You don’t have to go to seminary to be a disciple
Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
To understand the good news, you must first understand the bad. You are going to be punished in hell if you believe that you can obtain your Salvation by any other means than the understanding that is only comes through Christ alone. John 3:17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. The idea that any good works earn you any merit towards your salvation is a false teaching. You earn nothing by going to church every week; by repetitious prayers required from priests; by the good deeds to outweigh the bad; by anything that has an act of the requirement of religion behind it. There will be many in hell that were in church every Sunday feeling good about themselves for doing so. Matthew 7:13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Religion is the false security found in oneself on the acts falsely required of it.
Hope is not lost now that you question all your religiosity. Hope is gained in the simplicity of the Gospel. Gospel is actually defined as good news. The good news is that, For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (John 3:17) The way to the obtain God’s saving grace through His son is the understanding that you can never do ANYTHING to earn it. Pride is at the root of all sin, and pride is at the root of all the religiosity of merits to earn God’s favor. You can only enter the narrow gate of forgiveness by removing the swollen heart of pride, and accepting Christ’s free gift. Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. A humble repentant heart in that understanding; a plea for forgiveness of one’s sins; and a desire to live one’s life for Christ will gain eternal paradise. Christ holds the key, and only through Him may the gate be opened for you. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
What do we now do with all that we freely gained? Matthew 28:19-20 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. This is known as the Great Commission; Christ’s last words before He ascended into heaven. You are called to action; you are to be a disciple sharing the Good News to all that He places before you. He may use your testimony, but He always uses the power found in the words of the Gospel. You cannot continue to live in sin, nor in your religiosity, once you have come to the understanding of the Gospel, and it’s power to save. Being a disciple does not require a seminary degree. It only requires a heart that produces good works as a result of the realization of the simplicity of the Gospel. The good works we once believed earned our merit before God, now are the product of a heart transformed with Christ. A disciple longs to share all that they have gained in Him. A disciple feels the urgency of the need for the Good News to those around them. A disciple plea is for God to use them.
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