The Direction of Our Church – (Isaiah 30:21)

I don’t know if you all know what “GPS” (Global Positioning System) is — maybe those of you who own a car do — but it is a device that works at the same time like a compass and a map. If you’re travelling by car, it tells you which way to go. When you enter the address you want to reach, it automatically knows the route. It connects with the satellites orbiting the earth and says to you: “In 500 meters, turn left… In 200 meters, turn right.” And so on, until you arrive at your final destination.

GPS has a very interesting feature that in English is called “North Up.” When you’re driving, the map is turned so that the road ahead leads you, but that way you can lose track of the direction you are actually moving in — north, south, east, or west. But if you press the “North Up” button, which in some apps is marked with a compass arrow, the map orients itself north-south and you can get your bearings again.

As Christians, I think it is very important for us to be spiritually oriented. We need to know where we come from and where we are going, and what direction we are moving in our lives. In God’s Word we have a promise of God’s supernatural guidance in our lives. I think we could call it the GPS promise. In Isaiah 30:21 it says:

21 Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21)

This verse is like a description of how the GPS works, because when you’re driving, if you turn off to the left or turn off to the right, the device says: “Recalculating.” The GPS recalculates the route so that from the point where you went off course you can still reach the place you set as your destination. Every Christian carries an inner spiritual GPS. This GPS is called “the voice of the Holy Spirit, who leads us.” In Romans 8:14 it says:

14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. (Romans 8:14)

If we are born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, He guides us. When we stray from God’s path, the Holy Spirit says to us: “Come back! Return to the way of righteousness, the way you are meant to walk.”

The Holy Spirit is the One who leads us, and He desires that we walk on God’s path. We know where our final point is, our destination. Our final point is heaven, our heavenly home, the presence of God, the resurrection from the dead, and the new heaven and new earth, “where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:13).

A HEAVENLY POSTAL CODE

Every city, every town has a postal code. The eternal postal code of all people who have believed in God is in heaven. We who are saved are “fellow citizens with God’s people” and we have a heavenly postal code (Ephesians 2:19). Sadly, the postal code of those who have not believed in God is in hell (John 3:18). Our desire for those who are rushing toward hell is to change their postal code — that it would not be in hell, but in heaven (Colossians 1:13).

Our postal code, our final point, our destination, is in heaven, in the glory of God. But we do not want to arrive there alone, because there is something better than going to heaven and being forever with the Lord. And that is not to go there alone, but to take others with us (Philippians 1:21-26). That is why, after He saved us, God did not take us immediately to Himself, but still keeps us here on this earth — so that we may share with others what He has revealed to us about Himself. Otherwise, the moment we believed, He would have taken us at once. But then, who would remain here to carry and spread the gospel? God has left us here with this one purpose — that we might proclaim God’s word (Mark 16:15-16). Apart from us, no one else can serve for the salvation of others, because the gospel has not been entrusted to angels or to any other being (1 Peter 1:12). The gospel has been entrusted to us. We are God’s instruments; we are God’s messengers; we are God’s heralds; we are God’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20).

OUR AIM

If you don’t know where you’re going, you won’t get anywhere.

Our aim is spiritual — the expansion of God’s Kingdom.
Our aim is to glorify God by following Jesus and training His followers.

VISION, MISSION, VALUES

When we speak of a vision, we mean our vision. If a person applies for some management position, he is expected to present his vision for the development of the enterprise or the organization he is taking on to lead. For example, if someone wants to take the post of “television director,” the members of the selection committee ask the candidates questions like these:

What is your vision for the future of the media outlet?
What will you do with it? How will you develop it? What will you change in the way it works?
How do you see the future development of our television station?

We need to know what our vision for our church is. What do we expect to happen? What do we want to achieve? What do we want to be in 5 or 10 years? We also need to have a vision for our own lives. The components, or elements, of a complete outlook include vision, mission, and values.

When we speak of vision, we mean: what is the picture of the bright future that we see for our church?
When we speak of mission, we mean what we must do in order to reach that bright future. The mission includes not only the goal, but also the way that goal will be achieved.
When we speak of values, we mean what our motives are. What drives us? What is precious to us? What do we strive for? And from this position we carry out our mission to reach the fulfillment of our vision. Values are like the deeper layers of an onion. They are not visible at first glance, but if we look more deeply into a given organization, we can come to understand them. It is our values and beliefs that make us do what is seen on the surface.

A CLEAR VISION

Our vision must be clear. This is precisely why I am sharing this message with you — because in Habakkuk 2:2 it says:

2 Then the Lord replied: “Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it. (Habakkuk 2:2)

“Then the Lord replied: Write down the revelation.” The vision must be written down. When we make a contract with someone for a particular job, we write into the contract what must be done, what must be achieved, so that later there can be no dispute — “But I wanted this, you wanted that.” When something is written down, there can be no argument about its content, because we can always go back and read what we signed. We need to know what our vision is. We must be ready to put our signature under it.

“Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets.” Evidently, in those days they had small boards or tablets that carpenters or other craftsmen made for them. Perhaps these “tablets” were finely cut into a particular shape. One Bulgarian translation uses “plates,” another “stone tablets.” This reminds us of the Ten Commandments. These “tablets” were made so that whatever was written on them could be read clearly.

“Make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.” When the vision is written clearly, it can be grasped quickly and acted on without delay. A person doesn’t have to wonder what to do; he reads the instructions, immediately knows what he must do, and so can carry them out swiftly.

WHAT IS JESUS CHRIST DOING IN OUR CHURCH?

What is our vision? Our vision has to do with becoming like Jesus Christ. When we speak of vision, it must not be a merely human vision. We are not a secular organization, not a political party, not some leadership club or anything of the sort. We are a church of the Lord Jesus Christ. We want our vision to be founded on the Bible, which is God’s Word. We want to be like Christ — for Him to be at the center of everything we do, and to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Our vision must be Christlike and Christ-centered. To be Christlike means to be like Jesus Christ, who is our Lord and our example (2 Corinthians 3:18). In one of our songs we sing: “I want to be like You.” To be Christ-centered means that Christ is at the center of everything we do (Galatians 2:20).

What is the Lord Jesus doing in our church? In our church, Jesus Christ is transforming each one of us into Christlikeness. I believe this is the best picture, the brightest future — the closer each one of us comes to the image of Christ, the brighter the future of the church will be. If we are more like Him, then we will be righteous, we will be forgiving, encouraging, we will serve one another, we will be people of love. Then our church will flourish beyond measure.

This is our vision. Christ has saved each one of us. He desires to be your personal Savior. But once He has saved you, He does not want to be only your Savior; He also wants to be your Lord. There is a difference between Savior and Lord. As Savior He saves you, but as Lord He must be first place in your life. If He is your Lord, that means He is your King and you are His subject and servant — you follow Him and do what He says. In our church, Jesus Christ is transforming each one of us into Christlikeness. So this is not something complicated or abstract, but we do need to be aware of it. Do you agree with this?

Is the Lord Jesus Christ at work in our church? Yes or no?
Is He transforming us into Christlikeness? Are we becoming more and more like Him?

Every Christian testifies that he used to be one way, and after believing and receiving Jesus Christ as his Lord, he became another. This is seen most of all in the obvious sins. In our church there are people who once never left the tavern and were dependent on alcohol or other things, but who are now set free from that. There are people who were enslaved to various vices, but who have been set free. God not only frees us from passions and vices, but He changes our character. He makes us kinder to others, showing them more love, being better. We no longer want to be liars, we no longer want to be cheats, we no longer want to be thieves. We want to be like our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Lord transforms us.

The Lord transforms our mind (Romans 12:1).
The Lord transforms our relationships (Philippians 2:1-5).
The Lord transforms our priorities, what stands first in our lives (Matthew 6:31-33).
By transforming our thinking, our relationships, and our priorities, the Lord transforms our behavior (1 Thessalonians 4:1-12).
He transforms our families (Ephesians 5:22-33).
And when He has transformed all of this — our mind, our relationships, our priorities, our behavior, our families — He also transforms our future.

For a person or a nation to receive the gospel is something radical, something that changes everything. If you receive it, the gospel will change your future. We see how the Bible changes nations. I believe that when Bulgaria received Christianity and turned away from paganism, this changed the future of our country. I also believe that today, if we as a people repent of our sins and turn to the Lord, this will change our future. If Bulgaria returns to its Christian roots, we will have a bright future. For in Psalm 144:15 it says: “Blessed is the people whose God is the Lord.”

This is our vision:

In our church, the Lord Jesus Christ is transforming each one of us into Christlikeness — making us more like Him. Our vision is sanctification and Christlikeness.

OUR MISSION

How can this happen? What is our mission? What has the Lord Jesus Christ called us to do in Dolno Ezerovo?

WE DO WHAT JESUS DID

Jesus Christ, for His part, works with us and in us, but we too must do something. What did the Lord Jesus do when He was on this earth? This is a Christ-centered question. Jesus also had His own mission statement. In Luke 4:16-21 we read:

16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:16-21)

This was the statement of Jesus’s purpose, vision, and mission. And from that moment on He began to serve God. Jesus Christ is our example — to be people who have a vision. After He finished His ministry — revealing God, healing the sick, setting the bound free, proclaiming the Kingdom of God — then He went to the cross and died for our sins. For He said: “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Then He ascended. He went into heaven and sent His Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit came upon the church. The Apostle Peter began to preach. Then those who believed his words were saved. A great many Jews were saved, and after that the Kingdom of God began to spread among the Gentiles. Peter was invited to the home of a Gentile named Cornelius. At first Peter did not want to go to a Gentile, but God showed him that He does not look at people’s outward appearance, but at their hearts. During this visit they gave Peter the floor. They wanted to hear the message he had for them. Then Peter began to speak to them and said (Acts 10:36):

36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. (Acts 10:36)

This is part of the Apostle Peter’s sermon in Cornelius’s house. He preached about Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. He presented Christ to them and told them about Him.

37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached — 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. (Acts 10:37-38)

In a single sentence Peter said what Christ did. What Jesus Christ did is what we too want to do. What did Jesus do? He proclaimed the gospel to the lost; He made disciples; and He did good. He had compassion on people; He healed them. In Matthew 9:36 it says that “when he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them.” In Matthew 14:14 it says that He “had compassion on them and healed their sick.” Jesus met not only the spiritual needs of people but also their physical needs — He fed the hungry. Our mission is the same. Our ministry must be Christ-centered — Christ at the center of all our words and deeds.

WHAT DO WE DO IN THE CHURCH?

Outside the church we proclaim the gospel — but what do we do inside the church?

Strengthening.

We are strengthened in the faith. God’s will for the disciples who have believed is that they be strengthened (Acts 15:41). In Acts 14:21-23 we read:

21 They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said. 23 Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, committed them to the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. (Acts 14:21-23)

Evangelists have the gift of proclaiming the gospel and bringing people to the decision to follow Christ. But then they leave them in order to go and proclaim the gospel to others. Then the church must take up these new believers, so that they can be strengthened and grow in the Lord, and so become disciples of Jesus Christ.

Service.

We serve God. When we sing, this is service to God (Hebrews 13:15). When we preach, this is service to God (Romans 15:16). When we give, this is service to God (Philippians 4:18). When we help others, this is service to God (Matthew 25:34-40). Once we become disciples, we must serve, because worship is expressed in service. When we draw near to God and worship Him, this is truly a wonderful thing, and in itself it is service. But God does not want us to remain forever in that worship. Whenever we meet with God, He sends us out to serve Him, because God desires that His purposes and intentions be fulfilled (Isaiah 6:8). This happens through service. Service is expressed in doing good. We want everyone in the church to discover his gift, turn it into a skill, and serve others with it.

Fellowship.

We fellowship with one another. That is why we gather. God’s Word tells us that we are one in the Lord (Ephesians 4:4-6) — He is the head, we are the parts of the body (Ephesians 1:22; 4:15; Colossians 1:18; 2:19). We are told not to give up meeting together (Hebrews 10:25). We are told that we are parts of one body (Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:20-27). We are told that we are living stones, being built together into a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5). So God’s will for us is that we have fellowship. We are brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 2:11).

Reproduction.

We reproduce ourselves. We reproduce ourselves in new generations of followers of Christ (2 Timothy 2:2). In the church we have a children’s ministry and a youth ministry. Our desire is that when we depart from this earth, the church will not be left empty, but that we will have many generations who reproduce and multiply. That we would become more and more, and the church would grow (Ephesians 4:15-16). That each one would lead one more person to Jesus, and so we would reproduce ourselves in our faith (Proverbs 11:30).

Evangelism, strengthening, service, fellowship, reproduction — these are the things we do in the church.

OUR MISSION STATEMENT

All of this is subject to the Great Commission. In this Great Commission Jesus Christ said (Matthew 28:19):

19 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.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

When Jesus began His ministry, He had His mission statement. Those were the words from Isaiah 61:1-2 that He read in the synagogue in Capernaum (Luke 4:16-20). After He had fulfilled His ministry, after He died and rose again, Jesus appeared to the apostles and gave us what the vision and mission of the church should be. He said: “Go” — that is evangelism. “Make disciples of all nations” — that is discipleship. “Baptizing them” — that is fellowship, because through baptism a person is joined to the church. “Teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” — that is abiding, strengthening.

On the basis of these words of Christ, we have developed a mission statement that is “written plainly on a tablet,” so to speak in “biblical language” — on a single sheet, a single slide, a single motto, where it can be seen:

We have committed ourselves to lead people to God;
to strengthen them in the faith;
and to equip them for service;
by pouring ourselves into them,
by motivating them and helping them to reproduce themselves
in many generations of followers of Christ.

All of this is subject to and flows out of the Great Commission. As Jesus preached the gospel, so we too preach the gospel. But Jesus also, when He was on this earth, made disciples. He chose twelve disciples to send out to preach; to speak what He spoke; to do what He did; and to be with Him. In Mark 3:13-15 it says:

13 Jesus went up on a mountainside and called to him those he wanted, and they came to him. 14 He appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach 15 and to have authority to drive out demons. (Mark 3:13-15)

The disciples did the same thing that Jesus did. This is what discipleship consists of — to be followers of Jesus. We are to be like Jesus, and our disciples too are to be like Jesus. Like Timothy, who was a disciple of Paul, and to whom Paul said:

10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, (2 Timothy 3:10)

THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP

How much does it cost to be a disciple of Jesus Christ? What did Jesus say? If someone does not give up how much? Fifty percent? He said, if anyone does not give up “everything.” Notice this word: “everything” — 100 percent (Luke 14:33).

33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples. (Luke 14:33)

So this training in discipleship is not cheap. It demands everything. Salvation is by grace, but discipleship has a price. Following Jesus requires “everything.” It is said of the disciples that they left “everything” (Luke 5:11; Matthew 19:27) and followed Him. They dropped their nets (Matthew 4:20; Mark 1:18). They gave up their business. And they became disciples of Jesus.

In Luke 14:26 Jesus said:

26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters — yes, even their own life — such a person cannot be my disciple. (Luke 14:26)

This does not mean that we are to hate people, and especially our families (1 Timothy 5:8), but that God is to be first place in our lives and that we are to be 100 percent devoted to Him (Matthew 6:33).

EVANGELISM

We must understand what it means to be disciples of Jesus Christ. How do we follow Jesus? How does God’s Kingdom grow? First of all, through evangelism.

THROUGH PERSONAL EXAMPLE

“We have committed ourselves to lead people to God.” How? First, through our example. In order to be evangelists, we must be authentic, we must be genuine. Not to say one thing and do another. Sometimes I am afraid of who comes into our church, because I tell myself that if a person comes into our church and is not transformed, he will become an obstacle to other people coming to our church, because they are disappointed by him (Romans 2:17-29).

May God help us, first, to be transformed ourselves. Because people watch us. And there are sayings like: “Is that the one who goes to church? How can he be counted a saint when he is such a scoundrel?” As a pastor, I simply feel very awkward in such moments. How? What am I to say? Of course, I say that we should not look at people, but at Christ. And that is true. The church is for everyone (Mark 2:15-17). The church is for sinners (John 8:7). The church is not only for people who consider themselves saints, although the church is also for saints, because God calls us saints in Christ (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; Philippians 1:1). But we must make at least a little effort to be transformed, to change, and to be an example of what it means for a person to be a believer (Romans 12:1-2). As Saint Francis of Assisi said: “Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.” And also: “What you do may be the only sermon some people hear today.” It is important to lead people to God through our own example.

THROUGH DOING GOOD

Also, to do good. Like the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). He did not merely have some knowledge in his head, like the priest and the Levite. They had worshiped in the temple in Jerusalem and had decided that they had already fulfilled their duties to God, so that this man who had been attacked by robbers was not their concern, and they passed him by (Luke 10:31-32). But the Good Samaritan stopped. He did good. He washed the man’s wounds. It says he “poured on oil and wine.” He took him! He set him on his own animal. On his own means of transport. He brought him to the inn. The Samaritan cared for the Jew who had been attacked by robbers. And on his way back he paid the man’s bills (Luke 10:33-35). This is astonishing! If anything drew me into the church, it was that I had seen such people in the church, people who did good — to me and to my family (2 Timothy 3:14).

Our work is to proclaim the gospel to the lost, to make disciples, and, of course, to do good. For the Apostle Peter said of Jesus Christ too that He “went around doing good.” In Ephesians 2:10 it says:

10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

We are created for good works. It is perfectly clear that God’s will for us is that we do good!

THROUGH PERSONAL WITNESS

Through personal witness. We simply must share with people our own experience (Acts 22:1-21). To share how God has worked in our lives. How He saved us. We have learned from God’s Word how to be effective evangelists. We have spoken a great deal along these lines and, of course, we will keep speaking again and again about how to be better fishers of men (Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17). At www.propovedi.org you can find a number of teachings along these lines.

To proclaim the gospel to the lost. That is why we are here — so that we can tell others too about Jesus Christ. This is something we do outside the church. If you are in the church, you are already saved. In the church we learn how to evangelize, but when we go out, we must speak the gospel to those who are outside the church.

Think about it! If you knew the secret of how people could be cured of cancer, would you keep that secret to yourself? Would you say: “I know how everyone could be cured of cancer, but I won’t tell them!” If you did that, you would be the most wicked person in the world. If we knew the secret of the cure for cancer, of course we would tell it to everyone — so that each person could be healed of that terrible disease.

I want to tell you that we know something far greater. We know the secret of how people can have eternal life! Even if they die of some disease, we know how they can have eternal life. Even if they live however many years here on earth and are always healthy, human life is short. It is no more than 150 years — not to say 75. According to the statistics, men live on average 71 years, women 75; on average for both sexes, 73. Some live a little longer, but many depart even earlier than that age. However many years they are, they are nothing compared to eternity. Eternity is endlessness — something that never stops and never ends. The news we have is glad — it is good. It is not ours; it is news that God has given us. In John 11:25-26 He says:

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

In John 10:10 He says:

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. (John 10:10)

We have the secret of life. It is greater than the secret of the cure for any disease. Therefore we must not hold it back, but lead others to Christ.

STRENGTHENING IN THE FAITH

Next, strengthening. “Strengthening” means to take these new believers who have believed the gospel and to build them up to a level of faith and commitment to Christ from which there is no turning back. They are to be so convinced and settled in their Christian convictions that there is no danger of their falling away from the faith. For, sadly, falling away from the faith is the greatest problem of our evangelical churches. The impression is created that the church is like a cinema. Cinemas have one entrance where tickets are checked, but usually at least two exits, so that people can leave quickly before the next showing. Everyone enters through the entrance of the cinema, and when the film ends, everyone leaves through the exits and the cinema is left empty. But the church must not be a “cinema.” It must be a “sheepfold” — when people come into the church, they are to remain in the church, not to fall away from the faith.

Recently I heard a pastor say: “Today people are shallow Christians! They come, laugh and chatter, and off they go. In the old days people put down roots. They went to church and put down roots in the church!” God desires that we put down roots in the church (Psalm 92:13). Because if we put down roots in the church, we will put down roots in Christ (Colossians 2:6-7). We will put down roots in God’s Word. We will put down roots in the Spirit. God desires that we be strengthened “with power through his Spirit in your inner being” (Ephesians 3:16). To be “rooted and established in love” (Ephesians 3:17-18).

THROUGH TRAINING IN THE SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES

We do not want to have turnover in the church. And the way to overcome this turnover is to work for the strengthening of each one. “To strengthen them in the faith.” How? Through training in the spiritual disciplines. We want every new believer to practice the spiritual disciplines. What are these spiritual disciplines in which we want to train new believers?

First, the discipline of going to church;
Second, meeting with God. Not only in church, but having personal time with God in your own secret room;
Third, reading your Bible;
Fourth, praying without ceasing;
Fifth, giving generously;
Sixth, fasting;
Seventh, withstanding temptation;
Eighth, doing good;
Ninth, serving;
Tenth, evangelizing;

All of these are spiritual disciplines. Just as in school there are academic disciplines, so in the church there are spiritual disciplines. These are things that help us — if we do them, we grow and are sanctified (1 Timothy 4:8). For growth is the natural result of discipline.

For example, suppose you want to learn to play the piano. At first you cannot, but if you are disciplined and repeat again and again, if you play for one hour a day, little by little you begin to do something you could not do before. This is exactly what discipline does.

So when we speak of disciplines, this is precisely what we mean. When a person disciplines himself, the spiritual disciplines become a natural part of his spiritual life. For us it is natural to go to church. Where else could we be on a Sunday morning? For us it is natural to pray and to meet with God every day, because He is our Father. For us it is natural to read our Bible, because it is God’s Word to us. It is natural to give; to fast; to withstand temptations; to do good; to serve; to evangelize. If we do all these things, then we will be strengthened in the faith.

SERVICE

And after that, we also want people to serve. “To equip them for service” (Ephesians 4:12). We want to help each person in our church to determine what his God-given gifts are and to encourage him to serve God with them in the church (Romans 12:6-8). How? By helping him discover his spiritual gifts and giving him the opportunity to serve in his church according to them.

For God desires that each one of us serve Him (1 Peter 4:10). You are not saved simply in order to go to church. You are saved in order to serve God, because the church is the body of Christ. And in the body, every part has a role. In the body, every part has a ministry.

DISCOVER YOUR GIFT

Each one of us must discover what his ministry is. And this is not a ministry given by some person, nor a ministry that you choose for yourself, but a ministry that God gives you. For God has given to each one a portion of the Holy Spirit (Romans 12:3). God has given to each one a gift with which to serve God (1 Corinthians 12:7). That is why we want everyone who comes into our church to recognize what his gifts are (1 Corinthians 12:1). There are natural gifts. There are spiritual gifts. Each person must understand what his spiritual gifts are, develop them into skills, and begin to serve in the church according to them.

There are gifts of preaching; gifts of prophesying; gifts of teaching; gifts of leadership; gifts of helping; gifts of giving (Romans 12:6-8). There are all kinds of gifts. No one is without a gift. You must understand what your gift is in Jesus Christ, so that you can serve God and people through that gift. We have ready-made questionnaires with which we help people understand what their gifts are. We want everyone to understand what his personal characteristics are, because everyone has a different temperament. Everyone has a different type of personality. Each one functions in a different way. So we must understand ourselves, in order to serve God according to the gifts we have. Because if we serve in our own strength, we will grow weary. But if we serve with the gift that God has given us, then we serve not in our own strength, but by His grace (Ephesians 3:7). When we serve by His grace, then we will be strong, we will not grow weary, we will not run out of fuel, because what drives us will not be our own strength, but the fuel and power of the Holy Spirit (Colossians 1:29; 1 Corinthians 2:4-5).

FELLOWSHIP

Everything connected with discipleship happens through fellowship. We do not simply want to hand someone the discipleship materials and say to him: “Here are the materials, here is the Bible, read them and sort yourself out.” No! God desires that we have fellowship with one another. In order to reproduce ourselves and make disciples, we do it through personal involvement, “by pouring ourselves into them, by motivating and helping them.” How? By having personal fellowship.

THE GREAT COMMANDMENT

This is the place of the Great Commandment. For on the one hand, we have the Great Commission, but the Great Commission cannot be carried out without the fulfillment of the Great Commandment. Where is this Great Commandment spoken of? In Matthew 22:35-40. What is the great commandment? The great commandment is the commandment of love — to love God and to love one another. Love for God is expressed in love for the person next to us.

35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:35-40)

Without love and without a personal relationship we cannot make disciples, we cannot serve God.

GIVING OURSELVES — A PERSONAL APPROACH

In his ministry the Apostle Paul used a personal approach. In 1 Thessalonians 2:8-12 he says:

8 so we cared for you. Because we loved you so much, we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. (1 Thessalonians 2:8)

You know that we have brochures which we hand out, but the brochures are not enough to save people. We must “give them our lives.” We must come to love them, and they must “become dear” to us. If we want to save someone, we must build a relationship with him, because without a relationship people fall away from the faith.

People are like flowers. If you have a flower at home, and you show it love, if you water it, if you care for it, it will bloom. Flowers sense love. It is the same with people. Every person is like a flower; he senses love. If you show him love, he will smile at you, he will be glad. He will open his soul, and you will have fellowship with him. You will have interaction with him. This is especially true of discipleship.

The Apostle Paul loved the Thessalonians beyond measure. Some time ago I spoke with a brother. He told me that he had recently been reading the letter to the Thessalonians, and what had made the strongest impression on him was what the Apostle Paul rejoiced over. In 1 Thessalonians 3:8 he says:

8 For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. 9 How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? (1 Thessalonians 3:8-9)

What are we to rejoice over? Over some material things, over some other things? The Apostle Paul rejoices that the Thessalonians were standing “firm in the Lord.” What is his priority, and what is his love for these spiritual children of his?! That is how much we must love the people around us! And yet we are selfish… We think, “Are my own needs met?” If we think this way, we will not be able to make disciples. If we think this way, we are spiritual babies. We must grow up and be like Jesus, of whom it is said that He “made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant.” He left everything and was “made in human likeness.” He “humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6-8). This is necessary for us as well (Philippians 2:5). We must know that we are servants of others (John 2:13-17). We must know that, as servants, we have no rights (Luke 17:7-10).

7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’” (Luke 17:7-10)

When someone does not show us respect and does not value our labor, we must not become angry. We are servants! We have no rights. If we have come to serve people, we must serve people as Jesus did. Jesus had rights, but He gave up His rights. If we have become servants, we too must give up our rights. We have no rights! For their sake, for the sake of those we serve; because we love God and we love people. Such an attitude will help us to have a fruitful ministry.

In 1 Thessalonians 2:10-11 the Apostle Paul continues:

10 You are witnesses, and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. 11 For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, (1 Thessalonians 2:10-11)

Notice, it says that the Apostle Paul “dealt with each of” them. That is why we speak of a “personal approach.” And what was the manner in which he did it? “As a father deals with his own children.” Just as I take my own children and say to them: “Listen now, this is not good for you, because it will have such and such consequences, so let’s pull ourselves together and do things the way we should.” And they understand, because they know that I love them and that I tell them this for their good. That is why they listen to me. It is the same with people. We must love our spiritual children and pour ourselves into them — giving them not only the gospel, but our own lives as well (1 Thessalonians 2:8); being spiritual fathers and mothers (1 Thessalonians 2:11).

We want to reproduce ourselves. If we want to reproduce ourselves, we must first be ready to show love. Not to nag them (1 Thessalonians 4:1). While He was on earth, Jesus demonstrated His life with God before His disciples. They did not understand Him. Many times He said to them: “You unbelieving generation, how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?” (Matthew 8:26; Mark 9:19) They drove Him to the end of His patience. But He bore with them, because He loved them. Jesus showed and explained everything to them, and yet again and again they kept stumbling. In the same way, we must not be surprised if our spiritual children fail. But our task is to keep showing them our walk with God.

To keep praying for them.
To keep loving them.
To keep doing good to them.
To be spiritual parents to them.
To pour ourselves into them.

SPIRITUAL FATHERHOOD

In 1 Corinthians 4:14-16 the Apostle Paul says to the Corinthians:

14 I am writing this not to shame you but to warn you as my dear children. 15 Even if you had ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel. 16 Therefore I urge you to imitate me. (1 Corinthians 4:14-16)

I told you that God desires that we be an example. That is why the Apostle Paul says: “Imitate me!” And he says: “In Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel!” It is not wrong to say this of someone to whom we have passed on the gospel and who has received it from us. We become his spiritual mothers and fathers. This is a personal approach. We cannot leave our spiritual children on their own until we have helped them pass through all the phases of growth: receiving the gospel, being strengthened, service, fellowship, and reproduction. God desires that we reproduce ourselves in them and that we encourage them also to reproduce themselves in many generations of followers of Christ.

REPRODUCTION

We want our disciples “to reproduce themselves in many generations of followers of Christ.” How will we achieve this? By encouraging each one to be a spiritual parent.

THE TRUE MARK OF SPIRITUAL MATURITY

There was a moment in my Christian growth when I thought I needed to know more. I thought I did not know enough about God and about the Bible. I thought I needed to find someone who could tell me more — so that I would know more, so that I would know the answers to all the questions. But you know, later I understood that this is not actually the true mark of maturity. The true mark of maturity is not how much you know. I understood this because I began to meet people who “know” so much that they have stopped believing in God. But in fact they have missed this: that God desires not only that we know a great deal, but that we reproduce ourselves in other followers of Christ. This is actually the true mark of spiritual maturity — reproduction. God desires that we have spiritual children. Jesus said that we are to obey His commandments and to teach new believers to obey everything He has commanded. To keep everything He has taught us means to obey Him (Matthew 28:20). Such obedience will produce reproduction. The true mark of maturity is not how much you know. The true mark of maturity is how many spiritual children you have. God desires that we have spiritual children.

PASSING ON THE BATON

In Acts 13:36 it says that David “had served God’s purpose in his own generation.” At this present time we are God’s generation on this earth. Before us there were others. When I was a child, I could watch the older people as they served God. Of course, I served Him alongside them too, but the responsibility for the baton of the gospel was not mine. Theirs was the responsibility for the ministry — to gather, to pray, to serve God. I observed a particular zeal in them. There was a zeal for the Lord. They were ready to sacrifice everything for the Lord. They were ready to give up everything and to give everything for Him, to serve Him with all they had. They were ready to be dismissed from their jobs. They were ready to suffer. They loved the church. They gave everything for it and served God with all they had.

But now we are the generation whose turn it is. It depends on us to pass the baton to the next generation (2 Timothy 2:13-14). Our spiritual mothers and fathers — they passed the baton to us (2 Timothy 4:5-6). But now we must pass the baton of the gospel to the next generation (Psalm 78:3-4). That is why we must be spiritual parents. That is why we encourage each one to be a spiritual parent. It does not matter how old you are; it does not matter how long ago you believed. Become a spiritual parent! If you have believed, bring one more person to Christ. Become a spiritual parent!

This applies not only to pastors, but to all followers of Christ. In natural life, regarding marriage, the Apostle Paul says: “one has this gift, another has that.” There are people who are married, and there are people who are not married. And he says that both are a gift from God. To be married is a gift from God, and not to be married is also a gift from God (1 Corinthians 7:7). For it is said: “A married man is concerned about the affairs of this world — how he can please his wife. But the unmarried man is concerned about the Lord’s affairs — how he can please the Lord” (1 Corinthians 7:32-34). So in natural life you may have children, or you may not. But in the spiritual life God desires that each one, whether married or not, have spiritual children.

Every single member of our church must take part in fulfilling our mission. It is not “the pastor” and “us.” No! It is “all of us.” If all of us are followers of Christ, if all of us are saved, if all of us are priests, if all of us are parts of the body of Christ, if all of us are children of God, then all of us must also be spiritual parents.

You see how many things we have to do. We do not simply gather and say: “There, I was at church. I’m done! I have fulfilled all my duties to God.” No! The church is not just two hours on a Sunday morning. The church is our whole life. The church is 168 hours a week. Throughout the whole week we must do these things — to evangelize, to be strengthened, to serve, to have fellowship, to reproduce ourselves. All of this is called abiding. We must abide in God. To abide means to remain on the vine and to bear fruit (John 15:4). In this way we reproduce ourselves. Reproduction is a mark of spiritual growth.

WORKING TO THE FOURTH GENERATION

We are speaking not only of reproduction, but of multiplication — of making disciples to the fourth generation. Not only that we have children. If you have children, you reproduce yourself in those children. Your children resemble you. Although they may have a different color of eyes. They look like themselves, but they also look a little like you, don’t they? Because they resemble not only their father, but also their mother. But when your children have children, when you have grandchildren, then you not only reproduce yourself, you multiply yourself. Because usually, however many children you have, the grandchildren are always more than the children. Isn’t that so? And the great-grandchildren are usually more than the grandchildren.

In 2 Timothy 2:2 the Apostle Paul says: “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses…” Our faith is not secret, it is not hidden, we are not a secret society, we are a public community, everything is open, before many witnesses. We are transparent.

2 And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2:2)

How many generations do we have here?

We have the Apostle Paul — “the things you have heard me say” — the Apostle Paul is speaking personally of himself. This is the first generation.
“The things you have heard me say.” Whom does the pronoun “you” refer to? This is a letter from Paul to Timothy, so he is speaking to Timothy — the second generation.
What was Timothy to do with what he had heard from Paul? Keep it for himself? No! He must pass it on. “Entrust to reliable people.” The “reliable people” are the third generation.
“Who will also be qualified.” Timothy had to find such people who were not only “reliable,” but also “qualified to teach others.” So here is the fourth generation — the “others.”

Four generations in one verse — “me,” Paul; “you,” Timothy; “reliable and qualified people”; and “others.”

A GUARANTEE OF RELIABILITY

How can we guarantee that the system for multiplying and reproducing God’s Kingdom will not stall and will not collapse? The answer lies in the ideal of a mature disciple of Jesus Christ that we hold up. According to this ideal, a mature disciple is one whose disciples make disciples. He not only has a spiritual son, but has helped his spiritual son also to have a spiritual son, who is a spiritual grandson of the first-generation disciple. And this first-generation disciple does not stop helping not only his spiritual son to have more spiritual children, but also helps his spiritual grandson to have spiritual children. In this way the first-generation disciple reproduces himself to the fourth generation.

If we compare ourselves with this ideal of a mature disciple, it may turn out that many of us have not yet become mature disciples of Jesus Christ, because we have no spiritual children, let alone spiritual grandchildren and great-grandchildren. If this is so, we must repent and set to work diligently in this direction. Let us not be the only ones saved, but let us take part in the expansion of God’s Kingdom through reproduction, because only in this way can it grow. Now it is our generation’s turn. Now we have the authority to multiply and to pass the baton of the gospel to the next generation.

LET US STOP PASSING THE BALL TO EACH OTHER

Let us set to work again. Let us work for this vision, for this mission, because this is what God desires. We need to have spiritual children. It will not happen any other way. It will not happen “pop,” with many people suddenly coming into the church. We say: “Lord, fill the empty chairs!” and the Lord says: “But please, make at least one disciple!” And so we begin to pass the ball to each other. “Lord, fill the empty chairs!” but the Lord says, “But please, make at least one disciple!” And as long as we do not make one disciple, we will go around in circles, just as the Israelites wandered the wilderness until they died off. And again we will say: “Lord, fill these chairs!” but the Lord will again answer us: “And now you — make one disciple!”

If each one of us makes one disciple, who makes disciples, and his disciples make disciples, you will see that it will become very, very crowded here. So let us pray and work in this direction — evangelism, strengthening, service, fellowship, and reproduction. This is the direction of growth. This is the direction of our church.

What do you say about this mission, about these things we have spoken of? Do you agree with them? Are they according to the Bible? If so, let each one weigh where he has reached in his spiritual development. God’s Word is like a mirror for us. This is the way. The way is for us to be like Jesus (John 14:6). For Christ to transform us — each one of us individually — to be like Him; to speak His words; to do His works. To make disciples, because He made disciples. To evangelize, to be strengthened, to serve, to have fellowship, and to reproduce ourselves. This is the direction; this is the plan; this is the mission; this is what we do.

PRAYER

God, we thank You for Your Word! We thank You for the direction You give us. Lord, when we see the direction, it looks steep to us. The way is not easy. We must make an effort. We must discipline ourselves. We must grow. We must reproduce ourselves.

God, help us! Help us, Father, to be obedient to You. Help us to have faith; help us to be humble. God, do not let our knowledge make us proud. Do not let our selfishness prevail over our worship of You. Be first place in our lives; help us to overcome our own selfishness. Help us to grow, to be transformed, to be like You, Jesus. Work in us and work through us. Grant that we may pass the baton of the gospel to the next generation of Your followers. In the name of Jesus, Amen!