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, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”Whenever our Lord talked about discipleship, He always prefaced it with an IF, never with an emphatic assertion ‘You must’. Discipleship carries an option with it. You can follow the words of Christ and teach others to become disciples and obey Jesus by doing what He taught to His disciples or we can opt out. However, if we opt out, what kind of disciple does that make us? Certainly, we don’t have the authority to Baptise, according to Church of Scotland laws, but we can surely explain to those we are speaking to how they can go about it.
We also need to be sure to explain what is required of them, as Dietrich Bonhoffer said in “The Cost of Discipleship”.
“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”
To be sure, we must teach the truth. We cannot just tell people to say a few prayers and ‘hey presto’ deed done. Everyone must believe that Jesus is the Son of God who came to earth, fully human (while still God) who died a horrendous death on a Roman cross, before rising from the tomb three days later. They must be taught about repentance and confession, not to a priest but to God. We, they, should be told about ‘putting off’ who they were and becoming new (born again) in Jesus.
We all need to believe this in our hearts and being, otherwise who are we worshipping? Yes, we can, and do, worship God but to worship God without acknowledging the Deity of His Son Jesus Christ, is a false religion. We should also remember to include God’s Holy Spirit, who is an integral part of the Godhead too. We know that the God we worship is a living triune God who is eager to forgive those who come to Him with a penitent heart. God is trustworthy and faithful to His word and is not going to reject anybody who genuinely seeks Him.
Prayer
Gracious Father, we come today with contrite hearts. Knowing that we are unworthy of all the grace and mercy you shower us with. We thank You for sending Jesus to make us worthy through His blood and by rising from the tomb, three days later. We pray for all those who have turned away from the church founded on the life and death of Jesus. Let them find the way home before it is too late for them to return. Bless all countries at war in the world, especially those caught is a war prophesied in bible texts. We ask these things in the name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen
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