Are You Choking?

Matt 28:19-20. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

This passage is a clear command not only to the Apostles, but to all of God’s people to share the gospel. We need a bigger concern for lost souls. We need that same compassion for the lost that our Lord has, seeing the lost of the world as sheep without a shepherd. Seeking the lost should be a big priority for us because it was the purpose of our Lord’s coming to die on the cross. He said that He came to seek and save the lost. Matthew 28:19-20 is commonly called the great commission, but way too often, it becomes the great omission of our lives. Is this the case for you?

• Bible Reading and Study

• Encouraging Our Brothers And Sisters In Christ

• Evangelism

Are these things priorities to us?

I’m not telling us that we cannot have any activities or have any hobbies that we are involved in. That is not the point. The point is that we can pile up so many things on our plate that are good in and of themselves that we can start choking ourselves spiritually. It is very easy in this world we live in to make ourselves overly busy. It is very easy for us to hold onto the things of this world and to put our focus on ourselves instead of Christ and the priorities that He gives us as His people.

Luke 8:14-15. "Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

This passage in Luke challenges us to find out what the “thorns” in our life are. What things are you allowing in your life to choke you spiritually and to keep you from bearing fruit for God?

We need to remember who we belong to as Christians. We belong to Christ. He purchased us with His blood! In everything we do, Christ should be at the center of our lives. We should not be just giving Jesus a few hours out of each week.

So, as we return to our question that we asked at the beginning of this lesson. Each one of us needs to answer it for the well-being of our souls: Are you choking spiritually? Are you bearing fruit for the Lord?

Please consider this verse your Heimlich Maneuver:

John 15:5-6 "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned."

Whether or not we are fruitful for God has eternal consequences! If we are not being fruitful, there may be two reasons why,

1. We are not maturing as Christians because we are choking the word out of our lives.