, 1 Peter 1:6-7)! Are we going to be rejected for speaking the Truth of Christ, even though the Good News is the path to eternal salvation? Absolutely, but when we remember that Jesus was rejected by His own people for doing the very same thing, we ask: Why should we be any different (Matthew 13:54-58, Mark 6:1-6, Luke 4:16-30)?

As we journey through the Holy Scriptures, we find that we’re NOT here on Earth to be comfortable. We come to realize that our mission mandate is not to collect as many material things as possible before dying or to trample others while climbing the promotion ladder at work. There are no U-Hauls behind hearses so that we can take our possessions with us and Jesus doesn’t care what our occupation here on Earth is, as long as it Honors Him. Our main purpose for being here is to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to the four corners of the Earth and to be servants to one another as we do it.

But, here’s the Good News. If we lean on Him, our fear of man will dissipate, as we're doing things in His power and under His authority (Philippians 4:13), which can never be matched. Take comfort in embracing the first command of the Risen Christ- "do not be afraid" (Matthew 28:10)!

HOLDING CLOSE/RETURNING TO OUR FIRST LOVE

The apostle John, in Revelation 2:2-5, shares what God revealed to him: “I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first. Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place."

The revelation shows God's appreciation for our works, deeds and standing in the gap for Him while in the midst of false teachers and such. However, He then states that we have "forsaken the love you had at first." Does this mean that we're not following God as we were when we first invited Him in to our lives? Remember that time? Many of us, after receiving Jesus Christ into our hearts, were so overcome with a supernatural joy that we wanted to share it with everyone we came in contact with- regardless of where we were. 

For example, as a new Christian, perhaps we saw an elderly woman at the supermarket who was stooped over and moving slowly. Maybe we prayed with her for God to pour out His strength upon her to complete her task, allowing her to return home safely and get some rest….are we still doing those things? Are we still excited about growing closer to Jesus and serving in His Vineyard on a daily basis? Do we still embrace that first love John wrote about in the same manner we did when we first allowed Jesus into our hearts? Like any personal relationship - our marriage, friendships, etc- our personal relationship with Christ needs constant nurturing and cultivation to keep us fresh and on the Vine (John 15:5).

OUR PRAYER

A prayer is for our Website to be used as a spiritual resource to assist followers of Christ in enriching themselves more deeply in their Faith, so that they feel more comfortable freely sharing it with others- to EVANGELIZE. When this takes place, God moves in a big way and starts opening doors for us to walk through.

DO IT WITH ZEAL & ENTHUSIASM:

CELEBRATE EACH DAY LIKE ITS PENTECOST!

Whether you are just starting out on your faith journey with Jesus Christ (a very exciting time!) or you have a long standing and deep, abiding personal relationship with Him, our main objective is to help others spiritually advance the Kingdom of God here on Earth, one soul at a time, and to do it with the LOVE, TRUTH and GRACE of Jesus Christ.

We are grateful you stopped by to see us and hope you come back soon. If you think this website is a worthy learning tool, please share our Website with your family, friends, prospective converts and your Church community. If you’d like to report a website error or share a link/teaching resource for us to add to the website, please send it to goodnews@downriverdisciples.com. Thanks very much…

May our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, richly bless you and may His face shine down upon you this day and until He comes again in Glory! Amen! Come back soon...