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LEARN & GROW
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Week of February 8, 2009
KEY VERSE
"And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'" (Matthew 28: 18-20)
CENTRAL TRUTH
In the knowledge that Jesus is with us always, we are commissioned, like His disciples were, to make disciples of others.
DEVOTION
Following His resurrection, the disciples went to a mountain in Galilee, where Jesus had directed them. When they saw Him, they worshipped Him, but some doubted. Jesus gave them the charge then that we call "The Great Commission." I can still remember, while growing up years ago, being asked to contribute in whatever way I could to the work of the missionaries. As I think back to that innocent time in my life, I know in my heart that I did not understand how important missionary work is, let alone its impact on the world. I thought that it was "simply" about winning souls for Christ! The fact of the matter is that it is not just about winning souls, but it is more about making disciples for Christ. Let me take you back to the time when you were first convicted by the Holy Spirit and were born again. You probably wanted to know everything you could about Jesus. You became a student with an unquenchable thirst for learning as much about Christ as you could. You were so happy that, through your free will, you became His disciple, and though you had done nothing to deserve it, you were saved by His grace through faith. Through baptism you witnessed your submission to Christ, choosing to die to sin and to be resurrected to a new life. Now, willingly, you live God's way because of the love and joy you have in Him. This is our given assignment: MAKE DISCIPLES. Just as Christ empowered his disciples through the Holy Spirit, He empowers us and commands us to do the same. We need not be anxious about what we do not know. Instead, we must build our relationship first with Christ and then simply share that relationship with others. On one hand, Christ tells us that He can make demands because He has the authority, and on the other hand, He tells us He will be with us always. He is with us today in making disciples, through the power of the Holy Spirit, as much as He was with the early disciples.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- What are some ways you can make disciples of those where you live and work?
- What can you can do to encourage missionaries as they take the Good News to other nations?
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