I’m not
talking about the return
of Jesus, though we should live
each day as if he were coming in the middle of the night or the morning.
I am talking
about being ready to disciple
new believers or old ones who come home.
Why would they be coming?
God promised
to pour
out his Spirit in the last days. Ever since Jesus rose from the dead and
the Spirit was manifest in the apostles, the last days have been underway. The
end of the age is near. How near? I can’t say, but we are closer than we were
and we should be ready to disciple new believers into obeying God, fulfilling
every command in love, not simply compliance, fellowship among believers, and even evangelism.
How do I get
ready?
Pray. Make plenty of time for listening.
Read his holy word. We are blessed that
God has placed us in a time where we know so much of the story.
Study his word. Memorize scriptures that
you might need when you can’t get to your Bible. Dig in. Know and experience
the full biblical witness. Do not become anchored in only a few verses
to the exclusion of others.
Put his
words into practice. Do what we are told to do.
Do all of
this in a spirit of love.
Repeat.
There is a
basic decision model used in warfare. It is the OODA Loop. Its an acronym that
stands for:
Observation.
Orientation.
Decision.
Action.
Once you
have finished the process, you start again.
What happened (observation)?
How do I
relate to and navigate this new situation (orientation).
I will do
this. Whatever this is should be
some form of putting his words into practice (decision).
Then we do
it (action).
Then back to
Orientation and another trip through the loop.
There is a
parallel in our discipleship. We take note of our situation. We seek God
through his word. We put his words into practice and then do it all again. We grow in God’s grace.
Yes, there
is more to be done in the fullness
of our salvation—our discipleship—but these will prepare you to receive and
help others who have professed Jesus is Lord.
We are still
a work in progress, but we can help others as God completes his masterpiece
in each of us. In God’s time, we are already perfected, but in our lives, we
still are being shaped and reshaped to perfection by
the Potter.
Remember,
when people come, we are not their seniors or supervisors. They do not follow us, though we should set a
good example.
We walk with
them as we follow Jesus and bring glory to God. We are brothers and sisters in
Christ.
As siblings
in our Savior and Redeemer, we should help those who come to know the ways of
the Lord.
We must not
become Pharisees who enjoyed their positions and expected people to do what
they said because they typically did know more than most of the people. But they did not know the love that was to
accompany God’s directives.
Love must guide
us.
Are you
ready? Probably not completely, but if we do our part God will take care of
more than you can imagine.
We must
continue to grow in his grace and be ready to receive those who respond to his
Spirit in the days ahead.
Amen.
