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Monday started with not enough time with God. I spilled my jaded, exhausted, questioning heart to Him and ran out the door to go work at the church. Yes, you read that right…go work at the church. Part of my prayer was that God would show me that He is at work. My quiet time was pathetic, incomplete with no adoration and a list of frustrated demands. Yet, apparently God received my honest mess and that was exactly the prayer He chose to answer that day.
I went to the office, wrestled through my day with as much faith as I could muster and decided I would attend our Arlington campus for service that 
“…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20 NASB)
These are the final words of the Lord Jesus Christ when He was on earth. He provided clear direction for all of us as believers. First, we must know Jesus’ commands. Second, we must teach Jesus’ commands. Third, we will have the presence of Jesus with us whenever we obey this.
We must all teach others the things we know about Jesus’ commands. We naturally have no confidence in our ability to teach anyone about Jesus. We know ourselves and are sure that we aren’t capable. But, Jesus never gave a command that He…
Racial divides and cultural conflicts have been the cause of human tragedies around the world for millennia. Ethnic cleansing is but one horrific example of one group’s attempt to completely expunge another from the face of the earth. The root of such atrocities isn’t mere preference, not even prejudice, but what the Bible calls “partiality”, the looking down on one group while looking up to the other. Taken to its extreme, mixed with fierce pride, hearts of people seethe with anger and resentment towards others. Devastation and destruction, enmity and hostility––sometimes raging for hundreds of years––are the results.
What is powerful enough to break down the entrenched barricades separating people, and at the same time build up strong…
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit… (Matthew 28:19 NASB)
So then, those who had received His word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. (Acts 2:41 NASB)
On June 25, 2005, I placed a ring on the hand of my new bride as an outward, symbolic expression of an inward commitment that we made to each other before God and all our witnesses. This imagery helps us understand the symbolism and significance of baptism. Jesus’ command in the Great Commission to baptize all disciples in the name of God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) was designed to…
Empty coffee mugs line my kitchen sink, dining room chairs need to be moved back around the table, and my heart is delighted. Our couples Multiply group just cleared out, after lingering to visit. What a privilege to gather with these people! Most of us are or are close to becoming empty nesters and stand on the precipice of the next chapter of our lives. Younger ones challenge us with the realities of their generation and the need for investment. What might God have in store?
I log into Facebook to see if my college daughters are online. Instead of finding them, I find numerous pictures of young adults being baptized at MBC Arlington! What might God have planned for…
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit… (Matthew 28:19 NASB)
Based on Christ’s clear words to His disciples-and by extension, to all disciples of Jesus-the question for a Christian is not “Should I be making disciples?” but “God, where do You want me to make disciples?”
But WAIT! Before you pray that prayer, let me ask you a question: Have you already presumed God’s answer? Have you already filtered God’s plans for your life through the prerequisites of convenience, safety, job security, and lifestyle preferences? To the extent that you have, you may be “muzzling” the voice of God in your life and missing…
And Jesus came up and spoke to them saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” (Matthew 28:18 NASB)
This preamble to the Great Commission is often omitted when quoting this famous command. In preparing His disciples to hear their final mission, Jesus reminds them of who He is before He imparts the specifics of His plan.
Jesus is above all kings, emperors, and presidents-no court can overrule His judgments. In essence, Jesus says, “I am the highest authority in the entire universe, and this is what I want you to do, ‘Go and make disciples…'”
As a police officer, one of my normal duties was serving arrest warrants. The warrants all began, “To any authorized officer: You are hereby…