Go and make disciples

by Jacob Heyn

What is the mission of the church?  This question is simple to answer. Jesus himself gave us this mission when he said, “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).  The Lord repeats the mission when he says, through the apostle Paul, that he “wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).  Now, we might ask the question that Pontius Pilate asked Jesus (John 18:38): “What is truth?”  Jesus himself answered this question (even before it was asked) when he told Pilate that “everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (John 18:37).  Truth is everything that Jesus tells us.  Everything that we read in the Bible is the truth that we are to share with the world. 

As Christians, we have heard the message of the truth, the truth that both tears us down, but also builds us back up.  The truth hurts us by telling us that we are sinners and that there is nothing we can do to be saved.  It tells us that because of our sins, God is going to punish for all eternity in hell.  And yet the truth doesn’t stop there.  It tells us that despite all of our sins, God still loved us even though we messed up his perfect creation.  He looked at us in our sin and how we failed every day trying to earn our way into heaven, and he determined to do something to help us.  He didn’t want to send us to hell for all eternity; he wants us to be with him in heaven.  He did what no one else could.  He sent his Son, Jesus Christ, to be our substitute.  Jesus, though he was tempted just as we are, lived the perfect life that we could not even dream of doing (cf. Hebrews 4:15).  He then willingly took the blame for all our sins, for all the sins of those who came before us, and for all the sins of those who will come after us.  He took the punishment that was meant for us and died for all our sins.  He didn’t do this for himself so as to better himself; he did this for us so that we could be with him in paradise.

And Jesus’ story didn’t end with his death.  After being buried in a tomb on Friday, on Sunday he rose from the dead, sealing his victory for us.  Because of his resurrection, we know that we will live again with him in heaven.  This is just amazing!  A God who is perfect and demands perfection—who is just, punishing those who deserve to be punished—chose to take our punishment, the punishment that we deserved, because he loves us so much.  Words cannot describe the feeling that one gets when hearing this message.  It makes one want to just tell everyone about it!  We just want to share this feeling with everyone we meet.  Jesus’ words, “Go and make disciples of all nations,” may seem like a command that one must obey, but it’s not like that.  His words give us a commission that we want to carry out, because the love that we receive from Christ through this gospel message is something that we are eager to share with the world.

Letter to a friend

by Collin Wenzel

Collin wrote this letter for a friend of his who has been dealing with feelings of depression.  Her name is changed for privacy.

****************

My dear friend Olivia,

            The Lord’s blessings to you—I pray you are doing well. I was glad to have heard from you earlier this year. However, when I learned of your recent struggles with feelings of depression, my heart went out to you. I would like to offer you spiritual guidance and encouragement from our heavenly Father.

            I smile and laugh as I frequently look back on all of the memories we have stored up with our friends over the past three years. How much longer than three years it seems! I thank God that extra-curriculars brought us all together when we were in high school. Now, although we are in different states and only see each other a few times a year, I still care deeply for you. Concerning the hardships you wrote to me about, I often ask God in my prayers to help you through this difficult time.

Sin entered the world at the fall of the first man. Through sin came sorrow, pain, despair and feelings of hopelessness. I understand that what you are feeling seems unexplainable and unreasonable. Olivia, you know that at conception, we were enemies of God. We were born into this world as truly hopeless beings. But you also know that we have a Father who loves us so much that he gave his Son for us. Jesus lived the life for us that we never could live ourselves—perfect in every way.  Jesus bore for us the punishment that we merited. Because of Jesus’ work and through faith in him, we are justified before God.

I know that you know this. Why, then, did I write it? I want to remind you of the blessings we receive through this justification. To us belongs hope—hope of the greatest kind. We know that we must go through many trials on this earth. But we have hope to help us get through them. We have hope that God is on our side. We have hope that God is guiding us and holding our hand—that he will never leave us. Take joy in this! Our strength comes from the Lord. He empowers us in every situation. He will help you with your feelings of depression; in him alone can you trust. Call upon him! As David wrote,  “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall” (Psalm 55:16).

Your thoughts of depression may be telling you that you are losing purpose to press onward, and that you can’t do it. But God will never let the righteous fall. God will not let the burdens pressing you down become so heavy that you will be crushed. God will sustain you.

            So rely on him! Find your joy in the fact that he fulfills his promises. Pray to him, saying, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (Psalm 51:12). Your salvation is sure. No earthly sorrow can hinder it. So remember God’s love and receive unending joy from it! I heard a spiritual song which included the following encouragement. Let us use some words from that song as we pray:

Dear God, please comfort my soul. You are at my side; no longer must I dread the fires of unexpected sorrow. Let me not be moved by lesser lights and fleeting shadows, nor let me forsake the truth I learned in the beginning. Guide me as I wait upon you and assure me that hope will rise. God, I will trust in you and not be shaken. To your name alone be the glory. Amen.

The words from this prayer were adapted from the song “Still, My Soul be Still”
by Keith and Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townend, from the album Awaken the Dawn
 (Getty Music, 2009).

            

Artistic encouragement

I've neglected this blog site for a full month!  To get things rebooted, this will be a double post.  I'd like to share a pair of items from religion students of mine, Emily Muir and Lydia Thiesfeldt.  They created artistic works with descriptions.  Take a look!

Light in the Darkness 
by Emily Muir

Emily's description of her artwork:  

This painting is surrounded in black. The black represents the struggles we face in this world. All our struggles are filled with sin because we are sinful living in a sinful world. The devil tries to work on our hearts and try to convince us we are unworthy, failures, too broken and tainted for God’s love. We feel the pains, like we are in prison, and we know our punishment of sin which is death. These are our natural thoughts that we have as we move away from God’s love that is represented in the cross.

These are not light things because they are engraved into us. For this reason the words of worry, fear, depression, broken, pain, death, failure, unworthy, prison, and tainted are represented by raised characters in the darkness represent the result of moving away from what Christ freely gave to us on the cross and into darkness.  

We have comfort, however, in the life of Christ that was perfect for us. By him and his word, we have strength and relief. These truths are what we cling to while we struggle here on earth. We look to the light of God which is pure, free and holy. His light is full of joy, love and peace. Best of all, we look to when we will live in glory and have peace with God. We remember, while we are here on earth, to keep our eyes focused on the cross of Christ -- even with the darkness of sin seems to overwhelm us, which is why the cross is the central focus of the painting. The white cross symbolizes the resurrection of Christ, which is cornerstone of our faith. Because Jesus rose, we too will rise from the dead one day. One day we will receive the gift of heaven, which no words can explain.

Christ is the Head of the Church
by Lydia Thiesfeldt

Lydia's description of her artwork:  

In this painting, the church is structured with walls made of Bible passages. All of these Bible passages have to do with different parts of the church and our faith. Some passages tell how we, as members of the church, are to live. Some passages tell what God did for the church. Others talk about God being the foundation of the church and of our faith. Some talk about the basis of our faith. All of the passages included are ones that form and structure our faith lives, just as the walls of a church form and structure the building.

The sun in the corner has passages on it and on its rays. All of these passages have to do with Jesus, the Son of God and what he did for us.

The cross on the top of the church has the reference John 3:16 written on it. I chose this verse for the cross because it is the first one that comes to my mind when I see a cross. God sent his only Son to die on the cross for me and for everyone so that we could spend eternity in heaven with him.

Associated scriptures:

• Acts 20:28- Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.
• Colossians 1:20- ... and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
• 1 Corinthians 14:26- What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.
• Deuteronomy 32:4- He is the Rock, his works are perfect and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.
• 2 Timothy 2:19- Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”
• Galatians 5:22- But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
• Ephesians 2:8- For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
• 2 Corinthians 5:7- For we live by faith, not by sight.
• Hebrews 11:1- Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.
• Psalm 103:21-Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.
• Matthew 4:10- Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”
• Galatians 5:14- For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
• John 14:19- Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
• Matthew 26:61- “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
• James 1:22- Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
• Psalm 103:1- Praise the Lord, my soul;all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
• Galatians 2:20- I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
• Psalm 105:4- Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.
• Mark 14:62- You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.
• Romans 8:32- He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
• Matthew 20:28-  The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many
• Galatians 2:20- I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
• Luke 19:10- For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
• Matthew 1:21- She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.
• Mark 10:45- For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
• Luke 9:35- A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen;listen to him.”
• John 3:36- Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.