UNDERSTANDING MISSIONS 3

 UNDERSTANDING MISSIONS (3)


Hindrances to Discipleship (part 2) Luke 9: 57-62


In our previous lesson, we observed that one of the greatest hindrances to Discipleship is inability to count the cost. 


Today, we are examining the second hindrance. 


Luke 9. 59-60. "Jesus said to another man, "Follow me!" But the man said, "Lord, let me go and bury my father first." But Jesus said to him, "Let the people who are dead bury their own dead. You must go and tell about God's kingdom."


The second would-be disciple was privileged and duly called by God. This was the fellowship the first man never enjoyed. And seriously, he was more eager to respond to the call. But his decision was halfhearted. He has a different priority, '...Lord, let me FIRST go...' He acknowledged the Lordship of Christ. He avowed the greatness of Jesus. But, he was really unwilling to submit his personal priority for the Master's call. His desires, interests and hobbies were first in his schedule. Anything that will disrupt his conveniences will be fought hardly. 


Seriously, there are folks who love to serve the Lord. But such work should not inconvenience them. Their cars and money becomes their priority. They are ready to go if others can make up for their bills. 


I know some fine Christian parents who assents to their children serving God only in the cities and never in the villages. They want their children growing and maturing in Christ. But they resist them from marrying a pastor or missionary. 


Some would love to serve God only with their money but never be physically available to go for the Lord. 


Jesus wasn't happy with this halfhearted disciples who insisted on his own comfort. He counselled him that he should allowed the dead to bury their dead. Jesus was saying in essence,  ' What you were concerned about was what others could do--unbelievers and other believers alike'. But the work of preaching the gospel cannot be done by just anybody. Only Christians have the capacity to preach the gospel of Christ. 


Are you this other disciple? 


Peter OLAYINKA 

Living Grace Christian Missions, Ilara.

WhatsApp +22994139130

peterrazaq@yahoo.com

Twitter & Instagram: @peterrazaq


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A DOSE OF COUNSEL FOR ORO AND EGUNGUN FOLLOWERS

Image
I woke up this morning reading a lot of social media posts about the selected dates and days for the ORO festival in the part of the country where I live. ORO is a secluded cultic 'religious' activity. Traditionally, it involves mature males and initiated participants. Women are forever banned from witnessing it, except for hearing it from inside (ETI L'OBIRIN FI NGBO OHUN ORO). Nobody reveals the activities in public. You keep what you see and know to yourself. Nobody exchanges pleasantries about what happened the day before in public. During this time, men do all they can, including appearing like the first Adam in the garden. The absence of women grants men the freedom to engage in reckless behavior. A few days ago, I was shown a TikTok live coverage of an ORO festival in a certain part of the country. Oh! What a sacrilege. An abomination, you would say. It is anti-tradition and a taboo. But that's the world we live in. Nothing seems to be hidden anymore. Smartwatche...
Read more

RE: IS THE STORY OF ALHAJI WASIU AYINDE BARRISTER'S CONVERSION TO CHRISTIANITY REALLY TRUE?

Image
  "But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." - Romans 2:29 Since my previous write-up on the above subject, I have received several mixed feedbacks, especially from Christians. Some were ecstatic, praising God for doing such a wondrous thing. However, others opined that such an acclaimed conversion is nothing but a business tactic. They argued that his affiliation with the Celestial Church indicates that he is merely religious and pretentious about his faith in Christ. This group believes that the Celestial Church is not a place to find a true Christian. (Please, wait before you start casting aspersions on anyone.) Meanwhile, as fate would have it, I have been drawn to several of Wasiu Ayinde's songs on TikTok. I am still wondering why I consistently stumble upon his songs even though I do not follow his handle. I can only hope I will not be tempted to start...
Read more

TAKE YOUR MOUNTAINS. NEVER GIVE EXCUSES.

Image
 The children of Israel came into the Land of Promise as a conglomerate of twelve tribes. They needed unity to reach that point. But once they arrived in Canaan, each tribe had to take possession of its own inheritance. What you take is what you get. At this stage, collective effort would not suffice—each tribe needed to claim and secure its portion for future generations. God had already given clear instructions regarding what must be possessed: “For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off... I will send my fear before thee, and will destroy all the people to whom thou shalt come, and I will make all thine enemies turn their backs unto thee.” — Exodus 23:23, 27 The command was simple and decisive: to cut them off—to destroy all the people. Only on this basis could Israel take full possession of the land and be free from intimidation. The b...
Read more