Daily Devotional For Sunday, June 22, 2025
Good morning Southside and hope all is well as we all joyfully go worship the King of kings and Lord of lords today. We are looking at what it means to follow Jesus. For anyone to say, “I believe Jesus,” then they should also say, “Because I believe Jesus!, I am sharing Jesus.” For years as a pastor I have heard people say, “Well, my faith is private!” Really? The Lord saves you and you say, “Well, my faith is private. If anyone goes to hell, that is on them, not me.” We live in a culture that is pluralistic, filled with many pagan ideologies. It is no more wrong to share with someone that their ideology is wrong than it is for a parent to tell their children not to touch a hot burner on the stove.
Some think it is brash and arrogant to tell someone of another faith or religion that they are wrong spiritually, but the truth is, they are. Jesus is not just another teacher in the line of many other religious teachers. He was God in human flesh. If you were trapped in a fire, and someone got to you and said, “The way you are trying to escape this fire is wrong, here is the right way.” I would hope you would be elated and glad you have an escape from the fire. How is this any different? It is not. If Jesus is just another religious teacher to you, then I understand your reason. But, if you really believe Jesus is the “only Way, the only Truth and the only Light,” then that should compel everyone of us to share our faith with others.
There is nothing private about the Christian faith nor the Gospel. Yet, some Christians, when they look at the cross, say, “Jesus died just for me.” Did you just hear the buzzer for the wrong answer sound? Jesus died for every single person in the world in His day, everyone born since up to our day and every person in future until God ends all of this. Yes, Jesus died for you, but He didn’t die just for you only. We see this in the words of Jesus in Luke 24:47, He died for “that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem” (NASB).
When you study the disciples of Jesus, it is clear that they knew Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior AND they felt compelled for others to be the same. You and I may attempt to split hairs over this, but God will not tolerate it. A non-disciple making disciple is no disciple of Jesus. We live in a fallen and sinful world. We also live with the answer for all the problems this fallen and sinful world creates. To think the answer is private between the Lord and you is to invoke His wrath and judgment on you.
The Great Commission found in Matthew 28:19-20 is only possible if the Resurrection happened. To refuse to share your faith is to deny the validity of the Resurrection. After Jesus gave us the Great Commission, the resurrected Jesus immediately ascended back into heaven. Paul writes this in Ephesians 1:20-21, “When He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, (21) far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (NASB). Just for the record: Jesus is not seated on some bar stool next to our heavenly Father watching us down here on some kind of heavenly megatron.
He is there to intercede for us. Look at Romans 8:34,”Who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us” (NASB). Do you see the connection between Jesus’ Resurrection, Ascension, position in heaven and intercession? One makes the next one possible. Why do we go and make disciples?:
- We go and make disciples because we are commanded to do this.
- We go and make disciples because Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords.
- We go and make disciples because Jesus is the only way, truth and life. We go and make disciples because Jesus is the Resurrection and the life.
- We go and make disciples out of gratitude for all Jesus has done for us.
To not do this, is to negate all the previous four points above. If you do not go and make disciples, then you are not His disciple and not His child. We make disciples because the #1 passion of Jesus Christ has become our #1 passion – making disciples.
Assignment: Are you more committed to church, coming to church, doing church things, or are you more committed to making disciples? Which do you think touches the heart of Christ more? Take your Bible and rea Matthew 28:19-20, Acts 1:8, and Luke 9:26 or you can click on the links to them. What do these 3 passages have in common? What is the Lord telling you to do now as a result of this devotional?
Scripture To Meditate On: Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, I do not want to give the appearance to others that I am embarrassed or ashamed to share my faith with them. I want these 4 reasons above to motivate me to be Your herald at work, school, supermarket, on the golf course, at the gym, and wherever I may go. I want to see everywhere I go as a God moment to be Your Light and salt. I love You Lord. I love the Gospel and I love lost people. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly