Bart Wilkins concludes our Census 2010 by compelling us to be counted as citizens of God’s kingdom, and encouraging others to do the same.

 

 Go Into All the World [36:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

John 13:1-17:26

The issue that has been before us over the last five weeks has been Jesus call to ‘Follow Me…’.  We have looked at what it meant to the disciples as they put down their various occupations and take up literally following Jesus and how that following applies to you and I today.  We have looked at beliefs and attitudes, we have talked about activities, both in the context of the organized church and on our own and we have looked at those personal disciplines that we need in order to grow and follow.  We have talked about what it means to be saved by grace, how we can serve the church, what we can do to grow, and what it means to reach out on our own.  It is high time to look at what Jesus said about this following, what He told His disciples as He prepared them for His departure from this world and what they would need to follow without His physical presence to lead them, essentially what Jesus said that you and I would need in order to answer that same call.

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On My Own
John 4:1-42

In normal circumstances we find Jesus ministering with the help of his disciples.  When he sent them out to minister on their own, he sent them out in pairs.  There is strength in ministering with others.  It should be our standard operating procedure.  But there are times when due to circumstances or necessity, we find ourselves with the opportunity to minister solo.  It is something we should be prepared and willing to do.

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Friendship
1Samuel 20

Jonathan and David were friends, and Jonathan loved David as himself in spite of his father, King Saul’s hatred of David.  King Saul had been trying to kill David.  Jonathan initially didn’t believe this, and on the eve of a festival dinner, they devised a plan to test King Saul.  David was to be absent from the dinner under Jonathan’s permission, and Jonathan to observe his father’s response.  Sure enough, King Saul was so angry at David’s absence, that when Jonathan asked what David’s wrongdoing was, the king hurled his spear at Jonathan, trying to kill him.  Jonathan was grieved, and later hugged and asked David to leave permanently for David’s own safety, but never to forget their friendships forged under the Lord’s witness.

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Mentors
John 15:26-16:33

A mentor is defined by Webster’s as ‘a close, trusted, and experienced counselor or guide’.  Essentially someone who has been there, done that and is willing to pass on the wisdom they have gained from their experience to another.  One of the central features of the life of Christ is His mentoring of twelve everyday guys.  They lived together for three years, sharing good times and bad with Jesus giving them the wisdom of His experience as they followed Him.  The goal was for those twelve guys to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything they had been shown.  The crisis comes when Jesus has to leave, when the disciples can no longer physically follow Him and they now have to walk on their own.

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Jeff Baker continues our teaching series, Census 2010, with a challenge to engage in spiritual activities that will strengthen our relationship with God and spur us on to spiritual growth.

 

 Spiritual Activities [44:31m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Tithing

There is nothing complicated or fancy about tithing.  God asks us for a tenth of what we receive.  Where it gets complicated is in our attitudes towards God.  In the Old Testament, God condemns Israel for not bringing their tithes as they should, accusing them of robbing Him of what is His (Malachi 3:8-12).  But yet in the New Testament, Jesus confronts the Pharisees for their legalism in tithing (Luke 11:42).  This apparent contradiction says to me that the issue isn’t so much one of tithing, but one of heart and attitude.

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Prayer to Confess

Repentance is an essential part in the process of the renewing our minds in order to walk with Christ.  But we can’t repent unless we acknowledge and confess our sins.  We have all sinned, and we need to confess them in prayer.  Even the mighty and legendary King David sinned when he committed adultery with Bathsheba.  Psalm 51 tells how he confessed and asked for the restoration of his spirit.  John tells us that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).  Therefore confessing our sins is the start of the purification process that will set us free in Christ.  We acknowledge that we have strayed, missed the mark and need to be corrected.

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