The Parable of the Water Jug from Claude V King on Vimeo.
When people take a look at your "water jug," do they see the Living Water in you and want to drink deeply, or do they turn away because they are not that thirsty?
Parable of Two Containers from Claude V King on Vimeo.
Jesus commanded His first disciples to wait in the city until they were filled with His Holy Spirit power. We, too, must be filled with His power for a fruitful life. What kind of life do you bring to the Lord for filling? You have a choice.
Option 1: You can bring a life filled with sin, impurities, idols of the heart, broken relationships, and other "stuff" OR
Option 2: You can bring a life to Him for filling that has been cleansed of sin, that has put away idols of the heart and returned to your first love for Christ, that has reconcilled broken relationships -- a life that is dead to self and ready for the fulness of Christ's Spirit.
One reason so many unbelievers don't want to know the Lord we serve is that we choose option 1. They can't see any difference in our lives and their own. Only when we are so dead to self and filled with the Spirit of Christ will the watching world see the real difference Christ can make in a life. Let's choose and encourage others to choose option 2 and show Christ to a watching world.
Christ-Centered Following from Claude V King on Vimeo.
Three approaches to following Christ are common today.
1. The human-centered approach like that of the Sadducees uses human reasoning and personal experience as the primary guiding principles.
2. The Scripture-centered approach like that of the Pharisees is a legalistic practice of religion without a vibrant relationship to the Lord.
3. A Christ-centered approach to following includes a diligent study of the Scriptures plus taking the next step into a personal relationship with Christ where the Holy Spirit guides the application of Scripture to a real and genuine Christian discipleship.
Which of these three is your primary approach to following Christ? Which is most common in your church?
The Discipleship Reserve Corps from Claude V King on Vimeo.
Does your church need additional leaders to help make fully devoted followers of Christ among your membership? Then call up the "Discipleship Reserve Corps." Seek out and identify people who have been equipped in the past through such discipleship processes as MasterLife by Avery Willis.
Who are the members in your church who have already been equipped to help others grow in their walk with the Lord. I'd suggest you look for...
The Christian Reserve Corps from Claude V King on Vimeo.
Do you know Christians who only joined the "reserve corps" and have no interest in active duty?
Many people have joined the church and see it as the "Christian Reserve Corps." They just want a reserved place in heaven, but they are not interested in active duty or service. Yet, the call to follow Christ is a call to active duty. The Christian is called to be on mission with Christ. Christianity is not a spectator sport. God intends for everyone to be an active member of the body of Christ.
As we help believers come to a first love for Christ, they will choose to obey Him and joyfully serve Him. On Monday, I will speak to the need to call the "Discipleship Reserve Corps" to active duty as well.
Parable of the Leaning Tower from Claude V King on Vimeo.
One great challenge in making disciples, is helping people want to be a faithful and devoted follower of Jesus Christ. That is a heart issue. Unless people love the Lord with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength, they will not make the desired progress toward growth as a disciple.
When God's people have departed from Him, they may not realize it if they are looking at everybody else or other churches. Only when they examine themselves by God's plumb line will they see the magnitude of their departure. The solution in returning is to correct our love relationship with the Lord so that we will choose to align our lives with His wishes and plans. The Leaning Tower in Pisa, Italy, is a visual illustration of the biblical message in Amos 7:7-8 about God's plumb line along side His people.
Returning to our first love...
God's Pattern for Revival from Claude V King on Vimeo.
Discipleship happens best when God's people are in a right relationship with Him.
From Fresh Encounter this diagram illustrates seven phases in God's pattern for revival and spiritual awakening. God is at work to reconcile a world to Himself, and He's chosen to do that through His people and the work of Jesus Christ His Son through them. When His people depart, He disciplines them and calls them to repent and return. When God revives His people, He works through them to exalt His Son and draw people to saving faith in Him. When that happens quickly and in large numbers or high percentages of a population, we call it "spiritual awakening."
Here's Hope in Oakland, CA from Claude V King on Vimeo.
Could you use some hope that things in your church and community can change?
In 1990 the True Vine Missionary Baptist Church had to postpone "revival" services because they had so many people come to Christ they didn't have room for them. Here's a brief testimony of what God can do in a very difficult area when He has a people through whom He can work.
Do you have a story of what God has done that would encourage other believers or churches? Let's encourage one another for revival and spiritual awakening.
The Final Command from Claude V King on Vimeo.
In different times and in different ways, Jesus gave His disciples one final command: "As you are going, make disciples." We are to be His witnesses. He wanted to make sure that His followers knew clearly the assignment He was giving and that they would be very intentional about obedience. The entire future of His Kingdom depends on our obedience to His Final Command. God does not have another plan to draw the lost world to saving faith in His Son.
I'm wanting to use this blog to open conversations so we can help each other obey the final command (the Great Commission). Will you join me? Let's help each other obey His final command!
