Trusting God – The Disciple-Making Lifestyle

For a few moments, please quietly focus on the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, will you move your mind away from the soft-spoken image which you have of Him? John records that there were special times when His message was so impassioned, that He literally had to – cry out!

Imagine the power of His voice when He spoke with divine authority! Those moments were unmistakable. He and His Father who had sent Him, shared the same redemptive mission. Their objective was to save all who would accept heaven’s grace and turn from sin.

To believe in God’s Son – was and still is to believe in His holy Father! For all eternity they were, are, and always will be equally – our Savior!

One in essence, one in purpose, and one in spirit, yet uniquely different -we experience the Father and the Son as – One! The Lord Jesus emphasized this saying, “I and My Father are one.” (John 10:30)

The Lord’s profound message of unity with His Father can be lost in today’s sea of misleading questions inspired by our enemy. Remember that the fallen angel whom God calls Satan, is no friend of the truth. He desperately wants the world to believe that they can somehow know God the Father without knowing God the Son.

Listen to Jesus’ words when they are inverted and think about their meaning. “When a man does [not] believe in Me, he does [not] believe in the one who sent Me.” (John 12:44) Either way you read this verse, its timeless message cannot be lost. Later, Jesus again said, “If you really knew Me, you would know My Father as well. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.” (John 14:7) He didn’t want us to miss His point!

Make no mistake about it, the impassioned message which you and I are called to deliver flies straight in the face of worldly religious philosophy. The Bible clearly teaches that one cannot simply believe in God and therefore go to heaven. Jesus explained, “…no one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) That was the purpose of His coming and it necessitated His – death, resurrection, and ascension!

God’s truth is not “gray,” nor is it always popular. In fairness, we must realize that it – never has been! Consequences offend our senses because we do not take sin nearly as seriously as God does. He willingly left heaven and took our place on the cross – solely because of the certain consequences of our sins.

Out of love, God provided a way for our escape. Our Savior fully understood the necessity and reality of judgment. To secure our way of escape, there was no easy road. He had to actually take our punishment! He explained His divine mission saying, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10) Let that knowledge inspire your witness today as you seek to express your gratitude.