Last week we talked about what it’s like to be a true Christian.
We also talked about of how the disciples of Jesus were called by the same name as their master because they acted like Jesus!
The disciples of Jesus were known as Christians because they continued to do what Jesus did: They made Disciples!
Why do we have to make disciples? Why do we need to preach the gospel?
Because we save lives from hell through Discipleship.
Only those who have been born again and have become disciples of Jesus Christ will be saved!
John 3: 3 “Jesus replied,” Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. ”
Jesus was very clear that whoever has not been born again will not enter into his kingdom!
A person can only enter the Kingdom of God once they repent of their sins and are born to a new life with Christ!
Hebrews 9:27 “Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment,”
Everyone dies only once. And after death we will face the trial!
- You can live your life however you want, but one day you will have to render accounts of how you led your life!
You can hide your sins from other people here on earth, but one day you will stand before God and have to render account of your life!
- For only true repentance and turning away from sin can save someone’s life and get their name written in the book of life!
Revelation 20:15 “Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”
Your name written in the book of life will be your salvation!
Hell is a reality, it’s not fiction!
I know this message is not very popular! People do not like to hear this!Many churches do not preach about hell.
The Bible describes it as a terrible place of torment where all those who have not kept the commandments of the Lord for their lives (given in the Bible) will stay for all eternity.
A true Christian is someone who is in the presence of the Father, not for fear of hell, but for the pleasure and satisfaction of honouring and glorifying the Lord God.
Do you know how else spoke about hell? Jesus!
Jesus spoke more of Hell than heaven !
42% of Jesus’ parables mentioned hell !
Hell is real, it exists, it is the place where all those who have decided to live in sin and did not repent will end up in the end.
Hell is total absence of the grace and the presence of God. Theologically speaking, hell is known as the second death
Unfortunately, however, many people are not afraid of hell, they think it is fiction, but one day they will have to face this harsh reality.
2 Peter 2: 4 “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;”
The Bible says that God did not even spare the angels when they sinned. He cast them into hell. They were judged and condemned because of their sin.
Let’s see some more verses about hell:
Matthew 5:29 “If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. ”
Matthew 25:46 ” Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. ”
Matthew 13: 42-43 “They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear. ”
Matthew 3:12 “His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning-up the chaff (tchaf) with unquenchable fire.”
Luke 16:23 “In Hades (another Word for hell) , where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.”
Please read Luke 16:19-31 about Lazarus and rich man- one in hell and another in Heaven
“So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’”
Psalm 9:17 “The wicked go down to the realm of the dead, all the nations that forget God.”
Psalms 9:17 KJV “The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”
Revelation 20:14 “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. ”
There are hundreds of texts in the Bible that speak of hell as real!
But hell was not created for men!
Matthew 25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ”
Hell was prepared for the devil and his angels, it was not intended for humans.
But unfortunately, people end up there because they rejected God, because they do not accept the love of God to be saved.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Because God loved the world, God loved you in such a way that he gave his Son, so that EVERYONE who believes in him would not perish, (would not go to hell) , but have eternal life!
1 Timothy 2: 4-5 “Who wants all people to be saved and to get to know the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, ”
2 Peter 3: 9 “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. ”
God wants EVERYONE to be saved! He does not want anyone to get lost!
But there is only one way for people to be saved, there is only one mediator between God and men!
Jesus is the only way!
That is the reason Jesus warned us so many times of eternal damnation, for He does not want you in hell.
The saddest thing is that Jesus told us that even people who are in the church, can also go to hell at the end of their lives.
Matthew 7:23 “Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers! ‘”
Some will come to Jesus and say, “But Lord, I was a member of a church, I prayed for people, I gave my tithes regularly…….
But at the same time they were living in sin. They were in church but also led a life full of vices, always doing whatever pleased them.
If we deliberately live in sin, we will hear from God: I do not know you! Away from me, you evildoers!
He wants everyone to be saved!
But this decision is personal; it’s mine, it’s yours, because He gave us human beings Free Will!
God lets us choose! But each one of us will have to deal with the consequences of our choices!
You can plant whatever you want, you can live any way you want, but your harvest will be according to what you have sowed!
Now comes the question again: why do we need to preach to other people?
Why do we need to make disciples?
Because many people are dying and going to hell without knowing Christ.
This is the reason we have been saved! We were saved so we can bring salvation to the lost!
Before Jesus ascended to Heaven, He left a task to all his followers: go and make disciples!
Making disciples is the duty that we have as all born-again Christians.
We were saved so we can save the lost!
Every day people are dying without Christ and if we make disciples they will be saved from hell!
But today believers go to church, go to congresses, lectures, they sing and play music in the house of God, but they do not make disciples!
While we are doing our own little things, many people are dying and going to hell.
This life we have is so short. We are here now, and we’ll soon pass away. The only things that will remain is what we do for Christ.
You will take nothing of what you achieve in this life to heaven with you, only the disciples that you make!
The only thing you’re allowed to bring into the Kingdom of the heaven is the lives you have introduced to Christ.
Jesus told us, go and make disciples: take these people from hell and bring them to Heaven.
What is our vision as a church? Just save yourself?
We need to have a correct vision of what it really is to be a Christian!
Sometimes we do what Pastor Fabiana preached, we try and negotiate with the enemy, and lose focus of what God really has for us!
Satan removes our right eye out and we have no vision to reach the lost, no vision to make disciples, no vision to save people out of hell.
We must have a vision for the lost, for those who do not know God!
What is the reason we here together as a church?
Just to sing, rejoice and have fellowship on Sundays – The church will only make sense if we make disciples.
John 4:35 “Do not you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. ”
Jesus said: Have a vision for the lost, lift up your eyes and see that the fields are ready for harvest!
There are people ready to be saved! And who is going to help with the harvest?
The disciples heard what Jesus said and obeyed him: they went out and made many disciples. This is why they were called Christians.
In order to reach this goal we need to turn our vision into action!
If we do not engage actively in our mission, it just becomes meaningless.
Before Jesus went up to heaven He said “go and make disciples!” This is the reason we are here! This is what we are here for!
Many have been Christians for years and have never made disciples!
This is the mission of our life!
Maybe you’ll say I do not know how to make disciples!
I had only been in church for 6 months when I started making Disciples.
How do we reach people, what did we learn last week?
- Preach with your life! If you do not live a life for Jesus, you have no authority to tell people about Him!
- Be a servant! Serve people in need, help your friends at work, at school, etc help your neighbours, volunteer to help people with housework, cleaning.
- Love People! When we love people, God’s love transforms their lives and save their lives .
The greatest purpose of you life once you have been saved, is saving other people who are lost.
Sometimes we look at people and say, that person has a hard heart! If they are not willing to listen to the word of God they are not really worthy of it. I will not waste my breath and try and preach to them. Or maybe we say… What will they think of me? They will think I have notions! I don’t want to impose myself on other people.
And because of the way we think we do not make disciples.
We must respond to God not with emotion, but in a practical way, we need to respond to Him with attitude.
We cannot just respond to the Lord with Praise, worship, we must also respond with in an active way, we need to attitude.
For while we’re sitting here in church people are dying and they’re going to hell.
Many times we want to be doing something in church, but we must take action. Because when we take action, it shows our faithfulness to God.
Jesus called the 12 disciples to be with Him, but then afterwards He said, Go and make disciples.
Many Christians just want to be with Jesus, they are learning and doing good things in church for years, but they do not go out to do what Jesus commanded them to.
We become accommodate ourselves in a comfort zone from so much teaching that we receive. We receive a lot, but we do not give anything back to God by producing disciples.
We need to give a practical answer to God! We cannot just be sitting here, but must get active!
Jesus taught His disciples and they were together for a few years, but when he said it was time to go out there, they did not say no to Him.
We save lives from hell through Discipleship!
When we say “no” to making disciples, we are saying that the eternal destiny of other people is not important to us.
Matthew 25: 34-35 ” Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ”
Matthew 25:21 ““His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’”