Four Assignments

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Transcript

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Welcome to the Be and Become podcast, featuring Francois Carr of Heart Crawl and Connected Life Ministry. Francois's international ministry equips and encourages pastors, ministry leaders, and fellow Christians as they discover what it means to truly be and become the followers they were meant to be. Thank you for joining Francois today as he offers a few words of encouragement from God's Word.

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As we spent some time together, he asked me to read a verse of scripture coming from the book of John, chapter 17, verse 18. He asked me to read about that, to think about that verse, to pray about this, and then he said, Franco, I want you to live with that verse for at least two weeks or 14 days before you move on to another scripture. It was the prayer of the Lord Jesus in John 17, but he says, As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. After the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, he told his disciples, and so Jesus said to them, Peace to you. And just as the Father has sent me, I also send you. In John chapter 20, verse 21. And so what does it mean? He simply said to me, Franzo, whatever Jesus Christ is to you, you need to be that for him. Whatever Jesus meant to you, just go and be that for Christ. Go and live the life of Christ and be that for him. All that Jesus is to us, we are sent to be that for him. And as we look at the life of the Lord Jesus and especially how he came to accomplish the assignments and the missions from his Father, there are several assignments and things that he wants us to do as well. And as we read the scriptures, we see that there are 49 different commands that Jesus Christ has given to his disciples, which is actually also applicable on your life and mine even today. But just like the assignments, one would think it's almost impossible to try to remember them all and try to do them faithfully. But we don't have to do that. The good news is that Jesus has given us the promise of the coming of the Holy Spirit to help us. We only need to take some time to read and to meditate at all these commands and assignments and things that He wants us to do, and then trust that He will remind us in good time if He wants us to respond to that. He gave us a promise in John chapter 14. He said, But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. And so, how do you know what God wants from you? What is God's will and plan for your life? How do you know that I am being sent by the Lord? Because He calls us to follow Him, and as we do, He will enable us to grow and to bear more fruit every day of our lives. And so, what is it that you and I need to be very busy with? And as I read the scriptures and look at all these assignments and commandments, I believe there's a few things that is just kind of standing out for me. And the first one that we need to take some time to become more intimate and acquainted with God. The Bible tells us in John chapter 17, and this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. In other words, for us to be having an enjoying an intimate love relationship with the Father and also with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are called to be with Him in Mark chapter 3, verses 13 through 15. And Jesus, for the words of St. Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 9, said God is faithful, who has called us to fellowship and communion with his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I've come to realize in my own life that everything that I am and will become, and the success of the work that I'm called to do, anything that might have eternal value, depend on God's love and grace and especially the level of my walk with him. We can simply go through the emotions of Christianity and even be busy with Christian work, but my life and work will bear little fruit or no fruit at all that is lasting if I do not live and minister out of the overflow of my time spent and my intimacy with him. Then, secondly, is to work in my own heart and life to accelerate my growth in becoming more and more like Jesus Christ. In John chapter 17, the Bible tells us in verses 17 through 19, where Jesus was praying and asking his Father, he said, And for their sakes I sanctify myself that they may also be sanctified by the truth. And so Jesus is doing something with himself. He's sanctifying himself to become a better rabbi or a leader for his disciples, that they could also be sanctified by the truth. In other words, I have to work in my own heart and life to become more holy and to become more Christ-like in every aspect of life for the benefit of those people where God has uniquely placed him. And God's goal for all of us is to become more and more as we are changed into the image of his Son in Romans chapter 8, verse 29. And therefore, we need to remove all things and conversations and all kinds of stuff from our lives that might make us stumble or fall and not becoming like the Lord Jesus. And then with that is to look at Jesus as the object of faith and learn from him how we can sanctify ourselves to be set apart that we can become more like him. Then thirdly, is to help other people, other Christian people, other believers to become better followers of the Lord Jesus Christ and imitators, as Paul says, imitate me as I imitate the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. The Bible tells us in Matthew chapter 28, verse 19, is to go and to make disciples of all people all over the world. And then he said, and then teach them to obey all the things and everything that I have commanded you. In other words, he said, Go and help the other people, the disciples, and teach them the things I commanded you and help them to grow in their faith and their walk as well. And lastly, he is to come to a place that our lives can start to impact the people that does not know or believe in the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Can you still remember the person, the date, and the moment, or the church, or the meeting, or the preaching, or the sermon, or that verse of scripture, or even the tract that you were reading, or the book that you saw, or a banner on the road that talked about the Lord Jesus, and that just kind of gripped your heart and brought you to a place of accepting Christ as your personal savior, and that you just know because you know, that you are saved. And just like those people that has come into your life and help you, God wants to use you to share what you have seen and experience with Him also with other people. In Acts chapter 22, verses 14 through 15, there's an amazing verse of scripture where the Bible tells us the God of our fathers, as he speaks about Paul, has chosen you that you should know his will and see the just one and hear the voice of his mouth, because then you will be a witness to all men of what you have seen and what you have heard. And so, what can we do? He wants us to share and bear witness of our own work with God, the knowing of his heart and his plan and his will for your life and my life by looking into the face of Jesus as we spend some time with him and listening and hearing his voice, and then simply share with other people what we have received from him? But let me ask you a question. When was the last time you shared with others about the wonder of Jesus and what he has done for you and still do on a daily basis? Does the people your family and your circles of concern know that you know and follow Jesus Christ? In this coming week, is there anyone with whom you can share what you have seen, what you have heard, and what God has done for you that you can share the good news with other people? May God bless you in this week as you seek to know his heart and his will, as you look into the face of the Lord Jesus, as you listen and hear his voice, and then just simply to go out and to live and to be Jesus for the world where God has uniquely placed you. May God bless you.

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Thank you for listening to this Be and Become episode with Francois Carr. For more information about the ministry, visit the website at ConnectedLifeministries.com. We hope you'll join Francois next time as he continues the conversation on what it means to be and become the follower you are meant to be.