The Clling of the Disciples

Scripture

Mark 1:14–18 ESV

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.” Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.” And immediately they left their nets and followed him.

Introduction

This part of Mark’s gospel is perhaps a crucial element in understanding the Kingdom of God. It is not an abstract principle that is to come, rather the Kingdom of God to this very day is at hand.

This indeed is good news for the people of God. However I believe within our own very congregation this news has been forgotten and tied up in a building and a local church history.

The reality is you have voted to close instead of doing hard things to relocate. But what I don’t want for you is to loose hope in the Kingdom of God and just go about your lives watching sermons on the TV only to drift away. This is my greatest fear you because I as your Pastor see the signs of giving up.

So today’s sermon is to point you to the following;

A. The good news of the Kingdom of God

B. What it requires

C. The call of being a disciple no matter your age.

The Kingdom

Indeed the Kingdom of God and the gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest news. The news we should never forget and live out.

The Kingdom of God is a major theme in the preaching of Jesus and is a theme traced back to Genesis 14 where Abraham offers a tithe of the spoils of war to Melchizedek.

Throughout the life of the church how this Millennial Kingdom is implemented has been debated, the majority of Catholics and Protestants following the teaching of Augustine has seen the millennial reign as symbolic of the Church age until the return of Christ. (dispensation/premil is fairly new and not the prominent view of the Christian church even in the East. In reality the Amil position is perhaps the main thought)

What we do know is the Kingdom of God is attached the King Himself coming to the world to die for a bride, that which will be and are citizens of this Kingdom.

What does this Kingdom include? First the Kingdom will be fully realized in the final return of the Lord, but His Kingdom is very much here.

His Kingdom is not limited to the organized church (thou this is where the Kingdom is realized) but rather through the church, Christ reigns expands into all nations the earth.

This is the eschatology of Hope, we are not praying for a rapture and a return to a Jewish state. That is in my conviction of scripture a wrong understanding of what Jesus teaches.

It is through Christ reign through the Church that from his oncoming in the world to the time of his second return His Kingdom is being established.

This Kingdom has certain politics;

A. There is only one God whose name shall be worshiped. Permitting other religions is something that is not permitted. If you ever ask why the world hates Christians so much, it is because the prince of darkness can’t have Christ as King over the nations. It is a spiritual war. A war of the Kingdoms.

B. There will be the spiritual blessing of God’s people as they worship God purely. This is a gradual progression and this is not a prosperity gospel thou in the final eschaton all things of pain and suffering does come to an end. We work towards this in alleviating pain such as homelessness, medical problems, giving education, and the list goes on. It’s part of being a blessing to the community in both the spiritual and psychical.

C. In the final eschaton sin and death is fully no more; so as the Church whose duty in carrying forth this promise of the Kingdom is to preach against sin and that which causes death.

D. The Kingdom of God has healthy biblical relationships. Where God’s people are not at war with each other, households are in the order to which God designed it, church government is structured as biblically led and ruled by elders.

The Kingdom of God is as stated multiple time both the here and yet to come. The Church is the mission, acting out the rulings of the King unto every nation.

Who are the citizens of this Kingdom?

Only those who repent of sin and believe in Christ. All else is on the outskirts and will never have access into the narrow gate of the Kingdom of God. It is only had through Christ for those whom will believe, those who are elected, born again into a living salvation with the Lord.

This is why church membership is for those who are baptized and born again. The Church is the representation of the Kingdom of God.

Guard membership and the guardians of God’s church is the elders who rule it. Pastors under the King's authority. Pastor do not submit to a congregation, they submit to Christ and to other elders. They do not submit to the congregation, they serve the congregation, discipline the congregation, rebuke the congregation, love the congregation. We see this as the disciples would become apostles/elders of the very first churches.

The disciples called

The disciples were called after the baptism and temptation of Jesus. These disciples were not called for the purpose of anything but to reveal the glory of Christ and be handed the duty of establishing the church on earth when Christ takes his rightful throne in Heaven.

Each of these disciples will have a role, Judas himself had a predetermined role to betray the son of God which led to the cross.

Without the cross, we would still be waiting for the promise of the Kingdom of God. Yes Judas sinned of his own flesh and will, but it was not outside of the will of God that He would the son of perdition.

Because the church is the mission of the King to expand the Kingdom of God throughout all nations these first twelve disciples would learn Kingdom living from Christ over the course of the earthly ministry of Christ.

The 11 will choose a 12th to replace Judas. These men will become Apostles, Pastors of the church. Their duty is to make disciples, plant churches, and usher in the Kingdom of God which is both now and to come.

You and I by the election of God has been placed in a local church and part of the Church because of Christ and the faithfulness of the Apostles.

You as a disciple

All who are in Christ are a disciple of Christ, but that does not mean all are Pastors I want to make that clear. That is a very unique office not the calling of every Christian.

Yet every Christian is a disciple who should be making disciples. The great commission is given to the church of God’s people, Pastors are to equip the saints for the work of ministry.

I remember sitting before council I called to install me as Pastor of this church. My Pastor (who is about to my Pastor once more) asked me the question how will equip this congregation to live out ministry?

I pray I obeyed that challenge by challenging you to live on mission. This is is one of the primary callings of a Pastor to do as Christ did send disciples into the world, to make His Kingdom, His salvation, and His reign known throughout all the world.

The question you must ask yourself who are you disicpling right now? What is your ministry? Many of you are using gifts for care ministry, some of you have not thought of this question in a very long while.

The second question you must ask, as you find another church home is; how is this church expanding the Kingdom of God? How are the members living out the great commission?

The church is not the place to just meet on Sunday’s as a country club. The church has a purpose and it is always the great commission and the glory of Christ.

My challenge for you

Most of you are retired; find one young person/family you will build a relationship with this coming year. Eat a meal with them once per week in your home or even once per month. Text them through out the week, pray for them, teach them the word, offer them some help when needed.

You are in the best position of your life where you are not battling a forty hour work week and raising children. You have time and maybe even some extra resources to share. Will you use it for the Kingdom of God and glory of Christ?

I enjoy talking with Don, I wish I had better eye sight because I would be in the deer stand with you hunting deer. I asked Don yesterday how did you learn everything you know? He knows a lot. He pointed to the heavens and said God gave it to me so I can help others.

Right there is how you live out the purpose of a disciple who makes disciples. Use your gifts at serving others and next thing you know some young buck is in the deer stand with you talking about the things of life and the Lord.

Remember you don’t save souls, Christ does but he calls you to be this instrument in reliving pain and giving Christ.

John Piper states the following;”There are no sunset years in the Christian life, until the day you die you have a race to run.”

Disciple your calling to make disciples never ends. The purpose of disciples who are and should be members of a local church is to be making disciples, making Christ known, and giving glory to God in all things.

Even on your bed when you will fall ill to older age; the nurse that cares for you needs to know Christ. Don’t be so self-focused on your needs but rather is the person taking care of me in need of Christ either as to be encouraged as a fellow heir of the Kingdom or maybe to hear about Jesus for the first time?

I have this picture on my phone of my mother praying over a gentlemen who may or may not know the Lord. On face value he speaks the language, but in heart it is unsure. On one particular mission trip into the city, this man was cursing when I arrived, complaining of an addict who was living with him, and just angry at God.

I had written him off for the night, I was pretty much at the point of let’s go home, leave the guy alone. My mom somehow broke through the chains of bondage he was in, when he would not want anyone to pray over him that night my mother prayed over him.

They embraced in a hug and the guy was at peace. My mom who has everything in the world going on right now with her own health battles, being a full time care taker, still a mom to us grown kids, was making a disciple and giving Christ.

Christian we give time to our treasures; if you are born again your treasure is Christ and Christ has called you to command of making disciples and glorifying Him. If your treasure is not Christ, you are not born again. Plain and simple I can tell you this now, you have not encountered Christ and can’t be making disciples because you need to be disciple.

No questions asked : Leaving for Christ

Christen and I are family people. Family is at the center of what we do, who we want to around, etc.. In late 2020 we got a call from God to pursue church revitalization in Galloway New Jersey.

By early 2021 we had left and went to go where Jesus called us. Leaving family behind, careers, stability, friends, a church we loved greatly; to be obedient to Christ.

There is nothing special about our story, it’s just what Christians do, they follow Christ no matter the cost. When Jesus called his disciples they left and followed Him. Let the dead bury the dead is the words of Christ.

Go and follow Christ. Christian where is Christ calling you next? Many of you need to here this because you are living in fear of the unknown rather than obedience to Christ. Waughtown is a dead church, but you don’t have to be a dead Christian.

My final challenge for you as a disciple of Christ is go follow Christ imenditality, let the dead bury the dead.

Luke 9:60 KJV 1900

Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.

These are not my words, but the words of Christ let the dead bury the dead. By holding to a dead organization till December or not transferring your membership is but disobdeicne to Christ.

Christian every local church has a shelf life in the words of Jerry Farwell. He is right. In the words of Mark Clifton not every church needs to be revitalized and we were one of those. But every Christian is called to be a disciple and follow Christ.

Private to church our plans

He has given us the commandment which i will read as our bendification following our closing hymn.

Christen I will be gone the next two weeks, I will be right up the road helping to launch a core team of Christians who just lost their Pastor, closed their church today on their last Sunday at City Park.

That Pastor will become a member, the church will megre with a healthy body living on mission. Redemption Hill Church.

Going forward this year, accept for one absence which is for a trip I planned over the summer; my time away from you is to begin transitioning my next calling as a member of a church to be a lay leader serving Christ in the Washington Park area of Winston-Salem with Redemption Hill Church.

I have ministers assigned to come and encourage you and they look forward to it through out the course of our last 3.5 months together.

I and Christen are here to help minister you to your next Pastoral family and church family. However we must too submit ourselves to healthy church membership and submission to Pastoral care/leadership.

We have chosen to be on the core launch team of Redemption Hill and would love for you to follow us. Let’s start a small group bible study and be connected to that body together. Yes it’s different than your generation is use to, but I think you will learn to love what God is doing with the next generation and maybe you can make some disciples along the way.

So join us, let the dead bury the dead.

We will see you in about two weeks. Ministers from New Friendship Baptist will be with you over the next couple of weeks.