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The Word of God says:

John 17:20-21 (ESV) ²⁰ “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word,²¹ that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

My reflections on the Word of God:

Today we conclude our focus on the topic, “Commission by Relationship”. Our theme passage for this topic is the Great Commission.

Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV) ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

You can tell from the prayer of Jesus in John 17 where His heart is, and what His purpose is for believers. We who are believers cannot claim that He does not understand our circumstance. Jesus not only knows our circumstances, but he knows everything about us.

Psalm 103:14 (ESV) ¹⁴ For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.

Jesus knows what He is asking the Father to do for us in His prayer for oneness. The standard for oneness is the relationship that Jesus had with His Father. Jesus believed that believers could have that kind of relationship, and who am I to doubt His faith.

What is impossible through the wisdom of the world is possible with God. When a sinner comes to God through the sacrificial blood of Jesus, that person becomes a new creation. Let us just look at a few examples of that newness, which makes oneness possible. In this passage, Paul shows that believers have a new family, new fellowship, and new building.

Ephesians 2:19-22 (ESV) ¹⁹ So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,²¹ in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.²² In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I am so thankful that oneness is not impossible for us today. Father God, I am so grateful that our circumstances are not an obstacle for You to make us one.

Our heavenly Father, I pray that Your people would repent, and recommit our lives to having the focus be our two vital relationships. Lord, restore the JOY in our hearts as we put Jesus and others above self.

Let Others See Jesus in You (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://home.fuse.net/rust/189.html

The Word of God says:

Revelation 2:4-5 (ESV) ⁴ But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.⁵ Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.

My reflections on the Word of God:

One of the things that we should guard because it is so precious is our personal and intimate relationship with the Lord.

It did not take long in the life of the church to lose the love that they first had for their Savior. The health of an intimate relationship takes both time and care. If neglected, the relationship suffers.

The admonition to remember and repent of the sin of turning from your first love involves two relationships of love.

The first is our vertical relationship, which is our relationship with Jesus. This is the relationship with our Savior. I love the old hymn of the church that expresses this relationship.

“O how I love Jesus,

O how I love Jesus;

O how I love Jesus,

Because He first loved me!”

The second relationship is horizontal; it is our relationship with others. The scripture has much to say about this vital relationship. This is what Jesus said.

John 13:34-35 (ESV) ³⁴ A new commandments I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.³⁵ By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I pray that You will take us back to our first love. Father God, take us back to the love that we had for Jesus and the love that we had for one another.

Take Me Back (Click on link below to watch video):

YouTube - andre crouch–take me back

The Word of God says:

Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV) ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

My reflections on the Word of God:

As I read again the focal passage for our week devoted to the topic “Commission by Relationship”, I am reminded that these are the among the last words of Jesus to His disciples. These are words of first importance.

Many churches are developing purpose statements, and developing goals and objectives. These are worthy paths to take. However, where you look for help in accomplishing the task is of utmost importance.

I heard someone say, “What would Jesus do?” I am glad you asked that question because Jesus has told us what we should do.

Jesus said this to His followers and that included not only the eleven disciples, but also all who would come after them. He was speaking to them, and He speaks to His believing followers of every age.

Our charge is to go, make disciples, baptize, and teach. The field is the world. The authority under which we go is Jesus.

The ironclad promise is that Jesus will be with you until the task is finished. You can rest in the blessed assurance for He said, “I am with you always, to the end of the age”.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I praise and thank You for the promise and the provisions of the Great Commission.

Father God, I am so thankful that You have provided a means for Your people to be involved in the huge assignment of reconciling a lost and dying world to Yourself.

Lord, I pray that when You look at my life You will be able to see me as a faithful servant and follower of Jesus my Savior.

Wherever He Leads I’ll Go (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://biblestudycharts.com/SH_Where_He_Leads_I_Will_Go.html

The Word of God says:

Matthew 16:24 (ESV) ²⁴ Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

Mark 1:17 (ESV) ¹⁷ And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”

My reflections on the Word of God:

Methods in evangelism should never descend into our motive for reaching the lost with the gospel of Christ. Our motive should be the same as the motive of our Savior.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) ²¹ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

If we want to know how much God loves us, we need only go to Calvary and look at our Savior, and look at Him on the cross.

John 3:16 (ESV) ¹⁶ “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

What we see when we look at Jesus on the cross should be sufficient motivation for us to follow Jesus all the days of our life, and do what He commands us to do.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (ESV) ¹⁴ For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;¹⁵ and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I pray that You will forgive us if we have elevated methods over motive in our attempts to fulfill the Great Commission.

Father God may our aim as Christ follower be the aim of our Savior. Lord, may our relationship with Christ compel us to cease to live for ourselves, and to live for others.

Others (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/t/h/others.htm

The Word of God says:

Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV) ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

My reflections on the Word of God:

Today we begin a new topic, “Commission by Relationship”. Our focal passage is “The Great Commission”.

Henry Blackaby says the following about our topic for this week:

“When church members begin living in a vital relationship with Christ under His lordship, baptisms and membership growth will take care of themselves.”

When I read the Book of Acts, I observe the first century church operating under the authority and power of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. They have left us an example that we would do well to follow.

Nothing could be more clear than the command of Jesus to His disciples then, and His disciples today of His purpose for His people.

The command of Jesus is for His people to go and make disciples under His authority. The Apostle Paul speaks of this commission in his letter to the Corinthian church.

2 Corinthians 5:17-21 (ESV) ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.¹⁸ All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;¹⁹ that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.²⁰ Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.²¹ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I ask that You would forgive us for straying from Your clear command to go and make disciples of the nations.

Father God, You have given Your people everything that we need to fulfill the Great Commission. Lord, may we align our lives with the life of our Savior, and do what He told us to do, under His authority, and with His almighty power.

2 Corinthians 5:14 (ESV) ¹⁴ For the love of Christ controls us…

The Word of God says:

Psalm 51:1-4 (KJV) ¹ Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.² Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.³ For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.⁴ Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightiest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.

Psalm 51:10 (KJV) ¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

My reflections on the Word of God:

Today we conclude our focus on the topic “Prayer and Oneness”. One of the important elements of prayer is confession.

There is a high cost to sin. David’s sin affected his total person. In addition, it had a devastating effect on his family and resulted in the death of a comrade. However, the primary impact of sin is in David’s acknowledgement that his sin was against God.

“How sad it is to have to live with the consequences of forgiven sin.”

                            William Culbertson

Intimacy with God is incompatible with unconfessed sins in our life. There is a high cost to sin. The pleasures of sin are never worth the consequences of sin. As David discovered even sin forgiven has consequences. If you want to calculate the high cost of sin, just go to Calvary.

At Calvary, God restored our relationship with Him. In acknowledgement and confession of our sins, God restores our fellowship with Him.

David did not seek cheap forgiveness. He came to God with a broken spirit, and a broken and contrite heart.

Psalm 51:17 (AMP) ¹⁷ My sacrifice [the sacrifice acceptable] to God is a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart [broken down with sorrow for sin and humbly and thoroughly penitent], such, O God, You will not despise.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I pray that You will make me aware of the terrible consequences of sin in my life.

Father God, I pray that You will remove from my life anything that will break the sweet and intimate fellowship that I long for in the depths of my soul.

O for a Closer Walk with God (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/f/oforaclo.htm

Note: The Ralph Hudson tune is the one I am most familiar.

The Word of God says:

Revelation 2:4-5 (NASB) ⁴ ‘But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.⁵ ‘Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place—unless you repent.

My reflections on the Word of God:

What is wrong with the church? You need go no further than this passage to get to the core of the problem with the church.

It is not the institution. It is not even the usual suspects the building, the budget, and the number of bodies that assemble for the services of the church.

The core problem is that the people of God have lost their love for Christ. They have lost the sense of the need for Him in their daily life. They no longer enjoy the benefit of having their Savior walk and talk with them daily.

In turn, this leads to them losing that loving and caring relationship that they once experienced with one another in the Body of Christ.

The remedy for what is wrong with the Church is repentance. Let the church get back to loving Jesus, and loving one another.

John 14:23 (NASB) ²³ Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.

John 16:27 (NASB) ²⁷ for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from the Father.

John 15:12 (NASB) ¹² “This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I pray that You will take Your people back to their first love. Father God, convict and convince us, by Your Holy Spirit that we need to return to You. Lord, may the cry of our hearts be, I need Jesus more than anything this world has to offer.

I Need Thee Every Hour (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://biblestudycharts.com/SH_I_Need_Thee_Every_Hour.html

The Word of God says:

Romans 8:29 (KJV) ²⁹ For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son …

My reflections on the Word of God:

Today in our focal passage, we continue to examine the topic “Prayer and Oneness”. God has a purpose for every life He creates, but sin marred His plan. However, in eternity past, God provided the remedy for man’s sin.

Romans 8:29 (AMP) .²⁹ For those whom He foreknew [of whom He was aware and loved beforehand], He also destined from the beginning [foreordaining them] to be molded into the image of His Son [and share inwardly His likeness], that He might become the firstborn among many brethren.

God’s amazing love for humankind is evident before He ever created man. An examination of the entire verse in the Amplified version gives us the ultimate purpose of God in the latter part of that verse.

The eight chapter of the book of Romans is one of the great chapters of the bible. In this chapter Paul writes of the assurances we can have that God is a faithful God. No matter what you are going through in your life today, you can take heart in the knowledge that God is committed to fulfilling the purpose and plans He has for your life. Now, that is good news on a Monday morning.

Jeremiah 29:11 (NASB) ¹¹ ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.

Proverbs 20:24 (NASB) ²⁴ Man’s steps are ordained by the Lord, How then can man understand his way?

I have written in one of my study bibles the following quote from an unknown author:

“The will of God won’t take you where His grace can’t keep you”.

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I am so thankful to be able to live in the blessed assurance that the Sovereign God is watching over and keeping my life is His strong hands.

Lord, I pray that You will give me the faith that I need to embrace Your purpose and plans for my life. I pray that I will be willing to go where You send, and do what You ask me to do.

I’ll Go Where You Want Me to Go (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://library.timelesstruths.org/music/Ill_Go_Where_You_Want_Me_to_Go/midi/

The Word of God says:

Luke 11:1 (KJV) ¹ And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

My reflections on the Word of God:

If we are not watchful and alert, our desire for independence and self-sufficiency will hinder our desire to draw closer to God.

In our world, many good things compete for our time. In order to have intimacy with God, we must spend time alone with God.

How important is intimacy with God to you? Is prayer your first option or your last option? The value you place on prayer will determine how much time you will spend praying.

Jesus made prayer a priority of His life. John the Baptist gave prayer a high value, and he taught his followers to pray. The twelve disciples of Jesus valued prayer so much that one of the twelve asked Jesus to teach them to pray.

When we set aside time to spend alone with God, we afford ourselves the opportunity to develop intimacy with God.

The time we devote to prayer will enrich our lives. Time alone in the presence of God cannot help but influence and change us into the people God purposed for us to be.

Luke 11:2 (KJV) ² And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.

Robert Law said the following about prayer:

“Prayer is a mighty instrument, not for getting man’s will done in Heaven, but for getting God’s will done in earth.”

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, there are so many things that compete for our time and our energy.

Lord, I pray that You will give me the discipline to say no to the many good things so that I can say “Yes Lord” to the best things.

Lord, teach us to pray.

Breathe on Me, Breath of God (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://biblestudycharts.com/SH_Breathe_on_Me.html

The Word of God says:

John 17:21 (KJV) ²¹ That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

Matthew 6:33 (KJV) ³³ But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

My reflections on the Word of God:

Today, we begin a new topic. For the next five days, our focus will be scriptures around the theme of “Prayer and Oneness with God”. I always listen when Oswald Chambers speaks on the scriptures, and this is what he said about our topic.

“The idea of prayer is not in order to get answers from God; prayer is perfect and complete oneness with God . . . Have you reached such an intimacy with God that the Lord Jesus Christ’s life of prayer is the only explanation of your life of prayer?”

The concept of the believers living in unity comes from Jesus in His prayer to His heavenly Father. In this prayer, Jesus revels what His priorities are. It would be well for us to seek first things when we pray, just as Jesus sought first things in His prayer in John chapter seventeen.

If we are not careful, we will find our prayer life to be more about getting things from God. We should never sacrifice things for oneness with God.

What are the first things in your life? Would you rather have more of Jesus or would you prefer to have more things?

My prayer in response to the Word of God:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, I pray that You will plant deep in our hearts the desire to have more of Jesus in our lives.

Lord, may our goal be to experience the oneness with our heavenly Father that our Savior had with His Father, who is our God.

Father God, help us to settle for nothing than the best that You desire for us to have. Lord, while others may settle for the things of this world, I pray that You will give me more of Jesus, and His priorities to become my priorities.

More About Jesus (Click on link below for lyrics and midi):

http://digitalhymnal.org/dhymn.cfm?HymnNumber=245