How do we compare to Jesus first Disciples?
When I think about the first disciples of Jesus there is one thing that I find really encouraging - they were very ordinary people with very ordinary jobs - fishermen & a tax collector.
If Jesus public ministry had begun here in Rayleigh and Jesus were to call his first disciples today in 2016, maybe the people he would call to follow Him would be be coffeeshop baristas, hairdressers, nail bar technicians, waiters and waitresses or call centre workers.
Average people, ordinary people, people like you and me, people with faults and failings, imperfect people.
Those first disciples, in many ways were just like us, they also were far from perfect. If you read the gospels you will see there were times when the disciples argued amongst themselves, they were selfish at times, at times they were weak in faith, they were anxious and sometimes they were fearful, there are occasions when Jesus needed to rebuke them, and there were times when they,
just like us, failed to fully trust in God
There were times when the disciples were impulsive, immature, self-confident, tempted, lazy, impatient, weary, bewildered and depressed.
Even though they had spent so much time with Jesus, hearing Him speak, hearing Him teach, watching Him perform miracles.
Even with all of that, there were still times when they forgot who Jesus really was. There were times when they just didn’t get it, there were times they got it wrong, yet they were still committed to being disciples of Jesus and Jesus was committed to them.
These ordinarily men, these ordinary people were the ones that Jesus chose to be His disciples these were the ones that Jesus chose to tell others the good news of the Gospel. And Jesus has called us, and chosen us to do the same.
Last week we celebrated Easter. We thought about how Christ paid the ultimate price for our sin in His sacrifice on the cross.
We thought about what He endured for us but what are we willing to endure for him?
We rejoice at the fact that Christ has paid for our sin but we probably don’t rejoice in the fact that we are meant to take up our cross daily to follow Him.
We are thankful that Christ is committed to us yet there are times when we show so little commitment to Him.
For us to truly be dynamic disciples, it requires more from us than just turning up for a church service on a Sunday morning.
You see the Bible emphasises that every Christian is to be involved in the ongoing ministry of the church, everyone has a God-given gift that can be used for His honour and His glory.
As a pastor, as a minister, I have a duty to God to share the truth. But that is not just true of me that is also true of you each of us as disciples of Christ, have the duty to care, to minister, to share the truth, not just with each other within the church but also with those outside the church.
Family, friends, colleagues, neighbours, acquaintances, Facebook friends, the people we meet while we are doing life.
Not just at church events like Games club or meals or at our art club but anywhere that God provides the opportunity to us to share the truth.
Sharing the gospel is something that every Disciple of Christ is called to do. it’s not just the job of the minister, it’s not just the job of a guest speaker we invite to a special event, it’s your call, your responsibility to share the truth about Jesus with others.
The Christian message, the Gospel, is good news for the whole world.
In Matthew 28:19-20, we have the last recorded words of Jesus before His ascension into heaven, He said:
Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.
This was the one plan of salvation for the whole world, brilliant in its simplicity, the disciples of Jesus where to make disciples, who would make disciples, who would make disciples until Jesus comes again.
Jesus promised one day he will return and on that day He will gather to Himself those who profess Jesus is Lord.
Those who know Jesus is Lord and saviour will spend eternity with Him, those who never knew the Lord Will spend eternity without Him.
The Bible says we do not know the hour of His return but what we do now is every hour is one hour closer to His return.
Time is short, the task is large, Jesus has told us to go into all the world and proclaim the gospel making disciples baptising them and discipling them so that they can disciple others.
The final question is this:
Are we fulfilling the great commission or do we treat it as the great suggestion?
Friends we need to be willing to proclaim the good news of the Gospel. Christ died and rose again, and we as His disciples, know the truth, and there is a need for that truth to be shared. He is risen is not a phrase it is TRUTH.
We are ordinary people, yet we are Disciples of Christ, we have placed our trust in Him, we have been forgiven, we have been set free, we are assured of a place in Heaven because of what Jesus has done, and we are called to share the Good News with others.
