We pray that we be obedient

"And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:18-19, NASB).

These verses make up the climax of Matthew's gospel. After Jesus' death on the cross and resurrection, Jesus, God in flesh, asked disciples to be the "through" - His instruments to tell the world of His great message. Instruments, like the guitars pictured, can help musicians communicate a sort of message. As believers, our message tells of how God's great love is demonstrated, in that He would die for and forgive sinners like us (Romans 5:8).

Jerry Rankin and Ed Stetzer wrote:

"We, just like Israel, are to be instruments of His mission
to make His way and His salvation known upon the earth
until all nations rejoice and sing His praise" (Spiritual Warfare and Missions, p. 21).

Together, with the power of the Holy Spirit, believers can make a beautiful symphony, as we worship our Lord and share who He is with others who don't know Him yet.

More reading on this: 1 Chronicles 16:7-36, Romans 6:12-14

Dear Lord, thank you for Your faithfulness and sacrifice. Please help us remember how much we need You and how much others need You, too.  Make us into your instruments in making disciples and helping others know You. Amen.

This devotion based on the guided prayer in HeartCall: Women Sharing God's Heart workbook (Jaye Martin, 1999).

Photo of Ibanez guitars from guitaristmaximus.com

A Great Privilege!

"Jesus, undeterred, went right ahead and gave his charge: "God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I'll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 (the message paraphrase)

"Then Jesus came near and said to them, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 (HCSB)

As "disciples" = Forever Students & Followers of The Lord, there is someone in our life that God has placed there for us to "Go and Train in God's Way of Living"!

WHO? Who are we training up in The Lord day after day after day until the end of the age, until Jesus returns?

Evangelistic discipleship is one of the JOYS of Following Jesus! The enemy DOES NOT want us to be disciples so he will put every fear, obstacle, and excuse in our minds and lives...REJECT his LIES!

God has given every believer the ability, through His Powerful Holy Spirit Presence in our lives, to "Go and Train" others!

When I became a Believer, Follower of Christ-A Disciple Maker, God put other Christians in my life to help me learn how to evangelistically "practice what He commands me to do". As we disciple others, God provides His Word for all we need. There are also some simple discipleship tools, based on God's Word, to assist us as we "Go and Train" others! I would like to share one of those simple, but powerful, tools/resource that you may like to use. This resource is a FREE downloadable New Believers Guide called HeartCall: "A New Heart" that has been written by Jaye Martin and myself to encourage and assist you in evangelistic discipleship! A New Heart can be shared with New Believers, Believers that may need to be discipled, or Believers that are looking for a New Fresh Start in the basics of the Christian Life. In order to download this free guide, please click on this link and look for "HeartCall: A New Heart":

http://www.namb.net/nambpbsharing.aspx?pageid=8589978741

The link above will take you to The North American Mission Board website where you will see HeartCall: A New Heart free downloadable guide.

There are also some free downloadable witnessing booklets in other languages along with a leadership HeartCall Notebook that is FULL of FREE evangelistic encouragement enrichment for everyone to be trained in The Lord and encouraged to Share Jesus with Others! We thank God for these resources that are made possible by those that GIVE to MISSIONS through "The Cooperative Program" and/or the yearly "Annie Armstrong Easter Offering"