Chapter 3: [Truth] Intro to Marriage...

[Truth]

2 Timothy 4: 1-5

“I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His Kingdom: Preach the Word!  Be ready in season and out of season.  Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and teaching.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.  But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

“Ok.  So.  Crew.  Like I was saying a few days ago.  Each one of us as Christians have our own personal ministries,” Moose says as he flips on the coms.  Art-bot walks with him down the corridor.

“I would define ministry as things we do on behalf of Jesus in service of Jesus.  If you are doing something in the Name of the Lord, actively, purposefully, of your own free-will, it is a ministry.  Now.  Over history and even today there are a whole lot of really big ministries that have really big names that are doing really big things, in theory.  It is entirely possible that a lot of the ministries you hear of are really big and really important and doing really big things, assuming a few assumptions.  Assuming they are Christians.  And not apostate Christians.  Biblical believing Christians, this is what I mean.  It is just as entirely possible that these ministries are a local church that, for one reason or another, God has brought to your attention and maybe the attention of a few other people.  For His Purposes.  Whatever those may be.

Proverbs 16: 4

“The LORD has made all for Himself, yes, even the wicked for the day of doom.”

For the Enterprising Crew following along we are getting into John 15 for our study in the Holy Spirit.  If we haven’t given our first fruits of praise to Jesus yet, let’s go ahead and do that.  And while we are at it turn to John 15.

Now.  Let’s slow down for a moment because it’s real easy to get excited when we start talking about ministry.  Let’s not forget…

Matthew 28: 18-20 (I got it right from memory this time!  Praise Jesus!)

“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’  Amen.”

So.  Yes!  Jesus has commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations!  If you’re anything like me, crew, you probably have a moment in mind where you asked the question, so what does that mean?  How do I go out and make disciples of all nations.  And what I am saying here, crew is, how do I, meaning, me, us, personally, how do each and every single one of us personally go out and make disciples of all nations, right?

We start with Jesus and ourselves.  One on one.  Our personal relationship with Jesus is the foundation of our discipleship for what Jesus teaches us is what we are supposed to be teaching others so Jesus can teach them to teach others.  That’s making disciples.  But we first must have Jesus make disciples out of us.  And show ourselves to be profitable servants, if you remember the parable.

So we might be asking ourselves at this point, how do I do that?

Psalm 119: 9-16

“How can a young man cleanse his way?  By taking heed according to Your Word.  With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!  Your Word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.  Blessed are You, O LORD!  Teach me Your statutes.  With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth.  I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches.  I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your Ways.  I will delight myself in Your statutes; I will not forget Your Word.”

Moose out.”  He ends the coms transmission.  Art-bot let’s get those photos and work on them some.  It won’t be too long before we need to be getting back into space.”

Art-bot nods as she syncs with his com device.  The two continue into depths of the ship.

Proverbs 2: 10-22

“When wisdom enters your heart, and knowledge is pleasant to your soul, discretion will preserve you; understanding will keep you, to deliver you from the way of evil, from the man who speaks perverse things, from those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness; who rejoice in doing evil, and delight in the perversity of the wicked; whose ways are crooked, and who are devious in their paths; to deliver you from the immoral woman, from the seductress who flatters with her words, who forsakes the companion of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God. For her house leads down to death, and her paths to the dead; none who go to her return, nor do they regain the paths of life- so you may walk in the way of goodness, and keep to the paths of righteousness.  For the upright will dwell in the land, and the blameless will remain in it; but the wicked will be cut off from the earth, and the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.”