What has really made me think about all of this is the fact that I feel like some people spend their whole life reading the Bible and they never actually put the words into action. They can quote scripture all day, but have never quoted it for the good of someone else. They know exactly where to find, "the great commission" but have never done anything with it.
I've come to the realization that Americans have not only become physically obese, but we've figured out a way to become spiritually obese. We continue to read the Word of God and we soak it in and talk about it with our Christian friends. We do our Bible study once a week with a group of people from our church, then we go to church on Sunday and listen to the preacher and we leave with this new morsel of understanding. But most of us just stock pile it all. We learn and learn and study and learn...but how often do we put that learning into practice.
When I look at the ministry of Jesus I definitely see that he studied the scripture. He knew it. I know that because when he was tempted he replied to satan with scripture. When Jesus was walking the earth he was fulfilling exactly what the scriptures said. But I also see that Jesus did more than study the scriptures. He gave life to people through sharing them.
I also see a great example in the disciples. These guys were not spiritual leaders when Jesus picked them. They were fishermen, tax collectors, just plain old guys...then Jesus entered the picture. At that point, Jesus didn't tell them to immediately go share. Jesus taught them. They sat at His feet and learned. So, there is a place for sitting at Jesus' feet and learning. What I'm seeing is that a lot of us just stop there and keep sitting...getting more and more tubby as we take in the words of Jesus and just sit on them day after day. We miss the part where Jesus sends out the disciples and they become Apostles.
Matthew 10 says: "1 Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness. 2 Here are the names of the 12 apostles:...5 Jesus sent out the 12 apostles with these instructions:...7 Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!
It is interesting to me that this is where the 12 are first called Apostles. Jesus gives them authority to do great things and then sends them out as apostles. He tells them to GO! I think we get caught in the thought that we aren't able to live up to that standard. But Jesus said that we would do far more than He did. He gave us the same authority to cast out demons and raise the dead and heal every sickness. He told us to GO! Instead, we sit around and do our Bible studies and live our comfortable lives, all the while becoming more and more spiritually obese.
That's what I've been thinking about...share your thoughts!
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