Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser
Most Christians believe that the main purpose of salvation is to avoid hell and go to heaven. They therefore, spend their time on earth waiting to be taken to heaven. But that’s not the truth of the gospel concerning salvation. If that’s the case, then those who receive Christ as their saviour would be translated straight to heaven, because heaven is a far better place than this earth.
After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent”. (John 17:1-3).
Salvation is God rescuing humanity from our sinful condition. It’s about how we live – a way of life and the early disciples followed the way. Salvation is about receiving eternal life; it’s about having a relationship with God. God’s main reason for sending Jesus was to give us eternal life and restore fellowship. It just so happens that the salvation package includes receipt of eternal life, restoration of our relationship with God, avoid hell and gain heaven.
But while on this earth, there’s a kingdom way to walk. He invites you to follow Him and it’s not static but dynamic. You’ve been admitted into God’s wonderful kingdom, and you are told to take an active role in it. God is looking forward to working together with you in His kingdom. Jesus wants us to increase our knowledge of Him, and so, He has commissioned us to go and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all that He has commanded us.
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Mat, 28:18-20).
" Growing in the knowledge of God doesn't happen immediately, it's a process "
People have misunderstood the central message of the great commission. They think all they need to do is just be born again and discipleship is for the mature Christian. But the Bible says: “Go and make disciples.” The emphasis here is that the Lord commanded us to make disciples, not just new converts. Somewhere along the way, the body of Christ has changed the emphasis of this message from making disciples to getting people born again, leaving discipleship as optional. What we ought to be preaching is that God calls us into discipleship, and it begins with making a commitment to the Lord.
Discipleship is not optional. That is not what Jesus commanded. Our focus must not be just leading people to Christ, but to continue with the process of discipling them into mature Christians. Jesus said, “Go and make disciples.” That means teach people to be followers of Christ. We actually follow Jesus and focus on Him and that’s salvation. Jesus said: “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). God created us to follow Him. He said, “follow me and I will make you or turn you into something else”.
You’ve been invited into a whole new way of life which is different from the way the world lives. Our focus must shift immediately to living for God. Therefore, when we present the gospel to people, and ask them to accept Jesus as their Lord and personal Saviour, we need to teach them that this is a total commitment of their lives to the Lord. It means becoming a disciple of Jesus. It means growing in the knowledge of God.
Growing in the knowledge of God doesn’t happen immediately, it’s a process. It’s directly linked to submitting to God and His word. “And teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”. If I’m growing in the Lord, then I want to know what He says about everything. I want to know what He says about my relationships with others, I want to know what He says about the church, I want to know what He says about finances, I want to know what He says about love, I want to know what He says about anger. I want to know what God says about everything I possibly can.
When a person is growing in their spiritual life, they have the desire to know what’s the truth of God’s word. If that’s true of your life, you will spend far less time watching the television than being in the word of God. So, let’s become people who are eager to know God.
